Wednesday, September 14, 2016

1 Corinthians 8:10 and Temples of Idols

I once heard a talk in which the speaker brought out a point that was new for me. He read 1 Cor. 8:10 ("For if anyone should see you, the one having knowledge, reclining at a meal in an idol temple, will not the conscience of that one who is weak be built up to the point of eating foods offered to idols.")

The speaker pointed out that this verse is quite difficult to understand. Are we to assume that first-century Christians reclined in idol temples, as they cleaned their dishes of meat sacrificed to idols?

The speaker explained the text somewhat like Marion Soards does in the New International Biblical Commentary. Hope you enjoy this point:

"The verse creates complications for interpretation, because Paul specifically mentions the possible presence of believers in the temple of pagan deities. Whether Paul is discussing a possibility, a probability, or a reality is impossible to determine; he may be overstating the case to make his point with indisputable clarity . . . Whatever kind of meat and wherever someone may eat it, Paul's point is this: if Christians give no thought to their actions when those actions are controversial, then although their actions are seemingly correct for them, others who do not share their convictions may misunderstand and be led astray" (1 Corinthians, page 178).

1 comment:

Duncan said...

http://www.tyndalehouse.com/tynbul/library/TynBull_1998_49_1_12_Newton_Diss_IdolFood1Cor8.pdf