Thomas Aquinas Commentary 1 Corinthians 1:10-17

"Now I beseech you, brethren, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing and [that] there be no divisions among you; but [that] ye be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been signified unto me concerning you, my brethren, by them [that are of the household] of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I mean, that each one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos: and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized into the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, save Crispus and Gaius; lest any man should say that ye were baptized into my name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not in wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made void." — 1 Corinthians 1:10-17 (ASV)

After the greeting, the Apostle begins to instruct them. First, he instructs them about matters concerning all of them generally, namely, the sacraments. Secondly, he addresses matters concerning only some of them (chapter 16). In the sacraments, three things should be considered: first, the sacrament itself, such as baptism; secondly, the reality signified and contained, namely, grace; thirdly, the reality signified but not contained, namely, the glory of the resurrection. Therefore, he first discusses the sacraments themselves; secondly, the graces (chapter 12); and thirdly, the glory of the resurrection (chapter 15). Regarding the first, he does three things: first, he establishes what pertains to baptism; secondly, what pertains to the sacrament of matrimony (chapter 5); and thirdly, what pertains to the sacrament of the Eucharist (chapter 8).

In the first part, the Apostle deals with doctrine alongside baptism, following the example of the Lord, who commanded the disciples to teach and to baptize in one command: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). Now, it should be noted that there was dissension among the Corinthian believers, because those who had been instructed by certain teachers assumed they had received better teaching and a better baptism, and they began to look down on the others.

Hence, the Apostle does two things: first, he resolves the conflict; secondly, he addresses the cause of the conflict, namely, that they boast in some of Christ’s ministers and despise the others (chapter 3). Regarding the first point, he does three things: first, he gives a friendly warning; secondly, he shows the need for the warning (verse 11); and thirdly, he gives the reason for it (verse 13).

In regard to the first point, two things should be considered. First, he uses humble language as one way of persuading them to heed his warning; hence he says, I appeal to you. The second way is by brotherly love when he says, brethren, because this warning came from the warmth of his brotherly love: A brother helped by a brother is like a strong city (Proverbs 18:19). The third way is by appealing to their reverence for Christ when he says, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who should be honored by all and to whom all should be subject: In the name of Jesus every knee should bend (Philippians 2:10).

The second thing to be considered is that he urges them to three things. First, to concord, when he says, that you all agree; that is, that all confess the same faith and hold the same opinion in matters requiring common action: That together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:6).

Secondly, he forbids the vice contrary to this virtue when he says, that there be no dissensions (schisms) among you, because the Church's unity must not be broken. As a sign of this unity, the soldiers said of the seamless coat: Let us not cut it, but let us cast lots for it, whose it shall be (John 19:24). Properly speaking, schisms occur when the members of one group separate into various factions according to their different beliefs or opinions about conduct: You shall see the breaches of the city of David (Isaiah 22:9).

Thirdly, he urges them to seek perfection, which is the good of the whole. Therefore, he says, but that you be united in the same mind, which pertains to conduct, and in the same judgment, which pertains to belief. It is as if he is saying: These things will enable you to be perfect if you continue in unity: Over all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection (Colossians 3:14); Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).

Then, when he says, It has been reported, he shows the necessity of his warning: they were burdened with the vice of contentiousness. It is as if he is saying: It is necessary to persuade you of this, because it has been reported to me, my brethren, by Chloe’s people—that is, from a certain village under Corinthian jurisdiction. Or Chloe might be the name of a matron in whose home many believers assembled. He says, that there is quarreling among you, which is contrary to what is said in Proverbs 20:3: It is an honor for a man to separate himself from quarrels.

He then specifies the nature of the contention when he says, What I mean is—that is, the conflict consists in this—that each of you identifies himself with the person by whom he was baptized and instructed, saying, I belong to Paul, because he had been baptized and instructed by Paul. Another says, I belong to Apollos, who had preached to the Corinthians (Acts 19). Still another says, and I belong to Cephas, that is, Peter, to whom it had been said: You shall be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter (John 1:42). They made these statements because they thought they received a better baptism from a better baptizer, as though the minister's virtue had an effect on the one being baptized. Finally, others say, I belong to Christ, who alone gives grace, because the grace of Christ alone works in Christ’s baptism: He upon whom you shall see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizes with the Holy Spirit (John 1:33). Accordingly, the baptized are called Christians from Christ alone and not Paulians from Paul: Only let us be called by your name (Isaiah 4:1).

To avoid this error, the Greeks are said to have used the following formula in baptism: “Let Christ’s servant, Nicholas, be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” to show that a person is not baptized inwardly unless baptized by Christ. But because a man also baptizes as a minister and member of Christ, the Church uses this formula: I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. This is more in keeping with the formula given by Christ, who said to the disciples, Teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), where He also calls the apostles baptizers. It is according to this command that the minister says, I baptize you.

Then, when he says, Is Christ divided?, he gives the reason for his warning that there should be no schisms and contentions among them: first, regarding baptism; secondly, regarding doctrine (verse 17b). Regarding the first, he does three things: first, he mentions the mistake that follows from their contention; secondly, he explains why that mistake follows (verse 13b); thirdly, he dismisses a false assumption (verse 14).

He says, therefore: I have said that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” from which it follows that Christ is divided.

This can be understood one way, as if he were saying: Since there is conflict among you, Christ is divided from you, because He dwells only in peace: His place is in peace (Psalms 76:2); Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God (Isaiah 59:2).

