Oct 12 2008
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
1:10 But I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing, and that there may be no schism among you: but that you may be perfect in the same sentiments and the same opinion.
1:11 For it has been signified to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1:12 And I say this, that every one of you says: I indeed am of Paul; and I of Apollo; but I of Cephas; and I am of Christ.
10. Through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will not have escaped the reader, and it is very remarkable, that this is the tenth time the Apostle introduces this name, in the few lines he has already written. He evidently never tires of the sound of it. So far he has given the Corinthian Christians congratulation and praise, speaking to some of them, St Augustine says, as of the whole. He has now some blame to administer, but introduces it with entreaty. I beseech you. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they slighted by adopting various party names, as if his was not sufficient; praying them, as they are one in the society of Jesus Christ, to be one in the understanding and expression of their faith. One mind and heart, one meaning and one language.
11. Of the house of Chloe. Both the Greek text and the Vulgate have those who are of Chloe. The Syriac: the domestics of Chloe. The Arabic: the friends of Chloe, which is also what St Chrysostom understands. Chloe was no doubt a Christian woman at Corinth in a position of wealth and influence, so that her name was well known to the Christian community.
12. I say, I have no doubt of the truth of what I hear. Each of you says I am of Paul, a disciple and follower and spiritual child of Paul. An I of Apollo. Apollo (Acts 18:24) was a Jew of Alexandria, eloquent and powerful in the Scriptures, who having been converted to the faith of Christ by Aquila and Priscilla, came to Corinth after St Paul’s departure, and gave great help and support, by his eloquence and learning, to the Christians in that city, especially in their controversy with the Jews, to whom he publicly demonstrated that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the ancient Scripture. Some party feeling seems to have arisen on his account and that of St Paul. Some of the Corinthians, declining to take part in it, avowed themselves disciples of St Peter, from whom possibly they had received the faith in Rome; while others had in their earlier years heard the words of Christ in Judea or Galilee.
1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or in the name of Paul were you baptized?
1:14 I thank God I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Caius:
1:15 Lest any should say that I baptized in my own name.
1:16 I baptized also the house of Stephanus: but I know not if I baptized any other.
1:17 For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to evangelize, not in wisdom of word, that the cross of Christ may not be emptied.
13. Is Christ divided? Have you more than one Christ? Has he any partner or associate in power and dominion, with whom he divides his authority? Was it Paul, or Peter, or Apollo, who was crucified for you? Or were you baptized in any of these names? As we have but one Christ, crucified for us, so have we but one teacher and master, by whose name we should be called. Every preacher should endeavor to win the souls of his hearers for Christ, not for himself. And every Christian should reverence the teachers and ministers of the Church as the ministers of Christ, not as Christs themselves. Is your teacher Christ? was he crucified for you?
14. I thank God. By Divine Providence it was ordered that I baptized very few amongst you, lest it should be said I baptized in my own name. Crispus was a chief of the Jewish synagogue at Corinth (Acts 18:8), a colleague of Sosthenes. Caius (Rom 16:23) is the person there designated as my host. There is a eulogy to Stephanus in chapter 15 of this Epistle. St Thomas thinks that the circumstances here referred to gave origin to the Greek form of baptism. Be (name) the servant of the Lord baptized, in the name of the Father, ect., instead of I baptize you, ect., lest it should give occasion to say, I of Paul, of Cephas, ect.
17. Christ sent me not to baptize. There was an interval between the profession of faith of the new convert, and his baptism, during which he received instruction in the mysteries of faith, as a catechuman. This instruction of catechumens is here included in baptism, and St Paul did not habitually undertake it, leaving it to others, and devoting his whole time to making the Gospel known to the outer world, which was the special function of the Apostolate. Hence it was that he baptized very few. Not in wisdom of word, eloquence and display of learning, of which he implies that the Corinthians thought too much. The cross of Christ, and Christ on the cross, was the one subject he sought to bring before the thoughts of men, and implant in their hearts. If they were only converted by human eloquence, the Cross was emptied of its power and robbed of its glory.-Bernardin de Picquigny, AN EXPOSiTION OF THE EPISTLES OF ST PAUL. Public domain text.
