Although
Paul does not explicate his understanding of the notion ο κυριος της δοξης in 1
Cor 2:8 there can be little doubt that he points to the religious significance
of the figure of Jesus and of His death. In Ps. 29/28:3 ‘The God of glory’ is
said to be also ‘the Lord over mighty waters’; in Ps. 24/23:7-8 the author
refers to the ‘King of glory’: ‘Who is the King of glory?’—it is asked in v. 8;
κυριος is the answer. In Acts 7:2 Stephen addresses the God of Israel as ‘the
God of glory’ (ο θεος της δοξης) while in Eph. 1:17 God is said to be ‘The
Father of glory’’ (ο πατηρ της δοξης). Also in 1En. 63.2 God is said to
be ‘The Lord of glory.’ (Andrey A. Romanov, One God as One God and One Lord:
The Lordship of Jesus Christ as a Hermeneutical Key to Paul’s Christology in 1
Corinthians (with a special focus on 1 Cor. 8:4-6) [Early Christian Studies
20; Macquarie Centre, Australia: 2021], 7 n. 24)
If,
however, it is assumed that Paul uses the designation ο κυριος της δοξης in 1
Cor. 2:8 in order to underline Christ’s religious status as a pre-existent
being, then all the puzzles concerning the specific character of His
crucifixion seem to be solved. First of all, this assumption makes clear why
Jesus’ crucifixion cannot be compared to the deaths (even violent) of other
righteous human beings, such as the death of John the Baptist (prior to Jesus’
crucifixion) or the death of Stephen (prior to Paul’s writing of 1
Corinthians), for Paul proclaims the crucifixion of the One who is both a man
and a pre-existent person. Secondly, this assumption elucidates why some Jews
and Greeks consider Christ’s crucifixion as foolishness or a stumbling block:
the factual crucifixion of the One who participated in creation was not easy to
comprehend. Finally, this assumption explains why ‘the rulers of this age’ are
‘doomed to perish’ (2:8,6): they crucified the One who will judge the world at
His second coming and ‘the rulers of this age’ will be destroyed by Him (see
also 15:24). The cross of Christ obtains a religious significance in Paul’s
eyes not because it was a violation against the righteous man Jesus, but
because it was the crucifixion of Jesus as both a man and the
true Lord of Glory. (Ibid., 570-71)
