God in the Prescript: Theology and Intratextual Connections in Romans 1:1–7

Juraj Feník

Jan Stanislav Institute of Slavistics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences , Slovakia
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5814-1629


Abstract

No serious scholar denies that the Letter to the Romans is a massive theological composition abounding in references to God. Typically passages other than the epistolary prescript (1:1–7) are chosen for theological examination. Yet this text, when scrutinised more closely, yields an unusually rich theological outlook. This article undertakes an analysis of the theology of Rom 1:1–7 and argues that its individual, more-or-less explicit theological statements announce some major themes present at later points in Romans. Without downplaying the importance of the propositio (1:16–17) as the announcement of the principal emphasis of Romans, this endeavour demonstrates that in the prescript Paul anticipates some key theological interests.

Keywords:

call, father, God, Letter to the Romans, prescript, theology

Supporting Agencies:

The research for this article was supported by the APVV agency (APVV-24-0248) “Komentár k evanjeliu podľa Jána kap. 1-11” and the VEGA agency (VEGA 2/0017/26 “Biblické neologizmy a metafory v kontexte tradície”).


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Published
2026-07-27


Feník, J. (2026). God in the Prescript: Theology and Intratextual Connections in Romans 1:1–7. The Biblical Annals, 16(3), 513–535. https://doi.org/10.31743/ba.19116

Juraj Feník  fenikovdurko@yahoo.com
Jan Stanislav Institute of Slavistics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5814-1629



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