If any man among you seemeth to be wise . If any man is proud if his worldly wisdom and eloquence, his earthly knowledge and so come to look down on others, let him become filled with humility and faith, and with the folly of the Cross, so as to be a fool in the eyes of the world. Cf. notes on i26. This with God is the only true wisdom. Since the world"s wisdom is folly with God, and God"s wisdom foolishness to the world, it follows that we cannot be wise unless according to the world we are fools—unless, in spite of our greatness and wisdom before the world, we submit ourselves like children, nay, like fools, to the faith, doctrine, cross, and obedience of Christ. " Song of Solomon ," says S. Bernard (Serm2de Epiph.), "did the three Magi worship the Child in the manger and become fools, so as to learn wisdom; and so the spirit taught them what was afterwards preached by Apostles: "He who wishes to be wise let him become a fool, that he may be wise." They enter the stable, they find a ...
For it is written, I will rebuke the wise in their own craftiness. "And again: "The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are foolish.".
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, Thou shall rebuke the wise in their own craftiness."
Let no man deceive himself. He next precautions them against themselves, and admonishes them to be upon their guard against curiosity, presumption, and self-love, and tells them to undervalue all other sciences, when put in competition with the science of salvation, the knowledge of the gospel. It hence appears, that some of the Corinthians were renowned for that human eloquence which the world so much esteems, and accordingly the apostle discovers to them the danger to which they are exposing themselves, by pursuing their present line of conduct. (Calmet)
If any man among you seem to be wise in this world. He hints at some new teachers among them, (not at Apollo) who to gain the esteem of men, had introduced errors from profane philosophy, or the false principles of human wisdom, which, as he had told them before, was folly in the sight of God. He therefore tells such persons, that to become truly wise, they must become fools, by returning to the simplicity of the gospel-doctrine. (W...
Those who are tiny of body and those who, being wise in the world, abandon their knowledge and … become like babes of their own free will, will learn a wisdom which is not learned through study’s labors.
Paul asks us to become dead to the world, and this deadness is of benefit to us, because it is the beginning of new life. So also he bids us become foolish toward the world, thereby introducing us to true wisdom. You become a fool to this world when you despise earthly wisdom and are persuaded that it contributes nothing to your understanding of the faith. For Christians, everything is just the opposite of what it seems.
8. Let no man deceive himself. This also is in reference to that person, as thinking himself to be somewhat and flattering himself on wisdom. But that he might not seem to press on him at great length in a mere digression; he first throws him into a kind of agony and delivers him over unto fear, and then brings back his discourse to the common fault, saying, If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become (γένηται . rec. vers. be.) wise. And this he does afterwards with great boldness of speech, as having sufficiently beaten them down , and shaken with that fear the mind not of that unclean person only, but of all the hearers also: so accurately does he measure the reach of what he has to say. For what if a man be rich, what if he be noble; he is viler than all the vile, when made captive by sin. For as if a man were a king and enslaved to barbarians, he is of all men most wretched, so also is it in regard to sin: since sin is a barbarian,...
Produced for itching ears of the spirit of this world's wisdom: this the Lord called "foolishness".
If you threaten an avenger, you threaten us with the Creator. "Ye must become fools, that ye may be wise."
