Misunderstanding Paul's Message in Romans 11

Having grown up in the Catholic church, and having worked on staff at a Protestant church, I cannot recall ever being taught Romans 11 in-depth. Perhaps this chapter presents a challenge to many prevailing theological traditions and is subsequently avoided. This being the case, we will uncover a few missing keys to Paul's message making this challenge stronger.

In Romans 11, Paul leverages a few Midrashic themes from the Rabbinic tradition that many readers may not be aware of. When understood, these further affirm the Jewish people's selection and enduring covenantal place with G_D.

Paul begins chapter 11 by asking:

I ask, then, has G_D rejected his people? By no means!

As if to stifle the seeds of Anti-Jewish supersessionism, he continues with the observation that it was G_D who covered their eyes, an act that somehow enabled a redemptive foothold for the nations (verses 7-8). In verse 11, Paul states - that had this concealment not taken place - the nations would have been in a hopeless state. He makes this assertion in other letters as well¹.

If the Dough is Holy

In Romans 11:16, Paul states:

If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.

To an observant Jew, this is a reference to a well-known Torah mitzvah known as; Hafrashat Challah². Here, one breaks off a small piece of dough or a fresh loaf of bread as an offering, set aside for G_D. In doing so, the rest of the loaf is elevated, and made worthy of consumption³. This kind of offering is known as Terumah, a word that means to elevate.

A parallel to Paul's words can be found in the Midrash, stating that the forefathers were such an offering to the nation of Israel:

Our forefathers were the Terumah of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated, Israel is holy to Hashem, "the first of His crop' (Jeremiah 2:3).
- Exodus Rabbah 15:6

Paul, extending this homily one degree further makes the case that Israel are a similar offering for the rest of the world.

The Branches

Paul then leverages another Rabbinic idea that can be found in various sources from the Talmud, Midrash, and the Zohar - in which Israel represents an olive tree. In this metaphor, the Jewish people are a living tree into which the nations will ultimately be grafted⁴. It is through them Salvation will come to the world, a statement affirmed by Yeshua himself in John 4:22.

In the example below, many English translations render the following passage in a problematic way, one that proponents of Replacement Theology would appreciate. We read:

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. - Romans 11:17-18

The idea here is that the natural branches are "broken off", and thrown to the ground. However, Dr. Mark Nanos indicates the word often translated as "broken off" (ekklao) can be validly rendered as "broken", "cracked", or "bent", as one may do to a branch in order to graft in a new shoot.

The Greek word usually translated “broken off” (formed from ekklaō), can be translated very differently and thereby communicate very different implications both within the allegory of the olive tree and for the analogies drawn about Paul’s view of his fellow Israelites. Ekklaō can be translated “broken,” as in when a branch is ‘bent” so as to suffer a “break” or “crack” in it; although injured, it re-mains on the tree.⁵

If we replace the English words "broken off" with "bent" or "cracked", we can then understand how the wild branches can still "share in the nourishing root of the tree", which would not be the case if the branches were severed totally.

What interests me in this interpretation is that the Catholic church has come to a form of this understanding over the last century through the doctrine of "Nostra Aetate"⁶, which affirms the enduring covenant with the Jewish people.

Dr. Nanos continues;

A bent or cracked limb is “callused” to “protect” the injured area from further damage until it can be fully “healed”; in the meantime, it can continue to function within the tree toward its goal of producing fruit. “All Israel will be healed, protected, preserved, kept safe.”

Informed by the Midrashic tradition, we can better understand Paul's words and how they affirm the place of the Jewish people while still being inclusive to the nations. In this way, the original branches remain productive, bearing additional fruit through the grafting of wild shoots.

Rather than one of condemnation, Paul's message beautifully portrays the way in which G_D will continue to move forward with His plan of global redemption, honoring His covenants and bringing revelation to those who were once far off.

If you like this article, there is more available in this book, "Into the Orchard. The Midrashic Tradition in the New Testament. Available on Amazon.

Notes:

1. Ephesians 2:12 - "...remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."

² Jewish law requires that a portion of dough or finished baked product be set aside for what is known as “challah.” While any size portion is adequate for challah, it is customary to separate a portion the size of an olive. After separation, the challah is burned." - Kosher.com

³ "When the owner designates a specific portion as Terumah and separates it, he rectifies the produce and makes it suitable for eating." - Commentary on Exodus Rabbah 15:6

⁴ "And Rabbi Elazar said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed [nivrekhu]” (Genesis 12:3)? The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Abraham: I have two good shoots to graft onto you: Ruth the Moabite, the ancestress of the house of David, and Naamah the Ammonite, whose marriage with Solomon led to the ensuing dynasty of the kings of Judea. “All the families of the earth” means: Even families that live in the earth, i.e., who have land of their own, are blessed only due to the Jewish people. Similarly, when the verse states: “All the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him” (Genesis 18:18), it indicates that even ships that come from Galia to Hispania are blessed only due to the Jewish people." - Yevamot 63a

⁵ “The Gifts and the Calling of God are Irrevocable” (Romans 11:29): If So, How Can Paul Declare that “Not All Israelites Truly Belong to Israel” (9:6)? - Essay by Dr. Mark Nanos

⁶https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651028_nostra-aetate_en.html