Leading with a Story
Narrative and Identity in First Corinthians
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58412/hyb.v3i4.40300Keywords:
narrative, leadership, Hays, First CorinthiansAbstract
It is a well-established fact that Paul, in his letters, frequently refers to the story of Israel as the people of God. This has also been noted with regard to First Corinthians, not least by Richard B. Hays, who has sought to demonstrate how Paul shapes his readers' identity and self-understanding by placing them within Israel’s story. The present article aims to develop and deepen Hays's earlier analysis, both by grounding the process of identity formation in First Corinthians more explicitly in sociological theories of identity and narrativity, and by showing that Paul's use of Israel’s story is more extensive than Hays has previously argued. More specifically, the article contends that Israel's story in First Corinthians consists of the following seven fundamental elements: election, exodus, wilderness wandering, covenant and law, land and temple, prophetic admonition and exile, and a final eschatological restoration through the messianic deliverer. It is with this story that Paul seeks to shape the identity and self-understanding of his primarily non-Jewish addressees in Corinth.
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