3.5 New Covenant Sacraments and Idolatry

No Identification

THIS IS THE THIRD HOMILY in Paul’s trilogy on identification with culture.

Paul first told his readers to accommodate to everyone and become “all things to all people.” He then reflected on the Hebrew sacramental past, and his advice was “some things to some people.” That is, Christian sacraments have continuity with the Hebrew experience of the exodus. But their ethical responses to those experiences were inadequate. Now Paul turns to the Gentile sacramental past that surrounded all of his readers. He warns,

In a private home or in a temple-owned restaurant, eating meat offered to idols is not necessarily a problem. Joining in pagan/Gentile worship is very different! Have nothing to do with it. In this case my judgment is—no identification is possible! Our loyalty to Christ translates into “nothing for anyone.”

THE RHETORIC

Paul again uses the prophetic rhetorical template of seven inverted cameos with the climax in the center. This homily is constructed with care. The seven cameos are in place, and the parallels strong and clear. The center climax introduces the “demons.”

The detailed construction of the prophetic homily observed previously in Isaiah 28:9-14 not only presented seven inverted cameos, it also used step parallelism to relate the paired cameos to each other.1 In like manner, here in

1.	^10:14Therefore, my beloved,
	flee from the worship of idols.	FLEE FROM
	¹⁵I speak as to sensible people;	The Idols
	judge for yourselves what I say.

2.	a. ¹⁶The cup of blessing which we bless,	THE CUP—Communion
	b.is it not communion in the blood of Christ?	The Blood of Christ
	c. The bread which we break,	THE BREAD—Communion
	d.is it not communion in the body of Christ?	The Body of Christ
	¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we the many are one body,
	for we all partake of the same loaf.

3.	¹⁸Look at Israel according to the flesh;
	a.are not those who eat the sacrifices	COMMUNION
	b.in communion with the altar?	With the Altar

4.	¹⁹What do I say then?
	That food sacrificed to idols is anything,	SACRIFICE
	or that an idol is anything?	To Idols Is
	²⁰No, but what the Gentiles sacrifice is to demons,	SACRIFICE
	not to God do they sacrifice.	To Demons

5.	a.I do not want you to be	COMMUNION
	b.in communion with demons.	With Demons

6.	a. ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord	THE CUP
	b.and the cup of demons.	Of the Lord & Demons?
	c. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord	THE TABLE
	d.and the table of demons.	Of the Lord & Demons?

7.	²²Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?	DO NOT ANGER
	Are we stronger than he?	The Lord!

Figure 3.5(1). New covenant sacraments and idolatry: No identification (1 Cor 10:14-22)

10:14-22, Paul presents four lines in cameo 2 which he matches with four lines in cameo 6 using step parallelism. The two lines in cameo 3 are also carefully paired with the two lines of cameo 5. There is an extra sentence in the last two lines of cameo 2 that is not matched in cameo 6.

COMMENTARY

It is necessary to examine the matching cameos as pairs to discern Paul’s intent.

The outer pair can be seen in figure 3.5(2).

1.	¹⁴Therefore, my beloved,
	flee from the worship of idols.	FLEE FROM
	¹⁵I speak as to sensible people;	The Idols
	judge for yourselves what I say.

7.	²²Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy?	DO NOT ANGER
	Are we stronger than he?	The Lord!

Figure 3.5(2). Cameos 1 and 7 (1 Cor 10:14-15, 22)

At first glance these two cameos seem to have little in common. Cameo 7 is not parallel to cameo 1, nor does cameo 7 repeat or contradict cameo 1. Yet on reflection the second flows seamlessly from the first. Paul is saying, “You are sensible people who can easily understand that if you, as worshipers of God, start to worship idols [cameo 1], God will be angry. Are you powerful enough to deal with his jealous wrath [cameo 7]?” If the rest of the homily (cameos 2-6) were removed, no reader would note the omission. The members of the Corinthian church with a Jewish background knew full well that when Israel worshiped idols, God allowed the Assyrians and the Babylonians to conquer them, destroy their cities and take them captive into exile. Do the Christians of Corinth want a sequel to that painful history? If they are “sensible people” (cameo 1) they will know exactly how God will respond to any worship of idols (cameo 7).

