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of the immortality of the soul, concerning the resurrection of bodies, concerning the providence of God, concerning retribution according to merit, concerning the accountings there, concerning the fearful judgment seat, concerning the good things laid up for those who do right, concerning the punishments threatened to those who sin, concerning all other things; then he answers with accuracy and much assurance; but the philosopher, priding himself greatly on his long hair and staff 51.153, after the many and long race-courses of words, after much and untimely babbling, is not even able to gape, nor has a mouth to open concerning these things; then you will know well, how God has chosen the foolish things of the world, that He might shame the wise. For what those men through arrogance and pride were not able to find, having removed themselves from the teaching of the Spirit, and having cast everything upon their own reasonings, these things the poor and the rejected, and those deprived of outside education, learned all with accuracy, having made themselves dependent on the teaching from the heavens. But he does not stop here only in accusing outside wisdom, but he also adds other things more than these, saying: The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God; and again exhorting his hearers he said to them with all disrespect and vehemence: For if anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, he says, let him become a fool, that he may become wise; and again: It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the prudent; and again, The Lord knows the thoughts of men, that they are futile. 6. But that the Corinthians partook of wisdom, is clear from these things; but that they were proud and puffed up, is again manifest from the Epistle itself. For having somewhere accused the one who had committed fornication, he added, saying: And you are puffed up. But that they contended with one another out of arrogance, he again made this very thing plain, saying: For where there is strife and jealousy and divisions among you, are you not carnal, and walking according to man? And what was the manner of the strife? They cut themselves up into many rulers, and for this reason he says: I say this, that each of you says: I am of Paul, and I of Apollos, and I of Cephas. He said these things, not because they were assigning themselves to Paul and Cephas and Apollos, but by these names he wishes to conceal those who had become the cause of the division, so as not to make them manifest and thus render them more contentious and lead them to greater shamelessness. For that they did not assign themselves to Paul and Peter and Apollos, but to certain others, this too is clear from what follows. For after reproaching them for this division, he again added, saying: Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. For many of the common people, having no cause for pride in themselves, nor any inclination to attack their neighbors, having set some as rulers for themselves, used their advantages for pride against others; and the wisdom of those who taught them became for them a pretext for arrogance against others; which was a mark of extreme vainglory, for those who had no grounds of their own to be proud to make use of the excellences of others for contempt against their brethren, Since, therefore, they were lifted up into arrogance and were divided, and cut themselves into many parts, and were proud of their teaching, as having found it from home and from themselves, but not as having received it from above and from the grace of God the doctrines of truth, 51.154 wishing to quell their puffing up, immediately from the introductions he called himself "called," as good as saying: If I, the teacher, found nothing from myself, nor did I myself approach God first, but when I was called, then I obeyed, how can you, the disciples, and from me the things

