p. 325– The key words in Paul’s third argument about idol meat etc is in 10.16-22 and the key terms are participation, and participants, the former is koinonia (10.16 twice) in the Greek the latter koinonoi (10.18,20) And the word ‘one’ plays a role. Paul is drawing on Deut. 32.17 (‘they sacrificed to demons and not to God) table of the Lord (drawing on Mal. 1.7.12) not the table of demons (Is. 65.11) and provoking the Lord to jealousy (Deut.... Read more

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hW2JFfsisHA Dev Patel is a superb actor, and my may remember him from either of the Best Exotic Hotel movies or Slum Dog Millionaire or even the HBO series Newsroom. In this film he does not show up for about an hour, because the first hour is related to Sheru’s past as a small boy in India before he was adopted by an Australian family from Hobart, Tasmania. Sheru is the Hindi word for Lion, hence the name of this... Read more

p. 309— Paul’s version of the words of institution are closer to Luke’s version than to Mt. and Mk. In Luke and Paul, Jesus ‘gives thanks’ before breaking the bread; and after mentioning his body he says ‘for you’, and Paul and Luke both have ‘in remembrance of me’ Luke once and Paul mentions it twice, and in Paul and Luke the cup is the ‘new covenant in my blood’, rather than ‘my blood of the covenant’ as in Mark... Read more

He adds that Jesus had prohibited divorce or at least remarriage after divorce but both Jews and Gentiles allowed for divorce. He argues Paul was celibate and would have liked his converts to imitate him. He says Paul was a perfectionist and didn’t leave a lot of room for error in human sexual activity. Paul could call for abstinence because it was only a short time until Jesus returned. [Again, possible imminence is not the same thing as definite imminence... Read more

p. 268— He suggests that if you read 1 Cor.5.1-2; 2 Cor.12.21; 2 Cor. 2.5-10;2 Cor. 7.11 in that order (he thinks it is the chronological order), you learn that one man sinned, was supported by some of his fellow believers. Paul wrote in his harsh letter that on his next visit he might have to expel many and mourn their loss, but with the harsh letter and Titus’ visit the man finally repented and the majority instead of expelling... Read more

p. 239— There were three types of problems Paul faced in Corinth: 1) other competing leaders; 2) theological problems like res.; 3) behavioral problems. p. 241– Sanders thinks perhaps Apollos was the polished rhetorician that various Corinthians preferred and he stood in contrast with Paul. 1 Cor. 3.5-17 provides the heart of Paul’s warning against Apollos using 3 metaphors. p. 242—in 3.12-15 he uses the notion that good deeds will be rewarded but do not save and bad deeds will... Read more

CHAPTER NINE— CORINTHIANS PART ONE p. 225—226– He says he relies heavily on the work of J. Murphy-O’Conner on Corinth. Homer called Corinth ‘wealthy Corinth’ (Iliad 2.570). The business about sacral prostitutes in Corinth is from classical Corinth in the 4th century B.C. but Corinth probably afforded as many opportunities for sexual vice as other major cities especially port cities. p. 227— the only firm date in the Pauline calendar is A.D. 51 when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia see... Read more

http://www.cnn.com/videos/world/2017/02/09/new-dead-sea-scrolls-cave-discovered-jnd-orig-vstop.cnn/video/playlists/ancient-discoveries/ Just when you thought it was safe to say that only 11 caves at Qumran had scrolls, now a 12th cave has been found with scroll material in it, as well as ancient flints and modern pick axes. The theory is that this cave was looted in the 40s with the thieves leaving their pick axes behind, perhaps. Before we get too excited, the initial report from Prof. Gutfeld is that the only fully intact scroll found in a... Read more

pp. 215-16– He goes with the ‘knows how to acquire his own vessel (i.e. wife) translation of 4.1-8. In every other passage in the NT, the verb ktaomai means to acquire, take, get and in ben Sira 36.24 it means acquire a wife. p. 218– Josephus says “The Law recognizes no sexual connections except the natural union of man and wife, and that only for the procreation of children.” (Apion, 2.199). The present passage is the only place Paul says... Read more

pp. 194-95— PERSECUTION— some gentiles persecuted other gentiles for becoming Christians. “I believe that for leading citizens to break the ‘contract’ with the gods and goddesses of the city was a weightier issue.” (p. 194— i.e. weighter than ordinary people doing so). Secondly, gentiles may have persecuted Paul for leading people to abandon the worship of the gods and their festivals. Thirdly, Jews sometimes persecuted Jews who accepted the Christian message, as Paul himself did before his conversion. They also... Read more