Dangerous Food: I Corinthians 8-10 in its Context
Recognizing the social meaning of food and meals in Greco-Roman culture
and, in particular, the social meaning of idol-food, is an integral
part of understanding the impact of Paul's instructions to the Christian
community at Corinth regarding the consumption of idol-food. Shared
meals were a central feature of social intercourse in Greco-Roman
culture. Meals and food were markers of social status, and participation
at meals was the main means of establishing and maintaining social
relations. Participation in public rites (and sharing the meals which
ensued) was a requirement of holding public office.
The social
consequences of refusing to eat idol-food would be extreme. Christians
might not attend weddings, funerals, celebrations in honour of
birthdays, or even formal banquets without encountering idol-food. In
this extended reading of 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, Paul's response to the
Corinthian Christians' query concerning food offered to idols, Gooch
uses a social-historical approach, combining historical methods of
source, literary and redaction criticism, and newer applications of
anthropological and sociological methods to determine what idol-food
was, and what it meant in that place at that time to eat or avoid it. In
opposition to a well-entrenched scholarly consensus, Gooch claims that
although Paul had abandoned purity rules concerning food, he would not
abandon Judaism's cultural and religious understanding concerning
idol-food.
On the basis of his reconstruction of Paul's letter in which he urged the Corinthian Christians to avoid any food infected by non-Christian rites, Gooch argues that the Corinthians rejected Paul's instructions to avoid facing significant social liabilities.
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The social
consequences of refusing to eat idol-food would be extreme. Christians
might not attend weddings, funerals, celebrations in honour of
birthdays, or even formal banquets without encountering idol-food. In
this extended reading of 1 Corinthians 8:1-11:1, Paul's response to the
Corinthian Christians' query concerning food offered to idols, Gooch
uses a social-historical approach, combining historical methods of
source, literary and redaction criticism, and newer applications of
anthropological and sociological methods to determine what idol-food
was, and what it meant in that place at that time to eat or avoid it. In
opposition to a well-entrenched scholarly consensus, Gooch claims that
although Paul had abandoned purity rules concerning food, he would not
abandon Judaism's cultural and religious understanding concerning
idol-food. On the basis of his reconstruction of Paul's letter in which he urged the Corinthian Christians to avoid any food infected by non-Christian rites, Gooch argues that the Corinthians rejected Paul's instructions to avoid facing significant social liabilities.
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