Koινωνία: Fellowship with or participation in the Spirit? Revisiting 2 Corinthians 13:13

Abstract

The notion that, in the Christian Scriptures, the term κοινωνία (koinōnia) can mean “fellowship” has been challenged on philological grounds. Scholars argue that, in ancient non-Christian sources, meanings such as fellowship with fellow humans and with God are absent and that mundane meanings of participation and alliances are to be preferred. Discussion of this subject has suffered from a dichotomy between whether usage in classical sources trumps Christian theology in reading texts. Attention to Philo and revisiting philological patterns in Scripture suggest, however, the word had evolved to mean fellowship in the hands of Paul.