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1 Samuel 26

David Spares Saul Again.^*

1^a Men from Ziph came to Saul in Gibeah, reporting that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah at the edge of Jeshimon.

2So Saul went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand of the best warriors of Israel, to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3Saul camped beside the road on the hill of Hachilah, at the edge of Jeshimon. David, who was living in the wilderness, saw that Saul had come into the wilderness after him

4and sent out scouts, who confirmed Saul’s arrival.

5David then went to the place where Saul was encamped and saw the spot where Saul and his general, Abner, son of Ner, had their sleeping quarters. Saul was lying within the camp, and all his soldiers were bivouacked around him.^b

6David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai, son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, “Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?” Abishai replied, “I will.”^c

7So David and Abishai reached Saul’s soldiers by night, and there was Saul lying asleep within the camp, his spear thrust into the ground at his head and Abner and his troops sleeping around him.

8Abishai whispered to David: “God has delivered your enemy into your hand today. Let me nail him to the ground with one thrust of the spear; I will not need to strike him twice!”^d

9But David said to Abishai, “Do not harm him, for who can lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed and remain innocent?

10As the LORD lives,” David declared, “only the LORD can strike him: either when the time comes for him to die, or when he goes out and perishes in battle.^{* e}

11But the LORD forbid that I lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed! Now take the spear at his head and the water jug, and let us be on our way.”

12So David took the spear and the water jug from their place at Saul’s head, and they withdrew without anyone seeing or knowing or awakening. All remained asleep, because a deep slumber^* from the LORD had fallen upon them.^f

David Taunts Abner.

13Crossing over to an opposite slope, David stood on a distant hilltop. With a great distance between them

14David called to the army and to Abner, son of Ner, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner shouted back, “Who is it that calls me?”

15David said to Abner: “Are you not a man? Who in Israel is your equal? Why were you not guarding your lord the king when one of his subjects came to assassinate the king, your lord?

16What you have done is not right. As the LORD lives, you people deserve death because you have not guarded your lord, the anointed of the LORD. Go, look: where are the king’s spear and the water jug that was at his head?”

Saul Admits His Guilt.

17Saul recognized David’s voice and asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?”^* David answered, “Yes, my lord the king.”

18He continued: “Why does my lord pursue his servant? What have I done? What evil am I planning?

19Please, now, let my lord the king listen to the words of his servant. If the LORD has incited you against me, may an offering please the LORD. But if it is the people who have done so, may they be cursed before the LORD. They have driven me away so that today I have no share in the LORD’s heritage,^* but am told: ‘Go serve other gods!’^g

20Do not let my blood spill on the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea as if he were hunting partridge^* in the mountains.”

21Then Saul said: “I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will not harm you again, because you considered my life precious today even though I have been a fool and have made a serious mistake.”

22But David answered: “Here is the king’s spear. Let an attendant come over to get it.

23The LORD repays everyone’s righteousness and faithfulness. Although the LORD delivered you into my hands today, I could not lay a hand on the LORD’s anointed.^h

24Just as I regarded your life as precious today, so may the LORD regard my life as precious and deliver me from all dangers.”

25Then Saul said to David: “Blessed are you, my son David! You shall certainly succeed in whatever you undertake.” David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.ⁱ

1 Samuel 27

David Flees to the Philistines.

1David said to himself: “I shall perish some day at the hand of Saul. I have no choice but to escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will give up his continual search for me throughout the land of Israel, and I will be out of his reach.”

2Accordingly, David departed with his six hundred soldiers and went over to Achish, son of Maoch, king of Gath.^a

3David and his men lived in Gath with Achish; each one had his family, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel.^b

4When Saul learned that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

5David said to Achish: “If I meet with your approval, let me have a place to live in one of the country towns. Why should your servant live with you in the royal city?”

6That same day Achish gave him Ziklag, which has, therefore, belonged to the kings of Judah^* up to the present time.^c

7In all, David lived a year and four months in Philistine territory.^d

David Raids Israel’s Foes.

8David and his men went out on raids against the Geshurites, Girzites, and Amalekites—peoples living in the land between Telam, on the approach to Shur, and the land of Egypt.^e

9In attacking the land David would not leave a man or woman alive, but would carry off sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels, and clothes. Then he would return to Achish,

10who would ask, “Against whom did you raid this time?” David would reply, “Against the Negeb of Judah,”^* or “Against the Negeb of Jerahmeel,” or “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”^f

11David never left a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath. He thought, “They will betray us and say, ‘This is what David did.’” This was his custom as long as he lived in Philistine territory.

