Many commentators suggest that Paul borrows his notion of a Christological Rock that follows Israel through the wilderness from intertestamental commentary on the OT. That may be, but the notion of is already evident in the OT itself. Yahweh after all is the Rock of Israel, and both leads and . . . . Continue Reading »
1 Corinthians 3:9-10a: We are god’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. Paul sees himself as a builder of God’s house, equipped . . . . Continue Reading »
1 Corinthians 11:18-20: when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the . . . . Continue Reading »
A student, Sam Bussey, offers several sharp intertextual insights into Paul’s discussion of Spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14. First, 1 Corinthians 12:2’s reference to “dumb idols” hearkens back to the idol polemics of Psalm 115 and Isaiah 46. Isaiah 46 is in the midst . . . . Continue Reading »
In any sizable congregation, there are going to be disputes. Two members go into business, it fails, and they fight about who’s responsible for what. One member borrows the lawnmower from his neighbor and breaks it; who pays? Someone makes a thoughtless comment and damages a friendship. The . . . . Continue Reading »
Bruno Blumenfeld ( Political Paul: Democracy and Kingship in Paul’s Thought (Journal for the Study of the New Testament) ) argues that Aristotle is lurking behind Paul when the apostle describes himself as a “wise master builder” (1 Cointhians 3:10): “Aristotle calls . . . . Continue Reading »
1 Corinthians 10:14-22 forms a paragraph of its own. Prior to this section of 1 Corinthians 10, Paul is drawing out an extended comparison between Israel’s exodus and wilderness wanderings and the state of the Corinthian church. After verse 23, he draws the conclusion that eating and drinking . . . . Continue Reading »
Given the high view of marriage and sexuality in Scripture, Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians are odd and out of character. Why would Paul think it good for everyone to be as he is? Jeremiah 16 provides a clue. In verse 2, Yahweh instructs Jeremiah not to take a wife or raise . . . . Continue Reading »
Paul instructs the Corinthians to defer to weaker brothers, avoiding, for example, meat sacrificed to idols out of concern for a weaker brother’s conscience. But what happens when we apply a universality principle: What if everybody did? Wouldn’t that mean that the weak end up . . . . Continue Reading »
Paul ends 1 Corinthians (16:22) with a neat chiastic sign-off. Anyone who does not love the Lord is declared “accursed” ( anathema ) and Paul follows this with the cry of maranatha (“the Lord comes”). Anath-ma/mar-anatha . Substantively, it is a striking phrase. . . . . Continue Reading »
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