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Paul's Travel Plans to Spain and the "Full Number of the Gentiles" of Rom.
XI 25
Author(s): Roger D. Aus
Reviewed work(s):
Source: Novum Testamentum, Vol. 21, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1979), pp. 232-262
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Vol. XXI, fasc.3
NovumTestamentum,
PAUL'S TRAVEL PLANS TO SPAIN AND THE

"FULL NUMBER OF THE GENTILES"
OF ROM. XI 25
BY
ROGER D. AUS
Berlin
The majorityofscholarsspecializingin Paulinestudiesmaintain

that the Apostle to the Gentilesconceivedof his own call and
ministry at leastpartiallyin thelightofOT prophecy.Gal. i 15-16,
forexample, is thoughtto recall Isa. xlix I and Jer.i 5 1). Through-
out his lettersPaul quotes or alludesto the OT to showthat the
acceptabletime,the day ofsalvation,is now2), theperiodbetween
Jesus'resurrection and hisreturn, theparousia.Thisinterim period,
which Paul expectsto be completedwithinhis own lifetime 3),
provideshim who was "called to be an apostle" and "set apart
forthe gospel of God which[God] promisedbeforehandthrough
his prophets in the holy scriptures" (Rom. i 1-2) 4), withthe op-
portunityof convertingGentilesfrom"among all the nations"
(Rom. i 5) to beliefin the Lord Jesusas the Christ.Nowhereelse
in his lettersdoes Paul base his argumentation moreheavilyon
the OT than in Romans ix-xi,wherehe deals withthe question
1) Cf. a summary of the discussion in B. RIGAUX, Lettersof St. Paul.

Modern Studies (Chicago: Franciscan Herald, 1968) 55-58.
2) 2 Cor. vi 2, quoting Isa. xlix 8. Cf. I Cor. xI I, where Paul states that
evil events recordedin the Pentateuch "were writtendown forour instruc-
tion, upon whom the end of the ages has come." For the Apostle, all the
promises of God (in the OT) find their Yes in Jesus Christ (2 Cor. i 20),
who is the end of the Law (Rom. x 4). See also the statementof R. Johanan
(bar Nappaha), a second generation Palestinian Amora according to H.
STRACK, Introductionto the Talmud and Midrash (New York: Harper &
Row, 1965) 121, in b. Sanh. 99a: "All the prophetsprophesiedonlyin respect
to the Messianic era" (translationby H. FREEDMANin the Hebrew-English
Edition of theTalmud. Sanhedrin[London: Soncino, 1969]).
3) Cf. i Thess. i Io; iv 15, 17; I Cor. vii 26, 29, 31; xv 51; xvi 22; Rom.
xiii ii ("salvation is nearerto us now than when we firstbelieved"); Phil.
iv 5.
4) The translationis that of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
also employedelsewhereunless stated otherwise.
PAUL'S TRAVEL PLANS TO SPAIN 233
of unbelievingIsrael's salvation5). For this reasonit is probable

fromthe outsetthat thereis also an OT backgroundto, and per-
haps an exegeticaltraditionbehind,the Apostle'sthinkingabout
the "full numberof the Gentiles"(XXpco?oac -ov 8Ovwv)in Rom.
xi 25, as a numberof authors in the past and morerecentlyhave
maintained6). Here Paul impartsto his readersa "mystery"7):
5) In addition to the Romans commentaries,cf. O. MICHEL, Paulus und

seine Bibel (Giitersloh: Bertelsmann, 1929), chart p. 74, where the excep-
tionally large numberof OT quotations in Romans ix-xi can be noted. See
also pp. 125-26 on Paul's use of Deutero-Isaiah in Romans to justifyscrip-
turally the mission to the Gentiles. L. GOPPELTin his Theologiedes Neuen
Testamentes(G6ttingen:Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,1976) 11.379 points out
that while First Corinthianscontainsonly 16 citationsfromthe OT, Romans
has 52, and 28 of these are in chaptersix-xi.
6) 0. CULLMANN in his 1936 essay "Der eschatologischeCharakter des
Missionsauftragesund des apostolischen Selbstbewusstseinsbei Paulus,"
now in Vortrdgeund Aufsdtze.1925-62 (Tiibingen: Mohr; Zurich: Zwingli,
1966) 305-36, had already connected Mark xiii io (beforethe parousia of
Jesus "the gospel must firstbe preached to all nations"), the restraining
of 2 Thess. ii 6, and Rom. xi 25. Only the preachingof the
force (xc0VrXetv)
gospel to all the nations would achieve the "fulness of the Gentiles," of
which Paul speaks in Romans (328-30). Cullmann is followedhere by J.
MUNCK in Paul and the Salvation of Mankind (Richmond, Virginia: John
Knox, 1959) 47-49, who also connects the "fulness" with Paul's collection
forJerusalemand the OT motifof a pilgrimageof the Gentilesto Jerusalem
in the final time ("V6lkerwallfahrt")(303-04). C. PLAG in Israels Wegezum
Heil. Eine Untersuchung zu Rdmer9-Iz (Arbeitenzur Theologie. I. Reihe,
40; Stuttgart:Calwer, 1969) 41-47, 65 attemptsto show that Rom. xi 25-27
is a secondary insertioninto the text; for him it is the remains of an ad-
ditional Pauline letter. Accordingto PLAG, one reason for this is that the
verb e1a6pX0aOce in vs. 25 is connectedwith the motifof the pilgrimageof
the Gentiles to Jerusalem,for which he cites several Jewishreferenceson
p. 57. Since Paul does not referto this pilgrimageelsewherein this section
of Romans, xi 25-27 are foreignto their context. In his essay "Zur Inter-
pretationvon R6mer Ii, 25-32" in ProblemebiblischerTheologie.Festschrift
von Rad (Munich: Kaiser, 1971), P. STUHLMACHER disagrees with PLAG'S
insertionhypothesis,yet also advocates a Christianinterpretationof the
motif of a Gentile pilgrimageto Zion as the background of Rom. xi 25
(56o). He believes that the motif behind the "fulness of the Gentiles" is
older than that found in Mark xiii io (565-66). In his study Juden und
Heiden in der Mission des Paulus. Studien zum Rimerbrief(Forschungzur
Bibel; Stuttgart:KatholischesBibelwerk,1973), D. ZELLER deals extensively
with Rom. xi 25 ff. (245-58) and categoricallydenies a connectionbetween
the "fulnessof the Gentiles," Paul's collectionenterprise,and the eschato-
logical pilgrimageof the Gentiles to Zion (282-84). For him the origin of
xi 25 may lie in the thoughtsof ix 2 and x i on Paul's sorrowover the fate
of Israel (253).
In his essay "Das Volk Gottes. Juden und Christenin der Botschaftdes
Paulus" in Paulus--Apostat oder Apostel? Jiidische und christlicheAnt-
worten (ed. F. HENRICH; Regensburg: Pustet, 1977) 45-134, M. BARTH
234 ROGER D. AUS
"a hardeninghas now come upon part of Israel, until the full
numberof the Gentilescome in, and so all Israel will be saved"
(vss. 25, 26). When the full number8) comes in, the Deliverer
(Jesus)will come (again) fromZion (vs. 26) 9).
In this essay I would like to suggestthat the "fullnumberof
the Gentiles"in Rom. xi 25 will only "come in" whenPaul has
broughtChristianrepresentatives fromSpain to Jerusalemas a
part of his collectionenterprise.For him this is the fulfillment
both of OT prophecyand JewishtraditionconcerningGentiles
fromall thenationscomingin theendtimeto Jerusalem withtheir
gifts10). This thought, in turn,is intimately connectedwiththe
"offering of the Gentiles" of Rom. xv 16 11).
maintains that the content of the "mystery" of Rom. xi 25b-26a derives

froma citation froma prophetic-apocalypticbook, or it is the saying of a
NT prophet (79, n. 66; cf. also p. 94).
7) 0. MICHEL in Der Brief an die Rdmer(Meyer 13; G6ttingen:Vanden-
hoeck & Ruprecht, 19664) 280 correctlypoints out that Paul speaks as an
apocalyptist here. As in I Cor. xv 51, he reveals now, at the end of days,
that which up to this point has been hidden.
8) Close parallels to this expressionare to be foundin 2 Apoc. Bar. xxiii 4
(CHARLES, APOT 495, with parallels); 2 Esdr. ii 38, 40, 41; and Rev. vi ii;
vii 4; and xiv I, as the Romans commentatorsnote. ElsewhereI have called
attention to the connectionof the restrainingfactor of the mission to the
Gentilesin 2 Thess. ii 6 and 2 Esdr. iv 36 ("When the numberof those like
yourselvesis fulfilled").See "God's Plan and God's Power: Isaiah 66 and
the Restraining Factors of 2 Thes. 2 :6-7," in JBL 96 (1977) 537-53.
N. DAHL in Das Volk Gottes.Eine Untersuchungzum Kirchenbewusstsein
des Urchristentums(Oslo: Dybwad, 1941) also relates Rom. xi 25 to the
rabbinic view that the Messiah will not come until all the pre-existent
souls are born (245; cf. n. 152 and the sources cited on p. 227). See also the
expression "until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled"in Luke xxi 24,
and Tob. xiv 5. For my own suggestionof Isa. lx 5 as the backgroundof
the "full numberof the Gentiles" in Rom. xi 25, see the discussionof Isa.
lx below in IV B.
9) This is a free citation of Isa. lix 20-21 and xxvii 9, the firstpassage
also interpretedmessianicallyby R. Johanan (bar Nappahla) in b. Sanh. 98a.
10) The "representativeuniversalism"of Jer. iii 14, to be examined below
in connectionwith the collection,helps to explain the meaning of the "full
number" of the Gentiles,made parallel in Rom. xi 25-26 to "all Israel."
11) As observed in n. 6, other authors have also connected the "fulness
of the Gentiles" with the eschatologicalpilgrimageof the Gentilesto Jeru-
salem. However, none has connected this before with OT and rabbinic
traditionsconcerningSpain, nor with a thoroughanalysis of the rabbinic
parallels to the pilgrimage of the Gentiles with their gifts for the King
Messiah, nor with Jer.iii 14.
I. The "Offering
oftheGentiles"ofRom.xv 16
WhenPaul wroteRomanshe was somewhere in Greece,probably
in Corinth, and had completed-atleastin Macedoniaand Achaia-
forthe poor amongthe saints
his task of collectingcontributions
in Jerusalem(xv 25-26).This enterprise,to whichtheApostlehad
devoteda large numberof his finalyearsas a missionary to the
Gentiles, entailednot onlya sum of money but also an unusually
large numberof accompanyingrepresentatives or delegatesfrom
thecontributing churchesfoundedby Paul 12).So manyrepresenta-
tives wereneithernecessaryto guardthe collectedmoney,norto
insurePaul that he wouldnot be suspectedof misusingfunds13);
nor did the Apostleintendto give the new convertsa tour of
Palestine. Rather,these representatives were to demonstrateto
the Jewishmotherchurchin Jerusalemthat Paul's missionto
the Gentiles,agreedupon withthe leadersof the Jewish-Christian
churchin Jerusalemin Gal. ii 9-1o, had bornefruit.Paul's mis-
sionaryefforts fromJerusalemto Illyricum(Rom. xv 19), though
entailingmanydisappointments and hindrances,had beensuccess-
ful,and the Jerusalemmotherchurchshouldnow in a concrete
way perceivethat the good news of salvationin the Lord Jesus
was forall men,not just forJews.Connectedwiththisaspect of
the collectionwas Paul's hope that his fellowJewswould thus
becomejealous enoughof the Gentiles'acceptanceof Jesusas the
Messiahto accept him also 14). Afterdeliveringthis collectionof
moneyand representatives of the Gentilechurchesto Jerusalem,
the Apostleplans to missionizenew land up to now barrenof the
Christiangospel.For manyyearshe has longedto visit the Chris-
tians in Rome, a churchhe himselfhad not founded.Yet he will
only "pass through"(Locauopou6Vevoq) the capital of the Roman
Empireand use it as a stopping-off point.His real goal is in fact
Spain (Rom. xv 24, 28).
12) Cf. the discussion of the participatingchurches in J. MUNCK, Paul

