Predicazioni/1Corinzi/La conoscenza più importante/English version
The most important knowledge
What is truly worth knowing? In a world that exalts information, expertise, and specialization, the apostle Paul surprises with a radical declaration: "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:2). Why does a learned and knowledgeable man like Paul place such absolute importance on Christ and his cross? What makes this knowledge superior to all others? And what difference can it make in our lives today? This biblical reflection explores the meaning of those words in their context and shows how knowledge of Christ crucified is not simply a doctrine to be understood, but God's answer to the deepest human need.
Blissful ignorance?
Have you ever heard or used the exclamation: “Blessed ignorance” [1]? The expression "blissful ignorance" indicates the condition of those who, not knowing the problems, dangers or complexities of the world, according to some, live more serenely and carefree than those who are aware and worry. It is often used to define a form of beneficial naivety, far from intellectual anxieties. In fact, the absence of knowledge (ignorance) is sometimes seen as a "blessing" that protects from stress. This concept is based on the idea, also very dear to classical philosophy and thinkers such as Nietzsche, that "the less you know, the less you suffer" [2]. In fact, there are many people today who "don't want to know" about informing themselves and delving into things (especially in the religious field) because they believe they will "live better" in this way. This attitude is undoubtedly also convenient for those who dominate this world because a population that does not reflect and lacks an inquisitive and critical sense is easier to control and exploit for their purposes.
“Knowing”, however, is essential and, in this regard, I always like to quote what Dante Alighieri wrote in the Divine Comedy: “Consider your seed: you were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge” [3]. It is pronounced by Ulysses to push his travelling companions to go beyond the Pillars of Hercules, the limit of the then known world. “Knowing”, in fact, is part of human nature, it is a noble aspiration that distinguishes us from other creatures. Knowledge must certainly be “managed” like everything else, because it can be abused, but it is indispensable. Furthermore, on a personal level, we must also be “selective” when it comes to knowledge and know what is most important for us and, to a certain extent, a priority. What is essential for us to know? Certainly what we need, but in this regard not everyone has the necessary discernment.
The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Christians of Corinth, makes a statement that might leave us perplexed. He writes: "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." What does he mean? Some might accuse him of religious fanaticism and that anti-intellectual attitude that unfortunately characterizes many Christians with "limited perspectives" today. This, however, is not a declaration of ignorance, of willful ignorance! Paul knew many things. He was a cultured and knowledgeable man. But he had established what the most important knowledge was, the one that gives meaning to all other knowledge. We live in an age that exalts knowledge. Never before have people had such access to information, studies, specializations, and skills. We can, however, know many things and still ignore (or exclude from our interests) what truly matters. Here lies the point: what is essential and a priority to know in our lives that can give it meaning and perspective and that "makes us human"? This is what we will explore today by considering, in its context, what the Apostle intends to communicate to us when he says: "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified . "
The biblical text
Listen to what the apostle Paul writes at the beginning of the second chapter of his letter to the Christians of Corinth:
“But I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellency of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Nevertheless we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery and the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory, which none of the princes of this age knew. For if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:1-8).
To fully understand these words, we must remember the situation of the church in Corinth. Corinth was a wealthy, cosmopolitan, and culturally vibrant city. Its inhabitants particularly prized eloquence, philosophy, and rhetorical skill. Even within the church, a tendency had developed to evaluate preachers according to human criteria, privileging prestige, oratory ability, and the impression they made. For this reason, from the very first chapter, Paul contrasts the wisdom of the world with the wisdom of God.
So when he says, "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified," Paul isn't despising knowledge or reflection. Rather, he's declaring that there is a knowledge that surpasses all others, a truth so fundamental that it becomes the center of his preaching and the very life of the church. In an environment that exalted human wisdom, Paul reminds believers of what truly matters: Christ and the work He accomplished for our salvation from sin and its fatal consequences.
1. Paul had identified the most important knowledge
When the apostle writes, "I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified," he isn't suggesting that he ignore everything else. Paul possessed a vast culture, knew the Scriptures, had been trained at the feet of Gamaliel, and could even converse with Athenian philosophers. Rather, he means to affirm that, among all things that can be known, one thing occupies the first place. He had established a hierarchy of knowledge and recognized that no truth is more important than the person and work of Jesus Christ.
