4. Philosophy and Wisdom in 1 Corinthians

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4. Philosophy and Wisdom in 1 Corinthians

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Most people encountering the Corinthian Christians would not have thought of Christianity as a religion. In the Roman world, religions were about collective duty to the gods, usually expressed in ritualized sacrifices and festivals carried out by trained priests and their assistants on behalf of the city. Christianity had no flamines, sacrificuli, victimarii, haruspices, augurs, animal offerings, temples, or statues. Rather Christians met regularly to listen to the public reading of texts, eat together, and live out a moral code. To the outsider, Christianity resembled a philosophical sect more than a religion.

1 Cor 1:17-25   Paul talks about the wise, the scholar, and the debater of this age. He mentions that Greeks are always looking for wisdom. In fact, philosophy literally means the love of wisdom. Though the first recorded Greek philosophers emerged six centuries before Christ, three hundred years later, several important pioneers-initiated schools of philosophy were well-known by Paul’s time.

1. Platonism (Plato, 427-347 bc)

• It’s hard to overstate the massive influence Plato has had throughout human history. He talked of another realm beyond the physical where idealist and unchanging realities existed. These Forms emanated from the Good or the One. Although we are living in a shadow world, our souls are capable of ascending and contemplating the true realities. As we pursue virtue, preferring reason to emotion and rationality to irrationality and mental perceptions over sense perception, we attain true happiness.

2. Cynicism (Diogenes of Sinope, 412-323 bc)

• Upon watching a mouse patter around in a carefree manner, Diogenes adopted extreme minimalism and ultra simple living. He trained himself to face hardship with equanimity. He was bold, confident, and provocative, sometimes amusing and other times offending those who encountered him.
• Jerome Murphy-O’Connor: “The fundamental principle of Diogenes’s philosophy was that happiness could be achieved only by satisfying one’s natural needs in the easiest and cheapest way. Since this inevitably involved a certain shamelessness, he was known as the “Dog” (Cyne) and followers as Cynics.”¹
• Diogenes Laertius: “And he endured being sold into slavery with great dignity. On a voyage to Aegina, he was captured by pirates under Scirpalus’ command, transported to Crete, and put up for sale. And when the herald asked him what he was good at, he replied, “Ruling over men.” Pointing to an affluent Corinthian, the above-mentioned Xeniades, he said, “Sell me to him; he needs a master.” Thus, Xeniades purchased him, took him home to Corinth, put him in charge of his own sons, and entrusted him with his entire household. And Diogenes performed all his duties in such a manner that Xeniades went about saying, “A kindly deity has entered my house.” …Diogenes’ friends wanted to ransom him, for which he called them imbeciles. For he maintained that lions are not the slaves of those who feed them; it is the feeders, rather, who are the lions’ slaves. For fear is the mark of a slave, and wild beasts make men fearful. Diogenes possessed astonishing powers of persuasion, and hence could easily sway anyone he liked with his arguments.”² (Lives74-75)
• Diogenes of Sinope died in Corinth at the age of 90 and was buried by the gate that opened toward the isthmus. 450 years later when Pausanias visited Corinth in the second century, he saw memorials to Diogenes there.

3. Skepticism (Pyrrho of Elis, 360-270 bc)

• Diogenes Laertius: “[Pyrrho] introduced the notion of inability to attain conviction and that of suspension of judgment … For he said that nothing is beautiful or ugly, or just or unjust, and that likewise in all instances nothing exists in truth, but men do everything by custom and by habit.”³ (Lives, 9.61)
• Diogenes Laertius: “To them the Skeptics reply, “We acknowledge our human feelings; for we recognize that it is day, that we are alive, and many other things that appear in life; but with regard to the things the dogmatic philosophers affirm so positively in argument, claiming to have comprehended them, we suspend judgment on the grounds that they are not certain, and we know only what we feel. For we admit that we see, and we recognize that we think this or that; but how we see or how we think we do not know. And in ordinary conversation we say that a certain thing appears white, but without affirming strongly that it actually is ”⁴ (Lives 9.103)

4. Epicureanism (Epicurus, 341-270 bc)

• Although maligned as a hedonist, Epicurus and his followers, the Epicureans, were sophisticated philosophers who pursued pleasure and avoided pain.
• Diogenes Laertius: “Even when he is tortured the wise man is content. … The wise man will not consort with women in any manner proscribed by law … Nor will he punish his servants … The Epicureans do not think that the wise man will fall in love; nor will he be concerned about his burial; nor do they think that love is sent by the gods … Nor will the wise man make fine speeches. They maintain that sexual relations are never beneficial, and that one should be grateful not to be injured by them. The wise man will not marry and beget children … He will not talk nonsense when drunk … He will not participate in politics … or make himself a tryant, or live like a Cynic, … or be a beggar. … The wise man will also experience grief, … He will avail himself of the law courts … He will take thought for his property and for the future. He will love the countryside.”⁵ (Lives 118-120)
• Epicurus: “[P]leasure is the beginning and the end of a happy life. … And it is because pleasure is our first and innate good that we choose every pleasure, though we often forgo many pleasures when a greater annoyance results from them. And we regard many pains as preferable to pleasures when a prolonged endurance of pains brings us greater pleasure. …For simple fare brings as much pleasure as an extravagant feast, once the pain of want has been removed; and barley cake and water give a hungry man the greatest pleasure. To accustom oneself, therefore, to simple, inexpensive fare supplies the essentials of health, and enables a man to face the demands of life without shrinking, and puts us in a better condition when we encounter expensive fare from time to time, and makes us fearless of fortune. But when we say that pleasure is our goal, we do not mean the pleasures of the prodigal or the self-indulgent, as the ignorant think, or those who disagree with or misinterpret our views. By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of torment in the soul. For it is not drinking bouts and continuous carousals, nor the pleasures to be had with boys and women, nor the enjoyment of fish and all the other delicacies a luxurious table furnishes that produce a pleasant life, but the sober reasoning that examines the basis of every choice and aversion, and banishes the beliefs that afflict the soul with its worst torments.”⁶ (Epicurus, Letter to Menoeceus in Diogenes, Lives129-132)

5. Stoicism (Zeno of Citium, 334-262 bc)

• Initially studying under the Cynic Crates, Zeno founded his own school, lecturing while walking up and down the painted stoa (columns). This is why they called his followers stoics.
• His goal was to live in harmony with nature and pursue the virtues of wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Doing so leads to joy and cheerfulness. Pursuing pleasure, by contrast, results in an irrational yearning, despondency, and anxiety.
• Diogenes Laertius: “The wise man is free of passion … The wise man is free of vanity, for he is equally indifferent to good and bad reputation. … The good aim genuinely and vigilantly for their own improvement … They are unpretentious … They are not overly busy … They will drink in moderation, but will never get drunk. Nor will they go crazy … The wise man will not be afflicted by grief, since grief is an irrational contraction of the soul … The good are also god-fearing, for they are conversant with the customs that concern the gods, and piety is knowledge of how to serve the gods. Moreover, they will sacrifice to the gods; and they keep themselves pure by avoiding offenses against the gods. … [T]he wise man will take part in politics if nothing prevents him … And he will marry … and beget children. And he will live like a Cynic, since the Cynic way of life is a shortcut to virtue … [T]he good man will not live in solitude, for he is suited by nature for society and for action. He will also submit to training for the sake of physical endurance. … The wise man does everything well. … [V]irtue is sufficient for happiness.”⁷ (Diogenes, Lives 117-127)
• Stoicism was the most influential philosophy in the first century, especially among the elite in positions of power.

Paul Undercuts Philosophy

• 1 Cor 2:1-5 Paul did not come with “superior speech or wisdom,” instead he focused on tell them the good news about a crucified hero. He did, however, bring demonstrations of the spirit and power.
• 1 Cor 2:6-8  Most people don’t get the true, exclusive wisdom of God since he has hidden it.
• 1 Cor 2:9-16  Undermining Plato, Diogenes, Pyrrhos, Epicurus, and Zeno, Paul says there’s a deeper truth beyond worldly wisdom that only spiritual people can perceive.
• 1 Cor 3:1-4 If they will be mature and spiritual rather than childish and fleshly, they must stop the divisiveness.

 Bibliography

Laertius, Diogenes. Lives of the Eminent Philosophers. Translated by Pamela Mensch. Edited by James Miller. New York, NY: Oxford, 2020.

Murphy-O’Connor, Jerome. St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archeology. 3rd ed. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002.

1. Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archeology, 3rd ed. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002), 24.[↩]
2. Diogenes Laertius, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers, trans., Pamela Mensch (New York, NY: Oxford, 2020), 214.[↩]
3. Laertius,  339.[↩]
4. Laertius,  351.[↩]
5. Laertius,  385-6.[↩]
6. Laertius,  387-8.[↩]
7. Laertius,  257-60.[↩]