For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
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1 Corinthians 1:11-13 sits inside this longer paragraph.
Now I beg you, brothers, through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfected together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name. (I also baptized the household of Stephanas; besides them, I don’t know whether I baptized any other.) For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Good News—not in wisdom of words, so that the cross of Christ wouldn’t be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
Parallel Translations
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For it has been reported to me concerning you, my brothers, by those who are from Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you.
Now I mean this, that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” and, “I follow Christ.”
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized into the name of Paul?
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It is shewed vnto me (my brethren) of you by them that are of the housse of Cloe that ther is stryfe amonge you.
And this is it that I meane: how that comelie amonge you one sayeth: I holde of Paul: another I holde of Apollo: the thyrde I holde of Cephas: the four ye I holde of Christ.
Ys Christ devided? was Paul crucified for you? ether were ye baptised in the name of Paul?
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For it hath bene declared vnto me, my brethren, of you by them that are of the house of Cloe, that there are contentions among you.
Nowe this I say, that euery one of you saith, I am Pauls, and I am Apollos, and I am Cephas, and I am Christs.
Is Christ deuided? was Paul crucified for you? either were ye baptized into the name of Paul?
Cross-references (44)
- Ephesians 4:5 (v13) one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
- 2 Corinthians 11:4 (v13) For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we didn’t preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you didn’t receive, or a…
- Matthew 23:9-10 (v12) Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the…
- Acts 2:38 (v13) Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will…
- John 1:42 (v12) He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by…
Show all 44 cross-references
- Acts 10:48 (v13) He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay some days.
- Acts 19:5 (v13) When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
- 1 Corinthians 3:21-23 (v12) Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or…
- 1 Corinthians 10:2 (v13) and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
- 1 Corinthians 3:4-6 (v12) For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly? Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants…
- 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (v13) For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died. He died for all, that those who…
- Proverbs 18:6 (v11) A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings.
- Matthew 28:19 (v13) Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
- 1 Corinthians 4:6 (v12) Now these things, brothers, I have in a figure transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to think…
- 1 Corinthians 7:29 (v12) But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none;
- 1 Corinthians 9:5 (v12) Have we no right to take along a wife who is a believer, even as the rest of the apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas?
- 1 Corinthians 15:5 (v12) and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 (v12) Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood can’t inherit God’s Kingdom; neither does the perishable inherit imperishable.
- 1 Corinthians 16:12 (v12) Now concerning Apollos, the brother, I strongly urged him to come to you with the brothers; and it was not at all his desire to come now;…
- 2 Corinthians 9:6 (v12) Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
- Galatians 1:7 (v13) but there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.
- Galatians 2:9 (v12) and when they perceived the grace that was given to me, James and Cephas and John, those who were reputed to be pillars, gave to Barnabas…
- Galatians 5:26 (v11) Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.
- 1 Timothy 6:4 (v11) he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil…
- 2 Timothy 2:23-25 (v11) But refuse foolish and ignorant questionings, knowing that they generate strife. The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but be gentle toward…
- Genesis 27:42 (v11) The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob, her younger son, and said to him, “Behold, your brother…
- Genesis 37:2 (v11) This is the history of the generations of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. He was a boy…
- 1 Samuel 25:14-17 (v11) But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to Greet our master; and…
- Proverbs 13:10 (v11) Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is with people who take advice.
- Acts 8:16 (v13) for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus.
- Acts 18:24–19:1 (v12) Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. This man had…
- Romans 14:9 (v13) For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
- 1 Corinthians 1:15 (v13) so that no one should say that I had baptized you into my own name.
- 1 Corinthians 3:3 (v11) for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the…
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (v13) Or don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were…
- 2 Corinthians 12:20 (v11) For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t…
- Galatians 3:17 (v12) Now I say this: A covenant confirmed beforehand by God in Christ, the law, which came four hundred thirty years after, does not annul, so…
- Galatians 5:15 (v11) But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don’t consume one another.
