First Epistle to the Corinthians

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1 Corinthians 2:11–3:5 on Papyrus 46 (recto; Template:Circa)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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The First Epistle to the CorinthiansTemplate:Efn (Template:Langx) is one of the Pauline epistles, part of the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The epistle is attributed to Paul the Apostle and a co-author, Sosthenes, and is addressed to the Christian church in Corinth.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> Scholars believe that Sosthenes was the amanuensis who wrote down the text of the letter at Paul's direction.<ref name=meyer>Meyer, H. A. W. (1880), Meyer's NT Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1, translated from the German sixth edition, BibleHub, accessed May 17, 2022</ref> It addresses various issues which had arisen in the Christian community at Corinth and is composed in a form of Koine Greek.<ref>Kurt Aland, Barbara Aland (1995), The Text of the New Testament: an introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism, p. 52: "The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, the Greek of daily conversation. The fact that from the first all the New Testament writings were written in Greek is conclusively demonstrated by their citations from the Old Testament..."</ref> Despite the name, it is not believed to be the first such letter written to the Corinthian church.

AuthorshipEdit

Template:Further There is a consensus among historians and theologians that Paul is the author of the First Epistle to the Corinthians,<ref>Robert Wall, New Interpreter's Bible Vol. X (Abingdon Press, 2002), p. 373</ref> with Sosthenes as its co-author. Protestant commentator Heinrich Meyer notes that Sosthenes' inclusion in the opening wording shows that he made a greater contribution to the letter than being a "mere amanuensis". Meyer observes that "in a subordinate sense", its recipients "were to regard the letter of the apostle as at the same time a letter of Sosthenes, who thereby signified his desire to impress upon them the same doctrines, admonitions, etc. This presupposes that Paul had previously considered and discussed with this friend of his the contents of the letter to be issued."<ref name=meyer />

The letter is quoted or mentioned by the earliest of sources and is included in every ancient canon, including that of Marcion of Sinope.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some scholars point to the epistle's potentially embarrassing references to the existence of sexual immorality in the church as strengthening the case for the authenticity of the letter.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> However, the epistle does contain a passage which is widely believed to have been interpolated into the text by a later scribe:<ref name=":0" />

Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also says. If there is something they want to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.{{#if:1 Corinthians 14:34–35, the New Standard Revised Version Updated Edition|{{#if:|}}
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Verses 34–35 are included in all extant manuscripts. Part of the reason for suspecting that this passage is an interpolation is that in several manuscripts in the Western tradition, it is placed at the end of chapter 14 instead of at its canonical location. This kind of variability is generally considered by textual critics to be a sign that a note, initially placed in the margins of the document, has been copied into the body of the text by a scribe.<ref name=barton>Template:Cite book</ref> As E. Earle Ellis and Daniel B. Wallace note, however, a marginal note may well have been written by Paul himself. The loss of marginal arrows or other directional devices could explain why the scribe of the Western Vorlage placed it at the end of the chapter. The absence of an asterisk or obelisk in the margin of any manuscript – a common way of indicating doubt of authenticity – they argue, a strong argument that Paul wrote the passage and intended it in its traditional place.<ref name=":0">Daniel B. Wallace: The Textual Problem of 1 Corinthians 14:34–35 Bible.org, June 26th 2004.</ref> The passage has also been taken to contradict 11:5, where women are described as praying and prophesying in church.<ref name=barton />

Furthermore, some scholars believe that the passage 1 Corinthians 10:1–22<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> constitutes a separate letter fragment or scribal interpolation because it equates the consumption of meat sacrificed to idols with idolatry, while Paul seems to be more lenient on this issue in 8:1–13<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and 10:23–11:1.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref>Walter Schmithals, Gnosticism in Corinth (Nashville: Abingdon, 1971), 14, 92–95; Lamar Cope, "First Corinthians 8–10: Continuity or Contradiction?" Anglican Theological Review: Supplementary Series II. Christ and His Communities (Mar. 1990) 114–23.</ref> Such views are rejected by other scholars who give arguments for the unity of 8:1–11:1.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref>Joop F. M. Smit, About the Idol Offerings (Leuven: Peeters, 2000); B. J. Oropeza, "Laying to Rest the Midrash," Biblica 79 (1998) 57–68.</ref>

