Published: 2025-02-14

Marriage and Celibacy in 1 Corinthians 7

Research Perspectives

Marcin Kowalski
Collectanea Theologica
Section: Articles
https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2025.95.1.02

Abstract

The article presents popular and recent research currents in 1 Corinthians 7, focusing on marriage and celibacy. The author begins by presenting the most important hypotheses related to the reconstruction of problems in Corinth and Paul’s argumentative strategy. Their main weakness consists in paying too little attention to the development of Paul’s thought in the analyzed chapter. In the next step, the author examines Pauline discourse, using the analysis of ancient rhetoric. The following paragraphs discuss the apostle’s rationale on celibacy (1 Cor 7:25–40), with special focus on 1 Cor 7:29–31, the indissolubility of Christian marriages (1 Cor 7:10–11), mixed marriages (1 Cor 7:12–16) and the “spiritual marriages” in Corinth (1 Cor 7:36–38). In all the analyzed sections, the author draws both traditional and new interpretive lines, as well as possible directions in which research on 1 Corinthians 7 can proceed. Among them, he mentions rhetoric, papyrological and interdisciplinary studies, involving psychology and neuroscience, as well as apocalyptic eschatology and a comparison between Paul and Jewish literature of the Second Temple period.

Keywords:

1 Corinthians 7, marriage, celibacy, rhetoric, indissolubility of marriage, mixed marriages, “spiritual marriages”, apocalyptic eschatology

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Citation rules

Kowalski, M. (2025). Marriage and Celibacy in 1 Corinthians 7: Research Perspectives . Collectanea Theologica, 95(1), 17–67. https://doi.org/10.21697/ct.2025.95.1.02

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