An Ecclesiology of Christological Monotheism in 1 Corinthians

What is it about?

When Paul employs the motif of oneness in 1 Corinthians 12 and joins it to the metaphor of Christ's body, he is drawing not only on Greco-Roman political rhetoric as argued by the majority of interpreters; the apostle is simultaneously, and at times more directly, drawing from theological wells found within his Jewish theological heritage: the use of the phrase "one body" 1 Corinthians is an ecclesial application of the Shema. Paul's oneness language expresses not simply a call to internal unity or social harmony; ultimately, the ecclesial designation "one" is a succinct articulation of an ecclesiology of Christological monotheism.

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Why is it important?

This article highlights a social (and therefore ecclesial) application of the Shema to the Christian church in Corinth. Though standard interpretations construe Paul's oneness language as premised on Greco-Roman political discourse, I call attention to the monotheistic theology of Paul's Jewish heritage as an additional and possibly more significant source. Christological monotheism presupposes an ecclesiology in which a community of people are centred on the one God and one Lord of early Christian confession.