The Christ story as a narrative substructure of the Pauline ethos.

• Main Author: Stegmann, Robert Norman
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: The Apostle Paul; Epistles of Paul (Bible)
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/221

Pauline theology and Pauline ethics have generally been placed in sharp antithetical contrast to each other. Such a dialectical tension has resulted in a lopsided understanding of the interrelationship that exists between these two components. It is therefore necessary to examine the relationship between Paul¡¦s theology and ethics by providing a basic (and selected) overview of each in an attempt to reconcile them. The interrelationship between these two components will be considered from a narrative perspective in an attempt to restore a sense of coherence within the broad spectrum of Pauline theology. Within Paul¡¦s theological framework several important and selected themes will be considered: „« The Centrality of the Gospel in Paul: It will be proposed that the gospel, understood as the story about Jesus¡¦ death and resurrection, fundamentally shapes and informs Paul¡¦s entire theological and ethical framework. It is the gospel that provides coherence to the Pauline corpus. „« Pauline Soteriology: The concern will be to show that Paul¡¦s understanding of salvation moves from the objective and historical reality of what was achieved in Jesus¡¦ death and resurrection to subjective appropriation. This is profoundly expressed in the variety of metaphors (picture words) Paul employs to speak about what is first and foremost an existential experience for the believer. „« Pauline Ecclesiology: The story of Jesus¡¦ death and resurrection expresses the reality that individuals are brought into an existential experience of salvation, but this is furthermore enhanced by the fact that such an experience is given meaning within the context of the ejkklhsia. The contention is that the church, as the community of faith, is the sphere wherein which individuals mature spiritually. „« Paul¡¦s Eschatological Vision: Christ's death and resurrection was an event of eschatological significance. It portended the end of one age and the beginning of a new age. Pauline eschatology brings into sharper focus the nature of community life and profoundly shapes Paul¡¦s ethological discourses. It is suggested that Paul¡¦s ethological reflections make sense only when understood as flowing out of his theological framework. Furthermore, an examination of Pauline ethics suggests that he persistently brings the gospel to bear on the various contingencies that he is confronted with. Paul¡¦s ethics centres on the cross of Jesus Christ, which functions metonymically to evoke, as the focus, the significance and meaning of the cross. For Paul, the cross and all that it embodies presents a call to cruciformity ¡V life in the pattern of the cross. It is proposed, by way of a theological exposition of 1 Cor. 11.17-34, that Paul¡¦s ethology is a result of an ongoing dialogue, he is engaged in, between the Christ event and the various ethical contingencies he is called upon to deal with. The gospel forms the basis of Paul¡¦s reflective discourses. It provides Paul with an undergirding narrative framework that shapes his worldview. A brief overview of the important role that worldviews perform will show that Paul responds to his communities of faith from the perspective of worldview. That is, Paul is concerned to shape the behaviour of his Christian converts by sculpting their particular frames of reference. The frame of reference he seeks to inculcate within the lives of his converts is based on the story of Jesus Christ. It is this story that becomes paradigmatic for the ethos Paul seeks to set up. Furthermore, it is suggested that it is possible to trace the narrative contours of Paul¡¦s reflective discourses. Such a suggestion is supported by showing that 1 Corinthians as a whole resonates with echoes of a narrative; a narrative that is rooted in the Christ event. The mapping out of these narrative contours in Paul¡¦s letters will reflect the centrality of the gospel story. Moreover, it is suggested that by tracing the narrative substructure present in 1 Cor. 11.17-34, that the reader will gain a deeper appreciation of how the gospel functions within Paul¡¦s theological and ethical framework. Finally, it is proposed that Paul¡¦s reflective discourses shape and conform his ethos in such a way as to provide a meaningful framework out of which he calls the community of faith to live out its witness. In so doing, Paul emphasises the importance of remembering (recalling) the stories that constitute the Christian worldview. === Prof. JA Du Rand