CompositionEdit

About the year AD 50, towards the end of his second missionary journey, Paul founded the church in Corinth before moving on to Ephesus, a city on the west coast of today's Turkey, about Template:Convert by sea from Corinth. From there he traveled to Caesarea and Antioch. Paul returned to Ephesus on his third missionary journey and spent approximately three years there.<ref>Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse</ref> It was while staying in Ephesus that he received disconcerting news of the community in Corinth regarding jealousies, rivalry, and immoral behavior.<ref name=usccb>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It also appears that, based on a letter the Corinthians sent Paul,<ref>See Template:Bibleverse</ref> the congregation was requesting clarification on a number of matters, such as marriage and the consumption of meat previously offered to idols.

By comparing Acts of the Apostles 18:1–17<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and the references to Ephesus in the Corinthian correspondence, scholars suggest that the letter was written during Paul's stay in Ephesus, which is usually dated as being in the range of AD 53–57.<ref>Corinthians, First Epistle to the, "The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia", Ed. James Orr, 1915.</ref><ref>Pauline Chronology: His Life and Missionary Work, from Catholic Resources by Felix Just, S.J.</ref>

Anthony C. Thiselton suggests that it is possible that 1 Corinthians was written during Paul's first (brief) stay in Ephesus, at the end of his second journey, usually dated to early AD 54.<ref>Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Eerdmans, 2000), 31.</ref> However, it is more likely that it was written during his extended stay in Ephesus, where he refers to sending Timothy to them.<ref>Template:Bibleverse, Template:Bibleverse</ref><ref name=usccb/>

Despite the attributed title "1 Corinthians", this letter was not the first written by Paul to the church in Corinth, only the first canonical letter. 1 Corinthians is the second known letter of four from Paul to the church in Corinth, as evidenced by Paul's mention of his previous letter in 1 Corinthians 5:9.<ref name="ESV Study Bible">Template:Cite book</ref> The other two being what is called the Second Epistle to the Corinthians and a "tearful, severe" letter mentioned in 2 Corinthians 2:3–4.<ref name="ESV Study Bible"/> The book called the Third Epistle to the Corinthians is generally not believed by scholars to have been written by Paul, as the text claims.

Surviving early manuscriptsEdit

The original manuscript of this book is lost, and the text of surviving manuscripts varies. The oldest manuscripts containing some or all of the text of this book include:

Papyrus 46 (AD 175–225)
Codex Vaticanus (AD 325–350)
Codex Sinaiticus (330–360)
Papyrus 123 (4th century)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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Codex Alexandrinus (400–440)
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (~450)
Codex Freerianus (~450)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Codex Claromontanus (~550)
Codex Coislinianus (~550)
Papyrus 14 (6th century)
Papyrus 11 (7th century).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

StructureEdit

File:Codex Amiatinus (1 Cor 1,1-21).jpg

1 Corinthians 1:1–21 in Codex Amiatinus from the 8th century

File:Minuscule 223 (GA) f150v.jpg

1 Corinthians 1:1–2a in Minuscule 223 from the 14th century

The epistle is generally divided into a number of sections. In addition to the opening salutation and thanksgiving, and the closing comments, John Barclay argues for five main parts.<ref name=barton /> Robertson and Plummer divide the letter into two parts: one part (chapters 1-6) deals with issues raised by "Chloe's people" (see 1 Corinthians 1:11) and the other part (chapters 7-16) addresses issues raised by a delegation (see 1 Corinthians 7:1).<ref name=wallace />Template:Rp Daniel B. Wallace sets out six main sections:<ref name=wallace>Wallace, D. B., 7. 1 Corinthians: Introduction, Argument, and Outline, from the series "New Testament: Introductions and Outlines", Bible.org, accessed on 4 February 2025</ref>

