1 COR 12-14: Literary Structure and Theology

The present book establishes the literary structure of 1 Cor 12-14 through the consideration of a multiplicity of literary indications and their convergence. The determination of the structure constitutes an important step in understanding both the logic of Paul’s argumentation in general and the function of chap. 13 in particular, moreover, this approach sheds light on questions related to the authenticity of some sections of 1 cor 12-14. After a critical review of how recent scholars have construed the structure of 1 cor 12-14 (chaps. 1-2), the study examines those literary features of 1 Cor 12-14 that suggest a new way of viewing the structural organization of the text (chap. 3). Finally, the theological consequences to be derived from the adoption of the proposed structure are presented (chap. 4). The method employed here for uncovering the literary structure of the text through an objective and rigorous examination of its literary indications is that of Fr. Albert Vanhoye S.J. The present work is therefore offered as a practical and detailed example of the method in question. Jose Enrique Aguilar Chiu born in 1960 in Acapulco, Mexico, obtained his doctorate in sacred scripture at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome, Italy. He has taught at the seminary of New York and the Seminary of Philadelphia.