Ὡς φρονίμοις λέγω · κρίνατε ὑμεῖς ὅ φημι : “As to men of sense I speak; be yourselves the judges of what I affirm.” With this prefatory appeal to the intelligence of the readers cf. the introductory phrases of Romans 6:19; Galatians 3:15; the ground of admonition in this § lies entirely within the judgment of the Cor [1486], as that of the last § did not (1 Corinthians 10:1). The Cor [1487] are φρόνιμοι, intellectually clever and shrewd, not σοφοί (as some of them thought themselves to be, 1 Corinthians 3:18); this compliment is consistent with the censure of 1 Corinthians 3:1 ff.; see parls., also Trench Syn., § lxxv. “The new conception of the πνευματικὸς caused the word φρόνιμος to sink to a much lower level in the N.T. than it occupied in Plato or Aristotle” (Ed [1488]). Philo disparages φρόνησις, denning it as μέση πανουργίας κ. μωρίας (Quod Deus immut., § 35); he says, σοφία μὲν γὰρ πρὸς θεραπείαν Θεοῦ, φρόνησις δὲ πρὸς ἀνθρώπινον βίον διοίκησιν (De prœm. et pœn., § 14). On φημί (again in 19), cf 1 Corinthians 7:29, and note. For like appeals, see Luke 12:57; Acts 4:19. The questions that follow, the readers will easily answer from their knowledge of religious custom and feeling.

[1486] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[1487] Corinth, Corinthian or Corinthians.

[1488] T. C. Edwards' Commentary on the First Ep. to the Corinthians.

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Old Testament