Bibelkommentare

The apostle proceeds with his argument in this chapter, and, I. Reminds the Corinthians of the plain manner wherein he delivered the gospel to them, 1Co 2:1-5. But yet, II. Shows them that he had communicated to them a treasure of the truest and highest wisdom, such as exceeded all the attainments of learned men, such as could never have entered into the heart of man if it had not been revealed, nor can be received and improved to salvation but by the light and influence of that Spirit who revealed it, 1Co 2:6-16.

The design of this chapter is the same as the concluding part of 1 Corinthians 1:17-31, to show that the gospel does not depend for its success on human wisdom, or the philosophy of men. This position the apostle further confirms:

-11 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, By a reference to his own example, as having been successful among them, and yet not endowed with the graces of elocution, or by a commanding address; yet.

(2) Lest it should be thought that the gospel was real folly, and should be contemned, he shows in the remainder of the chapter 1 Corinthians 2:6-16, that it contained true wisdom; that it was a profound scheme - rejected, indeed, by the people of the world, but seen to be wise by those who were made acquainted with its real nature and value, 1 Corinthians 2:5-16.

The first division of the chapter 1 Corinthians 2:1-5, is a continuation of the argument to show that the success of the gospel does not depend on human wisdom or philosophy. This he proves:

(1) By the fact that when he was among them, though his preaching was attended with success, yet he did not come with the attractions of human eloquence, 1 Corinthians 2:1.

(2) this was in accordance with his purpose, not designing to attempt anything like that, but having another object, 1 Corinthians 2:2.

(3) in fact he had not evinced that, but the contrary, 1 Corinthians 2:3-4.

(4) his design was that their conversion should not appear to have been made by human wisdom or eloquence, but to have been manifestly the work of God, 1 Corinthians 2:5.

The apostle makes an apology for his manner of preaching, 1 Corinthians 2:1. And gives the reason why he adopted that manner, 1 Corinthians 2:2-5. He shows that this preaching, notwithstanding it was not with excellence of human speech or wisdom, yet was the mysterious wisdom of God, which the princes of this world did not know, and which the Spirit of God alone could reveal, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10. It is the Spirit of God only that can reveal the things of God, 1 Corinthians 2:11. The apostles of Christ know the things of God by the Spirit of God, and teach them, not in the words of man's wisdom, but in the words of that Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:12, 1 Corinthians 2:13. The natural man cannot discern the things of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:14. But the spiritual man can discern and teach them, because he has the mind of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:15, 1 Corinthians 2:16.

INTRODUCTION TO 1 Corinthians 2

The apostle, in this chapter, pursues the same argument as before, that the Gospel needed not the wisdom and art of men: this he illustrates by his own example; and then he extols the Gospel above all the wisdom of men; and observes how it comes to be made known to men, even by the Spirit of God: hence it follows, that it is to be taught in his words, and not in the words of men; and that it can be only known and judged of by the spiritual, and not by the natural man. He instances in himself, and in his own ministry, when at Corinth, where he preached the Gospel in a plain and simple manner, without using the ornaments of speech, and human wisdom, 1 Corinthians 2:1 his reason was, because he had determined with himself to preach not himself, but a crucified Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:2. His manner of behaviour is more largely declared, 1 Corinthians 2:3 that he was so far from being elated with his human literature, and priding himself with that, and making use of it in an ostentatious way, that he was attended with much weakness, fear, and trembling; and his discourses were not adorned with the flowers of rhetoric, but were delivered with the power, evidence, and demonstration of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:4. And his end and view in this method of preaching were, that the faith of his hearers should not be ascribed to human wisdom, but to a divine power, 1 Corinthians 2:5 but lest the Gospel should be thought meanly and contemptibly of, because of the plain dress in which it appeared, the apostle affirms it to be the highest wisdom, as those who had the most perfect knowledge of it could attest; a wisdom superior to the wisdom of this world, or of its princes, since that comes to nothing, 1 Corinthians 2:6 the excellency of which he expresses by various epithets, as the wisdom of God, mysterious wisdom, hidden wisdom, ancient wisdom, ordained before the world began, for the glory of the saints, 1 Corinthians 2:7 a wisdom unknown to the princes of the world, who otherwise would not have been concerned in the crucifixion of Christ, 1 Corinthians 2:8 and that this far exceeds the capacity of men, and could never have been found out by them, he proves, 1 Corinthians 2:9 by a testimony out of Isaiah 64:4 and then proceeds to show how it comes to be known by any of the sons of men, that it is by the revelation of the Spirit of God, 1 Corinthians 2:10 which is illustrated by the nature of the spirit of man within him, which only knows the things of a man; so in like manner only the Spirit of God knows the things of God, and can make them known to others, 1 Corinthians 2:11. And in this way he observes, that he and others became acquainted with these things; namely, by receiving not the spirit of the world, which at most could only have taught them the wisdom of the world, but the Spirit of God, whereby they knew their interest in the blessings of free grace, published in the Gospel, 1 Corinthians 2:12. And seeing the Gospel is made known by the Spirit of God, it should be delivered, not in the words of man's wisdom, but in the words of the Holy Spirit, as the apostle affirms he and other ministers did deliver it, returning to his former argument, 1 Corinthians 2:13. And also it follows from hence, that the things of the Gospel, which the Spirit reveals, cannot be known and received by the natural man, who has no discerning of them, and so no value for them, 1 Corinthians 2:14 and can only be discerned, judged, and approved of by spiritual men, 1 Corinthians 2:15 and who are not to be judged by natural and carnal men, because they have not the mind of Christ, and so cannot instruct them; but spiritual men have it, such as the apostle and others, 1 Corinthians 2:16.

