1 Corinthians 5:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But by overthrowing it apart from sin, and showing that it is nothing in itself, he proved its utter uselessness. Therefore he first pronounced such a judgment upon it, and then began to speak of the sin.

Yet he does not deign to converse with the incestuous man. By this he shows the extreme disgrace of his deed. Instead, he tells the others that they should have wept, lamented, and been ashamed.

But you, he says, do the opposite. Therefore he adds: “And you are puffed up, instead of rather mourning.” Over what, they will say, should we mourn? Over this, that reproach has been brought upon the community of the Church.

And why should we mourn? “That such a man might be removed from among you.” He does not name him here, or rather, anywhere. So we usually act with things too shameful.

He did not say, “You have not rejected him.” Rather, as when speaking of a contagious disease, where one must weep and pray earnestly, he says: “that he might be removed.”

It is necessary both to pray and to use every measure so that he may be excommunicated from you. He does not condemn them for failing to inform him of this, but for failing to weep “that he might be removed.”

By this he shows that even without a teacher they should have done this themselves, because of the gravity of the crime.

Some interpreters see in the incestuous man a person whose talents the Corinthians took pride in. But the Apostle regards him as already separated from the Church by the very nature of his sin. Therefore he does not address him personally, but all the Corinthian Christians.

He rebukes their indifference and coldness toward such a sinner, who is intolerable in the Church. Since they themselves had done nothing to restrain his immoral conduct, he now urges them to excommunicate the incestuous man from the Church.

By this they would cast him into that realm where the primordial prince of this world rules, the ancient murderer of mankind. He torments his victims according to their surrender to him and according to the power of divine permission.

The incestuous man sinned chiefly in the body. Therefore he was also subject to bodily punishment, the wasting of the flesh, so that the evil spirit might take possession of his body and wear it down. Thus this is a remedy, not an execution.

According to St. John Chrysostom, “something similar happened with righteous Job, though not with the same force: there for more glorious crowns, here for release from sins, so that Satan might punish him with malignant sores or some other illness.”

The weakened flesh would loosen the bonds of sin and give the spirit room to repent. Thus, although the sinner is apparently punished, at the same time the possibility of salvation is opened to him. As is known, he made use of this, fully repenting of his great sin.

Theodoret supposes that he was one of the teachers, and perhaps the leader of some party. Therefore he writes: “They began to think highly of themselves, as having a most learned instructor.”

St. Chrysostom also thinks that they boasted in the sinner’s learning: “‘And you are puffed up.’ The Apostle did not say, ‘over such a sin,’ for that would be senseless, but over the sinner’s teaching.

Yet he did not state this plainly. He omitted the intermediate thought in order to touch them more deeply. And consider Paul’s prudence. First he overthrew external wisdom and showed that it is nothing in itself, even if it is not joined to sin.

Only then does he speak of the sin. If he had proved the greatness of spiritual gifts in comparison with the incestuous man, who perhaps was distinguished by external wisdom, he would have accomplished nothing great.

But by overthrowing it apart from sin, and showing that it is nothing in itself, he proved its utter uselessness. Therefore he first pronounced such a judgment upon it, and then began to speak of the sin.

Yet he does not deign to address the incestuous man himself. By this he shows the extreme disgrace of his deed. Instead, he tells the others that they ought to weep, lament, and be ashamed.

But you, he says, do the opposite. Therefore he adds: ‘You are puffed up, instead of rather mourning.’ Over what, they will say, should we mourn? Over this, that reproach has been brought upon the whole community of the Church.

And why should we mourn? ‘That he who has done this deed might be removed from among you.’ Here he does not name him. Rather, he does not name him anywhere, as we usually do with things too shameful.

In time of contagious disease one must both weep and pray earnestly. So you should have acted. Yet you did not weep, that such a man might be removed.

It is necessary both to pray and to use every measure so that he may be excommunicated from you. Even without me, you yourselves should have done this because of the gravity of the crime,” says St. Chrysostom.