Studyguide

Book: Christ’s Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor (Fortress, 2008) by Yung Suk Kim

Introduction: The Price of Unity The goal of t his chapt er is to let readers under st and t he aut hor’s approach and t hesis o f t his who le book.

Questions 1. Why is it important to read the metap hor som a christou (body of Ch rist) different ly than a metaphorical organism in particu lar? What are some concerns that are rai sed by the author?

2. How is a different reading of this met aphor possib le or legiti mate? 3. In today’s personal or public experiences in this world, does the use of this metaphor (body of Chri st) rai se any concerns?

KEY TERMS Soma christou (body o f Chr ist ) as a met aphor, deliber at ive rhet oric, organic unit y, Paul’s t heo logy, ecclesio lo gical organism, ecclesia l-organic, hierarchical unit y, homonoia (concord), boundar y mar ker, margina lit y, belo nging, concept ion of co mmunit y, power conflict s, member of Chr ist , t he gospel o f t he cross of Chr ist , exclusivis m, “ot hers,” universalis m, differences an d diver sit y, broken human bodies, polit ical cont rol of rhet oric, Stoics, living body, imper ialis m, neo -colo nialism, aut hor it y and power, visio n of 1

communit y, t he crucified body of Chr ist , hegemo nic discourse, biblical int erpret at io n, deconst ruct ion, et hica l responsibilit y, diver sified global co mmunit y, bodiliness and mort alit y, social cohesio n, mult icult uralism, glo balism, border ident it y, so lidar it y, ho list ic out look, t ext (cont ext , and her meneut ics)

Chapter 1: Community as “Body” The goal of t his chapt er is to analyze a var iet y of concept ions of co mmunit y. Different scho lar ly t radit ions or approaches (t heological and hist or ical approaches, socio logical or social scient ific approaches, and t he approach o f t he hist ory -ofreligio ns school) have differ ent ideas about t he communit y. The quest io n is, which one is bet t er, or do we need an alt ernat ive?

Questions 1. What are some criteria for divi sion of various scholarly approaches to the community? Compare and contrast them (use terms such as boundari es, identity and structu re or power relationships). 2. Can you name examp les of each approach in today’s life exp erience (chu rch, school, soci ety and the world) to the conception of community?

3. What are some hidden ideologies at work in the level of interp reters?

4. Is it possible to have an alternative vi sion of community than the mentioned other approaches?

KEY TERMS The boundar y-prot ect ed communit y, t he boundar ies overcoming co mmunit y, t he apocalypt ic communit y, universal ident it y, salvat io n, ho liness, New Perspect ive, vocat ion, divis ive (hier archical) boundar ies, liberat ion, messianic kingdo m, hegemo nic univer salis m, t he Hegelian dia lect ic, Hellenist ic ideal, Judaism, aut hent ic exist ence, salvat ion2

hist ory, Gent ile missio n, t heo logical and hist orical approaches, socio logical or social- scient ific approaches, met aphor ical organism, funct ionalist socio logy, societ y, individuals, socio logy o f knowledge, symbo lic univer se, social nor ms, sacred canopy, pat er familias, t he hist ory- of-relig io ns school, Hellenist ic Chr ist ianit y, Palest inian Chr ist ianit y, kyr io s, European colonialis m, boundar ies, social funct ions or conflict s, love pat r iarchalism, agency, t he marginalized, New Consensus, funct ionalis m, conser vat ive social view, egalit ar ianism, Chr ist crucified, hybr idit y, mult iple ident it y, st ruct ure or power relat ionships, ekklesia, kyriake, int er vening space, creat ive t ensio ns

Chapter 2: Community as the “Body of Christ” The goal of t his chapt er is to underst and a var iet y of underst andings about t he met aphor “t he body o f Chr ist ” in biblical st udies. The quest ion is, which one is bet t er t han t he ot her, or do we need an alt er nat ive?

Questions 1. What are major differe n ces between different approaches to the body of Chri st (the approach of “organic unity,” the approach of “corporate solidarity” and “the christologi cal approaches”)? Compare and contrast them.

2. What pros and cons can you find in each approach? 3. Can you name some examp les of each approach in today’s li fe experi ence?