John Calvin comments on this verse, saying, "Here we have a beautiful passage, from which we learn what faithful ministers must teach, what we must learn throughout our lives, and compared to which everything else must be considered so much rubbish." Calvin captures the point very well. Paul is not only establishing the content of his preaching; he is also indicating what must occupy the center of the life of the church. If Christ crucified is the most important truth to proclaim, he is also the most important truth to learn. Throughout our lives, we will never cease to delve into the meaning of what God has done for us in his Son.
We too are called to make choices. No one can know everything, and no one can devote equal attention to every subject. The crucial question is establishing priorities. Many people invest immense energy in learning about work, politics, economics, technology, or sports, but devote very little time to what concerns their soul and their eternal destiny. Paul teaches us that the most important knowledge is not necessarily that which is most useful for earthly success, but that which reconciles us with God and gives meaning to our entire existence.
This doesn't mean disparaging other forms of knowledge. Rather, it means placing them in their proper place. Everything we learn can be useful and even valuable, but no knowledge can replace that of Christ. When Paul writes to the Philippians to consider everything "as rubbish" compared to the excellence of knowing Christ Jesus, he isn't denying the value of human learning; he's affirming that, compared to the treasure of the Gospel, everything else inevitably occupies a secondary position. The question this text poses is therefore very simple: what place does Christ occupy in the hierarchy of our knowledge and priorities?
2. This knowledge is a Person: Jesus Christ
It's significant that Paul doesn't simply say he preached a doctrine, a moral code, or a religious philosophy. He speaks of a Person: "Jesus Christ." Christianity is not primarily a system of ideas or laws, but the proclamation of what God has accomplished in history through his Son. Certainly, Christian doctrine exists, and this is important, and God's moral law exists, but it has value because it leads us to Christ and helps us understand who He is and what He has accomplished.
Many people know something about Jesus without truly knowing Him. They may be familiar with some facts about his life, recall episodes from the Gospels, or share certain moral values, yet they lack a living relationship with Him. For Paul, however, knowledge of Christ was the supreme treasure. This is why he wrote to the Philippians: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." But how does Christ become our Savior? How can he reconcile us with God? This is where Paul leads us to the very heart of his message: Christ crucified. It's not simply about knowing something about Christ, but about knowing him as our personal Savior, Lord, and source of meaningful and eternal life.
3. The heart of this knowledge is Christ crucified
Paul doesn't just speak of Christ. He speaks of "Christ crucified." Here we find the heart of the Christian message. The cross was the most shameful and humiliating symbol of the ancient world. No one would have thought of building a religious movement around it, destined to conquer the world. Yet the cross itself is at the heart of the apostolic preaching. Paul doesn't try to hide it, tone it down, or make it more acceptable. He proclaims it openly.
As he had already written in the previous chapter: "The Jews demand miracles and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified." The Jews desired displays of power; the Greeks sought sophisticated philosophical arguments. God, however, offers the world a crucified Redeemer. To the human mind, this seems scandalous or absurd. For faith, however, the cross is the place where sin is atoned for, divine justice is satisfied, and peace with God is achieved. What the world considers weakness is revealed to be God's power for salvation.
4. Christ crucified is the knowledge we really need
Here we come to the practical heart of the message. It's not enough to know that Jesus died on the cross. Many are familiar with this historical fact. The question is: Do we understand why he willingly accepted a death he could have avoided? Do we understand that the cross reveals not only God's love, but also the gravity of our sin? If the Son of God had to suffer and die to save sinners, it means our situation is much more serious than we often imagine.
The cross teaches us that we cannot save ourselves through our humanitarian or religious commitment, that our "good works" are not enough, and that we need a redemption that comes from outside ourselves. This is why Paul does not present Christ crucified as an interesting topic to discuss, but as a vital necessity. He knows that without Christ, humanity remains separated from God, imprisoned in guilt and without hope. Christ crucified is not simply a truth to be known; he is the Savior we need.
5. This knowledge is received through faith and transforms life
Isaac Ambrose, the 17th-century Puritan preacher, wrote: "Study, then, and study still more, but be sure that your study and knowledge are more practical than speculative; not merely racking your brains to learn the story of Christ's death, but its efficacy, virtue, and merit." This is precisely what Paul desired for the Corinthians: a faith founded not on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. Not a faith born from admiration for an orator, but from trust in the crucified Savior. Ambrose is not devaluing study. On the contrary, he encourages us to study more and more. He, however, distinguishes between knowledge that remains in the mind and knowledge that reaches the heart. One can know the chronology of the events of the Passion, the historical details of the crucifixion, and even be well-trained in theology without ever truly understanding what Christ's death means for us personally.
