1 epistle to the corinthians of the holy apostle paul. Interpretation of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians. Introduction of Corinth: its inhabitants and customs

Introduction.

An ancient Greek legend tells of Sisyphus, who was king of the city of Corinth. For impudent disrespect to the gods, he was sentenced by them to eternal useless labor - to roll a huge stone uphill. But every time, as soon as Sisyphus reached the top of the mountain with his stone, he rolled down to its foot, and Sisyphus had to start all over again. The 20th century writer and philosopher Albert Camus sees in this legend of the Corinthian king a prototype of the aimless and absurd existence of modern man.

But if Camus had not only read the two letters of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, but also accepted them with his heart, then perhaps he would have looked at things differently, for in them is a guiding thread for lost humanity ... They were proud and selfish, the Corinthians who lived in the times of the Apostle Paul, - like their legendary king, dependent on the capricious Zeus; and it was clearly felt in their way of thinking and living. But in the first century AD, the city of Corinth was visited by a merciful and loving God in the person of His messenger Paul.

The Apostle Paul came to Corinth on his second missionary journey (Acts 18: 1-18), most likely in the spring of A.D. 51 (judging by the fact that Proconsul Gallio took up his duties in Achaia later, and precisely in July 51). In Corinth, Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, who left Rome in 49, obeying the decree of Caesar Claudius, who forbade Jews to live in the capital of the empire. Aquila and Priscilla made tents, and the apostle also ate the same.

Since nothing is said about the conversion of this couple, it seems that they were already Christians when Paul met them. They were spiritually close, belonged to the same people, and were engaged in the same craft. It is not surprising that the apostle was filled with sympathy for them.

According to his custom, Paul also visited the synagogue in Corinth, taking part in the service; He tried to convince the Jews who gathered there that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And having lost the opportunity to testify in the synagogue, the apostle began to hold meetings in the neighboring house of the pagan Justus, who, listening to Paul, believed in Christ (Acts 18: 7). Justus was one of many people in Corinth who came to the Lord.

In human terms, Paul probably had reason to doubt the number of true believers in Corinth. The fact is that this ancient city has long been famous for the cult of pleasing the flesh that reigned there. Even Homer in the Iliad wrote about the wealth of Corinth. And the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his famous "Republic" calls prostitutes "Corinthian girls". The name Corinth was often played up in Greek literature when it was about immorality and debauchery.

So the playwright Aristophanes even invented a new word - "corinthiazomai" - to denote an extramarital affair. According to the ancient writer Strabo, the main source of both wealth and corruption of Corinth was the temple of the goddess of love Aphrodite with its thousands of prostitutes. There was even a saying, "Not every man can go to Corinth."

Almost a hundred years after 146 BC, no one visited this city, which, having rebelled against Rome, was then subjected to terrible destruction. Actually, only a few columns in the temple of Apollo survived. And the inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery. But the excellent location of the city was the reason that this place was not empty for long: in 46 BC Emperor Julius Caesar restored Corinth as a Roman colony. And in 27 BC it became the capital of the province of Achaia. Proconsul Gallio, who ruled in Corinth, allowed the apostle Paul to preach the gospel without hindrance. It was to this new Corinth, which, however, preserved its old vices, that the Apostle Paul came in 51.

Paul's Correspondence with the Corinthians.

1. Arriving in Corinth during his first missionary journey, Paul stayed there for a year and a half, and in the fall of 52 he sailed to Ephesus, from where he went to Jerusalem. Priscilla and Aquila accompanied Paul to Ephesus, where they stayed; there they met a gifted Jew from Alexandria named Apollos, who was given spiritual instruction and then sent to Corinth to serve (Acts 18: 18-28).

2. During Apollos's stay in Corinth (Acts 19: 1), Paul, on his third missionary journey, returned to Ephesus; it was in the fall of 53, and he stayed in Ephesus for about two and a half years (Acts 19). Apparently, at the very beginning of his ministry there the apostle wrote to the Corinthians the letter mentioned in 1 Cor. 5: 9; this letter was misunderstood by them (5: 10-11), and later it was completely lost.

3. Paul learned about the problems that arose in the Corinthian church from “the household of Chloe” (1 Cor. 1:11). And later, the official, so to speak, delegation of Stephen, Fortunatus and Achaik (1 Cor. 16:17), arriving at Paul, told him on what specific issues the division between the Corinthians had taken place. The first epistle of the apostle dealt with these matters and was probably written in A.D. 54 or A.D. 55.

4. But, apparently, it did not solve the problems that were tearing apart the church. Paul may have learned this from Timothy (4:17; 16:10). And then he decided to visit the Corinthians again - the apostle mentions this visit to them in 2 Cor. 2: 1 as "grieving" (cf. 2 Cor. 13: 1, which refers to Paul's third visit to Corinth, the last leg of his third missionary journey) - through the fault of a member of the Corinthian church (2 Corinthians . 2: 5).

5. Returning after the second visit to Ephesus, the Corinthians, Paul wrote them a letter, later delivered to them by Titus; he wrote it with a deep pain in his heart (2 Cor. 2: 4), apparently because he was forced to say harsh things in him, which in turn saddened the Corinthians (2 Cor. 7: 8-9).

6. After the riot, raised by the silversmiths who fed at the temple of Artemis in Ephesus, Paul was forced to leave Ephesus; he went to Troas to meet Titus. However, not finding him, distressed, he went to Macedonia, apparently worried about the safety of Titus (2 Cor. 2: 12-13; 7: 5). After meeting with him, the apostle finally learned from him good news about the general state of the Corinthian church, but at the same time bad news - about the emergence in the church of a group opposed to Paul.

7. While in Macedonia, Paul wrote Second Epistle to the Corinthians before visiting their city for the third time in the winter of 56-57 (Acts 20: 1-4).

Purpose of writing.

If the Epistle to the Ephesians deals with the problems of the universal Church, then 1 Epistle to the Corinthians is clearly dictated by the apostle's concern for the position of the local church. Whenever one of us thinks that there is no more trouble than he has in church, he should look to this letter of Paul (and to its accompanying Epistle to the Corinthians) to see things in comparison, and at the same time in their true light. First Epistle to the Corinthians allows us to glimpse the inner life of one of the local churches of the first century and make sure that this church was far from true holiness.

This was precisely the reason Paul wrote this letter — to make the consecration received by the Corinthians practical. For the spirit of the world seems to have had a greater impact on this church than the Spirit of God, despite the wonderful and obvious gifts the Corinthians received from the Spirit. Paul sought to change this situation. In the letter he sent to the Corinthian church, three main lines are clearly visible:

1. In the first six chapters, the apostle seeks to settle the divisions within the church that he has learned about (1:11), and both in perspective and in practice to achieve the unity of the Corinthians.

2. Beginning with chapter 7, Paul proceeds to an analysis of specific questions that occupied the Corinthians (in the Greek text they are each time introduced by the phrase peri de - "and now with regard to"); these are questions of marriage (7: 1.25), freedom and responsibility (8: 1), spiritual gifts and internal church order (12: 1), collecting donations for the needs of the saints in Jerusalem (16: 1), and, finally, prospects Apollos's visit to Corinth (16:12).

3. In chapter 15, the apostle reaffirms and substantiates the doctrine of the resurrection from the dead, which some have refuted. Perhaps it was in this that Paul saw the root cause of many of the troubles of the Corinthian church, and therefore what he says in chapter 15 corresponds to the apogee of the whole letter.

Behind everything that this letter is dedicated to, there is a question of both the very existence of the Corinthian church, and the power of testimony about the power of God and His gospel.

Book outline:

I. Introduction (1: 1-9) A. Welcome and introduction from the author and his readers (1: 1-3) B. Praising God for the fruits of His mercy (1: 4-9)

II. Divisions in the Church (1:10 - 4:21)

A. The Sad Reality of Divisions (1: 10-17)

B. Reasons for Divisions (1:18 - 4: 5)

1. Misunderstanding the essence of evangelism (1:18 - 3: 4)

2. Misunderstanding the meaning and purpose of ministry (3: 5 - 4: 5)

C. On Overcoming Divisions (4: 6-21)

III. Church Riots (chapters 5-6)

A. Failure to instruct and admonish the sinner (chapter 5)

B. Failure to Resolve Disputes Between Believers (6: 1-11)

C. Lack of proper purity in intimate relationships (6: 12-20).

IV. Church Difficulties (Chapters 7-15)

A. Advice About Marriage (Chapter 7)

1. Marriage and celibacy (7: 1-9)

2. Marriage and divorce (7: 10-24)

3. Marriage and service to God (7: 25-38)

4. Remarriage and Widowhood (7: 39-40)

B. On Christian Freedom (chapters 8-14)

1. Christian freedom and pagan worship of idols (8: 1 - 11: 1)

a. Brotherly Love Principle (Chapter 8)

b. Reasonable attitude towards privileges (9: 1 - 10:13)

v. On the attitude towards pagan practice (10:14 - 11: 1)

2. Christian freedom and worship of God (11:12 - 14:40)

a. On the status and rules for women in the church (11: 2-16)

b. Participating in the Lord's Supper (11: 17-34)

v. Spiritual Gifts (chapters 12-14)

C. The Doctrine of the Resurrection (Chapter 15).

1. The inevitability of a bodily resurrection (15: 1-34)

a. Evidence Based on Historical Facts (15: 1-11)

b. Logical evidence (15: 12-19)

v. Theological evidence (15: 20-28)

d. Practical evidence (15: 29-34)

2. Answers to some questions (15: 35-58)

a. Answers to Questions about the Resurrection of the Dead (15: 35-49)

b. Answers to Questions about the Rapture of the Living (15: 50-58)

d. Advice regarding fundraising for the poor (16: 1-4)

e. Paul writes to the Corinthians about possible future visits (16: 5-12)

V. Conclusion (16: 13-24)

B. Cheers, curse and blessing (16: 19-24)

Two epistles to ap. Paul to the Corinthians were written by him during the third journey, the first from Ephesus, the second from Macedonia. On the conditions for writing 2 Cor. the speech will be below. With regard to the first letter, the reference to Ephesus (16: 8) and Asia (v. 19) requires a comparison of 1 Cor. 16 p. Acts. 19: 21-22: While in Ephesus, the Apostle is going to Achaia through Macedonia and is considering a trip to Jerusalem (cf. 1 Cor. 16: 3-5). Even the mission of Timothy referred to in Acts. 19:22, mentioned in 1 Cor. (16: 10-11, cf. 4:17). These overlapping indications are sufficient to determine the place and time of the writing of 1 Cor. Our conclusion can be made more precise if the indication of 1 Cor. 15:32 refers to the Ephesian rebellion described in Acts. 19: (vv. 23 ff.). In this case, 1 Cor. was written after the mutiny.

But with those two epistles of St. Paul to the Corinthians, who found a place in the New Testament canon, his correspondence with the Corinthian Church was not limited to. Indication 1 Cor. 5: 9 should be understood as a reference to a certain letter that was sent by the Apostle before our first letter. On the other hand, in 2 Cor. Paul is referring to an early epistle that should have grieved readers (2: 3-4; 7: 8, 12, cf. hint 10:10). Contrary to the opinion of the ancients, this strict message could not have been our first message, for the simple reason that 1 Cor. is not at all distinguished by severity and could not upset readers. Nor could the Apostle refer to the epistle that is mentioned in 1 Cor. 5: 9. If he had it in mind, the calm tone of 1 Cor. and that deep emotion that permeates 2 Cor. and which is in connection with the strict message that preceded it. It remains to be admitted that the strict epistle was written by the Apostle after our first epistle. Thus, it turns out that ap. Paul sent at least four letters to Corinth, of which our first is the second and our second is the fourth.

But from 1 Cor. it follows that the Corinthians also wrote ap. Paul. In 7: 1, he directly refers to the letter he received. The same follows from the Greek text 8: 1 and 12: 1 (the correct Russian translation would be: as for the sacrificed to idols, then ...; as for the spiritual gifts, then ...). 1 Cor. there is a response message. Taking this character into account, Bp. Theophan the Recluse shared 1 Cor. into "divisions," as he called those parts of the epistle that corresponded to the points in the letter received by the Apostle. With this purely mechanical understanding of the plan, 1 Cor. it is impossible to agree. The following analysis should show the remarkable inner unity of the message. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the Corinthians wrote the ap. Paul, and that Paul refers to one of their letters in our first epistle.

This letter did not reach us, just as those Epistles to the Corinthians did not reach us. Paul who did not make it into the New Testament canon. Two apocryphal letters: Corinthians to Paul and Paul to Corinthians, preserved in later manuscripts in Syriac, Armenian and Latin, do not count. Modern critical science also failed in its attempts to decompose 2 Cor. into its constituent parts and at the cost of this decomposition to separate from it the fragments of the lost messages: the most ancient - in passage 6: 14-7: 1 and strict - in chap. 10-13. It remains for us to come to terms with the loss and focus on learning what we have.

First Epistle to the Corinthians

1 Cor. begins with a general appeal (1: 1-3), in which the apostolic dignity of the sender is noted, and the name of Sosthenes, brother, is named next to his name. Sosthenes was obviously known to the Corinthians and therefore the identification of Sosthenes in 1 Cor. 1: 1 with Sosthenes, ruler of the synagogue, Acts. 18:17. From this identification it would follow that Sosthenes 1 Cor. 1: 1 was a Jew, who after the second journey of the apostle. Paul was converted to Christ.

Opening thanksgiving, which the ap. Paul exalts the spiritual prosperity of readers (1: 4-9), belongs to those thanksgiving, in which the main thoughts of the epistle are indicated (cf. v. 7a and gl. 12-14, v. 7c, 8 and ch. 15).

In stt. 10 et seq. ap. Paul speaks of the circumstances in the life of the Corinthian Church that led him to write. He learned that there were divisions among the believers. Some, feeling a special connection with Paul, called themselves Pavlovs, others - Apollos, still others - Kifins (ie Petrovs), others - Christ's (v. 12). The apostle is saddened by divisions and wants the Corinthians to understand that they are wrong. But the tone of the message even in this part is calm. Obviously, there was no deep violation of the church peace. Some commentators compare the Corinthian divisions with the Constantinople disputes about the predominant veneration of one of the three ecumenical teachers and saints, which ended with the establishment of a common holiday for them (January 30). It is possible that Apollos attracted to himself by his eloquence (cf. Acts 17: 24-28), to which the Greeks were very greedy. They might have preferred him to Paul, who, by his own admission, was not eloquent (cf. 2 Cor. 11: 6; cf. 10:10). In modern science, it has even been suggested that Paul stuttered. But the mention of the Kithins and the Christ ones makes it possible to think that Judaistic agitators also worked in Corinth. They could contrast Paul with Peter and refer to what they knew Christ in the days of His public ministry. But while ap. Paul wrote 1 Cor., Their influence, in all likelihood, had not yet had time to show itself. Paul, apparently, was more worried about the divisions that were associated with the opposition of him and Apollos, and to which he returns several more times (3: 4 et seq., 4: 6, cf. the mention of Apollos at 16:12) ...

