The Wisdom and Foolishness of God: First Corinthians 1-2 in Theological Exploration

by Christophe Chalamet (Editor), Hans-Christoph Askani (Editor)

Overview

The first two chapters of Pauls first epistle to the Christians of Corinth, written in the fifth decade of the first century, have played a significant role in the history of Christian theology. Interpreting the central event in Christianity, namely the crucifixion of Jesus, Paul reflects on the wisdom and foolishness of God, which he opposes to the worlds wisdom. According to Paul, the word of the cross, which is foolishness to some and scandal to others, leads to an upheaval in ones way of thinking. For two millennia, theology has often turned to these passages in order to sustain its reflection.

Many central questions emerge from Pauls text on the meaning of a crucified Messiah, on Gods omnipotence, weakness, and suffering. This volume hopes to achieve two things by seeking to place exegetes, historians, philosophers, and theologians in conversation: to better understand Pauls text and its reception, and also to examine the ways in which it can nourish our theological reflection today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451490206
Publisher:	1517 Media
Publication date:	12/15/2015
Pages:	415
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

Table of Contents

Abbreviations ix

Introduction Christophe Chalamet Hans-Christoph Askani xi

1 Crucifixion, as Wisdom: Exploring the Ideology of a Disreputable Social Movement John M. G. Barclay 1

2 The Weakness of God: A Radical Theology of the Cross Jolin D. Caputo 21

3 On a Road Not Taken: Iterations of an Alexandrian Paul Kellen Plaxco 67

4 Maximus the Confessor on the Foolishness of God and the Play of the Word Andrew Louth 89

5 Paul's Refusal of Wisdom in Aquinas's Commentary on 1 Corinthians: Notes on Philosophy in the Sum ma of Theology Adam Eitel 101

6 Election and Providence in the Theology of Thomas Aquinas: Reading the Summa in Light of His Commentary of 1 Corinthians 1-2 Michael T. Dempsey 119

7 Luther's Theologica Paradoxa in Erasmus and Cusanus Günter Bader 139

8 The Cross of Wisdom: Ambiguities in Turning Down Apologetics (Paul, Anselm, Barth) Anthony Feneuil 167

9 The Wisdom in God's Foolishness: Karl Barth's Exegesis of 1 Corinthians 1-2 Andrew R. Hay 183

10 The Word of the Cross in the Conflict of Interpretive Power: On the Genealogy of Theology Deriving from the Spirit of Pauline Rhetoric Philipp Stoellger 201

11 On Justification and Beyond-An Attempt Matthias D. Wüthrich 239

12 The Foolishness and Wisdom of All God's Ways: The Case of Creation Ex Nihilo Kathryn Tanner 261

13 Witnessing to the Cross, Forgetting Human Sin: A Systematic-Theological Inquiry in the "Word of the Cross" (l Cor. 1:18) Henning Theissen 289

14 The Cross of Christ and God's Power Marc Vial 307

15 God's Weakness and Power Christophe Chalamet 325

16 The Paradox of Faith Hans-Christoph Askani 341

17 "To Know Nothing Except Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified": Supralapsarian Christology and a Theology of the Cross Edwin Chr. van Driel 359

Contributors 383

Index of Names 387