Глава 8

The question of food sacrificed to idols from the point of view of the general Christian view of idols (1–7). The concepts of idols, however, are not the same for all Christians, and the well-known duties of one Christian in relation to another should be based on this (8–13) 1 Corinthians 8:1–7. The position of Christians in Corinth and other Greek cities in relation to their pagan fellow citizens was quite difficult. On the one hand, they could not break off all family and friendly relations with them - this was not in the interests of the Gospel. On the other hand, by maintaining these relationships, Christians were exposed to various kinds of temptations and could turn out to be unfaithful to the Christian principles of life. So they were often invited to dinners with the pagans, and these dinners consisted of dishes consecrated in pagan temples, or were directly arranged at these temples immediately after making a sacrifice on the occasion of some family celebration. From the remains of the sacrifice, a feast was organized for its bearers. Sometimes these remnants were directly sold to the market and could, out of ignorance, be bought by Christians. – How did Christians react to this circumstance? Some, the most free from prejudices, said that pagan gods are only a product of human imagination and that therefore one can eat such dishes without any harm to one’s mental state; others avoided such feasts and such dishes, fearing through them to submit to harmful demonic influence. If the first, undoubtedly, belonged to the disciples of Ap. Paul, then the latter could also be his disciples, but they had not yet managed to free themselves from the idea of ​​idols with which they had become accustomed since childhood, that is, they still looked at idols as gods, as well-known real beings. - Ap. In view of the above, he considers it necessary, first of all, to point out that it is necessary to decide the question of whether or not to eat food sacrificed to idols not only on the basis of knowledge about the being of the pagan gods, but also on the basis of love for one’s neighbor. The Corinthians, at least strong in faith, do not recognize real beings in idols and believe only in one Creator God. But, unfortunately, not everyone has such an understanding: there are those among them whose conscience is tormented when they have to eat meat sacrificed to idols - and those who are strong in faith must take this fact into account. 1 Corinthians 8:1. We know about food sacrificed to idols because we all have knowledge; but knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. After the expression: “about food sacrificed to idols,” it is better to add: “I will say the following:” - “We know.” We are Paul and Sosthenes (1 Cor. 1:1), and then those Corinthians who think the same with them. – “Because” (ότι) – more correctly: “what.” It is in this exact meaning that the said Greek particle is used in Art. 4th, which actually represents the repetition and continuation of the first phrase of the 1st verse. - “Everyone,” that is, all the Corinthian Christians who, having received baptism, thereby renounced the errors of polytheism and accepted faith in the One God, “know” Him only. - “But knowledge...” From this phrase to verse 4 there is an interpolated remark by the apostle about the insufficiency of “knowledge” for the correct development of the Christian life. - “Puffs up”, that is, makes a person pretentious, vain and frivolous. - “Love edifies.” Only that knowledge that is combined with love is very useful, since it is love that understands and knows how to appreciate everything in one’s neighbor that is truly worth attention. 1 Corinthians 8:2. Anyone who thinks that he knows anything does not yet know anything as he should know. This expression of the Apostle is reminiscent of the ancient saying of the Greek sage: “I only know that I know nothing!” – A person who does not have love is not able to penetrate into the essence of a thing or phenomenon, because love brings the knower closer to the knowable, establishes a close internal connection between both. Love is thus a necessary condition of all true knowledge. 1 Corinthians 8:3. But whoever loves God has been given knowledge from Him. Ap. I just said that where there is no love, there is no knowledge. Now he puts the same thought into the form of a positive judgment: where there is love, there is true knowledge! - “Who loves God” - Apostle, thus, means knowledge about God, about His decisions and therefore speaks here specifically about love for God. A person who loves God receives “knowledge” from God and becomes able to understand and feel the needs of his brothers. - However, most ancient codes read the 2nd half of the 3rd verse as follows: “he is known from Him” (έγνωσται), as it reads in the glorious translation. This reading gives an idea of the greatness of a person who loves God: God Himself, the King of the universe, knows him, just as the king of the earth knows some of his subjects, the most outstanding. “Know” - here it means: to recognize, value, love (cf. Gal. 4:9). 