Mimesis, apostolic parousia, and church discipline: An apologetic -mimetic interpretation of 1 Corinthians 4 and 5

One of the notable tendencies in recent scholarship has been the application of the rhetorical approaches to Paul's explicit call for imitation in 1 Corinthians (4:16; 11:1).;The relationship between his imitation call and authority claim, however, has been construed in four different ways: the imitation call as (1) a call for 'obedience' (Michaelis; Schütz); (2) a 'coercive' claim to authority (Castelli; Ackerman; Wanamaker; Schüssler Fiorenza); (3) a rhetorical device to advance argumentation (De Boer; Wuellner; Mitchell; Fiore; Dodd); and (4) an 'apologetic' device to re-establish apostolic authority (Dahl; Williams; Fee; Reinhartz; Plank).;This study, basically supporting the fourth option above, aims to present an 'apologetic-mimetic' interpretation of the imitation calls and various paradigmatic 'I' statements in 1 Corinthians (which can be considered as a deliberative letter). 1 Corinthians 4 and 5 can be a test case for the probability of such an 'apologetic-mimetic' interpretation of the mimetic texts in Paul's undisputed epistles (Gal 4; Phil 2-3; cf. 1 Thess 2--4).;This study also explicates the interrelationship of mimesis and the theme of apostolic parousia in these chapters (especially in chapter 5), and its implications on Paul's rhetoric of imitation and the self-consciousness of his apostolic authority and ministry.