Do not let food become a stumbling block for the weak. An exegetical-theological study of 1Cor 8:1-13 and Rom 14:13-23

Both the New Testament and other early Christian writings reveal that the first Christians experienced many challenges and difficulties. Dispute over food was one of them. Out of an interest to find out how the Apostle Paul resolved such conflicts and kept ecclesial communion, we embarked on the project of doing a comparative study of two extensive discourses on the issue of food in two of his undisputed epistles, First Corinthians and Romans. A detailed study of Paul's treatment of the disputes in the Christian communities at Corinth and Rome with the literary-rhetorical method and other means, such as the historical-critical and the social-historical methods, reveals that the apostle taught them the same principle of Christian conduct, "Do not let food become a stumbling block for the weak". Paul often intertwines his theo-logy (discourse on God) and ethics (discourse on Christian moral conduct) in resolving specific conflicts. His treatment of the disputes over food shows that his moral instructions are theologically-grounded, christologically-modelled, soteriologically-concerned, eschatologically-referred and ecclessiologically-minded. The Apostle's discernment of the issue in dispute and the principles of Christian conduct that he gave, "to avoid becoming a stumbling block to fellow believers, to be other regarding and self-sacrificing, to strive for mutual edification for the good of the community" are still applicable today.