This research paper by Robert W. Hertha, submitted to Dr. Robert J. Cara for NT5250 – Acts & Romans at Reformed Theological Seminary – Charlotte, investigates Paul’s catena of Old Testament quotations in Romans 3:10–18 as a unified theological argument for human depravity. Hertha argues that Paul does not distort or “reinterpret” the Hebrew Scriptures but draws out their full value by applying them to all humanity—Jew and Gentile alike—showing that sin pervades every part of human nature.
Through textual and exegetical analysis, Hertha traces Paul’s use of Psalms, Isaiah, and Ecclesiastes, concluding that the apostle himself compiled the catena as the climactic evidence for the universality of sin. He explains how Paul’s selection of verses—from Psalm 14’s declaration that “none is righteous” to Isaiah 59’s depiction of violence—reveals a comprehensive anthropology of corruption. The study explores the structural unity of the passage and demonstrates how Paul’s argument builds from moral incapacity to the absence of divine fear, depicting humanity’s total estrangement from God.
Hertha concludes that Paul’s reading of Scripture coheres with its divine intent: the Old Testament’s “bad guy” passages about the wicked reveal what all humans are apart from grace. By linking Psalm 14 to his theology of sin, Paul demonstrates that every person stands condemned without divine intervention, and only the righteousness revealed in Christ can restore what universal depravity has destroyed.
Course and semester: NT5250 Acts & Romans — Spring 2020
