Paul and secular singleness in 1 Corinthians 7 / Barry N. Danylak.

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2024.

1 online resource (xviii, 344 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Access is available to the Yale community.

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 28 Mar 2024).

Access restricted by licensing agreement.

Paul's discussion of marriage and singleness in 1 Corinthians 7 has long presented exegetical challenges, beginning with the chapter's opening statement: 'It is good for a man not to touch a woman.' Interpreters continue to debate whether the ascetic language of the statement reflects the views of Paul or the Corinthians. They also debate the motivations for the rise of an ascetic movement in Corinth. In this ground-breaking study, Barry N. Danylak offers a fresh solution to these conundra. Using evidence from Egyptian census papyri, he demonstrates the prevalence of secular singleness in Roman urban environments. He also draws on classic Greek marriage debates to argue that the Corinthians' disposition likely reflected an Epicurean perspective of secular singleness; and that Paul himself was responsible for the 'touch' language as a rhetorical adaptation in his response to the Corinthians' question. Combining fresh evidence with attentive analysis, Danylak's study thus proposes a viable resolution to these long-standing exegetical challenges.

Cambridge core frontlist 2024.

Print version:

Books / Online

English

May 22, 2024