1 Corinthians 10
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 10
The Lesson of Israel’s Past.[a] 1 Brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, 2 and they were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. 3 All ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink—for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. 5 Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and they were struck down in the desert.
6 These events occurred to offer examples for us so that we might not desire evil things as they did. 7 Do not become idolaters, as some of them did. It is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and they rose up to engage in revelry.”
8 Let us not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand of them died in a single day. 9 Let us not put Christ to the test, as some of them did, and they were destroyed by serpents. 10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and they were slain by the Destroyer.[b] 11 All these things happened to them to serve as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us upon whom the end of the ages has come.
12 Therefore, if you think you are standing securely, take care that you do not fall 13 No trial has confronted you except what a person can stand. God is faithful, and he will not allow you to be tried beyond your strength. But together with the trial he will also provide a way out and the strength to bear it.
14 The Eucharist Versus Pagan Sacrifices.[c] Therefore, my dear friends, avoid idolatry at all costs.[d] 15 I am talking to you as sensible people. Judge for yourselves what I say. 16 The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
18 Consider the people of Israel.[e] Are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 19 What then am I implying? That meat sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
20 No, I simply mean that pagan sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to become partners with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. 22 Do we truly wish to provoke the Lord to jealous anger?[f] Are we stronger than he is?
23 Concerning Idol Offerings.“All things are lawful,” you may say—but not all things are beneficial. All things may be lawful—but not all things are constructive. 24 No one should seek his own advantage in preference to that of his neighbor. 25 You may eat whatever meat is sold in the market without raising questions on grounds of conscience, 26 for “the earth and all it contains belong to the Lord.”
27 If an unbeliever invites you to a meal and you decide to accept, eat whatever is set before you without raising any questions on the grounds of conscience. 28 However, if someone says to you, “This food was offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, out of consideration for the one who informed you and for the sake of conscience— 29 I mean the other person’s conscience, not your own. For why should my freedom be governed by someone else’s conscience? 30 If I partake of the meal with thankfulness, why should I be criticized for eating food for which I give thanks?
31 Give No Offense. Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the Church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own good but that of the many, so that they may be saved.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 10:1 Paul calls to mind the story of the Hebrews in the wilderness, where the people were given all the gifts needed for life: the water and the manna, which symbolize Baptism and the Eucharist.
According to a tradition dear to the rabbis, the rock that Moses struck followed the Hebrews so that they might always have water. Paul uses this interpretation in order to make the point that since the time of the Exodus, Christ has been leading the people (see Num 20:8).
If the events in the life of the desert community foreshadow the reality of the Church, the behavior of the Israelites at that time must also serve as a warning that is ever actual: in order to please God, it is not enough to belong to the Church and to receive the Sacraments; Christians must also be committed to an unwavering effort to be faithful, relying on the help of the Spirit.
In this section, Paul is teaching us how to read the Old Testament in a Christian perspective. - 1 Corinthians 10:10 The Destroyer: the angel charged with inflicting divine punishments (see Ex 12:21-28).
- 1 Corinthians 10:14 Taking part in a form of worship means entering into communion with the divinity to which it is offered. Christians, who participate in the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, are well aware of this. By emphasizing the radical opposition between the Eucharist and pagan cults, Paul makes clear the place that the Eucharistic celebration had in the early Church. This participation gives rise to the Body of Christ that is the Church, but it also requires a serious commitment to live according to the Gospel.
- 1 Corinthians 10:14 Avoid idolatry at all costs: the Christians of Corinth must do their utmost to avoid idolatry especially since they are surrounded by temples of other gods. They daily come into contact with temples for the worship of Apollo, Asclepius, Demeter, Aphrodite, and other pagan gods and goddesses. The most common temptation was that of the worship of Aphrodite with its many sacred prostitutes (which at one time numbered 1000).
- 1 Corinthians 10:18 The people of Israel: literally, “Israel according to the flesh,” that is, Jews by birth, as distinct from “the Israel of God,” to which persons belong by faith (see Rom 2:28-29).
- 1 Corinthians 10:22 Provoke the Lord to jealous anger: in the Old Testament, this points to the incompatibility of adoring God and worshiping idols.
