The Wisdom Of The Wise: The Presence And Function Of Scripture In 1 Cor. 1:18–3:23 -- By: H. H. Drake Williams III

Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 52:2 (NA 2001)
Article: The Wisdom Of The Wise: The Presence And Function Of Scripture In 1 Cor. 1:18–3:23
Author: H. H. Drake Williams III


The Wisdom Of The Wise:
The Presence And Function Of Scripture
In 1 Cor. 1:18–3:231

H.H. Drake Williams, III

Paul’s Jewish background and his use of Scripture have been enduring interests within New Testament scholarship. This thesis contributes to the greater discussion of these issues by examining the presence and function of Old Testament Scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:18–3:23.

The first chapter suggests why this is a passage that needed further examination in relation to these two issues. Whereas others have addressed 1 Corinthians 1:18–3:23 in the light of Paul’s Graeco-Roman opponents and others have considered various types of false teaching in Corinth that consequently shaped Paul’s writing, the examination of Scripture in this passage deserved further attention. Others who had addressed Scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:18–3:23 had focused primarily on the citations within the passage and the form in which they were presented. More attention needed to be paid to the presence of implicit references in the forms of allusions and echoes.

Attention also needed to be paid to the function of these Scripture texts, which concerns the second chapter. A variety of questions had to be considered such as the following: does Paul honour the context of a Scripture citation? Does early Jewish literature influence the Scripture that he uses? Does he have a particular hermeneutical presupposition that causes him to use Scripture in a certain way? Questions such as these were initially addressed in this thesis by considering Paul’s identity as a first-century Jewish writer, an Old Testament type of prophet, and an apostle. In other words, the starting point for determining the function that Scripture plays in 1 Corinthians 1:18–3:23 was based upon Paul’s identity.

Following a review of Paul’s Jewish background, certain starting points could be established concerning his use of Scripture. As a first-

century Jewish writer, Paul treated Scripture with great care, as did his contemporaries. He also considered Scripture in relation to early Jewish interpretation of similar ideas. As a result of Paul’s Jewish background, the subsequent study throughout 1 Corinthians 1:18–3:23 examines the presence of the Scripture text that Paul used to formulate his thinking in relation to similar ideas within early Jewish literature.

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