[DOWNLOAD] "Wisdom for the Perfect: Paul's Challenge to the Corinthian Church (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)." by Journal of Biblical Literature # eBook PDF Kindle ePub Free
eBook details
- Title: Wisdom for the Perfect: Paul's Challenge to the Corinthian Church (1 Corinthians 2:6-16).
- Author : Journal of Biblical Literature
- Release Date : January 22, 2002
- Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines,Books,Professional & Technical,Education,
- Pages : * pages
- Size : 241 KB
Description
What was at stake when the church in Corinth was divided? Abandoning the older quest for a Corinthian heresy, recent studies have rightly tended to understand the factions in Corinth against the background of the conventions of Greco-Roman rhetoric. It should not be overlooked, however, that Paul understood these factions as symptomatic of a grave theological error in Corinth. (1) The thesis of this article is that by attempting to excel by worldly standards, the Corinthians were running the risk of defining themselves as those for whom the gospel was hidden and thus forfeiting their salvation. After a brief survey of recent research on the factionalism in Corinth, we shall see how Paul's discourse on wisdom in 1 Cor 2:6-16 serves his rhetorical purpose by undermining the basis for the factions. A true comprehension of the gospel is irreconcilable with the bickering that characterized the Corinthian church. In order to demonstrate our thesis, we will show that the divine wisdom in 1 Cor 2:6-16 is to be identified with the gospel, that this wisdom is hidden under its apparent foolishness for those who want to be wise according to the standards of this world, and that the perfect, who receive this wisdom, are all Christians. We will then see that Paul is challenging the Corinthians: Will they side with the wise of this world, or will they show themselves as being among the perfect, that is, the Christians, who have rejected the standards of the world? The factionalism, based on competition by worldly standards, indicates that the former is the case. For Paul, sociology is indicative of theology. The uniqueness of 1 Corinthians, therefore, can be fully appreciated only when the letter is examined in its theological as well as its sociological world. I. The Factions