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    The Pauline Christology of 1 Corinthians 8:6
    The Pauline Christology of 1 Corinthians 8:6
    The Pauline Christology of 1 Corinthians 8:6
    Ebook156 pages1 hour

    The Pauline Christology of 1 Corinthians 8:6

    By Emad Atef Ezzat Hanna

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    About this ebook

    This thesis aims to investigate the Christology presented in 1 Cor. 8:6, as it is one of the most important christological texts in the New Testament, and to do this against the backdrop of the modern scholarly discussion about New Testament Christology. The present thesis argues that divine Christology in this text is the essential component for our understanding of the Pauline Christology and the earliest Christology of early Christians.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherResource Publications
    Release dateJul 27, 2023
    ISBN9781666780932
    The Pauline Christology of 1 Corinthians 8:6
    Author

    Emad Atef Ezzat Hanna

    Emad Atef Ezzat Hanna is a lecturer at Nubia Mountains Institute (part of St Athanasius Provincial Seminary). He has authored two books.

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      Book preview

      The Pauline Christology of 1 Corinthians 8:6 - Emad Atef Ezzat Hanna

      Introduction

      To re-construct the Christology of the New Testament, one has to consult our earliest available sources, namely its epistles. I will confine myself to one of the earliest epistles, namely the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, which is most likely dated between 53–55 AD and certainly not later than 57 AD.¹ I will narrow my investigation to 1 Cor. 8:6 which can be considered one of the most important Christological texts in the Pauline epistles. I will investigate its meaning and significance to the contemporary New Testament Christological debates. Then I will offer a brief survey of the other Pauline texts where Paul applies other YHWH-Kyrios texts to Jesus. The main goal of this thesis is to research Paul’s ‘divine Christology’ as preserved in 1 Cor. 8:6 and to do this against the backdrop of the modern scholarly discussion about the New Testament Christology.

      1

      . Fitzmyer, First Corinthians.,

      48

      ; Carson and Moo, An Introduction to the New Testament,

      448

      ; Dunn, The Cambridge Companion to St Paul,

      75

      ; Fotopoulos, "

      1

      Corinthians,"

      416

      .

      1. Context of 1 Cor. 8:6

      1.1.Food sacrificed to idols

      The context for Paul’s statement in 1 Cor. 8:6 is his discussion of food that was sacrificed to idols 1 Cor. 8:1. This issue was raised between two groups. One was described as the weak 1 Cor. 8:7–12, who think that eating the food that was sacrificed to idols in pagan temples meant participation in the worship of the idols, so their conscience was defiled by this practice 1 Cor. 8:7a. They were unable to let their monotheistic belief inform their practice because of their past association with idolatry.¹ The other group was labeled by many commentators as the strong.² However, it is noteworthy to mention that Paul never used the title strong.³ He alluded to the fact that they possessed more knowledge 1 Cor. 8:1b-10.⁴ This group acted with more liberty based on their monotheistic knowledge, so they felt free to eat the food which was sacrificed to idols at pagan temples 1 Cor. 8:10, or in an unbeliever’s house 1 Cor. 10:27, or that was sold in the market 1 Cor. 10:25. As there were numerous temples and shrines dedicated to various deities of different cults, the surplus of the sacrifice was re-sold by the priests to the meat market, which was re-sold again to the people at a cheaper price.⁵

      1.2.Knowledge and love

      Paul started his argument by saying We all possess knowledge 1 Cor. 8:1, and it is generally accepted that he is either citing the Corinthians⁶ or using a well-known cliché.⁷ He was probably creating a common ground between the two groups. However, he criticized the Strong’s reliance on their knowledge, by warning them of the dangers of relying solely on knowledge, as knowledge puffs up 1 Cor. 8:1, while highlighting the centrality of love, and its constructive side, as love builds up 1 Cor. 8:1. Then in 1 Cor. 8:2 Paul described the strong who thought that they knew those who actually do not yet know, and they should have focused on loving God 1 Cor. 8:3a. In the second half of that verse 1 Cor. 8:3b, we have a textual variant, which is the absence of both God (τὸν θεόν) and by him (ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ):

      V.

      3

      But whoever loves [God—τὸν θεόν], is known [by him—ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ].

      The words in brackets are absent in both P⁴⁶ and Clement.⁸ It was argued by Richard A. Horsley that the words God and by him 1 Cor. 8:3 were almost certainly missing in Paul’s text, so the meaning of the verse is that if someone acts with love toward others in a way that builds up the community, one is known, i.e. appreciated in the community.⁹ Anthony C. Thiselton also accepted the shorter reading, interpreting the text as if anyone loves, he or she has experienced true knowing.¹⁰ And finally Gordon Fee argued that for Paul his [Paul’s] concern is with their failure to act in love toward some in their midst who do not share their knowledge."¹¹

      I think the longer reading seems to be the most probable reading of this text for the following reasons:

      (1) In opposition to the well-known rule of textual criticism, there is a preference for shorter reading rather than longer one.¹² In our case, there is a tendency in P⁴⁶ to omit rather than add a reading.¹³ In fact, P⁴⁶ has only 52 addition, while it has 161 omissions.¹⁴ So unless a compelling reason is found, in this text the longer reading should be preferred.

      (2) In addition to the previous textual evidence, the vast majority of MSS include both phrases God (τὸν θεόν) and by God (ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ).¹⁵

      (3) The longer reading fits the wider context better than the shorter one (against both Fee and Thiselton).¹⁶ As mentioned earlier, the whole context deals with the issue of idolatry and, monotheism which are not merely theological topics but also relational as well. And that is, as Paul was a Jew, he held that both knowledge and action were inseparable from each other.¹⁷ For him, to know and love God is one proposition; one could not have one of them without the other.¹⁸ God’s knowledge of his people is both relational, and covenantal; God initiated the relationship with his people, and his people responded with prayer and allegiance.¹⁹ So, for Paul, the real gnosis was not the Gnosis of God, but God’s Gnosis of you.²⁰ In other words, to love God and to be known by him.²¹ We can conclude with Chris Tilling that the text is concerned with the theme of love-oriented relational monotheism.²²

      Hence the previous points argue that the longer reading is to be preferred because it fits better the wider context. Therefore we can summarize the issues of the debate presented in 1 Cor. 8:1–3 as follows: the relationship between love and knowledge 1 Cor. 8: 1b-3,²³ the issue of eating food that was sacrificed to the idols in pagan temples 1 Cor. 8:1a.²⁴

      1.3.Monotheism, and idolatry

      In 1 Cor. 8:4 Paul began his argument against the food sacrificed to the idols. Paul agreed in principle with the Corinthians’ refusal of the existence and/ or significance of the idols and their confirmation of the monotheistic faith in one God.²⁵ There is a disagreement among scholars whether Paul was quoting these statements an idol is nothing at all in the world, and "there is no God

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