Read The Jewish Annotated New Testament Online
Authors: Amy-Jill Levine
13
: See Gal 3.28.
15
–25
: The body relies on each part fulfilling its proper role.
26
:
All suffer
, see 11.23n.; 15.3n. Vicarious suffering and reward appears in prophetic and later Jewish literature (Isa 53;
b. Shabb
. 39a,
Lev. Rab
. 4.6).
12.27
–31: Distribution of gifts. 28
:
First … second … third
, in order of authority or perhaps chronology.
31
:
But strive
, better: “Yet you strive,” a challenge to overcome jealousy of others’
gifts
and embrace a
more excellent way
of sustaining the community (see 13.1–2).
13.1
–13: Love.
Paul’s great evocation of love first recalls his discounting of eloquence (1.17; 2.1) and wisdom (1.20–25), before turning to spiritual gifts and insisting that if they are not grounded in the effort to bring about the best for those in the community, if they do not aim to reveal the reality of love, they amount to nothing at all.
1
:
Love
(“agapē”) of God and neighbor, the
more excellent way
of 12.31 (LXX Lev 19.18; LXX Deut 6.5, which Jesus summarizes as the “greatest commandment” in Mt 22.36–40; Mk 12.31; see also Lk 10.25–28). The Psalms LXX associate “agapē” with righteous worship (LXX Ps 30.23; 39.16; 68.35; 96.10; 144.20). In Isa 56.6, the likely background for Paul’s discussion, this worship includes the Gentiles and Jerusalem’s restoration (
1 En
. 108.12).
Tongues … of angels
, see
T. Job
48.3; 49.2; 50.1–2;
1 En
. 71.11.
Clanging cymbal
of both pagan and Jewish worship (Ovid,
Metam
. 4.38, Strabo,
Geogr
. 10.3.7,13,15; LXX Ps 150.5;
Ant
. 7.306).
2
:
Knowledge … faith
, see 12.8–9.
Mysteries
, see 15.51n.
3
:
Give away
, extreme generosity was a hallmark of the “ekklēsia” (see Acts 2.45) and perhaps part of Jesus’ agenda (Mt 19.21; Mk 10.21; Lk 12.23; 18.22).
Boast
about hardships. Other manuscripts have “burned,” punished (see 4.9–13).
11
:
Child
, see 2.6n., 3.1n.
12
:
Face to face
, like Moses’ encounter with God (Num 12.8; Deut 34.10; Philo,
Heir
262, uses the same contrast).
13
:
Faith, hope, and love
will outlast spiritual gifts, but
love
is eternal. In the fulfillment of the kingdom,
love
will embrace all (see Wis 3.9;
T. Gad
4.7 on love as a gift of the Spirit). Rabbinic tradition ties faith in God to hope for the world-to-come (
Mek. Beshallah
7 on Ex 14.31).
14.1
–40: Prophecy and tongues. 1
:
Spiritual gifts
(“pneumatika”), see 12.1–11n. and “Spiritual Gifts,” p.
307
.
2
:
Speaking mysteries
, talking in incomprehensible language about hidden heavenly secrets.
3
: Prophecy enlightens more than tongues because it is immediately comprehensible; see 12.8; Wis 14.28;
Sib. Or
. 3.163, 298, 491; Plutarch,
Pyth. orac
. 24–25.
8
: Roman army musicians signaled maneuvers with instruments; see also Num 10.2–9; Josh 6.4–20; 4Q491 frag. 11, col. 2.1–7; frag. 13.1–6.
14
:
Mind
, awareness.
15
:
Sing praise
, chanting of psalms or hymns acclaiming God’s accomplishments.
16
:
Blessing
, thanksgiving, requiring assent of other believers by proclaiming
the “Amen”
(Heb “truly”; see Ps 106.48; Neh 5.13; 1 Chr 16.36;
m. Ber
. 8.8;
m. Ta’an
. 2.5;
t. Rosh Ha-Shanah
2.14).
Outsider
, or unlearned (“idiotēs”) in the Gospel.
20
:
Children
, see 2.6n.; 3.1n.; 13.11.
21
: Isa 28.11–12, in a version different from both the Masoretic and extant Greek.
Law
, Jewish Scriptures (see 9.8n.; 9.9n.; Rom 3.19). Paul considers prophetic writing as well as the Torah to be authoritative, as does rabbinic tradition (
b. Git
. 36a).
22
:
Not for unbelievers
because it is alienating. The idea that the same instrument can have opposite effects appears in Wis 11.5.
23
:
Out of your mind
, as with some Greek ecstatic utterances (Wis 14.28).
Outsiders
, see 14.6n.
25
: Isa 45.14; see also 3.16; Ezek 39.21; Zech 8.23.
26
:
Lesson
, instruction (see LXX Ps 59.1; Sir 9.1).
Revelation
, wisdom utterance or prophecy (see 14.6; 12.8–10).
Tongue
, see 12.10; 13.1.
Interpretation
, see 12.10; 14.13.
29
:
Weigh what is said
, see Deut 18.22.
33b
–36
: Some scholars consider this passage an interpolation: it appears to contradict 11.5; its position varies among manuscripts; it is easily removed without disrupting the rhetoric.
34
:
Women
(“gynaikes”), could be translated “wives” (see 12.10,28,30; 14.2,4–6,13,27–28); a husband who interprets his wife’s utterance would be subordinate to her (see 12.30), contravening 11.8–9.
The law
, perhaps
the law
of creation, that a “husband is the head of his wife” (11.3; see also LXX Gen 3.16). Readings that attribute Paul’s injunction to an imagined normative misogynist “rabbinic background” lack any basis. Jewish women spoke publicly in their capacity as civil leaders (
Ant
. 13.405, e.g.) and leaders of synagogues (
CIJ
741, e.g.).
39
:
Friends
(“adelphoi”), lit., “brothers.”
40
:
Decently
, decorously.
In order
, according to the divine, cosmic order delineated in the previous two chapters.
15.1
–11: The tradition. 1
:
Good news
, gospel.
2
:
Saved
, from sin and eternal death.
3
:
Handed on … received
, see 11.2n.
For our sins
, vicarious atonement, expiatory sacrifice, or propitiatory sacrifice have scriptural resonance (Isa 53; Ps 22; LXX Dan 3.40; 4 Macc 6.27–29; 17.20–22;
T. Benj
. 3.8,
Mek. Pis
ḥ
a
1 on Ex 12.1).
3
–4
:
For our sins
, perhaps evoking Isa 53.5; see
Tg. Neb
. Isa 53.
Scriptures
, which passages Paul invokes are unclear: suggestions include LXX Jer 23.5; LXX Hos 6.2 (the Targum adds “In the day of the resurrection of the dead” to this verse); Dan 7.25; Jon 1.17 (LXX 2.1). See also 1 Thess 4.14.
4
:
Was raised
, by God.
5
:
Cephas
, see 1.12n.; Lk 24.34.
The twelve
, Paul never mentions Judas.
6
:
Appeared
, the sole attestation for this appearance to 500.
7
:
James
, the “brother of the Lord [Jesus]” (9.5; Gal 1.18–19; Mk 6.3).
Apostles
, see 1.1n.
8
–9
:
Untimely born
, like a stillbirth, referring to either Paul’s physical appearance or early hostility to the gospel (Gal 1.13; Phil 3.6; see also Acts 8.1–3; 9.1–5; 22.4; 26.9–11).
10
:
Grace
, see “spiritual gifts,” 12.1.
11
:
I or they
, other apostles.
Proclaim
, 2.4; see also LXX Isa 61.1; Joel 2.1; Jon 1.2; 3.2; Zech 9.9; Prov 1.21; Dan 3.4.
15.12
–19: Centrality of the resurrection.
No resurrection
, denial of bodily resurrection (vs. immortality of the soul), a misunderstanding of Jesus’ resurrection as a one-time event rather than as the inauguration of the general resurrection (15.20), or the belief that those baptized were already resurrected and so no longer bound by rules regarding the sanctity of the body. Pharisees, but not all Jewish groups of the Second Temple, expected bodily resurrection.
14
:
Proclamation
, that Christ “was raised on the third day” (15.4).
Faith
in their own resurrection.
17
:
In your sins
, unable to be reconciled with God (15.3).
18
:
Died in Christ
, deceased church members (see 1 Thess 4.16).