Not some say this, but "among you." The Corinthians, however, did not actually say this, but the apostle gives such a turn of phrase, wishing to show that if it is unforgivable to call oneself followers of Paul and of Cephas, then all the more so of the names of others. "I am of Cephas." He mentioned Peter after himself not in order to exalt himself, but showing him greater preference, just as he mentioned Christ after. In general, in matters that ought not to be, he mentions his own person first. "And I am of Christ." He does not reproach them for saying "I am of Christ," but for the fact that not all say this; or rather, he added this on his own, wishing to make the rebuke stronger and to show that in such a case even Christ is appropriated by one party, although the Corinthians did not actually do this.
1 Cor. 1:13. Is Christ divided?
Why have you divided Christ? Why have you torn apart His body? A speech filled with anger. Some, however, understood the words "is Christ divided?" in this way: has Christ divided the Church from the people and taken one part for Himself, while giving the other part to them?
1 Cor. 1:13. Was Paul crucified for you?
By this he refutes their unreasonable behavior, and mentions his own name, so that they would not think he mentioned the names of others out of envy. He did not say: did Paul create or bring you from non-being into being? But, what is much more, showing the ineffable love of Christ for mankind, he speaks of the cross. He also did not say: "did Paul die," but: "was crucified," pointing thereby to the supposed dishonor of the death.
1 Cor. 1:13. Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
And I, he says, baptized many, but in the name of Christ. He speaks of baptism because the cause of the division was also that they called themselves by the names of those who baptized them. But the point is not who baptized, but in whose name one baptizes; for it is Christ who forgives sins, not the one who baptizes.
1 Cor. 1:14. I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius.
Why, he says, do you boast that you baptize, when I thank God that I did not baptize? He says this not in order to diminish the importance of baptism, but in order to restrain the Corinthians, who boasted of baptism. For baptism is an important matter, but to baptize is not an important one.
1 Cor. 1:15. So that no one might say that I baptized in my own name.
I say this not because it was actually so, but out of fear that the disease might reach such a degree. For if division arose when baptism was performed by insignificant people, then if I, who preached baptism, had baptized, some would certainly have agreed to attribute the baptism to me.
1 Cor. 1:16. I also baptized the household of Stephanas.
That is, all who were in the house of Stephanas. He was a great and most illustrious man in Corinth.
1 Cor. 1:16. And whether I baptized anyone else, I do not know.
For me, he says, it is so unflattering to baptize that I do not even remember whether I baptized anyone else. So how can you take pride in baptism?
1 Cor. 1:17. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.
Preaching the Gospel is far more difficult and required an especially steadfast soul; for to persuade a person and turn him away from ancestral traditions, and moreover amid dangers, is the work of a great and courageous soul. But to receive one prepared for baptism and baptize him, anyone who held the priesthood could do. But if he was not sent to baptize, then how did he baptize? He was not sent for this as his primary purpose; but neither was he forbidden to baptize. He was sent for a more important work; yet he was not forbidden to perform the less important one as well.
1 Cor. 1:17. Not in the wisdom of word, lest the cross of Christ be made void.
Having overthrown the arrogance of those who boasted in baptism, he now turns to those who were puffed up with worldly wisdom, and says: (Christ) sent me to preach the gospel "not in wisdom of speech," that is, not with eloquence and refined words, lest the cross or the preaching of the cross should suffer harm and degradation; for what does "lest it be made void" mean? That is, lest it prove useless and vain. Indeed, if the apostles had preached with wisdom of speech, some might have said that they persuaded by the power of words, and not by the power of what was preached; and this would have been a degradation and harm to the Crucified One. But now, preaching with simplicity, they show that the power of the Crucified One accomplishes everything. The cross is also made void in another way. For example, a Greek asks me about something divine that surpasses our understanding. If I try to prove it to him by means of syllogisms and worldly wisdom, I will prove weak; for no intellect can adequately represent divine things. Thus my weakness will appear to be the weakness of the preaching, and by this the cross itself will be made void, because it will appear futile and vain.
1 Cor. 1:18. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing.
There were in Corinth unbelievers who subjected the cross to mockery and said: truly, it is foolish to preach a crucified God, for if He were God, He would not have allowed Himself to be crucified; and since He could not escape death, how could He have risen from the dead? The faithful, it seems, opposed them with their own wisdom, indignant that those people were blaspheming the cross. Therefore he also says: do not consider this strange; for that which is given by God for salvation seems foolishness to those who are perishing. By "the word of the cross" he means the preaching of the cross, or of Christ crucified.
1 Cor. 1:18. For us who are being saved, it is the power of God.
For us, he says, who are not perishing but being saved, it is the power of God. But the cross also shows wisdom. It shows power in that by death He destroyed death, for if the one who has fallen conquers, this is a sign of the greatest power; and wisdom — in that He saved the perishing in precisely this manner.
1 Cor. 1:19. For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.
Having said that the unbelieving wise men perish, he confirms this with Scripture: for it says, "the wisdom of his wise men shall perish" (Isa. 29:14), namely, of the external ones, that is, in the wisdom of this world there is no understanding (this is no longer wisdom), and the understanding of those who consider themselves intelligent and knowledgeable has been rejected.