Dangerous Food

Recognising the social meaning of food and meals in Greco-Roman culture and, in particular, the social meaning of idol-food, is an integral part of understanding the impact of Paul's instructions to the Christian community at Corinth regarding the consumption of idol-food. Gooch uses a social-historical approach to determine what idol-food was, and what it meant to eat or avoid it. He argues that the Corinthians rejected Paul's instructions to avoid facing significant social liabilities. In opposition to a well-entrenched scholarly consensus, Gooch claims that although Paul had abandoned purity rules concerning food, he would not abandon Judaism's cultural and religious understanding concerning idol-food.