Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Corinthians 8:10

ἐὰν γάρ τις ἴδῃ σὲ τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν ἐν εἰδωλείῳ κατακείμενον. St Paul here puts an extreme perhaps, but by no means an impossible case. We can imagine a strong-minded believer arguing thus, when asked to a friendly entertainment in an idol temple. ‘I am not worshipping the idol by going. I am merely accepting an invitation which is kindly meant. I know that most of those present will regard the feast as an act of worship. But that does not affect me. I do not believe in the idol myself, nor do I worship it. But I cannot and need not sever myself altogether from the society of my relations and friends because I am a Christian. In accepting an invitation of this kind, therefore, I am doing nothing wrong. For I have nothing to do with other people’s views. I am only responsible for my own.’ But St Paul answers, ‘That might be quite true, if you had no one to consider but yourself. But you have others to consider. You must consider those who would not unreasonably regard your presence in the idol temple as a direct act of worship, and might thereby be led by your example to the conclusion that idol worship was no sin, but only a pardonable concession to the prejudices of heathen society.’ Some commentators, supposing it impossible that a Christian could be found in the idol temple, have rendered ‘at an idol sacrifice,’ but the analogy of other similarly formed Greek words confirms the rendering in the text. σὲ τὸν ἔχοντα γνῶσιν, ‘you, who pride yourself on your knowledge,’ or more literally ‘you, the man who has knowledge.’ κατακείμενον is of course literally reclining.

οἰκοδομηθήσεται. See note on 1 Corinthians 8:1. The use of the word here is remarkable. But the A.V. has caught its spirit in emboldened.

εἰς τὸ τὰ εἰδωλόθυτα ἐσθίειν. The class of believer here referred to is that which cannot separate the eating meats offered to idols from an act of worship to the idol. See 1 Corinthians 8:7.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

1 Corinthians 8:10

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