Spiritual possession in 1 Cor 1:12 and the Pauline reaction to it

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Giuseppe
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Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

Spiritual possession in 1 Cor 1:12 and the Pauline reaction to it

Post by Giuseppe »

1 Cor 1:12:
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

Something (personal revelation?) says me that here it is not only a mere case of membership in different sects in conflict, with people following a distinct leader X against Y, for any X, Y, etc, as fruit of a rational decision.

I think that there is at work even more than this. Paul would be saying:
Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am (possessed by the spirit) of Paul; and I (am possessed by the spirit) of Apollos; and I (am possessed by the spirit) of Cephas; and I (am possessed by the spirit) of Christ.

In other words, spiritual possession by X is the more evident sign of the following really X, even from a distance.

The implication is that, by being possessed spiritually by X, the follower of X is expected to show a lot of signs and miracles and wisdom sent spiritually by the spiritual possessor (X himself).


So, if a particular rival Christian (enemy of Paul, in the context), is possessed by Christ, then he is expected to do a lot of miracles and of “Oracles of Lord”, and so on. Surprises and wonders, as usual by possessed people.

Then, against this false show of spiritual possession, Paul does essentially two things:

1) he concedes (1 Cor 1:27) that the human recipient is very humble and little (just as him, Paul, is the Least par excellence)...


2) but he claims that what makes great truly this little human recipient is not the usual show of powers and wisdom (as per spiritual possession), but the possession of the unique true Wisdom that is really necessary.


And obviously we know which it is:

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived” —
the things God has prepared for those who love him—
10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.
The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.


So here I see the real radix of the Mark's separationism/adoptionism.


“Mark”, also, insists that, even if Jesus is a mere human recipient possessed by the spiritual Christ, what makes him really great is the Crucifixion.

So the separationism is really denied by “Mark” insofar it has to be meant not as a true example for the Christians. The Christian reader of Mark has to follow Christ not by being possessed spiritually by him to do a mere show of powers and wisdoms, but he has to follow Christ by being “crucified” (persecuted) as him. In this sharing of sufferings and persecutions there is the true Christian membership.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
Giuseppe
Posts: 13732
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 5:37 am
Location: Italy

Re: Spiritual possession in 1 Cor 1:12 and the Pauline reaction to it

Post by Giuseppe »

By implication, here is seen also where “Mark” diverges strongly from Paul, to the limit of heresy and anathema in the eyes of Paul.

For Paul, the Christians have to stop the spiritual possession by Christ.

For “Mark”, Jesus himself starts (in the fiction) this spiritual possession by Christ.

No contrast may be more great.

“Mark” is introducing the anti-pauline idea that the human recipient has to be raised to the same status of the spiritual possessor, after the adoption of the former by the latter. Something along the lines: “If Christ is in me, then, when I talk, it is Christ who talks via me”. The adopted man becomes the spirit who adopts him.

“Mark” has to do so since he wants to equalize the Jesus with Christ, starting from a condition of separation between the two beings. He has to “christianize” Jesus, against the Gnostics who separated the spiritual Son of Father from the Jewish Christ. If the higher spirit is Christ (and not more the gnostic Son of Father), then the adopted Jesus (“YHWH-saves”) becomes, by adoption, the higher deity. I.e., the demiurge (=the carpenter) becomes the supreme god, by adoption.

Just as Sabaoth is adopted by the gnostic Sophia.
Nihil enim in speciem fallacius est quam prava religio. -Liv. xxxix. 16.
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