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of Christ, when you are gathered together and my Spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a one to Satan.” He does not permit them to think anything else. For I have passed the sentence, he says, as though I were present. Then, lest his authority seem to be too great, see how he makes them also partners in the judgment, by saying, When you are gathered together. And the phrase, in the name of our Lord, that is, the one who has brought reproach on the name of Christ, the one who after becoming a believer and being called by that name, has dared such things, this one, deliver to Satan. And it is well said, to deliver to Satan, but not to give over, as though opening to him the doors of repentance. And again, such a one, as though not enduring even the mention of his name. That is, according to God; not being possessed by human opinion, that is, his name gathers you, for whose sake you assemble. Again he set himself before them, so that when they judge, they might cut him off as if he himself were present, and no one might dare to deem him worthy of pardon, knowing that Paul would know what was said. That is, Christ is able to give us such grace, as to be able to deliver to the devil; or that He Himself also casts his vote with us against him. “For the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 95.609 That he may scourge him with a painful ulcer or some other disease; and this very thing came to pass by the will of God, so that his flesh might be punished. For since desires are born from the flesh, he punishes it, that the spirit may be saved, but on that day, rightly and seasonably reminding them of that day, so that they themselves might come more readily to the cure. And he also seems now to be laying down laws for the devil, not allowing him to proceed further; just as God said to him concerning Job: But do not touch his life. “Your boasting is not good.” He again adds a rebuke directed towards them, showing that up to the present they have not allowed him to repent, boasting in him. “Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump?” He shows by this that he does this not only to spare that man, but also these themselves. It is as if he were to say: Even if the sin is his, yet if it is neglected it can also corrupt the rest of the body of the Church. For when the first to sin is not punished, soon others also commit such offenses. “Cleanse out therefore the old leaven.” That is, this wicked man. Rather, he does not speak of this one only, but also alludes to others. For not only fornication is old leaven, but also all wickedness. And he did not say, Cleanse, but, Cleanse out; that is, cleanse with exactness, so that there is not even a remnant or a shadow of such a thing. “That you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened.” He shows and makes plain that the wickedness did not prevail over very many. But if he says, As you are unleavened, he does not say this because all were pure, but, As you ought to be. “For Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us, so that we may celebrate the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with fornicators. And not at all with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters.” He reminds them again of the benefits. For the present time, he says, is a time of festival. Why does he again call it leaven, or is it because our life is such? “For then you would have to go out of the world. But now I have written to you not to associate, if anyone who is called a brother is a fornicator, or covetous.” For lest they should think that he did not command this to them as being more imperfect, and they, as supposedly perfect, should attempt to do it, he shows that this cannot 95.612 happen, not even if they strongly wished it, since, he says, they would have to seek another world. “or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner—not even to eat with such a one.” With these he intermingled and anticipated the discussion concerning things sacrificed to idols, which a little later he is about to

