Church discipline in the Pauline churches: a socio-theological approach

[摘要] English: In this study church discipline in the Pauline churches, especially inthe churches of the Thessalonians and the Corinthians, was investigated.Traditionally, when New Testament scholars approach church discipline,they tend to concentrate on the nature of the theological issue or on theQuestion of what kind of theological motive gave rise to the problem.Thus, they research the theological background of the particular offence,what kind of theological issue caused the problem, the background of thechurch discipline and/or what kind of theological perspective surfaces inthe study of church discipline.Some scholars, however, oppose such a theological approach andfollow another approach, the so called a sociological approach. Theyinvestigate the social and cultural nature of the Biblical text and itsenvironmental backdrop. Disregarding a theological approach, they havecontributed studies with a broadened understanding of the sociologicalcharacter of primitive Christian communities and a focus on the socialand cultural conditions that characterized the Biblical world.In this study it is argued that it is not necessary that one approachshould exclude the other. The relationship between a sociologicalapproach and a theological approach should thus not be seen asexclusive and conflicting, but rather as complementary and synthetic.The guiding hypothesis of this study is thus that a combination of a sociological and a theological approach is the best way to explain theproblems in the Pauline congregations in Corinth and Thessalonica.In Part II church discipline in the Thessalonian church is examined.The significant problem that occurred in the church of the Thessalonianswas that some members of the congregation were idle and causedtrouble to the believers and/or non-believers, interrupting otherpersons' business (2 Thess. 3: l l : cf. 1 Tim. 5: 13). I indicated that thisproblem embodied both theological and sociological issues:Theologically, there were (1) spiritual enthusiasm, (2) Paul's opponents,and (3) realised eschatology; sociologically there were (1) Hellenisticphilosophy such as Epicureanism, (2) voluntary associations, and (3) thesystem of patronage.In Part III church discipline in the Corinthian church was investigated.The notorious problem that occurred in the church of the Corinthianswas that a member of the congregation has his father's wife (1 Cor.5: 1) and that the Corinthian church was proud of it (1 Cor. 5:2).I indicated that this problem of immorality embodied both theologicaland sociological issues: Theologically, there were (1) Judaisrn, (2)spiritual fanaticism, (3) Christian freedom, and (4) realised eschatology;sociologically, there were (1) Hellenistic philosophy such as Gnosticism,(2) Hellenistic religious cults, and (3) the system of patronage.This study concludes that the two approaches, a sociological approach and a theological approach, should not be taken asexclusive or in conflict, but rather as complementary in order to reach amore suitable answer to the problem of the disorderly in the church ofthe Thessalonians and that of immorality in the church of the Corinthians.

[发布机构] University of the Free State