"good" or "better"

B. Ward Powers bwpowers at optusnet.com.au
Thu Jun 27 02:45:09 EDT 2002


Dear Iver and Dale,

At 09:42 PM 020625 +0200, Iver Larsen wrote:
>Dale Wheeler has suggested a compromise position below that I am quite happy
>to accept.
>I agree that Paul is correcting two wrong extremes held by some in Corinth:
>1) Total freedom (including both what to eat and what to do in general with
>the body) 6:12ff
>2) Total sexual abstinence, even within marriage (7:1ff)
>
>However, I am still wondering whether we don't have a 3-step development:
>
>1a) Paul said in his original teaching: "You am free from the Jewish law"
>1b) Some Corinthians said after he left: "We are free to do whatever we
>like".
>1c) Paul now writes: "Hey, wait a minute, you are taking it to an extreme I
>did not intend and which is wrong."
>(Paul anticipates the 1b) possibility in Romans 6.)
>
>2a) Paul said: "It is commendable to live a celibate life for various
>reasons as I do"
>2b) Some Corinthians said: "Everybody must live a life of sexual abstinence
>to be real spiritual"
>2c) Paul now says: "Hey, wait a minute, you are taking it to an extreme I
>did not intend and which is wrong."
>
>Sometimes Paul seems to restate his original position and clarify where the
>Corinthians have taken it to a wrong extreme. Sometimes he seems to quote
>their misapplication of his original statement.


This could be so. Though I would wish to leave room for seeing 1 Cor 7:1b 
as originating with the Corinthians rather than with Paul.


>The Corinthians seem to be a very independent lot with many original ideas
>and a melting pot of cultures and opinions. No wonder there were divisions
>among them and each faction tended to claim the support of their favorite
>teacher, be it Paul or Apollos. They did not have the NT to study and it is
>likely there was a considerable amount of mixing of new Christian teaching
>with their former traditions and habits. I think it was Paul Hiebert who 
>said: "We are all syncretists."
>
>Iver


Could be. There is good reason, it seems to me, for recognizing incipient 
gnosticism in the ancient world prior to Paul, with its teaching that 
soul/spirit is everything and material things (including the body and its 
pleasures) are evil. I see the effect of this influence on some 
Corinthians, displayed in their proposal of 7:1b


> >
> > 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(b), 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 reckon this is a fair explanation.


> > 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.


And this also is fair comment. It differs from my position but only by a 
whicker, and it elucidates the main points. One of the things I want to 
avoid (because I am convinced it is wrong) is portraying Paul as 
anti-woman, anti-marriage, anti-sex. He recognizes woman as equal but 
different, and marriage and sex as God's gift (though not a gift for everyone).

Regards,

Ward


                                http://www.netspace.net.au/~bwpowers
Rev Dr B. Ward Powers        Phone (International): 61-2-8714-7255
259A Trafalgar Street          Phone (Australia): (02) 8714-7255
PETERSHAM  NSW  2049      email: bwpowers at optusnet.com.au
AUSTRALIA.                         Director, Tyndale College




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