PRACTICAL DIRECTIONS FOR THE PUBLIC USE OF CHARISMS
A Summary of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40~As the Apostle terminated his discussions on idol-worship and the love-feasts with certain practical rules which he wished to be observed (10:14-11:1; 11:33 ff.), so now, passing from the theoretical doctrine of charisms to practice, he instructs the Corinthians how they should make use of their gifts of tongues and of prophecy in the public assemblies of the faithful for the good of the Church.
26. How is it then, brethren? When you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a revelation, hath a tongue, hath an interpretation: let all things be done to edification.
27. If any speak with a tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and in course, and let one interpret.
28. But if there be no interpreter, let him hold his peace in the church, and speak to himself and to God.
How is it then, etc. Better, “What is it then,” i.e., what are we to conclude from what has been said about tongues and prophecy? How are you to exercise these gifts in public?
Every one of you, i.e., all of you who have some special gift. Different ones had different gifts, as we see here. Some had a psalm, i.e., an original spiritual canticle with which to praise God, as the Blessed Virgin uttered the Magnificat, and Zachary, the Benedictus. St. Paul has not mentioned this gift before. Others had doctrine, i.e., “the word of knowledge” (12:8), which was proper to Doctors; others again had a revelation, i.e., prophecy; still others had tongues and interpretation. All of these, the Apostle says, should be used for the purpose of edifying, 27, 28. After the general rule just given touching all charisms the Apostle now speaks in particular about tongues. If, in the public assemblies of the faithful there are present some who can speak with tongues, two or three of them may make public use of their gift, not together but in turn, provided there be present also an interpreter. If they have no interpreter, the gift of tongues must not be used except in private, for personal edification and communion with God (verse 4).
The church refers to the public assembly of the faithful, not to a building.
29. And let the prophets speak, two or three; and let the rest judge.
The prophets, etc., i.e., two or three of those who pretend to have the gift of prophecy, may also speak in the public assemblies; while the rest, i.e., they who have the gift of discerning spirits (12:10), should judge whether those who prophesy are real or false prophets.
30. But if anything be revealed to another sitting, let the first hold his peace.
From this verse it is clear that the prophets spoke one at a time, and that standing. If, while one was speaking, something were revealed by the Holy Ghost to another nearby, the first should draw his discourse to a close in favor of the other who wanted to speak.
31. For you may all prophesy one by one; that all may learn, and all may be exhorted:
You may all prophesy, i.e., all who have the gift of prophecy may exercise it, one after another, two or three at each assembly (verse 29), so that all may learn, i.e., so that all the faithful may have a chance to be instructed and consoled by those whose speaking is most useful to them individually. The prophets, like ordinary preachers, appealed differently to different individuals; and St. Paul is anxious that all the faithful may derive the utmost personal profit from the prophecies delivered to them.
Exhortentur of the Vulgate is to be understood in a passive sense.
32. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
The Apostle forestalls a difficulty against what he said in verse 30. Because the prophets spoke under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they might say that they should not be interrupted in their discourses. In reply to this St. Paul says the spirits of the prophets, i.e., the gift of prophecy with which the prophets were endowed, was subject to them; they could exercise it or not at will. Hence there was no reason why they should not stop talking when requested.
33. For God is not the God of dissension, but of peace; as also I teach in all the churches of the saints.
Another reason why a prophet should desist from discoursing when another wished to speak was that discord and dissension might be avoided. God is the author and lover of peace and harmony (Rom 15:33), and in bestowing His various gifts He desires not to frustrate, but to promote these blessings.
As also, etc. Most editions and versions of the Bible join this final clause to the preceding words, and so the older interpreters understood the meaning to be: “I teach in all the churches that God is the God of peace” (Rom 15:33; Philip 4:9). But this opinion seems unlikely. In the first place, there appears to be little reason for telling the Corinthians that he taught everywhere such an obvious truth as this; and secondly, the phrase I teach is not in the best MSS. Hence nearly all modern commentators join the above clause to the following verse, and make it read: “As in all the churches of the saints, let women keep silent,” etc. (Cornely, Bisping, Beelen, Van Steenkiste, etc.). The
Vulgate follows the first opinion.
