Food Offered to Idols and the Weak Conscience
…the believers into the observance of the law. These people pour the venom of the ancient deceit into the souls of the simpler; they persuade them to keep days and months (compare Galatians 4:10), they practice what is called self-made religion (compare Colossians 2:23), and they advise others to choose to fulfill it.
Since, then, he says, you were bought with a price (1 Corinthians 7:23), and were ransomed “not with perishable things, with silver or gold,” but rather “with precious blood, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot, Christ” (1 Peter 1:18–19), let us rather be subject to his laws.
“Now concerning food offered to idols, we know that we all have knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:1). The believers at Corinth were convinced that God is by nature one and only, and that idols are not gods. They laughed at those who sacrificed to them, saying that meat offered in sacrifice is nothing at all, and they ate it without distinction, reckoning that no defilement came from it. But they caused the weak to stumble, those who thought they gave no offense to God if they honored the feasts of the idols. For this reason Paul puts a stop to these feasts, wishing the believers to be single-minded, worshiping the all-holy God alone.
“We know that there is no idol in the world” (1 Corinthians 8:4). For those who do not know the idols at all, or who know precisely that they are mere wood and stone, there is no idol in the world, for they do not count them worth any account at all. Thinking in this way, they believe in one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and in one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things (1 Corinthians 8:6).
He has the glory of the lordship of God the Father; and, as the One begotten of him, he has the pre-eminence of the One who begot him, since he exists, and is understood to be, God in his own nature, and not by that participation in the Spirit by which many have been called gods and lords. This knowledge few possess.
“As there are many gods and many lords” (1 Corinthians 8:5). It is by being counted worthy of a share in the Holy Spirit that many have been called gods and lords; and this mystical knowledge few possess. For unbelievers still think there are many gods, and some even of those who have believed in Christ do not wholly depart from the customs of idolatry.
“But some, being conscious of the idol until now, eat it as food offered to an idol, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled” (1 Corinthians 8:7). Some of those who have believed in Christ have not wholly turned away from idolatry, and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. For out of a weak soul they perhaps even think it benefits them to be purified by sharing in sacred sacrifices, and to make a meal of the sacrificial meat. But the weak must be led on by spiritual teaching, not by eating without distinction and reclining at table with unbelievers.
“But take care that this right of yours does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9). By being indifferent about eating sacrificial meat and reclining with unbelievers in the temples, they made the display of their own firmness an occasion of stumbling for some. For we must not use the right that faith gives in every case, nor out of season and without discernment; rather, it would be fitting for everything to be done by us in a seemly way (compare 1 Corinthians 14:40).
“Thus, sinning against the brothers and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ” (1 Corinthians 8:12). By causing the brothers to stumble we shall offend against Christ himself, who died for the salvation of us all; and what wrong could weigh as much as that? For “the weak man is destroyed by your knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:11); our good has become sin, the firmness of faith a stumbling block to the brothers, and knowledge a pit.
It is a very grievous thing, for it all but amounts to leaping on the weaknesses of the brothers, instead of taking pains to strengthen their weak conscience. For we must “not put a stumbling block or an occasion of falling before a brother” (Romans 14:13), keeping in mind what is…
