1 Corinthians 8

1 Corinthians 8 is the eighth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus. In this short chapter, Paul deals with an issue about food offered to idols.

1 Corinthians 8
1 Corinthians 7:33–8:4 in Papyrus 15, written in the 3rd century.
BookFirst Epistle to the Corinthians
CategoryPauline epistles
Christian Bible partNew Testament
Order in the Christian part7

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 13 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Greek are:

Food offered to idols

At the Apostolic Council of Jerusalem, reported in Acts 15, following advice offered by Simon Peter (Acts 15:7–11[2] and Acts 15:14),[3] Barnabas and Paul gave an account of their ministry among the gentiles (Acts 15:12),[4] and the apostle James quoted from the words of the prophet Amos (Acts 15:16–17),[5] quoting Amos 9:11–12.[6] James added his own words[7] to the quotation: "Known to God from eternity are all His works",[8] and then submitted a proposal, which was accepted by the Church and became known as the Apostolic Decree:

It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

— Acts 15:19–21, New International Version[9]

Here, Paul makes no reference to the Apostolic Decree, advising members of the Corinthian church that we all know that food offered to idols is a meaningless concept – "we know that an idol is nothing in the world"[10] – but its consumption is capable of leading to misunderstanding. Protestant theologian Heinrich Meyer argues that this omission "is in keeping with [Paul's] consciousness of his own direct and independent apostolic dignity".[11]

Verse 9

But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak.

— 1 Corinthians 8:9, New King James Version[12]
  • "But beware lest somehow" (KJV: "But take heed lest by any means"): referring to such as argued in favor of eating things offered to idols, or else a limitation and explanation of the apostle's own concession, that it made a man, with respect to God, neither better nor worse, but nonetheless need to be cautious not to cause harm.[13]
  • "A stumbling block": It could be the means of offending, or causing to offend, for those were weak in the faith, not having the proper knowledge of Christian liberty, so it should be guarded against abuse, because even though the action itself was indifferent, it might be used to cause wrongdoings.[13]

See also

References
  1. See the Kurzgefasste Liste, search for P129.
  2. Acts 15:7–11
  3. Acts 15:14
  4. Acts 15:12
  5. Acts 15:16–17
  6. Amos 9:11–12
  7. Gill, J., Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible on Acts 15, accessed 13 September 2015
  8. Acts 15:18
  9. Acts 15:19–21
  10. 1 Corinthians 8:4
  11. Meyer's NT Commentary on 1 Corinthians 8, accessed 29 March 2017
  12. 1 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV
  13. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible, – 1 Corinthians 8:9

Further reading
  • Yeo, Khiok-Khng (1995). Rhetorical Interaction in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10: A Formal Analysis With Preliminary Suggestions for a Chinese, Cross-Cultural Hermeneutic. Biblical interpretation series. Vol. 9. BRILL. ISBN 9789004101159.
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