12Achish trusted David, thinking, “His people Israel must certainly detest him. I shall have him as my vassal forever.”

1 Samuel 28

In those days the Philistines mustered their military forces to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You realize, of course, that you and your warriors^* must march out for battle with me.”

2David answered Achish, “Good! Now you shall learn what your servant can do.” Then Achish said to David, “I shall appoint you as my permanent bodyguard.”

3Now, Samuel was dead. All Israel had mourned him and buried him in his city, Ramah. Meanwhile Saul had driven mediums and diviners out of the land.^a

Saul in Despair.

4The Philistines rallied and, coming to Shunem, they encamped. Saul, too, mustered all Israel; they camped on Gilboa.

5When Saul saw the Philistine camp, he grew afraid and lost heart completely.

6He consulted the LORD; but the LORD gave no answer, neither in dreams nor by Urim nor through prophets.^b

7Then Saul said to his servants, “Find me a medium^* through whom I can seek counsel.” His servants answered him, “There is a woman in Endor who is a medium.”^c

The Medium at Endor.

8So he disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and set out with two companions. They came to the woman at night, and Saul said to her, “Divine for me; conjure up the spirit I tell you.”^d

9But the woman answered him, “You know what Saul has done, how he expelled the mediums and diviners from the land. Then why are you trying to entrap me and get me killed?”

10But Saul swore to her by the LORD, “As the LORD lives, you shall incur no blame for this.”

11“Whom do you want me to conjure up?” the woman asked him. “Conjure up Samuel for me,” he replied.

Samuel Appears.

12When the woman saw Samuel, she shrieked at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

13But the king said to her, “Do not be afraid. What do you see?” “I see a god rising from the earth,” she replied.

14“What does he look like?” asked Saul. “An old man is coming up wrapped in a robe,” she replied. Saul knew that it was Samuel, and so he bowed his face to the ground in homage.

Saul’s Doom.

15^* Samuel then said to Saul, “Why do you disturb me by conjuring me up?” Saul replied: “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are waging war against me and God has turned away from me. Since God no longer answers me through prophets or in dreams, I have called upon you to tell me what I should do.”^e

16To this Samuel said: “But why do you ask me, if the LORD has abandoned you for your neighbor?^f

17The LORD has done to you what he declared through me: he has torn the kingdom from your hand and has given it to your neighbor David.

18“Because you disobeyed the LORD’s directive and would not carry out his fierce anger against Amalek, the LORD has done this to you today.^g

19Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel, and you as well, into the hands of the Philistines. By tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, and the LORD will have delivered the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”^h

20Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, in great fear because of Samuel’s message. He had no strength left, since he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

21Then the woman came to Saul and, seeing that he was quite terror-stricken, said to him: “Remember, your maidservant obeyed you: I took my life in my hands and carried out the request you made of me.

22Now you, in turn, please listen to your maidservant. Let me set out a bit of food for you to eat, so that you are strong enough to go on your way.”

23But he refused, saying, “I will not eat.” However, when his servants joined the woman in urging him, he listened to their entreaties, got up from the ground, and sat on a couch.

24The woman had a stall-fed calf in the house, which she now quickly slaughtered. Then taking flour, she kneaded it and baked unleavened bread.

25She set the meal before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left the same night.

1 Samuel 29

David’s Aid Rejected.

1Now the Philistines had mustered all their forces in Aphek, and the Israelites were encamped at the spring in Jezreel.^a

2As the Philistine lords were marching their units of a hundred and a thousand, David and his warriors were marching in the rear guard with Achish.

3The Philistine commanders asked, “What are those Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered them: “Why, that is David, the officer of Saul, king of Israel. He has been with me for a year or two, and from the day he came over to me until now I have never found fault in him.”^b

4But the Philistine commanders were angered at this and said to him: “Send that man back! Let him return to the place you picked out for him. He must not go down into battle with us; during the battle he might become our enemy. For how else can he win back his master’s favor, if not at the expense of our soldiers?^c

5Is this not the David for whom they sing during their dances,

‘Saul has slain his thousands,

David his tens of thousands’?”^d

6So Achish summoned David and said to him: “As the LORD lives, you are honest, and I would want you with me in all my battles. To this day I have found nothing wrong with you since you came to me. But in the view of the chiefs you are not welcome.

