PAUL AND THE RHETORIC OF REVERSAL: KERYGMATIC ...

With Ciampa, Rosner suggests that somehow the section as a whole (indeed all of 4:18-
7:40) is about the problem of sexual immorality; and that the section on lawsuits
represents a (digressionary?) exploration of the related problem of greed. 130 This
perspective is shared by Hall. 131
In favour of seeing an overall unity to the themes of chapters 5–6 is the fact that the theme
of “judging”, which is prominent in 5:1-13 (where the congregation is called to exercise
appropriate judgement in relation to the individual case of sexual immorality) continues
into the section on lawsuits (where the Christian community is called to exercise
competent judgement). Indeed, Thiselton observes that the target of Paul’s accusation in
chapter 5 is the Corinthian church for its pride, rather than the particular man for his sin. 132
This problem of Corinthian pride then appears to lie behind the subsequent problem of
lawsuits (cf. Paul’s retort: “I say this to shame you”) and the ensuing discussion of sexual
immorality (cf. the Corinthian slogan: “Everything is lawful for me!”). So each section of
chapters 5–6 appears to involve the repudiation of Corinthian pride:
5:1-13: Repudiation of Corinthian pride in an act of sexual immorality that has brought
impurity to the community
6:1-11: Repudiation of Corinthian pride in greedily making unjust gain at each other’s
expense
6:12-20: Repudiation of Corinthian pride in (probably feast-related) sexual indulgence
I suggested earlier that Paul counters the problem of proud, present-obsessed human
autonomy in Corinth with the message of the cross of Christ in chapters 1–4; a corrective
which he then applies ethically in chapters 5–14, following an observable movement of
Pauline moral argumentation from sexual immorality, greed, and impurity of bodies to
mutuality and love within the body of Christ.
130 Ciampa and Rosner, “Structure and Argument”.
131 Hall, Unity, 36, note 21.
132 Anthony C. Thiselton, “The Meaning of Sarx in 1 Corinthians 5:5: A Fresh Approach
in the Light of Logical and Semantic Factors,” SJT 26 (1973): 204-27. See also
Chrysostom, who notes that the congregation is at fault for boasting in this person, who
may be one of the “wise” of the congregation: Homily 15 on 1 Corinthians; PG 61.122.
108