Salutation (1:1–3) and Thanksgiving (1:4–9)
1. Paul addresses the issue regarding challenges to his apostleship and defends the issue by claiming that it was given to him through a revelation from Christ. The salutation (the first section of the letter) reinforces the legitimacy of Paul's apostolic claim. The thanksgiving part of the letter is typical of Hellenistic letter writing. In a thanksgiving recitation the writer thanks God for health, a safe journey, deliverance from danger, or good fortune.
2. In this letter, the thanksgiving "introduces charismata and gnosis, topics to which Paul will return and that he will discuss at greater length later in the letter".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Division in Corinth (1:10–4:21)
1. Facts of division
2. Causes of division
3. Cure for division
Immorality in Corinth (5:1–6:20)
1. Discipline an immoral Brother
2. Resolving personal disputes
3. Sexual purity
Difficulties in Corinth (7:1–14:40)
Doctrine of Resurrection (15:1–58)
Closing (16:1–24).

ContentEdit

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The foundation of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11); posted at the Menno-Hof Amish and Mennonite Museum in Shipshewana, Indiana

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"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:52. Illumination from Beatus de Facundus, 1047.

Some time before 2 Corinthians was written, Paul paid the church at Corinth a second visit<ref>Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse</ref> to check some rising disorder,<ref>Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse</ref> and wrote them a letter, now lost.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> The church had also been visited by Apollos,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> perhaps by Peter,<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> and by some Jewish Christians who brought with them letters of commendation from Jerusalem.<ref>Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse</ref>

Paul wrote 1 Corinthians letter to correct what he saw as erroneous views in the Corinthian church. Several sources informed Paul of conflicts within the church at Corinth: Apollos,<ref>Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse</ref> a letter from the Corinthians, "those of Chloe", and finally Stephanas and his two friends who had visited Paul.<ref>Template:Bibleverse; Template:Bibleverse</ref> Paul then wrote this letter to the Corinthians, urging uniformity of belief ("that ye all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you", 1:10) and expounding Christian doctrine. Titus and a brother whose name is not given were probably the bearers of the letter to the church at Corinth.<ref>2 Corinthians 2:13; 8:6, 16–18.</ref>

In general, divisions within the church at Corinth seem to be a problem, and Paul makes it a point to mention these conflicts in the beginning. Specifically, pagan roots still hold sway within their community. Paul wants to bring them back to what he sees as correct doctrine, stating that God has given him the opportunity to be a "skilled master builder" to lay the foundation and let others build upon it.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 contains a notable condemnation of idolatry, thievery, drunkenness, slandering, swindling, adultery, and other acts the authors consider sexually immoral.

The majority of early manuscripts end chapter 6 with the words Template:Langx. The Textus Receptus adds Template:Langx, which the New King James Version translates as "and in your spirit, which are (i.e. body and spirit) God's".<ref name="1Cor6_20">Template:Bibleverse NKJV</ref> J. J. Lias, in the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, notes that "these words are not found in many of the best MSS. and versions, and they somewhat weaken the force of the argument, which is intended to assert the dignity of the body. They were perhaps inserted by some who, missing the point of the Apostle's argument, thought that the worship of the spirit was unduly passed over."<ref name=cambridgebible>Lias, J. J., Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Corinthians 6, accessed on 26 March 2017</ref>