7Leave peacefully, now, and do nothing that might displease the Philistine chiefs.”

8But David said to Achish: “What have I done? What fault have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until today, that I cannot go to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

9“I recognize,” Achish answered David, “that you are trustworthy, like an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are saying, ‘He must not go with us into battle.’

10So the first thing tomorrow, you and your lord’s servants who came with you, go to the place I picked out for you. Do not take to heart their worthless remarks; for you have been valuable in my service. But make an early morning start, as soon as it grows light, and be on your way.”

11So David and his warriors left early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went on up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30

Ziklag in Ruins.

1Before David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and Ziklag. They stormed Ziklag, and set it on fire.^a

2They took captive the women and all who were in the city, young and old, killing no one, and they herded them off when they left.

3David and his men arrived at the city to find it burned to the ground and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive.

4Then David and those who were with him wept aloud until they could weep no more.

5David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, had also been carried off.^b

6Now David found himself in great danger, for the soldiers spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters. David took courage in the LORD his God

7^c and said to Abiathar, the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod!” When Abiathar brought him the ephod,

8David inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue these raiders? Can I overtake them?” The LORD answered him: Go in pursuit, for you will certainly overtake them and bring about a rescue.

Raid on the Amalekites.

9So David went off with his six hundred as far as the Wadi Besor, where those who were to remain behind halted.

10David continued the pursuit with four hundred, but two hundred were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor and remained behind.

11An Egyptian was found in the open country and brought to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink;

12they also offered a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of pressed raisins. When he had eaten, he revived, for he had not taken food nor drunk water for three days and three nights.

13Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where did you come from?” “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I fell sick.

14We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; and we set Ziklag on fire.”^d

15David then asked him, “Will you lead me down to these raiders?” He answered, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you down to the raiders.”

16So he led them down, and there were the Amalekites lounging all over the ground, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of all the rich plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

The Plunder Recovered.

17From dawn to sundown the next day David attacked them, allowing no one to escape except four hundred young men, who mounted their camels and fled.^e

18David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives.

19Nothing was missing, small or great, plunder or sons or daughters, of all that the Amalekites had taken. David brought back everything.

20Moreover, David took all the sheep and oxen, and as they drove these before him, they shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”

Division of the Plunder.

21When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him, whom he had left behind at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet David and the men with him. As David approached, he greeted them.

22But all the greedy and worthless among those who had accompanied David said, “Since they did not accompany us, we will not give them anything from the plunder, except for each man’s wife and children.”

23But David said: “You must not do this, my brothers, after what the LORD has given us. The LORD has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders that came against us.^f

24Who could agree with this proposal of yours? Rather, the share of the one who goes down to battle shall be the same as that of the one who remains with the baggage—they share alike.”^g

25And from that day forward he made this a law and a custom in Israel, as it still is today.^h

David’s Gifts to Judah.

26When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah,^* saying, “This is a gift to you from the plunder of the enemies of the LORD,” namely,

27to those in Bethel, Ramoth-negeb, Jattir,

28Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa,

29Racal, Jerahmeelite cities and Kenite cities,ⁱ

30Hormah, Borashan, Athach,

31Hebron, and to all the places that David and his men had frequented.^j

1 Samuel 31

Death of Saul and His Sons.

1^a Now the Philistines went to war against Israel, and the Israelites fled before them, and fell, slain on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons. When the Philistines had struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul,^b

3the fury of the battle converged on Saul. Then the archers hit him, and he was severely wounded.

4Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through; otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But the armor-bearer, badly frightened, refused, so Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.^c

5^d When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell upon his sword and died with him.

6Thus Saul, his three sons, and his armor-bearer died together on that same day.

7When the Israelites on the slope of the valley and those along the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in those cities.

8On the following day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9They cut off Saul’s head and stripped him of his armor; these they sent throughout the land of the Philistines to bring the good news to the temple of their idols and to the people.^e

10They put his armor in the temple of Astarte but impaled his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

Burial of Saul.

11^f When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12all their warriors set out and traveled through the night; they removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and, returning to Jabesh, burned them.^*

13Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

1 Samuel 31

Death of Saul and His Sons.

