It is highly ironic that Paul, known for his pre-conversion rage against Christians, his post-conversion zealousness, his daunting Pharisaic discipline, his theological rigor and his seemingly foolhardy fearlessness of death, is also the apostle who has left us some of the most moving texts on love ever written. Of course Paul's most famous tribute to love is found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Christians and non-Christians alike, even those who generally find Paul's theology and personality too demanding for comfort, find the Corinthians text eloquent and elegant. Yet that text loses some of its power because of its literary appeal.

Far more typical and in touch with Paul's insistence on the primacy of love is this week's epistle lesson. To begin with, Paul adds this admonition to love to the…