Grace
Theological Journal 11.1 (1991) 53-70
Copyright © 1991 by Grace
Theological Seminary. Cited with permission.
1 CORINTHIANS 7:29-31 AND THE
TEACHING OF CONTINENCE IN THE
ACTS OF PAUL AND THECLA
W. EDWARD
GLENNY
This study purposes to
present the meaning of 1 Cor 7:29-31 in its
original literary context and then to contrast that meaning with its
application in The Acts of Paul and Thecla.
This contrast is the basis for a critique of Dennis Ronald
MacDonald's theory that The Acts of Paul preserve aspects of Pauline
teaching which should be considered on a level with the Pastoral
Epistles; MacDonald implies that The Acts of Paul
are closer to the
primitive Pauline teaching on the role of women than the Pastorals are.
The supposed similarity of the teaching on marriage in 1 Cor
Thecla is a crucial link in MacDonald's argument that The Acts of
Paul reflect primitive Pauline teaching.
This study of 1 Cor 7:29-31
proposes, however, that the teaching of The Acts of Paul and Thecla
concerning marriage is closer to the doctrine of the opponents of Paul
in 1 Corinthians, than it is to the teaching of Paul in 1 Cor 7:29-31.
* * *
INTRODUCTION
EVEN the
casual reader of The Acts of Paul is struck by the
author's emphasis on sexual continence. This is an emphasis seen
most clearly in The Acts of
Paul and Thecla
where in Iconium, Paul
preaches "the word of God concerning continence and the resurrec-
tion."1 Some of the statements concerning purity and
continence in the
sermon are general and the exact application intended is unclear.
However, the sermon is summarized in a
series of beatitudes, which tie
1 Acts
of Paul and Thecla 5. All the quotations from The
Acts of Paul are taken from
Edgar Hennecke, New Testament Apocrypha, 2 vols., edited by Wilhelm Schneemelcher
and translated by R. McL. Wilson
(Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1965).
54
GRACE THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
the author's notion of purity to the matter of sexual continence.
According to the beatitudes those who are
married should refrain from
normal conjugal relations and live as if they are unmarried, and those
who are unmarried should remain pure and renounce marriage.
The
beatitude series shows a clear connection with Paul's teaching
in I Corinthians 72 and some similarity to the beatitudes
of Matthew 5
and Luke 6. The clearest similarity to I Corinthians 7 occurs in the
beatitude "Blessed are those who have wives as if they had them not,
for they shall inherit God." The phrase e@xontej gunai?kaj w[j mh>
e@xontej; is a
verbatim reproduction of I Cor 7:29b. Other
similarities
between Paul's sermon in The Acts
of Paul and Thecla
and I Corin-
thians 7 reinforce
this connection. In a later beatitude Paul declares
"Blessed are they who through love of
God have departed from the
form of this world, for they shall judge angels.3 The
Greek word
sxh?ma
("form") occurs only twice in the New Testament, in I Cor
and Phil 2:7, and the occurrence in I Cor
parison with The Acts of Paul and Thecla
since both texts employ
sxh?ma in
the construction, "the form of this world.4 Both the Corin-
thian and Theclan texts stress virginity and continence (or
self-control)
as key themes.5 This evidence supports Schneemelcher's conclusion
concerning the language in The Acts of
Paul . He states that
2 The Pauline authorship of I Corinthians is assumed throughout
this paper. See
Helmut Koester, Introduction to the New Testament, 2 vols. (
Press, 1982) 2:120-26; and Donald Guthrie,
New Testament Introduction (Downers
Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press,
1970):421-49 for discussion of Pauline authorship of
I
Corinthians. While the Pauline authorship of portions
of I Corinthians has been
questioned by some, I Corinthians 7 is seldom questioned. Winsome Munro, Authority
in Paul and Peter, SNTMS, 45
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983):80-81
questions the Pauline origin of I Cor 7: 17, 20,
24. Munro argues that these verses conflict
with the command for a slave to take advantage of the opportunity to
be free in verse 21.
This argument is not compelling because
Paul continually qualifies his teaching in
I Corinthians 7 and because, as S. Scott Bartchy, First
Century Slavery and I Cor
SBL Dissertation Series II (Missoula,
Montana: Society of Biblical Literature, 1973):
96ft". has shown, "there was no way that a
slave could refuse freedom-status if his master
decided to manumit him" (98). Munro argues further that elements of verses 17, 20, 24
resemble a stratum of material later than Paul. In light of the
consistency of these verses
with Paul's teaching throughout I Corinthians 7 and the lack of
textual support for a
later addition of these verses, this author has not found these
arguments compelling.
3 Acts
of Paul and Thecla 6.
4 The words modifying sxh?ma are not identical in both places (I Cor
sxh?ma tou? ko<smou tou<tou and APTh-tou? sxh<matoj tou? kosmikou?). Also I Corin-
thians states that
"the form of this world is passing away" while APTh
emphasizes the
blessedness of those "who have departed from the form of this world."It is interesting to
note that cognates of sxh?ma are also used in I Cor
5 The noun e]gkra<teia occurs four times in the New Testament (Acts 24:25, Gal
and two times in 2 Pet 1:6). The verb form is found only in I Cor 7:9 and
GLENNY: I
CORINTHIANS
The author's
language is uniform, and to a large extent that of the NT.
In
particular the Pastorals and Acts have been used, but so also have the
Gospels and Paul's letters. Here
however it is scarcely a question of
exact quotations, but rather of linguistic and
conceptual agreement on
the basis of a knowledge of the NT
literature.6
The
linguistic and conceptual agreement between I Corinthians 7
(especially vv.
