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About marriage and life in marriage (1–9). On the dissolution of marriage, on circumcision and slavery (10–24). Should virgins and widows marry? (25–40) 1 Corinthians 7:1–9. In the Corinthian Church, in contrast to the previous pagan laxity of morals, some Christians began to defend the idea that it is not even proper for a Christian to enter into marriage, and those who have already entered into marriage should live separately - husband and wife. Such opponents of marriage probably appeared among Christians converted by St. Paul, who himself was unmarried and, as can be seen from this chapter, preferred virginity to marriage. The Apostle now had to decide how a Christian should look at marriage, and he does this in the present section. The main idea that he pursues here is that although celibacy has in itself an advantage over marriage, nevertheless, in practice, marriage should be the most common occurrence. In the same way, those who are married should live as husband and wife. 1 Corinthians 7:1. And what you wrote to me about is that it is good for a man not to touch a woman. “What did you write about” - Ap. Until now I have asked questions on my own. He now turns to the solution of the questions posed to him in the letter that the Corinthians sent him. – “Good” (καλόν). Some (for example, Blessed Jerome) understand this term in a moral sense (“good,” i.e., pleasing to God) and therefore draw the conclusion from this that touching a woman as a wife is generally bad, immoral. But such an interpretation goes directly against the high idea of ​​marriage that Ap. Paul gives, for example, in the last. to the Ephesians (Eph. 5:25–33). Others understand this term in the sense of indicating the simple usefulness of virginity ("good" i.e. convenient, useful in many respects). Although from the comparison of Ev. Matthew (Matt. 5:29 and Matt. 18:8), where in one case there is the word “good” (καλόν), and in the other “useful” (συμφέρειν), and one can conclude the likelihood of such an explanation, however, it is doubtful that Ap. Paul understood by the word καλόν only outward convenience, external benefit. Among the Greeks, the concept of καλόν meant rather something beautiful, decent, which certainly adorns true virtue. Ap. in the same way, in all likelihood, he uses it in this sense - after all, he wrote to the Greeks! Celibacy is for him a completely suitable and honorable state, in which no offense is made to the moral ideal. The basis for this statement is Ap. could be found in the example of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, in whom we have the highest realization of moral beauty in human form, as well as in the words of Christ that in the future life people will not marry (Luke 20:34, 35). From the last words it is clear that the Christian ideal is realized in the person of an unmarried person even more fully and brightly than in the person of a married person. If in the book. Genesis contains the words: “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen. 2:18), these words were spoken when man was alone in the full sense of the word. At the present time, this loneliness does not have the same character that it had for Adam: around an unmarried person there are always people in communication with whom he can live, and most importantly, a Christian person is in close communication with his brothers in the Church and with the Head of the Church Himself - the Lord Jesus Christ. But it should be noted that Ap. does not at all say that celibacy in itself is more sacred, holier than married life. He only wants to say that it does not contain anything indecent or unbecoming a Christian. – “To touch a woman” - to marry a woman or enter into marriage (John Chrysostom). 1 Corinthians 7:2. But, in order to avoid fornication, each have his own wife, and each have his own husband. But no matter how respectable the celibate state may be in itself, it cannot be a common occurrence and a general rule of life. – “But to avoid fornication” (τάς πορνείας). This plural (from πορνεία) recalls the many temptations and sins of this kind that existed in Corinth. - “Everyone - every one” - of course, with the exceptions indicated in verses 7 (a special gift for a celibate life) and 25-28 (about virgins). – Some interpreters see in this place the humiliation of marriage, which, according to the apostle, seems to have only a negative meaning, as a protection against various manifestations of fornication. They say that according to the Apostle it turns out that marriage is an evil, albeit a lesser one, which must be committed only to avoid a greater evil. But to this objection it must be said that Ap. I did not at all want to offer here any of my theories about marriage: he only answers the question proposed to him by the Corinthians. A Art. 14th chapter in question and art. Chapter 3 XI ​​(1 Cor. 11:3), where marriage is put in relation to the relationship between Christ and man, and then between God the Father and Christ, clearly indicate that Apostle. Paul had a fairly definite understanding of the moral side of marriage. 