4. What is an alternative approach or understanding about the body of Christ? How can you evaluate it?

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KEY TERMS Organic unit y, ant i- imper ial resist ance, t he body o f Chr ist and ekklesia, love pat r iarchalis m, social boundar y, bounded syst em, unit y and concord ( homonoia), boundar y marker, ecclesio logical organis m, corporat e solidar it y, Chr ist - Adam t ypo logy, a missio nar y body, Chr ist ological approaches, t he lordship o f Chr ist , Pauline myst icis m, sot er io logy and et hics, Hellenist ic myst icism, a new age, parenesis, mult i - vo iced t ext us, ecclesial int erest s, cross -cult ural dialogue, elit e discourse, hierarchical unit y, minor it y vo ices, crucifor m realit y, Chr ist ’s life and deat h

Chapter 3: Community “in Christ” The goal of t his chapt er is to deconst ruct the view o f “in Chr ist ” as a boundar y marker in 1 Cor int hians. The language of “in Chr ist ” in a Cor int hian co nflict ing cont ext can be underst ood as a cynical r het oric o f Paul’s prot est to t he hegemo nic vo ice o f an “in Chr ist ” group in Cor int h.

Questions 1. What are variou s functions of the preposition “in” (dative case) used in Paul’s letters? 2. How does “in Christ” have to do with Paul’s rhetori c that he uses to address the Corinthian prob lems? 3. Can you find the Greco -Roman parallels to which Paul’s cynical language of “in Chri st” might refer (1 Cor 4:10)? 4. Is the modal relation of “dying with Chri st” consi stent in Pau l’s theology or in his letters in gen eral?

KEY TERMS The dat ive const ruct ion of en chr ist o, spatial relat ionships, inst rument al relat ionships, t emporal relat ionships, modal relat ionships, myst ical unio n, boundar y marker, “only in t he 4

Lord” (monon en kyrio), ecclesio logical organis m, univer sal body, cult ural imper ialism, melt ing pot t heory o f assimilat io n, creat ive, st ruggling space, unilat eralis m, individualism, t he st rong and t he weak, ideo logies, a rhet oric of prot est, sarcasm, slaves, t he poor, Paul’s t heo logy o f “in Chr ist ,” Chr ist ’s life and sacr ifice, human suffer ing and reject ion, t he slave’s deat h, a liminal exper ience, t he margins o f humanit y, dying wit h Chr ist , a new space and t ime

Chapter 4: The Body Politic and the Body of Christ The goal of t his chapt er has t wo part s. One is t o t ake a look at t he Greco -Roman and Jewish wor ld in t erms o f body po lit ic and t o relat e to Paul’s body po lit ic t hrough t he met aphor “t he body o f Chr ist .” The ot her part is to illust rat e cases of disembodiment of Chr ist ic bod y found in 1 Corint hians. The conclusio n is t hat Paul t akes side o f t he democrat ic - inclusive body, and t hat t he Corint hian problems ar e cr it icized and deconst ruct ed by t his body po lit ic wit h an emphasis on t he deconst ruct ive power of t he cross (Chr ist cruc ified).

Questions 1. What are some major differences between the hegemonic body politic and the democratic-inclu sive body politic? Point out ideologies (philosophy) that support each body politic.

2. Which side of the body politic do you think Paul takes? Why?

3. What do you think is the central cause of the Corinthian prob lems mentioned in the letter? (divisions, sexual immorality, eating meat sacri fice to idols, etc).

4. Paul does not clai m his rights as an apostle (benefits such as financial support). Does this rejection of financial support reflect his protest to the social system of pat ron -

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client in the Greco -Roman world?

