The Jewish Annotated New Testament (261 page)

7.8
–16: On divorce. 9
:
Self-control
over sexual desire, a philosophical discipline cultivated by Neoplatonists, Aristotelians, Stoics, Cynics, Philo, and rabbis (Philo,
On the Creation
164;
Avot de R. Natan
16).

10
:
Lord
, Jesus (see Mk 10.9 and “Sexual Mores,” p.
298
).

11
:
Unmarried or else be reconciled
, as opposed to marrying another. Paul glosses Jesus’ command (Mt 5.31–32) regarding divorce.

12
: Fearing idolatrous influences, moral corruption, and/or defilement of Israel’s holy seed, some Jews banned exogamy (1 Kings 11.1–10; Ezra 9.1–2; Tob 4.12;
Jub
. 30.7; 4Q397 “Halakhic Letter” MMT frags. 5+6, 6;
T. Levi
9.10;
T. Job
45.3; Philo,
Spec. Laws
3.29;
L.A.B
. 9.5; 21.1) although there is ample evidence for intermarriage (
Ant
. 8.7.5 [191–93]; 16.7.6 [225]; 18.5.1 [109]; 18.5.4 [139–140]; 20.7.1–3 [139–147]).
B. Qidd
. 68b and
b. Yebam
. 45a regard intermarriages as invalid.

14
:
Holy
, elevated to a status of sanctity. Paul’s view that unbelievers do not defile believers aligns with rabbinic opinion that regards sexual contact with Gentiles as neutral (
Sifra Pereq Zavim
1.1). In Paul’s time, Jews regarded children of intermarriages as Jewish as long as their fathers were Jewish (see the children of Joseph and Moses, and 2 Sam 3.3, concerning Absalom;
Ant
. [see 7.12n.]). Although rabbinic opinions diverged, matrilineal descent eventually became normative in Judaism (
m
.
Qidd
. 3.12,
m. Yebam
. 2.5; 7.5,
t
.
Qidd
. 4.16).

16
:
Save
, at the final judgment (see 7.14).

7.17
–24: Eschatological urgency and social stability. 18
:
Remove the marks
, epispasm, or foreskin reconstruction, likely inspired by the embarrassment of nude athletic competitions and public bathing (see 1 Macc 1.15;
Ant
. 12.241;
T. Moses
8.3).
Circumcised
, some Jesus-followers advocated circumcision for Gentiles (Gal 2.3–12).
Not seek circumcision
, in Rom 3.1–2 Paul notes benefits associated with circumcision (i.e., being a member of the Jewish people).

19
:
Nothing
, since the eschatological “new covenant” (11.25) privileged the moral
commandments
(e.g., prohibitions of idolatry, sexual immorality, theft, greed, murder [Rom 13.9; Eph 5.3–5; 1 Cor 6.18]) over circumcision.

21
:
Present condition
, as slaves. The Greek could be read either as encouraging slaves to obtain their freedom or as making the best of their status as slaves.

22
:
Slave … freed person
, Paul plays on the terms’ Roman legal usage and their metaphoric sense in relation to Christ.

23
:
Bought
, see 6.20n.

7.25
–40: Unmarried believers.

25
:
Virgins
, never-married women.
Trustworthy
, Paul’s authority derives from his mystical infusion of the Spirit of
the Lord’s mercy
(see 2 Cor 3.3–6).

26
:
Impending crisis
, imminent eschaton.

27
:
Seek to be free
, see 7.11.

28
:
Distress
, demands of marriage and family (7.33–34).

29
:
Be … had none
, practice abstinence.

30
–31
: Mourners, celebrants, and patrons acting contrary to their normal state, indicating eschatological transformation (compare 2 Esd [
4 Ezra
] 3.24; 4.26; 16.42–45).

32
:
Anxieties
, see 7.28.

36
:
Fiancée
, lit., “his virgin”; Jewish and Roman marriage consisted of two stages, betrothal (engagement) and nuptials.

37
:
Keep her
, without consummation.

39
:
In the Lord
, within the church, further circumscribing the Jewish desideratum of endogamy (see 7.12n.).

8.1
–13: Dietary concerns.

