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Abstract
Two passages in 1
Corinthians, 6:12–20 and 10:23–11:1, provide a unique glimpse into the inner
workings of Paul’s ethics. In both texts, Paul begins by quoting an apparent
community slogan that asserts the autonomous rights of the Corinthian believer.
As he then addresses the issues of sexual relations with prostitutes (6:13–20) and the consumption of food offered to idols
(10:24–11:1), Paul gradually and comprehensively reigns in this antinomian
assertion, ironically conforming it to the two tables of the Mosiac law. While
Paul may use Stoic-Cynic categories of ethical discourse and Greco-Roman
rhetorical techniques to reason through these two issues, ultimately the ethos
commended by these two passages is determined by the two tables, now
Christologically informed and transformed.
