Right theology, wrong practice

April 24, 2021 (Saturday)

 

Before you read this post, please read yesterday’s.

 

We peeked briefly at odd verse from 1 Corinthians 15:29 which stated that Christians were “being baptized on behalf of the dead.” I suggested Paul might have been pointing to non-Christian religious practice of “mystery religion” followers. Chances are fair that some of their ideas and ways made their way into the church.

 

A “mystery religion” was one based on “secret knowledge.” They tended to pull ideas from various religions. They also tended to be female oriented, in the sense of believing in a “god and consort.” Another tendency was for them to adhere to sexual debauchery in ritual. This seeped into the church in the form of “Gnosticism.” One more tendency, they held to a dualistic understanding of the universe. In other words, the physical was bad or irrelevant while the spiritual was good.

 

Yet, Paul continues his argument for the resurrection with, “Why are we in danger every hour?” [1 Corinthians 15:30 ESV] Paul is saying, if there were no resurrection why would anyone be crazy enough to risk their life, isolation from society, and being mocked for a lie? Paul punctuates this in the next verse: “For I swear, dear brothers and sisters, that I face death daily. This is as certain as my pride in what Christ Jesus our Lord has done in you.” [NLT]

 

I promised odd stuff, so let’s dive forward! Paul then quotes Epicurean philosophy, “From a human point of view, what good does it do me if I fought wild animals in Ephesus? If the dead aren’t raised, let’s eat and drink because tomorrow we’ll die.” [1 Corinthians 15:32 CEB] Did Paul fight wild animals in Ephesus?

 

The amphitheater in Ephesus was designed for this sort of thing. There was an entrance from under the theater for animals. There was a pit for fire to protect the spectators from wild animals. If Paul was subjected to this, it is remarkable he survived. On the other hand maybe Paul was referring to the riot in Ephesus (see Acts 19:23 – 41). Go read it. Like most riots, the behavior of the crowd is good for a laugh.

 

The quote (“eat, drink…”) was an Epicurean meme. There is a statute commemorating the founder of Paul’s home town. The inscription states “Stranger, eat, drink, and play, for all the rest is not worth this.” The statute of Sardanapalus is making an obscene gesture. [Ellicott] The Epicureans were all about indulging whatever pleased the body.

 

Paul then writes, “Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” [1 Corinthians 15:33 ESV] This is a quote from a Greek comedy (play) written by Menander titled “Thais.” The comedy is about a “high class” prostitute who unravels the mysterious origins of a baby’s parents. The point of the comedy was virtue earns reward while vice earns punishment. [University of Nottingham]

 

Why does Paul quote the first line from this play, which was fairly well known? Paul did not minister in a vacuum. Like us, he was dealing with the culture of his day. To balance a dangerous Epicurean philosophy, he quoted a truth proposed and illustrated within his cultural context! Remember, Paul was writing to a primary Gentile (not Jewish) church with little to no knowledge of the Old Testament.

 

His justification for doing this is found in the next verse. “Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.” [ESV] NOW Paul condemns them (again). Some people in this church were ignorant of God, as evidence by their continuing in sin. It’s also a “back-handed” way of condemning an indefensible practice (baptism for the dead) based on right theology (belief in the resurrection).