Know you not that the saints shall judge this world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

“I am greatly grieved for Valens, who was once a presbyter among you, because he so little understands the place that was given him [in the Church]. I exhort you, therefore, that ye abstain from covetousness, and that ye be chaste and truthful. "Abstain from every form of evil." For if a man cannot govern himself in such matters, how shall he enjoin them on others? If a man does not keep himself from covetousness, he shall be defiled by idolatry, and shall be judged as one of the heathen. But who of us are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord? "Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world?" as Paul teaches. But I have neither seen nor heard of any such thing among you, in the midst of whom the blessed Paul laboured, and who are commended in the beginning of his Epistle. For he boasts of you in all those Churches which alone then knew the Lord; but we [of Smyrna] had not yet known Him. I am deeply grieved, therefore, brethren, for him (Valens) and his wife; to whom may the Lord grant true repentance! And be ye then moderate in regard to this matter, and "do not count such as enemies," but call them back as suffering and straying members, that ye may save your whole body. For by so acting ye shall edify yourselves.”

“Those sainted martyrs, accordingly, who were once with us, and who now are seated with Christ, and are sharers in His kingdom, and partakers with Him in His judgment, and who act as His judicial assessors, received there certain of the brethren who had fallen away, and who had become chargeable with sacrificing to the idols. And as they saw that the conversion and repentance of such might be acceptable to Him who desires not at all the death of the sinner, but rather his repentance, they proved their sincerity, and received them, and brought them together again, and assembled with them, and had fellowship with them in their prayers and at their festivals. What advice then, brethren, do you give us as regards these? What should we do? Are we to stand forth and act with the decision and judgment which those martyrs formed, and to observe the same graciousness with them, and to deal so kindly with those toward whom they showed such compassion?”

“For with these same discoursing he saith, "And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" For as the Christian ought to be far removed from arrogance, so also from flattery and a mean spirit. Thus, if any one says, "I count money as nothing, but all things here are to me as a shadow, and a dream, and child's play;" we are not at all to charge him as arrogant; since in this way we shall have to accuse Solomon himself of arrogance, for speaking austerely on these things, saying "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity." But God forbid that we should call the strict rule of life by the name of arrogance. Wherefore to despise these things is not haughtiness, but greatness of soul; albeit we see kings, and rulers, and potentates, making much of them. But many a poor man, leading a strict life despises them; and we are not therefore to call him arrogant but highminded: just as, on the other hand, if any be extremely addicted to them, we do not call him lowly of heart and moderate, but weak, and poor spirited, and ignoble. For so, should a son despise the pursuits which become his father and affect slavish ways, we should not commend him as lowly of heart, but as base and servile we should reproach him. What we should admire in him would be, his despising those meaner things and making much account of what came to him from his father. For this is arrogance, to think one's self better than one's fellow-servants: but to pass the true sentence on things cometh not of boasting, but of strictness of life.”

“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.”

“Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world,.... The apostle appeals to them concerning this matter, as a thing well known unto them, or might easily be known by them; for this was either a traditional notion among the Jews, many of whom were in this church, that good men should judge the world; as is said of the righteous in the apocryphal book: "They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign for ever.'' (Wisdom 3:8) and so the Jews say (a), that "the first day of the month is the beginning of judgment in the whole world, and Isaac sat on a throne, , "to judge the world":'' or this might be collected, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, out of Dan 7:18, but the difficulty is, in what sense the apostle means the saints shall judge the world; not merely in a comparative sense, for so even will the Heathens, the men of Nineveh, and the queen of Sheba, judge and condemn the Jews; nor as assessors on the throne with Christ, for though they shall sit on the same throne with him as reigning, yet not as judging with him, all judgment is solely committed to him: nor merely as approving that judiciary sentence, that will be pronounced by him on the world; for even wicked men themselves, and devils, will be obliged to own the justice of it; but his meaning is, that in a little time the saints, Christian men, men under a profession of Christianity at least, should be governors in the world, and bear the office of civil magistracy in it; which came to pass in a few centuries after the writing of this, and has been more or less the case ever since; and will be more so in the latter day, when kings shall be nursing fathers, and queens nursing mothers to the church; and when the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High: upon which the apostle strongly argues, and if the world shall be judged by you; if such men as you shall bear sway in it, fill up all civil offices in it, even the highest; shall sit upon the benches of judges, and on the thrones of kings, and at last have the government of the whole world; since such honour the saints shall have, and be abundantly capable of it, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? is it too high a post, and can you be thought to be unqualified for, and unfit to have such trivial things, of little or no moment and importance, things relating to the common affairs of life, brought before you, and be tried, and judged by you? (a) Ibid. in Lev. fol. 13. 4.”