1 Corinthians 8:4. So, about eating food sacrificed to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but the One. After the retreat (Art. 1b - Art. 3), Ap. again returns to the thought he expressed at the beginning of verse 1. At the same time, he makes a slight change: instead of indicating that Christians know that they all have knowledge, he says that they know the insignificance of idols. Thus, instead of the fact of knowledge, the object of knowledge is indicated. - “An idol in the world is nothing.” Since the pagans saw in the idol image the bearer and authorized representative of a famous deity, Ap. says that in the whole world there is no such creature that would correspond to the image and personality of Jupiter, Apollo and other gods. 1 Corinthians 8:5. For although there are so-called gods, either in heaven or on earth, since there are many gods and many lords, 1 Corinthians 8:6. but we have one God the Father, from whom are all things, and we are for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we through Him. Here is Ap. somewhat limits his thought about the insignificance of paganism. "There are so-called gods". The fantasy of the pagans populated both heaven and earth with deities, with its mountains, seas, springs and forests. But these are gods - only in name, in name; their existence is imaginary! They exist (“are”) only in the imagination of their admirers. - “Since there are many gods and many lords.” Here is Ap. wants to say that if individual mythological deities are nothing more than images created by human imagination, then nevertheless behind these images there are actually existing forces that have to be taken into account. What kind of forces are these? Ap. looks at paganism in general as the work of evil spirits who diverted humanity from God and filled the void that formed in the hearts of people with insignificant and unclean images of fantasy. He therefore says that the pagans offer their sacrifices to demons (1 Cor. 10:20), that demons are the rulers of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12), that Satan is the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). Thus, the expression: “many gods” can mean the Apostle’s higher spirits of the kingdom of darkness, and the expression: “there are many lords” - the spirits of the lower category, at the disposal of the first 8. Does not the view expressed here by the Apostle on the origin of paganism contradict the theory that we find in the 1st chapter of the Epistle to the Romans? No, there is no contradiction here, but only an addition to that theory. There's Ap. explains the origin of paganism purely psychologically, without mentioning the influence of evil spirits in this matter. He does this in order to clarify the sinfulness of humanity itself, which was all imbued with sin and therefore created such a sinful act as idolatry. Here, in order to give some practical instructions to the Corinthians, he points first of all to demonic influence in the creation of paganism. “But with us” - to these gods and masters who exist only in the imagination and yet have a known reality behind them, Ap. contrasts the One God and the One Lord. – “Father” – in relation to Christ and believers. - “From which everything”, i.e. everything comes only from God. – “And we are for Him” (εις αυτόν), i.e. in Him we have the purpose of our existence. Ap. here he does not want to show the greatness and perfection of God, but to explain that nothing can defile believers (even meat sacrificed to idols cf. 10). In fact, how can anything that came from God prevent a person from fulfilling his purpose, his service to God? - “And One Lord.” Just as God is contrasted with the pagan main deities, so Christ is contrasted with the deities of the second category, who are intermediaries between these higher deities and the world. - “To whom everything is.” About God it was said that “from Him” (εξ αυτοῦ) everything is said, about Christ - “through Him” (δι οῦ). But both there and here we are talking about the creation of the world, where God was the First Author, and the Son of God was the instrument, the executor (cf. In. 1:3; Col. 1:15–17). - “And we are by Him.” Here the word “we” is the opposite of the word “all”. Ap. here indicates spiritual creation or redemption (cf. Col. 1:18–22). Thus, according to his idea, physically we are “from” God and “through” Christ, and spiritually we are “through” Christ and “for” God. – This place is important as proof that the Apostle already had in an early time the same idea of ​​Christ that he expresses in his later epistles (Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians). 