For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

“After the Apostle has instructed the Corinthians concerning the sacraments themselves and concerning the reality contained and signified in the sacraments, namely grace and its effects, here he consequently instructs them concerning a reality not contained but signified in the sacraments, namely the glory of the resurrection, which is not contained in the sacrament, since one who receives the sacraments does not have it immediately, but the glory of the resurrection is signified in them, inasmuch as grace is conferred in them, through which one arrives at beatitude. Concerning this he does two things. First he sets forth a treatise on the resurrection; second, through this he proves the common resurrection of all men, at the place if Christ is preached, etc. Concerning the first he does two things. First he commends the evangelical teaching; second he announces what must be known concerning the resurrection of Christ, at the place for I delivered to you, etc. He commends the excellence of the evangelical teaching with respect to four things. First, with respect to the authority of those preaching it, because they were the apostles themselves. And this is what he says: O brethren, continuing on from what precedes, I make known to you the Gospel, which is the same as good Announcement, which begins from Christ; hence whatever pertains to Christ, or is about Christ himself, is called Gospel. Which I preach to you, as if to say: that which I preached to you concerning Christ, I make known to you, that is, I bring it back to your memory, as though the things I write were not new. Phil. III, 1: to write the same things to you, etc. I preached, namely to you, and the other apostles, to others. And in this the authority of this teaching appears, because it is from Christ, from Paul, and from the other apostles. Hebr. II, 3: which having received its beginning to be declared. Second, with respect to the common faith of all peoples, and therefore he says which also you have received, all of you. But Augustine says this pertains to the excellence of this faith, making such an argument: for believing those things that are of faith, either miracles were done, or not. If miracles were done, I have my proposal, that it is most worthy and most certain. If they were not done, this is the greatest of all miracles, that through a few men an infinite multitude of men were converted to the faith; through poor men, preaching poverty, the rich were converted; through unlearned men, preaching things that exceed reason, the wise and philosophers were converted. Ps. XVIII, 5: their sound has gone out into all the earth, etc. But if it be objected that the law of Muhammad also was received by many, it must be said that it is not similar, because he subjugated them by oppression and by force of arms; but these apostles, by dying, themselves led others to the faith, and by working signs and wonders. For he proposed certain things that pertain to delights and lasciviousness, but Christ and the apostles proposed contempt of earthly things. I Thess. II, 13: when you received from us the word of God, etc. Third, with respect to power, because it confirms and elevates to heavenly things. Therefore he says in which you stand, namely raised up to heavenly things. For he is said to stand who is upright, and only the law of Christ brings this about. Rom. V, 1: justified by faith, etc. For the old law did not make one stand, but bent one down toward earthly things. Deut. XXXIII, 28: the eye of Jacob upon a land of grain and wine. Fourth, with respect to usefulness, because only the new law leads to the end of salvation; but the old does not. Hebr. VII, 19: the law brought no one to perfection. And therefore he says by which also you are saved. Here already, from the certainty of hope through its inception, which is through faith, you are saved, and in the future, in the truth of the reality and of the hope. Iac. c. I, 21: with meekness receive the implanted word, etc. Io. XX, 31: but these things are written, that you may believe, and that believing, etc. And here he adds two conditions. The first, when he says if you hold fast, etc. The Gloss explains it thus: if you hold — by the reasoning by which I preached to you — that Gospel, that is the resurrection of the dead, by that reasoning by which I confirmed it to you, that is through the resurrection of Christ. Or otherwise: you are saved, but only if you hold fast, that is, if you keep it by that reasoning by which I preached to you the Gospel of Christ. He sets down the second condition when he says unless you have believed in vain. As if to say: you are saved through faith, if you have not believed in vain, that is, if good works are added to faith, because faith without works is dead, Iac. II, 26. For that is said to be in vain which is directed to an end that it does not attain. But the end of faith is the vision of God. Hence, if you are not saved, you have believed in vain — not simply, but insofar as it did not arrive at its end. Or otherwise: if you hold fast, as if to say, may you hold fast, unless in vain, etc. For I delivered. Here he sets forth his proposal, etc. Concerning this he does three things. First he shows the origin of the teaching about the resurrection of Christ; second he shows the things that are contained in this teaching, at the place for Christ died; third the harmony or agreement of those preaching with this teaching, at the place for whether I, etc. He says therefore first: this you ought to hold, that is to have in memory, what I delivered to you first of all, and still deliver. And he says first of all, that