This is why Ambrose speaks of the "efficacy, virtue, and merit" of Christ's death. Its efficacy consists in the fact that the cross is not merely an example of love or sacrifice, but the work through which God truly saves sinners. It achieves what it was done for: forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace with God for all who believe. Its virtue is its spiritual power, the force through which God transforms the human heart, frees us from the slavery of sin, and renews life. Its merit , finally, is the infinite value of Christ's obedience and sacrifice before God, that value by which the sinner is accepted not for what he has done, but for what Christ has accomplished in his place.
This is why Paul says he decided to know nothing among the Corinthians except Christ crucified. He doesn't intend to simply impart religious information. He wants people to understand their need for the Savior and place their trust in Him. The knowledge he speaks of is not intellectual curiosity or theological speculation for its own sake. It is a knowledge that leads to faith, adoration, gratitude, and obedience.
The crucial question, then, is not how much we know about the cross, but whether we trust in the Crucified One. We can know many details about Jesus' death and still remain spiritually distant from Him. We can discuss the cross without ever taking refuge in the cross. True knowledge of Christ is that which leads us to say: "He died for me; in Him alone do I place my hope before God." When this knowledge is received through faith, Christ ceases to be a mere subject of study and becomes our Lord, our righteousness, and our greatest treasure.
Conclusion
So today we begin with a seemingly simple question. Is it truly a blessing not to know? Certainly not. God created us to know. As Dante reminded us, we were not made to live like brutes, but to pursue virtue and knowledge. The real question, however, is not whether to know or not, but what is worth knowing more than anything else. Paul was not an ignorant man nor an enemy of culture and reflection. He simply understood that there is a knowledge that surpasses all others. For this reason, he identified Christ as the most important knowledge, recognized that the center of this knowledge is the person of the Lord Jesus himself, and shamelessly proclaimed Christ crucified as the heart of the Christian message.
We have seen that the cross is not merely a historical event to be remembered, but God's answer to our greatest problem. In it we discover the gravity of sin, God's love, the satisfaction of justice, and the reconciliation offered to sinners. We have also considered how this knowledge must not remain purely theoretical or speculative. We must know not only the story of Christ's death, but its efficacy, virtue, and merit. It is not enough to know that Christ died; we must understand why he died and what benefit his death brings to those who trust in him in life and in death. This is the knowledge received through faith and which transforms everything for us.
As we conclude our reflection, each of us must ask ourselves some questions. What place does Christ occupy in the hierarchy of my knowledge, interests, and priorities? Am I devoting the same attention to my soul as I do to other things in life? Do I only know facts about Jesus, or do I know the Savior personally? Is the cross merely an episode in history for me, or the foundation of my hope before God? Have I understood the efficacy, virtue, and merit of his death for sinners like me? And above all: have I received through faith that crucified Christ, whom Paul considered the most precious treasure and the most important knowledge? Because, ultimately, what will determine our eternal destiny will not be how much we have learned about many things, but whether we have come to know Jesus Christ and Him crucified through faith.
Let us pray. O our heavenly Father, we thank you that you have not left us in ignorance of what truly matters, but have made known to us your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray: free us from the superficiality that leads us to pursue so many things and neglect what is essential. Grant us an ever deeper understanding of the glory of Christ crucified, the gravity of our sin, the greatness of your love, and the perfection of the salvation you have prepared for us. May this knowledge not remain merely in our minds, but penetrate our hearts. Grant us a sincere faith that entrusts itself to Christ alone, a steadfast hope founded on his sacrifice, and a life transformed by his grace. And when we are tempted to trust in our own wisdom, our works, or our own strength, bring us back to the foot of the cross, so that we may find in Christ our righteousness, our peace, and our joy. We ask this in his blessed name. Amen.
Footnotes
[1] See: https://www.tempodiriforma.it/mw/index.php?title=Teopedia/Beata_Conoscenza
[2] In his second Untimely Reflections (1874), he identifies memory and excess of consciousness as the causes of human paralysis and unhappiness. To explain this dynamic, he describes a flock of animals grazing in the present, unaware of time. Nietzsche writes: “Look at the flock grazing before you: it knows not what was yesterday, what is today, it leaps around, eats, rests, digests [...] and is therefore neither melancholic nor bored.”
[3] Dante Alighieri, the Divine Comedy, Inferno, Canto 26.