1Corinthians - Biblia del Pueblo di Dio (BPD)
Paul's first letter to the church of Corinth provides us with a fuller insight into the life of an early Christian community of the first generation than any other book of the New Testament. Through it we can glimpse both the strengths and the weaknesses of this small group in a great city of the ancient world, men and women who had accepted the good news of Christ and were now trying to realize in their lives the implications of their baptism. Paul, who had founded the community and continued to look after it as a father, responds both to questions addressed to him and to situations of which he had been informed. In doing so, he reveals much about himself, his teaching, and the way in which he conducted his work of apostleship. Some things are puzzling because we have the correspondence only in one direction. For the person studying this letter, it seems to raise as many questions as it answers, but without it our knowledge of church life in the middle of the first century would be much poorer. - Paul established a Christian community in Corinth about the year 51, on his second missionary journey. The city, a commercial crossroads, was a melting pot full of devotees of various pagan cults and marked by a measure of moral depravity not unusual in a great seaport. The Acts of the Apostles suggests that moderate success attended Paul's efforts among the Jews in Corinth at first, but that they soon turned against him (Acts 18:1-8). More fruitful was his year and a half spent among the Gentiles (Acts 18:11), which won to the faith many of the city's poor and underprivileged (1 Cor 1:26). After his departure the eloquent Apollos, an Alexandrian Jewish Christian, rendered great service to the community, expounding "from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus" (Acts 18:24-28).
- While Paul was in Ephesus on his third journey (1 Cor 16:8; Acts 19:1-20), he received disquieting news about Corinth. The community there was displaying open factionalism, as certain members were identifying themselves exclusively with individual Christian leaders and interpreting Christian teaching as a superior wisdom for the initiated few (1 Cor 1:10-4:21). The community lacked the decisiveness to take appropriate action against one of its members who was living publicly in an incestuous union (1 Cor 5:1-13). Other members engaged in legal conflicts in pagan courts of law (1 Cor 6:1-11); still others may have participated in religious prostitution (1 Cor 6:12-20) or temple sacrifices (1 Cor 10:14-22). - The community's ills were reflected in its liturgy. In the celebration of the Eucharist certain members discriminated against others, drank too freely at the agape, or fellowship meal, and denied Christian social courtesies to the poor among the membership (1 Cor 11:17-22). Charisms such as ecstatic prayer, attributed freely to the impulse of the holy Spirit, were more highly prized than works of charity (1 Cor 13:1-2, 8), and were used at times in a disorderly way (1 Cor 14:1-40). Women appeared at the assembly without the customary head-covering (1 Cor 11:3-16), and perhaps were quarreling over their right to address the assembly (1 Cor 14:34-35). - Still other problems with which Paul had to deal concerned matters of conscience discussed among the faithful members of the community: the eating of meat that had been sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8:1-13), the use of sex in marriage (1 Cor 7:1-7), and the attitude to be taken by the unmarried toward marriage in view of the possible proximity of Christ's second coming (1 Cor 7:25-40). There was also a doctrinal matter that called for Paul's attention, for some members of the community, despite their belief in the resurrection of Christ, were denying the possibility of general bodily resurrection. - To treat this wide spectrum of questions, Paul wrote this letter from Ephesus about the year 56. The majority of the Corinthian Christians may well have been quite faithful. Paul writes on their behalf to guard against the threats posed to the community by the views and conduct of various minorities. He writes with confidence in the authority of his apostolic mission, and he presumes that the Corinthians, despite their deficiencies, will recognize and accept it. On the other hand, he does not hesitate to exercise his authority as his judgment dictates in each situation, even going so far as to promise a direct confrontation with recalcitrants, should the abuses he scores remain uncorrected (1 Cor 4:18-21). - The letter illustrates well the mind and character of Paul. Although he is impelled to insist on his office as founder of the community, he recognizes that he is only one servant of God among many and generously acknowledges the labors of Apollos (1 Cor 3:5-8). He provides us in this letter with many valuable examples of his method of theological reflection and exposition. He always treats the questions at issue on the level of the purity of Christian teaching and conduct. Certain passages of the letter are of the greatest importance for the understanding of early Christian teaching on the Eucharist (1 Cor 10:14-22; 11:17-34) and on the resurrection of the body (1 Cor 15:1-58). - Paul's authorship of 1 Corinthians, apart from a few verses that some regard as later interpolations, has never been seriously questioned. Some scholars have proposed, however, that the letter as we have it contains portions of more than one original Pauline letter. We know that Paul wrote at least two other letters to Corinth (see 1 Cor 5:9; 2 Cor 2:3-4) in addition to the two that we now have; this theory holds that the additional letters are actually contained within the two canonical ones. Most commentators, however, find 1 Corinthians quite understandable as a single coherent work. - The principal divisions of the First Letter to the Corinthians are the following: I. Address (1 Cor 1:1-9) II. Disorders in the Corinthian Community (1 Cor 1:10-6:20) A. Divisions in the Church (1 Cor 1:10-4:21) B. Moral Disorders (1 Cor 5:1-6:20) III. Answers to the Corinthians' Questions (1 Cor 7:1-11: 1) A. Marriage and Virginity (1 Cor 7:1-40) B. Offerings to Idols (1 Cor 8:1-11:1) IV. Problems in Liturgical Assemblies (1 Cor 11:2-14:40) A. A. Women's Headdresses (1 Cor 11:3-16) B. The Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:17-34) C. Spiritual Gifts (1 Cor 12:1-14:40) V. The Resurrection (1 Cor 15:1-58) A. The Resurrection of Christ (1 Cor 15:1-11) B. The Resurrection of the Dead (1 Cor 15:12-34) C. The Manner of the Resurrection (1 Cor 15:35-58) VI. Conclusion (1 Cor 16:1-24) - (NAB)

