592 1 Corinthians in Context 9: Food Sacrificed to Idols

Although often overlooked today, whether or not to eat food that had been sacrificed to idols was a major issue in first-century Christianity, especially in urban centers like Corinth. The city was teeming with temples, idols, and smaller shrines. Divinities abounded and devotees made offerings regularly from a little wine poured out at a home shrine to full animal sacrifices amid the pomp and circumstance of a city-funded celebration in the main forum. It’s hard for us to imagine the immense social pressure, especially on elite Christians, to attend state sacrifices, eat meals at temple dining rooms, and accept invitations to banquets at which meats from animals sacrificed to the gods would be served. Join me to see what the idolatry landscape was like in Corinth and how Paul instructed the Christians there to navigate the situation with fidelity and grace.

Scriptures Covered: 1 Corinthians 8:1-13; 10:14-11:1

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