Paul's first letter to the Corinthians deals with key aspects of the formation of the Christian community at Corinth. Paul uses his correspondence with the Corinthians to address issues of morality, of community structure, of ritual and of religious behaviour. The letter is a key document for understanding the development of Christianity and for understanding Christianity in its earliest context. In this Social Identity Commentary, J. Brian Tucker provides a comprehensive coverage of the issues and concerns related to 1 Corinthians from the perspective of social identity. Tucker outlines his interpretation of the theoretical issues concerned, and then applies this to provide a clear overview of historical and critical issues related to the study of 1 Corinthians. This provides a clear engagement with the text that will serve as a useful resource for scholars, students, clergy, and people interested in the formation and purpose of the letter.

The T & T Clark Social Identity Commentary on the New Testament is a one-of-a-kind comprehensive Bible resource that highlights the way the NT seeks to form the social identity of the members of the earliest Christ-movement. By drawing on the interpretive resources of social-scientific theories-especially those related to the formation of identity-interpreters generate new questions that open fruitful identity-related avenues into the text. It provides helpful introductions to each NT book that focus on various social dimensions of the text as well as a commentary structure that illuminates the text as a work of social influence. The commentary offers methodologically informed discussions of difficult and disputed passages and highlights cultural contexts in theoretically informed ways-drawing on resources from social anthropology, historical sociology, or social identity theory. The innovative but careful scholarship of these writers, most of whom have published monographs on some aspect of social identity within the New Testament, brings to the fore often overlooked social and communal aspects inherent in the NT discourse. The net result is a more concrete articulation of some of the every-day lived experiences of members of the Christ-movement within the Roman Empire, while also offering further insight into the relationship between existing and new identities that produced diverse expressions of the Christ-movement during the first century. The SICNT shows that identity-formation is at the heart of the NT and it offers insights for leaders of faith communities addressing these issues in contemporary contexts.

Philip F. Esler provides a comprehensive coverage of the issues in 2 Corinthians from the perspective of social identity, with a focus on Paul's leadership. Esler enlists social identity theory-in critical dialogue with existing scholarship-to show how Paul sought to persuade the Corinthian Christ-followers to adopt certain views on four critical issues that had arisen in his relationship with them, with his discourse demonstrably reflecting the ancient Mediterranean culture they shared. Two introductory chapters set out those four issues, summarise the events reflected in 1 and 2 Corinthians, make an initial case for the integrity of the letter against partition theories, explain and defend the use of social identity theory in biblical interpretation, and describe the social identity approach to leadership. In the commentary, Esler explores how Paul re-establishes his leadership role by reconnecting with the Corinthians, urges their participation in the collection for Jerusalem, and defends his position against recently arrived opponents, all the while reinforcing his addressees' social identity as Christ-followers. Prominent features of the commentary fostered by its social identity perspective include its cumulative case for the letter's unity, for Paul's opponents being similar to those in Galatia, and for the interweaving of social and theological dimensions in the text.

Why did Paul frequently employ a diverse range of metaphors in his letters to the Corinthians? Was the choice of these metaphors a random act or a carefully crafted rhetorical strategy? Did the use of metaphors shape the worldview and behavior of the Christ-followers? In this innovative work, Kar Yong Lim draws upon Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Social Identity Theory to answer these questions. Lim illustrates that Paul employs a cluster of metaphors--namely, sibling, familial, temple, and body metaphors--as cognitive tools that are central to how humans process information, construct reality, and shape group identity. Carefully chosen, these metaphors not only add colors to Paul's rhetorical strategy but also serve as a powerful tool of communication in shaping the thinking, governing the behavior, and constructing the social identity of the Corinthian Christ-followers.

Philip Esler provides a commentary on Paul's second letter to the Corinthians considering it from the perspective of social identity theory

First Corinthians offers readers a window into the social life and setting of an early Christ-movement congregation. The Apostle Paul’s practical guidance to the Corinthians living in a Roman colony overlaps with many contemporary concerns: identity, leadership, sexuality, gender, diversity, worship, theology, and economics. All too often, however, the letter is read in an individualistic and supersessionistic way. Furthermore, parts of the letter are lifted out of their original context and applied in ways foreign to that setting. This book reads the letter through the lens of social identity theory, a leading social scientific method for understanding the New Testament. This reading strategy is supported by a post-supersessionist perspective in which the church is not thought to replace Israel as God’s people. The aim of this book is to introduce non-specialists to this fascinating letter in a way that highlights the current research into the social context of Corinth. It offers relevant discussion questions and an identity-critical reading of 1 Corinthians that shows Paul's interest in three key themes: identity, ethics, and ethos.

This careful, sometimes innovative, mid-level commentary touches on an astonishingly wide swath of important, sensitive issues - theological and pastoral - that have urgent resonances in twenty-first-century life. This thorough commentary presents a coherent reading of 1 Corinthians, taking full account of its Old Testament and Jewish roots and demonstrating Paula's primary concern for the unity and purity of the church and the glory of God. Those who preach and teach 1 Corinthians will be grateful to Ciampa and Rosner for years to come and scholars will be challenged to see this letter with fresh eyes.

In this commentary, Robert L. Brawley provides comprehensive coverage of issues and concerns related to Luke from the perspective of social identity. He argues that the Gospel of Luke is strongly concerned with the formation of identity from the very start of the text, which aims at the creation of a socially responsible community in continuity with that community's collective past. Brawley establishes a theoretical framework that focuses his interpretation - ranging from the narrative world and sociological issues to postcolonialism and hierarchies of dominance - and uses these perspectives to provide a clear overview of historical and critical issues related to an understanding of Luke. He then provides a thorough outline of and commentary on the text of the Gospel. Brawley's engagement with the text serves as an invaluable resource for scholars, students, clergy, and others interested in their own discoveries of the resources of Luke.

You Belong to Christ explores the way that the Apostle Paul sought to form the social identity of one of his most important Christ-following communities. It sheds light on the way various social identities function within the Pauline community and provides guidance concerning the social implications of the gospel. Drawing from contemporary social identity theories as well as ancient source material, J. Brian Tucker describes the way 1 Corinthians 1-4 forms social identity in its readers, so that what results is an alternative community with a distinct ethos, in contrast to the Roman Empire and its imperial ideology. This book contends that previous identities are not obliterated "in Christ," but maintain their fundamental significance and serve to further the Pauline mission by means of social integration. Providing a comprehensive survey of Christian identity in Pauline studies as well as an interesting look into the material remains of Roman Corinth, this volume provides a social-scientific reading of 1 Corinthians 1-4, and argues that Paul's strategy was to form salient "in Christ" social identity in those to whom he wrote.

When Paul heard that a Christ-follower in Corinth was in an incestuous relationship with his stepmother, the apostle insisted the man be removed immediately from the congregation. This dramatic response is surprising, as Paul responds to other serious situations with much less vehemence. Why did Paul react to the immoral man with such urgency and severity? Using socio-cultural tools, this study explains the importance of group identity and witness for Paul’s ecclesiology. The argument lays a foundation for contemporary readers to appraise contexts where an expulsive response to sin might be appropriate.