First and Second Corinthians: Straight from the Heart

by Lawrence R Farley

Overview

The community Paul founded in Corinth gave him both joy and grief, for he was to encounter problems there of disunity, sin, and arrogance including the rejection of his own apostolic authority by some of his flock. His two epistles to the Corinthians come straight from the heart, as he appeals to them to live in peace, in righteousness, in generosity, and not to resist his God-given authority. His Corinthian correspondence abides as a lasting legacy and a challenge for all churches everywhere.

About the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series:

This commentary was written for your grandmother and for your plumber. That is, it was written for the average layperson, for the nonprofessional who feels a bit intimidated by the presence of copious footnotes, long bibliographies, and all those other things which so enrich the lives of academics.

Working from a literal translation of the original Greek, this commentary examines the text section by section, explaining its meaning in everyday language. Written from an Orthodox and patristic perspective, it maintains a balance between the devotional and the exegetical, feeding both the heart and the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781888212532
Publisher:	Ancient Faith Publishing
Publication date:	05/10/2018
Series:	Orthodox Bible Study Companion
Pages:	324
Product dimensions:	5.52(w) x 8.48(h) x 0.74(d)

About the Author

Archpriest Lawrence Farley currently pastors St. Herman of Alaska Orthodox Church (OCA) in Langley, B.C., Canada. He received his B.A. from Trinity College, Toronto, and his M.Div. from Wycliffe College, Toronto. A former Anglican priest, he converted to Orthodoxy in 1985 and studied for two years at St. Tikhon's Orthodox Seminary in Pennsylvania. He has also published In the Beginning: The True Message of the Genesis Origin Stories;The Christian Old Testament: Looking at the Hebrew Scriptures through Christian Eyes; Let Us Attend: A Journey Through the Orthodox Divine Liturgy; Following Egeria: A Visit to the Holy Land through Time and Space; One Flesh: Salvation through Marriage in the Orthodox Church; The Empty Throne: Reflections on the History and Future of the Orthodox Episcopacy; Unquenchable Fire: The Traditional Teaching About Hell, and the thirteen books in the Orthodox Bible Study Companion Series.

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

Key to the Format of This Work 15

The First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians 17

I. Opening (1:1–9) 21

1. Opening greetings • 21

2. Thanksgiving—for God’s rich graciousness to them • 23

II. Unity in the Church (1:10—4:21) 27

1. The scandal of division • 27

2. The true wisdom not of this age • 31

III. Fornication and Immorality to Be Removed (5:1—6:20) 59

IV. Questions Concerning Marriage, Virginity, and Divorce (7:1–40) 73

V. Questions Concerning Food Offered to Idols (8:1—11:1) 87

1. The knowledge that idols are nothing, and Christian freedom • 87

2. The danger of idolatry • 100

3. The obligation to avoid food offered to idols for conscience’ sake • 107

VI. Women and the Veil (11:2–16) 111

VII. Conduct during the Eucharistic Supper (11:17–34) 121

VIII. Questions Concerning Spiritual Gifts (12:1—14:40) 131

1. Diversity of gifts and the unity of the Body • 131

2. The motivation of love • 143

3. Guidelines for speaking in tongues and prophecy • 147

IX. Concerning the Final Resurrection of the Dead (15:1–58) 165

X. Conclusion (16:1–24) 187

1. Concerning the Jerusalem collection and St. Paul’s arrival • 187

2. Final admonitions • 191

3. Concluding words and blessing • 193

The Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians 195

I. Opening (1:1–11) 199

1. Opening greetings • 199

2. Opening thanksgiving—for encouragement in tribulation • 200

II. St. Paul’s Apostolate to the Corinthians(1:12—7:16) 203

1. St. Paul explains his desire for them since leaving Corinth • 203

2. Parenthesis: Defense of his apostolate • 212

3. Resumption of explanation of desire for them since leaving Corinth • 246

III. The Collection for Jerusalem (8:1—9:15) 259

IV. St. Paul’s Future Visit to Corinth and His Self-Vindication (10:1—13:10) 275

V. Conclusion (13:11–14) 311

1. Final admonitions • 311

2. Concluding blessing • 312

About the Author 315

Excurses (short expositions on various topics):

-- On the Use of the Veil Today 118

-- On the Eucharist 129

-- On Worship Today 160

-- On a Harmony of the Accounts of the Resurrection Appearances of the Lord 169

-- On Paul’s Attitude to the Jewish Law 220

-- On Heresy as a Modern Category 288