The Corinthian Letters
by Caroline Johnson
Hodge
The
Corinthian letters offer a wealth of information about the daily lives of early
Christ-followers and afford a glimpse at an ongoing dialogue between Paul and
the Corinthian believers. After Paul left Corinth, he wrote multiple letters to
them, answering questions, arguing for certain positions, and attempting to
influence their practices. Two of these letters survive as 1 and 2 Corinthians.
A central question in both letters is how Gentiles, once transformed by the
spirit received at baptism, can live their lives with a new understanding of
themselves and the world.
First Corinthians is rich in detail about the
everyday life of the Corinthians. Paul addresses specific questions about sex,
marriage, food, and socializing with neighbors. He also advises them on how to
act during their own gatherings: how to pray, prophesy, and eat together.
Scholars surmise from his objections to certain practices (such as women
removing veils during worship), and from his general plea for unity throughout
the letter, that the Corinthians did not always agree with him or with each
other on how to live their lives in Christ. 1 Corinthians gives us a sense of
the challenges they faced as they shifted their loyalties away from their
traditional gods to the God of Israel.
By the time Paul wrote 2
Corinthians, his relationship with
his addressees seems to have deteriorated,
perhaps
because of other teachers who influenced some
Corinthians. In this
letter, Paul defends his authority in a
variety of ways. In chapters 1-9, he claims to be sincere,
them. This defense might signal that others had called him
inconsistent. In
chapters 10-13, Paul’s tone changes. No
longer encouraging or plainspoken, Paul
deploys sarcasm
and irony, accusing the Corinthians of inconsistency
themselves because they yielded to the influence of these
other teachers.
This abrupt change in tone leads many scholars to
think 2 Corinthians is a composite of two or more letters that have been
patched together to form the current text. Most hypothesize that the current
letter is the product of two texts (chapters 1-9 and 10-13); some suggest as
many as five letter fragments. Other scholars argue that these changes in tone
are better explained as arhetorical technique that deliberately alternates
between gentle and harsh approaches. In this view, Paul employs teaching
strategies of his time, coaxing the Corinthians to adjust their behavior and
perspectives.
Indeed,
Paul presents himself as one who holds special knowledge about God’s plans for
the future in which Israel will triumph. Thus the themes of wisdom and
perception thread through both letters as Paul attempts to convince the
Corinthians to follow his teaching. We can also see in both texts, however,
evidence of dissent and resistance. Although Paul’s voice eventually dominates,
1 and 2 Corinthians show the variety of opinions and practices of these early
followers of Christ.