1 Corinthians 7:3. The husband show his wife due favor; likewise is a wife to her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:4. The wife has no power over her body, but the husband does; Likewise, the husband has no power over his body, but the wife does. 1 Corinthians 7:5. Do not deviate from each other, except by agreement, for a while, to exercise in fasting and prayer, and then be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you with your intemperance. But in order for marriage to achieve its goal, for this it is necessary to live in marriage as the very essence of this institution requires: each spouse must fulfill his marital duty (most ancient manuscripts read only this word - “duty” (τήν οφειλήν), and not “due goodwill” (τήν οφειλομένην ευνοίαν): both spouses are obliged to sacrifice their personal independence to each other. Hence, celibacy is “good” (καλόν) - “Do not shy away”, according to the apostle, you can only: 1) by mutual consent; 2) for a while, for a certain period of time and 3) for exercise in matters of piety - specifically for prayer (the addition: “for fasting” is found only in a very small number of manuscripts). 1 Cor.7:6. However, I said this as permission, and not as a command. 1 Cor.7:7. For I wish that all people were like me; but everyone has his own gift from God, one this way, the other another. What the Apostle said in verse 2 could seem to readers as a strict command to definitely get married. But actually Ap. expressed this as “permission” (συγγνώμη), and not as “command” (επιταγή). Ap. obviously does not want to express strict orders regarding the obligation of marriage. He only gives advice - because he cannot help but condescend to the excusable weaknesses of the Corinthians (according to St. Ephraim indulgene, non imperane) - advice or permission to get married. On the contrary, if he wanted to express his personal attitude towards marriage, he would rather suggest observing virginity: “for I wish that all people were like me.” But what does it mean: “like me”? Does this indicate Ap. on the desirability of celibacy? Hardly Ap. in this case I could say better: “like Christ.” Most likely, with these words Ap. expresses the desire that all Christians should be so free from sensual desires that, like the apostle, they would not feel any special deprivation by remaining celibate. Now they are not like that, but to the Corinthians, for example, Ap. forced, in view of their condition, to advise what actually contradicts his personal views. Through such a change in the mood of Christians, marriage, however, would not have lost its meaning in life - only the motive for marriage, which the apostle designated with the expression: “to avoid fornication,” would have disappeared, and the Corinthian Christians would have married freely, according to the requirements of their Christian state. That this desire of the apostle, however, is impossible to fulfill, that on the way to its fulfillment it even encounters an obstacle from God, this is what Ap. says this: “but everyone has his own gift from God, one this way, another another.” “Gift” (χάρισμα) is the ability given from God to a known person for some special action (1 Cor. 1:7, 12:4 et seq. Rom. 12:6), - here it is freedom from sexual temptations or abstinence (εγκράτεια). This freedom is not given by God to everyone; others receive in return gifts of a different kind, which require another field for their manifestation, in addition to the relationship to marriage. 1 Cor.7:8. To the unmarried and widows I say: it is good for them to remain as I do. Here is Ap. draws a corollary from the proposition that celibacy is “good.” It is good for both celibate men (i.e., unmarried and widowed) and widows to remain in this position. - Why Ap. does not mention widowers separately, but does he mention widows? The widowhood of a woman puts her in slightly different, more unfavorable conditions than a man - it is more difficult for her to live, and therefore Ap. considered it necessary to say that he does not exclude even in his indication such unsecured persons as widows. Moreover, the widow herself could decide her own destiny, which was not granted to the girl. That's why Ap is here. and did not mention the virgins. 1 Cor.7:9. But if they cannot abstain, let them marry; for it is better to marry than to become inflamed. Here is a consequence of the general rule according to which the marital state should be ordinary. If a person, remaining celibate, cannot avoid sin, then let him get married, because sin is evil, and marriage is not evil. 1 Cor.7:10–24. Thus Ap. resolved the main question - regarding whether to marry or not to marry. Now he resolves issues related to the main thing - and above all the question of the permissibility of divorce. According to him, divorce is sinful, even if the party they want to leave belongs to the pagan society. Only if a pagan spouse desires a divorce, a Christian should not resist this. At the same time, Ap. gives additional instructions (vv. 17–24) on how a Christian should generally look at his external condition - at circumcision, if he was previously a Jew, at slavery, if he turned to faith while a slave. 