The reception and appropriation of 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 in selected Ethiopic texts

Abstract

This study looks at the reception and appropriation of 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 in the Pauline Andǝmta commentary, the Fǝtḥa Nӓgӓśt and Mare Yisḥaq, in light of selected Patristic interpretations. The reception of 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 in these texts reveals that the Ethiopic interpretation of the text has much in common with the 'moderate ascetic' trajectory (Origen, John Chrysostom) identified in the 2nd–4th centuries as well as suggesting a unique reinterpretation of the text on the basis of a 'Christianized' understanding of Levitical restrictions.