The Divine Comedy at Corinth: Paul, Menander, and the Rhetoric of Resurrection (original) (raw)
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In 1 Cor 4:9, Paul writes that God has “displayed” the apostles as condemned to death, “for we have become a theater for the cosmos.” This is followed by three (ironic) antitheses contrasting the apostles, who were foolish, weak, and dishonored with the Corinthians as wise, strong, and honored. Interpretations of this metaphor of the theater have emphasized Roman spectacles of death as background to Paul’s depiction of apostolic adversity. Without denying the cultural significance of public displays of combat and execution, this study proposes a fresh perspective on Paul’s “theater” in view of tragic drama. As in 1 Cor, a central feature of many tragedies was the surprising downfall of those self-assured in their own wisdom and political power. Like his younger contemporary Epictetus, Paul evoked theatrical reversal to deflate the allure of human prestige, which, in his distinctly apocalyptic mode, would be nullified at the final judgment, deus ex machina.
The purpose of this project was to examine Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians in order to investigate how he expressed the nature of his pastoral relationship with this congregation. An exegetical study of the text was conducted, which made use of sociological insights pertaining to relationships in the Greco-Roman period. This study revealed the manner in which Paul defended himself against the influence of his opponents in the Corinthian congregation, opponents who had raised various socially-based criticisms of the apostle and his ministry. In his efforts to effect a restoration of the troubled pastor-congregation relationship, Paul explained to the Corinthians the true character of Christian ministry. He testified to the depth of his concern for them, as it was manifested particularly in his ongoing sufferings. Paul asserted that he had treated the Corinthians with a fatherly love and integrity, and was dedicated to bringing about their reconciliation with God and their continued spiritual growth, culminating in their eschatological perfection. In light of theological, cultural, and ecclesiastical similarities between Paul’s time and our own, his perception of his pastoral relationship with the Corinthians can provide aspects of a pattern for contemporary Christian ministry. His letter can be read today for instruction in the general manner of ministry, as well as in the activities and ideals of preaching, ministerial suffering, being dedicated, nurturing believers, and setting pastoral goals.
Paul and the Poetics of the Pneuma: Paul's Rhetorical Framework in 1 Corinthians 12-14
2012
The aim of this study is to identify the components of Paul's rhetorical framework in 1 Corinthians 12-14 and establish the dynamics of each. It is shown that through Paul's rhetoric, he constructs the Corinthian Christian assembly as a collective pneumatic body. It is a body permeated and driven by the pneuma. The rhetorical framework of this corporeal poetics of pneuma consists of the following components: Paul's apostolic authority, the andronormative and androcentric ideology of Paul, the pneumatic taxonomy from 1 Corinthians 12, the one-body metaphor, the ethic of love from 1 Corinthians 13, and Paul's periodization of history. The subtle interplay and interconnectedness, even interdependence of these components serve to authorize the rhetorical construct of the pneumatic body, which is then in turn used as a strategy to control and regulate Christian bodies in the metropolitan city of Corinth.
Paul's Letters and Contemporary Greco-Roman Literature: Theorizing a New Taxonomy
Brill, NovTSup, 2016
In this volume, Paul Robertson re-describes the form of the apostle Paul’s letters in a manner that facilitates transparent, empirical comparison with texts not typically treated by biblical scholars. Paul’s letters are best described by a set of literary characteristics shared by certain Greco-Roman texts, particularly those of Epictetus and Philodemus. Paul Robertson theorizes a new taxonomy of Greco-Roman literature that groups Paul’s letters together with certain Greco-Roman, ethical-philosophical texts written at a roughly contemporary time in the ancient Mediterranean. This particular grouping, termed a socio-literary sphere, is defined by the shared form, content, and social purpose of its constituent texts, as well as certain general similarities between their texts’ authors.