Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences (JETEMS) 3(5):485-490 (ISSN:2141-7024) 485 ‘Be Subject to the Governing Authorities’: A Ghanaian Christian Understanding of Romans 13:1 Jonathan E. T. Kuwornu-Adjaottor Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. ___________________________________________________________________________ Abstract ‘Be subject to the governing authorities’ (Rom. 13:1) has been the subject of discussion by scholars for centuries. Different interpretations have been given. The interpreters used mainly two traditional methods of biblical hermeneutics to interpret the text namely: (1) Historical critical methodologies which locate the meaning of a biblical text behind the text; and (2) the Exegetical method which locates the meaning of the text in the text. These methodologies which are part of the legacy of Western biblical scholarship have been used by Ghanaian biblical exegetes to interpret the text over the years. In this paper, the author the uses a the mother- tongue biblical approach - a sub method of a broader methodology that finds the meaning of a text in front of the text – to find out what Rom. 13:1 mean to indigenous Ghanaian Christians and mother-tongue bible readers. Using fifteen (15) different versions of the Ghanaian mother-tongue translations of the text in six (6) languages, the author fo und out that, the different translations render pasa psuche and exousias the main subjects in the Greek text variedly, thus, giving a host of meanings to the text. The significance of this study is that it has added to the interpretations of the text, and thus it has implications for political education in Ghana. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Keywords: Political education, interpretations of Romans 13:1, bible translation philosophies, mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics, African biblical studies. __________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Some texts of the New Testament have been the subject of scholarly discussions in the twentieth century. Romans 13:1-7 is an example of such texts. Different interpretations have been given, including the notion that the verses are an interpolation (Kallas, 1965:365-366). According to Kallas, the text seems to be a self-contained unit within the ethical advice section of the letter to the Romans where Paul argues for an attitude of love and non-resistance in the face of suffering (Rom 12), hence it is inconceivable that he should discuss the Roman community’s relationship to the governing authorities (the State) further in this ethical section. Byrne reacting to Kalla’s stand says that, even though the argument in Romans 13:1-7 seems to stand on its own, Paul at this point of the epistle may have decided to address a problem the Roman’s were experiencing - civic unrest over Roman taxes (Byrne, 1996:385-386). Earlier interpreters of Romans 13:1-7 such as Cullmann, Karl Barth, and others have stated that the state has a Christological basis – Christ has conquered the cosmic powers (cf. Rom. 8:38; Col. 2:15) which are said to stand behind the governing authorities on earth (Rom. 13:1). But this has now virtually disappeared from most commentaries by those who once championed it (Käsemann, 1980: 352-354; Cranfield, 1975, 1979: 653-655). Reuman (2003) argues that Rom.13:1-7 does not appeal to Jesus’ teaching about Caesar (Mark 12:17) as some people think. But rather in it, Paul reflects typical Old Testament/Jewish teaching (cf. Jer. 29:7, pray for Babylon; 1 Macc 7:33) and makes use of a common theme of being good subjects, also found in 1Pet. 2:13-14 and part of a broader Hellenistic code for social life taken over by Jews and Christians, with modifications, in the “Tables of Household Duties” (eg. Col. 3:18-4:1). Kallas, Käsemann, Cranfield, Reuman, have interpreted Romans 13:1-7, using two methods of biblical interpretation: (1) Historical criticism which locates the meaning of a biblical text behind the text; and (2) the Exegetical method which locate the meaning of the text in the text. The first method focuses on issues of historicity – the writer’s intended meaning, the historical circumstances of the text – rather than the text itself. The second method, which is the exegetical method, finds the meaning of the text in the context of the text (Green, 1995:301-328; Tate, 2008: 89-101). How do Ghanaian Christians understand Romans 13:1-7? Ghanaian Christians constitute those who practice the Christian faith in Ghana spanning the eras of the Early Missionaries, African Independent Churches, Early Classical Pentecostals, the combined efforts of the Pentecostals and the Mainline Churches, Neo-Pentecostals (Koduah, 2004) and recently the Neo- Prophetic Churches (Omenyo and Atiemo, 2006: 55-68). METHODOLOGY The researcher the used the mother-tongue biblical hermeneutics approach - the scholarly engagement of the indigenous language translations of the Bible. This approach is oriented towards the reader(s) or Journal of Emerging Trends in Economics and Management Sciences (JETEMS) 3(5): 485-490 © Scholarlink Research Institute Journals, 2012 (ISSN: 2141-7024 jetems.scholarlinkresearch.org