Homilies on First Corinthians

“Is Christ divided.” What he says comes to this: “You have cut in pieces Christ, and distributed His body.” Here is anger! Here is chiding! Here are words full of indignation! For whenever instead of arguing he interrogates only, his doing so implies a confessed absurdity.

But some say that he glanced at something else, in saying, “Christ is divided:” as if he had said, “He has distributed to men and parted the Church, and taken one share Himself, giving them the other.” Then in what follows, he labors to overthrow this absurdity, saying, “Was Paul crucified for you, or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?” Observe his Christ-loving mind; how thenceforth he brings the whole matter to a point in his own name, showing, and more than showing, that this honor belongs to no one. And that no one might think it was envy which moved him to say these things, therefore he is constantly putting himself forward. Observe, too, his considerate way, in that he says not, “Did Paul make the world? Did Paul from nothing produce you into being?” But only those things which belonged as choice treasures to the faithful, and were regarded with great solicitude— those he specifies, the Cross, and Baptism, and the blessings following on these. For the loving-kindness of God towards men is shown by the creation of the world also: in nothing, however, so much as by the (τῆς συγκαταβάσεως) condescension through the Cross. And he said not, “did Paul die for you?” but, “was Paul crucified?” setting down also the kind of death.

“Or were ye baptized into the name of Paul?” Again, he says not, “did Paul baptize you?” For he did baptize many: but this was not the question, by whom they had been baptized, but, into whose name they had been baptized! For since this also was a cause of schisms, their being called after the name of those who baptized them, he corrects this error likewise saying, “Were ye baptized into the name of Paul?” “Tell me not,” says he, “who baptized, but into whose name. For not he that baptizes, but he who is invoked in the Baptism, is the subject of enquiry. For this is He who forgives our sins.”

And at this point he stays the discourse, and does not pursue the subject any further. For he says not, “Did Paul declare to you the good things to come? Did Paul promise you the kingdom of heaven?” Why, then, I ask, does he not add these questions also? Because it is not all as one, to promise a kingdom and to be crucified. For the former neither had danger nor brought shame; but the latter, all these. Moreover, he proves the former from the latter: for having said, “He that spared not His own Son,” he adds, “How shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” And again, “For if when we were enemies we were reconciled unto God by the death of His Son, much more bring reconciled, we shall be saved.” This was one reason for his not adding what I just mentioned: and also because the one they had not as yet, but of the other they had already made trial. The one were in promise; the other had already come to pass.