返回Chapter 1
Chapter 1
Chapter One
1 Cor. 1:1. Paul, called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
Here is the beginning, directly exposing the false teachers. I, he says, was called, and did not invent it myself, did not attain it by my own wisdom, and was sent by Christ, and did not ordain myself, as your teachers did. "Jesus Christ." The Teacher is Christ: how then do you appoint men as teachers for yourselves? "By the will" (δια θελήματος) "of God." He saved and called us not because we were worthy of it, but because it was pleasing to Him. Therefore now He Himself also wills that I be your apostle. How then do you desire other teachers for yourselves? Are you not opponents of God? Note the preposition δια (through), which here refers to the Father.
1 Cor. 1:1. And Sosthenes the brother.
Out of humility he places alongside himself a man who was far lesser than he; and he does this in order to shame the high-minded Corinthians, who despised everyone.
1 Cor. 1:2. To the church of God which is at Corinth.
The Church is not of this or that person, but of God. How then do you have men as your leaders? If, again, you are the Church, then you must be in perfect unity.
1 Cor. 1:2. To those sanctified in Christ Jesus.
You were sanctified not in some human being, but in Christ, that is, through baptism, and not through wisdom or wealth, of which you boast.
1 Cor. 1:2. Called to be saints.
And that very thing, he says, that you believed, is not from you, but you obeyed and believed because you were called by God. Therefore faith too has its beginning from God; for if He had not called, you would not have believed.
1 Cor. 1:2. With all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace, he says, and peace be not only with you, Corinthians, but also with all who call upon the name of Christ, and not of this one or that one.
1 Cor. 1:2. In every place, both theirs and ours.
He mentions the believers in every place in order to show that all believers constitute one Church, wherever they may be. How then have you, living in one city, become divided? On the other hand, he added "our." For having said "of our Lord Jesus Christ" and placed in the middle "in every place," he repeated and said the Lord "both theirs and ours," in order to show that the Master is one for all. Some, however, understand these words as they stand: in every place, both theirs and ours, that is, in which both we live and they.
1 Cor. 1:3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace from God. Even before, when we were at enmity against Him, we received peace by His grace, and I pray that from God both may always be yours, that is, that you be deprived of neither His grace nor peace; because you live in discord among yourselves. How then do you turn to men and seek from them, as from teachers, grace and favor?
1 Cor. 1:4. I give thanks unceasingly.
He teaches us to be thankful. He does this in almost every epistle; but now he speaks of thankfulness especially fittingly. For thankfulness is for a benefaction, and a benefaction is neither a debt nor a recompense. Consequently, by this too he brings down the pride of the Corinthians.
1 Cor. 1:4. My God.
He appropriates to himself, out of great love, the God who is common to all.
1 Cor. 1:4. For you, on account of the grace of God.
This teaches the Corinthians as well to always nurture grateful feelings toward God and not toward their own works, for he says: I give thanks "for the grace of God," and not for your works.
1 Cor. 1:4. Given to you in Christ Jesus.
That is, through Christ Jesus, and not through such-and-such a person. Why then do you give heed to men?
1 Cor. 1:5. Because in Him (ἐν αὐτῷ) you were enriched in everything.
"In Him" is again used in place of "through Him (δι' αυτού)." So when you have richness, and the richness of God, and in all things, and through the Only-Begotten Himself, how is it that you, ungrateful ones, appoint men as your teachers?
1 Cor. 1:5. In all utterance and in all knowledge.
There is also speech without reason, when, for example, someone speaks empty words, without any thought. There is also reason without speech, when someone thinks about lofty subjects but cannot find words to express them. But you have both speech and divine reason, so that you are able both to think and to speak.
1 Cor. 1:6. For (καθώς) the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.
For the word stands in place of: "through which" (δι᾿ ων). Through the word, he says, and knowledge, by which you were enriched, the "testimony," that is, the preaching about Christ, was confirmed in you; for you received this preaching not through outward wisdom, but through signs and gifts, of which you were deemed worthy.
1 Cor. 1:7. So that you come behind in no gift.
If they had no lack in gifts, then how does he later call them (1 Cor. 3:1) carnal? To this we shall say: not all were spiritual, and not all were carnal; therefore everything he speaks of now, he speaks to the spiritual, and what follows he speaks to the carnal. Or: perhaps in the beginning they received all manner of gifts, but afterwards became negligent and began to live according to the flesh.
1 Cor. 1:7. Awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here he frightens them by reminding them of the second coming of Christ. For if Christ shall appear, then how is it that you have alien leaders? He also shows that along with gifts, virtues are also necessary. For on that day, gifts will in no way help the one who has not lived virtuously (Matt. 7:21–23). Finally, by the word "appearing" he expresses the thought that Christ is present even now, but in a hidden way, and then He shall be manifest.