is, among the first things to be believed. For things to be believed pertain either to the Trinity, or to the faith of the incarnation. And first man ought to believe those things which pertain to the faith of the incarnation, and afterward those which pertain to the Trinity. Hence, what I delivered to you first of all — namely concerning the incarnation — I did not deliver from myself, or from my own authority, but what I received from Christ or from the Holy Spirit. Gal. I, 1: Paul an apostle, etc.; above XI, 23: I received from the Lord, etc. Is. XXI, 10: what I have heard from the Lord of hosts, etc. But the things which he received and delivered are four, namely: the death, the burial, the resurrection, the appearance of Christ. He says therefore first: I delivered to you, first, the death of Christ. And therefore he says for Christ died. In which he removes a twofold suspicion which could arise concerning the death of Christ. The first is that he died for his own actual sins, or for original sin. And this he excludes when he says for our sins, not his own. Is. LIII, 8: for the wickedness of my people I struck him. I Petr. III, 18: Christ died once for our sins, etc. The other suspicion is that the death of Christ was accidental, or the violence of the Jews. And this he excludes when he says according to the Scriptures, namely of the old and new testament; and therefore he says pointedly and specially according to the Scriptures. Is. LIII, 7: he was led like a sheep to the slaughter. Ier. XI, 19: I was like a gentle lamb, that is carried to be a victim, etc. Matth. XX, 18: behold, we go up to Jerusalem, etc. For I delivered to you, second, the burial of Christ, and therefore he says and that he was buried. But is the burial specially an article of faith, since he makes special mention of it here? It must be said that according to those who number the articles according to the things to be believed, it is not a special article of faith, but is included with the article of the passion and death of Christ. The reason for this is that faith concerns those things which are above reason. Hence the article of faith begins there where reason fails. Now this is the first: that the Lord was conceived, and therefore the conception is an article of faith; second, that God was born of a virgin, and so this is another; third, that the impassible God should suffer and die, and this is another, and with this the burial also is understood. Hence it is not a special article. But the Apostle makes mention here of the burial for three reasons. First, so as to show the truth of the death of Christ; for an evident sign of someone's death is that he is buried. Second, to show the truth of the resurrection, because if he had not been buried, and guards had not been beside the sepulcher in those days, they could say that the disciples had stolen him. Third, because the Apostle wants to lead them to faith in the resurrection, and this seems the more difficult, that one who is buried should rise again. And of this it is said, Is. c. XI, 10: and his sepulcher shall be glorious. Is. LIII, 9: he shall give the wicked, etc. I delivered to you also the resurrection, for he rose on the third day. Os. VI, 3: he will revive us after, etc. And he also says on the third day, not because there were three whole days, but two nights and one day, by synecdoche. And the cause of this was, as Augustine says, that God through his single day — that is, through the evil of punishment, which is signified by one day — destroyed our double, that is, punishment and guilt, which is signified by two nights. I delivered to you also, fourth, the appearances of Christ, for he was seen by Cephas. And he sets down first the appearances made to others, second the appearances made to himself alone, at the place last of all. But it must be known, concerning the first, that the appearances of Christ were not made to all in common, but to certain special persons. Act. X, 40: he gave him to be made manifest, etc. And the reason for this was, that order might be preserved in the Church, so that through certain special persons faith in the resurrection might come to others. It must be noted, moreover, that not all the appearances of Christ are set down here, nor those which were made to the women. But certain ones are set down here which are not read in the Gospels. And the reason for these was that the Apostle wants to refute unbelievers by reasoning, and therefore he was unwilling to set down testimonies except authentic ones; and therefore he kept silent about the appearances made to the women, and set down certain ones which are not found, so as to show that he appeared also to many others. But he makes special mention of Peter and James, because they were as it were pillars, as is said Gal. c. II, 9. He says therefore: I delivered to you, that he was seen by Cephas, that is by Peter, Lc. ult.: the Lord has risen indeed, etc. And it is believed that among men he first appeared to Peter, because he was in the greatest sorrow. Hence also the Angel said, Mc. ult.: go, tell his disciples and Peter, etc. Afterward, that is on another occasion, he was seen by the eleven apostles. Once indeed he was seen by ten only, when Thomas was absent, and after eight days by eleven, when Thomas was with them. Augustine says that it ought to say twelve, but it has been corrupted by the fault of scribes, and he says that it does not matter that he had already died and Matthias had not yet been chosen, because it is customary that when the greater part of a college does something, it is said that the whole college does this. Hence, because the Lord had chosen twelve, therefore it can be said