‘A Little Yeast Leavens the Whole Batch of Dough’: Incest and Pollution in 1 Corinthians 5

Paul commands the Corinthians to give an incestuous man to Satan in 1 Cor. 5.5. Scholars often see this as a punishment for sin, but why does incest require this particular response? This article offers an answer by reading 1 Cor. 5 in light of other discussions of incest and pollution in Greco-Roma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal for the study of the New Testament
Main Author: Johnson, Ethan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Sage 2024
In: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Bible. Corinthians 1. 5,5 / Incest / Consanguinity / Pollution
IxTheo Classification:HC New Testament
KAB Church history 30-500; early Christianity
NCA Ethics
Further subjects:B Pollution
B Incest
B 1 Corinthians
B Satan
B Paul
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Paul commands the Corinthians to give an incestuous man to Satan in 1 Cor. 5.5. Scholars often see this as a punishment for sin, but why does incest require this particular response? This article offers an answer by reading 1 Cor. 5 in light of other discussions of incest and pollution in Greco-Roman literature. It highlights connections between incest, pollution, and communal danger and explores means of resolving pollution. It then examines Paul’s discussion of incest in 1 Cor. 5.5 and concludes that his instructions concerning the incestuous man follow a logic common in ancient discussions of incest and pollution.
ISSN:1745-5294
Contains:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of the New Testament
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/0142064X231218399