1 Cor. 1:8. Who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By the word "will confirm" he shows that they are wavering, and by the word "blameless" he expresses that now they are subject to accusation. In this epistle more frequently than in others he mentions the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to remind the Corinthians by Whom they were saved and Whose name they bear. For Christians are called so from Christ, and not from the name of any man.
1 Cor. 1:9. God is faithful, by Whom (δι᾿ ου) you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
That is, God is true. If He is true, and has called us into the fellowship of His Son, that is, to be glorified together with the Son in His Kingdom, then it is evident that He will fulfill what He promised. "You were called," he says, and did not come of your own accord. How then do you boast, as though by your own works? Note here that the word "by Whom" refers directly to the Father.
1 Cor. 1:10. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Intending to speak to them more sternly, he first declares that he beseeches them by Christ. I, he says, cannot ask you alone, but I take to my aid the name of the Lord, from whose name you are called Christians and which you have insulted by wishing to be called by the names of men. Let this bring you to shame!
1 Cor. 1:10. That you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you.
What do I beseech you about? That you all be in agreement and not be divided. For that which is divided, although it may seem to become many instead of one, in reality does not become many (for what use is a body cut into many parts?): in it unity has perished. Thus, he very expressively called what was happening among them "divisions"; by this word he clearly shows how calamitous their condition was.
1 Cor. 1:10. But that you be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Above he said: "that you all speak the same thing." Therefore, lest they think that agreement consists only in words, he adds: "in one spirit," that is, I beseech you to be in agreement also in your thoughts. But many think alike about one subject, yet differently about another; therefore he added: "joined together in one spirit." Furthermore, many are in agreement in their way of thinking, but diverge in the disposition of their will (for when we have one and the same faith, but are not united with one another by love, then although we think alike, we diverge in the disposition of our will). Therefore, having said: "in one spirit," he added: "and in one mind," that is, so that they would disagree neither regarding faith nor regarding the disposition of their will.
1 Cor. 1:11. For it has been made known to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of the household of Chloe.
Lest they begin to deny it, he brings forward witnesses, and lest it seem as though he is inventing them, he names them, saying: "from the household of Chloe" (there was a house in Corinth called Chloe's). He also calls them "brethren": for although their sin was evident, nothing prevented him from calling them brethren. However, he did not say who exactly informed him, but pointed to the whole household in general, so as not to arm them against those who had informed.
1 Cor. 1:11. That there are contentions among you.
Revealing what he has heard from others, he uses a softer expression — "contentions," but when he speaks in his own person, he calls the same thing "divisions" (1 Cor. 1:10), which is much worse than "contentions."
1 Cor. 1:12. I mean this, that each of you says: "I am of Paul"; "I am of Apollos"; "I am of Cephas"; "and I am of Christ."
Not some say this, but "among you." The Corinthians, however, did not actually say this, but the apostle gives such a turn of phrase, wishing to show that if it is unforgivable to call oneself followers of Paul and of Cephas, then all the more so of the names of others. "I am of Cephas." He mentioned Peter after himself not in order to exalt himself, but showing him greater preference, just as he mentioned Christ after. In general, in matters that ought not to be, he mentions his own person first. "And I am of Christ." He does not reproach them for saying "I am of Christ," but for the fact that not all say this; or rather, he added this on his own, wishing to make the rebuke stronger and to show that in such a case even Christ is appropriated by one party, although the Corinthians did not actually do this.
1 Cor. 1:13. Is Christ divided?
Why have you divided Christ? Why have you torn apart His body? A speech filled with anger. Some, however, understood the words "is Christ divided?" in this way: has Christ divided the Church from the people and taken one part for Himself, while giving the other part to them?
1 Cor. 1:13. Was Paul crucified for you?
By this he refutes their unreasonable behavior, and mentions his own name, so that they would not think he mentioned the names of others out of envy. He did not say: did Paul create or bring you from non-being into being? But, what is much more, showing the ineffable love of Christ for mankind, he speaks of the cross. He also did not say: "did Paul die," but: "was crucified," pointing thereby to the supposed dishonor of the death.
1 Cor. 1:13. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
And I, he says, baptized many, but in the name of Christ. He speaks of baptism because the cause of the division was also that they called themselves by the names of those who baptized them. But the point is not who baptized, but in whose name one baptizes; for it is Christ who forgives sins, not the one who baptizes.
1 Cor. 1:14. I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius.
Why, he says, do you boast that you baptize, when I thank God that I did not baptize? He says this not in order to diminish the importance of baptism, but in order to restrain the Corinthians, who boasted of baptism. For baptism is an important matter, but to baptize is not an important one.
1 Cor. 1:15. So that no one might say that I baptized in my own name.
I say this not because it was actually so, but out of fear that the disease might reach such a degree. For if division arose when baptism was performed by insignificant people, then if I, who preached baptism, had baptized, some would certainly have agreed to attribute the baptism to me.