Greek
τοὺς πεπιστευκότας ἐπιχειροῦσιν εἰς νομικὴν παρατήρησιν, καὶ τῆς ἀρχαίας ἀπάτης 10 ἐκχέουσι τὸν ἰὸν ταῖς τῶν ἁπλουστέρων ψυχαῖς, καὶ ἡμέρας καὶ μῆνας ἐπιτηρεῖν ἀναπείθουσι, καὶ τὴν καλουμένην ἐθελοθρησκείαν ἐπιτηδεύουσι, καὶ ἑτέροις ἑλέσθαι πληροῦν συμβουλεύουσιν. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν, φησὶ, τιμῆς ἠγοράσθητε, καὶ "οὐ φθαρτοῖς ἀργυρίῳ ἢ χρυσίῳ "ἐλυτρώθητε, τιμίῳ δὲ μᾶλλον αἵματι ὡς ἀμνοῦ ἀμώμου "καὶ ἀσπίλου Χριστοῦ," τοῖς αὐτοῦ μᾶλλον ὑποταττώμεθα νόμοις. Περὶ δὲ τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων οἴδαμεν ὅτι πάντες γνῶσιν ἔχομεν. Ἐπειδὴ οἱ πιστοὶ τῶν ἐν Κορίνθῳ ἦσαν πεπεισμένοι ὅτι Θεὸς κατὰ φύσιν εἷς καὶ μόνος, καὶ ὅτι τὰ εἴδωλα οὐ θεοὶ, καὶ κατεγέλων τῶν θυόντων αὐτοῖς λέγοντες οὐδὲν ὅλως εἶναι τὸ ἱερόθυτον, καὶ ἤσθιον ἀδιακρίτως ταῦτα οὐδένα μολυσμὸν ἐκ τούτου λογιζόμενοι· ἐσκανδάλιζον δὲ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς τοὺς νομίζοντας μὴ προσκρούειν Θεῷ εἰ τὰς τῶν εἰδώλων τιμήσειαν ἑορτάς· τούτου χάριν ἀνακόπτει ταύτας ὁ Παῦλος, μονοτρόπους εἶναι θέλων τοὺς πιστοὺς μόνῳ τῷ παναγίῳ λατρεύοντας Θεῷ. 276 Οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ. Τοῖς ὅλως οὐκ εἰδόσι τὰ εἴδωλα, ἢ καὶ εἰδόσιν ἀκριβῶς ὅτι ξύλα εἰσὶ καὶ λίθοι ψιλὰ, οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ, οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅλως ἀξιοῦσι ταῦτα λόγου τινὸς, ἀλλ' οὕτω φρονοῦντες, εἰς ἕνα πιστεύουσι Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἰς ἕνα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα. ἔχοντος· τὴν τῆς κυριότητος δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, καὶ τοῦ τεχθέντος ἐξ αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ τεκόντος αὐτὸν, ὡς ἐν ἰδίᾳ φύσει ὑπάρχοντός τε καὶ νοουμένου Θεοῦ, οὐ κατὰ μέθεξιν τὴν ἐν Πνεύματι θεοὶ καὶ κύριοι κέκληνται πολλοὶ, ἥνπερ γνῶσιν ὀλίγοι ἔχουσιν. Ὥσπερ εἰσὶ θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί. Κατὰ τὸ ἀξιωθῆναι τῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος μετοχῆς, θεοὶ καὶ κύριοι κέκληνται πολλοί· καὶ τὴν μυστικὴν ταύτην γνῶσιν ὀλίγοι ἔχουσιν. οἱ μὲν γὰρ ἄπιστοι πολλοὺς ἔτι νομίζουσι θεοὺς, τινὲς δὲ καὶ τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πιστευσάντων ὁλοτρόπως οὐκ ἀφίστανται τῶν τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας ἐθῶν. Τινὲς δὲ τῇ συνειδήσει τοῦ εἰδώλου ἕως ἄρτι ὡς εἰδωλόθυτον ἐσθίουσιν καὶ ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται. Τῶν εἰς Χριστὸν πιστευσάντων τινὲς ὁλοτρόπως οὐκ ἀποστάντες τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας, ἡ συνείδησις αὐτῶν ἀσθενὴς οὖσα μολύνεται. ἀπὸ γὰρ ἀσθενοῦς ψυχῆς, ἴσως καὶ νομίζουσιν ὠφελεῖν αὐτοὺς τῷ μετασχεῖν ἱερῶν θυσιῶν ἀγγεύσασθαι καὶ βρῶσιν ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ἱερόθυτον. ἀναγκαῖον δὲ τοὺς ἀσθενεῖς πνευματικαῖς διδασκαλίαις ψυχαγωγεῖν, οὐ μὴν τὸ ἀδιαφόρως ἐσθίειν καὶ τοῖς ἀπίστοις συγκατακεῖσθαι. 277 Βλέπετε δὲ μήπως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη πρόσκομμα γένηται τοῖς ἀσθενοῦσιν. Ἀδιαφοροῦντες περὶ τὸ ἐσθίειν τὰ ἱερόθυτα καὶ συνανακεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀπίστοις ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς, σκανδάλου πρόφασιν ἐποιοῦντό τισι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἑδραιότητος τὴν ἐπίδειξιν. δεῖ γὰρ οὐκ ἐφ' ἅπασιν οὔτε ἔξω καιροῦ καὶ ἀδιακρίτως τῇ τῆς πίστεως ἐξουσίᾳ κατακεχρῆσθαι, πάντα δὲ μᾶλλον εὐσχημόνως πρέποι ἂν γίνεσθαι πρὸς ἡμῶν. Οὕτως δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ τύπτοντες αὐτῶν τὴν συνείδησιν ἀσθενοῦσαν, εἰς Χριστὸν ἁμαρτάνετε. Σκανδαλίζοντες ἀδελφοὺς, εἰς αὐτὸν πλημμελήσομεν τὸν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἁπάντων ἡμῶν σωτηρίας τεθνεῶτα Χριστὸν, οὗ τί ἂν γένοιτο τὸ ἰσοστατοῦν ἀδίκημα; ἀπόλλυται γὰρ ὁ ἀσθενῶν ἐν τῇ σῇ γνώσει, καὶ γέγονεν ἡμῶν ἁμαρτία τὸ ἀγαθὸν, καὶ σκάνδαλον ἀδελφοῖς ἡ τῆς πίστεως ἑδραιότης, καὶ βόθρος ἡ γνῶσις. Παγχάλεπον τὸ πρᾶγμα· μόνον γὰρ οὐχὶ ταῖς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀσθενείαις ἐνάλλεσθαι καὶ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἐν σπουδῇ ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ἀσθενὲς αὐτῶν συνειδὸς ἐπιῤῥῶσαι· δεῖ γὰρ "μὴ "τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον," ἐννοοῦντας τὸ