The despised poor: a decolonial reading of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Abstract

When writing to the church in Corinth, Paul sought to respond to various doubts and problems reported there. One of these was the contempt suffered by the poorer members during the meal at which the Lord’s Supper was supposed to be celebrated — a situation that came to his attention and led him to address it directly. This internal situation within the church consisted of the reproduction of the classist and colonizing system common in the city of Corinth, but Paul demonstrates that it needed to be different within the church. In this work, through a bibliographic study of authors who address decolonial thought, in dialogue with a contextual hermeneutic of 1 Corinthians 11:17–34, the manner in which the apostle’s stance toward this situation can be considered decolonial is investigated. It is therefore expected to demonstrate that the contempt shown by the wealthy members of the church was the result of an ingrained colonial posture and custom, and that the apostle positioned himself squarely against this, adopting a stance that may be considered decolonial in addressing it.