Reading Paul's Politics Wisely: Interpreting Romans 13:1–7 Intertextually with the Book of Proverbs

Romans 13:1–7 continues to disturb. Paul's teaching that ‘every person’ should ‘be subject to the governing authorities’ has been used by Nazis, advocates for apartheid, and white supremacists, and appears deeply at odds with the frequently incarcerated apostle's experience of empire. The question of how to understand Rom. 13:1–7 has proven complicated for interpreters of all sorts, not least those interested in Christian political theology and ethics.

Readers since Origen have responded to the sense that Paul’s words pose potential theological and ethical challenges by reading Rom. 13:1–7 intertextually. The intertexts in such readings are usually chosen on canonical grounds (e.g., Acts 5:29; Rev. 13:1–18). This article, however, offers an intertext suggested by the letter itself: the book of Proverbs. I argue Paul refers to Proverbs at least three times in the six verses preceding Rom. 13:1–7. In each case, he adapts those references to anticipate his political teaching in Rom. 13:1–7, albeit in a surprising way. I then turn towards a more synchronic intertextual reading of Rom. 13:1–7 in dialogue with the political theology of Proverbs more generally. Among many important resonances, I consider the importance for Christian ethics of one notable divergence: Proverbs, unlike Romans, includes the political authorities themselves among the implied audience.