The Great Commentary (Mossman/Cobb English)

Ye know that ye were Gentiles , &c. You were led like slaves, by custom, by the institutions of your ancestors, by religious tradition, and by diabolic agency to these dumb idols. For the Hebraism in the employment of the participle instead of the finite verb, c£ Rom. xil n. Remember, he says, O Corinthians, that when you were Gentiles you used to worship idols, as stocks and stones which have neither breath, feeling, power of speech, nor strength of any kind, and much less can give such things to their worshippers. But now that you have become Christians you can worship God, who is pure spirit, full of all grace and wisdom, and sheds these same spiritual gifts abundantly upon you, as you daily experience. Recognise, therefore, the grace bestowed upon you by Christ, the change wrought in you, and worship Christ, the author of all this, together with the Holy Spirit

Wherefore . . . no man . . . calleth Jesus accursed. The “ wherefore ” shows this verse to be a conclusion from the preceding, and explains it I have reminded you, he says, of your previous condition as Gentiles, and of your dumb idols, in order that you may appreciate duly the greatness of your calling, and the grace of the Holy Spirit given you in your baptism, by which you no longer call on dumb idols but on Christ and the Holy Spirit, and receive from them gifts of tongues, &c., that you may know how full of eloquence and energy compared with your dumb idols is the Holy Spirit who makes you eloquent in divine wisdom. Acknowledge, then, the Holy Spirit’s power, and contend no more about His gifts, since you have them from the Holy Spirit, who distributes His gifts as He wills. Let not him who has received less grieve thereat, nor him who has received more be high-minded. So Chrysostom. Digitized by v^,ooQle CURSING CHRIST 303 No man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed. No one execrates or blasphemes Jesus if he has the Spirit of God. He rather acknowledges Him and calls upon Him, as the author of the grace he has received, of his salvation, and of all spiritual gifts. S. Paul uses the figure meiosis, and leaves the rest to be understood. Observe that S. Paul says this to the Corinthians, partly because of the Jews, who to this day are declared to say in their synagogues, Cajetan says, “May Jesus and the Christians be accursed;” partly, also, and even more, because of the Gentiles, among whom the Corinthians were living. They and their poets, and their priests especially, were in the habit of execrating Jesus. Moreover, by this Gentile rulers tested whether any one were a Christian or not. They would order them to curse Christ, as Pliny says, that he had ordered (Ep. ad Traj .) : “ There was brought before me a schedule containing the names of many who were accused of being Christians. They deny that they are or ever were Christians. In my presence they called upon the gods, and burnt incense , and poured a libation of wine to your image, which I had ordered to be brought in amongst the statues of the gods. Moreover , they cursed Christ ; and it is said that those who are true Christians cannot be in any way forced to do any of these things. I thought , therefore, that they ought to be dismissed. Others said that they had been Christians, but had now ceased to be; they all paid honour to your image and the images of the gods, and cursed Christ . ” No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost. The Apostle draws a contrast between calling Jesus accursed and calling Him Lord. No one can recognise, believe, invoke, and preach Jesus as Lord, and profess faith in Him as he ought, and as is necessary to salvation, except in the Holy Spirit, i.e., through the Holy Spirit. For faith, hope, and prayer are His gifts. S. Paul does not by this deny that unbelievers, under the ordinary influence only of God, can profess the name of Jesus, or have good thoughts about Him, but only that no one without the grace of Christ and the Holy Spirit can with true faith and pious affection invoke Jesus as Lord earnestly and heartily, and confess Him to be Digitized by v^,ooQle 304 FIRST EPISTLE TO THE our Redeemer ; or even say in his heart, or think of Him anything which in its rank and order confers and disposes to forgiveness of sins, grace, and eternal bliss. So say Ambrose and Anselm. This appears from the fact that he is addressing the Corinthian faithful, and rebuking the pride which they took in their gifts and graces, on the ground that they have their faith and all their gifts, not from themselves but from the Holy Spirit. These gifts, then, he means to say, are not your own, nor can you even call upon Jesus of yourselves ; but to know Him and call upon Him are the gift of the Holy Spirit

But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal The gift given by the Holy Spirit, and by which He is manifested, is given for the benefit of the Church, not of the individual

To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom. The power of explaining wisdom, viz., the deepest mysteries of the Trinity, of the Incarnation, of predestination, &c. Cf. chap. xiii. vol. 1 . u 30 6 FIRST EPISTLE TO THE To another the word of knowledge. The power of explaining the things pertaining to life and morals. S. Augustine distinguishes thus between wisdom and knowledge (de Trin. lib. xil c. 14 and 15), and the Apostle so takes knowledge in chap, viil Others understand by knowledge the power of explaining the things of faith by examples, comparisons, and human and philosophical reasonings

To another faith by the same Spirit 1. S. Paul does not mean here the theological faith which all Christians have, but that transcendent faith, including the theological, which is the mother of miracles. It consists above all things in a constant confidence in God for obtaining anything and for working miracles, e.g.j as Christ says, for removing mountains. This appears from chap, xiil 2. Cf. S. Chrysostom. 2. Ambrose understands faith here to be the gift of an intrepid confession and preaching of the faith. 3. But best of all faith here is a clear perception of the mysteries of the faith for the purposes of contemplation and explanation ; for in Rom. xii. 6, S. Paul says in the same way that prophets have the gift of prophecy, and ought to prophesy “ according to the proportion of faith, 1 ” i.e.y according to the measure of the understanding of the things of faith given them by God. Maldonatus (in Notis Manusc.) says that the Apostle here means that transcendent faith possessed by but few, and which enables its possessors to give a ready assent to Divine things ; for the faith which works miracles seems to be included in the “ working of powers” mentioned in the next verse, as Toletus, amongst others, rightly points out at Rom. xii. 6

To another the working of miracles . Literally, the “working of powers,” viz., those greater miracles which concern the soul, not those which belong to the body or its diseases. Of this kind are the raising the dead, casting out devils, punishing the unbelievers and impious by a miracle, as S. Peter did Ananias and Sapphira. So say Chrysostom and Anselm. Thus the “working of powers” is distinguished from the “gift of healing.” To another discerning of spirits. That is of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and consequently of words and actions, whether Digitized by v^,ooQle GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT 307 they proceed from nature, or from the inspiration of God, or an angel or the devil. So Chrysostom, Ambrose, Anselm. S. Jerome, in his life of S. Hilarion, says that he had this gift, and S. Augustine says (conf. lib. iii. c. 2) that his mother Monica had ; so too had S. Vincent of Ferrara, and so have some now-a-days, especially those who have the direction of souls. It is a gift most useful to confessors, one to be sought for from God, in so far as a perfect knowledge and care of consciences require it To another the interpretation of tongues. Of obscure passages, especially of Holy Scripture. Hence there were formerly in the Church interpreters, whose duty was fourfold: (1.) there were those who, by the gift of tongues, prophesied or sung hymns in a foreign language ; (2.) those who, inspired by the Holy Spirit, spoke of obscure and deep mysteries ; (3.) those who publicly expounded the letters of S. Paul and of others sent to their people ; (4.) those who turned them into another language. In this way many think that S. Clement turned the letter to the Hebrews from Hebrew into Greek. It appears from this that Holy Scripture is not plain to every one; nor is it, as the heretics think, to be interpreted by the private ideas of any one, seeing that God has placed interpreters in His Church. But it should be noted that these interpreters have now been succeeded by professors of Hebrew, Greek, and Divinity. 1. From this chapter and the following, theologians have drawn the distinction between grace which perfects its subject and makes him pleasing to God, such as charity, chastity, piety, and other virtues, and grace gratuitously given, which is ordained for the perfecting of others. Although the Apostle names here nine only of the “graces gratuitously given,” yet there may be more. 2. It is very likely that of these nine five are permanent habits, viz., wisdom, knowledge, faith, different kinds of tongues and their interpretation, to which must sometimes be added the discerning of spirits. The remaining four are not habits but transient actions, viz., the gift of healing, the working of miracles, prophecy, and the discerning of spirits. Cf. Bellarmine ( de Gratih, lib. i. c. 10)

Dividing to every man seierally as He will. Dividing 308 FIRST EPISTLE TO THE to each one individually his own gifts and graces. C£ S. Jerome ( contra Pelag. dial. i). Origen understood “as He will” to refer to each several man. It refers, of course, to the Holy Spirit i. Hence, as Theophylact says, the Holy Spirit is Lord and God. He is not produced as an effect, but He effects all things equally with the Father, who worketh all in all (ver. 6). The working all in all assigned to the Father in ver. 6 is here assigned to the Spirit 2. It follows that the Holy Spirit, being God, has free-will and works freely. 3. Abelard, Wyclif, and Calvin may be refuted by this verse, in their teaching that God cannot do anything but what He actually does do. This is to rob God of His omnipotence, and to subject Him, like man, to fate, and therefore to transfer His Divinity to fate. For, if this were so, God would not work as He chose, but as fate willed, under whom He and all things would be placed

Nay, much more those members of the body , which seem to be more feeble , are necessary . S. Chrysostom and Theophylact think that this refers to the eyes, which are small and delicafe but yet most necessary. But as the eyes have been included in the precedihg verse amongst the nobler members which govern the body, it is better to refer it, as others do, to the internal parts of the body. For the belly is as the kitchen or the caterer for the whole of the body, and cooks and distributes the food for every part, and therefore is essential to the life of the body

For our comely parts have no need. The eyes, the face, and the hands, which are the more comely parts of the body, lack no ornament, but are comely enough in themselves. Having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That is more careful guard, more clothing and ornament Cf. ver. 22

That there should be no schism in the body ; but that the members should have the same care one for another. No schism, such as that related by Menenius, but that all should have the same care for the others as for themselves, or else it may mean that each member should be solicitous for the common good of the whole body

