Those ‘in the Lord’ Are Free: 1 Corinthians 7 and a Stoic Paradox

Abstract Paul’s statement that the enslaved are ‘freed’ in 1 Corinthians 7:22a may allude to and modify a well-known Stoic paradox, something that has rarely been recognized by scholars. The evidence for this allusion strengthens recent arguments for the significance of Stoicism in the Corinthian correspondence and in this chapter in particular. The Stoic register, which the allusion suggests, explains several features of Paul’s instructions in this chapter: his support of two seemingly opposed ideals, his marked attention to variety and parallelism, and his unusually circumspect tone. The modified paradox reveals that Paul elevates the divine calling in response to the proposition of 7:1b, which singled out sexual abstinence as morally beneficial. Paul’s instructions demonstrate that he resists the Corinthians’ promotion of other statuses, practices, or circumstances because he expects the divine calling to enable the moral flourishing that they seek.