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But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who has been made unto us wisdom from God, both righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” You are children, he says, of God, having become this through Christ. For since he said, “He has chosen the foolish things of the world and the base,” he shows that they are nobler than all, having God for their father; and of this nobility, he says, not this person or that person, but Christ himself is the cause, having made us wise and righteous and holy. For this is the meaning of, “He has been made unto us wisdom and sanctification and redemption.” “That, as it is written, ‘Let him that boasts, boast in the Lord.’”

CHAPTER 2. “And I, when I came to you, brethren, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom

declaring to you.” For this reason also he vehemently ran down the wisdom of the Greeks, that he might persuade men of this; as indeed it is just to boast in the Lord. For when we seek from ourselves things that are above us, nothing becomes more foolish or weaker than we are. For it is possible to have a sharpened tongue, but impossible to have strong doctrines. “The testimony of God.” Instead of, the preaching which we testify, he says, that he was crucified and died for us. “For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” This he says, because he is altogether without worldly wisdom. For I did not come weaving arguments, he says, nor sophistries, nor saying anything else to you, than that Christ was crucified. “And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.” He means the dangers, and the plots, and being persecuted daily. But this is not an accusation against Paul, but a weakness of nature, and an encomium of his will, because though fearing death and blows, he did nothing unworthy on account of this fear. “And my speech and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom.” That is, not having worldly wisdom. “But in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.” He means the workings, which he did through the Spirit. 95.584 For who, seeing the dead being raised, and demons being driven out, would not have accepted it? “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” Clearly through all these things he has shown the great gain of plainness, and the great harm of wisdom. For the latter emptied the cross; For “that the cross of Christ should not be made of no effect”; but the former preached the power of the cross. “But we speak wisdom among them that are perfect. Having before called the wisdom of God foolishness according to their vote, he then shows that it is wisdom. For when one who is thought a fool and foolish preaching overcomes the wise, it is not through foolishness of wisdom that he overcomes, but through a more perfect wisdom, and so much and so great, as to make the other appear foolishness. And he calls wisdom the preaching and the manner of salvation, to be saved through the cross. And the perfect, those who have believed. For they too are perfect, who know human things, that they are very weak, and have despised them. “But a wisdom, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.” For where is worldly wisdom useful, destroying here, and not proceeding further, and not even here being able to benefit those who have it at all? And by rulers of the age he here means not certain demons, but the philosophers and rhetoricians and writers of speeches. For they themselves held power, and often became demagogues. And he called them rulers of the age, because their rule does not proceed beyond the present age; wherefore he also added, “who are coming to nothing.” “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom.” He calls the dispensation a mystery; because neither angel, nor archangel, nor any other created power knew it before it came to be. Wherefore elsewhere he says: “That now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God.” “Which God predestined

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αὐτοῦ δὲ ὑμεῖς ἐστε ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπὸ Θεοῦ, δικαιοσύνη τε καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις.» Παῖδές ἐστε, φησὶν, τοῦ Θεοῦ, διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦτο γενόμενοι. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν, Τὰ μωρὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελέξατο καὶ τὰ ἀγενῆ, δείκνυσιν ὅτι πάντων εἰσὶν εὐγενέστεροι, τὸν Θεὸν ἔχοντες πατέρα· τῆς δὲ εὐγενείας ταύτης, φησὶν, οὐχ ὁ δεῖνα καὶ ὁ δεῖνα, ἀλλ' ὁ Χριστὸς αὐτός ἐστιν αἴτιος, σοφοὺς ἡμᾶς ποιήσας καὶ δικαίους καὶ ἁγίους. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ, «Ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία καὶ ἁγιασμὸς καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις.» «Ἵνα, καθὼς γέγραπται, ὁ καυχώμενος ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω.»

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Βʹ. «Κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοὶ, ἦλθον, οὐ καθ' ὑπεροχὴν λόγου ἢ σοφίας