29-31) and the beatitudes in The Acts of Paul
and
Thecla (5-7) indicates that the second century author of The Acts of
Paul and Thecla had knowledge of I Corinthians 7 and intentionally or
unintentionally used some of the concepts found in it. The similarity of
the general subject and especially of the words and phrases suggests
at
least a strong possibility that the second century author was directly
dependent on I Corinthians.
Whether The Acts of Paul and Thecla
depend directly on I Corin-
thians or not,
some scholars like Dennis Ronald MacDonald suggest
that The Acts of Paul and Thecla
preserve the teaching of I Cor 7:29-
31.7 MacDonald believes I Cor 7:29-31 and The
Acts of Paul and
Thecla reflect the "radical characteristics of apocalyptic
movements8
and teach "a renunciation of sex and marriage.9
This
connection between The Acts of Paul and Thecla and
I Corinthians is important for MacDonald's
thesis in his book, The
Legend and
the Apostle. In this work10 he argues that
several oral
legends lie behind The Acts of Paul
. MacDonald maintains that these
legends had social value for women, promoting the notions of women
teaching in the church and celibacy. He argues that the Pastoral
Epistles were written later to object to
the teaching of these legends and
to silence these women. The Pastorals were accepted as canonical by
the church and the legends were not;11 however, MacDonald
argues
that the church's image of Paul should not be shaped by the Pastorals
alone but also by the legends. In fact, the implication of his book is
that the legends in The Acts of
Paul are closer to the primitive Pauline
teaching than the Pastorals are.12
6 Hennecke, 2:348.
7 Dennis Ronald MacDonald, The Legend and
the Apostle (
8 Ibid., 44.
9 Ibid., 46.
10 MacDonald's theories are also found in his articles. Among them are "The Role of
in the Production of the Apocryphal Acts of Apostles," The Iliff Review 41
1984):21-38 and "Virgins, Widows and
Paul in Second Century
Seminar Papers 16 (1979):169-83.
11 MacDonald summarizes The Legend and the Apostle on 14-15.
12 Ibid., 97-103. On p. 98 MacDonald states
that "in many respects the legends stand
to the center of Paul's theology than do the Pastorals."
56 GRACE
THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
This paper
purposes to present the meaning of I Cor 7:29-31 in
its
original literary context and then contrast that meaning with its appli-
cation in The Acts of Paul and Thecla.
Then the implications of this
comparison for MacDonald's thesis will be noted.
PAUL'S OPPOSITION AT
The
opposition that Paul attacks throughout I Corinthians (7:1-
40 and 11:2-16 being the exceptions to
this combative spirit) is not
from outside the church but is rather promoted by key figures from
within (
in judgment on him (4:3) and had been favoring Apollos
(4:6; cf. 3:5).
The key issue at
especially chapters 12-14)14 and this is closely tied with the
subjects of
sophia (chapters
1-4) and gnosis (chapters 8-10). Two other more
basic theological problems, which surface in the epistle, are connected
with the confusion over spirituality inherent in a dualistic worldview
and an over-realized eschatology.
Walter
Schmithals15 and others have equated this dualism with
Gnosticism, yet since the only element
common between the situation
at
dualistic Corinthian worldview as a result of the assimilation of the
gospel to the Hellenistic environment of Corinth.16 The
over-realized
Corinthian eschatology is a matter closely
related to the dualism issue.
Anthony C. Thiselton
has demonstrated the existence of this latter
emphasis throughout I Corinthians17 and Fee seems to be correct
in
calling it "spiritualized eschatology," arguing that "from
their point of
13 Gordon Fee suggests that though the problems were initiated by a
few (
18-20; 9:3;
time I Corinthians was written (The First Epistle to the Corinthians,
NICNT [Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans,
1987]:8). The fact that the heavy fire of the epistle is addressed to the
whole church supports this latter fact.
14 Fee (10-11) shows the emphasis on this theme throughout the
epistle. Anthony C.
Thiselton's "Realized Eschatology at
demonstrates that "in every single section from the beginning of the
epistle to xiv. 40
there occurs evidence of both a realized eschatology and an
enthusiastic theology of the
Spirit on
the part of the Corinthians" (523). Bartchy, 128ff., has a helpful
development of
the problem also.
15 Walther Schmithals, Gnosticism in
16 F. F. Bruce, 1 and 2 Corinthians, New Century Bible Commentary (Grand
Rapids: Eerdmans,
1971):20-21. See the critique of the Gnostic explanation by R. McL.
65-74.
17 Anthony C. Thiselton, "Realized
Eschatology at
24 (1978):510-26.
GLENNY: 1
CORINTHIANS 7:29-31
57
view it would not so much be the 'time' of the future that has become
a
present reality for them, as the 'existence' of the future."18
The Spirit,
which they are experiencing in full measure belongs to the Eschaton,
thus they think they are living on a spiritual plane above the merely
material existence of this present age.19 The spiritual ones
may have
considered themselves to be as the angels (11:2-16; 13:1; cf. Luke
dead (
nificant (
dualism resulted in license and libertinism in the lives of some (5:1-2;
within marriage on the part of others (7:1-6).
Although he
contrasts their present existence with their past pre-
salvation experience (6:9-11; 8:7; 12:1-3), Paul drives home the idea
that they have not yet arrived, by contrasting their present existence
with the future (1:5-8; 3:13-15,17; 4:5;
5:5; 6:13-14; 7:26-31; 11:26,32;
alized
eschatology" at
tion which is still to come.