Later, Paul wrote about immorality in Corinth by discussing an immoral brother, how to resolve personal disputes, and sexual purity. Regarding marriage, Paul states that it is better for Christians to remain unmarried, but that if they lacked self-control, it is better to marry than "burn" ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}). The epistle may include marriage as an apostolic practice in 1 Corinthians 9:5, "Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas (Peter)?" (In the last case, the letter concurs with Matthew 8:14, which mentions Peter having a mother-in-law and thus, by inference, a wife.) However, the Greek word for 'wife' is the same word for 'woman'. The Early Church Fathers, including Tertullian, Jerome, and Augustine state the Greek word is ambiguous and the women in 1 Corinthians 9:5 were women ministering to the Apostles as women ministered to Christ,<ref>cf. Matthew 27:55, Luke 8:1–3</ref> and were not wives,<ref>Tertullian, On Monogamy "For have we not the power of eating and drinking?" he does not demonstrate that "wives" were led about by the apostles, whom even such as have not still have the power of eating and drinking; but simply "women", who used to minister to them in the stone way (as they did) when accompanying the Lord."</ref> and assert they left their "offices of marriage" to follow Christ.<ref>Jerome, Against Jovinianus, Book I "In accordance with this rule Peter and the other Apostles (I must give Jovinianus something now and then out of my abundance) had indeed wives, but those which they had taken before they knew the Gospel. But once they were received into the Apostolate, they forsook the offices of marriage."</ref> Paul also argues that married people must please their spouses, just as every Christian must please God.

Throughout the letter, Paul presents issues that are troubling the community in Corinth and offers ways to resolve them. Paul states that this letter serves to "admonish" them as beloved children. They are expected to become imitators of Jesus and follow the ways in Christ as he, Paul, teaches in all his churches.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>

Paul's closing remarks in his letters usually contain his intentions and efforts to improve the community. He would first conclude with his paraenesis and wish the community peace by including a prayer request, greet them with his name and his friends with a holy kiss, and offer final grace and benediction:Template:Pb<templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

¹ Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of GalatiaTemplate:Nbsp[...] ¹⁴ Let all that you do be done in love... ²⁰ Greet one another with a holy kiss.Template:Nbsp[...] ²¹ I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. ²² Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord. Our Lord, come! ²³ The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. ²⁴ My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus.{{#if:Selected verses from 1 Corinthians 16:1–24<ref>Template:Bibleverse: NRSV</ref>|{{#if:|}}
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This epistle contains some well-known phrases, including: "all things to all men",<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> "through a glass, darkly",<ref>Template:Bibleverse: Douai-Rheims Version</ref> and:

When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.{{#if:1 Corinthians 13:11, King James Version.<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref>|{{#if:|}}
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"Through a glass, darkly"Edit

1 Corinthians 13:12 contains the phrase Template:Langx, which was translated in the 1560 Geneva Bible as "For now we see through a glass darkly" (without a comma). This wording was used in the 1611 KJV, which added a comma before "darkly".<ref>Template:Bibleverse KJV</ref> This passage has inspired the titles of many works, with and without the comma.

The Greek word Template:Langx (genitive; nominative: Template:Langx), here translated "glass", is ambiguous, possibly referring to a mirror or a lens. Influenced by Strong's Concordance, many modern translations conclude that this word refers specifically to a mirror.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Example English language translations include:

"Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror" (New International Version)
"What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror" (Good News Bible)

Paul's usage is in keeping with rabbinic use of the term Template:Langx, a borrowing from the Latin {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}. This has the same ambiguous meaning, although Adam Clarke concluded that it was a reference to {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, clear polished stones used as lenses or windows.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> One way to preserve this ambiguity is to use the English cognate, speculum.<ref>Gordon Tucker, translator's footnote to Abraham Joshua Heschel, 'Heavenly Torah as Refracted Through the Generations,' Continuum, New York, 2008; p. 308.</ref> Rabbi Judah ben Ilai (2nd century) was quoted as saying "All the prophets had a vision of God as He appeared through nine specula" while "Moses saw God through one speculum."<ref>Leviticus Rabbah 1:14.</ref> The Babylonian Talmud states similarly "All the prophets gazed through a speculum that does not shine, while Moses our teacher gazed through a speculum that shines."<ref>B.T. Yevamot 49B</ref>

