Conflict in Corinth (BN9050Z)

Content

Paul’s letters to the Corinthian assembly confront challenges faced by the Jesus movement as it expanded into a Gentile milieu. In this unit, students will examine 1 and 2 Corinthians from a sociological and rhetorical perspective, focusing on issues of class, status, sex, idolatry, slavery, economics, gender, liturgy, eschatology, and conflict. Students will gain in-depth familiarity with both primary and secondary sources, knowledge of important features of historical background, and develop skills in biblical exegesis and applying critical methodologies.

Learning outcomes

Unit sequence

24 points of foundational New Testament studies

Pedagogy

Lectures, seminars, tutorials, exegetical activities

Indicative Bibliography

• Vernon K. Robbins, Exploring the Texture of Texts: A Guide to Socio-rhetorical Interpretation (London: Continuum, 1996). [textbook]
• Joseph A. Fitzmyer, First Corinthians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008). [textbook]
• Antoinette Clark Wire, 2 Corinthians (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2019).
• Anthony C. Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000).
• David G. Horrell, An Introduction to the Study of Paul, 3rd edition (London: Bloomsbury, 2015).
• Jennifer A. Glancy, Slavery in Early Christianity (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2006).
• Antoinette Clark Wire, The Corinthian Women Prophets: A Reconstruction through Paul’s Rhetoric (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990).
• Wayne A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians: The Social World of the Apostle Paul (London: Yale University Press, 1983).
• Thomas R. Blanton and Raymond Pickett (eds), Paul and Economics: A Handbook (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2017).
• Yung-Suk Kim, Christ’s Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2014).

Assessment