1 Cor.7:10. And to those who have entered into marriage I command, not I, but the Lord: the wife should not divorce her husband, - 1 Corinthians 7:11. If she gets divorced, she must remain single, or be reconciled with her husband, and the husband must not leave his wife. Here, obviously, is Ap. means Christian spouses, for whom only the commands of Christ mattered. - “It is not I who command, but the Lord.” Christ the Savior, indeed, gave such a command. It is preserved in the Gospels (see Matt. 5:32, 19:9; Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18). At that time, of course, believers could become familiar with this commandment from the oral preaching of preachers of the Gospel. - But why Ap. makes a distinction between his commands (v. 12) and the commands of the Lord? Does he not thereby diminish the significance of his apostolic injunctions? One might think that Ap. I wanted to distinguish by this the direct, definite commands of the Lord, which Christians must fulfill without any reasoning, from their own instructions, which were significant only for the Churches founded by the Apostle himself. Pavel. Moreover, he considered it necessary, when offering his instructions, to justify them one way or another (cf. vv. 14 and 16), which was not required when presenting the command of the Lord. “A wife should not divorce her husband.” Ap. omits here the addition made by Christ: “except for the guilt of fornication” (Matthew 5:32), because he did not want to allow this fornication to be possible among Christians. Why does he turn to his wife first? Because the wife, as a weaker and more dependent being, most likely could have come from a statement of desire to get a divorce. (Ap. here refers to the custom of Greece, not Judea) 4. - “Must remain celibate.” Ap. This teaches us to recognize the importance of marriage. It cannot be concluded frivolously and then broken just as frivolously in order to conclude a new one. Second marriage for a divorced wife - and also, of course, for a husband who has divorced his wife - Ap. does not allow: either be celibate, bear all the hardships associated with divorce, or return to your husband - these are just two outcomes for a woman who has divorced her husband. About the innocent party who remains lonely after the departure of the guilty spouse, Ap. says nothing and thereby gives her the opportunity to enter into a new marriage. Thus, the state, due to its special considerations, applied to the state of human morals (cf. Matthew 19:8: Moses “out of the hardness of heart” of the Jews allowed divorce), may allow the party guilty of the divorce to marry, but this establishment will be purely state, and not church. The Church cannot bless such marriages, performing them in the name of the Lord, and all condescensions that are made in this regard contradict the direct command of the Lord, as this command is set out by Ap. Paul in verse 11. 1 Corinthians 7:12. To the rest I say, not the Lord: if a brother has an unbelieving wife, and she agrees to live with him, then he should not leave her; 1 Cor.7:13. and a wife who has an unbelieving husband, and he agrees to live with her, should not leave him. It could happen that in Corinth or elsewhere, only one of the spouses converted to Christianity, while the other continued to remain in paganism or Judaism. Thus, mixed marriages appeared. Christ did not give any command in relation to such marriages, and therefore Apostle himself. takes upon himself the task of giving instructions regarding such cases, based, of course, on what he knew from the teaching of Christ. By this mention of the fact that Paul’s instruction is given here, he does not want, of course, to weaken its power (cf. v. 10). - How does Up decide? question about such mixed marriages? The whole point lies in the desire of the spouse who does not believe in Christ: if he wants to continue marital cohabitation with a Christian wife, or an unbeliever wife with a Christian husband, then the marriage remains in full force. Thus, cohabitation with an unbeliever, according to the Apostle, does not impose any stain on the believing spouse. 