Adam und Romulus. Lateinische Dichtung in der Paulusexegese

In New Testament exegesis, quotations from Latin literature of the Early Principate are mostly used as evidence of Roman imperial ideology. This essay aims to show that it is worthwhile to deal more carefully with such literary texts. Horace’s seventh and sixteenth epodes are compared with passages from the letter to the Romans. Using the myth of Romulus’ fratricide, Horace expresses his despair during the civil wars. He imagines a fictional rescue by fleeing from Rome to a primeval “pre-lapsarian” paradise. Paul uses the myth of Adam and Eve to portray human captivity under sin from which Christ saves people from all nations. The parallels are not mere coincidence.