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“Cleanse out the Old Leaven, that you may be a New Lump”: A Rhetorical Analysis of 1 Cor 5-11:1 in Light of the Social Lives of the Corinthians Written by Sin Pan Daniel Ho March 2012 Supervisor: Professor James G. Crossley APartial FulFillment for the Doctor of Philosophy. Department of Biblical Studies. University of Sheffield This study offers a new interpretation of 1 Cor 5—11:1 from a social identity approach. The goal is to investigate and analyse the inner logic of Paul in these six chapters from the ears of the Corinthian correspondence. It takes into account the Jewish tradition inherited from Paul and daily social lives of the audience. Through the analysis of the literary structure of 1 Cor 5-11:1, research on social implications of Satanic language in ancient Jewish literature, rhetorical analysis of intertextual echoes of Scripture and Christ language in 1 Cor 5-11:1 in light of the social values prevalent in the urban city of Roman Corinth, it is argued that Paul has consistently indoctrinated new values for the audience to uphold which are against the main stream of social values in the surrounding society throughout 1 Cor 5-11:1. Paul does not engage in issues of internal schism per se, but rather in the distinctive values insiders should uphold so as to be recognisable by outsiders in their everyday social lives. While church is neither a sectarian nor an accommodating community, it should maintain constant social contact with the outsiders so as to bring the gospel of Christ to them. In addition, the social lives of the insiders should live out some radical values that could challenge the existing shared social values prevalent in the urban city Corinth. Those new values are mainly based on Scripture, ancient Jewish literature and the implications of the new social identity of the church defined by Jesus Christ. As a result, the logical flow, unitary design and coherence of 1 Cor 5—11:1 become more apparent. 1 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................... 9 Chapter 1 UNIFYING THEME OF 1 COR 5-11:1: PAST CONTRIBUTIONS AND LIMITATIONS 16 1.1 Jewish Sin and Holiness ................................................................. 16 1.2 Condemning Sexual Immorality ..................................................... 22 1.3 Social Identity Formation .............................................................. 27 1.4 Condemning Eating Idol Food........................................................ 35 1.5 The Approach and Program of This Study ..................................... 44 Excursus 1: Critical Comments on Hayes’ Notion of “Carnal Impurity” in Gentile Impurities and Jewish Identities .................................................... 46 Excursus 2: Critical Comments on Phua’s Idolatry and Authority .............. 48 Chapter 2 THELITERARY INTEGRITY OF 1COR 5-11:1 51 2.1 Linguistic Parallels Between 1 Cor 5-7 and 1 Cor 8-11:1 ................ 53 2.1.1 ë¼į¿¼ÉÇË 7:21 -22, 39 // 9:1, 19: Total Renunciation .........................................53 2.1.2 ëÆÇÍÊÀÚ½Ñ 7:4*2// ëÆÇÍÊĕ¸ 8:9, 9:4-6, 12*2, 18: Conditional Use of Authority ........54 2.1.3 ÎÍÊÀĠÑ, ÒºÚȾ and ºÅľÊÀË 4:18-5:2//8:1-3: Against Social Evaluation ...................56 2.1.4 »ÇÍÂĠÑ 7:15 // 9:19 : Bringing Salvation to Outsiders .........................................58 2.1.4.1 7:15 Hope for Household Salvation ...............................................................59 2.1.4.2 9:19-23 Casting out Mission of Saving Some .....................................................65 2.1.5 Other Key Words or Phrases ................................................................................67 2.2 Thematic Parallels ........................................................................... 68 2.2.1 1 Cor 5 and 10: Past and Present ..........................................................................68 2.2.2 Echoes of Deuteronomy .......................................................................................69 2.2.3 No Schisms within the Church ..............................................................................71 2 2.2.4 Satan as an Identity Marker of Sinning Insiders ..................................................75 2.2.4.1 Satan as a Symbol of Discipline.........................................................................75 2.2.4.2 Satan as an Identity Marker of Isolated Insiders ...............................................77 2.3 Conclusion ....................................................................................... 79 Excursus 3: Critical Comments on Smith’s Arguments for a Curse Reading in 1 Cor 5:5 ............................................................................................... 81 Chapter 3 SATAN AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN 1 COR 5-11:1 IN THE LIGHT OF THE DEADSEA SCROLLS &PSEUDEPIGRAPHA 85 3.1 Satan and the Qumran Community ............................................... 88 3.2 Satan in the Dead Sea Scrolls ........................................................ 92 3.2.1 Belial in the Rule of the Community .....................................................................93 3.2.1.1 Covenant Breakers Sharing the Destiny of Belial ...............................................94 3.2.1.2 Belial as a Covenant Breaker ............................................................................97 3.2.2 Belial in the Damascus Document ......................................................................101 3.2.2.1 Belial as a Hunter ...........................................................................................104 3.2.2.2 Belial as the Foreign Oppressor Pharaoh .........................................................108 3.2.2.3 Belial as an Executioner of Apostate Insiders in the End Times .......................110 3.2.2.4 Conclusion: Belial as a Tempter and Future Executor of Apostates .................113 3.2.3 Belial in the Halakhic Letter ................................................................................114 3.2.4 Belial in the War Scroll .......................................................................................115 3.2.4.1 Belial as a Symbol of Gentile Political Powers .................................................115 3.2.4.2 Belial as Past Enemies of Israel .......................................................................117 3.2.4.3 Belial as an Angel of Enmity Towards God ......................................................119 3.2.4.4 Belial as a Definite Loser in the Final Battle ....................................................120 3.2.5 Belial in Other DSS Texts ....................................................................................122 3.2.5.1 Belial in Hodayot ............................................................................................122 3.2.5.2 Belial in Psalms Scrolls 4Q88 and Pesher Psalm 4Q171 ...................................124 3 3.2.5.3 Belial in 4Q174, 175, 177 ................................................................................124 3.2.5.4 Belial in 11QMelchizedek ...............................................................................126 3.3 Satan in Pseudepigrapha ............................................................. 127 3.3.1 Satan in the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs ...............................................128 3.3.1.1 Satan as the Destination, Tempter and the Evil Path of God’s People .............130 3.3.1.2 Satan Deceives All People Including Outsiders ................................................134 3.3.1.3 Relevance to 1 Cor 5-7 ...................................................................................134 3.3.2 Satan in the Testament of Job ............................................................................141 3.3.2.1 Relevance to 1 Cor 8-11:1 ...............................................................................145 3.3.3 Satan in other Pseudepigrapha before Paul ........................................................146 3.4. Conclusion ................................................................................... 148 Chapter 4 ECHOES OF SCRIPTURE AND IDENTITY FORMATION IN 1 COR 5-11:1 PART1 156 4.1 Three Criteria for Identifying the Echoes ..................................... 157 4.2 OT Allusions in 1 Cor 5: Pentateuch and Sirach ........................... 160 4.3 The Social Context of 1 Cor 5: Stepmother-stepson Union in the First Century ........................................................................................... 167 4.3.1 A Condemned Relationship? ..............................................................................170 4.3.2 The Influence of Poetry and Plays on the Social Ethos ........................................175 4.3.3 Reasons for Boasting ..........................................................................................176 4.3.4 Implications for 1 Cor 5:1 ...................................................................................178 4.4 The Rhetorical Purposes of OT Allusions in 1 Cor 5 ..................... 180 4.4.1 Not like the Outsiders ........................................................................................180 4.4.2 Abandoning an Embracing Attitude towards Sin .................................................182 4.4.3 Sins are Shameful ...............................................................................................187 4.4.4 Immediate Action Against Immoral Insiders .......................................................189