He corrected the dualism by emphasis on
the importance of the body in this age (chapters 5-7) and in the
future
(
teach what is true sofi<a (chapters 1-4), true gnw?sij (chapters 8-10)
and thus what it means to be 1tVEU!latt1COc; (chapters 11-14).
THE LITERARY CONTEXT OF I CORINTHIANS
The Apostle
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians from
8) during his more
than two years of ministry there (described in Acts
19:1-20:1).20 Paul had written a previous
letter to the Corinthians
warning them not to associate with immoral persons (mentioned in
1 Cor 5:9), but
this previous letter was either misunderstood or disre-
garded (I Cor
consisting of Stephanas, Fortunatus
and Achaicus, brought a series of
questions to Paul on behalf of the church (I Cor
received an oral report from the household of Chloe (I Cor
18 Fee,12.
19 lbid.
20 Koester, 2:114-16.
21 Fee (7) suggests, on the basis of the combatative
nature of I Corinthians, that the
responses of the Corinthians took exception with several of Paul's
positions or prohibi-
tions in his previous
letter. See also John Coolidge Hurd, The Origin of I
Corinthians
f (
tion): 50-58, on the
relationship between Paul and the Corinthians.
58 GRACE
THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
communicating disorders in the church at
suspicions raised by the prior visit of the Corinthian delegation, this
report served as the final cause for the writing of I Corinthians.22
The Structure of 1 Corinthians
There are four
main divisions of I Corinthians. After the introduc-
tion (1: 1-9), Paul
addresses the divisions and disorders in the church at
hold of Chloe, but also because they focus on the question of Paul's
authority which is a key issue in
issues brought up in chapters 5 and 6 were questions raised in the
church which tested Paul's authority, a matter which had been reas-
serted in chapters
1-4.23
The third
main division of 1 Corinthians (7:1-16:12) systematically
answers the questions that the Corinthians raised for Paul in their
letter to him (
introduced by the phrase, peri>
de< (7:1, 25; 8:1 [cf. 8:4]; 12:1; 16:1, 12)24
The epistle concludes with various
instructions to the church in
16:13-24.
The Structure and Argument of I
Corinthians 7
In this
chapter Paul addresses the first item in the letter the
Corinthians sent to him.25 Although the 1tEpi of. construction
in
("now
concerning virgins...") could be taken as a new section, the
whole chapter is united by the themes of marriage and sexual morality
and by the afterthought concerning "the unmarried and
widows" in
7:39, 40 which adds to earlier instruction
given this same group in 7:8,
9:6 Therefore, this study will approach
the chapter as a single unit
consisting of two parts.27 Furthermore, the purpose of the
chapter is
22 Fee (7, n. 18) remarks that "this order of events cannot be
proved. ..but it seems
to make good sense of the data. It also helps to make sense of the
apparent discrepancies
between what is really going on in the church and the 'official' stance
presented in their
letter (as, e.g. in 11:2)."
23 Fee, 194-95. See also Hurd, 89, n. 1. Compare especially
24 the exception being
25 Note the clause peri>
de> w#n
e]gra<yate in 7:1.
26 Hurd, 169 states that "in subject
matter the topic to which Paul responded in I Cor
7:25-38 is associated with that of the
preceding section. Both concern sexual morality.
The 1tEpi
of. in
separate from the preceding."
27 Fee, 268. See also Hurd,
154ff., on this whole issue.
GLENNY: 1
CORINTHIANS 7:29-31 59
not to be a summary of Paul's teaching on marriage;28 it
is rather
intended to address the errors concerning marriage at
I
Corinthians 7:1-24. Paul's instruction to the married in verses
1-7 is based upon the statement in verse 1b:
"It is good for a man not to
touch a woman.29 It is generally understood that "to
touch" is a
t euphemism for sexual intercourse and verses 2-7 indicate the
passage
is addressed to married couples. This statement (7:la)
is apparently a
quotation from the Corinthian letter, or at least it reflects the sentiment
of that letter.30 If it is from the Corinthians letter,
"it is good" (kalo<n)
introduces the notion that it is advantageous or utilitarian for a man
not to have sexual intercourse with his wife.31 Fee
argues that kalo<n
means "advantageous" or "utilitarian" on the basis
of 7:8,26,35, and
because if Paul was agreeing with the Corinthian slogan in 7:1b it is
most likely that that is what it means there also.32 In the
context of
themselves so spiritual that they were above the temptations of the
flesh (
appetites. Perhaps they even encouraged those who were married to
cease sexual relations in order to demonstrate their freedom from the
allure of physical longings.
In verse 2,
Paul qualifies the slogan of verse lb. Both the husband
and the wife have sexual needs and rights and, continuing on, the
apostle points out not only an obligation to meet the sexual needs of
one's mate (v. 3), but also a reciprocal right of each married partner
to
possess the body of his (her) mate (v. 4). Neither is to
"deprive" the
other sexually except for a short time, by mutual consent, for the
purpose of fasting and prayer (v. 5). For verse 6 to be consistent with
verses 2-5, it must mean that Paul's teaching on sexual abstinence is a
concession not a command.33 Thus for Paul, marriage is, to a
large
degree, sexual, as it is frequently portrayed in Old Testament passages
such as Gen 2:15, Prov 5:15-20, and Song of
Solomon. Paul's wish is
28This is .obvious from 7:2.
29 1t is impossible to give support for every part of my
understanding of I Corin-
thians 7. However,
I will try to give support for main ideas which are especially
important for the interpretation of verses 29-31.
