And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another. (1 Cor 4:6)
In a few posts on this blog (see below), I have addressed the debate about the meaning of the phrase, τὸ μὴ ὑπὲρ ἃ γέγραπται ("not above that which is written"), demonstrating that the appeal made to this phrase by some Protestant apologists (e.g., Matt Slick; Robert Morey) so support the doctrine of sola scriptura to be based on eisegesis. To add to the discussion, here is a recent discussion of the phrase by Kevin J. Vanhoozer in a recent essay:
Commentators disagree as to the meaning of “not [to go] beyond what is written.” Some translations take the neuter article to as a convention for introducing quoted material: “that you may learn . . . the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written’” (1 Cor. 4:6, NIV). What, however, does this maxim mean and, in particular, what does “what is written” refer to? Exegetes express considerable Angst over the interpretation of this passage; hence the following suggestion must remain somewhat tentative.
It is likely that some at Corinth were trying to supplement the theology of the cross with a higher, second-state “spiritual wisdom,” a superior form of knowledge that led to boasting. Paul’s command not to go beyond what is written is best taken as referring to (1) the Old Testament in general; (2) what Paul has explicitly cited from the OT in 1:19, 31; 2:9, 16; 3:19, 20, about the importance of not boasting in worldly wisdom but rather in what the Lord has done; and (3) the “foolish” gospel message of the cross “in accordance with the Scriptures” (cf. 15:3-4). In context, then, to go beyond Scripture means “to boast in human wisdom supposing that we are, as it were, smarter than God.”
According to this “Corinthian principle,” then, there is a sense in which Christians must never go beyond the “foolishness” of Christ crucified and the biblical texts that reveal it as God’s wisdom and power of salvation. The definitive message of the cross implies a certain sufficiency of the gospel. Christians must not think that they have a superior knowledge of God or way of salvation if this conflicts with the God of the gospel or with the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. To take leave of the gospel—call it the “bad beyond” (i.e., a move against the grain of the text)—is not an option. The question, however, is whether there is a “good beyond” (i.e., a move along the grain of the text)—a right and proper way of building on and respecting the prophets and apostles that yields a longer obedience, and a longer understanding. (Kevin J. Vanhoozer, “May We Go Beyond What is Written After All? The Pattern of Theological Authority and the Problem of Doctrinal Development” in D.A. Carson ed. The Enduring Authority of the Christian Scriptures [Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2016], 747-92, here, pp. 749-50)
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