1 Corinthians 1:23Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

If we offer them not only something other than what they demand, but the opposite of it, and still they are persuaded by this opposite, is this not the work of the ineffable power of the One preached?

For according to reason, the Cross appears not only not to be a sign, but something contrary to a sign. It appears not a mark of power, but a mark of weakness; not an expression of wisdom, but proof of madness.

If someone storm-tossed and seeking a harbor were shown not a harbor but a still more dangerous place in the sea, and yet were persuaded to sail there with gratitude, this would be a work of great power.

Or if a physician approached a wounded man who expected medicines, and came not with medicines, but promised to heal him by burning, and yet persuaded him, this too would be a work of great power.

So the Apostles conquered not only without signs, but by what appeared contrary to signs. Christ acted in the same way with the blind man. Wishing to grant him healing, He destroyed blindness by what causes blindness: He "put clay" on his eyes (Jn 9:15).

As He healed the blind man by clay, so He drew the universe to Himself by the Cross, by what increased the scandal rather than removed it.

He did the same in creation, arranging opposites by opposites. He enclosed the sea with sand, restraining the strong by the weak. He hung the earth upon the waters, establishing the heavy and solid upon the fluid and flowing.

Again, through the prophets He made iron float up from water by a small piece of wood (4 Kgs 6:6). So too He restored the universe by the Cross.

As water holds the earth, so the Cross holds the universe. Thus persuading by opposites is a sign of great power and wisdom. The Cross appears to produce scandal, and yet it not only does not scandalize, but draws.

Likewise the Greeks, that is, all pagan peoples removed from Jewish worship, consider this gospel proclamation the very height of foolish invention, a fable undeserving of belief.

The pagan sages considered it madness that through the punishment of one Man the sins of the whole world could be forgiven.

The interpretation of doubtful passages found in the first chapter of this epistle is offered to those who examine Scripture.

14. Divine Revelation, which contains within itself the preaching concerning the crucified Jesus Christ, seemed to pagan sages to be a strange teaching, contrary to human understanding and therefore a mad invention.

"But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness."

The pagans, who did not believe Revelation, were content with only natural worship of God. They had a sufficient notion of the true Godhead. Although oral preaching did not reach some of them, they could find perfect knowledge of God from considering visible creatures.

"For what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them" (Rom 1:19).

Explanation. Here the Apostle gives occasion to consider why the pagans could not be saved by natural knowledge of God, and by what signs the truth of Divine Revelation is proved.

1. Natural worship of God, though founded on truth itself, was not sufficient for salvation. First, it does not reach the means through which we can be united with God as the supreme Good.

Second, the deficiency of natural worship is also seen in this, that it does not grant us sufficient strength to fulfill the divine will.

Nevertheless it does not remain without benefit. First, it contains within itself the foundation and marks of true worship of God. In addition, it guides us to the knowledge of true Revelation.

2. The signs proper to the truth of Divine Revelation are observed in the following propositions.

First, it presents to us a Mediator Who is at once God and man.

Second, it teaches that all our sins must be imputed to this Mediator.

Third, it teaches that this heavenly Mediator made satisfaction for every man, that is, for the sins of the whole world.

Fourth, this satisfaction consisted in His taking upon Himself all the punishments due to us and perfectly fulfilling the divine Law in our place.

Fifth, from this it follows that this Mediator had to be sinless. The Apostle Paul describes the purity of the Mediator, untouched by any sin, in these words: "Such a High Priest was fitting for us, holy, guileless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens" (Heb 7:26).

Sixth, this satisfaction and fulfillment of the Law by Him must be imputed to us. It is imputed to us when we acknowledge as truth all the teaching preached concerning Jesus Christ and make all His merits our own by heartfelt, living, unhypocritical faith.

If you ask the reason that caused the Greek philosophers to consider themselves wise, the Apostle names it as the hardening of their heart (Eph. 4:18). Since, in the light of the wisdom of God proclaimed by the prophets, and through the wisdom that spoke by the mouths of the wise, the world did not know Him, that is, God, He was pleased to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching. This means through preaching that seemed foolishness to the Greeks.

For faith, says the Apostle, the Hebrews require miracles, and the Greeks seek wisdom, that is, arguments with strict proofs and other formal conclusions. But we preach Jesus Christ crucified. For the Hebrews He is a stumbling block, because, believing in the prophecies, they do not believe in their fulfillment. For the Greeks He is foolishness, because those who consider themselves wise find it fabulous that the Son of God spoke through the mouth of a man, that God has a Son, and that this Son suffered. Preconceived opinions keep them from believing.