Cameo 1 includes the cry “flee from the worship of idols.” Earlier they were ordered to flee (pheugete) from prostitution (6:18). The two cries are related in that idol worship in Corinth involved sacred prostitution. Standing on a street corner and chatting with one of the professional temple prostitutes was not a good idea. They were to run away. In like manner, mixing casually with idol worshipers as they gathered in the outer court of a pagan temple was a bad idea. The Corinthians needed to run away.

In the next rhetorical envelope the plot thickens [see fig. 3.5(3)].

2.	a. ¹⁶The cup of blessing which we bless,	THE CUP—Communion
	b.is it not communion in the blood of Christ?	The Blood of Christ
	c. The bread which we break,	THE BREAD—Communion
	d.is it not communion in the body of Christ?	The Body of Christ
	¹⁷Because there is one loaf, we the many are one body, for we all partake of the same loaf.

6.	a. ²¹You cannot drink the cup of the Lord	THE CUP
	b.and the cup of demons.	Of the Lord & Demons?
	c. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord	THE TABLE
	d.and the table of demons.	Of the Lord & Demons?

Figure 3.5(3). Cameos 2 and 6 (1 Cor 10:16-17, 21)

With Jerome Murphy-O’Connor and G. G. Findlay I have translated the Greek word koinonia as “communion” rather than “partnership.”2 The word partnership has an organizational and even a commercial flavor. Communion brings the language into the sphere of the holy.

With these two cameos, Paul shows the impossibility of being both “in communion with the Lord” in the Eucharist and joining “in communion with demons” through idol worship. These are not two country clubs where membership in both would not be a problem. Paul is affirming that idol worship involves a deep sacramental participation with demons, and that the Corinthians can drink the “cup of the Lord” or “the cup of demons” but not both!

“Communion in the body of Christ” unites us both to Christ and to the church that is his body. Paul wants to ensure that his readers catch this double meaning. To do this he adds a footnote interpreting the theological significance of the “one loaf.” We are all “one body, for we all partake of the same loaf.”

In cameo 2 he speaks of “the cup” and “the bread,” while in the parallel cameo (6) he writes of “the cup” and “the table.” I am convinced that this language is influenced by Psalm 23. In that Psalm David affirms “he [God] brings me back” (Ps 23:3).3 This language projects the image of a lost sheep and a good shepherd who finds him and “brings him back” to the village. Death (deep darkness) and sin (evil) surface in verse 4a, but in spite of them the psalmist has no fear (Ps 23:4b). How is this possible? The answer appears in the following line, which reads, “for thou [God] art with me.” This affirmation resonates with the name “Emmanuel” (God is with us). The psalmist continues as he declares, “He [God] prepares a table before me” and “my cup overflows.” This banquet comes at great cost because it is spread “in the presence of my enemies” (Ps 23:5), and those enemies will not take kindly to the mercy/grace (khesed) that is extended to me (Ps 23:6). Paul has apparently reflected deeply on Psalm 23 in the light of the life and sacrificial ministry of Jesus, the good Shepherd (Lk 15:4-7).4 The result is that when discussing the Eucharist, Paul easily and naturally speaks of “the cup” and the “table.”

The climactic center is displayed in figure 3.5(4).

3.	¹⁸Look at Israel according to the flesh;
	a.are not those who eat the sacrifices	COMMUNION
	b.in communion with the altar?	With the Altar

4.	¹⁹What do I say then?
	That food sacrificed to idols is anything,	SACRIFICE
	or that an idol is anything?	To Idols Is
	²⁰No, but what the Gentiles sacrifice is to demons,	SACRIFICE
	not to God do they sacrifice.	To Demons

5.	a.I do not want you to be	COMMUNION
	b.in communion with demons.	With Demons

Figure 3.5(4). Cameos 3-5 (1 Cor 10:18-20)

These three cameos open with the imperative “Look at Israel according to the flesh,”5 which the KJV translates as “Behold Israel after the flesh.”6 Following this important phrase in verse 18 there are five other key words that require reflection and translation. The six are:

1. ton Israel kata sarka	“Israel according to the flesh” (v. 18)
2. ta ethne	“Gentiles” (v. 20)7
3. apistos	“unbelievers” (v. 27)
4. Judaiois	“Jews” (v. 32)
5. Ellenes	“Greeks” (v. 32)
6. te ekklesia tou theou	“the church of God” (v. 32)

These key words will not unlock all their secrets, and thus no explanation of them is fully satisfying. But we must try to make our way through the maze. A partial understanding of them could be:

1. ton Israel kata sarka “Israel according to the flesh” (v. 18)

If there is an “Israel according to the flesh” in Paul’s mind, there must also be an “Israel according to the Spirit.” This other Israel surfaces in Galatians 6:16, where Paul refers to “the Israel of God.” In Romans 9:3 he writes of “my brethren, my kinsmen kata sarka (according to the flesh),” using the same words. In Romans Paul continues to reflect on Abraham’s descendants “according to the promise,” and how Hosea promised that “those who were not my people I will call ‘my people’” (Rom 9:25). In Ephesians 2:11-22 Paul deals with this same subject [see fig. 3.5(5)].

1.	¹¹Remember… then you the Gentiles in the flesh	IN THE FLESH
	the ones called uncircumcised	Gentiles (uncircumcised)

2.	by those called circumcised	IN THE FLESH
	which is made in the flesh by hands	Jews (circumcised)

3.	¹²a. that you were once separated from Christ	SEPARATED FROM CHRIST
	b. alienated from the citizenship of Israel	Alienated from Israel
	c. strangers to the covenants of promise	Strangers to the Promise

4.	a. having no hope	NO HOPE
	b. and without God in the world.	In the World

5.	¹³a. But now in Christ Jesus you who were once afar off
	b. have been bought near in the blood of Christ.	FAR OFF/Near

6.	¹⁴a. For he is our peace	OUR PEACE
	b. Who has made the two one	Hostility Ends
	c. and has destroyed the dividing wall of hostility in his body,

3.	¹⁵abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances
	in order that of the two he might create in himself one new humanity

4.	a. so making peace	PEACE
	¹⁶b. reconciling the two in one body to God through the cross
	c. bringing the hostility to an end in it.	Hostility Ends

5.	¹⁷a. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off
	b. and peace to those who were near;	FAR OFF/Near

10.	¹⁸a. for through him we both have access	ACCESS
	b. in one Spirit to the Father.	In the Spirit

11.	¹⁹a. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners
	b. but fellow citizens with the saints	FELLOW CITIZENS
	c. and members of the household of God,	Members of House of God

12.	²⁰built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets
(Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone ²¹in whom the whole structure is joined together)
	and grows into a holy temple in the Lord,	IN THE LORD

13.	²²into which you are also built
	for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.	IN THE SPIRIT

Figure 3.5(5). Jews and Gentiles become one in the cross (Eph 2:11-22)

This magnificent apostolic homily uses the rhetorical style observed in 1:17–2:2, with its seven cameos that are then matched in reverse order. Here the “Gentiles in the flesh,” once alienated from “citizenship of Israel” (cameo 3) have become “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the house-hold of God” (cameo 11), which is also called “one new humanity.” This is accomplished through “the blood of the cross.” The overlap between this Ephesian text and the Corinthian text before us is extensive. Together the two texts show that through the cross of Christ a new reality is born in which Jewish and Gentile believers share equal “citizenship” in “the household of God.”

In 1 Corinthians, when Paul writes “Israel according to the flesh,” he is including the pious Jews who were twice daily celebrating the sacrifices in the Jerusalem temple. They were “in communion” with the altar.

2. ta ethne “Gentiles” (v. 20)

This second key word is translated by the RSV as “pagans.” The Syriac Peshitta uses the word “hanif,” which can mean either “pagan” or “Gentile.” The two Hebrew versions consulted use the standard Hebrew word for Gentiles (goyim). Ten of the Arabic translations from the ninth to the nineteenth centuries read “Gentiles,” while three list “pagans.” The dominant word used across the centuries is “Gentiles.”8 In 12:2 Paul writes, “back when you were ethne (Gentiles)” you did so-and-so. So what are they now? Paul could not bring himself to say, “I became a Gentile.” Can he expect Gentiles to become Jews? Certainly not. They are not circumcised, and Paul has insisted that “circumcision is nothing” (7:19). So who are they now?