Women must remain silentEdit

The letter is also notable for its discussion of Paul's view of the role of women the church. In Template:Bibleverse, it is stated that women must remain silent in the churches, and yet in Template:Bibleverse it states they have a role of prophecy and apparently speaking tongues in churches. Many scholars believe that verses 14:34–35 are an interpolation.<ref name="Payne2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Ehrman2024">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Siqueira2009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Fellows2024">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Leonhard">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NAB">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="MurphyO'Connor1990">Template:Cite book</ref> The passage interrupts the flow of Paul's argument; it follows language from the First Epistle to Timothy, which was probably not written by Paul; it contradicts Paul's neutral or positive mention of women prophesying, praying, and taking other speaking and leadership roles in the church; the passage is alternatively found at different locations in some manuscripts, which may indicate it was originally inserted as a marginal note and then unstably inserted into the text itself.<ref name="Payne2009"/><ref name="Ehrman2024"/> Moreover, some manuscripts give evidence of a prior record of its absence from the text.<ref name="Payne2009"/>

If verse 14:34–35 is not an interpolation, certain scholars resolve the tension between these texts by positing that wives were either contesting their husband's inspired speeches at church, or the wives/women were chatting and asking questions in a disorderly manner when others were giving inspired utterances. Their silence was unique to the particular situation in the Corinthian gatherings at that time, and on this reading, Paul did not intend his words to be universalized for all women of all churches of all eras.<ref>B. J. Oropeza, 1 Corinthians. New Covenant Commentary (Eugene: Cascade, 2017), 187–94; Philip B. Payne, Man and Woman: One in Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009); Ben Witherington, Women in the Earliest Churches (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1988);</ref>

Other scholars including Joseph Fitzmyer suggest that in verses 34–35, Paul may be quoting the position of some native Corinthian Christians regarding women who have been speaking out in cultic assemblies in order that he can then argue against it.<ref name="Fitzmyer2008">Template:Cite book</ref> According to Craig Keener, "When Paul suggests that husbands should teach their wives at home, his point is not to belittle women's ability to learn. To the contrary, Paul is advocating the most progressive view of his day: despite the possibility that she is less educated than himself, the husband should recognize his wife's intellectual capability and therefore make himself responsible for her education..."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Head coveringEdit

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File:Hanging veil.jpg

An opaque hanging veil worn by a Conservative Anabaptist woman belonging to the Charity Christian Fellowship

1 Corinthians 11:2–16 contains an admonishment that Christian women cover their hair while praying and that Christian men leave their heads uncovered while praying. These practices were countercultural; the surrounding pagan Greek women prayed unveiled and Jewish men prayed with their heads covered.<ref name="Payne2015">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Shank1992">Template:Cite book</ref>

