Commentary on 1 Corinthians
Lecture 5. Sacrifices to devils
10:18 Behold Israel according to the flesh. Are not they that eat of the sacrifices partakers of the altar? [n. 555]
10:19 What then? Do I say that what is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything? Or that the idol is anything? [n. 556]
10:20 But the things which the heathens sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. And I do not want you to be made partakers with devils.
10:21 You cannot drink the chalice of the Lord and the chalice of devils: you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord and of the table of devils. [n. 558]
10:22 Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? [n. 559]
10:23 All things are lawful for me: but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful for me: but all things do not edify. [n. 561]
10:24 Let no man seek his own, but that which is another’s.
555. Above he warned them to refrain from eating the food of idols, first out of fear of a like punishment, second, by the sharing of the altar; here he advises the same thing in a third way, by the likeness to a sacrifice of the law. Here he first catches their attention; second he shows his aim, at are not they that eat of the sacrifices.
Therefore he says behold. This can be read in two ways. In the first, it is about the sacrifices of the Jews; in the other, it is about the rites of the gentiles. In the first way, so that Israel is in the accusative case; in the second way, it is in the vocative. Thus in the first reading, it is as if he says: we, being many, are one body, who partake of one bread and one chalice. And this is clear by that comparison, behold Israel according to the flesh; namely, walking according to the flesh, that is, serving carnal sacrifices. He says this to differentiate Israel according to the spirit. About both it is said: for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly (Rom 2:28). Are not they that eat of the sacrifices—the sacrifices of the law—partakers of the altar—the altar of the law? Just as the ones who eat the Flesh of Christ and his Blood, are partakers of his body.
The second way is read like this: behold, O Israel, O you who are of the spiritual Israel, because you see God; behold, I say, those things that are according to the flesh, that is, in the carnal rituals of idolatry. Are not they that eat of the sacrifice—that is, sacrificed to idols—partakers of the altar—the altar of demons and idols? As though he said: yes. Therefore his argument is as follows: those who eat sacrifices poured out on the altar, are partakers of the altar. By the same token, whoever eats sacrifices sacrificed to idols, is a partaker of idols and demons.
556. Next he says what then? Do I say; above, he set forth the warning to be wary of eating food of idols, and here he gives the reason for the admonition. But he gives four reasons why they should abstain from the food of idols; first in order to avoid the company of demons; second, in order to avoid being excluded from the sacred communion, at you cannot drink the chalice of the Lord; third, in order to avoid offending God at do we provoke the Lord to jealousy; fourth, in order to avoid injuring our brother, at all things are lawful for me.
557. In the first reason, he first shows by this, that he does not say this from the fact that he considers an idol to have any power, or the food of idols; second, that rather because it is sacrificed to demons, at but the things which the heathens sacrifice; third, that he does not wish them to be partners with demons, at but I do not want you to be partakers.
Then he says, what then? as though saying: I warn you to stay away from food of idols. What then do I say? That is, what do I seem to say by this warning? Surely not this, that what is offered in sacrifice to idols is anything, or has any power, that it may harm, or that the idol is anything worthy of veneration? As though he said: no. For neither is there any breath in their mouths (Ps 135:16). But rather I say this, that the things which the heathens sacrifice to an idol, they sacrifice to devils and not to God. All the gods of the gentiles are demons (Ps 96:4). They have sacrificed to demons, and not to God (Deut 32:17).
Next when he says, I do not want you to be made, he shows that he does not want them to become the coworkers of demons, which would happen if they shared the table of idols. And this is why he says I do not want you, who are members of the faithful, to be made partakers with devils, by eating of those things which were sacrificed to idols: what society does light have with darkness, or what agreement can there be between Christ and Belial? (2 Cor 6:14).
558. Next when he says you cannot drink the chalice. Here is the second reason for abstaining from the food of idols, which is this: everything that shuts one off from the communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, must be avoided: eating the food of idols is one of these things; therefore it must be avoided. Therefore, first he shows that eating this kind of thing shuts one off from the communion of the Blood of Christ; second, it also shuts one off from the communion of the Body of Christ, at you cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord.
He says therefore, you cannot, as though saying: I do not want you to be made partakers with devils. But he says this because you cannot drink the chalice of the Lord, with a spiritual drink, not only a sacramental one: I will take the chalice of salvation (Ps 116:13), and the chalice of devils at the same time: and this has to do with the sacrament of the blood. You cannot be partakers of the table of the Lord—and this has to do with the sacrament of the body—and the table of devils: no one can serve two masters (Matt 6:24).
Here is the fruitful chalice, because it is precious for drinking spiritually, because it is the Lord’s; it is especially pure and clean, because it is not given effectively to the unclean. The same thing is said of the table.
559. Next when he says do we provoke the Lord to jealousy, here is the third reason, thus: everything that provokes the wrath of God must be avoided; eating the food of idols is one of these things; therefore it must be avoided. Therefore he shows that God is provoked by that kind of eating; second, that it is stupid to provoke him, at are we stronger than he?
He says therefore do we provoke, that is, do we wish to provoke the Lord to anger, by eating the food of idols? Or like this: do we provoke the Lord to jealousy, that is, do we envy him, that almost in contempt of him we do this? They provoked him by their gods (Deut 32:16). Are we stronger, as though to say: we should not provoke him. Are we stronger than he? As though to say: no. If you look for strength, he is the strongest (Job 9:19). For it is foolish to provoke someone stronger than oneself.
560. It should be noted concerning I do not want you to be made partakers, that there is good and bad association, and either one is of four kinds.
The first good association, therefore, is the one we have with the divine persons, of which it is said: that we may have fellowship with God, and our fellowship may be with the father and his Son Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). And this requires the greatest delightfulness, because the possession of no thing is delightful without someone to share it.
The second is the association of the holy angels, of which it is written: for I believe that a good angel of God accompanies him (Tob 5:27), and this requires the dignity of man. Jerome says: great is the dignity of our souls.
The third is the association of just men, of which it is said: James and John gave to me and Barnabas their right hands in fellowship (Gal 2:9), and this depends on our worth: it is better that two should be together (Eccl 4:9).
The fourth is the association of the blessed, about which is written: I John, your brother and your partner in tribulation, and in the kingdom (Rev 1:9), and this requires shared happiness; for if we are sharers of the suffering, we will be sharers of the consolation as well (2 Cor 1:7).
There are likewise four kinds of bad association: the first, by association with evil men, about which is written: your leaders are faithless, the partners of thieves (Isa 1:23). This is the partaking that Herod and Pilate had in the crucifixion of Christ.
The second is the association of hypocrites, about which is written: I was brother of dragons and the companion of ostriches (Job 30:29), which seem to have wings but cannot fly. This is the companionship of the fox and the wolf.
The third is the association of demons, of which it is written: let the companions of him who is no longer, live in his tent (Job 18:15). This is the companionship of cat and mouse, butcher and cow.
The fourth is the society of the damned, about which is written: what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Cor 6:14). This is the companionship of those imprisoned in fire.
561. Next when he says all things are lawful for me, he sets forth the fourth reason thus: everything that injures the salvation of my neighbor must be avoided; but eating the food of idols is that sort of thing, and therefore to be avoided. First he shows that this kind of eating does not profit the one eating; second, that it injures others at all things are lawful for me.
Therefore he says all things are lawful for me, as though he said: if I say that those people sin who eat the foods of idols, nevertheless I do not call the food illicit in itself, because all things that have to do with food are lawful for me. Or: all things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient, that is, helpful to me in my race. The same thing is said above at (1 Cor 6:12). All things are lawful for me, that is, even if all things were lawful for me, but all things do not edify my neighbors, except those things which are of charity, as was said above: knowledge puffs up but charity edifies (1 Cor 8:1). And because not all things edify, let no man seek only his own— for as said below, charity seeks not her own (1 Cor 13:5)—but that which is another’s, that is, what profits the other. But alas it is said: all seek the things that are their own (Phil 2:21). Therefore the Apostle must be heeded, who both teaches the truth and advises the good. He teaches a double truth, namely one’s own expedience, because all things are lawful. . . but all are not expedient, and the edification of others, because all things are lawful. . . but all do not edify. He advises a twofold good, namely, one’s own expedience, let no man seek what is his own, and the edification of others, but that which is another’s.