Further to these thoughts, I’m interested in the idea that the “present crisis” of 1 Corinthians 7:26 might be the fall of
Its worth noting that apparently by the time 1 Corinthians was written it already seemed that relations between the Romans and the Jews were deteriorating and the situation was unstable. Paul may well have seen conflict as immanent.
The parallel with God’s command to Jeremiah in 16:1 not to marry and have children in the land because of the terrible times that were coming might also strengthen the case that the fall of Jerusalem is in view in 1 Corinthians 7 since Jeremiah is also concerned with the fate of Jerusalem at the hands of a pagan army.
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3 comments:
Marc I'm afraid my lack of theological training will expose me here - but the quotations you give in your previous post seem to be a good example of someone trying to distort what the text says. Especially considering v17, that Paul lays down the same rule (of staying in the situation you are in, out of which comes the 'because of the present crisis' instruction) in all the churches he teaches in, which clearly goes back a few years.
Thanks, Josh.
I certainly don't want to distort what the text says!
I guess there are 2 separate questions:
(1) what is the distress Paul is talking about?
(2) what difference does that make to the interpretation of the passage?
I think Gen 1 - 2 make it difficult to think that singleness is an ideal norm for believers. If so, how are we to fulfill the commandment to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth etc. which does not appear to me to have been repealed?
AD 70 could be a sufficiently big deal to affect all the churches for a time I think. And expectation of it on the basis of Jesus' own prediction could go back to AD 33 ish.
I can see that the stay in the situation in which you were called command applies more easily to those who are already married, and tells slaves not to panic about being slaves, Christians not to become Jews etc. and Jews not becoming uncircumcised - whatever that means. It could apply to the unmarried in this crisis situation.
For what its worth, I think a number of evangelical commentators do think there is something situation specific going on in this part of the letter. I don't think its necessarily to sell out on the authority and relevance of Scripture etc.
http://hayhows.blogspot.com/2008/06/sermon-christchurch-22nd-june-2008-1.html
:-)
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