nation to disprove what he had said. It was too plain to be denied that God had made foolish the wisdom of this world, i. e. he had showed it to be foolish, and dealt with it as such. Among the Jews there were three classes of learned men, dis- tinguished by terms corresponding to those which the apostle here uses. It is not probable, however, that Paul refers to that classification, because he is not speaking specially of the \ Jews. The first term ((ro<^os), wise man, is probably to be ^taken in a general sense including that of the two following words. ' Where is the wise, whether Jewish scribe or Grecian sophist ? ' The word scribe is the common designation of the learned class among the Jews. It was originally applied to the secretaries whose business it was to prepare and issue de- crees in the name of the king (2 Sam. 8, 17. 20, 25. 2 Kings 12, 10. 19, 2). Afterwards, and especially in the New Testa- ment, it was used as the designation of those learned in the law, who were charged not only with its transcription, but also with its exposition, and at times with its administration. The same title was given in many of the Asiatic states to the magistrate who presided over the senate, took charge of the laws, and who read them when necessary to the people, Acts 19, 35.
Where is the disputer f {av^yirriTri^) inquirer, questioner, sophist ; the appropriate designation of the Grecian philoso- pher. Of this world, or age. This qualification belongs to all the preceding terms. ' Where is the wise of this World, whether scribe or sophist?^
21. For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the fool- ishness of preaching to save them that believe.
This and the following verses contain the apostle's second argument in proof of the insufficiency of human wisdom. The argument is this : experience having shown the insufficiency of human wisdom, God set it aside, and declared it to be worthless, by adopting the foolishness of preaching as the means of salvation. This argimient therefore includes two distinct proofs. First, that derived from experience ; and secondly, that derived from God's having appointed the gos- pel, as distinguished from human wisdom, to be the means of saving men.
For after that. It is to be remarked that the word /or in