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Read Today’s Bible Verses following here:

1 Samuel 21

Then David departed on his way, while Jonathan went back into the city.

The Holy Bread.

2David went to Ahimelech, the priest of Nob, who came trembling to meet him. He asked, “Why are you alone? Is there no one with you?”^{* a}

3David answered the priest: “The king gave me a commission and told me, ‘Do not let anyone know anything about the business on which I have sent you or the commission I have given you.’ For that reason I have arranged a particular meeting place with my men.

4^b Now what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves, or whatever you can find.”

5^* But the priest replied to David, “I have no ordinary bread on hand, only holy bread; if the men have abstained from women, you may eat some of that.”

6David answered the priest: “We have indeed stayed away from women. In the past whenever I went out on a campaign, all the young men were consecrated—even for an ordinary campaign. All the more so are they consecrated with their weapons today!”

7So the priest gave him holy bread, for no other bread was on hand except the showbread which had been removed from before the LORD and replaced by fresh bread when it was taken away.^c

8One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the LORD;^* his name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s shepherds.^d

The Sword of Goliath.

9David then asked Ahimelech: “Do you have a spear or a sword on hand? I brought along neither my sword nor my weapons, because the king’s business was urgent.”

10The priest replied: “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here wrapped in a garment behind an ephod.^* If you wish to take it, do so; there is no sword here except that one.” “There is none like it,” David cried, “give it to me!”^e

David a Fugitive.

11That same day David fled from Saul, going to Achish, king of Gath.^f

12But the servants of Achish said to him, “Is this not David, the king of the land? Is it not for him that during their dances they sing out,

‘Saul has slain his thousands,

David his tens of thousands’?”^g

13David took note of these remarks and became very much afraid of Achish, king of Gath.^*

14So, he feigned insanity in front of them and acted like a madman in their custody, drumming on the doors of the gate and drooling onto his beard.

15Finally Achish said to his servants: “You see the man is mad. Why did you bring him to me?

16Do I not have enough madmen, that you bring this one to rant in my presence? Should this fellow come into my house?”

1 Samuel 22

1David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his family heard about it, they came down to him there.^a

2He was joined by all those in difficulties or in debt, or embittered,^* and became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.

3From there David went to Mizpeh of Moab and said to the king of Moab, “Let my father and mother stay with you, until I learn what God will do for me.”

4He left them with the king of Moab; they stayed with him as long as David remained in the stronghold.^*

5But Gad the prophet said to David: “Do not remain in the stronghold! Leave! Go to the land of Judah.” And so David left and went to the forest of Hereth.^b

Doeg Betrays Ahimelech.

6Now Saul heard that David and his men had been located. At the time he was sitting in Gibeah under a tamarisk tree on the high place, holding his spear, while all his servants stood by him.^c

7So he said to them: “Listen, men of Benjamin! Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards? Will he appoint any of you an officer over a thousand or a hundred men?^d

8Is that why you have all conspired against me? Why no one told me that my son had made a pact with the son of Jesse? None of you has shown compassion for me by revealing to me that my son has incited my servant to ambush me, as is the case today.”^e

9^f Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing with Saul’s officers, spoke up: “I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, in Nob.

10He consulted the LORD for him, furnished him with provisions, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”

Slaughter of the Priests.

11So the king summoned Ahimelech the priest, son of Ahitub, and all his family, the priests in Nob. They all came to the king.

12“Listen, son of Ahitub!” Saul declared. “Yes, my lord,” he replied.

13Saul questioned him, “Why have you conspired against me with the son of Jesse by giving him food and a sword and by consulting God for him, that he might rise up against me in ambush, as is the case today?”

14Ahimelech answered the king: “Who among all your servants is as loyal as David, the king’s son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and honored in your own house?

15Is this the first time I have consulted God for him? No indeed! Let not the king accuse his servant or anyone in my family of such a thing. Your servant knows nothing at all, great or small, about the whole matter.”

