_Epistles to_. St. Paul left Corinth A. D. 53 or 54, and
went to Jerusalem. From Ephesus he wrote his First Epistle to the
Corinthians, in the beginning of A. D. 56. In this epistle he reproves
some who disturbed the peace of the church, complains of some disorders
in their assemblies, of law suits among them, and of a Christian who had
committed incest with his mother-in-law, the wife of his father, and had
not been separated from the church. This letter produced in the
Corinthians great grief, vigilance against the vices reproved, and a
very beneficial dread of God’s anger. They repaired the scandal, and
expressed abundant zeal against the crime committed, 2 Cor. vii, 9–11.
To form an idea of the condition of the Corinthian church, we must
examine the epistles of the Apostle. The different factions into which
they were divided, exalted above all others the chiefs, τοὺς ὑπὲρ λίαν
ἀποϛόλους, [the very chiefest Apostles,] 2 Cor. xi, 5; xii, 11, whose
notions they adopted, and whose doctrines they professed to follow, and
attempted to depreciate those of the opposite party. While, then, some
called themselves disciples of Paul, Cephas, or Apollos, others assumed
the splendid appellation of Christ’s party. Probably they affected to be
the followers of James, the brother of our Lord, and thought thus to
enter into a nearer discipleship with Jesus than the other parties. The
controversy, as we shall see from the whole, related to the obligation
of Judaism. The advocates of it had appealed, even in Galatia, to Cephas
and James, for the sake of opposing to Paul, who had banished Jewish
ceremonies from Christianity, authorities which were not less admitted
than his own. The question itself divided all these various parties into
two principal factions: the partisans of Cephas and James were for the
law; the friends of Paul adopted his opinion, as well as Apollos, who,
with his adherents, was always in heart in favour of Paul, and never
wished to take a part in a separation from him, 1 Cor. xvi, 12. The
leaders of the party against Paul, these ψευδαπόϛολοι, [false apostles,]
as Paul calls them, and μετασχηματιζόμενοι εἰς ἀποϛὸλους Χριϛοῦ,
[transformers of themselves into the apostles of Christ,] who declared
themselves the promulgators and defenders of the doctrines of Cephas,
and James, were, as may be easily conceived, converted Jews, 2 Cor. xi,
22, who had come from different places,--to all appearance from
Palestine, ἐρχομένοι, [the comers,] 2 Cor. xi, 4,--and could therefore
boast of having had intercourse with the Apostles at Jerusalem, and of
an acquaintance with their principles. They were not even of the
orthodox Jews, but those who adhered to the doctrines of the Sadducees;
and though they were even now converted to Christianity, while they
spoke zealously in favour of the law, they were undermining the hopes of
the pious, and exciting doubts against the resurrection, 1 Cor. xv, 35;
so that Paul, from regard to the teachers, whose disciples they
professed to be, was obliged to refute them from the testimony of James
and Cephas, 1 Cor. xv, 5, 7. These, proud of their own opinions, 1 Cor.
i, 17, not without private views, depreciated Paul’s authority, and
extolled their own knowledge, 1 Cor. ii, 12; 2 Cor. xi, 16, 17.
Violently as the contest was carried on, they still did not withdraw
from the same place of assembly for instruction and mutual edification;
this, however, was even the cause of too many scandalous scenes and
disorders. At the ἀγάπαι, _love feasts_, love and benevolence were no
where to be seen. Instead of eating together, and refreshing their poor
brethren out of that which they had brought with them, each one, as he
came, ate his own, without waiting for any one else, and feasted often
to excess, while the needy was fasting, 1 Cor. xi, 17. When also some
were preparing for prayers or singing, others raised their voices to
instruct, and commenced exercises in _spiritual gifts_, tongues,
prophesyings, and interpretations, 1 Cor. xii, xiii, xiv; moreover, the
women, to bring confusion to its highest pitch, took their part in
interlocutions and proposals of questions, 1 Cor. xiv, 34.
