RSV ~ 1 Corinthians 11 Notes

1 Cor 11:1 | ISB Notes

Be imitators of me: Technically, this verse rounds off the preceding discussion of chaps. 8-10 and is not an introduction to the following discussion of chaps. 11-14. Note that Paul’s original letter had no chapter and verse divisions. See note on 1 Cor 9:1-27.

1 Cor 11:2-14 | ISB Notes

The next section of the letter concerns issues of liturgical assembly and abuse. Paul deals with improper attire (11:2-16), selfishness and discrimination (11:17-34), and the disorderly exercise of spiritual gifts (chaps. 12-14).

1 Cor 11:2 | ISB Notes

the traditions: I.e., the beliefs and practices of Christianity stemming from Christ. By extension it refers to the gospel as it was delivered to the early Church in person or in writing by the inspired apostles (15:3; 2 Thess 2:15; 3:6). The divine origin of Christian tradition gives it an authority not shared by merely human tradition, which is often unreliable and can be in conflict with revealed truth (Mk 7:3-8; Col 2:8; CCC 81-83).

1 Cor 11:3-16 | ISB Notes

The precise problem that Paul addresses in these verses is unclear. Scholars are divided over the central issue, i.e., whether it concerns gender differences in general or marital relationships in particular. This is in part because the same Greek terms that mean “man” and “woman” can also mean “husband” and “wife”. On balance, Paul is more likely speaking about gender issues in general within the context of public worship. It seems that certain Corinthians have challenged the distinction between the sexes by violating gender-appropriate dress codes in the liturgy. Paul’s guidelines imply that the order of redemption, where men and women are equal recipients of grace (Gal 3:28), does not obliterate the order of creation, where gender differences are written into nature (Gen 1:27).

1 Cor 11:3 | ISB Notes

the head: The Greek term can be used metaphorically to mean “leader” or “source”. It is difficult to determine which is intended here; perhaps Paul is working with both ideas.

See word study: Head at Eph 5.

1 Cor 11:6 | ISB Notes

veil herself: Many believe the veil symbolizes the subordinate status of women that should be reflected in a liturgical setting (14:34). • The Catholic Church teaches that Paul’s counsel on the veiling of women was inspired by the customs of the day. Because this was a matter of discipline, not doctrine, the Pauline directives on covering and uncovering the head are subject to change. They are no longer binding on men and women today (Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith: Inter insigniores [1976], 4).

1 Cor 11:7-9 | ISB Notes

Allusions to the creation stories of Genesis. • Paul reads Gen 1:26-27, where man and woman are made in the image of God, through the lens of Gen 2:21-23, where God fashioned Eve as a helper for Adam by creating her from the physical substance of Adam. The point is that man has a natural precedence over woman in the created order established by God.

1 Cor 11:10 | ISB Notes

because of the angels: A warning that gender confusion and improper attire at worship will offend the heavenly hosts. The underlying idea is that (1) angels are ministers of the natural order, and (2) angels are present in the sacramental worship of the Church.

1 Cor 11:14 | ISB Notes

nature itself: The expression can mean “natural law” or “common custom”. Paul intends the latter rather than the former.

1 Cor 11:17-34 | ISB Notes

Paul confronts liturgical abuse of the Lord’s Supper. The Corinthians must have gathered to eat a common meal before celebrating the Eucharist. Although this preliminary meal was meant to promote fellowship, it became a source of tension and disunity between rich and poor Christians that extended into the liturgy. Several factors put this crisis in context. (1) Since early Christian gatherings took place, not in church buildings, but in available homes (16:19), seating arrangements could reinforce the distinctions of social rank among believers, with the wealthy eating together and the poor excluded from their company. (2) The meal itself could accentuate division if the rich brought healthy portions of food for themselves, leaving whatever was left for the poor or not sharing with them at all (11:21). (3) Wealthy persons would have the leisure to arrive early and enjoy their food, while laborers and slaves would have to fulfill their duties before attending (11:33-34). Whatever the precise circumstances, acts of discrimination in Corinth have contradicted the very purpose of these gatherings (10:17).

1 Cor 11:17 | ISB Notes

I do not commend you: Paul addresses a serious violation of Christian tradition (11:2).