The King James Version of 1 Corinthians 11:10 reads "For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels." Other versions translate "power" as "authority". In many early biblical manuscripts (such as certain Vulgate, Coptic, and Armenian manuscripts), is rendered with the word "veil" (Template:Langx) rather than the word "authority" (Template:Langx); the Revised Standard Version reflects this, displaying 1 Corinthians 11:10<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> as follows: "That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels."<ref name="Garland2003">Template:Cite book</ref> Similarly, a scholarly footnote in the New American Bible notes that presence of the word "authority (Template:Transliteration) may possibly be due to mistranslation of an Aramaic word for veil".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This mistranslation may be due to "the fact that in Aramaic the roots of the word power and veil are spelled the same."<ref name="Farrell">Template:Cite book</ref> The last-known living connection to the apostles, Irenaeus, penned verse 10 using the word "veil" (Template:Langx) instead of "authority" (Template:Langx) in Against Heresies, as did other Church Fathers in their writings, including Hippolytus, Origen, Chrysostom, Jerome, Epiphanius, Augustine, and Bede.<ref name="Garland2003"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Scholars are divided on the meaning of the phrase "because of the angels" in v. 10. According to Dale Martin, Paul is concerned that angels may look lustfully at beautiful women, as the "sons of God" in Genesis 6 apparently did. Noting the similarity between the Greek word translated "veil" and the Greek word for a seal or cork of a wine jug, Martin theorizes that the veil acted not only to conceal the beauty of a woman's hair, but also as a symbolic protective barrier that "sealed" the woman against the influence of fallen angels.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Other scholars, such as Joseph Fitzmyer, believe the angels spoken of here are not fallen angels looking lustfully at women, but good angels who watch over church services. Notably, the author of Hebrews mentions "entertaining angels" and evidence from the Dead Sea Scrolls suggests some Second Temple era Jews believed angels attended synagogue services. According to this view, Paul's concern is not that an angel looks lustfully, but simply that the appearance of an inappropriately dressed women might offend the heavenly guardians.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A third interpretation comes from Bruce Winter, who theorizes that the "angels" spoken of are not heavenly beings at all, but simply human visitors. Winter notes that the Greek word translated "angels" literally means "messengers" and could refer to a visitor carrying a letter from afar, possibly even the epistle itself. In this view, Paul is concerned that if a visitor to a church service sees a married woman with her head uncovered, he may judge that woman to be promiscuous. Thus, Paul seeks to protect the church community's honor by ensuring that all members appear above reproach.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The head covering ordinance continued to be handed down after the apostolic era to the next generations of Christians; writing 150 years after Paul, the early Christian apologist Tertullian stated that the women of the church in CorinthTemplate:Sndboth virgins and marriedTemplate:Sndpracticed veiling, given that Paul the Apostle delivered the teaching to them: "the Corinthians themselves understood him in this manner. In fact, at this very day, the Corinthians do veil their virgins. What the apostles taught, their disciples approve."<ref name="Bercot2021">Template:Cite book</ref> From the period of the early Church to the late modern period, 1 Corinthians 11 was universally understood to enjoin the wearing of the headcovering throughout the dayTemplate:Snda practice that has since waned in Western Europe but has continued in certain parts of the world, such as in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Northern Africa and the Indian subcontinent,<ref name="Hunt2014">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="BalzaniBesnier2021">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Hammond2018">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Ramdin2000">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Mitchell2007">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Walsh2019">Template:Cite book</ref> as well as everywhere by Conservative Anabaptists (such as the Conservative Mennonite Churches and the Dunkard Brethren Church), who count veiling as being one of the ordinances of the Church.<ref name="Hartzler2013">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The early Church Father John Chrysostom explicates that 1 Corinthians 11 enjoins the continual wearing the headcovering by referencing Paul the Apostle's view that being shaven is always dishonourable and his pointing to the angels:<ref name="Schaff1889">Template:Cite book</ref>

AgapeEdit

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Chapter 13 of 1 Corinthians is one of many definitional sources for the original Greek word Template:Langx.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the original Greek, the word Template:Langx is used throughout chapter 13. This is translated into English as "charity" in the King James version; but the word "love" is preferred by most other translations, both earlier and more recent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1 Corinthians 11:17-34 contains a condemnation of what the authors consider inappropriate behavior at Corinthian gatherings that appeared to be agape feasts. Template:Anchor

ResurrectionEdit

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File:Signorelli Resurrection.jpg

Resurrection of the Flesh (Template:C.) by Luca Signorelli – based on 1 Corinthians 15:52: "the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." Chapel of San Brizio, Orvieto Cathedral, Italy

After discussing his views on worshipping idols, Paul ends the letter with his views on resurrection and the Resurrection of Jesus.

