Sex, Slogans and Σώματα

Back in 2010 I completed a 40,000 wrd, 1 Year EFT, research project on 1 Cor 6:12-20.  It's seemed pretty awesome at the time, although coming back to it 7 years later I'm happy to say I've developed as a scholar. At the time I shared some of my research/thinking in very rough form on this blog. Some of it has now been published in “The Argument against Slogans in 1 Cor 6:12-20” in Journal for the Study of Paul and his Letters 9 (2018), pp. 147-166. And there are maybe a couple of other papers in the works based on the original thesis research. 

The thesis itself is not currently available online, until I fix that, email me if you want a PDF of it.

Sex, Slogans and Σώματα:

Discovering Paul’s Theological Ethic in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Abstract

This study examines 1 Cor 6:12-20, a problematic Pauline text.  It is one of only two places where Paul discusses πορνεία (sexual immorality) in any depth.  A thorough grammatico-historical exegesis is performed in conversation with recent scholarship.  Particular attention is given to the use of metaphor.  The issue of Corinthian slogans within the pericope is also  discussed, with the conclusion being reached that it is not necessary to identify any part of 1 Cor 6:12-20 as a Corinthian slogan.  Following the exegesis, Paul’s use of πορνεία, σῶμα (body), and his theological ethic of sex within 1 Cor 6:12-20 are considered in the wider context of the undisputed Pauline corpus.  It is concluded that Paul’s statement that all sin but πορνεία is outside the body in 1 Cor 6:18 is hyperbolic, but is still indicative of a particularly severe judgement on πορνεία.  It is concluded that 1 Corinthians’ unique emphasis on σῶμα is indicative of Paul’s intention to elevate the Corinthians’ esteem for the σῶμα against a Corinthian “spirituality.”  Finally, Paul’s ethic in 1 Cor 6:12-20 is argued to be theological in both construction and content, concluding that Paul’s ethic is formulated in a way which is distinctly Christian against the backgrounds of both 1st cent. Judaism and Greco-Roman moralism.