Yet the coming of the Savior did not make those who proved obedient to His call unreasonable, hard-hearted, or faithless. Rather, it formed them into reasonable, obedient, and honorable men. Those who refused to enter into union with these obedient ones, and separated from them, proved by comparison to be unreasonable, faithless, and shortsighted.

But for those who remained faithful to the voice that called them, whether Hebrews or Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:21-24). With these words the Apostle explains his thought more precisely. Therefore one should not see anything negative toward wisdom in his expression, “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” Nor should one think that God purposely turned the wise of this world aside and cast them into irrationality.

No, by his expression the Apostle only means that God revealed the irrationality of worldly learning when it is severed from Him. He did this so that no one would consider God Himself the author of the hardheartedness of those who did not believe. The wise of this world were learned enough to be able to believe the evangelical preaching. If they did not believe it, they became only the more responsible. For a man’s inclination toward the truth and his choice of it lie entirely within his will.

Moreover, by the expression, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise” (Is. 29:14), the Lord was also pleased to express that He poured true light upon it. Alongside Greek philosophy He kindled philosophy also among the barbarians, that is, among the Hebrews. The philosophy of Holy Scripture should here be understood according to the writer’s meaning, not pagan philosophy. Until the most recent time it had been little valued and despised. By this contrast He did what happens to a lamp burning in the sun. Its light is dimmed by the sun, because the strength of its radiance is far inferior to the sun’s.

Since all are called, those who did not refuse obedience to the voice calling them are all alike called “the called” (1 Cor. 1:24). For injustice is not proper to God (cf. Rom. 9:14). Whether they are from the Hebrews or from the Gentiles, if they have believed, they form a particular people, chosen (Tit. 2:14).

In the Acts of the Apostles you will find the expression: “Those who received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). Those who did not receive it, therefore, separated themselves from the people of God. To them the prophetic word is addressed: “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good things of the land” (Is. 1:19). This shows that it lies within our power to receive the word of God or reject it.

The Apostle called the teaching of the Lord the wisdom of God, thereby showing us that true philosophy has been handed down to us by the Son of God. For those who count themselves among the wise, the same Apostle’s epistles contain reminders to put on the new man, created according to the likeness of God in the righteousness and holiness of true teaching (Eph. 4:24).

Therefore, having rejected false teaching, the Apostle adds, confess the true teaching. “Give no place to the devil.” “Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, doing what is useful.” To seek the truth is to be occupied with a good and useful work. This search for truth is the same as beneficence, except that instead of material substance its instrument is the word.

Thus one may have something to give to him who is in need (Eph. 4:25, 27-28). That is, one may be able to reveal to those in need, and seeking improvement of their condition, both the spiritual riches of this world and also the abundance of wisdom and of divine wisdom.

By commanding that one do what is useful, the Apostle wants true teaching to be studied only through a comparative testing of its worth. In the same way silver is first carefully purified in the furnace, and only afterward given to the moneychangers for increase through interest (Mt. 25:27; cf. Stromata 1, end of chapter 28).

Therefore he adds: “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth” (Eph. 4:29). Such precisely are the words, that is, the teachings, that proceed from human conceit. They are corrupt and repulsive. On the contrary, let everything you say nourish faith and give grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29).

Since God is good, His word must also be good and trustworthy. And how could these words not be worthy of trust, if they are saving for man?

The Greeks, while agreeing that Christian teaching had advantages over philosophical systems, could not understand that the significance of Christianity and of Christ's work lies not only in teaching, nor only in the truths preached by Him, but above all in the Cross of Christ.

They had seen their own philosophers die in prisons and take poison for their teaching. But such a death only confirmed that they taught according to conviction.

The death of Jesus Christ, however, according to the teaching of the Apostles, was considered necessary for the salvation of men. This the Greeks did not understand, and they counted such preaching madness (Acts 17:31-32; Acts 26:23-24).

Yet such is the general order of God's works. What seems powerless and foolish according to human reasoning becomes, in God's hands, the strongest and wisest means for healing all men.

You say: Believe in the Crucified One, and you will be saved. But for a Jew this is a scandal, and for a Greek, madness. Who will listen to you and believe?

Give a Jew a sign. Present to a Greek some wise philosophical system, and offer it in an attractive form. Then perhaps they may open their ears to your preaching.

But to act as you do is true folly. It means wishing to attain the goal by means that not only do not lead to the goal, but on the contrary lead away from it.

Those who were perishing looked upon this preaching in just this way. The Apostle here appeals to the witness of experience.