30 Fee, 276; Hurd, 65-88, 163; see also J.
Murphy O'Connor, "Corinthian Slogans in
I Cor
31 See Hurd, 159,
for the options concerning the meaning of kalo<n. See also Fee,
275.
32 Even though Paul is in general agreement with the principal in 7:lb, he disagrees
with the Corinthian's reasons for believing it, and therefore, he
qualifies the statement in
the following verses. Apparently, this is a Pauline teaching which
the Corinthians have
abused.
33 Fee, 283-84.
60 GRACE
THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
that all could be single as he is (v. 7a), but he only recommends
celibacy for those with the "gift."
A series of
datives in verses 8, 10 and 12 mark the next divisions
of this section. In verse 8 Paul teaches that widows and widowers34
would do well to remain unmarried, as he is. However, verse 9 argues
that if those named in verse 8 cannot control their sexual desire,
they
should marry. Paul teaches the married (vv. 10-11) that
believers
should not divorce, and if they are separated they are not to remarry
but remain single or be reconciled to their spouses. In marriages
where
only one spouse is a believer (vv. 12-16), the believing partner is
not to
leave his or her spouse, because the believer has a sanctifying effect
on
the household (vv. 14, 16). If the unbeliever decides to depart (v.
15)
the believing spouse is not "bound" but is to seek peace.35
Verses 17-24,
central theological verses in the chapter, teach that the believer is to
be
content to remain in the social setting he or she is in at the time each
one is called into the faith.36 What matters is not one's situation
in life
but rather obedience to God (v. 19). Throughout the passage, this has
been the emphasis of Paul's instruction-to widows and widowers
(vv. 8-9),
married believers (vv. 10-11) and believers who are married
to unbelievers (vv. 12-16).
Apparently
the widows and widowers at
structed not to
marry (vv. 8-9) and married believers were being
encouraged to separate (vv. 10-11). Furthermore, believers who were
married to unbelievers were apparently being taught that they were
defiled by their sexual relations with the unbelieving spouse. Or, per-
haps their unsaved spouses were not willing to forego sexual relations
as believers were demanding, and as a result the unsaved partners
desired to separate or divorce. The fact that Paul rejects divorce with
such emphasis in this section suggests that some of the Corinthians
had
made statements in favor of it.37
34 Fee, 287-88.
35 Because of the teaching concerning remarriage in verses II and 34
it is best to
understand "not bound" here to mean not bound to remain in the
relationship, and thus,
no implications concerning remarriage are given in this verse.
36 Fee rightly notes that even though one is not to be concerned about
his or her
social setting, one's social setting is to be seen as assigned by
Christ. Yet "that does not
mean that one is forever locked into that setting. Rather Paul means
that by calling a
person within a given situation, that situation itself is taken up in
the call and thus
sanctified to him or her" (310). One's concern should be to live out
the Christian life in
whatever social setting he or she is in without concern for one's social
setting.
37 Hurd, 167. Hurd (168) suggests that the substance
of the Corinthians communica-
tion to Paul which
occasioned I Cor 7: 1-24 was as follows:
"Concerning problems of sex
and marriage: we believe that Christian couples should forego marital
intercourse so that
they may devote themselves more fully to things spiritual. After all,
is it not true that it is
well for a man not to touch a woman? For this reason we also think it
best that the
GLENNY: I CORINTHIANS
I Corinthians 7:25-40. The second
part of chapter 7 addresses the
topic of "virgins" (Peri>
de> tw?n parqe<nwn, v. 25). It is reasonable to
think that because "virgins" are mentioned in each part of
the argument
(vv. 28, 34, 36-38) that this is the topic
of the entire section.38 The
I conclusion of the section is the
"so then" in verse 38. The "virgins" are
best understood as betrothed couples questioning whether to go
through. with their intended marrages.39
The ascetic stance seen in the
slogan m verse I b is also evident here where the betrothed were
apparently being taught it would be sin to go through with their
marriages (vv. 28, 36). This situation is complicated by Paul's previous
instruction (vv. 17-24) to remain in the situation of life one is in; this is
obviously difficult for the betrothed. Thus Paul's opponents at
seemingly have him in a comer; while he favors celibacy (v. 7) he
opposes asceticism. How can he affirm celibacy without affirming their
asceticism?
Paul argues
very gently (vv. 25,28,32,36,37) that celibacy is the
better option, though marriage is no sin and is certainly a
valid option
(vv. 28a,
36b, 38). The opening statement (vv. 25-28) teaches
that
because of the present crises it is good for a person to remain un-
married40 since those who do marry will experience many difficulties.41
In verses
29-35 Paul digresses from the specific topic of virgins to
explain the Christian's relationship to the world (vv. 29-31) and the
need for all Christians, whatever their marital status, to remain free
from concern and live in total devotion to the Lord (v. 35b). It
should
be emphasized here that Paul's instructions in verses 32-35 are not
to
is restrict the single or engaged in any way concerning their plans
to
marry (v. 35). If they do not have the gift of celibacy they are to
marry
(v. 7).42 Verses 36-38 return to the topic
of verses 25-2843 and give
unmarried and widows among us remain unmarried, an attitude of which you
must
approve since you yourself remain unmarried.
It sometimes
occurs that the harmony of a marriage is threatened by the demands of
the spiritual life. On the one hand, some of the brothers are unable
to refrain completely
from their wives; on the other hand, some of the marriages include one
partner who is
not a believer. In these cases we recommend separation so that the
spiritual life of the
more devout partner is not hampered."
38 Fee, 322-24.
39 Ibid., 323-28. C. K. Barrett, A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians
(New York: Harper and Row, 1968) and Hans Conzelmann, I Corinthians, Hermenia
Commentary Series (Philadelphia: Fortress
Press, 1975) both adopt the same view.
Conzelmann says "what is meant by the term 1tap9tvol is-superfluously
enough-hotly
disputed; it means virgins. .."(131).
40 Fee, 324.
41 Ibid., 333.
42 Ibid., 334-55.
43 It the Hurd, 177-78.
62
GRACE THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
further Instructions to an engaged couple. The chapter concludes
with a final comment concerning a Christian woman's right to remarry
(vv.39-40).
I CORINTHIANS
The digression
in thought and the vocative address in verse 29
suggest that verses 29-35 are an explanatory digression meant for all
the Christian community at Corinth.4s The issue which determines
Paul's development of verses 29-31 is the
Christian's relationship to
the world.46 The believer is not to withdraw from the world or his
relationships in it (vv. 17-24), but instead is to live out the lordship of
Christ in this world. As Doughty says,
"God's salvation deed in Christ
does not translate the believer out of the world, but establishes a
new
relationship between man and his world. In verses 29-31, Paul elabo-
rates the nature of this new relationship.47
The
overall structure of verses 29-31 is fairly straightforward.
Paul develops the Christian's relationship
with the world in five con-
structions and these
five constructions "are bracketed by two assertions
which are intended to ground the understanding of existence expressed
here.48 Fee suggests that the basic premise in verse 29a
is followed by
its purpose or result (the five w[j mn< constructions in vv. 29b-31a); then
the section concludes with the reason (ga<r) in verse 31b.49
Paul's
opening words, "But this I say," certainly point forward to
the following phrase,50 "The time is short.51
The time (kairo<j), in
which Paul's recipients live, has been determined by God's eschato-
44 Fee, 327.
45 Fee, 52,
n. 22 shows that the vocative a]delfoi<, often occurs at a shift in
an author's argument. He also argues, on the basis of the evidence
in I Corinthians
(cf.especially
I Cor 11:2-16) and in Phil 4:1-3, that women would
have been "participants in
the worship of the community and would have been included in the
'brothers' being
addressed." See also Fee, 31, n. 16.
46 D. J.
Doughty, "The Presence and Future of Salvation in
die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft, 66 (1975):67.
47Ibid., 67.
48lbid.
49Fee, 338.
50 NIV seems
to have the idea of this clause in its translation, "What I mean is
this."
51This
construction is best understood as a periphrastic perfect passive according
to Fee, 339, n. 14 and Barrett, 176. Fee adds that, "the verb suste<llw, depending on
context, means to constrict, reduce, restrain, or limit in some way. With
time it means to
'compress' it.
The picture is that of one for whom the future was either nonexistent, as
for most Greeks, or off in the vague distance; but the event of
Christ has now compressed
the time in such a way that the future has been brought forward so as
to be clearly
visible." Connections with Mark
Conzelmann, 113, n. 22.
GLENNY: 1
CORINTHIANS 7:29-31
63
logical intervention in Christ (Rom
initiated the "last days" (8eb 1:2; I Pet
therefore Christians have a different perspective than Old Testament
believers. Paul is not emphasizing that the end is imminent as much as
he is emphasizing that it is now clear or plain. This truth should
radically alter the values and decisions of Christians.52
The meaning
of Paul's introduction to the five w[j mh< construc-
tions in verse
29b is debatable. It is generally understood that to>
loipo<n has a
temporal significance and should be translated, "from
now on" or "henceforth.53 The context strongly
supports such an
understanding. More difficult is the i!na which follows it. It could be
imperatival54 or it could indicate purpose.55 The two ideas are
close,
but purpose is the more standard use of i!na with to> loipo<n.56 The kai<
merely begins the series of w[j mh< exhortations, each of which is intro-
duced by kai<; the first
use of it (v. 29b) does not need to be translated.57
Thus, in verse 29a Paul is affirming that
one reason God has com-
pressed (drawn together) the time of salvation is so that for the remain-
ing time believers would
have a new perspective concerning their
relationship with this present world.58 This new perspective is
described
in the five exhortations in verses 29b-31a.
These five
exhortations are illustrations of the new perspective
that the Christian is to have concerning the world. That they are not
52 Fee (339, n. 15) makes the following helpful comment. "The
analogy of the
terminally ill comes to mind. For those who have made peace with it, the
amount of time
left is less in the forefront than is the change of perspective. They
see, hear, and value in a
new way. My former student Dr. J. Camery-Hoggatt
suggested the analogy of the one
who tells a joke. He alone knows the punch line, and because he knows
it, it shapes the
telling of the joke in its entirety. Through the resurrection of Christ,
Christians know the
divine 'punch line' (which in this case is no joke but a vivid
reality!); they see clearly how
.the story comes out, and they shape their
lives and values accordingly."
53 See Margaret E. Thrall, Greek
Particles in the New Testament, New Testament
and Studies, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1962):25-30, for a discussion of
loipo<n. Fee (338)
and Barrett (176) support the translation given here. Conzelmann
n. 3) lists it as a possibility.
54 So Barrett, 176; Frederick Blass and A. DeBrunner,
A Greek Grammar of the
Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, translated by Robert W. Funk
of New Testament Greek (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1979):145; and
James Hope Moulton, A Grammar of New Testament Greek, 4 vols.,
vol. 3:Syntax, by
Nigel Turner, 95.
