Commentary on 1 Corinthians
Chapter 11. Behaviour in Church
Lecture 1. Relation between man and woman
11:1 Be followers of me, as I also am of Christ. [n. 582]
11:2 Now I praise you, brethren, that in all things you are mindful of me and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you. [n. 584]
11:3 But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ: and the head of the woman is the man: and the head of Christ is God. [n. 586]
582. Having eliminated from the believers a practice contrary to the sacrament of the Eucharist, namely, partaking of food offered to idols, the Apostle now instructs them about the sacrament of the Eucharist itself.
First, he gives a general admonition;
second, he develops his proposition, at but I would have you know.
In regard to the first he does two things.
First, he presents the admonition;
second, he signifies how the Corinthians regarded that admonition, at now I praise you, brethren.
583. In regard to the first it should be noted that the natural order of things is so arranged, that lower beings imitate higher beings, as far as it is possible. Hence even a natural agent, being superior, makes the thing it acts on similar to itself.
Now the primordial principle of the production of things is the Son of God: all things were made through him (John 1:3). He is, therefore, the primordial exemplar, which all creatures imitate as the true and perfect Image of the Father. Hence it is said: he is the Image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, for in him all things were created (Col 1:15). But in a special way he is the exemplar of spiritual graces, with which spiritual creatures are endowed, as is said to the Son: in the splendors of the saints before the morning star I begot you (Ps 110:3), namely, because he was begotten before every creature through resplendent grace, having in himself as exemplar the splendors of all the saints.
But this exemplar of God has been very remote from us at first, as it is said: what is man that he could follow the King, his maker? (Eccl 2:12). And therefore he willed to become man, that he might offer humans a human exemplar. Hence Augustine says in The Christian Combat: this perversity he does not lack who loves to inspect and imitate that man’s words and actions, in which the Son of God offered himself to us as an example of living.
Just as angels were first to imitate the exemplar of his divinity, but secondarily the other creatures, as Dionysius says in The Angelic Hierarchy, so the exemplar of humanity is chiefly proposed to be imitated by the prelates of the Church, as being higher. Hence the Lord says: I have given you an example that as I have done, so do you (John 13:15). Second, however, the prelates informed by the example of Christ are proposed to their subjects as exemplars of living: being examples to the flock (1 Pet 5:3); to give you in our conduct an example to imitate (2 Thess 3:9).
Therefore, the Apostle expressly says: I have said that you should be without offense (1 Cor 10:32) to anyone. And this, of course, you can do, if you take note of what I say: be followers of me, as I also am of Christ, i.e., an imitator. For he imitated him, first, in devotion of mind: I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20). Second, in anxiety for his subjects: even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all (Phil 2:17); Jesus Christ also offered himself for us (Eph 5:2). Third, as to tolerating suffering: always carrying in the body the death of Jesus (2 Cor 4:10); I bear on my body the marks of Jesus (Gal 6:17).
But it must be noted that he does not merely say, be followers of me, but he adds, as I also am of Christ, namely, because subjects ought not imitate their prelates in everything but in those things in which they imitate Christ, who is the unfailing exemplar of holiness.
584. Then when he says, now I praise you, brethren, he shows how the Corinthians were acting in regard to the above admonition.
In regard to this it should be observed that subjects follow their prelates in two ways: namely, as to their deeds and words. In regard to deeds, when they imitate the example of their prelates; hence it is said: as an example take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord (Jas 5:10). In regard to words, when they obey their precepts: keep my commandments and live (Prov 4:4).
But the Corinthians failed in these things and especially the greater majority; consequently, the Apostle addressed them thus: now I praise you, brethren. As if to say: you should offer yourselves to be praised on this point, but you do not, that in all things you are mindful of me, so as to imitate my example. For we cannot imitate examples of ones we do not remember. Hence it is said: remember your leaders; consider the outcome of their life and imitate their faith (Heb 13:7).
As to words he adds, and keep my ordinances as I have delivered them to you. As if to say: you observe them in the same tenor as I delivered them to you: for he says this because they had departed from observing the commandments: if they keep my word, they will also keep yours (John 15:20).
585. But this seems to be a manner of speaking not suited to the truth of the Sacred Scripture, which contains no falsity, as it is said: all the words of my mouth are righteous; and there is nothing twisted or crooked in them (Prov 8:8).
