Chapter II.
(Vers. 1, 2.)
(Ver. 1, 2.) And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of speech or wisdom, proclaiming to you the mystery of God. For I did not consider myself to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. For he demonstrates in a progressive manner the pattern of our teaching, now proving that he has not taught them differently than what he has shown; for he spoke to them about the mystery of Christ in humility of speech and in the foolishness of preaching, as it appears to the world. He calls it the mystery, because what was incarnate was hidden from ages, with God, the Word of God. But they were heretics in whom they boasted, because they commended wicked doctrine and followed the wisdom of the world, emptying the cross of Christ, being ashamed to be called fools by the world; so that they would neither preach that Christ was born of a Virgin, nor teach that he was truly crucified; because it seems foolish to confess that the Son of God was born as a human and crucified. And the apostle John designates these (people), saying: Whoever denies that Christ came in the flesh is an antichrist; and whoever denies the Son, does not have the Father (1 John 2:23, 24); because they themselves said that the Father has been called the Son; from whom Marcion drew his error. These things seem to be hidden; because it does not reveal them, but wants them to be understood from the fact that worldly prudence is found, which is hostile to religion. But those things that it reproves, it wants to be learned from its judgment; so that it shows that it rebukes all things that ridicule us as foolish in Corinth. For the body itself reveals its structure, so that in it the function of the limbs may be discerned: this was evident in the Corinthians; for they were not ignorant of the reasons on which they were being argued.
(Vers. 3.)
(Verse 3.) And I was among you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. Preaching Christ in the foolishness of human wisdom, he provoked hatred and persecutions, announcing it as a vain thing and an enemy to the Jews and the Gentiles.
(Vers. 4.)
(Verse 4.) And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom. It shows that he did not seek to acquire the favor of men, to please human wisdom, nor to study the art of words, but to demonstrate faith in the author, who did not want his teaching to be acceptable due to the noise of human tradition, but to the things themselves; for actions speak louder than words.
But in the manifestation of the Spirit and power of God. For as words that are weak according to power, foolish things seem wise when adorned; God did not want his preaching to be commended by the testimony of words, but by power; so that the folly of the word being demonstrated, he might show wisdom through actions founded on spiritual reasoning.
(Vers. 5, 6.)
(Verse 5, 6.) So that your faith may not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God; we speak wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this world or of the rulers of this world, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory.
But the wisdom is not of this world. He rightly says, the wisdom is not of this world, but of the future, in which the truth of God will appear to those who deny it; for this world does not comprehend this reasoning due to the weakness of earthly thinking.
Neither the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. It is clear that this wisdom of the rulers of this world is not, because they are being destroyed by it. For Christianity cuts out the errors that they have implanted, that is, idolatry, greed, and other vices, as the Apostle John says (1 John 3:8). For this reason the Son of God came, to undo the works of the devil.
(Vers. 7.)
(Versed 7.) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which is hidden. The hidden sense testifies that it was sent to reveal itself, which neither the leaders nor the powers knew, nor had the world heard; and by this it is considered foolish, because it is unknown: but it is rational and beneficial, as testified by the power, to which all the intention of human reasoning yields. Therefore, the wisdom of God is hidden, as it is not in words, but in power; not possible by human reason, but credible by the efficacy of the spirit.
What God predestined before the ages for our glory. So true wisdom, and co-eternal with God, is declared to have been predestined before the ages for our glory, we who believe. For God, being foreknowing of the future errors in the world that He was going to make, decreed this for the confusion of those who were going to make wisdom foolishness for themselves. But for our glory, who were going to believe and believe.
(Vers. 8.)
(Verse 8.) Which no prince of this century knew; for if they had known, they would never have crucified the Lord of majesty. The princes of this century not only include the men of the Jews and Romans, but also these princes and powers, whom he mentioned above, to whom this saying truly applies, against whom our struggle is a spiritual battle in heavenly places; for it was by their counsel and will that Christ was crucified (Ephesians 6:12). Finally, after the temptations, the devil departed, saying, 'Until the time' (Luke 4:13). And the Lord Himself said, 'The prince of this world has come, and he has found nothing in Me' (John 14:30). Therefore, the princes of this world crucified the Lord of majesty in ignorance; for the Jewish princes, how can the princes of this world be understood, who were subject to the Roman kingdom? And neither did the princes of the Romans crucify Christ; for when Pilate said, 'I find no cause of death in Him' (John 19:4). And when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, 'I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.' (Matthew 27:24). Therefore these leaders crucified Christ the Lord, whom he triumphed over freely in himself (Colossians 2:15); although the evangelist Mark says of the demons: 'For they knew that he was the Christ' (Mark 1:34). They knew that he was, but they did not know the mystery of his being, that he is the Son of God, as promised in the Law. Even Peter the Apostle said to the Jewish people: I know, brothers, that you did this evil through ignorance, and your leaders - not the leaders of this world. Therefore, if the servants killed the Lord through ignorance, the sin should not be attributed to them. But it is not permissible to ignore this. And although they did not know that He was the Lord, they were not ignorant that they were doing something impious. However, it is said that the Lord of majesty was crucified, even though He does not know how to die. But because the Word became flesh, that is, the Son of God became incarnate, death was attributed to Him; not because the Jews persecuted the flesh, but because they persecuted Him who was working through the flesh. And thus, although the Lord of majesty may be ignorant of death, as far as the desire of the Jews and the rulers of this world is concerned, they killed the Lord in the flesh.
(Vers. 9.)
