Neville examines Paul's argument in the 9th chapter of Romans, which draws together two Old Testament stories from very different eras — one he dates to 1856 BC (Jacob and Esau's birth to Rebecca) and another to 400 BC (the Malachi narrative) — alongside Paul's own first-century AD interpretation, spanning roughly 2,000 years. He uses this span to argue that Paul is concerned not with literal genealogy but with an inner, spiritual meaning, identifying 'Israel' as the awakened imagination rather than physical descent from Abraham.