Pheme Perkins on Patterns in 1 Corinthians 134-7

  

 

 

Patterns in 1 Corinthians 13:4–7

1 Corinthians 13:4a The first portion of this catalogue forms a chiasm with an A-B-Bʹ-Aʹ pattern: “love is patient”   hē agapē makrothymei   “kind is love”   chrēsteuetai hē agapē

1 Corinthians 13:4b–6a This portion consists of two groups of four lines. The opening seven-syllable line of each group has a similar sounding verb (following NA27 in including hē agapē after zēloi in 13:4b): “love is not jealous”   ou zēloi hē agapē   “it is not conceited”   ou perpereuetai   “not arrogant”   ou physioutai   “does not behave improperly”   ouk aschēmonei   “does not seek its own advantage”   ou zētei ta heautēs   “is not irritable”   ou paroxynetai   “does not calculate evil”   ou logizetai to kakon   “does not take joy in injustice”   ou chairei epi tē adikia

1 Corinthians 13:5b–6 This portion, which uses some lines from the preceding example, displays antithetical parallelism, rejecting vice and promoting good: “does not calculate evil”   ou logizetai to kakon   “does not take joy in injustice”   ou chairei epi tē adikia   “but rejoices in the truth”   synchairei de tē alētheia

1 Corinthians 13:7 This portion consists of four staccato phrases opening with “all things” (panta): “puts up with all things”   panta stegei   “believes all things”   panta pisteuei   “hopes all things”   panta elpizei   “endures all things”   panta hypomenei

 

 

Pheme Perkins, First Corinthians (ed. Mikeal C. Parsons and Charles H. Talbert; Paideia Commentaries on the New Testament; Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 153.