Power and Peril : Paul's Use of Temple Discourse in 1 Corinthians / Michael K.W. Suh.

Format:

Book

Thesis/Dissertation

Author/Creator:

Suh, Michael K.W., Author.

Series:

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und die Kunde der älteren Kirche ; Volume 239.

Beihefte zur Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft ; 239

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Paul, the Apostle, Saint.

Paul.

Bible. Corinthians, 1st--Criticism, interpretation, etc.

Bible.

1 Corinthians.

1. Korinther.

Paulus.

Tempel.

religious experience.

religiöse Erfahrung.

temples.

Local Subjects:

1 Corinthians.

1. Korinther.

Paul.

Paulus.

Tempel.

religious experience.

religiöse Erfahrung.

temples.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xii, 274 pages).

Place of Publication:

Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, [2020]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

This study probes the significance of Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 3:16 announced to a group of believers in Corinth: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwells among you?" The question is framed in the Greek language such that Paul expected an affirmative response (i.e. ‘Yes, we know we are the temple of God’), and yet mapping such an idea onto a gathering of people is rather unprecedented in antiquity. By surveying relevant literary texts and material culture from the ancient Mediterranean (roughly 400 BCE—200 CE), the author shows how Paul appropriated the concept of temple in his exhortation to the Corinthians. A few key texts in 1 Corinthians can be read as a cohesive and coherent set of passages that unpack the idea of the Corinthians as "the temple of God." While these passages are not typically read together, this study shows how themes such as power and spirit, traditions from Exodus, divine benefits, and sacrificial foods found in these passages reflect similar concerns observed in temples and other sanctuaries in ancient Greek, Roman, and Jewish contexts. Careful analysis of the religious experience of visitors to temples—an important topic that remains largely ignored in secondary literature—gives greater clarity to the nuances of Paul’s temple discourse. As the temple, the Corinthian community not only receives God's power and benefits, but also remains vulnerable to peril posed by insiders and outsiders.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Preface

Contents

Abbreviations

1. Experiencing Power and Peril in Corinth

2. Constructing Temple and Identity in 1 Corinthians

3. Accessing Sacred Spaces in Greek and Roman Contexts

4. Accessing Sacred Spaces in Jewish Contexts

5. Temple Discourse in 1 Corinthians

6. Conclusion

Bibliography

Index of Ancient Citations

Index of Bible Citations

Index of Names

Index of Subjects

Notes:

Dissertation Emory University 2018.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

3-11-067894-2

OCLC:

1153475446