1^a Now the Philistines went to war against Israel, and the Israelites fled before them, and fell, slain on Mount Gilboa.

2The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons. When the Philistines had struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul,^b

3the fury of the battle converged on Saul. Then the archers hit him, and he was severely wounded.

4Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through; otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But the armor-bearer, badly frightened, refused, so Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.^c

5^d When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell upon his sword and died with him.

6Thus Saul, his three sons, and his armor-bearer died together on that same day.

7When the Israelites on the slope of the valley and those along the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in those cities.

8On the following day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.

9They cut off Saul’s head and stripped him of his armor; these they sent throughout the land of the Philistines to bring the good news to the temple of their idols and to the people.^e

10They put his armor in the temple of Astarte but impaled his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

Burial of Saul.

11^f When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,

12all their warriors set out and traveled through the night; they removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and, returning to Jabesh, burned them.^*

13Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

1 Corinthians 15

The Gospel Teaching.^*

1Now I am reminding you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you indeed received and in which you also stand.

2Through it you are also being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain.

3^* For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures;^a

4that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures;^b

5that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve.^c

6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.

7After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

8Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.^d

9For I am the least^* of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.^e

10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God [that is] with me.

11Therefore, whether it be I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Results of Denial.^*

12But if Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead?

13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then neither has Christ been raised.^f

14And if Christ has not been raised, then empty [too] is our preaching; empty, too, your faith.

15Then we are also false witnesses to God, because we testified against God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if in fact the dead are not raised.^g

16For if the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised,

17and if Christ has not been raised,^* your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.

18Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

19If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.

Christ the Firstfruits.^*

20^h But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits^* of those who have fallen asleep.

21^* For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came also through a human being.

22For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,ⁱ

23but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;^j

24then comes the end,^* when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power.^k

25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.^l

26^* The last enemy^m to be destroyed is death,

27^* for “he subjected everything under his feet.”ⁿ But when it says that everything has been subjected, it is clear that it excludes the one who subjected everything to him.

28When everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will [also] be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.^o

Practical Arguments.^*

29Otherwise, what will people accomplish by having themselves baptized for the dead?^* If the dead are not raised at all, then why are they having themselves baptized for them?

30^* Moreover, why are we endangering ourselves all the time?^p

31Every day I face death; I swear it by the pride in you [brothers] that I have in Christ Jesus our Lord.^q

32If at Ephesus I fought with beasts, so to speak, what benefit was it to me? If the dead are not raised:

“Let us eat and drink,

for tomorrow we die.”^r

33Do not be led astray:

“Bad company corrupts good morals.”

34Become sober as you ought and stop sinning. For some have no knowledge of God; I say this to your shame.^s

35^*But someone may say, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come back?”

The Resurrection Body.

36^* You fool! What you sow is not brought to life unless it dies.^t

37And what you sow is not the body that is to be but a bare kernel of wheat, perhaps, or of some other kind;

38^u but God gives it a body as he chooses, and to each of the seeds its own body.

39^* Not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for human beings, another kind of flesh for animals, another kind of flesh for birds, and another for fish.

40There are both heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the brightness of the heavenly is one kind and that of the earthly another.

41The brightness of the sun is one kind, the brightness of the moon another, and the brightness of the stars another. For star differs from star in brightness.

42^* So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown corruptible; it is raised incorruptible.

43It is sown dishonorable; it is raised glorious. It is sown weak; it is raised powerful.^v

44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual one.

45So, too, it is written, “The first man, Adam,^* became a living being,” the last Adam a life-giving spirit.^w

46But the spiritual was not first; rather the natural and then the spiritual.

47The first man was from the earth, earthly; the second man, from heaven.

48As was the earthly one, so also are the earthly, and as is the heavenly one, so also are the heavenly.

49Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image^* of the heavenly one.^x

The Resurrection Event.

50^* This I declare, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption^* inherit incorruption.^y

51^* Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed,^z

52in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.^a

53For that which is corruptible must clothe itself with incorruptibility, and that which is mortal must clothe itself with immortality.^b

54^* And when this which is corruptible clothes itself with incorruptibility and this which is mortal clothes itself with immortality, then the word that is written shall come about:^c

“Death is swallowed up in victory.

55Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”^d

56The sting of death is sin,^* and the power of sin is the law.^e

57But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.^f

58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be firm, steadfast, always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Sermons Rosary Prayers Catholic Answers

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)