- Galatians 5:20 (v11) idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
- Titus 2:14 (v13) who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for…
- 1 Corinthians 6:1-7 (v11) Dare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Don’t you know that the…
- 1 Corinthians 11:18 (v11) For first of all, when you come together in the assembly, I hear that divisions exist among you, and I partly believe it.
- Philippians 2:14 (v11) Do all things without complaining and arguing,
- James 4:1-2 (v11) Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? You lust, and don’t have.…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (21 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. It has been declared. As general observations have…
11. It has been declared. As general observations have usually little effect, he intimates, that what he had said was more particularly applicable to them. The application, therefore, is designed with the view of leading the Corinthians to perceive, that it was not without good reason that Paul had made mention of harmony. For he shows that they had not merely turned aside from a holy unity, but had even fallen into contentions, which are worse than jarrings of sentiment. And that he may not be charged with believing too readily what was said, as though he lightly lent his ear to false accusations, he speaks with commendation of his informants, who must have been in the highest esteem, as he did not hesitate to adduce them as competent witnesses against an entire Church. It is not indeed altogether certain, whether Chloe is the name of a place or of a woman, but to me it appears more probable that it is the name of a woman. I am of opinion, therefore, that it was a well-regulated household that acquainted Paul with the distempered condition of the Corinthian Church, being desirous that it might be remedied by him. The idea entertained by many, in accordance with Chrysostom’s view, that he refrained from mentioning names, lest he should bring odium upon them, appears to me to be absurd. For he does not say that some of the household had reported this to him, but, on the contrary, makes mention of them all, and there is no doubt that they would willingly have allowed their names to be made use of. Farther, that he might not exasperate their minds by undue severity, he has modified the reproof by an engaging form of address; not as though he would make light of the distemper, but with the view of bringing them to a more teachable spirit, for perceiving the severity of the malady.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv11–13 He beginneth his reprehension and chiding by taking away…
He beginneth his reprehension and chiding by taking away of an objection: for that be understood by good witnesses, that there were many factions among them. And therewithall he openeth the cause of dissensions, because that some did hang on one doctor, some on another, and some were so addicted to themselves, that they neglected all doctors and teachers, calling themselves the disciples of Christ only, shutting forth their teachers.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11 For it hath been declared unto me of…
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
Ver. 11. Of the house of Chloe] A godly matron she was no doubt, and a good office herein she did her neighbours: though, likely, she had little thanks for her labour; as likewise Joseph had for bringing his brethren’s evil report to their father, Gen 37:2.
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That there are contentions] These often breed schisms; as did the contention between Luther and Carolostadius; and many of the ancient heresies sprang from private grudges and discontents, in sui solatium, for a sorry comfort to those that broached them.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv11–13 The apostle cometh to show one reason, as why…
The apostle cometh to show one reason, as why he wrote to them, so also why in the preceding verse he so zealously pressed unity upon them, because of an information he had received from some of the family of Chloe; for it is far more probable that Chloe was the name of a person, head of a family in Corinth, than of a city or town.
There are contentions among you: what their divisions were about, the next verses will tell us.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain On v11 Observe here, 1. The apostle declares a reason why…
Observe here, 1. The apostle declares a reason why in the foregoing verse he pressed his exhortation to love and unity with so much fervour and vehemency! namely, because he had received information that there were contentions and sidings, divisions and parties, amongst them, to the great scandal of Christianity, which was so newly planted amongst them.
Whence learn, That divisions and factions do quickly creep into the best and purest churches. This church at Corinth was a garden newly planted by St. Paul; yet, notwithstanding all his care and personal inspection, these ill weeds of division and dissension grew apace; it was not while men slept that these tares were sown, but while the officers of the church were both awake and watchful.
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Observe, 2. What was the cause of these divisions and dissensions that were found among them: it was having mens persons in admiration, factiously crying up one minister above another, naming themselves the followers of this and that man, setting up teachers one against another, and even Christ against his ministers.
