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The Representation of God in First Corinthians 8-10: Understanding Paul in the Context of Wisdom, Philo, and Josephus

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Loyola University Chicago Loyola eCommons Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2015 The Representation of God in First Corinthians 8-10: Understanding Paul in the Context of Wisdom, Philo, and Josephus Trent Alan Rogers Loyola University Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss Part of the Biblical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Rogers, Trent Alan, "The Representation of God in First Corinthians 8-10: Understanding Paul in the Context of Wisdom, Philo, and Josephus" (2015). Dissertations. 1490. https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_diss/1490 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License. Copyright © 2015 Trent Alan Rogers LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO THE REPRESENTATION OF GOD IN FIRST CORINTHIANS 8-10: UNDERSTANDING PAUL IN THE CONTEXT OF WISDOM, PHILO, AND JOSEPHUS A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY PROGRAM IN THEOLOGY BY TRENT A ROGERS CHICAGO, IL MAY 2015 Copyright by Trent A. Rogers, 2015 All rights reserved. For Rebekah TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: SURVEY OF THE INTERPRETATIONS OF PAUL’S COHERENCE OR INCOHERENCE IN 1 CORINTHIANS 8-10 1 Introduction 1 Partition Theories 3 Johannes Weiß 4 Khiok-Khng Yeo 7 Importance of Location 10 Wendell Lee Willis 11 Gordon D. Fee 14 Ben Witherington III 18 Rhetorical Approaches 21 Chiasm 21 Margaret M. Mitchell 21 Inclusio 24 Peter J. Tomson 24 Partitio 27 Joop Smit 27 John Fotopoulos 29 Richard Liong-Seng Phua 34 The Contribution of this Study 39 CHAPTER 2: IDOLATRY: CONVERSATIONS AND PATTERNS 41 Introduction 41 The Complexity of Idolatry Illustrated 43 Joseph and Asenath 44 Artapanus 50 Conclusions 53 The Complexity of Idolatry Described 56 Sociological Issues 57 Issues of Community Practice and Boundaries 60 Theological Issues 63 The Connection Between the Definitions of God and Non-God 64 A Philosophical Approach to Defining God and Non-God 64 A Model Adapted for Diaspora Jewish Texts 67 Conclusions 68 The Complexity of Paul’s Representations of God and Understandings of Idolatry in 1 Corinthians 8-10 69 Paul in Context: A Participant in Larger Discussions 70 Paul’s Interaction with Jewish Discussions Described 70 Paul’s Interaction with Jewish Discussions Illustrated 72 Paul’s Novelty in his Interactions with Jewish Discussions 76 Summary and Conclusions 78 CHAPTER 3: WISDOM’S POLEMIC AGAINST FALSE RELIGION 81 iii Introduction 81 The Structure and the Argument 87 Wisdom 13:1-9 95 Wisdom 13:10-14:2 100 Wisdom 14:3-11 103 Wisdom 14:12-31 106 Wisdom 15:1-6 111 Wisdom 15:7-13 113 Wisdom 15:14-19 115 Analysis of the Argument 117 Exploiting Differences in Greco-Roman Religion 118 Moral Arguments 120 Satire 121 Obvious Deductions 121 Use of Scripture (Pss 113 [115], 134 [135]; Is 44; Jer 10) 122 Representations of God 123 Creator 124 The Existing One 125 Father 125 Eschatological Judge 128 Understandings of False Worship 129 Thinking Wrongly About God 130 Worship of Idols 131 Worship of Animals 133 Effects of False Worship 134 Conclusions 135 CHAPTER 4: PHILO’S POLEMIC AGAINST FALSE RELIGION 137 Introduction 137 The Structure and the Argument 140 Decal. 52-65: Nature Worship 147 Decal. 66-76: Idolatry 153 Decal. 67-69 156 Decal. 70-75 157 Decal. 76 159 Decal. 76-80: Theriolatry 160 Decal. 81: Conclusion to Aberrant Worship 161 Analysis of the Argument 162 Exploiting Cracks in Greco-Roman Religion 163 Ridicule 164 Obvious Deductions 165 Contrasts 165 Representations of God 166 Creator 169 Father 171 King 172 iv True Existence 173 Understandings of False Worship 174 Honoring the Creature Rather Than the Creator 175 Polytheism 176 Worship of Images 178 Error 181 Ignorance 182 Delusion 182 Internalization of Idolatry 183 Conclusions 187 CHAPTER 5: JOSEPHUS’ POLEMIC AGAINST FALSE RELIGION 189 Introduction 189 The Structure and the Argument 194 C. Ap. 2.236-8 199 C. Ap. 2.239-41 202 C. Ap. 2.242-49 204 C. Ap. 2.250-54 207 Analysis of the Argument 209 Character Attacks 211 Exploiting the Cracks in Greek Religiosity 211 Satirical reductia ad absurdum 212 Greek Arbitrariness in Defining the Divine 213 Representations of God 214 Singular 214 Impassible 215 Not Like Humans 215 Providential 216 Understandings of False Worship 216 Conclusions 217 CHAPTER 6: PAUL’S POLEMIC AGAINST FALSE RELIGION 220 Introduction 220 The Structure and the Argument 224 Form of First Corinthians 224 Occasion and Purpose of First Corinthians 226 Structure of First Corinthians 227 Structure of Chapters 8-10 232 1 Cor 