The word ethne (Gentiles) is the Greek form of “the nations,” the goyim who were enemies of Israel throughout the Old Testament. Paul could have written “the idol worshipers sacrifice to demons.” Instead he declared that “the Gentiles” make such sacrifices. Having just found ethical faults in the Hebrew past, he now points out Gentile failings. They also, like Israel, were guilty of worshiping idols.

What are the implications of the language that appears here and in Ephesians 2? Assuming that Paul is speaking precisely, we can understand him to mean,

As regards believers in Jesus, the Jew remains culturally Jewish, the Greek is still a Greek, the Roman maintains a Roman identify, and all three are an intimate part of the new humanity that is the “household of God.” The “blood of the cross” creates a new unity that reaches beyond these ethnic and linguistic particularities (Eph 2:11-22). “I am of Cephas” and “I am of Apollos” will no longer do! In Christ the old Jewish—Gentile divisions are gone.

Thus Paul can criticize “the Gentiles” who worship idols, and not intend any slurs against Christians with a Gentile origin, even as he is not expressing negative feelings against Jewish believers when he criticizes the ethical failures of their Hebrew ancestors during the exodus.

3. apistos “unbelievers” (v. 27)

This word appears in the final homily of this essay where Paul discusses being invited to banquets by “unbelievers.” Why did Paul introduce this new word? I am not sure. Perhaps he chose a culturally neutral word because those unbelievers were most likely friends and often family members of the believing Christians. In a city like Corinth the unbeliever could be Greek, Jewish, Roman, Egyptian, Syrian and so on. A large commercial city such as Corinth included all of those cultures and more.

4-5. Ioudaiois “Jews” and Hellenas “Greeks” (v. 32)

These two categories are easy to identify. They both refer to the two ethnic communities of Jews and Greeks who do not belong to the “church of God.”

6. te ekklesia tou theou “the church of God” (v. 32)

This title refers to the community of believers to whom Paul was writing. Made up of people with a range of ethnic backgrounds, they were the “new humanity.” Each shared with the ethnic identity of his or her heritage, and on a deeper level each was an equal member of the new “household of God,” which is not mentioned but seems to be assumed. Paul’s ethnic identity was Pharisaic Judaism, as he proudly affirms (Phil 3:4-5). He also participated in the “new humanity” in which he was a central figure. With these suggested understandings of these words, we return to the three central cameos of the homily.

In the climactic center (cameo 4) Paul reaffirms what he said earlier. Sacrifices to idols are nothing, and idols are nothing. Isaiah already covered this ground in Isaiah 44:14-17, where he pointed out the total stupidity of idol worshipers and makers who cut down a tree, use part of it to warm themselves, part to cook with and the last part they make into an idol to which they pray, “Deliver me, for thou art my god!” What could be more ridiculous? In the same vein, Paul affirms that the sculptured stone images in the temples were pieces of stone, no more. Killing an animal in front of such stones was as meaningless as killing that same animal in front of a large rock a pasture.

So much for the exterior world. But what about the unseen world in the mind and in society? “There is a demonic component to what happens in their worship,” argues Paul. It is what goes on in the minds and hearts of people, individually and communally, that matters. They are invoking demons. “The demons are real. Do not worship them,” he thunders! Joining in such worship is “communion” with demons, and as such it is a betrayal of Christ. Today Christians all across the Global South face such problems, and Paul’s advice is extraordinarily profound and sensitive.

Paul has presented three aspects of the subject of identification. These can be summarized as:

First homily: “All things to all people.” Share with others in their cultural setting without losing your own identity. That way you can “join the movement of the gospel” and commend it to others.
Second homily: “Some things to some people.” The sacraments of the exodus are to be remembered and honored, but the Hebrews failed in their ethical responses to those sacraments. They fell into idolatry and other sins and were destroyed, and their story is a warning for us.
Third homily: “Nothing to anyone.” The worship of idols is “communion” with demons. As such it is incompatible with the union with the body of Christ made possible in the Eucharist.

Having clarified these three options for “identification” Paul concludes this essay with a final word about “meat offered to idols.” To that closing section of this essay we now turn.