Once again Paul broaches the subject of merely eating idol meat, but now he seems concerned with the eating of such previously sacrificed foods outside the confines of the pagan temple. The section is challenging to translators and interpreters because Paul writes in a vigorous style that takes abrupt rhetorical turns that can be and often are lost in the reading of the text. Identifying Paul’s line of thought is crucial to comprehending this otherwise confusing passage. Paul gives a helpful hint when he opens verse 23 with a near repetition of the slogan from the Corinthians that he quoted in 6:12. This quotation signals the dialogic nature and pattern of thought in the ensuing discussion and informs the reader to be alert for Paul’s use of rhetorical devices. In essence, Paul introduces …