CORINTHIANS, FIRST EPISTLE TO

110) and many Greek and Latin commentators, and also perhaps by Clement ot Rome (see below, § 10), as being St. Paul's own observation: ' You make parties, taking Paul, ApoUos, Cephas as leaders, but I, Paul, am no party man, I am Christ's ' (of. 3'«). If, however, we take the more usual interpretation that there were four parties, we may ask what lines ot thought they severally represented. The Apollos-party would prob-ably consist of those who disparaged St. Paul as not being sufficiently eloquent and philosophical (cf. 2'- ", Ac 18!», 2 Co 10i» 116). The Cephas-party would be the party of the circumcision, as in Galatia. At Corinth the great dispute about the Law was as yet inits infancy ; it seems to have grown when 2 Corinthians was written (see § 7 (c) below). The Christ-party, it has been con-jectured, was the ultra-latitudinarian party, wluch caricatured St. Paul's teaching about Uberty (cf. Ro 6'); or (Alford) consisted of those who made a merit of not being attached to any human teacher, and who therefore slighted the Apostleship of St. Paul. Another view is that the Christ-party consisted of the Judaizers men-tioned in 2 Co. and Gal. as denying St. Paul's Apostleship (Goudge, p. xxi.: cf. 2 Co 10' where St. Paul's opponents claim to be pecuUarly Christ's) ; but it is not easy in that case to distinguish them from the Cephas-party. There is no sufficient reason for deducing from 1 Co l'^ gs that St. Peter had visited Corinth, and that this party consisted of Ills personal disciples. — St. Paul, then, reproves all these parties, and most emphatically those who called themselves by his name. They were united by baptism with Christ, not with him (1").

4. Moral Scandals (ch. 5). — A Christian had married his (probably heathen) step-mother. Perhaps his father had been separated from her on his becoming a Christian, but (if 2 Co 7" refers to this incident) was still alive; and the son thereupon married her. The Corinthian Church, in the low state of public opinion, did not condemn this, and did not even mention it in their letter to St. Paul. St. Paul reproves them £er tolerating "such fornication as is not even among the Gentiles' [the word 'named' of the AV text has no sufficient authority]. There is a difficulty here, for the heathen tolerated even more incestuous connexions, as between a man and his half-sister. Ramsay (Exp. vi. [i.] 110) supposes the Apostle to mean that the Roman law forbade such marriage. The Roman law ot affinity was undoubtedly very strict, and Corinth, as a colony, would be familiar with Ronian law; though the law was not usually put in forced The Jews strongly de-nounced such connexions (Am 2'). The Apostle says nothing ot the punishment ot the heathen step-mother (cf. 1 Co 5'2), but the man is to be 'delivered unto Satan' (5', cf. 1 Ti l^").

This phrase probably means simple excommunication, including the renouncing of all intercourae with the offender (cf. 5'3)( though many take it to denote the infliction of some miraculous punishment, disease, or death, and deny that the offender of 2 Co 2 and 7 is the incestuous Corinthian of 1 Co 6. Ramsay conjectures that the phrase is a Christian adaptation of a pagan idea, that a person wronged by another but unable to retaliate should consign the offenaer to the gods and leave punishment to be inflicted by Divine power; Satan would be looked on as God's instrument in punishing the offender; and the latter, being cast out of the Christian community, would be left as a prey to the devil.

6. Legal Scandals. — St. Paul rebukes the Corinthians for litigiousness, 6'-*. This passage is usually inter-preted as superseding heathen imperial tribunals by voluntary Christian courts for all cases, such as the Jews often had. Ramsay (Exp. vi. [i.l 274) suggests that the Apostle, who usually treats Roman institutions with respect, is not here considering serious questions of crime and fraud at all, nor yet law courts whether heathen or Christian, but those smaller matters which Greeks were accustomed to submit to arbitration. In Roman times, as this procedure developed, the arbiters became really judges of an inferior court.

CORINTHIANS, FIRST EPISTLE TO

recognized by the law, and the magistrates appointed them. In this view St. Paul reproves the Corinthians for taking their umpires from among the heathen instead of from among their Christian brethren.

6. Questions of Moral Sin and of Marriage (6'!^7"). — Probably the passage e'^-^" is part of the answer to the Corinthian letter. The correspondent had said, 'All things are lawful for me.' But all things (the Apostle replies) are not expedient. ' Meats are for the belly, and the belly for meats' (i.e. just as food is natural to the body, so is impurity). But both are transitory, and the body as a whole is for the Lord ; in virtue of the Resurrection fornication is a serious sin, for it destroys the spiritual character of the body. True marriage is the most perfect symbol ot the relation between Christ and the Church (e""-; cf. Eph S^^a). In ch. 7 the Apostle answers the Corinthians' questions about marriage. It is usually thought that they wished to extol asceticism, basing their view on our Lord's words in Mt 19'"-, that they suggested that celibacy was to be strongly encouraged in all, and that the Apostle, though agreeing as an abstract principle, yet, because of imminent persecution and Jesus' immediate return (72«. 2»)^ replied that in many cases celibacy was undesir-able. But Ramsay points out that such a question is unnatural to both Jews and Gentiles of that time. The better heathen tried to enforce marriage as a cure for immorality; while the Jews looked on it as an universal duty. Ramsay supposes, therefore, that the Corinthians wished to make marriage compulsory, and that St. Paul pleads for a voluntary celibacy. Against this it is urged that the Essenes (a Jewish sect) upheld non-marriage. But it is difficult to think, in view of 1 1" and Eph 5™-, that St. Paul held the celibate lite to be essentially the higher one, and the married life only a matter of permission, a concession to weakness. — Alter positive commands as to divorce (7'") the Apostle answers in 7^"- another question: which would be either (see above) a suggestion that fathers should be discouraged from finding husbands for their daughters, or that they should be compelled to do so. On the latter supposition, St. Paul says that there is no obUga-tion, and that the daughter may well remain unmarried. The subject is concluded with advice as to widows' re-marriage.

7. Social Questions (8'-lli).— (a) Food. — Another question was whether Christians may eat meats which had previously been offered to idols, as most of the meat sold in Corinth would have been. St. Paul's answer is a running commentary on the Corinthians' words (so Lock, Exp. V. [vi.] 65; Ramsay agrees): 'We know that we all have knowledge; we are not bound by absurd ceremonial restrictions.' Yes, but knowledge puffeth up; without love and humility it is nothing; besides not all have knowledge. 'The false gods are really non-existent; we have but one God; as there is no such thing really as an idol we are free to eat meats offered in idol temples.' But there are weaker brethren who would be scandalized. 'Meat will not commend us to God: it is indifferent.' But do not let your liberty cause others to fall (note the change of pronoun in v.«').

Why is the decree of Ac 15" not quoted? Look suggests that it is because at Corinth there was no question between Jew and Gentile, but only between Gentile and Gentile, and Jewish opinion might be neglected. Ramsay (^Exp. yi. [ii.] 375) thinks that the decree is not mentioned because it was the very subject of discussion. The Corinthians had said (he supposes): 'Why should we be tied down by the Council's decree here at Corinth, so long after? We know better than to suppose that a non-existent idol can taint food.' St. Paul replies, maintaining the spirit of the decree, that offence must not be given to the weaker brethren (so Hort).

(6) Idol Feasts (gi"-" 10"-11').— St. Paul absolutely forbids eating at idol feasts. Probably many of the Corinthians had retained their connexion with pagan

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