Instructor: Lim Kar Yong

B. Surveying, B.A. (Bible/Theology) ICI Univ

M.A. in New Testament (Summa Cum Laude) Gordon Cornwell Sem USA

Recipient of Baker Award of Excellence in Theology 2000., Byington Scholar ,Mockler Scholar

Completing ThM this year

Course Description and Objectives

As a community of inquiry, we will approach the book of First Corinthians with three questions in mind: (1) What did Paul intend when he wrote this letter? (2) How many contemporary Christians apply his teachings? (3) What principles and resources best allow us as students of Scripture to link Paul's intention with the contemporary reader's application?

The course is thus an exercise in applied hermeneutics where we will bring all our exegetical resources together in an exegetical study of this fascinating letter. A study of 1 Corinthians shows how one of Paul's congregations met with controversial problems that have a decidedly modern ring: divisiveness, ministerial favoritism, moral failure, spiritual elitism, charismatic excess, theological heresy, and failed financial pledge. Encounter with this text thus shows how "biblical" modern church problems can be.

Required Reading

Choose one of the following commentaries:

Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.

Anthony Thiselton, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000. (Recommended for those who have done basis Greek)

Apart from the text book, consult the wealth of information available in various scholarly journals in the library. Pay particular attention, but do not limit to, CBQ, JBL, JETS, JSNT, NovT, NTS and TynB and special issues focusing on 1 Corinthians as follows:

Int 44/2 (1990); 52/3 (1998)

RevExp 80/3 (1983)

SWJT 26/1 (1983); 45/1 (2002)

Word & World 16/4 (1996)

Assessment

i. Hermeneutical Paper (20%)

The reflection paper will focus on the very difficult question of how to move from the Corinthian context to your own. The focus is less on exegesis, but on how you apply a particular issue addressed in 1 Corinthians in your context. In a 3-4 page essay for B.Th and 4-5 page essay for MCS/MDiv/MMin, explain the principles which ought to guide you as you apply the complicated issues in 1 Corinthians in your context, be it in your ministry, church, or workplace. You should use one concrete example from the letter (eg. Roles of men and women; spiritual gifts; food sacrificed to idols; sexual immorality, etc). The paper is due on September 2. Any delay in submission of the paper may result in grade penalty.

ii. Exegesis Paper (60%)

Write an exegesis paper (8-10pp. for B.Th and 12-15pp. for MCS/DCS/M.Min) on any passage in 1 Corinthians. The passage should be different from the Hermeneutical Paper above. Attached to the paper should be an additional 1-2 page outline of a Bible study or expository sermon. Please consult the instructor concerning your passage by July 22. Students who have taken basic Greek are expected to write the exegesis paper based on the Greek text and to demonstrate some degree of familiarity with Greek.

Students who have taken at least two exegesis courses based on NT book studies and have written at least two exegesis papers (Hermeneutics excluded) may elect to write a critical topic or theme based on 1 Corinthians. Please feel free to run your ideas/proposals by the instructor before you make a final decision.

Refer to the SBL Handbook of Style if you are uncertain of proper citation of footnotes, bibliography and writing style.

iii. Seminar (20%)

Seminars will be held on Oct 6 and 13. Further details of the seminar will be given on the second week of class, as the nature of the seminar will depend on the size of the class. The seminar will be a team effort.

Course Schedule

Lecture 1, June 24	Introduction to the Course; Methodologies: How to Study 1 Corinthians
Lecture 2, July 1	Historical Background; Paul and the Corinthian Church; Crucial Themes/Issues
Lecture 3 & 4, July 8 & 15	Part 1 - Sophistry or Sacrifice? (1:1-4:21)
Lecture 5 & 6, July 22 & 29	Part 2 – The Right Use of the Body (5:1-7:40)
Lecture 7 & 8, Aug 5, 12	Part 3 – Food and Freedom (8:1-11:1)
Lecture 9 & 10, Sept 2, 16	Part 4 – Order in the Church (11:2-14:40) No class on Sept 9
Lecture 11, Sept 23	Part 5 – The Resurrection (15:1-58)
Lecture 12, Sept 30	Part 6 – Final Instructions and Greetings (16:1-24); Preaching 1 Corinthians Today
Lecture 13 & 14, Oct 6, 13	Seminar

Bibliography

Barrett, C. K. A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians. 2^nd ed. (London: Black, 1971).

Blomberg, Craig. 1 Corinthians, NIVAC. Grand Rapids: ZOndervan, 1994.

Bruce, F. F. 1 and 2 Corinthians. NCBC. London: Oliphants, 1971.

Carson, D. A. Showing the Spirit: A Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthains 12-14. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1987.

Collins, Raymond F. First Corinthians. Sacra Pagina. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1999.

Conzelmann, Hans. 1 Corinthians. Hermeneia. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1975.

Fee, Gordon. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. NICNT. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.

Furnish, Victor Paul. The Theology of the First Letter to the Corinthians. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999.

Hay, David M., ed. Pauline Theology Vol. II: 1 & 2 Corinthians. Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993.

Hays, Richard. First Corinthians. Interpretation. Louisville: Knox, 1997.

Kistemaker, Simon. 1 Corinthians. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1993.

Martin, Ralph. The Spirit and the Congregation: Studies in 1 Corinthians 12-15. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.

Morris, Leon. The First Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. TNTC. London: Tyndale, 1958.

Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome. St. Paul's Corinth: Texts and Archaeology. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1983.

Prior, David. The Message of 1 Corinthians. BST. Downers Grove: IVPress, 1985.

Robertson, A. T. & Alfred Plummer. A Critical & Exegetical Commentary on the 1^st Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. ICC. 2^nd. Ed. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1914.

Thiselton, Anthony. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. NIGTC. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000.

Witherington, Ben. Conflict and Community in Corinth. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.