1 Corinthians 7:14. For an unbelieving husband is sanctified by a believing wife, and an unbelieving wife is sanctified by a believing husband. Otherwise your children would be unclean, but now they are holy The reason why the Apostle allows such mixed marriages is because of the sanctifying power of the Christian religion, which not only prevents the unbelieving party from tainting the believing one, but even has a certain sanctifying effect on the unbelieving spouse. – “Consecrated” (ηγίασται) – more precisely: “sanctified” or “dedicated.” The non-Christian side is already sanctified into the Christian side through its agreement to live with the Christian side. This agreement is the same as faith in the believer’s relationship to Christ. The non-Christian spouse is already dedicated to God through internal and external communication with his Christian spouse 5 . - To prove the validity of such consecration and dedication of Ap. refers to a fact well known in the Church: “your children... are holy.” Ap. wants to say the following. If a Christian mother admits that her children are holy, although their father is a pagan, then all the more should she believe in her sanctifying meaning in relation to her pagan husband. Children have innate impurity; they cannot yet express their consent to remain with their Christian mother, but they are truly holy (άγια is stronger than the expression ηγίασται), truly sanctified and dedicated to God by virtue of internal communication with a Christian parent or parent. Moreover, adult people, spouses who do not believe in Christ, can be sanctified by virtue of their communication with Christian spouses. - In all likelihood, Ap. here refers to the sacrament of baptism, which, according to the testimony of Origen (comment. in epiet. ad. Cor. t. V:9), was performed under the Apostles and on children. However, here he ascribes “holiness” to the children not because of the baptism performed on them, but this baptism itself, according to the context of the speech, was for him a sign and factual proof of the holy state in which the children of Christians were. Thus, the Jews did not become descendants of Abraham because they accepted circumcision, but their very descent from Abraham gave them the right to receive circumcision. The whole point here lies in the close internal communication of children with Christian parents, thanks to which they are in a grace-filled union with Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:15. If an unbeliever wants to get a divorce, let him get a divorce; the brother or sister is not related in such cases; The Lord has called us to peace. 1 Corinthians 7:16. Why do you know, wife, whether you will save your husband? Or do you, husband, why do you know if you won’t save your wife? In the event that a non-Christian spouse does not want to live in marriage with a Christian woman, the latter must leave him. - “In such cases they are not connected.” Ap. What he means here, of course, is the transitory nature of all earthly relationships, in comparison with the eternal interests, which alone are of mandatory importance for the believer. – “Towards the world” (εν ειρήνη) – more precisely: “in the world.” Ap. wants to say that believers are called “in the world,” that is, they have received peace with God, and because of this, their entire earthly life should bear the stamp of peace. - “Why do you know?” Compliance, calm consent to divorce, which a Christian spouse gives to her pagan spouse, may perhaps endear him even more to the Christian religion, and to the consciousness of his guilt before his wife, than the wife’s stubborn defense of her rights to live together with her husband. 1 Corinthians 7:17. Just each act as God has determined for him, and each as the Lord has called. This is what I command in all churches. Ap. looks at all national and social relations from the same point of view from which he looked at marriage. In the verse under consideration he expresses a general proposition which is decisive for all questions of this kind: every believer must remain in the same environment in which he was when he was called to salvation. – “Walk” (περιπατεῖν) – more precisely: “walk, live.” - “Across all churches” - of course, according to those founded by Ap himself. Pavel. - From this it is clear that the Gospel went into the world with complete confidence in victory, with the confidence that it was able to gradually penetrate with its spirit all life relationships. It was far from any revolutionary aspirations and plans... 1 Cor.7:18. If anyone is called to be circumcised, do not hide yourself; If anyone is called uncircumcised, do not be circumcised. 1 Corinthians 7:19. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is everything. The first example of such an attitude of Christianity to the external conditions of life is the injunction of the Apostle, directed, on the one hand, to those called to the Church who are circumcised, and on the other, to the uncircumcised. Both the one and the other Ap. commands to remain on the outside as they were before the adoption of Christianity - the circumcised should not be ashamed of his circumcision, should not hide its traces by any means, the uncircumcised should not be circumcised. As for the first, there were also such among the Jews during the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes (1 Mac. 1:15). The Jews who converted to Christianity, naturally, could be ashamed of circumcision, the traces of which they bore on themselves, and try to erase these traces with something. 