Paul's Political Strategy in 1 Corinthians 1–4: Constitution and Covenant (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, Series Number 163)

This volume examines 1 Corinthians 1-4 within first-century politics, demonstrating the significance of Corinth's constitution to the interpretation of Paul's letter. Bradley J. Bitner shows that Paul carefully considered the Roman colonial context of Corinth, which underlay numerous ecclesial conflicts. Roman politics, however, cannot account for the entire shape of Paul's response. Bridging the Hellenism-Judaism divide that has characterized much of Pauline scholarship, Bitner argues that Paul also appropriated Jewish-biblical notions of covenant. Epigraphical and papyrological evidence indicates that his chosen content and manner are best understood with reference to an ecclesial politeia informed by a distinctively Christ-centered political theology. This emerges as a "politics of thanksgiving" in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and as a "politics of construction" in 3:5-4:5, where Paul redirects gratitude and glory to God in Christ. This innovative account of Paul's political theology offers fresh insight into his pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies. Cover 1 Half-title page 3 Series page 5 Title page 7 Copyright page 8 Contents 9 Figures 11 Acknowledgments 13 Abbreviations 15 Introduction: Constituting the Argument 19 Part I Constitution and covenant in Corinth 29 1 Paul and Politics 31 1.1 Noster Paulus: ancient perspectives on the political Paul 33 1.2 Recent scholarship and the politics of Pauline interpretation 36 1.3 Paul and politeia: the pattern of inquiry 51 1.4 Approaches to Paul and politics in Corinth 57 2 Law and Life 62 2.1 Law’s Leben 62 2.2 Crook’s challenge 64 2.3 Crook’s challengers 65 2.4 Crook’s conditions 67 3 The Corinthian Constitution 70 3.1 Sources for first-century Roman civic constitutions 71 3.2 Physical features of extant civic constitutions 74 3.3 Display and function of constitutions 79 3.4 Structure and content of constitutions 83 3.5 The validity of applying the constitutions to Corinth 90 3.6 Plausible contexts for display in Corinth 92 3.7 Constitution and the Corinthian politeia 97 3.8 Conclusion 100 4 Traces of Covenant in Corinth 102 4.1 The Jewish community in first-century Corinth 103 4.2 The synagogue inscription in Corinth 109 4.3 New covenant community in Corinth 118 4.4 Conclusion 121 5 Constituting Corinth, Paul, and the Assembly 124 5.1 Rendering 1 Corinthians 124 5.2 Comparative method 125 5.3 Communication and metaphor 140 5.4 Corinthian portraiture: Corinth, Paul, and the assembly 147 5.5 Conclusion 152 Part II Constitution and covenant in 1 Corinthians 1:1–4:6 153 6 1 Corinthians 1:4–9 and the Politics of Thanksgiving 155 6.1 History of scholarship on 1 Corinthians 1:4–9 157 6.2 The politics of thanksgiving in Graeco-Roman and Jewish settings 166 6.3 Politeia and the constitution of community 188 6.4 The mediation of communal privileges in first-century communities 193 6.5 Promise and the confirmation of privileges in community 204 6.6 Conclusion 205 Excursus: μαρτύριον and the text of 1 Corinthians 2:1 207 7 1 Corinthians 3:5–4:5 and the Politics of Construction 215 7.1 History of scholarship on 1 Corinthians 3:5–4:5 218 7.2 The politics of construction 230 7.3 The politics of construction and Greek temple building 234 7.4 The politics of construction in Roman Corinth 242 7.5 Jeremiah and the Pauline politics of covenantal construction 260 7.6 Architecture in 1 Corinthians 3:5–4:5 270 7.7 Authority in 1 Corinthians 3:5–4:5 278 7.8 Approval in 1 Corinthians 3:5–4:5 289 7.9 Acclamation in 1 Corinthians 3:5–4:5 293 7.10 Conclusion 303 Excursus: 1 Corinthians 4:6 and the rhetoric of reconstruction 307 Conclusion: comparison of constitutions 320 Bibliography 327 Index Locorum 353 Subject index 361 Modern Author Index 368 "This volume examines 1 Corinthians 1-4 within first-century politics, demonstrating the significance of Corinth's constitution to the interpretation of Paul's letter. Bradley J. Bitner shows that Paul carefully considered the Roman colonial context of Corinth, which underlay numerous ecclesial conflicts. Roman politics, however, cannot account for the entire shape of Paul's response. Bridging the Hellenism-Judaism divide that has characterised much of Pauline scholarship, Bitner argues that Paul also appropriated Jewish-biblical notions of covenant. Epigraphical and papyrological evidence indicates that his chosen content and manner are best understood with reference to an ecclesial politeia informed by a distinctively Christ-centred political theology. This emerges as a 'politics of thanksgiving' in 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and as a 'politics of construction' in 3:5-4:5, where Paul redirects gratitude and glory to God in Christ. This innovative account of Paul's political theology offers fresh insight into his pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies"-- Provided by publisher Drawing extensively on epigraphical and papyrological evidence, this volume interprets 1 Corinthians 1-4 within the first-century politics of thanksgiving and of construction. Bradley J. Bitner demonstrates that Paul's response incorporated both Corinth's constitution and Jewish-biblical notions of covenant, ultimately redirecting gratitude and glory to God in Christ.