Table Of ContentMichael K.W. Suh
Power and Peril
Beihefte zur Zeitschrift
für die neutestamentliche
Wissenschaft
Edited by
Matthias Konradt, Judith Lieu, Laura Nasrallah,
Jens Schröter and Gregory E. Sterling
Volume 239
Michael K.W. Suh
Power and Peril
Paul’s Use of Temple Discourse in 1 Corinthians
ISBN 978-3-11-067884-0
e-ISBN (PDF) 978-3-11-067894-9
e-ISBN (EPUB) 978-3-11-067897-0
ISSN 0171-6441
Library of Congress Control Number: 2019957124
Bibliographic information published by the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche Nationalbibliografie;
detailed bibliographic data are available on the Internet at http://dnb.dnb.de.
© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Printing and binding: CPI books GmbH, Leck
www.degruyter.com
Preface
ThisbookisarevisedversionofthedoctoraldissertationwrittenatEmoryUni-
versity,andsomycommitteedeservesmanythanks.ProfessorCarlHolladayhas
instilled in me a deep appreciation of the Jewish milieu of the New Testament.
His words of encouragement and tales of his travels around the world (always
with tantalizing details that make for such great stories!) have provided me
with much needed laughter and energy during the completion of this project.
Hisembodimentoftheconsummateprofessionalandscholarwillalwaysremain
amodel.ProfessorWalterWilson’sincisivequestionshavedrivenmetobeclear
andefficientinmyargumentation,andthisprojectstandsbetterbecauseofhis
critical eye. Professor Cynthia Patterson, from the Department of History, has
graciously welcomedintoherofficeadilettanteintheworldofGreekhistoriog-
raphy.Herenthusiasmconcerningallmysophomoricquestionshaveopenedup
anavenueofhistoricalinquiryofwhichIhaveonlybeguntoscratchthesurface
in this project. Finally, the biggest thanks are due to Professor Luke Timothy
Johnson.When I think of Luke, an old Korean idiom comes to mind, one that
canroughlybetranslated:“Leader,teacher,andparentareone.”Luketrulyem-
bodies this idiom, and without his support and guidance as a leader, teacher,
and Doktorvater, this project would never have seen the light of day, still less
come to its eventual completion. His excitement concerning this project since
the beginning to its end is a testimony to his unwavering commitment to see
his students succeed fromdayone. If I can replicate even a tenth of his energy
asascholarandteacher,Iwillconsidermyacademiccareertohavebeenasuc-
cess.
Earlier portions of chapter 2 first appeared in Vigiliae Christianae as “Τὸ
πνεῦμα in 1 Corinthians 5:5: A Reconsideration of Patristic Exegesis,” VC 72
(2018):121–141.IamgratefultoBrillandtheeditorsofVCforprovidingpermis-
siontorepublishthiswork.ManythankstoAlbrechtDöhnert,AliceMeroz,Jana
Fritsche,andFlorianRuppensteinofDeGruyterfor acceptingthisworkandfor
theirguidancethrough the editorial process.I am also honoredthat the editors
of BZNW have accepted this work for their prestigious series.
There are also many friends and family who have watched the progress of
thisprojectfrombothnearandfar.MywonderfulcolleaguesatEmoryUniversity
deservemanythanks:TonyAlonso,DavidCarr,CollinCornell,ChrisHolmes,Eric
Moore,JennyPietz,DevinWhite,andJenniferWyant.Aboveall,JonathanPotter
has been a great friend and valuable conversation partner. Special thanks are
also due to my colleague and friend, Johann Choi, and his wife, Jina Choi, for
sharing their life together with my family and me.
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110678949-001
VI Preface
I would also like to thank the Undergraduate Research Programs at Emory
Universityforprovidingthefinalyearoffundingandsupport.Ourdirectors,Fo-
lashade Alao, Rachel Diamond, and Pat Marsteller, provided sage guidance to
our cohort of graduate fellows (Michael Thees, Aimée Vester, Signe White, and
Julian Whitney) as we met weekly to discuss classroom strategies, research
translation, and professional development. Iwill alwaysbe grateful for the op-
portunity I had to learn from such a talented and diverse group of scholars.
