When cicero and St Paul agree: Intra-group litigation among the Luperci and the Corinthian believers

Many commentators on 1 Cor. 6:1–8 have emphasized the aspects of individual honour and shame involved in civil litigation. However, they argue that such litigation was typical in the Roman world, which raises the question, how does Paul expect his readers to feel shame at their behaviour if it was considered normal? This article answers the question by highlighting the importance of communal honour and shame in the Roman world, also demonstrating how Greco-Roman notions of communal shame work in tandem with Paul’s eschatological differentiation of the Corinthian believers from their neighbours. To this end, I introduce an illuminating parallel from Cicero’s Pro Caelio which addresses intra-group litigation among the Luperci and I draw a line from that passage back to 1 Corinthians 6 by way of voluntary association rules and the widespread concern in antiquity for communal harmony.