Lectio 2 Lecture 2 Paul’s equality with the apostles ^11:4 Nam si is qui venit, alium Christum praedicat, quem non praedicavimus, aut alium spiritum accipitis, quem non accepistis: aut aliud evangelium, quod non recepistis: recte pateremini. [n. 380] ^11:4 For if he who comes preaches another Christ, whom we have not preached; or if you receive another spirit, whom you have not received; or another gospel, which you have not received: you might well bear with him. [n. 380] ^11:5 Existimo enim nihil me minus fecisse a magnis apostolis. [n. 383] ^11:5 For I suppose that I have done nothing less than the great apostles. [n. 383] ^11:6 Nam etsi imperitus sermone, sed non scientia, in omnibus autem manifestati sumus vobis. [n. 385] ^11:6 For although I am rude in speech, yet not in knowledge: but in all things we have been made manifest to you. [n. 385] ^11:7 Aut numquid peccatum feci, meipsum humilians, ut vos exaltemini? quoniam gratis Evangelium Dei evangelizavi vobis? [n. 387] ^11:7 Or did I commit a fault, humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached unto you the Gospel of God freely? [n. 387] ^11:8 Alias ecclesias expoliavi, accipiens stipendium ad ministerium vestrum. [n. 391] ^11:8 I have taken from other churches, receiving wages of them for your ministry. [n. 391] 380. Posito zelo quem ad Corinthios habebat Apostolus, et ostenso zelum esse rationabilem, hic consequenter removet eorum excusationem. Et 380. Having described the zeal he had for the Corinthians and proved it reasonable, the Apostle now rejects their excuse. circa hoc duo facit. In regard to this he does two things. Primo proponit eorum excusationem; First, he proposes their excuse; secundo vero removet eam, ibi existimo enim me, et cetera. second, he removes it, at for I suppose. 381. Circa primum sciendum est quod Corinthii possent suspicari quod ideo zelum haberet de eis, quia timeat ne dimittant doctrinam suam propter doctrinam pseudo; unde possent dicere: constat quod minus bona sunt dimittenda propter magis bona; ergo si pseudo meliora doceant, non debes turbari, si acquiescimus eis. Et ideo hanc excusationem ponit, ostendendo quod nihil maius quam Apostolus, docent et praedicant. 381. In regard to the first it should be noted that the Corinthians might suppose that he has zeal for them, because he feared that they might set aside his teaching on account of the false apostles’ teaching; hence they could say: it is obvious that lesser goods should be discarded in favor of greater goods. Therefore, if the false apostles teach better doctrines, you should not be disturbed if we acquiesce in them. Hence, he proposes this excuse by showing that no one is better than the Apostle in teaching and preaching. 382. Nam Apostolus tria praedicavit eis, et docuit eos. Primo quod essent Christi. Supra IV, 5: non enim praedicavimus nosmetipsos, sed Christum Iesum. Secundo quod haberent Spiritum Christi. Rom. VIII, v. 9: si quis Spiritum Christi non habet, hic non est eius. Tertio ut reciperent Evangelium Christi. Rom. I, 16: non enim erubesco Evangelium, et cetera. Si ergo pseudo meliora vobis praedicarent et vos docerent, recte faceretis et excusabiles essetis; sed hoc non faciunt. 382. For the Apostle preached and taught three things. First, that they were Christ’s. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ our Lord (2 Cor 4:5); second, that they have the Spirit of Christ: any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him (Rom 8:9); third, that they received the Gospel of Christ: for I am not ashamed of the Gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Rom 1:16). If, therefore, the false apostles preach and teach something better to you, you would do right and would be excusable; but they do not do this. Et hoc est quod dicit nam et si is qui, etc., quasi dicat: timeo ne pseudo qui venit ad vos non missus, sed ex se, sicut fur et latro. Io. X, 8: quotquot venerunt, fures sunt et latrones. Ier. XXIII, 21: non mittebam eos, et ipsi currebant. Rom. X, 15: quomodo praedicabunt, nisi, et cetera. And this is what he says: for if he who comes preaches another Christ whom we have not preached; or if you receive another spirit whom you have not received; or another gospel, which you have not received: you might well bear with him. As if to say: I fear that a false apostle might come to you unsent, but of himself, as a thief and a robber. All who came