Paul’s letters. Especially because this word group occurs repeatedly in the propositio, the thesis statement of the document, it deserves our close attention, not least because it has been the subject of repeated controversy since at least the Reformation. This word group comes from the Law court,13 and if we are looking for OT background we should consider texts which speak of a judge acquitting or vindicating the innocent or righteous (cf. Ex. 23:7; Deut. 25:1, 2; 2 Sam. 15:4; Mic. 6:11). To be
Page 174