I just received word that my article, “Vessels of Wrath and God’s Pathos: Potter/Clay Imagery in Rom 9:19–23” has been accepted for publication in Harvard Theological Review. The abstract is as follows:
Starting from the concept of divine patience in 9:22, this article argues that Paul employs the potter/clay metaphor not (as often interpreted) to defend God’s right to arbitrary choice but rather as an appeal to what Abraham Heschel called divine pathos—the idea that God’s choices are impacted by human actions. The potter/clay imagery in Rom 9:20–23 thus serves to highlight the dynamic and improvisational way the God of Israel interacts with Israel and, by extension, all of creation.