Corinthians Exegesis, Essay Example

1. If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal (The New Oxford Annotated Bible, 1 Corinthians 13:1).

2. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing (NSRV, 2010).

3. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, a but do not have love, I gain nothing (NSRV, 2010).

4. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful (NRSV, 2010).

Corinthian refers first and foremost to the port of Corinth in Greece, but then to the Corinthian order, which was an ancient order of Greek and Roman architects. The Corinthians of The New Testament refers to the first epistle, or letter, to the Corinthian people. It is the seventh book of the New Testament of the Bible. In 50s C.E., Apostle Paul wrote and distributed 1 Corinthians to the churches of Corinth, located in the capital of Achaia near southern Greece It is understood by the majority of theologians that Paul is the author of the Corinthians, but as the book is considered to be one of the most quoted text of The New Testament, there is some debate over the proper interpretation of many of the passages.

1.

The ability to speak foreign languages back when The Bible was written was viewed as a unique and valuable skill. Among the Corinthians, the ability to speak a foreign language was regarded as one of the highest honors an individual could achieve, it was considered so valued within the society that the church itself felt an obligation to promote the pursuit and appreciation of love which is why Quast notes the rest of the passage focuses on the concept of love and it’s value overall. “In the present age, spiritual gifts such as prophecy, tongues, and knowledge afford us incomplete and indirect access to God (Quast 1994).” This passage also implies an understanding of the language of Angels. Horsley suggests that the use of the word ‘angels’ in this passage denotes one’s ability to speak the highest level of language imaginable. “As the mystical theologian Philo explained, knowledge of God by the rational mind alone is imperfect (Horsley 1998).”This concept that the rational mind was imperfect contributed to a deeper belief that angels are superior over human beings, so their use of language will be more eloquent.  Must be far superior to that which is employed by man. As man is imperfect, so are  all his methods of communication, so it’s understood that angels are as near perfection as man can understand, and to be able to speak in their language implies one is able to speak perfectly. I regard the meaning of this passage to imply that people are only as valuable as the value they have for others. The way ‘love’ is interpreted according to most Christian theologians is duplicitous and complex. Here it is identified as an openness or a willingness to embrace the wants and needs of others. This is an act that must be done through listening to one’s fellow man. The use of symbolism like, “I am a noisy gong, or clanging symbol,” is an effective way of communicating that one ho speaks over their fellow man is no different than a senseless object void of value or meaning. Thiselton interprets the line as meaning, “without love I would merely be an ancient megaphone, an acoustic resonator or a resonating, reverberating acoustic jar (Thiselton 2006) .” He goes on to note that, “On the other hand, the cymbal that reverberates is a shallow, metallic, rounded dish struck against its partner to produce a crash or clang (Thiselton 2006).” This use of sound producing symbols paralleled with the human vocal chords recognizes the nature of song verses noise. Thiselton talks about the concept of reverberation noting that often the things we say echoes, bounce and clash off others in a way that has an effect or influence despite having no real value. This is similar to what Paul is touching on in that he wants the reader to realize what one says and does in life is noticed, but without Christian love, it has no value.

2.

This passage refers to the secrets of religion, which God had yet to reveal. I perceive this passage to mean one is capable of having the world, but if he doesn’t have love, he doesn’t have anything of real value. There is an implication here that an empty void life is the just results of one who endeavors to live without God. It is just because without God, how could a life be complete? “That love does not rejoice in lawlessness introduces into the encomium on love the idea of justice (Collins et al. 1999).” Of course implied in this passage is the love of God, and not the love of another human being, even though both are classified within the text.  These ancient and deep truths of religion, which are widely kept a secret, passed on through the understanding of certain emblems and relics, knowledge of this ancient material is as sacred as the materials themselves. The acquisition of knowledge alone is not enough to reach salvation. No knowledge should be placed before God. This is a bold statement because there are contemporary ideals that can be interpreted as trying to take the place of God. The core concept here is that even with all of the secrets of the world in one’s possession, they are of no use without a relationship with God.

3.

Here again a value is placed on love, Pauls’s focus on agape love of what’s recognized as triad Christian virtues is presented effectively in this passage. Paul identifies himself as a gift to God, noting that one can give away all of their possessions, but never to give one’s self away, because that is the greatest gift belonging to God.  Pascuzzi notes that by, “using himself as a hypothetical example, Paul asserts that without love the exercise of gifts is futile and empty (Pascuzzi 2005).” Miscommunication among the Corinthian people where people were divided and envious of one another, there was much conflict. Clarke argues this was evidence that there was a severe need for the love of God in Corinth, and he believes this passage by Paul was the Apostles attempt at aspiring his people to new heights, specifically to lead them back to the love of God. The theme of love remains prevalent throughout Corinthians, with the core message being as Quast puts it, “The exercise of loveless faith is hollow. Giving to others, even to the point of bodily sacrifice, profits no one if it is not motivated by love (Quast 1994).” Paul’s main goal in writing and distributing Corinthians was to combat against what he identified as a state of loveless faith in the church. Much of the loveless behavior that he constantly refers to throughout the letter of Corinthians are noted in the New Oxford Annotated Bible, “The positive qualities of love are the opposite of the Corinthians’ behavior presented elsewhere in the letter (“Commentary on 1 Corinthians”, 2012).” He goes on to take the position that “While the New Testament uses both words to describe bonds between people as well as between God and people, agape was favored for describing Christian love (Quast 1994).” This emphasis was made despite the fact that Paul lived a celibate life as he has a keen understanding of sexual love and the temptations that were challenging the church goers of Corinth. Due to Paul’s poetic interpretation of the nature of agape love for God, and his ability describe it in a way that coexists in a world with human romantic love as opposed to one that opposes it, his words have been adopted as the core tenants shaping the foundation of much Christian theology to date.

4.

Each word is communicates a theological concept that is important to the passage. Love in this context expresses agape love. The main goal of this passage is to distinguish the difference between romantic love and Christian love. A key difference the passage identifies is the concept of jealousy. As Collins notes, “That love is not jealous is particularly important in a community where jealousy and rivalry are present (3:3) (Collins et al. 1999).” This type of love is between one and God which is more invested in judgment and deliberate choice than emotional love, known as philein. Another similar aspect that both romantic love and Christian love have in common is the skill of patience. The Thiselton puts patience in perspective when he says, “Christians are to respect and care for those who may not seem attractive or like us in their culture, gender, race, or concerns, but are fellow believer or humans beings on whom God has set his love (Thiselton 2006)” These are advanced concepts of love that require modern understanding of how to truly appreciate and respect fellow human beings. At the time Paul was writing this, he felt a sever condemnation towards the Corinthians as there had been widespread conflict, prostitution, and other immoral behavior. In this passage Paul describes what love is as much as he attacks all of the criteria of that which it is not. Pascuzzi notes that, “Thus Paul´s list of negatives is not merely a poetic extolling of the abstract notion of love but a rather pointed indictment of the Corinthians´ behavior (Pascuzzi 2005).” The word ‘suffer’ entails to enduring some type of trial or tribulation, or going through a challenging time. Envy stems from   One interpretation of this passage is that, “Love never gives up and never loses faith.” This interpretation can only be true if the passage is viewed in terms of Agape love and not romantic, as romantic love obviously fades.

Conclusion

In sum, regardless of how these passages are interpreted, or even the political or historical setting in which they were constructed they have stood the test of time as valued parts of the New Testament. Corinthians has lasted long after the community of Corinth, and it has done so through the promotion of love and humility, especially in regards to how one views their relationship with God. When his city was crumbling ready to tear away at the seams, Paul demanded redemption in the form of compassion for his fellow man and the embrace of God’s love. Numerous authors feel love was a core goal of Paul in producing Corinthians. These words are more than just testament to the Apostle Paul’s belief in the tenants of Agape, but in his true faith in the power of God to improve the overall quality of one’s life, once they have let him into their heart.

Bibliography

Collins, Raymond F., and Daniel J. Harrington. First Corinthians (Sacra Pagina Series). Michael Glazier, 1999.

“Commentary on 1 Corinthians.” In The New Oxford Annotated Bible. Oxford Biblical Studies Online, http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/book/obso-9780195288803/obso-9780195288803-div1-3969 (accessed 27-Sep-2012).

Horsley, Richard A. Abingdon New Testament Commentary – 1 Corinthians (Abingdon New Testament Commentaries). Abingdon Press, 1998.

Pascuzzi, Maria A. First and Second Corinthians: Pt. 7 (New Collegeville Bible Commentary). Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2005.

Quast, Kevin. Reading the Corinthian Correspondence: An Introduction. Mahwah: Paulist Press, 1994.

Thiselton, Anthony. 1 Corinthians: A Shorter Exegetical and Pastoral Commentary. : Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2006.

The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha.  Ed. Michael D. Coogan.  New York: Oxford UP, 2010. Print, NRSV.