Headings

1 Saludo inicial
Acción de gracias
LAS DIVISIONES EN LA COMUNIDAD


La sabiduría del mundo y la sabiduría cristiana
El llamado de Dios a los pobres
2 La predicación de Pablo
El poder del Espíritu
3 La inmadurez de los corintios
El ministerio apostólico
La edificación del templo de Dios
La verdadera sabiduría
4 El juicio reservado a Cristo
Situación de los ministros de Cristo
Amonestación paternal
ABUSOS Y DESÓRDENES EN LA COMUNIDAD


5 Un caso de incesto
El pan ácimo de la santidad
La actitud frente a los hermanos deshonestos
6 El recurso a los tribunales paganos
La fornicación

RESPUESTA A DIVERSAS CUESTIONES
EL MATRIMONIO Y EL CELIBATO


7 Los deberes conyugales
Los matrimonios entre cristianos y paganos
La condición social del cristiano
La excelencia de la virginidad
La brevedad del tiempo presente
La consagración a Dios
LA CARNE SACRIFICADA A LOS ÍDOLOS


8 El aspecto teórico de la cuestión
El punto de vista del amor fraternal
9 El ejemplo de Pablo: los derechos del Apóstol
El desprendimiento de Pablo
El celo apostólico de Pablo
El ejemplo de los deportistas
10 Las lecciones de la historia de Israel
Los sacrificios paganos y la Eucaristía
La libertad de conciencia
La gloria de Dios y la salvación del prójimo
11
LAS ASAMBLEAS LITÚRGICAS  Y LOS DONES DEL ESPÍRITU


El velo de las mujeres
Abusos en las celebracioneseucarísticas
La Cena del Señor
Condiciones para celebrar la Eucaristía
12 Los dones espirituales
El Cuerpo de Cristo
Los ministerios y los carismas
13 La preeminencia del amor
14 La profecía y el don de lenguas
Los carismas al servicio de la comunidad
El orden en las asambleas
Los carismas y la autoridad
LA RESURRECCIÓN DE LOS MUERTOS


15 El Evangelio de Pablo
La resurrección de Cristo
La resurrección,fundamento de la esperanza
La condición de los cuerpos resucitados
La victoria sobre la muerte
CONCLUSIÓN


16 La próxima visita de Pablo
Recomendaciones y noticias finales
Saludos y despedida

Version
Revised Standard Version (1966) - English
Nova Vulgata - Latin
Vulgata - Stuttgart 1969 - Latin
Bíblia Sagrada Ave-Maria (1957) - Portuguese
La Sainte Bible (Crampon 1904) - French
CEI (1974) - Italian
EinheitsÜbersetzung der Heiligen Sc - German