ACC ~ 1 Corinthians 12 v28

GOD HAS APPOINTED. AMBROSIASTER: Paul has placed the apostles at the head of the church. They may be identified with bishops, as Peter said of Judas: “Let another take his bishopric.” There are two types of prophets, those who predict the future and those who interpret the Scriptures. The apostles are also prophets, because the top rank has all the others subordinated to it. Even a wicked man like Caiaphas uttered prophecies on the strength of his rank, not for any virtue he might have possessed. Teachers are those who instructed boys in the synagogue, a practice which has come down to us as well. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

WHY TONGUES LISTED LAST. CHRYSOSTOM: The order goes from the higher to the lower, and quite deliberately, because the Corinthians were in the habit of putting speaking in tongues at the top of the list. HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 32.2.

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