Koinonia: the genesis of the Pauline construct
Date
2014-05-14
Authors
Corry, Norma Anne
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Abstract
The term koinonia, as found in the New Testament, is used predominantly by Paul,
who does so with reference to several contexts within the so-called Pauline
communities of the Mediterranean area. In order to make the research into such a
broad subject more workable, the focus of the dissertation is on the most significant
context in which Paul uses the word koinonia, the Christian common meal (1
Corinthians 10:16). There are several possible interpretations of koinonia, and what
has emerged from past research is that the meaning of koinonia cannot be determined
without reference to the social context. In this dissertation we conduct a sociohistorical
investigation of the context of the Christian community in Corinth, and show
that the Christian community was a social group, which like other social groups, was
tied into the social organisation of Roman Corinth. Insights from the social context
shed light on the Christian meal and contribute to our understanding of the divisions
in the Corinthian community, and why Paul uses the term koinonia in that context. The
Greek concept of koinonia carried a sense of equality and friendship expressed
especially in meal traditions, and Paul relies on this ideal in applying koinonia to the
Christian meal. He uses the term as part of his challenge to the socially powerful in
the Christian community in Corinth, who were tied into a patron-client ideology that
was threatening the life of the community. Paul formulates an understanding of
koinonia that relies on the Greek heritage of the term, but he adds his own unique
aspects drawn from his Christology, and as such Paul's koinonia, as he uses it in the
Christian meal, has a rich and broad meaning, possibly more so than has been imputed
by scholars thus far.
Description
Thesis (M.A.)--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Arts, 1997.