Whether one member suffer all the members suffer with it. “ They suffer together ” in such a way that the suffering member’s grief is lightened, “ not by communion in disaster, but by the solace afforded by charity,” says S. Augustine ( Ep . 133). Hence S. Basil (Reg. Brevior. 175) says that the outward proof of love is twofold: (1.) rejoicing in the good of one’s neighbour and labouring for it; (2.) in grief and sorrow for his misfortune or his sin. He who has not this loves not Doctors infer from this verse that souls in bliss, burning with love for us, help us by their prayers in our troubles and dangers ; and that we in our turn ought to help souls kept in purgatory, for they suffer the devouring flame, and therefore he must be cruel indeed who does not suffer with them, and do what he can to set them free. Or one member be honoured. Or, as Ambrose takes it, “be glorified,” or, according to Ephrem, “ whether one member rejoice.” Salmeron, after St Chrysostom, beautifully says : “ He who loves possesses whatever is in the body , the Church : take away envy and what I have is thine . 19 S. Chrysostom says again : " Jf the eye suffer , all the member UNITY OF THE BODY 313 will grieve , all will cease to act : the feet will not go , the hands will not work) the belly will take no pleasure in its wonted food, although it is the eye only that is suffering . Why, O eye , do you trouble the belly t why chain the feet ? why bind the hands t Because all are knit together by nature , and suffer together in a mysterious manner” Ver. 2 7. — Now ye are the body of Christy and members in particular. The Latin version gives 44 members of the member.” This is explained (1.) by S. Thomas: “You are members of the principal member, viz., Christ, for Christ is the head of the Church; (2.) by S. Anselm, 44 You are members of Christ through the agency of another member, viz., Paul, by whom you were united to Christ, the head, and to the Church, the body.” But (3.) the Greek gives 44 members in part,” and this is the rendering of some Latin Fathers, or 44 members of each other.” S. Ambrose seems to understand it so. The Latin version also means 44 fellow-members,” brethren in the same society, of the same mystical body, the Church. So too S. Chrysostom and Ephrem, whose meaning may be paraphrased : 44 Each one, in his part and place, is a member of the Church.” Notice here that, as in the body there is (1.) a unity and a union of soul and body ; (2.) diversity of members ; (3.) differences of function between the several members ; (4.) an aptitude for its function given to each member ; (5.) a community of interests in the members, so that each is bound to work, not for itself only but for the others also, just because they are members of the one body; (6.) harmony, inasmuch as each member is content with its rank and duty, does not seek another post or envy a more honoured member, so that there is the most perfect union and concord, the same share in sorrow and joy : so is it in the Church. There each one has from Christ, as if He were his soul, his proper gift, his proper talent, his office and rank, his functions to be discharged for others’ good, not his own, his limits fixed by God. If any one disturbs this order and seeks after another post, he resists the ordinance and providence of God, and forgets that all his gifts have come from God S. Paul therefore says : 44 You, O Corinthians are members of the same body of Christ, the Church : let there not be then any divisions among you, let no one despise, envy, 314 FIRST EPISTLE TO THE or grieve at another, but let him love him, help him, and rejoice with him. Let each be content with his place, his rank, and his duty, for so he will be a partaker, not only of his own good, but also of the good of others. Just as the foot walks for the benefit of the eye, the ear, the belly, so in their turn the eye sees, the ear hears, and the belly digests for the benefit of the foot. But if there is envy and unwillingness shown by the eye to see, by the ear to hear, and the belly to digest, then those members hurt themselves as much as any other ; and, as Chrysostom says, it is just as if one hand were to cut off the other, for that hand would be dishonoured and weakened through receiving no help from the other hand. Moreover, if nature is at such pains to preserve such perfect concord between the different members of the body, and so sternly forbids any seditious discord, how much greater concord between men’s minds will the grace of God through its greater power effect, how little will it endure that any member should stand aloof from and be at variance with another in the same body ! If the magistrate or the king severely punishes sedition in the state, what, think you, will Christ do to the schismatics who rend His Church? Ver. 28 , — And God hath set some in the churchy &c. Apostles as the rulers, prophets as the eyes, teachers as the tongue. From this it follows that the princes of this world are not, as Brentius thinks, the rulers and the head of the Church, but the Apostles and their successors, the Pope and the bishops ; “ for God,” says S. Paul, “ set the Apostles first.” After that come “powers,” /.<?., workers of miracles, who are as the hands of the Church ; then healers of diseases ; then helps, or those who help others and perform works of mercy towards the sick, the poor, the unhappy, guests, and foreigners ; then governments, or men who rule and correct others, as parish priests, as S. Thomas says, or better still, with Theophylact and Cajetan, men who have the care of the temporal wealth which the faithful offer to the Church. These last are as the feet in the body of Christ, and of such were the deacons ordained by the Apostles to look after tables and the widows (Acts vi. 1-6). Notice the abstract here put for the concrete : “ powers ” for workers DIFFERENCE OF FUNCTION 315 of powers, “gifts of healing” for healers, “helps” for helpers, “governments” for governors, “diversities of tongues” for men skilled in different languages. S. Paul knits all these, as other members of the Church, to Apostles, prophets, and teachers