The text of First Corinthians has been interpreted as evidence of existing dualistic beliefs among the Corinthians. Scholars point to 1 Cor 6:12:<ref name=eerdmans>Template:Cite book</ref>

'Everything is lawful for me,' but I will not let myself be dominated by anything...whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.{{#if:|{{#if:|}}
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Based on interpretations of the text, it appears that Corinthians did not believe that the soul would return to its physical prison after death. Paul is critical of the Corinthian denial of the resurrection of the dead in 15:12 asking: "Now if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?"<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> Richard Horsley has argued that use of contrasting terms like corruption/incorruption in a polemic about resurrection supports a theory that Paul is using the "language of the Corinthians" in these verses. Multiple academic theories have been proposed for the source of this language including Greek philosophical influence, Gnosticism and the teachings of Philo of Alexandria.<ref name=eerdmans /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Template:AnchorMost scholars agree that Paul was reinforcing earlier tradition about resurrection noting that he describes the kerygma as "received".<ref name=eerdmans/>Template:Efn

3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures 4 and that he was buried and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.{{#if:1 Corinthians 15:3–7, New Revised Standard Version<ref>Template:Bibleverse, NRSV</ref>|{{#if:|}}
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Paul represents the kerygma to the Corinthians "as a sacred tradition" that Christ was "raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> James P. Ware notes that the original Greek word ἐγείρω, translated as "raised", always refers to the reanimation of the corpse when used with reference to the dead. He states that "[i]t is thus beyond doubt that the apostolic formula of 1 Cor 15 affirms that Jesus arose on the third day in his crucified body, leaving behind an empty tomb."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Kirk MacGregor notes the textual evidence from the kerygma as stated in 15:3-7 is cited by modern scholars as evidence "that Jesus' earliest disciples believed in a spiritual resurrection which did not necessarily vacate his tomb".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Dale Moody says the tradition of the appearances of the resurrected Christ and the tradition of the empty tomb "remain separate in the oldest strata of tradition".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Geza Vermes states that the words of Paul are "a tradition he has inherited from his seniors in the faith concerning the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus".<ref>Geza Vermes (2008) The Resurrection. London, Penguin: 121–22 (Template:ISBN; Template:ISBN)</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The kerygma was possibly transmitted from the Jerusalem apostolic community Template:Efn though the core formula may have originated in Damascus.<ref>Hans Grass, Ostergeschen und Osterberichte, Second Edition (Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 1962) p. 96; Grass favors the origin in Damascus.</ref>

It may be one of the earliest kerygmas about Jesus' death and resurrection, though it is also possible that Paul himself joined the various statements, as proposed by Urich Wilckens.<ref>Wolfhart Pannenberg, Jesus – God and Man translated Lewis Wilkins and Duane Pribe (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1968) p. 90</ref> It is also possible that "he appeared" was not specified in the core formula, and that the specific appearances are additions.<ref>R. E. Brown, The Virginal Conception and Bodily Resurrection of Jesus (New York: Paulist Press, 1973) pp. 81, 92 (Template:ISBN)</ref> According to Hannack, line 3b-4 form the original core, while line 5 and line 7 contain competing statements from two different factions.<ref>Hans Conzelmann, 1 Corinthians, translated James W. Leitch (Philadelphia: Fortress 1975) p. 251 (Template:ISBN)</ref> Prive also argues that line 5 and line 7 reflect the tensions between Petrus and James.Template:Sfnp

The kerygma has often been dated to no more than five years after Jesus' death by Biblical scholars.Template:Efn Bart Ehrman dissents, saying that "Among scholars I personally know, except for evangelicals, I don't now[sic] anyone who thinks this at all."<ref name="BE_dating">Bart Ehrman, as quoted at Bart Ehrman: Most Scholars Doubt the Early Creed Was Written Within 3-6 Years of Jesus' Death</ref>Template:Efn Gerd Lüdemann however, maintains that "the elements in the tradition are to be dated to the first two years after the crucifixion of JesusTemplate:Nbsp[...] not later than three years".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