16But the king said, “You shall certainly die, Ahimelech, with all your family.”

17The king then commanded his guards standing by him: “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, for they gave David a hand. They knew he was a fugitive and yet failed to inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.^g

18The king therefore commanded Doeg, “You, turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite himself turned and killed the priests that day—eighty-five who wore the linen ephod.

19Saul also put the priestly city of Nob to the sword, including men and women, children and infants, and oxen, donkeys and sheep.

Abiathar Escapes.

20One son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, named Abiathar,^* escaped and fled to David.^h

21When Abiathar told David that Saul had slain the priests of the LORD,

22David said to him: “I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would certainly tell Saul. I am responsible for the slaughter of all your family.

23Stay with me. Do not be afraid; whoever seeks your life must seek my life also. You are under my protection.”^*

1 Samuel 23

Keilah Liberated.

1David was informed that the Philistines were attacking Keilah and plundering the threshing floors.^a

2So he consulted the LORD, asking, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The LORD answered, Go, attack them, and free Keilah.^b

3But David’s men said to him: “Even in Judah we have reason to fear. How much more so if we go to Keilah against the forces of the Philistines!”

4Again David consulted the LORD, who answered: Go down to Keilah, for I will deliver the Philistines into your power.^c

5So David went with his men to Keilah and fought against the Philistines. He drove off their cattle and inflicted a severe defeat on them, and freed the inhabitants of Keilah.

6Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, who had fled to David, went down with David to Keilah, taking the ephod with him.^d

Flight from Keilah.

7When Saul was told that David had entered Keilah, he thought: “God has put him in my hand, for he has boxed himself in by entering a city with gates and bars.”

8Saul then called all the army to war, in order to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men.

9When David found out that Saul was planning to harm him, he said to the priest Abiathar, “Bring the ephod here.”^e

10“LORD God of Israel,” David prayed, “your servant has heard that Saul plans to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.

11Will they hand me over? Will Saul come down as your servant has heard? LORD God of Israel, tell your servant.” The LORD answered: He will come down.

12David then asked, “Will the citizens of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The LORD answered: They will deliver you.

13So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and wandered from place to place. When Saul was informed that David had fled from Keilah, he did not go forth.

David and Jonathan in Horesh.

14David now lived in the strongholds in the wilderness, or in the barren hill country near Ziph. Though Saul sought him continually, the LORD did not deliver David into his hand.

15While David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh he was afraid that Saul had come out to seek his life.

16Then Saul’s son, Jonathan, came down to David at Horesh and encouraged him in the LORD.^f

17He said to him: “Have no fear, my father Saul shall not lay a hand to you. You shall be king of Israel^* and I shall be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.”^g

18The two of them made a covenant before the LORD in Horesh, where David remained, while Jonathan returned to his home.^h

Treachery of the Ziphites.

19Some of the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gibeah and said, “David is hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh on the hill of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon.ⁱ

20Therefore, whenever the king wishes to come down, let him do so. It will be our task to deliver him into the king’s hand.”

21Saul replied: “The LORD bless you for your compassion toward me.^j

22Go now and make sure once more! Take note of the place where he sets foot for I am told that he is very cunning.

23Look around and learn in which of all the various hiding places he is holding out. Then come back to me with reliable information, and I will go with you. If he is in the region, I will track him down out of all the families of Judah.”

24So they went off to Ziph ahead of Saul. At this time David and his men were in the wilderness below Maon, in the Arabah south of the wasteland.^k

Escape from Saul.

25When Saul and his men came looking for him, David got word of it and went down to the gorge in the wilderness below Maon. Saul heard of this and pursued David into the wilderness below Maon.

26As Saul moved along one side of the gorge, David and his men took to the other. David was anxious to escape Saul, while Saul and his men were trying to outflank David and his men in order to capture them.

27Then a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Come quickly, because the Philistines have invaded the land.”

28Saul interrupted his pursuit of David and went to meet the Philistines. This is how that place came to be called the Rock of Divisions.