55Fee (338, n. 10) argues that to< loipo<n may be preceding i!na for emphasis (cf. Gal
56 Ibid
57 Archibald Robertson and
Alfred Plummer, The First Epistle of
Corinthians, ICC, 2nd ed.
(Edinburgh: T and T Clark, 1914):155.
58 Fee,
340.
64 GRACE
THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
meant to be taken literally but as "dialectial
rhetoric"59 is clear from
the context. First, if they were taken literally they would be
absurd.
Second, a literal interpretation of the
first illustration contradicts
verses 2-5, and third, they contrast what Paul says in Rom
sorrowing and rejoicing.60
It has been
argued that Paul's concern in the first statement is to
urge celibacy and abstention from sex within marriage.61
However, to
take the exhortation that literally causes contradiction (cf. vv. 1-5)
and
would unnecessarily limit Paul's teaching in this clause. Paul is
teaching
that for the present age, whether one is married or not, he is to live
''as
if not" because the various relationships of this life are
passing away.
The obvious reason why he does not have a
clause starting "and let
those who do not have wives be ..." is because there is no
negative
counterpart to complete it, not because he is only addressing married
couples.
The tension
in the w[j mh< expressions is not a temporal one
between the present and the future. It instead emphasizes the dialectal
relationship between a person and this world. The two
present tense
verbs in each exhortation emphasize this dialectic.62 In
light of the
eschatological nature of the times in which Christians live (v. 3lb), in
every situation of life they are to live without their relationship to
the
world being the determining factor, but instead with their relationship
to Christ determining their attitudes and decisions. They are to be
in
the world, but the world is not to dictate their present existence.
Therefore,
if they are married they are to maintain their marriage
relationship, but at the same time to carefully control the passions or
desires that might shape their married relationship (I Thess 4:4ff).
Furthermore, the marriage relationship is
not what determines or
controls their lives; instead their lives are dominated by Christ and a
desire to obey Him (7:19b).
For the
Christian, rejoicing and mourning take on new meaning
(v. 30). The Christian rejoices and mourns in this world concerning
things of this world, but not as this world rejoices and mourns. Fur-
thermore, this world
does not determine or dictate the Christian's
ultimate responses and relationships with other men. The laughter and
tears of this world are not the last word.63
Christians
buy and sell (v. 30), but they do not buy to possess.
That is, the world does not determine
their reasons for buying and sell-
59 Ibid.
60 Ibid.
61 Doughty, 68.
62 Ibid., 70.
63 Barrett, 178.
GLENNY: 1
CORINTHIANS 7:29-31
65
ing. Fee notes that "those
who buy are to do so 'as if not' in terms of
possessing anything. The eschatological person 'has nothing, yet pos-
sess all things' (2 Cor
tian can "use the
present world" (v. 31a). The world is not good or evil;
it simply is.65 But the present form of this world is
passing away
(v. 31b); thus one is not to be
"exploiting" it,66 engrossed in
it, or
absorbed in it.67
The reason
for the Christian's new relationship with the world is
given in verse 31b; in what is the most important sentence in the
section, Paul argues, "The essence68 of this world is in
the process of
passing away.69 The fact that this world is passing away is
the basis of
the five w[j mh< statements which precede it; furthermore, the meaning
of all of these statements is determined by "Paul's
understanding of the
salvation deed of God in Christ.70 Fee suggests that the
progressive
present tense verb form in verse 31b
reflects Paul's already/not yet
eschatological perspective. The decisive
event is the one that has already happened. In
Christ's death and
resurrection God has
already determined the course of things; he has
already brought the present
world in its present form under judgement.
And so
decisive is that event that it has "foreshortened the time." The
result is that even now what
others are absorbed in, the Christian is free
from.71
The world is the sphere in which the
believer is called to live out
the lordship of Christ in this age (
already in the present determined by the lordship of Christ (
not by the essence (sxh?ma) of this
present world (
Furthermore, as Schrage has observed, the
significance of the
present tense verb (para<gei) in the concluding eschatological statement
64 Fee, 341.
65 lbid.
66 Doughty, 7 I. He has a lengthy
discussion of this term in note 47.
67 Fee, 341.
68 This is the translation of Conzelmann,
134; Fee (342, n. 23) says it is more than
simply the
outward form that is on its way out, but the total scheme of things as they
currently exist." TDNT, S.v.
"sxh?ma" by J. Schneider
(1971)7:956, suggests the transla-
tion is "distinctive
manifestation."
69 This is generally understood to be a progressive present tense.
See Fee, 342, and
the translations in Conzelmann, 130, and
Barrett, 178.
70 Doughty, 73, n. 52.
71Fee, 341.
72 1Cor
commands in whatever calling that one is in.
73 Doughty, 73.
66 GRACE
THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
in verse 31 b, is that "the future eschatology of apocalypticism has been
made present in a radical way.74 As Doughty says,
"Christians are
exhorted to live as if the end of history had already arrived.75
Thus
Paul is not concerned here with the future
of salvation but rather with
"the
existence of those who, as a consequence of God's salvation deed
in Christ, already stand at the end of history.76 In
this existence the
Christian "uses this world"(
man's existence or enslave him.
