Paul, Democracy, and the Corinthians

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Description

In this short and remarkable book L.L. Welborn outlines the complex and contested nature of 'democracy' in the Greek cities of the Roman East, where the apostle Paul established Christ groups, showing that writings of Paul and the development of Christianity reveal a strong and radical form of democracy that holds ever-greater relevance in today's contentious political landscape.

Welborn begins by showing how, paradoxically, language around the concept of democracy is largely absent from political thinkers in the first century. By contrast, we learn that Paul's Corinthian correspondence is full of vocabulary associated with democracy, not only the term we know as “Church” (ekkesia) or “people's assembly”, which the Christ-group adopted as a self-designation, but other terms with a democratic history and resonance such as eleutheria (“freedom”), paressia (“freedom of speech”), koinomia (“partnership”), isotes (“equality”). Moreover, as Welborn shows, several passages give evidence of democratic practices, such as voting (2 Cor. 2:6-8). Especially significant is the revelation that women were praying and prophesying in the assembly (1 Cor. 11:5), enacting a radical extension of the democratic-egalitarian ethos.

In these chapters Welborn assesses the complex evidence of Paul's Corinthian epistles in an attempt to answer the question: How “democratic” was the assembly of Christ followers at Corinth? If, as Welborn suggests, the answer is exceptionally “democratic,” at least in comparison with the political regime of first-century Roman Corinth, what consequence might this discovery have for those who are concerned about the failure of democracy today?

Paul, Democracy, and the Corinthains is also available in audiobook format from audiobook retailers.

Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Prologue
1. Democracy, Real and Imagined, in Early Christianity and in Greco-Roman Antiquity
2. “Any Woman Praying or Prophesying” (1 Corinthians 11:5): The Radicalization of a Democratic
Ethos in the Christ Group at Corinth
3. “There Must Be Factions” (1 Corinthians 11:19): Paul's Revival of a Subterranean Stream of
Greek Political Thought
4. “Has Christ Been Split into Parties?” (1 Corinthians 1:10): Paul's Attempt to Restrain Factional
Conflict in the Body of Christ
5. “That There May Be Equality” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15): Paul's Extension of a Democratic
Principle into the Economic Sphere
6. How “democratic” was the ekklesia of Christ Followers at Corinth? An Assessment with Special
Reference to Evidence from Roman Corinth
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index of Ancient References
Index of Names

Product details

Published	19 Mar 2026
Format	Hardback
Edition	1st
Extent	224
ISBN	9780567725295
Imprint	T&T Clark
Dimensions	234 x 156 mm
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

Author

L. L. Welborn

L. L. Welborn is Professor of New Testament a…

This creative and innovative book, rich in its highly accessible and incisive understanding of the ancient literature and epigraphy regarding the operations of ancient democracy, demonstrates in intriguing ways the pastoral and political relevance of Paul's exegetical appeal to democratic processes and ideas/ideals in pastoring a highly factionalised congregation at Corinth. In the process, Professor Welborn highlights important distinctives in Paul's theological, social, and political thought that transformed his understanding of community from other contemporary political models and movements and, indeed, perhaps the western intellectual tradition itself.

James R. Harrison, Sydney College of Divinity, Australia
Welborn combines his engaging style, extensive knowledge of the Corinthian community, and interpretive acumen to argue that democracy was a matter for debate in the Corinthian Pauline ekklesia. It is clear through Welborn's book that true democracy, in which there is a balance of power between the rich and the poor, was present in impulses throughout the Corinthian ekklesia, and is worth fighting for across the centuries.

Arminta Fox, Augustana University, USA
Welborn's Paul, Democracy, and the Corinthians is an exceptionally well-researched contribution that brilliantly situates early Christ-following communities within Greco-Roman political frameworks. By exploring the tension between Paul's egalitarian rhetoric and social hierarchies, Welborn offers a compelling analysis of democracy's real and imagined manifestations in early Christian assemblies.

J. Brian Tucker, Moody Theological Seminary, USA