Unit 4 rem mid
against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this world, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. And human beings also came to see a new spectacle—a herald and teacher of a new word. Thus Paul was a spectacle of all on earth and of the angels who rejoice over one sinner repenting.
Then such a one, as last in the world, rebukes the puffed up and says to them, “We are fools for Christ.” For Paul, giving me a command and saying, “If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become a fool, that he may become wise,” much more himself kept becoming a fool in this world. For how was he not a fool in this world—announcing the crucified one and the resurrection of the dead and the things about the coming age, and persuading people to despise the present life? Then with irony: “You are wise in Christ.” For they were not truly wise in Christ; but saying this ironically he urged them to become wise in Christ. “You are honored, but we are dishonored”—he no longer added “you are honored in Christ.” For if you see many who seem to believe holding worldly ranks, say to them, if you yourself are humble in the world, “You are honored, but we are dishonored; we are weak, but you are strong.” For nothing is weaker than a true Christian as toward this world.
1 Cor. 4:15: “For though you have countless guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” Origen says: These things seem simplest and to need no exposition; yet they have hidden meanings. No man is put under a guardian unless he is a child and incomplete. And he would not write these things to the Ephesians but to the Corinthians, to whom he says, “I gave you milk to drink, not food; for you were not yet able. But neither are you able even now, for you are still fleshly.” And: “I could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to fleshly, as to infants in Christ.” Still this too must be noted: if we need a guardian, the one entrusted must give the pattern—the word, the life—to our good order. So a father is the one who first sowed Christianity in a soul; a guardian is the one after him who receives the child and leads him.
4:16: “I urge you, then, brothers, become imitators of me.” That is: as I practice moderation, practice it; as I suffer, suffer; boast from sufferings, not from gifts. 4:17: “For this reason I sent you Timothy, who is my beloved child and faithful in Christ, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church.” He showed both his disposition toward them by sending Timothy, and his affection for Timothy by naming him beloved child; and his other virtue by calling him faithful in the Lord. This one, he says, will recount my deeds; for he calls deeds “ways.” These he did not say “he will teach,” but that “he will remind.” The word charges them with forgetfulness; for they had been eyewitnesses of apostolic virtue. He added that he is accustomed to bring this teaching to all the churches.
Having charged all in common, against the one who fornicated he then issues the vote. 4:18: “Some are arrogant, as though I were not coming to you.” Foreseeing his repentance, the divine Paul does not set the name, lest he become known to all human beings, but indefinitely said “some.”
4:19–20: “And I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.” Origen says: By “talk” he means fluency of speech, as elsewhere, “even if unskilled in speech, yet not in knowledge”; by “power,” that from God. For when the word is from God it has power; therefore it is written, “The Lord will give a word to those who evangelize with much power.” And trusting more in power, the apostles visited the churches and cities than in talk. For it is not that if someone phrases well he thereby has the kingdom of God; but where there is power in words, there is the kingdom of God—which also drives out the sin reigning in souls and prepares God’s kingdom to come within us.
4:21–5:2: “What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness? It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among Gentiles—that someone has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Should you not rather have mourned,
Greek
πρὸ τὰ ἐξου ία , πρὸ τοὺ κο μοκράτορα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, πρὸ τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆ πονηρία ἐν τοῖ ἐπουρανίοι · καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι δὲ παρεγίνοντο καινὸν θέαμα ἰδεῖν, κήρυκα καὶ διδάσκαλον καινοῦ λόγου. οὕτως ὁ Παῦλος θέατρον ἦν ὅλων τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων τῶν εὐφραινομένων ἐπὶ ἑνὶ ἁμαρτωλῷ μετανοοῦντι. Εἶτα ὁ τηλικοῦτος ὡς ἔσχατος ἐν κόσμῳ ἐπιπλήσσει τοῖ πεφυ ιωμένοι , καὶ φησὶ πρὸς αὐτοὺς Ἡμεῖς μωροὶ διὰ Χριστόν. Παῦλος γὰρ διδούς μοι ἐντολὴν καὶ λέγων Εἴ τι δοκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν οφὸ εἶναι ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ μωρὸ γενέ θω, ἵνα γένηται οφό , πολλῷ πλέον αὐτὸς ἐτήρει τὸ ἐν κόσμῳ τούτῳ μωρὸς γενέσθαι. πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἦν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ μωρός, καταγγέλλων τὸν ἐ ταυρωμένον καὶ ἀνά τα ιν νεκρῶν καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ μέλλοντο αἰῶνο , καὶ πείθων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καταφρονεῖν τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς; Εἶτα εἰρωνείᾳ Ὑμεῖς φρόνιμοι φησὶν ἐν Χριστῷ· οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν ἀληθῶς φρόνιμοι ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγων εἰρωνικῶς προέτρεπεν αὐτοὺς γενέσθαι φρονίμους ἐν Χριστῷ. Ὑμεῖς ἔνδοξοι, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄτιμοι· οὐκέτι προσέθηκεν Ὑμεῖς ἔνδοξοι, ἐν Χριστῷ. ἐὰν γὰρ ἴδῃς πολλοὺς τῶν πιστεύειν δοκούντων ἔχοντας ἀξιώματα κοσμικά, λέγε πρὸς αὐτούς, ἐὰν σὺ ταπεινὸς ᾖς ἐν κόσμῳ, Ὑμεῖς ἔνδοξοι, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἄτιμοι· ἡμεῖς ἀσθενεῖς, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἰσχυροί· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀσθενέστερον ἀληθινοῦ χριστιανοῦ ὡς πρὸς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον. 21 iv 15 [ἐὰν γὰρ μυρίους παιδαγωγοὺς ἔχητε ἐν Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' οὐ πολλοὺς πατέρας· ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ἐγὼ ὑμᾶς ἐγέννησα.] [Ὠριγένους] Ταῦτα ἁπλούστατα δοκεῖ εἶναι καὶ μὴ δεόμενά τινος διηγήσεως· ἔχει δὲ κεκρυμμένα νοήματα. οὐδεὶς ἀνὴρ παιδαγωγεῖται ἀλλ' εἴ τις νήπιος καὶ ἀτελής· καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔγραφεν Ἐφεσίοις ταῦτα ἀλλὰ Κορινθίοις, πρὸς οὓς φησὶν Γάλα ὑμᾶ ἐπότι α, οὐ βρῶμα· οὔπω γὰρ ἐδύνα θε· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἔτι νῦν δύνα θε, ἔτι γάρ ἐ τε αρκικοί. κἀγὼ οὐκ ἠδυνήθην ὑμῖν λαλῆ αι ὡ πνευ ματικοῖ ἀλλ' ὡ αρκικοῖ , ὡ νηπίοι ἐν Χρι τῷ. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο κατανοη τέον· ἐὰν καὶ δεώμεθα παιδαγωγοῦ, πάντως ὁ πεπιστευμένος τοῦτο παραδεῖγμα τὸν λόγον, τὸν βίον, διδότω τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ εὐταξίᾳ· ἔστιν οὖν πατὴρ μὲν ὁ πρώτως σπείρας τὸν χριστιανισμὸν ἐν ψυχῇ· παιδαγωγὸς δὲ ὁ μετὰ τοῦτον παραλαβὼν παῖδα καὶ ἄγων αὐτόν. [iv 16] παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε. Τοῦτ' ἔστιν Ὡς μετριάζω, μετριάζετε· ὡς πάσχω, πάσχετε· ἀπὸ τῶν παθη μάτων, μὴ ἀπὸ τῶν χαρισμάτων, σεμνύνεσθε. [iv 17] διὰ τοῦτο ἔπεμψα ὑμῖν Τιμόθεον ὃς <ἐστὶν> τέκνον μου ἀγαπητὸν καὶ πιστὸν ἐν Χριστῷ· ὃς ὑμᾶς ἀναμνήσει τὰς ὁδούς μου τὰς ἐν Χριστῷ καθὼς πανταχοῦ ἐν πάσῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ διδάσκω. Καὶ τὴν περὶ αὐτοὺς διάθεσιν ἔδειξε τὸν Τιμόθεον πέμψας, καὶ τὴν περὶ τὸν Τιμόθεον φιλοστοργίαν τέκνον ἀγαπητὸν ὀνομάσας· καὶ τὴν ἄλλην δὲ αὐτοῦ δεδήλωκεν ἀρετὴν πιστὸν ἐν Κυρίῳ καλέσας. Οὗτος, φησί, τὰς ἐμὰς διηγήσεται πράξεις· ὁδοὺς γὰρ τὰς πράξεις καλεῖ. ταύτας δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν ∆ιδάξει, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἀναμνήσει. λήθην δὲ αὐτῶν ὁ λόγος κατηγορεῖ· αὐτόπται γὰρ ἐγεγόνεσαν τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἀρετῆς. προστέθεικεν δὲ ὅτι καὶ ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις πάσαις τήνδε προσφέρειν εἴωθεν τὴν διδασκαλίαν. Ταῦτα κοινῇ πάντων κατηγορήσας κατὰ τοῦ πεπορνευκότος λοιπὸν ἐκφέρει τὴν ψῆφον. [iv 18] ὡς μὴ ἐρχομένου δέ μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐφυσιώθησάν τινες. Προειδὼς αὐτοῦ τὴν μεταμέλειαν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος οὐ τίθησι τὴν προσηγορίαν, ἵνα μὴ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις κατάδηλος γένηται, ἀλλ' ἀορίστως ἔφη τινές. 22 iv 19–20 [καὶ γνώσομαι οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν, οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει.] [Ὠριγένους] Λόγον μὲν φησὶ τὴν εὐγλωττίαν, ὡς καὶ ἑτέρωθι εἰ καὶ ἰδιώτη τῷ λόγῳ ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ γνώ ει· δύναμιν δὲ τὴν ἀπὸ θεοῦ· ὅταν γὰρ ἀπὸ θεοῦ ᾖ ὁ λόγος, δύναμιν ἔχει, διὸ γέγραπται Κύριο δώ ει ῥῆμα τοῖ εὐαγγελιζομένοι δυνάμει πολλῇ. καὶ δυνάμει μᾶλλον πεποιθότες οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἐπεδήμουν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις καὶ ταῖς πόλεσιν, ἤπερ τῷ λόγῳ· οὐ γὰρ εἴ τις καλῶς φράζει, παρὰ τοῦτο τὴν βασιλείαν ἔχει τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ὅπου δύναμις ἐν λόγοις, ἐκεῖ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, ἥτις καὶ τὴν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς βα ιλεύου αν ἁμαρτίαν ἐξορίζει καὶ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ βα ιλείαν ἐντὸ ἡμῶν γενέσθαι παρασκευάζει. 23 iv 21–ῃ 2 [τί θέλετε; ἐν ῥάβδῳ ἔλθω πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἢ ἐν ἀγάπῃ πνεύματί τε πραΰτητος; ὅλως ἀκούεται ἐν ὑμῖν πορνεία, καὶ τοιαύτη πορνεία ἥτις οὐδὲ ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ὀνομάζεται, ὥστε γυναῖκά τινα τοῦ πατρὸς ἔχειν. καὶ ὑμεῖς πεφυσιωμένοι ἐστέ, καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐπενθήσατε,
About this text
Origen of Alexandria, Fragmenta ex commentariis in epistulam i ad Corinthios (Greek).
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 14 (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.