The divisions indicated in the Corinthian Church, ap. Paul responds with his gospel of Christ (chap. 1 and 2). And, above all, to the strife among the Corinthians, he opposes Christ Himself as the single principle of salvation (1: 13-16). But Christ, whom Paul preached in Corinth, is Christ crucified (2: 1-2, cf. already 1:13). The gospel of Christ crucified is the gospel of the Cross (1: 17-29); it reveals the wisdom of God in human weakness. Human wisdom is incompatible with the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is inexpressible and accessible, in the grace of the Holy Spirit. only spiritual. It is closed for people of soul who cannot contain what comes from the Holy Spirit (2: 6-16). The opposition of spiritual and spiritual people brings us back to the testimony of 1 Thess. 5:23 on the three-part composition of man. But this antithesis of ap. Paul is not limited. It stood before him in connection with the comparison of the ineffable wisdom of God and the wisdom of man. But the question arises: was the secret of this wisdom revealed to the Corinthians, and what do they need? Paul answers it in chap. 3 and 4. The Corinthians, when he first came to them, were babies and, like babies, fleshly. In the best manuscripts of the Greek text, Ch. 3 ap. Paul applies two adjectives to the Corinthians are you human ?. The alternation of these two adjectives creates a pun that is difficult to translate. The suffix means: stone, or wood. In the adjective, this speaks of the substance of the flesh from which a person is made. Due to the weakness of the flesh, solid food is not available to a baby, and Paul, when he preached the gospel to the Corinthians, could not reveal to them the deepest secrets of faith. However, over time, the situation has not changed for the better. The Corinthians were like babies, they became sakriki…. Adjective sarkikos contains the moment of evaluation. It speaks of the subordination of the higher principle of the spirit to the lower principle of the flesh. The enslavement of the Corinthians to the flesh was reflected in the divisions that arose in their midst. And because before the Apostle could not lead them into the mysteries of the wisdom of God, he could not because of their infant state, so he cannot even now, when they enslaved the spirit of the flesh. He will confine himself to telling them the essence of the apostolic ministry. Appreciation of the apostolic ministry is the theme of chap. 3 and 4. But it is interesting that a spiritual person, opposed in ch. 2 to a natural person (vv. 14-15), is contrasted in 3: 1 to a person of flesh. Concept sarkikos, which does not contain evaluation, introduces, along with the principles of spirit and soul, the third principle of flesh. At the same time, the concept of flesh approaches the concept of the soul, by which, obviously, of course, the vital force that animates the body, and both are opposed to the spirit.

Paul raises the apostolic ministry to a very great height. The apostles are God's co-workers (3: 9). But this is only one side. On the other hand, the Apostles are ministers of Christ. They are stewards who are accountable (4: 1-2). Called by God to cooperate, the Apostles are belittled before God. Paul uses agricultural and construction images. Ultimately, it doesn't matter who planted and who watered. Only God gives growth (3: 6-8). Moving on to building images, Paul emphasizes that building can only be on one foundation that has already been laid. This foundation is Jesus Christ (3: 11-17). Builders use different materials: refractory and non-refractory. The day when the quality of the material will be tested by fire is undoubtedly the day of Christ, the coming of the Lord in glory. But even that unsuccessful builder, whose building burns down, will be saved - albeit not without damage - if only he built on a single foundation, Christ. The apostle's warning is directed against those who are willing to give up the foundation. He evidently thought that this was the danger the Corinthian divisions threatened if they deepened further. Paul himself, in his sorrows and labors of his ministry, feels like the father of the Corinthians. The father can be and sometimes, inevitably, is strict (cf. 4: 18-21). But the father is not strict, but love (cf. 4: 14-17). And Paul's instructions in 1 Cor. - these are the instructions of the father.

In terms of 1 Cor. gl. 1-4 have the meaning of introduction. The apostle sets out the main theme of the epistle: the unity of the Church, and gives an assessment of the apostolic ministry, which justifies his subsequent instructions. These instructions deal with particular issues of concern to Corinthian Christians. Each of these issues could deepen divisions, in other words, disrupt the unity of the Church. Offering his solutions, ap. Paul remains true to the basic task that he set himself from the very beginning.

The first question is the question of bodily purity. Glll. 5-7. The occasion for its production was a case of monstrous incest that took place in Corinth (5: 1 et seq.). It is, of course, not about the mother, but about the stepmother, and the father of the incest was obviously no longer alive. Nevertheless, the case seemed blatant, even from the point of view of pagan customs. But in the Christian Church, he was a relapse of paganism (cf. also articles 10-13), and his decision was of fundamental importance. The apostle spews out an incest from the Church, but this eruption has as its purpose his salvation on the day of the Lord (5: 3-5). An isolated incident, since it was a relapse into paganism, inevitably raises a general question. Along the way, the Apostle warns the Corinthians against the judgment of the unbelievers (6: 1-8). One might think that this new topic arises from his association: he just spoke about the trial in connection with the question of the incest (5:13). But this apostasy also answers his concern for the purity and integrity of the Church. The general principle of Christian behavior is formulated in 6: 12-14. It is closely related to the question of bodily purity, as well as to the next question of the sacrificed to idols (8-10), but at the same time it is also the basic law of Christian morality. This law states that freedom lies at the foundation of a Christian's moral life. Christian freedom must be protected as the highest value (cf. vv. 12b, 20a, 7:23). But for a Christian, for all his freedom, not everything is useful (v. 12), and he must be able to limit his freedom. The Apostle will speak about the limitation of freedom for love of one's neighbor (cf. 8: 9, 9:19) regarding the problem of the sacrificed to idols. In connection with the question of bodily purity, he speaks of the self-restraint required by the holiness of the body, its dedication to the Lord, the dwelling of the Holy Spirit in it.

The doctrine of marriage, to which ch. 7, prompted by the question posed by the Corinthians in their letter to St. Paul (cf. v. 1). But it is intrinsically related to the theme of bodily purity, and this explains why Paul touches him here. At first glance, it may seem that Paul's approach to marriage is purely utilitarian. Marriage is for him a remedy for fornication (cf. vv. 1-2, 9). In mixed marriages, where one of the spouses believes in Christ and the other remains a pagan, the Apostle speaks out against the dissolution of the marriage, in the hope that the believing spouse can convert the unbeliever (cf. vv. 12-16). In all these cases, marriage is a means to the attainment of some higher end. But the state of celibacy: virginity or widowhood, the apostle gives preference to the state of marriage. This is his conviction ap. Paul is very clear (cf. vv. 1: 38-40). He sets himself up as an example of himself (v. 8) and thinks that he also has the Spirit of God (v. 40b). However, in speaking in favor of virginity, Paul makes a reservation: virginity is not ordained by the Lord. Paul distinguishes between the advice he, Paul, and the command of the Lord (v. 25). He attributes his advice to the conditions of the moment he is experiencing (vv. 29-32, cf. vv. 26 more). Here, too, we catch in his words the tension of the eschatological expectation: "the image of this world is passing away" (v. 31). Obviously, the purely utilitarian justification of marriage did not express the thought of the ap. Paul in all its depth. He, in any case, is far from the humiliation of marriage. Moreover, it follows from some of his comments that he understands marriage as the closest unity of spouses (cf. Art. 3-4). At the same time, he justifies the prohibition of divorce by a direct command of the Lord, and excludes the very possibility of a second marriage for a divorced woman (st. 10-11). This idea of ​​the closest unity of spouses and the indissolubility of marriage opens the way to the mystical teaching about marriage, as a reflection of the union of Christ and the Church, a teaching that will be given a few years later by St. Paul in Ephesians (ch. 5). The main idea of ​​ap. Paul, in any case, is clear: in a marriage union or in celibacy, a person has one calling. This vocation is a complete service to God: it is not for nothing that all earthly and, first of all, social values ​​are reevaluated in Christ (v. 22).

From the question of bodily purity ap. Paul moves on to the question of what was sacrificed to idols (8-10). As already mentioned, ap. Paul and his Corinthian correspondents also asked about this subject (cf. 8: 1 in the Greek text). It is remarkable that Paul, when giving instructions regarding what was sacrificed to idols, nowhere refers to the decree of the Jerusalem Council - and abstaining from what was sacrificed to idols, which he, generally speaking, recommends to his readers, he does not understand as obedience to a lawfully established norm. According to the ap. Paul, it must flow out of love. For our time, the problem as such does not exist. But the fundamental points of departure from which Paul starts in solving it remain valid at all times.

Solution ap. Paul rests on two foundations. These two foundations are knowledge and love (8: 1-3). Knowledge concerns the sacrificed to idols. Ap. Paul denies the very existence of those sacrificed to idols (vv. 4-6). The concept of the sacrificed to idols presupposes the existence of idols as images of pagan gods. But for ap. Paul, there are no pagan gods. He does not deny the realities that pagans worship as gods. His thought will reach complete clarity in chap. 10. But these realities are not gods, but demons. As gods, pagan gods simply have no existence. That is why there is no such thing as an idol offering. This knowledge of what is sacrificed to idols is the foundation of freedom. But the freedom possessed by the strong and knowledgeable can be a temptation for the weak. And ap. Paul sets before a brother who has knowledge the debt of love. To avoid the temptation of a weak brother, he must limit himself and his freedom (vv. 7-13). Call for self-restraint ap. Paul reinforces by referring to his own example (chap. 9). He, too, did not enjoy the benefits of apostolic ministry. He became an Apostle by necessity - the former persecutor was thinking, in all likelihood, about his conversion - and only free service gives him the right to the reward of praise (vv. 15-18). But ap. Paul also sets out a common goal. He was everything to everyone, that is, he limited himself in everything in order "to save at least some" (vv. 19-22). He encourages his readers to do the same.

But it is not only concern for a weak brother that speaks against eating things sacrificed to idols. Ch. X begins with a warning from the Old Testament (10: 1-13). Israel in the wilderness neglected the great mercies of God. In the words of ap. Paul clearly feels that he perceived these mercies as a type of salvation in Christ. And Israel's punishment should be a warning to Christians (cf. especially vv. 5-12). Paul speaks of the temptation that befell the Corinthians (v. 13), and then returns to the subject of what was sacrificed to idols. Eating something sacrificed to idols is also fraught with the danger of idolatry (cf. v. 14), because a meal sacrificed to idols is a demonic meal, and a demonic meal is incompatible with the Lord's meal (cf. 15-22). Paul does not abandon the definition of knowledge that he gave in chap. 8. There are no pagan gods as gods. Therefore, there is no one that is sacrificed to idols. He only expresses his thought. The pagan gods are demons (v. 20), and it is not befitting for Christians to take part in a demonic meal. From stt. 16-17 it is clear that the Lord's meal (cf. v. 21) Paul calls the Eucharistic meal and sees in it the beginning that builds the unity of the Church. One body of the Church, as he says in chap. 12 (v. 27), is the body of Christ. So already in the early epistles of St. Paul outlines the mystical Christology of his letters of bondage.

And, nevertheless, it is not the mystical danger of the sacrificed to idols that focuses Paul's attention on itself. In the concluding passage 10: 23-11: 1, he returns to the call of ch. 8. Everything is allowed - in Art. 23 almost literally repeats the principle of Christian morality, formulated in 6:12, - but not everything is useful, and not everything edifies. The believer must think of the brother (cf. v. 24). It is this concern that determines the solution of those specific cases that Paul has in mind in vv. 25-28. He once again warns against temptation (v. 32) and sets himself up as an example (v. 33). As in the doctrine of bodily purity, we catch the theocentric emphasis: everything that a person does, he must do to the glory of God (v. 31).

Chapters 11-14 are devoted to the question of the conduct of believers in prayer meetings. From this general question, ap. Paul identifies three private ones, to which he devotes primary attention. The first concerns the behavior of women in prayer meetings (11: 2-16), the second - the Lord's supper (11: 17-34), and the third - the gift of tongues, to which the apostle. Paul fits in connection with other spiritual gifts (12-14).

The question of women's behavior is actually the question of whether women should pray with their heads covered or uncovered (cf. v. 13). Paul resolves it in the sense that women should pray only with their heads covered. In the arguments that ap. Paul proposes to justify his decision, a lot of things sound unconvincing to us (cf. vv. 4-6, 13-15), and some things could not resist in the life of the Orthodox Church (cf. v. 14). Like all people, the Apostles were children of their time, and much that seemed self-evident to them in humanity did not say anything to other Christian generations. When it comes to women's behavior, what matters is not the solution Paul proposes or the human considerations he gives, but the fundamental foundation on which he builds. This basis is given in v. 3. He speaks of the hierarchical relationship between husband and wife, raised through Christ to God. He affirms the royal position of the husband as the image and glory of God (cf. v. 7). But the hierarchy does not exclude the equality of husband and wife, in their origin from each other and both from God (cf. v. 12), it is also associated with their unity, which is unity in the Lord (cf. v. 11). So, on a special issue, ap. Paul, inevitably, returns to the topic of the conjugal union and, further deepening the thoughts outlined in chap. 7, paves the way for teaching Ephesians.

In Art. 17 Paul moves on to the next question, also related to the prayer meeting of believers. The divisions of the Corinthians are evident when they come together. In Art. 18 stands in the best manuscripts without a member and therefore does not mean the Church, but the assembly in the general sense of the word. The apostle is ready to be reconciled even to differences of opinion (Greek. heresies), because they serve to deepen the Christian consciousness (v. 19). But he is confused by the dishonorable celebration of the Lord's supper (vv. 20 et seq.). This is the second question related to liturgical meetings, at which St. Pavel stops. Under the Lord's supper, he undoubtedly means the supper of love, or Agapu, a brotherly meal that the ancient Christians had, but which with this name is mentioned in the New Testament only in the Epistle of Jude (v. 12) and, perhaps, in 2 Peter (2:13). In the New Testament era, the celebration of the Eucharist was combined with agapa. Therefore, he dedicates the ap. Paul has given so much attention to this topic. As in the Last Supper of Christ the Savior, the celebration of the Eucharist took place after the meal. From separate remarks by ap. Paul, it is clear that he considered it completely natural - and in some cases even desirable - to eat food before the Eucharist (v. 34, cf. v. 21). Our practice of taking communion on an empty stomach became firmly established later. Very soon, perhaps due to persecution, the celebration of the Eucharist was separated from the agapa.

