Commentary on 1 Corinthians
898. I delivered to you, fourth, the appearance of Christ, because he was seen by Cephas. And he presents first the appearance made to others; second, those made to himself alone, at but last of all.
899. It should be noted, however, in regard to the first, that the appearances of Christ were not made to all in common, but to certain special persons: God raised him up on the third day and made him manifest not to all the people (Acts 10:40). The reason for this was to preserve order in the Church in that through certain special persons belief in the resurrection should reach others.
It should also be noted that not all of Christ’s appearances are mentioned, nor those that were made to the women. But some not mentioned in the Gospel are mentioned here. The reason for this was that the Apostle wants to refute unbelievers by reason; and therefore he wanted to present only authentic testimonies. Consequently, he kept silence about the appearances to the women and mentioned some which are not found, to show that he also appeared to many others. But he mentions Peter and James, because they were as pillars (Gal 2:9).
900. He says, therefore: I handed on to you, because he was seen by Cephas, that is, by Peter: the Lord is truly risen and has appeared to Simon (Luke 24:34). And it is believed that among men he appeared first to Peter, since he was in great sadness. Hence even the angel said: go, tell his disciples and Peter (Mark 16:7).
After that, that is, in another place, he was seen by the eleven apostles. Seen once by only ten, when Thomas was absent, and eight days later by eleven, when Thomas was with them. Augustine says that it should say twelve, but the text is corrupted by a scribe’s error, and he says that he does not reiterate what was objected before, and Matthias had not yet been chosen, for it was customary, when the majority of the company did something, for it to say that the whole college did it. For this reason, since the Lord had chosen twelve, it can truly be said that the twelve saw him, that is, the whole company of apostles; but it is not a fault in the text, whether it says twelve, or eleven.
901. Then again he was seen by more than five hundred brethren. But nothing is mentioned in the Scripture about this, except here.
Yet it can be said that this appearance was the one about which Dionysius speaks in The Divine Names III, when all the disciples assembled to see the body [of the Blessed Virgin], which they considered the prince of life.
But against this seems to be the fact that this was before the ascension, namely, when Christ appeared to James. But the assembly of disciples to see the Blessed Virgin, about which Dionysius seems to speak, was much later.
Therefore, it seems better to say that he appeared to five hundred brethren all at once before his ascension: and it is not important that there were said to be 120 disciples, because although the ones in Jerusalem were 120, nevertheless in Galilee there were many disciples and perhaps all were assembled at one time, when he appeared.
To make his testimony more certain he says that of them many remain until this present, but some of them are fallen asleep, i.e., died, in the hope of the resurrection. They call the death of the saints ‘sleep,’ because they die with corruptible flesh and rise with incorruptible. We know that Christ being raised from the head, will never die again (Rom 6:9).
902. Then, i.e., after this, he was seen by James, i.e., of Alphaeus. The reason for this can be assigned because, as it is read, James vowed that he would not take food, until he saw the Lord.
But according to this the order of appearances is not observed, because if after all those listed an appearance was made to James, he would have been too long without food and this is difficult.
Therefore, it must be said that Christ made a special appearance to James, because James had a special devotion to Christ, and furthermore nothing is found in the Gospel about that appearance.
Then, namely, after this, he was seen by all the apostles in the ascension (Matt 28:16; Acts 1:3ff).
903. Last of all. Here the Apostle recalls the appearance made to him alone. In regard to this he does two things: first, he shows the order of the appearances; second, he assigns its reason, at for I am the least of the apostles.
904. He says, therefore: I have said that Christ was manifested to all, but last of all, i.e., finally and after the resurrection he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time, and therefore as the latest.
He says, as by one born out of due time for three reasons. One, untimely born refers to a fetus, because it is born outside the proper time or because it is brought forth with violence or because it is not born with due quantity; and because the Apostle saw these three things in himself, he says: as by one born out of due time. For, first of all, he was reborn outside the time of the other apostles. For the other apostles were reborn in Christ before the coming of the Holy Spirit, but Paul after.
Second, because the other apostles were converted to Christ spontaneously, but Paul by coercion: he fell to the ground and heard a voice (Acts 9:4). And this is of great value against heretics, who say that no one should be forced to the faith, because Paul was forced. And as Augustine says: Paul made more progress in the faith, although he was forcibly converted, than many who came spontaneously.
Third, because he regards himself as less than the others and that he had not arrived to the virtue of the other apostles.
905. And therefore, as though assigning a reason he says: I am the least of the apostles. In regard to this he does two things: first, he shows his smallness; second, he explains the reason for this, at because I persecuted the Church of God.
906. He explains his smallness, first, in comparison to the apostles, when he says: for I am the least of the apostles: the least one shall become a clan, and the smallest one a mighty nation (Isa 60:22); the greater you are, the more you must humble yourself (Sir 3:18).
And although he is the least in relation to the apostles, yet it could be said that he is great in comparison to others; and therefore, second, he shows his smallness in comparison to others, when he says: I am not worthy not only to be but to be called an apostle, although I should be called: not that we are sufficient of ourselves but our sufficiency is from God (2 Cor 3:5).
907. But it could be said: O Apostle, for the sake of humility no one should say anything false: therefore, since you are great, why do you call yourself the least?
Therefore, when he says: because I persecuted the Church of God, he shows how he is the least and how he is not the least. He calls himself the least, when he considers his past deeds. And he says: I am not worthy. Why? Because I persecuted the Church of God, which the other apostles did not do: I persecuted the Church of God violently (Gal 1:13); though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him (1 Tim 1:13).
And although of myself I am the least, yet from the grace of God I am not the least; and therefore he says: by the grace of God I am what I am.
In regard to this he does two things: first, he commends his condition as to its state; second, as to the execution of his state, at and his grace in me has not been void.
908. Therefore he says first: of myself I am nothing, but what I am, I am by the grace of God, i.e., from God, not from me: of this Gospel I was made a minister (Eph 3:7). And he says, what I am, because without grace a man is nothing: if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries (1 Cor 13:2).
909. But how he used and executed his state he shows, saying: and his grace. Here he shows, first, how he used that grace, namely, for good; therefore he says: in me has not been void, i.e., idle, because he used it for that for which it was given to him: lest somehow I should be running in vain (Gal 2:2).
Second, he manifests how he exceeded others; therefore he adds: but I have labored more abundantly than all they, i.e., than any of the apostles singly, by preaching, because no one preached in so many places and announced Christ. Hence he says: so that from Jerusalem to Illyricum I fully preached (Rom 15:19) and even as far as Spain; by working, because although he, as the other apostles, could require expenses necessary for them, yet he particularly wished to seek his expenses from the labor of his hands: night and day we have worked with our hands by enduring tribulation (2 Thess 3:8); for none of the apostles endured such persecutions and tribulations: with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings (2 Cor 11:23).
Third, he shows the efficacy of use, because this was not from himself alone but from the instinct and help of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, he says: yet not I alone acting but the grace of God with me, which moves the will to this: you have wrought for us all our works (Isa 26:12): God is at work in you both to will and to work (Phil 2:13). For God not only infuses but he also moves us to use the graces infused well, and this is called cooperating grace.
910. For whether I or they, so we preach. Here he shows the agreement of the preachers; and this can be read in two ways:
first, as confirming what has been said. As if one were to say: you preach thus, but we do not believe you alone, because you are the least of the apostles. Therefore, the Apostle says in reply: indeed you should believe me, because I do not preach other things; for whether I or they, the other apostles, so we preach, namely, that Christ rose and was seen, and so you have believed, just as I and those who preached, namely, that Christ rose and was seen: since we have the same Spirit of faith (2 Cor 4:13).
Second, it can be read so that the efficacy of preaching comes to the apostles from one source, i.e., from the grace of God. As if to say: whether I preach or they, i.e., the apostles, as we preach, we have done this by the help and strength of God’s grace; and so even you have believed, namely, inspired by the Holy Spirit and grace of God without which we can do nothing: without me you can do nothing (John 15:5).