Such was the state of things as to the interior discipline of the
assemblies and edification; but the exterior deportment, which the
members of this society had maintained in civil life, soon disappeared
also. Formerly, when differences arose among the believers, they were
adjusted by the intervention of arbitrators from their own communion,
and terminated quietly. Now, as their mutual confidence in each other
more and more decreased, they brought, to the disgrace of Christianity,
their complaints before the Pagan tribunals, 1 Cor. vi, 1. But as to
what concerned the main object, namely, the obligation of Judaism, it
was so little confined simply to words and reasons, that each party
rather strove to display its opposite principles in its conduct. One
party gave to the other, as much as possible, motives for ill will and
reproach. The Jews required circumcision as an indispensable act of
religion; while Paul’s disciples attempted to lay the foundation of a
new doctrine respecting it, and to extinguish all traces of
circumcision, 1 Cor. vii, 18. As the Jewish party observed and
maintained a distinction of meats, that of Paul ate without distinction
any thing sold in the markets, and even meats from the Heathen
sacrifices, 1 Cor. x, 25, 28; viii, 1. Nor was this enough; they often
made no scruple to be present at the sacrificial feasts. Among other
things, they also took part in many scandalous practices which were
common there, and fell, by means of their imprudence, into still greater
crimes, 1 Cor. x, 20, 21; viii, 10. According to the Jewish custom, the
women were obliged to appear veiled in the synagogues and public
assemblies. The anti-judaists abolished this custom of the synagogue, 1
Cor. xi, 5, 6, 10; and herein imitated the Heathen practices. From
despite to Judaism, which considered matrimonial offspring as a
particular blessing of God, some embraced celibacy, which they justified
by St. Paul’s example, 1 Cor. vii, 7, 8; and this they also recommended
to others, 1 Cor. vii, 1–25. Some went even so far, that, although
married, they resolved to practise a continual continency, 1
Corinthians, vii, 3–5. These were the evils, both in his own party and
in that of his opponents, which St. Paul had to remedy.
Paul, having understood the good effects of his first letter among the
Corinthians, wrote a second to them, A. D. 57, from Macedonia, and
probably from Philippi. He expresses his satisfaction at their conduct,
justifies himself, and comforts them. He glories in his suffering, and
exhorts them to liberality. Near the end of the year 57, he came again
to Corinth, where he staid about three months, and whence he went to
Jerusalem. Just before his second departure from Corinth, he wrote his
Epistle to the Romans, probably in the beginning of A. D. 58.
went to Jerusalem. From Ephesus he wrote his First Epistle to the
Corinthians, in the beginning of A. D. 56. In this epistle he reproves
some who disturbed the peace of the church, complains of some disorders
in their assemblies, of law suits among them, and of a Christian who had
committed incest with his mother-in-law, the wife of his father, and had
not been separated from the church. This letter produced in the
Corinthians great grief, vigilance against the vices reproved, and a
very beneficial dread of God’s anger. They repaired the scandal, and
expressed abundant zeal against the crime committed, 2 Cor. vii, 9–11.
To form an idea of the condition of the Corinthian church, we must
examine the epistles of the Apostle. The different factions into which
they were divided, exalted above all others the chiefs, τοὺς ὑπὲρ λίαν
ἀποϛόλους, [the very chiefest Apostles,] 2 Cor. xi, 5; xii, 11, whose
notions they adopted, and whose doctrines they professed to follow, and
attempted to depreciate those of the opposite party. While, then, some
called themselves disciples of Paul, Cephas, or Apollos, others assumed
the splendid appellation of Christ’s party. Probably they affected to be
the followers of James, the brother of our Lord, and thought thus to
enter into a nearer discipleship with Jesus than the other parties. The
controversy, as we shall see from the whole, related to the obligation
of Judaism. The advocates of it had appealed, even in Galatia, to Cephas
and James, for the sake of opposing to Paul, who had banished Jewish
ceremonies from Christianity, authorities which were not less admitted
than his own. The question itself divided all these various parties into
two principal factions: the partisans of Cephas and James were for the
law; the friends of Paul adopted his opinion, as well as Apollos, who,
with his adherents, was always in heart in favour of Paul, and never
wished to take a part in a separation from him, 1 Cor. xvi, 12. The
leaders of the party against Paul, these ψευδαπόϛολοι, [false apostles,]
as Paul calls them, and μετασχηματιζόμενοι εἰς ἀποϛὸλους Χριϛοῦ,
[transformers of themselves into the apostles of Christ,] who declared
themselves the promulgators and defenders of the doctrines of Cephas,
and James, were, as may be easily conceived, converted Jews, 2 Cor. xi,
22, who had come from different places,--to all appearance from
Palestine, ἐρχομένοι, [the comers,] 2 Cor. xi, 4,--and could therefore
boast of having had intercourse with the Apostles at Jerusalem, and of
an acquaintance with their principles. They were not even of the
orthodox Jews, but those who adhered to the doctrines of the Sadducees;
and though they were even now converted to Christianity, while they
spoke zealously in favour of the law, they were undermining the hopes of
the pious, and exciting doubts against the resurrection, 1 Cor. xv, 35;
so that Paul, from regard to the teachers, whose disciples they
professed to be, was obliged to refute them from the testimony of James
and Cephas, 1 Cor. xv, 5, 7. These, proud of their own opinions, 1 Cor.
