Corinthians 12-13

 Corinthians 12 and 13 are super full of great topics to discuss. I could imagine a whole year of classes just on those two chapters.  I just want to mention two things I noticed in Greek in these chapters. In chapter 12, I found the word for "spiritual gift" in Greek interesting.  The term is "χαρισμα"  pronounced "charisma" (1 Cor 12:4, 9, 28, 30 31) How did I not know that is why some churches who believe in spiritual gifts are called Charismatic Christians. The word is a form of the word, χαρισ which means "grace" and signifies that these gifts are given as a free gift through God's grace.  

Roman silver mirror

Another interesting Greek discovery is from Corinthians 13.  When Paul says that "For now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face." (v 12) I had always thought of looking through an ancient piece of glass.  In ancient Rome the only way they knew how to form glass was by glass blowing.  So if there were ever a glass window, it would be made out of small pieces of blown glass that would be set in some kind of frame.  They would be translucent, but not transparent, so that is what I thought they were referring to. But as I read this passage in Greek I discovered that the word, translated in the KJV as "glass" is εσοπτρον which is not a window, but a mirror, a "looking glass".  Because they didn't know how to make flat glass in Roman times (plate glass wasn't available in Europe until the 3nd century AD) mirrors were made out of polished metal.  They could be made quite reflective, but the image was dark because it was metal instead of glass.  This brings a new nuance to the passage.  Paul isn't saying, as I had always thought, that we can't now see God clearly because we see him as if we were looking through an opaque window, but that we can't see ourselves clearly because we are using a metal mirror. This makes the next sentence easier to understand. "now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known."  In other words, I cannot see myself now clearly, but at some future time I will see myself clearly as God sees me.  It is a beautiful thought.  If we see ourselves clearly, and see others as God sees them, then charity will be the natural outcome.