‘A Little Yeast Leavens the Whole Batch of Dough’: Incest and Pollution in 1 Corinthians 5

Abstract

Paul commands the Corinthians to give an incestuous man to Satan in 1 Cor. 5.5. Scholars often see this as a punishment for sin, but why does incest require this particular response? This article offers an answer by reading 1 Cor. 5 in light of other discussions of incest and pollution in Greco-Roman literature. It highlights connections between incest, pollution, and communal danger and explores means of resolving pollution. It then examines Paul’s discussion of incest in 1 Cor. 5.5 and concludes that his instructions concerning the incestuous man follow a logic common in ancient discussions of incest and pollution.