Paul and the Corinthians

Paul B. Duff is professor emeritus in the department of world religions at George Washington University, where he taught for more than three decades. He is the author of Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire, Moses in Corinth: The Apologetic Context of 2 Corinthians 3, and Who Rides the Beast? Prophetic Rivalry and the Rhetoric of Crisis in the Churches of the Apocalypse.

"Pauls Corinthian correspondence provides a strikingly intimate window into the emergence and spread of the earliest Christ groups. But it is not a transparent window. With Paul and the Corinthians, Duff provides a clear and reliable guide to the contested exegetical and historical questions that cloud the study of the Corinthian letters. Duffs judicious surveys of previous scholarship make this volume an ideal starting point for new students of the letters. His fresh and compelling proposals regarding the role of Apollos and the chronology of 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 will demand the engagement of established scholars."

--Ryan S. Schellenberg, Methodist Theological School in Ohio

"In Paul and the Corinthians, Paul Duff brings his career-long investigation into the Corinthian correspondence to its ultimate fruition. Through judicious assessment of the evidence in these letters, he produces a coherent explanation for both their composition and canonization. This comprehensive synthesis of the Pauline mission and the Corinthian correspondence should inform all future studies of these letters."

--Troy W. Martin, Saint Xavier University

"This volume offers a comprehensive yet accessible survey of scholarly discussion, from the eighteenth century to the present, concerning the nature (partition theories) and extent (interpolations) of the Corinthian correspondence, together with a clear and up-to-date exploration of the letters content. Duff provides students, pastors, and historians with a reliable guide to what remains one of the most important bodies of literary evidence from early Christianity."

--Clare K. Rothschild, Lewis University

"Even a cursory reading of 1 and 2 Corinthians reveals that Pauls relationship with various Jesus followers in Corinth was an ancient soap opera that significantly affected his work in both Asia Minor and Macedonia. Reconstructing the precise sequence of events in that historical drama is a difficult scholarly challenge, but in this deeply researched and thoughtfully argued new monograph, Paul Duff succeeds in offering an intriguing yet plausible scenario that merits serious consideration across interpretive lines."

--John T. Fitzgerald, University of Notre Dame

"Relying on the primary evidence of the apostle and the very best scholarship through the years, Paul B. Duff reconstructs the history of Pauls relations with the Corinthians. Thanks to Duffs decades of labor, we can take our seats in the Corinthian assemblies and hear those letters read afresh, especially the letters that would be combined and shaped into what we now have as 2 Corinthians."

--A. Andrew Das, Elmhurst University

"In this careful reconstruction of the history of Pauls turbulent relationship with the Corinthians, Paul B. Duff gives a compelling rationale for the sequence of historical events reflected in the letters that comprise the Corinthian correspondence. With astute but critical use of information from Acts, Duff substantiates his claims, explaining how and why he arrives at his conclusions and how they relate to the vast scholarship on this topic. Clearly written and convincingly argued, this compact volume is a resource for scholars and students that will have a lasting impact."

--William S. Campbell, University of Basel

"Duffs brilliant construction and analysis of the series of letters woven together into 2 Corinthians manages to make reading partition theory interesting. My imagination was constantly engaged by the many intriguing insights into Pauls and the Corinthians potential personalities and perspectives. This volume details important new insights for interpreting this (these) letter(s) and the dynamic tensions with which Pauls Christ-oriented communities wrestled."

--Mark D. Nanos, author of The Mystery of Romans and Reading Paul Within Judaism

"Duffs new book is a clearly structured, accessible, and highly scholarly introduction to all the important aspects of research into the collection of letters which entered the New Testament canon as 1 and 2 Corinthians. It is a must read for anyone who wants to engage seriously with the life and work of Paul the Apostle in dialogue with the first believers in Christ in the Greek metropolis."

--Hermut Loehr, University of Bonn