Abstracts Category : Other

The enslaved Paul in an imperial context : 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1

by Lynton Clifford Spies

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, I attempted to address Pauls response to his Corinthian audience concerning their eating of meat sacrificed to idols in temples. The main concern Paul addresses is the strong Corinthian Jesus-followers misuse of their Christian freedom. As a response to their misuse of their Christian liberty, I argued that Paul presents himself as an example of the proper use of Christian freedom. In a strategic action of self-denial, I posited that Pauls example is that of one who uses his Christian liberty to become a slave to others in order to save many. Various scholars consider Pauls example as limited to attractive Christian ethical conduct, and not an example that functions as a strategy for evangelism. I attempted to solve this problem by showing that Paul exhorts his Corinthian audience to imitate his approach of slavery which includes an admonition to evangelism and mission, and not an approach limited to the responsibility of embodying attractive Christian ethical conduct. The method I used to address this research is that of rhetorical criticism. In particular, I investigated Pauls use of deliberative rhetoric as he persuades the strong Corinthians Jesus-followers to follow a strategic action of evangelism and mission. I attempted to show that Pauls example of Christian freedom is to be viewed in the context of evangelism and not limited to a lifestyle of attractive Christian behaviour. In conclusion, I challenged individual Jesus-followers and the Church to adopt Pauls use of Christian freedom in 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1 as a model for evangelism and mission in contemporary contexts to partake in the spreading of the Gospel. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Ek het, volgens 1 Korintirs 8:1-11:1, probeer om Paulus se reaksie te ondersoek oor die Korintirs se opvatting i.v.m die eet van vleis wat in tempels aan n afgod geoffer is. Die belangrikste kommer wat Paulus aanspreek, is Jesus se volgelinge in Korinte se misbruik van hul Christelike vryheid. In reaksie hierop, beskou ek Paulus as voorbeeld van wat ware Christelike vryheid werklik behoort te wees. Ek gaan ook van die veronderstelling uit dat Paulus juis sy Christelike vryheid gebruik om vir ander diensbaar te wees en om sodoende menige lewens te red. Vele geleerdes beskou die voorbeeld wat Paulus stel as beperk tot uitnemende Christelike etiese gedrag, en nie voorbeeld wat funksioneer as strategie vir evangelisasie nie. Ek het probeer bewys dat Paulus die Korintirs aangemoedig het om sy benadering ten opsigte van slawerny te volg en dat hy hulle ook attent gemaak het op evangelisasie en sending n ook onder hul aandag gebring het dat sy benadering nie beperk is tot die verantwoordelikheid om uitnemende Christelike gedrag te beliggaam nie. Die metode van ondersoek wat ek gebruik het om hierdie probleem na te vors, is die retoriese kritiek-metode. Verder het ek ook in diepte Paulus se gebruik van beraadslagende kritiek ondersoek tydens sy poging om die groot aantal volgelinge van Jesus te oortuig om strategieseAdvisors/Committee Members: Punt, Jeremy, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Theology. Dept. of Old and New Testament..