The Bible Book

296

T

he Apostle Paul’s letters

to the Corinthians are

his response to various

questions the Corinthian believers

have sent him on topics ranging

from marriage and divorce to the

use of spiritual gifts, such as

speaking in tongues. In his first

letter, he describes seven things

that love is and does—love is

patient; is kind; rejoices with

truth; protects; trusts; hopes; and

perseveres; and, eight that it is not

or does not do—does not envy or

boast; is not proud, rude, self-

seeking, or easily angered; keeps

no record of wrongs; and does not

delight in evil. This is the core of

Paul’s extended “hymn” to love,

which itself forms the heart of a

discourse by Paul on how believers

should behave and relate when

they meet for worship.

For Paul, as for all other New

Testament writers, love is the

touchstone of the Christian faith;

this begins with God’s love. In

the words of John’s Gospel: “God

so loved the world” (3:16) that He

sent His own son to die for the

sins of man. That son, Jesus,

shows that same love with acts

of mercy, healing, and forgiveness,

and tells His followers that love is

the greatest commandment of all:

love your neighbor, and “love the

Lord your God with all your heart

... with all your soul and with all

your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

Above all else

Writing to the Romans, Paul says:

“you shall not commit adultery,”

“you shall not murder,” “you shall

not steal,” “you shall not covet,”

which are summed up in one

The martyrs Spes, Caritas, and Fides,

or Hope, Love (a modern translation for

Caritas), and Faith, named after the

three virtues, depicted in the Church

of St. Martin, Cumbria, England.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

1 Corinthians 13:1–13

THEME

Love is everlasting

SETTING

54 ce Ephesus, a province

in modern-day Turkey.

KEY FIGURES

Paul Apostle who became a

Christian after Jesus’s death.

One of the leading figures in

the early Church, he travels

extensively, preaching the

word of God.

Corinthian believers The

community in Corinth, who

are prone to factionalism

and cliquishness.

LOVE IS PATIENT ,

LOVE IS KIND. IT DOES

NOT ENVY, IT DOES NOT

BOAST, IT IS NOT PROUD.

1 CORINTHIANS 13:4, THE WAY OF LOVE

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297

See also: The Golden Rule 210–11 ■ The Road to Damascus 290–91 ■

Paul’s Arrest 294–95 ■ Fruits of the Spirit 300

ACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION

command: “Love your neighbor

as yourself” (Romans 13:9). Writing

to the Corinthians, Paul applies this

“royal law” in a particular context.

The Corinthians, he believes, are

far too individualistic. They pride

themselves on spiritual gifts, such

as speaking in tongues or prophecy,

in a way that causes division. Love

is missing, and Paul highlights the

emptiness this causes in the first

part of his hymn: “if I speak in the

tongues of ... angels, but do not

have love, I am only a resounding

gong or a clanging cymbal”

(1 Corinthians 13:1).

The last section of Paul’s letter

begins with the declaration, “love

never fails” (13:8). In a world of

constant change, he says, just three

things last: faith, hope, and love.

Of these three, Paul writes, the

greatest is love. Love is produced

by God’s Spirit and should guide

the use of the Spirit’s gifts. While

tongues and other gifts may fade

and cease, love brings humility,

unity, and peace.

Apostle of love

Some describe Paul as the “Apostle

of love.” As he writes in his letter

to the Galatians—where the issue

is “Judaising” believers trying to

impose circumcision on Gentile

believers—“neither circumcision

nor uncircumcision has any value.

The only thing that counts is

faith expressing itself through

love” (Galatians 5:6). ■

Corinth

The believers in Corinth were

citizens of a rich, culturally

diverse metropolis. Much of

its prosperity was because

of its location on the isthmus

connecting the Peloponnese

with the rest of mainland

Greece, commanding not one

but two trade routes: from the

south to the north between

the Peloponnese and the rest

of the mainland, and west to

east between the Adriatic and

Aegean seas. The capital of

the Roman province of Achaea,

Corinth had sizable foreign

communities, which included

Egyptians and Jews, as well

as many native Greeks.

According to Acts 18:1–11,

Paul arrived in Corinth for the

first time around 50 ce during

his second missionary journey,

and stayed for 18 months with

a Jew, Aquila, and his wife,

Priscilla. The couple had fled

from Rome the year before,

after the Jews were expelled

from the city.

The fractious church Paul

helped to establish in Corinth

remained close to his heart,

and was the recipient of a

number of the Apostle’s

letters and appeals. Two of

these letters became part

of the New Testament as the

books of 1 and 2 Corinthians.

Types of love in the Bible

Agape—Divine love

Love found between God and Jesus,

Jesus and His disciples, believers and

God, and also among believers.

Philia—Brotherly love

Love found in close friendships, such

as that between Jonathan and David

in the Old Testament.

Eros—Romantic love

The “erotic” or romantic love between

two lovers (spouses), as depicted in

Song of Songs.

Storge—Familial love

The love between family members, as

shown in the Bible between Jacob and

Isaac, or Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.

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