Paul thru Mediterranean Eyes– A Review Part Three

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 11:07 pm by Ben Witherington

Paul thru Mediterranean Eyes– A Review Part Three 2015-03-13T23:07:27-04:00 Ben Witherington

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of the keys to understanding 1 Corinthians is recognizing the very nature of ancient texts like 1 Corinthians. They were written in scriptum continuum, a continuous flow of letters and lines. The problem with ring or chiastic structure is it needs to be seen to be recognized. But when you have scriptum continuum, even the person who is literate and has eyes to see would have a very difficult time finding chiasms that stretch over whole chapters and more. It has been said that a chiasm is often in the eye of the beholder, but 1 Corinthians was not written for the eye, it was written for the ears of the listeners of this discourse in Corinth. While some of the smaller chiasms Bailey finds seem possible, perhaps especially the ones that involve four lines or phrases in ABBA pattern, most of the elaborate ring structures Bailey comes up with are unconvincing and even if Paul had intended them they would have gone unnoticed by the audience.

Only the lector who read out the document to the congregation might have gotten a glimpse of such visual grand structures, but alas, the document was not written as a discourse primarily for him or his eyes, even if he was a Timothy. Finally there is this. While Paul and others had been studying a text like Isaiah for a very long time, and likely had access through the synagogue to an Isaiah scroll and others, no such situation existed in Corinth when it comes to a discourse like 1 Corinthians which the audience was hearing for the first time when it was delivered orally by a Timothy or someone else. Discovering chiasms, especially lengthy ones in text requires long study and meditation on such texts. The Corinthians, unlike Bailey had no such opportunities to do so when it comes to Corinthians, nor do we have any reason to think the audience would have been thinking of long structural comparisons with things going on in Isaiah and elsewhere, because Paul does not quote at length from OT texts in this document. He quotes phrases, brief sentences and the like. This would not immediately prompt in the audience the thought— ‘oh, he is using this big ring structure in 2nd Isaiah’.

In the proper first chapter (pp. 55-63) which deals with the prescript and the opening prayer and remarks of Paul, Bailey begins to unfold his theories about this discourse. In short, everything hinges on this document being intended not just for Corinth but for all the churches as well, which explains, in Bailey’s view, why it has a different structure from various of Paul’s more ‘ad hoc’ or specific letters, explains why Paul uses endless ring structures (which he calls polished rhetoric) and five essays to make his points in this letter. The problem is, 1 Corinthians doesn’t really manifest all those ring structures any more than say Philippians or 1 Thessalonians or Romans does. The beauty in this case is in the eye of the beholder. 1 Corinthians is just as ‘linear’ a set of arguments as Paul’s other letters. Nor is this document intended in the first instance for all Christians. Rather it is intended to remind the Corinthians that they are called to be saints and call on the same Lord as Christians everywhere, a move that comports with the overall purpose of this document to combat divisions and factionalism and narcissistic behavior.

Bailey then engages in speculation about ‘Sosthenes the brother’ mentioned exactly once in this document, and as the lack of ‘we’ language in what follows shows, not mentioned as a co-author (contrast 1 Thessalonians where there is plenty of we language), but presumably as the scribe familiar to the audience, who helped Paul compose this document.

It is indeed possible, as Bailey suggests that this Sosthenes is the same one referred to as the synagogue leader (Acts 18.12-17) who tried to prosecute Paul before Gallio, and ended up being beaten by his own fellow Jews when he lost the case. Bailey suggests after that incident at the bema in Corinth Paul had reached out to the shamed man, converted him, and now he is helping Paul with this letter writing in Ephesos. While it is conjecture, it makes sense of the data and there are two more things to say about the idea: 1) if the Sosthenes mentioned in 1 Cor. 1 is the selfsame man as that mentioned in Acts 18 then he, as a synagogue leader and reader is likely literate; 2) the reconciliation between Paul and Sosthenes after the debacle before Gallio would itself be a parable of what Paul hopes to achieve in this letter—harmony and concord between the factious Corinthians.

Helpfully, Bailey points out (p. 61) that Paul’s thanksgiving here differs from those in various of his other letters in that here Paul can only be thankful for the grace and gifts God has given them, not for the way they have exercised those gifts. Had Bailey done the rhetorical analysis of this thanksgiving prayer properly in light of Greco-Roman conventions he would have realized that: 1) it was not an epistolary convention to offer a thanksgiving prayer that foreshadowed the themes of the following discourse, but 2) it was the function of a rhetorical exordium to do this, and so Paul’s thanksgiving functions as an exordium, a preview of coming attractions.

