Revista Brasileira de Interpretação Bíblica

Apresentação

Heitor Carlos Santos Utrini — 2025-07-09

Apresentação do v. 6, n. 11, jan./jun. 2025, da Revista Brasileira de Interpretação Bíblica (ReBiblica).

Editorial

Heitor Carlos Santos Utrini — 2025-07-08

From faith to faith

Cláudio Vianney Malzoni — 2025-07-08

The Letter to the Romans has been considered the culmination of Paul’s theological exposition. Right at the beginning, he makes a statement of the themes that he will deal with in the Letter, among which that of soteriology stands out (Rom 1:16-17). In the statement, appears the phrase ek písteos eis pístin, from faith to faith, taken here as object of study. It will be presented in its context in the Letter to the Romans, from the way it is interpreted by some important scholars of the Letter, and as it appears translated in some of the main editions of the Bible in circulation in Brazil. The objective is to show the difficulties of translators in the face of a difficult text and what procedures they adopt to help readers understand it. The methodology adopted was that of bibliographic research. It can be seen, as a result achieved, that the difficulty of translation is due to the syntactic construction used by Paul, but that it can also come from the understanding of what faith is in the Apostle’s writings. In other words, the difficulty would be not only in the syntactic structure of the syntagm (ek ... eis...), but also in understanding the meaning of the noun pístis, faith, in Paul, that is, in a semantic issue.

Imprimatur Dei, natural theology and divine revelation

Waldecir Gonzaga — 2025-06-26

God makes himself known through creation (Rom 1,20), has left in the visible his own imprimatur. In the work of nature it is possible to grasp some divine attributes: the good, the beautiful, the true and the good. Chaos became cosmos through God’s creative action. However, the order given by the Creator to his work has been disturbed by human action. The misuse of what has been entrusted to human beings (Gen 1:26) produces a variety of ills, disfiguring nature and causing catastrophic natural phenomena. What God created and saw as good (Gen 1,1-25) has become a scourge for humanity. The Bible presents the image of divine wrath, in many cases through the image of fire and storm. Human beings, arrogating to themselves the wisdom to manage their lives and the world, ignore God’s action manifested in creation, disturb the divine order of nature and produce a world in their own image (Rom 1,21-23). In this sense, this article, through exegetical analysis and theological commentary on Rom 1,18-23, presents elements for contemplating the manifestation of God in his creation, as the place of the imprimatur Dei, imprinted on nature.

The nature contains the imprimatur Dei (Rom 1:19-20)

Waldecir Gonzaga — 2025-07-03

This study reflects on the theme of caring for our common home in light of the passage from Rom 1:19-20. It seeks to engage in dialogue with the tradition of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon and the challenges they face today. The Letter to the Romans addresses the main theological themes of the Pauline epistolary and is commonly accepted as one of the most important letters of the Apostle Paul, considered to be protopauline. Starting from Paul’s reflection, we glimpse the importance of the urgent ecological conversion promoted by Pope Francis, especially in the Encyclical Laudato Si', to overcome the technocratic, utilitarian, and consumerist vision in light of the divine character of creation. Integral Ecology has its roots and sources in the beautiful theology of creation and allows us to navigate the rivers and lakes of the Amazon, based on a liberating ecotheology, overcoming the socio-environmental crisis in which the planet finds itself. In this sense, this article offers the biblical text in its original language and translation, textual criticism notes, as well as biblical-theological commentary on the two verses of the pericope of Rom 1:19-20. Next, some of the causes of the crisis and its consequences are presented, as well as an overview of the actors operating in the vast network of support for the Pan-Amazonian Region, including ecclesial and governmental networks and various civil society organizations that have supported indigenous and riverine communities in defending the biome, with its fauna and flora. Finally, this article is particularly relevant given that in November 2025, one of the major capitals of the Amazon, Belém do Pará, will host COP30.

Rom 9:27-29

Basílio da Silva — 2025-07-08

The final part of the sequence of Old Testament texts used by Paul in Rom 9:27-29 expresses Paul’s way of re-reading the relationship between God and his people. This re-reading points to the nature of the Church, made up of two groups: ethnic-Christians (Rom 9:25-26) and Jewish-Christians (Rom 9:27-29), according to God’s plan. The Church is therefore not only the mature fruit of the preaching of the Gospel, but the very realization of the Word of God (Rom 9:6a) transmitted through the prophets; therefore, the Church is born of two peoples, from the free choice of God (Rom 9:7-13). Within this Pauline hermeneutical horizon, the rereading of the prophetic texts used in Rom 9:27-29 takes as its starting point the rhetorical use of metonymy, to express two connotations attributed to Jews who believe in Christ, translating, in today’s Christian community, a new meaning given to being a “remnant” of Israel and descendants of Abraham. This figure of speech hermeneutically condenses the theological-historical action of God’s gift in view of Israel’s salvation, announced by Isaiah and now realized through faith in Christ.

