Hello All:
I am taking History of Western Art this term, a class I’ve been wanting to take for a long time. I enjoy Christian art and iconography, even though I am no artist myself.
I found this picture in my current reading. I figured I would post it for your edification.
-Clarke
Hello all:
Below is the paper that I promised. Feel free to tear it apart.
-Clarke
================================================================================================================
The Received Spirit of God
An exegetical research paper on I Corinthians 2:12-13
Thesis
In this paper I intend to research 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, the author of this passage, Paul of Tarsus, and Paul’s intended audience for this epistle, the Christian church in Corinth, Greece.
I will start my research by conducting an Historical-Social analysis of Paul, his situation in life, and the location from which his epistle was written. I will also conduct an analysis of the situation in life of the church in Corinth. I will then synthesize current knowledge and understandings of Textual Criticism, Form Criticism, Source Criticism, and Redaction Criticism for this passage. I will review the windows of understanding held by both the author, his intended audience, and by the denominational stance of the mainline Churches of Christ. Finally, I will summarize what I have learned as well as my reaction to the text and the research.
Historical-Social Analysis
The letter to Corinthians was addressed to Christians in the City of Corinth, Greece. It is believed that this letter was sent by Paul the Apostle in approximately 54 to 59 CE, with most sources estimating that the letter was written in about 56 CE (Brown, 512).
The world of the Corinthians at the time of Paul’s first letter to them was very complex. The Corinthian church would have been made up of both Gentiles as well as Jews, as Claudius had expelled the Jews from Rome in 49 CE (“Brown, 513”). The city was a Roman Colony, and was rebuilt by Rome in 44 BEC after being destroyed by the Romans in 146 BCE. Rome used freed slaves and “displaced peasants” to colonize the new city (Brown, 514; Coogan, 267). This made the city very diverse with regard to economic status and social class. The city was known for its sexual immorality, as the city housed the Temple of Aphrodite, who’s 1000 “priestesses” sex slaves assisted with the worship of this goddess. (Brown, 513; Barker and Kohlenberger, 606). The city was important to the Roman world, as it was the provincial capital and was noted as an economic center of the empire.
The reigning Caesar during the time of this letter was either Claudius or Nero based upon the time-line of authorship. Both Caesars persecuted Christians (“Greco-Roman Rulers in the New Testament”). Claudius expelled all of the Jews from Rome, and “Nero was a horrible, horrible man who hated Christians, dipped them in tar and set them on fire to light his parties,” (Erika Sajdak). This socio political environment would have had a great effect on the church in Corinth. The Sitz im Leben of the church as a whole appears to be one of chaos. The church was divided over many issues, sexually immorality flourished in the group, and members of the congregation were known to sue each other in secular courts (Brown, 518).
The letter to the Corinthians was written by Paul in Ephesus, in Asia Minor (Brown, 512). Ephesus was the capital of the region, and stood between Jerusalem and Rome. It laid in the center of the Roman Empire, and many small cities laid around it. The city was known for the Temple of Artemis, and the people were very superstitious, believing heavily in magic. Fertility cults, funeral societies and various mystery cults were very popular in Ephesus (Pollard). Paul lived in Ephesus for about three years while he worked with the Jesus Community there. (Coogan, 267).
While Paul was living in Ephesus at the time he wrote his letter to the Corinthians, he had been to Corinth and spent time with the church there. Paul’s writing would have been influenced by the time he spent working in Corinth, as well as the cultural framework of Corinth and the Roman World in general. Corinth and Ephesus would most likely share a common cultural framework through their close proximity to one another and their status as major cities of the empire (Barker, 607).
Textual Criticism
I compared my selected passage with three versions of the Bible, namely, the New Revised Standard Version, the New International Version, and the New American Standard Bible. The three texts, in parallel, appear below:
NRSV
12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.
13 And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.
NIV
12 We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
NASB
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,
13 which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.
All three versions of the text are very similar, but there are some differences of translation that might effect the understanding of the reader.
In the NRSV in verse 12, the phrase “the gifts bestowed on us by God,” is used, and phraseology is not used in either the NIV or the NASB. Both the NIV and NASB translate this verse as “what God has freely given us,” though in different word order. The words “gifts bestowed on us” make the subject of the text more personal than the phraseology of “what God has freely given us.”
In verse 13, all three versions translate slightly differently. NRSV uses the word “interpreting”, while the NIV uses the word “expressing,” and the NASB uses the word “combining” when interpreting the Greek word sugkrino. According to Strong’s Greek Lexicon, sugrinko means: to joint together fitly, compound, combine; to interpret; to compare (Blue Letter Bible). The NRSV’s “interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual,” is not close at all to the NIV and NASB, which mention “spiritual truths” or “spiritual thoughts” with “spiritual words.” The NRSV leaves the reader to understand that the people receiving the information are spiritual, while the NIV and NASB leaves the reader to understand that thoughts or truths that are spiritual are communicated with words that are spiritual.