The answer is that irony is one of the figures of speech, in which one does not pay attention to the sense which the words make in order to get the truth, but what the speaker intends to express by a similar or contrary or other way. Therefore, in irony the truth is really the contrary of what the words indicate, as in a metaphor the truth consists in a similarity.
586. Then when he says, but I would have you know, he proceeds to his intention of instructing believers in the sacrament of the Eucharist.
In regard to this he does three things.
First, he reproves their errors regarding the rite of this sacrament;
second, he shows the dignity of this sacrament, at for I have received of the Lord (1 Cor 11:23);
third, he teaches the correct rite, at therefore, my brethren (1 Cor 11:33).
In regard to the first he does three things.
first, he refutes their error, by which they erred in clothing, namely, because the women gathered for the sacred mysteries with heads uncovered;
second, he corrects them in their gathering, because, when they came together for the sacred mysteries, they indulged in quarrels, at now this I ordain (1 Cor 11:17);
third, as to food, because they approach to take the sacred mysteries after they had just eaten, at when you come together (1 Cor 11:20).
In regard to the first he does two things.
First, he lays down a teaching from which is drawn the reason for the next admonition;
second, he gives an admonition, at every man praying (1 Cor 11:4).
587. In regard to the first he mentions three comparisons, the first of which is of God to man, saying: I have said you hold my precepts, by irony, but in order that you may see how unreasonably you act, I would have you know as something necessary: my people went into exile for want of knowledge (Isa 5:13), that the head of every man is Christ. This is said according to a likeness of a natural head, in which four things are considered.
First, perfection, because while the other members have but one sense, namely, touch, all the senses flourish in the head; and similarly in other men are found single graces, as it says below: to one indeed, by the Spirit, is given the word of wisdom: and to another, the word of knowledge (1 Cor 12:8), but in Christ alone is found the fullness of all graces. For it is not by measure that God gives him the Spirit (John 3:34).
Second, in the head is found sublimity, because as in a man it is superior to all the members, so Christ is super-eminent not only over all men but also all angels: he made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places far above all power and dominion (Eph 1:20), and below: Christ is the head of the Church (Eph 1:22).
Third, in the head is found outflowing power, namely, because in some way it imparts sensation and movement to the other members; so from Christ is derived movement and sense to the other members of the Church: not holding fast to the head from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together, grows with a growth that is from God (Col 2:19).
Fourth, in the head is found a conformity of nature to the other members; likewise in Christ relative to other men: taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of man (Phil 2:7).
588. The second comparison he presents is of man to man, when he says, the head of the woman is the man. This is verified according to the four comparisons mentioned above. For, first of all, man is more perfect than woman not only in regard to the body, because, as the Philosopher says in the book On Generation of Animals, the female is an occasioned male, but also in regard to the soul’s vigor: one man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found (Eccl 7:29).
Second, because man is naturally superior to the female: wives, be subject to your husband as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife (Eph 5:22).
Third, because the man exerts an influence by governing the wife: your desire will be for your husband, and he shall rule over you (Gen 3:16).
Fourth, the man and the woman are alike in nature: I will make him a helper like to him (Gen 2:18).
589. The third comparison he makes is of God to the Lord, when he says, the head of Christ is God.
Here it should be noted that this name, Christ, signifies the person mentioned by reason of his human nature: and so this name, God, does not refer only to the person of the Father but the whole Trinity, from which as from the more perfect all goods in the humanity of Christ are derived and to which the humanity of Christ is subjected.
It can be understood in another way, so that this name, Christ, stands for that person by reason of his divine nature; then this name, God, stands only for the person of the Father, who is called the head of the Son not by reason of a greater perfection or by reason of any supposition, but only according to origin and conformity of nature; as it is said: the Lord said to me: you are my Son; today I have begotten you (Ps 2:7).
590. But these can be taken mystically, inasmuch as there is in the soul a certain spiritual union.
For sensibility is compared to the female, but reason to the man, by whom sensibility ought to be ruled. Hence he is called her head. Or: the lower reason, which is interested in disposing of and arranging temporal things, is compared to the women. To the man is compared the higher reason, which occupies itself with contemplating eternal things and is called the head of the lower reason, because temporal things should be disposed according to eternal reasons: make it according to the pattern I showed you on the mountain (Exod 25:9). But Christ is called the head of the man, because reason alone according to its superior part belongs to God.