In order to create a ring composition out of 1 Cor. 1.10-16, at the beginning of the second chapter (pp. 67-71, but the chapter extends on to p.152, and treats the whole of the first major rhetorical unit in 1 Cor. 1-4), Bailey has to argue that vss. 14-16 are an aside, and the ring composition can be seen in 1 Cor. 1.10-13. But this will not do, because vss. 14-16 continue the narrative account of what Paul has heard, and what he did while he was there in regard to baptisms. Vss. 12-13 go with vss. 14-16 as part of the baptism discussion. In other words, vs. 10 is the key thesis statement of the entire discourse, and what follows is a narration of pertinent facts relevant to the arguments Paul begins to engage in thereafter.

I point this out because the way one sees the structure of Paul’s discourse dramatically affects how one interprets the meaning of the discourse. This discourse, from start to finish, as Margaret Mitchell pointed out in great detail using deliberative even political language to combat the divisions in Corinth. It uses both theological and ethical language and points to combat these divisions. All the things Paul is mentioning and combating in 1 Corinthians are things that divide the Corinthians from each other, from Paul, and even from Christ.

The discourse is not unified by a use of Hebrew ring composition across five essays. It is unified by focusing on the theme of unity and concord and by combatting things that promote factionalism. Furthermore, it pursues a careful rhetorical progression from proposition to narration of facts to arguments of various sorts to a peroration, and to epistolary postscripts. The document is clearly linear in thrust and character and would be heard that way in Paul’s rhetoric saturated world.

In his treatment of 1 Cor. 1.17-2.2 Bailey wishes to insist that we have a hymn, with asides, a hymn that follows a ring structure of course, except for those darned asides. Let’s be clear that this section is not poetry, Hebrew or otherwise. It’s prose, with some poetic imagery or overtones, but nonetheless clearly prose. It does not stand out from its context in the way say Phil. 2.5-11 does.

Bailey compares what is going on in 1 Cor. 1.17-2.2 to what he concludes is an ABBA pattern in Isaiah 28. 15-18. Now the problem is, while he may have a case for a chiasm in that Isaiah passage, he has to leave out a lot of material from 1 Cor. 1.17-2.2 for an observable pattern to emerge in this part of 1 Corinthians 1-2. So for him the A is in 1 Cor. 1.17 but the B doesn’t come until 1.23, and then the A only returns again at 2.1-2. No one doubts that Paul uses the device of repetition and amplification, but he does not do so regularly in any sort of chiastic arrangement. Bailey does however recognize correctly the rhetorical finesse of Paul, who on the one hand says ‘not in lofty words’ while saying it in a highly polished rhetorical way!. In other words, we should not be deceived into think that Paul is renouncing rhetoric here, when he uses highly polished rhetoric to make his points about wisdom and lofty words. As Bailey quaintly puts it “This is somewhat like the winner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant saying ‘Physical beauty doesn’t matter. What matters is a beautiful spirit.” (p. 76).

On p. 77 Bailey aptly cites Dio Chrysostom who helps us see what Paul is repudiating here. Not persuasion, not rhetoric in general, but sophistry—the use of words ‘full of sound and fury, but signifying nothing’ is what Paul is eschewing here. There is of course a difference between the rhetoric of mere display, or eloquence for its own sake (pure sophistry), and substantive rhetoric. Bailey, fortunately recognizes this.

Here is the quote from Dio Chrysostom who visited Corinth during the first century and commented on the circus like atmosphere that descended on the whole region during the Isthmian games (games for which Paul probably made tents, since they were biannual games). Chrysostom derides the “crowds of wretched sophists around Poseidon’s temple shouting and reviling one another, and their disciples, as they were called, fighting with one another, many writers reading aloud their stupid works, many poets reciting their poems while others applauded them, many jugglers showing their tricks, many fortune-tellers interpreting fortunes, lawyers innumerable perverting judgment, and peddlers not a few peddling whatever they happened to have.” (Discourses 8.5).

Bailey is right that in this chapter Paul is making clear he will not be joining that parade or three ringed circus. He will use his godly wisdom and learned rhetoric differently, seriously, responsibly.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 19, 2012

Paul thru Mediterranean Eyes-- A Review Part Two

Next Post

August 21, 2012 Paul thru Mediterranean Eyes-- A Review Part Four

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz