Homilies on First Corinthians

“Give no occasion of stumbling, either to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the Church of God:” i.e., give no handle to anyone: since in the case supposed, both your brother is offended, and the Jew will the more hate and condemn you, and the Gentile in like manner deride you even as a gluttonous man and a hypocrite.

Not only, however, should the brethren receive no hurt from us, but to the utmost of our power not even those that are without. For if we are “light,” and “leaven,” and “luminaries,” and “salt,” we ought to enlighten, not to darken; to bind, not to loosen; to draw to ourselves the unbelievers, not to drive them away. Why then do you put to flight those whom you ought to draw to you? Since even Gentiles are hurt, when they see us reverting to such things: for they know not our mind nor that our soul has come to be above all pollution of sense. And the Jews too, and the weaker brethren, will suffer the same.

Do you see how many reasons he has assigned for which we ought to abstain from the idol-sacrifices? Because of their unprofitableness, because of their needlessness, because of the injury to our brother, because of the evil-speaking of the Jew, because of the reviling of the Gentile, because we ought not to be partakers with demons, because the thing is a kind of idolatry.

Further, because he had said, “give no occasion of stumbling,” and he made them responsible for the injury done, both to the Gentiles and to the Jews; and the saying was grievous; see how he renders it acceptable and light, putting himself forward, and saying,