292-97; D. GEORGI, Die Geschichte der Kollektedes Paulus fiir Jerusalem
(TF 38; Hamburg-Bergstedt:Reich, 1965) 87; and K. NICKLE,The Collection.
A Study in the Strategyof Paul (1963 Basle dissertation)68-69. NICKLE (92)
estimatesthat it took Paul eightyears to completethe collectionhe brought
to Jerusalem.
13) Cf. 2 Cor. viii 20 and xii 15-16.
14) Rom. x 19; xi II, 14. This motif will be considered in more detail
below.
236 ROGER D. AUS
In the meantime Paul hopes that his service (Locxov'oc; xv 31) 15)
forJerusalem maybe acceptableto the Christians there;he wishes
to seal to themthe fruit(xzpx6v;xv 28) 16) he has gatheredto-
getherfromthe various Gentile-Christian churchesfoundedby
him17). The same wish is expressedin xv 16: Paul, a minister
(X~vLoupy6v)of ChristJesusto the Gentilesin the priestlyservice
ofthe gospelof God,hopesthatthe "offering ofthe
(Espoupyovor)
r&v Ov&0v)
Gentiles" (7xpompooopo which he has gatheredmay be
acceptable(in Jerusalem),sanctifiedby the Holy Spiritis). Is the
latterGreekexpressionto be understoodas the moneywhichthe
GentileChristians bringas financialaid fortheJerusalemChristian
or
church, epexegetically (as a genitiveofapposition):the offering
of the Gentilesis the Gentilesthemselves?Along with major
commentators 19), I would maintainthat the latteris the proper
interpretation of this phrase.The reasonforthis is that Paul is
thinking here in termsof OT eschatology, accordingto whichthe
Gentilesin the end timeare to bringthe Jewsfromall thenations
15) Other importantMS witnesses (B D *G) here read 8pooplta, which
more closelyresemblesthe 8pov of Isa. lxvi 20, to be examined below, and
the ~opoaqop& 'yv 'Ovjv of Rom. xv 16. NICKLE (The Collection 134, n. 259)
argues forit as the originalreadinghere.
16) For "fruit"in Paul as meaning"converts," cf. also Rom. i 13, as well
as the "first-fruits"(&~xapac)of xvi 5; I Cor. xvi 15; 2 Thess. ii I3. In I Cor.
ix 2 the Apostle calls the convertsin Corinththe "seal of my apostleshipin
the Lord." For a connectionof the "sealing" of Rom. xv 28 to the pilgrimage
of the Gentiles to Zion, see H.-W. BARTSCH, ". . . wenn ich ihnen diese Frucht
versiegelthabe. Rom xv 28. Ein Beitrag zum Verstandnisder paulinischen
Mission," in ZNW 63 (1972) 95-107, especially 107.
17) Paul did not think that his collection enterprisewould be complete
when representativesfromthe churchesup to now foundedby him reached
Jerusalem.In I Cor. xvi 4 he is not even sure that he will accompany them.
Althoughsomethinghappened which caused him to change his mindby the
time he wrote Romans (xv 25), he still plans to missionizein Spain and,
presumably,also bring "fruit"fromthereto Jerusalem.
18) Cf. the sacrificial offering(Oua~o xal Xetoupyta) of the Philippian
Gentile Christians' faith in Phil. ii 17. For the above discussion,see also
J. MUNCK,Paul 49-51. I do not believe that Paul saw himselfas Elijah,
one of whose tasks was to prepare for the coming of the Messiah (against
E. KXSEMANN, An die Reimer[HNT 8a; Tiibingen: Mohr, 19743] 291).
Paul's explicit mentionof Elijah in Rom. xi 2 precludes in my opinion his
identifyinghimselfwith this OT figure.
19) For this interpretation,cf. the Romans commentariesof H. LIETZ-
MANN, An die Rdmer(HNT 8; Tiibingen: Mohr, 19334) 120; F. LEENHARDT,
The Epistle to the Romans (London: Lutterworth,1961) 368; J. MURRAY,
The Epistle to the Romans (NICNT; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans,
1965) 210; O. MICHEL, Der Brief an die Rdmer 365; and E. KXSEMANN, An
die R'mer 379, probably all followingBillerbeckin Str-B 3.315.
of the Jewishdiaspora as an offering

to the Lord in Jerusalem.
of
Paul's modification this motif,accordingto whichhe himself
will bringnot Jewsbut GentileChristiansfromthe congregations
foundedby himto Jerusalemas an offering to the Lord Jesus20),
is due to his readingthroughChristianeyes one of the basic OT
textsconcernedwiththismotif,Isaiah lxvi 21).
ofIsaiah lxvi
II. Paul's ChristianInterpretation
ElsewhereI haveproposedthatIsaiah lxviformsthebackground
formuch of the imageryand vocabularyof 2 Thessaloniansi-ii,
primarilydue to the messianicinterpretation of the "son" of
lxvi 7 as theMessiah22). If SecondThessaloniansis by Paul (schol-
arly opinionseemsequally dividedon this question),the Apostle
not onlyknewof Isaiah lxvi but employedit extensivelyas part
of the backgroundof his letter.If Second Thessaloniansis by a
pupil of Paul, it may not be used to assertsomethingabout the
genuinelyPaulineletters.Regardlessofthequestionoftheauthen-
ticityof Second Thessalonians,I wouldmaintainthat Isaiah lxvi
20) In 2 Cor. xi 2 Paul writesthat he wishes to present (7rcpca,7-Gai)L)
the
Corinthiancongregationto the Lord Jesus (at his parousia) as a pure bride
to her one husband. The sacrificialovertoneof ~apaaraoc (BAG 633, Id)
should not be overlookedhere. Paul plans to "offer"his congregationsto
Christat the latter's return. (See also Col. i 28 forthe same usage of roapo-
aoaoL, ifthis epistleis by Paul). For Paul as the parentofhis congregations,
see also I Thess. ii ii; I Cor. iv 15; 2 Cor. xii 14; and Gal. iv 19.
21) 0. MICHEL (Der Brief an die Rimer 365); F. LEENHARDT (The Epistle
to the Romans 368); J. MURRAY(The Epistle to the Romans 210); and E.
SCHWEIZER, "The Church as the Missionary Body of Christ," 317-28 in
Neotestamentica.Deutsche und englische Aufsaitze 1951-1963 (Zurich/
Stuttgart: Zwingli, 1963) 320, all point to the relevance of Isa. lxvi 20
here. As noted above, they probably have adopted the interpretationof
P. BILLERBECK on this verse. U. Luz in Das Geschichtsverstdndnis des
Paulus (BEvT 49; Munich: Kaiser, 1968) 391, and D. ZELLER, Juden und
Heiden 283, emphaticallydeny the relevance of Isa. lxvi 20 here.
22) Cf. "The Relevance of Isaiah 66:7 to Revelation 12 and 2 Thes-
salonians i" in ZNW 67 (1976) 252-68, as well as the relevant article
cited in n. 8. In addition to Second Thessalonians, it is also noteworthy
that Pesikta Rabbati I, one of the few chapters of this work which deal
with the coming of the Messiah, is based on Isaiah lxvi. See the English
translation of W. G. BRAUDE, Pesikta Rabbati (New Haven and London:
Yale, 1968) 1.35-48, especially 36, n. I. Finally, 2 Clem. xvii 4, certainly
not dependent on Paul, has Jesus speak throughIsa. lxvi 18, "I come to
gather togetherall the nations, tribes, and languages," meaning the "day
of his appearing," when unbelievers"will see his [Jesus'] glory." Isa. lxvi
24 is then quoted. For the Greek and an English translation,cf. K. LAKE,
The Apostolic Fathers (LCL; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard, 1959) 1.156-59.
238 ROGERD. AUS
played a major role in Paul's entirecollectionenterprise,as it

providedhimwiththeurgencyofmissionizing in Spain23).
In the grandeschatological visionof Isaiah lxvi the certaintyof
Jerusalem's restorationis stressed. Her sons,the exiles,will defi-
nitely return to her and be comforted by her consolingbreasts.
The Lord will"extendprosperity to herlikea river,and thewealth
of the nationslike an overflowing stream" (vs. 12). He will come
in fireto executejudgmentupon all flesh(vss. 15-16) 24). He will
come to gatherall nationsand tongues,who shall come and see
his glory.From the latterhe shall send survivorsto the nations,
to Tarshish,Put, Lud, Tubal and Javan, to the coastlandsafar
off,thathave not heardhis fameor seen his glory.Theywillthen
declare his gloryamong the nations,who in turnwill bringall
Israel's brethrenfromall the nationsas an offering to the Lord,
to Jerusalem.Indeed, some of the latter bearersthe Lord will
even take as priestsand Levites (vss. 18-21). All fleshwill come
to Jerusalemto worshipbeforethe Lord (vs. 23).
As one who believedthat the messianicpropheciesof the OT
had been fulfilledin Jesus,who would returnin the Apostle's
lifetime25), it was natural for Paul also to interpretthis chapter
of the OT throughChristianeyes. Vs. 7 states that the birthof
Jerusalem's"son" willnotbe heldup by theLord (vs. 9). As other
Jewishand Jewish-Christian sourcesinterpreted this"son" as the
messianicKing26), so Paul most probablyalso did. The Lord
definitely will not delay the returnof the Messiah (vs. 9). The
wealthof the nations (vs. 12), to flowto Jerusalem,could have
been thoughtofby Paul as thegiftsto be broughtto themessianic
King by all the nationsin the end time,an importantmotifin
Judaismto be discussed below27). The contentof the "sign"
23) In his essay "Die Urspriinge

der christlichen
Mission"in NTS 18
(1971-72) 15-38, M. HENGEL also connectsRom. xi 25 with Paul's planned
tripto Spain in xv 24, 29, maintainingthat the Gentilesare Paul's "offering"
in xv 16 (pp. 19, 20). However, Hengel is not aware of the OT/rabbinic
background of the Spain motif,nor does he accept a connectionbetween
Rom. xv 16, Paul's collection and the Gentile pilgrimage to Jerusalem
(20,21).
24) Accordingto G. FOHRER, Das Buch Jesaja (Ziircher Bibelkommentare;
Zurich/Stuttgart:Zwingli, 1964) 3.282, the judgment spoken of here is
one of purgation; it removesthe evil-doers.
25) Cf. the references in note three.
26) See the sources cited in "The Relevance of Isaiah 66:7," 255-60.
27) For the association of the messianic King, the world to come, and
whom the Lord sets among the nations in vs. 19 28) could have
been forhim the same as that promisedin the messianicpassage
ofIsa. vii 14: "The Lordhimself willgiveyou a sign(nix;;
a~eov).
a
Behold, young woman will conceive and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel."The same typeof imageryis employed
in Isa. xi 10-12 of the messianicKing: "in that day the root of
Jesse shall stand as an ensign29) to the peoples; him shall the
nationsseek,and his dwellingsshall be glorious."In that day the
Lord willextendhishandyeta secondtimeto recovertheremnant
whichis leftof his people, fromthe variousnationsand fromthe
"coastlandsof the sea." "He will raisean ensign ort"?ov)for
the nations,and will assemblethe outcastsof Israel,
(0..; and gather
the dispersedofJudahfromthe fourcornersofthe earth"30).
Fromthosewho have come and seen the Lord's glory,God will
send in Isa. lxvi 19 survivors 31) to the nations,the firstnation
mentionedbeingTarshish,thenPut, Lud, Tubal and Javan. The
survivorswillalso go to thecoastlandsafaroff,to all thoseregions
whichhave notheardthe Lord'sfameor seenhis glory;therethey
will declarehis gloryamongthe nations(vs. 19). The LXX reads
here: ~otoartze? oaeaoaVlvous; r&
acrc-uv o vy ("From themI
will send [thosewho are] saved to the nations"). For Paul as a
Christianreadingthis text,the "saved" would be thosewho be-
lieved in the redemption found in Jesus the Messiah 32). They
the "peace" ("prosperity"; l1'*) of Isa. lxvi 12, cf. Lev. Rab. 9/9 in the
English translation of Midrash Rabbah (London: Soncino, 1939) 4.120.
28) The LXX MSS are divided as to the plural a-rqix and the singular,
aitov. Both Codex Sinaiticusin the originalreadingand Codex Vaticanus
as well as the MT (n1i) have the singularhere, which argues stronglyfor
-7]JLLOV.
29) The Hebrew is 03; the targum, which interpretsmessianically,has
1*i; the LXX reads 6 &vLa'rc&Levoc pZtx
v Ovov.
30) For the same motifof a signal or sign to the nations connected with
the nations' returningthe diaspora Israelites to Jerusalem,cf. Isa. xlix
22-23. It should also be noted that Paul quotes Isa. xi Io in Rom. xv 12.
Isa. xi 12 is interpretedof the coming of the Star of Jacob (= Messiah) of
Num. xxiv 17 in connection with the gatheringof the exiles in the late
Jewishmidrash Tob on Num. xxiv 17 (Str-B 1.96o).
Leka.h
31) For the motifof the survivorscomingto Jerusalem,cf. Zech. xiv 16,
in a Day of the Lord context (see vss. I, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 20, 21), when the Lord
will become king over all the earth (vs. 9; see also vs. 17). The motifof the
wealth of the nations being collected should also be noted in vs. 14.
32) This is shown, for example, in Paul's use of this same expressionin
I Cor. i 18 and 2 Cor. ii 15.
240 ROGER D. AUS
would be Christianmissionaries, primarilyPaul and his helpers,

