“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God.”
And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God — Paul now personalizes the argument: he did not use 'eloquence' (huperochē logou, literally 'surplus of speech') or 'human wisdom' (sophia anthrōpōn). 'The testimony about God' (to martyrion tou theou) is the gospel, anchored in God's action, not human rhetorical skill. Paul's methodology matches his message: the cross is proclaimed, not rhetorically elaborated.
Church Fathers on 1 Corinthians 2:1
Nothing was ever more prepared for combat than the spirit of Paul; or rather, I should say, not his spirit, (for he was not himself the inventor of these things,) but, nothing was ever equal to the grace working within him, which overcomes all things. For sufficient indeed is what had been said before to cast down the pride of the boasters about wisdom; nay, even a part of it had been enough. But to enhance the splendor of the victory, he contends anew for the points which he…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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