According to Gary R. Habermas, in "Corinthians 15:3–8, Paul records an ancient oral tradition(s) that summarizes the content of the Christian gospel."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> N.T Wright describes it as "the very early tradition that was common to all Christians".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In dissent from the majority view, Robert M. Price,<ref name="Price1995">Template:Cite journal</ref> Hermann Detering,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> John V. M. Sturdy,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and David Oliver Smith<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> have each argued that 1 Corinthians 15:3–7 is a later interpolation. According to Price, the text is not an early Christian creed written within five years of Jesus' death, nor did Paul write these verses. In his assessment, this was an Interpolation possibly dating to the beginning of the 2nd century. Price states that "The pair of words in verse 3a, "received / delivered" (paralambanein / paradidonai) is, as has often been pointed out, technical language for the handing on of rabbinical tradition", so it would contradict Paul's account of his conversion given in Galatians 1:13–24, which explicitly says that Paul had been taught the gospel of Christ by Jesus himself, not by any other man.Template:Sfnp Template:Efn

Chapter 15 closes with an account of the nature of the resurrection, claiming that in the Last Judgement the dead will be raised and both the living and the dead transformed into "spiritual bodies" (verse 44).<ref>E.P. Sanders (1991) Paul. Oxford University Press: 29–30 (Template:ISBN). For a homiletic application, see "When I Get to the End of the Way" (References).</ref>

Psalm 8 referenceEdit

1 Corinthians 15:27<ref>Template:Bibleverse</ref> refers to Psalm 8:6.<ref name=appkirkpatrick>Template:Cite book</ref> Ephesians 1:22 also refers to this verse of Psalm 8.<ref name=appkirkpatrick/>

Evil company corrupts good habitsEdit

1 Corinthians 15:33 contains the aphorism "evil company corrupts good habits", from classical Greek literature. According to the church historian Socrates of Constantinople<ref>The Ecclesiastical History of Socrates ... , London: George Bell, 1897. book III, chapter 16, verse 114, p. 194. See also the introductory essay to Samson Agonistes by John Milton, Of that sort of Dramatic Poem which is call'd Tragedy Template:Webarchive.</ref> it is taken from a Greek tragedy of Euripides, but modern scholarship, following Jerome,<ref>Commentarium ad Titum 100.1</ref> attributes it to the comedy Template:Transliteration by Menander, or Menander quoting Euripides. Hans Conzelmann remarks that the quotation was widely known.<ref> Template:Cite book</ref> Whatever the proximate source, this quote does appear in one of the fragments of Euripides' works.<ref>Loeb Classical Library Euripides VIII, fragment 1024</ref>

Baptism of the deadEdit

1 Corinthians 15:29 argues it would be pointless to baptise the dead if people are not raised from the dead. This verse suggests that there existed a practice at Corinth whereby a living person would be baptized in the stead of some convert who had recently died.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Teignmouth Shore, writing in Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers, notes that among the "numerous and ingenious conjectures" about this passage, the only tenable interpretation is that there existed a practice of baptising a living person to substitute those who had died before that sacrament could have been administered in Corinth, as also existed among the Marcionites in the second century, or still earlier than that, among a sect called "the Corinthians".<ref>Teignmouth Shore, Ellicott's Commentary for Modern Readers on 1 Corinthians 15, accessed 12 April 2017</ref> The Jerusalem Bible states that "What this practice was is unknown. Paul does not say if he approved of it or not: he uses it merely for an ad hominem argument".<ref>Jerusalem Bible (1966), note at 1 Corinthians 15:29</ref>

The Latter Day Saint movement interprets this passage to support the practice of baptism for the dead. This principle of vicarious work for the dead is an important work of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the dispensation of the fulness of times. This interpretation is rejected by other Christians.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

CommentariesEdit

John Chrysostom, an early Church Father and archbishop of Constantinople, wrote a commentary on 1 Corinthians, formed by 44 homilies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>