Excerpt 11:20 ff. is of interest because ap. Paul gives in it the tradition of the institution of the Eucharist parallel to the synoptic one (cf. vv. 23-25). It is possible that ap. Paul was introduced into the mystery of the Eucharist by the Lord Himself (cf. the interpretation in italics of the Russian translation of v. 23), bypassing any human medium (cf. Gal. 1). The disturbances that were noted in Corinth at the evenings of love (vv. 20-22) and became known to the apostle. Paul, forced him to point out the meaning of the Eucharist, as communion with the death of the Lord (vv. 26-27), and require believers to test themselves (cf. vv. 28-34). On this requirement, ap. Paul and founded the Christian practice of "preparing" for Holy Communion. In terms of 1 Cor. orders ap. Paul, concerning the celebration of the Lord's supper, brings us back to a cursory remark 10:16, 17. Objection to the divisions that were also manifested in the discontent during the celebration of the Lord's supper, Apostle Paul. Paul recognized that the Eucharistic meal is the mystical foundation of the unity of the Church.

The general question of spiritual gifts (gl. 12-14) is posed by Apostle. Paul in connection with the manifestations of the gift of tongues that were observed in Corinth and caused confusion. That this is so follows from the construction of the passage. In 12: 1 Paul refers to a letter he received, and in vv. 2 and 3, referring to the silent idols that readers have served in the past, testifies that no one who speaks in the Spirit of God will say: Anathema Jesus. Verb (in 1 Cor. 12: 3 in the form speaking) is used about the gift of tongues. Here it denotes speech in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, to whom the gift of tongues ascends, is contrasted with silent idols. From the very beginning, the apostle takes the gift of tongues under his protection. And further, listing the spiritual gifts, he places at the end of the list different languages ​​and the interpretation of languages ​​(12:10). The same is repeated in st. 28-30. And finally, Ch. 14, the last of the three devoted to spiritual gifts, is entirely focused on the gift of tongues. It seems that ap. Paul always has in mind the gift of tongues and invariably reminds his readers of it. As in a sentence, the last word, and in a long chain, the last link, inevitably, focuses on itself.

The manifestation of the gift of tongues aroused a temptation, for the sake of which the ap. Pavel also posed a general question.

In the Russian translation of the New Testament in 1 Cor. 14 when the noun "language" is singular or plural, the supposedly implied definition of "unfamiliar" is filled. Thus, the gift of tongues, which was observed in the Corinthian Church, is interpreted as the mastery of foreign languages, similar to that which took place on the day of Pentecost. But this interpretation is undoubtedly wrong. The fact is that in the account of Pentecost, the languages ​​spoken by the Apostles are defined as "other" languages ​​(Acts 2: 4). Likewise, in the last teaching of Christ in the Gospel of Mark (16:17), believers are promised that they will speak with "new" tongues. Meanwhile, in 1 Cor. 14, the word "language" has no definition. This distinction is not accidental. From selected notes of 1 Cor. 14 it can be inferred that the sounds spoken by those who knew the gift of tongues were not incoherent and inarticulate. It was a language, but an incomprehensible language (cf. vv. 21 and 9-11, as well as vt. 5 et seq.). As incomprehensible, he also provoked temptation (cf. v. 23). But from the words of ap. Paul, it follows that he was incomprehensible not only to others, but also to the owner of the gift. This latter also had to pray for the gift of interpretation (cf. v. 13). To prayer in the spirit Paul contrasts prayer in the mind. Those with the gift of tongues pray with the spirit, not the mind (cf. vv. 14-15). This opposition reveals the thought of the Apostle. Human language is the language of concepts and, as such, the language of the mind. The sounds referred to in 1 Cor. 14 cannot be translated into the language of concepts. These are "sighs unspeakable", as the apostle must call them. Paul in Rom. 8:26. Modern science has shed light on this phenomenon by studying ecstatic speech, which is observed in a state of strong religious arousal among some sectarians in Russia and in the West. This ecstatic speech consists of articulate sounds, the alternation of which is subject to certain laws that make it possible to speak about a certain language, just as we speak about a child's language. Children's language also does not coincide with any of the historical languages, and nevertheless, it is subject to its own laws, which give it the nature of the language. These analogies bring us closer to understanding the nature of the phenomenon which ap. Paul addresses in 1 Cor. 14. The very name "glossolalia", which ecstatic speech received in science, is borrowed from Paul talk... Corinthian glossolalia differed from the miraculous gift that manifested itself on the day of Pentecost in that it did not allow identification with any historical language. However, this phenomenon in the Apostolic Age was not limited to the Corinthian Church alone. One might think that it was also observed in Ephesus (cf. Acts 19: 6, where in the Russian translation the supposedly implied word "other" is unnecessarily filled in). It is remarkable that, according to Ap. Paul (1 Cor. 14:18), he himself possessed this gift to a greater extent than others. For this he thanked God. One might think that he appreciated this gift as a miraculous overcoming, by the power of the Holy Spirit, of created human limitation (cf. the mention of the languages ​​of angels in 13: 1). But the gift was fraught with dangers, and ap. Paul takes these difficulties into account.

In ch. 12 he speaks of the gift of tongues among other spiritual gifts. They all have one source in the Holy Spirit (vv. 4-11), and all are needed, just as different members are needed in the composition of one body (vv. 12-27). These members live one life, care for each other mutually, and the body that the owners of the gifts make up is the Body of Christ. It is clear from the context (cf. v. 28, after v. 27) that ap. Paul already at this time identified the Body of Christ with the Church. The presence of various ministries in the Church is associated with the possession of various gifts (vv. 28-30). It follows from what has been said that the gift of tongues has a right to exist, like other gifts. But gifts have different merit, and Paul recommends seeking higher gifts (v. 31a). And above all, he opposes not only the gift of tongues, but all gifts in general - the most excellent way (cf. v. 31b). This path is the path of love (ch. 13). In terms of 1 Cor. hymn of love ch. 13 takes place in connection with the teaching about spiritual gifts. If spiritual gifts can be understood as an anticipation of the coming fullness, a partial overcoming of created limitation, which will come to an end when fullness comes (cf. v. 8-12), then love is higher than gifts (cf. v. 1-3), because it there will be no end (v. 8), and for the same reason it is above both faith and hope (v. 13). Close to the gift of the languages ​​of Ap. Paul goes on to ch. 14. And it is here that it is said that in the series of spiritual gifts he belongs to the lowest place. The prophecy is superior to him (v. 5, cf. vv. 1-4, 23-25, 39-40). The manifestation of the gift of tongues necessarily requires the gift of interpretation (v. 13, cf. vv. 5-6, 28). Paul values ​​that which serves to edify the Church (cf. v. 19). Ch. 14 ends with practical instructions (arts. 36-40) regarding the use of the gift of tongues, to which, incidentally, some others join. The apostle is guided by concern for the common good of believers. He strives to preserve valuable and prevent dangers.

Ch. 15 is devoted to the question of the resurrection. Ap. Paul found it necessary to place him in connection with the information he received that some in Corinth denied the resurrection of the dead (v. 12). The efforts of the ap. Paul. To establish the truth of the resurrection, he cites a number of evidences (cf. vv. 1-11, 13-19, 29-34), both direct and contradictory. A special place is occupied by the historical evidence of the Resurrection of Christ (cf. v. 3-11), which proves the possibility of a resurrection in general (cf. v. 12). This testimony, which, as we noted in our time, substantially supplements the testimony of the Gospel, is the oldest written record of the gospel of the Resurrection of Christ. Eliminating doubts about the resurrection, the Apostle, along the way, also gives a positive teaching about the resurrection. So, in stt. 20-28 he reveals the meaning of the Resurrection of Christ. The risen Christ opposes Adam, in whose person the human race has fallen under the power of death. By His Resurrection, Christ lays the foundation for a general resurrection and leads creation to that divine fullness, when God is all things in all (v. 23). The last objection to Art. 35 puts before al. Paul and the deliberate theme of the bodies of the resurrected (vv. 36-56). He develops it from the analogy of the qualitative difference between a plant and the grain from which it grows. The body of the first Adam was a spiritual body. The glorious resurrection body will be a spiritual body in the image given in Christ. This transformation will extend to those who will be found alive by the coming of Christ. As in 1 Thess. 4:17, ap. Paul seems to think he will be one of them (cf. v. 52). In Art. 56 he calls the law the power of sin. Behind this cursory indication lies a doctrine detailed in Romans and Galatians. The doctrine of the resurrection in 1 Cor. 15 belongs to those parts of the New Testament which testify to the tension of the eschatological expectation in the first Christian generation.

Ch. 16 has a practical and personal character. Ap. Paul orders the collection procedure for the benefit of the Jerusalem Church (vv. 1-4), talks about his personal plans, gives final instructions and sends greetings. Like 2 Thess., 1 Cor., Written by the Apostle, in all likelihood, with his own hand, ends in st. 21-24 by his signature, concluding a reminder and a blessing. The reminder - about love for the Lord - ends with the Aramaic utterance "Maranatha", which Paul leaves without translation. It means "The Lord has come", or "The Lord is coming", and, perhaps, as in Apk. 22:20, "Lord, come." In any case, it testifies once again to the eschatological aspiration of the Apostolic Age.

The proposed analysis of 1 Cor. Clearly shows his extraordinary inner unity and the great harmony of his plan. The Epistle, beginning with the word about the Cross (chap. 1), ends, in its main part, with the testimony of the Resurrection (chap. 15). These are, as it were, two milestones that determine the construction of the message. The theme of the message is the unity of the Church. We are talking about the Corinthian local Church, not about the universal Church, but the local Church is also a kind of microcosm, and what is valid for the local Church preserves it for the universal Church. The unity of the Church rests on a moral and a mystical basis. Chapters 5-10 are devoted primarily, though not exclusively, to the moral foundation. It is especially clear in resolving the question of what was sacrificed to idols in the spirit of brotherly love. In gl. 11-14 The Apostle puts forward - again, mainly, and not exclusively - the beginning of the mystical unity. Such is the Eucharistic meal (11), such is the One Holy Spirit, manifesting itself in the variety of spiritual gifts (12). But, as in the first part the Apostle also remembers the mystical danger of the sacrificed to idols (10: 14-22), so in the second part he values ​​spiritual gifts depending on the edification that they bring to the Church (14). The edification of the Church, as a criterion of evaluation, is not a mystical criterion, but a moral one. The goal of Christian work is the life of the century to come, and ch. 15, with her teaching on the Resurrection, naturally concludes the body of the letter. It is quite clear that, taking into account the local needs of the Corinthian Church, ap. Paul gives in gl. 1-15 teaching of general church significance. But in ch. 16, practical and personal as it may be, Paul transcends the narrow confines of the Corinthian Church. Thinking about the collection in favor of the Jerusalem Mother Church, the Apostle introduces the Corinthians into the unity of the Christian world, he tells them about his plans, which are important for the whole Church, and sends them greetings from other Churches.

Corinthian Troubles

The purpose of 1 Cor. was the preservation of the internal unity of the Corinthian Church and its attraction to the unity of the entire Christian world. Based on 2 Cor. we can argue that this goal was not achieved. Scattered indications throughout 2 Cor. allow us to restore the facts that happened after the Apostle sent our first letter. We touched on these facts in part when we talked about his third voyage. In the story of Acts. they are omitted. But we have every reason to think that after the Ephesian rebellion, the Apostle realized his intention to visit the Corinthian Church, about which he wrote in 1 Cor. 16: 4-7. Paul alludes to this visit in 2 Cor. 2: 1, but he calls the new visit, for which he is preparing at this time, the third (cf. 12:14, 13: 1). Moreover, when he wrote 1 Cor., He had the intention not to leave Ephesus for Corinth before Pentecost (cf. 1 Cor. 16: 8). If he fulfilled this intention, we are forced to admit that the Pentecost to which he wanted to get to Jerusalem, according to the testimony of the Descriptor (cf. Acts 20:16), refers to the next year. Striving to Jerusalem for Pentecost, Paul left Philippi after passing the unleavened bread (cf. v. 6). A certain time must be put on his stay in Macedonia and the way to Macedonia from Hellas, as in Acts. 20 is called Achaia. Considering that Paul spent three months in Hellas (that is, presumably, Corinth) (cf. v. 3), we come to the conclusion that he arrived there in late November - early December. This was his third stay in Corinth. Thus, all the events that are mentioned in 2 Corinthians are located during the time from Pentecost to the end of November - the beginning of December. These events were as follows. Paul traveled from Ephesus to Corinth and saw that the Corinthian community had betrayed him. The apostle's grief was compounded by the personal grievance that was inflicted on him. That Paul in 2 Cor. 2: 5-8 had in mind a very specific case and a specific person, follows from his words about the offender and the offended in 7:12. In modern science, the prevailing opinion is that under the offended ap. Paul understands himself (cf. 2: 5). To restore the situation, Paul considered visiting Corinth again (1: 15-16). Apparently, he left there for Ephesus immediately after the crisis. But he did not carry out his intention (cf. 2 Cor. 1: 23-2: 1), but sent in his place a strict message (cf. 2: 4, 9; 7: 8-12), which has not come down to us. Titus was its giver. To meet Titus, who was to inform the Apostle about the situation in Corinth, he went to Troas and further to Macedonia (cf. 2: 12-13), where Titus brought him good news (cf. 7: 5-7, 13-15). In the mood of the Corinthians, the stern message brought about a turning point.

There is every reason to believe that what happened in Corinth was the work of Jewish agitators. Apparently, the greatest danger to the unity of the Corinthian Church was not the struggle between the Apollos and Pavlovs, but the emergence of the group of Kifins and Christ. In 2 Cor. Paul contrasts himself with what he calls οὶ ὺ̀πὲρ α̉πόστολοι (11: 5; 12:11). The Russian translation: "the highest Apostles" is undoubtedly incorrect, since it presupposes the members of the apostolic two decimal. However, the ancients also thought so. But the expression ὺ̀πὲρ λίαν - perhaps Pavlov's neologism - sounds ironic. Paul calls his opponents "more than very, apostles." He apparently scoffs at their exaggerated claims of apostolic dignity. In fact, they are false apostles and servants of Satan (cf. 11: 13-15). But they themselves, according to all data, called the ministers of Christ (cf. 10: 7; 11: 22-23). They must have considered it their special advantage that they saw the Lord in the days of His earthly ministry. This stems from the persistence with which Paul argues that the knowledge of Christ in the flesh is no longer relevant to the present (cf. 5:16). On the other hand, the opposition of the New Testament as the Testament of the Spirit to the deadly letter of the Old Testament (3: 6) shows that Paul's opponents referred to the Old Testament. A comparison of these data allows us to assert that the Corinthian turmoil was caused by irreconcilable Judaists of the Pharisaic persuasion, members of the direction of Judeo-Christianity, which was defeated at the council, but did not stop its activities in the future.

