Corpus-Paul

["Joe A. Friberg" <JoeFriberg AT email.msn.com>]

Without responding directly to John C. Hurd's message of Sunday, October 10,
1999 (Subject: [corpus-paul] Re: Paul and meat sacrificed to idols), he did
mention one connection that I have heard often:
> And he liked the resulting argument (in 1Cor 8-10) so much that he reused
it
> in Romans 14.

(I'm not sure what connection he is making, but let me state the issue it
raises, as I see it.)

I have often heard these passages connected with respect to substance, line
of reasoning, and application.  However, on closer reading, I see these as
very different for the following reasons:

1. 1Cor 8-10 explicitly mentions idol-sacrificed meat and temple-sacrificed
meat, while Rom 14 mentions only meat vs. vegitarianism.

2. 1Cor 8 contrasts the *knowledgeable* (v7) w/ the *weak in conscience*
(v12), while Rom 14 contrasts the *weak in faith* (v1) with the *one having
faith* (v2).  Also, in 1Cor the term *strong* is NOT used, but it is found
in Rom 15.1

3. In 1Cor 8 taken together w/ 10.14-22 it is clear that Paul condemns
participating in the idol feasts by the *knowledgeable*, but that he would
have eaten temple-sacrificed meat on other occasions if there were no
potential for violating another's conscience.  In Rom 14 there is simply
approval of eating all kinds of food.

These are at least some of the distinctives of these two passages.

A brief commentary review last year uncovered a couple that held these two
passages to be addressing the same situation (meat sacrificed to idols), but
most distinguished the two.

Is there anyone who would hold the view that these involve the same issue?

God Bless!

Joe A. Friberg
Arlington, Texas
JoeFriberg AT alumni.utexas.net