Grounds the origins of the Corinthian Christ group within local social practice

• Thoroughly grounds the origins of the Corinthian Christ group within local social practice
• Expands the scope of inquiry beyond elite members of Paul’s audience to include as many societal levels as are indicated by the variety of available evidence
• Based on primary sources (literature, inscriptions, material culture, coinage, statuary, reliefs, and architecture) to present a clear understanding of Corinthian practice of worshipping small groups of gods
• Brings together recent research from a variety of disciplines—social theory of practice, myth, classics and classical archaeology, biblical studies, epigraphy, ancient philosophy, and the study of religion
• Posits a culturally plausible alternative schema of attraction to Paul’s initial preaching and initial growth of the Christ group

The Origins of the Christ Movement in Corinth: Paul’s Chord of Gods argues that Paul’s language about his god (father, lord Jesus Christ and pneuma) would have been familiar to Corinthian gentiles as a small group of gods – a chord of gods. Worship of Paul’s chord of gods matches the common religious practice (in Theodore Schatzki’s sense) around the ancient Mediterranean and in Corinth and would have been familiar to the Corinthians. This religious practice could have formed the basis of attraction for the Corinthians to join Paul’s Christ group, served as a social engine for its growth among gentiles in Corinth and been a source of conflict with Paul that he tries to address in his letters to the Corinthians.