“The saints shall judge the world? - Nothing can be more evident than that the writers of the New Testament often use ὁ κοσμος, the world, to signify the Jewish people; and sometimes the Roman empire, and the Jewish state; and in the former sense it is often used by our Lord. When, says he, the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, then shall ye sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Mat 19:28. It is supposed that he refers to the same subject as that mentioned here - the saints judging the world; and that St. Paul has his words in view in what he says here to the Corinthians. By judging the twelve tribes of Israel, some have imagined that having authority in the Church is merely intended; but Dr. Lightfoot contends that the words referred to the coming of our Lord to execute judgment on the Jews, and to destroy their state; and that the doctrine of the apostles, not themselves, was to judge and condemn that most disobedient people. The place before us is generally understood to imply, that the redeemed of the Lord shall be, on the great day, assessors with him in judgment; and shall give their award in the determinations of his justice. On reviewing this subject, I am fully of opinion that this cannot be the meaning of the words, and that no such assessorship as is contended for ever will take place; and that the interpretation is clogged with a multitude of absurdities. 1. The saints themselves are to appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and shall be judged by him, after which they shall reign with him; but it is never said in Scripture that they shall judge with him. 2. It would be absurd to suppose that thrones should be erected for the purpose of saints sitting on them to give their approbation in the condemnation of the wicked; of what use can such an approbation be? is it necessary to the validity of Christ's decision? and will not even the damned themselves, without this, acknowledge the justice of their doom? I therefore think with Dr. Lightfoot, that these words of the apostle refer to the prediction of Daniel, Dan 7:18, Dan 7:27, and such like prophecies, where the kingdoms of the earth are promised to the saints of the Most High; that is, that a time shall come when Christianity shall so far prevail that the civil government of the world shall be administered by Christians, which, at that time, was administered by heathens. And this is even now true of all those parts of the earth which may be considered of the greatest political consequence. They profess Christianity, and the kings and other governors are Christians in this general sense of the term.”

“Do ye not know--as a truth universally recognized by Christians. Notwithstanding all your glorying in your "knowledge," ye are acting contrary to it (Co1 1:4-5; Co1 8:1). The oldest manuscripts have "Or" before "know ye not"; that is, "What! (expressing surprise) know ye not," &c. saints . . . judge--that is, "rule," including judgment: as assessors of Christ. Mat 19:28, "judging," that is, "ruling over." (Compare Psa 49:14; Dan 7:22, Dan 7:27; Rev 2:26; Rev 3:21; Rev 20:4). There is a distinction drawn by able expositors between the saints who judge or rule, and the world which is ruled by them: as there is between the elected (Mat 20:23) twelve apostles who sit on thrones judging, and the twelve tribes of Israel that are judged by them. To reign, and to be saved, are not necessarily synonymous. As Jehovah employed angels to carry the law into effect when He descended on Sinai to establish His throne in Israel, so at His coming the saints shall administer the kingdom for, and under, Him. The nations of the earth, and Israel the foremost, in the flesh, shall, in this view, be the subjects of the rule of the Lord and His saints in glorified bodies. The mistake of the Chiliasts was that they took the merely carnal view, restricting the kingdom to the terrestrial part. This part shall have place with the accession of spiritual and temporal blessings such as Christ's presence must produce. Besides this earthly glory, there shall be the heavenly glory of the saints reigning in transfigured bodies, and holding such blessed intercourse with mortal men, as angels had with men of old, and as Christ, Moses, and Elias, in glory had with Peter, James, and John, in the flesh at the transfiguration (Ti2 2:12; Pe2 1:16-18). But here the "world" seems to be the unbelieving world that is to be "condemned" (Co1 11:22), rather than the whole world, including the subject nations which are to be brought under Christ's sway; however, it may include both those to be condemned, with the bad angels, and those about to be brought into obedience to the sway of Christ with His saints. Compare Mat 25:32, Mat 25:40, "all nations," "these my brethren" on the thrones with Him. The event will decide the truth of this view. judged by you--or, before you (compare Co1 3:22). smallest matters--The weightiest of earthly questions at issue are infinitely small compared with those to be decided on the judgment-day.”