probably would imply a good deal of irony on Paul’s part, for the Corinthians did not think of themselves as ignorant of spiritual things! Paul lays the fundamental criteria for how to discern spiritual activity that is of God from spiritual activity that is not. No doubt the Corinthians were well acquainted with pagan expressions of spirituality from the time before they came to Christ (12:2). It is possible that some of the Corinthian use of prophecy and tongues-speaking mirrored the pagan practice