# Commentary on The First Letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians **1:1 called by the will of God:** Paul\'s evangelical mission was established on God\'s initiative, not his own (Acts 9:1-16; Gal 1:12). He asserts his apostolic authority from the outset of the letter because some of the Corinthians either doubted or denied it (9:1-2; 2 Cor 10-12). **Sosthenes:** Possibly the ruler of the Corinthian synagogue named in Acts 18:17. If so, he must have embraced the gospel during Paul\'s initial stay in the city **1:2 To the Church of God:** Refers to the local congregation in Corinth that is part of the universal Church (CCC 752). Paul\'s earliest preaching in the city took place in the local synagogue, where both Jews and Greeks accepted his message (Acts 18:4). **those sanctified:** I.e., those made \"holy\" and \"set apart\" to serve God. Christians are sanctified by the merits of Christ\'s sacrifice (Heb 10:10), which first come to us in Baptism (6:11; Eph 5:26). **call on the name:** An act of prayer and worship (Gen 4:26; Ps 116:17). Calling on Christ\'s name is closely linked with the sacramental liturgy of the Church, as in Baptism (6:11; Mt 28:19; Acts 2:38; CCC 2156). See note on 1 Cor 16:22. • Invoking Jesus as Lord **in every place** recalls the universal worship of God\'s name envisioned in Mal 1:11. The early Christians saw this oracle fulfilled in \"the pure offering\" of the Eucharist (CCC 2643) **1:3 Grace to you and peace:** Paul\'s customary greeting to local Churches (Rom 1:7; 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3) **1:5 all speech and all knowledge:** Gifts of the Holy Spirit (12:8). Before addressing problems Paul celebrates God\'s gifts to the Corinthians and expresses confidence that the Lord will continue to bless them until the end (1:8) **1:6 the testimony to Christ:** Paul bore witness to the gospel by preaching to the Corinthians (2:1-5), writing letters to them (5:9), and modeling virtues for their imitation (11:1) **1:7 spiritual gift:** Anticipates the lengthy discussion in chaps. 12-14 about the appropriate use of charismatic gifts. Such manifestations of the Spirit come from God and are meant to build up the Church in love (12:7-11; 14:3-5) **1:8 the day of our Lord:** Paul reminds readers of the Day of Judgment, when every thought, word, and deed will be weighed in the balance by Christ (Rom 2:5-10; 2 Cor 5:10; CCC 682). • The \"day of the Lord\" is a recurrent expression in the OT. It is a day of fiery judgment when God takes vengeance on his enemies and vindicates the saints (Joel 2:30-32; Amos 5:18; Obad 15). Sometimes it refers to a day *within* history, as with the day of Jerusalem\'s devastation in A.D. 70 (Zech 14:1-5; Mt 24); other times it refers to the *last* day of history, when Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead (3:13; 5:5; Acts 10:42). Paul rewords the traditional formula (\"day of the Lord\") to identify Christ with the divine Judge (\"day of our Lord Jesus Christ\") **1:10-4:21** Paul confronts immature believers whose allegiance to various missionaries was dividing the local Church. Factions had already formed around the missionary mentors named in 1:12 (Paul, Apollos, Cephas). Paul rebukes this partisan behavior of rallying behind one minister of the gospel over against others with the reminder that all of these men are servants of the same Jesus Christ, who alone grants salvation (1:13; 3:3-9, 21-23). This background explains why the first four chapters stress the crucial importance of unity among believers and the supreme allegiance we owe to Christ over every minister of the gospel **1:11 Chloe\'s people:** Nothing is known about this woman or her delegates beyond this verse **1:12 Apollos:** A Christian leader from Alexandria (northern Egypt) who ministered in Corinth after Paul\'s initial stay in the city (3:5, 22; Acts 18:24-19:1). **Cephas:** The Aramaic name for Peter that is used throughout this letter (3:22; 9:5; 15:5). This is the only mention of the Apostle Peter\'s association with the Corinthians in the NT. See word study: **Peter** at Mt 16. **I belong to Christ:** This slogan suggests that one of the factions distinguished itself from others by its allegiance to Christ rather than to a particular missionary **1:14 Crispus:** The ruler of the Corinthian synagogue who converted to Christianity when Paul first arrived in the city (Acts 18:8). **Gaius:** Possibly the individual named in Acts 19:29 and / or Rom 16:23, but this is uncertain since \"Gaius\" was a popular name in the Hellenistic world **1:16 baptize . The household:** The Baptism of entire families, including domestic servants and children, was a familiar practice in the early Church (Acts 16:15, 33; CCC 1252). See note on Lk 18:16 **1:17 to preach the gospel:** Paul is not minimizing the importance of Baptism so much as stressing his primary obligation to evangelize (9:16; Rom 1:14-15). His words are aimed at certain Corinthians who exaggerated the role of the *minister* of Baptism (1 Cor 1:13-15) and lost sight of the Sacrament\'s purpose, which is to unite us with Christ (12:13; Gal 3:27). **not with eloquent wisdom:** The power of the gospel to move an audience derives from the message itself, not from the messenger who delivers it (1:18; Rom 1:16). Paul\'s mission, therefore, is, not to please the ear with the eloquent speaking ability so admired by the Corinthians, but to move the heart by speaking of Christ crucified in clear and simple terms **1:18 the word of the cross:** The gospel divides the destiny of men, leading those who embrace it to salvation and dragging those who reject it to perdition (Lk 2:34). Paul\'s Greek depicts this as an unfolding process and implies that the final verdict of God\'s judgment is still open, i.e., there is still hope for **those who are perishing** and still dangers ahead for those **being saved.** . **1:19 I will destroy:** A reference to Is 29:14. • Isaiah predicts the destruction of every form of human wisdom that asserts itself against the wisdom of God. Originally this was a warning for the leaders of Israel, whose overconfidence in human understanding was manifest when they paid more attention to politicians than to prophets. The same warning is now posted for the Corinthians, who prize the rational wisdom of men over the revealed wisdom of the gospel **1:20 Where is . ?:** Paul taunts the intellectual elite of the ancient world. He is convinced that the Greek philosophers **(wise man),** the Jewish experts in the Torah **(scribe),** and the acclaimed public speakers of the day **(debater)** are nothing compared to the power and persuasiveness of the gospel **1:21 did not know God:** Not ignorance of God\'s existence per se, but ignorance of his ways, especially of his divine plan to save the world through a crucified Messiah (2:8; Acts 17:30; Rom 10:3). Faith perceives what reason alone cannot, namely, the higher wisdom of God (Is 55:9) **1:22 Jews:** Israel expected outstanding miracles **(signs)** from the Messiah to authenticate his mission (Mt 16:1; Jn 6:30). **Greeks:** Hellenistic thinkers were always on the lookout for new and compelling explanations of the universe **(wisdom).** . **1:23 we preach Christ crucified:** Roman crucifixion was normally a sign of disgrace and defeat for its victims. The crucifixion of Christ, however, was a deathblow to the devil and the means of our salvation (CCC 272). **stumbling block to Jews:** For some Jews, such as those who wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls, crucifixion was connected with the curse of God in Deut 21:22-23. Paul deals with this apparent difficulty in Gal 3:13, where he insists that Christ endured the curse of death so that Israel and the Gentiles could be blessed with new life # Word Study > [!NOTE] Word Study > *Wisdom* (1 Cor 1:20) ^cszkak - *Sophia* (Gk.): \"wisdom\", \"skill\", or \"insight\". The word is used 17 times in this letter and 34 times in the rest of the NT. Paul\'s use of it resonates against the background of the OT. **(1)** The Torah is viewed as the embodiment of divine wisdom (Deut 4:5-6; Sir 24:23-25). **(2)** The Wisdom Books associated with King Solomon portray wisdom as the art of prudent living. God gave this wisdom to Solomon to instruct Israel and the Gentiles in the way of righteousness (1 Kings 4:29-34). **(3)** Wisdom is also personified in the OT as a craftsman of creation (Prov 8; Wis 7:22) and one who directs human history (Wis 9-11). Wisdom in this sense had its beginning in eternity (Sir 24:9) and is closely associated with the Word of God (Wis 9:1; Sir 24:3) as well as the work of the Holy Spirit (Wis 9:17). Paul relies on these traditions to make a sharp contrast between the wisdom that comes from God and the philosophical wisdom of men celebrated by the Greeks. For the apostle, Jesus Christ is the divine Wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:24) that is given to believers through the inpouring of the Spirit (1 Cor 1:30; 2:7-13; Eph 1:17; Col 2:3). As such, it cannot be equated with the ingenuity of philosophers and thinkers. ^dpozfy **1:30 ^v0dv7b the source of your life:** Every spiritual blessing comes to us from the Father (Eph 1:3; Jas 1:17; CCC 2813). We must acknowledge this to avoid senseless boasting (1 Cor 1:29) and the delusion of self-sufficiency (4:7) **1:31 Let him who boasts:** A paraphrase of the Greek version of Jer 9:24. • Jeremiah challenged the wise, mighty, and rich of Israel to stop boasting about their worldly advantages and to start giving the glory to Yahweh (Jer 9:23). Paul has this passage in mind when he makes the same appeal to the Corinthians. Although few of them were \"wise\", \"powerful\", and \"noble\" in the world\'s eyes (1 Cor 1:26), they were boasting of their spiritual gifts without giving due credit to the Lord (4:7) **2:1 When I came to you:** I.e., when Paul first evangelized Corinth (Acts 18:1-17) **2:3 fear and trembling:** A biblical expression for one\'s reaction to the power and presence of Almighty God (Ex 20:18; Ps 2:11; Ezek 12:18; Phil 2:12) **2:4 in demonstration of the Spirit:** Even the most dynamic proclamations of the gospel remain ineffective unless the Spirit moves the minds and hearts of the listeners to accept it (Phil 1:29). Paul implies that his own modest speaking ability was a weakness that enabled God\'s power to work more perfectly through him (2 Cor 12:9). The idea running throughout this passage is that God saves the world through what is foolish and weak so that he alone can be praised for the result (1 Cor 1:21-29). See word study: **Unskilled** at 2 Cor 11 **2:6 the mature:** Or, \"the perfect\". Paul differentiates between Christians who have reached spiritual adulthood and those who are merely \"infants\" (3:1). Ironically, the immature Corinthians are the ones who consider themselves the most wise and spiritually advanced **2:7 a secret and hidden wisdom:** The divine plan to save the world through a crucified Messiah was once concealed from the Gentiles and only dimly reflected in the OT **2:8 rulers of this age:** The Jewish and Roman authorities who collaborated to execute Jesus were culpable for their crimes and yet ignorant of God\'s plan to redeem the world through his death (Acts 3:17; 4:27-28; CCC 591, 597) **2:9 What no eye has seen:** A paraphrase of Is 64:4. • Isaiah marvels that no one has ever seen or heard a God like Yahweh, who is always faithful to deliver those who hope in him. The final words of this quotation are not from Isaiah but seemingly from Sir 1:10, where God\'s unsearchable wisdom is a gift promised to **those who love him.** Paul draws Isaiah and Sirach together to stress that what God has long prepared in secret he has now made known to the world through the Spirit (CCC 1027) **2:10 the Spirit searches everything:** The Spirit is uniquely qualified to probe the mind of God and make known his wise plans (Dan 4:9). As an interior guide for believers, the Spirit enlightens us about the spiritual gifts and truths that God has given in Christ (1 Cor 2:12-13; CCC 687, 2038) **2:14 unspiritual man:** The unredeemed man who lacks both the Spirit and spiritual discernment **2:15 spiritual man:** The mature Christian who has both the Spirit and spiritual wisdom (2:6) **2:16 For who has known:** A reference to Is 40:13. • Isaiah\'s rhetorical question anticipates a negative answer, i.e., no mortal man has access to the mind of God or is capable of informing him of truths he does not already know. Paul concludes from this that divine wisdom is beyond the reach of human understanding and can be known by men only if it is *revealed* by God himself (Wis 9:13-18; CCC 1998) **3:1 men of the flesh:** Immature Christians who possess the Spirit but are enslaved to worldly ways of thinking. The \"jealousy and strife\" (3:3) exhibited in Corinth was proof that many of them were spiritual **infants.