Testing Trust - Observing Obligation: A Bio-Socio-Cultural Evolutionary Study of 2 Corinthians

Contrary to how we generally think, human sociality does not come naturally. It takes efforts to establish and maintain. I present a novel theoretical view calling for a far more comprehensive understanding of human evolution. Testing it on 2 Corinthians is the first time evolutionary theory is applied in close text analysis and on NT texts. Three things are highlighted: 1) Paul is seen dealing with selection pressures confronting him: 2) ritual, grounding institutionalisation, provides the solution for overcoming the problems: in 2 Cor., represented by the collection to the Jerusalem Saints, which functions as the turning point in Paul’s attempt to win over his audience: 3) on a grand scale, this solution epitomises the role played by ritual and institutionalisation in human evolution.