1 Corinthians

2:1-5

1. Maintaining unity in the church, 1:1-4:21

vi] Human wisdom versus the Spirit and God's power

Paul continues to argue that human wisdom and the gospel are mutually exclusive, 1:18-2:5. In this third part of his argument, 2:1-5, Paul makes the point that his own preaching, when he came to Corinth, was not characterized by the kind of cleverness designed to impress an audience. So, in this passage the conflict between human wisdom and the foolishness of the cross is illustrated in Paul's preaching. "The Divine and humbling non-contentious character of Christianity is shown ...... in three ways: by the gospel's obvious independence of human intelligence (1:18-25); by the lowly calibre of those called (1:26-31); and by the manner in which [Paul] consistently introduced the gospel at Corinth (2:1-5)", C. Clare Oke, Paul's Method Not a Demonstration, but an Exhibition of the Spirit".

In 2 Corinthians 10:10 Paul admits that "his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account". Michael Bullmore (Paul's Theology of Rhetorical Style) notes that against the "public display oratory" of the time, Paul used "a simple and unaffected style which draws no attention to itself". Along with style, the content of Paul's preaching was very simple and uncomplicated; he proclaimed "Christ crucified." It seems likely that some members of the Corinthian congregation compared both the style and content of Paul's preaching with that of teachers who had followed up on Paul's ministry in Corinth. Obviously their oratory was viewed as superior, as was their "wisdom". It is difficult to identify the nature of this "wisdom". Barnett suggests that in broad terms it is what we would call "a world view ... where man is at the center and God at the margin." In simple terms it is "cleverness". As for content, it probably varied, given that party spirit had developed in the Corinthian fellowship, cf. 1:12. Each party would have its own "world view." See Introduction for a short overview of the different parties.

The art of preaching is a hot topic with we clergy today. There was a time when all seemed well in the church. Numbers were high and we were confident. In that environment expository preaching was widely accepted in conservative church circles. The method was simple enough. First, exegete a unit of scripture (what is the writer saying in the original setting?). Second, identify the central truth in the passage along with its sub points, if any. Third, apply the truth of the passage to God's people today. These days we are no longer as confident as we used to be. We fear that the exposition of Biblical truth does not seem to have the same holding power. We see our congregations getting smaller and we observe that the church which employs the dynamic preacher is the church that gets bigger and bigger. So, we are face the pressure to compromise our preaching. Preaching that addresses the "me", the "I", addresses my problems, my needs, this is the preaching that is popular today. Yet, if we make this shift we adopt the philosophical approach of our age.

With our decreased confidence we adopt the technologies of our age - powerful rhetoric, polished oratory, reinforced with electronic media and mediums. Visualization, music, entertainment technology.... all increase the impact, but not necessarily the impact of truth. The medium becomes the message, and the medium is of "men's wisdom." In the end, the sermon becomes the goal.

It's not always easy to rely on nothing more than "Christ and him crucified".

kagw "-" - and I. Emphatic = "I too am weak, as you are, for when I came to you ...."

elqwn (ercomai) aor. part. "when I came" - having come. The participle is adverbial, probably temporal, as NIV. "When I came to visit you", TH.

adelfoi (oV) "brothers" - "My fellow believers".

kaq + acc. "with" - according to.

uJperochn logou "eloquence" - excellence, superiority of speech, word. "With sublime words", Zerwick.

soqiaV (a) "wisdom" - skill, wisdom. "I did not come proclaiming .... with any special kind of rhetorical or philosophical brilliance", Barclay.

kataggellwn (kataggellw) pres. part. "as I proclaimed" - announcing, proclaiming, declaring, preaching. The participle is adverbial, probably modal, expressing the manner of Paul's coming.

to musthrion "the testimony" - the mystery. Variant marturion, "witness, testimony", but musthrion is probably original, so Metzger, Garland, Fitzmyer, Thiselton, ... contra Fee, Naylor, .... The "mystery" is the revelation of God's grace in Christ, once hidden, now revealed, ie. the gospel; "let you in on God's master-stroke", Peterson.

tou qeou (oV) "about God" - of God. When "testimony/witness" is read the genitive "of God" is usually treated as subjective, as NIV, although objective is possible, ie., "Paul's witness about God and his acts in Christ", Thiselton. When "mystery" is read the genitive is best treated as adjectival, expressing quality or possession; not just any mystery, but the divine type that entails the content of Christian preaching, namely the gospel.

gar "for" - Causal.

ekrina (krinw) aor. "I resolved" - I decided, determined, I chose. "I made up my mind."

eidenai (oida) perf. inf. "to know" - to know, recognize. The infinitive forms a dependent statement of perception functioning as an object clause, "I decided that I know ......." "Know" in the sense of an act of resolution, or of firm, considered decision, BAGD.

ou .... ti "nothing" - not ... a certain thing, something, anything. The NIV, as with the NRSV, has linked the negation ou with "anything" giving the meaning "nothing", ie. Paul determined to apply his mind to the message of the cross alone. None-the-less, the negation may also go with: i] eidenai, "to know" = "not to know any thing", AV, ie., Paul determined to only apply his mind to the message of the cross, "I made up my mind to speak only about Jesus Christ", CEV; ii] ekrina "resolved" = "I did not resolve" = "I refused", ie., Paul only determined to apply himself to the message of the cross, cf. Thiselton; iii] The whole clause, cf. Fee. Either way, the sense is clear, although clouded by the negative, so best stated positively, "[In my ministry to you] I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did - Jesus crucified", Peterson.