before me are thieves and robbers (John 10:8); I did not send the prophets, yet they ran (Jer 25:21); and how can men preach unless they are sent? (Rom 10:15). Si, inquam, talis praedicator praedicat vobis alium Christum, scilicet excellentiorem quam illum quem nos praedicavimus: quod non potest esse, quia, ut dicitur I Cor. VIII, 6: unus Dominus noster Iesus Christus, per quem omnia, et cetera. Et hoc quantum ad primum. If, I say, such a preacher preaches to you another Christ, namely, more excellent than the one we have preached, which cannot be, because as it is said: and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist (1 Cor 8:6); and this as to the first. Aut alium spiritum, scilicet meliorem, accipitis, scilicet per talem, quam accepistis, scilicet per nos, id est ministerio nostro, quod non potest esse, quia, ut dicitur I Cor. c. XII, 11: haec omnia operatur unus atque idem Spiritus, et cetera. Et hoc quantum ad secundum. Or if you receive another spirit, namely, one better than the one you have received from us, i.e., by our ministry, which cannot be, because as it is said: all these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills (1 Cor 12:11); and this as to the second. Aut praedicat vobis aliud evangelium, id est aliam praedicationem vel doctrinam, quam per nos non recepistis, Gal. I, 6: miror quod sic tam cito transferimini, et cetera. Si, inquam, alia et meliora facerent vobis, recte pateremini, id est faceretis, excusando vos. Or if you accept another gospel, i.e., another preaching or doctrine, which you have not received from us: I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel (Gal 1:6). If, I say, they did other and better things for you, you might well bear with him, i.e., you would be right in excusing yourselves. Et quia non potest eis aliud evangelium, id est melius tradi, ideo Apostolus excommunicat Galatas, si aliud evangelium recipiant, Gal. I, 9: si quis aliud vobis evangelizaverit, et cetera. But because another, i.e., better gospel cannot be delivered to them, the Apostle excommunicates the Galatians, if they receive another gospel: if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed (Gal 1:9). 383. Consequenter cum dicit existimo, etc., removet hanc excusationem. 383. Then when he says, for I suppose, he removes this excuse. Et circa hoc duo facit. In regard to this he does two things. Primo ostendit quod ipse non minus fecit eis quam alii; First, he shows that he did not do less for them than the others; secundo quod plus, ibi aut numquid, et cetera. second, that he did more, at or did I commit a fault. Circa primum tria facit. In regard to the first he does three things. Primo ostendit quod nihil minus fecit facto quam alii apostoli; First, he shows that he did nothing less in deed than the other apostles; secundo innuit quod non defuit ei facultas ad hoc faciendum, ibi nam et si imperitus sermone, etc.; second, he suggests that he was not lacking the means to do this, at for although I am rude in speech; tertio ostendit evidentiam utriusque, ibi in omnibus autem, et cetera. third, he presents the evidence for both, at but in all things. 384. Dicit ergo: recte pateremini vos seduci ab eis, si melius praedicarent vobis, sed hoc non est verum. Enim, id est quia, existimo me nihil minus fecisse, in his, a magnis apostolis, id est quam Petrus et Ioannes, quos isti habebant magnos. 384. He says, therefore: you might well bear with him, or them, allowing yourselves to be seduced by them, if they preached something better to you; but this is not true. For, i.e., because I suppose that I have done nothing less than the great apostles, i.e., than Peter and John, whom they considered great. Et comparat se magnis apostolis, tum quia Paulus videbatur et reputabatur ab eis minor quam illi, eo quod illi fuerunt cum Iesu, et Paulus non; tum etiam quia pseudo dicebant se missos ab eis, et ideo ostendendo se parem magnis apostolis, istorum errorem removet et pseudo confutat. Et non solum nihil minus fecit, sed plus. I Cor. XV, 10: plus omnibus laboravi. He compares himself to the great apostles, both because Paul seemed to them and was regarded by them as less than they, on the ground that they had been with Christ, and Paul not; and because the false apostles claimed to have been sent by them. Therefore, by showing himself equal to the great apostles, he removes their error and refutes the false apostles: I worked harder than any of them (1 Cor 15:10). 385. Et ne forte dicerent ei: unde tibi est facultas ad hoc faciendum, cum sis imperitae linguae? Ostendit quod ei facultas affuit ex magnitudine scientiae, dicens: licet sim imperitus sermone, tamen non sum imperitus scientia, II Petr. ult.: sicut et charissimus frater noster Paulus, secundum sapientiam, et cetera. 385. But lest perhaps they should say to him: whence did you obtain the faculty to do this, since you are unskilled in our speech? He shows that the faculty is due to the vastness of his knowledge, saying, although I am rude in speech, yet not in knowledge: so also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him (2 Pet 3:15). Sed hoc sciendum est, quod pseudo quaerentes gloriam propriam et lucra sectantes, nitebantur attrahere populum per ornata et subtilia et exquisita verba, non attendentes nisi solum aures permulcere. Apostolus vero, quia non quaerebat utilitatem propriam, sed solum dilatationem fidei Christi et profectum eius, ita proponebat verbum fidei, ut omnes possent capere, conformans se conditioni audientium et capacitati. Unde quia isti in principio non erant capaces altae doctrinae, proposuit eis fidem, non in subtilitate sermonis, sed eo modo quo capere possent, scilicet plane et aperte. Et ideo isti dicebant eum esse imperitum sermone. I Cor. I, 17: non in sapientia verbi, et cetera. Et propter hoc dicit Apostolus: licet sim imperitus sermone, ut vobis videtur, hoc non fuit ex defectu scientiae, sed propter vos, ex quadam dispensatione, quia tamquam parvulis in Christo lac potum dedi vobis, et cetera. But this should be noted, namely, that the false apostles, seeking their own glory and pursuing gain, tried to attract people by ornate and subtle and exquisite words, trying only to stroke their ears gently. But the Apostle, because he was not seeking his own advantage but only the spread and growth of the faith, proposed the word of faith in such a way that all could understand, adjusting himself to the condition and capacity of his hearers. Hence, because they were not capable of lofty doctrine in the beginning, he proposed the faith to them not in subtle terms but in a way they could understand, namely, plainly and clearly. That is why they said he was rude in speech. Not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Cor 1:17). On this account the Apostle says: although I am rude in speech, as it seems to you, this was not due to a lack of knowledge but for your sake by way of dispensing it, because I could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ (1 Cor 3:1). Vel dicendum, ad litteram, quod Apostolus fuit balbus, et ex hoc pseudo deridebant eum. Et ideo dicit et si imperitus sermone, id est impeditae linguae, non tamen sum imperitus scientia, Ex. IV, 10: impeditioris et tardioris linguae sum. Or according to the letter, it must be said that the Apostle stuttered, and on this account the false apostles ridiculed him. Therefore he says: for although I am rude in speech, i.e., have a speech impediment, I am not in knowledge: I am slow of speech and of tongue (Exod 4:10). 386. Quod autem nihil minus fecerim a magnis apostolis, evidenter apparet per ea quae feci vobis. Et ideo dicit in omnibus praedictis, manifestatus sum in vobis, qui experti estis quae per me fiunt. I Cor. IX, 2: signaculum apostolatus mei vos estis in Domino. Et infra XII, 12: signa tamen apostolatus mei facta sunt super vos, et cetera. 386. But the fact that I did no less than the great apostles is evident from the things I have done for you; hence, he says: in all things we have been made manifest to you, who have experienced what I have done. You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (1 Cor 9:2); the signs of my apostleship have been wrought on you, in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds (2 Cor 12:12). 387. Consequenter cum dicit aut numquid peccatum, etc., ostendit quod plus fecit quam omnes alii, et hoc quia praedicavit sine sumptibus. 387. Then when he says, or did I commit a fault, he shows that he has done more than all the others; and this because he preached without payment. Circa hoc duo facit. In regard to this he does two things. Primo ponit factum, First, he states the fact; secundo causam facti assignat, ibi quare? quia non diligo vos, et cetera. second, he assigns the reason of the fact, at why? because I do not love you.