The Lord's Supper and ritual theory: interpreting 1 Corinthians 11:30 in terms of risk, failure, and efficacy
Utilising theoretical concepts and approaches from the field of ritual studies, this article examines the meal practice of the Corinthian assembly, as prescribed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, as well as his criticism, in the same passage, of their performing of it. Verse 30: "F...
| Published in: | Neotestamentica |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
NTWSA
[2016]
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| In: |
Neotestamentica
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| RelBib Classification: | AG Religious life; material religion CB Christian life; spirituality CD Christianity and Culture HC New Testament NBP Sacramentology; sacraments |
| Further subjects: | B
Bible. Corinthians 1. 11,30
B Paul Apostle B Rituale B Corporate B Ritual B Efficacy B Risk B 1 Corinthians 11:30 B Replacement B Lord's Supper service B Meal practice B Mimesis B Individual B Bodily illness B body of Christ B Lord's Supper B Ritual Theory B Sacramental B Sacrifice B Lord's supper B Body B Failure |
| Parallel Edition: | Electronic
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| Summary: | Utilising theoretical concepts and approaches from the field of ritual studies, this article examines the meal practice of the Corinthian assembly, as prescribed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, as well as his criticism, in the same passage, of their performing of it. Verse 30: "For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep," functions as this study's starting-point and cue. Firstly, it is argued that Paul here refers to bodily affliction. As a microcosm, the body - signifying the whole person - is necessarily affected by the larger sphere of existence in which it participates, in this case the body of Christ: the Spirit-infused community of Christ-followers in Corinth. The term "body" is thus used holistically and multi-referentially. Secondly, in analogy with the Old Testament account of Achan in Joshua 7 this study puts forward the corporate nature of Corinth's affliction: the entire community is at risk of falling ill, not just the guilty members. A reading of the passage in terms of ritual theory, more specifically, sacrifice, underscores the bodily and corporate nature of the pedagogical judgment imposed on the Corinthians. Performing the Lord's Supper involves risk. Enacting the orderly sequence of ritual segments or sub-acts with a holy disposition is what is required for the proper performance of this sacrificial meal. The divisions and disorder in the assembly cause it to fail. Therefore, the outcome that is produced is negative: what emerges is a Corinthian body that is in a fractured state and in need of restoration - individually, corporately, and sacramentally. |
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| ISSN: | 0254-8356 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Neotestamentica
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