This paper reconstructs the rhetorical situation of Roman Corinth in the time of Paul and argues that Greco-Roman rhetorical traditions and especially Cicero's rhetorical legacy had a major role in determining the social behaviour of the Corinthians in the mid-first century CE. I use Cicero's rhetorical handbooks as the principal guide to define 1 Corinthians 1-4 as a rhetorical discourse and argue that the biblical text comprises the characteristics of both deliberative and epideictic rhetoric. I demonstrate that there are specific similarities between Cicero's rhetorical handbooks and the Pauline language of 1 Corinthians 1-4 in terms of their use of the words, 'boasting' and 'imitate', and that these words are closely related to the Corinthian Christian preference for social and worldly understandings of wisdom and eloquence as described in 1 Corinthians 1-4. In other words, Paul both uses and critiques Greco-Roman rhetorical patterns and their social legacy. This paper argues that Paul criticises the behaviour of the Corinthian Christians in misusing Greco-Roman rhetorical conventions (and patronal systems) in the Christian community. The frequently occurring phrase sophia logou refers to the cultural-conventions-oriented wisdom and eloquence that some Corinthian Christians of wealth and high social status valued more highly than Jesus Christ crucified and the gospel message which Paul preached in Corinth (1:18-25). They also boasted about themselves as possessing such human-based wisdom and rhetorical skills and even encouraged fellow Christians of lower social class to imitate them. This is reflected, to some extent, in Paul's ironic use of 'boasting' and 'imitator' (1 Cor 1:29-31; 4:16). Paul deliberately uses these two words and also refers to himself as the 'father' of them, for rhetorical effect in 1 Corinthians 1-4 (1:29; 3:18: 4:7, 15). In so doing, he subverted the social-and cultural-conventions-rooted thinking and behaviour expressed in the Christian community. Paul demonstrates Christ crucified as the wisdom of God and gives the highest value to Him (1 Cor 1:24). He further challenges the Christians to boast of Jesus Christ as the Lord (1:31) and imitate the humility and sacrifice he exercised as a servant of God (4:8-13, 16).