We read texts through our prior knowledge and experience, so we never come to any text unencumbered or without “baggage.” What are some of your expectations, preconceived ideas, or prior assumptions about 1 Corinthians? What impressions of Paul as a man, apostle, or pastor are you bringing into this class?
We might intuitively feel that we know much about how the people in 1st-century churches lived or thought, but our assumptions are often misguided. We want to approach this letter, and this culture, like a puzzle, piecing things together until we get a more accurate picture. We can do this by constructing backgrounds from historical and archaeological discoveries and cross-referencing other texts, and by establishing context. However, even with all the best scholarly assistance, we can’t escape the assumptions and preconceptions we bring to the text. It is helpful to acknowledge this and pay attention to this tendency we all have as we read and interpret.