Paul and Sacrifice in Corinth

In this study, Martin Sanfridson examines Paul's instructions regarding various levels of engagement in gentile cults in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10. His study contributes to a new reading of these two chapters. The author argues that 1 Corinthians 8 and 10 deal with two distinct, yet connected, issues. In the former chapter, Paul instructs Christ followers on how they should act when dining in temples dedicated to idols (something he, in principle, allows); in the latter, he instructs them to avoid all participation at the altar where the sacrifice takes place. By recognizing these two different contexts, Paul's instructions in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10 become more understandable, coherent, and consistent. Furthermore, the volume argues that Paul's instructions should be read within the wider context of Second Temple Judaism and early rabbinic Judaism, and not as evidence that Paul left Judaism.