The “rational worship” of Romans 12:1-2 in the religio romana environment

Paulo Bazaglia — 2025-06-25

In the exhortation to “rational worship” in Rom 12:1-2, Paul metaphorizes sacrifice and gives new meaning to worship for the followers of the Jesus movement in Rome. This is a positive paraclisis that contrasts with the negative descriptive framework of Rom 1:18-32. This article seeks to analyze the implications of Paul’s exhortation in relation to worship in the religio romana, which is markedly ritualistic and superstitious. By understanding that in the negative framework of Rom 1:18-3 Paul had the imperial house in mind, such implications have to do with the so-called “imperial cult”, understood not only as cult of the emperor, but as mechanisms of the State that used the religio to maintain imperial power. In the exhortation that implies a new ethos for the followers of Jesus, Paul indicates the need for an ethics of discernment regarding the will of God: not to conform to the elements of the present eon but to be transformed by the renewal of the mind, so that the new life in the Spirit may be an offering pleasing to God, of living and holy bodies, which know how to discern between the justice and fidelity of the God of Jesus and the ius et fides of the Empire.

The Greeting of Women in Romans 16

Marcelo Massao Osava — 2025-06-27

A major document for understanding the relevance of female participation in early Christianity is chapter sixteen of the Letter to the Romans. Paul greets several women, indicating that they were important and valued in Christian communities, which was innovative in contrast to the society of the time. These women demonstrated protagonism and authority, exercising various functions in the communities, whether as leaders, collaborating in the Pauline ministry or acting in specific ministries, as in the case of Phoebe, exercising the diaconate. These women were courageous, wise and holy, they worked actively and offered their lives for the propagation of the evangelical message. In the Letter to the Romans, there is no room for belittling women in relation to men, because the apostle considered them to have the same dignity and rights in the mission of spreading the gospel. In the contemporary Church, Pope Francis has taken several actions in favor of greater consideration and appreciation of women, recognizing the essential missionary work that they have always performed throughout history. And the early acts of Pope Leo XIV suggest that Francis' efforts to promote greater appreciation of women in the Church were not in vain and that more progress is yet to come.

Paul and the Justification by faith

Mariosan de Sousa Marques — 2025-06-25

The article addresses the theme of justification by faith in Pauline theology, a topic that, even after nearly 25 years since the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification (1999), remains central and controversial. Building on critiques of traditional interpretations, the text explores two hermeneutical shifts: the “covenantal nomism” proposed by E. P. Sanders, which rejects the legalistic characterization of Palestinian Judaism, and the “Jewish particularism” defended by James D. G. Dunn, which interprets justification as an inclusive act in response to Jewish exclusivism. The article also examines the tension between the sociological perspective of these approaches and Paul’s Christological centrality, emphasizing that salvation is exclusively mediated through Christ. Engaging with Galatians and Romans, the study investigates how justification by faith affirms both the sufficiency of Christ for Gentile Christians and His universal necessity, including for Jews. The reflection concludes that the theme remains relevant, challenging our understanding of the Christ event and its impact on the experience of faith. Thus, the article not only revisits the exegetical debate but also sheds light on broader theological implications, reaffirming justification by faith as a pivotal point in proclaiming the Gospel and in contemporary Christian practice.

The Decline of the Priesthood in Judah:

Luiz Henrique Lucas Barbosa — 2025-07-03

The years of Josiah's reign were advancing and the attempt to recover fidelity to YHWH was finding its last days. Very soon the king would perish in combat at Megiddo, wrecking any possibility of avoiding destruction, banishment and tragedy. It was in this short period (± 641 – 609 B.C.) that the priesthood of the Kingdom of Judah encountered resistance from the religious ministers of the capital against those who carried out their activities in the provinces. More than a clash between true and false Yahvism, the issue involved privileges for the priests of Jerusalem, even if this led to non-compliance with a legal precept. Using a methodology of a diachronic nature – which does not present segmented translation and textual criticism notes for reasons of text size restriction – this article works with the figures of the various types of priests existing in the territory of Judah at the end of the seventh century B.C. and their difficult interpersonal relationship.

O Forgiveness and love in “The sinful woman forgiven” in Luke 7:36-50

André Luiz Boccato Almeida — 2025-07-03

This article aims to analyze the theme in the passage from Luke 7:36-50. A feminist and liberating hermeneutical approach will be highlighted, emphasizing the importance of this approach for theological reflection. It is known that the issue of power and authority, in religious traditions, has often been presented in ways that deny the importance of women. In the practice of Jesus, women occupied a place of great importance in his apostolate. It is necessary to read and interpret these texts to demonstrate that in early Christianity the role of women was central. This reflection aims to demonstrate this approach through a three-part approach. In the first, the passage from Luke 7:36-50 and, in the second, an ethical-theological reading will be presented, interpreting the text from a vision that was gradually accepted and imposed itself in the Christian tradition. Finally, the third section will present an important analysis a liberating feminist hermeneutics perspective, highlighting the centrality of the position and role of women in early Christianity. The objective is to propose a theological re-examination of what it meant to be a woman in the context of Jesus and her role in the community called to be a disciple, and to draw inspiration from this to review the relations of power and authority.