16. - 1 Corinthians 10:11
". . . For upon us the fulfilment of the ages has come. "[NEB]
One of the driving forces of the Christian movement was the expectation that the end of the world and the arrival of Christ to establish God's Kingdom was at hand, part of a longstanding Jewish anticipation of the Day of the Lord..
1. Silences in passage/challenge to a historical Jesus:
There was an intermediate stage of salvation beginning with Jesus' arrival in which precedents were set by Jesus which were awaiting final fulfillment with his return. This was very different than the age old expectation of a Messiah kingdom which would be fulfilled in only one coming.
2. Relevancy within context:
The context is about what is lawful to eat and drink. Paul uses history as a guide for avoiding immorality. " 10:7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink and stood up to play."" He compares that to the Corinthians who were apparently using food for the Lord's supper which had previously been defiled by the pagans: 10:20-21 "20No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. 21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons."
Paul isn't writing about a future Parousia here. In fact, his reference is almost an aside. Note how Doherty only included the last part of the verse. Here is the full verse: "11Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." The passage doesn't support an expectation of a discussion about an intermediate period of salvation or why the Messiah kingdom wasn't fulfilled in the first coming. It is about eating food offered to idols.
The passage therefore is not relevant to Doherty's second expectation either regarding a mission of apology which addresses the failure of a human Jesus to usher in a human kingdom which would last forever: There is no sign from that passage of concerns in Paul's readers about the paradigm shift. I agree that such concerns would have existed, but they would have existed even given the alleged "spiritual" Christ. The fact still remained that no new human kingdom came about whether Jesus had been human or whether he was a figment of revelation. The need for a mission of apology would have existed either way. Doherty needs to provide a passage where we would expect this to be addressed.
3. Related information in other early writings:
Doherty makes an interesting point, however. The expectation for a Messiah was not one like Jesus in the Gospels. The above reference says nothing about a future parousia, though clearly Paul believed in one. Rather, it says fulfillment "has come". It is clear that Paul believed that there had been a pivot point and they were in an intermediate stage. Doherty objects that this stage isn't supported by references to the earthly life and work of Christ. I disagree about the lack of references, which I've given in prior answers herein. As stated in other answers here, for Paul the actual salvation stage begins with the death and resurrection of Christ. That is Paul's focus, because for him the death and resurrection were the events that opened the door to the new age. For Paul that was definitely a pivotal point, and the kingdom had already arrived:
Rom 8:15-17 "15..you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" 16The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."
Col 1:12 "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. 13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."
1 Cor 4:19 "But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant but their power. 20For the kingdom of God does not consist in words but in power. 21What do you desire? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love and a spirit of gentleness."
1 Cor 15: "But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep. 21For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, 24then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet."
Fulfillment "has come". Salvation for the Gentiles is now possible as a result of Christ's death and resurrection. There was a pivot point. Paul clearly doesn't see it as having to do with teachings or doings of Christ, not because Christ didn't teach or do things, but because the kingdom was all about eternal life. Such eternal life, for Paul, was due to Christ's resurrection: 1 Cor 2:2 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 Cor 15:14 "if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain and your faith is vain."
There are a couple of passages where Paul appears to briefly acknowledge the failure of others to recognize that Jesus conformed to traditional expectations for the Messiah: 1 Cor 1:18 "18For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" 1 Cor 1:22-23 "22For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; 23but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness, "Rom 9:6 "But it is not as though the word of God had failed." He explains the proper interpretation in Rom 9, ending with why Israel failed "32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33just as it is written,
"Behold, I lay in Zion (Jerusalem) a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, and he who believes in him will not be disappointed." And in Galations 5:11 Paul calls the cross a "stumbling block" to those who continue to rely on Jewish law for their salvation.
4. Conclusion
The passage in question doesn't challenge anything because it is taken out of context. Even if it was in context it only challenges the wisdom of Paul's theology. Given Paul's theology a new salvation would not have been possible, as Paul himself says, had only Jesus' earthly teachings and doings been considered. It really only could have begun upon the death and resurrection, so it is not unusual to see Paul referring to it in this way. We might expect Paul to reference Jesus' teachings on the kingdom of God somewhere, but Doherty hasn't provided a relevant passage. To the extent that Paul doesn't defend the teaching of an intermediate stage, I don't see how this argues against a historical Jesus any more than against a "spiritual-only" Jesus. Paul does defend an intermediate stage to some extent, but seems much more interested in teaching his theology to Christian readers than in discussing specific accusations by opponents.
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