Form Criticism
The apostle Paul writes to his audience in the form of a letter. This passage is part of a piece of correspondence which meant to teach and correct the members of the church in Corinth (“Literary Overview of the NT Books”). Paul used this format to accomplish a change in the attitude of the reader. The implications of Paul writing in a letter format are that Paul might not have anticipated that his letter would be kept and circulated around the churches and become part of the Christian cannon (Gable, 246). The letter to the Corinthians is not an epistle, as this letter was personal and was not written as a literary device to teach a wider audience, though it eventually was used for such purposes (Patzia, 69).
Source Criticism
Paul, as a Pharisee, was intimately familiar with the Hebrew scriptures, which mention the Holy Spirit many times. (Patzia, 69) Genesis 41:38-39 is a possible source for Paul’s understanding of the Holy Spirit. This verse says, “So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you’” (New International Version.) This verse imparts the idea that God through his spirit gives knowledge, understanding and wisdom to those who posses the spirit, which is the central idea that Paul is attempting to communicate to his audience.
Another possible source verse for Paul could be Joel 2:28-29, which says, “”And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days” (New International Version). This passage presents the idea that the Holy Spirit provides special information, along with dreams and visions.
Redaction Criticism
Some scholars have claimed that Paul did not write this passage, but that it was inserted and was “preformed tradition” of a non-Christian or a Gnostic origin. This is based on Paul using the pronoun, “we” instead of “I.” Harpers disregards this belief entirely by stating, “such an assumption is not justified, because the rhetoric of the whole section revolves around “I” (Paul), “you” (Corinthians), and “we” (apostles and missionaries). It is therefore Paul and not his “Gnostic” opponents who introduces the distinction between two classes of Christians” (May, 1172).
The passage refers to a type of “secret” knowledge that is only accessible to people through the Holy Spirit. The Gnostic’s believed that salvation could be attained through secret, intuitive knowledge. (“Definition of Gnosis.”).
Windows of Understanding
World 1
The Church in Corinth was composed of a group of Jews and Gentiles who had converted to Christianity. The church in Corinth had many spiritual gifts, and they abused them. The congregation was divided against itself with different members supporting different leaders, members sued each other in secular courts, and some members thought that Christian knowledge was reserved for a select few in the church (Brown, 521). The church celebrated the Eucharist regularly (New International Version 1 Cor. 11:17). Because this congregation had both Jewish and Gentile converts, at least part of the congregation probably celebrated Passover as well.
World 2
Paul was a Jewish Pharisee who was trained in the Jewish Law. Paul was converted to Christianity after having a theophany with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul was appointed to act as an apostle of Christ to the Gentile world. From the eyes of Paul, this passage is an attempt to teach the Corinthians that no knowledge or insight into Christianity is possible without the holy spirit. Paul believes that a man cannot perceive the truth of religion unless that truth is first revealed to him by God himself. Paul is reacting to the attitude of the members of the church in Corinth, who believe that they are very wise (Brown, 520).
World 3
There are two “normative” doctrinal stances of mainline Churches of Christ with regard to the Holy Spirit. The first view, which is now a minority view called the “Texas Tradition,” believes that there is no indwelling of the holy spirit and that instead all that remains of the Spirit to humans is the Bible. In this doctrinal position, the passage would be interpreted as speaking about the Bible itself as being the authoritative word of God that teaches “spiritual things to those who are spiritual.”
The second view, which is now the view that the majority of members of Churches of Christ hold, is that the Holy Spirit indwells in the believer. This is the same view espoused by historical Christianity at large. This doctrinal position would interpret this passage as speaking directly about the Holy Spirit, the third person of God, teaching and instructing the believer in the truth.
(“Kingdom Come – Chapter Four”).
Summary and Closure
In this project I have learned how to complete a basic exegesis of scripture using the Historical-Critical Method of scripture analysis. I have come to a greater understanding of the culture that Paul and the Corinthian church were operating under, as well as how various groups within my own denominational heritage view the operation of the Holy Spirit within Christianity.
I have enjoyed learning how to employ higher biblical criticism in an exegesis. While I have studied biblical criticism in another course, I was not presented with the opportunity to use it to the extent that this course has offered me.
The search for meaning and understanding of this scripture passage has enriched my understanding of the operation of the Holy Spirit. My religious heritage, being birthed during the Enlightenment, has always placed an extremely high value on reasoning and “common sense.” This high valuing has allowed my denomination to replace the Holy Spirit with human reasoning, which is incongruent with historical Christianity. Furthermore, this passage has shown me just how much farther we must travel in Churches of Christ to recover our original beliefs and teachings.
The most important thing I learned in this research is how much light an exegesis can provide on a small piece of scripture. I had never considered before how just a few sentences in scripture can convey so much information.
I am left with one main question from my exegesis. What is the true meaning of verse thirteen in the passage? The word choices and order in this passage can greatly effect the understanding of the idea that Paul is trying to communicate here. I am left to wonder if I must learn a large amount of Greek to fully grasp what Paul is attempting to convey.