When Titus informed Ap. Paul about those favorable consequences; who had a strict message in Corinth, he decided to send Titus on a new mission to Corinth and gave him our 2 Cor. This follows from the passage of 2 Cor. 8: 16-24. It is quite clear that in it the Apostle recommends the giver of the epistle, and the forms of the past perfect (cf. st. 17, 18-22) must be understood in the sense of the aorists epistolary. Ancient man, when he sent a letter, took the point of view of the recipient. For the recipient at the moment when he read the letter, the actions of the sender, which he performed by sending the letter, were already in the past. 2 Cor. was intended to consolidate that favorable turn in the mood of the Corinthians, which was achieved by the strict message. Therefore, the main part of the letter (glg. 1-9), apparently addressed to the Corinthian Church as a whole, is distinguished by a soft tone. It contains the ardent love of the Apostle for the Church that betrayed him (cf., for example, 6: 11-13; 7: 3-4). This part also includes two chapters (8-9) devoted to the issue of collection in favor of the Jerusalem Mother Church. We cannot get away from the impression that Paul attached particular importance to drawing the Corinthian Church into a great church-wide undertaking. On the other hand, in gl. 10-13, strict notes sound (cf. 10: 1-2, 6; 12: 20-21; 13: 1-2, 10, etc.). Severity does not exclude love (cf. 11: 2; 12:14, 15, etc.). But one can think that in the community, which was returning to the path of goodness, the agitators were still continuing their destructive work, and the warning of gl. 10-13 is directed against them. It is very likely that 2 Cor. did not reach its goal, as it did not reach 2 Cor. As already indicated, the indignation of the Jews against the ap. Paul, which took place in Hellas and is noted in Acts. 20: 3, could have been a consequence of the same Jewish agitation. If this assumption is correct, we are forced to conclude that the reconciliation achieved by a stern message was fragile. 2 Cor. it was not consolidated, but a new visit to ap. Paul of the Corinthian Church ended for him with new grief. Relationships were likely restored afterwards (cf. 2 Tim. 4:20). But even the fact of the participation of the Corinthians in helping the Jerusalem Church remains in question, the participation that Paul so persistently sought. It should be noted that in Acts. 20: 4 no representatives of the Corinthian Church are mentioned. If Paul's retinue consisted of delegates from the Churches appointed to be present at the transfer of money, the absence of the Corinthians may be indicative. But whatever the success of 2 Cor. The Church had good reason to give him a place in the sacred canon of the New Testament. Not to mention the fact that this very personal message contains a lot of data about the life of the apostle. Paul and the most valuable materials for his characterization, which were also used by us - Paul also touches upon dogmatic issues of extreme importance in him (cf. carried out with authority.

Second Epistle to the Corinthians

The epistle, like 1 Cor., Begins with a conversion (1: 1-2) of the usual type. Along with the name of Paul the Apostle, there is the name of Timothy the brother. The Corinthians knew Timothy from the earliest days of the Corinthian Church (cf. Acts 18: 5). In all likelihood, in the compilation of this epistle, like many others, he served as the apostolic secretary.

For the conversion and in 2 Cor. thanksgiving follows (vv. 3-14). The apostle thanks God for consolation in sorrow. Consolation goes downhill. God comforts the Apostle. The apostle comforts the flock. The consolation of the flock is participation in the sorrows and consolation of the Apostle. Thanksgiving has a very general form: Paul does not say what was the cause of the tribulation he experienced in Asia (v. 8). Since, however, the end of his grief was associated with the revelation of his true face before the Corinthians (vv. 12-14), it can be assumed that he suffered because of the Corinthians. This understanding is confirmed in the future.

In 1: 15-2: 11, Paul talks about changing his original intentions. Instead of a personal visit, he sent a stern message. This was a change in tactics. But the foundation of Paul's relationship to the Corinthians remained unchanged. It is inherent in God, whose promise was fulfilled in Christ, and who gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts (1: 17-22). Paul speaks directly about the Holy Trinity. And the thought of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which, as a pledge (5: 5, Ephesians 1: 13-14) or the beginning (cf. Rom. 8:23), is given to believers now, in anticipation of the coming fullness, is one from Paul's favorite thoughts. If he refused to visit Corinth, then this is explained by his love for them and the consciousness that they have resisted in the faith (in Russian translation: hard). Paul's guiding principle of love is also reflected in the fact that he insists on forgiving the offender (2: 5-11).

At 2:12, Paul returns to the theme of suffering and comfort that he raised in his opening thanksgiving. He gives details that show, this time, with all clarity, what his suffering was and what brought him comfort. Beginning at 2:12, this passage in 2 Cor. ends with the end of chap. 7. But, having told about the anxiety that tormented him in Troas, and with which he crossed over to Macedonia (2: 12-13), Paul interrupts his story with thanksgiving to God (vv. 14-17). Paul's triumph was the achievement of his apostolic ministry, as the work of God, punishing some and saving others. The Apostle dwells on this thought. He considers it necessary to show the readers the essence of the apostolic ministry, to give its dogmatic foundations and to say personally about himself as the bearer of this ministry. This is all the more natural since the Christian existence of the Corinthians is the work of Paul the Apostle (3: 1-3). Of course, in 2 Cor. great passage 3: 4-7: 4 is a digression. In 7: 5 Paul picks up the thread he dropped at 2:17, or even earlier, in v. 13. But the content of the dogmatic teaching of 2 Cor. 1 et seq. is the most important part of the message. The apostle touches in this passage on the basic truths of the Christian faith.

The ministry of the Apostle, entrusted to him by God, is the ministry of the New Testament, which, like the covenant of the Spirit, is opposed to the Old Testament (3: 4-6). The essence of the New Testament, in contrast to the Old Testament, and is revealed in chap. 3. The Old Testament was the covenant of the letter with which death was associated (vv. 6-7). The apostle Paul, of course, is referring to the curse that weighs upon the breaker of the law (cf. Gal. 3:10). He knew the attraction to sin as a violation of the law experienced by the law-governed person, and which led him to death (cf. Rom. 7: 7-11). But even the service of lethal letters was surrounded by glory, albeit fleeting. Moses wore a veil on his face so that the children of Israel would not see the fading glory that shone on him when he went down the mountain. All the more glorious must be the ministry of the New Testament as the abiding ministry of the Spirit and justification (2 Cor. 3: 7-13). But the lawgiver Moses was also the image of the law. The veil also lies on the law, given through Moses, until the children of Israel turn to Christ (vv. 14-16). This thought - about the disclosure of the Old Testament in Christ - speaks not only of the opposition of the two Testaments, but also of their internal connection. Interpretation of Art. 17 presents great difficulties. It must take into account the context, and therefore we have no reason to understand this verse, together with the ancients, as evidence of the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. Such a proof was not included in the task of Ap. Paul. From 1: 17-22 we have already deduced that he had a clear consciousness of the dogma of the Holy Trinity (cf. 13: 13 more). But at 3:17, his thought most likely turned to the closest connection that exists in the Holy Trinity between the Son of God (Lord) and the Holy Spirit. The biblical idea of ​​the manifestation of Christ by the Holy Spirit was also close to Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 12: 3 and others). In any case, while affirming the essence of the New Testament as a covenant of the Spirit, Paul saw the work of the Spirit of the Lord, that is, the Holy Spirit, in freedom (v. 17b). We have noted in 1 Cor. (cf. 8:12, 10:23) Paul's emphasis on freedom as the foundation of Christian morality. Our growing transformation in glory in the image of the glory of the Lord is also connected with the working of the Holy Spirit (v. 18). This is the essence of the New Testament.

In the apostolic ministry, which Paul understands as the ministry of the New Testament, he distinguishes between two sides: his inner essence and the shell in which it is enclosed. This is, in general terms, the topic of glll. 4 and 5. The inside is opposed to the outside, like a treasure in earthen vessels (cf. 4: 7). Through the suffering of the body, the Apostle participates in the death of Jesus and hopes to participate in His Resurrection 4: 8 et seq.). This path of the Apostle is also salvific for the flock (4: 12-15). With the decay of the outer man, the inner is renewed (4: 16-18). The purpose of the Apostle is to put on a heavenly dwelling, and not only to put off the earthly; to achieve this goal and gave him the pledge of the Spirit (5: 1-5). The awareness of this goal determines the behavior of the Apostle, and, in essence, of every Christian (5: 6-10). Paul wants the Corinthians to understand his behavior (vv. 11-13). The new thought about the love of Christ, which embraces the Apostle and unites everyone in the death of Christ (vv. 14-15), brings Paul back to the same opposition on which he dwelt in chap. 4. Now this opposition is revealed to him as the opposition of the new creation in Christ to everything that is ancient, which passed away, and with which knowledge according to the flesh was associated (vv. 16-17). At the foundation of the new creation lies the reconciliation of the world with God, made possible by the redemptive feat of Christ. The ministry of reconciliation is entrusted to the Apostles, who, as the messengers of Christ, call for reconciliation with God (vv. 18-20). Art. 21 is one of the main biblical texts on which the doctrine of the substitutionary meaning of the Passion of Christ rests (cf. Gal. 3:13). As the bearer of the ministry of reconciliation, Paul turns to the Corinthians with a word of instruction (6: 1-7: 4), while referring to his own example (cf. 6: 3-10). Paul's ministry has always been a ministry to God in righteousness. It proceeded in suffering, voluntary and involuntary, but also in incessant joy. For all his poverty, he enriched many. Calling the Corinthians to purity of life and fear of God, he wants to find a response in their hearts in his love for them. The same context applies to the passage 6: 14-7: 1, which we touched upon above. The opinion proposed in science, which sees in it a fragment of the earliest epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 5: 9), has a fulcrum in the apparent disruption of communication. The Apostle returns in 7: 2 to thoughts 6: 11-13, but objective evidence in favor of this dismemberment cannot be cited; and we, in due time, expressed the idea that the Judaistic agitation, having disrupted the peaceful course of church life in Corinth, brought to the surface other currents in which we catch elements of the emerging Gnosticism.

B 7: 5 ap. Paul returns to the thoughts of chap. 2. He speaks of the comfort that his meeting with Titus brought him. The strong message was a success. The Corinthians repented of their deeds and obeyed Titus. Paul rejoices that he can rely on them for everything.

Gl. 8 and 9 are devoted to the special issue of collection for the benefit of the Jerusalem Church. The Apostle cites the Corinthians as an example of the sacrifice of the Macedonian Churches, which by their active participation in the gathering proved their love for him, Paul (8: 1-8), refers to the example of the sacrificial impoverishment of the Lord Himself in His redemptive deed (v. 9) and to the benefit, which this effort will bring to the Corinthians themselves (v. 10). He points out that the help he expects from the Corinthians should not exceed their abundance (vv. 11-15). He entrusts the collection work to Titus (cf. v. 6) and two other brothers as representatives of the Churches (vv. 16-24). In one of them (v. 18) the ancient commentators saw the evangelist Luke. We have no grounds for identifying his "gospel" with our third Gospel: at that time it had not yet been written, and the Christian gospel in a general sense was called "Gospel". However, the juxtaposition of 2 Cor. with Acts. (cf. the 1 person plural form in 20: 5 et seq.) makes it possible that Luke was in Macedonia with Paul and on his way to Hellas, and therefore the identification with him of 2 Cor. 8:18 seems possible and even probable, despite the fact that the considerations presented by the ancients do not deserve our attention. In ch. 9 Paul calls on the Corinthians for generous help (cf. especially vv. 6-11). In connection with what was said in Ch. 8, a call for generosity in chap. 9 balances out Paul's suggestion of giving according to wealth: poverty should not be an excuse for being stingy. For donors, participation in the collection has the meaning that it leads to the implementation of common Christian unity in prayer and love (vv. 12-15). The unity of the Christian world is the unity in the Church of the Jews and the Hellenes. This thought of Ap. Paul considered it especially useful to instill in the Christians of Corinth, who had not yet fully outlived the turmoil sown by the Jews.

Starting with Ch. 10, tone ap. Paul changes: he hears severity. He defends himself against the accusations against him. Attempt. some scholars highlight gl. 10-13, as a remnant of the stern message, did not meet with widespread sympathy. As already mentioned, the difference in tone is explained, in all likelihood, by the fact that in gl. 10-13 Paul is primarily referring to those Jewish agitators who were still continuing their destructive activities in Corinth. First of all, he takes up arms with authority against those who speak of him as if he were walking in the flesh (10: 1-6). His task in the second part of his epistle is auto-apology. His opponents contrasted the severity of his messages with his weakness in personal communication (v. 10: an allusion to a stern message). But, unlike opponents, he has an objective basis for praise (10: 12-17). A person can boast if he has a positive value. Positive values ​​do not exist outside of God. If ap. Paul boasts of the values ​​that he owns, then we are talking about values ​​that in their being ascend to God. No wonder, in Rom. 5 he gives form to the threefold praise (cf. vv. 8, 3, 11) the doctrine of grace. It is in this sense that he belongs to the apostolic authority (cf. 2 Cor. 10: 8) and the portion of his ministry that God has assigned to him. In his love for the Corinthians, opposing himself to his opponents (11: 1-15), Paul is ready, as if in foolishness and not in the Lord, to boast according to the flesh (vv. 16-18), though not outward advantages, - he takes this opportunity to once again laugh bitterly at his opponents (stt. 19-21a), and at the labors and deprivations of his ministry (stt. 21b-32). Connected with the Old Testament past no less tightly than his opponents, he has more rights than them to call himself Christ's servant, because he suffered more for Christ and worked more than them. The recollection of the labors leads him to the recollection of the revelations. In 12: 1-6 he speaks of a man in Christ who was caught up to the third heaven (v. 2), in other words, to paradise (v. 3), where he was given to hear unspeakable verbs. The apostle speaks in the third person, and yet he can boast of this person (v. 5a). If he contrasts it with himself, then in this one can hear the same opposition between the external and the internal man, which was discussed in Ch. 4. Paul is undoubtedly talking about himself. Like ancient prophets (cf. Is. 1: 1; 8: 1; 7: 1; Jer. 1: 2-3; Ez. 1: 1-2, etc.), he even tries to date his mystical experience: "back to that fourteen years "(v. 2). He just does not know - and insists on this (cf. vv. 2-3) - in the body or outside the body, he experienced it. But he does not dwell on revelations, and to the praise according to the flesh he adds praise with his weaknesses, the sting pierced into his flesh, by the angel of Satan, who snatched him so that he would not be exalted (12: 7-9). We have touched upon the history of the interpretation of this mysterious passage in another connection. The Lord did not heed the prayer of the Apostle and did not free him from this suffering, therefore he did not heed that the grace of God was given to him, and the power of God is perfected in weakness. For this reason, it turns out to be justified and praise for weaknesses (vv. 9-10). In the "foolishness" of his praise, Paul sees that he is no lower than the other Apostles, and the Corinthian Church he founded is not in a worse position compared to other Churches (vv. 11-13).

