{N}1,{/}13 {C}In the name of Paul{/}. The text says more precisely: "baptized in view of the name of Paul". Paul copied the formula that was being used around him: "in view of the name of Christ", meaning, not in name of Christ (that is, by the power of Christ), but in view of Christ, to belong to him.

{N}1,{/}17 The text says: "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to proclaim his Gospel, and not with the wisdom of language, that the cross of Christ may not be taken out". These chapters will return several times on the subject of the opposition between God's wisdom and human wisdom. The word wisdom appears 17 times in this letter, and yet only appears 50 times in the whole New Testament.

{N}1,{/}18 {C}Lost and saved{/}: see the note on this subject for Acts 4,12.

{N}2,{/}6 {C}The mature in faith{/} (The text says in more precise terms "the perfect ones").
Who are the {C}rulers{/} of this world? Will Paul be referring in these terms to the priests and public officials, to the Jews and Romans that condemned Jesus? Yet, it seems that Paul does not pay too much attention to the individuals: they have been no more than the instruments of their environment and the spokesmen of a mundane wisdom. The jewish thinking saw some spiritual forces (angels if one wishes or cosmic powers) behind the permanent collective mentalities and it may be to them that Paul refers here: he sees them as rivals which the divine wisdom humiliates thanks to the mysterious power of the cross (Col 2,15). Nothing has changed, only our vocabulary is different.

{N}2,{/}11 The text says with more precision: "Who among people knows the things of a person but the spirit of this person within him?" Paul says {C}spirit{/} and we know that in contrast to the soul, the spirit of man is always in him like a derivation of the Spirit of God. Paul does not refer to introspection but rather to a spiritual experience which make us discover ourselves.

{N}4,{/}6 It seems worthwhile to mention here a small accident that occurred to this text. We read: "Brothers, you forced me to apply these comparisons to Apollos and to myself. Learn by this example [not over what is written] in order not to side with one against the other". What do the words within brackets mean? Many commentators have supposed the: "not over what is written" was a popular saying in order to say: "don't boast ourselves beyond measure", and Paul had taken the lesson from there: do not side against the other.
The solution is much simpler: one of the scribes who recopied Paul's letter had forgotten to write the {C}not{/} of {C}not to side{/}; then he put it over the {C}to{/}. And he left a note in the margin in order to advise the reader: "the {C}not{/} is written above the {C}order{/} ". But in Greek this {C}order {/}can also be translated {C}what{/}. The person who later recopied this manuscript again did not try to understand what he was copying and included in the text this small note as part of the text. In reality, Paul only said: learn not to side against the other.

{N}4,{/}15 The text says: "Even though you may have ten thousand pedagogues in the Christian life, you have only one father". Let us remember that among the Greeks the {C}pedagogue{/} was the slave in charge of accompanying the child to school (as in Gal 3,24).

{N}6,{/}15 By the way, let us note that the word {C}body{/} appears 46 times in this letter, 3 more times than in any other book of the New Testament. The body should be understood in the biblical sense: it is as much the body as the person, it is the corporal presence of someone, it is the person himself. But it seems like, responding to the Corinthians, Paul stresses the fact that we make only one with our body. God touches us through the body and the blood of Christ in the Eucharist; we are truly incorporated in Christ; our moral life is in play within the use of our body. We must not be too angelical; and the first letter of John as well as the book of Revelation will both be opposed to the Greek's thought that considered Good and Evil are over sexual behaviors.

{N}7,{/}26 It would seem that polemic reasons have often darkened the translation of this verse. We give here the greek text word for word: "25 With regard to those who remain virgins (men and women) ... I give some advice ... 26 I think this is good (or beautiful, noble) in this hard times in which we live. It is good (or beautiful, noble) to be this way".
It is clear that Paul responds to the Christians that wanted to practice chastity. The {C}this way{/} undoubtedly refers to that state that at least they wanted to prolong. But some commentators have not hesitated to force the text; they have disregarded the word "kalon" that means at the same time good and noble and have translated: "it is convenient". At the end of the sentence they replaced {C}to be this way{/}, that meant: to be like you have just told me, with "to remain as is".  With these changes they wanted to make this verse a repetition of verse 24: there each one is invited to "continue living in the state he were before God at the time of his call", and not to try at any price to change his social condition. 
Actually a precise question had been raised, but according to his custom, Paul will only give back an exact answer after having expressed the pros and cons; this exact response is found in verses 36-37, and there he lets us see what he was alluding to in verse 25. But from the beginning Paul takes a stand and gives an advice in a general way, believing he is authorized to give it. He does so parting from his own experience and his own charisma, as he said earlier in 7,7, and it is praise in favor of virginity.

{N}11,{/}16 {C}That is not our custom{/}, not in reference to discussing, but in reference to not covering the head.