1 Cor. 1:16. I also baptized the household of Stephanas.
That is, all who were in the house of Stephanas. He was a great and most illustrious man in Corinth.
1 Cor. 1:16. And whether I baptized anyone else, I do not know.
For me, he says, it is so unflattering to baptize that I do not even remember whether I baptized anyone else. So how can you take pride in baptism?
1 Cor. 1:17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
Preaching the Gospel is far more difficult and required an especially steadfast soul; for to persuade a person and turn him away from ancestral traditions, and moreover amid dangers, is the work of a great and courageous soul. But to receive one prepared for baptism and baptize him, anyone who held the priesthood could do. But if he was not sent to baptize, then how did he baptize? He was not sent for this as his primary purpose; but neither was he forbidden to baptize. He was sent for a more important work; yet he was not forbidden to perform the less important one as well.
1 Cor. 1:17. Not in the wisdom of word, lest the cross of Christ be made void.
Having overthrown the arrogance of those who boasted in baptism, he now turns to those who were puffed up with worldly wisdom, and says: (Christ) sent me to preach the gospel "not in wisdom of speech," that is, not with eloquence and refined words, lest the cross or the preaching of the cross should suffer harm and degradation; for what does "lest it be made void" mean? That is, lest it prove useless and vain. Indeed, if the apostles had preached with wisdom of speech, some might have said that they persuaded by the power of words, and not by the power of what was preached; and this would have been a degradation and harm to the Crucified One. But now, preaching with simplicity, they show that the power of the Crucified One accomplishes everything. The cross is also made void in another way. For example, a Greek asks me about something divine that surpasses our understanding. If I try to prove it to him by means of syllogisms and worldly wisdom, I will prove weak; for no intellect can adequately represent divine things. Thus my weakness will appear to be the weakness of the preaching, and by this the cross itself will be made void, because it will appear futile and vain.
1 Cor. 1:18. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
There were in Corinth unbelievers who subjected the cross to mockery and said: truly, it is foolish to preach a crucified God, for if He were God, He would not have allowed Himself to be crucified; and since He could not escape death, how could He have risen from the dead? The faithful, it seems, opposed them with their own wisdom, indignant that those people were blaspheming the cross. Therefore he also says: do not consider this strange; for that which is given by God for salvation seems foolishness to those who are perishing. By "the word of the cross" he means the preaching of the cross, or of Christ crucified.
1 Cor. 1:18. For us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
For us, he says, who are not perishing but being saved, it is the power of God. But the cross also shows wisdom. It shows power in that by death He destroyed death, for if the one who has fallen conquers, this is a sign of the greatest power; and wisdom — in that He saved the perishing in precisely this manner.
1 Cor. 1:19. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Having said that the unbelieving wise men perish, he confirms this with Scripture: for it says, "the wisdom of his wise men shall perish" (Isa. 29:14), namely, of the external ones, that is, in the wisdom of this world there is no understanding (this is no longer wisdom), and the understanding of those who consider themselves intelligent and knowledgeable has been rejected.
1 Cor. 1:20. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?
Having brought forward testimony from Scripture, he then proves his thought from deeds, and exposes both the Greeks with the words "where is the wise man," that is, the philosopher, and the Jews with the words "where is the scribe?" And he called "disputers" those who base everything on syllogisms and investigations. None of them saved us; but the fishermen led us out of error. The expression "has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?" stands in place of: He showed that it was foolish, because it could not find the truth.
1 Cor. 1:21. For since the world through its own wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.
He gives the reason why worldly wisdom turned into foolishness. Since in the wisdom manifest in creatures (for heaven and earth and all creation proclaims the Creator: see Ps. 19:2; Rom. 1:20), "the world," that is, those who think in worldly terms, did not know God (evidently because wisdom of the kind seen in eloquence hindered it from doing so), it pleased God to save believers through the simplicity of preaching (which only seemed like foolishness but was not truly so). Thus the Greeks had as their teacher the wisdom of God, that is, the wisdom discerned in creatures, yet they did not know God, because they were guided by the wisdom that consists in eloquence, which is not true wisdom.
1 Cor. 1:22-23. For the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified,
Paul wants to show how God produced opposite effects by opposite means, and says: when I tell a Jew "believe," he immediately demands signs to confirm the preaching, but we preach Christ crucified; and this not only does not show signs, but on the contrary appears to be weakness, and yet this very thing, which seems feeble and opposite to what the Jew demands, brings him to faith, which demonstrates the great power of God. Again: the Greeks seek wisdom from us; but we preach the cross to them, which is to preach a crucified God; this would seem to be foolishness, yet they too are persuaded by it. Therefore, is this not proof of the greatest power, when they are persuaded by the very opposite of what they themselves demand?