whomGod sendsto the Gentiles33).In Rom. xv zo-21 Paul, quot-
ing Isa. lii 15, part of a Servantof the Lord passage,relatesthat
he is now goingon to Spain, forhe lays great emphasison not
preachingthe gospel whereChristhas alreadybeen named,but
where"theyshall see who have neverbeen told of him,and they
shall understandwho have never heard of him." One possible
supportforthe view that Paul perceivedhis own call partlyin
termsofimageryfromthe Servantofthe Lord passagesin Second
Isaiah, indeed,thathe thoughtofhimselfin a way as the Servant
of the Lord to the Gentiles,could be foundin vs. 19 of Isaiah
lxvi 34).
It is importantto note that Tarshishis the firstof the nations
mentionedto whomthe "saved" are to declarethe Lord's fame
and glory.This is probablybecause it is most distant.The same
motifofTarshishas firstappearsin Isa. lx 9, to be analyzedbelow.
Of the othernationsmentioned,Lud and Tubal are probablyin
Asia Minor.For Javan the LXX reads 'EXXO&, Greece,parallel
hereto the "coastlandsafaroff."OnlyPut refersto a countryon
the southernborderof the Mediterranean, probablyLibya, yet
it may be Cyrene35). The parallelto Paul's "missionarycareer"
should not be overlooked.The generaldirectionof Paul's mis-
sionizingwas Arabia, probablythe area east and south of Da-
mascus36),west and northto Damascus; fromthereto Antioch
on the Orontes(Syriaand Cilicia); fromthereto Asia Minor(the
so-called "firstjourney"); fromthere a re-tracingof the Asia
Minorroutevia Antiochin Pisidia to Troas, thenMacedoniaand
33) Cf. the statement of C. WESTERMANN on the survivorsof the nations

going to the far isles as missionariesin Isa. lxvi 19 in Das Buck Jesaja.
Kapitel 40-66 (ATD 19; G6ttingen:Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1966) 377:
"Hier ist zum erstenmalganz eindeutigvon Mission in unserem Sinne die
Rede: Sendung einzelner Menschen zu den fernenV6lkern, um dort die
HerrlichkeitGottes zu verkiindigen.Es entsprichtgenau der apostolischen
Mission am Anfangder christlichenKirche." G. FOHRERin Das Buch Jesaja
3.284 also emphasizes the missionaryaspect of the survivorsof the nations
here.
34) Cf. note one on this issue.
35) For the identificationof these various place names, cf. the respective
articlesin the IDB. Virtuallythe same nations as mentionedin Isa. lxvi 19
are foundin Ezek. xxvii 10-25,upon whichIsa. lxvi Ig is probablydependent,
as the Isaiah commentatorsstate.
36) Cf. the article "Arabia" in the IDB 1.179-81, and the commentaries
on Gal. i 17.
the Peloponnesusin Europe (the so-called "second journey").

Duringhis "thirdjourney,"whichembracedwesternAsia Minor
and Greece again, Paul wrote to the Romans, saying that he
hoped to visit themin passingas he went to Spain (xv 24, 28),
the extremity ofthewest.The generaldirection, east to west,thus
corresponds to a combination of those nationsfound in Isa. lxvi 19,
TarshishbeingequatedwithSpain,as willbe shownbelow37).
Afterthe Lord's fame and gloryhave been proclaimedto all
thenationsin Isa. lxvi19,theGentilesareto bringall theIsraelites'
brethrenfromall the nationsto Jerusalemas an offering or gift
(7rnn; ~Ojpov) to the Lord,"just as the Israelitesbring their cereal
offering (rrnfn;OuaLccq) in a clean vessel to the houseof the Lord"
(vs. 20) 38). Some of these Gentile"bearers" the Lord will even
as
accept priests and Levites (Isa. lxvi 20-21) 39). Then all flesh
will come to worshipbeforehim (vs. 23). I proposethat Paul
read thisIsaiah textto meanthat Christian missionaries, primarily
he himselfwith his helpers,were,in a completereversalof the
normalJewishthoughtregardingthe end time, to gatherrep-
resentatives 40) fromall theGentile nationsand to bringthem,the
Gentiles,and not thediasporaJews,to Jerusalemas an "offering"
or "gift"to the Lord Jesus,the Messiah.This wouldbe the "of-
feringofthe Gentiles"ofwhichPaul speaksin Rom. xv 16.
37) I do not maintain that Paul directlyafter his conversionhad this
missionaryplan in mind. He firstremained relativelyclose to Jerusalem,
fromwhich he expected the Messiah to return.Only after apparently un-
successfulmissionizingin Arabia (Gal. i 17) did he undertakehis collection
enterprise,partly inspiredby the promisehe made to aid the poorersaints
of the Jerusalemchurch (Gal. ii io and Rom. xv 26). See also HENGEL,
"Die Urspriinge"18, who sees Paul's world-wideconceptof missionas stem-
ming fromthe time of the Apostolic Council. GEORGI (Die Geschichte85)
thinksit possible that it was only on his second stay in Macedonia that Paul
connectedthe collectionwith the goal of his entiremission.
38) It should be noted that frankincense(along with oil and salt) was
employed with the minha, cereal offering(Lev. ii I). For frankincenseas a
giftto the King Messiah, cf. the rabbinic interpretationof Isa. lx 6 below,
as well as Matt. ii II.
39) Beyond Midr. Ps. 87/6, to be discussed below, the closest rabbinic
parallel to this motif of Gentiles becoming priests is, to my knowledge,
Exod. Rab. Bo 19/4 (Soncino 3.232-35), where Isa. xiv I is used as a proof-
text. The contextclearlyshows,however, that Gentile proselytesare meant.
For the offeringsof the foreignerswho join themselvesto the Lord in the
end time as being "acceptable," see also Isa. Ivi 6-8, forthe temple will be
called a house of prayer "for all peoples" (vs. 7). Cf. Mark xi 17.
40) The rabbinic interpretationof Jer. iii 14 helps to explain this idea
of a limitednumberof "representatives";see below.
16
242 ROGER D. AUS
This reverseof a majorJewishmotifformeda largepart of the

inspirationfor Paul's collectionenterprise, to whichhe devoted
the decisivelatteryearsofhis life.It was the Apostle'shope that
whenthis collectionwas complete,whenrepresentatives fromall
the nationsmentionedin OT eschatologicalprophecyhad been
broughtto Jerusalem,the Messiahwould return,at whichtime
bothGentilesand Jews would become worshippers of the Lord.
Indeed, "all flesh"is to worshipbeforehim (Isa. lxvi 23). This
parallels the Apostle'shopes in Romans ix-xi, wherePaul says
that throughhis successfulmissionizing of the Gentileshe hopes
to make Israel jealous and thus save some of them (xi 14). A
hardening has nowcomeuponpartofIsraeluntilthe "fullnumber
of the Gentiles"comein. Whenthe latterhappens,however(and
Paul expectsit to happen duringhis lifetime),all Israel will be
saved and the Lord Jesus,the Deliverer,willcome fromZion (xi
25-26) 41). Althoughnot openlystatedby Paul in Romansxi 42),
his thinkinghereis intimatelytied to the collectionenterprise he
mentionssome chapterslater (xv). Only whenthe most distant
of all the nationsmentionedin Isa. lxvi 19, Tarshish(= Spain;
see below),also sendsits representatives to Jerusalem,will Paul's
collectionenterprise or giftto the Messiahbe trulycomplete.Only
thenwill the "full numberof the Gentiles"have come in (Rom.
xi 25). This is the reasonforPaul's travelplans to Spain and not
to Alexandriain Egypt,or to Ethiopiaor Libya, or to the east-
Babylonia.Beforepointingout Jewishparallelsto this messianic
interpretation of Isa. lxvi, includingthe bringingof giftsto the
messianicKingin theend time,it is necessaryto ascertainwhether
the Tarshishof Isa. lxvi 19 wouldhave been logicallyinterpreted
by Paul as Spain.
III. Tarshishas Spain
In Isa. lxvi 19 Tarshishis mentionedas the firstsite to which
the "saved" should go to proclaimthe Lord's gloryamong the
nations.Typical of the OT commentators' identificationof this
cityis that of J. MUILENBERG:"Tarshishor Tartessusis a Phoe-
41) Paul changes the 9vexsvof the LXX Isa. LIX 20 to x TZLc'v, "from
Zion." In this respect cf. Gen. Rab. Vayesheb 85/9 (Soncino 2.795) forthe
King Messiah as the staffof Ps. cx 2 whom the Lord will send fromZion.
42) For a discussionof why the Apostle does not do so, cf. the concluding
section of this essay.
nicien mercantile cityin Spain (cf. 2:16; 60: 9; Ezek. 27:12)" 43).
Many of the classical dictionariesand lexica confirmthis state-
ment44). Located in southernSpain at the mouthof the Guadal-
quivir River, somewhat northwestand thus on the Atlantic side
of thepresentStraitsof Gibraltar,Tarshish(Hebrew'thn ; Greek
?polatorTopaLm)was knownin non-biblicalGreekas ToopT-?aa6 and
was alreadyknownin the eleventhcenturyB.C. The earliestnon-
biblicalattestationof Tarshishreachesback to the earlyseventh
centuryB.C., whenan Assyrianinscription callsTartessostarsisi45).
The area aroundTartessoswas so richin silverthatthecitybecame
especiallyknownforthismetal.Jer.x 9 relates,forexample,that
beatensilveris broughtfromTarshishto be madeintoidols46). In
the OT the "ships of Tarshish"are mentionedin connectionwith
the mercantileenterprisesof Solomon and of Hiram of Tyre
(Phoenicia)47). Since Tartessos was thoroughlydestroyedca.
500 B.C. by the Carthaginians, a rival tradingnationwhichfor
trade reasonsclosed the Straitsof Gibraltarto othersforthree
centuries48), its exact position graduallybecame forgottenby
43) Cf. "The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66," in The Interpreter's