1 Cor 11:18 | ISB Notes

when you assemble: The early Christians gathered together at least once a week, in particular on Sunday, the Lord’s day (16:2; Acts 20:7; Rev 1:10; CCC 1343, 2174-76).

1 Cor 11:19 | ISB Notes

factions: Some suggest the divisions between poor and prosperous Christians in Corinth may coincide with the factions mentioned in 1:11-13, but this is uncertain.

1 Cor 11:20 | ISB Notes

not the Lord’s supper: Disunity among the Corinthians contradicts the very purpose of the Eucharist to unify believers with Christ and one other (10:17).

1 Cor 11:23 | ISB Notes

I received from the Lord: Paul learned of the Last Supper through the Church’s liturgical tradition stretching back to Jesus and the first apostles. His account agrees in substance with the narratives of the Gospels, especially Luke’s version (Lk 22:19-20). Paul is confident that divine revelation is safely passed on through the tradition of the Church.

he was betrayed: By Judas Iscariot (Mk 14:43-46; Jn 13:26-30).

1 Cor 11:24-25 | ISB Notes

Through the words of Consecration, Jesus transformed the ordinary bread and wine of the Jewish Passover meal into the Sacrament of his Body and Blood (Jn 6:53-58). See notes on 1 Cor 10:16 and Mt 26:26-29.

1 Cor 11:24 | ISB Notes

Do this in remembrance: As the original Passover memorialized Israel’s deliverance from Egypt through Moses (Ex 12:14), so the new Passover of the Eucharist commemorates the Church’s deliverance from sin through Jesus (5:7; CCC 1340). Christ’s mandate to continue this liturgical action is linked with his institution of the New Covenant priesthood (CCC 1337, 1341). See note on Lk 22:19 and word study: at Lk 22.

1 Cor 11:26 | ISB Notes

you proclaim the Lord’s death: The separate Con

secration of bread and wine is a visible representation of Christ’s death, recalling how his blood was separated from his body on the Cross. until he comes: The liturgy awaits its fulfillment at the coming of Christ in glory. Anticipating his visible return as Judge (4:5), Christ makes an invisible return as Judge in the eucharistic meal itself (CCC 1402-05). This is why Paul stresses that unworthy reception of Communion brings judgment upon the perpetrators (1 Cor 11:29-32). In

his mind, the Eucharist is a sacrament, not of Christ’s absence, but of his real and holy presence.

1 Cor 11:27 | ISB Notes

the bread . . . the cup: The Corinthians apparently received the Eucharist under both species, although this was not strictly necessary. • The Church holds that Christ is entirely present under each form of the Sa

crament, so that Communion under one species is communion with the whole Christ in his glorified Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity (CCC 1390). unworthy manner: Receiving Eucharistic Communion can be an act of sacrilege and self-condemnation if done in a state of serious (mortal) sin. For Paul, to sin against the body and blood in this way is to be liable for the Lord’s violent death. The offenders in Corinth incurred this guilt by overeating, drunkenness, and discrimination against the poor. Such carelessness before the Sacrament triggered divine judgments of sickness and even death (11:30).

1 Cor 11:28 | ISB Notes

examine himself: Self-examination should always precede Communion. The purpose is to avoid an unworthy reception of the Sacrament. • Paul’s teaching implies a close connection between the Eucharist and Reconciliation (Jn 20:23; CCC 1385).

1 Cor 11:29 | ISB Notes

discerning the body: Probably a wordplay on the term “body”, which refers to the eucharistic Body of Christ and to the ecclesial Body of Christ made up of believers united to him (10:16-17; 12:12). Recognizing Jesus in the Sacrament is thus coupled with recognizing him in our spiritual brothers and sisters (Mt 25:34-40).

1 Cor 11:32 | ISB Notes

chastened: Divine discipline is a call to repentance and spiritual growth. Its loving purpose is to avert our final condemnation with the sinners of the world (Heb 12:7-11).

1 Cor 11:34 | ISB Notes

let him eat at home: Implies that the preliminary fellowship meal is not an essential part of the liturgy (11:22). Diff

iculties like those experienced in Corinth led the early Church eventually to separate eucharistic worship from the context of common meals. I will give directions: Paul’s written instructions are merely a preface to the oral instructions he hopes to give when he arrives (4:19-21).