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corpus-paul - Re: 1 Cor 15:10

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  • From: Craig de Vos <csdevos AT trinity.unimelb.edu.au>
  • To: "Corpus-paul" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: 1 Cor 15:10
  • Date: Wed, 4 Aug 1999 14:10:27 +1000

At 8:49 PM -0700 on 3/8/99, you wrote:
When Paul says "I am what I am" in 1 Cor 15:10a he is, I think, alluding to
his status as an apostle. The phrase is rather brief, as one would expect,
since it comes in 15:9-10, which is something of a digression from his main
point. Had he expanded on his point in 15:10 he would have lost his main
thread which he picks up again rather hurriedly in 15:11. But I think that
with the phrase "I am what I am" he is not only trying to be brief: he is
also pointedly avoiding boasting, for in 15:8-10 he positively oozes
self-restraint. Notice the boasting in weakness in 15:8-9, the double
negative in the middle of 15:10, and the way he qualifies his statement at
the end of 15:10.

snip

For what it's worth, I believe (for numerous reasons) that the historical
context of 1 Cor 9:1-5 and 15:9-10 is as follows.

I think Richard missed my point. I wasn't asking about the situation or context of 1 Co 15:10, let alone of 1 Corinthians as a whole. I was simply asking about the form of words Paul chose to use in 15:10a. As I read the text, Paul's expression there struck me precisely because EIMI HO EIMI is what I would expect as a translation from the Hebrew of the divine name/claim in Ex 3:14. Is there an allusion to this? If so, why? If not, why not? How would it have been heard by the (largely) Gentile Corinthians? Those were the sorts of questions I was (implicitly) asking.

Craig



******************************************
Dr. Craig S. de Vos
Bromby Lecturer in New Testament
Trinity College Theological School
Royal Parade
Parkville VIC 3052
Australia
(O) +61 3 9349-0129 (F) +61 3 9349-0460
csdevos AT trinity.unimelb.edu.au
http://www.trinity.unimelb.edu.au/~csdevos/CdVhome.html

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