Paul as “Wise Master Builder”: Building Community through Roman Rhetorical Designs Alfred G. Mueller II Although much excellent scholarship exists concerning the rhetoric of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, that scholarship betrays a decidedly literary bias. This essay seeks to rectify that situation by examining the letter through the lens of Ciceronian oratorical theory. Specifically, this article studies Paul’s use of reprehensio, or refutation, throughout the epistle. Through this Ciceronian perspective, we come to appreciate the patient, meaningful, and methodical way in which Paul constructed a mythic directive meant to reorient the Corinthian Christians away from factionalism toward a recommitment to the value of community. Key Words: Paul of Tarsus, 1 Corinthians, Cicero, reprehensio, Roman rhetorical theory M uch excellent scholarship has already been conducted concerning St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Stephen Pogoloff (1992) discussed Paul’s use of ex- polito, or embellishment, in the apostle’s attempts to establish his own status within the Corinthian community. Rollin Ramsaran (1996) examined Paul’s use of maxims in creating an “in group” form of social knowledge in Corinth. Gary Selby (1997) inves- tigated the role played by persona in Paul’s attempts to gain a sympathetic hearing among the people at Corinth. L. L. Welborn (1997) investigated Paul’s admonition against stasis in the first four chapters of the letter. And Bruce Winter (1997) explored Paul’s anti-sophistic in the same chapters. JCR 31 (April 2008) 1–23 ARTICLES