‘changed the form’ of the argument by focusing the discussion on himself and Apollos as a covert allusion for its application to all the members of the congregation. In the ancient Graeco-Roman world the use of covert allusion to soften criticism was closely associated with irony (see 4:13–18), νουθεσία (see 4:15), and the use of positive contrastive models (see 4:15–17).241 In contrast to the conceit and strife manifest among the Corinthians, Paul and Apollos cooperated in their ministries as