ACC ~ 1 Corinthians 4 v6

APPLYING TACT. CHRYSOSTOM: As long as there was a need for expressions as harsh as these, Paul refrained from drawing up the curtain and went on arguing as if he himself were the person to whom they were addressed. But when the time came to be gentler, he tore the curtain away and revealed who the people were whom he had concealed under the names of Paul and Apollos. This was not hypocrisy but gentleness and tact. For if he had said openly that the men whom the Corinthians were attacking were saints, they might have taken it badly. But by first humbling himself he gained their attention and respect. HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 9.1.

1 Cor