II Corinthians

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Saint Paul

The Second Epistle to the Corinthians is a book in the New Testament, written by Paul the Apostle. Paul's most personally revealing letter, it portrays the great apostle as an embattled leader whose authority has been severely tested and who feels the need to justify himself by "boasting" of his suffering and sacrifices for the church. Written after a second, "painful" visit to Corinth, Paul expresses pleasure that his emissary, Titus, has returned with a good report. However, Paul is still fearful that problems will persist when he comes again—ranging from challenges to his authority to sexual immorality in the church community.

Paul also asks the Cornithians to renew their efforts to collect a donation Paul hopes to present to the church at Jerusalem, which is in particular need. He may also hope to win the favor of the leading apostles there, who have grown concerned about the fidelity of Paul's churches to their tradition. In the later chapters of the epistle, Paul bitterly denounces certain "false apostles" by whom the Corinthians have been influenced to doubt Paul's authority. Because these chapters differ so strongly in tone from most of the rest of the epistle, some commentators believe it may actually be a later letter from Paul which was eventually combined with the earlier text.

Several memorable verses come from 2 Corinthians, including "God gives a cheerful giver," and "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." It also contains the account of Paul's vision of the "third heaven" and his so-called "meditation on immortality."

Background

Paul as evangelist

Corinth was an important Roman city and particularly close to Paul's heart. He saw himself as the church's spiritual father and founder. Paul reveals this fatherly attitude toward the Corinthian church when he writes: "I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ." (11:2-3)

Paul's contacts with the Corinthian church can be tentatively reconstructed as follows:

1. Paul visits Corinth for the first time, spending about 18 months there (Acts 18:11). He then leaves Corinth and spends about three years in Ephesus (Acts 19:8, 19:10, 20:31). (Roughly from 53 to 57 C.E.).
2. Paul writes the "warning letter," (see below) probably from Ephesus.
3. Paul writes 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (1 Corinthians 16:8).
4. Paul visits the Corinthian church a second time, as he indicated he would in 1 Corinthians 16:6. This is probably still during his three years based in Ephesus. This visit did not go well, and is describe in 2 Corinthians 2:1 as a "painful visit."
5. Paul writes the "letter of tears" referred to several times in 2 Corinthians.
6. Paul writes 2 Corinthians, indicating his desire to visit the Corinthian church a third time (2 Cor 12:14, 2 Cor 13:1). The letter does not indicate Paul's location, but it is usually dated after Paul left Ephesus for Macedonia (Acts 20), from either Philippi Thessalonica in Macedonia.
7. Paul presumably made the third visit after writing 2 Corinthians, because Acts 20:2-3 indicates he spent 3 months in Greece. In his letter to Rome, written at this time, he sent salutations from some of the principal members of the church to the Romans.

Content

Although Paul is usually depicted as writing his own letters, most were probably dictated to a scribe.

Paul, writing with Timothy, refers to himself as an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God and addresses his letter not only to the Corinthians but to "all the saints throughout Achaia." He defends his conduct toward the Corinthians and "boasts" of the clarity of his message (1:12-13), perhaps in contrast to other teachers. A sense of trouble between Paul and the Corinthian church lurks as he tells his readers: "it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth" (1:23) and refers to an earlier "painful visit" (2:1) He also refers to a previously letter—scholars are divided as to whether this refers to 1 Corinthians or not—which "I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears."

In any case, the situation at Corinth has not improved. A particular member of the church, not named by Paul, has stirred up trouble and "grieved" the church, apparently by refusing to obey some command in Paul's previous letter, which was written "to see if you would stand the test and be obedient." The member has already had "punishment inflicted on him by the majority." Whatever this chastisement, Paul declares it sufficient and now asks that the offender be forgiven. (2:5-11)

Paul decries certain teachers who "peddle the word of God for profit" and carry letters of recommendation. As the self-proclaimed founder of the Corinthian church, Paul needs no such letters. In punning on the word "letter" and contrasting the "old" covenant with the "new," he coins the famous phrase: "not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." (2:6) A few lines later, after comparing himself with Moses and the church with the Israelites, he provides the well-known verse: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." (2:17) Playing with the analogy of the veil which covered Moses' face and which cause many of the Jews to fail to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, he declares: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ." (3:4)

In 2 Corinthians, more than any of his other letters, Paul reveals his personal anguish and suffering:

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.(3:8-10)

Even though he himself is "wasting away" outward, Paul declares that inwardly he has not lost heart and is being constantly renewed in spirit. Here he begins his brief but famous so-called "meditation" on immortality. One must keep in mind what is "unseen" and eternal, not was is "seen" and temporary. Echoing 1 Cor. 15:44, where he speaks of the natural body and the spiritual body, Paul declares that "if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands." (5:1) He declares that God man humans for the purpose of eternal life as spiritual beings, not the temporary life of the material world. To be "at home" in ones physical body is to be "away for the Lord." Christ died that all may live and share in his resurrection, and "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation." (5:17) Paul urges his readers to be reconciled with God through Christ, for "God made him who had no sin to be sin[a] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (5:21) He boldly declares that "now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." (6:1)

Returning to the theme of he personal sufferings, Paul lists such trials as "beatings, imprisonments... sleepless nights and hunger... dishonor, bad report... regarded as impostors... beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything." Having thus opened his heart to the Corinthians, Paul urges the to do likewise to him.