1 Samuel 24

David Spares Saul.^*

1David then went up from there and stayed in the strongholds of Engedi.

2When Saul returned from the pursuit of the Philistines, he was told that David was in the desert near Engedi.

3So Saul took three thousand of the best men from all Israel and went in search of David and his men in the direction of the wild goat crags.

4When he came to the sheepfolds along the way, he found a cave, which he entered to relieve himself. David and his men were occupying the inmost recesses of the cave.^a

5David’s servants said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you: I will deliver your enemy into your hand; do with him as you see fit.” So David moved up and stealthily cut off an end of Saul’s robe.

6Afterward, however, David regretted that he had cut off an end of Saul’s robe.^b

7He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, to lay a hand on him, for he is the LORD’s anointed.”^c

8With these words David restrained his men and would not permit them to attack Saul. Saul then left the cave and went on his way.

9David also stepped out of the cave, calling to Saul, “My lord the king!” When Saul looked back, David bowed, his face to the ground in homage,

10and asked Saul: “Why do you listen to those who say, ‘David is trying to harm you’?

11You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you into my hand in the cave. I was told to kill you, but I took pity on you instead. I decided, ‘I will not raise a hand against my master, for he is the LORD’s anointed.’

12Look here, my father. See the end of your robe which I hold. I cut off an end of your robe and did not kill you. Now see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion. I have done you no wrong, though you are hunting me down to take my life.^d

13May the LORD judge between me and you. May the LORD exact justice from you in my case. I shall not lay a hand on you.

14As the old proverb says, ‘From the wicked comes wickedness.’ Thus I will not lay a hand on you.

15What is the king of Israel attacking? What are you pursuing? A dead dog! A single flea!^e

16The LORD will be the judge to decide between us. May the LORD see this, defend my cause, and give me justice against you!”^f

Saul’s Remorse.

17When David finished saying these things to Saul, Saul answered, “Is that your voice, my son David?” And he wept freely.

18Saul then admitted to David: “You are more in the right than I am. You have treated me graciously, while I have treated you badly.

19You have declared this day how you treated me graciously: the LORD delivered me into your hand and you did not kill me.

20For if someone comes upon an enemy, do they send them graciously on their way? So may the LORD reward you graciously for what you have done this day.

21And now, since I know that you will certainly become king and that the kingship over Israel shall come into your possession,^g

22swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants and that you will not blot out my name from my father’s house.”^h

23David gave Saul his oath and Saul returned home, while David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 25

Death of Samuel.

1Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn him; they buried him at his home in Ramah.^a Then David went down to the wilderness of Paran.

Nabal and Abigail.

2There was a man of Maon who had property in Carmel; he was very wealthy, owning three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. At the time, he was present for the shearing of his flock in Carmel.^b

3The man’s name was Nabal and his wife was Abigail. The woman was intelligent and attractive, but Nabal, a Calebite, was harsh and bad-mannered.^c

4While in the wilderness, David heard that Nabal was shearing his flock,

5so he sent ten young men, instructing them: “Go up to Carmel. Pay Nabal a visit and greet him in my name.

6Say to him, ‘Peace be with you, my brother, and with your family, and with all who belong to you.

7I have just heard that shearers are with you. Now, when your shepherds were with us, we did them no injury, neither did they miss anything while they were in Carmel.

8Ask your servants and they will tell you. Look kindly on these young men, since we come at a festival time. Please give your servants and your son David^* whatever you can.’”

9When David’s young men arrived, they delivered the entire message to Nabal in David’s name, and then waited.

10But Nabal answered the servants of David: “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? Nowadays there are many servants who run away from their masters.

11Must I take my bread, my wine, my meat that I have slaughtered for my own shearers, and give them to men who come from who knows where?”

12So David’s young men retraced their steps and on their return reported to him all that had been said.

13Thereupon David said to his men, “Let everyone strap on his sword.” And everyone did so, and David put on his own sword. About four hundred men went up after David, while two hundred remained with the baggage.

14Abigail, Nabal’s wife, was informed of this by one of the servants, who said: “From the wilderness David sent messengers to greet our master, but he screamed at them.

15Yet these men were very good to us. We were not harmed, neither did we miss anything all the while we were living among them during our stay in the open country.

16Day and night they were a wall of protection for us, the whole time we were pasturing the sheep near them.

17Now, see what you can do, for you must realize that otherwise disaster is in store for our master and for his whole house. He is such a scoundrel that no one can talk to him.”

18Abigail quickly got together two hundred loaves, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of pressed raisins, and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys.

19She then said to her servants, “Go on ahead; I will follow you.” But to her husband Nabal she said nothing.

20Hidden by the mountain, she came down riding on a donkey, as David and his men were coming down from the opposite direction. When she met them,

21David had just been saying: “Indeed, it was in vain that I guarded all this man’s possessions in the wilderness, so that nothing of his was missing. He has repaid good with evil.

22May God do thus to David, and more, if by morning I leave a single male alive among all those who belong to him.”^d

23As soon as Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey and, falling down, bowed low to the ground before David in homage.

24As she fell at his feet she said: “My lord, let the blame be mine. Please let your maidservant speak to you; listen to the words of your maidservant.^e

25My lord, do not pay any attention to that scoundrel Nabal, for he is just like his name. His name means fool,^* and he acts the fool. I, your maidservant, did not see the young men whom my lord sent.

26Now, therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives, and as you live, the LORD has kept you from shedding blood and from avenging yourself by your own hand. May your enemies and those who seek to harm my lord become as Nabal!^{* f}

27Accept this gift, then, which your maidservant has brought for my lord, and let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.

28Please forgive the offense of your maidservant, for the LORD shall certainly establish a lasting house for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD. Let no evil be found in you your whole life long.^g

29If any adversary pursues you to seek your life, may the life of my lord be bound in the bundle of the living^* in the care of the LORD your God; may God hurl out the lives of your enemies as from the hollow of a sling.^h

30And when the LORD fulfills for my lord the promise of success he has made concerning you, and appoints you as ruler over Israel,ⁱ

31you shall not have any regrets or burdens on your conscience, my lord, for having shed innocent blood or for having rescued yourself. When the LORD bestows good on my lord, remember your maidservant.”

32David said to Abigail: “Blessed is the LORD, the God of Israel, who sent you to meet me today.

33Blessed is your good judgment and blessed are you yourself. Today you have prevented me from shedding blood and rescuing myself with my own hand.

34Otherwise, as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come so promptly to meet me, by dawn Nabal would not have had so much as one male left alive.”

35David then took from her what she had brought him and said to her: “Go to your home in peace! See, I have listened to your appeal and have granted your request.”

Nabal’s Death.

36When Abigail came to Nabal, he was hosting a banquet in his house like that of a king, and Nabal was in a festive mood and very drunk. So she said not a word to him until daybreak the next morning.

37But then, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him what had happened. At this his heart died within him, and he became like a stone.

38About ten days later the LORD struck Nabal and he died.

39Hearing that Nabal was dead, David said: “Blessed be the LORD, who has defended my cause against the insult from Nabal, and who restrained his servant from doing evil, but has repaid Nabal for his evil deeds.”

David Marries Abigail and Ahinoam. David then sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail.^j

40When David’s servants came to Abigail in Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to make his proposal of marriage to you.”

41Rising and bowing to the ground, she answered, “Let your maidservant be the slave who washes the feet of my lord’s servants.”

42She got up immediately, mounted a donkey, and followed David’s messengers, with her five maids attending her. She became his wife.

43^k David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Thus both of them were his wives.

44But Saul gave David’s wife Michal, Saul’s own daughter, to Palti, son of Laish, who was from Gallim.^l

1 Corinthians 14

Prophecy Greater than Tongues.

1^* Pursue love, but strive eagerly for the spiritual gifts, above all that you may prophesy.^a

2^* For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to human beings but to God, for no one listens; he utters mysteries in spirit.

3On the other hand, one who prophesies does speak to human beings, for their building up,^* encouragement, and solace.^b

4Whoever speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but whoever prophesies builds up the church.

5Now I should like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may be built up.

6^* Now, brothers, if I should come to you speaking in tongues, what good will I do you if I do not speak to you by way of revelation, or knowledge, or prophecy, or instruction?

7Likewise, if inanimate things that produce sound, such as flute or harp, do not give out the tones distinctly, how will what is being played on flute or harp be recognized?

8And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?

9Similarly, if you, because of speaking in tongues, do not utter intelligible speech, how will anyone know what is being said? For you will be talking to the air.

10It happens that there are many different languages in the world, and none is meaningless;

11but if I do not know the meaning of a language, I shall be a foreigner to one who speaks it, and one who speaks it a foreigner to me.

12So with yourselves: since you strive eagerly for spirits, seek to have an abundance of them for building up the church.

Need for Interpretation.^*

13Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray to be able to interpret.

14[For] if I pray in a tongue, my spirit^* is at prayer but my mind is unproductive.

15So what is to be done? I will pray with the spirit, but I will also pray with the mind. I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will also sing praise with the mind.^c

16Otherwise, if you pronounce a blessing [with] the spirit, how shall one who holds the place of the uninstructed say the “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since he does not know what you are saying?

17For you may be giving thanks very well, but the other is not built up.

18I give thanks to God that I speak in tongues more than any of you,

19but in the church I would rather speak five words with my mind, so as to instruct others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue.

Functions of These Gifts.

20^* Brothers, stop being childish in your thinking. In respect to evil be like infants, but in your thinking be mature.^d

21It is written in the law:

“By people speaking strange tongues

and by the lips of foreigners

I will speak to this people,

and even so they will not listen to me,^e

says the Lord.”

22Thus, tongues are a sign not for those who believe but for unbelievers, whereas prophecy is not for unbelievers but for those who believe.

23^* So if the whole church meets in one place and everyone speaks in tongues, and then uninstructed people or unbelievers should come in, will they not say that you are out of your minds?^f

24But if everyone is prophesying, and an unbeliever or uninstructed person should come in, he will be convinced by everyone and judged by everyone,

25and the secrets of his heart will be disclosed, and so he will fall down and worship God, declaring, “God is really in your midst.”^g

Rules of Order.

26^* So what is to be done, brothers? When you assemble, one has a psalm, another an instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Everything should be done for building up.^h

27If anyone speaks in a tongue, let it be two or at most three, and each in turn, and one should interpret.

28But if there is no interpreter, the person should keep silent in the church and speak to himself and to God.

29Two or three prophets should speak, and the others discern.

30But if a revelation is given to another person sitting there, the first one should be silent.

31For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged.

32Indeed, the spirits of prophets are under the prophets’ control,

33since he is not the God of disorder but of peace.

As in all the churches of the holy ones,^*

34women should keep silent in the churches, for they are not allowed to speak, but should be subordinate, as even the law says.ⁱ

35But if they want to learn anything, they should ask their husbands at home. For it is improper for a woman to speak in the church.

36Did the word of God go forth from you? Or has it come to you alone?

37If anyone thinks that he is a prophet or a spiritual person, he should recognize that what I am writing to you is a commandment of the Lord.

38If anyone does not acknowledge this, he is not acknowledged.

39So, (my) brothers, strive eagerly to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues,

40but everything must be done properly and in order.

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THE BOOKS OF 1 Samuel

These books describe the rise and development of kingship in Israel. Samuel is a pivotal figure. He bridges the gap between the period of the Judges and the monarchy, and guides Israel’s transition to kingship. A Deuteronomistic editor presents both positive and negative traditions about the monarchy, portraying it both as evidence of Israel’s rejection of the Lord as their sovereign (1 Sm 8:6–22; 12:1–25) and as part of God’s plan to deliver the people (1 Sm 9:16; 10:17–27; 2 Sm 7:8–17). Samuel’s misgivings about abuse of royal power foreshadow the failures and misdeeds of Saul and David and the failures of subsequent Israelite kings.