1 Cor. 1:23. To the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness.
For the Jews, he says, the Crucified One is a stumbling block; for they stumble over Him, saying: how can He be God who ate and drank both with tax collectors and with sinners and was crucified with robbers? And the Greeks mock this mystery as foolishness, when they hear that only by faith alone, and not by the rational arguments to which they are so attached, can one understand that God was crucified and that the preaching of the cross is not adorned with eloquence.
1 Cor. 1:24. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the unbelieving Jews, he says, Christ serves as a stumbling block, and for the unbelieving Greeks He seems foolishness, because both groups do not find in Him the signs and wisdom they seek. But to the "called" among both Jews and Greeks — that is, those called by God as worthy — Christ manifests in Himself both of these things they seek. Why, indeed, do you, O Jew, seek signs? Behold, Christ is the power of God, who works signs. And you, O Greek, what do you say? You seek wisdom? Behold, you have Christ, who is the wisdom of the Father.
1 Cor. 1:25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
He calls the cross foolishness because that is what people thought of it; yet it is wiser than men. For the philosophers occupied themselves with empty and useless subjects, while the cross saved the world. Furthermore, it appears weak, as though the crucified Christ were weak, but in reality He is stronger than men, not only because He flourishes more and more despite the efforts of countless people to extinguish this Name, but also because by this seemingly weak instrument the strong devil was bound. You may, however, understand this also in another way: what is most wise in God is called unwise, that is, foolish, and everything most powerful is called weak, just as His most exalted light is called gloom and darkness.
1 Cor. 1:26. Consider, brethren, who you are, the called: not many of you are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
Consider, he says, and examine those called to the faith, and you will find that "not many of you are wise according to the flesh," that is, in outward appearance, in a manner suited to the present life. He did not say: there is not a single wise person, but: "not many," because there were believers even among the wise, for example, the Areopagite, the proconsul, and others whose names are now unknown; some from among the powerful and noble also believed. Therefore he said of all: "not many." So then, behold the power of the preaching, how it taught such wise doctrines to uneducated people, and how worldly wisdom proved to be useless.
1 Cor. 1:27. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty;
Indeed, for the Greeks it is the greatest shame to see that a common craftsman surpasses them in philosophy, and that the weak and despised humbles the strong and wealthy.
1 Cor. 1:28. And the ignoble of the world and the despised and the things that count for nothing God chose, in order to bring to nothing the things that count for something.
He calls "things that are not" those who were regarded as nothing, and "things that are" those who seemed to be something. So then, in order to show these latter to be vain and useless people, God chose those who were regarded as nothing. And when you hear "chose," do not think that He necessarily wanted to choose the despised and reject the distinguished; no, but since the distinguished were puffed up by their own wisdom and therefore did not accept the preaching, God found more capable of receiving it those who had nothing to boast of.
1 Cor. 1:29. So that no flesh should boast before God.
So that no flesh should boast before Him. For this reason, he says, God acted in this way, to bring down the pride and boasting of those who were thinking about worldly things, and to convince them that they should ascribe everything received from Him to Him and not boast before Him. How then do you, Corinthians, take pride in this? Note in passing, we did not say without reason that those who were rejected were not deemed worthy of the preaching because of their pride.
1 Cor. 1:30. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus.
The words "of Him" understand not as referring to being brought into existence in general, but into a better existence. The meaning of the words is this: you have become children of God, and "of Him," having become His sons "in Christ," that is, through Christ. And by the words "the base things He chose," he shows that they are nobler than all, because they have God as their Father.
1 Cor. 1:30. Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
That is, He made us wise, and righteous, and holy, and free; for this is what "redemption" means, that is, liberation from captivity. Furthermore, just as, having chosen the ignoble, He made them noble, because He adopted them as children of God, so also He made the uneducated wise, having Himself become wisdom for us. Why then did he not say: He made us wise, but: "became wisdom for us"? In order to express the abundance of the gift. He as it were said: He gave us His very Self. Having used lofty expressions about the Son, he adds: "from God," so that you would not consider Him (the Son) unbegotten, but would turn to His cause, the Father. And note the order: first, He made them wise, delivering them from error and teaching them the knowledge of God; then righteous, granting them the remission of sins; then He sanctified them with the Holy Spirit, and thus granted us perfect freedom and "redemption" from all evils, so that we belong to Him alone and are under His authority.
1 Cor. 1:31. So that it might be as it is written: "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" (Jer. 9:24).
All this, he says, was done so that no one would consider himself to be something and would boast neither in himself nor in any other person, but only in God, Who has granted us such great blessings. How then do you take pride both in yourselves and in your teachers — mere men?
1 Cor. 1:1. Paul, called to be an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.
Here is the beginning, directly exposing the false teachers. I, he says, was called, and did not invent it myself, did not attain it by my own wisdom, and was sent by Christ, and did not ordain myself, as your teachers did. "Jesus Christ." The Teacher is Christ: how then do you appoint men as teachers for yourselves? "By the will" (δια θελήματος) "of God." He saved and called us not because we were worthy of it, but because it was pleasing to Him. Therefore now He Himself also wills that I be your apostle. How then do you desire other teachers for yourselves? Are you not opponents of God? Note the preposition δια (through), which here refers to the Father.
1 Cor. 1:1. And Sosthenes the brother.
Out of humility he places alongside himself a man who was far lesser than he; and he does this in order to shame the high-minded Corinthians, who despised everyone.
1 Cor. 1:2. To the church of God which is at Corinth.
The Church is not of this or that person, but of God. How then do you have men as your leaders? If, again, you are the Church, then you must be in perfect unity.
1 Cor. 1:2. To those sanctified in Christ Jesus.
You were sanctified not in some human being, but in Christ, that is, through baptism, and not through wisdom or wealth, of which you boast.
1 Cor. 1:2. Called to be saints.
And that very thing, he says, that you believed, is not from you, but you obeyed and believed because you were called by God. Therefore faith too has its beginning from God; for if He had not called, you would not have believed.
1 Cor. 1:2. With all who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace, he says, and peace be not only with you, Corinthians, but also with all who call upon the name of Christ, and not of this one or that one.
1 Cor. 1:2. In every place, both theirs and ours.
He mentions the believers in every place in order to show that all believers constitute one Church, wherever they may be. How then have you, living in one city, become divided? On the other hand, he added "our." For having said "of our Lord Jesus Christ" and placed in the middle "in every place," he repeated and said the Lord "both theirs and ours," in order to show that the Master is one for all. Some, however, understand these words as they stand: in every place, both theirs and ours, that is, in which both we live and they.
1 Cor. 1:3. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace from God. Even before, when we were at enmity against Him, we received peace by His grace, and I pray that from God both may always be yours, that is, that you be deprived of neither His grace nor peace; because you live in discord among yourselves. How then do you turn to men and seek from them, as from teachers, grace and favor?
1 Cor. 1:4. I give thanks unceasingly.
He teaches us to be thankful. He does this in almost every epistle; but now he speaks of thankfulness especially fittingly. For thankfulness is for a benefaction, and a benefaction is neither a debt nor a recompense. Consequently, by this too he brings down the pride of the Corinthians.
1 Cor. 1:4. My God.
He appropriates to himself, out of great love, the God who is common to all.
1 Cor. 1:4. For you, on account of the grace of God.
This teaches the Corinthians as well to always nurture grateful feelings toward God and not toward their own works, for he says: I give thanks "for the grace of God," and not for your works.
1 Cor. 1:4. Given to you in Christ Jesus.
That is, through Christ Jesus, and not through such-and-such a person. Why then do you give heed to men?
1 Cor. 1:5. Because in Him (ἐν αὐτῷ) you were enriched in everything.
"In Him" is again used in place of "through Him (δι' αυτού)." So when you have richness, and the richness of God, and in all things, and through the Only-Begotten Himself, how is it that you, ungrateful ones, appoint men as your teachers?
1 Cor. 1:5. In all utterance and in all knowledge.
There is also speech without reason, when, for example, someone speaks empty words, without any thought. There is also reason without speech, when someone thinks about lofty subjects but cannot find words to express them. But you have both speech and divine reason, so that you are able both to think and to speak.
1 Cor. 1:6. For (καθώς) the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you.
For the word stands in place of: "through which" (δι᾿ ων). Through the word, he says, and knowledge, by which you were enriched, the "testimony," that is, the preaching about Christ, was confirmed in you; for you received this preaching not through outward wisdom, but through signs and gifts, of which you were deemed worthy.
1 Cor. 1:7. So that you come behind in no gift.
If they had no lack in gifts, then how does he later call them (1 Cor. 3:1) carnal? To this we shall say: not all were spiritual, and not all were carnal; therefore everything he speaks of now, he speaks to the spiritual, and what follows he speaks to the carnal. Or: perhaps in the beginning they received all manner of gifts, but afterwards became negligent and began to live according to the flesh.
1 Cor. 1:7. Awaiting the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Here he frightens them by reminding them of the second coming of Christ. For if Christ shall appear, then how is it that you have alien leaders? He also shows that along with gifts, virtues are also necessary. For on that day, gifts will in no way help the one who has not lived virtuously (Matt. 7:21–23). Finally, by the word "appearing" he expresses the thought that Christ is present even now, but in a hidden way, and then He shall be manifest.