8:1-9 236 vv. 1-3 237 vv. 4-5 240 v. 6 246 v. 7 251 v. 8 253 v. 9 256 1 Cor 8:10-13 257 v 1 Cor 9:1-27 259 1 Cor 10:1-13 260 vv. 1-5 262 vv. 6-10 266 vv. 11-13 272 1 Cor 10:14-22 274 vv. 14-17 274 vv. 18-22 276 1 Cor 10:23-30 278 vv. 23-24 279 vv. 25-26 280 vv. 27-30 281 1 Cor 10:31-11:1 282 Excursus: Idolatry in the Pauline Material 282 Analysis of the Argument 286 Maintenance of or Departure from Judaism 287 Refutation and Qualification 288 Moral Arguments 289 Use of Scripture 290 Appeal to Christian Practice and Experience 291 Representations of God 293 Both God and Lord 293 Father/Creator 294 Lord Jesus Christ 295 Understandings of False Worship 297 Conclusions 298 CHAPTER 7: SUMMARY, SYNTHESIS, AND SIGNIFICANCE 301 Introduction 301 Summary of Preceding Chapters 302 Chapter 1 302 Chapter 2 303 Chapter 3 305 Chapter 4 306 Chapter 5 308 Chapter 6 310 Synthesis of Arguments by Paul, Wisdom, Philo, and Josephus 313 Representations of God 314 Defining False Worship 318 Understandings of Idols 323 Significance of This Study 325 BIBLIOGRAPHY 328 VITA 347 vi CHAPTER 1 SURVEY OF THE INTERPRETATIONS OF PAUL’S COHERENCE OR INCOHERENCE IN 1 CORINTHIANS 8-10 Introduction First Corinthians 8:1-11:1 seems to be a relatively independent unit in the letter with a singular topic and introduced by περὶ δὲ, but a close reading of these chapters reveals that Paul comes to seemingly different conclusions in chapters 8 and 10 concerning what are permissible associations with idol food. The predominant interpretation argues that in chapter 8, Paul agrees with some of the Corinthians concerning the non-reality of pagan idol-gods (8:4), the singular existence of God (8:6), and the indifference of idol food for one’s salvation (8:7-8). In principle, Paul agrees that because the pagan gods do not exist, the food associated with them is not corrupted by association. The believer need not concern himself with how the food would harm himself or offend God; it is only on account of another believer that one should consider abstaining from the otherwise morally neutral activity of eating food sacrificed to idols. Then, Paul offers himself as an example of not participating in a morally neutral activity (i.e. receiving financial support) out of a concern for other believers (8:13-9:27). Paul’s argument, however, becomes more negative in chapter 10 as he warns the Corinthians about the dangers of idolatry by retelling, among other allusions, the effects of the Golden Calf incident (10:1-13). The section of 1 Cor 10:14-22 seems to be in 1 2 contradiction with the permissiveness Paul theoretically agreed to in 1 Cor 8:4-9. In 10:14-22, Paul commands the Corinthians to flee actual idolatry (εἰδωλολατρία; contra 8:1 where the subject is εἰδωλόθυτα, food sacrificed to idols) on account of the incompatibility of the Lord’s Table and the feasts of idol-gods. The issue is still food associated with idol-gods, but Paul has reframed the argument in terms of actual idolatry. The problem of contact with food associated with idols is that the idol-gods do have a demonic reality. Contact with idol food implies contact with demons. Then in a seeming softening of his hardline stance (10:14-22) and a return to his more permissive stance in chapter 8, Paul concedes that food (even food associated with idols) is morally neutral and one should avoid it only on account of another’s conscience because God is the source of all food (10:23-30). Paul’s conclusions seemed so contradictory that early critical scholarship challenged the unity of 1 Corinthians by using these chapters as their starting point. Even some scholars who argue for the unity of these chapters admit that initially they appear inconsistent. For example, Joop Smit comments, “At first sight Paul’s discourse on the idol offerings in 1 Cor 8:1-11:1 looks rather incoherent and confronts even the experts with insurmountable problems.”1 The arguments range from the idea that Paul is treating markedly different issues, employing sophisticated rhetoric, or quoting the Corinthians. Most of these explanations are not so simplistic as to assert that only one argument accounts for the observed incoherence of these chapters; rather, most of the proposals explain the coherence on the basis of multiple factors. 1 Joop Smit, “About the Idol Offerings”: Rhetoric, Social Contexts and Theology of Paul’s Discourse in First Corinthians 8:1-11:1 (Leuven: Peeters, 2000), 149. 3 This chapter will describe and evaluate representative authors who hold to the following three positions: Paul’s text is not unified; unity exists if one accounts for the different situations or locations; and unity is shown by analyzing Paul’s sophisticated rhetorical structures.
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