The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 11

dCl<'.trine" ia one of thr c-oaraest disdain rnnk WI\B the consul Flaviue Clemen~, uncle (<x.\,ia(o,·). and they c,1llrd him "n, ared- of the Emperor Domitie.n. 'l'llis was the more peckor" (Acts XYii. 18, 32), i.e. a mere mnrked bcrause the Jews won nmny rirh picker-up of" ]earning's crumbs." 11n,I noble proselytes, such ea the Queen Yer. 24.-Unto them that are ea.lied Helena atHl the royal family of Adie.bene, (aec Rom. Yiii. 2S); litcmlly, to the called Poppron the wife of Nern, and others. The t/1emsel ves. :Both Jews and Greeks. Hrncc- only illustrious converts mentioned in the forth 1he middle wall of partition bl'twecn New Testo.ment itre Joseph of Arimo.thron, thC'm is tl,rown down, and there is no differ- Nicodemus, Sergiu~ Pnulus, and Dionysins ence (Rom. ix. 24). Christ the power of the Areopagite. Notma.ny noble. All this God, and I.he wisdom of God. ThC'se wnrds was a frequent taunt itgainst Chl'istio.ns, bu• n re a summary of the gospel. St. Paul is they made it their boast. Christianity co.me tl,e best commentator on himself. He speaks to redeem and elevate, not the few, but the elsewhere of "the exceeding greatness of many, and tile me.uy must ever be the wee.k God's po1rer to usward who beliern, ... which and the humble. Hence Christ called he wrnug-ht in Christ" (Eph. i. 17-20), and fisllermen as his apostles, and was known of "all the treasures of wisdom and know- as " the Friend of publicans and sinners," led!!e" as being " llid in Christ" (Col. ii. 3). ~?ne of tile rulers believed on him (John And tile world, once so scornful, be.s leitrnt vu. 48). It must, however, be borne in mind that Christ is indeed the Power of God. that these words apply mo.inly and primarily When Rudolph of Hapsburgh was being to the first age of Christianity. It was crowned, and in the 11 urry no sceptre could essential that its victory should be due to be fon 11d, he seized a crucifix, and swore tbe.t Di~ine weapons only, e.nd that it should that should be bis only sceptre. When St. shake the world •• by the irresistible might Thomas of Aquinum asked St. Bona,·entura of weakness." After e. time, the wisest e.nd what was the source of his immense learning, the noblest and the most powerful were he pointe,l in silence to bis crucifix. called. Kings becitme the nursing fathers Yer. 25.-The foolishness of God . . . the of the gospel, itnd queens its nursing weakness of God ; the method, that is, mothers. Yet the ideal truth remains, e.nd wherehv God works. and which men take to human power shows utter weakness, e.nd be foolish e.nd weak, because with arrogant human wisdom is capable of sinking into presumption they look upon themselves as the depths of folly. the measure of all things. But God achieves Ver. 27.-God ohose; not, 7iath chosen the mightiest ends by the humblest means, out. We may remark, once for all, that and the gospel of Christ allied itself from there was no reason why the translators of the first, not with the world's strength e.nd 1611 should thus have turned the Greek splendour, but with e.11 which the world aoriete of the New Testament into perfect~. <lespised a.s mean and feeble-with fisher- In this and in many instances the change men e.nd tax-gatherers, with slaves, and of tense is unimporfont, but sometimes it womPD, e.nd artizans. The lesson wasspecidly materially and injuriously affects the sense, needful to the Corinthians, whom Cicero The foolish things . . . the weak things. So, describes(' De Leg. Age,' ii. 32) e.s" famous, too, the psalmist, " Out of the mouths of not only for their luxurioUSiiess, but also be.bes e.nd sucklings he.et thou ordained for their wealtll and p!Jilosophic culture." strength" (Ps. viii. 2); and St. Jamee, Yers. 26-31.-The method of God in the " Hath not God chosen the poor of this world spread of the gospel. rich in faith?" (Jas. ii. 5). Y n. 26.-For behold; or, consider (impere.- Ver. 28.-And the base things; literally, ti ,e, as in eh. x. 18; Phil. iii. 2). Yonr oall- low-born, unborn; "those who are sprung ing; tile nature and met!Jod of your heavenly from no one in particular "-nullo patre, calling; the" p,inciple God bas followed iu nullis majoribus. Nothing could be more calliug you" (Beza); see Eph. iv. l; Heh. ignoble in the eyes of the world than a cross iii. 1. Not many wise after the flesh. Those of wood upheld by feeble hands, and yet who bear the calling are alone the truly wise; before it " kings and their armies did flee e.nd hut they are not wise with a carnal wisdom, were discomfited, e.nd they of the household not wise as men count wisdom; they have divided the spoil.'' And the things that but little of the wisdom of the serpent and the are not. 'fbe not is the Greek subjec- wisdom of " this e.ge." The Sanhedrin tive negative (µ¾,); things of which men looked down on the apostles as " uuleamed conceived as not existing-" nonentities." It und ignorant men" (Acts iv. 13). "God," ill like the expression of Clement of Rome, ~ .. ye St. Augustine, "caught orators by "Things accounted as nothing." Christiitnity tiahermen, not fishermen by orators." Not was "the little stone, cut without ho.nd~," many mighty; i.e. not many pe1·eons of which God ea.lied into existence. We find power and ii,flue11re. Almost the fir&t the ,e.mo thought in St. John the Daptist't1 uvowt,cl Ge11til« Christian of the highest sermon (Mu.tt. iii. 9). <!If, 1. 1-31.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS. 9