The phrase (see pdf for character) in Rom. 15.16 is typically read as a genitive of
apposition and seen as a reference to Paul’s symbolic offering of the
Gentiles themselves. This article contends, however, that the phrase (see pdf for
character) should be taken as a subjective genitive and therefore as a reference to
an offering given by the Gentiles, namely, the collection for the saints that Paul
discusses specifically in Rom. 15.25-32. This reading helps to explain the
concentration of cultic metaphors in Rom. 15.16 and Rom 15.25-32. Paul uses cultic
language to map his priestly ministry as caretaker of the relief fund onto the
Gentiles’ priestly participation in the collection. In doing so, Paul
frames ‘the offering of the Gentiles’ as an act of cultic
worship, underscoring the point that the fulfillment of mutual obligations within
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