1 Cor. 1:8. Who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
By the word "will confirm" he shows that they are wavering, and by the word "blameless" he expresses that now they are subject to accusation. In this epistle more frequently than in others he mentions the Lord Jesus Christ, in order to remind the Corinthians by Whom they were saved and Whose name they bear. For Christians are called so from Christ, and not from the name of any man.
1 Cor. 1:9. God is faithful, by Whom (δι᾿ ου) you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.
That is, God is true. If He is true, and has called us into the fellowship of His Son, that is, to be glorified together with the Son in His Kingdom, then it is evident that He will fulfill what He promised. "You were called," he says, and did not come of your own accord. How then do you boast, as though by your own works? Note here that the word "by Whom" refers directly to the Father.
1 Cor. 1:10. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Intending to speak to them more sternly, he first declares that he beseeches them by Christ. I, he says, cannot ask you alone, but I take to my aid the name of the Lord, from whose name you are called Christians and which you have insulted by wishing to be called by the names of men. Let this bring you to shame!
1 Cor. 1:10. That you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you.
What do I beseech you about? That you all be in agreement and not be divided. For that which is divided, although it may seem to become many instead of one, in reality does not become many (for what use is a body cut into many parts?): in it unity has perished. Thus, he very expressively called what was happening among them "divisions"; by this word he clearly shows how calamitous their condition was.
1 Cor. 1:10. But that you be joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Above he said: "that you all speak the same thing." Therefore, lest they think that agreement consists only in words, he adds: "in one spirit," that is, I beseech you to be in agreement also in your thoughts. But many think alike about one subject, yet differently about another; therefore he added: "joined together in one spirit." Furthermore, many are in agreement in their way of thinking, but diverge in the disposition of their will (for when we have one and the same faith, but are not united with one another by love, then although we think alike, we diverge in the disposition of our will). Therefore, having said: "in one spirit," he added: "and in one mind," that is, so that they would disagree neither regarding faith nor regarding the disposition of their will.
1 Cor. 1:11. For it has been made known to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of the household of Chloe.
Lest they begin to deny it, he brings forward witnesses, and lest it seem as though he is inventing them, he names them, saying: "from the household of Chloe" (there was a house in Corinth called Chloe's). He also calls them "brethren": for although their sin was evident, nothing prevented him from calling them brethren. However, he did not say who exactly informed him, but pointed to the whole household in general, so as not to arm them against those who had informed.
1 Cor. 1:11. That there are contentions among you.
Revealing what he has heard from others, he uses a softer expression — "contentions," but when he speaks in his own person, he calls the same thing "divisions" (1 Cor. 1:10), which is much worse than "contentions."
1 Cor. 1:12. I mean this, that each of you says: "I am of Paul"; "I am of Apollos"; "I am of Cephas"; "and I am of Christ."
Not some say this, but "among you." The Corinthians, however, did not actually say this, but the apostle gives such a turn of phrase, wishing to show that if it is unforgivable to call oneself followers of Paul and of Cephas, then all the more so of the names of others. "I am of Cephas." He mentioned Peter after himself not in order to exalt himself, but showing him greater preference, just as he mentioned Christ after. In general, in matters that ought not to be, he mentions his own person first. "And I am of Christ." He does not reproach them for saying "I am of Christ," but for the fact that not all say this; or rather, he added this on his own, wishing to make the rebuke stronger and to show that in such a case even Christ is appropriated by one party, although the Corinthians did not actually do this.
1 Cor. 1:13. Is Christ divided?
Why have you divided Christ? Why have you torn apart His body? A speech filled with anger. Some, however, understood the words "is Christ divided?" in this way: has Christ divided the Church from the people and taken one part for Himself, while giving the other part to them?
1 Cor. 1:13. Was Paul crucified for you?
By this he refutes their unreasonable behavior, and mentions his own name, so that they would not think he mentioned the names of others out of envy. He did not say: did Paul create or bring you from non-being into being? But, what is much more, showing the ineffable love of Christ for mankind, he speaks of the cross. He also did not say: "did Paul die," but: "was crucified," pointing thereby to the supposed dishonor of the death.
1 Cor. 1:13. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
And I, he says, baptized many, but in the name of Christ. He speaks of baptism because the cause of the division was also that they called themselves by the names of those who baptized them. But the point is not who baptized, but in whose name one baptizes; for it is Christ who forgives sins, not the one who baptizes.
1 Cor. 1:14. I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius.
Why, he says, do you boast that you baptize, when I thank God that I did not baptize? He says this not in order to diminish the importance of baptism, but in order to restrain the Corinthians, who boasted of baptism. For baptism is an important matter, but to baptize is not an important one.
1 Cor. 1:15. So that no one might say that I baptized in my own name.
I say this not because it was actually so, but out of fear that the disease might reach such a degree. For if division arose when baptism was performed by insignificant people, then if I, who preached baptism, had baptized, some would certainly have agreed to attribute the baptism to me.