34. Let women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted them to speak, but to be subject, as also the law saith.
St. Paul here forbids women to speak publicly in the church, that is, to take public part in the solemn functions of the Church. A discharge of such offices implies a certain preeminence and superiority which does not belong to women, since by nature they ought to be subject to man, as the Law (Gen 3:16) requires. I do not here wish to enter into the fray surrounding this particular passage of Scripture. The explanations, interpretations, suggestions, denials, caveats, etc., advanced by modern scholars regarding this subject are legion, not something that can be dealt with in a brief notation in a blog post. I’ll merely note that the claim-extremely popular today-that the teaching (however it is to be interpreted) does not come from St Paul but, rather, is an early interpolation is to be rejected. See WOMEN IN THE PRIESTHOOD, by Manfred Hauke, pages 340-403 for a good treatment of the interpolation hypothesis and other issues related to the subject in St Paul’s writings.
It would seem from 11:4, 5 that the Apostle implied that women might sometimes prophesy in the public religious assemblies, provided they were veiled; but from the present passage, as well as 1 Tim 2:12, where he forbids women “to teach” in church, it must be concluded that in chapter 11 he was speaking about all the women who attended the public church services and joined in the prayers and prophecies by a union of spirit, and by answering Amen (MacR.). St Paul does appear to be talking about two different things in 1 Cor 11 and in the current passage (see Hauke, WOMEN IN THE CHURCH, pages 372 ff for this verse and what follows).
To be subject, is according to the infinitive reading υποτασσεσθαι
(D F G, Old Latin and Vulg.); but the imperative, “Let them be
subject” (υποτασσεσθωσαν) , is read in the three oldest MSS.
35. But if they would learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is a shame for a woman to speak in the church.
If women do not understand something that is said in church, they must not publicly seek an explanation there, but wait until they return home, and there interrogate their husbands. If unmarried women desire enlightenment and instruction, let them ask their fathers or brothers at home. The same reason holds for all, which is that it is unbecoming a woman’s modesty to speak publicly in the church.
36. Or did the word of God come out from you? or came it only unto you?
Perhaps the Corinthians would attempt to justify their abuses by saying they were following the practice of their Church; but St. Paul reminds them that they are not the mother, or the only Church in Christendom, and that, therefore, they must conform to the discipline and practice of the more ancient Church of the Apostles and first Christians.
37. If any seem to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him know the things that I write to you, that they are the commandments of the Lord.
The Apostle now tells the Corinthians that there is divine authority behind the precepts and rules he has been giving them. If any one seem to be, etc., i.e., thinks he has the gift of prophecy, or any other spiritual gift, he ought to know that what I write to you is according to the will of God. From this it is clear that St. Paul was conscious of the fact that he was speaking in the name of God and with the authority of Christ Himself (Rom 12:3; 1 Cor 2:10-16; 7:40; 2 Cor 13:3; 1 John 4:6).
Commandments. The best authorities read the singular “commandment”; others of less weight omit the term altogether; the Rec, Vulg., and Peshitto have the plural, as here.
38. But if any man know not, he shall not be known.
Know not, i.e., will not recognize that what I have said comes from God, he shall not be known (αγνοειται, with N D F G and Vulg.), i.e., he shall not be recognized by God as a prophet or as having any supernatural gift; or, “let him remain not knowing” (αγνοειτω, with B E and Peshitto), i.e., let him continue in his wilful ignorance.
39. Wherefore, brethren, be zealous to prophesy: and forbid not to speak with tongues.
40. But let all things be done decently, and according to order.
Summing up what he has said about prophecy and the gift of tongues the Apostle encourages the brethren at Corinth to be zealous for the former, which especially edifies the Church, and not to forbid the latter, which also, in its degree, contributes to edification, in particular when united with the gift of interpretation. In general he desires all things to be done in a becoming manner (alluding to what he said about women not speaking in church) and in proper order (alluding to what he said in regard to speaking with tongues and prophesying one after another).
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