HOW IS I CORINTHIANS 8-15 ORGANIZED?

The book of I Corinthians appears at first glance to cover a hodgpodge of different subjects on which that church had either asked Paul to comment or which Paul had gotten word from others needed desperately to be addressed. But there is a clearly symmetrical arrangement to the whole book tying all these subjects together, as I have explained in the post titled “I Corinthians: Introduction to Literary Structure.” Below is some additional information concerning the very center of that epistle's organization, starting with a diagram of how it is arranged:

Figure 1: Literary Organization of I Corinthians 8-15

    A. Pagan Worship (8:1-11:1)

        *1. Worshiping in pagan temples (ch. 8)

                2. General principle (ch. 9)

        1'. True worship (10:1-11:1)

                    B. Church Practices (11:2-34)

    A'. Use of Spiritual Gifts (chs. 12-14)

        *1. Different gifts (ch. 12)

                2. General principle (ch. 13)

        1'. Gifts in public worship (ch. 14)

                B'. The resurrection (ch. 15)

Let us first start with the simpler case of B and B'. The parallels between these apparently dissimilar sections begin with a recognition that they do not stem from any direct questions posed by the Corinthian church. (Although Kreitzer feels that 11:30 and 15:18 may possibly indicate that the issue of believers' death was debated there.) Instead they cover items that Paul, for one reason or other, feels they need to hear anyway. In both sections, the mystical relationship of God and Christ is discussed (11:3 and 15:23-28). More specifically, both sections allude to Christian ordinances: the Lord’s Supper in 11:23-34 and baptism in ch. 15. In addition, the subject of Christ's Second Coming appears prominently in both units (11:26 and 15:23).

Next we get to the possible parallelism between sections A and A'. The first indication that association of the two may have been intended is the three-part internal structure of both units with the general principles discussed in the center sub-sections.

Second is the observation that there are symmetrically disposed marker phrases reading “now concerning,” which signal the beginnings of each response by Paul to a new inquiry by the Corinthian church (see asterisks in Figure 1).

And thirdly is the example of the similarity between B and B' to go by.

However, at first glance the only commonality uniting these separate sections would seem to be the general theme of contrasting Christian and pagan worship. But Ciampa and Rosner feel that the whole of I Corinthians 8-15 is united by the dual command to love God and love your neighbor. And Schenck notes the similar approach Paul takes in each of these sections: a tactful beginning followed by an illustration and only then a discussion of the particular situation.

In addition, there are numerous verbal and thematic parallels between these two sections, most appearing only or primarily there within the epistle:

Parallel                                                                     Section B             Section B'

“knowledge”                                                            5x                         4x

“apostle”                                                                  3x                         2x

“spiritual”                                                                4x                         3x

“building up” metaphors                                         2x                         6x

“knowledge”                                                            8:1,10-11             13:2,8

military metaphors                                                   9:7                       14:8

“to be puffed up”                                                     8:1                       13:4

almost all references to “love”                                8:1-3                    ch. 13

Christians in the world but not of the world           8:1-13                  14:23

Christians are known by God                                 8:2-3                    13:12

move from 2nd person plur. to 2nd person sing.    8:9-10                  14:16-17

OT is known as the Law                                         9:8                       14:21

“people” in an OT quotation                                  10:7                      14:21

“draw near”                                                            10:11                    14:36

“one body” of Christ                                              10:16-17               12:12-27

Christians drink from the one cup / Spirit              10:21                    12:13

Some additional parallels occur in significant locations within I Corinthians 8-10 and 12-14:

a. Jesus is proclaimed as “Lord” in A' and A'1 (8:5-6 and 12:3, respectively).

b. Allusions to the Corinthians’ former pagan life appear toward the start of these respective sections (8:7 and 12:1-3). (Fee)

            c. Within this epistle, the noun “hope” only appears in the center units of these two sections (at 9:10 and 13:13).

            d. Fee also notes that similar rhetorical devices are used by Paul in 10:22 and 14:36 (at the end of each section).

e. The theme of seeking “profit” for others appears at the end of A (10:23, 33) and the start of A' (12:7).

f. The identical phrase “I would not have you ignorant” begins the last subsection of A (10:1) and the first subsection of A' (12:1).

            g. The phrase “if anyone thinks that he...” appears at the beginning of A (8:2) and the end of A' (14:37) to completely tie these two sections together.

            h. Admonitions to “flee unrighteousness” are found in 10:14 and 14:1, both in sub-sections 1' of A and A', respectively.

Most importantly, as outlined in Fig. 1 and also noted by Meeks, the love poem of ch. 13 has the same relation to its bracketing chapters as ch. 9 does to 8 and 10. Horrell explains that the central section in each triad “presents a paradigm for ethical action that fundamentally informs the response to the topic under discussion.” In addition, he notes that there are quotations or allusions to Jesus' teachings at 9:14 and 13:2.

Thus, so far from writing a mere occasional letter, Paul has, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, carefully crafted a unified literary creation that stands today as an important theological statement for the Church.