While it has been notoriously difficult to pinpoint the center of 1 Corinthians among commentators, as Malcom states, “There is broad agreement that certain topics are crucial. The three that are repeatedly mentioned in recent scholarship are: the cross, holiness, and unity” (Matthew R. Malcolm, “The Structure and Theme of First Corinthians in Recent Scholarship,” CBR 14.2, 2016: 267). While all three themes are important in the epistle, it is difficult to ascertain which one expresses Paul’s dominant concern for the church. However, in this discussion, while much has been written on finding the letter’s thesis statement and the overall structure of the letter, little emphasis has been placed on Paul’s salutation.
This paper will explore Paul’s identification of the Corinthian congregation in 1 Cor 1.2: “to the church of God which is in Corinth, sanctified in Christ Jesus, called holy, with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours” (my translation). It will be argued that Paul’s careful description of the Corinthian congregation in 1 Cor 1.2 anticipates what will become the over-arching and central concern of the epistle: the call to live out their identity as the holy people of God. This holiness in the epistle is an identity that gains more salience than any other identity the Corinthians might bear, rooted in their fulfillment of OT eschatological expectations, forming thus, in Christ, the holy priesthood Israel was called to be.
After a brief introduction, the paper will delve deeply into the wording of the address, suggesting that it shares significant connections with several OT texts and expectations, in particular, Joel 2.16 and 3.5, in such a way as to orient the Corinthian church as the new and eschatological assembly of Israel, called forth by God in Christ. A second section will explore how this initial statement of the Corinthians’ identity lays the foundation for the main focus of the epistle and is developed throughout. Finally, the importance of this reading will be juxtaposed with other proposed centers of the epistle, concluding that the holy identity of the Corinthian church should be their motivation for unity, to be what they are in Christ and through his cross.