Exegetical Notes on 1 Corinthians 2:1-16
When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.
Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God’s wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. [And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.
Those who are unspiritual do not receive the gifts of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to them, and they are unable to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny.
“For who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.]
Observations
When Paul first came to the Corinthians, he did not use words of wisdom.
He knew nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Weakness and trembling
Not with wisdom, but a demonstration of the Spirits power
He did this so that their faith would not rest on humanity, but on the power of God
Who: Paul
What: Used a demonstration of the Spirit’s power instead of wisdom common to the age.
Where: Corinth
When: 50’s AD
Among the mature he does use wisdom, but it is not a wisdom of this age
Because the ways of this world are going to perish
God’s wisdom is secret and hidden, and God decreed it before all ages for the Corinthians glory
If the rulers had understood this, they would not have crucified Christ
No eye has seen
No ear has heard
No human heart has conceived
What God has prepared for those who love Him
Who: God
What: Revealing another kind of wisdom, one that the world does not understand, but it far superior to what we can envision
God has revealed these things through the spirit
The spirit searches all things
The spirit searches the depths of God
Only the spirit of a human knows what is truly human
So ... only the Spirit of God knows what is truly God
Paul and others have received the Spirit of God and not the spirit of the world
So they speak of things taught by the Spirit to interpret Spiritual things to those who are spiritual.
Who: Holy Spirit
What: Probes the depths of God and reveals those things to human beings
The unspiritual do not receive spiritual things - they don’t make sense to them
The spiritual discern all things (Good place for a word study)
Paul and others have the mind of Christ.
Who: Spiritual people
What: Discern the ways of God and the mind of Christ
Interpretation:
Literary Genre: Epistle (Letter) from St. Paul specifically to the Church in Corinth
Literary Context: Dealing with factions within the Corinthian Church
Other issues in the letter include sexual immorality, lawsuits in pagan courts, and wanton abuse within the Eucharistic meal.
Socio-Economic Context: Corinth was a major hub of both land and water trade.
Religious context: Corinth had many pagan temples, and one modest Synagogue. One pagan temple dedicated to Aphrodite employed a great number of temple prostitutes.
Cultural Context: The hellenic world loved philosophy - they used it to make sense of their experience. There were many different schools, each with their own starting points, and they would often debate one another regarding perspectives on a given issue. (Cicero: On the nature of the gods.)
Word study on Spiritual: Pneumatukos (G4151)- Same root that is translated Holy Spirit. Ethereal, other worldly, non-carnal. Derrived from 4150 - Pneuma. Compare with 5590 - Psyche: animal portion of the soul, not as refined as Pneuma but more so than G2222 - Dzoe - Life.
In 2:14, NRSV translates as Unspiritual. KJV translates as Natural Man. Greek Psychikos G5591
5591 is deprived from 5590 - Psyche, which is often translated as soul.
St. Paul’s thought had a hierarchy of spiritual development.
Pneumatakus - Spiritual Man
Psychikos - Natural Man
Dzoe - Bottom, life itself
Fallen Creation Focus: Human beings, on their own, cannot comprehend God.
Expository Statements:
Because human beings cannot comprehend God, God gives us the Holy Spirit.
Because human beings cannot comprehend God, God raises us up to be Spiritual Beings.
Because human beings cannot comprehend God, we listen to God.
Correlation:
Scripture, Tradition, and Reason
The Holy Spirit (in the New Covenant) is revealed as the Lord who leads us into all truth and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ. (BCP pg 852)
The recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Jesus Christ as Lord ad are brought into love and harmony with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with all creation. (ibid)
We recognize truths to be taught by the Holy Spirit when they are in accord with the Scriptures. (ibid pg 853)
We call them (The Holy Scriptures) the Word of God because God inspired their human authors and because God still speaks to us through the Bible. (ibid)
We understand the meaning of the Bible by the help of the Holy Spirit, who guides the Church in the true interpretation of the Scriptures.
Jesus would sometimes teach of the dangers of losing your psyche because of sin. (Matthew 16:26, Mark 8:36-37)
Jesus also interpreted the Sh’ma such that one must love the Lord with all of their Psyche (Mt 22:37, Mk 12:33, Lk 10:27)
The Spirit (Pneuma) appears in the Gospels in a variety of ways. There’s always the Spirit of God or the Holy Spirit, but Jesus also drives out of people unclean spirits. Mary, in the Magnificat, praises God in both Psyche, and Pneuma.
Applications:
We must take the time to listen to the Spirit. (Weekly Eucharist, and Daily Office)
We must claim the gift of the Holy Spirit - put people up for confirmation and reaffirmation
Know that God has given you a natural self, and a supernatural self
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