** Real Christian maturity produces the fruits of love and unity (Gal 5:22-23; Col 3:12-15) **3:5-23** Paul stresses that success in ministry is primarily the work of God. Teachers of the flock must recognize that **(1)** God alone gives life and growth to the Church and that **(2)** God will test the work of every laborer on the Day of Judgment. Consequently, the faithful must not overestimate the importance of their teachers but see them as \"*s*ervants\" (3:5) and \"fellow workers\" (3:9) of the Lord. Paul illustrates this with two analogies, one agricultural (3:5-9; CCC 755) and one architectural (3:10-17; CCC 756) **3:6 I planted, Apollos watered:** Paul first established the Church at Corinth (Acts 18:1-17), while Apollos came afterward to foster the spiritual growth of the community (Acts 18:24-19:1) **3:10 skilled master builder:** Or \"wise architect\". Paul laid the foundation of the Church in numerous cities by evangelization, leaving it to subsequent leaders to build up the congregations in faith and love (Rom 15:19-20). For him, the only stable **foundation** to build upon is the gospel of Christ (1 Cor 3:11). • Architects in the OT were endowed by the Spirit with the wisdom and technical skills necessary to build the wilderness Tabernacle (Ex 35:30-33) and the Jerusalem Temple (1 Kings 4:29; 7:13-14). King Solomon, in particular, was a wise architect who laid the foundation of the Temple (1 Kings 5:17-18) and imparted his wisdom to Israel and the nations alike (1 Kings 10:24; Prov 1:1-2). Paul views himself as a spiritual Solomon who oversees the building of another Temple, the Church, and proclaims the greater wisdom of the gospel to \"Gentiles\" and the \"sons of Israel\" (Acts 9:15) **3:12 Now if any one builds:** Spiritual leaders are like artisans commissioned to build believers into the Temple of God (3:16-17). The quality of their workmanship is portrayed by a list of building materials ranging from the most valuable to the least ---the first three **(gold, silver, stones)** are expensive and durable, while the second three **(wood, hay, straw)** are cheap and flammable. The fiery Day of Judgment will reveal whether they have labored diligently or carelessly, since all substandard work will be consumed in the flames of divine scrutiny (3:15). Although Paul is speaking directly to ministers of the gospel, his words apply to all Christians inasmuch as all are called to \"build up\" the Church in love (14:4; Eph 4:11-16; 1 Thess 5:11; CCC 2045). • Paul\'s list of building supplies is similar to those given in the OT for building the Tabernacle (Ex 31:2-5) and the Temple (1 Chron 29:2). Hay and stubble, however, are absent from these lists ---a fact that accentuates their unworthiness as structural materials **3:14 reward:** The same Greek term is translated \"wages\" in 3:8. It refers to spiritual compensation for apostolic work. • In the back of Paul\'s mind stands King Solomon, who contracted the laborers of Hiram of Tyre to receive \"wages\" for building the Jerusalem Temple under his supervision (1 Kings 5:5-6). See note on 1 Cor 3:10 **3:15 as through fire:** Some Christian workers, whose 5 efforts are shabby and imperfect, will pass through God\'s fiery judgment like a man who barely escapes a burning building with his life. This prelude to salvation will involve painful spiritual consequences, which, though severe, will spare them eternal damnation. • The OT often depicts fire as a testing and refining agent (Sir 2:5; Is 4:4; 6:6-7; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:2-3). • Catholic tradition interprets Paul\'s teaching in the light of Purgatory, a doctrine defined at the Councils of Lyon II (1274), Florence (1439), and Trent (1563). Purgatory is a final stage of purification for those who are destined for heaven but depart from this life still burdened with venial sins or with an unpaid debt of temporal punishment incurred from past sins (i.e., mortal sins already forgiven but imperfectly repented of). Passing through fire is thus a spiritual process where souls are purged of residual selfishness and refined in God\'s love (CCC 1030-32) > [!NOTE] Word Study > *Suffer Loss* (1 Cor 3:15) - *Zemioō* (Gk.): to \"forfeit\", \"sustain loss\", or \"incur a penalty\". The Greek OT uses this verb to denote personal suffering (Prov 22:3) as well as financial penalties (Ex 21:22; Deut 22:19; Prov 17:26). The Gospels use it for the frightful prospective of losing eternal life (Mt 16:26; Mk 8:36; Lk 9:25). In 1 Cor 3:15, it refers to spiritual damage suffered by Christian leaders who are careless and uncommitted in their task of building up the Church. The context suggests that Paul is alluding to labor relations familiar in the ancient world. Indeed this and related terms were used in building contracts to establish fines for damage or defective workmanship on projects that failed to pass inspection. ^qdam4y **3:16 you are God\'s temple:** The Temple in Jerusalem was still standing when this verse was written (A.D. 56). In Paul\'s mind the stone sanctuary of the Old Covenant had been replaced by the living body of Christ in the New. He viewed this mystery in three dimensions: the body of every individual Christian is a temple (6:19); the body of every local Church is a temple (3:17); and the body of the universal Church is a temple (Eph 2:19-22) **3:17 If any one destroys:** The final scenario outlined in Paul\'s building metaphor: careful builders will receive a heavenly reward (3:14); careless builders will pass through purging fires on their way to salvation (3:15); and destructive workers will themselves be destroyed (3:17) **3:19-20** Paul quotes Job 5:13 and Ps 94:11 to caution those who think they are wise. • The first passage is spoken by Job\'s friend Eliphaz, who says that while God lifts up the lowly, he also frustrates the proud and ensures that their arrogant schemes fall apart. The second is a plea for Yahweh to chasten the proud who think that their wickedness goes unnoticed by the Lord **4:1 stewards:** House managers in charge of their master\'s estate. It refers in this context to spiritual ministers who manage the affairs of God\'s household, the Church (Lk 12:42-48; 1 Tim 3:15; CCC 859). **the mysteries of God:** The revealed truths of the New Covenant, which were hidden in ages past but are now manifest through the gospel. To an extent they remain mysteries because the human mind can understand the divine work of God only in a limited way **4:4 I am not thereby acquitted:** Or, \"I am not justified by this.\" Paul\'s conscience is clear in the face of criticisms, though not necessarily correct. The final verdict pronounced on his ministry must await the Judgment, when God lays bare the secrets of the \"heart\" (4:5; cf. Rom 2:16; CCC 678). Before then, pronouncing a definitive judgment on the work of others ---and even ourselves ---can be hazardous and quite inaccurate **4:6 learn by us:** An appeal to listen to the shepherds of the Church and live according to their example (4:16; 11:1). **not to go beyond what is written:** Paul cautions believers to stay within the limits of personal humility defined by the Scriptures. He is referring specifically to the string of OT warnings about boasting quoted earlier in the letter (1:19, 31; 3:19-20). Paul\'s purpose here is to halt the damaging effects of arrogance in Corinth, as indicated by the clarification that follows. Interpretations of this verse that suggest Paul is restricting the basis for Christian doctrine and morals to what is explicitly set forth in the books of the Bible (*sola Scriptura*) are misleading and untenable. Nothing in the context points to such a broad concern, and in any case Paul insists elsewhere that even the inspired preaching of the apostles is on a par with the written word of God (1 Thess 2:13; 2 Thess 2:15, 3:6) **4:7 why do you boast:** Men are always looking for some good in their wills that is truly theirs rather than a gift received from God. It is unimaginable how any such thing could be discovered (St. Augustine, *On the Remission of Sins* 1, 28) **4:8-13** Paul reprimands self-righteous Christians for their egotism and unfair criticisms. Although he describes them as wise and prosperous, his rhetorical irony implies the opposite, i.e., they are ignorant and impoverished. Their refusal to embrace the foolishness of Christ exposes their pride and reveals how petty their problems look compared to the humiliation of the apostles **4:9 spectacle:** Paul compares the apostles to condemned criminals who are publicly disgraced and executed in a crowded outdoor theater **4:15 I became your father:** Paul\'s relation to the Corinthians is paternal, having brought them new life through the gospel (2 Cor 12:14). His spiritual fatherhood extends to others as well, such as Titus (Tit 1:4), Onesimus (Philem 10), and Timothy (1 Cor 4:17; Phil 2:22; 1 Tim 1:2, 18). • There was a close connection between paternity and priesthood in the ancient Near East (Israel, Assyria, Babylon). In the patriarchal age, fathers and first-born sons exercised the cultic ministry of building altars and offering sacrifices for their families (Gen 12:8; 22:9-13; 31:54; 46:1; Job 1:5). In the Mosaic age, God elevated Aaron and his Levitical sons (Ex 40:12-15) to be the fathers and priests of the tribal family of Israel (Judg 17:10; 18:19). The same principle carries over on a spiritual level in the age of the New Covenant, where Christ, our great high priest, ordains men to the ministry of spiritual fatherhood for \"the priestly service of the gospel\" (Rom 15:16). • Vatican Council II reaffirmed this connection when it stated that priests are preeminently the fathers and teachers of God\'s people (*Presbyterorum ordinis* 9) **4:21 with a rod:** A stern pastoral warning for the troublemakers in Corinth. Ideally, Paul hopes to avoid an unpleasant confrontation when he arrives (16:5-7) **5:1-6:20** Paul addresses specific problems in the Corinthian Church. These include a case of maternal incest (5:1-13), a surge in Christian lawsuits (6:1-11), and an indifference toward sexual promiscuity (6:12-20). He warns throughout these two chapters that the holiness of the Corinthian community is jeopardized by the sins and vices sprouting up among them **5:1 immorality:** The Greek *porneia* refers to sexual misconduct, here specified as an incestuous relationship between a believer and his stepmother. This kind of behavior was censured by Roman society and condemned by the Mosaic Law (Lev 18:8; Deut 22:30). The early Church followed suit, prohibiting incestuous unchastity in the Apostolic Decree (Acts 15:29; CCC 2388). See note on Acts 15:20 **5:2 And you are arrogant!:** Paul is outraged that the Corinthians allowed the incestuous man to continue in their community. Their tolerance toward this crime was a sign of their own spiritual immaturity. **be removed:** I.e., the offender must be expelled from the local Church and barred from participation in their fellowship and liturgy (5:13) **5:3 pronounced judgment:** Paul exercises his apostolic authority from a distance by invoking a solemn curse upon the sinner in the name of Christ (16:22) **5:5 deliver this man to Satan:** A call to action for the Corinthians, who must execute Paul\'s ritual curse upon the offender by driving him out of the Church and into the province of Satan. The anticipated destruction of the sinner\'s body is an extreme form of remedial punishment that Paul expects will benefit his spirit (1 Tim 1:20). The hidden assumption is that earthly and physical life is a blessing from God cut short by the curse of biological death (Gen 3:19). Similar chastisements befell other Corinthians who failed to discern Christ\'s presence in the Eucharist (1 Cor 11:29-32). • The man is separated from the community of the faithful and from the sacraments of the Church, by which things a man is protected from the assaults of Satan (St. Thomas Aquinas, *Commentary on 1 Corinthians* 5, 1) **5:6 leaven:** Yeast is a proverbial symbol of evil and corruptive influence (Mt 16:11; Lk 12:1; Gal 5:9). Here it symbolizes the incestuous man, who must be removed from the Church lest his sins have a damaging impact upon the whole batch of believers **5:7-8** Paul draws a spiritual lesson from the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Just