Hermeneutic
I plan on presenting a short exegetical-type sermon on this scripture to the class. Because of time restraints, my presentation will actually be a small piece of what would be a larger, longer sermon that would be presented to a church.
Annotated Bibliography
Books
Barker, Kenneth L and John R Kohlenberger III. The Expositor’s Bible
Commentary, New Testament. Grand Rapids, Zondervan, 1994.
This work is useful as an evangelical commentary that can shed some light on basic information about a piece of scripture.
Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament.
New York: Double Day, 1996.
This book provides much detailed scholarly information about the New Testament as a whole, as well as individual books of the Bible.
Gable, John, Charles Wheeler and Anthony York. The Bible as Literature: An Introduction.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
This book provides a good primer on higher biblical criticism and ways to apply it to different genres of scripture.
May, James, ed. Harper’s Bible Commentary.
New York: Harper-Collins Publishing, 1988.
This commentary provides scholarly information, and it was very useful for redaction criticism.
The New Oxford Annonated Bible with the Apocrypha. Michael D. Coogan, ed.
New York: Oxford University Press, 1991.
This bible has very useful scholarly introductions as well as short commentary for most verses in the Bible.
O’Connell-Roussell, Sheila. “Greco Roman Rulers in the New Testament.”
Author’s Draft: Charts
This chart provides concise information on Roman rulers during the New Testament period.
Patzia, Arthur. “The Making of the New Testament: Origin, Collection, Text and Cannon.”
Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1995.
Lecture
Pollard, Paul. “The Social World of the Johannine Epistles.” Bible Lectures.
Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA. 5 May 2006.
Sajdak, Erika. “Exegetical Paper on Galatians.”
Clackamas Community College, Clackamas, OR. 13 Mar. 2007.
This lecture provided wonderful social background information on Ephesus, as well as the Greek culture prevalent during the New Testament age.
Websites
“The Apostle Paul.” Southern Methodist University.
12 March 2007.
This website provided basic background information on the Apostle Paul.
“Biblegateway.com – Passage Lookup: 1st Corinthians 2:12-13 NIV”. Bible Gateway.
20 February 2007.
Bible Gateway is a versatile bible search engine providing scripture in many different languages and translations.
“Biblegateway.com – Passage Lookup: 1st Corinthians 2:12-13 NASB”. Bible Gateway.
20 February 2007.
Bible Gateway is a versatile bible search engine providing scripture in many different languages and translations.
“Definition of Gnosis.” Merrian-Webster, Incorporated.
20 February 2007.
This dictionary provided a basic definition of the word Gnosis.
“Dictionary and Word Search for ’sugkrino (Strong’s 4793)’ ” . Blue Letter Bible.
1996-2002. 20 February 2007.
The Blue Letter Bible word search for Strong’s lexicon provided valuable information on the meaning of Greek words.
“Kingdom Come – Chapter Four.” Out Here Hope Remains Blog.
17 Nov. 2006. 12 Mar. 2007
This blog was very useful in summarizing information from the book “Kingdom Come.”
“Literary Overviews of the NT Books.” Catholic-Resources.org. 05 May 2006. 03 March 2007. This website provided good background information on 1st Corinthians. “New Revised Standard Version”. Oremus Bible Browser. The bible browser provides a useable search engine for the NRSV Bible.
20 Februrary 2007.
Hello all:
This quarter I am taking “History of the New Testament.” Part of the requirment for the class was to write an exegesis on a piece of scripture, and to present some sort of creative expression that goes along with our project. I had the idea of presenting a short exegetical sermonette on my paper, and my professor, a roman catholic exegete, was more than willing to oblige.
So I spent about 5 minutes preaching in a public school classroom, talking about the Holy Spirit. It was interesting. The most shocking part is that no one seemed to mind, even the non-Christians in the classroom. I was somewhat surprised in that, since the thesis of my paper and my sermon was on how you cannot understand spiritual things without having the spirit of God within you.
I figure I’ll give it another two weeks, and if I don’t get a letter from the ACLU, I’m okay.
I’ll post my paper after I do my final edit. If you’d done exegesis, you can poke holes in it!
-Clarke
Good evening everyone.
I obviously haven’t written in a while. Life has crept up and I’ve been busy. I just finished fall term at school and walked away with a 4.0 GPA again. I’m very thankful for that.
I’m also finishing up a fire engineering academy at work, and that is finally done next week.
I’ve had things to write about, but I’ve kept them to myself so that I had more time to think about what I’m going to say.
So, in the next week or so I’m planning (hoping) to write a couple of posts about what I’ve been up to recently as far as church goes, because a lot has happened just in the last couple of weeks. I also want to take some time and read up on what others have been talking about and I want to comment on recent events such as Richland Hills COC adding a Saturday night service featuring instrumental music.
So, I’ll leave you with that teaser for this second. I’m hoping that my long absense hasn’t pushed too many people away. I’m sure that some people will get their notification email and come over and unsubscribe. I guess we’ll see.
-Clarke