Thomas Aquinas

Above, the Apostle had rebuked the Corinthians for negligence of judgment; here he rebukes in them certain other sins concerning judgments. And first, as to the judges before whom they litigated; second, as to the judgments themselves, there: *now indeed altogether*. Concerning the first he does three things. First he argues against them concerning disorder; second he assigns the reason for the rebuke, there: *do you not know*; third he applies a remedy, there: *secular judgments therefore*.

He says therefore first: thus you are negligent in judging your own, but nevertheless you are presumptuous in undergoing the judgments of unbelievers, and this is what he says: *does* someone *dare*, that is, presume, *any of you having a matter*, namely a secular one, *against another, to be judged before the unjust*, that is, to undergo the judgment of unbelievers, *and not before the saints*, that is, before the faithful, who are sanctified by the sacraments of the faith. For this is disordered in many ways. First indeed, because by this the authority of the faithful is derogated; second, because the dignity of the faithful is derogated as to this, that they undergo the judgments of unbelievers; third, because by this occasion is given to unbelieving judges to despise the faithful, whom they see disagreeing among themselves; fourth, because by this occasion is given to unbelieving judges to slander and oppress the faithful, whom they hold in hatred on account of the faith and the diversity of rite. And therefore it is said in Deut. 1:15f: *I took from your tribes wise and noble men, and I commanded them, saying: hear them, and judge what is just*. And in the same book, 17:15: *you shall not be able to make king a man of another nation, who is not your brother*.

But this seems to be against what is said in 1 Peter 2:13: *be subject to every human creature for God's sake, whether to the king as excelling, or to governors as sent by him*: for it pertains to the authority of the prince to judge concerning his subjects. It is therefore against divine law to prohibit that one stand by his judgment, if he be an unbeliever. But it must be said that the Apostle does not prohibit that the faithful, established under unbelieving princes, appear before their judgment, if they are summoned, for this would be against the subjection which is owed to princes; but he forbids that the faithful should not voluntarily choose the judgment of unbelievers.

Then, when he says *do you not know*, etc., he assigns the reason against that which they were doing, taken from this, that they were derogating from the authority of the saints. And first as to the authority which they have over worldly things; second as to the authority which they have with regard to super-worldly things, that is, over the Angels, there: *do you not know that we shall judge Angels?* He says therefore first: judgment before unbelievers is disordered, because the faithful have the authority of judging: *do you not know that the saints shall judge this world*, that is, concerning the worldly men of this world? This indeed is fulfilled in three ways.

First indeed according to comparison, namely according as not only the good shall judge the wicked, and the saints the worldly; but also according as the good shall be judged by the better, and the wicked shall judge the worse, according to that saying of Matt. 12:41: *the men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it*. Second, they shall judge by approving the sentence of the judge, namely Christ, and this will properly belong to the just, according to that saying of the Psalm: *the just man shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge*. Hence it is said in Wisdom 3:8: *the saints shall judge nations*. In a third way, through the pronouncing of the sentence. And this will belong to the apostles and those like them, who, having despised the things of the world, clung to spiritual things alone. For the spiritual man judges all things, as was said above, 2:15. Hence also it is said in Matt. 19:28: *you who have followed me, shall sit upon seats, judging the twelve tribes of Israel*. And in Ps. 149:6f it is said: *two-edged swords in their hands, to execute vengeance upon the nations*. This pronouncing of the sentence, however, is understood not as vocal, but as spiritual, insofar as through the higher saints the lower, or even sinners, will be illuminated by a certain spiritual illumination, as to what punishments and what rewards are owed to them: just as even now men are illuminated by Angels, or even the lower Angels by the higher.

Second, from this that has been said, he argues to his purpose, saying: *and if the world shall be judged in you*, that is, through you, that is, worldly men, *are you unworthy* to judge concerning *the smallest* matters, namely concerning secular affairs? Luke 16:10: *he who is unjust in that which is little, shall be unjust also in that which is greater*.

Then, when he says *do you not know*, etc., he argues to the same point from the authority of the saints over the Angels. And first he states it, saying: *do you not know that we*, namely the faithful of Christ, *shall judge Angels?* This indeed can be understood of the evil Angels, who will be condemned by the saints, by whose power they have been conquered. Hence the Lord, Luke 10:19, says: *behold, I have given you power to tread upon serpents, and upon all the power of the enemy*. And in Ps. 90:13: *you shall walk upon the asp and the basilisk*. This can also be understood of the good Angels, very many of whom will be found, in a certain comparison, inferior to Paul and those like him. Hence significantly he does not say: *you shall judge*, but *we shall judge*. Although it can also be said that, as a consequence, if the saints shall judge men good and evil, there will be judgment concerning the good Angels also, whose accidental reward is increased from the reward of the saints who are illuminated through the Angels, and also concerning the evil Angels, whose punishment is increased from the punishment of the men seduced by them.

Second, he argues to his purpose, saying: *how much more shall we be fit to judge secular matters*, namely judgments: for he who is fit for greater things, is much more fit for lesser things. Hence also the lord, to whom he had entrusted five talents, afterward entrusted one, as is found in Matt. 25:28.

Then, when he says *secular judgments therefore*, he applies a remedy against their fault. And first he sets forth the remedy; second he explains it, there: *I say this to your shame*. He says therefore first: therefore, since the saints shall judge this world, if you have secular judgments among you, which nevertheless you ought not to have, *appoint those who are contemptible in the Church* to judge, rather, namely, than that you be judged before unbelievers. Hence also it is said in Ps. 140:5: *the just man shall correct me in mercy, and shall reprove me: but let not the oil of the sinner fatten my head*. And it is said in Ecclesiastes 9:4: *better is a living dog than a dead lion*.

Then, when he says *I say this to your shame*, he explains in what sense he said the foregoing. For someone might believe that, according to the letter, the more contemptible were to be chosen for judging; but he excludes this, saying *I say this to your shame*. As if he were to say: I did not say this that it should be done so, but that I might make you ashamed, namely by that confusion which brings grace and glory, as is said in Ecclesiasticus 4:25. For the contemptible in the Church would have to be chosen for judging, if wise men were not found among you, which would be shameful for you. Hence he adds: *is it so that there is not among you any wise man, who can judge between brother and brother, but brother contends with brother in judgment, and this before unbelievers?* Rather, however, than that you should do this, you ought to appoint the contemptible, who are in the Church, to judge and to supply the defect of the wise, which nevertheless does not exist among you, according to that which he had said above in chapter one: *you were made rich in him, in every word and in every knowledge*.

Or otherwise, from that place *secular*, etc. For he had said that the saints are fit to judge secular matters, and therefore he wishes to show through whom secular judgments ought to be exercised, namely through the contemptible who are in the Church. He calls contemptible, however, those who are wise in worldly matters, by comparison to those who are wise in divine matters, to whom reverence is to be shown, who are not occupied in temporal matters, so that they may be free for spiritual things alone. And this is what is added: *I say this to your shame*; according to another reading: *to your reverence*. Hence also the apostles said, Acts 6:2: *it is not right that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables*.

Afterward, however, he returns to that which he had rebuked above, namely that the Corinthians were litigating under unbelieving judges, saying: *is it so that there is not among you any wise man*, namely in temporal matters, whom above he called contemptible. Hence the rest are not changed from the first exposition, which nevertheless seems to be more literal.