Corinthian Wisdom, Stoic Philosophy, and the Ancient Economy Timothy A. Brookins (review)

In a revised version of his doctoral dissertation, defended at Baylor University in 2012 (supervisor: Bruce Longenecker), Brookins argues that the conflicts behind 1 Corinthians stem from upwardly mobile Corinthians who had received and reconceived Paul's message of the gospel through the lens of Stoic philosophy. In contrast to the Baur-oriented, Gnostic, rhetorical, or "mixed" philosophy theories that reconstruct the oppositional factions in Corinth, B. argues that only the Stoic thesis can account for all of the major topics in the letter. He maintains that Paul uses several Stoic terms and slogans to beat the Stoic factionalists at their own game and offers the Stoic thesis as the singular way to reconstruct the community and situation behind 1 Corinthians.

The first two chapters introduce the context for the debate and the requisite need for a fresh perspective. B. outlines the various theories scholars have proposed, from Ferdinand Christian Baur to the modern rhetorical/philosophical debate, and argues that philosophy (not rhetoric) and, specifically, Stoicism is the key problem. B. claims that the majority who approve a rhetorical nexus to the factions overcorrect from the failed Gnostic theory and overread 1 Cor 1:18‒2:5 with unnecessary external data from 2 Corinthians and Acts. Pointing to examples of logos and sophia in ancient writers, B. argues that Paul's usage of these terms is inherently philosophical, not rhetorical.

The methodology proposed in chap. 3 calls for caution in reconstructing the situation or the "opponents" with mirror reading or external data and instead relies on Paul's accuracy, rejects a priori reconstructions, separates the occasion of the letter from Paul's response found in the letter, understands both Paul's concepts and the Corinthian reaction to him, and isolates the Corinthian slogans and language. B. briefly reconstructs the problems behind the letter (such as divisive human wisdom, sexual immorality, abstinence, and eating idol meat) and identifies slogans (e.g., 6:12-13; 7:1; 8:1, 4; 15:12) and key terms (gnōsis, sophos, pneumatikos) of the Stoic Corinthian faction.

In chap. 4, B. reconstructs the socioeconomic and religio-cultural character of the Corinthian community, which he maintains is mostly gentile and self-identifying as Greek (as opposed to Roman). With a particular interest in Erastus, B. argues that several Corinthian members would have had an upwardly mobile status with exposure to, and interest in, Stoicism through gymnasia or other public education sectors.

The exegetical treatment of texts lies mainly in chap. 5, in which B. compares major segments of 1 Corinthians alongside Stoic slogans and ideas. The use of "wisdom," "king," and "freedom," he claims, coheres with Cicero and other Stoic texts, as do "weak," "perfect," "strong," and "honor." He states further that the letter evinces a faction who proposed themselves as wise men who had attained perfect spiritual wisdom and freedom in a way that set them apart from the weaker, immature individuals who lacked such wisdom. Likewise, they claim that their autonomy to behave as they choose in "indifferent matters" (adiaphora) should not be hindered. Paul then takes up such language in his responses to this faction of Christianized Stoics that, in B.'s view, animate the whole of the letter's main topics. B. closes the chapter by identifying two anchors—that the initial Corinthian audience received Paul as a philosopher, and that Stoicism is at the root of the fracture in Corinth—to begin reconstructing the letter as a whole and sets his thesis alongside the previous major theories to demonstrate how his is optimal. A brief conclusion then summarizes the totality of the book and offers suggestions for future trajectories on the rhetoric/philosophy debate in Corinth.

Brookins demonstrates clear command of the subject matter and organizes his arguments in cohesive scaffolded chapters. Concisely written, B.'s study successfully negotiates dense comparanda of ancient and modern authors' viewpoints and crosses a range of fields, including history, sociology, classics, rhetoric, and demographics...