Learn hence, That although it is the people’s duty to have a great and high esteem of the ministers of Christ, yet must not their respect degenerate into a sinful admiration of their persons; for the factious affection of one minister above another, is both sinful and dangerous; it occasions enmity and dissension among ministers themselves, and their people also, when the gifts and abilities of one are cried up in contempt of others.
Observe, 3. That these Corinthians did not only sinfully admire the persons of their teachers, but also set up their teachers as heads of several parties, sinfully resting upon them, and glorying in them.
Learn hence, That it is not barely unlawful, but very dangerous and exceeding sinful, for persons to call themselves by the name of any men, though never so eminent, so as to build or pin their faith upon them: we are not believers in Paul or Peter, but in Christ; there is but one head of the church, and that is Christ, and he is not divided: his disciples we are in whose name we are baptized, and that is not in the name of any man, but in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; to build therefore our faith upon any man, is to make him our Saviour, and to put him in Christ’s room and place.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv11–13 For it hath been declared unto me, of you,…
For it hath been declared unto me, of you, my brethren,.... Lest the above advice of the apostle should be thought to be impertinent and needless, and to proceed upon groundless suspicions and jealousies of his, he signifies that he not only had some broad hints of their contentions and divisions, but the whole affair was laid open, and made manifest to him: the thing was a clear point to him; he had no reason at all to doubt of the truth of it; nor could they deny it, the proof was so strong, the evidence so full, being given
by them which are of the house of Chloe. Some take Chloe to be the name of a place; a city so called is said to have been in Cappadocia; but it seems rather to have been the name of a woman. Horace (b) several times makes mention of a woman of this name, and so does Martial (c). Pausanias (d) calls the goddess Ceres by it, the goddess of husbandry; the word signifying green grass of the field. The person the apostle speaks of was one that very probably lived at Corinth, and was a member of the church there, and at the head of a family of great worth and credit; who being grieved at the growing animosities, and disturbances there raised, wrote to the apostle, and gave him a distinct account of them, desiring him to use his interest to put a stop to them. He mentions this family by name, to show that he had not took up an idle tale, and received reports from anybody, nor from a single person only, but from a family of repute among them; and who could have no other views in the relation of it to him, than the good of the church, and the glory of God: and what they had made out clearly to him was,
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that there are contentions among you; about their ministers, as appears afterward, as well as about opinions in doctrines, and ceremonies in worship, which occasioned undue heats, and great indecencies, tending to make rents and schisms among them,
(b) Carrain. l. 3. Ode 7, 9, 19. (c) L. 4. Epigr. 22. & l. 9. Epigr. 13. (d) L. 1. sive Attica, p. 38.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv11–13 It hath been declared to me by them of…
It hath been declared to me by them of the family of Chloe - Whom some suppose to have been the wife of Stephanas, and the mother of Fortunatus and Achaicus. By these three the Corinthians had sent their letter to St. Paul, chap. xvi, 17. That there are contentions - A word equivalent with schisms in the preceding verse.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv11–13 Verse 11. By them which are of the house…
Verse 11. By them which are of the house of Chloe] This was doubtless some very religious matron at Corinth, whose family were converted to the Lord; some of whom were probably sent to the apostle to inform him of the dissensions which then prevailed in the Church at that place. Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, mentioned 1Co 16:17, were probably the sons of this Chloe.