CHAPTER 2

1 Corinthians 2:1. μαρτύριον] A C א*, min.[301] Syr[302] Copt. and some Fathers: ΜΥΣΤΉΡΙΟΝ. Approved by Griesb. and Ewald, adopted also by Rückert. A gloss written on the margin from 1 Corinthians 2:7. Had ΜΑΡΤΎΡΙΟΝ crept in from 1 Corinthians 1:6, the witnesses which have it would read also ΤΟῦ ΧΡΙΣΤΟῦ instead of Τ. ΘΕΟῦ; but this occurs only in very few, some of which, besides, have ΜΥΣΤΉΡΙΟΝ.—1 Corinthians 2:2. ΤῚ ΕἸΔΈΝΑΙ] Elz. ΤΟῦ ΕἸΔΈΝΑΙ ΤΙ. But ΤΟῦ is wanting in decisive witnesses; that ΤΙ should be put first is rendered certain by B C, min[303] Bas. Cyr. Isid. Chrys. Hil. Victorin. Aug., also D E (which have τὶ ἐν ὑμῖν εἰδέναι); and the external attestation must decide here.—1 Corinthians 2:3. ΚΑῚ ἘΓΏ] Lachm. and Rückert read ΚἈΓΏ, with A B C א, min[304] Or. Bas. al[305] Taken from 1 Corinthians 2:1.—1 Corinthians 2:4. After ΠΕΙΘΟῖς Elz. has ἈΝΘΡΩΠΊΝΗς, against preponderating evidence. Addition from 1 Corinthians 2:5; 1 Corinthians 2:13. In reply to Heydenreich’s unfounded defence of the word, see Reiche, Comment. crit. I. p. 134.

The readings which alter πειθοῖς (ΠΕΙΘΟῖ: 1, 18*, 48, al[306] Or. Eus. al[307]; ΠΕΙΘΑΝΟῖς, Macar.), and those which either leave out ΛΌΓΟΙς (F G, 74, al[308] Erp. Boern. Ambrosiast. Sedul.) or alter it (ΛΌΓΩΝ: Syr[309] Armen. Or. twice over, and several others: ΛΌΓΟΝ), are old shifts resorted to on failure to understand ΠΕΙΘΟῖς, as also the short reading ἘΝ ΠΕΙΘΟ͂ ΣΟΦΊΑς must be so accounted. See the exegetical remarks, and Reiche, p. 133.—1 Corinthians 2:7. The order of the words ΘΕΟῦ ΣΟΦΊΑΝ (Elz. and Matth. invert it) is decisively attested, as also the order in 1 Corinthians 2:10 : ἈΠΕΚΆΛ. Ὁ ΘΕΌς.—1 Corinthians 2:9. In place of the second Ἅ, Lachm. and Tisch. have ὍΣΑ, with A B C and some Fathers.[310] Rightly; ἅ is a mechanical repetition from what goes before.—1 Corinthians 2:10. Instead of δέ Tisch. reads γάρ, supported only by B, min[311] Copt. Sahid. Clem.

αὐτοῦ] is wanting in A B C א, Copt. Clem. Bas. Cyr. It is deleted by Lachm. and Rückert. But considering the independent τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα which follows, it would have been more natural to omit αὐτοῦ or to add ἁγίου (so Didym.) than to insert αὐτοῦ.—1 Corinthians 2:11. ἔγνωκεν is, in accordance with the vast preponderance of evidence, approved by Griesb. and adopted by Lachm. Tisch. and Rückert. Elz., however, Matth. and Scholz, have οἶδεν. Repetition of the preceding οἶδεν, done mechanically or by way of gloss. In favour of ἔγνωκεν there is also the reading ἔγνω in F G, 23, and Fathers.—1 Corinthians 2:13. πνεύματος] Elz. adds ἁγίου, against decisive evidence to the contrary. A superfluous and weakening definition.—1 Corinthians 2:15. The μέν after ἀνακρ. in Elz. and Scholz (deleted by Lachm. Tisch. and Rück.) is wanting in A C D* F G, 17, and many VSS[312] and Fathers. It has arisen from the δέ which follows. In א* the whole verse is omitted through Homoioteleuton. א** has μέν.