It must be
emphasized, for the sake of comparison with The
Acts
of Paul and Thecla, that understanding the five w[j mh< exhortations in
terms of an eschatological "already" does not imply an
apocalyptic
renunciation of the world. While for apocalypticism
it could perhaps
be said that "the present is nothing but. .., the future is
nevertheless
of great (worth)."77 Paul is suggesting no such
rejection of relationships
in this world. Doughty summarizes the meaning very well in stating
The
dialectic of 'having' and 'not having' is not dissolved by the para<gei,
but intensified! Both sides of the dialectic,
both the 'having' and the 'not
having,' must be taken with
equal seriousness. The meaning of this
dialectic for Paul becomes clear
in his own summary statement: 'Let
those who make use of the world live as though
not exploiting the
world.' The worldliness of the Christian is not
denied. Christians live in
the world and continue to make use of the
world78
The error of
both the libertines and ascetics at
they were continuing to allow their lives to be shaped by the sxh?ma of
this world; the libertines were disdaining this world and the ascetics
were renouncing it. Yet both were responding or reacting to the form
or essence of this world and allowing it to shape their existence,
rather
than using the relationships of this world, which have no ethical
significance, as a sphere in which they might love one another (
I CORINTHIANS
The Acts of Paul is a second century rendition of the missionary
ministry and the death of the apostle Paul, which is included in the
74 Ibid., 68, 70.
75 Ibid., 68, n. 38.
76 Ibid., 68-69.
77 Wolfgang Schrage, "Die Slellung zur Welt bei Paulus,
Epiktet und in der Apokalyp-
tic" Zeitschriftfur Theologie und Kirche 61 (1964):145. Schrage argues for an apocalyptic
understanding of I Cor 7:29-31. See the rebuttal of
Schrage in Doughty, 70-71, and the
discussion in Conzelmann, 133, n. 26.
78 Doughty, 70-71.
79 Ibid., 74.
GLENNY: 1
CORINTHIANS 7:29-31
67
New Testament Apocrypha.80 This
work describes Paul as traveling
around the Roman East preaching the message of sexual abstinence
and resurrection from the dead.81 The clearest example of
this message
is in the series of beatitudes in Paul's sermon at Iconium in The Acts
of
Paul and Thecla 5-6. Among these beatitudes are found the following
statements.
Blessed are
they who have kept the flesh pure, for they shall become a
Blessed are
the continent, for to them will God speak.
Blessed are
they who have renounced this world, for they shall be well
pleasing unto God.
Blessed are
they who have wives as if they had them not, for they shall
inherit God.
Blessed are
they who through love of God have departed from the form
of this
world, for they shall judge angels and at the right hand of the
Father they shall be blessed.
Blessed are
the bodies of the virgins, for they shall be well pleasing to
God, and shall not lose the reward of their purity.
For the word
of the Father shall be for them a work of salvation in the
day of
his Son, and they shall have rest for ever and ever.
The purpose
of quoting from this sermon is to emphasize more
clearly the differences between I Cor 7:29-31
and The Acts of Paul and
Thecla.
First, there
are obvious differences between the teaching concern-
ing marriage and sex in I
Corinthians 7 and in The Acts of Paul and
Thecla. Whereas for Paul marriage includes a
sexual relationship
(I Cor 7:2-5),
for The Acts of Paul and Thecla
that is not the case.
While I Cor
7:2-5 teaches that partners have an obligation to meet
each other's sexual needs, The Acts of
Paul and Thecla
(5-7, 15) teach
9ne cannot attain to the resurrection from
the dead unless he refrains
from sexual relations.
Furthermore,
in I Corinthians 7 celibacy is a gift (xa<risma 7:7)
and it is no sin to marry (
life (cf. also 7:9,11). In The
Acts of Paul and
Thecla, by contrast, all
are exhorted to renunciation of sexual
relations and a life of virginity
or celibacy. In fact, in the latter work it is said that Paul
"deprives
young men of wives and maidens of husbands, saying: 'Otherwise there
80Hennecke (2:351) dates the writing of The Acts of Paul before A.D. 200. Because it
apparently dependent on The Acts of Peter; he suggests a date between 185
and 195.
MacDonald dates The Acts of Paul between A.D. 150-190 (14)
and Koester (2:325) dates
these works before the end of the second century A.D.
81 Other encratite practices are
encouraged, but the consistent message is a call to
sexual abstinence. See Koester, 2:327.
68
GRACE THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
is no resurrection for you, except ye remain chaste (ayvoi) and do not
defile the flesh, but keep it pure (a[gnh<n).82
Paul tells the governor at
Iconium that God sent him "since he desires the salvation of all men
that I may draw them away from corruption and impurity, all pleasure
and death that they may sin no more.83 In I Corinthians
Paul never
threatens believers at
resurrection, because of sexual expression. In fact, even in cases of
sexual immorality, mentioned in I Cor 5:1-5
and
not necessarily conclude that those sinning are not Christians. In
I Corinthians the exhortation to sexual
purity is based on God's pre-
vious work of
salvation in the life of the Christian (
the Christian with Christ (
based on a threat of not participating in the resurrection as in The Acts
of Paul and Thecla.
It is also
worth noting that the simplistic message of Paul in
The Acts of Paul
and Thecla urges nothing more than continence and
living chastely.84 As any student of the apocryphal Acts
knows, the
contents are always simplistic and superficial when compared with
I Corinthians.85
Other
contradictions between I Corinthians 7 and The Acts of
Paul and Thecla
include the emphasis on maintaining peace in the
marriage relationship (I Cor
in the Thecla story, and the emphasis on
living out the Christian life in
one's situation in this life, rather than trying to change one's social
situation (see I Cor
Paul and Thecla).86
Perhaps the
major difference between the use of the "having
wives" statement in I Corinthians and The Acts of Paul and Thecla is
the eschatological perspective of the two contexts. In the Thecla ac-
count the "form of this world" is evil and is to be
renounced;87 those
who have wives and behave as if they had them not are given a future
promise of inheriting God. The apocalyptic perspective of The Acts of
Paul and Thecla
understands the relationships of the present to be of
82 The Acts of Paul and Thecla 12.
83Ibid., 17.