as every Jewish family cleansed its home of leaven before the feast (Ex 12:14-20), so Paul challenges the Corinthians to rid their Church of sin and even flagrant sinners before their celebration of the liturgy (1 Cor 5:13). He mentions the Paschal sacrifice of Christ because the day of Preparation for the Passover, when the lambs were slaughtered in the Temple, was also the day of Preparation for the festival of Unleavened Bread, when all leaven in Israel was to be discarded. The lesson has eucharistic overtones, inasmuch as Passover was celebrated by *eating* the Paschal Lamb and Unleavened Bread was celebrated by *eating* only unleavened bread for seven consecutive days (10:14-22; 11:17-34) **5:9 my letter:** I.e., an earlier letter of Paul to the Corinthians that has not survived. Apparently the Church misunderstood his written instructions because the Corinthians assumed Paul wanted them to keep distant from all sinners without qualification. In fact, the apostle was suggesting they should isolate themselves, *not* from unbelievers in general, but from immoral Christians whose behavior was decidedly inconsistent with their beliefs. Tolerating their fellowship would only dishonor Christ and hamper their witness to the world **5:11 immorality . robber:** These same vices are included in the expanded list of 6:9-10, referring to sins that exclude perpetrators from the kingdom of God **5:13 Drive out the wicked:** An expulsion formula from the Greek version of Deut 17:7 and 19:19. • Moses made legal provision in Deuteronomy to purge Israel of its most callous and reprehensible sinners. This authorized the nation to enforce the moral standards of Yahweh and so punish serious offenses. Paul extends this prerogative to the Corinthians. Here the incestuous man (1 Cor 5:1) fell under the curse of Deut 27:20 > [!NOTE] Word Study > *Sanctified* (1 Cor 6:11) - *Hagiazō* (Gk.): \"make holy\", \"set apart\", \"consecrate\". The verb is used four times in 1 Cor and 24 times in the rest of the NT. Its precise meaning varies depending on its context. When *things* are sanctified, they are separated from the realm of secular life and devoted to a sacred purpose, as when the Tabernacle was set apart for sacred worship (Ex 29:44) and the bronze altar was sanctified for sacrifice (Ex 29:37). Even an ordinary meal can be sanctified by a prayer of thanksgiving (1 Tim 4:5). When *persons* are sanctified, they are set apart to serve God in a holy way. Under the Old Covenant, the Levites were separated from the laity of Israel and ordained for clerical ministry (Ex 28:41), and the nation of Israel as a whole was set apart to be God\'s representative to the nations (Deut 33:3). Under the New Covenant, believers are set apart through Baptism, which, by the sanctifying power of Christ\'s blood (Heb 13:12), cleanses us of all sin and makes us inwardly holy (1 Cor 6:11; Eph 5:26). The challenge to grow in sanctity is supported by Jesus\' prayer for our consecration in truth (Jn 17:17) and by Paul\'s prayer that our whole being be preserved in holiness for the last day (1 Thess 5:23). ^kk6jne **6:1-8** Paul is distressed by reports of litigation in Corinth. Instead of solving economic and property disputes like brothers, the Corinthians were hauling each other into the Roman courts. Paul rebukes them for this, judging that pagans should not arbitrate the internal affairs of God\'s covenant family. History suggests that most lawsuits in the Roman world involved cases of the rich and powerful suing the poor and helpless ---a problem that may have characterized the situation in Corinth (11:17-22) **6:1 the unrighteous:** I.e., pagan judges. For Paul, unbelievers are entirely unfit to judge God\'s covenant people. He would rather the Church conduct herself like Israel, which regulated its internal disputes by appointing judges from the twelve tribes (Deut 1:9-17; 16:18-20) **6:3 to judge angels?:** Only here in the Bible do we learn that Christians will condemn both unbelievers (6:2) and fallen spirits at the final Judgment (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6). Related to this, however, is the notion that believers will share in the heavenly reign of Christ (2 Tim 2:12) **6:5 no man among you wise:** A sarcastic rebuke. For all their boasting about wisdom, the Corinthians proved themselves incompetent in resolving everyday personal differences **6:7 Why not rather be defrauded?:** It is better, Paul reasons, to suffer wrongdoing than to cause scandal for unbelievers by taking each other to court (1 Pet 3:17) **6:9-10** A catalogue of ten vices radically inconsistent with Christian morality. Paul lists them to remind the Corinthians of their former habits and to dissuade them from slipping back into their old pagan ways. These sins destroy all hope of sharing in God\'s kingdom (Gal 5:19-21; Rev 21:8; CCC 1852) **6:9 nor homosexuals:** The RSV condenses two Greek terms into the single English word \"homosexuals\". The first term could be rendered \"male prostitutes\", and the second \"male homosexuals\". The context makes it clear that Paul is thinking, not of persons merely attracted to others of the same sex, but of those who engage in perverse sexual acts with them. Both Testaments agree that homosexual conduct is gravely disordered and poses a serious threat to eternal salvation (Lev 18:22; 20:13; Rom 1:26-27; 1 Tim 1:10; CCC 2357-59) **6:11 such were some of you:** Once prisoners in sin (6:9-10), the Corinthians have been redeemed and renewed by the washing of Baptism. The point is that God\'s grace and forgiveness can rescue even the worst sinners from their deadly habits. **washed . sanctified . justified:** Three effects of Baptism, through which sinners are cleansed of guilt (Acts 22:16), made holy (Rom 6:22), and adopted as heirs of eternal life (Tit 3:5-7). The added mention of Christ\'s **name** and the work of the **Spirit** makes it certain that Paul is alluding to Baptism as the sacramental context for the Corinthians\' conversion (Acts 2:38; CCC 1227, 2813). See word study: **Justified** at Rom 2 **6:12 All things are lawful for me:** Probably a slogan coined by certain Corinthians to justify their promiscuous life-style. Like many Greeks, they attached little importance to the body and held that sexual activity was as morally neutral as eating and drinking. This theoretical separation between body and spirit led them to believe that physical urges could be indiscriminately satisfied without harm to the spiritual life. Another view is that these words originated with Paul, but that members of the congregation have distorted his meaning to justify their sin. On this view, Paul is clarifying the expression to exclude a permissive interpretation of his teaching. Either way, participation in cultic prostitution was the disturbing result (6:15) **6:13 The body . for the Lord:** Paul hints that just as the body of a bride belongs to her husband through the covenant of marriage (7:4), so the body of the believer is consecrated to Christ through Baptism (6:11). Christ\'s spousal right over the body is thus violated when believers are involved in sexual impurity ---a fact that makes promiscuity equivalent to adultery (2 Cor 11:2-3). The general resurrection puts this moral crisis in perspective: because our bodies belong to the Lord and are destined for eternity, they should not be desecrated by evildoing (1 Cor 6:14; CCC 796, 989, 1004) **6:15 members of Christ:** A theology developed at length in 12:12-31. **prostitute:** Prostitution was a regular part of Roman society and often took place in a cultic context within pagan temples (CCC 2355). See essay: **Shun Immorality, Shun Idolatry** at 1 Cor 6 **6:16 The two shall become one:** A reference to Gen 2:24. • According to Genesis, sexual union cements a bond between a man and a woman that makes them one flesh. The proper context of this unifying act is the covenant of marriage, where the bond is meant to be permanent, fruitful, and exclusive **6:17 one spirit with him:** The point is, not that sexual union (6:16) is a mere reflection of our spiritual union with Christ, but that even our bodies become united with Christ through the Spirit (15:45). This union with Christ\'s humanity ---which is sacramental, not sexual ---has its beginning in Baptism (12:13) and is strengthened by the Eucharist (10:16-17) **6:19 your body is a temple:** Baptism makes every believer a spouse of God the Son and a sanctuary of God the Spirit (CCC 1265, 1695). See note on 1 Cor 3:16. If prostitution is a sin of adultery against the former, it is a sin of profanation against the latter **6:20 bought with a price:** The background of this statement, as in 7:23, is the ownership that a master has over a slave once the purchase has been finalized. It is possible too, given the marital theme that runs through the preceding discussion, that Paul considers the price of Jesus\' death a dowry paid in advance of our spousal union with him through grace (1 Pet 1:18-19). **glorify God in your body:** There is probably an implied contrast in these words: whereas the Gentiles in Corinth dishonor God in their temples through idolatrous worship and sacred prostitution, believers must glorify God in their bodily temples by offering them to God through chastity (Rom 12:1) **7:1-40** Paul gives spiritual direction on marriage, celibacy, and widowhood. The chapter brings together instructions derived from Christ (7:10-11) and those formulated by Paul (7:12, 25) **7:1 Now concerning:** A recurrent expression found throughout the letter (7:25; 8:1; 12:1; 16:1). Paul uses it to address specific questions posed to him in a previous (now lost) letter from the Corinthians. **not to touch a woman:** A euphemism meaning, \"not to have sexual relations\". It may have been a motto of certain Corinthians (ascetics) who frowned upon marriage and the physical pleasures that accompany it (1 Tim 4:13). Paul treats the slogan as a half-truth that is ultimately misleading: Celibacy *is* good, but it does *not* nullify the goodness of marriage or the propriety of sexual relations within marriage **7:5 Do not refuse one another:** The conjugal rights shared by husband and wife provide a safeguard against infidelity (7:3-4). The withdrawal of one spouse from marital relations could lead the other to seek illicit intimacy outside the marriage covenant. **agreement for a season:** Married couples may abstain temporarily from relations. This creates opportunities for prayer and spiritual enrichment. Paul warns, however, that abstinence should not be unnecessarily protracted, otherwise Satan could manipulate the circumstances for evil. • Catholic teaching permits married couples, for just and serious reasons, to refrain periodically from sexual relations in the interests of child spacing and family planning (Pope Paul VI, *Humanae Vitae* 10, 16). Periodic continence can likewise promote spiritual discipline and self-mastery for both husband and wife (CCC 2368-70) [[shun-immorality-shun-idolatry|Shun Immorality, Shun Idolatry]] # **7:7 as I myself am:** I.e., unmarried (7:8; 9:5). Paul upholds celibacy as the ideal state in life for believers, since its inherent freedom and flexibility are great advantages for serving Christ and his kingdom (CCC 922, 1618). He knows that marriage entails numerous commitments that can divide one\'s heart between a spouse and the Lord (1 Cor 7:32-35). Unlike certain Corinthians, however, Paul portrays the single life as desirable but not mandatory; he thus *permits* marriage (7:28), even though he *prefers* celibacy (7:38). See note on Mt 19:12 **7:9 aflame with passion:** Because sexual temptation is a danger for the young and unmarried, marriage is an appropriate station for those unable to restrain their passions. Marriage should nevertheless be pursued as a holy and fruitful partnership, not as an outlet for lust (1 Thess 4:3-5) **7:10 not I but the Lord:** Paul\'s teaching on divorce is directly mandated by Christ (Mk 10:2-12; Lk 16:18). Couples are strongly discouraged from seeking divorce because of personal dissatisfaction with marital relations and companionship. Should they choose to separate, their options are twofold: \"remain single\" or \"be reconciled\" (1 Cor 7:11). Like Jesus, Paul leaves no legitimate room for remarriage, since the bond of sacramental marriage is lifelong and can be dissolved only by the death of one of the spouses (7:39; Rom 7:2-3; CCC 2364, 2382). See essay: **Jesus on Marriage and Divorce** at Mt 19 **7:12 I say, not the Lord:** Paul offers pastoral direction for situations not