'n Verkenning van die moontlikhede van 'n resepsieteoretiese benadering tot die lees van Romeine 7:7–25

Abstract

An exploration of the possibilities of a reception theoretical approach to the reading of Romans 7:7–25 The multiplicity of interpretations of Romans 7:7–25 is well-known in Biblical scholarship. In this article the possibilities of a reception theoretical approach to the different readings of this text is explored. A brief theoretical discussion of this approach is given, focusing on the work of the German literary theorists, Hans Robert Jauss and Wolfgang Iser. When applied to the history of reception of Romans 7:7–25 it seems that Jauss's idea of the reader's 'horizon of expectations' and its influence on the interpretation of a text, is confirmed. It is pointed out how extra-textual influences throughout the history had changed the interpretation of this text, starting right back in the fourth century with the controversy between Augustine and Pelagius, leading up to the differences between exegetes and sistematic theologians in our day. Some preliminary remarks on 'the reader' in Romans 7:7–25 as well as the gaps and textual strategies of this text are also made. The conclusion reached is that, although not necessarily revolutionary new, a reading of this text from the perspective of the role of the reader, definitely offers some fruitful possibilities for the understanding of New Testament epistolary literature.