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ἀθανασίας ψυχῆς, περὶ σωμάτων ἀναστάσεως, περὶ προνοίας Θεοῦ, περὶ τῆς κατ' ἀξίαν ἀντιδόσεως, περὶ τῶν εὐθυνῶν τῶν ἐκεῖ, περὶ τοῦ φοβεροῦ δικαστηρίου, περὶ τῶν ἀποκειμένων τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν ἀγαθῶν, περὶ τῶν ἠπειλημένων τοῖς ἁμαρτάνουσι τιμωριῶν, περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων· εἶτα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἀποκρίνεται καὶ πληροφορίας πολλῆς· ὁ δὲ φιλόσοφος καὶ μέγα ἐπὶ κόμῃ καὶ βακτηρίᾳ 51.153 φρονῶν, μετὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ μακροὺς τῶν λόγων διαύλους, μετὰ τὰς πολλὰς καὶ ἀκαίρους ἀδολεσχίας, μηδὲ χᾶναι δύναται, μηδὲ διᾶραι στόμα περὶ τούτων ἔχει· τότε γνώσῃ καλῶς, πῶς Ἐξελέξατο τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα καταισχύνῃ τοὺς σοφούς. Ἅπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι δι' ἀπόνοιαν καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν οὐκ ἠδυνήθησαν εὑρεῖν, τῆς μὲν τοῦ Πνεύματος ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστήσαντες διδασκαλίας, τοῖς δὲ οἰκείοις λογισμοῖς τὸ πᾶν ἐπιῤῥίψαντες, ταῦτα οἱ πτωχοὶ καὶ ἀπεῤῥιμμένοι, καὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἀπεστερημένοι παιδεύσεως, μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἔμαθον ἅπαντα, τῆς ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐξαρτήσαντες ἑαυτοὺς διδασκαλίας. Οὐκ ἐνταῦθα δὲ μόνον ἵσταται κατηγορῶν τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα τούτων πλείονα προστίθησι λέγων· Ἡ σοφία τοῦ κόσμου τούτου μωρία παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ· καὶ παραινῶν τοῖς ἀκούουσι πάλιν μετὰ πάσης αὐτοῖς ἀτιμίας καὶ σφοδρότητος ἔλεγεν· Εἰ γάρ τις δοκεῖ, φησὶν, ἐν ὑμῖν σοφὸς εἶναι ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, μωρὸς γενέσθω, ἵνα γένηται σοφός· καὶ πάλιν· Γέγραπται, Ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν, καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσω· καὶ πάλιν, Κύριος γινώσκει τοὺς διαλογισμοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅτι εἰσὶ μάταιοι. ςʹ. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν σοφίας μετεῖχον οἱ Κορίνθιοι, δῆλον ἐκ τούτων· ὅτι δὲ μέγα ἐφρόνουν καὶ ἐφυσῶντο, πάλιν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς ἐστι φανερόν. Κατηγορήσας γάρ που τοῦ πεπορνευκότος, ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστέ. Ὅτι δὲ ἐκ τῆς ἀπονοίας πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἤριζον, καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐδήλωσε πάλιν εἰπών· Ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ἔρις καὶ ζῆλος καὶ διχοστασίαι, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε, καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε; Καὶ τίς ὁ τῆς ἔριδος τρόπος; Εἰς πολλοὺς ἄρχοντας κατέτεμον ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ διὰ τοῦτό φησι· Λέγω δὲ τοῦτο, ὅτι ἕκαστος ὑμῶν φησιν· Ἐγὼ μέν εἰμι Παύλου, ἐγὼ δὲ Ἀπολλῶ, ἐγὼ δὲ Κηφᾶ. Ταῦτα ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ Παύλῳ καὶ Κηφᾷ καὶ Ἀπολλῷ προσένεμον ἑαυτοὺς, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ὀνόμασι τούτοις ἀποκρύψαι βούλεται τοὺς τῆς στάσεως αἰτίους γεγενημένους, ὥστε μὴ φανεροὺς καταστήσας, φιλονεικοτέρους ποιῆσαι, καὶ εἰς μείζονα ἀναισχυντίαν ἀγαγεῖν. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐ Παύλῳ καὶ Πέτρῳ καὶ Ἀπολλῷ προσένεμον ἑαυτοὺς, ἀλλ' ἑτέροις τισὶ, καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν ἑξῆς δῆλον. Ἐγκαλέσας γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ τῇ διαστάσει ταύτῃ, πάλιν ἐπήγαγε λέγων· Ταῦτα δὲ, ἀδελφοὶ, μετεσχημάτισα εἰς ἐμαυτὸν καὶ Ἀπολλὼ δι' ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἐν ὑμῖν μάθητε τὸ μὴ ὑπὲρ ὃ γέγραπται φρονεῖν, ἵνα μὴ εἷς ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἑνὸς μὴ φυσιοῦσθε κατὰ τοῦ ἑτέρου. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν οὐκ ἔχοντες οἴκοθεν ἐπαίρεσιν, οὐδὲ τοὺς πλησίον δάκνειν, προστησάμενοί τινας ἑαυτῶν ἄρχοντας, τοῖς ἐκείνων πλεονεκτήμασιν εἰς τὴν καθ' ἑτέρων ὑπερηφανίαν ἐκέχρηντο· καὶ ἡ τῶν διδασκόντων αὐτοὺς σοφία τῆς ἑτέρων αὐτοῖς ἀπονοίας ἐγένετο πρόφασις· ὅπερ ἐσχάτης δοξομανίας ἦν, οἴκοθεν οὐκ ἔχοντας ἐναβρύνεσθαι, ταῖς ἑτέρων ὑπεροχαῖς ἀποχρῆσθαι εἰς τὴν κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑπεροψίαν, Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ εἰς ἀπόνοιαν ἤρθησαν καὶ διεστασίαζον, καὶ εἰς πολλὰ κατέτεμνον μέρη ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ μέγα ἐφρόνουν ἐπὶ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ, ὡς οἴκοθέν τε καὶ παρ' ἑαυτῶν εὑρόντες, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἄνωθεν δεξάμενοι καὶ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτος τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας 51.154 δόγματα, βουλόμενος αὐτῶν καταστεῖλαι τὸ φύσημα, εὐθέως ἀπὸ τῶν προοιμίων κλητὸν αὑτὸν ἐκάλεσε, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Εἰ ἐγὼ ὁ διδάσκαλος οὐδὲν οἴκοθεν εὗρον, οὔτε πρότερον αὐτὸς τῷ Θεῷ προσῆλθον, ἀλλὰ κληθεὶς τότε ὑπήκουσα, πῶς ὑμεῖς οἱ μαθηταὶ, καὶ παρ' ἐμοῦ τὰ