Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Corinthians: Paul, Stoicism, and Spiritual Hierarchy

Religion & Spirituality

Brookins, Timothy A.

Christian Books & Bibles

Eerdmans

This work re-examines the divisive wisdom that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians. Challenging the recent consensus that the Corinthians' wisdom was rooted primarily in the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, Timothy A. Brookins offers a revisionary thesis centered on discourse similarities between the perspective of the Corinthian "wise" and the Stoic system of thought. Brookins argues that several members of the church, after hearing Paul's initial gospel message, construed that message in terms of Stoic philosophy and began promoting a kind of "Stoic-Christian" perspective that helped to precipitate divisions in the church. Being apprised of their views, Paul then exploited the "Stoic" discourse of his opponents in order to sustain common discursive ground. In addition to providing a fresh synthesis of the data in 1 Corinthians, Brookins brings in cutting-edge research on the ancient economy as he explores questions related to philosophical education and social status within the church community.

Corinthian Wisdom, Stoic Philosophy, and the Ancient Economy (Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series, Series Number 159)

Literature & Fiction

History & Criticism

Cambridge University Press

This work re-examines the divisive wisdom that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians. Challenging the recent consensus that the Corinthians' wisdom was rooted primarily in the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, Timothy A. Brookins offers a revisionary thesis centered on discourse similarities between the perspective of the Corinthian "wise" and the Stoic system of thought. Brookins argues that several members of the church, after hearing Paul's initial gospel message, construed that message in terms of Stoic philosophy and began promoting a kind of "Stoic-Christian" perspective that helped to precipitate divisions in the church. Being apprised of their views, Paul then exploited the "Stoic" discourse of his opponents in order to sustain common discursive ground. In addition to providing a fresh synthesis of the data in 1 Corinthians, Brookins brings in cutting-edge research on the ancient economy as he explores questions related to philosophical education and social status within the church community.

In these volumes, Timothy Brookins and Bruce Longenecker provide a foundational analysis of the Greek text of 1 Corinthians. Distinguished by the detailed yet comprehensive attention paid to the Greek text, 1 Corinthians is a convenient pedagogical and reference tool that explains the form and syntax of the biblical text, offers guidance for deciding between competing semantic analyses, engages important text-critical questions, and addresses questions relating to the Greek text that are frequently overlooked or ignored by standard commentaries. Beyond serving as a succinct and accessible analytic key, 1 Corinthians also reflects the most recent advances in scholarship on Greek grammar and linguistics. By filling the gap between popular and technical commentaries, these handbooks become indispensable tools for anyone committed to a deep reading of the biblical text.

1 Corinthians 10-16: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament)

Reference

Longenecker, Bruce W.

Words, Language & Grammar

Baylor University Press

Previous scholarship that has examined Paul's letters in light of Greco-Roman rhetoric has focused predominantly on their argumentative strategies (inventio) and overall arrangement (dispositio). In this book Brookins turns attention to the heretofore underexplored area of style (elocutio). With complete coverage of ten of the thirteen letters in the Pauline corpus, the book evaluates these letters according to the standards of the major stylistic virtues taught in rhetorical theory: correctness, clarity, and ornament. Treating ornament most extensively, the book includes a full inventory of tropes, figures of speech, and figures of thought contained in these letters. This work results in a synopsis of stylistic tendencies that not only illustrates differences in letter type within the Pauline corpus but also enables a fresh means of comparing style in the disputed and undisputed letters. This analysis also furnishes new evidence for consideration in the debate about the extent of Paul's rhetorical education. Finally, it helps illuminate the process of exegesis and thus the meaning of the text itself.

Ancient Rhetoric and the Style of Paul's Letters: A Reference Book

Cascade Books

Ancient Rhetoric and the Style of Paul's Letters

1 Corinthians 1-9: A Handbook on the Greek Text (Baylor Handbook on the Greek New Testament)

"As a letter directed not to a universal, much less a modern, audience but to a specific church in a specific place with a specific set of problems, 1 Corinthians requires the interpreter to take careful consideration of the letter's ancient milieu and the circumstances that precipitated its composition. This commentary aims to offer a culturally informed interpretation of the letter in light of a hypothetical reconstruction of the problems that lay behind it. In offering such an interpretation, the commentary offers not a word-by-word analysis but broad exposition of the text focused on the structure of Paul's argument in each of the letter's main units. Preliminary to interpretation, it is necessary to consider certain background issues relating to the historical context in which the letter was written, the identity of the audience and author, and the unique features of the letter as a literary composition"--

Reading 1 Corinthians: A Literary and Theological Commentary (Reading the New Testament: Second Series)

Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated

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