Proclamation of Christ’s Resurrection (15:1–11)
Disadvantages of Denying the Resurrection and the Resurrection Forecast (15:12–28)
Exhortations and Supporting Arguments Related to Resurrection (15:29–34)
The Nature of Bodily Resurrection (15:35–49)
Transformation and the Defeat of Death (15:50–58)
Closing Matters (1 Cor 16:1–24)
The Collection and Announcement of Visits (16:1–12)
Epistolary Close (16:13–24)
Preface
It might seem strange that this commentary arrives at the heels of another one I completed on 2 Corinthians for SBL Press last year (Exploring Second Corinthians; RRA 3; 2016), but my work on the Corinthian correspondence in reverse order actually enabled me to see things a bit differently than I would otherwise. For instance, I may not have fully appreciated the development of wisdom tendencies in the congregation without doing 2 Corinthians first and addressing relevant problems related to sophistry within that correspondence. My goal in this user-friendly commentary on 1 Corinthians is to provide the reader, whether student or minister or scholar (who can also benefit from this up-to-date interpretation and its many footnotes), with a fresh reading of the letter based on my studies and recent scholarship. In keeping with my intertextual interests, I have tried to concentrate at least on the clearer references Paul makes to Scripture and other sources, and from there hopefully provide helpful insights.
I would like to thank a number of people who, whether directly or indirectly, have helped with this project. Those deserving mention include Thomas Brodie and Linda L. Belleville, who at the annual Society of Biblical Literature conferences chaired the Theological Interweaving of Scripture in 1 Corinthians Seminar. As a steering committee member of this seminar, I was enabled to read and hear the most recent scholarly papers on 1 Corinthians. Thanks also goes to my Azusa Pacific University colleagues, including Robert Duke (dean of the School of Theology), Kenneth Waters (associate dean), Federico Roth (interim chair of Biblical and Religious Studies), Kay Higuera Smith (former chair), and Scott Daniels (former dean). They endorsed time off from my teaching load through our school’s Teacher-Scholar award, and through the Center for Research on Ethics and Values (CREV) headed by Mark Eaton. Thanks also goes to Donald Isaak, executive director of the Office of Research and Grants, for heading the writer’s retreat I attended in Malibu, California (2015–16).
I would also like to thank my beautiful wife Vonda, who assists me with some of the menial tasks that are part of writing and publishing. Finally, I would like to thank Michael Bird and Craig Keener for inviting me to contribute to the New Covenant Commentary Series several years ago, and who patiently waited as I cut the length of my manuscript by one-third to make it more compatible with other works in this series (and special thanks to Michael for editing the pre-published version and making helpful suggestions). As of this publication the reader can find some of the cut portions referenced in the footnotes and bibliography and posted on my Academia website: https://azusa.academia.edu/BjOropeza.
B. J. Oropeza
Abbreviations
AYB Anchor Yale Bible
AYBRL Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by David Noel Freedman. 6 vols. New York: Doubleday, 1992.
ABR Australian Biblical Review
AcBib Academia Biblica
ACCS Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture
ACNT Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament
AGJU Arbeiten zur Geschichte des Spätjudentums und Urchristentums
AJPS American Journal of Political Science
AnBib Analecta Biblica
ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries
ASCSA American School of Classical Studies at Athens
ASNU Acta Seminarii Neotestamentici Upsaliensis
ATJ Ashland Theological Journal
ATRSupp Anglican Theological Review Supplement
BA Biblical Archaeologist
Bib Biblica
BBR Bulletin for Biblical Research
BDAG Danker, Frederick W., Walter Bauer, William F. Arndt, and F. Wilbur Gingrich. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.
BDB Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament.
BDF Blass, Friedrich, Albert Debrunner, and Robert W. Funk. A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961.
BECNT Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
BETL Bibliotheca Ephemeridum Theologicarum Lovaniensium
BHT Beitrage zur historischen Theologie
BIS Biblical Interpretation Series
BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester
BNTC Black’s New Testament Commentaries
BR Biblical Research
BSac Bibliotheca Sacra
BT The Bible Translator
BTB Biblical Theology Bulletin
BZNW Beihefte zur Zeitschrift fur die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
CAL Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (Logos software)
CBET Contributions to Biblical and Exegetical Theology
CBNTS Coniectanea Biblica New Testament Series
CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly
CBR Currents in Biblical Research
CCSS Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture
CDCC Cambridge Dictionary of Classical Civilization (2006).
CECNT Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
CIJ Corpus Inscriptionum Judaicarum. 2 Vols. Rome, 1936–52.
CTXT Corinth in Context: Comparative Studies on Religion and Society. NovTSup 134. Edited by Steven J. Friesen, Daniel N. Schowalter, and James C. Walters, James C., 231–56. Leiden: Brill, 2010.
CTST Corinth in Contrast: Studies in Inequality. Edited by Steven J. Friesen, Sarah A. James, and Daniel N. Schowalter. NovTSup 155. Leiden: Brill, 2014.
CorBETL Corinthian Correspondence. Edited by Reimund Bieringer. BETL 125. Leuven: Leuven University Press/ Uitgeverij Peeters, 1996.
CSEL Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum.
CTJ Calvin Theological Journal
CTQ Concordia Theological Quarterly
CTR Criswell Theological Review
CurTM Currents in Theology and Mission
DNTB Dictionary of New Testament Background. Edited by Craig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000.
DPL Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Edited by Gerald F. Hawthorne, Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel Reid. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993.
ECL Early Christianity and Its Literature
EDNT Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider. ET. 3 vols. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990–1993.
EKKNT Evangelisch-katholischer Kommentar zum Neuen Testament
ESEC