Romans 3
Romans 3 is the third chapter of the Epistle to the Romans in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It was composed by Paul the Apostle, while he was in Corinth in the mid 50s AD, with the help of an amanuensis (secretary), Tertius, who added his own greeting in . In this chapter, Paul asks a series of rhetorical questions in order to develop his theological message, and quotes extensively from the Hebrew Bible. Theologian Albert Barnes suggests that "the design of the first part of this chapter is to answer some of the objections which might  be offered by a Jew to the statements in the previous chapter". Text. The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 31 verses. Textual witnesses. Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: The oracles of God. The chief advantage, or benefit, or responsibility, or superiority of the Jewish people is their possession of the Hebrew Bible (, "ta logia tou theou", "the very words of God" in verse 2 New International Version). Traditional translations (the Geneva Bible, King James Version, American Standard Version and Revised Standard Version) refer to the "oracles of God . The Jewish advantage" (, to "perissov") is really an act of entrustment (Romans 3:2). Verse 2. Nonconformist theologian Matthew Poole stated that "to the Jews were credited, or given in custody, the Holy Scriptures". Stephen, whose martyrdom Paul had witnessed before his conversion, called the scriptures the "living oracles" (, "logia zonta"). Slanderous criticisms. In verse 8, Paul refers to slanderous accusations made by "some people" that believers say “Let’s do evil that good may result”. Bishop Charles Ellicott suggests that these accusers might have been the Jews or "the Judaizing party"; Barnes says it is "doubtless" that they were Jews ; the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges argues that they were Paul's "inveterate adversaries in the Church". The revelation of God's righteousness (3:21–26). This section (extending to verse 31) revisits 'the grand theme', "the righteousness of God", which is introduced in the Thanksgiving part of chapter 1. Comprising one paragraph, verses 21–26 is called by Stuhlmacher as 'the heart of the letter to the Romans', stating that 'the divine character—faithful, gracious, forgiving, and merciful—has been revealed in Jesus Christ, specifically in his death as "a sacrifice for sin effective through faith". With that actions, 'altogether apart  from human initiative', God has fulfilled 'what God always intended to do' ('attested by the law and the prophets') 'and so is proved righteous'. Verse 25. "Propitiation" (RSV, NAB: "expiation"): translated from the Greek word "hilasterion", which specifically means the lid of the Ark of the Covenant. The only other occurrence of "hilasterion" in the New Testament is in , where the KJV, NKJV, RSV, and NASB all translate it as "mercy seat".