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As Corinth is now the first city of Greece,
so of old it prided itself on many temporal
advantages, and more than all the rest, on
excess of wealth. And on this account one of
the heathen writers entitled the place "the
rich." For it lies on the isthmus of the
Peloponnesus, and had great facilities for
traffic. The city was also full of numerous
orators, and philosophers, and one." I
think, of the seven called wise men, was of
this city. Now these things we have mentioned,
not for ostentation's sake, nor to make, a
display of great learning: (for indeed what is
there in knowing these things?) but they are of
use to us in the argument of the Epistle.
Paul also himself suffered many things in this
city; and Christ, too, in this city appears
to him and says, (Act. xviii. 10), "Be
not silent, but speak; for I have much people
in this city:" and he remained there two
years. In this city [Acts xix. 16.
Corinth put here, by lapse of memory, for
Ephesus]. also the devil went out, whom the
Jews endeavoring to exorcise, suffered so
grievously. In this city did those of the
magicians, who repented, collect together their
books and burn them, and there appeared to be
fifty thousand. (Acts xix. 18. arguriou
omitted.) In this city also, in the time of
Gallio the Proconsul, Paul was beaten before
the judgment seat.
The devil, therefore, seeing that a great and
populous city had laid hold of the truth, a city
admired for wealth and wisdom, and the head of
Greece; (for Athens and Lacedaemon were then
and since in a miserable state, the dominion
having long ago fallen away from them;) and
seeing that with great readiness they had
received the word of God; what doth he? He
divides the men. For he knew that even the
strongest kingdom of all, divided against
itself, shall not stand. He had a vantage
ground too, for this device in the wealth, the
wisdom of the inhabitants. Hence certain men,
having made parties of their own, and having
become self-elected made themselves leaders of
the people, and some sided with these, and some
with those; with one sort, as being rich; with
another, as wise and able to teach something out
of the common. Who on their part, receiving
them, set themselves up forsooth to teach more
than the Apostle did: at which he was hinting,
when he said, "I was not able to speak unto
you as unto spiritual" (ch. iii. 1.);
evidently not his inability, but their
infirmity, was the cause of their not having
been abundantly instructed. And this, (ch.
iv. 8.) "Ye are become rich without us,"
is the remark of one pointing that way. And
this was no small matter, but of all things most
pernicious; that the Church should be torn
asunder.
And another sin, too, besides these, was
openly committed there: namely, a person who
had had intercourse with his step-mother not
only escaped rebuke, but was even a leader of
the multitude, and gave occasion to his
followers to be conceited. Wherefore he saith,
(ch. 5. 2.) "And ye are puffed up, and
have not rather mourned." And after this
again, certain of those who as they pretended
were of the more perfect sort, and who for
gluttony's sake used to eat of things offered
unto idols, and sit at meat in the temples,
Were bringing all to ruin. Others again,
having contentions and strifes about money,
committed unto the heathen courts (tois exwqen
sicadthriois) all matters of that kind. Many
persons also wearing long hair used to go about
among them; whom he ordereth to be shorn.
There was another fault besides, no trifling
one; their eating in the churches apart by
themselves, and giving no share to the needy.
And again, they were erring in another point,
being puffed up with the gifts; and hence
jealous of one another; which was also the chief
cause of the distraction of the Church. The
doctrine of the Resurrection, too, was lame
(ekwleue) among them: for some of them had no
strong belief that there is any resurrection of
bodies, having still on them the disease of
Grecian foolishness. For indeed all these
things were the progeny of the madness which
belongs to Heathen Philosophy, and she was the
mother of all mischief. Hence, likewise, they
had become divided; in this respect also having
learned of the philosophers. For these latter
were no less at mutual variance, always,
through love of rule and vain glory contradicting
one another's opinions, and bent upon making
some new discovery in addition to all that was
before. And the cause of this was, their
having begun to trust themselves to reasonings.
They had written accordingly to him by the hand
of Fortunatus and Stephanas and Achaicus, by
whom also he himself writes; and this he has
indicated in the end of the Epistle: not
however upon all these subjects, but about
marriage and virginity; wherefore also he said,
(ch. vii. 1.) "Now concerning the things
whereof ye wrote" &c. And he proceeds to give
injunctions, both on the points about which they
had written, and those about which they had not
written; having learnt with accuracy all their
failings. Timothy, too, he sends with the
letters, knowing that letters indeed have great
force, yet that not a little would be added to
them by the presence of the disciple also.
Now whereas those who had divided the Church
among themselves, from a feeling of shame lest
they should seem to have done so for ambition's
sake, contrived cloaks for what had happened,
their teaching (forsooth) more perfect
doctrines, and being wiser than all others;
Paul sets himself first against the disease
itself, plucking up the root of the evils, and
its offshoot, the spirit of separation. And he
uses great boldness of speech: for these were
his own i disciples, more than all others.
Wherefore he saith (ch. ix. 2.) "If to
others I be not an Apostle, yet at least I am
unto you; for the seal of my apostleship are
ye." Moreover they were in a weaker condition
(to say the least of it) than the others.
Wherefore he saith, (ch. iii. 1, 2. oude
for oute). "For I have not spoken unto you
as unto spiritual; for hitherto ye were not
able, neither yet even now are ye able."
(This he saith, that they might not suppose
that he speaks thus in regard of the time past
alone.)
However, it was utterly improbable that all
should have been corrupted; rather there were
some among them who were very holy. And this he
signified in the middle of the Epistle, where
he says, (ch. iv. 3, 6.) "To me it is
a very small thing that I should be judged of
you:" and adds, "these things I have in a
figure transferred unto myself and Apollos."
Since then from arrogance all these evils were
springing, and from men's thinking that they
knew something out of the common, this he
purgeth away first of all, and in beginning
saith,
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