Thanks are also due to Dean Lisa Tedesco, Associate Dean Rosemary Hynes,
and Professor Walter Melion (Art History) of Emory’s Laney Graduate School,
whom I have had the pleasure of working with through the Andrew W. Mellon
Humanities Ph.D. Interventions Project.They have been immensely supportive
ofmyownresearchandwritingevenastheyhavetaughtmethevalue ofinter-
disciplinarydialogueandthedifficultbutrewardingworkofadvancinggraduate
education in the 21st century.
Also,muchthanksareduetomymother,In-YoungSuhandmysister,Mina
Suh.Myfather,Yoon-SukSuh,passedawaymanyyearsbeforeIhadevenbegun
thischapterofmylife,butIhopethathewouldhavebeenproudofthisaccom-
plishment.Specialthanksalsotomyotherparents(in-law),DavidKangandJean
Kang,who have been one of my biggest supporters from afar.
Last,but certainly not least, mydeepestgratitude is due to my wife,Janice
Kang.Shehaswatchedmepursuethispassionfromtheearliestdayspriortoour
marriage,totheeventualcompletionofthisprojectmanyyearslater.Sheistruly
mybetter-halfandIamundoubtedlyabetterthinker,writer,andmostimportant-
ly, a better person because of her.Thank you.
Contents
Abbreviations XI
Experiencing Power and Peril in Corinth 1
. Introduction 1
. History of Interpretation 5
.. Reading 1 Corinthians 5, 10, and 11 6
.. The Corinthians as Temple of God 8
. Avenues of Inquiry 13
. Table 1: Temple Themes in 1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 10:1–22, and
11:17–34 19
Constructing Temple and Identity in 1 Corinthians 21
. Reading 1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 10:1–22, and 11:17–34 in Literary
Context 21
. Reading 1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 10:1–22, and 11:17–34 as Temple
Discourse 25
. The Exodus Tradition and Christological Connection 29
.. Exodus 12–13 in 1 Corinthians 5:1–13 31
.. Exodus 13–17 in 1 Corinthians 10:1–22 38
.. Exodus 24 in 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 42
.. Exodus in 1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 10:1–22, and 11:17–34 44
. Power in 1 Corinthians 45
.. Power in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 49
.. Power in 1 Corinthians 5:1–13 51
.. Excursus: Early Christian Interpretations of τὸ πνεῦμα in
1 Corinthians 5:5 58
.. Power in 1 Corinthians 10:1–22 77
.. Power in 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 85
.. Power in 1 Corinthians 5:1–13, 10:1–22, and 11:17–34 88
. Peril in 1 Corinthians 88
.. Peril in 1 Corinthians 5:1–13 89
.. Peril in 1 Corinthians 10:1–22 96
.. Peril in 1 Corinthians 11:17–34 100
. Meals within the Temple of God 104
. A Synthetic Summary of Temple Discourse 106
. Chart I: Components of the Lord’s Supper Tradition in the
Synoptic Gospels and 1 Corinthians 11 109
VIII Contents
Accessing Sacred Spaces in Greek and Roman Contexts 110
. Introduction 110
. Transgressions in the Greek Context 111
.. Prescriptions Regarding the Sacred 112
.. Divine Power 117
.. Participation in Rituals 119
.. Penalties for Transgressions 125
. Transgressions in the Roman Context 132
.. Divine Power 133
.. Participations in Rituals 145
.. Excursus: Aelius Aristides and Divine Power 147
. Summary of Evidence from Greek and Roman Contexts 151
Accessing Sacred Spaces in Jewish Contexts 154
. Introduction 154
. The Hebrew Bible and Other Related Writings 154
. Philo 166
. Material Culture 168
. Qumran 171
.. (Im)purity of the Temple 176
.. Maintenance of Membership 179
.. Excursus: Spirit in the Qumran Community 183
.. Penalties for Transgressions 189
. Summary of Evidence from Jewish Contexts 191
Temple Discourse in 1 Corinthians 195
. Broad Outlines 195
. Specific Issues 197
.. Location of the Temple: Corinth 197
.. Inclusion and Exclusion 200
.. Divine Spirit and Power 202
.. Use of Scripture 205
.. Penalties for Transgressions 208
.. Presence of Christ 211
. Constructing Temple in 1 Corinthians 212
Conclusion 214
Bibliography 216
B. Primary Sources 216
Contents IX
B. Commentaries 220
B.. Ancient to Pre-Modern 220
B.. Modern 221
B. Secondary Literature 222
Index of Ancient Citations 241
Index of Bible Citations 261
Index of Names 273
Index of Subjects 275
