'We are the parts of one great body': Understanding the community as Christ's body in 1 Corinthians 12 in light of Hellenistic moral philosophy

Scholars remain divided over the significance of Paul's identification of the Corinthian church as the body of Christ. Whereas some scholars see a literal, physical connection, other emphasize the comparative and paraenetic aspects of the passage. Still others see a real connection between Christ and the church, but one that is "mystical" rather than corporeal.;This dissertation is an exegetical examination of 1 Corinthians 12 with special attention to Hellenistic moral philosophy. It analyzes the significance of "body" terminology in the Hellenistic philosophers, and especially the Roman Stoics. The role of 1 Corinthians 12 in the larger context of 1 Corinthians 13--14 is taken into account, as well as relevant passages in 1 Corinthians 1--4.;The dissertation concludes that Paul's use of "body" in 1 Corinthians 12 must be understood in terms of the use of the body metaphor in rhetoric and the significance of "bodily" existence in Stoic philosophy. The intersection of bodily identification and moral exhortation finds a similar model in Stoic paraenesis. Furthermore, there is both similarity and dissimilarity. The similarity lies in the use of "body" terminology and the body metaphor. In Stoicism the existence of humanity as a "body" provided the basis for ethical exhortation, and the body metaphor was a topos for illustrating this existence and the type of expected behavior. The dissimilarities include the way in which Paul has applied "bodily" existence to the Christians as a "new" humanity which exists in Christ, and the way in which he reverses the hierarchy normally associated with the body metaphor.;While not concluding that Paul is indebted to Stoicism for his basic understanding of the nature of the Christian community, this dissertation does see a greater influence than the application of terminology. The bodily unity of humanity in Stoicism appears to provide the way for Paul to communicate his understanding of the transformation that has happened to those who are in Christ and form a "new" humanity. But further research remains to be done in several areas, including the political implications of Paul's identification of the Corinthians as a "bodily" community.