Does Paul advocate sexual asceticism in 1 Corinthians 7? Paul extols the virtues of sexual asceticism and refers to it as a gift from God. He says that it is an honourable state to be in and enables one to perform more missionary works. It is an ideal that he adheres to. Paul, however, makes it clear in this chapter that he does not see this as being the ideal situation for all. Indeed, he makes it plain that some are not to be ascetic and are to get married and consummate it. Others have gifts that are of a different nature and they should get married if that is what God wants them to do. The Corinthian church wrote about this topic in their letter to Paul. In 1 Corinthians 7 he replies to this section of their letter. The situation in Corinth appears to be that there were a group of Christians influenced by other beliefs who felt that celibacy was what all Christians should aspire to, these people met with opposition within Corinth. This dispute was included in the letter to Paul, and here he answers it. The first verse of this chapter includes the line: �it is good for a man not to touch a woman�. This line is probably a quotation from the original Corinthian letter. There is consensus amongst commentators about this. This alleviates the difficulty that would ensue if Paul had written this line himself. Paul so qualifies this that it is unlikely that he would have written it himself. Barrett (154) says that the difficulty is not wholly removed: �� for even if Paul did not himself coin the sentence he quotes it without immediate indication of disapproval, and yet goes on not merely to sanction marriage but to disapprove abstinence within marriage.� Paul�s words should be interpreted more that it is a good thing not to touch a woman but within marriage it is not a sinful thing to touch a woman, indeed later Paul says that it is necessary within marriage. It is important to get Paul�s meaning clear as it shows that Paul doesn�t advocate abstinence even at this early stage of the chapter. Verse 2 prohibits polygamy, though only incidentally. That is not the purpose of this verse. Its intention is to ensure that practices forbidden by God such as adultery and having multiple partners were not allowed. Barrett (156) also says that: �Marriage moreover must be real, and not �spiritual� marriage.� Paul expresses this with greater clarity later in verse 5. Witherington (175) stresses this: �The ascetic view of chapter 7 fails to realise that Paul�s singleness is motivated by ideas that set him decidedly apart from some of his contemporaries who did have ascetic tendencies�. Witherington cites Paul�s eschatology, his theology of giftedness and the pragmatic reason that Paul couldn�t be married and perform God�s work as much as he wanted. Barrett (156-157) says that in verse 3 Paul is in agreement with Jewish opinion in the parallelism and the fact that each partner should give their partner their due. Verse 5 is the strongest indication in the first section (vv 1-7). Here Paul makes it clear that marriage is to be a real marriage, fully consummated. This is expressed in the part: �Do not rob one another�. Paul does qualify this slightly by permitting abstinence for a limited time if it is for a religious purpose. Barrett (157) relates this to the Judaic practice of the time that a newly married man was excused from saying the Shema, as his mind would be otherwise occupied. Paul is permitting abstinence for a limited time in order for proper prayer and reflection. Paul reinforces the temporary nature of this separation in the phrase: �and then be together again.� In the last phrase of verse 5 Paul stresses that Satan may tempt the persons to express their needs in fornication, which is an evil to be avoided. Fee says that verse 5 is Paul responding to practices already happening in the Corinthian church. There is confusion as to exactly what part of the above Paul is referring to in verse 6. Barrett (157-158) lists three possibilities: verse 2 in that he isn�t commanding marriage but conceding that you may marry. Verse 5b only in that you may resume your former cohabitation but you also may not. The whole of verse 5 in that you may be abstinent for a short time but it must be with a view towards returning to each other. Verse 7�s primary intention is for Paul to explain that he would like everybody to be celibate and devoted to a life of God, but he cannot expect everybody to possess the same gifts and abilities as him. He knows that it cannot be realised, but he does command people to obey God�s law. Barrett sums up the first section thus: �Paul has given very sharply qualified approval to the Corinthian position, �It is a good thing for a man not to touch a woman�. If men can express their obedience in complete self-control and abstinence, this is well; but marriage is no sin, and if it is entered into it must be full marriage, physically consummated. Verses 8-24 are where Paul delves into the detail of the situations possible. This section is also where the motif of staying as you are is introduced and is the crucial point of his argument. This is the central thrust of this chapter. The first section served as a general overview, here Paul gets into more detail about his opinions on marriage. In verses 8-9 Paul discusses the situation of the unmarried and widows. The ideal for these people is to stay unwed. Paul�s marital situation is also clarified at this point; he shows that he is unmarried. It would be unusual for a rabbi, as Paul was to be unmarried, so it is likely that Paul was a widower. Verse 9 echoes verse 5b in referring to the dangers of those who cannot be abstinent. From this, it can be shown that Paul was an advocate of asceticism, but only for certain people who had the gift of continence. The best situation is to be unmarried and under no pressure to marry. Less desirable, though not sinful, is those who must express their sexual nature and do so in marriage. To be avoided is the situation in which you may need marriage but do without it for whatever reason (Barrett 160-161). Verses 10-11 are where Paul advises those Christians who are married (Fee). Here Paul quotes Jesus (see Mark 10:2-12) in forbidding the dissolution of marriage. Later in this section, he differentiates as to what is direct from Jesus and what are Paul�s own apostolic decrees. This prohibition disagrees with the Old Testament, and as such Paul may be quoting Jesus in order to assert the authority of this ruling. Using the parallel literary technique that he uses extensively in this chapter, Paul refers to the fact that in the Gentile world, a woman could separate from her husband whereas in Jewish circles only a man could leave her wife. Barrett (162-163) suggests that verse 11a serves a parenthetical function in that Paul knew that separations would happen. A woman who is