1 Corinthians 13:2-3
And if I have prophecies and know all mysteries and all
knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but have not love,
I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions and if I deliver my body in
order that I might be burned, but if I have not love, I am profited nothing.
This is another passage where Paul is not explicitly quoting
Jesus, but where the language is very close to that of Jesus’ teaching. The
first part of this passage sounds like Jesus’ promise to his disciples: “The
knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but
not to them” (Mt. 13:11). This could be discounted as coincidence, if not for what
follows. Paul’s comment about faith that can move mountains also is very close
to Jesus’ teaching: “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say
to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move” (Mt. 17:20).
There is some disagreement as to the relevance of this similarity. Robertson
and Plummer suggest that both Jesus and Paul used the same proverbial
expression. Barrett agrees, believing that Paul is not quoting Jesus but
sharing a proverb. On the other hand, Fee believes that “This qualifier is
another sure evidence of Paul’s acquaintance with the teaching of Jesus.”
William Orr and James Walther see this as evidence that “Paul proclaimed not
only the death and resurrection of Jesus but also his moral teaching.” The probability
that Paul is thinking of Jesus’ teaching increases in the next verse where Paul
speaks of giving away possessions, an action often mentioned by Jesus. Fee
believes that “Paul is probably once again reflecting on the teaching of
Jesus.”
Each phrase by itself is not strong enough to claim an origin
in the Jesus tradition, but together they make a good case for Paul’s use of
Jesus’ teachings. It is possible that the Corinthians were aware of some of
Jesus’ teachings and felt that they were justified in their knowledge, faith
and generosity as commended by Jesus. Paul reminded them (without quoting the
passage), that obedience to these teachings of Jesus are meaningless without
obedience to Jesus’ central message of love for God and for neighbor (Mt.
22:37-40). It is likely that Paul knew the importance that Jesus placed on love
for neighbor, as Paul quotes this Old Testament passage twice—Rom. 13:9 and
Gal. 5:14— in a similar way to Jesus. As David Wenham states, “We may conclude
that in 1 Corinthians 13 Paul is recalling some of the most important examples
of spirituality as taught by Jesus, but insisting on the absolute priority of
love, which was, of course, the priority in Jesus’ own teaching.” While we
cannot know for sure what Paul intended with this imagery, it does seem
probable that Paul was responding to some misunderstandings of Jesus’ teaching
in the Corinthian church. Once again, Paul’s knowledge of Jesus’ teaching is
demonstrated.
Conclusion
It is well known that Paul does not often quote the teachings
or refer to the earthly life of Jesus. However, this should not be taken as
evidence that these traditions were unknown to Paul. 1 Corinthians is a good example
of Paul’s use of the Jesus tradition in a number of forms. In this letter, Paul
explicitly cites Jesus, quotes liturgical traditions concerning Jesus and
incorporates echoes of Jesus’ teaching into his own arguments. 1 Corinthians
demonstrates that the Jesus tradition, including details of the passion and
resurrection, as well as specific teachings, were well known to Paul. It seems
as if reference to Jesus’ teachings is a tool that Paul uses only when he wants
to make a particularly strong point. The lack of use of the Jesus tradition in many
places only strengthens the impact when Paul does bring in Jesus’ authority. In
other places, Paul has so absorbed the traditions and teachings of Jesus into his
own life that the separation between Paul and Jesus is often difficult to
determine. It is obvious that the traditions of the life and teachings of Jesus
were extremely important to Paul and were used in his teaching where
appropriate. (Stephen J. Bedard, "Paul
and the Historical Jesus: A Case Study in First Corinthians," McMaster
Journal of Theology and Ministry 7 [2006]: 20-22)