en uJmin "while I was with you" - in you. Somewhat elliptical. Possibly a temporal statement, although Paul obviously spoke on other things while he was with the Corinthians. Paul probably has the focus of his preaching ministry in mind, so "in my preaching to you", Barclay.

ei mh "except" - except. Expressing an exception. Other than "Christ and him crucified" there was nothing else that Paul wanted to focus on while he was ministering to the Corinthians.

kai "and" - and. As brought out by Peterson above, there are two focal points to Paul's word ministry, "Jesus Christ and him crucified."

touton pro. "him" - this one. The personal pronoun "him" fails to draw out the independence of this second phrase. "This one / himself crucified" is strained. Possibly "Christ crucified", Thiselton.

estaurwmenon (staurow) perf. pas. part. "crucified" - having been crucified. The participle is adjectival, limiting "this one", "Christ who has been crucified." The perfect tense expresses ongoing consequences, so not his "crucifixion" as such, "him upon his cross", Barclay, but better "the fact of his death upon the cross", Phillips.

kagw "and I" - Emphatic.

egenomhn (ginomai) aor. "came [to you]" - was become [to you]. With proV to give the sense "come to", as NIV.

en + dat. "in" - in. Dative of manner, here introduced by the preposition en, expressing the manner/method by which an action is performed. Paul came to the Corinthians "with" a sense of his "own inadequacy, .... apprehensive and very (the intensifier pollw/ "much") nervous", Barclay. Paul's sense of inadequacy is expressed beside the social inadequacy of the Corinthian congregation, 1:26-31, and therefore it is likely that his inadequacy is that of a Jewish religious teacher whose oratory compares poorly with "the confident self-promotion .... of an audience-pleasing performer", Thiselton.

oJ logoV "[my] message" - the word [of me]. Probably the message/content of the gospel. Paul may be using "message" here in the sense of "teaching", so both his "teaching" and "preaching" were orientated to communicating truth rather than winning someone over by "fancy mental or emotional footwork", Peterson.

to khrugma (a atoV) "preaching" - preaching, proclamation. The communication of the gospel.

en + dat. "with" - in. As above, Dative of manner/method, "with", but possibly locative "was not couched in wise and persuasive words", and also possibly instrumental, "by", see below.

peiqoi sofiaV (logoiV) "wise and persuasive words" - persuasive words of wisdom. The text is somewhat disturbed here. The variant anqrwpinhV "human / of man's wisdom", AV, is now rejected by most commentators. The variant logoiV",Words of wisdom", is accepted by some. The phrase may simply be "by persuasion of wisdom". The word "persuasion", read as a dative singular of peiqoV, refers to the oratorical skill of persuasion, with the genitive "wisdom / skill" = "clever", functioning adjectivally, limiting "persuasion", so "by clever persuasion/rhetoric." Paul is simply saying he didn't use the rhetorical skill of persuasion while he was ministering in Corinth; his teaching and preaching "was not delivered in professionally persuasive language", Barclay.

alla "but" - Adversative.

apodeixei (iV ewV) "a demonstration" - a proof, demonstration, evidence. It seems likely that Paul has in mind the technical aspect of this word, "a compelling conclusion drawn from the premises .... a clear proof", Fee. The proposition upon which Paul's teaching and preaching rests, namely the gospel, finds its verification/proof, not in powerful or skilful oratory, but in the evidential fruit of a powerful God, namely converted sinners. "A transparent proof", Thiselton.

pneumatoV (a atoV) gen. "of the Spirit's" - of spirit. Either "the Holy Spirit" is intended or simply "spirit" as in "spiritual", the inward human spirit, that part of our being which enables us to relate to God ("the affective and willing self", Fitzmyer), giving the sense "a demonstration of spirit and power", NAB. "The Holy Spirit" is read by most translations. Of course, Paul may not be personifying the Spirit at this point, but rather referring to "the presence and controlling influence of God in a creative, prophetic, or renovating way", Fitzmyer. "I simply let God's Spirit show his power", CEV.

kai "-" - [of spirit] and [power]. The NIV has opted for a hendiadys where a single idea is expressed by two words joined by kai, "and". So, either " by the Spirit's power", or "by spiritual power", REB. Either way, Paul's preaching verified itself since "the gospel is the power of God unto salvation"; it carries its own built-in supernatural conviction - "it is not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord God almighty." The evidence of this fact is found in changed lives - seekers saved.

dunamewV (iV ewV) gen. "power" - of power. The two genitives, "S/spirit" and "power" are usually treated as objective genitives where Paul's teaching and preaching itself verifies/proves "the convincing power of the Spirit", NJB. Yet, subjective would seem more likely where Paul's teaching and preaching is verified/proved by "the Spirit's power". Possibly just adjectival, "a proof which consists of the Spirit's power." The point is, "the supernatural conviction and force that accompanied the preaching furnished a better proof of its truth than any logical process (persuasion)", Bruce. That "conviction and force" was, of course, God's saving power, the very power which gathered the Corinthian congregation.

hJ pistiV (iV ewV) "[your] faith]" - the faith [of you]. Here a reliance on the gospel message, a message concerning the divine promise of mercy realized in the redemptive work of Christ. "The message of the cross, which is folly to the wise, is the saving power of God to those who believe", Fee.

iJna + subj. "so that" - that. Forming a purpose clause.

h\/ en "rest on" - may be on. The subjunctive verb to-be with this preposition gives the sense "stand / rest on", "be based on", Zerwick; "might have for its foundation", Cassirer.

1 Corinthians Introduction

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