καταγγέλλων ὑμῖν.» ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ σφοδρῶς κατέδραμεν τῆς τῶν Ἑλλήνων σοφίας, ἵνα τοῦτο πείσῃ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους· ὡσπεροῦν καί ἐστι δίκαιον ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχᾶσθαι. Ὅταν γὰρ παρ' ἑαυτῶν τὰ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτοὺς ζητῶμεν, οὐδὲν μωρότερον, οὐδὲ ἀσθενέστερον ἡμῶν γίνεται. Γλῶτταν γὰρ ἔχειν ἠκονημένην δυνατὸν, δόγματα δὲ ἰσχυρὰ ἀμήχανον. «Τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ἀντὶ τοῦ, τὸ κήρυγμα ὃ μαρτυροῦμεν, φησὶν, ὅτι ἐσταυρώθη, καὶ ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. «Οὐ γὰρ ἔκρινα εἰδέναι τι ἐν ὑμῖν, εἰ μὴ Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, καὶ τοῦτον ἐσταυρωμένον.» Τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι ἄμοιρός ἐστι καθόλου τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας. Οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον λογισμοὺς πλέκων, φησὶν, οὐδὲ σοφίσματα, οὐδὲ ἄλλο τι λέγων ὑμῖν, ἢ ὅτι Χριστὸς ἐσταυρώθη. «Κἀγὼ ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ καὶ ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ πολλῷ ἐγενόμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς.» Τοὺς κινδύνους φησὶ, καὶ τὰς ἐπιβουλὰς, καὶ τὸ καθ' ἡμέραν ἐλαύνεσθαι. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἔγκλημα τοῦ Παύλου, ἀλλ' ἀσθένεια τῆς φύσεως, ἐγκώμιον δὲ τῆς προαιρέσεως, ὅτι καὶ δεδοικὼς θάνατον καὶ πληγὰς, οὐδὲν ἀνάξιον διὰ τὸν φόβον τοῦτον ἐποίησεν. «Καὶ ὁ λόγος μου καὶ τὸ κήρυγμά μου, οὐκ ἐν πειθοῖς σοφίαν λόγοις.» Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἔχων τὴν ἔξωθεν σοφίαν. «Ἀλλ' ἐν ἀποδείξει Πνεύματος καὶ δυνάμεως.» Ταῖς ἐνεργείαις λέγει, αἷς ἐποίει διὰ τοῦ Πνεύμα 95.584 τος. Τίς γὰρ ὁρῶν νεκροὺς ἀνισταμένους, καὶ δαίμονας ἐλαυνομένους, οὐκ ἂν κατεδέξατο; «Ἵνα ἡ πίστις ὑμῶν μὴ ᾖ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει Θεοῦ.» Σαφῶς διὰ πάντων ἀπέδειξεν πολὺ τῆς ἰδιωτείας τὸ κέρδος, καὶ μέγα τῆς σοφίας τὸ βλάβος. Αὕτη μὲν γὰρ ἐκένου τὸν σταυρόν· Ἵνα μὴ κενωθῇ γὰρ ὁ σταυρὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐκείνη δὲ ἐκήρυττεν τοῦ σταυροῦ τὴν δύναμιν. «Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις. Πρότερον καλέσας μωρίαν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίαν κατὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ψῆφον, τότε δείκνυσιν αὐτὴν σοφίαν οὖσαν. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ νομιζόμενος μωρὸς καὶ μωρὰ κηρύγματα τοὺς σοφοὺς περιγίνηται, οὐ διὰ μωρίας σοφίας περιγίνεται, ἀλλὰ διὰ σοφίας τελειοτέρας, καὶ τοσαύτης καὶ οὕτω μείζονος, ὡς ἐκείνην μωρίαν φαίνεσθαι. Σοφίαν δὲ λέγει τὸ κήρυγμα καὶ τὸν τρόπον τῆς σωτηρίας, τὸ διὰ σταυροῦ σωθῆναι. Τελείους δὲ τοὺς πεπιστευκότας. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι τέλειοι, οἱ τὰ ἀνθρώπινα εἰδότες, ὅτι σφόδρα ἀσθενῆ, καὶ ὑπεριδόντες αὐτῶν. «Σοφίαν δὲ, οὐ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, οὐδὲ τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου τῶν καταργουμένων.» Ποῦ γὰρ χρήσιμος ἡ ἔξωθεν σοφία, ἐνταῦθα καταστρέφουσα, καὶ περαιτέρω μὴ προϊοῦσα, καὶ οὐδὲ ἐνταῦθα μὴ δυναμένη τι τοὺς ἔχοντας ὠφελεῖν; Ἄρχοντας δὲ αἰῶνος ἐνταῦθα οὐ δαίμονάς τινας λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς φιλοσόφους καὶ ῥήτορας καὶ λογογράφους. Καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἐκράτουν, καὶ δημαγωγοὶ πολλάκις ἐγίνοντο. Τοῦ δὲ αἰῶνος ἐκάλεσεν ἄρχοντας, ἐπειδὴ περαιτέρω τοῦ παρόντος αἰῶνος οὐ πρόεισιν αὐτῶν ἡ ἀρχή· διὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγε, τῶν καταργουμένων. «Ἀλλὰ λαλοῦμεν Θεοῦ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην.» Μυστήριον τὴν οἰκονομίαν καλεῖ· ἐπειδὴ οὔτε ἄγγελος, οὔτε ἀρχάγγελος, οὔτε ἄλλη τις αὐτὸ κτιστὴ δύναμις ᾔδει πρὶν γενέσθαι. ∆ιὸ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ ποικίλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ. «Ἣν προώρισεν ὁ