KEY TERMS Paul’s social wor ld, Stoicis m, t he body polit ic, unit y and har mo ny, peace and secur it y, Ro man E mpire, t he hegemo nic body, P lat o, Ar ist ot le, Cicero, Seneca, August us, Menenius Agr ippa’s speech, hierarchical chain of command, reason (nous), logos, slaver y, Virgil’s Aeneid, hierarchical dualis m, t he demo crat ic - inclusive body, Cynic, Diogenes, parrhesia, free speech, Chr ist crucified, Varro, Horace, Juvenal, Tacit us, crucifixio n o f slaves and Jews, t he vo ices o f margina lit y, a radical t heo logy of t he cross, social diver sit y, Chr ist ic embodiment , t he disembodiment of Chr is t , Chr ist ic body, an at t ribut ive genit ive, divisio ns, sexual immoralit y, a Corint hian slogan, marr iage -relat ed mat t ers, eat ing meat sacr ificed t o ido ls, r ight s of P aul, pat ronage, t he gospel of Chr ist , women’s head cover ings, t he Lord’s Supper, lo ve pat r iarchalism, funct io nalist , resurrect ion, ent husiast s, denia l o f deat h

Chapter 5: The Life of the “Body of Christ” in First Corinthians The goal of t his chapt er is to examine t he met aphor of “t he body o f Chr ist ” in t he who le let t er wit h a focus on t he discursive figurat ive st ruct ure of t he body. One of t he cent ral key words is “Chr ist ic body” (rendered as an at t ribut ive genit ive, Chr ist like body, as we see simila r ly in Ro m 6:6: t he body o f sin as “sinful body”). There are t h ree movement s of body met aphor in t his who le let t er: body as cross, body as communit y and body as resurrect ion.

Questions 1. Does this outline of the discu rsive figurative st ru cture in 1 Corinthians show distinctive issues and message in Corinthian situati on?

2. Compare and contrast variou s genitive cases applied to the body of Christ? Namely, between 1) the objective genitive (a body belonging to Christ as an organism 6

metaphor), 2) the subjective genitive (Chri st’s own body as physical), 3) the attributiv e genitive (Chri stli ke or Chri stic body).

3. Do inverted parallelisms in the analysis of the whole letter work in supporting the argu ment of the chapter and thesis of the whole book?

4. How can you account for the possib le tran sformative relationship, if any, between the metaphor of the body of Chri st, Paul and the Corinthian commu nity?

5. What do you think about the difference between Pau l's use of the metaphor of "the body of Ch rist" in 1 Corinthians and the later use by the authors of the so called Deutero-Pau line letters such as Ephesians and Colossians? 6. Does Paul distinguish between som a christou ("body of Chri st") and ekklesia (church) in 1 Cori nthians? If he does so, why is it important to distinguish each other in the Corinthian context?

KEY TERMS Paul’s own let t ers, t he Deut ero -Pauline let t ers, language for “t he body” in 1 Cor, an et hic of t he Chr ist ic body, one -st ep et hic, t wo -st ep et hic, figure, discursive st ruct ure, invert ed paralle lism, Paul’s t heo logy and et hics, t he cross as God’s power, t he Corint hians’ failure t o embody Chr ist crucified, t he Corint hian body as Chr ist ic embo diment , a new body, t hree t hemat ic part s (t he cross, t he co mmunit y, t ransfor mat ion), image of body figures, t heology o f body figures, love as a divine gift , love as a command, love as a radical challenge, lo ve as int erpersonal fait h, a loving co mmunit y ( ekkl esia), t he raised body of Chr ist , t he confessio n o f hope, God’s myst er y and power, Paul’s “yes” t o t he world, Chr ist crucified as a symbo l o f God’s just ice

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Chapter 6: Practicing the Diversity of Christ’s Body The goal of t his chapt er is to cont emplat e on t he diversit y o f Chr ist ’s body. The cent ral quest ion is, How can we pract ice t he met aphor of Chr ist ’s body, not as a bounda r y marker but as a living met aphor of Chr ist ic body in a diverse, conflict ed world today. This chapt er leaves more quest ions t han answer s regarding t he idea o f diversit y. That is where t he book ends because it is our jo b to cont inue to work toget her.

Questions 1. What is true diversity and its conditions? How does the body of Chri st have to do with the idea of diversity?

2. How is different, if any, between the notion of differences and of diversity? 3. Is it possible to have a phrase li ke “critical diver sity”? If possib le, how can we get there?

KEY TERMS Diversit y, biblical int erpret at io n, differ ences or complexit ies in our life, “ot her ness,” a her meneut ical lens, discer nment , balance, mult icult uralism, t he gospel o f Chr ist , God’s so lidar it y, Chr ist ’s dea t h, self- cr it ical awareness

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