B111 New Testament
Task: B
Rebecca Chambers
1st March 2016
Explore how the use of the body metaphor in the ancient world impacts interpretation and application of Paul’s body of Christ motif in 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, proposing at least one implication for the church today.

Word Count: 1500

Contents Introduction 3 Historical context of Paul’s writings 3 Why Paul wrote his letter to the Church of Corinth 4 Body metaphor in the Ancient World 5 Interpretation, application and implication of 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 6 Conclusion 7 Bibliography 8

Introduction
“Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.” (1 Cor 12:12). This essay will explain how Paul’s body of Christ motif was informed by the body metaphor in the ancient world. It will also explore how it was applied to the church of Corinth and understood by them in their contemporary cultural setting. Furthermore, it will examine the reason for Paul writing this epistle at the time, focusing on his desire to cultivate a more Christocentric community in Corinth. Lastly it will draw on the ancient texts that influenced Paul’s writing on the body of Christ and look at the implications of this for the Church today.

Historical context of Paul’s writings
Paul was an outstanding leader of the early Church and a person of many gifts. He was the leading missionary and theological teacher of his time and through his letters was the most prolific contributor to the writings in the New Testament. He exercised apostolic authority throughout churches of the Roman Empire and because of this his authority was regularly challenged, most prominently in Corinth. The city of Corinth revolved around religion in Paul’s time, but the society was also highly influenced by how affluential each person was. He was desperately trying to get them to stray away from being people of the World, and instead to be people of God who were not controlled by status and material things.
“Paul was the product of the confluence of three cultural orientations – Jewish, Hellenistic Greek, and Roman. It is easy to see why he would be so influenced by all three”. This shows how Paul already had an understanding of the prominent religions of the time which aided the imagery he used to be relevant in his body of Christ metaphor. As well as this Paul had a real understanding and awareness of the Corinthian culture having previously spent time there, which shows in how heartfelt his letters can be, ‘I always thank my God for you’ (1 Cor 1:4). Challenging the church is not Paul’s only motive, he also wishes to encourage their efforts and see them grow. This is why he is so blunt with the use of his body metaphor, not to discourage them, but instead to see them grow in their relationships with Christ and each other.

Why Paul wrote his letter to the Church of Corinth
1 Corinthians was not Paul’s first letter to the people of Corinth, as shown through ‘I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people’ (1 Cor 5:9), however ‘0 Corinthians’ was never put into the Bible as it wasn’t considered Canon. Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in Ephesus somewhere around AD54 in response to a letter he received from them. There were a few main factors prompting him to do so, some of these being; an oral report from “Chloe’s people”, the letter that the Church wrote to Paul (1 Cor 7:11), and that some Corinthians had wanted Apollos to visit, but as he did not want to go, sending a letter was the most viable option. It would make sense for Paul to have semi-regular contact with the Church as he was such a renowned theological speaker of the time, and he was actually the one who planted the church somewhere between AD49 and AD51 (Acts 18). However, the letters that Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church were not the only contact that was made between them. Paul visited more than once and even wrote them another letter after his visit in-between first and second Corinthians (2 Cor 2:1, 2 Cor 2:4).
The correspondence Paul had with Corinth show evidence of the depth of the difficulties within the Church. In 1 Corinthians he deals with a vast range of very serious pastoral problems, including “divisions in the church, sexual immorality and incest, lawsuits between fellow Christians, marriage and divorce, eating food previously sacrificed to idols, financial support for Christian ministries, disorderly behaviour at the Lord’s Supper, misuse of spiritual gifts in worship and heretical views on the resurrection.” Although there are a lot of negative points, Paul wanted to show praise as well for what God had already done in their lives (1 Cor 1:4-9, 1 Cor 6:11).
It is clear that there were many problems within the Church at the time that Paul was in contact with them which is why he gave them a detailed explanation of his body of Christ metaphor. 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 is where Paul likens the parts of the body to the members of Christs Church. This is done in a way that shows how each and every part is there and holds such importance that without it the body would not work to its full potential. ‘On the contrary, those part of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour’ (1 Cor 12:22-23).

