Význam ἐφ᾽ ᾧ v Řím 5,12

The Letter to the Romans represents the high point of Paul’s teaching and theological reflection, although it contains, as his other letters, some statements that are difficult to understand. One of the places in the Letter to the Romans which makes translation and interpretation difficult is the meaning of ἐφ᾽ ᾧ at the end of Romans 5:12. Various meanings of ἐφ᾽ ᾧ in Romans 5:12 have been proposed over the centuries and decades. In general, we can say that the different ways of interpretation can be divided into two categories based on whether the formulation ἐφ᾽ ᾧ is understood as a phrase introducing a relative clause or as the equivalent of a conjunction. The interpretation which assigns a causative value with the meaning “because, since” to the expression ἐφ᾽ ᾧ seems to be the best of all the modes of interpretation put forward. The preference for this suggestion arises from several facts. First, this meaning is well attested to in ancient sources. Furthermore, the causal meaning of the phrase is also present in principle in other places in Paul’s letters where this syntagm is used (2 Cor 5:4; Phil 3:12; 4:10). Finally, it is of importance to emphasise that, above all, the nature of the whole sentence of Romans 5:12, which is characterised by a chiastic structure, requires a causal understanding.