Bible,
5 (New York and Nashville: Abingdon, 1956) 381-773, quotation p. 771.
See also C. WESTERMANN, Das Buch Jesaja 338.
44) Cf. A. SCHULTEN's monograph Tartessos (Abhandlungen aus dem
Gebiet der Auslandskunde, 8; Hamburg: L. Friedrichsen,1922) and his
article "Tartessos" in PW, 2. Reihe, 8. Halbband, cols. 2246-51; the entry
Tocpraa6q in LSJ 1759; the IDB article by J. FINEGAN on "Spain" (4.429-
30); and Str-B 2.691. It should also be noted that the targumto Ps. xlviii 8
("the ships of Tarshish") and lxxii io ("the kings of Tarshish") also has
O'"OV1at both places, which spellingcorrespondsmore to the Greek T&patLs.
See M. JASTROW, A Dictionary of the Targumim,the Talmud Babli and
Yerushalmi,and the Midrashic Literature(New York: Pardes, 1950) 1.555
on 0'01t.
45) Cf. the translationof the inscriptionin SCHULTEN, Tartessos6.
46) Cf. also Isa. lx 9, Ezek. xxvii 12, and xxxviii 13. I Macc. viii 3 relates
how the Romans exerted themselvesto gain controlof the silver and gold
mines of Spain. The latter referenceshows that the silver of Spain was also
knownin Jewishsources ca. 120-loo B.C., when First Maccabees was prob-
ably composed. For this dating, cf. O. EISSFELDT, The Old Testament.An
Introduction(Oxford: Blackwell, 1966) 579. It also shows that the OT
referencesto the silverof Tarshishcould be linked with the silverof Spain.
47) Cf.,forexample, I Kgs. x 22. The connectionof Solomon and Tarshish
should be noted for,as will be seen, the messianic King is comparedin rab-
binic sources to Solomon and giftsare also broughtto him fromTarshish.
48) The LXX's translationof Tarshish as KapX-S&vin Isa. xxiii 6, and
in several other OT passages, rests on the fact that the Carthaginianscon-
trolled southern Spain in the third century B.C., establishingtheir own
capital in what is now Cartagena. See FINEGAN, "Spain" 430.
244 ROGER D. AUS
the Greeksand the city was confusedwith Gades, a town only

about 30-35 kilometers(20omiles) to the south,foundedby the
Tyriansand presentlyknownas Cadiz 49). Later underAugustus
three Roman provincesexistedin Spain, one of them being in
the south and called Baetica because of the Baetis or Guadal-
quivir River 50).
Althoughit was knownin NT timesthat peoplesexistedto the
northof Spain, thiscountrywas nevertheless stillregardedas the
"end(s) ofthe earth." The PillarsofHercules (StraitsofGibraltar)
betweenSpain and Africawereforcenturiesthoughtofas thenon-
plus-ultrafor ships51). Only under Roman dominion,i.e. after
ca. 200 B.C., did seafaringproceedagain intothe Atlantic.Before
the RomangeneralPompeycameto Palestineto conquerJerusalem
in 63 B.C., he had been active fighting in Spain from77-72 B.C.
W. C. VAN UNNIKhas pointedout that Sallustiusdescribeshim
then as wagingwar in extremis terris.He also calls attentionto
Pss. Sol. viii 16(15)-I7, whichstatesthat "He [God] broughthim
thatis fromthe end ofthe earth,thatsmitithmightily;he decreed
war againstJerusalemand againstherland." Pompeyis undoubt-
edlymeanthereand is describedas comingto Palestine&n' aXj&rou
q
-74 , "fromthe end ofthe earth,"thatis, fromSpain 52).
49) For evidence of this confusion,perhaps since Aristotle,certainlysince

Plato, cf. SCHULTEN, Tartessos 52, 56, 59-60. He shows that it was especially
common in the Roman period (59).
60) It is interestingto note that the Roman philosopherand advisor to
Nero, Seneca, who lived from4 B.C. to 65 A.D. and was thus almost an
exact contemporaryof Paul, came from Cordoba, Spain. Because of this
contemporaneitySeneca, whose brotherwas the Gallio of Corinthin Acts
xviii 12, was later thought to have exchanged letters with Paul. See the
apocryphal "Correspondence Between Seneca and Paul," as well as the
article on Seneca in the RGG35.1698-99. Accordingto Josephus(Bell. 2.183)
Herod Antipas was banished by Gaius (Caligula) to Spain ca. 39 A.D. If
this traditionis correct (Ant. 18.252 says it was to Lyons in Gaul), Paul
would have knownof this event.
61) Cf. SCHULTEN, Tartessos 48. For the Pillars called the "Strait of
Tartessos" (Tcpsacoi5n6)7 in the third centuryB.C., see p. 28. In Bell.
2.363 Josephushas Agrippa give a speech to the inhabitantsof Jerusalem
in orderto convince them not to wage what became the war of 66-70 A.D.
Agrippa relates how many truly mightynations have become subservient
to Rome, whose empire'seasternborderis the Euphrates,and westernborder
Gadeira, Gades (Cadiz in Spain).
52) Cf. Sparsa collecta. The Collected Essays of W. C. VAN UNNIK. Part
One: Evangelia-Paulina-Acta (NovTSup 29; Leiden: Brill, 1973) 399, part
of the article "Der Ausdruck c q xeiX'ou rq yq (ApostelgeschichteI 8)
und sein alttestamentlicherHintergrund."The English translationis that
also indicatethat Tarshishis thoughtof as

Biblical references
the end of the earth.Jonahi 3 relatesthat Jonahwentto Joppa
and boardeda ship goingto Tarshishin his attemptto fleefrom
the presenceofthe Lord. He wantedto get away as faras possible
fromGod, thus the selectionof a ship of Tarshish.The same is
trueforPs. lxxii8-1. The psalmistwishesforthe Hebrewking:
8) May he have dominionfromsea to sea,
and fromthe River to the ends of the earth!
9) May his foes bow down beforehim,
and his enemieslick the dust!
Io) May the kingsof Tarshishand of the isles
renderhim tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba bringgifts!
11) May all kings fall down beforehim,
all nations serve him!
The "River" herein vs. 8 is the Euphratesin the east. The kings
of Tarshishare mentionedbecause theyare the farthestpointin
the west,the "ends of the earth"53).
It is thusmostprobablethatthe "Tarshish"of Isa. lxvi 19, the
of GRAY in CHARLES' APOT 641. I would suggest that the descriptionof
Zion's children,the Jews,in Pss. Sol. i 3 ("Their wealth spread to the whole
earth,and theirgloryunto the end ofthe earth gXa&ou rouI yij'])" stands
[E
as a directcontrastto the world-widefame of Pompey, the subject of psalm
two in the collection.For all the historicalallusions to this Roman general
in the Psalms of Solomon, cf. GRAY'S evidence assembled in APOT 629.
The psalms are to be dated in the middleof the firstcenturyB.C. See APOT
630, as well as A.-M. DENIS, Introductionaux PseudepigraphesGrecsd'Ancien
Testament(Leiden: Brill, 1970) 64.
The notice in I Clem. v 7 of Paul having taught righteousnessto "all the
world" and having reached the "end of the West" (-6 -6pm 86ascq),
then givinghis testimonybeforethe rulers and dying, seems to rest more
on a knowledgeof his travel plans to Spain in Romans xv than on historical
knowledge,forRome in othersources can be describedas the west (see, for
example, Pss. Sol. xvii 14 [12] and GRAY's note here in APOT 648), but
not as the "end" of the west.
53) For the expression "to the ends of the earth" the Hebrew reads
Y1N'D0r"1!&, translated in LXX Ps. lxxi 8 as coqnpicov v oExou6Vk,
which emphasizes that Tarshish forthe user of the LXX is the end of the
inhabitedworld. In Ps. xlviii Io (Heb. ii) God's praise is to reach to the
"ends of the earth." This most likely is to be associated with the "ships of
Tarshish" in vs. 7 (Heb. 8).
It should also be noted that as late as the second halfof the thirdcentury
A.D., a palestinian Jewish rabbi could equate Spain (N't3dN) with the end
ofthe world.See the sayingof R. Simlai, a second generationAmora (STRACK,
IntroductionI23), in b. Nid. 3ob. Other rabbinic referencesto Spain as the
most distantland in Jewishthinkingare m. B. Bat. 3:2 (also b. B. Bat. 39a),
and b. Ber. 62a, whichis a sayingby Ben Azzai, a second generationTanna
(Introduction I 14).
246 ROGER D. AUS
firstsite to whichthe "saved" are to go to missionize,

wouldhave
beenunderstood by Paul ofTarsusin Cilicia54),a Jewoftheeastern
Mediterranean, as Spain, the countrystillthenthoughtof as the
"end ofthe earth."
IV. OT PassagesLaterInterpreted oftheGentiles Giftstothe

Bringing
Messiah
There are a numberof OT passageswhichwereinterpreted by
Jewsand/orJewish Christiansas indicatingtheworld-wide dominion
of the King Messiahand of the submissionofthe Gentilesto him.
In Psalm ii, forexample,the Lord says to his Anointed:"You are
myson,todayI haVebegottenyou.Ask ofme,and I willmakethe
nationsyourheritage,and the ends of the earthyourpossession"
(vss. 7-8) 55). Later rabbinictraditionsalso spokeof the messianic
King's world-widedominion,but in additionof the wealthof the
Gentilesbeingpresentedto himin Jerusalem.Justas each of the
nations of the earth broughtits presentto King Solomon,and
the shipsof Tarshishwereused to bringthe wealthof the nations
to him56), rabbinicsourcesrelatethat so too each of the nations
in the messianicera is to presentits giftto the King Messiahin
Jerusalem.OT passagesmentioning Tarshishare oftenused by the
rabbis to buttress this assertion57).
Isaiah lxvi, the importanceof whichwas pointedout above, as
wellas Isaiah lx and Psalmslxxiiand lxviii,willnowbe examined
in thisrespect.
A) Isaiah lxvi
a) The earliestprobableuse of Isa. lxvi 20 in connectionwith
giftsto the messianicKing is foundin the statementof Pss. Sol.
xvii 34 (31) regardingthe "king,the anointedof the Lord": "na-
54) Paul, a Roman citizenfromTarsus in Cilicia, would certainlynot have

identifiedhis paternal home with the Tarshish of the OT, as Josephusdid
(Ant. 1.127; 8.181; 9.208). He knew that his own Tarsus was not located
at the "ends of the earth."
16) Cf. also Ps. xxii 28 (Eng. 27), a psalm employed by the synoptic
gospels as part of the background of the crucifixionof Jesus; Mic. v 3
(Eng. 4); Zech. ix io (see also Ps. lxxii 8); and Dan. vii 13-14-
56) Cf. I Kgs. x 22-25 and 2 Chr. ix 21-24.
67) For five differentaspects of the eschatological pilgrimage of the
Gentilesto Zion, includingthe giftsthey are to bring,cf. J. JEREMIAS,
Jesu
Verheissung fir die Veiker(Stuttgart: Kohlhammer,19592) 48-52. Many of
the rabbinicparallels are noted by BILLERBECKin Str-B 1.84.
tionsshallcomefromtheendsoftheearthto see his [theMessiah's]

glory,bringingas giftsher sons who had fainted,and to see the
gloryoftheLord,wherewith Godhathglorified her[Jerusalem]" 58).
Since there are a numberof clear allusionsto Pompey in this
psalm59),it is possiblethat the authoris contrasting the gloryof
the Messiah,to whomnationsshall comewiththeirgiftsfromthe
end oftheearth(0?' &xpou7q yS), thatis,in Jewisheschatological
thought,fromTarshishor Spain,withthefalseearthlygloryofthe
"lawless one," the "enemywho acted proudly"(vss. 13 [II] and
15 [13]), that is, the conquerorof Palestine,Pompey,who in fact
came "fromthe end of the earth," Spain, to wage war against
Jerusalemand herland (Pss. Sol. viii 15 [14]), as notedabove.
b) Isa. lxvi 20 also occursas the backgroundof the thoughtin
4 Ezra xiii 13, whichdescribesthe nations'bringingback the ten
tribes(vs. 40) as an offeringto the "man whocomesup out ofthe
heart of the sea," the Messiah (xiii 26, 32, 37, 52) 60). The final
redactionofthiswork,whichincorporates manyearliertraditions,
probably occurred ca. 100-12o A.D.61).
c) In Midr.Ps. 87/6on Ps. lxxxvii4 ("I will make mentionof
Rahab and Babylon as amongthemthat acknowledgeMe"), R.
Judahbar Simon62) taught: "And the nationswill bringgiftsto
the King Messiah,as it is said 'Gifts (taWuri) fromthe head of
Amana (Song 4:8)' " 63). The Englishtranslatorof this midrash,
W. BRAUDE,acknowledges thathe has emendedthephrase"them-
selves" of the firsthalf of this sentence,whichreads in Hebrew:
anil nvrrl71;7z rzs mn,"And they themselvesfor/tothe
58) TranslationGRAY,APOT 650. For Jerusalem'ssons who "had fainted"

