"good" or "better"
Dr. Dale M. Wheeler
dalemw at multnomah.edu
Tue Jun 25 11:18:16 EDT 2002
>B. Ward Powers wrote:
>
>10. My conclusion (which I offer for consideration to those interested) is
>that 7:1 is to be recognized as Paul citing what the Corinthians are
>saying, and then in subsequent verses disagreeing with it, and expounding
>instead the purpose and intention of God the Creator in making humankind as
>male and female with sexual natures, and that what these Corinthians were
>urging (with which Paul disagrees) was that it is good for husband and wife
>to discontinue an ongoing sexual relationship within marriage. "Now
>concerning the matters about which you wrote: 'It is good for a man not to
>have sexual relations with (his) wife'." Paul protests in disagreement,
>"But because of the temptation to immorality each man should have his own
>wife, and each woman her own husband." If they were to do what these
>Corinthians urge for them, they would be open to temptations to the very
>things Paul has just ruled out (chapter 6). He then goes on to expound a
>positive view of the role and function of sex within marriage.
Greetings Ward from the Rose City of Portland:
This has been an interesting discussion. It occurs to me that if you are
taking 7:1 as a Corinthian slogan, which certainly seems reasonable, I'm
not sure that its necessary for your exegesis to take this slogan as
referring to "wife". By your exegesis there are two opposite forces/groups
in Corinth, each advocating diametrically opposed positions. The first
group advocates total sexual freedom (their slogans are in 6:12, 13, and
possibly 18), and Paul dealt with them and what he'd heard about them in
chs 5-6. The second group advocates radical celibacy for all (whether that
is a carry over from a Mystery Cult or because they want to emulate Paul is
unclear), thus *their* slogan quoted in 7:1, which Paul sees as a direct
assault on Christian marriage, and which he realizes ultimately leads to
further immorality since only people with the "gift" can behave that way
(vv 2-7). I'm inclined to agree with Iver that ANQRWPOS does not
disambiguate GUNH and that it should thus probably be understood as "a
woman"; but for me it doesn't matter, since this is the radical Corinthian
position of total celibacy and not Paul's. Their slogan was an attempt to
prohibit all sexual behavior, but since for Paul the only appropriate
context for sexual behavior is in marriage--as he's just pointed out in the
previous chapters--this absolute restriction would only effect Christians
who accept his position on married-only sex in one area, marriage. So
that's what he discusses.
For your consideration...
Blessings...
***********************************************************************
Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D.
Research Prof., Biblical Languages Multnomah Bible College
8435 NE Glisan St. Portland, OR 97220
V: 503-2516416 E: dalemw at multnomah.edu
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