Commentary on 1 Corinthians
Chapter 9. Rights of the Apostles
Lecture 1. Paul’s abstinence from licit things
9:1 Am not I free? Am not I an apostle? Have not I seen Christ Jesus our Lord? Are not you my work in the Lord? [n. 455]
9:2 And if unto others I am not an apostle, but yet to you I am. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. [n. 457]
9:3 My defense with them that examine me is this.
9:4 Have not we power to eat and to drink? [n. 458]
9:5 Have we not power to carry about a woman, a sister, as well as the rest of the apostles and the brethren of the Lord and Cephas? [n. 460]
9:6 Or I only and Barnabas, have not we power to do this? [n. 461]
9:7 Who serves as a soldier, at any time, at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and eats not of the fruit thereof? Who feeds the flock and eats not of the milk of the flock? [n. 462]
9:8 Do I speak these things according to man? Or does not the law also say these things? [n. 464]
9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses: you shall not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads out the corn. Does God take care for oxen? [n. 466]
9:10 Or does he say this indeed for our sakes? For these things are written for our sakes: so that he who ploughs, should plough in hope and he who threshes, in hope to receive fruit.
455. Above he advised avoiding eating food offered to idols in the presence of the weak, on account of the scandal caused to weak brethren; here he gives himself as an example, because for the sake of other persons he abstains from things licit in themselves, namely from accepting means of living.
He first shows in many ways that it is licit to accept means of living;
second, that he nonetheless does not wish to accept them, at but I have used none of these things (1 Cor 9:15).
In the first part, he proves in three ways that it is licit to accept means of living:
first, by authority;
second, by reason, at if we have sown unto you spiritual things (1 Cor 9:11);
third, by the example of a like case, at know you not that they who work (1 Cor 9:13).
In the first part, he first proves it by the authority of the apostolic dignity;
second by the authority of human custom, at who serves as a soldier at his own expense;
third by the authority of the divine law, at do I speak these things.
In the first part, he first proves that he is an apostle in general;
second that he is specially their apostle, at if unto others I am not an apostle;
third that he can licitly accept means of living, at have we not.
456. In the first part, he first asks whether he has freedom of accepting means of living; second whether he is an apostle, at am I not an apostle; third he proves with two reasons that he is free and an apostle, at have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord.
He says, therefore, am I not free? As though to say: abstain from this licit thing, namely from eating foods offered to idols, because I too abstain from wages, although I have the freedom to accept them. For am I not an apostle? Indeed I am truly an apostle: he who worked in Peter for the apostleship of the circumcision, worked in me also among the gentiles (Gal 2:8).
His reasoning is therefore as follows: every apostle by reason of his apostolate has freedom of accepting means of living; but I am an apostle – each of these he proves afterwards – therefore, etc.
Then, when he says have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord, he proves with two reasons that he is an apostle. First through the cause, second through the effect, at are not you my work. The first reason is taken on the part of Christ who sent him, the second on the part of the Corinthians to whom he was sent.
The first reason is this: I have seen the Lord who sent me to preach, therefore I am an apostle. And this is what he means in saying have I not, as though to say: truly I am an apostle; have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? He says this on account of the pseudoapostles, who say that he is not an apostle, because he was not in the Lord’s company as the rest of the apostles were. But he saw him as an immortal, according to the Gloss, either on the way (Acts 9:3), or in the temple (Acts 22:19). Hence: Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles, and told them how he had seen the Lord on the way (Acts 9:27). And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time (1 Cor 15:8).
Are not you my work in the Lord? See the second reason, which is this: you were converted to the faith by me, who were sent to you; therefore I am an apostle; are not you my work, O Corinthians? As a temple is the work of an architect: as a wise architect, I have laid the foundation (1 Cor 3:10). Again, as a son is the work of him who begets him: for in Christ Jesus, by the Gospel, I have begotten you (1 Cor 4:15). Again, my work, and this in the Lord, i.e., as fellow worker with the Lord. Or in the Lord, i.e., for the glory of the Lord, as though to say: thus you are.
457. Then, when he says and if unto others I am not an apostle, he proves that he is especially an apostle to them. Here he first states that he is especially an apostle to them; second he proves this by the effect, at for you are the seal of my apostleship; third he shows that he makes a defense of himself as an apostle by that effect, at my defense with them.
He says, therefore, and if, as though to say: truly you are my work, because even if unto others, namely to the Jews whose law I empty out, I am not, i.e., do not seem to be, an apostle, but yet to you I am; to you, that is, who were especially converted by me: as long as I am the apostle of the gentiles, I will honor my ministry (Rom 11:13). And truly I am to you an apostle, for you are the seal of my apostleship, i.e., the form and the seal, since my apostleship is impressed in you, as the form of a seal in wax. A Gloss says: in you is seen that I am an apostle, when you have from me what you also have from the other apostles. And the signs of my apostleship have been wrought on you (2 Cor 12:12). You are, indeed, in the Lord, i.e., with the Lord as principal author.
And truly it is so, that my defense with them that examine me, namely about whether I am an apostle, is you yourselves, for by you I show that I am an apostle.
458. Then, when he says have we not power, he shows that he can licitly accept means of living.
He first asks whether he has this power in general;
second, with regard to determinate persons in particular, at have we not power;
third, whether he and Barnabas in particular are deprived of this power, at or I only.
459. He says, therefore, have we not, as though to say, since I am an apostle, have we not, I and mine, the power to eat and to drink our things, i.e., of living from our wages. Augustine says: the Lord permitted, not commanded, the apostles to accept the things necessary for them from those placed in their charge.
460. Have we not the power to carry about a woman, a sister, namely in faith, for the sake of ministering to us the means of living? Ambrose says in a Gloss: women moved by desire for the teaching of the Lord and eager for virtue followed the apostles and ministered to them means of living and services. And similarly they followed Christ (Luke 8:2 ff.; 23:27); as well as the rest of the apostles, as we see elsewhere (Acts 6:1), and the brethren, that is, the relatives, of the Lord, who are greater men: Jacob and John, who seemed to be pillars (Gal 2:9), and Cephas, who is the greatest of the apostles, wherefore Cephas means head. Ambrose says: the Apostle does not reprehend these persons, but proves that their customs are permitted to him; and on that account, as Augustine says: the Lord willed ministering women to follow him, showing what is due evangelists from the people. Or also lest they seem strangers to salvation.
461. Or only I and Barnabas—for they were united in preaching to the gentiles: separate for me Barnabas and Paul for the work for which I have taken them (Acts 13:2)—have not, in your opinion, power to do this? Namely, of taking about women, and accepting means of living, as though to say: indeed we have it as the other do; but all the others accept licitly, so therefore it is licit for us too.
462. Then, when he says who serves as a soldier at his own expense, he proves that it is licit to accept means of living by the authority of human custom: first, as regards a soldier; second, as regards a farmer, at who plants a vineyard; third, as regards a shepherd, at who feeds the flock.
A prelate is compared to a soldier by reason of protection, to a farmer by reason of the word, to a shepherd by reason of example. For he should defend his subjects by his intercession, plant them by his word, feed them by his example. The first regards those outside the Church, the second those entering the Church, the third those remaining in the Church.