First Corinthians
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One of the most exciting of Paul's letters, 1 Corinthians offers a vantage point from which modern readers can reflect on diverseness in Christian Churches today. In First Corinthians, Raymond Collins explores that vantage point as well as the challenge Paul posed to the people of his time?and continues to pose in ours?to allow the gospel message to engage them in their daily lives.
Paul introduces us to a flesh-and-blood community whose humanness was all too apparent. Sex, death, and money were among the issues they had to face. Social conflicts and tension within their Christian community were part of their daily lives. Paul uses all of his diplomacy, rhetorical skill, and authority to exhort the Corinthian community to be as one in Christ.
In examining Paul's message and method, Collins approaches 1 Corinthians as a Hellenistic letter written to people dealing with real issues in the Hellenistic world. He cites existing Hellenistic letters to show that Paul was truly a letter writer of his own times. Collins makes frequent references to the writings of the philosophic moralists to help clarify the way in which Paul spoke to his beloved Corinthians. He also comments on some aspects of the social circumstances in which the Christians of Corinth actually lived.
Editor’s Preface xi
Author’s Preface xiii
Note on References xvii
Abbreviations xix
Introduction
1. A Real Letter 1
2. A Hellenistic Letter 6
3. A Long Letter 8
4. A Single Letter? 10
5. A Stylistic Feature 14
6. Problems at Corinth 16
7. Paul’s Rhetoric 17
8. The Issues 20
9. Corinth 21
10. A Theological Perspective 25
11. Outline of the Structure of the Letter 29
General Bibliography 31
Translation, Interpretation, Notes
INTRODUCTION (1:1-9)
A. EPISTOLARY OPENING (1:1-3) 41
B. THANKSGIVING (1:4-9) 55
BODY OF THE LETTER (1:10–15:58)
A. THEME AND OCCASION (1:10-17) 67
B. FIRST RHETORICAL DEMONSTRATION (1:18–4:21) 86
1. Wisdom and Power (1:18-31) 89
2. Paul’s Mission (2:1-5) 115
3. God’s Wisdom (2:6-16) 121
4. Mother and Farmer (3:1-9) 139
5. The Construction (3:10-17) 148
6. Slogans Reversed (3:18-23) 162
7. The Ultimate Tribunal (4:1-5) 167
8. The Lesson of Paul and Apollos (4:6-7) 175
9. Filled and Hungry (4:8-13) 182
10. A Letter of Admonition (4:14-16) 192
11. Recommendation of Timothy (4:17-21) 195
C. SECOND RHETORICAL DEMONSTRATION (5:1–7:40) 203
1. A Purified Community (5:1-8) 205
2. Shunning Evil (5:9-13) 216
3. Use of the Courts (6:1-11) 224
4. Embodied Existence (6:12-20) 239
5. Sex Within Marriage (7:1-7) 251
6. Special Situations (7:8-16) 262
7. Remain As You Were Called (7:17-24) 273
8. Advice for the Unmarried (7:25-35) 287
9. To Marry or Not to Marry (7:36-40) 298
D. THIRD RHETORICAL DEMONSTRATION (8:1–11:1) 304
1. Food Offered to Idols (8:1-3) 308
2. The Monotheistic Confession of Faith (8:4-6) 313
3. Eating and Freedom (8:7-13) 321
4. Apostolic Rights (9:1-14) 327
5. Christ’s Slave (9:15-18) 343
6. For the Sake of the Gospel (9:19-23) 349
7. The Games (9:24-27) 357
8. Learning from Scripture (10:1-13) 363
9. Avoid Idolatry (10:14-22) 375
10. Summing Up (10:23–11:1) 382
E. THE FOURTH RHETORICAL DEMONSTRATION (11:2-34) 392
1. Let Men Be Men and Women Be Women (11:2-16) 393
2. The Lord’s Supper? (11:17-22) 416
3. The Lord’s Supper (11:23-26) 425
4. Judgment (11:27-34) 435
F. FIFTH RHETORICAL DEMONSTRATION (12:1–14:40) 441
1. A Matter of Principle (12:1-3) 445
2. Allotment of Gifts (12:4-11) 448
3. The Body (12:12-26) 457
4. Christ’s Body (12:27-31a) 466
5. Not to Have Love (12:31b–13:3) 471
6. Love’s Rhythm (13:4-7) 478
7. A Unique Gift (13:8–14:1a) 483
8. The Greater Gift of Prophecy (14:1b-5) 489
9. A Trilogy of Cultural Analogies (14:6-12) 494
10. Praying with Full Participation (14:13-19) 500
11. Outsiders and Unbelievers (14:20-25) 504
12. Order in the Assembly (14:26-40) 511
G. SIXTH RHETORICAL DEMONSTRATION (15:1-58) 525
1. The Creed (15:1-11) 528
2. If Christ Has Not Been Raised (15:12-19) 540
3. Ultimate Victory (15:20-28) 546
4. An Exhortation (15:29-34) 556
5. How Can the Dead Be Raised? (15:35-44a) 562
6. The Last Adam (15:44b-49 ) 568
7. Victory over Death (15:50-58) 573
CLOSING (16:1-24)
1. Collection for the Holy Ones (16:1-4) 585
2. Travel Plans (16:5-9) 590
3. Timothy and Apollos (16:10-12) 594
4. Goodbye (16:13-14) 599
5. Commendation of Stephanas (16:15-18) 602
6. Greetings (16:19-21) 607
7. Solemn Farewell (16:22-24) 613
Indexes
Index of Scripture References 619
Index of Classical, Jewish, and Patristic Sources 661
Index of Modern Authors 676
Index of Topics 686
Supplementary Bibliography 697