Paul's Use of the Exodus Narrative in His Argumentation in 1 Corinthians 5

Abstract

This thesis examines how Paul uses analogies between the Corinthians' situation and the exodus narrative in 1 Corinthians 5 to encourage proper ethical deliberation in his audience. He urges the Corinthians to rethink their inherited cultural norms and practices since their ethics have inevitably been influenced by some of the negative values present in their society. Drawing heavily on Deuteronomy's ethical framework in particular, Paul's argumentation focuses on helping the Corinthians understand how to play a good role in the overarching story of God's covenant people by making intertextual allusions to the Israelites' wandering period of the exodus narrative. In doing so, he reminds the Corinthians of their identity as God's covenant community and its accompanying responsibilities. Paul argues that those who desire to play a good role in the overarching narrative must maintain the church's purity since this is the only way that a covenant community can have a proper relationship with God. Therefore, he stresses the importance of making proper judgments and defining clear social boundaries for members of the church. Finally, this thesis argues that Paul is just as concerned with the function of his argumentation as he is with its content since he desires that the Corinthian church has the right ethical discernment to carry out its covenantal responsibilities without apostolic supervision as it faces new moral decisions.