Contentions] εριδες, Altercations; produced by the σχισματα divisions, mentioned above. When once they had divided, they must necessarily have contended, in order to support their respective parties.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv11, 13 1Co 1:11-12. For it hath been declared — Not…
1Co 1:11-12. For it hath been declared — Not out of ill-will, but to procure a remedy of the evil; unto me — Whom it concerns to know such things, that I may redress them; of you, my brethren — Brethren, says Locke, is a name of union and friendship, and is twice used by the apostle in this exhortation to these virtues. By them of the house of Chloe — According to Grotius, these were Stephanas, Fortunatus, Achaicus, mentioned 1Co 16:17; who, he thinks, were Chloe’s sons, and the bearers of the letter which the Corinthians sent to the apostle, 1Co 7:1. That there are contentions among you — A word equivalent with schisms, in the preceding verse: now this I say — That is, what I mean is this; that every one of you saith, I am of Paul, &c. — There are various parties among you, who set themselves one against another, in behalf of the several teachers they admire. And I of Cephas — This seems to have been the boast of the Judaizing teachers: for as they came recommended by letters from Judea, they might be particularly attached to Peter, perhaps having been converted under his ministry: and I of Christ — Such spoke well, if they did not, on this pretence, despise their teachers. It seems there were now in the church at Corinth some Jewish Christians, who, having heard Christ preach, had been converted by him, and who claimed greater respect on that account. Chrysostom thought this was said by Paul himself, to show the Corinthians that all ought to consider themselves as the disciples of Christ, and of no other master; otherwise they derogated from the honour due to Christ. The Greeks, it must be observed, “valued themselves greatly on account of the fame of their masters in philosophy and the arts. This humour the Corinthians brought with them into the church. For some, especially the heads of the faction, claimed an authority over others on account of the dignity of the persons who had converted them, and to whom they had attached themselves, as their masters in the gospel. But others, who reckoned themselves equally honourable on account of the reputation of their teachers, opposed their pretensions. Hence arose those envyings, strifes, and divisions, which prevailed in the Corinthian church, and which the apostle termed, a walking after the manner of men, 1Co 3:3.” — Macknight.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv11–13 For it hath been declared unto me - Of…
For it hath been declared unto me - Of the contentions existing in the church at Corinth, it is evident that they had not informed him in the letter which they had sent; see 1Co 7:1, compare the introduction. He had incidentally heard of their contentions.
My brethren - A token of affectionate regard, evincing his love for them, and his deep interest in their welfare, even when he administered a needed rebuke.
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Of the house of Chloe - Of the family of Chloe. It is most probable that Chloe was a member of the church at Corinth, some of whose family had been at Ephesus when Paul was, and had given him information of the state of things there. Who those members of her family were, is unknown. Grotius conjectures that they were Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, mentioned in 1Co 16:17, who brought the letter of the church at Corinth to Paul. But of this there is no certain evidence; perhaps not much probability. If the information had been obtained from them, it is probable that it would have been put in the letter which they bore. The probability is that Paul had received this information before they arrived.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv11–13 Of Chloe. It is worthy our observation, that St.…
Of Chloe. It is worthy our observation, that St. Paul does not here mention any one person in particular, lest he might expose any one to the resentment of the rest, but mentions only in general terms the house of Chloe. (St. John Chrysostom; Theophylactus)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv11–13 (Co1 11:18).
(Co1 11:18).
by them . . . of . . . house of Chloe--They seem to have been alike in the confidence of Paul and of the Corinthians. The Corinthians "wrote" to the apostle (Co1 7:1), consulting him concerning certain points; marriage, the eating of things offered to idols, the decorum to be observed by women in religious assemblies. But they said not a syllable about the enormities and disorders that had crept in among them. That information reached Paul by other quarters. Hence his language about those evils is, "It hath been declared unto me," &c.; "It is reported commonly" (Co1 5:1-2). All this he says before he refers to their letter, which shows that the latter did not give him any intimation of those evils. An undesigned proof of genuineness [PALEY, Horæ Paulinæ]. Observe his prudence: He names the family, to let it be seen that he made his allegation not without authority: he does not name the individuals, not to excite odium against them. He tacitly implies that the information ought rather to have come to him directly from their presbyters, as they had consulted him about matters of less moment.
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contentions--not so severe a word as "divisions," literally, "schisms" (Co1 1:10, Margin).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. Declared unto me—I left you in Corinth a…
11. Declared unto me—I left you in Corinth a short time ago a unit; I am told here in Ephesus that you are split into fractions and factions.
