1 Corinthians 7:32-35

1 Corinthians 7:32-35
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Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
- Greek Interlinear Bible, ScrTR, ScrTR t, Strong, Parsing, CGTS, CGES id, AV.
- The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
- Chapter VII, Historia Calamitatusm: The Story of My Misfortunes, Pierre Abélard / Peter Abelard, c. 1140.
- From the Geneva Notes.
  - "He means that he will force no man either to marry or not to marry, but to show them plainly what type of life is most advantageous."
- From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
  - "Let us reflect on the advantages and snares of our own condition in life; that we may improve the one, and escape as far as possible all injury from the other. And whatever cares press upon the mind, let time still be kept for the things of the Lord."
- From Wesley's Notes.
  - "That ye may resolutely and perseveringly wait upon the Lord - The word translated wait signifies sitting close by a person, in a good posture to hear. So Mary sat at the feet of Jesus, Luke 10:39. Without distraction - Without having the mind drawn any way from its centre; from its close attention to God; by any person, or thing, or care, or incumbrance whatsoever."
- From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
  - "...not . . . cast a snare upon you--image from throwing a noose over an animal in hunting. Not that by hard injunctions I may entangle you with the fear of committing sin where there is no sin."
- From The People's New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
  - "Not to interfere with your freedom to marry. A snare thrown over the head made the victim helpless. Paul merely advises what, under the circumstances of that period, seemed most prudent."
Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
- "Undivided devotion to the Lord," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
- Commentary, 1 Corinthians 7:32-34, Morine A. Bowen, The African American Lectionary, 2008.
  - "Singleness is not a curse. It is a gift to be embraced. There are benefits to being single as well as married."
- "Single Vs. Married Life?" Larry Broding's Word-Sunday.Com: A Catholic Resource for This Sunday's Gospel.
  - "How does your life status help you to focus on the Lord? How does it hinder you? How can you use this hindrance as a means to holiness?"
Articles & Background:
- "Celibate Pneumatics and Social Power: On the Motivations for Sexual Asceticism in Corinth," by Judith M. Gundry-Volf, Fuller Theological Seminary.
  - "The Corinthians were pneumatics. They viewed themselves as pneumatikoiv (14:37; cf. also 2:13, 15). They were interested in pneumatikav (12:1; 14:1), especially gifts of inspiration (chapters 12-14, esp. 13:1-2; 14:1-33, 39). Their self-understanding is reflected in Paul's use of this terminology throughout the epistle (cf. also 3:1; 9:11; 10:3, 4; 15:44, 46). Precisely because it is so prominent, the Corinthians' pneumatism is likely to have motivated their celibacy in some way. 1 Corinthians 7 suggests that this is the case."
- "Who Should Be Called Father? Paul of Tarsus between the Jesus Tradition and Patria Potestas," S. Scott Bartchy, Biblical Theology Bulletin, 2003.
- "The Ascetic Impulse in Ancient Christianity," Vincent L. Wimbush, Union Theological Seminary. Theology Today, October, 1993.
  - "In the end, the matter is about perspective: whether Christianity's ancient legacy should be read as an admittedly complicated development toward the embracing of the world or as a struggle to sustain resistance."
- "The Changing Role of Women in the Early Christian World," Howard Clark Kee, University of Pennsylvania. Theology Today, 1992.
  - "If the church in our time were to take with full seriousness the radical openness toward women and their participation in the life of God's people that characterized the movement at the outset, it could result in a significant contribution toward renewal of both the church and the human race."
  - "Blurring the Boundaries: A Response to Howard C. Kee," Virginia Burrus, The Theological School at Drew University. Theology Today, 1992.
    - "...a blurring of religious or cultural boundaries in our historical reconstructions may cut against the smugness that frequently creeps into Christian discussions of Judaism and other religious traditions. The roots of a distinctive Christian feminism would appear to be entangled in Jewish and pagan traditions, rather than emerging in pure and radical opposition to those traditions. Second, a blurring of chronological boundaries in our historical reconstructions may cut against the tendency to locate orthodox or authentic Christianity almost purely in a statically defined "golden age" of the distant past. After all, how liberating is it for Christian women to be invited to focus exclusively on "the insights of Jesus and Paul"?"
Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
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Hymns and Music:
- Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
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Study Links and Resources for the Book of 1 Corinthians