1 Cor. 1:16. I also baptized the household of Stephanas.
That is, all who were in the house of Stephanas. He was a great and most illustrious man in Corinth.
1 Cor. 1:16. And whether I baptized anyone else, I do not know.
For me, he says, it is so unflattering to baptize that I do not even remember whether I baptized anyone else. So how can you take pride in baptism?
1 Cor. 1:17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
Preaching the Gospel is far more difficult and required an especially steadfast soul; for to persuade a person and turn him away from ancestral traditions, and moreover amid dangers, is the work of a great and courageous soul. But to receive one prepared for baptism and baptize him, anyone who held the priesthood could do. But if he was not sent to baptize, then how did he baptize? He was not sent for this as his primary purpose; but neither was he forbidden to baptize. He was sent for a more important work; yet he was not forbidden to perform the less important one as well.
1 Cor. 1:17. Not in the wisdom of word, lest the cross of Christ be made void.
Having overthrown the arrogance of those who boasted in baptism, he now turns to those who were puffed up with worldly wisdom, and says: (Christ) sent me to preach the gospel "not in wisdom of speech," that is, not with eloquence and refined words, lest the cross or the preaching of the cross should suffer harm and degradation; for what does "lest it be made void" mean? That is, lest it prove useless and vain. Indeed, if the apostles had preached with wisdom of speech, some might have said that they persuaded by the power of words, and not by the power of what was preached; and this would have been a degradation and harm to the Crucified One. But now, preaching with simplicity, they show that the power of the Crucified One accomplishes everything. The cross is also made void in another way. For example, a Greek asks me about something divine that surpasses our understanding. If I try to prove it to him by means of syllogisms and worldly wisdom, I will prove weak; for no intellect can adequately represent divine things. Thus my weakness will appear to be the weakness of the preaching, and by this the cross itself will be made void, because it will appear futile and vain.
1 Cor. 1:18. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
There were in Corinth unbelievers who subjected the cross to mockery and said: truly, it is foolish to preach a crucified God, for if He were God, He would not have allowed Himself to be crucified; and since He could not escape death, how could He have risen from the dead? The faithful, it seems, opposed them with their own wisdom, indignant that those people were blaspheming the cross. Therefore he also says: do not consider this strange; for that which is given by God for salvation seems foolishness to those who are perishing. By "the word of the cross" he means the preaching of the cross, or of Christ crucified.
1 Cor. 1:18. For us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
For us, he says, who are not perishing but being saved, it is the power of God. But the cross also shows wisdom. It shows power in that by death He destroyed death, for if the one who has fallen conquers, this is a sign of the greatest power; and wisdom — in that He saved the perishing in precisely this manner.
1 Cor. 1:19. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Having said that the unbelieving wise men perish, he confirms this with Scripture: for it says, "the wisdom of his wise men shall perish" (Isa. 29:14), namely, of the external ones, that is, in the wisdom of this world there is no understanding (this is no longer wisdom), and the understanding of those who consider themselves intelligent and knowledgeable has been rejected.
1 Cor. 1:20. Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?
Having brought forward testimony from Scripture, he then proves his thought from deeds, and exposes both the Greeks with the words "where is the wise man," that is, the philosopher, and the Jews with the words "where is the scribe?" And he called "disputers" those who base everything on syllogisms and investigations. None of them saved us; but the fishermen led us out of error. The expression "has not God turned the wisdom of this world into foolishness?" stands in place of: He showed that it was foolish, because it could not find the truth.
1 Cor. 1:21. For since the world through its own wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe.
He gives the reason why worldly wisdom turned into foolishness. Since in the wisdom manifest in creatures (for heaven and earth and all creation proclaims the Creator: see Ps. 19:2; Rom. 1:20), "the world," that is, those who think in worldly terms, did not know God (evidently because wisdom of the kind seen in eloquence hindered it from doing so), it pleased God to save believers through the simplicity of preaching (which only seemed like foolishness but was not truly so). Thus the Greeks had as their teacher the wisdom of God, that is, the wisdom discerned in creatures, yet they did not know God, because they were guided by the wisdom that consists in eloquence, which is not true wisdom.
1 Cor. 1:22-23. For the Jews require signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified,
Paul wants to show how God produced opposite effects by opposite means, and says: when I tell a Jew "believe," he immediately demands signs to confirm the preaching, but we preach Christ crucified; and this not only does not show signs, but on the contrary appears to be weakness, and yet this very thing, which seems feeble and opposite to what the Jew demands, brings him to faith, which demonstrates the great power of God. Again: the Greeks seek wisdom from us; but we preach the cross to them, which is to preach a crucified God; this would seem to be foolishness, yet they too are persuaded by it. Therefore, is this not proof of the greatest power, when they are persuaded by the very opposite of what they themselves demand?