1
:
Food sacrificed to idols
, a derogatory word (“eidōlothutos”) used by Jews and Christians for pagan sacrifices. Some congregants may have eaten the food in order to gain or retain social status and familial connections. Jews generally avoided such food; they had permission to bring their own meat into local marketplaces (
Ant
. 14.259–61). Philo condemned Jewish participation in pagan ceremonial meals (
Dreams
2.123;
Joseph
154;
Spec. Laws
3.126, and elsewhere).
All of us possess knowledge
, see 1.5n.; the phrase is likely another Corinthian slogan.
Puffs up
, see 5.6n.; Isa 2.11–12,17 construes idolatry as hubris.
Love
(“agapē”)
builds up
rather than fractures communities (see 8.10).
Love
epitomizes the law (Rom 13.8,10; Gal 5.14; see Mt 22.37–40).

2
:
Know
from scripture (see 8.4).
Knowledge
of the one God (see 8.7n.; Dan 12.3).

4
:
No idol … exists
, see Jon 2.8; Ps 115; 2 Chr 13.9; Wis 13.
There is no God but one
, in late biblical religion, this became a core Jewish belief (Deut 4.35; 6.4; 1 Kings 18.39; Mk 12.29). Following prophetic tradition (e.g., Jer 2.28), Paul combines the scriptural prohibitions against idolatry and polytheism (Ex 20.3–4). Thus he is concerned about the Corinthians partaking in Greco-Roman cultic meals on two counts: the statues are merely empty vessels (8.7), and the many gods that pagans worship are false because there is only one God (8.5).

5
:
In fact
, better translated “as if”; Paul denies their existence.
Many gods and many lords
, titles given to the
so-called gods
of the Gentiles.

6
:
Father
, see 1.3n.
Exist
, we were created by God and it is for God’s sake that we live. Jesus is the vehicle by which
all things … exist,
some Jewish literature understood wisdom as the attribute of God through which the world was created (Prov 8.22; Sir 1.4; Philo,
Drunkenness
30–31). For a NT passage probably not by Paul, see Col 1.15–17, perhaps recapitulating Wis 7.22–8.1.

7
:
Knowledge
of the one God and therefore that
idols
are not gods.
Defiled
, see Ezek 20.18; 23.30.

8
–9
: Paul favorably quotes the Corinthian viewpoint that food has no bearing on one’s relationship
to God
. The Hebrew Bible has a variety of attitudes toward sacrifice; it is fundamental to the priestly worldview, but ranked second to mercy elsewhere (e.g. Isa 1.10–17; Hos 6.6; Ps 51.16–17 [Heb vv. 18–19]).
Stumbling block
, since sharing in the Lord’s Supper affirmed belief in Jesus (11.20–34), the weak might be misled by pagan meal-sharing into affirming pagan deities.

10
:
Temple of an idol
(“eidōleion”), banquet areas within temple complexes.
Conscience
, awareness of God and conviction that idols are not gods. Rabbinic strictures prohibited even the appearance of misconduct because of its potential influence on others (Heb “mar’it ‘ayin,” see
y. Demai
6.2).

12
:
Sin
, mislead believers (Isa 9.16; Ezek 13.9–10; Mic 3.5).

13
:
Never eat meat
, since meat sold in the marketplace was associated with pagan sacrifice, Corinthians could avoid sin by abstaining from meat. Paul’s theory parallels the rabbinic concept of “lifnei meshurat ha-din,” going beyond the boundaries of the law to ensure fidelity (
b. B. Metz
. 24b).

9.1
–18: Rights of an Apostle.

1
:
Apostle
, see 1.1n.
Seen Jesus
, see 15.8–10.

2
:
Seal
, a means of fastening a document with softened wax, lead, or clay impressed with a stamp, used to ensure the authenticity of what was thus sealed; used metaphorically: since Paul founded the community, the community authenticated his apostolic role.

3
:
Defense
, Gk “apologia.”

4
:
Right
, apostles expected church support.

5
:
Believing
, lit., “sister” (“adelphē”), a member of the church, such as Priscilla and Aquila (16.19; Rom 16.3). Paul has remained celibate (9.12).
Brothers of the Lord
, see Mt 12.46–49; 13.55; 28.10; Mk 3.31–34; Lk 8.19–21; Jn 2.12; 7.3–10; 20.17; Gal 1.19).
Cephas
, Peter. See 1.12; 3.22; 15.5; according to Mt 8.14–15; Mk 1.29–31; Lk 4.38–39, Jesus healed Cephas’s mother-in-law; the NT does not name his wife.

6
:
Barnabas
, Aram for “son of encouragement”; see Acts 4.36; 9.27; 11.27–30; 13.8–13; 15.38–40; Gal 2.1–14.
Working for a living,
see 4.12n.