the Syriac reads, according to Gray, "been scattered from her," which
makes more sense in the context since it points to the eschatologicalmotif
of the gatheringof the diaspora Jews. For the motifof the nations coming
to Jerusalemto see the glory of the Lord, cf. Isa. lxvi 18-19. P. VOLZ in
Die Eschatologie der jiklischen Gemeinde im neutestamentlichen Zeitalter
(Tiibingen: Mohr, 19342) 345 also sees Isa. lxvi 20 as the background of
Pss. Sol. xvii 34 [31], as of 4 Ezra xiii 13 (see below). For the dating of the
Psalms of Solomon in the middle of the firstcenturyB.C., see n. 52, above.
59) Cf. the notes by GRAY, APOT 646-51.
60) Cf. the note by G. H. Box on this verse in APOT 617, which also
calls attentionto Pss. Sol. xvii 34. See also Str-B 4.903.
61) Cf. APOT 552-53, as well as DENIS, Introduction 200 (ca. oo00
A.D.).
62) Accordingto STRACK, Introduction129, this rabbi was a fourthgenera-
tion Palestinian Amora.
68) English translationby W. G. BRAUDE, The Midrash on Psalms (Yale
Judaica Series, 13; New Haven: Yale, 1959) 2.77.
248 ROGERD. AUS
King Messiahgifts,"to "theywillbring"64). Instead,the Hebrew

should be read as "And they themselves[the nations,not the
diasporaJews,broughtby the nations]shall be giftsto the King
Messiah,"as A. WtONSCHEexpresslynoted in his Germantrans-
lationofthismidrash65). Laterin thissame sectionofMidr.Ps. 87
R. Eleazar (ben Pedath) 66), basinghis commentson Isa. lxvi 21,
statesthat God willtake fromthe heathen who bringthe diaspora
Israelitesto the King Messiahsometo becomepriestsand Levites.
This is also the way the medieval JewishcommentatorRashi
understoodIsa. lxvi 21 sincein his interpretation of thisversehe
only citesthe opinion of R. Eleazar, and not others whichattempt
to makethosewhobringthe diasporaJewsto JerusalemIsraelites
whoin timesofduresshad becomepagan67).
These wereveryliberalthoughtscontraryto the spiritof most
post 70 A.D. Jewishthinking in regardto Gentileparticipation in
finalsalvation68), as wellas a closeparallelto Paul's interpretation
of the verysame verses,Isa. lxvi 20-21, sketchedabove. In Isaiah
thenationswillbringthediasporaJewsto Jerusalem as an offering
(LXX ~'opov; cf. the Hebrew loanword pirr used above), some of
the Gentilebearersof the Jewsbeingtakenby the Lord as priests
64) Cf. The Midrash on Psalms 2.493, n. 14. For the Hebrew, see the
edition of S. BUBER, t'57fl ~?1Vl (Wilna: Ram, 1892) 378.
65) Cf. his Midrasch Tehillim (Hildesheim: Olms, 1967 [original Trier,
1892]) 2.51, where his note on "they themselves" as giftsreads: "Nimlich
die V61kerder Welt." WiONSCHE also employedthe Buber edition. It should
be noted that shortlyafterthis statementIsa. lxvi 20 is cited as a proof-text.
A traditionparallel to that of Midr. Ps. 87/6is found in Cant. Rab. 4/8.2,
which also employs Isa. lxvi 20 as a proof-text.It reads in the Hebrew:
"Moreover, they themselves[the nations] in the futurewill bring giftsto
the King Messiah." This is a later toningdown of an earlier,more generous
spirit. The Soncino English translation (9.208) incorrectlyexpands the
Hebrew.
66) A third generation Palestinian Amora (STRACK, Introduction 125).
67) Cf. l1*'1 I1j~?Z (Tel Aviv: Schocken, 1959) 96b-97a. For this
referencefrom Rashi I am gratefulto Dr. M. Krupp of Jerusalem,who
also notes that the sayingby R. Eleazar in Midr. Ps. 87/6is a new paragraph
in Buber's edition. BRAUDE's addition of "Accordingly" in his English
translation (2.78) is misleading because it implies that Eleazar's opinion
accords with the preceding,whichis definitelynot the case.
6s) A semi-liberalposition, wherebythe Messiah will receive only those
nations which have not enslaved Israel, is foundin Pesiq. R. 1/3(BRAUDE,
Pesikta Rabbati 1.41), based on Isa. lxvi 23. See also 2 Apoc. Bar. lxxii 4
forthis view. For a general discussionof universalismversus particularism
in Jewishsources, cf. the material gathered in Str-B 3. 144-55, as well as
VOLZ,Die Eschatologie,356-59.
and Levitesin the temple,whichis modifiedby Paul to mean the

nationsorGentiles themselvesas the offering
he bringsto Jerusalem
(forthe Messiah) (Rom. xv 16).
d) Finally,Isa. lxvi 20 is also foundin the ninthsign of the
late Jewishmidrash"Signs of the Messiah,"the ninthsign being
concernedwiththe gatheringof the Israelitesin the diasporaby
the Messiah 69).
B) Isaiah lx
In Isa. lxvi 18, whenthe Lord gathersall nationsand tongues,
the lattercome to Jerusalemand see his glory.In chapterlx the
gloryof the Lord is to rise upon fallenJerusalem,nationswill
come to its light,kingsto the brightness of its rising(vss. 1-3).
Jerusalem'schildren,the diasporaJews, will be broughtfromafar
(vs. 4); and the wealthofthe nations,includinggold and frankin-
censefromtheeast,willflowto Jerusalem(vss.5-6). The heathens'
animal sacrificesforthe Jerusalemtemplewill meet with God's
"acceptance" (vs. 7) 70). The nations of the west, the ships of
Tarshishfirst,will bringJerusalem'ssons home,with silverand
gold (vs. 9). The city's gates shall then neverbe closed,always
ready to receivethe "wealthof the nations,withtheirkingsled
in procession"(vs. II).
Preciselythese verses formthe backgroundof Matthew'sac-
count of the wise men fromthe east who presenttheirgiftsof
gold, frankincense and myrrh71) to the King of the Jews,the
Messiah (Matt.ii 1-12). It shouldbe noted that theyfirstgo to
Jerusalem, seekingthe King Messiah,forit was hereaccordingto
Jewish traditionthat he wouldappear. Indeed,theymustbe told
69) Cf. the German translationin A. WtYNSCHE, Aus Israel's Lehrhallen.

III. Kleine Midraschimzur jiidischenEschatologieund Apokalyptik(Hildes-
heim: Olms, 1967; reprint of Leipzig: Pfeiffer, 19go) i 15. The original of
the midrash is found in A. JELLINEK, Bet ha-Midrasch (Jerusalem: Wahr-
mann Books, 19673) 2.58-63.
70) This Isaianic verse was already interpretedin the firstcenturyA.D.
of the nations of the world coming to Jerusalemin the messianic period.
Cf. the saying by R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus,a second generationolder Tanna
(see STRACK, Introduction III), cited in Str-B 2.538. For Isa. lx 7 in connec-
tion with the giftsbroughtto God in the time to come, see also n. 97.
71) Cf.,forexample, Cant. iii 6 and i Enoch xxix 2 formyrrhand frankin-
cense together. Tob on Num. xxiv 17 also has the treasuresof Isa.
Le.kaIh
lx 5-6 in connectionwith the revelationof the King Messiah. For a German
translation, see Str-B 1.960.
250 ROGER D. AUS
to go to Bethleheminstead.Secondly,only here and in chapter

xxvii is Jesuscalled "King of the Jews"in Matthew.In ii 2 this
again is due to Jewishtraditionregardingthe bringingof gifts
fromdistantlands to the King Messiah,in Jerusalem.Matthew,
the onlyevangelistwiththismotifof giftsfromafarto the mes-
sianic King 72), eitherhimselfis acquainted with this rabbinic
traditionor has taken it fromhis source73). What is important
to note,however,is that the motifof giftsfromdistantlands to
the messianicKing in Jerusalemwas definitely a Jewishtradition
beforethe writingof Matthew'sgospel,whichmost criticsput
somewhere between80-ioo A.D.74).
Isa. lx 5 says that "the abundanceof the sea" and the "wealth
of the nations"shall come to Jerusalem.For the firstphrasethe
targumreads"the wealthofthewest,"75)whichis takenup again
in vs. 9, wheretheshipsofTarshishin the westare thefirstofthe
swarmsofpeople (vs. 8) to bringthe diasporaJewsand wealthto
Jerusalem.Here again, the primaryrole of Tarshish,later inter-
pretedas Spain, amongthe coastlandor Mediterranean peoplesis
emphasized in the eschatological drama.
The nationswill bringtheirwealth to Jerusalem"with their
kingsled in procession"(vs. II). Althoughthe latterexpression
originallyderivedfromwar imagery76), its significance forPaul's
collectionshould not be overlooked.The kingin the Near East
alwaysrepresented his entirepeople.Thus individualsrepresenting
theirrespectivenationsare thoughtofhereas beingled in proces-
sion to Jerusalem.Later rabbinictraditioninterpreted thisproces-
sion as bringinggiftsto the King Messiah,as will be indicated
below.
It is importantto notethatthe diasporaJewsreturnto Jerusa-
lem,but onlywhenherKingMessiahcomesto her,triumphant and
victorious,humble and ridingon an ass ix
(Zech. 9), will she have
72) The shepherdsof Luke ii are fromthe regionof Bethlehemand bring

no gifts.
73) If the firstis true, it would be another indication that "Matthew"
may have been a convertedscribe.
74) Cf. WV. G. KtMMEL, Introductionto the New Testament(Nashville/
New York: Abingdon,196614)84.
75) Literally "sunset," "evening." See J. F. STENNING, The Targum of
Isaiah (Oxford: Clarendon,1949) 200-201.
76) Cf. WESTERMANN, Das Buch Jesaja, Kapitel 40-66 228, n. 35, as well
as the targum's "their kings in chains" (STENNING 200-201).
real joy, as one rabbinictraditionrelatesin respectto Isaiah lx 77).

It is thenthatall the nationswillwalkby thelightofthe Messiah
and ofIsrael 78), whenJerusalem's lampis the Lamb and thekings
of the nationsof the earthbringtheirgloryand honor(or better,
"possessions") to the city 79).
The above discussionof Isaiah lx also pointsto the originofthe
phrase rb crcv 0v&jviaXO- in Rom. xi 25. As pointed
out above,7rtXpop
in the verynext verse (26) Paul quotes LXX Isa. lix
20-21, modifying this passage to mean that Jesusthe Deliverer
willcomefromZion. Onlyfiveverseslaterin the Isaiah text (lx 5)
the irregularHebrew phrase occurs,also regardingZion: "the
wealth[sing.]of the nations,theyshall come to you." The verb
3. m. pl. impf.,is Qal here. It has the connotationof "to
&i,
come in," "to go in." so) It is the nationsor Gentilesherein the
Hebrewwho shall "come in" to Zion. The LXX understandably
had troublewiththe Hebrewpl. impf.Qal, whichliterallywould
be aeXsuov-r0w, and insteadparaphrasedthe entiresentence:"rt
roecXsh~e~ e
a1 wXoitroS [Sinaiticusin the originalhas tX 0Ooq]
z v0&v xo=Amoav.
xtc Paul, alreadywiththemodified citation
Oh~xoaas
of Isa. lix 20-21 in his mind,intentionally the
changed 7hXoroq/
rXi0Oo0 [&wv]eOv-v of the nearby verse Isa. lx 5 to the similar
sounding obhX~poV&c r&5v
50v&v and ad hoc correctlytranslated
the Hebrew Qal as If the Apostlewas acquainted
.xt, Esae'l.
withthe textualtraditionnow foundin the originalof Sinaiticus,
it wouldhave beenonlya smallstepfrom?thXOo, "a largenumber,"
to ro6
'XpcoLoc, "the fullnumber" (of the Gentiles).
in Rom. xi 25 shouldnot be connected
This meansthat sEicAX0-
77) Cf. Cant. Rab. 1/5.1(Soncino 9.49-50) in regardto the returnof Jeru-
salem's children(Isa. lx 4) in the time to come.
78) Cf. Pesiq. R. 36/2 (BRAUDE, Pesikta Rabbati 2.682) regarding the year
in which the King Messiah will appear, when the time or day of the Jews'
redemption"is come." Here Isa. lx I, 2 and 3 are cited as proof-textsin a
discussion of the Messiah's light.
79) Cf. the vision of the new Jerusalemwhich descends fromheaven in
Rev. xxi 23-27, based on Isa. lx 1-3, 5, II, 19-20. TLtopin Rev. xxi 26
probably refersto the kings' possessions,in other words theirwealth. See
BAG 825.
80) Cf. BDB 97. The antonym is 31S, "to go out." See also the Hiphcil
of the same verb, , with the same expression "wealth of the na-
tions" in Isa. lx II XW.I
translated in the LXX as The latter verse
is quoted almost literallyin connectionwith theelaoy&rcetv.
glorificationof Jerusalem
at the time of the eschatologicalwar in IQM xii 13-14.
252 ROGER D. AUS
withenteringthe "kingdomof God," as in the gospels,but rather

