Journal: Tyndale Bulletin
Volume: TYNBUL 43:1 (NA 1992)
Article: ‘Stronger Than He?’ The Strength Of 1 Corinthians 10:22b
Author: Brian S. Rosner

TynBul 43:1 (1992) p. 171

‘Stronger Than He?’
The Strength Of 1 Corinthians 10:22b

Brian S. Rosner

I. Introduction

The concluding words of Paul’s warning concerning the perils of idolatry in 1 Corinthians 10:1-22 form a rhetorical question which expects an emphatically negative response (note μὴ): μὴ ἰσχυρότεροι αὐτοῦ ἐσμεν; ‘are we stronger than he?’ G. Fee is not alone among commentators when he admits that ‘the precise intent’ of this question is ‘puzzling’.1 What has a comparison of the strength of believers with the strength of God to do with idolatry? Is there some connection between God’s power and his jealousy? Whereas a good case has been made for the indebtedness of Paul’s teaching in 10:1-13 and 14-22a to certain Old Testament traditions, verse 22b remains somewhat inexplicable.

A number of commentators take the question as an ironic, if not sarcastic, reference to ‘the strong’ in the Corinthian church, who possessed the ‘knowledge’ (cf. 8:1) that ‘an idol is nothing in the world’ (8:4), were convinced that ‘food will not commend us to God’ (8:8) and thus felt free to attend idolatrous temple meals. For example, in 1937 R. St. John Parry found in 10:22b ‘a clear reference to οἱ ἰσξυροι, with tremendous irony’.2 J. Héring, Gaston Deluz and C.K. Barrett make the same identification.3 This interpretation is, however, unlikely since Paul does not use the term ‘strong’ in 1 Corinthians to refer to a group (as he does in Romans 14)4 but as

TynBul 43:1 (1992) p. 172

characteristic of the Corinthian attitude in general (cf. 4:10).5 If Paul gives a label to the group more likely to eat idol food in 1 Corinthians 8-10 it is to do with γνῶσις, ‘knowledge’.You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
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