The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 130

EXPOSITION. CHAPTER IV. nor profound knowledge, nor suocess, but only-fidelity. Vers. I-5.-Judgments, human and Ver. 3.-:But. The Corinthians might Dii-ine, Tll$pecting ministers. h[we expected that the conclusion of St. Ver. 1.-Let a man so aooount of us. Paul's rcmnrks would be n recognition of Since it is ine'l'itable that Christians should their right to sit in judgment on his faith- form some estinmte of the position of their folness; but it is, on the ·contrnry, an expres- ministers, he proceeds to tell them what sion of his complete indiffurence to their that estimate should be. Ministers are not shallow ond unfair estimate, e.ud an oppeal to be unduly magnified, for tbeir position is to the approval of his own conscience and subordinate; they are not to be unduly to the judgrnent of the Lorcl. It is a very depreciated, for if they are faithful they sme.ll thing; literally, it is for the wast. may appeal from frivolous human prejudices That I should be judged of you; rather, and careless depreciations to that only that I ~hould be examined by you (anakritho). Judge and Master before whom they stand Techmcally the word anakri3is means "an or fall. Ministers; here liuperetas; in eh. examination preliminary to trial." Or of iii. 5 diahonous. They are huperetai (in its man's judgment; literally, of man's day. derivation" under-rowers") in their relation The brief day of human life is bounded by to Christ; dialwnoi in their relation to men. too narrow an horizon for accmate judg- Of Christ; and therefore responsible to ments. Many of the greatest aucl best men Him. Stewards; dispensers, subordinate have felt, like Lord Bncon, that they must distributors. These "agents" were higher leave to other generations the right estimate slaves (Luke xvi. 1-8). Of the mysteries of their charnctcrs, views, and actious. St.. of God. The '\'l'ord "mysteries" means Jerome reckons the expression "clay" for truths once bidden but now revealed; as in "judgment" among the ~• Cilicisms" of St. Luke 'l'iii. 10, "Unto you it is given to know Paul (Jer.,' Ad Algas.,' 10), i.e. the expres- the mysteries of the kingdom of God." In sions due to his early tro.ining in Ci!icio.. litter patristic usage the word means '' sa- More probo.bly (as Grotius thinks) there ia craments;" but St. Paul bas expre,sly said a reference to the "day" fixed for earthly ( eh. i. 17) that bis mission was to preach trials (die1n dicere, cqnivo.lent to "to im- the gospel, not primarily to administer the peach "), and to the pbro.se "the day of sacraments. (For descriptions of the work judgment "-" the woeful clay" of Jer. xvii. of a millister according to St. Paul's lofty 16. 'fbe word "day" in a.II languages and. ideal, see ibe pastoral Epistles, ancl 1 TlH·ss. idioms signifies "judgment" (Hammond). ii 7-11; Col. i. 25-29; Acts x.x. 18-21, From dies, a day, come; the pbro.se "a diet." 24-28. St. Peter'a is given in 1 Pet. iv. A "daysman" means an arbitrator. Yea, 10, 11 ; v. 2-4.) A minister is not to be I judge not mine own self. Here, as in the estimated as a supernatural teacher, or a previous clause and in eh. vi. 4, the vel'b is. civil autocrat, or an infallible critic, but as not krinii, I judge, but analcrir1ii, I examine. an ambassador from Christ, who reveals to Thus the verse discourages nil morbid self- the "initiated" tbe.t which they could not introspection. It a.Isa shows that St. Po.u1 0the1wiBe know. is not o.rrogantly proclaiming himself Ver. 2.-Moreover. The true reading superior to the opinion of the Corinthians, (N, A, B, C, D, F) iB w3e lumrbv, here, more- but is pointing out the necessary inade- over; i.e. " on this earth." It may be 1·e- quacy of all human judgments. 'l'he heart quired of him as a minister that he should is too liable to self-deceit (Jer. xvii. 9, 10) be faithful, but if, being faithful, be is mis- to enable it to pronounce a judgrnent with, judged and depreciated, his appeal lies to a unerring accuracy. Hence neither a mun'a truer and loftier tribunal. It is required. contemporaries nor the man himself can This is the reacting of N, A, C, D. Other form any final estimo.te of him or of bis manuscripts have "ye require;" but the fitting position, beco.use their knowledge is sound of the two words in Hellenistic Greek too imperfect. History often 1·everses the would have been almost indistiuiuishable. decisiou of con temporaries. Tha.t a man be found faithful. \v e have e. Ver. 4.-1 know nothing by myself; right to demand that on trial be be proved rather, nothing against myself. The phrasi, to be honest and diligent. So our Lord has of the Authorized Version originally meant described tlle "faithful aucl wise steward" this, but is now obsolete in this sense. "I in Luke xii. 42, 43. What iB reqnired of am sorry that each fault can be proved by ministers is neither brilliancy, nor eloquvnce, the queen," says Cranmer to Henry Vlll. cu. 1v. 1-21.] TUE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.