S2E10: Eschatology & Israel Part 2 —Benjamin & Cody continue their discussion and debate concerning Israel in Romans 9-11, briefly reviewing the ground covered in the last episode, and marching forward through many of the particulars in chapters 10 and 11.
Cody maintains and elaborates on his position that Romans 9:6 and Romans 11:25-26 is speaking of True Israel vs. False Israel, and that Paul's interest is to parse through the complexity of the present using the past (the OT) as a key, rather than to predict some distant future event, and that when Paul speaks of Jewish salvation he is incredibly reserved. Benjamin maintains and elaborates on his position that every instance of the word "Israel" concerns only ethnic Israelites, i.e. elect vs. non-elect, and that Paul envisions a definite future salvation for the Jewish nation, which Benjamin sees as being rooted in places from Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
Touched on in this episode:
- What does Paul mean by "their fulness" in Romans 11:12?
- Why does Cody think men make unwarranted deductions about ethnic Israel's future in Romans 11?
- To what end has the Jewish nation fallen?
- What is the "mystery" of Romans 11:25? Are there any other passages which should bear upon this question?
- Why does Paul use the word οὕτως in Romans 11:26, and how should this best be translated and understood?
- Is Jeremiah 31 in any way relevant for the future of the Jewish nation and its salvation?
- Is Hosea important to understanding the identity of Israel in Romans 9-11?
- What should we make of Paul's citation in Romans 11:26-27? Is it from Isaiah? Is it salvation? Is it judgment?
- Is there a chiastic structure to Romans 9-11?
- In what way is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 relevant to our interpretation of these things?