Jeffrey R. Asher examines the themes of polarity and change in Paul's argument in 1 Corinthians 15:35-57. He demonstrates that Paul uses a didactic method of argumentation to demonstrate to some of the Corinthians that there will be a resurrection of the dead. Given the nature of Paul's argument, it is quite likely that certain members of the Corinthian church denied the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead because they believed that it is impossible for a terrestrial body to be raised to the celestial realm. In addition they considered the two cosmic realms to constitute a polarity. Using a didactic method of accommodation in verses 35-49, Paul demonstrates to these Corinthian intellectuals that the doctrine of the resurrection complies with the polarity that exists between the celestial and terrestrial realms. In verses 50-57, he corrects their false conclusion regarding the resurrection by showing that the body will be changed to conform with the strictures of heavenl y existence.

This work re-examines the divisive wisdom that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians. Challenging the recent consensus that the Corinthians' wisdom was rooted primarily in the Greco-Roman rhetorical tradition, Timothy A. Brookins offers a revisionary thesis centered on discourse similarities between the perspective of the Corinthian 'wise' and the Stoic system of thought. Brookins argues that several members of the church, after hearing Paul's initial gospel message, construed that message in terms of Stoic philosophy and began promoting a kind of 'Stoic-Christian' perspective that helped to precipitate divisions in the church. Being apprised of their views, Paul then exploited the 'Stoic' discourse of his opponents in order to sustain common discursive ground. In addition to providing a fresh synthesis of the data in 1 Corinthians, Brookins brings in cutting-edge research on the ancient economy as he explores questions related to philosophical education and social status within the church community.

Kai-Hsuan Chang engages with the longstanding scholarly debate concerning the development of Paul's resurrection theology, by investigating the correlation between his bodily experiences and his diverse articulations about resurrection. Drawing on insights from cognitive linguistics, Chang considers Paul's ideas about resurrection as fundamentally grounded in recurrent patterns of bodily experience, arguing that such experience of some religious activities in Paul's time-death rites, spirit possession, and baptism-contributed to the formation and development of his resurrection theology. Chang demonstrates that developments in Paul's ideas about “bodily transformation at resurrection” - reflected in 1 Corinthians 15 - resulted from a change in the experiential patterns on which his new idea is constructed, rather than “transformation during heavenly ascent” as seen in Jewish traditions of resurrection. He thus applies cognitive linguistic tools to two considerations; first, whether Paul had contextual reasons to generate his innovation in 1 Corinthians 15, and second, whether Paul's innovation recurred or had continual effects in Christian groups. In so doing, Chang shows that Paul's innovation directly addressed a contextual issue of death rites in Corinth and exerted a continuing effect on Paul's later ideas of transformation, spirit possession, and baptism.

This series will publish monographs and collected essays on topics concerning religious experience in antiquity. Volumes in this series will address a diverse array of religious experiences and movements, and particular expressions of religious experience, such as ecstatic trances, magic, healing, prophecy, divination, and dreams, as well as other phenomena that contribute to the scholarly exploration of religious experience. Methods will range widely, encompassing contemporary sociological, anthropological, and psychological approaches to religious experience, as well as historical analysis of textual, archaeological, and artistic evidence. Image: "firefox", 2007 (c) Elliot R. Wolfson - homepages.nyu.edu/ erw1

This book advances the interpretation of 1 Corinthians by exploring the ways the apostle Paul quoted or “echoed” Jewish scriptures more indirectly in his letter. Identification of allusions are brought to the fore, as are questions of the texture of Paul’s theology and his understanding of scripture. Important topics in 1 Corinthians addressed here include Paul’s use of the Law, monotheism, Christology, wisdom and mystery language, punishment of the incestuous man, baptism for the dead, eschatology, and resurrection.

This study offers a fresh approach to reception historical studies of New Testament texts, guided by a methodology introduced by ancient historians who study Graeco-Roman educational texts. In the course of six chapters, the author identifies and examines the most representative Pauline texts within writings of the ante-Nicene period: 1Cor 2, Eph 6, 1Cor 15, and Col 1. The identification of these most widely cited Pauline texts, based on a comprehensive database which serves as an appendix to this work, allows the study to engage both in exegetical and historical approaches to each pericope while at the same time drawing conclusions about the theological tendencies and dominant themes reflected in each. Engaging a wide range of primary texts, it demonstrates that just as there is no singular way that each Pauline text was adapted and used by early Christian writers, so there is no homogeneous view of early Christian interpretation and the way Scripture informed their writings, theology, and ultimately identity as Christian.

This book examines why Paul waits until the end of his letter to the Corinthians before mentioning the important theme of resurrection.