Although the events described in 1 and 2 Samuel move from the last of the judges to the decline of David’s reign and the beginning of a legendary “Golden Age” under Solomon’s rule, this material does not present either a continuous history or a systematic account of this period. The author/editor developed a narrative timeline around freely composed speeches, delivered by prophets like Samuel (e.g., 1 Sm 15:10–31; 28:15–19) and Nathan (2 Sm 12:1–12), who endorse Deuteronomistic perspectives regarding the establishment of the monarchy, the relationship between worship and obedience, and the divine covenant established with the house of David.

These books include independent blocks (e.g., the Ark Narrative [1 Sm 4:1–7:1], Saul’s rise to power [1 Sm 9:1–11:15], David’s ascendancy over Saul [1 Sm 16–31], the Succession Narrative [2 Sm 9–20; 1 Kgs 1–2]), which the editor shaped into three narrative cycles, the last two marked by transitional passages in 1 Sm 13:1 and 2 Sm 1:1. Each section focuses on a major figure in the development of the monarchy: Samuel, the reluctant king maker (1 Sm 1–12); Saul, the king whom the Lord rejects (1 Sm 13–31); David, the king after the Lord’s own heart (2 Sm 1–24). A common theme unites these narratives: Israel’s God acts justly, prospering those who remain faithful and destroying those who reject his ways (1 Sm 2:9). Along with the rest of the Deuteronomistic History, the Books of Samuel become an object lesson for biblical Israel as it tries to re-establish its religious identity after the destruction of Jerusalem and the loss of its homeland (587/586 B.C.).

The contents of the Books of Samuel may be divided as follows:

1. The Last Judges, Eli and Samuel (1 Sm 1:1–7:17)
2. Establishment of the Monarchy (1 Sm 8:1–12:25)
3. Saul and David (1 Sm 13:1–2 Sm 2:7)
4. The Reign of David (2 Sm 2:8–20:26)
5. Appendixes (2 Sm 21:1–24:25)

THE FIRST BOOK OF 1 SAMUEL

The book of 1 Corinthians

THE FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

Paul’s first letter to the church of Corinth provides us with a fuller insight into the life of an early Christian community of the first generation than any other book of the New Testament. Through it we can glimpse both the strengths and the weaknesses of this small group in a great city of the ancient world, men and women who had accepted the good news of Christ and were now trying to realize in their lives the implications of their baptism. Paul, who had founded the community and continued to look after it as a father, responds both to questions addressed to him and to situations of which he had been informed. In doing so, he reveals much about himself, his teaching, and the way in which he conducted his work of apostleship. Some things are puzzling because we have the correspondence only in one direction. For the person studying this letter, it seems to raise as many questions as it answers, but without it our knowledge of church life in the middle of the first century would be much poorer.

Paul established a Christian community in Corinth about the year 51, on his second missionary journey. The city, a commercial crossroads, was a melting pot full of devotees of various pagan cults and marked by a measure of moral depravity not unusual in a great seaport. The Acts of the Apostles suggests that moderate success attended Paul’s efforts among the Jews in Corinth at first, but that they soon turned against him (Acts 18:1–8). More fruitful was his year and a half spent among the Gentiles (Acts 18:11), which won to the faith many of the city’s poor and underprivileged (1 Cor 1:26). After his departure the eloquent Apollos, an Alexandrian Jewish Christian, rendered great service to the community, expounding “from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus” (Acts 18:24–28).

