Physical Affect and Ritual as Starting Points of Pauline Paraenesis

This chapter argues that Paul, at least in 1 Cor. 11:17–34, takes physical affect as the vantage point of his theologizing about the meals at which the Corinthian community of Christ devotees commemorated its Lord. In doing so, the chapter draws on recent ritual approaches in theology (and biblical studies), critical theoretical perspectives on the physical aspect of social gatherings, and aspects of affect theory as they have begun to have an impact on biblical studies. The combination of theoretical perspectives means, naturally, that only interaction with selected voices is possible: Pickstock for ritual perspectives; Butler for critical theory, the social, and the physical; and Koosed and Moore for affect theory. The ambition of the chapter is, accordingly, to do justice to often overlooked aspects of Paul rather than to the available bodies of theory. In what follows, relevant aspects of the work of these theoreticians are first outlined and then brought to bear on the text of 1 Cor. 11:17–34.