not to go beyond the things
which have written] translating the true text. A full rendering would be—that
you may learn the principle ‘not beyond what is written,’ the phrase is a
precept, rule, or proverb: here a rule which is to guide Christian practice,
especially in the matter of progress in Christian knowledge, and the relations
of teachers and taught. (1) The phrase is generally taken as referring to the
O.T. scriptures, in accordance with the regular formula of quotation, cf. i.
19, 31, il. 9, ili. 19, etc.: then =not to go beyond the lines laid down in
Scripture. The difficulty of this interpretation lies in (a) the vagueness of
the reference and the absence of all indication as to what Scripture teaching
is meant, (b) the lack of any appeal to Scripture in the preceding discussion of
the position and duties of teachers: consequently it is difficult to see how,
as referred to, Paul and Apollos have ‘been examples of this lesson. To meet
these difficulties Heinr, suggests that S. Paul’s critics at Corinth had
accused his teaching of being unscriptural, and that he is here quoting a
catchword of theirs and meeting them with their own weapon. This is possible
but without support from the context : nothing has been done to emphasise the
scriptural character of S. Paul’s teaching (as is done for instance in Rom.).
If this interpretation is adopted we must confess with Lietzmann that we do not
know enough of the circumstances to make it intelligibie. (2) But it is
possible that the phrase here is used in a technical sense, but not the usual
technical sense. As it 1s written was a - common form for referring to an
agreement and its terms: see Deissmann, B.S. 1. pp. 108sq.: Dittenberger, 353,
ll. 16, 74 al. This would give excellent sense here—‘not to go beyond the terms,’
i.e. of the commission as teacher: this is just the point which has been under
discussion, iii. 1-iv. 5: and it is the point, too, of the next few clauses. It
cannot be said to be impossible that S. Paul should have used the words in this
sense. (Reginald St John
Parry, The First Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians [The
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges; Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1957], 44-45)
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