addressed by Jesus\' teaching, i.e., marriages between baptized Christians and nonbelievers (disparity of cult). Though the difficulties facing these couples are formidable, they are not insurmountable. Indeed, Paul holds out the hope that a Christian spouse can be instrumental in the conversion of an unbelieving partner (7:14; 1 Pet 3:1-2; CCC 1634, 1637) **7:15 desires to separate:** Paul\'s ruling on the separation of a believer and a nonbeliever. • Canon Law later developed this principle into the Pauline privilege, which means that a marriage between two nonbaptized persons can be dissolved when one of the spouses is subsequently baptized. The privilege requires that the unbaptized spouse either desires to separate or refuses to cohabit peaceably without insult to the faith of the baptized partner. Also, the baptized spouse must not have given the other party just cause to desire separation. In virtue of the Pauline privilege a subsequent marriage dissolves the first marriage \"in favor of the faith\" of the baptized person (see CIC 1143 § 1-2) **7:17-24** Paul encourages Christians to be content with their state in life and set aside anxieties over unchangeable circumstances. To illustrate this for the married (7:1-16) and unmarried alike (7:25-35), he draws a lesson from different social situations: the circumcised and uncircumcised should not seek to change their condition (7:18), nor should slaves or freedmen think their position makes one more or less important to Christ (7:21-22). The state in which God calls them is the state in which they should serve him **7:18 remove the marks of circumcision:** A procedure associated with apostasy (1 Mac 1:15). For Paul, this surgical option would be pointless, since circumcision is not a sign of Christian faith (1 Cor 7:19) **7:19 neither circumcision . nor uncircumcision:** The sign of circumcision no longer serves as an identity marker for God\'s people in the New Covenant as it did under the Old (Gal 5:6; 6:15). Along with the entire body of ritual and sacrificial legislation established through Moses, the rite of circumcision came to fulfillment in the messianic age, when God began to circumcise the hearts of the faithful through Baptism (Deut 30:6; Col 2:11-12). Unlike these ceremonial laws, which are now obsolete, the moral **commandments** given through Moses continue to guide the children of God to spiritual maturity (CCC 1968, 1972) **7:21 a slave:** Slavery was widespread and accepted in the Roman world. In many instances, slaves suffered maltreatment and hardship; in others, slaves were educated and charged with important administrative tasks. Paul encourages slaves to improve their situation whenever possible, implying that slavery as such is an offense against the dignity of the human person (CCC 2414) **7:25 Now concerning the unmarried:** Paul addresses other questions posed to him by the Corinthians. See note on 1 Cor 7:1. As in 7:12, he offers his own advice on the topic of marriage and is not presenting them with specific instructions from the teaching of Christ **7:26 impending distress:** Or, \"the present necessity\". It is uncertain whether Paul has something general or specific in mind. **(1)** If general, Paul recommends celibacy because of the perennial troubles that face married couples. The ordinary pressures of daily life can make an undistracted commitment to Christ a constant struggle. **(2)** If specific, Paul endorses the single life in light of the hostile and pagan environment of Corinth. He knows that persecutions will multiply hardships for married couples who are concerned for the welfare of each other and their children **7:28 you do not sin:** The clarification made here and at 7:36 is aimed at certain Corinthians who either discouraged or denounced marriage. Paul does not want his preference for celibacy to be misunderstood as a rejection of lawful matrimony. See notes on 1 Cor 7:1 and 7:7 **7:31 this world is passing away:** Both marriage and its daily concerns will expire when the present age comes to an end (Lk 20:34-36). This puts marital struggles and worldly affairs in perspective, since only one\'s relationship with the Lord endures forever (CCC 1619) **7:36-38** Paul counsels men engaged to be married and presents them with two options: a man does \"well\" to marry his fiancé, but he does even \"better\" if he remains unmarried (7:38). The decision depends on whether he is disciplined enough to control his passions **7:39 as long as he lives:** The marriage bond endures as long as both spouses are living. When one of them dies, the union is dissolved (Rom 7:2-3) and the surviving partner is then allowed to remarry (1 Tim 5:14). See note on 1 Cor 7:10 **8:1-11:1** Paul addresses the question of whether Christians are permitted to eat idol food. This was a significant moral challenge for many early believers living in the Roman world, since various foods offered to idols were afterward eaten in pagan temples (8:10) or sold in the marketplace and eaten at home (10:25-29). Paul insists that the Corinthians must never eat idol food if the danger of idolatry or scandal is in any way present (10:14, 27-29). See essay: **Paul, Idol Food, and the Jerusalem Council** at 1 Cor 8-9 **8:1 all of us possess knowledge:** A Corinthian motto. Paul qualifies it by stressing that Christian knowledge is not merely factual or intellectual; it is grounded, rather, on a relational bond of love between the Lord and his people (8:3; Gal 4:9) **8:4 an idol has no real existence:** Another Corinthian motto. It is true in a comparative sense that idols are nothing compared to Yahweh (Is 44:6-11), but it is false in an ontological sense, because Paul insists that demonic forces masquerade behind what appear to be lifeless idol images (1 Cor 10:14-22) **8:6 one God . one Lord:** Paul distinguishes the Christian faith from paganism, which venerated many gods, and from Judaism, which declined to accept the messianic Lordship of Jesus. • Paul alludes to the monotheistic creed of Deut 6:4, but he applies its two divine titles to two distinct Persons. \"God\" is linked with the **Father,** the divine Source from whom all creation originates, and \"Lord\" is linked with **Christ,** the divine Mediator through whom all things were made. This is one of the clearest Pauline passages to assert both the deity and divine activity of Jesus Christ (Col 1:15-17) **8:7-13** The idol food controversy involves two groups of people: the \"weak\", whose conscience is fragile because of their recent conversion from idolatry (8:7), and \"the strong\", whose conscience is better informed about idols but whose conduct endangers the weak (8:4, 11). In terms of knowledge, the weak appear to think that idols are associated with real divinities, whereas the strong possess the mature knowledge that there is only one God and Lord (8:6). Paul urges the strong to temper their knowledge and freedom (to eat idol food) with love, which does not assert itself in spite of others but looks out for the good of others (13:5). The strong are warned that eating idol food can destroy a weaker brother by drawing him back into sins of idolatry (8:12-13) **8:8 no worse off . no better off:** Paul is ambivalent toward idol food to the extent that nothing about the food itself is inherently dangerous (10:25). He cautions, however, that although eating idol food is *harmless* in principle, it can be *harmful* in practice, because it can lead both the weak (chap. 8) and the strong (chap. 10) into the grip of idolatry (10:14) **8:10 might he not be encouraged:** Literally, \"might he not be built up\". Presumably some in Corinth ate in public temples because they hoped to build up weaker Christians by demonstrating that idol food was harmless. Paul rebukes them with sarcasm: eating idol food will not build up the weak to spiritual maturity; it will build them up to violate their conscience and fall into sin (8:13). Only love and consideration for the weak will truly build them up in Christ (8:1; 10:23; CCC 1789) **8:13 I will never eat meat:** The exercise of Christian love is more important than the exercise of Christian liberty. To assert our freedoms in a way that puts others in danger is to sin against charity (10:24; Rom 14:15) **9:1-27** Paul portrays himself as a model for imitation (4:16; 11:1). Just as he waives certain apostolic rights to promote the gospel (9:4-6, 12, 18), so the strong in Corinth are challenged to relinquish certain liberties like the right to eat idol food in order to build up their weaker brethren (9:22). The issue of idol food remains uppermost in Paul\'s mind here, as suggested by several examples that illustrate the right to eat (9:4, 7, 10, 13) **9:1 Am I not an apostle?:** A rhetorical question to remind readers of Paul\'s authority. His credentials are the same as every legitimate apostle, that is, he has **seen** and been commissioned by the risen Jesus (15:8; Acts 9:3-6; CCC 659, 857) **9:5 accompanied by a wife:** This statement has been understood in different ways. **(1)** Paul may be stressing his right to be married to a Christian wife. His right to have and travel with a wife would then have included the right to receive living expenses for both spouses from the missionary churches that hosted them. Paul surrendered these privileges by living a celibate life (7:8) and by working as a tentmaker to support himself, instead of relying on material assistance from the Corinthians (9:6; Acts 18:1-3). **(2)** According to a prominent tradition among the Church Fathers, Paul speaks, not of marriage, but of his right to be helped by a traveling female assistant (the word translated \"wife\" can also be translated \"woman\"). Precedent for such an arrangement can be traced back to the ministry of Jesus (Lk 8:1-3). See note on 1 Cor 7:7. • The discipline of clerical celibacy was highly revered in the early Church and was required by the eleventh century for all men ordained in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. The celibacy requirement continues in the Latin Rite for deacons, priests, and bishops, although married men may be ordained to the permanent diaconate. The Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church continue to ordain married men to the priesthood and the diaconate (CCC 1579-80). Vatican II reaffirmed the validity of both traditions in 1965 (*Presbyterorum Ordinis* 16). **the other apostles:** Other leaders in the early Church traveled either with their spouses or with a female assistant, including Jesus\' kinsmen (**brethren,** Gal 1:19) and Peter (**Cephas,** Mk 1:30). See note on Mt 12:46 **9:6 Barnabas:** One of Paul\'s earliest associates (Acts 4:36; 13:2). **working for a living:** Paul often refused financial assistance from missionary churches even though he was entitled to it. He instead supported himself to avoid laying any burden or price on them for his apostolic work (9:18; 1 Thess 2:9) **9:9 You shall not muzzle an ox:** A reference to Deut 25:4. • As Deuteronomy grants oxen the right to eat some of the grain that is processed by their work, so Christian laborers can rightly expect material support from the churches they tend to (1 Tim 5:18). This is one of many examples where Paul draws spiritual significance out of the OT that goes beyond the literal and historical meaning of the passage and applies it to a new situation in the Church (1 Cor 10:1-6; Gal 4:22-25; CCC 117) **9:13 temple service:** Levitical priests who officiated in the Jerusalem Temple received portions of meat from various sacrifices, as well as 10 percent of the Israelites\' annual produce (Num 18:8-32; Deut 18:1-5). The analogy implies that ministers of the gospel also exercise a priestly ministry that entitles them to tangible assistance from the People of God (CCC 2122). See note on 1 Cor 4:15 **9:14 the Lord commanded:** Probably a reference to the saying in Lk 10:7, which Paul quotes verbatim in 1 Tim 5:18. See note on Lk 10:7 **9:16 Woe to me:** Paul\'s ministry is not volunteer work but a mission he received directly from Christ (Acts 9:15-16; Gal 1:1). The responsibility on his shoulders is so great that a frightening prospect of judgment awaits him if he abandons his assignment **9:20 I became as a Jew:** Paul continued to maintain certain Jewish traditions after becoming a Christian (Acts 16:3; 21:17-26). Strictly speaking, this was unnecessary; yet Paul wanted to convert his kinsmen by removing whatever might turn them away from the gospel (1 Cor 10:32). Ethnically, Paul was an Israelite of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom 11:1; Phil 3:5) **9:22 all things to all men:** Paul adapts himself to the needs and sensitivities of others. Without diluting the gospel message, he willingly sacrifices certain apostolic privileges that might hamper the effectiveness of his ministry to the world (9:20-21; CCC 24). His personal example should inspire the strong Corinthians to accommodate themselves to **the weak** (8:9-13) **9:24-27** Paul compares the spiritual life to athletic competition. Just as training the body is a necessary part of the quest for excellence, so believers are challenged to exert great effort in the battle against selfishness through the rigorous discipline of their bodies. This is all the more necessary since the stakes of the Christian life are far higher than any sporting event: to be disqualified (9:27) from this race is to forfeit the award of heaven itself (2 Tim 4:6-8) **9:25 a perishable wreath:** Corinth hosted the popular Isthmian Games every other year, where winning athletes were crowned with wreaths made of pine or a species of wild celery called *selinon.* Paul stresses the contrast between this perishable award of dried vegetation and the imperishable crown of eternal life (1 Pet 5:4; Rev 2:10) **10:1-13** Paul urges the Corinthians to learn from the mistakes of Israel. Although the Israelites received blessings comparable to Baptism (Red Sea) and the Eucharist (manna and water), they perished for experimenting with idolatry. With this in mind, the Corinthians, who have received superior blessings in the sacraments, must guard against presumption and over-confidence in the face of anything connected with idolatry (e.g., idol foods, 8:10). Paul intensifies this warning by stressing how **all** the Israelites were delivered from bondage (10:1-4) and yet **most** of them were destroyed in God\'s wrath for serving other gods (10:5) **10:1 under the cloud:** A canopy of divine protection spread over Israel (Ps 105:39). Scripture associates the firecloud of the Exodus journey with the Holy Spirit (Is 63:10-14; CCC 697) **10:2 baptized into Moses:** The solidarity of Israel with Moses passing through the Red Sea (Ex 14:21-31) prefigures our union with Christ when we pass through the waters of Baptism (Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27). The deliverance of Israel from slavery is a type of the Church\'s deliverance from bondage in sin (Rom 6:17-18) **10:3 supernatural food:** The manna that rained down upon Israel as bread from heaven (Ex 16:4-31). It prefigures the living bread of the Eucharist, which nourishes us in the wilderness of this life (1 Cor 10:16; Jn 6:31-35) **10:4 supernatural Rock:** The rock of Horeb that gushed forth drinking water for Israel by a miracle of Moses (Ex 17:6). Jewish tradition believed that the rock *followed* Israel as a constant source of refreshment on the march through the desert. It is ultimately a type of Christ, who pours out the living waters of the Spirit in Baptism (1 Cor 12:13; Jn 4:14) and the sacramental gift of himself in the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:16; Jn 6:53) **10:5 most . were overthrown:** Joshua and Caleb were the only two adults of the generation that came up out of Egypt to enter the Promised Land (Num 14:20-35). • Paul is alluding to the great massacre of Israelites who rebelled against Yahweh in the wilderness as described in the Greek version of Num 14:16 **10:6 warnings:** Or, \"types\". The dangers and judgments that Israel experienced between the Red Sea and the Promised Land show us that the Christian life is a probationary period of testing that stretches between our Baptism and our final salvation. Unless we fight the temptations that badger us along the way, we will fail to reach our heavenly homeland, just as many of the Exodus generation perished without crossing over into Canaan. The premise behind this Exodus typology is that the Church relives the experiences of Israel at a spiritual level (CCC 128-30, 1094). See word study: **Type** at Rom 5 **10:7-10** Paul draws attention to several transgressions of Israel in connection with food and drink. • In 10:7 Paul recalls how Israel worshiped the golden calf by sitting down **to eat and drink** in the presence of the idol and by getting up to **dance** in sexual revelry (Ex 32:6). In 1 Cor 10:8 Paul alludes to a similar sin at Beth Peor, where Yahweh destroyed **twenty-three thousand** Israelites for involvement in sexual **immorality** that led to eating food sacrificed to the idols of the Moabites (Num 25:1-9). In 1 Cor 10:9 Paul warns the Corinthians not to **put the Lord to the test,** which is a reminder from Deut 6:16 of how Israel complained of thirst and challenged Yahweh to provide water to drink (Ex 17:1-7). In 1 Cor 10:9 Paul recalls how the Israelites were bitten with **serpents** because they despised the manna that God had given them to eat (Num 21:4-6). These food-related episodes are pulled together to caution the \"strong\" Corinthians that eucharistic communion with Christ is incompatible with eating food sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 10:14-22; CCC 2119) **10:9 put the Lord to the test:** Some reliable Greek manuscripts read \"Christ\" instead of \"Lord\" **10:10 the Destroyer:** The angel(s) who inflicts the wrath of God upon sinners (Ex 12:23; Ps 78:49) **10:11 for our instruction:** The OT remains a source of spiritual teaching and encouragement even for NT believers (Rom 15:4). This is because both Testaments bear witness to a unified plan of salvation that began with creation, advanced through the history of Israel, and climaxed with the redeeming mission of the Messiah. **end of the ages:** All previous stages of covenant history have given way to the messianic age of the New Covenant (Heb 1:1-2). This was referred to in the OT as the \"latter days\" (Num 24:14; Is 2:2; Dan 2:28; Hos 3:5) **10:13 God is faithful:** A reminder that even the most severe temptations are bearable when we turn to God for help and look for the escape route that he promises to provide for us (Mt 6:13). Paul is leaving no room for flimsy excuses, as though sin were sometimes unavoidable (CCC 2848-49) **10:14 worship of idols:** Idolatry is the real danger facing the Corinthians who eat idol food (8:10). Not only will their behavior lead the \"weak\" to become again ensnared in pagan worship (8:7), but even the \"strong\" are setting themselves up for a fall (10:12; CCC 2112-14). See essay: **Shun Immorality, Shun Idolatry** at 1 Cor 6 **10:16 cup of blessing:** The traditional name for the third ritual cup of wine consumed at the Jewish Passover meal. It is this cup that Jesus blessed and consecrated at the Passover of the Last Supper and made the eucharistic cup of the New Covenant (11:25; CCC 1334, 1340). **participation:** Eucharistic Communion unites believers with Christ and with one another. These two blessings are related inasmuch as the Sacrament of Christ\'s Body and Blood is what continues to mold us into the ecclesial Body of Christ, the Church (10:17) **10:20 offer to demons:** A warning that unseen powers lurk behind what appear to be lifeless idols. The Corinthians who insist on eating idol food in pagan temples (8:10) are thus in danger of forging an unholy partnership with fallen spirits. • Paul\'s thinking is shaped by OT passages that link idol worship with service to demons (Deut 32:17; Ps 106:37; Bar 4:7) **10:21 table of the Lord:** The altar of the eucharistic liturgy (Heb 13:10). • The prophets of Israel referred to the bronze altar of sacrifice as the Lord\'s \"table\" (Ezek 44:16; Mal 1:7, 12). Paul uses this same language to show that the eucharistic offering of the Church is a holy sacrifice analogous to the Temple offerings of the Mosaic age. He has already hinted at the sacrificial aspect of the Eucharist in 1 Cor 10:18 when he compared it to the eaten portions of the Levitical peace offerings (Lev 7:11-36) (CCC 1383) **10:22 Shall we provoke the Lord:** Yahweh is a jealous God who forbids idol worship (Ex 20:4-6). • Paul\'s question serves as a warning because it recalls how the Israelites provoked the Lord to anger by their idolatry in the wilderness (Deut 32:16, 21) **10:23 All things are lawful:** A slogan used by the Corinthians to assert their freedom to eat idol food. Paul qualifies it immediately, censuring the kind of unrestrained freedom that looks to ourselves before others (10:24, 33; Phil 2:4) **10:25-30** Paul addresses the issue of idol meat sold in the open market after being sacrificed in a pagan temple. Objectively, his readers are free to eat and need not worry about the past history of market food (10:25) or of meals served in private homes (10:27). In these contexts, the food is safely disconnected from the context of conscious idolatry. However, his readers should abstain from eating when the food\'s idolatrous origin is pointed out by another; otherwise, the informant may be scandalized and led to think that Christians have a casual attitude toward idolatry **10:26 the earth is the Lord\'s:** A reference to Ps 24:1. • Paul cites Ps 24 to extol the sovereignty of Christ as the Lord of creation (1 Cor 8:6; 15:27). His divine ownership of all things implies that no food, in and of itself, should be rejected or despised (1 Tim 4:3-4). Later rabbis reasoned from this psalm that a mealtime blessing should be said before eating **10:32 Give no offense:** The overarching lesson of chaps. 8-10. Throughout his discussion, Paul subordinates Christian liberty to Christian love, emphasizing that genuine charity \"builds up\" (8:1) and \"does not insist on its own way\" (13:5) **11:1 Be imitators of me:** Technically, this verse rounds off the preceding discussion of chaps. 8-10 and is not an introduction to the following discussion of chaps. 11-14. Note that Paul\'s original letter had no chapter and verse divisions. See note on 1 Cor 9:1-27 **11:2-14:40** The next section of the letter concerns issues of liturgical assembly and abuse. Paul deals with improper attire (11:2-16), selfishness and discrimination (11:17-34), and the disorderly exercise of spiritual gifts (chaps. 12-14) **11:2 the traditions:** I.e., the beliefs and practices of Christianity stemming from Christ. By extension it refers to the gospel as it was **delivered** to the early Church in person or in writing by the inspired apostles (15:3; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6). The divine origin of Christian tradition gives it an authority not shared by merely human tradition, which is often unreliable and can be in conflict with revealed truth (Mk 7:3-8; Col 2:8; CCC 81-83) **11:3-16** The precise problem that Paul addresses in these verses is unclear. Scholars are divided over the central issue, i.e., whether it concerns gender differences in general or marital relationships in particular. This is in part because the same Greek terms that mean \"man\" and \"woman\" can also mean \"husband\" and \"wife\". On balance, Paul is more likely speaking about gender issues in general within the context of public worship. It seems that certain Corinthians have challenged the distinction between the sexes by violating gender-appropriate dress codes in the liturgy. Paul\'s guidelines imply that the order of *redemption,* where men and women are equal recipients of grace (Gal 3:28), does not obliterate the order of *creation,* where gender differences are written into nature (Gen 1:27) **11:3 the head:** The Greek term can be used metaphorically to mean \"leader\" or \"source\". It is difficult to determine which is intended here; perhaps Paul is working with both ideas. See word study: **Head** at Eph 5 **11:6 veil herself:** Many believe the veil symbolizes the subordinate status of women that should be reflected in a liturgical setting (14:34). • The Catholic Church teaches that Paul\'s counsel on the veiling of women was inspired by the customs of the day. Because this was a matter of discipline, not doctrine, the Pauline directives on covering and uncovering the head are subject to change. They are no longer binding on men and women today (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: *Inter insigniores* *1976*, 4) **11:7-9** Allusions to the creation stories of Genesis. • Paul reads Gen 1:26-27, where man and woman are made in the image of God, through the lens of Gen 2:21-23, where God fashioned Eve as a helper *for* Adam by creating her *from* the physical substance of Adam. The point is that man has a natural precedence over woman in the created order established by God **11:10 because of the angels:** A warning that gender confusion and improper attire