that he was seen by the twelve, that is, by the whole college of the apostles; but it is no fault, whether it be said twelve, or eleven. Then, again, he was seen by more than five hundred brethren. But of this we read nothing in sacred Scripture, except what is said here. It can, however, be said that this appearance was the one about which Dionysius speaks in the third book On the Divine Names, when all the disciples came together to see the body which bore the prince of life. But against this it seems to be, because this was before the ascension, namely when Christ appeared to James. But the gathering of the disciples to see the blessed Virgin, of which Dionysius seems to speak, was much later. And therefore it seems better to say that he appeared to five hundred brethren together before his ascension; and it does not matter that it is said the disciples were a hundred and twenty, because although those who were in Jerusalem were a hundred and twenty, nevertheless in Galilee there were many disciples, and perhaps all were gathered together when he appeared. And, that the testimony of this might be more certain, he says that of them many still remain, that is, are alive, but some of them have fallen asleep, that is, have died in the hope of the resurrection. And he calls the death of the saints a sleep because they die in corruptible flesh, so that they may rise incorruptible. Rom. VI, 9: Christ rising, etc. Then, that is afterward, he was seen by James, namely the son of Alphaeus. And the reason for this can be assigned, because, as is read, James vowed that he would not take food unless he first saw Christ. But according to this the order of the appearance would not be preserved, because if he had appeared to James after all the appearances that have been enumerated, he would have been without food too long: and this is difficult. And therefore it must be said that Christ appeared to James singularly for this reason, that James had a special devotion toward Christ. And of this appearance too nothing is found in the Gospel. Then, that is after this, he was seen by all the apostles at the ascension, as is read Matth. ult. and Act. I, 3 ff. But last of all, etc. Here the Apostle recalls the appearance made to himself alone. And concerning this he does two things. First he shows the order of the appearance; second he assigns the reason for it, at the place for I am, etc. He says therefore thus: I have said that Christ was manifested to all; last of all, that is finally and after the ascension, he was seen also by me as by one born out of due time, and therefore last of all. But he says as by one born out of due time, for three reasons. A fetus is called untimely-born either because it is born outside the due time, or because it is brought forth with violence, or because it is not brought to its due size; and because the Apostle saw these three things in himself, therefore he says as by one born out of due time. For first, he himself was reborn to Christ outside the time of the other apostles. For the other apostles were reborn to Christ before the coming of the Holy Spirit, but Paul afterward. Second, because the other apostles were converted to Christ willingly, but Paul was compelled. Act. IX, 4: he threw him down to the ground, etc. And this avails much against heretics, who say that no one should be compelled to faith, because Paul was compelled. And as Augustine says, Paul profited more in the faith when he was converted by compulsion than many who came willingly. Third, because he reckons himself lesser than the others, and not to have attained to the virtue of the other apostles. And therefore, as if assigning the reason, he says for I am the least, etc. Concerning this he does two things. First he shows his own smallness; second he explains the reason for this, at the place for I persecuted, etc. But he manifests his smallness, first, in comparison to the apostles, when he says for I am the least. Is. LX, v. 22: the least shall become a thousand, and the smallest a most strong nation. Eccli. III, 20: the greater you are, etc. And although he is least in comparison to the apostles, it could nevertheless be said that he is great in comparison to others, because he is an apostle; and therefore, second, he shows his smallness in comparison to others, when he says who am not worthy, not only to be, but to be called an apostle, though I am called so, II Cor. III, 5: not that we are sufficient, etc. But you might say: O Apostle, on account of humility no one should say what is false; since therefore you are great, why do you call yourself the least? And therefore, when he says for I persecuted, etc., he shows how he is the least, and how he is not the least. He calls himself least, considering his past deeds. And he says I am not worthy, etc. Why? Because I persecuted the Church of God, which the other apostles did not do. Gal. I, 13: beyond measure I persecuted, etc. I Tim. I, 13: who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor, etc. And although of myself I am the least, nevertheless from God I am not the least; and therefore he says by the grace of God I am what I am. And concerning this he does two things. First he commends his own condition with respect to his state; second with respect to the carrying out of his state, at the place and his grace, etc. He says therefore first: of myself I am nothing, but what I am, I am by the grace of God, that is from God, not from myself. Eph. III, 7: of which I was made a minister, etc. And he says what I am, because man without grace is nothing. Above c. XIII, 2: if I should have all prophecy, etc. But how he used and carried out his own state he shows, saying and