The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Corinthians — Section 191

<"nnsistently seek int~1,,'Tity from those who (Heb. ii. fi), We lnust take tho phiin moo.n- "·ere not npright. A fortiori, Christinns ing of the apostle's words, whethe1· wo co.r1 ous:ht not to ,lo so. Before the saints. All throw any light on his oonceptions or not. Cl;ristitms wern ideally "saints," just AS the The only o.lternative is to suppose that the h!'nthen wern normally " unjust." If word means "those who once were good Christians went to la.w with one another angels," but a,·e nolll follen spirits. It wa 11 l1<·fore the heathen, they belied their profes- so understood by 'l'ertullian, Chrysostom, sion of mutunl lo'"e, caused scandal, and were etc. How muoh more ; rather, to say nothing almost necessarily tempted into compliance of. The accurate rendering of these verses with heathen customs, even to the ext~nt of is a matter of some difficulty, but not to a.n recognizing idols. Onr Lord had already extent which affects the material sense, or laid down the rule tlrnt "brothers" ought which ccm be explained without a minute to settle their qullrrels omong themselves knowledge of Greek. (l\lAtt. xYiii. 15-17). Ver. 4.-If then ye ha.ve, etc. The verse Ver. 2.-Do ye not know1 The word implies tha.t civil disputes might naturally " or" should he supplied from ~. A, B, C, D, occur among them. What he is here repro- F, etc. Bishop Wordsworth points out that bating is their objectiona.ble method of this emphatic question occurs ten times in set.tling them. Set them to judge who are th!'se two Epistles (eh. iii. 6; v. 6; vi. 2, 3, 9, lea.at esteemed in the Churoh, This implies !.'i. 16, 19; ix. 13, 24), aud only twice in a.II an utter scorn of trivial quarrels nbout thv rest (Rom. vi. 16; xi. 2). It was B personal rights. Surely the lowliest, the titling rebuke to those who took for know- most unrega.rded members of the Church k,lgc their obvious ignorance. It resembles -those of no account-have wisdom enough the "Have ye not s0 much as read?" to to decide in such small ma.tters. Thus when l'harisees who professed such profound there arose a murmuring between Hebrews familiarity with the Scriptures. Tha.t the and Hellenists a.bout the daily distribution sa.illts sha.11 judge the world. So Daniel to widows, the apostles, thinking tho.t they (vii. 22) had said, "The Ancient of days had much more important work in hand thnu c"me, and judgment was given to the saints the o.djustment of such jealousies, left the of the Most High." Our Lord had confirmed whole ma.tter in the hands of the seven this promise to his apostles," Ye also shall deacons. Some understand "those held of no sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve nccount in the Church II to mean heathens; tribes of Israel" (llfott. xix. 28). Various but he is here forbidding them to bring rnodes of evading the literal sense have been their quarrels before the heathens. Of course, adopted, but ernn in the Book of Wisdom we ideally, none ought to be '"despised II or find, "They [the righteous] sho.11 judge the "held of no a.ccount" in the Church; but llations, and have dominion over the people" St. Paul is here speaking relatively, auo (Wisd. iii. 8). All speculation a.s to the with reference to the views of the Corinthians rnanuer and exteut in which the saints shall themselves, and not without irony. The share in the work of Christ o.s Judge of perfect participle, "those who have been the quick and dea.d, are obviously futile. set at nought," perhaps means persons of Sha.ll be judged; literally, is being judged-- proved inferiority of judgment. the present points to the future, as though Ver. 5.-I speak to your she.me. He tliat which is inevitable is a.lready in co_urse adds this to o.ccount for the severe irony of of fulfilment. To judge the smallest ma.tters; the la.at remark. Not a. wise man a.mong literally, of the smallest judgmenta. you. Among you, who set yourselves up Ver. 3.-Tha.t we sha.11 judge a.ngels. a.a so specially wise I To judge; rather, t<> Angels, i.e. sume who belong, or once did decide. belong, to that cla.ss. The statement fur- Ver. 7.-Now therefore; rather, Nay ui~hes no data for further speculation. It more, already. Utterly; rather, generall-v, can hardly mean "evil spirits," for where •• o.ltogether," "looking a.t the question as the word is entirely unqualified it always a. whole." A fa.ult, The word means "n means good angels; otherwise we mightrefer defect," or possibly "a loss" (Rom. xi. 12, it to the "angels which kept not their first "the diminishing"). Your going to la.w is estate" (Jude 6). His impossible, and not an inferiority or deficiency; you ought to Btraightforward, to explain awa.y the word know of "a more excellent way." Why do "angels" as meaning Church officia.ls, etc., ye not ra.ther ta.ke wrong l Stra.nge ns such or to make the word "judge" mean "involve a.dvice would sound to heathens, who prided a condemnation of them by comparison with themselves on the passionate resentment ourselves." All that we can say is tha.t of injuries as though it were a virtue, this "God chargeth even his angels with folly, had been the distinct tea.ching of our Lord: and in his sight the very heavens a.re not "Resist not evil" (Mo.tt. v. 39). clean" (Job iv. 18); a.nd that "to angels Ver. 8.-Na.y, ye do wrong a.nd defra.ud. hutl.i he not subjected the world to come" Thus they violated a. rule which Paul had CII. VI. 1-20.J THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE com~THIA~S.