Paul's Letter

Through the metaphor of the olive tree’s branches, Romans 11:17-24 describes the inclusion of the Gentiles, stresses the equality between Gentiles and Jews within the movement, and exemplifies the power of God. This passage builds on themes prevalent throughout Paul’s letters such as equality, unity, and the salvation through God and the belief in Jesus. Paul does this through an olive tree, describing God’s ability to break off branches representing the unbelievers, while also grafting on those who have faith in the movement. A deeper interpretation of this passage requires the exploration of the overall arguments made in the letter, the structure of the passage, the language surrounding the Olive tree, and how this passage relates to other Pauline arguments.
Framing the passage within the greater context of the letter offers a strong foundation for future interpretations. When looking at Paul’s letters, …show more content…
However, the passage offers interesting interpretations when looking deeper than the surface. Starting with the first section, (Romans 11:17-24), one could argue that Paul is using an olive tree to represent the path to salvation, specifically a tree that was grown from Israelites or Jewish traditions. However, as Paul argues earlier in the letter, requirements for salvation have evolved from these old traditions to the faithful belief in Jesus Christ. Paul continues to state that branches will be broken off from this original olive tree due to their unbelief, while others from wild olive trees could be grafted on because of their faith (Romans 11:20). Specifically, this could represent the addition of Gentiles to the movement of Christ, stating that their faith alone can grant them salvation alongside the faithful Jews and they were not required to grow from the original Jewish