1 Cor.7:20. Everyone remain in the rank in which they are called. It is more correct to translate this verse as follows: “everyone remain faithful to the calling (κλῆσις call, calling to salvation) through which (η) he was called.” We must not, however, forget that the concept of “vocation” also includes all external circumstances that gave rise to it and which determine the very nature or method of calling. How different was the treatment of the circumcised and the uncircumcised! And it is impossible to move out willfully from this state established by God. This state did not prevent a person from hearing the call of God - on the contrary, it even contributed to the person’s conversion, and therefore in later life, after conversion, it can serve him to prove his loyalty to God. 1 Corinthians 7:21. Whether you are called to be a slave, do not be embarrassed; but if you can become free, then use the best. The second example that the Gospel does not seek to destroy existing external relations between people is presented by the apostle's view of the permissibility of slavery for a Christian. It seemed that there was no institution so contrary to the Christian spirit - Christian holiness, dignity and freedom - as slavery, but Ap. admonishes slaves who have converted to Christianity not to be embarrassed by this discrepancy. Even if a slave can free himself from slavery, he will do better if he begins to serve his master with even greater zeal. So, in our opinion, based, moreover, on the authority of ancient church interpreters, under whose leadership the Slavic translators translated the 2nd half of the verse in question, the words should be understood: μᾶλλον χρῆσαι, which are unclearly conveyed in the Russian translation by the expression: “use the best.” Ap. looks at being in slavery as a feat that a Christian takes upon himself. A Christian slave must remember that he was called to Christ as a slave, that Christ found him worthy of His fellowship, despite his slave state, and therefore he should not strive to change this position to another 6. 1 Corinthians 7:22. For the servant who is called in the Lord is the freeman of the Lord; likewise, he who is called free is a servant of Christ. 1 Corinthians 7:23. You are bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Ap. considers it all the more natural for a Christian slave to remain in slavery since in a Christian environment the distinction between masters and slaves does not really exist. - “Called in the Lord,” that is, called through the Lord Jesus Christ. If he followed this call, he thereby became free in his soul, and slavery is not scary for him. On the contrary, a called free person feels that he has become a servant of the Lord, and this gives him not sadness, but joy. In view of the fact that God purchased Christians as His slaves at a high price - the sacrifice of His Son for the sins of people - Christians should serve only God and not become in an attitude of slavish submission to people - various agitators who probably persuaded the Corinthian slaves to throw off slavery by any means, as completely incompatible with their high position as God's chosen ones (cf. 1 Cor. 4:15, 8). 1 Corinthians 7:24. In whatever rank one is called, brethren, in that each one shall remain before God. This is the conclusion to the thoughts expressed from verses 17 to 23. - “Before God”, a Christian, remaining in the same external position and after accepting faith, must at the same time put himself before the face of God, correcting his, perhaps, low duties, out of pleasing God. The fulfillment of such duties becomes through this equal to divine service. 1 Cor.7:25–40. Since the fate of girls in ancient times was decided by their fathers, who themselves chose husbands for their daughters, Ap. considers it necessary to give special admonition to Christian parents. He advises it is better not to marry off your daughters, if possible (25-26), firstly, in view of the difficult times that Christianity was going through at that time (27-31), and secondly, in view of the advantages that celibacy has over marriage when it comes to pleasing the Lord (32-38). Finally, Ap also advises. and widows (39–40). 1 Corinthians 7:25. Regarding virginity, I do not have a command from the Lord, but I give advice as someone who has received the grace from the Lord to be faithful to Him. “As one who has received” is more correct: as one who, by the grace of God, can give you good advice; or: to be a faithful leader for you. – Ap. obviously speaks here with some irony. The Corinthians seem to have asked him if there was a direct “command” from Christ, as if not satisfied with his apostolic words. Ap. reminds them that even if he does not have a direct command from Christ, but gives only his own advice, then these advice should still deserve attention as the advice of a person who penetrated especially deeply with his mind, moreover, under the guidance of the Spirit of God, into the mysteries of the Christian faith. 