Christ's Body in Corinth: The Politics of a Metaphor

WHY THIS BOOK?
The interpretation of the “body of Christ” in 1 Corinthians is a pressing concern in the present context of a diversified global church because its predominant interpretation as an ecclesiological organism characterized by unity and homonoia (concord) serves as a boundary marker that tends to exclude the voices of marginality and diversity. This traditional reading, while plausible, ignores a deeper, ethical meaning of “body of Christ” as Christ's body that questions an ideology of hegemonic power in both the Corinthian context and today. From the perspective of a different conception of community and of soma christou in the image of Christ crucified, this metaphor of soma christou becomes a metaphor for "living" through which the Corinthian community is expected to live as a Christic body, identifying Christ's body with the most vulnerable and broken bodies in the community and in the world—an urgent issue for Christians in marginalized communities and today’s fragmented society. Read this way, Paul's theology continues the legacy of Jesus tradition in terms of deconstruction (critique of religion and culture) and reconstruction (advocacy of the beloved community for all). Paul's theology should be reclaimed as such so that we might truly appreciate what he lived for. That is why I wrote this book.

BENEFITS OF THIS BOOK
This book lays out hermeneutical choices by which scholars interpret texts in their own contexts. The question is as to what kind of choices one makes. There should be an ethical responsibility by each choice made. Then, this book helps readers formulate their own choices in a relevant life context, and re-examine the metaphor of the body of Christ in a new way — living in today’s global context where so much war or violence occurs at the sacrifice of others.

FOR READERS
This book will be a useful reference to scholars and seminary students for Pauline studies and 1 Corinthians in particular. This book deals with major aspects of Pauline theology and hermeneutics. In addition, this book will stimulate some conversations between scholars taking the “unity” reading of the “body of Christ” and those taking the “diversity” reading. Finally, this book can be used as a textbook for Pauline theology class since it takes a critical look at Paul's background along with the historical context of the Corinthian community.

[For many scholars the “body of Christ” (soma christou) in 1 Corinthians has been read as an ecclesiological organism characterized by unity. However, Yung Suk Kim argues that soma christou as Christ’s body, associated with Christ crucified, can be read as a metaphor for “living” or a way of life through which the Corinthians should deconstruct the ideology of the power and reconstruct the ekklesia (not soma christou) based on Christ’s solidarity. Kim’s reading offers new insight into Paul’s theology and ethics rooted in Christ crucified, seeking “more of life” in the community and the world through diversity.]

Soma christou in 1 Corinthians should be understood very differently from that in Ephesians or Colossians (both of which are deutero-Pauline letters) because the former points to Christ's body as a "living metaphor" (a subjective genitive or attributive genitive in the sense that it is Christlike body as we can read such a case in Rom 6 -- body of sin as "sinful body"), whereas the latter points to a metaphor of organism in which "Christ is the head of the body, the church--he kephale tou somatos tes ekklesias" (Col 1:18, or see Col 1:24; Eph 3:6; 5:23). Here in Col 1:18 and elsewhere we see a clear connection between the body and the church (body as an organism). Interestingly, in Col 1:18 the phrase is not soma christou but soma ekklesias (body of the church). Furthermore, in Eph 4:12, what is being built up is soma chritou (body of Christ), and it is an object ("building up of the body of Christ"). But Paul's use of soma christou in 1 Cor is not an organism but a metaphor of living or a way of life of Christ. In 1 Cor 12:27 soma christou is predicated to believers (you plural): "you are Christ's body (soma christou)." Of course, there is no talk of the head language because soma christou is not an organism for Paul. Paul does not use the hierarchical "head" language referring to the body. Here Paul makes distinction between Christ's body (soma christou) and ekklesia (Greek meaning assembly or community or church in a narrow sense), which is an institution that can be built up. For example, 1 Cor 14:4 shows that it is an ekklesia that is built up: "Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the ekklesia (church)." In Paul's letter, 1 Corinthians, the use of soma christou is not yet an organism metaphor. By all this, Christ's body should or can be better understood as Christ's life -- especially his cross (in terms of Paul's language it is "Christ crucified", which is central language or theme in 1 Corinthians).

In this way we can expand Paul's theology to embracing those marginalized voices in a society and community because the rhetoric or role of body metaphor functions as the language of deconstruction of power/ideology. So then Paul's language of wisdom of the cross makes sense; it is the very voice of God who cares for the weak and the vulnerable. At the same time, this body metaphor can function as comforting or encouraging those who are at the bottom of society or in community in the sense that Christ is identified with those broken bodies -- most vulnerable. In other words, they are the ones God cares for though society places them at the bottom. So 1 Cor 1:27-28 states: "But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are." The role of "Christ crucified" has double message: deconstruction and reconstruction -- divesting power and empowering all. We need to reclaim Paul's authentic theological voice lying in egalitarian spirit and universal love of God for all people, Jews and gentiles. There is no difference but equality and honor for all people. People or culture differs but equality does not. God's love does not differ to anybody in the world. That is why Paul envisions such a compassionate mission work to Spain though it was not fulfilled. But this vision that Paul dreamt and lived is not like the one many people today has because his vision was not well understood by people after him. I want to put him back as he was as a person who faithfully lived and continued Jesus' tradition in the way that he also shares with Jesus the very vision of God's impartial love for all people. But today, unfortunately, Christians judge or condemn many people simply because they are not Christians like them. When the metaphor of "body" stays only with the sense of metaphorical organism by which boundary is built and cemented, thus discriminating others who need God's love, it becomes a tool against others who are not in an assembly (ekklesia). In Paul's time, as in our time, one of the gravest issues is discrimination or shame. The fundamental theological insight that Paul had is indeed that God is impartial! In this regard, Paul’s use of the body metaphor soma christou is not a boundary of community but a living metaphor (Christ’s body as Christ crucified) which breaks down such a boundary marker especially when the community is faced with power conflicts, vying for more honor or power.

Again back to Paul's theology of soma christou, the central message that Paul wants to share seems to be that "we have to live life of Christ” (especially in Christ crucified), by dying to the law in the sense that no laws for whatsoever can do harm or kill people in the name of the law (indeed, in Paul’s understanding of the law, the law is perfect and holy; the misuse of the law causes problem; for Paul the problem is not the law's problem but the human's problem in the way that people indulge in self-promotion or honor at the sacrifice of others). In view of the Corinthian situation reported in 1 Corinthians we can locate the Corinthian problem in disembodying Christ's life and cross in their life. That is what or why Paul extensively talks about soma christou in a Corinthian context.