Going to Corinth for the third time, he walks like a father (12: 14-13: 10). The father, in his attitude towards children, is driven by selfless love. And the Apostle directs a final reminder to them so that he does not have to show his strength. He recalls the grief of their last meeting (12: 20-21). He hopes to find them strong in goodness and not have a reason to exercise his authority (13: 7-10).

The epistle ends with a conclusion 13: 11-13. The last word of the epistle, after the call to prayer v. 11 and greetings to Art. 12, there is the blessing of v. 13. The desire for grace, which is common in the signatures of Paul's epistles, is contained in 2 Cor. a threefold formula, which, due to its accuracy, has received liturgical use, both in the East and in the West.

Corinth, famous for great wealth and wisdom, although he believed in Christ, but having believed, was in danger of falling away from Christ. For the rich made up their parties, and the wise men theirs, and, choosing their own teachers, reproached Paul as a poor and uneducated person. In addition, one of them mixed with his stepmother; some, out of gluttony, ate what was sacrificed to idols; others in pecuniary litigation before Hellenic judges; further, the men grew their hair, ate in churches and did not give to the needy; were exalted with spiritual gifts; hesitated about the doctrine of the resurrection. Outward wisdom was the cause of all these disturbances; for she is the mother of all evil to those who believe in her in everything. Therefore, Paul writes an epistle to Corinth with the aim of rectifying all of this. Because, what is most important, there were divisions in the Church, and this was due to arrogance; then he first of all tries to exterminate arrogance. Those infected with arrogance thought they were teaching something higher. Therefore, Paul begins as follows.

The book is addressed to the Christian community of the city of Corinth in Greece. Corinth at that time had one of the largest Christian communities. The Christians of Corinth were mostly Roman let go, although there were also quite a few Greeks and Jews here. The Holy Apostle Paul visited Corinth during the second apostolic journey. And now, during the third journey, he again addressed the believers in Corinth in the Epistle.

1 Corinthians - read and listen chapter by chapter.

1 Epistle to the Corinthians consists of 16 chapters, which you can read and listen to on our website.

Authorship, time and place of writing.

Unlike the one written by Paul's disciple, the Epistle to the Corinthians was written down by the author with his own hand. It was during the third apostolic journey to Ephesus. The time of writing is between 54 and 57 years. The authenticity of the message has never been questioned. The authorship of the Apostle Paul is proved by the following points:

• There are several references to Paul's authorship in the text;
• The Epistle to the Corinthians is similar in style and tone to other texts attributed to Paul;
• The picture drawn by the author of the Epistle is very detailed and does not contain any historical inconsistencies, which indicates a high probability of the authorship of Paul himself, or someone from his inner circle.

During his first stay in Corinth, the Apostle Paul founded a Christian community here. He first preached the gospel to the Corinthian Jews in the synagogue. His sermons did not have the desired effect. Therefore, he soon turned his attention to the pagans and found many adherents among them. It was the pagans from the poor who formed the basis of the new Christian community in Corinth.

The Apostle Paul spent about two years in Corinth.

Purpose of Writing Corinthians

After Paul's departure in Corinth, Apollos preached, whose activities caused confusion in the life of the community. Believers of Corinth split into four camps - adherents of Peter, Paul, Apollos and those who did not recognize the apostolic authorities and believed only in Christ.

The believers who made up Apollos' camp were mostly Jews. Apollos succeeded in what Paul had previously failed - to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. There were also quite a few educated pagans in Apollos' camp. They were impressed by the education of Apollos and the intricate way he structured his speeches, in contrast to the Apostle Paul, who spoke simply and straightforwardly.

Although there is no evidence confirming that the Apostle Peter preached in Corinth, nevertheless, a camp of adherents of his ideas arose here. Most likely, many of the Palestinian Jews who came to Corinth brought the teachings of Peter with them. Peter, according to the Christians of the Petrov camp, was a kind of supreme apostle - and his interpretation of certain laws was the only correct one.

Apostle Paul

Many of the Corinthians who were converted by Paul to Christianity stood for the ideas of their teacher and also formed a special camp of Paul's followers.

The fourth camp was made up of those who did not want to see any mediators between themselves and Christ.

Thus, three years after Paul's departure from Corinth, four parties were formed - the Apollos, Petrov, Pavlov and Christ parties.

In the Epistle to the Corinthians, the author informs the community about his intention to visit the city again in order to reconcile the believers. The position of the Apostle Paul in this matter is simple - he insists on the reconciliation of believers in Christ. In addition to the ideological split in the camp of believers, the author also condemns believers for their numerous sins - adultery, litigation, drunkenness - and for an incorrect or deliberately perverted understanding of the freedom of a Christian.

A summary of the First Epistle to the Corinthians.

First of all, in his epistle, the Holy Apostle wants to restore his authority among the believers of Corinth. The author discusses what should be the relationship between believers and teachers. He says that the common task of believers and apostles is to serve the Lord, and that the question of division into any parties does not make sense.

• Can you sue pagan judges?
• How to deal with the vice of intemperance?
• How should you feel about marriage?
• Is it legal to eat meat sacrificed to idols?

One of the last questions the author discusses is of the most universal, philosophical nature - it is about the use of spiritual gifts. At the end of the Epistle, the author discusses the resurrection of the dead.

In the Epistle to the Corinthians of the Holy Apostle Paul we have before us all the characteristic features of the letter - greetings, greetings, farewell, etc.

The 1st Epistle to the Corinthians was preserved in 3 major editions - Alexandrian, Greco-Latin and Syrian.

Comments on chapter 1

INTRODUCTION TO THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS

THE GREATNESS OF CORINTH

Just one glance at the map shows that an important place was prepared for Corinth. Southern Greece is almost an island. In the west, the Gulf of Corinth juts deep into the land, and in the east it borders the Sardonic Gulf. And so, on this narrow isthmus, between two bays, stands the city of Corinth. This position of the city inevitably led to the fact that Corinth became one of the greatest trade and commercial centers of the ancient world. All communication routes from Athens and northern Greece to Sparta and the Peloponnesian Peninsula passed through Corinth.

Through Corinth passed not only the communication routes between southern and northern Greece, but most of the trade routes from the western Mediterranean to the eastern. The southernmost point of Greece was known as Cape Malea (now Cape Matapan). It was a dangerous headland, and "to go around Cape Malea" sounded in those days the same as "to go around Cape Horn" sounded later. The Greeks had two sayings that clearly show their opinion on this: "Let the one who swims around Malea forget his home", and "Let the one who swims around Malea make his will first."

As a result, the sailors chose one of two paths. They climbed the Sardonic Gulf and, if their ships were small enough, dragged them across the isthmus and then lowered them into the Gulf of Corinth. The isthmus was called Diolkos - the place through which they are dragged. If the ship was too large, then the cargo was unloaded, carried by porters across the isthmus to another ship, standing on the other side of the isthmus. These seven kilometers across the isthmus, where the Corinth Canal now runs, shortened the journey by 325 kilometers, and eliminated the dangers of travel around Cape Malea.

It is clear what a large commercial center Corinth was. Communication between southern and northern Greece passed through it. The communication between the eastern and western Mediterranean, even more intense, was most often carried out through the isthmus. There were three other cities around Corinth: Lehaule on the west coast, Cenchreia on the east coast, and Scoenus a short distance from Corinth. Farrar writes: "Luxury goods soon appeared in the markets that were visited by all the peoples of the civilized world - Arabian balsam, Phoenician dates, ivory from Libya, Babylonian carpets, goat down from Cilicia, wool from Laconia, slaves from Phrygia."

Corinth, as Farrar put it, was the vanity fair of the ancient world. People called it the Greek Bridge, it was also called the Hot Place of Greece. Someone once said that if a person stays for quite a long time at Piccadilly Circus in London, then he can finally see every inhabitant of the country. Corinth was the Piccadilly Circus of the Mediterranean. In addition to this, the Isthmian Games were also held there, which were second only to the Olympic Games in terms of their fame. Corinth was a wealthy, populous city, one of the largest trade centers of the ancient world.

VICTIMITY OF CORINTH

Corinth is widely known for its commercial prosperity, but it also became the epitome of immoral life. The very word "Corinth", that is, to live in the Corinthian way, entered the Greek language and meant to lead a drunken and depraved life. This word also entered the English language, and at the time of the regency the Corinthians were called young people who led a riotous and reckless lifestyle. The Greek writer Elian says that if a Corinthian ever appeared on stage in a Greek drama, he was sure to be drunk. The very name Corinth was synonymous with revelry. The city was a source of evil known throughout the civilized world. The Acropolis hill towered over the isthmus, and on it stood a large temple of the goddess Aphrodite. At the temple lived a thousand priestesses of the goddess Aphrodite, priestesses of love, sacred prostitutes who descended in the evenings from the Acropolis and offered themselves to everyone for money on the streets of Corinth, until the Greeks had a new saying: "Not every man can afford to go to Corinth." In addition to these gross sins, even more subtle vices flourished in Corinth, which merchants and sailors from all over the world known at that time brought with them. And therefore Corinth has become not only synonymous with wealth and luxury, drunkenness and intemperance, but also synonymous with filth and debauchery.

HISTORY OF CORINTH

The history of Corinth is divided into two periods. Corinth is an ancient city. Thucydides, the ancient Greek historian, claims that the first triremes, Greek warships, were built at Corinth. According to legend, the ship of the Argonauts was also built in Corinth. Argo... But tragedy struck Corinth in 235 BC. Rome was busy conquering the world. When the Romans tried to conquer Greece, Corinth led the resistance. But the Greeks could not withstand the disciplined and well-organized Roman army, and in the same year General Lucius Mummy captured Corinth and turned it into a heap of ruins.

But a place with such a geographical position could not be empty forever. Almost exactly one hundred years after the destruction of Corinth, in 35 BC, Julius Caesar rebuilt it from the ruins and Corinth became a Roman colony. Moreover, it became the capital, the center of the Roman province of Achaia, which included almost all of Greece.

At the time of the apostle Paul, the population of Corinth was very variegated.

1) Veterans of the Roman army lived in it, who were settled here by Julius Caesar. After serving his term, the soldier received Roman citizenship, after which he was sent to some new city, he was given a land allotment so that he could settle there. Such Roman colonies were arranged all over the world, and the bulk of the population in them were the veterans of the regular Roman army, who received Roman citizenship for their faithful service.

2) As soon as Corinth was revived again, merchants returned to the city, since its excellent geographical position gave it significant advantages.

3) There were many Jews among the population of Corinth. The newly built city had excellent commercial prospects and they were eager to take advantage of them.

4) There were also small groups of Phoenicians, Phrygians and peoples from the east, with strange and historical manners. Farrar puts it this way: "This is a mixed and heterogeneous population, consisting of Greek adventurers and Roman townspeople, with a rotting admixture of Phoenicians. There lived a mass of Jews, retired soldiers, philosophers, merchants, sailors, freedmen, slaves, artisans, traders, brokers." ... He characterizes Corinth as a colony without aristocracy, tradition, and authoritative citizens.

And now, knowing that the past of Corinth and its very name were synonymous with wealth and luxury, drunkenness, debauchery and vice, read 1 Cor. 6,9-10:

"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?

Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malas, nor soddlers,

Neither thieves, nor covetous people, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor predators will inherit the Kingdom of God. "

In this hotbed of vice, in the most seemingly unsuitable city in all of Greece, Paul performed one of his greatest deeds, and in it one of the greatest victories of Christianity was won.

PAUL IN CORINTH

Apart from Ephesus, Paul stayed longer in Corinth than in any other city. With danger to his life, he left Macedonia and moved to Athens. Here he did not achieve much, and therefore went on to Corinth, where he remained for eighteen months. It will become clearer to us how little we know about his work when we learn that all the events of these eighteen months are summarized in 17 verses. (Acts. 18,1-17).

Upon arriving in Corinth, Paul took up residence with Aquila and Priscilla. He preached in the synagogue with great success. After the arrival of Timothy and Silas from Macedonia, Paul redoubled his efforts, but the Jews were so hostile and implacable that he had to leave the synagogue. He moved to Justus, who lived next door to the synagogue. The most famous of his converts to the faith of Christ was Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue; and among the people, Paul's sermons were also very successful.

In 52, a new governor arrived in Corinth, the Roman Gallio, known for his charm and nobility. The Jews tried to take advantage of his ignorance and kindness and brought Paul to his trial, accusing him of "teaching people to honor God outside the law." But Gallio, in accordance with the impartiality of Roman justice, refused to examine their charge and did not take any action. Therefore, Paul was able to complete his work here and then went to Syria.

Correspondence with Corinth

While in Ephesus, Paul learned in 55 that things were not going well in Corinth, and therefore wrote to the local church community. It is likely that the Corinthian correspondence of Paul that we have is incomplete and that the layout has been broken. It must be remembered that it was not until AD 90 or so that Paul's letters and epistles were first collected. It seems that they were present in various church communities only on pieces of papyrus and, therefore, it was difficult to collect them. When they collected the letters to the Corinthians, apparently not all found them, they did not collect them completely, and they did not arrange them in the original sequence. Let's try to imagine how it all happened.

1) There was a letter written before 1 Corinthians. V 1 Cor. 5.9 Paul writes: "I wrote to you in the letter - not to associate with fornicators." Obviously, this is an indication of a previously written letter. Some scholars believe that this letter has been lost without a trace. Others believe that it is contained in 2 Cor. 6.14-7.1. Indeed, this passage echoes the aforementioned theme. In the context of Second Epistle to the Corinthians, this passage somehow does not read. If we go directly from 2 Cor. 6.13 ko 2 Cor. 7.2, then we will see that the meaning and connection are perfectly preserved. Scholars call this passage "The Previous Epistle." Originally, there was no chapter or verse division in the epistles. The division into chapters was undertaken no earlier than the thirteenth century, and the division into verses no earlier than the sixteenth. Therefore, the ordering of the collected letters presented great difficulties.

2) Various sources told Paul that things were not going well in Corinth. a) Such information came from the household Chloins ( 1 Cor. 1.11). They reported fights that were ripping apart the church community. b) These news reached Paul and with the arrival of Stephen, Fortunatus and Achaik in Ephesus ( 1 Cor. 16.17). Which personal contacts supplemented the present state of affairs. c) This information came with a letter in which the Corinthian community asked Paul to give instructions on various issues. 1 Cor. 7.1 begins with the words "What have you written to me ..." In response to all these messages, Paul wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians and sent it to the Corinthian church with Timothy ( 1 Cor. 4,17).