at worship will offend the heavenly hosts. The underlying idea is that **(1)** angels are ministers of the natural order, and **(2)** angels are present in the sacramental worship of the Church **11:14 nature itself:** The expression can mean \"natural law\" or \"common custom\". Paul intends the latter rather than the former **11:17-34** Paul confronts liturgical abuse of the Lord\'s Supper. The Corinthians must have gathered to eat a common meal before celebrating the Eucharist. Although this preliminary meal was meant to promote fellowship, it became a source of tension and disunity between rich and poor Christians that extended into the liturgy. Several factors put this crisis in context. **(1)** Since early Christian gatherings took place, not in church buildings, but in available homes (16:19), seating arrangements could reinforce the distinctions of social rank among believers, with the wealthy eating together and the poor excluded from their company. **(2)** The meal itself could accentuate division if the rich brought healthy portions of food for themselves, leaving whatever was left for the poor or not sharing with them at all (11:21). **(3)** Wealthy persons would have the leisure to arrive early and enjoy their food, while laborers and slaves would have to fulfill their duties before attending (11:33-34). Whatever the precise circumstances, acts of discrimination in Corinth have contradicted the very purpose of these gatherings (10:17) **11:17 I do not commend you:** Paul addresses a serious violation of Christian tradition (11:2) **11:18 when you assemble:** The early Christians gathered together at least once a week, in particular on Sunday, the Lord\'s day (16:2; Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10; CCC 1343, 2174-76) **11:19 factions:** Some suggest the divisions between poor and prosperous Christians in Corinth may coincide with the factions mentioned in 1:11-13, but this is uncertain **11:20 not the Lord\'s supper:** Disunity among the Corinthians contradicts the very purpose of the Eucharist to unify believers with Christ and one other (10:17) **11:23 I received from the Lord:** Paul learned of the Last Supper through the Church\'s liturgical tradition stretching back to Jesus and the first apostles. His account agrees in substance with the narratives of the Gospels, especially Luke\'s version (Lk 22:19-20). Paul is confident that divine revelation is safely passed on through the tradition of the Church. **he was betrayed:** By Judas Iscariot (Mk 14:43-46; Jn 13:26-30) **11:24-25** Through the words of Consecration, Jesus transformed the ordinary bread and wine of the Jewish Passover meal into the Sacrament of his Body and Blood (Jn 6:53-58). See notes on 1 Cor 10:16 and Mt 26:26-29 **11:24 Do this in remembrance:** As the original Passover memorialized Israel\'s deliverance from Egypt through Moses (Ex 12:14), so the new Passover of the Eucharist commemorates the Church\'s deliverance from sin through Jesus (5:7; CCC 1340). Christ\'s mandate to continue this liturgical action is linked with his institution of the New Covenant priesthood (CCC 1337, 1341). See note on Lk 22:19 and word study: **Remembrance** at Lk 22 **11:26 you proclaim the Lord\'s death:** The separate Consecration of bread and wine is a visible representation of Christ\'s death, recalling how his blood was separated from his body on the Cross. **until he comes:** The liturgy awaits its fulfillment at the coming of Christ in glory. Anticipating his visible return as Judge (4:5), Christ makes an invisible return as Judge in the eucharistic meal itself (CCC 1402-05). This is why Paul stresses that unworthy reception of Communion brings *judgment* upon the perpetrators (1 Cor 11:29-32). In his mind, the Eucharist is a sacrament, not of Christ\'s absence, but of his real and holy presence **11:27 the bread . The cup:** The Corinthians apparently received the Eucharist under both species, although this was not strictly necessary. • The Church holds that Christ is entirely present under each form of the Sacrament, so that Communion under one species is communion with the whole Christ in his glorified Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity (CCC 1390). **unworthy manner:** Receiving Eucharistic Communion can be an act of sacrilege and self-condemnation if done in a state of serious (mortal) sin. For Paul, to sin against the **body and blood** in this way is to be liable for the Lord\'s violent death. The offenders in Corinth incurred this guilt by overeating, drunkenness, and discrimination against the poor. Such carelessness before the Sacrament triggered divine judgments of sickness and even death (11:30) **11:28 examine himself:** Self-examination should always precede Communion. The purpose is to avoid an unworthy reception of the Sacrament. • Paul\'s teaching implies a close connection between the Eucharist and Reconciliation (Jn 20:23; CCC 1385) **11:29 discerning the body:** Probably a wordplay on the term \"body\", which refers to the eucharistic Body of Christ and to the ecclesial Body of Christ made up of believers united to him (10:16-17; 12:12). Recognizing Jesus in the Sacrament is thus coupled with recognizing him in our spiritual brothers and sisters (Mt 25:34-40) **11:32 chastened:** Divine discipline is a call to repentance and spiritual growth. Its loving purpose is to avert our final condemnation with the sinners of the world (Heb 12:7-11) **11:34 let him eat at home:** Implies that the preliminary fellowship meal is *not* an essential part of the liturgy (11:22). Difficulties like those experienced in Corinth led the early Church eventually to separate eucharistic worship from the context of common meals. **I will give directions:** Paul\'s written instructions are merely a preface to the oral instructions he hopes to give when he arrives (4:19-21) **12:1-14:40** Paul explains the purpose of spiritual gifts (chap. 12) and theological virtues (chap. 13) in order to regulate charismatic worship (chap. 14). Apparently some in Corinth prized more spectacular gifts like \"tongues\" to the neglect of other gifts and even liturgical order. To correct their thinking, Paul arranges a hierarchy of spiritual gifts, placing love at the top (13:13), ecclesial ministries in the middle (12:28), and tongues at the bottom (12:28) **12:1 Now concerning:** Paul responds to a question that was put to him in an earlier letter from the Corinthians. See note on 1 Cor 7:1 **12:2 led astray to mute idols:** Many Corinthians were I formerly pagans and idolaters (8:7). • Paul\'s perspective on idols is that of the OT ---they are lifeless and therefore speechless (Ps 135:15-18; Hab 2:18-19; CCC 2112) **12:3 Jesus be cursed!** The origin of this alarming declaration is uncertain. Among various possibilities, it may be **(1)** an ecstatic utterance spoken by false charismatics, **(2)** a heretical slogan used by some to drive a wedge between the historical Jesus and the risen Christ of faith, or **(3)** the slanderous words of Jewish opponents who attacked the gospel. **Jesus is Lord:** A distinctly Christian confession (Rom 10:9; Phil 2:11). The Spirit empowers us to say it with conviction and live it out through conversion (CCC 449, 683). The title \"Lord\" (Gk. *Kyrios*) resonates against the background of Jewish and Gentile traditions: **(1)** it is used repeatedly in the Greek OT to translate the divine name \"Yahweh\"; **(2)** it was used in the Greco-Roman world to address rulers and emperors **12:4-6** The charismatic gifts flow from the Holy **Spirit,** Christ the **Lord,** and **God** the Father. The unity and diversity within the Trinity is the divine model of the unity and diversity of gifts shared by believers (Eph 4:4-7) **12:4 gifts:** Translates the Greek *charismata,* which is theologically and linguistically related to the term \"grace\" (Gk. *charis*). Charismatic gifts are thus graces given to build up the Church (CCC 799-801, 951). The inventory in 1 Cor 12:8-10 lists extraordinary charisms of instruction and healing. The list in Rom 12:6-8 also includes more ordinary gifts, such as generosity and works of mercy **12:7 the common good:** Charisms are given as personal gifts but not merely for private benefit (12:11). They unite us with the Spirit\'s mission to build up all members of the Church and bring them to salvation (1 Pet 4:10-11). • Catholic teaching distinguishes between sanctifying grace, which imparts the gift of divine *sonship,* and charismatic or ministerial grace, which equips the saints for *service* to others (CCC 2003) **12:9 faith:** Not the gift of saving faith possessed by all Christians (Eph 2:8), but an extraordinary trust in God that encourages others who witness it (1 Cor 13:2; Mk 11:23) **12:10 tongues:** May be the earthly languages of men (Acts 2:1-6) or the heavenly speech of angels (1 Cor 13:1). The gift of **interpretation** is the complement of the gift of tongues, enabling unintelligible utterances to be understood by the assembled community (14:9-19) **12:13 by one Spirit:** That is, by the divine action of the Spirit working in Baptism. **one body:** This is not simply a metaphor for the Church, with the focus on her organizational unity, but it expresses the metaphysical reality that every believer is truly united with Christ by the Sacraments (10:17; CCC 790). The Spirit is the soul of this mystical body, giving life, growth, and direction to each of its members (CCC 797). **Jews or Greeks:** Union with Christ makes ethnic and social distinctions irrelevant in the eyes of God (Gal 3:28; CCC 1267). **to drink of one Spirit:** Baptism renews (Tit 3:5) and refreshes us through the Spirit (Jn 7:37-39), as does the spiritual drink of the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:4) **12:14-26** Everyone serves a vital and indispensable function in the Body of Christ. As the constituent parts of a body perform different functions and yet work together in harmony, so every member of Christ\'s Body is assigned an important task for the good of the whole (CCC 791). Some Corinthians apparently disputed the validity of certain gifts ---a presumptuous attitude that called into question God\'s wise arrangement of the body (1 Cor 12:18) and his free distribution of charisms (12:11). • *Allegorically:* the eyes of the body serve knowledge and signify the contemplative life of the Church, whereas the hands serve movement and signify the active life of the Church. So, too, the head of the body is the clergy in authority over the Church, while the feet are the laity who follow the lead of their head (St. Thomas Aquinas, *Commentary on 1 Corinthians* 12, 3) **12:21 the head:** Paul visualizes the body as the collective person of Christ, with his members compared to anatomical features of the body from top (ears and eyes, 12:16) to bottom (feet, 12:15, 21). The picture changes somewhat in later Pauline letters, where the \"head\" represents Christ as distinct from his \"body\", the Church (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18; 2:19). Paul may have developed the illustration over the years, or perhaps he was using the imagery in different ways in different letters. For a summary discussion, see word study: **Head** at Eph 5 **12:26 suffer together . rejoice together:** Unity among believers rules out indifference toward others and encourages mutual support and compassion among them (Sir 7:34; Rom 12:15) **12:28 first apostles:** Apostleship is given pride of place among the ministerial gifts. This is because the apostles saw Christ risen from the dead (15:5) and were directly charged by him with spreading the gospel (Mt 28:18-20; Acts 9:1-16). Their mission to lay the initial foundations of the Church in the world is essentially unrepeatable (Eph 2:20; Rev 21:14; CCC 858-60). Their work of teaching and sanctifying the world, however, is carried on by their successors, the bishops. See note on 1 Tim 3:1 **12:31 desire the higher gifts:** Paul prepares readers for the following exposition of God\'s greatest gifts: the virtues of faith, hope, and love (13:1-13) **13:1-13** Chapter 13 is a poetic interlude on \"love\" that summarizes Paul\'s moral instructions in the letter (16:14) and stands as the centerpiece of his teaching on spiritual gifts (chaps. 