Of Chloe—The words which are of the house, are in italics, as being not in the Greek but added by our English translators. Chloe seems to have been an eminent Corinthian lady, known to the Church, who, like Lydia at Philippi, kept an establishment, and her people, perhaps her children, were ample vouchers for their report to Paul. It is not probable, as Wordsworth suggests, that Fortunatus and Achaicus were they; for these two were evidently delegates selected by the Church.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. For it hath been declared unto me of…
11. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe] The aorist here seems to imply some special occasion on which St Paul met his informants, and received the intelligence which pained him. Of Chloe nothing is known.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv11–13 (11) The house of Chloe.—Who Chloe was we cannot…
(11) The house of Chloe.—Who Chloe was we cannot tell. Her name was evidently well known to the Corinthians, and some slaves of her household, probably travelling between Ephesus and Corinth, on their owner’s business, had brought to St. Paul the account of the distracted state of the church in their city.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv11–13 It hath been signified unto me. He had heard…
It hath been signified unto me. He had heard these saddening rumours towards the close of his stay in Ephesus. By them which are of the household of Chloe. The Greek only has "by them of Chloe. St. Paul wisely and kindly mentions his authority for these reports. Nothing is known of Chloe or her household. It has been conjectured that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, Corinthians who were now with St. Paul at Ephesus, (1Co_16:16) may have been Chloe"s slaves or freedmen. Contentions. These are the works of the flesh. (2Co_12:20; Gal_5:20; 1Ti_6:4) The condition of the Church was the same when St. Clement of Rome wrote to them. He had still to complain of the "strange and alien and, for the elect of God, detest able and unholy spirit of faction which a few rash and self willed persons kindled to such a pitch of dementation" ("Ep. ad Corinthians 1.").
Vers. 11, 12.
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The spirit of faction.
Introduce by showing the various elements of which the Church at Corinth was composed. There are signs that some members wore wealthy and learned, many were certainly poor, and probably many were slaves. Those who suddenly become wealthy are always in peril of showing masterfulness, and claiming undue authority and. influence. Party feeling ran high in Corinth, and this, with the mixed character of the population, tended to break society into sects and schools. This affected the Church, and. Paul received reports of the disposition to make parties within it, and so destroy the unity of the Church in Christ; such reports greatly distressed him, and they are in part the immediate occasion of his writing this Epistle. The subject of the verses before us we may take to be Church unity how it may be preserved and lost. Our Lord and his apostles manifest a peculiar anxiety for the conservation of the unity of the Church, and appear to regard that unity as essential to the Church"s stability and growth and witness.
I CHURCH UNITY PRESERVED BY MAKING EVERYTHING OF CHRIST. He is the one living Head, the only Master and Lord. The common life of the Chinch is the life in Christ. The Church is a whole vine, made up of many branches, but Christ is the uniting and quickening Life in them all. The direct and immediate dependence of each individual upon the same Lord Jesus Christ is the one secret of maintaining the unity. We have "one Lord, one faith, one baptism." Then it follows flat a man keeps in the unity as he keeps up his dependence on Christ, and the unity of the Church is realized only in the completeness of the loyally of its members to Christ, And the one thing that mars the unity is the one thing that separates from Christ, viz. man"s self willedness. The yielded will to Christ"s living lead is not a crushed will. Such yielded personal wills to Christ ensure a mutual sympathy which will ever preserve brotherhood and unity in the Church.
II CHURCH UNITY LOST BY MAKING TOO MUCH OF MAN. We are greatly helped by human teachers, but there is a constant peril of our making too much of them, and putting their modes of setting the truth in the place of the truth itself. Following after favourite preachers has always been, and still is, one of the weaknesses of Christian life and habit. In the early Church differences were observed in the teachings even of the apostles themselves, and preferences were easily based on these differences. The four Gospels have marked individuality, and the writings of the apostles which are preserved for us indicate that particular aspects of the truth gained prominence in the teachings of each of them. While this fact secures that we see all round the Christian revelation, it may easily be exaggerated and misused. It is when it is made the excuse for manifesting the party spirit. The gospel truth is a many sided unity; the unity lies in the revelation of one Christ; the many sidedness is involved in the various relations to men in which the one Christ stands. Paul put forward prominently "justification by faith," "the salvability of the Gentiles," and "Christian liberty." Apollos had a singularly attractive power of eloquence, and became a sort of "popular preacher." Peter became the centre round which the Jewish elements of the community gathered.