Verses 6:14-7:1 are regarded by many commentators as an insertion—possibly of a fragment of another letter of Paul or perhaps from another writer—for it suddenly takes up a new topic, and the letter flows much more logically if 7:2 follows 6:13. The topic is fellowship, perhaps marriage, with unbelievers. "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?" (6:14) Whether this section is by Paul or not, it has left us with one of "Paul's" more famous quotes. "We are the temple of the living God." The idea, however, is not simply that a believer should be pure, but that he should be entirely separated from unbelievers. A very un-Pauline passage followers, quoting from the Jewish purity traditions which Paul usually said no longer apply: "Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you."

The letter now returns to the theme of open-heartedness (7:1) and urges the reader to "perfect holiness out of reverence for God." Paul expresses no regret—then reverses himself—for sending his previous letter, which he knows must have hurt. However, he is happy now, because of those who repented as a result. Titus has returned to Paul with a good report of the Corinthians, who received him with respect and obedience as Paul's representative.

Paul now turns to a fundraising issue. Throughout later missionary travels, Paul worked to raise funds to bring as an offering to the Jerusalem church. This is also referred to in 1 Cor. 16:1-4. The crisis in Paul's relations with the Corinthians had apparently delayed this collection, but now Paul urges it to be renewed as an expression of the Corinthians' loyalty. To collect the offering, Paul is sending emissaries, one of whom he identifies tantalizingly as "the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel." (8:18) Unfortunately, this great evangelist is left unnamed. The passage also yields the famous verse: "God loves a cheerful giver." (9:7)

Another abrupt change of mood and topic at the beginning of chapter 10 leads commentators to suspect another insertion. Chapter nine ends with the declaration "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!" But now Paul shifts to an angry and sarcastic tone revealing raw and obviously still hurt feelings. Some believe this to be a later letter of Paul which was at some point combined with the "thankful letter" that precedes it. Another explanation for the mood shift is that Paul may have broken off from dictating the letter after chapter 9 and simply returned when he was in a different mood.

"There was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" 2 Cor. 12:8-9)

In any case, the topic is now again Paul's own character and authority. "Even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than pulling you down, I will not be ashamed of it," he declares (10:8). Rival teachers are again on his mind, possibly representing or at least claiming to represent one or more of the Twelve—the original apostles directly appointed by Jesus. They are clearly Jews rather than Gentiles (11:22) Paul is not intimidated by them, however. "I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ." (11:12-13)

Paul is extremely distraught that the Corinthians have accepted the authenticity of these teachers, who seem to be contradicting Paul in a major way. "If someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached," he chides," or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough." (11:4)

Regardless of the qualifications of these "super-apostles," Paul insists, they cannot match his own credentials in terms of suffering for the sake of the Gospel. In the process of defending himself, Paul speaks revealingly of one of his own visions, in which he was apparently carried away into the "third heaven" and saw "inexpressible things" (12:1-5) Here, he also speaks of the famous "thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me." Paul declares that this affliction—seen by some as a physical disability or disease and others as a spiritual weakness well known in his time but not ours—to be sent by God to keep him from spiritual pride because of his visions.

Paul concludes by expressing a plan to visit the Corinthians "a third time." However, he fears that when he comes he will many sins: "there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip, arrogance and disorder. I am afraid... I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged." (12:20-21) He threatens hard punishment for the offenders: "I will not spare those who sinned earlier or any of the others." However, he hopes that when he comes he will be able to use his authority to build up the church rather than to chastise its members who have sinned. He closes with a brief benediction.

Textual issues

While there is little doubt among scholars that Paul is the primary author, there is discussion over whether the letter was originally one letter or a combination of two or more of Paul's letters, with some possible insertions by one or more other writers as well.

Although the New Testament only contains two letters to the Corinthians, the evidence from the letters themselves is that he may have written at least at least four:

• 'The Warning Letter'—"I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people" (1 Cor 5:9) refers to an earlier letter, now apparently lost. Some scholars see fragments of the "warning letter,"—sometimes called the "strict letter"—in chapters 1-9 of 2 Corinthians itself, for example in 6:14-7:1. Others believe this section is not by Paul, since its attitude seem to them to be contrary to Paul's theology.
• 1 Corinthians itself.
• The Letter of Tears, also called the "strict letter." This letter is referred to in 2 Corinthians 2:3-4 and 7:8. The majority of critical scholars believe the this "letter of tears" must have been written between 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians but has been lost. Some think this may be 1 Corinthians but many commentators do not believe 1 Corinthians matches these descriptions. Still others believe that a part of the "letter of tears" was inserted into 2 Corinthians. The abrupt change of tone in 2 Corinthians 10-13 has led many to speculate that these chapters form part of the "letter of tears" which were eventually tagged on to Paul's main letter.
• 2 Corinthians itself.

That Paul wrote several, perhaps many, other letters to various churches is highly likely. His existing letters may have been circulated widely, but were collected at the end of the first century.

Signifance

This epistle, it has been said, shows the individuality of the Apostle Paul more than any other. Paul's deep affection for the Corinthian church is particularly evident, as are his hurt feelings over its all too apparent imperfections. In the process, Paul's own human weakness, sense of betrayal, self-vindication, absence of charity toward his competitors, and lack of diplomatic skills are clearly displayed—but no less than his ample spiritual strength, humility, willingness to forgive, and particularly his zeal for the spiritual welfare for the church of Christ and its members.

Second Corinthians is also a rich source of information about the early church, much pondered by historians and textual critics alike. It has yielded some of the New Testament's finest verses, such as "God gives a cheerful giver," "the letter kills but the Spirit gives life," and "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom."

See also

• First Epistle to the Corinthians
• Third Epistle to the Corinthians
• Authorship of the Pauline Epistles

External links

Online translations of Second Epistle to the Corinthians:

• Online Bible at GospelHall.org

Preceded by: First Corinthians

Books of the Bible

Succeeded by: Galatians

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