separated must not remarry whilst her husband is still living. She must remain either unmarried or return to her previous relationship. The fact that the man is not mentioned is unusual for this section. It is likely, given the drift of the paragraph, that he is to remain unmarried or be reconciled. This answer has to be referred to in its context of marriages threatened by an ascetic view of sexual relations. This is Paul stressing that asceticism is not necessarily the preferred option, and is not to be used as a means for escape from a marriage. There was perhaps a danger that adultery and fornication could occur so Jesus� command is to be remembered to avoid this. Paul does not refer to marriages of non-Christian couple as they were not directly relevant to him and he had no authority over them. This is in direct contrast to what happened later in history when nations and empires were Christian with a minority of non-Christians. Paul still has to account for one more important group within the church and he does so in verses 12-16. This is the marriage of Christians to non-Christians. Here he uses his own apostolic authority instead of any statement from Jesus. This is primarily to distinguish this from the quote he used earlier. Jesus� ministry was primarily in the Jewish situation so he was unlikely to have had been faced with this situation, so he could not quote Jesus on this matter. Fee explains it thus: �This � means neither that Paul lacks authority nor that Jesus does not ordinarily count as authority for him. � When he has no direct command, he still speaks as one who is trustworthy because he has the spirit of God.� Parallel clauses are again used in these verses. The use of parallelisms here is indicative that Paul regarded men and women as equal partners in marriages. This is in opposition to the view that Paul was a misogynist. Paul commands those who are married to non-believers to not take the initiative to divorce. This is further evidence of Paul�s opposition to asceticism. There would have been calls from advocates of this for these people to divorce. For ascetics, surely no relations could be had between Christians and non-Christians, as the Christian would be defiled. Paul refutes this, stressing the sanctifying effect on the non-believer of the believer. Barrett explains Paul�s usage thus (164): �In Paul�s usage, to be holy, or sanctified is the distinguishing mark of the Christian.� These persons are not sanctified as they are unbelievers but there is reason to hope that these people may be brought within the realm of salvation. Verse 14b provides proof for Paul that he is right. He regards Christian children as holy and in fact sees this as self-evident. This is impossible if the marriage were unclean. The prohibition of divorce does not apply to marriages where the non-believer instigates a divorce. Paul enjoins the Corinthian church that God wishes them to remain in harmony and to avoid strife and battles. Verse 16 is Paul�s theology of missionary works coming into the argument. He argues that conversion of the non-believing partner may be possible, and for this reason it may be the most desirable option to stay within the marriage. He sees no reason to dissolve mixed marriages if they are not unhappy. This is in direct contrast to the ascetic view. Verses 17-18 serve as a generalisation of the previous verses discussed above. Paul stresses that change is not necessary and that there are different roles for each person and asceticism is right for some, but for most it probably is not. Verse 18b is Paul ensuring that the Corinthian church is not a special case in this matter, all churches should adhere to these apostolic rulings. This summary is repeated in verse 24. Verses 25-40 are a new subject for Paul. Barrett (173) says that this is probably in relation to the letter from the Corinthians. They themselves seemed to have turned to the subject of the virgins. These �virgins� were those engaged and those considering engagement (Witherington (173). Witherington also says that the custom in this day was for the man to instigate engagement (176): �That the man is addressed in vv25-40 likely indicates the customs of the day whereby the man took the initiative in seeking engagement, or already being engaged, took the responsibility in deciding about the marriage.� In verse 25, Paul states that what follows is not direct from the Lord, but is his own charge. Again, this still has authority as above. Verses 26-27 repeat Paul�s charge to stay as you are. Stability is a common theme of this chapter. In verse 28, Paul stresses that no sin is committed when marriage takes place. This leads into verse 29 where Paul�s eschatology comes into play. He charges the Corinthians to put aside worldly things, there are more important things coming into play; verses 30-31 describe it in more detail. Verses 32-34 directly address the point raised by the Corinthians; they were anxious about how to act towards the virgins but anxiety is almost impossible to avoid in these situations. There seems to have been fear from the Corinthians that Paul would impose harsh restrictions on them, Paul refutes this in v35. The remainder of the chapter is Paul repeating his earlier assertion that it is better to remain unmarried and to abstain if possible, but that it is no sin to marry. This is his opinion, which does have authority. In conclusion, Paul is no advocate of sexual asceticism despite his own personal lifestyle. He accepts that for some it is the right option, but it is only for those who have been so blessed. It is entirely acceptable to be in a sexual relationship as long as it is within the holy institution of marriage. Even relations between non-believers and believers were acceptable. Paul here shoots down the notion that all Christians should practise abstinence in order to follow God. Paul stresses that that is not the role that God has laid out for some. Paul is also strongly concerned with the notion that there should be harmony and that strife and conflict are to be avoided. Stability is very desirable and there should be little if and change if at all possible. Witherington says on page 179: �For Paul, the one thing of eternal significance that humans can do in this world is serve the Lord, proclaiming the good news of eternal salvation through the crucified Messiah Jesus.� This is not to say that all should become full-time missionaries but witness must be borne in all situations in which Christians find themselves. Bibliography C.K. Barrett, A Commentary on the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1968) G.D. Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians (1987) [No page numbers on the photocopies used] B. Witherington, Conflict and Community in Corinth, a Social-Rhetorical Commentary. [Year is not available to me].