Body metaphor in the Ancient World
‘The Belly and the Members’ is a fable dating back to somewhere around 494BC. It was told by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, a Roman general, to the Plebians who were revolting against the Senate. He likened the Plebians to the parts of the body and told them that if they were to go on strike, then the whole state would crumble. “If the parts of the body rose up against the stomach, would not the body die by the worst of all deaths; starvation?” Agrippa’s main point was that the body was turning against the stomach as they thought is did nothing, “This deliberative argument against seditions speaks of a revolt of the hands, mouth, and feet against the stomach, which weakens the whole body.” In contrast to this, Paul uses the body metaphor in a completely different way, “Paul’s use of the argument moves in precisely the opposite direction. He urges the strong (probably the well-to-do) to give more honor and respect to the weak, and so cease their factious behaviour.”
It is clear that the Body Metaphor was used at least 500 years before Paul wrote 1 Corinthians, it is hard to believe that Paul was influenced solely by those who used it before him. There are some similarities between the Body Metaphor and Paul’s Body of Christ because they both signify the need for unity. Although these similarities exist, Paul could not have used the Body Metaphor in the ancient texts as his only influence, for this undermines the authority of Scripture being God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16).

Interpretation, application and implication of 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
Due to the Body Metaphor in the ancient world and Paul’s body of Christ motif in 1 Corinthians being similar in wording, yet so vastly different in meaning, both can be easily misinterpreted in today’s society. This can happen when you compare one to the other without taking into account the context of them both.
“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (1 Cor 12:27). Although this Scripture was not written directly to each individual member of the Church, the body of Christ motif can be applied to today’s Church in many different ways. It shows how a congregation needs to pull together and work to each other’s strengths. This is true, especially in youth work, as it is important for each member to be integral and show support towards one another in every thing they do, no matter what their strengths may be. Self-awareness and self-confidence at that age is normally low and one duty of the Church leaders is to make sure no set of skills gets missed. “And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?” (1 Cor 12:28-30). There is never going to be a single person in Church that has every gift, this is why it is crucial for a Church family to work together and each use their given gift to the benefit of the Church.
Conclusion
Paul’s use of the body of Christ motif in 1 Corinthians is similar in text to Agrippa’s body metaphor, yet not so similar in meaning. It is clear that Paul would have known about and drawn on Agrippa’s text when writing his letter to Corinth, although it could not have been his only source. When interpreting the body of Christ motif in today’s society it is important to draw on Agrippa’s text to get an outlining of the context surrounding Paul’s text. The modern Church needs to take action on Paul’s motif and start applying it to the way their congregations go about working alongside one another and each using their God given gifts for the growth of God’s Kingdom. Paul’s overall purpose of this letter is to exhort the Church to grow in love for one another, not considering themselves as a hierarchy.

Bibliography

Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 6.86.1-5; Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 2.32.1-12.
Selman, J., Martin and Martin, H., Manser, Bible A-Z, Glasgow, HarperCollinsPublishers, 2004.
Witherington, Ben III, Conflict & community in Corinth, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995.

--------------------------------------------
[ 1 ]. Martin J. Selmon and Martin H. Manser (eds.), Bible A-Z: People, Places and Concepts Demystified, Glasgow: HarperCollinsPublishers, 307-309.
[ 2 ]. Ben Witherington III, Conflict & community in Corinth, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1.
[ 3 ]. Selman and Manser, Bible A-Z, 72-73.
[ 4 ]. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Roman Antiquities 6.86.1-5; Livy, Ab Urbe Condita 2.32.1-12.
[ 5 ]. Witherington, Conflict and Community, 254.
[ 6 ]. Witherington, Conflict and Community, 254.