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Anonymous
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Dear AskACatholic.com,
In the history of the Church, there existed a group called the Flagellants, who mortified their flesh by whipping themselves. I think I read the Church condemned them as heretics. My question is:
- Did they get this idea from 1 Corinthians 9:27, and
- What did St. Paul the Apostle mean by this verse?
Anonymous
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{
Did these heretics get the idea of mortifying from 1 Corinthians 9:27 and what did St. Paul mean? }
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Mike replied:
Dear Anonymous,
Thanks for the question.
Because none of us are Scripture scholars I would recommend getting a good Catholic Commentary on the Scriptures.
I have three suggestions for Bible Commentaries:
- The Navarre Bible Commentaries (they stress the Early Church Fathers and Saints of the Church, which is good.)
- I have a 1954 Commentary on the Scriptures that I got at a used, old book store but you might be able to get one on-line, used from Amazon, and
- though Raymond Brown has been a controversial person in the Church, you can still consider the Jerome Biblical Commentary.
I don't know which Bible Commentary Scott Hahn would approve, but if he approves of one,
I believe all my colleagues would as well.
Based on what I read from 1 Corinthians 9, I sense Paul was referring to combating the sins of concupiscence (or sins of the flesh.)
This answer from my colleague Eric may help as well:
Mike
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John replied:
Anonymous —
Paul is talking about developing the virtue of self control by denying himself comforts, or perhaps fasting. In the previous verses, he talk about training for and running a race. So he's using imagery here; he's not talking literally.
Now it is possible that some took this verse literally but it was not Paul's intent for us to do physical harm to our bodies.
John
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