Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

corpus-paul - Re: Opponents in 1&2 Corinthians

corpus-paul AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Corpus-Paul

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Frank W. Hughes" <fwhughes AT sunbeach.net>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Opponents in 1&2 Corinthians
  • Date: Tue, 22 Jun 1999 16:26:38 -0300

Liz Fried wrote:
I have here a book by Dieter Giorgi entitled The Opponents of Paul in Second
Corinthians. I haven't read it, but he either assumes or argues that the
opponents are different in the two letters.  It seems like an interesting
book.
It certainly is an interesting book, and an important one in Pauline studies.  You will find in that book a lot of material on the issue of Hellenistic Judaism as a missionary religion.

In general, those of us who want to partition 1 Corinthians as well as 2 Corinthians see the same Corinthian opponents reflected in all segments of the correspondence.  The differences are that Paul has greater knowledge of what the Corinthian situation really was.  Using the Jewett partition theory (which I accept), by the time Paul writes 1 Cor 11 he has "heard" that there are divisions in Corinth, but he only "partly" believes it.  By the time Paul writes Corinthian Letter C (which is most of the canonical 1 Corinthians including the detailed report from "Chloe's people" 1:10 etc.) Paul thinks that the problem in Corinth is factionalism and is severe (he seems to believe it quite completely!).  By the time he writes Letter D (2 Cor 2:14 - 6:13 + 7:2-4) he begins to defend himself all too subtly, arguing that he "like so many others" is not a "peddler of God's word."  When he writes Letter E (2 Cor 10:1-11:11 + 1 Cor 9:1-18 + 2 Cor 11:12-13:13) he writes an extremely sarcastic and bombastic letter.  Letter F (2 Cor 9) is a fundraising letter, and Letter G, the letter of reconciliation (2 Cor 1:1-2:13 +7:5-8:24) recounts what happened when the "letter of tears" (which we identify with Letter E) was received.

So, the biggest differences in the Corinthian correspondence seem to us to be differences in Paul's level of knowledge of what was going on in Corinth in his absence.

Frank W. Hughes
Lecturer in NT Studies
Codrington College



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page