Origen of Alexandria

In his own words on 1 Corinthians

• 1 Corinthians 1:2

  Why did Paul write "to those called to be saints" as well as to those who are already "sanctified" and in the church? Surely this means that the letter is addressed not only to those who are already cleansed from their sins but also to those who still await cleansing, though they are among those whom God has called.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.1.7

• 1 Corinthians 1:4

  Paul does not just give thanks for the Corinthians some of the time, nor only when they do good. He puts himself in the position of a father, who is thankful for his children all the time, whatever they may have done.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.1-15

• 1 Corinthians 1:5

  Knowledge shows what there is to know. Speech goes further and explains it.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.29-30

• 1 Corinthians 1:6

  The testimony of Christ is confirmed in us if we can say, like the apostle Paul, "I am persuaded that neither life nor death etc. can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" [Rom 8:38-39]. But if we are upset by every little thing that happens, then Christ's testimony has not been confirmed in us at all.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.35-40

• 1 Corinthians 1:7

  In this life the righteous person does not yet enjoy what he hopes for but rather endures suffering and danger. He is waiting for the revelation of Christ to come.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.48-51

• 1 Corinthians 1:8

  Who sustains us? Christ Jesus, the Word and Wisdom of God. Moreover, he sustains us not merely for a day or two, but forever.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.2.52-54

• 1 Corinthians 1:9

  Believe in Christ always, because you were called for no other purpose than to be one with us in him.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.3

• 1 Corinthians 1:10

  The visible church is a mixed body, consisting of both righteous and unrighteous people. This is why Paul praises some of its members and criticizes others. The person who agrees with the right doctrine and the church's teaching concerning the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as with the dispensation concerning us, with resurrection and judgment, and who follows the rules of the church is not in schism.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.4

• 1 Corinthians 1:18

  Who was capable of destroying the plague of ignorance, darkness and destruction? Not a prophet, nor an apostle, nor any other righteous man. Rather there had to be a divine power coming down from heaven, capable of dying on behalf of us all, so that by his death there might be a defense against the devil.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.6.8-12

• 1 Corinthians 1:20

  The wisdom of this world and the wisdom of God are not the same thing. God's wisdom is the true one, without any additives to corrupt it. The world's wisdom is foolish, even though the simplicity of God's wisdom makes those who have it appear foolish in the eyes of the world. Believers have received this divine wisdom and thus in this world appear to be fools.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.7.1-7

• 1 Corinthians 1:23

  What has empowered us is belief in Christ crucified. To the extent that we are lacking something in our faith, then we are missing out on what the power of God has to offer us.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.8.1-4

• 1 Corinthians 2:4

  If our Scriptures had persuaded people to believe because they had been written with rhetorical art or philosophical skill, there is no doubt that our faith would be said to depend on the art of words and on human wisdom rather than on the power of God.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 4.1.7

• 1 Corinthians 2:6

  When Paul talks about the wisdom of the rulers of this world he seems to be talking not about one wisdom common to them all but about different kinds of wisdom which are peculiar to each.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.3.1

• 1 Corinthians 2:9

  From this we may gain an idea of how great the splendor, the beauty and the brightness of a spiritual body is.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.6.4

• 1 Corinthians 2:10

  Only the Spirit can search everything. The human soul cannot do this, which is why it needs to be strengthened by the Spirit if it is ever going to penetrate the depths of God.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.10.6-10

• 1 Corinthians 2:15

  The spiritual man is able to judge everything, whether it is Greek or barbarian, wise or foolish. He cannot be judged by anyone because of the depth of his understanding and his responses.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.11.44-45

• 1 Corinthians 3:2

  In spiritual matters, "solid food" means the teaching about the Father and the Son. In the Old Testament, solid food appears under the guise of typology, as, for example, when we read about the serpent which Moses lifted up in the wilderness. This serpent was a picture, or type, of Christ, which explains why it was that the people were saved when they looked at it.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.12.17-23

• 1 Corinthians 3:10

  This warning applies to you and me as well. If I do not build properly on the foundation already laid for me, then the fire will consume my work on the day of judgment.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.15.18-20

• 1 Corinthians 3:11

  The other apostles laid this foundation among the Jews, while Paul and Barnabas laid it among the Gentiles.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.15.41-42

• 1 Corinthians 3:12

  If we think what is right and good, then we are building on a foundation of gold. If we repeat every holy word that has been spoken without corrupting it, then we are building on a foundation of silver. If all our works are good, then we are building on precious stones. But if I sin after laying the foundation, then I am building on wood; if I continue, I am building on hay, and finally, if I still go on, I am building on straw.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 1.15.46-55

• 1 Corinthians 3:21

  The believer owns everything there is, but the unbeliever is effectively penniless. Anything he may have has been stolen.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.17.12-14

• 1 Corinthians 4:1

  There is a big difference between being a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God. Anyone who has read the Bible can be a servant of Christ, but to be a steward of the mysteries one must plumb their depths. Paul was acting as a steward of the mysteries when he commissioned Luke, for example, to write his Gospel, and when he sent Timothy to sort out the Ephesian church. I would even dare to say that in Corinth Paul acted like a servant of Christ, whereas in Ephesus he became a steward of the mysteries of God.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.18.10-16

• 1 Corinthians 4:2

  If Paul can say this of people like himself, Peter and Apollos, how much more will it be true of us? We ought to be on our guard to make sure that we are found to be trustworthy stewards.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.18.25-27

• 1 Corinthians 4:4

  Paul knew that even if his heart was still prone to sin, his deeds were upright.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.18.49-51

• 1 Corinthians 4:5

  Why does Paul mention only commendation from God and say nothing about condemnation? The reason seems to be that only that which is commendable will reach God's ears; the rest will be passed over in silence. I would even go so far as to say that it is God who receives the commendable things we have done, whereas the rest goes straight to the devil.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.18.106-12

• 1 Corinthians 4:15

  The father is the one who has sown the seed of the gospel in their souls. The guides are those who have taken the child later on and helped him develop.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.21.9-11

• 1 Corinthians 4:16

  Paul is saying to the Corinthians: "Be humble as I am humble, suffer as I suffer. It is by your sufferings, not by your gifts, that you will be rated."

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.21.12-14

• 1 Corinthians 4:17

  By "ways in Christ" Paul means his embodied good deeds. He tells the Corinthians to remember them, because they are self-evident and do not need to be taught.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.21.20-22

• 1 Corinthians 4:20

  It is not smooth talk that reveals the presence of the kingdom of God, but power. When there is power in the words, then the kingdom is present in them.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.22.6-8

• 1 Corinthians 4:21

  The rod does not mean that there is no love, but love is hidden behind its blows and is not perceived by the one who is on the receiving end.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.23.6-8

• 1 Corinthians 5:1

  We learn from this that there are different kinds of immorality, some of which are more serious than others. When God judges it, he will take extenuating factors into account and vary the punishment accordingly. In this case, Paul is teaching us that even when there has been a legal marriage ceremony, if it goes against the law of God, it is immoral and will be condemned accordingly.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.23.15-20

• 1 Corinthians 5:10

  Immoral unbelievers cannot harm the church, but immoral believers corrupt it from within, which is why they must be avoided and expelled.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.26.23-26

• 1 Corinthians 5:13

  Do all you can to expel the wicked person, for once he is gone, Christ will dwell in you.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.26.57-59

• 1 Corinthians 6:5

  Paul attacks the Corinthians because, although they are right in the middle of Greece, they have no truly wise people in their midst, even though many had gone to preach wisdom to them.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.27.20-22

• 1 Corinthians 6:6

  We have rulers of the church to whom we should take our disputes, so that we will not be summoned before the law courts of unbelievers.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.27.27-28

• 1 Corinthians 6:9

  Let no one say: "I was young. Before I got married, I slept with prostitutes." Why did you not get married instead?

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.27.48-49

• 1 Corinthians 6:10

  The kingdom of God must be purified of all sin and immorality, so that God may reign in it.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 2.27.67-69

• 1 Corinthians 6:17

  The soul of Jesus clung to God from the beginning of the creation in a union inseparable and indissoluble, as the soul of the wisdom and word of God, and of the truth and the true light. Receiving him wholly and itself entering into his light and splendor, it was made one spirit with him in a preeminent degree. This is what the apostle promises to those who imitate Jesus.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 2.9.3

• 1 Corinthians 7:2

  You have given up your wife, to whom you are bound. This is a big step you have taken. You are not abusing her, you say, but claiming that you can be chaste and live more purely. But look how your poor wife is being destroyed as a result, because she is unable to endure your purity! You should sleep with your wife, not for your sake but for hers.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.33.23-25

• 1 Corinthians 7:4

  If this is so, a man should be able to refrain from exercising his authority [to receive his spouse's body]. And isn't a woman capable of doing likewise?

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.33.41-46

• 1 Corinthians 7:5

  The mysteries of marriage ought to be performed with holiness, deliberately and without disorderly passions.

  ON PRAYER 2.2

• 1 Corinthians 7:7

  Marriage is a spiritual gift, but not if it is contracted with unbelievers. The Spirit of God is not given to dwell in those who are not believers.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.34.42-45

• 1 Corinthians 7:14

  Husband and wife are one in the same way that wine and water are one when they are mixed together. Just as the believing partner sanctifies the unbelieving one, so the unbelieving partner corrupts the believing one. This is why a man who is not yet married should consider very carefully and either not marry at all or marry only in the Lord.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.36.2-5

• 1 Corinthians 7:20

  In itself, the state in which we are called is a matter of indifference. An unmarried man, for example, can live a life of purity, but he may also be deeply involved in sin. The same is true for a married man as well. If it were only Christians who practiced celibacy, then it would be possible to say that it was a pure and divine state. But the Marcionites also practice it, though not in the same way as Christians. Christians do it in order to please God, but the Marcionites do it in order not to succumb to the Creator. Celibacy is honorable only when it is clothed with the life and behavior of the church, with pure knowledge and truth.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.37.35-43

• 1 Corinthians 7:21

  I am a slave of that affair and care to which I am bound. For I know that it is written that whatever one is conquered by, to that he is delivered as a slave.… Who will free me from this most unseemly slavery except him who said, "If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed".?

  HOMILIES 13

• 1 Corinthians 7:23

  Christ came and "bought us back" when we were serving that lord to whom we sold ourselves by sinning. So he appears to have recovered as his own those whom he created. He has redeemed a people who chose to belong to another, who sought another lord for themselves by sinning.

  HOMILIES ON EXODUS 6

• 1 Corinthians 7:25

  Some rules are given as commandments of God, while others are more flexible and left by God to the decision of the individual. The first kind are those commandments which pertain to salvation. The others are better, because even if we do not keep them, we shall still be saved. There is no merit in doing what is obligatory, but there is in doing that which is optional.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.39.2-6

• 1 Corinthians 7:28

  The virgin is spared earthly troubles and set free by her purity, as she awaits the blessed Bridegroom.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.39.51-52

• 1 Corinthians 8:4

  "An idol is nothing," says the apostle. One who makes an idol makes what is not. But what is that which is not? A form which the eye does not see but which the mind imagines for itself.

  HOMILIES ON EXODUS 8.3

• 1 Corinthians 9:9

  God's care was not only for the oxen but moreso for the apostles, for whose sake he uttered these words.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 2.4.2

• 1 Corinthians 9:15

  "It is better that I die" than that they ravish and plunder some of my brothers and by sly verbal deception lead captive the "little children" and sucklings in Christ.

  HOMILIES ON GENESIS 4.6

• 1 Corinthians 9:17

  What then shall I do, to whom the dispensation of the Word is committed? Although I am an "unprofitable servant," I have, nevertheless, received from the Lord the commission "to distribute the measure of wheat to the master's servants.".

  HOMILIES ON GENESIS 10

• 1 Corinthians 9:19

  The fact that he is completely free makes Paul the exemplary apostle. For it is possible to be free of immorality but a slave to anger, to be free of greed but a slave to boasting, to be free of one sin but a slave to another.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.43.1-5

• 1 Corinthians 9:23

  Only someone as mature in faith as the apostle Paul could say this. A sinner could never talk in this way.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 3.43.49-50

• 1 Corinthians 10:5

  Paul wants to remind us that we are not saved merely because we happen to have been the recipients of God's free grace. We have to demonstrate that we are willing recipients of that free gift. The children of Israel received it, but they proved to be unworthy of it, and so they were not saved.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 4.45.2-5

• 1 Corinthians 10:6

  These things were written as examples for us, so that when we read about their sins we shall know to avoid them.

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 4.46

• 1 Corinthians 10:13

  Many do not bear it but are conquered by temptation. What God gives us is not the certainty that we shall bear it but the possibility that we may be made able to bear it.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 3.2.3

• 1 Corinthians 11:13

  Here then we see the just judgment of God's providence, that diversity of conduct is taken into account and that each is treated according to the deserts of his departure and defection from goodness.

  ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 1.7

• 1 Corinthians 12:3

  There are so many different kinds of spirit that without the gift of discernment, who can know which is which?

  COMMENTARY ON 1 CORINTHIANS 4.47.2-3

• 1 Corinthians 12:10

  In the distribution of spiritual gifts, it is also added that "discernment of spirits" is given to some. It is a spiritual gift, therefore, by which the spirit is discerned, as the apostle says: "Test the spirits, if they are from God.".

  HOMILIES ON EXODUS 3