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Themes in Selected Letters of St Paul

Unity and the wisdom of the cross (1 Corinthians 1:1–4:21)

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Overview

The parties at Corinth, the folly of the cross against Greek wisdom, and Paul's picture of the apostolic ministry.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

Why should the Corinthian parties not be identified too confidently with distinct theologies?

Key term

What does Paul mean by “the word of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1:18?

Key term

What kind of wisdom does Paul say he does impart, in 1 Corinthians 2:6–16?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What appeal does Paul make in 1 Corinthians 1:10?

    Model answer

    Paul appeals to the Corinthians by the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that all of them agree and that there be no divisions among them. Paul asks that they be united in the same mind and the same judgement.

  2. 2

    What four slogans were circulating in Corinth according to 1 Corinthians 1:12?

    Model answer

    Members were saying “I belong to Paul”, “I belong to Apollos”, “I belong to Cephas” and “I belong to Christ”. Paul reports the slogans without endorsing any of them, including the last.

  3. 3

    How does Paul answer the party slogans in 1 Corinthians 1:13?

    Model answer

    Paul asks three questions: whether Christ is divided, whether Paul was crucified for them, and whether they were baptised in Paul's name. Each question shows that loyalty belongs to the crucified Christ and not to the preacher through whom they heard of him.

  4. 4

    Why should the Corinthian parties not be identified too confidently with distinct theologies?

    Model answer

    Paul gives only the slogans and never describes the doctrines of each group, and Apollos is treated throughout as a fellow worker rather than a rival. Reconstructions of a Petrine or a Christ party therefore rest on inference, and scholars differ over whether the groups were theological factions or personality followings.

  5. 5

    What does Paul mean by “the word of the cross” in 1 Corinthians 1:18?

    Model answer

    Paul means the message of a crucified Messiah. Paul says it is folly to those who are perishing but the power of God to those being saved, so the message divides its hearers by their response rather than by their education.

  6. 6

    How does Paul contrast Jewish and Greek expectations in 1 Corinthians 1:22–23?

    Model answer

    Paul says that Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, while he preaches Christ crucified. Crucifixion was a scandal to the first group and foolishness to the second, so the gospel offends both sets of expectations.

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