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Keeping the Feast: Metaphors of Sacrifice in 1 Corinthians and Philippians by Jane Lancaster Patterson

2018; Catholic Biblical Association; Volume: 80; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/cbq.2018.0028

2163-2529

Marilou S. Ibita,

Archaeology and Historical Studies

Reviewed by: Keeping the Feast: Metaphors of Sacrifice in 1 Corinthians and Philippians by Jane Lancaster Patterson Ma. Marilou S. Ibita jane lancaster patterson, Keeping the Feast: Metaphors of Sacrifice in 1 Corinthians and Philippians (ECL 16; Atlanta: SBL Press, 2015). Pp. xi + 205. Paper $32.95. Patterson's book on the cultic metaphors in Philippians and 1 Corinthians combines historical-sociological methods and cognitive metaphor theory. One of P.'s goals in her published dissertation (Southern Methodist University, 2009; supervisor: Victor Paul Furnish) is to offer "a lively reappropriation of metaphors of sacrifice from a time before they became so accepted that they have become moribund as true metaphors and become deceptively straightforward-seeming Christian doctrine" (p. 10). In chap. 1, P. clarifies metaphor and symbol using ancient and contemporary theories, [End Page 149] particularly cognitive linguistic theory (see George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, Metaphors We Live By [Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980]). For P., Paul's use of cultic metaphors primarily serves as "high stakes of persuasion" (p. 30). She holds that "[o]ne of the interesting features of both Philippians and 1 Corinthians is the placement at the 'heart' (to continue the anatomical metaphor) of each letter of a powerful representation of Christ (1 Cor 11:23-26; Phil 2:5-11). Both of these depictions have sacrificial overtones" (p. 32). In chap. 2, P. treats Greco-Roman and Jewish sacrificial practices and, in chap. 3, sacrifice as an object of study. These chapters establish P.'s foundation in exploring Paul's use of sacrificial metaphors in Philippians and 1 Corinthians (assuming their basic literary integrity) to respond to the addressees' needs in their moral life as a "lived reality" (p. 29). P. wants today's readers to "recover some of the shock and tension of the original use of sacrificial metaphors in Paul's letters" (p. 28). In chap. 5, P. expounds on the metaphor of sacrificial giving in Philippians and its predictive power to influence moral life and behavior (p. 85). She considers the sacrificial metaphor as šĕlāmîm, or sacrifice of well-being (p. 81) or thanksgiving (p. 35), a combination of suffering and joy. She finds sacrificial motifs scattered in the letter (e.g., "holy ones," 1:1-2; 2:1–3:21, particularly the Christ-hymn; 4:1-20, especially on gift giving). She reiterates that the "foundational metaphors of a culture have a basis in human physicality" (e.g., "up is good down is bad," p. 81) but the Christ-hymn subverts this fundamental understanding. For P., the examples given by Paul, Timothy, and Epaphroditus reflect the sacrificial patterns the Philippians ought to follow in their own moral lives. P. also highlights reciprocal gift giving and the apocalyptic aspect of these sacrificial metaphors. In chap. 6, P. discusses the Passover and other connected metaphors (e.g., temple) in a layering manner in connection with his advice in 1 Corinthians (pp. 117-20). P. follows Margaret Mitchell's rhetorical plan to trace the cultic metaphors, particularly Passover, in almost all parts of the letter except 1 Corinthians 15. She underlines how "the strength of Passover imagery occurs not merely in its explicit use, but in its resonance with all of the cultic metaphors and with language related to some of their entailments, such as eating, freedom and slavery, covenant, cleanness, belonging, holiness, and community" (p. 120). Yet "atonement is not necessarily one of the principal entailments of Passover" (p. 134). Seen from the lens of Passover metaphor, the Corinthians are the "accompanying loaf of bread and the people of God gathered properly to keep the feast" (p. 157). Chapter 7 concludes the book. Against the prevalent Christian view favoring atonement, Patterson reminds readers of the broader use of the sacrificial metaphors (šĕlāmîm in Philippians, Passover in 1 Corinthians) that reverberates in varying degrees throughout the letters and how knowing the particulars of these metaphors can influence one's understanding of the ethical demands of the Christ-believers. Using the same lens, P. adds a discussion of the metaphor of Yom Kippur in relation to Rom 3:21-26 and the šĕlāmîm vis-à-vis Rom 12:1...