Corinthians Flashcards
Which verse mentions another letter to the Corinthians which is not extant?
1 Corinthians 5:9
Which historical sources mention Corinthians?
Ignatius of Antioch, Marcion and Clement
What year was the church in Corinth founded?
Approximately 51 AD, although there is some uncertainty due to the unreliability of Acts.
What were the initial conflicts in Corinth?
Some criticised Paul for claiming that he was on the same level as the Jerusalem apostles, and other conflicts arose between pre-existing ‘house churches’ and the ekklesia. No generally accepted leadership so each individual group resented having to join together as one.
What were the four warring factions in Corinth?
Paul, Cephas, Jesus and Appolonius
What was Johann Weiss’ Partition theory?
1 Corinthians is the work of a redactor who joined together two letters and added his own ‘filler’, redactions which gave the letter ‘catholic appeal’. By his death Weiss revised the theory to include 4 letters of origin for Corinthians
What is a good example of inconsistency in the narrative of 1 Corinthians?
In 4:17 Paul mentions that Timothy has been sent, but in 16:5 he talks of Timothy’s visit conditionally
What is the ‘Letter of response’ theory?
That all the clauses starting with ‘and concerning…’ respond to the second letter mentioned in 5:9
Who still maintains a unity theory of 1 Corinthians?
Hurd
What are some criticisms of unity theory?
It depends too much upon historical reconstruction and psychoanalysing
What was the Church in Corinth an important example for?
Paul’s older Judeo-Christian teachings being enacted in a more modern Hellenistic culture
In what verse does Paul use a common Greek/Roman political analogy to make his point?
12:4-27
What was Lutgert’s thesis?
That Paul was at odds with a gnostic form of Christianity which emerged as a result of his teachings being mixed with the Hellenistic culture.
What was Schmithal’s thesis?
That all of Paul’s letters are written to combat discrepancies created by gnosticism.
What has been the scholarly reaction to Lutgert’s and Schmithals theses?
They have mainly been debunked, but some scholars still authoritatively speak of ‘proto-gnosticism’ in Corinth.
What was Ellis’ argument?
That the difficulties at Corinth did not arise from an over-realised eschatology- he argued that Paul would not rebuke the Corinthians for following an eschatology which he himself taught them.
What are the five things to look for in Gobbets?
- Stylistic features
- Rhetorical context
- History
- Comparison
- How the gobbet adds to our knowledge
First thing to ask:
Where in the canon is this from?
