Discovering Paul’s Theological Ethic in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
My MTh thesis is now available as a PDF online. Read and enjoy! If you are new to the blog why not add me to your feed reader, you never know, you might like it and you can always delete me if you don't.
My thesis conclusion is here and my examiners' comments are here if you want to do some research before diving right in.
PS. If you do read it and find any mistakes or bones of contention please do let me know!
The link leads to a page that says, "Sorry, the page (or document) you have requested is not available." Could you upload it again? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteoh dear, sorry, it is working for me so i don't know what the porblem is. assuming it is just you email me and i'll just email you the PDF. that goes for anyone else, happy to email it. :-)
ReplyDeleteI got the same message. I was just about to link to this post, too!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOK, i've tried a different link, so if you have the time please try it and tell me if it works, but i have also emailed you all the pdf as well, cos i'm helpful like that... :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Jonathan. Thanks for putting this online. I should probably read the whole thesis and give it the attention it deserves, but, for the moment, I have read the section on the supposed slogan of 1 Cor 6:12, and have a question. Do you think that one or more Corinthians had accused Paul of not being free (1 Cor 9:1)? If so, would that help to explain 1 Cor 6:12? That is to say, is Paul in 1 Cor 6:12 defending himself against the charge that he is not libertarian enough?
ReplyDeleteIf I have read you correctly, you propose that Paul in 1 Cor 6:12 is offering himself as an example for the Corinthians to follow. Doesn't this require that he expected the libertarian Corinthians to acknowledge him as an example to be followed? And if he could indeed assume that they would automatically want to follow his example, why was it necessary for him to ask them to imitate him (1 Cor 4:16; 11:1)?
Perhaps you can help me think all this through.
The elimination of the slogan in this verse is an attractive idea. I had never really questioned it before. Are there any slogans in 1 Cor that you buy?
Hi Richard, thanks for your questions. To be blunt, i have a lot more work to do on 1 Cor if i was to answer your questions with any confidence. but here's a guess:
ReplyDeleteRegarding 1 Cor 9, you might be onto something there.
Regarding offering himself as an example I think Paul may just be applying a standard rhetorical move and I don't know how much can be read into it. Paul possibly thought he did still have influence at this stage and it was more a matter of misunderstanding (cf. 5:9-13). But by the time of some or all of 2 Cor he now realises it is a crisis of authority more than understanding.
Regarding slogans, i think the whole case for other slogans in 1 Cor is built upon the undisputed fact that 6:12 and 7:1 contain slogans, if they don't then I think the case for other slogans is all but anihilated.
thanks for the questions, much appreciated :-)