i, 17, not without private views, depreciated Paul’s authority, and
extolled their own knowledge, 1 Cor. ii, 12; 2 Cor. xi, 16, 17.
Violently as the contest was carried on, they still did not withdraw
from the same place of assembly for instruction and mutual edification;
this, however, was even the cause of too many scandalous scenes and
disorders. At the ἀγάπαι, _love feasts_, love and benevolence were no
where to be seen. Instead of eating together, and refreshing their poor
brethren out of that which they had brought with them, each one, as he
came, ate his own, without waiting for any one else, and feasted often
to excess, while the needy was fasting, 1 Cor. xi, 17. When also some
were preparing for prayers or singing, others raised their voices to
instruct, and commenced exercises in _spiritual gifts_, tongues,
prophesyings, and interpretations, 1 Cor. xii, xiii, xiv; moreover, the
women, to bring confusion to its highest pitch, took their part in
interlocutions and proposals of questions, 1 Cor. xiv, 34.
Such was the state of things as to the interior discipline of the
assemblies and edification; but the exterior deportment, which the
members of this society had maintained in civil life, soon disappeared
also. Formerly, when differences arose among the believers, they were
adjusted by the intervention of arbitrators from their own communion,
and terminated quietly. Now, as their mutual confidence in each other
more and more decreased, they brought, to the disgrace of Christianity,
their complaints before the Pagan tribunals, 1 Cor. vi, 1. But as to
what concerned the main object, namely, the obligation of Judaism, it
was so little confined simply to words and reasons, that each party
rather strove to display its opposite principles in its conduct. One
party gave to the other, as much as possible, motives for ill will and
reproach. The Jews required circumcision as an indispensable act of
religion; while Paul’s disciples attempted to lay the foundation of a
new doctrine respecting it, and to extinguish all traces of
circumcision, 1 Cor. vii, 18. As the Jewish party observed and
maintained a distinction of meats, that of Paul ate without distinction
any thing sold in the markets, and even meats from the Heathen
sacrifices, 1 Cor. x, 25, 28; viii, 1. Nor was this enough; they often
made no scruple to be present at the sacrificial feasts. Among other
things, they also took part in many scandalous practices which were
common there, and fell, by means of their imprudence, into still greater
crimes, 1 Cor. x, 20, 21; viii, 10. According to the Jewish custom, the
women were obliged to appear veiled in the synagogues and public
assemblies. The anti-judaists abolished this custom of the synagogue, 1
Cor. xi, 5, 6, 10; and herein imitated the Heathen practices. From
despite to Judaism, which considered matrimonial offspring as a
particular blessing of God, some embraced celibacy, which they justified
by St. Paul’s example, 1 Cor. vii, 7, 8; and this they also recommended
to others, 1 Cor. vii, 1–25. Some went even so far, that, although
married, they resolved to practise a continual continency, 1
Corinthians, vii, 3–5. These were the evils, both in his own party and
in that of his opponents, which St. Paul had to remedy.
Paul, having understood the good effects of his first letter among the
Corinthians, wrote a second to them, A. D. 57, from Macedonia, and
probably from Philippi. He expresses his satisfaction at their conduct,
justifies himself, and comforts them. He glories in his suffering, and
exhorts them to liberality. Near the end of the year 57, he came again
to Corinth, where he staid about three months, and whence he went to
Jerusalem. Just before his second departure from Corinth, he wrote his
Epistle to the Romans, probably in the beginning of A. D. 58.