12-14). Because some in Corinth esteemed more spectacular charisms like tongues, Paul writes to temper their charismatic enthusiasm by insisting that charity must inspire and direct the exercise of all ministerial gifts (CCC 800). Without love, the other charisms bring no benefit to the Body of Christ and may even cause divisions among its members **13:1 clanging cymbal:** Possibly an allusion to ecstatic pagan worship. Speaking in tongues can produce the same meaningless noise if its purpose is thwarted by a failure to love **13:2 I am nothing:** Knowledge of saving mysteries and the exercise of extraordinary faith amount to nothing unless coupled with active charity toward others (CCC 1826). • Some believe faith alone is sufficient for salvation; others believe they will be saved by Christ\'s sacraments alone; others rely on works of mercy alone and think they can sin with impunity. Such people fail to understand that nothing avails without charity (St. Thomas Aquinas, *Commentary on 1 Corinthians* 6, 2) **13:3 deliver my body to be burned:** A reference to martyrdom by fire (Dan 3:23; 2 Mac 7:1-6). Even such heroic acts are profitless toward eternal life without a supernatural love for God **13:4-7** Paul personifies **love** to explain its true nature and greatness. Because love (charity) is a virtue that is supernatural and God-given, it cannot be reduced to a feeling or emotion that comes and goes over time. It is foremost the love of God and neighbor that the Spirit pours into our hearts (Rom 5:5; CCC 735). It bears burdens, patiently suffers injuries, restrains pride, and is not self-assertive or oversensitive. Vices contrary to love were displayed by those Corinthians who were **jealous** (1 Cor 3:3), **boastful** (4:7), or **arrogant** (4:18) **13:8 will pass away:** The charismatic gifts will expire when \"the perfect comes\" (13:10), that is, when the Lord comes again in glory to reveal himself to the Church \"face to face\" (13:12). Interpretations that link the cessation of charismatic grace with the compilation of the NT books have absolutely no footing in the text **13:12 in a mirror dimly:** Ancient Corinth manufactured mirrors of polished bronze. Although known for their excellent quality, their reflected images would nonetheless remain hazy and indistinct. Our present perception of God is similarly imperfect (CCC 163-64, 314). **then face to face:** Life in heaven will consist of a clear and direct vision of God \"as he is\" (1 Jn 3:2; CCC 1023) **13:13 faith, hope, love abide:** The translation is misleading because it fails to render the Greek adverb *nuni* (\"now\"). Paul is not saying that all three virtues are eternal, but instead he ties them to the present age. Faith and hope will pass away when we *see* the Lord in heaven and *possess* the eternal happiness we yearned for in this life. But love \"never ends\" (13:8). Rather than passing away, love reaches perfection in the everlasting embrace of the Trinity that awaits the saints beyond this life. A close connection between these virtues is also noted in Rom 5:1-5, Gal 5:5-6, and 1 Thess 1:3. • Catholic tradition calls faith, hope, and love \"theological virtues\" because they come from God (Gk. *Theos*) and lead us back to God (CCC 1812-29). **the greatest . love:** The preeminence of love follows from its permanence, i.e., it outshines other divine gifts precisely because it outlasts them (13:8) **14:1-40** Paul gives pastoral direction on spiritual gifts, building upon the theological and ethical foundations laid in chaps. 12-13. He seeks to regulate the Corinthians\' undisciplined exercise of charismatic gifts by stressing the need to build up the congregation (14:3-5, 12, 26). As a rule, gifts exercised in public worship must be publicly beneficial; otherwise disorder and confusion will result (14:33, 40). • Vatican II reaffirmed the enduring validity of charismatic gifts. The Council described their function as one of renewing and building up the Church in the Spirit. Following Paul, it also warned that extraordinary charisms should not be rashly desired (*Lumen Gentium* 12) **14:1 prophesy:** The ability to prophesy is the preferred charismatic gift. It can include the power to predict future events (Acts 11:27-28; 21:10-11) but is primarily the ability to encourage the assembled Church in a powerful way (1 Cor 14:3; Acts 15:32). Prophets can also make the gospel compelling to outside observers (1 Cor 14:24-25). Paul promotes this gift over tongues because prophets can speak to others with clear and understandable words **14:2 speaks in a tongue:** Here viewed as human languages that are unknown and thus \"foreign\" to the local Church (14:10-11). Interpreting them amounts to translating them (14:5; Acts 2:1-11) **14:7-8** Paul compares tongues to musical instruments (14:7) and a military trumpet (14:8). Just as music follows an ordered sequence of notes, and a battle call has a distinctive sound, so the language of tongues has an intelligible meaning in itself. Left untranslated, however, tongues remain incoherent to the congregation, like a string of meaningless noises **14:10 many different languages:** Diversity among human languages can be traced back to the rebellion at the Tower of Babel (Gen 11:1-9). The commercial city of Corinth would be exposed to many foreign dialects, even though its principal language was Greek **14:11 foreigner:** The term is elsewhere translated \"barbarian\" (Rom 1:14; Col 3:11). Here it refers to someone whose native language is unknown to Greek-speaking Christians **14:14 my mind is unfruitful:** I.e., uninvolved in the heavenly speech. An uninterpreted tongue makes conscious participation in the prayer impossible both for the individual speaking and for the congregation listening. Even so, the gift engages the **spirit** of the worshiper, enabling him to utter \"mysteries in the Spirit\" (14:2) **14:16 \"Amen\":** A Hebrew expression meaning \"So be it!\" or \"So it is!\". It is a traditional response to liturgical prayers (Rev 5:14). See word study: **Amen** at 2 Cor 1 **14:20 in thinking be mature:** The Corinthians\' preoccupation with tongues was a sign of their immaturity. They should rather seek for themselves the moral innocence of children and the mature judgment of adults (3:1; Eph 4:11-14) **14:21 the law:** Refers to the entire OT, not just the Pentateuch (Jn 10:34; 15:25). • Paul paraphrases Is 28:11-12, where the scoffers of Israel mock Isaiah by comparing his prophecies to the unintelligible babble of infants. Isaiah turns their mockery into a warning by saying that Yahweh will rouse foreign armies (Assyria), who speak an alien language, to seek and destroy them (Deut 28:49). This leads Paul to see \"tongues\" as a \"sign\" of the judgment that will fall upon sinners (1 Cor 14:22) **14:22 unbelievers:** Since this can also be translated \"unfaithful\", it is uncertain whether Paul is thinking of unbaptized pagans or unfaithful Christians or both. **prophecy is not for unbelievers:** I.e., not *primarily* for unbelievers or the unfaithful. It is foremost a gift to edify the assembled church, although it can benefit visitors and newcomers as well (14:24-25) **14:25 God is really among you:** Charismatic prophecy can lead to the conversion of unbelievers who attend a Christian liturgy. • Paul\'s language recalls OT passages where the Gentiles come to recognize Yahweh as the one true God present among his messianic people (Is 45:14; Zech 8:22-23) **14:27-28** Paul gives three pastoral guidelines for speaking in tongues: **(1)** only a few should exercise the gift at each assembly; **(2)** they should speak in sequence, not simultaneously; **(3)** the utterances should be interpreted. Paul assumes that the gift of tongues lies within the control of the recipient, who can keep silent when appropriate. Should the spontaneity of charismatic gifts be allowed to override the structures of the liturgy, they will cause disorder and distraction (14:39-40) **14:29 weigh what is said:** Prophecies must be measured against apostolic teaching to ensure their consistency with the whole deposit of faith (Rom 12:6) **14:34-35** Paul enjoins **silence** upon Christian **women** in public worship. This is not an absolute restriction, since women can lawfully pray and prophesy in the liturgical assembly (11:5) and are encouraged to teach in other circumstances (Tit 2:3-4). Paul is prohibiting women from instructing the congregation in the official capacity of a pastor or homilist. See note on 1 Tim 2:12 **14:37 command of the Lord:** Paul is giving, not personal advice, but instruction that in some sense comes directly from Christ (7:10) **15:1-58** Paul defends the doctrine of the resurrection against attack and misunderstanding (15:12). Working forward from the Resurrection of Christ, he insists that our bodies will be raised immortal (15:20-23) and glorified for life in heaven (15:35-50). This belief is so important that to deny the resurrection is to destroy the essence of the gospel (15:17-19) **15:3-5** A symbol or creed of the Christian faith that is founded on apostolic testimony (CCC 186, 638). Should Paul\'s readers reject any of these basic tenets of the gospel, their faith will prove \"vain\" (1 Cor 15:1-2) **15:3 I delivered . I also received:** Refers to the transmission of oral and liturgical tradition. A similar formula was used in rabbinical schools for the transfer of Jewish tradition from teacher to student from generation to generation. See note on 1 Cor 11:2 **15:4 he was buried:** This important detail sets the Resurrection of Jesus over against his burial, indicating that his tomb was empty on Easter morning (Jn 20:1-10). The rising of Jesus from the grave is thus proclaimed as a physical and bodily event; it involved much more than the resuscitation of his corpse, but certainly nothing less than this. The Resurrection is a miracle of history that cannot be reduced to a metaphor for new life (CCC 639-40). **the Scriptures:** Belief in a bodily resurrection can be traced back to the OT (CCC 652). • Several passages affirm that the Lord will raise the dead to live again (Is 26:19; Ezek 37:1-14; Dan 12:2; 2 Mac 7:9). Jesus was the first to benefit from these promises in advance of the messianic people united to him. For biblical background on the **third day** motif, See note on Lk 24:46 **15:5 appeared to Cephas:** Jesus appeared alive to Peter (Lk 24:34) and the rest of the apostles on Easter Sunday (Jn 20:19-23). Paul catalogues a total of six appearances (1 Cor 15:5-8), most of which took place within the 40-day interval between the Resurrection and the Ascension (Acts 1:3; CCC 641-42). No mention is made of Christ\'s appearances to the holy women (Mk 16:1-8), possibly because a woman could not give admissible legal testimony in Jewish tradition **15:6 more than five hundred:** A public appearance mentioned only here in the NT. For Paul, such a large group of eyewitnesses adds to the credibility of the Resurrection, especially since some were still living and could verify the facts **15:7 James:** Known as \"James the Lord\'s brother\" (Gal 1:19), a kinsman of Jesus (Mt 13:55) and the first appointed bishop of Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; 15:13). Only here is it stated in Scripture that Christ appeared to him personally. **the apostles:** Probably refers to a wider circle of disciples than the \"Twelve\" (15:5), as is sometimes the case in the NT (Acts 14:14; 2 Cor 8:23) **15:8 appeared also to me:** Paul both saw the risen Christ and received a missionary mandate from him (Acts 9:1-15). His encounter with the resurrected Jesus in visible glory was unique compared with the other apostles, who saw Jesus alive before his Ascension into heaven (CCC 659). Paul felt undeserving of an apostolic mission in light of his former hostility to the Church (1 Cor 15:9; Eph 3:8; 1 Tim 1:15-16) **15:12 no resurrection of the dead?:** Such a denial might stem from either a Jewish or a Greek background. **(1)** The Sadducees held a minority view within Judaism that emphatically denied the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:8). **(2)** Among the Greeks it was commonly held that the body was a prison or tomb that was destined to decay once the soul was liberated from it at death (Acts 17:32). Whatever the influence, Corinthian skepticism concerning the future of the body led to a denial of Christian doctrine and a sharp decline in morality (1 Cor 6:12-20; 15:34; CCC 996) **15:13 then Christ has not been raised:** Paul exposes the inconsistency of the Corinthians\' position: they affirm that Christ is risen (past), yet they deny that Christians will rise again as he did (future). To deny the possibility of the latter is to deny the historicity of the former **15:14 your faith is in vain:** The Resurrection of Jesus is a historical foundation so essential to Christianity that, without it, the entire structure of the faith