1 Corinthians 7:26. Out of real need, I recognize for the best that it is good for a person to remain like this. "According to present need" (διά τ ενεστῶσαν ανάγκην). Ap. means here the entire period that must pass between the descent of the Holy Spirit on believers and the second coming of Christ. This is a period of “need” or constant struggle between new and old life (cf. Luke 12:51) and “present need”, that is, one that has already come, begun. The persecution of Christianity by the pagan authorities was soon to begin. All this prompts the Apostle to advise celibate people to remain in a celibate state. - It is more correct to translate the entire verse as follows: “I believe that remaining a virgin, in view of the difficult time that has already come for Christians, is better, because in general it is good for a person to remain that way, that is, celibate.” That. the first half of the verse indicates a special reason for celibacy, and the second half gives a general reason for the same. 1 Corinthians 7:27. Are you connected to your wife? don't look for a divorce. Are you left without a wife? don't look for a wife. 1 Corinthians 7:28. However, even if you get married, you will not sin; and if the girl marries, she will not sin. But such will have tribulations according to the flesh; and I feel sorry for you. The thought of the inconveniences associated with the marital state of Ap. here it reveals with greater detail. Of course, there is no sin in married life, but in the current state of Christianity, a married person will have to endure a lot of troubles in life, which are easier for a person to endure when he is single. - “Sorrow according to the flesh” are external, bodily needs, which should have been especially depressing for family Christians during persecution. 1 Corinthians 7:29. I tell you, brethren: the time is short, so those who have wives must be as if they had not; 1 Cor.7:30. and those who weep as if they were not weeping; and those who rejoice, as if they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as if they did not acquire; 1 Corinthians 7:31. and those who use this world as if they do not use it; for the image of this world passes away. “Time is already short.” The moment is not far away when the present order of things must end. We do not know how long the present phase of the life of the Church will continue (cf. Mark 13:32). In view of this, one should not plunge one’s heart and mind into earthly things; marriage, joy, sadness, trade and the use of the world in general - all this is fleeting. Of course, Ap. does not deprive Christians of all joy and does not prohibit concern for worldly things, but only warns against excessiveness in both. – “Users of the world” - this expression embraces marriage, property, trade, as well as all political, scientific and artistic activities. All such people, according to the Apostle, should look at what occupies them as temporary, quickly passing, without becoming attached to it with all the strength of their soul. – Can this requirement also be applied to Christians of the present time, before whom the specter of the near end of the world does not stand with such relief? It is quite possible, because not a single person should be confident in the durability of the results of his activity: in science, in art, and in politics, everything is constantly replaced by one another and, therefore, in general, the feelings of a modern Christian should not differ from those feelings with which a Christian of the apostolic age worked in different areas of life and art. And how to draw the line between “using” and “not using the world” - his moral tact should already tell a Christian about this. 1 Corinthians 7:32. And I want you to be worry-free. An unmarried man cares about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord; 1 Cor.7:33. But a married man worries about worldly things, how to please his wife. There is a difference between a married woman and a girl: 1 Corinthians 7:34. the unmarried woman cares about the Lord, how to please the Lord, in order to be holy in both body and spirit; but a married woman worries about worldly things, how to please her husband. Ap. He now speaks no longer about the extraordinary worries that should depress Christian parents during times of persecution of the Church, but simply about the moral difficulties that married life leads to at any time. A free, lonely person can - if he wants - to devote himself entirely and without hesitation to serving the Lord. On the contrary, a married man has to take into account the wishes of his wife, whose support is also a sacred duty for him. “There is a difference between a married woman and a maiden” - in Greek. Μεμέρισται η γυνή καί η παρθένος . Obviously these words, according to this reading, refer to the 34th verse. But according to the best reading, they should be read like this: καί μεμέρισται. and divided, i.e. “the married man cares about the things of the world... and is divided” - divided in his aspirations between affection for Christ and worldly concerns. Then, according to this reading, there is an expression that begins the 34th verse: η γυνή η άγαμος καί η παρθενος η άγαμος, i.e. an unmarried woman (widow) and an unmarried maiden μεριμνᾶ - cares, etc. - “To be holy in both body and spirit.” It does not at all follow from this that cohabitation with a husband is sinful for a woman and defiles her body and spirit. This expression only means that the said maiden or widow decided to devote herself entirely to serving the Lord. In marriage, a woman is not alone in control of her body, but also her husband (cf. v. 4), and her soul is divided between earthly and heavenly concerns. 