withthe eschatologicalmotifof the wealth (or a "largenumber")
of the nations/Gentiles,who are to enteror "come into" the city
Jerusalem 81). It is possiblethat the exalted Lord Jesus at his
parousiamay be thoughtto come fromheavenlyZion in xi 26,
yet the fullnumberof the GentilesforPaul are in fact to enter
earthlyZion at the time the Apostle accompaniesthe Gentile-
Christianrepresentatives of the churchesfoundedby him,and the
giftstheybring,to Jerusalem. This lateris also to includerepresen-
tativesfromSpain/Tarshish (Isa. lx 9). It also meansthatthe verb
in
SohX0% xi 25 does not in itself pointto a pre-Paulinetradition,
as most recentlyproposed by KASEMANN(An die Romer303), but
ratherto an intelligent,
ad hoc interpretation by Paul of a verse
fromIsaiah veryclose to the Isaianic versesthe Apostlecites in
xi 26.
C) Psalm lxxii,whichthe MT says was written"by" Solomon,the

LXX on the otherhand "for" Solomon,is interpreted in the tar-
gummessianically 82),as is the case in manyrabbinic references to
thispsalmconcerning the"royalson" (vs. I). It is the Messiahwho
is to judge the people with righteousness, defendthe poor and
deliver the needy (vss. 2, 4). It is also he who shall rule as x6pto4
or lord (LXX) fromsea to sea, fromthe Euphratesin the east to
the "ends of the earth"in the west (vs. 8) 83). The latterphrase,
as pointedout above, shouldbe interpreted as Spain sincevs. Io
proceedsby naming the ends of the earthfor the Hebrew-Jewish
mind. The kingsof Tarshishand of the isles are to renderthe
Messiahtribute,the kingsofSheba and Seba to bringhimgifts84).
In fact,all kingsand nationsareto be subservient to him(vs. II) 85)
81) To this extent PLAG (Israels Wege 43-45) and STUHLMACHER ("Zur
Interpretation" 560) are correct regarding the general motif to which
etaOp a0belongs.
82) For an English translation,cf. S. H. LEVEY, The Messiah: An Aramaic
Interpretation.The Messianic Exegesis of the Targum (Monographsof the
Hebrew Union College, 2; Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College- Jewish In-
stituteof Religion, 1974) 115-18.
s3) The targum reads here (LEVEY, The Messiah 116): "He shall have
dominion fromone side of the Mediterraneanto the other, and fromthe
Euphrates to the ends of the earth." Here the "ends of the earth" clearly
are the west side of the "Great Sea," Spain.
84) Tribute here is 'i~=, as in Isa. lxvi 20. Both it and the "gifts" of
vs. iob are s6pa in the LXX, as LXX Isa. lxvi 20 has 8Cpov.
85) An intensification of this motifis found in Tg. Ps. lxxii 9, where in-
to whomthegoldofSheba/Arabiais to be given(vs. 15). His name

willendureforeverand all the tribesand nationsoftheearthshall
be blessedthroughhim (vs. 17 LXX).
In rabbinicsourcesthispsalmis ofteninterpreted of thenations
bringing their giftsto the King Messiah in the time to come.
Gen. Rab. Vayyishlach78/12on Gen. xxx II, forexample,relates
how
One of the common people said to R. Hoshaya 86): "If I tell you a good
thing,will you repeat it in my name?" "What is it?" asked he. "All the
giftswhich the Patriarch Jacob made to Esau," replied he, "the heathens
will returnthem to the Messiah in the Messianicera." "What is the proof?"
"The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall returntribute" (Ps. LXXII,
Io)... 87)
Num. Rab. Naso 13/14, on Nashon's offeringin Num. vii 13
for the serviceat the altar of the tabernacleset up by Moses,
comparestheuniversalreignofSolomonto thatoftheKingMessiah
in the future.Justas Solomonreignedoverthe ends of the earth
and the sea, and everynationbroughtits presentto him88),so the
King Messiahwillreignfromsea to sea and overall the earth,for
whichPs. lxxii 8 and II are cited. Indeed,all the nationsare to
servehimwhois likea son ofman (Dan. vii 14). BothSolomonand
the Messiahare to hold sway overthe seventynationswhichlive
"fromone end of the worldto the other."As the latterbrought
giftsto Solomon,so in the timeto cometheywill do the same to
the King Messiah,forwhichPs. lxxiiio is cited89).
The world-wide dominionofPs. lxxii8 is referredto theMessiah
stead of the Hebrew "May those who dwell in the wildernessbow down be-
fore him," the targum reads (LEVEY, The Messiah 116): "Governors of
provincesshall bow downbeforehim ." The importanceof Paul's thinking
... "V" below.
in termsof provincesis pointed out in
86) Probably a firstgenerationPalestinian Amora (STRACK, Introduction
120).
87) English translation in Soncino 2.724.
88) The proof-textI Kgs. x 22 with Tarshish is given here.
89) English translationin Soncino 6.526-28. The "Q" traditionfound in
Matt. xii 42 and Luke xi 31 should also be noted here. The queen of Sheba,
who came fromthe ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom,will damn
Jesus' generationat the (last) judgment,for it does not acknowledge that
"something greater than Solomon is here" in the person of Jesus. Does
Jesus indirectlymaintain his messiahshiphere, and was Paul aware of this
tradition? If at least the latteris true,it would have made Paul's association
of giftsto the Messiah Jesus dependent not only on rabbinic traditionsre-
gardingSolomon and the Messiah, but also on a traditionfoundin the early
church.
254 ROGERD. AUS
in othersourcesas well90),and Psalm lxxii is also relatedto the

nationsbringinggiftsto theKingMessiahin thefollowing example.
D) Psalm lxviii,a "partial score" to the liturgyof the festival

worshipservicein the Jerusalemtemple91), mentionsthe proces-
sions whichenterthe sanctuarythere(vs. 24). It is not onlythe
tribesof Israel and the templepersonnelwho take part,however.
Foreignersfromthe variousnationsalso participate."Because of
the templeat Jerusalemkingsbear giftsto thee" (vs. 29). Egypt
is to bringbronze(to the templeas a gift),Ethiopiashall hasten
to stretchout herhandsto God (vs. 31). The kingdomsoftheearth
are to singto, and praise,the Lord (vs. 32).
Esth. Rab. I/4 on Esth. i I, which relates that Ahasuerus reigned
fromHodu to Cush (India to Ethiopia),states that even though
thismay appear to be a shortdistance,it in factmeansover the
wholeworld.The samewas trueofSolomon,whoruledfromTiphsah
to Gaza, whichmeanshe reignedoverthe "wholeworld"92).
Similarlywe find,"From the Temple up to Jerusalem,kings shall bring
presentsto Thee" (Ps. LXVIII, 30). Is it not only a shortdistance fromthe
Temple to Jerusalem? What it means, however,is that just as the offerings
extend fromthe Temple to Jerusalem,so therewill be a processionof mes-
sengerswith giftsforthe Messiah, as it is written,"Yea, all the kingsshall
prostratethemselvesbeforehim" (ib. LXXII, i i). R. Cohen the brotherof
R. HIiyyab. Abba said: As the Divine Presence stretchesfromthe Temple
to Jerusalem,so will the Divine Presence one day fill the world fromend
to end, as it is written,"And let the whole earth be filledwith His glory,
Amen and Amen" (ib. i9).93)
Here the kingsof Ps. lxxii II are interpreted

as the same kings
who will bringpresentsto the Messiahin Ps. lxviii 30. They are
to be a "processionof messengerswith giftsfor the Messiah,"
showinghis dominionover the entireworld.The "kings led in
90) Cf. Pesiq. R. 13/2 on Num. xxiv 19 (Braude 1.246); Pirqe R. El. ii
(Of the ten kingswho rule fromone end of the world to the other,the Mes-
siah is the ninth.Ps. lxxii 8 is cited as a proof-textforthis in the editionof
G. FRIEDLANDER, Pirkekde Rabbi Eliezer [New York: Bloch, 1916] 83);
Midr. Ps. 72/5 (BRAUDE 1.562); and Midr. Ps. 2/1o on the heathen and the
ends of the earth of Ps. ii 8 as the Messiah's inheritanceand possession,for
which the printed edition of Warsaw cites Ps. lxxii 8 as the proof-text,
which is accepted by BILLERBECK (Str-B 3.676) but not translated by
Braude (1.41-42; cf. 2.405, n. I8).
91) Cf. A. WEISER, The Psalms (OT Library; Philadelphia: Westminster,
1962) 483.
92) I Kgs. v 4 (Eng. iv 24) is so interpreted
here.
93) English translationin Soncino 9.21. R. HIiyya bar Abba was a fifth
generationTanna accordingto STRACK, Introduction19.
procession,"associatedwiththe nationsbringingtheirwealthto
Jerusalemin Isa. lx II, also belongto this thoughtcomplex,as
indicatedabove on Isaiah lx. Thesetwoscriptural
references,
along
with Jer. iii 14 to be analyzed below, most probably provided Paul
withthe backgroundforhis ownidea of a collectionor procession
of Gentileconvertsbearinggiftsto Jerusalem94).
Anotherrabbinicpassage regardingthe Gentilesbringinggifts
to the King Messiahand mentioning Psalm lxviiiprovidesa good
parallel to Paul's makinghis fellowJews jealous throughthe
Apostle'sbringingconvertedGentilesto Jerusalem,in the hope
thatthe Jewswouldthenalso believein the Messiahand be saved
(Rom. x 19; xi II, 14).
B. Pesah. II8b relatesthatone ofthe thingsR. Ishmaelben R.
Jose told in his father'sname to Rabba 95) and otherswhen he
becamesickwas thatall the nationsofthe worldare to praisethe
Lord. Anotheris that Egypt is destinedto bringa giftto the
Messiah.If the Messiahdoes not want to accept it, God will en-
couragehim to do so sincethe Egyptiansprovidedhospitalityto
the Israelitesin Egypt. "Immediately,'Nobles shall come out of
Egypt[bearinggifts]'[Ps. 68:32]." Then Ethiopiawillreasonthat
if the EgyptianswhoenslavedtheIsraelitesare treatedso well,all
the morewilltheywho did not enslaveIsrael be treatedwell.God
then will bid the Messiah to accept the Ethiopians' gift too.
"Straightway,'Ethiopia shall hasten to stretchout her hands
unto God' (ibid.)." Then the Roman State will argue: If the
Messiahaccepts giftsfromthose who are not his brothers,how
muchmoreso will he accept my gifts,since I am his brother96).
Ps. lxviii 31 is then cited as a proof-text97).
94) Related to this complex is Paul's use of Optojlrpe6oin 2 Cor. ii 14.