collapses in ruins (CCC 651) **15:15 he raised Christ:** I.e., God the Father (CCC 648). Technically, the Resurrection is the work of all three Persons of the Trinity ---Father (Rom 6:4), Son (Jn 10:17-18), and Spirit (Rom 1:4) **15:17 still in your sins:** If Jesus did not overcome death, then he could not have destroyed sin, for death is the consequence of sin (Gen 3:17-19). It is precisely Christ\'s victory over death that demonstrates his triumph over the cause of death (1 Cor 15:56-57) **15:20 the first fruits:** In the liturgy of ancient Israel the first portion of a crop was offered to God in the Temple as a means of consecrating the whole of the expected harvest (Ex 23:19; Lev 23:10-14). So, too, Christ is not only the first to be raised in glory, but his resurrected humanity is an offering that ensures an entire harvest of believers will be raised as he was (Acts 26:23; Rom 11:15-16). **fallen asleep:** A euphemism for biological death (15:6; 1 Thess 4:15) **15:21-22** Paul compares and contrasts **Adam** and **Christ** as the two individuals whose lives have had the greatest impact on the entire human race. Sin had its beginning with Adam, and because of him the human family enters the world estranged from God and destined to die. Salvation comes to us through Christ, whose triumph over sin reverses the damage done by Adam and gives us the hope that even our mortal bodies will be resurrected to new life. This contrast continues in 15:45-49 **15:23 at his coming:** Only when Christ returns in glory (Acts 1:11) will the bodies of the saints be raised in glory (Phil 3:20-21). See word study: **Coming** at Mt 24 **15:24 rule . authority . power:** Demonic spirits hostile to God and the advance of his kingdom (Col 2:15; 1 Pet 3:22). See note on Eph 1:21 **15:25-27** Paul summarizes the drama of the last days, when Christ will *triumph* over his enemies and *transfer* his kingdom over to the Father (CCC 1042-50). He makes use of imagery from Ps 110:1 and Ps 8:6, passages linked by the expression **under his feet** (1 Cor 15:25, 27). • Psalm 110 portrays the Messiah enthroned at Yahweh\'s right hand and awaiting the subjection of his enemies. Psalm 8 reflects on the original vocation of man to stand above all of creation as its ruler and steward. Christ assumes both of these roles at his Ascension, from which time his reign continues until all creation bows in homage and his final adversary, death, falls in defeat (CCC 668, 1008) **15:25 until:** This expression fixes a limit to the conflict between Christ and his enemies, not to his kingship. His rule will be perfected, not terminated, when death is finally destroyed **15:28 everything to every one:** Or, \"all things in all\". In the end, creation and even the incarnate Son will honor the Father as the Lord of all and the absolute Origin of all life *15:29 baptized on their [the deads\'* behalf:] This passage continues to baffle interpreters, since neither the form nor the meaning of this practice is familiar to us today. Perhaps living believers were receiving baptism for the sake of deceased persons, hoping its benefits would accrue to them in the afterlife (cf. 2 Mac 12:39-45). Another possibility, suggested by the verses that follow (1 Cor 15:30-34), is that Paul is talking about people who endure a baptism of suffering for the sake of others who are physically or spiritually dead (Mk 10:38; Lk 12:50). Either way, Paul reasons that such baptisms are pointless apart from belief in a future resurrection **15:32 What do I gain:** Suffering would be meaningless without the prospect of a heavenly reward (4:9-13; 2 Cor 4:11). **Let us eat and drink:** A quotation from Is 22:13. • Isaiah echoes the words of the wicked inhabitants of Jerusalem, who despised the Law of God in their pursuit of selfish enjoyments. Such a carefree philosophy of life makes sense only if there is no hope of life beyond death **15:33 Bad company ruins good morals:** An excerpt from *Thais,* a comedy written by the Greek poet Menander. Paul cites it to warn that doctrinal error about the resurrection breeds immorality that is both destructive and contagious (6:13-14; Prov 13:20) **15:35-58** Paul moves from defending the resurrection to explaining the constitution of resurrected bodies. For those Corinthians who believed a resurrection was impossible ---given the frailty of our bodies at present ---Paul insists that risen bodies will be clothed in power, glory, and immortality (15:42-44, 51-53) **15:36 unless it dies:** As seeds must decay in order to germinate and bring forth life, so death is merely a prelude to resurrection and new life (Jn 12:24). Paul may be continuing the illustration of 15:23, where the risen body of Christ is the first offering of a crop that consecrates a whole harvest of resurrected saints **15:38-41** Variations in nature between the dignity of living beings **(men, animals, birds, fish)** and heavenly bodies **(sun, moon, stars)** enable Paul to illustrate the different gradations of glory that will characterize the bodies of risen believers. • Daniel 12:2-3 likewise compares the righteous who rise again with the lights and stars shining in heaven **15:42-44** Our risen bodies will be the same bodies that we possessed during earthly life, only transformed by new and spiritual qualities. The Resurrection of Christ\'s crucified body is a demonstration of this (Jn 20:26-28; CCC 999, 1017). • Catholic theology enumerates four qualities that will endow the risen bodies of the saints: *impassibility* (immunity to suffering), *agility* (freedom from weakness), *subtility* (complete subjection of the body to the soul), and *brightness* (outward radiance in proportion to the degree of inward holiness) **15:44 spiritual body:** The body in its risen and glorified state. More than a resuscitated corpse, the resurrected body will be supernaturally transformed by the divine power of Christ (Phil 3:21). • It is not called a \"spiritual\" body because the body will become a spirit but because the body will remain immortal and incorruptible through the spirit that enlivens it (St. Fulgentius, *On the Faith* 70) **15:45 The first man:** The contrast between Adam and Christ shows that by nature we get a body from Adam that is physical, earthly, and mortal; and by grace we expect a body from Christ that is spiritual, heavenly, and immortal (15:21-22). • Paul draws on Gen 2:7 to hint that Adam\'s creation bears a certain likeness to Christ\'s Resurrection. Just as Adam\'s body was raised from the earth by the breath of natural life, so Christ\'s body was raised from the earth by the Spirit of supernatural life. It is this life-giving Spirit, now channeled to the world through the sacrament of Christ\'s risen humanity, that will raise our bodies also (Rom 8:11) **15:50 flesh and blood:** A Semitic idiom for human beings, weak and subject to corruption (Sir 14:18; Mt 16:17). Paul is not denying that resurrected bodies will have flesh and blood; his point is that our physical bodies cannot enter God\'s kingdom in their present state of weakness; they must be radically \"changed\" (1 Cor 15:51) **15:51 We shall not all sleep:** The last generation that lives to see Christ return may be spared the experience of bodily death. Some scholars interpret this verse to mean that Paul expected Christ to come again during his own lifetime, since he seems to number himself (\"we\") among this final generation of Christians. Two considerations, however, suggest these words are rhetorical and should not be taken literally. **(1)** Elsewhere Paul counts himself among those who would be raised (\"us\") from the dead (1 Cor 6:14; 2 Cor 4:14). **(2)** Paul sees death, through either hardship or martyrdom, as a real possibility for himself in several letters (2 Cor 1:8-9; Phil 3:10-11; 2 Tim 4:6) **15:52 the last trumpet:** The final blast that will inaugurate the general resurrection (1 Thess 4:16). • Several uses of the trumpet in ancient Israel fill out the background to this image. The trumpet was a *liturgical* instrument that summoned Israel to meet the Lord (Ex 19:16-17), to worship him on the Feast of Trumpets (Lev 23:23-25), and to enjoy his rest every jubilee year (Lev 25:9). The trumpet was also a *military* instrument that called soldiers into battle (Judg 7:19-23; Jer 4:19). These uses overlapped in the conquest of Jericho, where the military operation against the city was itself a liturgical action of processing and blowing trumpets (Josh 6:1-21). Trumpet imagery is also used in the Prophets to signal Israel\'s restoration from the covenant death of exile (Is 27:13) and to commence the judgment of the wicked on the \"day of the Lord\" (Joel 2:1; Zeph 1:15-16) **15:53 put on immortality:** Our risen bodies will be robed with undying life, not stripped away like worthless garments. See note on 2 Cor 5:4 **15:54-55** Paul appeals to Is 25:8 and Hos 13:14 to announce the final demise of death. • Isaiah describes a banquet of rich foods where all nations come to celebrate the end of suffering as the Lord swallows up death for ever. Hosea likewise forecasts that death will one day be robbed of its power and taunted like a defeated enemy. In Paul\'s mind, this day will dawn with the general resurrection **15:58 your labor is not in vain:** The assurance that God will reward our faithfulness in the resurrection puts the struggles of daily life in perspective. Practically speaking, Paul is summoning us to glorify God in our bodies (6:20; CCC 364) **16:1-4** Paul spent considerable energy on his third missionary journey collecting donations for the poor of Jerusalem (Rom 15:25-27; 2 Cor 8-9). On the one hand, this relief offering was meant to alleviate suffering in the mother Church of Christianity. On the other, Paul was asking his Gentile Churches to make a symbolic gesture of unity and solidarity with Jewish believers in need. The gift was successfully delivered on his final journey to Judea (Acts 24:17) **16:1 Now concerning:** Paul is responding to an inquiry from a previous Corinthian letter. See note on 1 Cor 7:1 **16:2 first day of every week:** Sunday, the Lord\'s day (Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10). Paul is probably directing his readers to collect their donations when they gather for prayer and eucharistic worship. He hopes they will give generously to this charitable campaign (2 Cor 9:6-15; CCC 1351) **16:5 Macedonia:** A Roman province in upper Greece, just north of the province of Achaia, where the city of Corinth is located **16:8 Ephesus:** Paul was writing from the capital of the Roman province of Asia (modern Turkey). He eventually made it to Corinth (Acts 20:1-2) after Pentecost, which was a Jewish festival celebrated in the spring, 50 days after Passover (Lev 23:15-21) **16:10 Timothy:** One of Paul\'s delegates sent ahead to Corinth (4:17). See note on 1 Tim 1:2 **16:12 Apollos:** A missionary who had worked in Corinth but was now in Asia (1:12; 3:5-6). The Corinthians may have requested his return **16:14 Let all . be done in love:** This verse is a concise summary of Paul\'s teaching in the letter (8:1-3; 13:1-13; 14:1; 16:22) **16:17 Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus:** Possibly the informants from Chloe who updated Paul on the struggles of the Corinthian Church (1:11). They may have also delivered to him the Church\'s letter of questions (7:1) **16:19 Aquila and Prisca:** A Christian couple who worked closely with Paul as tentmakers and missionaries, first in Corinth and then in Ephesus (Acts 18:1-3, 18-19). They opened their home for Christian gatherings (Rom 16:3-5). \"Prisca\" is an alternative spelling for \"Priscilla\" **16:20 a holy kiss:** A customary sign of peace and brotherly affection among the early Christians (Rom 16:16; 1 Thess 5:26) **16:21 I, Paul, write this:** Paul\'s handwritten signature was a mark of the letter\'s authenticity (2 Thess 3:17). Most of the letter was probably dictated to a secretary (cf. Rom 16:22) **16:22 Our Lord, come!:** A rendering of the Aramaic expression, *marana tha* (\"Lord, come!\"). This prayer, which is likewise echoed in Rev 22:20, was spoken at the end of one of the the earliest eucharistic liturgies on record (*Didache* 10, 6). Its use in the liturgy indicates what Paul himself asserts in 1 Cor 11:26, namely, that the sacramental worship of the Church is oriented to the coming of Christ in glory (CCC 671). See note on 1 Cor 11:26 --- > Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch, *The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament*, Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010).