Apply, by showing the serious moral evils of sectarian feeling and partisanship; its influence on the man"s own Christian spirit who may nourish it; its mischievous influence on the community; and the hindrance it presents to the progress of the gospel. "Nothing more certainly eats out the heart and life of religion than party spirit. Christianity is love; party spirit is the death of love. R.T.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain On vv11–13 11. For it hath been declared unto me. He…
11. For it hath been declared unto me. He candidly tells them how he had learned of their dissensions. Them which are of the house of Chloe. Whether these were her children or her servants, or whether she lived at Corinth and these members of her household had come to visit Paul at Ephesus, or whether she lived at Ephesus and these persons had made a visit to Corinth, these are all unknown. Chloe is not elsewhere name.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
William B. Godbey 1900 · Public Domain On v11 11-16. Here he alludes to manifestations of party spirit…
11-16. Here he alludes to manifestations of party spirit among them, and a disposition to focalize around a human leader such as Paul, Apollos or Peter. As Paul was their spiritual father, though plain, blunt and rough in his speech and manner, endeavoring to sink away into God so they would see Jesus only, many were disposed to adhere to him because of his spiritual paternity and say, “I am of Paul.” Others, charmed and electrified by the powerful eloquence and irresistible arguments of Apollos, who evidently contrasted with Paul much to the depreciation of the latter, were very strongly disposed to choose him for their leader, while still another class cried out, “I am of Peter,” because he came with the flattering reputation of the senior apostle of our Lord’s own choosing, who had walked by His side three years, and been honored to preach the first gospel sermon on the day of Pentecost; and still others cried out, “I am for Christ.” Of course these were right; hence we see they had not all fallen into these schisms. You must remember that these divisions were only germinal and never developed into organized parties, as about six thousand have since that day. When we see how Paul put his withering rebuke in the very incipiency of these schismatic tendencies, which have since filled the world with religious denominations — and here he recognizes Christian perfection as the only remedy for the trouble — what an inspiration should this Pauline treatment of the matter give to all Christians to seek perfection, and thus escape from the carnal entanglements of sectarian schisms.
William B. Godbey, Commentary on the New Testament (1896–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv11–13 For it hath been signified [made known] unto me…
For it hath been signified [made known] unto me concerning you, my brethren [as they indeed were, despite their shortcomings], by them that are of the household of Chloe [no doubt one of their number], that there are contentions among you .
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v12 Each one of you says
Each one of you says
Paul is expressing a general attitude of division.
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Is Christ divided?
Paul wishes to emphasize the truth that Christ is not divided but one. "It is not possible to divide Christ in the way you are doing!" (See: Rhetorical Question and Active or Passive)
Was Paul crucified for you?
Paul wishes to emphasize that it was Christ, not Paul or Apollos, who was crucified. This can also be translated in active form. AT: "It certainly was not Paul whom they put to death on the cross for your salvation!" (See: Rhetorical Question and Active or Passive)
Were you baptized in the name of Paul?
Paul wishes to emphasize that we all are baptized in the name of Christ. This can also be translated in active form. AT: "It was not in the name of Paul that people baptized you!" (See: Rhetorical Question and Active or Passive)
in the name of Paul
"In the name of" here is a metonym for "by the authority of." AT: "by Paul's authority" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
Paul
Apollos
Peter
Christ
crucify
baptize
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv11–13 1:11 Chloe was a Corinthian woman, not mentioned elsewhere…
1:11 Chloe was a Corinthian woman, not mentioned elsewhere in Scripture.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.