Galatians

Click here for the previous book, Corinthians II.

CHAPTER 1

Paul is a man with a chip on his shoulder in this letter.  We saw some of this in Second Corinthians but this is much more Paul: The Angry Apostle.  He needs to defend himself, and he’s not happy about that.

The letter begins: “Paul, an apostle, not from human beings nor through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead.”  Paul is so quick to establish his credentials that he doesn’t even say, “Here are my credentials.”  He just slams the damn things on the desk and glares.

Oh, he comes back around to the need to justify himself but quick.  “I am amazed that you are so quickly forsaking the one who called you but the grace of Christ for a different gospel.”  Things aren’t going well, clearly, in Paul-land.  And a different gospel, you say?  Yes: “there are some who are disturbing you and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ.”  We saw some of this in Second Corinthians – someone is laying down a version of Christianity that is different from what Paul things.  And he makes it no secret what he thinks of his disturbed version: “if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than the one that you received, let that one be accursed.”  Man, fuck them other guys, fuck ‘em completely.

So what is this other gospel Paul despises?  He never says.  Why would he want to promote something he opposes?  Besides, the Galatians have already heard it – which is the problem.

Paul makes a big case for his credibility.  No pussyfooting around, ambling back-and-forth like in Second Corinthians.  No, he flatly says, “The gospel preached by me is not of human origins. For I did not receive it from a human being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” 

Paul tells us where this gospel of his came from.  At first, it’s the story we know.  He persecuted the Christians, and then had his revelation.  He doesn’t quite say it happened on the road to Damascus, but it looks like it happened on the road there or in Damascus. 

OK, but then the story changes.  So far, everything Paul says lines up pretty well with what Acts of the Apostles said.  But in Acts, we’re told that Paul went directly from Damascus to Jerusalem, where he stayed with the Apostles for a while and was always in their company.  But that’s not the story Paul himself gives.  No, Paul flatly says, “I did not immediately consult flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; rather I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.” 

Interesting.  Paul goes out of his way to specifically tell us that he did NOT deal with the apostles.  This goes back to a point made earlier – his gospel came solely through divine revelation, not through any human intermediaries.  Why would Acts say something different?  Well, there is one obvious reason I can think of.  If you have Paul hang with the apostles, that makes it more clear that they’re all saying the same thing, and they’re all on the same page.  But if what Paul says is true, then there is a better chance that they’re on different pages.  (Besides, if Paul had spent plenty of time learning from the feet of St. Peter, you’d think he’d have a better knowledge of what Christ actually said.  As is, Paul virtually never discusses the teachings of Christ.  Last Supper, crucifixion, resurrection – that’s why Christ matters to Paul. Everything that happened before the last three chapters of the gospels?  Irrelevent).

Also, that brings up a big question – who are these people coming to the Galatians spreading this false doctrine?   And why would the Galatians so readily accept this new approach over the man who first baptized them in the name of the Holy Spirit?  One possible answer Biblical scholars have provided: it’s the Jerusalem Gang. One consistency throughout the New Testament is that Paul and them don’t always see eye-to-eye.  James Christ wanted people to uphold most Jewish laws (except that Gentile believers in Jesus don’t have to be circumcised).  Paul thinks that is bunk. 

Paul’s version has won out over the last 2,000 years, but can you imagine the reaction it would have if around the year 50 AD, a few actual apostles who knew Christ came to town and said “You’re doing it wrong!  Oh, Paul says that’s the way to be?  Well, Paul never met Jesus.  Paul had a vision, and if his vision doesn’t mesh up with what Jesus said when he actually walked around, who will you side with – Jesus or Paul?”  That would explain Paul’s tone here.  That would explain why he feels the need to justify himself so vehemently.  Maybe that explains why he goes out of his way to tell us he didn’t consult with the Jerusalem Gang after his revelation. 

Why wouldn’t he be so vehement with the Corinthians later on?  Well, maybe it wasn’t one of Christ’s actual apostles that came north.  Maybe it was a messenger or someone who knew of the disputes between Paul and Jerusalem to the South.  Maybe.  Or maybe the anger by the community to Paul here was more than in Corinth. 

Oh, Paul says more in this chapter, too.  Paul tells us that he spent three years between his vision and when he finally went to Jerusalem.  So there was contact.  Aye, but Paul was only there for 15 days.  In that time, he only saw Cephas (Paul’s name for Peter) and “James, the brother of the Lord.”

OK, let’s stop here for a second.  This clears up one thing.  In Acts, the big leader of the Jerusalem Gang was James – but it was just James, no other form of identity given.  That’s annoying because the gospels mention three James – Apostle James (brother of fellow Apostle John), James of Alphaeus (also an apostle), and James brother of Jesus.  Which one was the big leader?  Well, it couldn’t have been John’s brother because he died in Chapter 12. Sure, James of A was a minor apostle, but James Christ didn’t get much attention there either.  But this letter from Paul solves the riddle – it was James, brother of Jesus.  That’s who he met with.

Anyhow, Paul tells us that’s all the contact he ever had with the Jerusalem gang – “before God, I am not lying” he adds for good measure.  His back is up against the wall here, people. The meeting went well.  The Jerusalem Gang was apparently tickled to find their former oppressor was now on their side.  They let him go off preaching to Gentiles.

All this – and I almost forgot another point Paul makes.  Paul claims that not only was he spoken to directly by God, not only was his gospel given to him via divine revelation – but this was something God had determined well in advance.  Paul writes how “God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart.”  Yes, that’s right – Paul was chosen as an apostle even before he was born.  That means he was picked as an apostle before the actual apostles.  Instead of being the Johnny-come-lately apostle who never met Jesus, Paul is the original apostle, certified by God himself.  (Also, this furthers a comparison I made earlier – that Paul is like Jeremiah.  In the Old Testament, we’re told that Jeremiah had been picked by God even before his birth to be a prophet). 

CHAPTER 2

Paul tells us more of his story.  He preached the gospel for 14 years before returning to Jerusalem. (Hmmm..  in Second Corinthians he has a cryptic section about someone Paul knew and there was a “14 years” thing there as well.  Coincidence?  Maybe.  I can’t figure our Chapter 12 of Second Corinthians).

Paul then gives his account of what my footnotes (and Biblical scholars) tell me is the big Chapter 15 showdown).  Paul tells us he didn’t back down, and didn’t submit.  The powers that be in the Jerusalem Gang made Paul’s’ Greek assistant Titus get circumcised, though, but it doesn’t sound like Paul liked that.  Anyhow, Paul refers to “those who were reputed to be important” so it sounds like he doesn’t get along with them that well.  Then again, Paul tells us “James and Cephas [AKA Peter] and John, who were reputed to be the pillars, gave me and Barnabas their right hands in partnership, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised.”  So the meeting does end well, and with the apparent agreement that Paul will be apostle to the Gentiles.  So this pretty well lines up with Chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostles.

Then something interesting happens.  Paul refers to an incident involvement Cephas/Peter.  Paul doesn’t quite tell us what happens – he assumes the Galatians already know of it, so he can just refer to it here.  After all, it’s apparently an incident that happened right in front of them.

Anyhow, Paul thinks Peter was in the wrong – and Paul let Peter know it.  He apparently chastised the apostle in front of the Galatians.  It looks like Peter was eating with the Jews and Gentiles all together, and then some more guys from Jerusalem came up.  The other Jerusalemers weren’t down with much Gentile-Jew mixing (even in a Christian Church) and so Peter retreated, eating just with the Jews (and, I assume, in keeping with kosher regulations – something Paul clearly has no use for but James Christ does support).  Paul considers this to be hypocrisy and notes “even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.”

That’s basically the end of the story, but it opens up all sorts of questions.  What would Peter say about this, if he was around to give us his half?  Would Peter admit he was in the wrong, or would disagree?  Remember – Peter is closer to James Christ (even Paul tells us that one chapter ago, referring to them as two of the three church pillars, alongside apostle John). 

Also, is there any relationship between this scene and the problems Paul now has with the Galatians.  Think for a second: Paul upbraids Peter in front of the people for following Mosaic Law, and now (however long later) some people have come to the Galatians spreading a false gospel, and putting John on the defensive.  I don’t know which side Peter took in the kafuffle, but it looks pretty clear news of the incident came back to Jerusalem, and they’re clamping down on Paul’s unorthodox theology.  That would explain why Paul felt the need to mention the Peter incident, and all the more reason why he felt it was necessary to make clear how his theology was a product of divine revelation, NOT the Jerusalem Gang.  (For if the J. G. played any role in mentoring him, then all their words now contradicting his theology would mean they’re right and he’s wrong, for they are the mentors and he the pupil). 

Finally, it’s interesting that Paul says how even Barnabas is going with them.  Folks, let’s go back to Acts of the Apostles for a second.  There, Barnabas and Paul were a team for a while.  In the big Chapter 15 meeting, they’re given the right to go off together with the Gentiles. However – at the end of Chapter 15, they have a disagreement.  It’s such a sharp one, that they break up that old gang of theirs.

In Act, the disagreement was on John Mark (AKA, the reputed author of the second gospel). Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them and Paul said no.  Well, what else do we know about John Mark?  He was from the Jerusalem crowd, and reputedly Peter’s secretary/flunky. 

Let’s put this together.  In Acts, the breakup occurs after the big Chapter 15 meeting, and here in Galatians, the Peter incident comes right after Paul’s version of the Chapter 15 meeting.  Now we know that Barnabas disagreed with Paul on the question of eating, siding with the Jerusalem crowd – and apparently even wanted to take one member of the Jerusalem Gang with them on their further moves.  (And not just any Jerusalem Gang guy  - but the assistant to the man Paul just publicly upbraided).

Sounds like they had a definite falling out, and a falling out over the question of whether/not to apply the old Mosaic laws in Jew/Gentile eating customs.  It sounds like Barnabas broke with Paul.  Paul went off alone because he had no other supporters – and now Jerusalem is taking his community away from him from behind.

Paul talks about how it’s all about faith, now laws.  And that’s the fundamental difference between him and James Christ’s Jerusalem Gang.  (Paul is the Protestant while James Christ is the Catholic – though Jewish Catholic in this case, while the actual Catholic Church loves them some Paul).

CHAPTER 3

Now that Paul has gone over the entire history of the matter, it’s time for some good old-fashioned personal abuse: “Oh you stupid Galatians” begins Chapter 3.  Later on, he asks, “Are you so stupid.”

Paul mixes his insults with theology.  OK, you guys are questioning me (the man who showed you the way to Christ?) – so be it.  I have a question for you: “Did you receive the Spirit from works of the law or from faith in what you heard.”  It’s a leading question if ever there was one. Of course they got it from faith – that’s what Paul has always preached.  Well, guess what – the Jerusalem Gang is talking a bunch of law stuff, not faith stuff.  

If you think about it, Paul’s entire approach is based on faith. Not just his theology – but how he got into this religion in the first place.  He had a divine revelation directly from God.  And he has faith – as certain as certain can be – that the revelation was God talking to him.  So that’s all that matters.  And he’ll fight tooth and nail for it – even if it means fighting tooth and nail against the Jerusalem Gang for the souls of the Galatians. 

As for the law, Paul tells us it, “was added for transgressions.”  People were shown the path by God, but blew it, so the laws were put in place to keep human conduct in line as best as it could.  But we’re past that now.  We have Jesus Christ now, and if we put our faith in him it nullifies the old law.

Paul puts it like this, “the law was our disciplinarian,” but now that we live in the post-Christ age (AD, not BC), “not that faith has come, we are no longer under a disciplinarian.”  We’re past all that, thinks Paul. 

We’re beyond the law – among other things.  Paul states that in the post-Christ age, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female, for you alone are one in Christ Jesus.” No wonder Paul supported a female preacher in Romans (and no wonder his anti-female line in Corinthians was apparently a later addition by a scribe).

CHAPTER 4

Paul pleads for the Galatians to remain loyal to the gospel Paul gave them, the viewpoint that first brought them to Christ.  Paul does some reminiscing, and it’s a little obscure for us now.  Paul is referring to things that he and the Galatians know – but of course we don’t.  But it sounds like that when Paul first came in the region, he had some kind of disease – he says he had a physical illness.  What was it?  That’s not clear.  The best guess is an eye ailment of some sort, as Paul writes, “Indeed, I can testify to you that if it had been possible, you would have torn out your eyes and given them to me.” Paul is trying to rekindle that passion he’s once stirred within the Galatians.

Paul thinks his opponents are looking to kill that level of passion, as: “They show interest in you, but no in a good way; they want to isolate you.”  Paul is playing on the heartstrings here.

Paul also lays down some theology, but it’s stuff he’s already said before in other letters.

CHAPTER 5

Paul makes a full-throated justification for faith over works here.  It’s probably his most starkly laid out case for that point of view so far.  Paul says that if you are circumcised, you will get no benefit from it.  In fact, it’ll hurt you because if you get snipped, then you’re obligated to observe all the old laws.  (Paul never explains why that would be the case – it just is the case).  And that’s bad, for Christ came to earth to free us from the law, so to begin following the law, “You are separated from Christ, you who are trying to be justified by law, you have fallen from grade.”

Yep, that’s as stark as it gets – its faith versus the law: you must pick a side. 

That’s different from the message Paul has had in other letters.  In Romans he said circumcision isn’t a bad thing, but it misses the point, for instance.  But Paul needs to take a harder stand here because his personal credibility is at stake.  If he hedges at all, he fears he’ll lose the entire community.  I suppose that’s his point of view, anyway.  The basic fear is that people will focus on being saved through following the law, and that’s not what Paul wants. Along these lines, Paul says a little later on, “But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” 

For Paul, the Mosaic Law came about because people couldn’t follow God’s ways.  Now God has saw fit to redeem us by giving his son as a sacrifice, so the law is now nullified. 

It should be pointed out that this isn’t really the view of Jesus Christ you get in the gospels.  Christ, to be fair, doesn’t follow the laws the same way the Pharisees do.  Christ isn’t a stickler for the details the way the Pharisees were.  Christ did prioritize faith and love, just as Paul did.  But Christ was never so antagonistic to the law as Paul is.  At times Christ would say he just wanted to go further than the laws.  (It’s not enough to not commit adultery, you must also not sin in the heart). 

CHAPTER 6

Paul wraps things up.  He spends a few lines making some standard point and then makes his conclusion.  Most notably, in the conclusion Paul himself is doing the writing.  The end part begins with Paul writing, “See with what large letters I am writing to you in my own hand!”  Most of these letters were written by a scribe, jotting down Paul’s thoughts, but here – in order to help emphasize the personal nature of the letter and Paul’s appeal – he takes the pen himself.  (And why such large letters – did he have eyesight problems?  Who knows?)

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Wow! This letter was something of a tour de force by Paul.  He has had deeper letter and more elaborate discussions of his theology, but rarely has he ever come off with such primal emotional force.  (And mind you, he’s often passionate throughout these letters).  It’s also fascinating if you’re interesting in Biblical scholarship and the relationship between Paul and the other leaders of the primordial Christian church.  It doesn’t look like they always got along so well.

Click here for the Book of Ephesians.

Corinthians II

Click here for the conclusion to Corinthians I.

CHAPTER 1

This is supposed to be Paul’s most personal letter.  It’s also supposed to be one of the most enigmatic and difficult to really parse.  Apparently, Paul’s authority in Corinth has come under question.  He ended his first letter by saying he’d come visit soon, but he hasn’t.  Also, apparently some have questioned his authority as an apostle.  This is mostly stuff I know from reading the introduction.

As for the chapter itself, it starts off with the typical “Hi, how are you” stuff.  Paul tells them he suffered an affliction and nearly died.  Illness or enemies: you make the call?  My hunch is the affliction was an illness, but it’s a little unclear.  Get used to being unclear.  It’s something he notes in part to excuse his absence from the community that he’d promised to visit.

And he needs to provide some sort of excuse because it’s readily apparent that many Corinthians are upset at him for not showing up.  In fact, a header in the chapter is “The Crisis Between Paul and the Corinthians.”  Yeah, that sounds bad.  He pleads with them that though he hasn’t come, he still intends to come.  He admits some inconsistency, but at the same time pleads to a consistency on overall matters.  He didn’t come when they expected, but he’ll get there when he can.

CHAPTER 2

Much of this treads the same ground.  It’s a definite departure from the previous letters of Paul.  Those mostly focused on theology and faith, where this one is Paul discussing his situation, problems, and emotional turmoil in order to justify himself to an upset Corinthian congregation. 

He starts talking about his ministry and what qualifies him for it. Apparently, this line of thought will go on for several chapters.  Here, Paul notes that his sincerity given to him from God allows him to be a minister for Christ.

CHAPTER 3

So, Paul wonders, do I need to justify myself to you Corinthians again?  Apparently he does.  It sounds like some others have come to Corinth to talk about Jesus, and these guys had official qualifications – they had a letter with some official whatevers on it justifying their position.  What could that letter be? To date, the only one we’ve seen issue any sort of official letters is James Christ back in Jerusalem during the Acts of the Apostles book.  And from what we’ve seen of Paul’s theology in previous letters, Paul and James weren’t on the same page, so if there were anyone from the James Gang coming to Corinth, that could ding Paul’s authority,

Paul may not have a letter, but he doesn’t need you – “You are our letter,” he tells them, “written on our hearts.”  His proof to them isn’t a piece of paper, but the fact that many of them have felt the Holy Spirit due to their contact with Paul.  That’s not a bad argument to make, all things considered. 

Moving forward, the letter gets lots in a theological debate where we don’t quite know what the other side is, and Paul is more responding to that unknown position rather than making his clear.  Let’s see …. Paul talks of Moses and the old law.  I think he calls it the “ministry of death.”  That would fit his theological thrust in the previous letters.  He makes an analogy about Moses having to put a veil on his face (this is something from Exodus), and notes people had the law veiled from them, until Christ.

If it is an emissary from James Christ coming north, that might explain this.  James was more in tune with traditional Mosaic Law than Paul was, after all.  And Paul had violated the rules he was told to abide by when he left Jerusalem.  (Oh yeah, in the background on my mind is what I’ve read in the Bart Ehrman books about how the disputes Paul sometimes talks of in his letters might be a sign of dispute between James and Paul.  Maybe I read that in “Paul and Jesus” by James Tabor; it all bleeds together for me).

CHAPTER 4

I didn’t get much from this chapter.  Paul continues to justify his ministry to his critics – but we really don’t know who his critics are or what they’re criticizing Paul for exactly.

Paul thinks a minister of Christ should be transparent, so that the word of Christ goes through him purely and perfectly, without the minister getting in the way.  The irony is that Paul is making that point in the letter than it is so far almost exclusively about himself, and not about Christ.

CHAPTER 5

Paul still tries to justify himself to the people of Corinth.  He notes the importance of having courage, even in the face of risk and danger.  He notes, “We would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord” then give up preaching about Christ.  This is one way to justify his ministry.  Look, I’m so convinced in this that I’m willing to risk death for it.  What greater mark of sincerity do you people need?

Paul actually uses this to make an interesting analogy between his ministry’s credibility and his theology.  His theology has always prioritized inner faith over all else.  Loving Christ matters; getting circumcised is immaterial.  Well, the same is true of qualifications.  So some guys with an outer qualification – a piece of paper giving them stature – have come to Corinth.  Big deal.  What matters aren’t your outer qualifications – just as circumcision doesn’t mean you’ll go to heaven.  What does matter is your inner qualifications – and Paul has plenty of that.  He’s willing to risk death for Christ – so why would a piece of paper mean more?

Also, one thing I should point out: Paul often speaks in first person plural: we.  Is this the birth of the royal “we” here?  Paul uses it, Popes will use it, kings will use it – it means the writer feels justified in speaking for the entire community.  I didn’t see this happen at all in the Old Testament.  It’s possible kings or emperors before Paul did it, but he’s the first guy to do it in the Bible.  At the very least, it serves a precedent for Popes to do it.

CHAPTER 6

This is more of the same.  Paul is justifying his ministry some more. 

CHAPTER 7

Finally, this portion of the letter is winding up.  Paul has spent half of it justifying himself.  Clearly, he feels a strong need to do so.  People are upset he didn’t come when expected, and others with some Official Paperwork on their side have undermined Paul’s word in the community.

CHAPTER 8

OK, Paul is done defending himself and now moves on to other matters.  First off, he is raising funds to give to the Christian community in Jerusalem.  Also, he is sending three followers of his to Corinth to help out.  One is named Titus, and Paul never names the others, so we don’t know who they are.  One is said to be, “the brother who is praised in all the churches for his preaching of the gospel.”  The third is just described as “our brother.”

I’ll point out that we haven’t seen a reference to Luke yet in any of these Paul letters.  I wonder when we’ll come in contact with him.  He’s believed to be the author of his gospel and Acts because: 1) since Acts is mostly about Paul the author is believed to be someone in Paul’s circle, and 2) the author appears to be a Gentile.  Luke was a prominent Gentile hanging with Paul – but we haven’t seen him mentioned yet.  Sure, I’m only in my third Paul letter with 10-11 more to go, but these are the three long letters.

CHAPTER 9

This is another chapter I didn’t get much out of.  It calls on people to give and to serve.  The more you reap, the more you will sow.  That’s a nice sentiment, and explains a lot of why churches are so heavily involved in charity.

CHAPTER 10

The last four chapters are all on the same main theme – Paul defending his ministry.  He’s done it earlier, but it really seems quite a bit stronger here. 

Actually, he first starts backing into it.  He starts apologizing into his defense, noting that he’s not the strongest public speaker that there is.  He notes that people have criticized him for sounding so strong in his letters but comparatively tepid in person.  Paul even mock-quotes a critic: “His letters are severe and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech is contemptible.”  Bummer.  You’d think all the experience Paul had in founding churches would make him a better public speaker, but that’s life.

Paul admits he’s not a good public speaker, but says, in effect, so what?  Is that the point?  He has the Holy Spirit within him – now that’s the point!

Oh, Paul tells us he doesn’t mean to boast and doesn’t like to boast.  He thinks that gets in the way of things.  But you know what?  Since he doesn’t boast and others do, maybe people are taking him for granted.  Maybe he should boast a bit.  (Actually, what I’m saying here is partially late Chapter 10, and partially early Chapter 11.  They bleed together).

CHAPTER 11

Now Paul is starting to really rev up.  Apparently, some people have come to Corinth and led the faithful astray.  Some people have come and told the flock that Paul is wrong about Christ, and that they’re approach is right.  Paul is horrified that someone has come and preached “another Jesus” than his version.  We’re in the midst of an early Christian theological rumble.

Who are Paul’s opponents?  He never says.  He refers to them as “these `superapostles.’”  That’s it.  So who could the superapostles be?  My best hunch – and this comes out of the writings of Biblical scholars like Bart Ehrman and especially James Tabor in his book “Paul and Jesus” – it’s probably the actual apostles; you know – some of the guys mentioned in the gospels.

Think it through.  First, Paul never really does denigrate the credentials of his opponents that much.  Paul more promotes his own credentials than the other way around.  Second, his choice to call these guys “superapostles” is interesting.  He’s acknowledging that they’re apostles but putting them down at the same time.  It’s Biblical snark – he’s overinflating their credentials to belittle them.  Third, who else could have enough juice in Corinth to cause the flock to pull away from Paul?  Think about it – if it was some random shepherd from the countryside told them that Paul was wrong, would anyone listen? But if an actual apostle of Christ who knew Jesus said Paul was wrong – well, that’s a whole other mess of potatoes.

And let’s think for a second.  Earlier in this letter Paul denigrated people coming to Corinth with impressive paper credentials.  Paul said that didn’t matter.  Well, whoever is coming to town has some impressive credentials then. 

Lastly, always remember – the message Paul sends in these letters is clearly and explicitly different from the message coming out of Jerusalem.  James Christ and the apostles wanted people to follow the Laws of Moses, only making an exception for circumcision with gentiles.  Paul tells everyone to ignore the laws.  It all adds up to Paul and the apostles not being on the same page.  It’s not the image we have of Paul at all, but it fits with what we’re seeing here.

Oh, and Paul doesn’t just denigrate them as superapostles.  He calls them false apostles who “masquerade as apostles of Christ.  And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.  So it is not strange that his ministers also masquerade as ministers of righteousness.”  Wow!  Paul isn’t pulling his punches there.

Paul then compares and contrasts himself with the false superapostles.  Are they Hebrew?  Me too.  Israelites?  So am I.  Are they ministers of Christ?  “I am still more.” 

And that last little bit finally allows Paul to go off on a boasting little rant of his own. I am still more, he says?  Here is his rant, in full: “Are they ministers of Christ?  (I am talking like an insane person,) I am still more, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous brushes with death.  Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep, on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers, in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, though hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure.  And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.”  So people think they have better claims to stature than Paul?  Get bent, James Christ and the apostles. 

There is a strong strain of martyrdom in Christianity.  Obviously, it comes from Christ martyring himself on the cross to save all mankind.  But you can see plenty of it in Paul.  His credentials?  He’s suffered – suffered for the cause, suffered for you.

Oh, and he finishes up by telling us that he had to leave Damascus in a basket.  So that’s where that story comes from.

CHAPTER 12

This continues on a similar theme, but gets a little weird.  Paul tells us he knows someone who 14 years ago made it to the third level of heaven (sounds like a Nintendo game) and was paradise and heard many things. It’s not clear if he’s talking about some allegory, someone he knows, or his own experience of conversion.  (This letter was written around 57 AD it’s believed, so that would put the conversion at 43 AD).  I think Paul is talking about himself, but it’s hard to say. 

After that little odd digression, Paul reaffirms that he is second to none; certainly not second to this mysterious band of superapostles.  Paul believes the people of Corinth are wavering because he was too humble and not boastful enough.  He felt that was the way to go.  He felt that as the founder of the church, it was not his place to put his burdens upon them.  As Paul says by way of analogy: “Children ought not to save for their parents, but parents for their children.”  That’s a nice line – and a famous one, too.  Oddly enough, Paul isn’t really talking about parents and children at all.

CHAPTER 13

Paul leaves on a somewhat threatening note.  He’ll return, and when he does, he won’t be lenient with them.  Then he gives a few lines of typical giving thanks and to rejoice.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

This is a mixed bag.  There isn’t much great theology here compared to the earlier letters.  Much of this is really hard to get at as Paul more refers to the disputes at the heart of this letter instead of explaining them.  But it has its moments, especially in Chapter 11.

Click here for the next Bible book: Galatians.

Corinthians I: Chapters 9 to 16

Click here for the first half of Corinthians.

CHAPTER 9

Paul starts this one off very defensively, beginning with a series of rhetorical questions: “Am I not free?  Am I not an apostle?  Have I not seen the Lord?”  And then he answers his own questions but appealing to his own authority: “Although I may not be an apostle for others, certainly I am for you, for you are the seal of my apostleship.”  That’s interesting, but I don’t know quite what to make of it. Corinthians II, however, will feature Paul even more defensive, having to justify his authority.

Mostly, Paul has to justify being given privileges as an apostle to the others.  He defends himself by noting how he goes about always preaching the gospel, and winning new followers to the Lord.  I think.  I’m not fully able to follow this section.  But he is on the defensive, trying to justify himself to the congregation.  This is peculiar.  Maybe he was writing the letter – had gotten halfway through – and more news came from Corinth.  So far, he’s seemed a lot more self-assured than he does here.

This leads us into one of the more personal parts of the book, a part where we get a sense of Paul as a person.  He confesses that he’s felt the need to act as all things to all people.  With Jews, he’ll by a Jew and follow the law.  With Gentiles, he’ll act as a Gentile, and not worry about the law.  He adapts his behavior in order to win as much support for his cause as he can.  What he really cares about is spreading the good news of Christ.  And since he thinks the old laws have now been negated, he feels free to ignore them as he needs to.  If he’s around Jews he can follow the laws – because hey, if the laws don’t really matter, it doesn’t actually hurt to follow them. 

Paul then makes a comparison to athletics.  If you look at a race, many run, but only one can win. “Run so as to win” Paul advises the Corinthians.  I wasn’t expecting a sports metaphor in the Bible, but there you go.

CHAPTER 10

Paul warns against idolatry and against overconfidence.  Most notably, he takes a strikingly harsh line against sacrifices, saying that when Israelites sacrifice, “they sacrifice to demons.”  Ouch. OK – that negates what I just said last chapter, doesn’t it?  If sacrifice becomes sacrifice to demons, then it is bad for Paul to follow the law.  Well, maybe he just means this for rhetorical effect. 

Actually, Paul better mean that for rhetorical effect.  Think back to Acts of the Apostles for a second.  There, James Christ tells Paul to purify himself and offer a sacrifice at a synagogue, and Paul agrees.  He’s only prevented from doing it because he’s arrested in advance.  According to what he says here, that sacrifice would’ve been very bad.

In fact, Paul clearly and explicitly goes against James Christ’s original instructions.  In Acts, James said it was OK for Gentiles to avoid circumcision, but they must keep the laws.  Here, Paul says, “East anything sold in the market, without raising questions on grounds of conscience.”  In other words – screw kosher laws.  Paul is doing his own thing in this religion.

CHAPTER 11

Paul shifts from theology to behavior; specifically how people should behave in church. 

Much of this deals with women in the church. Short version: they should wear veils.  Men don’t need to, for: “man did not come from woman, but woman from man; nor was man created for woman, but woman for man.”  Ooph!  Oh Paul, and you’ve normally been so surprisingly progressive on gender relations.  Well, he’s still doing good for his time anyway. 

Mostly Paul talks about the Lord’s Supper.  It sounds like some people in Corinth are missing the point.  Some are not being given bread to eat.  Others are imbibing is so much of Christ’s blood that they’re getting drunk.  Yeah, that ain’t the point, gang.

CHAPTER 12

This chapter focuses heavily on speaking in tongues.  It’s a common practice in the early church and a sign the Holy Spirit has come to someone, but Paul thinks people are overdoing it.  Oh yeah – it’s not bad.  Oh yeah – feel free to speak in tongues.  But don’t focus so much on that one gift of God that you ignore and minimize all other gifts from god, like prophecy or being able to understand someone speaking in tongues.  (Heh.  If no one can understand someone speaking in tongues, aren’t they just speaking gibberish then?)  All these things play a part and have their role, and Paul things people are missing that.

CHAPTER 13

This is a short chapter, but it’s a wonderful one.  It’s all about one thing: love.  All else means nothing if you don’t have love.  You must love your fellow man.  (This reminds me of the words of Pope Francis, and helps explain just why he’s been so well received).

I don’t have much to say about this chapter, but it’s so nice I feel the need to quote the full thing verbatim: “If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal.  And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.  If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.”

Let me pause here.  First – isn’t that wonderful?  It goes back to Paul’s earlier emphasis of faith over law.  It’s what you feel within that matters.  Your outer actions matter too, but they must flow from your inner belief.  If you just go through the motions giving alms or whatever, then can you really be said to have the Holy Spirit within you?

Earlier, I compared Paul to Jeremiah.  They are similar in several ways, but I can never imagine Jeremiah saying the above.  In fact, the above is arguably an indictment of Jeremiah.  He very much was someone who had the gift of prophecy, but did not have love.  Thus, for Paul, he’d be nothing.

Paul continues: “Love is patient, love id kind. It is not jealous, [love] is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth.  It bears all things, believes all thins, hopes all things, endures all things.”

If Paul weren’t already engaged as a prophet, he’d make some good money for himself at Hallmark writing Valentine’s Day cards.  OK, that’s too smug/smarmy a response.  And that’s especially unfortunately because again – what a wonderful, heartfelt statement Paul makes right there. 

Paul concludes the chapter thusly: “Love never fails.  If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease; if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing.  For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.  When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things.  At present we see indistinctly as in a mirror but then face to face.  At present I know partially, then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.  So faith, hope, love, remain, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”

Impressive, isn’t it?  And in the middle to his peon to love – he gives us that famous line about how “when I became a man, I put aside childish things.”

CHAPTER 14

As great as Chapter 13 was, it seems to interrupt the flow of things.  Paul was talking about speaking in tongues in Chapter 12, and he’s back at it here in Chapter 14.  His point here is that as nice as speaking in tongues is – and Paul claims to do more of it than anyone in Corinth – that prophecy is better.

Tongue speaking is when the Lord reaches out to you, but prophecy is when you reach out to others to tell them of the Lord.  Tongue speaking is more self-centered – well, that sounds harsh.  But what I mean is that it focuses on the self – you’re the one experiencing it, and no on else can necessarily understand it.  But prophecy focuses on others.  (I guess Chapter 13 might fit in then after all – it stresses love of others, after all). 

Paul gets in a nice dig at the mania for speaking in tongues.  Imagine if some unbelievers were to walk in a congregation all doing it at the same time?  “Will they not say that you are out of your minds?”  Heh – that’s exactly what they’d say!  But if you were all engaging in prophecy – well, that would impress the person no small amount.

Oh, and then Paul goes on to discuss some rules of order, including the maybe the most infamous thing he ever “wrote” (I’ll explain the quotation marks in a second).  In discussing the role of women in church, Paul tells us the following, “women should be kept silent in the churches, for they are not allowed to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says. But if they want to learn anything, they should ask their husbands at home.  For it is improper for a woman to speak in the church.” 

OUCH!  And to think – earlier I praised Paul for being progressive on gender relations. How could he say such a thing?

Simple – he didn’t.  Paul almost certainly didn’t write that.  The above quote was inserted later on by a scribe copying the info – and adding his own slant to it. 

In the earliest copies we have of Corinthians I, that quote isn’t always there.  When it does appear, it jumps around.  Sometimes it’s a little higher up. Sometimes it’s a little lower down.  But it isn’t always in the same place.  That indicates the quote may originally have been a scribal notation in the margins, and then it took a while for people to figure out where to put it exactly.  (Source: “Misquoting Jesus, by Paul Ehrman).

OK, but the above doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t in Paul’s originally.  Scribes might’ve goofed up and put it in the wrong spot sometimes, which could explain its floating nature.  Yeah – but there are other problems.  Aside from location, this goes clearly against what Paul says in other parts of the Bible.

Look back just three chapters ago.  There Paul said women must wear a veil in church – but he also noted them praying in church.  It was taken for granted there that they’d pray in church.  That isn’t necessarily keeping silent.  What’s more, he’ll periodically thank leading Christians in the communities he’s writing to, and some will be women.  That doesn’t jibe with the fully subservient role he calls women to have in Chapter 14 in Corinthians I.  Look back to Romans for the best contradiction of what happens here.  There, in Chapter 16, he begins by thanking Phoebe – a minister of the church.  Paul was fine with female ministers!  That really goes against what he says here.

And look at how he justifies his position here.  He says, “as even the law says” to justify his position.  Since when did Paul care about that?  He’s gone out of his way here and in Romans to say the law no longer applies.  Oh, can I point out those two verses actually interrupt the flow of what he is talking about?  He’s discussing prophecy just before and just after this diatribe.  It doesn’t fit.

Guess what? Paul didn’t write this bit. GOOD.

CHAPTER 15

As we near the end, Paul gives us a nice, long chapter about Jesus.  Apparently some in Corinth are questioning if the resurrection of the dead is real.  For Paul, you may as well question if it’s a good idea to drink water.

The resurrection of the dead is central to Paul’s theology. He begins by going over what made Christ important: He died, was raised, appeared to his followers, and then to Paul.  If the resurrection of the dead isn’t real, then Christ couldn’t come back from the dead.  If he didn’t come back from the dead, then all their religion, all their faith if bunk.

There are several things I find fascinating about this.  First, this is a bit removed from modern Christianity.  OK, there is talk of Judgment Day and the End of Times, and plenty of hardcore Christians believe in it – but by and large people’s religious thoughts aren’t based on all the dead rising.  They don’t expect that to happen, they expect to go to heaven or hell.  Those concepts are almost entirely absent from Paul’s theology.  He expects Christ to return SOON.  He even once said that the world he’s living in is already dying and making way for the new.  Sure, people now thing that Christ will return soon – but it’s different for Paul because it’s so soon removed from Christ.  He thinks the world as we know it will end in the lifetime of those who knew Christ.  That’s why there is less need for the holy afterlife if you’re Paul. 

Also, please note that – once again – what matters about Jesus to Paul is not what he said or did in his own lifetime.  For Paul, that’s completely off his radar.  The Last Supper, the crucifixion, and the resurrection – that’s why Christ matters.  Everything prior to then?  Not Paul’s concern.

Finally, it’s interesting when Paul goes over the resurrection.  He says Christ appeared to: first Cephas, then the apostles, then 500 followers, then James Christ, then the apostles again – and finally to Paul.  Yeah, Paul includes himself.  That’s interesting, because Paul saw a bright light and heard a voice.  At least that’s the story in Acts of the Apostles (which Paul didn’t write).  So what was Paul’s experience with Christ?  Also no one else ever claims that Christ appeared to 500 all at once, and Paul isn’t familiar with Mary Magdalene at all. 

Oh, and Paul also tells us that he persecuted Christians for a while.  So that lines up with Acts of the Apostles.

CHAPTER 16

Paul winds down the letter with the typical so longs.  He also tells them that he wants to raise funds for a church in Jerusalem, promising to return to Corinth soon when he gets a chance.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

These letters are easy to ignore, because theology is always more boring than stories, but when you dive in, these things can be very interesting.  You also get signs that even in the utopian years of Christianity that things weren’t always so wonderful.  This community in Corinth appears to be something of a mess. That shouldn’t be too surprising.  It takes a while to solidify theology and practice.

Click here for Corinthians II.

Corinthians I: Chapters 1 to 8

Click here for the end of Romans.

CHAPTER 1

Paul gives some quick greets and thanks – and then gets down to business.  Apparently, the Christian community in Corinth is a real mess.  People are divided amongst each other, full of rivalries. Some say they belong to Paul, others to Apollos, other to Cephas.  Paul, to his credit, doesn’t get caught up in all of this mess.  Rather than rally his side, he tells everyone to focus on the bigger picture here – Christ.  You’re not of Paul or of Cephas – but of Christ.  “Was Paul crucified for you?” asks Paul rhetorically. 

Facing a badly divided community, Paul hits the ground running here with a clear call for unity under Christ.  This, by the way, will give him plenty of stature with all the groups, because they all believe in Christ, regardless of what they think of the interpretations of Cephas or Apollos or Paul.  Remember – there is a reason this letter came down to us.  That is because it was saved and copied, and had copies of those copies made.  If this letter didn’t hit its mark in Corinth, it wouldn’t have survived long enough to make the Bible.

CHAPTER 2

Paul pleads humility here.  He claims not to have much wisdom or special insight.  He has no sublime way with words. “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”  He just had his one message and he went at it.  Paul confesses to feeling fear and weak and trembling when he came to Corinth.  This is an interesting confession.  He’s trying not to big time anyone.  He wants them to come around to what he believes, but he isn’t trying to force anyone to do so, because he can’t.  He’s trying to bring these people along, willingly.

Again, his main point is to focus on God.  In him there is wisdom, not in us.  If you think about it, this is a smart approach to take.  Paul needs to get these people to get past their dysfunction and disunity – and appealing to God is the best way of doing it.  Appealing to himself as an authority would just widen any/all breaches already there in the community.

CHAPTER 3

Paul starts moving away from the rally cry for unity, and starts to look into the problems the community is having.  He begins by calling the Corinthians “fleshy people.”  As a general rule of thumb, “flesh” is a bad thing in the Bible.  Here, Paul is contrasting being “fleshy people” with being people in the spirit of Christ.  Guys, you were supposed to have been baptized and reborn as members of the Christian community!  Act like it!  Be one with Christ already!  But instead of focusing on God and the holy, they are caught up in mundane, earthly matters.  Fleshy doesn’t just mean sex, but the day-to-day stuff that Paul thinks Christians should get past already.

Paul still makes his calls for unity.  He still wants everyone to get along, and he tries to bring them all along.  Paul is walking a delicate tightrope here.  On the one hand, he wants to bring people to his way of thinking, but then again he can’t force anyone to do so, and they’re already divided internally.  So far, Paul is doing a good job prioritizing things here.  He’s mostly focused on unity and Christ – the big picture – and then uses his beliefs as a way to the big picture.  That’s a smart strategy.

CHAPTER 4

I didn’t quite get this one.  I found myself more reading over this chapter than reading it.  Mostly, it sounds like Paul is holding up the apostles and missionaries as example for the people of Corinth on how to live.  He says we are fools, but wise in Christ. 

Paul says he’s sending his pal Timothy down to help guide them.  OK, that’s helpful.  It won’t be just words, but an actual person there to put Paul’s ideas into action.

Oh, one last thing to not.  Paul tells them, “I am writing you this not to shame you, but to admonish you.”  Keep that in mind when Chapter 6 rolls around.

CHAPTER 5

OK, now we get into some fun stuff. As long as Paul is discussing their problems, he may as well discuss the juicy stuff.  People are sinning all over the play in Corinth.  Why, one man is even living with his father’s wife.  (Isn’t that a Jerry Spring episode or something?)  And the community hasn’t disciplined the offenders at all.

Well, Paul isn’t very happy with this, not at all.  Instead, Paul blasts them for boasting.  Paul wants them to start judging more.  This is a bit different from his message to the Romans. There, Paul emphasized trying to tolerate others and getting along.  Yeah, but not all cases are the same.  With Rome, Paul was emphasizing being reasonable.  And here in Corinth, he is also calling for reasonableness – but it means something different in a community so full of sin as this.  Quit associating with so many sinners, gang.

Can I point one thing out?  So far – through a third of this book and all of Romans – Paul never actually appeals to anything Christ said.  Paul appeals to the prophets of the Old Testament, but never the words of Jesus.  This is the best sign that the gospels haven’t been written yet – Paul is in the dark on them.  More interestingly, it doesn’t sound like he even knows the story orally.  There is no golden rule stated here, for instance.  For Paul, what matters is how Christ died, not how he lived.  Please note that this will be the case throughout the letters of Paul – a virtually complete absence of the teachings of Christ.

CHAPTER 6

Paul continues to lay into the Corinthians for their evil ways. Apparently, they are bringing lawsuits against each other because their internal differences are so bad. Man, the image we have of the early Christian Church is typically a utopian image where everyone got along and believed in Christ easily and equally.  We got a bit of a vision of that in Acts of the Apostles with the Christian communist community led by Peter in Jerusalem.  But, of course, no community is ever pure, and we get that sense here in Corinthians I.

Paul reminds them that as fellows of Christ they’ll all take part in the final judgment on Judgment Day, so why are they suing each other?  How does this make them qualified for the big day.  I’ll just point out that this indicates Paul expects Judgment Day to be imminent.  He is, after all, telling still living/breathing people that they’ll be judges on that day.  His comments later on in this letter also indicates he feels that the Kingdom of Heaven truly is at hand.

Oh, and he says this nugget in 6:5: “I say this to shame you.”  Contrast that with 4:14: “I am writing this not to shame you, but to admonish you.”  OK, he’s changed topics, but I got a kick out of that contrast.

Paul shifts into sex talk.  He is deeply opposed to Christian morality.  Much Christian prudishness on sexual matters can be traced directly to Paul.  There is a little bit of it in Christ’s talks in the Gospel According to Matthew, but Paul makes it more clear. 

We’re all in body with Christ, according to Paul.  (For him, that transubstantiation thing ain’t no jive).  Therefore, when you engaged in bad sexual behavior after you’ve been baptized, you not only whore out yourself, but the entire community.  You whore out Christ himself.  He says, you make members of the community prostitute.  I’m not sure if he’s calling out literal prostitution or not.  I think not – that’s just a way for him to denounce all forms of sexual misconduct. 

But people must take care.  As Paul notes near the end of the chapter, “Your body is a temple.”  Huh.  So that’s’ where we get that phrase from.  I never would’ve guessed.  I figured it more likely came from an exercise book or something.  I never would’ve guessed that line came from Paul, whose pursuits are overwhelmingly heavenward than earthbound.  But Paul wants you to treat your body like a temple – a religious temple – not to be defiled so you can join Christ when the Kingdom of Heaven comes to earth.

CHAPTER 7

Time to shift gears.  Paul now starts answering questions put to him by the Christians of Corinth.  Here, he talks about sex.  There is a bit of irony here: people are asking a lifelong celibate questions about sex.  He’d sure make an unlikely Dr. Ruth, wouldn’t he?  Well, of course they’re not approaching Paul as an expert on sex, but as an expert on morality, and he’ll deal with sex in that way.

Not surprisingly, Paul comes out in favor of celibacy.  He thinks that’s the best way to go.  (But wait – wouldn’t that end the species if too many did it?  Well, as well see as this book goes on, Paul doesn’t expect the world we live in to last much longer anyway.  The kingdom of heaven is always imminent for him).

At any rate, Paul says that’s the best way to go, but not everyone is designed that way.  So for everyone else, Paul recommends marriage.  Get married and have sex inside the bounds of matrimony.  Showing his bias (and lack of experience), Paul makes it sounds like a chore – saying both husband and wife should do their duty to each other.  Well, to be fair, he’s responding to Corinthians who are asking if they should totally abstain from sex within the marriage.  After all, they know Paul is a fan of celibacy.  But no – Paul thinks that is a bridge too far.  If you’re married, have at it.  That’s a major justification for marriage, after all. 

He actually let’s loose this memorable line: “A wife does not have authority over her own body, but rather her husband.”  Wait – am I reading that correctly?  Is Paul saying that the husband has control over his wife’s body?  So far Paul has been fairly progressive on gender relations.  Well, the next sentence softens it up and Paul says the same thing, just with genders reversed: “and similarly a husband does not have authority over his own body, but rather his wife.”  Whatever he means by that exactly, Paul is saying the same for both genders. 

Oh, and Paul clearly indicates that he is in fact celibate here.  Just so we’re aware of that.

Moving on, Paul says that if you’re married to someone outside the faith, that’s cool.  You don’t have to separate from them.  He never quite goes so far as to say to marry outside the faith – remember this is a new Christian community and the members are converts, not born into it.  Still, once you’ve allowed marriages outside the faith, it can justify people marrying those of different religions. 

That said, Paul also is fine with unbelievers separating from a believer.  If the person wants out, let them out.  Paul supports divorce!  He doesn’t want Christians initiating divorce – and his talk of divorce only applies to those outside the faith – but he is supporting divorce under these circumstances.  That is surprising.

Paul also flatly denounces circumcision: “Circumcision means nothing, and uncircumcision means nothing.”  He was more polite about it in Romans.  He never was this harsh about it there, just saying it’s not the main point.  Here?  It’s crap. 

He also advises virgins to stay virgins, and widows to stay widows.  Really, Paul looks down on sex in general. 

And his reason for that becomes clear as we near the end of the chapter: “I tell you, brothers, that time is running out.  .  .  .  For the world in its present form is passing away.”  That’s remarkable.  Not only does he predict that the world will end soon – but that the world has already begun it end.  He isn’t just saying that the end is near, he’s saying we’re actually in the process of ending.  This actually explains a lot of his beliefs.  After all, if the world would survive 2,000 more years and more, then it really helps to allow for sex.  (I mean, he does allow for sex – but he puts conditions on it and says you’re better off avoiding it).  Oh, I like this line: “So then, the one who marries his virgin does well; the one who does not marry her will do better.”  That’s just a well-stated expression of Paul’s beliefs.

CHAPTER 8

This is a quick chapter dealing with more questions the Corinthians have.  This deals with eating meat sacrificed to idols. Paul doesn’t denounce it nearly as strongly as I was expecting.  (I’m not entirely sure he actually denounced it at all – I had trouble paying attention to this chapter).  He does say, “Now food will not bring us closer to God.  We are now worse off if we do not eat, nor are we better off if we do.”  Nitpicking: at a certain point in time, you’re actually clearly better off eating. No reason to starve. (Yeah, I know Paul isn’t calling for starvation, but that’s all I got for this chapter). 

Click here for the second half of Corinthians I.

Corinthians I main page

Chapters 1 to 8
Chapters 9 to 16

Romans: Chapters 9 to 16

Click here for the first half of Romans.

CHAPTER 9

Paul tells us he has nothing against Jews.  He feels bad for them because they rejected Jesus.  He appreciates the patriarchs, but as far as Paul is concerned, “not all who are of Israel are Israel, nor are they all children of Abraham because they are his descendents.”   No, you’re only a true child of Abraham have faith, not if you follow the rules.

I had a little trouble getting the argument at first, but basically he’s taking his circumcision argument one step further.  Earlier he faith now rule abiding is what it’s all about – circumcision of the heart, not of the genitalia.  Now he applies it to people.  You’re not a real member of the community unless you have the faith, but if you don’t, then you’re not really among the chosen.  Just as it is with circumcision, so is it with human beings.

Oh, and so it stands to reason that you don’t have to be a Jew to be among God’s chosen.  Righteousness is based on faith.  Paul even quotes a few prophets on the matter, like Hosea and Isaiah to back him on this.

CHAPTER 10

It’s just more of the same points reinforced.   Faith is the supreme thing.  As a result, “there is no distinction between Jew and Greek.”  Paul is really hammering away at this theme.  That let’s us know two things.  First, it is a belief he deeply held.  Second, it is a message he felt the Romans really needed to hear.  I’d take this as a sign that the early Roman Christian community was made up of Jewish converts and Gentile converts, and there was some definite friction there.

Oh, and he justifies the fact that God isn’t just for Jews any more by pointing out some prophecies and quotations from the Old Testament about what a “disobedient and contentious people” they are.   To be fair, he could drive that point home a lot more if he wanted to (there is, after all, tons of things like that in the Old Testament).  I get the feeling Paul is just trying to knock down any sense of Jewish entitlement in the Roman Christian community, not trying to demonize them altogether.  After all, if he wanted to be nastier, he could produce tons more quotes along those lines.  (But of course, in centuries after Paul, Christians could use Paul’s references to Jewish disobedient and contentious nature and use that as a justification for anti-Semitism.

CHAPTER 11

After some occasional digs at Jews over the previous chapters, Paul tells us that God hasn’t rejected his people. “Of course not!  For I too am an Israelite.”  That said, things aren’t hunky dory.  Paul never says this directly, but he’s essentially saying that God hasn’t rejected the Jews, but many have rejected God.  Paul brings up examples from the Old Testament of how prophets were rejected or mistreated – but God always left a holy element among them.  So Paul isn’t against Jews all the time, but he does have problems with many of them. 

