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  • From: Frich107 AT aol.com
  • To: corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: New Perspective in 1 Corinthians 9?
  • Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 16:35:56 EDT


Hi,

I am posting these thoughts on the 'New Perspective' in 1 Corinthians 9 as I
would appreciate some feed back on my ideas. In particular I would really
like some reaction to what I have to say about verses 19-23.

Regards,
Fred Rich

Ph.D. student,
University of Sheffield


New or Old Perspective in Corinth?

I would be one of the first people to acknowledge that when one speaks of the
'New Perspective' on Paul, one rarely mentions 1 Corinthians. However, as
Paul has written the letter then his views on the law must influence what he
says here. With this in mind I now offer some possible issues that the 'New
Perspective' might be concerned with in 1 Corinthians 9. It could be argued
that Paul uses the law as a power base in this chapter.

In verses 8 and 9 he says this, 'Do I say this on human authority? Does not
the law say the same? For it is written in the law of Moses, …' Although, as
I have already said, this chapter is not usually discussed with relation to
the 'New Perspective', there is plenty in it that relates to re-reading Paul
and the law. For Paul the law of Moses is still a major authority as to how
he lives his life. Perhaps verses 19-23 are the most revealing of all,
though. Perhaps they offer a new perspective on the 'New Perspective'? Do
they explain the apparent inconsistency in Paul's discussion of the law
throughout his letters?

I certainly believe that this could be a fruitful area to consider, although
this is not my main concern here. I simply wish to observe that the law is
never far out of view in either Paul's writing or rhetoric. The law continues
to be a strong source of authority for him and his followers. All this
suggests that Paul still adheres to the law some of the time, and so is still
a Jew. Paul writes, 'To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews.' As
C. K. Barrett writes in his very thorough commentary, this suggests that Paul
had become something other than a Jew, for him to have become as a Jew
(again) (1). Barrett continues by saying that '(h)is Judaism was no longer of
his very being, but a guise he could adopt or discard at will.' (2)
Interestingly Barrett appears to be writing this from within a 'New
Perspective' like framework (3).

What do such observations add to the 'New Perspective', we might be
wondering? Do they seriously put this whole re-reading of Paul and the law in
doubt? Although I don't think that it takes us back to Luther's caricatured
Jews being opposed to Paul's liberated Christian groups, I believe that this
raises questions as to how far such views should be taken. As is often the
case with such things, the reality behind these questions is much more
complicated that some have imagined it to be.

Richard Horsley argues that these verses should instead be read as a defence
against the Corinthian 'freedom' advocated by the congregation (4). Paul
becoming as a Jew to Jews, and as a gentile to gentiles refer to specific
mission situations that Paul encountered, and as such are not a general
principle (5). I have to admit that I am not persuaded by the second part of
this argument. Certainly Paul is refuting the Corinthian claims to 'freedom'
of the Gospel being a license to all kinds of behaviour. However, to suggest
that these verses only speak of specific situations, and so cannot be applied
more generally appears to be reading these verses out of context. I would
prefer to see these verses as an indication of Paul's general approach to
Torah observance (6). They appear to explicitly express what Paul implies
implicitly in many other places throughout his letters.

Footnotes

(1) Barrett, 1968 (p.211)
(2) Ibid.
(3) This is despite the fact that he is writing in 1968, pre-Stendahl,
Sanders and Dunn. He implies as much when he says, 'It is true and important
that, as recent research has emphasised, Paul remained in many respects not
merely a Jew but a Pharisee and a Rabbi:' (p.211)
(4) Horsley, 1998 (pp.130-131)
(5) Ibid.
(6) For similar views of these verses see Witherington III, 1995 (p.211).
Dale Martin, 1995, offers some helpful comments about Paul's challenge of the
social order of the day when he says, 'Paul does not accept the dominant
hierarchy of "this world" and restructures both it and the body to reflect
the topsy-turvy status system of apocalyptic eschatology and faith in a
crucified Messiah.' (p.135). These comments can easily be applied to verses
19-23 of 1 Corinthians 9 to gain a new perspective on Paul and law. Anthony
Thiselton, 2000, puts it this way, 'these verses show that standing in
solidarity with "the other" as against autonomy or self-affirmation, lies at t
he heart of the gospel. In particular, concern for the diversity of those who
are "the weak" constitutes a profound pastoral and missionary strategy which
is not built on pragmatic "success" but on the nature of the gospel (v.23) in
which Paul has a part.' (p.699). Whether one calls this principle a modus
operandi, or an example of solidarity, it remains a generally applicable one
that should hold for all of Paul's writings on the law.

Heavily abbreviated bibliography

Barrett, C.K., 1 Corinthians (Black's New Testament Commentary series)
Horsley, Richard, 1 Corinthians (Abingdon New Testament Commentary series)
Martin, Dale, The Corinthian Body
Thiselton, Anthony, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (New International
Greek Testament Commentary)
Witherington III, Ben, Conflict and Community in Corinth



  • New Perspective in 1 Corinthians 9?, Frich107, 05/14/2002

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