3) This epistle caused, however, a further deterioration in relations between church members, and although we have no written record of this, we can conclude that Paul personally visited Corinth. In 2 Cor. 12.14 we read: "And here in third time I'm ready to go to you. " 2 Cor. 13,1,2 he writes to them again that he will come to them the third time. Well, if there was a third visit, then there should have been a second. We know only about one thing set forth in Acts. 18.1-17. We have no information about Paul's second visit to Corinth, but he was only two or three days sailing from Ephesus on a ship.

4) This visit did not lead to anything good. Matters only escalated, and ultimately Paul wrote a stern letter. We learn about him from some passages of Second Epistle to the Corinthians. V 2 Cor. 2.4 Paul writes: "Out of great sorrow and an oppressed heart, I wrote to you with many tears ..." 2 Cor. 7.8 he writes: "Therefore, if I grieved you with the message, I do not regret, although I did regret it; for I see that the message grieved you, however, for a while." This letter, as a result of mental suffering, was so severe that he was saddened when he sent it.

Scientists call this message A strict message. Do we have it? Obviously, this is not 1 Corinthians because it is neither heartbreaking nor painful. It is also evident that at the time of writing this letter, the situation was not hopeless. If we now read Second Epistle to the Corinthians, we will be faced with a strange circumstance. Chapters 1-9 show complete reconciliation, but with chapter 10, there is an abrupt change. Chapters 10-13 contain the most heartbreaking thing Paul ever wrote. They clearly show that he was severely hurt, that he was insulted more than ever before or since. His appearance, his speech, his apostleship, his honor are being attacked and criticized.

Most scholars believe that chapters 10-13 are the Severe Epistle, and that when they compiled the Pauline epistle collection, it fell into the wrong place. If we want to have an accurate understanding of Paul's correspondence with the Corinthian church, we need to read chapters 10-13 of II first, and chapters 1-9 after them. We know that Paul sent the Severe Epistle to Corinth with Titus ( 2 Cor. 2, 13; 7,13).

5) Paul was worried about everything related to this letter. He could not wait for Titus to return with an answer, and went to meet him (2 Cor. 2.13; 7.5.13). He met him somewhere in Macedonia and learned that everything went well and perhaps in Philippi, he wrote II Corinthians chapters 1-9, a letter of reconciliation.

Stalker said that Paul's epistles remove the veil of obscurity from early Christian communities by telling us what is happening inside them. Best of all, this statement characterizes the letters to the Corinthians. Here we see what Paul meant to "caring for all the churches." Here we see both broken hearts and joys. We see Paul, the shepherd of his flock, taking their cares and sorrows to heart.

Correspondence with Corinth

Before proceeding with a detailed analysis of the letters, let us compile a chronology of correspondence with the Corinthian community.

1) Previous message, which, may be, is 2 Cor. 6,4-7,1.

2) The arrival of the household members of Chloin, Stephen, Fortunatus and Achaicus and Paul's receipt of the message of the Corinthian church.

3) In response to all this is written the First Epistle to the Corinthians and sent with Timothy to Corinth.

4) The situation deteriorates further and Paul visits Corinth personally. This visit turns out to be unsuccessful. It crushed his heart hard.

5) As a result of this, Paul writes the Stern letter, which is likely. composes chapters 10-13 of II Corinthians , and was sent with Titus.

6) Unable to endure the expectation of an answer, Paul sets out on a journey to meet Titus. He meets him in Macedonia, learns that everything was formed and, possibly, in Philippi writes chapters 1-9 of II Corinthians: A message of reconciliation.

In the first four chapters of 1 Corinthians addresses the issue of dissension in God's church in Corinth. Instead of being one in Christ, she was split into sects and parties, identifying with various Christian leaders and teachers. It was the teaching of Paul that caused this schism, in view of the fact that the Corinthians thought too much about wisdom and human knowledge and too little about the pure mercy of God. In reality, despite all their supposed wisdom, they were still in an immature state. They thought they were wise, but in essence they were no better than children.

THE APOSTOLIC FOREWORD (1 Cor. 1: 1-3)

In the first ten verses of this epistle, the name of Jesus Christ is mentioned at least ten times. Paul had to write a difficult letter: he had to deal with a difficult situation in the Corinthian church, and therefore his first and all subsequent thoughts were about Jesus Christ. We sometimes try to resolve difficult situations in the church in a spirit of justice, based on legal norms and codes. Sometimes we try to overcome difficult problems by relying only on our own spiritual strength and common sense. Pavel acted differently. In a difficult situation for him, he turns to Jesus Christ and tries to solve this problem in the light of the crucifixion and love of Christ.

His foreword tells us about two problems:

1) It tells us something about the church, about Church of God located in Corinth, that is, not about the Church of Corinth, but about the Church of God. For Paul, any group of people, wherever they were, was part of the one and one church of God. He would not speak of the Anglican or Scottish Church, would not define the Church by its geographical position, which would give it a purely local character; even less would he define church fraternity according to this or that sect, group or denomination. If we thought the same about the church, then we would think more about what unites us than about what separates us.

2) The foreword also tells us about the individual Christian. Paul notes three characteristics in it.

a) he is sanctified in Christ Jesus. The verb to sanctify (hagyatso) means to allocate a place for God, to consecrate it by making a sacrifice. The Christian is dedicated to God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ; a Christian is one of those for whom Christ died, knows about this and clearly realizes that only through this sacrifice we all belong to God.

b) they are called saints. These two words are expressed in one Greek word hagios. Hagios denotes a person or thing that is dedicated to God and serves Him. This word defines the temple or sacrifice intended for God. So, a person dedicated to serving God, being in His possession, had to prove, with his life and his character, that he was worthy of it. Thus hagios gains importance a called saint.

But originally this word meant isolation. Human hagios is different from others, because he is separated from ordinary people and separated from them especially in order to belong to God. Adjective the chosen one the Jews defined themselves as a people, they were saints, chosen people, hagios laos, a people completely different from all other peoples, because they belonged in a special way to God and were in a special way allocated for the service of God. When Paul Calls Christians hagios, he means that they are different from other people in that they belong to God in a special way and are ordained for His service. This difference between them does not at all exclude them from worldly life, but will manifest in ordinary life such qualities that are characteristic of them.

v) they all call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in every place, with them and with us. A Christian is a member of a church community, which includes both earth and heaven. If we sometimes raised our eyes outside our tight circle and thought of ourselves as a part of the Church of God, embracing the whole world, then this would be of great benefit to all of us.

3) In this passage, Jesus Christ is also more closely defined. Paul speaks of our Lord Jesus Christ and adds - their Lord and ours. No person, no church has a monopoly on Jesus Christ. He is Lord our, but He is also the Lord of all people. This is the amazing miracle of Christianity that the love of Jesus Christ belongs to all people, that "God loves each of us as if he loved only one."

THE PRESENCE OF GRATITUDE PRAYER (1 Cor. 1,4-9)

Three points are important in this passage about prayer of thanksgiving.

1) About a vow that has come true. When Paul preached to the Corinthians, he told them that Christ could do certain things for them. And now he praisingly declares that everything has come true, which he previously said that Christ can accomplish. A missionary once told a Pictish king in ancient times: "If you convert to Christianity, you will see many miracles, and they will all come true." As a matter of fact, you cannot force a person to accept Christianity. We can only say to him: "Try and you will see what will happen," in the confidence that if he turns, he will see that everything we have said is the truth.

2) About the received grace. Paul uses one of his favorite words here, charisma, that is "a gift freely made to a person"; a gift they did not deserve, which he could not deserve. This gift of God is given to people, according to Paul, in two different ways:

a) there is salvation charisma, God's gift. Man could never himself enter into a right relationship with God. Salvation is an undeserved gift that comes exclusively from the generous love of God (cf. Rom. 6,23).

b) The grace of God gives a person various gifts that he can possess and use in life ( 1 Cor. 12,4-10; 1 Tim. 4,14; 1 Peter. 4.10). If a person is given the gifts of speech, healings, arts or crafts, music - they are gifts of God. If we were fully aware of this, it would give new content to our lives. The talent and profession that we possess are not our achievements - they are a gift from God, and, therefore, we are responsible for them. They should not be used for personal gain or prestige, but for the glory of God and for the good of people.

3) About the final goal. In the Old Testament, the words about Day of the Lord. On this day, God, according to the Jews, will intervene directly in the history and life of mankind; on this day, the old world will be destroyed and the new one created; it will be the Day of Judgment and everyone will be judged. Christians adopted this concept, but they interpreted Day of the lord how Day of our Lord Jesus Christ, when Jesus returns to the world again in all his power and glory.

And it really should be the Day of Judgment. The old English poet Cadmon drew a picture of the Day of Judgment in one of his poems. He depicted a crucifix in the center of the earth, emitting a strange light that has the properties of X-ray rays, removing masks and masks and showing everyone in their true form. Paul believed that a person who believes in Christ can face the Day of Judgment without fear, because he will not be clothed in his own righteousness, but in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, so that no one can accuse him of anything.

THE SPLIT CHURCH (1 Cor. 1.10-17)

Paul begins the task of his letter: to remedy the situation in the church at Corinth. He wrote his letter from Ephesus. Slaves, Christians from the home of a wealthy lady named Chloe, visited Corinth and brought with them a story of strife and discord.

Paul twice refers to the Corinthians as to the brothers. As the old commentator Beza put it, "There is also a hidden argument in this address." First, it softens the reproach just made, which is not made by a teacher with a stick in his hand, but by a person driven only by love. Secondly, such an appeal was to show them how wrong their strife and discord were. They are all brothers and must live in brotherly love.

Paul uses two interesting phrases in an effort to reconcile these split groups in the church community. He asks them so that they all say one thing that is, it has a goal eliminate differences - an expression commonly used by warring parties when reaching an agreement. He wishes that they ". were united in the same spirit and in the same thoughts", using it in a medical sense as connect a broken bone, or a dislocated joint is adjusted. Disagreements in the church community are unnatural and should be corrected for the health and effectiveness of the body of the whole Church.

Paul sees four groups in the church of Corinth: they have not yet split off, the schism is within the church. Paul uses the Greek word to describe the situation schismatic, signifying a hole in the cover. The church in Corinth is in danger of becoming as unsightly as a ripped veil. It should be noted that the named pious persons - Paul, Cephos and Apollos - had nothing to do with schism and discord in the church. There was no contradiction or split between them. Their names were assigned by separate groups of people without their knowledge and consent. Indeed, it often happens that so-called supporters become more of a problem than opponents. Let's take a closer look at these groups and try to figure out what each of them advocated.

1) One group stated "I am Pavlov". Undoubtedly, this group consisted mainly of people of non-Jewish origin. Paul always preached the gospel of freedom and the end of the rule of law over people. It is likely that this group of Corinthian Christians sought to convert the freedom preached by Paul into liberty and licentiousness, and to use the newfound Christianity to justify their licentiousness and personal willfulness. German theologian Bultmann said that a Christian indicative often leads to an imperative. Members of this group of Corinthian Christians have forgotten that the Christian indicative of the Gospel led to the Christian imperative of Christian ethics. They forgot that they were not saved to sin freely, but to be saved not to sin.

2) Representatives of another group argued "I am Apollosov". V Acts. 18.24 gives a brief description of the character of Apollos. He was a Jew from Alexandria, "eloquent and versed in the Scriptures." At the time, Alexandria was the center of intellectual life. It was there that pundits created a school that allegorically interpreted Scripture, and derived extremely complex interpretations from completely simple passages. Here is one example of their occupation: in the composition of Barnabas of Alexandria, from a careful analysis of the verses Life. 18.23; 14:14, they drew the following conclusion: Abraham had 318 household members, whom he circumcised. In the Greek spelling 18 - and the Greeks used letters with a specific meaning as numeric characters; so after iota should eta, that is, the first two letters of the name Jesus (Jesus). The Greeks designated the number 300 with the letter "T" - the symbol of the crucifixion; hence, Barnabas concludes, this event in the history of Abraham represents the prediction of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on the Cross! Further, the Alexandrians were big fans of literature. In fact, it was they who contributed intellectual moment to Christianity. All those who asserted "I am Apollos" undoubtedly belonged to the intellectual wing of the Corinthian church community, which sought to transform Christianity into a philosophy rather than a religion.

3) There was also a group that claimed "I Kifin ".(Keith is the Hebrew name, corresponding in Greek and Latin to Peter.) Most of them were Jews who tried to teach that one must still obey Jewish law. These were legalists who extolled the law and thus downplayed the importance of grace,

4) And there were those who claimed "I Christ. " This can be explained in different ways: a) There is no punctuation at all in Greek manuscripts, and there is no space between words. It is possible that a special group is not singled out here, but that this is a commentary from Paul himself. Perhaps he dictated this: I am Pavlov; I am Apollosov; I am Kifin - but I am Christov. Perhaps this is Paul's commentary on a very unpleasant situation that has developed. b) If this assumption is incorrect, and nevertheless, the existing group is described, then it must have been a small staunch group of people who claimed that only they are true Christians in the Corinthian church community. Their real mistake was not that they claimed to belong to Christ, but that they acted as if Christ belonged exclusively to them. This expression quite clearly defines a small intolerant, self-righteous group.

You should not think that Paul is downplaying the meaning of baptism. The people baptized by Paul were special converts. The very first convert appears to have been Stephen ( 1 Cor. 16.15). Crispus was once the ruler of a Jewish synagogue (Acts. 18.8). Gaius may have been a stranger with whom Paul lived (Rome. 16.23). But the most important thing is that the baptism was carried out in the name of Christ.

In Greek, this phrase denotes the closest connection. So, for example, to give money in the name of a person meant to pay according to his current account. To sell a slave in the name of a man meant to give this slave into his absolute possession. A soldier in the Roman army swore allegiance in the name of Caesar: and he belonged entirely to the emperor. Expression in the name of someone implies absolute ownership. In Christianity, however, this phrase carries an even greater meaning: it means that a Christian not only fully belongs to Christ, but also in some special way is identified with Him. In general, Paul wants to say the following: "I am glad that I was so busy preaching, for if I baptized, it might give some of you a reason to say that I baptized you into my domain, and not into Christ's." ... Paul does not diminish the significance of baptism, but only makes sure that none of his actions could be misinterpreted, as if he counted them for himself and not for Christ.

Paul claims to have told people the story of the crucifixion in the simplest terms. He was not going to decorate it with rhetoric and wit. Paul wanted to draw attention not to the language, but to the facts, not to the author, but to his story. Paul's goal was precisely to show people not himself, but Christ, in all His majesty.

