Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
Read Chapter 1
Ambrosiaster
AD 400
Here Paul attacks the Jews as much as the Gentiles, because their scribes and doctors of the law think that it is foolish to believe that God has a Son. Gentiles also laugh at this, but the Jews’ unbelief is based on the fact that the matter is not openly stated in the law, whereas the Gentiles think it is silly because the reasoning of the world does not accept it, claiming that nothing can be made without sexual union. The debater of this age is a man who thinks that the world is governed by the conjunction of the stars and that births and deaths are brought about by the twelve signs of the zodiac. Is there anything more foolish than the belief that the Creator does not care about the world he has made? What would be the point of making it in that case? It is because they see some people enjoying life and others not, because they see the righteous suffering while the wicked boast, that they have come to believe that God does not care. But to say this is to say that God is malevolent ...
Where is the wise? The Gentile philosopher.
Where is the scribe? The Jewish doctor. S. Paul is quoting Isaiah 33:18.
Note, as the Greeks called their wise men philosophers, and the Chaldeans theirs magi, so the Jews called theirs sopharim, "scribes." "Scribes" is from the same root as "Scripture," and implies that they were occupied with the Holy Scriptures. Their duty, in fact, was to preserve the Holy Scriptures in their integrity, to carefully correct all transcripts, to interpret them by writing and by word of mouth, and to write out or state the answers they gave to questions about the Law. (Epiphan. hres16).
Where is the disputer of this world? The student of physical science who narrowly investigates the secrets of nature and the world. In other words, philosophers and scribes have been cast aside, and all the wise of this world thrown down and put to confusion by the preaching of the Apostles, by the glory of the Gospel. (So S. Chrysostom.)
Paul here and in the following vers...
My spirit has become an offscouring of the cross, which is a stumbling block to those who are unbelievers, but to us it is salvation and life eternal. Where is the wise man? Where is the debater? Where is the boasting of those who are called prudent? Epistle to the Ephesians
To those that do not believe, but to us salvation and life eternal. "Where is the wise man? where the disputer? ".
The cross of Christ is indeed a stumbling-block to those that do not believe, but to the believing it is salvation and life eternal. "Where is the wise man? where the disputer? "
Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? Where is the wise? Where the Scribe? Where the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. Having said, It is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, He subjoins demonstration from facts, saying, Where is the wise? Where the Scribe? at the same time glancing at both Gentiles and Jews. For what sort of philosopher, which among those who have studied logic, which of those knowing in Jewish matters, has saved us and made known the truth? Not one. It was the fisherman's work, the whole of it.
Having then drawn the conclusion which he had in view, and brought down their pride, and said, Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? he states also the reason why these things were so done. For seeing that in the wisdom of God...
But what can we suppose to have been the reason why it was not found, though sought with the greatest earnestness and labour by so many intellects, and during so many ages, unless it be that philosophers sought for it out of their own limits? And since they traversed and explored all parts, but nowhere found any wisdom, and it must of necessity be somewhere, it is evident that it ought especially to be sought there where the title of folly
"Where is the wise, where the grammarian, where the disputer of this age? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this age? ".
And the human race, for some great offence committed against Him, with the loss of wisdom and prudence? What follows will confirm this suggestion, when he asks, "Hath not God infatuated the wisdom of this world? ".
According to the estimate of God, and that the very "Wisdom of the world is foolishness "(as the inspired word) pronounces it to be.
