This essay argues that 1 Cor 13:4-7 is a rhetorical set piece developed in the wisdom school Paul assembled in Ephesus in the years immediately following his departure from Corinth. Paul might have composed it himself, but its vocabulary and structure suggest that a colleague created it, and Paul borrowed it as the center piece of his encomium on agape in 1 Corinthians 13. The fact that Paul and other members of the school devoted themselves to disciplined reflection on agape signals an importance and prominence to this concept that is often overlooked in Pauline scholarship.
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Hughes, Francis.1991. "The Rhetoric of Reconciliation: 2 Cor 1:1-2:13 and 7:5-8:24 " Pp. 246-61 in Persuasive Artistry: Studies in New Testament Rhetoric in Honor of George A. Kennedy, edited by D. Watson.Sheffield, UK: JSOT.
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Key, Howard Clark.1985. "Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs: A New Translation and Introduction." Pp. 776-828 in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, Vol I: Apocalyptic Literature and Testaments, edited by James Charlesworth.Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
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31.
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38.
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