That’s bleak and nasty – but then I think back to Acts of the Apostles and all the incidents he’d gone through before he wrote this letter.  Short version: he’d go into a town, preach about Christ in a synagogue, find most of the Jews upset at him, and be forced out of town – and I do mean forced.  It wasn’t always Jewish believers doing it to him, but it usually was.

In general, Paul has a negative view of human nature now.  He says some were elect, but the rest hardened to God.  He’s talking just of the Israelites, but you can see the stirrings of Calvinist pessimism about human nature. 

Paul continues to talk trash about the Jews noting, “through their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make [the Jews] jealous.”  That’s a curious way of looking at it.  If Jews had just been more faithful, God would’ve ignored the Gentiles?  That is actually a rather nasty statement about God.  He was content to let his prize little pony get the glory, but only when it misbehaved did he start caring for his other horses.  I hope I’m misinterpreting that line a bit.

That said, Paul does tack away from this a bit.  He warns his congregation to not be upset with Jews.  Don’t think you’re better than they are just because you’ve found Christ and they haven’t. He flatly says, “do not become haughty” for if you do, you’ll be making the exact same mistake they did.  If you become haughty, you will lead yourself on the path away from God.  Essentially, Paul is trying to keep the anti-Semitism latent in his theology just that – merely theological anti-Semitism, not over “Fuck Jews” anti-Semitism.  Paul says the God turned to the Gentiles because the Jews misbehaved, so if we Christians misbehave, what’s going to prevent God from doing something similar?  Hmmm – that’s a decent point by Paul.

CHAPTER 12

This has one of my favorite passages of the Bible so far – and I’m 90% the way through the Bible so far.  Here it is: “Let love be sincere, hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.  Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, and serve the Lord.  Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, preserve in prayer.  Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.”  Yeah, that’s a mighty not over life philosophy. 

It’s impossible to live up to (I sure don’t – even if you ignore the religious part of it).  But people trying to live up to this statement can go a long way to explain the success of Christianity.  It’s not just the blood of the martyrs – it’s the actions of your Christian neighbors.  (Alternately, people have left some churches – most notably the Catholic Church – in droves in recent years/decades because they don’t see churches act like it.  Francis is a return to this attitude so far, which is why he’s been a great Pope thus far). 

In fact, Paul goes even further, telling people to bless their persecutors, and so on.  The entire second half of this chapter is great stuff.

Oh, and later on, Paul gives us one of the Bible’s most famous quotes: “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  The interesting part is that this quote of Paul is Paul quoting someone else.  Just before that line, he notes, “For it is written, `Vengeance is mine.’”  He doesn’t say where it is written, and now it’s famous as his quote.  It doesn’t appear previously in the Bible.

Actually, I remember that quote from the movie The Dirty Dozen.  Telly Savales quotes is when talking to Lee Marvin to justify his murder of a prostitute, claiming he was a tool the Lord called on to take vengeance.

CHAPTER 13

This is the shortest chapter in the book (14 verses) but contains a few lines that upend pretty much every political use people make of Christianity in the modern world.

First, Paul tells us not to rock the boat politically, saying: “Let every person be subordinate to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been established by God.  Therefore, whoever resists authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who oppose it will bring judgment upon themselves.”  You can use that line to oppose everything from Martin Luther King Jr. to Operation Rescue.

Of course, Paul doesn’t have modern American political culture in mind when he wrote that.  He’s thinking of the Roman Empire.  Don’t mess with Rome is Paul’s message.  He’s expecting Christ’s return to come sooner rather than later, so don’t worry about day-to-day stuff in the meantime. 

In fact, he goes on to specifically instruct Christians to pay their taxes without complaint.  In the debate over what Christ meant in his “Rend unto Caesar” line, Paul pretty clearly supports the point of view that we’re supposed to give the money back if the government wants it. 

The rationale for all of this is simple – the End of Time is coming.  And when that happens, who cares about these little, piddling things?

CHAPTER 14

Vegetarians are weaklings.  No, really – Paul pretty much says that. 

He starts off this chapter noting, “Welcome anyone who is weak in faith, but not for disputes over opinions.  One person believes that one may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables.  The one who eats must not despise the one who abstains.” 

Paul is talking about accepting into the church those who believe they must follow certain laws.  Paul has already made clear that he thinks its not about following edicts that gets you into heaven, but faith.  But hey – for some people, following edicts helps reinforce their faith.  They’re a little weak in faith unless they have some structure to hold on to.  So accept those people and the rules they bind themselves to.  It’s an interesting reversal.  Normally you think of people with the most stringent rules they force upon themselves as the strongest – they make themselves uphold these standards – but Paul reverses that.  If you’re really strong, you don’t need the stringent rules.

This is a plea for tolerance.  Accept those who have different practices than yourself, because that’s not what it’s all about.  It’s all about faith, after all.  I get the feeling that Paul wouldn’t make much of a Catholic, but would like the Reformation. 

In fact, Paul goes far enough to even apply this logic to the Sabbath itself: “For one person considers one day more important than another, while another person considers all days alike.  Let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind.”  There you go – a Biblical justification for ignoring the Sabbath.  Mind you, it’s one of the 10 Commandments, but Paul apparently isn’t messing around with this notion that it’s all about faith, not rules.

For Paul, it’s all about the big picture – faith, not rules.  In fact, he sounds positively Buddhist at times as he notes, “If your brother is being hurt by what you eat, your conduct is no longer in accord with love.  Do not because of your food destroy him for whom Christ died.”  I’m reminded of the Buddhist notion that it’s OK to take part in other religious ceremonies, because they are all different ways of knowing the eternal truth, and you’re just being part of the community anyway.  (I just did a bad job describing their approach, but oh well).

This is a wonderful chapter about the need for tolerance.  You don’t tolerate just for the sake of getting along, but in order to show your love for your fellow man – and love is the central guiding point for human conduct.

CHAPTER 15

Paul is winding down, urging patience and self-denial while noting God’s fidelity and mercy.

Then he begins his conclusion.  Most notably, he tells people he’s going to Jerusalem.  OK, so that’s why this letter is typically dated to around 56-58 AD, it’s in the period just before he worked his way backwards and then was placed under arrest.  He says he’s going to Jerusalem to give donations to the church there, which is interesting – because he sure sounded bleak on his way to Jerusalem in Acts. 

As for your historical what-if, Paul is hoping to go to Spain to help start the church there, and he plans to visit the gang in Rome along the way.  He’ll make it to Rome – but while under arrest, and there he will die. He’ll never make it to Spain.

CHAPTER 16

This reads like an Academy Awards speech, as Paul just thanks many individuals for their service. There is one notable feature: many of those thanked are women.  In fact, the first line is, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister who is [also] a minister of the church at Cenchreae” (brackets in the original).  Not only is a woman the first person he thanks – but he specifically says she is a minister.  Huh.  So in the early church, gender wasn’t a barrier to office and position.  That makes sense – it’s all about having the Holy Spirit and your personal faith.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

There are a lot of interesting things here in theology.  Paul goes as hard as he can for faith over all else, including the laws of Moses.  It’s not as exciting a reading as the Bible books that tell stories, but Paul is a good writer, and if you dig into it, what he says makes plenty of sense.

Click here to begin Corinthians I.