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Χριστοῦ συναχθέντων ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ ἐμοῦ Πνεύματος, σὺν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, παραδοῦναι τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ Σατανᾷ.» Οὐκ ἀφίησιν αὐτοὺς ἕτερόν τι ἐννοῆσαι. Καὶ γὰρ ἐξήνεγκα τὴν ἀπόφασιν, ὡς παρὼν, φησίν. Εἶτα ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ πολλὴ εἶναι ἡ αὐθεντεία, ὅρα πῶς κοινωνοὺς καὶ αὐτοὺς ποιεῖ τοῦ κρίματος, εἰπὼν, Συναχθέντων ὑμῶν. Τὸ δὲ, ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, τουτέστι, τὸν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐνυβρίσαντα, τὸν μετὰ τὸ γενέσθαι πιστὸν καὶ ἐπώνυμον ἐκείνης τῆς προσηγορίας, τοιαῦτα τολμήσαντα, τοῦτον παράδοτε τῷ Σατανᾷ. Εὖ δὲ καὶ τὸ παραδοῦναι τῷ Σατανᾷ, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐκδοῦναι, ὡς ἀνοίγων αὐτῷ τῆς μετανοίας τὰς θύρας. Καὶ πάλιν τὸν τοιοῦτον, ὡς μὴ ἀνεχόμενον μηδὲ τῆς προσηγορίας αὐτοῦ μνημονεῦσαι. Τουτέστι, κατὰ Θεόν· μὴ ἀνθρωπίνῃ κατεχόμενον ὑπολήψει, ἤγουν αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὀνόματος ὑμᾶς συλλέγοντος ὑπὲρ οὗ συνέρχεσθε. Αὖ πάλιν ἐπέστησεν αὐτοῖς ἑαυτὸν, ἵνα ὅταν δικάζωσιν, ὡς αὐτοῦ παρόντος, οὕτως αὐτὸν ἀποτέμωσι, καὶ μηδεὶς τολμήσῃ συγγνώμης αὐτὸν ἀξιῶσαι, εἰδὼς ὅτι Παῦλος εἴσεται τὰ λεγόμενα. Τουτέστιν, Ὁ Χριστὸς δύναται τοιαύτην ἡμῖν χάριν διδόναι, ὡς δύνασθαι τῷ διαβόλῳ παραδιδόναι· ἢ ὅτι Καὶ αὐτὸς μεθ' ἡμῶν κατ' αὐτοῦ ἐπαίρει τὴν ψῆφον. «Εἰς ὄλεθρον τῆς σαρκὸς, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.» 95.609 Ἵνα μαστίξῃ αὐτὸν ἕλκει πονηρῷ ἢ νόσῳ ἑτέρᾳ· καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο τῷ Θεῷ δοκοῦν ἐγένετο, ὥστε κολάζεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν σάρκα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς σαρκὸς αἱ ἐπιθυμίαι τίκτονται, αὐτὴν κολάζει, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ, καλῶς αὐτοὺς καὶ εὐκαίρως τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἀναμιμνήσκων, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ προθυμότερον ἔλθωσιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἰατρείαν. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ νόμους φαίνεται τῷ διαβόλῳ τιθεὶς, οὐκ ἀφεὶς αὐτὸν περαιτέρω προβῆναι· ὡς καὶ Θεὸς αὐτῷ περὶ τοῦ Ἰὼβ ἔλεγε· Πλὴν τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ μὴ ἅψῃ. «Οὐ καλὸν τὸ καύχημα ὑμῶν.» Ἐπάγει πάλιν ἐπιτίμησιν πρὸς ἐκείνους ἀποτεινόμενος, δεικνὺς, ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος οὐκ εἴασαν αὐτὸν μετανοῆσαι, καυχώμενοι ἐπ' αὐτῷ. «Οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι μικρὰ ζύμη ὅλον τὸ φύραμα ζυμοῖ.» ∆ηλοῖ διὰ τούτου, ὡς οὐκ ἐκείνου φειδόμενος μόνον τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῶν τούτων. Ὅμοιον δὲ ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Εἰ καὶ ἐκείνου τὸ ἁμάρτημα, ἀλλὰ ἀμελούμενον δύναταί τε καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας σῶμα λυμήνασθαι. Ὅταν γὰρ ὁ πρῶτος ἁμαρτὼν μὴ δῷ δίκην, ταχέως καὶ ἕτεροι τὰ τοιαῦτα πλημμελοῦσι. «Ἐκκαθάρατε οὖν τὴν παλαιὰν ζύμην.» Τουτέστιν, τὸν πονηρὸν τοῦτον. Μᾶλλον δὲ οὐ περὶ τούτου μόνον φησὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλους αἰνίττεται. Οὐ γὰρ πορνεία μόνον παλαιὰ ζύμη, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσα κακία. Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε, Καθάρατε, ἀλλὰ, Ἐκκάθαρατε· ὅ ἐστιν, μετὰ ἀκριβείας καθάρατε, ὥστε μηδὲ λείψανον, μηδὲ σκιὰν εἶναι τοιαύτην. «Ἵνα ἦτε νέον φύραμα, καθώς ἐστε ἄζυμοι.» ∆ηλοῖ καὶ ἐμφαίνει οὐ σφόδρα πολλῶν κρατοῦσαν τὴν κακίαν. Εἰ δὲ λέγει, Καθώς ἐστε ἄζυμοι, οὐ τοῦτο λέγει ὅτι πάντες ἦσαν καθαροὶ, ἀλλὰ Καθὼς πρέπει εἶναι ὑμᾶς. «Καὶ γὰρ τὸ Πάσχα ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐτύθη Χριστὸς, ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν, μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ, μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας. Ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἐν τῇ ἐπιστολῇ μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι πόρνοις. Καὶ οὐ πάντως τοῖς πόρνοις τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, ἢ τοῖς πλεονέκταις, ἢ ἅρπαξιν, ἢ εἰδωλολάτραις.» Τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν πάλιν ἀναμιμνήσκει αὐτούς. Ἑορτῆς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ παρὼν καιρός. ∆ιὰ τί δὲ πάλιν τὴν ζύμην καλεῖ, ἢ διὰ τὸ τὸν ἡμῶν βίον τοιοῦτον εἶναι; «Ἐπεὶ ὠφείλετε ἄρα τοῦ κόσμου ἐξελθεῖν. Νῦν δὲ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν, μὴ συναναμίγνυσθαι, ἐάν τις ἀδελφὸς ὀνομαζόμενος, ἢ πόρνος, ἢ πλεονέκτης.» Ἵνα γὰρ μὴ νομίσαντες, ὅτι ὡς ἀτελεστέροις αὐτοῖς τοῦτο οὐκ ἐπέταξεν, καὶ ὡς τέλειοι δῆθεν αὐτοὶ πρᾶξαι ἐπιχειρήσουσι, δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐδὲ δύναται 95.612 τοῦτο γενέσθαι, οὐδὲ εἰ σφόδρα βούλοιντο, ἐπεὶ, φησὶν, ἑτέραν οἰκουμένην ἔδει ζητῆσαι. «Ἢ εἰδωλολάτρης, ἢ λοίδορος, ἢ μέθυσος, ἢ ἅρπαξ, τῷ τοιούτῳ μὴ συνεσθίειν.» Ἐπὶ τούτοις παρέμιξεν καὶ προκατέλαβεν τὸν περὶ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων λόγον, ὃν μικρὸν ὕστερον μέλλει