‘Appoint the Despised as Judges!’ (1 Corinthians 6:4)

Abstract

The most recent critical editions of the New Testament along with a majority of modern commentators do no believe the apostle Paul calls for the appointment of Christian arbiters in 1 Corinthians 6:4. Drawing attention to the cultural and legal situation of Corinth, and to certain features of Greek grammar, this essay argues that Paul indeed calls for the ‘despised’ Christians in Corinth to be made arbiters should lawsuits arise.