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of sights. “And he cannot know, because it is spiritually discerned.” He sets forth the reason; and he says that the things spoken require faith, and it is not now possible to comprehend them by reason. For their greatness surpasses the lowliness of our understanding. “But the spiritual man discerns all things; yet he himself is discerned by no one.” For just as one who sees, sees all things of the one who does not see; but the things of that one who sees, evidently none of those who do not see, sees. So also we know both our own things and all the things of the unbelievers; but our things, they no longer know. The word “discerns,” he says, is used instead of “convinces.” For we know what is the nature of present things, and what is the worth of future things, and that future things are immortal and unmovable, but present things are perishable and temporary. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him?” Having said that the natural man knows nothing, he brings forward a construction of this, saying; and with good reason he knows nothing. For he did not know the mind of the Lord, that is, the revelation of the Spirit, which provides to the faithful the 95.589 knowledge of things present and things to come; and the phrase, “that he may instruct him,” he did not add simply, but with reference to what he had already said, that no one discerns the spiritual man. For if none of the natural men can know the mind of Christ, much more will he not be able to teach and correct. For this is what “to instruct” means. “But we have the mind of Christ.” That is, the knowledge which we have of matters concerning the faith we have spiritually, so that with good reason we are discerned by no one. For it is not possible for a natural man to know divine things.

CHAPTER 3. “And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to

carnal. As to babes in Christ, I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able.” Having taken down the wisdom from without, and having cast down all its pride, he comes to another topic. For it was likely they would say that if we were reporting the things of Plato, or Pythagoras, or some of the philosophers, you would reasonably have extended a longer discourse against us. But if we proclaim the things of the Spirit, for what reason do you bring up worldly wisdom to us again and again? How then does he stand against this? Listen. And I could not speak as to spiritual men. What he says is something like this. Indeed, even if you were perfect in spiritual things, not even so should you be puffed up, nor proclaim as your own things which you have found by yourselves. But now you do not even know these things as one ought to know them, but you are disciples and the last of all, so that if you think highly of worldly wisdom, it has been proven to be nothing, but even contrary to you. But if on spiritual things, in these too you are inferior, and you stand in the last place. “But not even now are you able. For you are still carnal.” Their not being able, was from their not being willing. Which brought accusation to them, but excuse to the teacher. “For where there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not carnal, and do you not walk according to man?” He states the form, that which makes them carnal. “For when one says, I am of Paul, and another, I am of Apollos, are you not men?” He shows that this not only did not profit them at all, nor caused them to gain anything, but even hindered them from the benefit of greater things. For jealousy made them carnal; and becoming carnal did not permit them to hear of higher things. “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul?” After the construction through facts, he then uses the accusation more plainly, and he places his own 95.592 name, taking away all harshness, and not allowing them to be angered by what was said. For if Paul is nothing, and was not indignant, much more ought they not to be displeased. “Ministers through whom you believed.” If therefore you minister to another, he says, how do you seize the honor for yourselves, and give your own names to the disciples? “And

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ὄψεων. «Καὶ οὐ δύναται γνῶναι, ὅτι πνευματικῶς ἀνακρίνεται.» Τὴν αἰτίαν παρατίθεται· λέγει δὲ, ὅτι πίστεως δεῖται τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ λόγοις νῦν καταλαμβάνειν οὐκ ἔνι. Ὑπερβαίνει γὰρ αὐτῶν τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας τὴν εὐτέλειαν. «Ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς ἀνακρίνει μὲν πάντα· αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἀνακρίνεται.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ βλέπων, πάντα μὲν αὐτὸς ὁρᾷ τὰ τοῦ μὴ βλέποντος· τὰ δὲ ἐκείνου τοῦ βλέποντος, δηλονότι τῶν μὴ βλεπόντων οὐδεὶς ὁρᾷ. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ μὲν ἡμέτερα καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀπίστων πάντα ἴσμεν· τὰ δὲ ἡμῶν, ἐκεῖνοι λοιπὸν οὐκέτι. Τὸ δὲ ἀνακρίνει, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἐλέγχει, φησίν. Καὶ γὰρ ἴσμεν τίς μὲν ἡ τῶν παρόντων πραγμάτων φύσις, τίς δὲ ἡ τῶν μελλόντων ἀξία, καὶ ὅτι τὰ μέλλοντά ἐστιν ἀθάνατα καὶ ἀκίνητα, τὰ δὲ παρόντα φθαρτὰ καὶ πρόσκαιρα. «Τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ὃς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν;» Εἰπὼν ὅτι ὁ ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος οὐδὲν ἐπίσταται, ἐπάγει τούτου κατασκευὴν λέγων· καὶ εἰκότως οἶδεν οὐδέν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔγνω τὸν νοῦν τοῦ Κυρίου, τουτέστι τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἥ τις τοῖς πιστοῖς τῶν ὄντων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων παρέχει τὴν 95.589 γνῶσιν· τὸ δὲ, τίς συμβιβάσει αὐτὸν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς προσέθηκεν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὃν ἤδη εἶπεν, ὅτι τὸν πνευματικὸν οὐδεὶς ἀνακρίνει. Εἰ γὰρ εἰδέναι οὐδεὶς δύναται τῶν ψυχικῶν τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ νοῦν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον διδάσκειν καὶ διορθοῦσθαι οὐ δυνήσεται. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ συμβιβάσαι. «Ἡμεῖς δὲ νοῦν Χριστοῦ ἔχομεν.» Τουτέστι τὴν γνῶσιν ἣν ἔχομεν τῶν κατὰ τὴν πίστιν πραγμάτων πνευματικὴν ἔχομεν, ὥστε εἰκότως ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἀνακρινόμεθα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε τὰ θεῖα εἰδέναι ἄνθρωπον ψυχικόν.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Γʹ. «Κἀγὼ δὲ, ἀδελφοὶ, οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ὑμῖν λαλῆσαι ὡς πνευματικοῖς, ἀλλ' ὡς