Here God in Christ "leads in triumph" Paul and his co-workers,spreading
the knowledge of the gospel everywhere.Paul is pictured as a victorious
general leading his army in a triumphal procession, those led being his
converts,some of whom will partake in the "procession" to Jerusalem.Cf.
BAG 364, LSJ 806 (2b), and J. HERING, The Second Epistle of Saint Paul
to theCorinthians(London: Epworth, 1967) 18.
95) These are both fourthgenerationTannaim. Cf. STRACK,Introduction
and I18 respectively.
S17
96) Rome here,as in rabbinicwritingsin general,is Edom, the state built
by Esau's descendants (Gen. xxxvi i), Esau being the brotherof Jacob/
Israel.
97) For Ps. lxviii 32 employed regardingthe giftsof the nations to the
King Messiah, who shall reign from "sea to sea" (Zech. ix io), see also
Tanhuma D4lt0DW 19a, translated in Str-B 3.148 under "h." For Ps. 1xviii
256 ROGER D. AUS
Justas the Romans/Edomites, kinsmenofIsrael,becomejealous

oftheMessiah'sacceptanceofgiftsfromheathennationsand argue
thatifthepagans'giftsto theMessiahin Jerusalem are acceptable,
theirsalso shouldbe because of theirblood relationship to Israel,
so accordingto Paul in Romans x-xi the Jews,throughthe ac-
ceptanceof the "offering of the Gentiles"in Jerusalem, hopefully
willbecomejealous of the Gentiles,"thosewho are not a nation"
(x 19), who did not seek the Lord (x 20), and also believein Jesus
as the Messiah,who will thencome98). This becomesin fact the
main purposeof Paul's collectionenterprise, which was thusde-
signed not merely to alleviatepoverty in the JerusalemChristian
congregation99).
Althoughotherrabbinicand pseudepigraphic sourcesalso men-

tion the giftsto be broughtto the messianicKing in the end
time100), the examplescitedabove sufficeto showthat thismotif
playeda majorrolein Jewishthoughtconcerning the eventsofthe
last days beforethe "End."
It shouldnot be assumedthat all or even the majorityof the
Jewish/rabbinic traditionscited above were knownto Paul. The
earliestreferenceto the nationsbringinggiftsto the messianic
King fromthe ends of the earth,however,does go back to the
30, 32 and Isa. lx 7 interpretedas giftsto God in the time to come, cf.
Midr. Ps. 68/15(BRAUDE 1.548-49). Ps. lxviii 30, Isa. lxvi 23 and Zech. xiv 9
appear in the same connection in Midr. Ps. 96/2 (BRAUDE 2.139-40).
98) A somewhat parallel thoughtmay be found in T. Benj. x io: "And
he shall convict Israel throughthe chosen Gentiles,as He convicted
[e,6ySlt]
the Midianiteswho loved theirbrethren."The English
[Xhyge]Esau through
is found in APOT 359, the Greek in R. H. CHARLES,The GreekVersionsof
the Testamentsof the Twelve Patriarchs (Oxford: UniversityPress, 19o8;
reprint Darmstadt: WissenschaftlicheBuchgesellschaft,1966) 230. Some
MSS of xi 2 referthe passage to Paul, thus caution must be observed here.
Yet the inclusionof the Gentilesin God's salvation is too stronga motifin
the Testamentsmerelyto ascribeit to later Christianhands. Cf.,forexample,
T. Sim. vii 2; T. Levi ii i i; T. Dan vi 9; T. Naph. viii 3.
99) The "provocative character" of Paul's collection is also emphasized
by GEORGI (Die Geschichte84-86), who agrees on this point with Munck.
Neither,however,notes the above rabbinicand pseudepigraphicaltraditions.
100) Cf. Tg. Isa. xvi I (STENNING 52-53); Gen. Rab. Vayyishlach 83/4
(Soncino 2.768); Vayechi (New Version) 97 (Soncino 2.906-07); i Enoch liii i
(probably referringto the Elect One of lii 9) in APOT 220; Sib. Or. 3.772-73,
regardingthe convertedheathen at the time of the messianic kingdom,in
APOT 392; and the late Messiah Haggada translated in WONSCHE, Aus
Israel's Lehrhallen 3.1o4, the original being found in JELLINEK, Bet ha-
Midrasch 3.141-43.
middleofthe firstcenturyB.C., thePsalmsofSolomon.Matthew's

employment ofthismotifalso showsthatit was wellenoughknown
beforeioo A.D. forhimto have incorporated it in his accountof
Jesus' birth, and 4 Ezra xiii demonstrates that the motifwas
of
knownin anothercircle Judaismat least shortlythereafter. A
numberofthe rabbinictraditionscitedabove stemfromTannaim.
That is, theybelongto the earliestrabbinictraditionsrecorded.
They thus may even transmitmaterialfromearlierrabbis.What
is most importantto note,however,is that the variousrabbinic
developments of OT textscapable of beingrelatedto the giftsor
offeringto be made to themessianicKing,offerastonishingly close
thoughtparallelsto howPaul, a Phariseewhoadvancedin Judaism
beyondmanyof his own age sincehe was so extremely zealous of
the traditionsofhis fathers(Gal. i 14), also interpreted thesesame
OT texts,especiallyIsaiah lxvi, accordingto the proposalmade
above. The processionof Gentilemessengersfromthe churches
foundedby the Apostle,later to includeSpain/Tarshish, was to
bring the Gentiles' or to
gifts offering Jerusalem in the expecta-
tionofthecomingofthemessianicKing.Thisoffering, theGentiles
themselves, whenit was "completed"by also winningrepresenta-
tives fromSpain, was to make Paul's fellowJewsjealous enough
also to believe in Jesus as the Messiah 101).
V. Jer. iii 14 and Paul's "RepresentativeUniversalism"

The Apostleto the Gentilesmade it his practiceto gatherrep-
resentativesor delegatesfromeach of the areas he missionized
forthetaskofbringing thecollectedgiftsto Jerusalem. In addition
to the relevanceof Isa. lx II and Ps. lxviii29 pointedout above,
101) At this time Paul hoped that the "hardening" of Israel would be
removed (Rom. xi 25). This is (as in the Apostle's reversal of the motifof
the Gentilesin the end time comingto Jerusalemand convertingto Judaism)
the opposite of Isa. xxv 6-7, whereon the mountainof the Lord, Jerusalem,
God in the finaldays will make a feastforall peoples and destroythe "cover-
ing that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations."
It is Paul's fervidhope that when all his Gentile Christianrepresentatives
have come to Jerusalem,Israel's "veil" or "hardening" will be cast offand
the Jewswill accept Jesusas theirMessiah. For Isa. xxv 6 as the background
of the Jewishmotifof the eschatological"messianic banquet," cf. VOLZ,Die
Eschatologie367. See also the many sourceson the banquet cited by BILLER-
BECK (Str-B 4.1146-47, 1154-59), which show that, contrary to Paul, rab-
binic exegesis did not espouse the liftingof the veil spread over all the
nations. The Apostle quotes the nearbyverse Isa. xxv 8 in I Cor. xv 54.
'7
258 ROGER D. AUS
includingrabbinicinterpretation of the latter; and the fact that

the diasporaJewsin everymajorcitymade an annualcontribution
(&hxippa)102) to the templein Jerusalem,
of first-fruits employing
"sacred envoys" (kepoXro[Lol), men of highestrepute, to bear
them 03); the messianicinterpretation of anotherOT passage,
Jer.iii 14, probably provided Paul with his inspirationforbringing
representative GentileChristiansto Jerusalem.Accordingto this
verse,at the timeofthe exiles'returnthe Lord willtake one from
a city and two froma familyor nation,and will bringthemto
Zion104). At thattimeall nationsshall gatherto Jerusalem,
Israel
and Judah will be one (iii 17-18).
The Hebrew for "family" in Jer. iii 14 is nnalfl (LXX here has
70tpL0e): "clan," "tribe," "people," "nation" 05). It is the same
termas thatemployedin Gen. xii 3 regarding
Abram:"by you all
the familiesoftheearthshallblessthemselves."WhenPaul quotes
this Genesis verse in Gal. iii 8, he employs r&
0` v, not the ctcpuXha
of the LXX, to buttressscripturally God's justifying the Gentiles
by faith,not by works of the law. It is also the same Hebrew term
as usedin theeschatological passage Zech. xiv a
16-17, textcompar-
able to Isa. lxvi 18-21in its motifs,whenon the Day ofthe Lord
"every one that survives of all the nations (aitn; rc&ev) that
have come againstJerusalemshall go up yearby yearto worship
the King,the Lord of hosts,and to keep the feastof booths.And
if any of the families(mnn~v of the earthdo not go up
; aE cpuXha)
to Jerusalemto worshipthe King,the Lord of hosts,therewillbe
no rainupon them"106).
102) For Paul's use of A&cpXcld/I&rcpZx and xapnr6qfor the first-fruits

of
his ministry,cf. n. 16.
103) Cf. Philo, De spec. leg. 1.78 and De leg. ad Gaium 216 and 312, where
the hopes of the pious rest on these first-fruits. Referencesfrom NICKLE,
The Collection83, n. 66. For the importanceof the annual gatheringof the
first-fruits in the smallertownsof Palestine,theirfirstbeing broughtto the
"Maamad," the local central collection point, then being carried to Jeru-
salem, wherethe rulers,prefectsand treasurersof the temple went forthto
meet the bearers (in procession), see the Mishnah tractate Bikkurim i-iii,
especially iii 2-4. For the "Maamad" as a "group of representativesfrom
outlyingdistricts,"see H. DANBY, The Mishnah (Oxford: UniversityPress,
1933) 794, n. 21.
104) MUNCK (Paul 278) called this principle"representativeuniversalism"
and labeled it Semitic. He was not aware of its OT backgroundin Jer.iii 14.
105) Cf. BDB 1046-47.
106) For this term in the combination "families of the nations"
(VIIIn1IDVD), cf. Ps. xxii 27.
Jewishsourcesinterpreted Jer.iii 14 as regarding the gathering

of the Jewishexilesin the days of the Messiah107). In a discussion
of when the end (= the days of the Messiahhere) would come,
Rab in b. Sanh. 97b says that all the predestineddates givenfor
redemption have passed. Redemptionnow dependson repentance
and good deeds. R. Eliezer and R. Joshua,earlierrabbis108),are
thencitedas debatingwhetherrepentanceis necessaryforredemp-
tion.R. Joshuaeventuallywinsthedebateby sayingno repentance
is needed,theendwillcomeanyway(at thetimeGodhas appointed
forit) 109).He rejoinsEliezer: "But is it not written,'For I am
masterover you; and I willtake you one of a city,and two of a
family,and I will bring you to Zion [Jer 3:14]' " 110). In this late
firstcenturyrabbinicpassageGod willgatherrepresentatives from
Israel at the timeofthe consummation, and Jer.iii 14 is used as a
scripturaltextto buttressthisassertion.
In b. Sanh. IIIa Resh Lakish says Jer.iii 14 is meantliterally.
R. Johananthentellshim: "Theirmasteris not pleasedthatyou
say so ofthem.But [saythus]:'oneofa city'[meansthathisvirtues]
shall benefitan entirecity; and 'two of a family'will benefitthe
entirefamily."Rab then concurswith him111).This example
showshowPaul couldconsidera fewrepresentatives fromeach area
in whichhe missionizedas bringingsalvationto the entirearea.
It was not necessarythat he thoroughly evangelizeone district
beforegoingon to the next 112).
107) Cf. the similar statement of Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel, a first
Tanna (STRACK,
generation IO9),based on Jer.iii 17 in 'Abot
Introduction
R. Nat. 35 (translatedin J. GOLDIN, The FathersAccordingto Rabbi Nathan
[New Haven: Yale, 19551]147): "In the futureJerusalemwillbe the gathering
place of all the nationsand all the kingdoms...." See also the discussion
of R. Azariah and R. Eleazar of Modiim (both of the older group of second
generationTannaim; cf. STRACK,Initroduction III and 112 respectively)
on
Jer. iii 17 in Pesikta 143a, translatedin Str-B 3.849.
108) Second generation older Tannaim frequentlyin debate with each
other (STRACK, Introduction I I I).
109) The parallel text is foundin p. Tacan. I/i (63d) and cites Isa. lx 22.
BILLERBECK considers this the better text here (Str-B 1.162-64).
110) Translationfromthe Hebrew-English
EditionoftheTalmud. Sanhedrin.
111) Resh Lakish and Johanan were brothers-in-law and were second
generation Palestinian Amoraim, Rab a first generation Palestinian Amora
(STRACK, Introduction 121-22, 120).
112) Corroboration of this theory of only a small number of representatives
as sufficient in the days of the Messiah is found in the continuation of the
argument in b. Sanh. i iia. As there were only two of 6oo,ooo remaining at
the exodus fromEgypt, and as there were only two of 600,000 remaining
26o ROGER D. AUS
While otherrabbinictexts also employJer.iii 14 in regardto

the finalgatheringof the exiles to Jerusalem,in the days of the
King Messiah113), the above passages, some of whichare quite
early,sufficeto showthatthesetraditions in all probability
formed
part of the background of Paul's gatheringrepresentatives from
for of
each area he missionized the task bearingthe giftsof the
variouspeoplesto Jerusalem.
Jer. iii 14, then, probably is part of the explanation for Paul's
statementin Rom. xv 23 thathe no longerhas roomto evangelize
in the easternMediterranean. He has alreadywon representatives
therefromthe major Gentilecitiesand nationsto presentthem
and theirgiftsto the Messiahin Jerusalem.He wishesto complete
his eschatologicaltask by also evangelizingin the area so often
mentionedin the eschatologicalvisionsofthe OT as the extremity
ofthe world,Spain (Tarshish).
VI. The "Full NumberoftheGentiles"ofRom.xi 25