1 Cor. 1:23. To the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness.
For the Jews, he says, the Crucified One is a stumbling block; for they stumble over Him, saying: how can He be God who ate and drank both with tax collectors and with sinners and was crucified with robbers? And the Greeks mock this mystery as foolishness, when they hear that only by faith alone, and not by the rational arguments to which they are so attached, can one understand that God was crucified and that the preaching of the cross is not adorned with eloquence.
1 Cor. 1:24. But to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
For the unbelieving Jews, he says, Christ serves as a stumbling block, and for the unbelieving Greeks He seems foolishness, because both groups do not find in Him the signs and wisdom they seek. But to the "called" among both Jews and Greeks — that is, those called by God as worthy — Christ manifests in Himself both of these things they seek. Why, indeed, do you, O Jew, seek signs? Behold, Christ is the power of God, who works signs. And you, O Greek, what do you say? You seek wisdom? Behold, you have Christ, who is the wisdom of the Father.
1 Cor. 1:25. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
He calls the cross foolishness because that is what people thought of it; yet it is wiser than men. For the philosophers occupied themselves with empty and useless subjects, while the cross saved the world. Furthermore, it appears weak, as though the crucified Christ were weak, but in reality He is stronger than men, not only because He flourishes more and more despite the efforts of countless people to extinguish this Name, but also because by this seemingly weak instrument the strong devil was bound. You may, however, understand this also in another way: what is most wise in God is called unwise, that is, foolish, and everything most powerful is called weak, just as His most exalted light is called gloom and darkness.
1 Cor. 1:26. Consider, brethren, who you are, the called: not many of you are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble.
Consider, he says, and examine those called to the faith, and you will find that "not many of you are wise according to the flesh," that is, in outward appearance, in a manner suited to the present life. He did not say: there is not a single wise person, but: "not many," because there were believers even among the wise, for example, the Areopagite, the proconsul, and others whose names are now unknown; some from among the powerful and noble also believed. Therefore he said of all: "not many." So then, behold the power of the preaching, how it taught such wise doctrines to uneducated people, and how worldly wisdom proved to be useless.
1 Cor. 1:27. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the mighty;
Indeed, for the Greeks it is the greatest shame to see that a common craftsman surpasses them in philosophy, and that the weak and despised humbles the strong and wealthy.
1 Cor. 1:28. And the ignoble of the world and the despised and the things that count for nothing God chose, in order to bring to nothing the things that count for something.
He calls "things that are not" those who were regarded as nothing, and "things that are" those who seemed to be something. So then, in order to show these latter to be vain and useless people, God chose those who were regarded as nothing. And when you hear "chose," do not think that He necessarily wanted to choose the despised and reject the distinguished; no, but since the distinguished were puffed up by their own wisdom and therefore did not accept the preaching, God found more capable of receiving it those who had nothing to boast of.
1 Cor. 1:29. So that no flesh should boast before God.
So that no flesh should boast before Him. For this reason, he says, God acted in this way, to bring down the pride and boasting of those who were thinking about worldly things, and to convince them that they should ascribe everything received from Him to Him and not boast before Him. How then do you, Corinthians, take pride in this? Note in passing, we did not say without reason that those who were rejected were not deemed worthy of the preaching because of their pride.
1 Cor. 1:30. But of Him you are in Christ Jesus.
The words "of Him" understand not as referring to being brought into existence in general, but into a better existence. The meaning of the words is this: you have become children of God, and "of Him," having become His sons "in Christ," that is, through Christ. And by the words "the base things He chose," he shows that they are nobler than all, because they have God as their Father.
1 Cor. 1:30. Who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.
That is, He made us wise, and righteous, and holy, and free; for this is what "redemption" means, that is, liberation from captivity. Furthermore, just as, having chosen the ignoble, He made them noble, because He adopted them as children of God, so also He made the uneducated wise, having Himself become wisdom for us. Why then did he not say: He made us wise, but: "became wisdom for us"? In order to express the abundance of the gift. He as it were said: He gave us His very Self. Having used lofty expressions about the Son, he adds: "from God," so that you would not consider Him (the Son) unbegotten, but would turn to His cause, the Father. And note the order: first, He made them wise, delivering them from error and teaching them the knowledge of God; then righteous, granting them the remission of sins; then He sanctified them with the Holy Spirit, and thus granted us perfect freedom and "redemption" from all evils, so that we belong to Him alone and are under His authority.
1 Cor. 1:31. So that it might be as it is written: "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" (Jer. 9:24).
All this, he says, was done so that no one would consider himself to be something and would boast neither in himself nor in any other person, but only in God, Who has granted us such great blessings. How then do you take pride both in yourselves and in your teachers — mere men?
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