While Paul was in Ephesus on his third journey (1 Cor 16:8; Acts 19:1–20), he received disquieting news about Corinth. The community there was displaying open factionalism, as certain members were identifying themselves exclusively with individual Christian leaders and interpreting Christian teaching as a superior wisdom for the initiated few (1 Cor 1:10–4:21). The community lacked the decisiveness to take appropriate action against one of its members who was living publicly in an incestuous union (1 Cor 5:1–13). Other members engaged in legal conflicts in pagan courts of law (1 Cor 6:1–11); still others may have participated in religious prostitution (1 Cor 6:12–20) or temple sacrifices (1 Cor 10:14–22).

The community’s ills were reflected in its liturgy. In the celebration of the Eucharist certain members discriminated against others, drank too freely at the agape, or fellowship meal, and denied Christian social courtesies to the poor among the membership (1 Cor 11:17–22). Charisms such as ecstatic prayer, attributed freely to the impulse of the holy Spirit, were more highly prized than works of charity (1 Cor 13:1–2, 8), and were used at times in a disorderly way (1 Cor 14:1–40). Women appeared at the assembly without the customary head-covering (1 Cor 11:3–16), and perhaps were quarreling over their right to address the assembly (1 Cor 14:34–35).

Still other problems with which Paul had to deal concerned matters of conscience discussed among the faithful members of the community: the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8:1–13), the use of sex in marriage (1 Cor 7:1–7), and the attitude to be taken by the unmarried toward marriage in view of the possible proximity of Christ’s second coming (1 Cor 7:25–40). There was also a doctrinal matter that called for Paul’s attention, for some members of the community, despite their belief in the resurrection of Christ, were denying the possibility of general bodily resurrection.

To treat this wide spectrum of questions, Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus about the year 56. The majority of the Corinthian Christians may well have been quite faithful. Paul writes on their behalf to guard against the threats posed to the community by the views and conduct of various minorities. He writes with confidence in the authority of his apostolic mission, and he presumes that the Corinthians, despite their deficiencies, will recognize and accept it. On the other hand, he does not hesitate to exercise his authority as his judgment dictates in each situation, even going so far as to promise a direct confrontation with recalcitrants, should the abuses he scores remain uncorrected (1 Cor 4:18–21).

The letter illustrates well the mind and character of Paul. Although he is impelled to insist on his office as founder of the community, he recognizes that he is only one servant of God among many and generously acknowledges the labors of Apollos (1 Cor 3:5–8). He provides us in this letter with many valuable examples of his method of theological reflection and exposition. He always treats the questions at issue on the level of the purity of Christian teaching and conduct. Certain passages of the letter are of the greatest importance for the understanding of early Christian teaching on the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:14–22; 11:17–34) and on the resurrection of the body (1 Cor 15:1–58).

Paul’s authorship of 1 Corinthians, apart from a few verses that some regard as later interpolations, has never been seriously questioned. Some scholars have proposed, however, that the letter as we have it contains portions of more than one original Pauline letter. We know that Paul wrote at least two other letters to Corinth (see 1 Cor 5:9; 2 Cor 2:3–4) in addition to the two that we now have; this theory holds that the additional letters are actually contained within the two canonical ones. Most commentators, however, find 1 Corinthians quite understandable as a single coherent work.

The principal divisions of the First Letter to the Corinthians are the following:

1. Address (1:1–9)
2. Disorders in the Corinthian Community (1:10–6:20)
   1. Divisions in the Church (1:10–4:21)
   2. Moral Disorders (5:1–6:20)
3. Answers to the Corinthians’ Questions (7:1–11:1)
   1. Marriage and Virginity (7:1–40)
   2. Offerings to Idols (8:1–11:1)
4. Problems in Liturgical Assemblies (11:2–14:40)
   1. Women’s Headdresses (11:3–16)
   2. The Lord’s Supper (11:17–34)
   3. Spiritual Gifts (12:1–14:40)
5. The Resurrection (15:1–58)
   1. The Resurrection of Christ (15:1–11)
   2. The Resurrection of the Dead (15:12–34)
   3. The Manner of the Resurrection (15:35–58)
6. Conclusion (16:1–24)