STONE OF STOKING FOR THE JEWS AND MADNESS FOR THE HELLINS (1 Cor. 1: 18-25)

For the cultured Hellenes and for the devout Jews, the story that Christianity told them seemed like sheer madness. Paul begins by using two quotes from Isaiah freely. (Is. 29.14; 33, 18) in order to show how unreliable human wisdom is, how easily it can fail. He cites the irrefutable fact that with all human wisdom, humanity has not found God. It is still blind and continues to feel for Him. And these searches were intended by God to show people the helplessness of their situation and thereby prepare the only true way to accept Him.

What was the Christian gospel? If we analyze the four famous sermons in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts. 2.14-39; 3.12-26; 4.7-12; 10: 34-43), then we will see that the Christian sermon contains certain unchanging elements: 1) the statement that the great time promised by God has come; 2) a brief summary of the history of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ; 3) the statement that all this happened in fulfillment of ancient prophecies; 4) statement about the second coming of Jesus Christ; 5) an insistent call to repentance and acceptance of the promised Holy Spirit.

1) For the Jews, this sermon was a stumbling block for two reasons:

a) For them it was incomprehensible that the One who ended his life on the cross could be the Chosen One of God. They referred to their own law, where it was directly said: "For cursed before God is everyone who is hanged on a tree." (Deut. 21.13). For the Jews, the very fact of the crucifixion, not only did not prove that Jesus was the Son of God, but on the contrary "finally refuted him. It may seem strange to us, but the Jews, even reading Isaiah 53, could never imagine the suffering Messiah. The cross was and remains for the Jews a stumbling block "preventing them from believing in Jesus.

b) The Jews were looking for signs. If the golden age has arrived, the age of God, then amazing events must occur. At the very time Paul was writing his letters, there were many false messiahs, and they all caught the gullible with promises of miracles. In 45, a man named Theudas appeared, persuading thousands of people to abandon their affairs and follow him to the Jordan River, promising that at his word the waters of the Jordan would part and he would lead them across the river by land. In 54, a man from Egypt appeared in Jerusalem, claiming to be a prophet. He prompted thirty thousand people to follow him to the Olive mountain, promising that at his word the walls of Jerusalem would fall. This is what the Jews expected. In Jesus, they saw a modest and humble man, deliberately avoiding spectacular spectacles, serving people and ending his life on the cross. Such a person, in their opinion, could not be the Chosen One of God.

2) To Ellin this gospel seemed foolish for two reasons:

and for Hellenes defining feature of God was apafaea. It is not simple apathy, but a complete inability to feel. The Greeks argued that if God can feel joy and sorrow, anger and grief, then this means that at such a moment God was influenced by a man who, therefore, turned out to be stronger than this god. Therefore, they argued, God should be devoid of all emotions, so that no one and nothing could influence him. The suffering god, according to the Hellenes, is already incompatible concepts.

The Greeks believed, according to Plutarch, that to involve God in human affairs is to insult him. God is, of necessity, completely independent and impartial. The Hellenes thought the idea itself was outrageous. incarnations God in human form. Augustine, who was a great scientist long before the adoption of Christianity, said that he found parallels among the Greek philosophers to almost all the ideas of Christianity, but he never met their statement: "The Word became flesh and dwelt with us." Greek philosopher 2nd c. Celsus, who vigorously attacked Christianity, wrote: "God is kind, beautiful and happy, and he is in what is most beautiful and best. If, however, he condescends to people, this causes changes in him, and changes are necessarily for the worse: from good to bad, from beautiful to ugly, from happy to unhappy, from best to worst. And who would want to undergo such a change? Mortals change naturally, immortals must remain unchanged forever. God would never agree to such a change. " The thinking Hellene could not even imagine the incarnation of God, and considered it completely implausible that the One who suffered like Jesus could be the Son of God.

b) The Greeks were looking for wisdom. Originally Greek word sophist meant wise man in the positive sense of the word; but over time it acquired the meaning of a man with a clever mind and sharp tongue, a kind of intellectual acrobat, who has the ability to brilliantly and eloquently prove that white is black and bad is good. It meant a person who spends endless hours discussing insignificant trifles and is not at all interested in solving a problem, but only enjoying "intellectual excursions". Dio Chrysostomos describes the Greek sophists in this way: "They croak like frogs in a swamp. They are the most worthless people on earth, because, being ignorant, they think of themselves as sages; like peacocks, they boast of their fame and the number of their disciples, like peacocks with their tails."

The skill that the ancient Greek fluffs possessed, perhaps, cannot even be exaggerated. Plutarch says of them this way: "They delighted their voices with cadences by modulating tones, creating a reflected resonance." Their thoughts were not about the subject of the conversation, but about how they spoke. Their thoughts could be filled with poison, and their speech was honey-flowing. Philostratus says that the sophist Hadrian enjoyed such fame in Rome that when it became known that he would speak to the people, the senators left the Senate, and the people their games, and went in crowds to listen to him.

Dio Chrysostom depicts these so-called sages and a picture of their competitions in Corinth itself at the Isthmian Games: stupid compositions, many poets reciting their poems, many magicians demonstrating their miracles, soothsayers who interpret the meaning of signs, tens of thousands of rhetoric who are engaged in their craft. " The Greeks were literally poisoned with eloquence, and Christian preachers with their direct and obscure sermons seemed rude and uneducated to them, deserving ridicule, not respect and attention.

Against the background of the way of life of the Greeks and Jews, the preaching of Christianity seemed to have little chance of success; but, as Paul said, "the unwise God is wiser than men, and the weak God is stronger than men."

TRIUMPH OF THE DESTROYED (1 Cor. 1: 26-31)

Paul is pleased that in the main the church was made up of simple and meek people. But by no means should one think that the early church consisted only of slaves. It is clear from the New Testament that representatives of the upper strata of society also became Christians. These were, for example, Dionysius in Athens (Acts. 17.34), Sergius Paul, proconsul of Crete (Acts. 13.6-12), ladies of noble birth in Thessalonica and Berea (Acts. 17,4,12), Erastus, city treasurer, probably in Corinth (Rome. 16.23). During the time of Nero Pomponius, Grechina, wife of Plautus, the conqueror of Britain, was martyred for being a Christian. Under the emperor Domitian, in the second half of the first century, Flavius ​​Clemens, a cousin of the emperor, was martyred for Christianity. At the end of the second century, Pliny, ruler of Bithynia, wrote to Emperor Trajan that Christians are found in all walks of life. Still, most of the Christians consisted of a simple and humble people.

Around 178, Celsus wrote one of the harshest essays ever written against Christianity. And he ridiculed the interest of the common people in Christianity. He stated that the Christian point of view, allegedly, is as follows: “Let no educated, no wise or prudent person accept Christianity, for we consider them evil; but if someone is ignorant, if someone lacks common sense and cultural education, if anyone is stupid, let him come to us boldly. " About Christians, he wrote: "We see them in their homes: wool combers, cloth-makers and shoemakers, the most uneducated and rude people." He said that Christians "are like a host of bats or ants crawling out of their nests; they are like frogs gathered for a philosophical conversation around a swamp."

That is what they said about Christianity. The Roman Empire had about sixty million slaves. Before the law, the slave was a "living instrument", a thing, and not a person. The master could throw away the old slave, just as he threw away the old shovel or hoe. He could amuse himself by torturing his slaves, and he could even kill them. There was no marriage legislation for slaves; like lambs in a flock, their children also belonged to the master. Christianity has transformed people, who are things, into true men and women; moreover, in the sons and daughters of God. It gave those who were not respected with a sense of their own dignity. It gave eternal life to those, had no right to dispose of his own life. It assured them that even if they meant nothing to the light, they were very important in the eyes of God. It testified to them that although they are of no value to other people, God sacrificed His only begotten Son for them. Christianity was and remains the most exalted idea in the whole world.

Paul closes this passage with quotes from Jeremiah 9 , 23-24. As Bultmann put it, self-praise, or the desire to be recognized, is one of the most basic sins. True faith begins only when we realize that we ourselves cannot accomplish anything, but that God can accomplish everything, and that He does everything. It is amazing that it is the person who realizes his weakness and the shortcomings of his wisdom, then turns out to be stronger and wiser. Life experience shows that a person who believes that he himself can cope with everything, ultimately, is ruined.

It is worth highlighting four characteristics given to people by Christ:

1) Christ is ours wisdom. Only by following Him can we walk straight, and only by listening to Him do we hear the truth. He is truly the Most High in life.

2) Christ is ours righteousness. In all of Paul's letters, righteousness means a right relationship with God. We can never achieve it by our own efforts. We acquire it only when we realize through Jesus Christ that it was given to us not for what we did for God, but for what He did for us.

3) Christ is ours consecration. Only in the presence of Christ can our life become what it should be. Epicurus used to say to his disciples: "Live as if Epicurus constantly saw you." But in our relationship to Christ there is no this "as if". A Christian always walks with Him, and only then does his garment remain spotless.

4) Christ is ours redemption. Diogenes complained that people flock to eye and dentists, but never go to a person who could cure their soul (he meant philosophers). Jesus Christ can free a person from past sin, deliver him from real helplessness and from fear of the future. He frees a person from the bondage of his "I" and from sin.

Comments (introduction) to the entire book of 1 Corinthians

Comments on chapter 1

Fragment of church history, the likes of which does not exist. Weisecker

Introduction

I. SPECIAL SITUATION IN CANON

First Corinthians is a "book of problems" in the sense that Paul addresses in it the problems ("As for ...") that faced the congregation in the wicked city of Corinth. As such, the book is especially needed by today's problem-torn churches. Division, worship of leaders as heroes, immorality, legal disputes, marriage problems, questionable practices, and prescriptions for spiritual gifts are all discussed here. However, it would be wrong to think that the entire book is about problems! In the same Epistle there is the most beautiful work about love, not only in the Bible, but in all world literature (ch. 13); wonderful teaching about the resurrection - both of Christ and ours (ch. 15); teachings about the sacrament (chap. 11); the commandment to take part in material donations. Without this message, we would be much poorer. It is a treasure trove of practical Christian teaching.

All scholars agree that the First Epistle to the Corinthians that we have named came from the pen of Paul. Some (mainly liberal) researchers believe that there are some "alien insertions" in the letter, but these subjective assumptions are not supported by evidence-manuscripts. 1 Corinthians 5: 9 appears to be referring to a previous (non-canonical) letter from Paul that was misunderstood by the Corinthians.

External evidence in favor of 1 Corinthians very early. Clement of Rome (c. 95 CE) speaks of the book as "the epistle of the blessed apostle Paul." The book was also cited by such early ecclesiastical authors as Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian. It is listed in the Muratori canon and follows the Epistle to the Galatians in the heretical canon of Marcion "Apostolicon".

Internal evidence is also very strong. Besides the fact that the author himself calls himself Paul in 1: 1 and 16,21, his arguments are in 1,12-17; 3,4.6.22 also prove Paul's authorship. The coincidences with Acts and other Pauline epistles and the strong spirit of genuine apostolic concern rule out counterfeiting and make arguments for the authenticity of his authorship more than sufficient.

III. TIME OF WRITING

Paul tells us that he writes from Ephesus (16.8-9, cf. v. 19). Since he labored there for three years, it is likely that 1 Corinthians was written in the second half of this extended ministry, that is, sometime around 55 or 56 CE. NS. Some scholars date the Epistle even earlier.

IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND TOPIC

Ancient Corinth was (and is) in southern Greece, west of Athens. In the time of Paul, its location was advantageous: trade routes passed through the city. It became a major center of international trade, and a lot of transport arrived. Since the religion of the people was perverted, the city soon turned into the center of the worst forms of immorality, so that the very name "Corinth" became the personification of everything impure and sensual. It enjoyed a reputation for being so profligate that a new verb even appeared. "korinthiazomai", meant "lead a vicious life".

The Apostle Paul first visited Corinth on his second missionary journey (Acts 18). At first he was with Priscilla and Aquila, who, like him, made tents, worked among the Jews. But when the majority of the Jews rejected his preaching, he turned to the Corinthian pagans. Souls were saved by the preaching of the gospel, and a new church was formed.

About three years later, when Paul was preaching in Ephesus, he received a letter from Corinth reporting serious problems the community was facing. The letter also asked various questions about the Christian life. In response to this letter, he wrote the First Epistle to the Corinthians.

The theme of the Epistle is how to correct the worldly and carnal church, which is frivolous about the mindsets, mistakes and actions that so disturbed the Apostle Paul. As Moffatt aptly put it, "the church was in the world, as it should be, but the world was in the church, which shouldn't be."

Since this situation is still not uncommon in some communities, the meaning of 1 Corinthians remains enduring.

Plan

I. INTRODUCTION (1,1-9)

A. Greetings (1,1-3)

B. Thanksgiving (1,4-9)

II. Trouble in the Church (1.10 - 6.20)

A. Divisions Among Believers (1.10 - 4.21)

B. Immorality Among Believers (Ch. 5)

C. Litigation between believers (6,1-11)

D. Moral licentiousness among believers (6,12-20)

III. THE APOSTLE'S ANSWER TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHURCH (Ch. 7 - 14)

A. On Marriage and Celibacy (Ch. 7)

B. About the food sacrificed to idols (8.1 - 11.1)

C. About the veil for women (11.2-16)

D. About the Lord's Supper (11,17-34)

E. About the gifts of the Spirit and their use in the Church (Ch. 12-14)

IV. PAUL'S ANSWER TO THE DENIES OF THE RESURRECTION (Ch. 15)

A. Certainty of Resurrection (15.1-34)

B. Refuting the arguments against the resurrection (15.35-57)

C. Final Call in Light of the Resurrection (15.58)

V. FINAL INSTRUCTIONS (Ch. 16)

A. About fees (16,1-4)

B. About your personal plans (16.5-9)

B. Concluding Instructions and Greetings (16,10-24)

I. INTRODUCTION (1,1-9)

A. Greetings (1,1-3)

1,1 On the way to Damascus Paul was called up become apostle of jesus christ... This call did not come from people, not through people, but directly from the Lord Jesus. "Apostle" literally means sent. The first apostles witnessed the resurrection of Christ. They could also work miracles to prove that the message they preached came from God. Paul could indeed repeat the words of Gerhard Terstigen: Christ, the Son of God, sends me To the midnight lands. I took ordination from His pierced hands.

When Paul wrote, he was with him brother Sosthenes, therefore Paul includes his name in his greeting. It is impossible to say for sure whether this is Sosthenes, who is mentioned in Acts (18:17) - the head of the synagogue, publicly beaten by the Greeks. Perhaps this leader was saved by Paul's preaching and was now helping him preach the gospel.