σαρκικοῖς. Ὡς νηπίοις ἐν Χριστῷ γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα· οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνασθε.» Καθελὼν τὴν σοφίαν τὴν ἔξωθεν, καὶ τὸν τῦφον αὐτῆς καταβαλὼν ἅπαντα, ἐφ' ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν ἔρχεται. Καὶ γὰρ εἰκὸς ἦν ἐκείνους λέγειν, ὅτι εἰ μὲν τὰ Πλάτωνος, ἢ Πυθαγόρου, ἢ τινὸς τῶν φιλοσόφων ἀπηγγέλλομεν, εἰκότως, οὕτως μακρότερον καθ' ἡμῶν ἀπέτεινες λόγον. Εἰ δὲ τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος καταγγέλλομεν, τίνος ἕνεκεν τὴν ἔξω σοφίαν ἄνω καὶ κάτω προφέρεις ἡμῖν; Πῶς οὖν πρὸς τοῦτο ἵσταται; ἄκουσον. Κἀγὼ οὐκ ἠδυνήθην λαλῆσαι ὡς πνευματικοῖς. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν. Μάλιστα μὲν εἰ καὶ τέλειοι ἦτε ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς, οὐδὲ οὕτως ἐχρῆν ἐπαίρεσθαι, οὐδὲ τὰ ὑμέτερα καταγγέλλειν ἅπερ οὗτοι οἴκοθεν εὑρήκατε. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐδὲ ταῦτα ἴστε ὡς εἰδέναι χρὴ, ἀλλὰ μαθηταί ἐστε καὶ πάντων ἔσχατοι, ὥστε εἰ μὲν ἐπὶ τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας φρονεῖτε μέγα, ἐλήλεγκται ὡς οὐδὲν οὖσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐναντία ὑμῖν. Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς, καὶ ἐν τούτοις τὸ ἧττον ἔχετε, καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις ἑστήκατε. «Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν δύνασθε. Ἔτι γὰρ σαρκικοί ἐστε.» Τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι, αὐτοῖς ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ θέλειν ἦν. Ὅπερ αὐτοῖς μὲν ἔφερεν κατηγορίαν, τῷ διδασκάλῳ συγγνώμην. «Ὅπου γὰρ ἐν ὑμῖν ζῆλος καὶ ἔρις, οὐχὶ σαρκικοί ἐστε, καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον περιπατεῖτε;» Τὸ εἶδος λέγει, τὸ ποιοῦν αὐτοὺς σαρκικούς. «Ὅταν γὰρ λέγῃ τις, Ἐγὼ μέν εἰμι Παύλου. ἕτερος δὲ, Ἐγὼ Ἀπολλῶ, οὐκ ἄνθρωποί ἐστε;» ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι τοῦτο οὐ μόνον αὐτοὺς οὐδὲν ὤνησεν, οὐδὲ προσλαβεῖν τι πεποίηκεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῶν μειζόνων ὠφέλειαν ἐνεπόδισεν. Ὁ γὰρ ζῆλος σαρκικοὺς ἐποίησεν· τὸ δὲ γενέσθαι σαρκικοὺς, οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων. «Τί οὖν ἐστιν Ἀπολλώς; τί δέ ἐστιν Παῦλος;» Μετὰ τὴν διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων κατασκευὴν, γυμνότερον λοιπὸν κέχρηται τῇ κατηγορίᾳ, καὶ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ 95.592 ὄνομα τίθησιν, περιαιρῶν πᾶσαν τραχύτητα, καὶ οὐκ ἐῶν ὀργισθῆναι πρὸς τὰ λεγόμενα. Εἰ γὰρ Παῦλος οὐδέν ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἠγανάκτει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐκείνους δυσχεραίνειν οὐκ ἐχρῆν. «∆ιάκονοι δι' ὧν ἐπιστεύσατε.» Εἰ τοίνυν ἑτέρῳ διακονεῖτε, φησὶ, πῶς αὐτοὶ τὴν ἀξίαν ἁρπάζετε, καὶ τὴν προσηγορίαν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν δίδοτε; «Καὶ