Tolkningsproblemet i 1 Kor 7:21 ur ett mottagarperspektiv

Abstract

The thesis examines possible ways of understanding 1 Corinthians 7.21 in the context of especially 1 Corinthians 7.17–24 and generally the whole of chapter 7. This is done from the perspective of perception, through a semantical, grammatical and structural analysis of the text, which is then related to the context of the people of the Corinth ekklesia at the time of the letter: Ethnic, cultural and legislative differences in the group are examined, and the linguistic ambiguities of the text 1 Corinthians 7.17–24 are discussed in this context. The thesis suggests that it may have been possible, or even likely, for a person’s social status and cultural and legislative background to have an impact on his or her immediate auditive perception of the text when it was read aloud in the presence of the Corinth congregation.