In his letterto the RomansPaul wantshis Christianaddressees
to understanda "mystery," thata "hardeninghas comeuponpart
of Israel,untilthe fullnumberof the Gentilescomein, and so all
Israel will be saved" (Rom. xi 25-26). Accordingto the thesis
presentedabove, this rXvpowpc -r 0v& vw will only be complete
whenPaul has also broughtChristianrepresentatives fromSpain,
the mostdistantsitein the OT visionofthe end events,withtheir
at the taking of the land, so it will be in the days of the Messiah acccording
to Raba, probably a fourthgeneration Babylonian Amora (see STRACK,
Introduction130). A similar thought is found in Pesiq. R. 50/6 (BRAUDE
2.849), where "if even only one of the congregationof Israel resolves re-
pentance, his repentanceis accepted as thoughit were the repentanceof an
entirecongregation."For a parallel thoughtpattern in Paul, see i Cor. vii
14, where the unbelieving partner in a "mixed marriage" is made holy
throughthe Christianpartner,and Rom. xi I6a, in the context of Paul's
making his fellowJews jealous, where the Apostle states that if the dough
offeredas first-fruits (Jewsconvertedto Christianity)is holy,so is the whole
lump.
113) Cf. also Tanhuma B NLT' 5 (43b), cited in Str-B 5.830, where R.
Simai (according to STRACK, Introduction119, he was a fifthgeneration
Tanna) associates Jer.iii 14 and Exod. vi 7: as God redeemedhis people in
this world,so he will do in the world to come. Parallels, with otherbiblical
verses substitutedforJer.iii 14, are foundin Num. Rab. 14/2and b. Sanh.
IIia. Jer. iii 14 is also cited in the sixth of the Signs of the Messiah. After
the Messiah ben Josephreveals himself,the Israeliteshear ofhim,and several
from each province and city gather to him. See WiNSCHE, A us Israel's
Lehrhallen 3.11 o.
giftsto Jerusalem.This is thenthe completionof the "offering of

the Gentiles"of whichthe Apostlespeaks in Rom. xv 16, which
in turnis based on Paul's Christianunderstanding of Isa. lxvi 20.
Paul firmlybelievedwhen he wrote Romans that his collection
enterprisewould be completedduringhis own lifetime14) and
primarilythroughhis own efforts. Then the Messiahwould come
(again). Like the whole the
creation, Apostlehas untilnow been
waiting "with eagerlonging forthe revealingof the sons of God"
(Rom. viii 19; cf. vs. 23). He knowsthat salvationis now nearer
to him and the Christiansof Rome than whenhe and theyfirst
believed (xiii II).
Two major objectionsmay be raised to the above proposal.

First,some rabbinicsourcesmaintainthat it is preciselythe task
of the messianicKing to gatherthe exiles of Israel in the end
time115). If Paul bringsChristianrepresentatives
fromthe Gentile
nationsto Jerusalemas a giftto the Messiah,is he not in fact
robbingthe Messiahofhis prerogative of "gathering"?In addition
to the possibilitythat Paul was unawareof thistradition,one can
say thattheApostleindeed"gathered,"yethe collectedrepresenta-
tives not fromthe Jewishcommunities in the diaspora,but from
the Gentile"nations" or "provinces."The Messiahwas then free
at his comingto gatherthe Jewishexilesin the diaspora,whichin
turncouldbe thoughtofas one partofPaul's hope that"all Israel
be saved" (Rom. xi 26).
The secondand moreseriousobjectioncenterson the factthat
the proposal made above is heavily based on a messianicinter-
pretationof Isaiah lxvi foundboth in pseudepigraphicaland rab-
binic writings.However,in none of the lettersgenerallyaccepted
114) This is correctlyseen by KXSEMANN, An die Re*mer306. See also

note three.
115) Cf., forexample, the saying of R. IJELBO, a fourthgenerationPalesti-
nian Amora (STRACK, Introduction 128), in Cant. Rab. 2/7.1 (Soncino 9.114-
15): Israel "should not attempt to go up fromthe diaspora by force.For if
theydo, why shouldthe King Messiah come to gatherthe exiles of Israel ?"
For the Messiah as gatheringthe exiles, see also the other Jewishsources
cited in Str-B 4.907-08,as well as Frg. Tg. Num. xxiv 7 (English translation
in LEVEY, The Messiah 20, and in J. W. ETHERIDGE, The Targums of Onkelos
and Jonathanben Uzziel on thePentateuchwiththeFragmentsoftheJerusalem
Targum [New York: KTAV, 1968] 429); Tg. Ps.-J. Deut. xxx 4 (LEVEY
29; ETHERIDGE 653); Tg. Isa. liii 8 (STENNING 80o-8I); and Tg. Cant. i 8
(LEVEY 125).
262 ROGERD. AUS
as genuinelyPaulinedoes a quotationfrom,or allusionto, thisOT

text occur,not even in connectionwiththe collection,whereone
would most expectit 116). The probableanswerto the above ob-
jectionlies in the factthat Isaiah lxvi wouldhave been helpfulto
Paul onlyifhe had wishedto emphasizethe collection'seschatolo-
gical aspectby buttressing it scripturally
117). Yet he did notwant
openly to accentuate the eschatological motif whatsoever.If Paul

had done so, he wouldhave had to fearthat the recipientsof his
letterswould thinkhe was primarilyinterestedin usingthemin
connectionwiththe comingof the Messiah,the Lord Jesus,and
was onlyin a minorway interested in themas individuals.Pastor-
ally, thiswouldhave been verypoor practice.It also wouldhave
subjectedthe Apostleto the possibleaccusationof organizing the
entirecollectionforhis own glory.This possibilityhe wouldhave
been mostanxiousto avoid118s).Also, if the JerusalemChristians
were sensitiveabout the relativeineffectiveness of theirmission
to the Jews,theymay have consideredPaul's groupof Gentiles
comingto Jerusalemas an attemptto forcethe "End." Paul had
succeededin bringing Gentilesto Jerusalem as a giftto theMessiah.
What had the Jerusalemchurch'sministry to the Jewsto showin
thisrespect?Bad feelingscertainlywouldhave developed.Finally,
at the Jerusalemmeeting(Gal. ii 9) Paul had agreedto go to the
Gentilesand to leave the missionto the circumcisedto James,
Peterand John.Yet it was in facthis innerhope thatthroughhis
own work of bringingGentileChristiansto Jerusalem,the Jews
would become jealous and also believe in Jesus as the Messiah
(Rom. x 19; xi II, 14). Paul did not want to break openly the
agreementmade at the Jerusalemmeeting119).
116) Cf., however,the references in notes 8 and 22 to the extensiveuse of
Isaiah lxvi in Second Thessalonians,whichmay be Pauline.
117) In the collection passages within his letters, Paul quotes the OT
onlyto encourage the Corinthians'generosity.See 2 Cor. viii 15 (Exod. xvi
18) and ix 9 (Ps. cxii 9). The allusion in 2 Cor. viii 21 to Prov. iii 4 (cf. its
use also in Rom. xii 17) is designedto removesuspicionsabout the intentions
of Paul. GEORGI's assertion (Die Geschichte 72-73) that the Apostle in 2 Cor.
ix io has the entirecontext of Isa. Iv io and Hos. x 12 in mind is reading
his own proposal into the text.
118) Faced with various charges concerning his ministryand person,
Paul tactfullypreferredto boast of his weaknesses. Cf. 2 Cor. xii 9-1o.
119) The above arguments are a modification and elaboration of the
remarkson this question made by NICKLE, The Collection140-41.

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Paul's Travel Plans to Spain and the "Full Number of the Gentiles" of Rom.

PAUL'S TRAVEL PLANS TO SPAIN AND THE

The majorityofscholarsspecializingin Paulinestudiesmaintain

1) Cf. a summary of the discussion in B. RIGAUX, Lettersof St. Paul.

of unbelievingIsrael's salvation5). For this reasonit is probable

5) In addition to the Romans commentaries,cf. O. MICHEL, Paulus und

maintains that the content of the "mystery" of Rom. xi 25b-26a derives

12) Cf. the discussion of the participatingchurches in J. MUNCK, Paul

of the Jewishdiaspora as an offering

played a major role in Paul's entirecollectionenterprise,as it

23) In his essay "Die Urspriinge

would be Christianmissionaries, primarilyPaul and his helpers,

33) Cf. the statement of C. WESTERMANN on the survivorsof the nations

the Peloponnesusin Europe (the so-called "second journey").

This reverseof a majorJewishmotifformeda largepart of the

43) Cf. "The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40-66," in The Interpreter's

the Greeksand the city was confusedwith Gades, a town only

49) For evidence of this confusion,perhaps since Aristotle,certainlysince

also indicatethat Tarshishis thoughtof as

firstsite to whichthe "saved" are to go to missionize,

IV. OT PassagesLaterInterpreted oftheGentiles Giftstothe

54) Paul, a Roman citizenfromTarsus in Cilicia, would certainlynot have

tionsshallcomefromtheendsoftheearthto see his [theMessiah's]

58) TranslationGRAY,APOT 650. For Jerusalem'ssons who "had fainted"

King Messiahgifts,"to "theywillbring"64). Instead,the Hebrew

and Levitesin the temple,whichis modifiedby Paul to mean the

69) Cf. the German translationin A. WtYNSCHE, Aus Israel's Lehrhallen.

to go to Bethleheminstead.Secondly,only here and in chapter

72) The shepherdsof Luke ii are fromthe regionof Bethlehemand bring

real joy, as one rabbinictraditionrelatesin respectto Isaiah lx 77).

withenteringthe "kingdomof God," as in the gospels,but rather

C) Psalm lxxii,whichthe MT says was written"by" Solomon,the

to whomthegoldofSheba/Arabiais to be given(vs. 15). His name

in othersourcesas well90),and Psalm lxxii is also relatedto the

D) Psalm lxviii,a "partial score" to the liturgyof the festival

Here the kingsof Ps. lxxii II are interpreted

94) Related to this complex is Paul's use of Optojlrpe6oin 2 Cor. ii 14.

Justas the Romans/Edomites, kinsmenofIsrael,becomejealous

Althoughotherrabbinicand pseudepigraphic sourcesalso men-

middleofthe firstcenturyB.C., thePsalmsofSolomon.Matthew's

V. Jer. iii 14 and Paul's "RepresentativeUniversalism"

includingrabbinicinterpretation of the latter; and the fact that

102) For Paul's use of A&cpXcld/I&rcpZx and xapnr6qfor the first-fruits

Jewishsourcesinterpreted Jer.iii 14 as regarding the gathering

While otherrabbinictexts also employJer.iii 14 in regardto

VI. The "Full NumberoftheGentiles"ofRom.xi 25

giftsto Jerusalem.This is thenthe completionof the "offering of

Two major objectionsmay be raised to the above proposal.

114) This is correctlyseen by KXSEMANN, An die Re*mer306. See also

as genuinelyPaulinedoes a quotationfrom,or allusionto, thisOT

openly to accentuate the eschatological motif whatsoever.If Paul

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