1 Corinthians 3:19Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

How and in what way? Through it they became foolish. Therefore through it they were caught. Thinking to manage without God, they came to such a miserable condition that they proved worse than fishermen and the unlearned, and had need of them. Therefore he says that He caught them in their craftiness. The words, "I will destroy the wisdom," express its complete uselessness. The words, "He catches the wise in their craftiness," show the power of God.

But God showed them in deed that neither power nor skill in speech helped them at all. He showed that they, more than others, had need of God, though they thought they could manage without any help. Thus, with all the skill by which they considered themselves omniscient, they proved to be completely ignorant. In necessary matters they were less instructed than fishermen and leatherworkers.

Therefore everyone who approaches the preaching of piety should use every effort to follow the apostolic rules, imitate exactly the pattern given by them, and not deviate in the least from their blameless tradition. For this reason it would be most unfitting for us, after ascending the mountain of the lofty philosophy that is according to Christ, to be carried again into the darkest abyss of frivolity and vain labor. We have already despised the Greek deceptions and cast away the loftiness of their speeches with dishonor. It would be most unfitting for us, when we have become mature in understanding, to become children again. We would be like boys who regard verses and metrical feet as something great, though no one wished to resort to them: neither Apollos, the learned Alexandrian who watered the disciples of Christ (1 Cor 3:6), nor Clement, the Roman philosopher, nor countless other philosophers and grammarians who are called second after the Apostles. They avoided meter and the arrangement of verses, lest they make “the cross of Christ” of no effect (1 Cor 1:17). They also avoided the reproach of offering honey upon the altar, contrary to the law of God (Lev 2:11). For “honey drips from the lips of a harlot” (Prov 5:3), that is, from Greek eloquence. With “much” persuasive “speech” it leads the deceived into error and binds him “with the snares of her lips,” as Solomon says (Prov 7:21). Striving to draw him away from the philosophy of God into its very trap, it casts the wretched captive down to the lowest depths of Hades. Therefore do not attend to beauty of speech, even if you have acquired a strong habit and inclination toward it. Otherwise you will destroy in yourself the divine features of the fishermen, which you recently desired with great love to imprint upon yourself. You will come to utter deformity and openly become negligent of your salvation through concern for versification. You will become a bad example and a snare for others. This especially concerns those who, though not orderly, low, and weak in spirit, have no care whatever for virtue. All the days of their life they occupy themselves with verse-making out of accursed and empty vainglory. They cringe before the few men who have deigned to praise them. In an utterly childish way they receive a little bread, by which they will not nourish the soul at all, but will starve it. For one must seek from the God of Powers bread filled with true glory and honor. These people do the opposite and think to feed themselves with worldly wisdom, which is useful for nothing. The honor of the harlot is the same as the honor of a single loaf, filled with dishonor and great impotence. But you must ask continually for the bread of the heavenly Powers. For “man ate the bread of heaven, the bread of angels” (Ps 77:24-25). This means everyone who “lives by the Spirit and walks by the Spirit” (Gal 5:25), and who, following the ordinances of the Church, has partaken of the wisdom that descends from above. Such a man tastes the bread of heaven and the bread of angels, not the bread of the harlot. Many heretics wrote many works, but no benefit came from them, because their ears of grain were “destroyed by the wind,” as the Prophet says. Their handful “had no strength to make flour” (Hos 8:7). If you marvel at those who write verses, then you should also marvel at the impious innovator Apollinarius. He put a great many things into meter and recast them into verses. He did not spare vain labors, but spent all his time composing foolish speeches. He swelled and puffed up from useless exertions over verses. He became bloated with thoughts, and, as David said, “his tongue passed over the earth” (Ps 72:9).

Conversely, whoever wishes to be wise in the Christian sense should not be embarrassed that he will be considered foolish from a human point of view, one alien to higher principles and aspirations. This agrees with the Apostle's counsel to be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil (Rom 16:19; cf. 1 Cor 1:19-24). According to St. John Chrysostom, the wisdom of the world fights against God. Therefore "it not only does not help in attaining the final goal of human life, but even becomes an obstacle; consequently it must be abandoned as harmful. Yet the Apostle is not content with his own proofs, but also brings a testimony: For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness' (Job 5:13). The words, 'I will destroy the wisdom,' express its complete uselessness. The words, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness,' show the power of God. When boundless Wisdom pronounces such a judgment upon them and presents them as such, what further proof of their extreme foolishness should be required? Since they used their wisdom in order to manage without God, they came to the point where they themselves did not know where to turn. Therefore by that very wisdom they were caught. They proved worse than fishermen and the unlearned, and had need of them."

Is it not folly that it has removed from its deliberation what will be beyond the grave, while it clearly sees that the present life is momentary and cannot contain the final end of man’s being? Is it not folly that it does not even think that man, its pupil, will die today or tomorrow, while humanity flows like a broad river into the gates of death? Thus it is folly, and folly before God, because it does not see the manifest ordinances of God. It condemns them when others proclaim them to it. It holds its pupils in its own dark folly and does not allow them to rise from its entanglement and turn to the true wisdom of God. In this respect it wars against God. Thus it follows that “it not only does not help man in his final ends, but even serves as an obstacle. Therefore it must be abandoned as harmful. Do you see how triumphantly Saint Paul refuted it, proving that it is not only useless but even brings us harm? Yet he is not satisfied with his own proofs, but also adduces testimony: For it is written, He catches the wise in their craftiness (Job 5:13)” (Saint Chrysostom). The craftiness of the wise does not mean malice. It means every contrivance by which they strive to comprehend everything and arrange everything in their own life and in others’ lives here on earth, according to their own reasoning. So long as this has only the character of empty activity and does not overthrow the plans of God’s providence for the human race, God leaves them to burrow in their anthill as much as they wish. He lets them build and rebuild everything as they please. But when their attempts go far, God sets obstacles before them and destroys their plans. He destroys them as a child destroys a spider’s web with a light touch of a slender twig. A striking example is the building of the tower and the scattering of men over the face of the earth. To what point did the wise men come in the times of the Apostles? They came to the point where they themselves no longer knew where to stop. They had become so divided in thought and had devised so many teachings. Therefore it became necessary to teach men the truth through the unlearned. Saint Chrysostom sees in this the catching of the wise in their craftiness. “In their craftiness means by catching them with their own weapon. Since they used their wisdom in order to dispense with God, by that very wisdom He proved to them that they had great need of God. How and in what manner? Through it they came to the point where they themselves did not know where to turn. Therefore through it they were caught. For, thinking to dispense with God, they came into such a wretched condition that they proved worse than fishermen and the unlearned, and came to need them. Therefore the Apostle says, He catches them in their craftiness. The words, I will destroy the wisdom, express its complete uselessness. The words, He catches the wise in their craftiness, show the power of God.”