However, it is better understood as him saying: Since you believe that a baptism performed by a better minister is superior, it follows that Christ—who baptizes principally and inwardly—is divided. That is, His power and effect would differ depending on the minister. But this is false, because it says in Ephesians 4:5: One Lord, one faith, one baptism. An even better interpretation is that the Apostle is saying that because you attribute to others what belongs exclusively to Christ, you divide Christ by creating many “Christs.” This is contrary to what is stated in Matthew 23:10, One is your master, Christ, and in Isaiah 45:22, Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is no other.

It should be noted that two powers proper to Christ are at work in the sacrament of baptism. The first is the divine power by which He, the Father, and the Holy Spirit inwardly cleanse from sin. This power cannot be communicated to any creature.

The other is the power proper to His human nature, which is the power of excellence in the sacraments. This consists of four things: first, that He instituted the sacraments; second, that He can produce the effect of the sacraments without the sacraments; third, that the merit of His passion works in baptism and the other sacraments; and fourth, that the sacraments are conferred by calling on His name. Christ could have shared this power of excellence with His ministers—particularly the fourth point, that baptism be consecrated in their names—but He reserved it for Himself. Otherwise, schism would arise in the Church, as people would suppose there are as many baptisms as there are baptizers. According to Augustine, this is why John the Baptist confessed that he did not know whether Christ would keep this power for Himself.

Then, when he says, Was Paul crucified for you?, he shows that their mistake follows from their error of supposing that baptisms differ depending on the baptizer. This would only be true if baptism derived its power from the baptizers and not from Christ alone.

He shows this in two ways. First, regarding Christ's passion, by which baptism is effective, as it says in Romans 6:3: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Accordingly, he says, Was Paul crucified for you? This is as if to ask: Were Paul’s sufferings the cause of our salvation, making baptism dependent on him for its saving power? Certainly not. For Christ alone is the one by whose sufferings and death our salvation is accomplished: It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish (John 11:50); One has died for all (2 Corinthians 5:14).

On the other hand, the Apostle seems to say the opposite in Colossians 1:24: I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, the church. The answer is that Christ’s sufferings benefited us not only as an example—Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps (1 Peter 2:21)—but also by their merit and efficacy, since we have been redeemed and sanctified by His blood: So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood (Hebrews 13:12). But the sufferings of others benefit us only as an example: If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation (2 Corinthians 1:6).

Secondly, he shows the same thing from the power of Christ’s name, which is invoked in baptism; hence he adds, or were you baptized in the name of Paul? As if to say, “No.” For as it is stated in Acts 4:12: There is no other name under heaven given to men, by which we must be saved. Hence, Isaiah 26:8 also says: Your name and your remembrance are the desire of the soul.

But it seems that people are not baptized in Christ’s name, for it is commanded in Matthew 28:19: Teach all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The answer is that in the early Church, because Christ’s name was so hated, the apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to baptize in the name of Christ. Yet, as Ambrose says, the whole Trinity is understood in the name of Christ. For “Christ” means “anointed,” which implies not only the Son who is anointed, but also the anointing itself (the Holy Spirit) and the one who anoints (the Father), as Psalm 45:7 says: God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.

Now that Christ’s name is great among the Gentiles from the rising of the sun to its setting (Malachi 1:11), the Church uses the formula first instituted by Christ, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, everyone baptized in this form is baptized in the name of Him who is truly Son of God: That we may be in his true Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 5:20). Furthermore, all the faithful are baptized in the name of Christ; hence they are called Christians, for as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27). Therefore, if the sufferings of Christ alone (si solius Christi passio) and the name of Christ alone (si solius Christi nomen) confer the power of salvation on the baptized, then it is from Christ alone (verum esse proprium esse Christo) that baptism receives its sanctifying power. Consequently, anyone who attributes this to others divides Christ into many parts.

Then, when he says, I am thankful, he dismisses a false assumption. For since he had said, Was Paul then crucified for you?, someone might suppose that he had baptized many people as a minister, though not in his own name. In regard to this, he does three things: first, he gives thanks for having baptized only a few; secondly, after naming the few, he adds certain others (verse 16); thirdly, he gives the reason why he did not baptize many (verse 17a).

He says, therefore: I give God thanks that I baptized none of you except Crispus—Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household (Acts 18:8)—and Gaius, to whom John’s third epistle is addressed. Because thanksgiving is only appropriate for blessings received, the Apostle explains why he gives thanks in this case, continuing: lest anyone should say that you were baptized in my name. For holy men do not want their good deeds to become an occasion for others to fall into error or sin. And because the Corinthians had fallen into the error of identifying themselves by their baptizer and saying, “I belong to Paul” and “to Apollos,” he thanked God that his ministry had not occasioned such an error. This is why he was careful to name those he had baptized, who were immune from this error.

When he says, I baptized also, he mentions the others he had baptized, so that his words would be completely truthful. He adds: I baptized also the household of Stephanas. Then, because human memory is unreliable about specific facts, he adds: Beyond that, I do not know—that is, do not recall—whether I baptized anyone else.

When he says, For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, he gives the reason why he baptized so few.

This seems to contradict the Lord’s command: Teach all nations, baptizing them (Matthew 28:19). The answer is that Christ sent the apostles to do both, but with the expectation that they would preach in person, as they said in Acts 6:2: It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. They baptized, however, through their ministers. They did this because the diligence or virtue of the one baptizing contributes nothing to the sacrament; it makes no difference whether baptism is administered by a greater or lesser person. In the preaching of the gospel, however, the wisdom and virtue of the preacher contribute a great deal. Consequently, the apostles, being better qualified, exercised the office of preaching themselves. In the same way, it is said of Christ that He Himself did not baptize, but His disciples did (John 4:2). Of Him it says in Luke 4:43, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose, and in Isaiah 61:1, The Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted.