1 Corinthians

by B J Oropeza

Overview

This compact commentary on 1 Corinthians is both readable and full of insights that will engage students, ministers, and scholars alike. The Apostle Paul writes to a relatively new church in which members are failing to maintain solidarity with other members. They struggle to find their unique place in Roman society as Gentile followers of Jewish leaders that proclaim Christ as Lord. Their many problems include competition over leadership and social prestige, sexual impropriety, household conflicts, idol foods, table fellowship, protocols on gender and the use of spiritual gifts, and confusion about death, immortality, and Christ's return. Oropeza addresses Paul's response to these and other issues as he engages ancient biblical, Jewish, and Greco-Roman sources along with recent scholarship. This is a must-read for those who want to understand the Corinthian situation and Paul's response in a new way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781610971041
Publisher:	Cascade Books
Publication date:	10/27/2017
Series:	New Covenant Commentary
Pages:	338
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

B. J. Oropeza is Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University (Azusa, CA). Among his numerous publications are Exploring Second Corinthians (2016) and Exploring Intertextuality (2016, co-editor Steve Moyise)

Table of Contents

Outline of 1 Corinthians vii

Preface xi

Abbreviations xiii

Introduction 1

Corinth: Its People and Myths 1

Paul and the Corinthian Church 7

Occasion and Purpose of the Letter 9

Introduction (1:1-9) 11

Appeal to Be United and Avoid Discord: Prothesis and Statement of Facts (1:10-17) 16

Wisdom and Leadership in Light of the Proclamation of the Cross: First Supporting Proof (1:18-4:21) 23

Excursus: Paul's Rhetoric against the Sophist Deliveries 33

Excursus: Interpreting "What Is Written" in 4:6 55

Avoiding Sexual Defilement: Second Supporting Proof (5:1-7:40) 65

Fusing the Horizons: Mingling with Vice-Doers Today 72

Fusing the Horizons: Christians, Same-Sex, and Loving Your Neighbor as Yourself 79

Excursus: Unbelieving Spouses, Clean Children, and Pollution by Idols (7:14) 95

Idol Foods, Idolatry, and Relinquishing One's Right: Third Supporting Proof (8:1-11:1) 107

Fusing the Horizons: Ambiguity Related to Idol Foods Then and Now 138

Order and Solidarity When Assembling Together: Fourth Supporting Proof (11:2-14:40) 140

Fusing the Horizons: Custom and Modesty 150

Fusing the Horizons: Women Speakers at Church 192

Solidarity in Belief of the Resurrection: Fifth Supporting Proof (15:1-58) 196

Closing Matters (1 Cor 16:1-24) 224

Bibliography 235

Author Index 267

Subject Index 275

Biblical and Ancient Literature Index 281

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“This commentary deeply embeds Paul in Jewish, Greek, and Roman moral, political, mythical, and religious beliefs and practices in the ancient Mediterranean world. The challenge for the reader is how to translate, transfer, or reconfigure these beliefs and practices into a Christian lifestyle in a highly different but related world during the twenty-first Century.”

—Vernon K. Robbins, Emory University

Editorial Reviews

This commentary deeply embeds Paul in Jewish, Greek, and Roman moral, political, mythical, and religious beliefs and practices in the ancient Mediterranean world. The challenge for the reader is how to translate, transfer, or reconfigure these beliefs and practices into a Christian lifestyle in a highly different but related world during the twenty-first Century.”

—Vernon K. Robbins, Emory University

From the Publisher