1 Corinthians 8:7. But not everyone has such knowledge: some to this day, with a conscience that recognizes idols, eat things sacrificed to idols as sacrifices to idols, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. Not everyone, however, is so consistent in their faith. Some, believing in the One God, still cannot rid themselves of the thought that idols exist and that they actually have a polluting effect on the food brought to them. - “Not everyone has such knowledge.” Doesn’t this expression contradict what was said in the 1st article: “we have all knowledge.” No, it doesn't contradict. There we are talking about “some” knowledge (γνῶσις - without a member), and here about known, solid and complete knowledge (γνῶσις with a member). Not everyone possesses the latter; not everyone is free from all doubts and hesitations in “particular” cases of life, while “in general” recognizing the basic dogma of Christianity. – “With conscience” (συιειδήσει), that is, being internally convinced of the reality of idols. Some ancient codes replace the words: “conscience” with the word: “habit” (συνήθεια), but the meaning of the place does not change from this, but only an additional thought is given that Ap. here he means pagan Christians who, out of old habit, look at idols as real beings. - “And their conscience, being weak,” that is, their moral consciousness is weak. They cannot consider themselves to be sufficiently free and immune from demonic influence. Therefore, by eating meat sacrificed to idols, such people defile themselves in their own eyes, seeming to themselves to be truly stained and to have sinned before God. 1 Corinthians 8:8–13. In view of the existence of such Christians, those strong in faith should not demonstrate their freedom too openly. They should not eat meat sacrificed to idols in the church, because this can force the weak by faith to also eat this meat, so that later, alone with himself, he will cruelly repent of such an act. In order not to sin against a brother - a weak Christian - and through this - against Christ Himself, Apostle. I agree to give up eating meat altogether. 1 Corinthians 8:8. Food does not bring us closer to God: for whether we eat, we gain nothing; If we don't eat, we don't lose anything. 1 Corinthians 8:9. Beware, however, that this freedom of yours does not serve as a temptation to the weak. Here is Ap. addresses strong Christians. There is no reason for them to try to eat meat sacrificed to idols! If they think by this to become closer to God, they are mistaken: we do not become better by eating certain food, and we do not lose anything by not eating it. Meanwhile, here, when eating, there is a danger of seducing a weak brother. - “Your freedom”. Here is a hint of the principle that many Corinthian Christians adhered to: “everything is permissible for me!” (1 Cor. 6:12). 1 Corinthians 8:10. For if someone sees that you, having knowledge, are sitting at a table in a church, then his conscience, as a weak one, will not incline him to eat something sacrificed to idols? 1 Corinthians 8:11. And because of your knowledge the weak brother for whom Christ died will perish. Ap. makes here a practical application of the general provisions stated above (in vv. 7–9). - “Someone” - of course, from those who were discussed in the 7th article. – “Church” – from the ancient Slavic expression: kap – image, idol. This was the name of the place in which the image or idol (ειδωλεῖον) was placed. - “Wouldn’t it please him?” The bold appearance of a Christian in the church and the fearless eating of food prepared from the remains of a sacrifice to an idol will not remain without influence on the weak Christian, who at first refused to participate in such a feast. But, of course, he will participate in this feast not out of conviction, but only out of imitation of Christians who are more firm in the faith. His internal attitude towards idols will not change through this. Unfaithfulness to the Lord, which he, in his opinion, committed here, will separate, the Ap. thinks, him from the Lord, and with this spiritual dying will begin for him, which can lead a person to eternal destruction (cf. Rom. 14:15). Thus, the one who is strong in faith will demonstrate his strength in what? In the destruction of his brother! He will destroy his brother with his “knowledge”, i.e. with his high Christian development, which he strived so hard for! He will destroy the man for whom Christ suffered death! Isn’t it strange after this if someone strong in faith wants to prove his faith and his free view of paganism? 1 Corinthians 8:12. And by sinning in this way against your brothers and wounding their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. 1 Corinthians 8:13. And therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to stumble. Ap. especially exposes the criminality of the behavior of the strong in relation to Christ. To offend Christ, to harm His work is a great sin! Ap. so imbued with the seriousness of the question he raised that he even makes a kind of vow not only to eat meat sacrificed to idols, but meat in general (κρέας), if this eating gives his neighbor a reason for temptation. Ph. Bachmann sees here a designation of good angels who really are in heaven, and personal gods - emperors, judges in the sense of Ps. 133. But the reasons he gives for his opinion are very unconvincing. You might be interested in: