The Rulers of This Age (1 Cor. 2.6–8): A Review of Current Research

Among the many exegetical difficulties of 1 Cor. 2.6–16 is the identity of the ‘rulers of this age’ (2.6–8). Are they human rulers? Cosmic spiritual powers? Some combination of the two? This article will trace the history of the interpretation of these figures with a focus on the modern period of interpretation and the shifting opinions on which religious or textual tradition serves as the most illuminating analogue to Paul’s language: is Paul’s language Gnostic? Apocalyptic? etc. If the past is the best predictor of the future, then it is likely that the ambiguity of Paul’s narrative of the rulers of this age in 2.6–8 will continue to prompt interpreters to draw on these (or some still yet to be proposed) religious and textual traditions to make sense of the rulers of this age.