Paul is apparently citing from the Corinthians’ letter when he says
“we all have knowledge” (8:1). It becomes clearer in 8:4 that the
knowledge that they are claiming is based on an idiosyncratic
interpretation of Deut. 6:4 (and perhaps other idol-rejecting texts of
the OT; see, e.g., Deut. 32:17; 2 Kings 19:18; 2 Chron. 13:9; Isa.
37:19; Jer. 2:11; 5:7; 16:20; Hos. 8:6). That all peoples would come
to recognize that Israel’s Lord is the only God was a basic prophetic
and apocalyptic motif of the OT (Isa. 11:9; 37:20; 40:28; 43:10; 44:8;
45:5–6; 49:23, 26; 52:6; Jer. 9:24; Ezek. 6:14; 7:4, 9; 15:7; 20:38;
24:24, 27; 25:5, 7, 11, 17; 26:6; 28:23–24, 26; 29:9, 16, 21; 30:8,
19, 26; 32:15; 33:29; 35:9, 15; 36:11, 23, 38; 37:28; 38:23).
In saying that “there is no idol that really exists” and that “there is
no God but one,” they evidently are arguing that since there is only
one God, idols do not actually represent any spiritual (or other)
reality, and therefore there is no reason to fear or avoid contact
with their temples or with that which had been offered to them. Those
who held to this position considered themselves the “knowing” in
comparison to the “weak,” who had serious qualms about any association
with idolatry or food tainted by it. The “knowing” may have considered
their position unassailable because it is based on an interpretation
of the most fundamental text of Jewish monotheism, the first verse of
the Shema (Deut. 6:4–9; 11:13–21; Num. 15:37–41), which was recited
twice daily by faithful Jews and was central to the monotheistic
understanding of early Judaism and Christianity. Yet other members of
the church obviously were disturbed that some were even accepting
invitations to dinners held in pagan temples (8:10).
In responding to the situation, Paul does not attack the theoretical basis of the
position of the “knowing,” but he redirects their approach to the
issue from one based on determining who has the best theological
arguments to one based on the most basic issues of love toward God and
neighbor (cf. Deut. 6:5; Lev. 19:18; see Hays 1997). In doing so, Paul
echoes other parts of the Shema, including Deut. 6:5; 11:13, when he
says, “Anyone who loves God is known by him” (8:3). It is loving God,
not mere theological knowledge, that is a defining characteristic of
God’s chosen people. N. T. Wright (1992: 127) notes the significance
of the Shema, pointing out that “Paul’s references to humans loving
God, as opposed to vice versa, are few and far between, and in this
case at least … the reason for the reference is that he wishes to
allude to, or echo, the Jewish confession of monotheistic faith.” The
Shema presents two alternatives: God’s people either will love and
serve him (Deut. 6:5; 11:13) or will “turn aside and serve other gods
and worship them” (11:16). In that context it is understood that
“loving God” entails an unequivocal rejection of any flirtation with
idolatry.
In its original context the Shema does not support the idea
that since there is only one God, there is no actual danger associated
with idol worship. Rather, proper recognition of God’s unique status
requires absolute rejection of any association with the worship of
other gods, regardless of their ontological status.
The language of Deut. 6:4 (“the LORD our God, the LORD is one”) governs Paul’s wording
and argument in 8:5–6. He expands his opening statement that “there
are many so-called gods” so as to allow the plurality of “lords” in
the pagan world as well. References to “gods” are common in the OT,
but they are not frequently referred to as “lords.” Paul is already
thinking of the interpretation that he wants to provide of Deut. 6:4,
however, so he speaks of “many gods and lords.” In that way his
interpretive use of Deut. 6:4 in 8:6 is provided with a perfect
contrast: “But for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all
things came and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through
whom all things came, and through whom we exist.” The key words
“Lord,” “God,” and “one” are taken from Deut. 6:4 (“the LORD our God,
the LORD is one”), in which “Lord” and “God” both refer to the deity
who is declared to be “one.” But now Paul “has glossed ‘God’ with ‘the
Father,’ and ‘Lord’ with ‘Jesus Christ,’ adding in each case an
explanatory phrase: ‘God’ is the Father, ‘from whom are all things and
we to him,’ and the ‘Lord’ is Jesus the Messiah, ‘through whom are all
things and we through him’ ” (N. T. Wright 1992: 129). In this one
text Paul has simultaneously reaffirmed strict Jewish monotheism and
embedded Christ within the very definition of that one God/Lord of
Israel (see Hays 1997; N. T. Wright 1992).
The references to the roles of the Father and of the Lord Jesus Christ in creation
(“from whom and through whom”) also reflect traditional scriptural affirmations of the
roles of God and of Wisdom in creation (for the latter, see Prov.
8:22–31; Wis. 9:4, 9; Philo, Flight 109). In prophetic literature
Yahweh’s absolute power as creator of heaven and earth is what sets
him apart from idols, which, on the contrary, are human creations
(e.g., Jer. 10:3–16; Isa. 44:9–24). The description of Christ in terms
normally attributed to Wisdom (Wis. 8:1–6; 9:1–2, 9; Sir. 24) suggests
that just as Jesus takes the place of “the Lord” in the Shema, he also
takes the place of “Wisdom” within Hellenistic Judaism: “Paul has
indicated that everything one might hope to gain through possessing
[sophia (Wisdom)] can be gained rather by possessing Christ” (N. T.
Wright 1992: 130).
Paul’s statement that “there are many so-called gods” and indeed “many gods and many >lords” seems to affirm the OT’s
recognition that pagan gods, while not really being gods in any sense
comparable to the God of Israel (and thus are only so-called gods), do
represent some reality. This may suggest an echo of Deut. 10:17,
where, just a few chapters after the Shema, the Israelites are told
“the LORD [MT: yhwh; LXX: kyrios] your God, he is God of gods and Lord
of lords.” This is the only text in the Hebrew Bible where “gods” and
“lords” appear in the same sentence as in 1 Cor. 8:5, and in that
sentence Israel’s God is referred to as both Lord and God (as in the
Shema), and his superiority over any other hypothetical claimant to
that title is strongly affirmed as in 1 Cor. 8:5 (cf. Ps. 136:2–3).
The Shema was important both for its theological affirmation and for
its sociological function. Early Judaism rallied around the one God
who had redeemed them, and their allegiance to that one God was
reflected both by their worship of him and by their rejection of all
other claims to deity. It is notable that Paul’s christological
modification of the Shema comes in a passage where he hopes that this
statement might fulfill the very same roles that the Shema did in
Judaism. If the Corinthians would rally together in loyalty to God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in a way that signaled a radical
rejection of all other claims to deity, it would go a long way toward
promoting unity within the congregation and toward maintaining a
distinct identity in contrast to the pagan environment.
Beale, G. K., & Carson, D. A. (2007). Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament (pp. 717–718). Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos.