(Verse 9.) But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him. This is written in the Apocalypse of Elijah in the apocrypha. Through this example, it is said that an unexpected thing was done, which not only would not fall into human senses, but would also be hidden from heavenly powers, namely the incarnated Son of God; so that he could strengthen what he had said above, that if the rulers of this age did not understand God made man, how much more humans! But even if the words caused offense or scandal, faith should not have been denied to virtues and signs. For weakness and human ignorance, virtue should have been preferred, and it should have been believed what seemed impossible to human reason; and therefore, for those who love God, that is, for those who believe, He prepared this gift.
(Vers. 10.)
(Verse 10) But God has revealed it to us through his Spirit. For the rulers of this age did not understand this, but God revealed it to believers through his Spirit; for the things of God cannot be understood without the Spirit of God. For not only does this sacrament declare itself to men, but also to the rulers and powers in the heavenly realms, who crucified the Lord; so that as it is proclaimed on earth, those in the spiritual heavens, who live under the elements of the firmament, may learn. Therefore, this is the singular apostle who obtained this grace; because no one else could explain the mystery of the Trinity in this way: hence he is called the chosen vessel by divine judgment (Acts 9:15).
For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For this Spirit is of God, and it knows everything. And it is said that the depths of God because it knows all His power and knowledge, which is entirely impossible for creatures.
(Vers. 11.)
(Verse 11.) For who knows the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? It is clear that our thoughts are known by no one except by our own mind, which is called the spirit. Finally, in the Gospel, among other things, it says: And his spirit returned to her (Luke 8:55).
And no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. This Spirit of God has taught us what He knows by nature, not by being taught, and has taught us about the mystery of Christ, because He is not only the Spirit of God, but also of Christ.
(Vers. 12.)
(Verse 12.) But we have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit who is from God. By this we know that we have received the Spirit who is from God, because the spirit of the world cannot know the things that have been revealed to us. However, the spirit of the world is present, through whom the fanatics who are without God are seized; for he is a more powerful spirit among the worldly ones. Therefore, he is accustomed to divining the things of the world by conjectures, which they call the python. This is the one who is deceived and deceives by appearances: this is the one who spoke through the Sibyl, following our senses, desiring to have a place among the heavenly beings.
So that we may know what is given to us by God. For since the Spirit of God is given to us, we know what is given to us by God. For we would not be able to know these things if we had the spirit of the world; for the spirit of the world cannot know the Spirit of God. For no one knows the mind of God except the Spirit of God, who is from God; for the lower things cannot know the counsel of the higher, nor can a creature know the will of its creator.
(Vers. 13, 14.)
(Verse 13, 14.) What we also speak. So that it may be clear for us to know what has been given to us by God; for these are also what we speak, so that others may learn through spiritual doctrine. For these things were divinely revealed to the preachers, that is, the apostles, so that they may teach the people and instruct the rulers of this world about the evil they have committed.
Not in the teaching of words of human wisdom, but in the teaching of the Spirit; for human wisdom does not perceive this meaning, nor is it apprehended by the studies of literature: but it is conceived through spiritual reason by faith, as the prophet Isaiah says: Unless you believe, you will not understand (Isaiah 7:9). For it is learned more by the natural law than by the course of the stars and the calculations of the signs which are marked in the firmament. Finally, believers see that what they believe is consistent not with human words, but with their own nature; for a work recognizes its maker: therefore, the Gospel speaks to our souls in spiritual things, arousing them to the knowledge of their Creator.
Comparing spiritual things with spiritual things. That is, to give spiritual effectiveness to those who reject worldly wisdom, which is contained in the mystery of faith, in order to enlighten the understanding of kind-hearted people; for those who believe what worldly wisdom considers foolish are spiritual.
But the human animal does not perceive those things which are of the Spirit of God; he does not know them, for they are foolishness to him. For he, like livestock, lowers his senses to the earth; and therefore he only grasps what he sees: nor does he think anything can be done except in the way he knows. Therefore, he judges as foolish anything he hears differently than what he knows; for he does not consider anything can be done without mixture. Hence he laughs upon hearing that God has begotten a Son, whom he knows is simple and incorporeal; and that a Virgin has given birth, and that dissolved bodies are again called back to life; when these things are more for the praise of God, so that it is believed he has done, whose work cannot be investigated by reason; for he is God, who has made. Human weakness considers foolish what it does not understand through its own knowledge; when it should be even more foolish and wise because, since it is said to be made by God, it cannot be comprehended.
And they cannot know; for it is spiritually discerned. Following human tradition, while denying the faith in one God, it has become spiritually done, which they think cannot be done by the reason of the flesh being inflated: and thus, the wicked, having been marked, are spiritually condemned.
(Vers. 15.)
(Verse 15) But the spiritual person judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one. For the true reason of spiritual things is, namely, the believers; for whoever is called thus, is so called because of his belief; therefore, they themselves judge all things. For by their example, unbelief will be judged, but they themselves will be judged by no one. For who will condemn someone speaking the truth? For it is certain that all enemies of faith hold falsehood as truth; their accusation has already been brought to nothing, condemned by the judgment of truth; for as the Lord said, whoever does not believe is already judged (John 3:18).
(Vers. 16.)
(Verse 16) For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? The mind of God is that he commanded these things to be done spiritually, through which the wisdom of the world would be proven foolish, denying that what has been done could be done. This mind is unknown to anyone who has known it and displeased him, to correct the counsel of God; because whoever has known it, praises the power of God, but whoever denies that all things can be done, does not believe that God created the world. For what great thing is it to be believed that he has generated himself, who is not doubted to have created all things from nothing? For Jesus says: With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).
But we have the mind of the Lord. This means that as believers, we share in the same divine understanding.