1 Cor.7:35. I say this for your own benefit, not to put bonds on you, but so that you serve the Lord decently and continually without distraction. Ap. wants here to defend himself against the suspicion that he gives instructions to believers only in relation to his own views. No, he pursues only the true benefit of believers and wants to show them the simplest way to serve God without hindrance. It can be assumed that at the same time the apostle was presented with the image of Mary, sitting at the feet of Christ in Bethany and listening to His words (cf. Luke 10:39–42). 1 Corinthians 7:36. If anyone considers it indecent for his maiden to remain like this when she is of mature age, let him do as he wants: he will not sin; let them get married. 1 Corinthians 7:37. But whoever is unshakably firm in his heart and, not being constrained by need, but being powerful in his own will, decides in his heart to keep his virgin, he does well. 1 Corinthians 7:38. Therefore, he who gives his maiden in marriage does well; and the one who does not issue does better. Here is Ap. draws a practical conclusion from the above. He takes two possible cases in relation to the situation of the girls, and gives instructions on how to proceed in both of these cases. The first case: the girl's father finds it more decent for her to marry her off. Ap. to this he says that this person will not sin by carrying out his decision (it should be noted that old maids in ancient times incurred contempt - cf. Ps. 77:63). Another case: it happens that a father has a firm conviction that a celibate life is better for his daughter than a married life, when, moreover, from those closest to him (his daughter and his wife) he does not encounter serious obstacles to fulfilling his decision. If he decided to finally keep or save his daughter only for serving the Lord, then he acted in this case better than the one who decided to give his daughter in marriage. – Establishing this position, Ap. was not afraid that the implementation of this provision would put an end to the existence of mankind. He knew that not all Christians have the inclination or gift for a celibate life (cf. v. 7) 7 . 1 Cor.7:39. A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; if her husband dies, she is free to marry whomever she wants, only in the Lord. 1 Cor.7:40. But she will be happier if she remains like this, according to my advice; but I think that I also have the Spirit of God. About the widows of Ap. considers it necessary to say separately from widowers (vv. 8 and 9) because the position of the former was somewhat different than the latter. While the public opinion of antiquity was quite favorable towards the second marriage of widowers, it was considered more decent for a widow to remain unmarried all her life (cf. Luke 2:36, 37). - “Only in the Lord,” - that is, only so that she and her new husband remain in communion with Christ. This means that a widow can “only” marry a Christian. – “According to my advice” – see Art. 6–7 and 10th. - “I think...” There is obviously an irony here. Ap. means those of his opponents who even refused to recognize him as having any divine inspiration, which was the lot of the majority of ordinary Christians in Corinth... In Judea, a wife had no right to initiate divorce proceedings. According to Ph. Bachmann here we are talking about the holiness of the pagan spouse for the Church, that is, for all other members of the Church who look at such a person as “one of their own”, and are not afraid of being defiled, for example, at a meal by his presence Godet believes that Ap. means something else and, in his opinion, this passage should be translated as follows: but if you could become free, then it is better to make use of this opportunity (and do not remain in slavery). The most convincing significance, according to Godet, should be the consideration that Ap. I could not give such “unreasonable” advice to a Christian slave. Freedom is a good by which a person in a certain respect resembles God, and to give up freedom voluntarily means harming oneself... But these considerations are not convincing enough. It must be remembered that the Gospel did not want to change social relations and sought to transform the inner state of man. Only by making a person free inside could an end be put to his external slavery. Some interpreters (Grafe, Achelis) believe that we are not talking about fathers, but about guardians, who sometimes were in a “spiritual” marriage with the girls entrusted to their care (virgines subintroductae) and therefore did not want to marry them off. But this custom is a phenomenon of later times, and Ap. couldn't mean it here. For more details, see Ph. Bachmann You might be interested in: