Paul's Political Strategy in 1 Corinthians 1}}}4 Constitution and Covenant [Hardcover]

This volume examines 1 Corinthians 1-4 within first-century politics, offering insight into Paul's pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies.Drawing extensively on epigraphical and papyrological evidence, this volume interprets 1 Corinthians 14 within the first-century politics of thanksgiving and of construction. Bradley J. Bitner demonstrates that Paul's response incorporated both Corinth's constitution and Jewish-biblical notions of covenant, ultimately redirecting gratitude and glory to God in Christ.Drawing extensively on epigraphical and papyrological evidence, this volume interprets 1 Corinthians 14 within the first-century politics of thanksgiving and of construction. Bradley J. Bitner demonstrates that Paul's response incorporated both Corinth's constitution and Jewish-biblical notions of covenant, ultimately redirecting gratitude and glory to God in Christ.This volume examines 1 Corinthians 14 within first-century politics, demonstrating the significance of Corinth's constitution to the interpretation of Paul's letter. Bradley J. Bitner shows that Paul carefully considered the Roman colonial context of Corinth, which underlay numerous ecclesial conflicts. Roman politics, however, cannot account for the entire shape of Paul's response. Bridging the Hellenism-Judaism divide that has characterized much of Pauline scholarship, Bitner argues that Paul also appropriated Jewish-biblical notions of covenant. Epigraphical and papyrological evidence indicates that his chosen content and manner are best understood with reference to an ecclesial politeia informed by a distinctively Christ-centered political theology. This emerges as a politics of thanksgiving in 1 Corinthians 1:49 and as a politics of construction in 3:54:5, where Paul redirects gratitude and glory to God in Christ. This innovative account of Paul's political theology offers fresh insight into his pastoral strategy among nascent Gentile-Jewish assemblies.Introduction: constituló(