84 Ibid., 5, 9.
85 Hennecke, 350 states that the author of
The Acts of Paul makes
the Apostle the
herald of a very simple faith, which can be reduced to a few formulae.
..."
86Ibid. Hennecke notes that the theology of The Acts of" Paul shows how far
Christianity had departed from the apostle
by the close of the second century. Koester,
2:327 says that "the flowers of pious
fantasy bloom more richly in these writings"
(meaning the
Apocryphal Acts) than in Luke's writings in the New Testament. For the
historical differences between Paul's life as described in the New Testament
and The
Apocryphal Acts of Paul, see Hennecke,
2:344, 347-48.
87 The Acts of Paul and Thecla 5, 6.
GLENNY: I
CORINTHIANS
no value and the future to be a prize of great worth. This
perspective
renounces this world and withdraws from it, so as not to be soiled by
any aspect of it. In I Corinthians 7 Paul teaches an already/not-yet
eschatology. The believer has been saved (
(
dominion over death. "In Christ" the future of the Christian has
already been determined (
the Christian is to live out the lordship of Christ in this world.88
The
society of this world is not evil, but as said before it merely is, and
the believer is to use it for God's glory. In The Acts of Paul
and Thecla
the condition given for married people to inherit God, or be resur-
rected, is to
renounce this world by refraining from sexual relations
within marriage (a "spiritual marriage"). By contrast, I Cor 7:29a
emphasizes the tension of Paul's already / not yet eschatology. The way
for the married to live out Christ's lordship in these last days
(since
Christ's resurrection and ascension to
position of Lord) is to have a
complete marriage, including sexual relations (e@xontej gunai?kaj,
cf. 7:2). Still the believer should not
allow his marriage to determine
his life; only Christ should do that. Furthermore, the series of five
w[j
mh<
exhortations in I Cor
for marriage, but applies to every relationship and activity of life.
CONCLUSION
If the
argument presented in this paper is correct, it supports the
general consensus of opinion that the theology of The Acts of Paul has
taken quite a departure from the historical Paul.89 This is
certainly not
a new discovery; however, it is relevant to the thesis of Dennis
MacDonald. MacDonald's thesis, which was summarized earlier,90 is
based partly on the fact that The
Acts of Paul and Thecla
preserve
aspects of Pauline teaching, which were handed down to the author of
this work through oral legends. On the basis of a general
understanding
If The
Acts of Paul one could question
MacDonald's theory. It is
more questionable when it is realized that the main evidence
he gives for the connection between the apostle and The Acts of Paul is
the use of I Cor 7:29-31.91 He
maintains that fanatic and apocalyptic
elements of Christianity, paralleling the radical characteristics of other
he movements, are seen in Paul and in The Acts of Paul in
.their common use of I Cor
7:29-31. He suggests that the legends
behind The Acts of Paul "faithfully preserve this aspect of
Paul's
88 Doughty, 74-85 is helpful on this subject.
89 See note
86 above.
90 See Introduction above.
91MacDonald, 44-46.
70 GRACE
THEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
teachings.92 He argues that Paul's speech to Artemilla, bidding her to
abandon her wealth in view of the impending destruction of the world,
is consistent with I Cor 7:29-31.93
He also argues that the impending
destruction of the world spoken of in I Cor 7:29-31
"dictates a reap-
praisal of
sexuality",94 which he takes to mean "a renunciation of
sex
and marriage.95 He argues that the general withdrawal
from society
which is portrayed in the life of Thecla is a
continuation of Paul's
teaching in I Cor 7:29-31.
This study
of I Cor 7:29-31 suggests that the use of this
passage to
sanction withdrawal from, or renunciation of, the societal relationships
of this life is ill-founded. Furthermore, if this is MacDonald's
main
connection between Paul and the attitude toward society found in The
Acts of Paul and Thecla,
it certainly raises questions concerning the
degree to which The Acts of Paul should shape our images of Paul and
the religious movement he generated, especially with regard to
attitudes
toward society.
Finally, in
light of the lack of a clear connection between the
historical Paul and The Acts of Paul ,
it is fair to ask if the con-
temporary church should consider The
Acts of Paul to be a continua-
tion of the teaching of the
historical Paul concerning the role of women
in society and the church, or concerning any other topic.96
The basis of
the connection MacDonald has tried to make between The Acts
Paul and the historical Paul has been
shown to be, in reality, a
contradiction. In fact, the teaching of The
Acts of Paul concerning
marriage and sex appears to be the doctrine of the opponents of
in I Corinthians, rather than the teaching of the historical Paul.
92MacDonald, 45. See also 98.
93 The Acts of Paul 7. This is supposedly when
Paul is at
94MacDonald, 45. "
95 Ibid..,45
96 I am not so naive as to think this paper is a fatal blow to
MacDonald's thesis.
However, if this paper is correct, he has
failed to connect with Paul the later ascetic,
fanatic, apocalyptic movements, which renounced and withdrew from
society. Also, he
has misinterpreted the main passage he uses from Paul to support his
own thesis! The
burden of proof is certainly in the lap of those who would argue that The Acts of Paul
reflect the historical teachings of Paul. I would be pleased to see a
more serious treatment
of the Pauline material in the New Testament by those who seek to
make this connection.
This
material is cited with gracious permission from:
Grace
Theological Seminary
www.grace.edu
Please
report any errors to Ted Hildebrandt at:
thildebrandt@gordon.edu