902 a Rom. ix. 30, ΧΙΙ. 13,
XIV. 1. "Διώκετε τὴν ἀγάπην: ζηλοῦτε δὲ τὰ "πνευματικά, Kiv- 195 μᾶλλον δὲ ἵνα ἁπροφητεύητε.
2. 6 γὰρ λαλῶν " γλώσσῃ, οὐκ
αχ, ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ ἀλλὰ τῷ] SOG: οὖδεὶς γὰρ ἀκούει, * πνεύματι
ἀπροφητεύων, ἵ ἀνθρώποις λαλεῖ
fSeei.25. g vv.14f.; Acts xvii.
Ph. το, LAs fea ho Len ἡ s 53 Isa. li.t; δὲ λαλεῖ στήρια : a Sir. xxvii. σι ο Sails 8. b See xii. 31. c See xii. 1. d See xi. 4. e See xiii. 1. 16. h See ii. 7. 1 Om. τφ the pre-Syrian unce. § 44. ΤΗΕ 6ΙΕΤ5 oF TONGUES AND
ΟΕ PROPHECY, xiv. 1-6. The digressicn upon 4 ἀγάπη has not diverted us from the subject of this Div.; Love has shown the way (xii. 31) in which all τὰ πνευ- µατικά (xii. 1, xiv. 1) are to be sought, the animating principle and ulterior aim that should govern their exercise. But the principle of Love supplies, further, a criterion by which the charisms are to be relatively estimated—theiy use in edifica- tion (3 ff., 12, 19, 26). Thus P. at length answers the question addressed to him from Cor. as to the worth of the several “spiritual powers,’’ and in particular as to the relative value of Tongues and Prophesying. He has led up to this answer by his exposition of the general Christian truths bearing upon the matter —viz. the office of the Holy Spirit as the distributor of God’s gifts (xii. 3-11), the organic nature of the Church (12-31), and the sovereignty of love in the Christian life (xiii.).
Ver, 1. ‘Pursue love"—follow in- tently this καθ ὑπερβολὴν ὁδόν (xii. 31b: see note): διώκω (see parls.: pr. impr.) signifies to prosecute to its goal (xiii. 13) a course on which one has entered. ζηλοῦτε δὲ τὰ πνευματικά, “ but (continue to) covet the spiritual (gifts) ”: Ῥ. resumes xii. 31 (see note, also on xii. I). Love is exalted in the interest of the charisms, not to their disparagement ; it is not to be pursued by forgetting everything else, but opens the true way to everything else: “ Sectamini charitatem, affectate spiritualia ” (Cv.).—‘ But rather (in preference to other gifts) that you may prophesy”’: this is chiefamongst “ the greater charisms”’ of xii. 31. Perhaps the Cor. had asked specifically which of the two, Tongues or Prophecy, was to be preferred. ἵνα προφητεύητε (cf. θέλω
- + μᾶλλον ἵνα, 5) differs from τὸ προφητεύειν by making the object dis- tinctly an aim: in striving after the charisms, Prophecy is to be set highest and to control the rest. For the use of ἵνα, cf. note oni. 10, also Bm., pp. 235 ff.
Vv. 2, 3. The reason for preferring
Prophecy, on the principles laid down, is that one’s fellows receive no benefit from the Tongues: except God, ‘‘no one hears”’ the latter—.e. hears under- standingly (cf. Eph. i. 13, iv. 29, etc.). There was sound enough in the glosso- lalia (xiii. 1), but no sense (23). πνεύματι δὲ λαλεῖ κ.τ.λ., '' but in spirit he is speak- ing mysteries”; δὲ points a contrast to the οὐδεὶς . . . ἀκούει: there is some- thing worth hearing—deep things mut- tered by those quivering lips, that should be rationally spoken. For µυστήριον, see note on ii. 7, and Cr. s.v.: mystery in Scripture is the correlate of revela- tion; here it stops short of disclosure, tantalizing the Church, which hears and hears not. πνεύματι, dat. of manner or instr..—‘‘ with the spirit,’ but without the “understanding” (νοῦς: 14 ff.; cf. note to xii. 8).—‘‘ But he who prophesies does speak to men—edification and ex- hortation and comfort.” παράκλησις and παραµυθία are distinct from oiko- δοµή: prophetic speech serves for (a) ‘the further upbuilding of the Christian life, (6) the stimulation of the Christian will, (c) the strengthening of the Christian spirit” (Hf.). παραµυθία has ref. to sorrow or fear (see parls.); παράκλησις (far commoner) to duty; οἰκοδομή, in the widest sense, to knowledge and char- acter and the progress of the Church: this last stands alone in the sequel.