Verses 4–8a may present a pre-Pauline
aretalogy—that is, a list of virtues or qualities—of love that is used to
relativize the importance of wisdom in the Corinthian community. Aretalogies of
Wisdom (as well as of Isis, who has qualities similar to Wisdom) are well known
from the ancient world, and it is possible that the Corinthians knew these and
celebrated Wisdom in their midst. First Corinthians 13 may seek to redirect the
community’s interest in wisdom by celebrating love instead, just as chapters 1‒4
attempted to upend expectations about what true wisdom and knowledge are. (Neil
Elliott, “Situating the Apostle Paul in His Day and Engaging His Legacy in Our
Own,” in The New Testament, ed. Margaret Aymer, Cynthia Briggs
Kittredge, and David A. Sánchez [Fortress Commentary on the Bible; Minneapolis,
Minn.: Fortress Press, 2014], 456)
To
Support this Blog:
Email for Amazon Gift
card: ScripturalMormonism@gmail.com
Email for Logos.com
Gift Card: IrishLDS87@gmail.com