his grace, etc. Where first he shows how he used this grace, namely toward good, and therefore he says it was not void in me, that is, idle, because he used it for that for which it was given to him. Gal. c. II, 2: I did not run in vain, etc. Second he shows how he surpassed the others, and therefore he adds but I have labored more abundantly than all of them, that is, than the apostles individually — in preaching, because no one preached and announced Christ through so many places, whence he says Rom. XV, 19: so that from Jerusalem even unto Illyricum, etc., and even unto Spain; in laboring, because although he himself, like the other apostles, could demand the expenses necessary for himself, nevertheless he specially wished to seek his own expenses by the labor of his hands, as he himself says II Thess. III, 8: night and day with our hands, etc.; in enduring tribulations — for none of the apostles endured so many persecutions and tribulations, as he himself enumerates II Cor. XI, 23: in labors most abundant, and in prisons, etc. Third he shows the effectiveness of this use, because this was not from himself alone but from the instinct and help of the Holy Spirit. And therefore he says yet not I — I alone do not work, but the grace of God with me, which moves the will to this. Is. XXVI, 12: all our works, etc. Phil. II, 13: who works in us to will, etc. For God not only infuses grace, by which our works become pleasing and meritorious, but also moves us to use well the grace infused, and this is called cooperating grace. Whether I therefore, etc. Here he shows the concord of those preaching; and this can be read in two ways. First, so that it is a confirmation of what has been said, as if someone should say: you preach thus, but nevertheless we do not believe you alone, because you are the least among the apostles. Therefore the Apostle, answering, says: rather you ought to believe me, because I do not preach other things; whether I, or the other apostles, thus we preach, namely that Christ rose and was seen, etc. And you also have believed as I and they have preached, namely that Christ rose, and was seen, etc. II Cor. c. IV, 13: having the same spirit, etc. Second, it can be read so that the effectiveness of the preaching is for all the apostles from one, that is from the grace of God, as if to say: whether I preach, or they, that is the apostles — as we preach, we have done this, helped and strengthened through the grace of God; and you yourselves also have believed, namely inspired by the Holy Spirit and the grace of God, without which we can do nothing. Io. XV, 5: without me you can do nothing.”

“For I am the least of the apostles,.... Referring not to the littleness of his stature, but to the figure before used, and as expressing not the opinion of others concerning him, but the true and real sense he had of himself, for which he himself gives the strongest reason that can be given; and by "apostles" he means not only the twelve, but all other ministers of the Gospel that were sent forth by Christ to preach it: nor need this be wondered at, when he says, that he was less than the least of all saints, Eph 3:8 though when his person and doctrines were traduced by false teachers, and attempts were made to disgrace his ministry, and render it useless, in vindication of himself, and without vanity, he does not stick to assert, that he was not a whit behind the very chiefest of the apostles, Co2 11:5 and yet here adds, that am not meet to be called an apostle; not only to be one, but to bear the name of one. No man was meet or fit for such an office of himself; none of the apostles were any more than himself; but his meaning is, that though he was chosen, and called, and qualified by the gifts and grace of God for this office, yet he was unworthy to be called by the name of an apostle of Christ, for the reason following, because I persecuted the church of God: he not only consented to the death of Stephen, the first martyr, and held the clothes of them that stoned him; but he made havoc of the church, haling men and women to prison, and continued to breathe out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord; and had letters of commission from the high priest in his pocket, to seize any of this way at Damascus, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, when Christ met him in the way, and was seen by him: according to his own account, he shut up many of the saints in prison, gave his voice against them when they were put to death, punished them oft in every synagogue, compelled them to blaspheme, and being exceeding mad against them, persecuted them to strange cities; see Act 7:1. This he mentions both for his own abasement and humiliation, and to magnify the grace of God, to which he ascribes all he was, had, and did, as in the next verse.”

“I am the least of the apostles - This was literally true in reference to his being chosen last, and chosen not in the number of the twelve, but as an extra apostle. How much pains do some men take to make the apostle contradict himself, by attempting to show that he was the very greatest of the apostles, though he calls himself the least! Taken as a man and a minister of Christ, he was greater than any of the twelve; taken as an apostle he was less than any of the twelve, because not originally in that body. Am not meet to be called an apostle - None of the twelve had ever persecuted Christ, nor withstood his doctrine: Saul of Tarsus had been, before his conversion, a grievous persecutor; and therefore he says, ουκ ειμι ἱκανος, I am not proper to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God, i.e. of Christ, which none of the apostles ever did.”