τὰ πάντα] so also Rück. and Tisch.; Lachm. brackets τά; Elz. and Scholz have simply πάντα. But τά is attested by A C D, min[313] Ir. ms. Or. Nyss. Chrys.; πάντα is an old correction of the text, with the view of bringing in the masculine to correspond with the οὐδενός which comes after; hence, too, Didym. and Theodoret have πάντας.—1 Corinthians 2:16. Χριστοῦ] Lachm. has Κυρίου, with B D* F G, Theophyl. Ambrosiast. Aug. Sedul. Mechanical repetition of the preceding Κυρίου. Had Κυρίου been the original reading and explained by a gloss, the substitute for it would have been not Χριστοῦ, but Θεοῦ, seeing that every marginal annotator must have been aware from Isaiah 40:13 that the preceding Κυρίου referred to God.

[301] min. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[302] yr. Peschito Syriac

[303] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[304] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[305] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[306] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[307] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[308] l. and others; and other passages; and other editions.

[309] yr. Peschito Syriac

[310] Clement, too, Cor. I. 34, has ὅσα, which certainly was not first imported from his quotation into that of the apostle (Hofmann). A converse proceeding on the part of the transcribers might rather seem more natural.

[311] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

[312] SS. vss. = versions.

[313] in. codices minusculi, manuscripts in cursive writing. Where these are individually quoted, they are marked by the usual Arabic numerals, as 33, 89.

1Co 2:1-16.

PAUL'S SUBJECT OF PREACHING, CHRIST CRUCIFIED, NOT IN WORLDLY, BUT IN HEAVENLY, WISDOM AMONG THE PERFECT.

1. And I--"So I" [CONYBEARE] as one of the "foolish, weak, and despised" instruments employed by God

(1Co 1:27, 28);

"glorying in the Lord," not in man's wisdom

(1Co 1:31).

Compare

1Co 1:23,

"We."

when I came--

(Ac 18:1,

&c.). Paul might, had he pleased, have used an ornate style, having studied secular learning at Tarsus of Cilicia, which STRABO preferred as a school of learning to Athens or Alexandria; here, doubtless, he read the Cilician Aratus' poems (which he quotes,

Ac 17:28),

and Epimenides

(Tit 1:12),

and Menander

(1Co 15:33).

Grecian intellectual development was an important element in preparing the way for the Gospel, but it failed to regenerate the world, showing that for this a superhuman power is needed. Hellenistic (Grecizing) Judaism at Tarsus and Alexandria was the connecting link between the schools of Athens and those of the Rabbis. No more fitting birthplace could there have been for the apostle of the Gentiles than Tarsus, free as it was from the warping influences of Rome, Alexandria, and Athens. He had at the same time Roman citizenship, which protected him from sudden violence. Again, he was reared in the Hebrew divine law at Jerusalem. Thus, as the three elements, Greek cultivation, Roman polity

(Lu 2:1),

and the divine law given to the Jews, combined just at Christ's time, to prepare the world for the Gospel, so the same three, by God's marvellous providence, met together in the apostle to the Gentiles [CONYBEARE and HOWSON].

testimony of God--"the testimony of Christ"

(1Co 1:6);

therefore Christ is God.

And I, brethren - Keeping up the tender and affectionate style of address.

When I came unto you - When I came at first to preach the gospel at Corinth. Act 18:1ff.

Came not with excellency of speech - Came not with graceful and attractive eloquence. The apostle here evidently alludes to that nice ant studied choice of language; to those gracefully formed sentences, and to that skill of arrangement in discourse and argument which was so much an object of regard with the Greek rhetoricians. It is probable that Paul was never much distinguished for these (compare 2 Corinthians 10:10), and it is certain he never made them an object of intense study and solicitude. Compare 1 Corinthians 2:4, 1 Corinthians 2:13.

Or of wisdom - Of the wisdom of this world; of that kind of wisdom which was sought and cultivated in Greece.

The testimony of God - The testimony or the witnessing which God has borne to the gospel of Christ by miracles, and by attending it everywhere with his presence and blessing. In 1 Corinthians 2:6, the gospel is called "the testimony of Christ;" and here it may either mean the witness which the gospel bears to the true character and plans of God; or the witnessing which God had borne to the gospel by miracles, etc. The gospel contains the testimony of God in regard to his own character and plans; especially in regard to the great plan of redemption through Jesus Christ. Several mss. instead of "testimony of God," here read "the mystery of God." This would accord well with the scope of the argument; but the present reading is probably the correct one. See Mill. The Syriac version has also "mystery."