1,2 The letter is addressed primarily to Church of God located in Corinth. It is encouraging and inspiring that there is no such wicked place on earth where it would be impossible to found a community that belongs to God. The church at Corinth is further described as sanctified in Christ Jesus, called saints. "Consecrated"- here "separated from the world for God"; this word is characterized by position all who belong to Christ. Concerning practical state, they must isolate themselves, living holy day after day.

Some argue that sanctification is a special act of grace that eradicates the sinful nature of man. This verse refutes such teaching. The Corinthian Christians were far from the practical holiness that should be manifested in the life of the believer, but the fact remains: they occupied the position consecrated By God.

As saints, they were members of a great brotherhood: the called saints, with all who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, in every place, with them and with us. Although the instructions in this Epistle are addressed to the saints of Corinth, they are also intended for all members of the worldwide brotherhood who acknowledge Christ as Lord.

1,3 The First Epistle to the Corinthians is in a special sense a letter about the Lordship of Christ. Discussing numerous problems in the life of the community and individuals, the apostle constantly reminds readers that Jesus Christ is the Lord and the realization of this great truth should accompany everything we do.

Verse 3 is Paul's characteristic greeting. In words "grace and peace" he summarizes the entire gospel. Grace- the source of all good, and peace- the result of accepting the grace of God, filling a person's life. These great blessings emanate from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul without hesitation, in one breath mentions Lord Jesus Near By God our Father. This is one of hundreds of similar expressions in the NT, which implies the equality of the Lord Jesus with God the Father.

B. Thanksgiving (1,4-9)

1,4 After finishing the greeting, the apostle moves on to give thanks for the Corinthians and for the amazing work of God in their lives (vv. 4-9). A noble trait in Paul's life was his constant desire to find in the lives of his fellow believers something worthy of thanksgiving. If their practical life was not particularly commendable, he at least thanked god for what He did for them. Here is just such a case. The Corinthians were not, as we would say, spiritual Christians. But Paul can still thank for the grace of God bestowed them in Christ Jesus.

1,5 The grace of God given to the Corinthians was especially manifested in the fact that they were generously endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Paul celebrates the gift words and all knowledge; this apparently means that the Corinthians received the gift of tongues, the interpretation of tongues and exceptional knowledge. Word is related to external expression, and cognition- with an inner understanding.

1,6 The possession of these gifts confirmed that God was doing His work in their lives, and Paul meant this when he said: "... for the testimony of Christ has been established in you." They heard testimony of Christ, they received it by faith, and God testified that they are truly saved by giving them these wonderful opportunities.

1,7 In the possession of gifts, the Corinthian church was not inferior to any other. But the mere possession of gifts was not in itself a sign of true spirituality. In fact, Paul thanked God for something that the Corinthians themselves were not directly responsible for. Gifts are bestowed by the ascended Lord, regardless of a person's own merits. If a person has a gift, he should not be proud of it, but humbly use it for the Lord.

The fruit of the Spirit is something completely different. The important thing here is the extent to which a person has submitted himself to the control of the Holy Spirit. The apostle could praise the Corinthians not for the manifestation of the fruits of the Spirit in their lives, but only for what the Lord gave them His authority and over which they had no control. Later in this Epistle, the apostle will have to denounce the saints for the abuse of these gifts, but here he expresses gratitude for the fact that they received these gifts in such an unusual measure.

Corinthians expecting the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. Bible students disagree over whether this refers to the coming of Christ for the saints (1 Thess. 4: 13-18), the coming of the Lord with the saints (2 Thess. 1, 6-10), or both. In the first case, Christ will appear only to believers, while in the second, He will appear to the whole world. The believer is eagerly awaiting both the rapture and the glorious appearance of Christ.

1,8 Paul expresses confidence that the Lord and approve saints to end, so they can be innocent on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. Again, it is striking that Paul gives thanks for what God will do and not for what the Corinthians did. Because they trusted Christ, and God confirmed this by endowing them with the gifts of the Spirit, Paul was confident that God would keep them for Himself until Christ came for His people.

1,9 Paul's Optimism About the Corinthians Is Based on Loyalty God, Who called them into the fellowship of His Son. He knows that God paid a heavy price so that they could become partakers of life. Our Lord, and therefore will never allow them to slip out of His hands.

II. Trouble in the Church (1.10 - 6.20)

A. Divisions Among Believers (1.10 - 4.21)

1,10 The apostle is now ready to begin discussing the problem. divisions in the church (1.10 - 4.21). He begins with a love admonition, calling for unity. Instead of ordering with the authority of the apostle, he pleads with the gentleness of a brother. At the heart of the call for unity - the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and since the name signifies Person, the call is based on all that the Lord Jesus is and all that He has done. The Corinthians extolled names of men; it only led to divisions. Paul will only exalt the name of the Lord Jesus, knowing that this is the only way to unity among the children of God. Say one thing- means to be united in the same thoughts, be in agreement. This implies unity in fidelity and devotion. Such unity is possible when Christians think like Christ. In the following verses, Paul will explain how they can actually think like Christ.

1,11 News about disputes in Corinth reached Paul through domestic Chloins. In naming his informants, Paul lays down an important principle of Christian behavior here. We must not spread the word of our fellow believers unless we want our name to be mentioned. Following this example today would prevent the idle gossip that plagues the Church today.

1,12 In the local church sects or groups arose, each of which proclaimed someone as its leader. Some preferred Paul, other Apollos, third Kife(To Peter.) Some even claimed to belong Christ, apparently bearing in mind that, unlike everyone else, only they belong to Him!

1,13 In verses 13-17 Paul indignantly condemns sectarianism. The Formation of Groups in the Church Denied the Unity of the Body Christ. To follow the human leaders is to neglect the One who was crucified for them. To be called by the name of a person means to forget that by baptism they confirmed their devotion to the Lord Jesus.

1,14 The rise in the number of factions in Corinth forced Paul thank god for being baptized only some of the community there. Among those he baptized, Paul calls Crispus and Gaius.

1,15-16 He would not want anyone said that he baptized into your own name. In other words, he was not trying to attract converts or make a name for himself. Its sole purpose is to point people to the Lord Jesus Christ. On further reflection, Paul remembered that also baptized Stephen's house, but does not remember whether he baptized someone else.

1,17 He explains that first of all Christ sent his not to baptize, but to evangelize. This in no way means that Paul did not believe in baptism. He has already named some of the baptized them. Rather, it means that baptism was not his main business; he probably entrusted this work to others, maybe some Christians in the local church. However, this verse testifies against the notion that baptism is essential to salvation. If that were true, Paul would here express his gratitude for not saving any of them except Crispus and Gaius! This assumption is untenable.

In the last part of verse 17, Paul easily moves on to the following verses. He preaches the gospel not in the wisdom of the word, so as not to abolish the cross of Christ. He knew that as much as his oratory, or rhetoric, impressed people, it was just as much he failed in his attempt to bring true meaning to the fore. cross of Christ.

We can better understand the following verses if we remember that the Corinthians, like the Greeks, greatly valued human wisdom. They treated their philosophers as folk heroes. Apparently, to some extent, this spirit penetrated into the Corinthian community. There were those who wanted to make the Gospel more acceptable to the intelligentsia. Considering that it is not taken seriously in the academic environment, they wanted to make the message more intellectual. Apparently, such a worship of intellectuality was one of the reasons that led to the emergence of groups around human authorities. Trying to make the gospel more acceptable is an absolute fallacy. God's wisdom is fundamentally different from human wisdom, and there is no point in trying to reconcile them.

Paul shows how foolish it is to exalt people, and emphasizes that this is incompatible with the true nature of the gospel (1.18 - 3.4). First of all, he notes that the word about the cross is the opposite of everything that people consider to be true wisdom (1, 18-25).

1,18 The word about the cross for the perishing is foolishness. As Barnes aptly put it, "death on the cross was associated with the idea of ​​everything shameful and dishonorable; and the message of salvation only through the suffering and death of a crucified person could only arouse complete contempt in their hearts."(Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament, 1 Corinthians, p. fourteen.)

The Greeks loved wisdom (the literal meaning of the word "philosophy"). But there was nothing in the Gospel that attracted them to their rapture with knowledge.

For the rescued The gospel is the power of God. They hear the message, accept it by faith, and a miracle of spiritual rebirth takes place in their lives. Notice the solemn affirmation of this verse: There are only two classes of people — the lost and the saved. There is no middle ground. People can love their human wisdom, but only the Gospel leads to salvation.

1,19 Isaiah predicted that the Gospel would oppose human wisdom (29, 14): "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will reject the understanding of the prudent." S. Lewis Johnson in his "Wycliff Commentaries on the Bible" notes that in the context "these words are God's condemnation of the policy of the" wise men "of Judah, who sought an alliance with Egypt in order to resist the threat from Sennacherib." (S. Lewis Johnson, "First Corinthians", The Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p. 1232.) How true it is that God delights in achieving His ends in ways that people think are foolish. How often does He use methods that the sages of this world would ridicule, but which nevertheless achieve the desired result with amazing accuracy and efficiency. For example, human wisdom convinces people that they can deserve or earn their salvation. The gospel sweeps aside all human efforts to save oneself and presents Christ as the only path to God.

1,20 Paul goes on to make a daring challenge: "Where is the sage? Where is the scribe? Where is the co-questioner of this world?" Did God consult with them when he conceived His plan of salvation? Would they have been able to devise such a plan of redemption at all if they had been guided by their own wisdom? Can they refute anything that God said? The answer to this is a categorical "no!" God has turned the wisdom of this world into madness.

1,21 Man cannot his own wisdom to know God. For centuries, God has given humanity this opportunity, but the result has always been failure. Then it was pleasing to God preach the cross to save the believers, and preaching this one seemed foolish to people. The foolishness of preaching means the cross. Of course, we know that this is not foolishness or stupidity, but to an unenlightened human mind it seems stupidity. Godet said that verse 21 contains the entire philosophy of history, the content of entire volumes. One should not rush past him in a hurry, one should think deeply about his great truths.

1,22 Have Jews got into the habit demand miracles. They stood in such a position: we will believe if they show us a miracle. In turn, Hellenes(the Greeks) were looking for wisdom. They were interested in human reasoning, arguments, logic.

1,23 But Paul did not please their wishes. He says: "We preach Christ crucified." As someone said, "He was not a sign-loving Jew or a wisdom-loving Greek, but a Savior-loving Christian."

For the Jews crucified Christ was temptation. They were expecting a powerful commander who would free them from Roman oppression. Instead, the gospel offered them a Savior nailed to the infamous cross.

For the Greeks crucified Christ was madness. They could not understand how the One who died, as it seemed to them, so weak and unlucky, could solve their problems at all.

1,24 Ironically, exactly what the Jews and Gentiles were looking for can miraculously be found in the Lord Jesus. For those who hear His call and trust Him, for Jews and Greeks, Christ becomes God's power and God's wisdom.

1,25 In fact, there is neither weakness nor stupidity in God. In verse 25, the apostle says that the seeming unwise with God (in the eyes of man) actually wiser than men at their best. And what it seems the weak of God, turns out stronger, than anything people can do.

1,26 After talking about the gospel itself, the apostle turns his gaze to those whom God calls with the gospel (vv. 26-29). He reminds the Corinthians that among the called not many are wise in the flesh, not many strong, not many noble ones. It is often emphasized that the text does not say "none", but says "Little". This slight difference allowed a noble English lady to testify that she was saved in one word.

The Corinthians themselves did not belong to the intellectual upper class of society. They were captivated not by pompous philosophy, but by the simple gospel. Why, then, was human wisdom held in such high esteem? Why did they praise preachers who tried to make the message acceptable to worldly wisdom?

If people wanted to build a meetinghouse, they tried to attract the most prominent members of their community. But verse 26 teaches us that God passes by those whom people value highly. Usually He doesn’t call those whom the world exalts.

1,27 God chose the unwise of the world to put the wise to shame, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong. As Erich Sauer says, "The more primitive the material, the higher the honors for the master (if the same level of art is reached); the smaller the army, the more (if an equally great victory is won) the conqueror deserves praise."(Erich Sauer, The Dawn of World Redemption, p. 91.)

God chose trumpets to tear down the walls of Jericho. He reduced Gideon's army from 32,000 to 300 in order to put the Midian forces to flight. He gave Samegar a bullock horn to slay the Philistines. He filled Samson by force to defeat an entire army with a donkey's jaw. And our Lord fed more than five thousand with just a few loaves of bread and fish.

1,28 To conclude a list that someone called "the five ranks in God's army of madmen," Paul adds ignorant of the world and humiliated and meaningless. Using such inappropriate material, God abolishes the meaningful. In other words, He loves to accept people who are insignificant in the eyes of the world in order to glorify Himself. These verses should sound a reproach to Christians who curry favor with the noble and famous and ignore the more humble saints of God.

1,29 God chooses insignificant for the world only for the purpose that all the glory belongs to Him and not to man. Salvation is the work of His hands alone, and He alone is worthy of praise.

1,30 Verse 30 further emphasizes that everything we are and everything we have comes from Him - not from philosophy, and therefore has nothing to boast of. At first, Christ has become wisdom to us.

He is the wisdom of God (v. 24), the one whom the wisdom of God has chosen as the path of salvation. With Him, we, by our very position, have the wisdom that guarantees our complete salvation. Secondly, He is our righteousness. By believing in Him, we are considered righteous before a holy God. Third, He is our consecration. We ourselves cannot do anything for our own holiness, but in Him we are sanctified according to our position, and by His power we are transformed from one degree of sanctification to another. Finally, He is ours redemption; here, undoubtedly, it is talking about the final redemption, when the Lord comes and takes us home, where we will be with Him, and our spirit, soul and body will be redeemed.

Traill clearly defines the truth:

"Wisdom outside of Christ is a pernicious folly; righteousness outside of Christ is guilt and condemnation; sanctification outside of Christ is filth and sin; redemption outside of Christ is bondage and bondage."(Robert Traill, The Works of Robert Traill, Vol. 2, Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, reprinted 1975, p. 234.)

A. T. Pearson links verse 30 to the life and ministry of our Lord:

“His deeds, His words, His deeds show that He is the wisdom of God. Then His death, burial and resurrection: they are connected with our righteousness. Then His forty-day walk among people, His ascension, after which He sent down the Spirit and sat down at the right hand of God - it has to do with our sanctification and, finally, His coming, connected with our redemption.(Arthur T. Pierson, The Ministry of Keswick, First Series, p. 104.)

1,31 God has determined that all these benefits should be given to us in Lord. Therefore, Paul urges: "Why praise people? They cannot do any of the above for you."