matter too far to say that Paul thought of himself, without qualification,
as the Servant. Still, the evidence is sufficient to indicate that Paul under-
stood his own mission against this background: in Dunn’s words, as “com-
pleting the Servant’s mission by taking the light of the gospel ‘to the
nations’ (Isaiah 49:6)” (1988, 2:866). Incidentally, might this shed light on
the puzzling statement about “completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflic-
tions” (Col. 1:24)?
This being so, it is worth completing the passage (Isa. 49:6) to which
Dunn refers: “I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may
reach the end of the earth” (also attributed to Paul in Acts 13:47). The sav-
ing ministry carried out by the Servant has a territorial dimension, reach-
ing to the end of the earth. Such language recurs repeatedly in this section
of Isaiah. Two terms appear in the MT: qatsehandefes; the LXX uses akron
andeschaton.Because of the Servant’s ministry, God’s praise will be sung
“from the end of the earth” (Isa. 42:10); the exiles will return “from the end
of the earth” (43:6); God’s call goes out to the nations, “turn to me and be
saved, all the ends of the earth” (45:22); the proclamation of redemption
is sent forth “to the end of the earth” (48:20); “all the ends of the earth shall
see the salvation of our God” (52:10). References to “the coastlands” (42:4,
10, 12; 49:1; 51:5) establish a similar territorial expanse for the promised
salvation. The frequency of such territorial language in a portion of Isaiah
of such apparent significance for Paul’s own self-conception as apostle to
the Gentiles is highly suggestive and worthy of further consideration.
While the phrase “the end of the earth” was often used in antiquity as
a vague and general reference (see Aus 1979, 244–45; J.M. Scott 1994,
507–27 [passim]; Barrett 1994, 1:80; van Unnik 1973, 386–401), there is suf-
ficient evidence to indicate that someone who, like Paul, was pointed west-
ward would understand the term “the end of the earth” as a reference to
Spain. The territory divided between Noah’s three sons, in Jubilees8–9,
stretches from Eden in the east (8:16) to Gadir (= Cadiz in Spain) in the
west (9:26). Rehearsing the same material, Josephus describes Japheth’s
territory as extending “in Europe as far as Gadeira” (A.J.1.122; similarly,
inB.J.2.363, Gades is the westernmost limit of the Roman Empire). In a
probable reference to Paul’s plans to visit Spain, Clement speaks of him as
reaching “the limits of the west” (1 Clem. 5.7). Spain might be in view, in
Psalms of Solomon8:15, in the reference to Pompey as one coming “from
the end of the earth,” though Rome is also possible. Except for the quota-
tion of Psalm 19:4 in Romans 10:18 (which also contains Paul’s only use of
oikoumenê), the phrase “the end of the earth” does not appear in Paul’s
writings. Nonetheless, Paul quotes frequently from a section of scripture
“The Field God Has Assigned” 131