2007005115 All scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, Department of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Bible quotations marked (RSV) are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright of the Department of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
F OREWORD
Second, exegetical analysis considers the purpose and main ideas of the unit, addresses any particularly important textual variants, and discusses the meanings of important words, phrases, and images. Finally, the theological and ethical analysis discusses the theological and ethical issues that the unit deals with or that it shows, focusing on the theological and ethical significance of the text within its original setting.
P REFACE
The introduction to the commentary will provide a necessary discussion of the background and foreground of the historical reconstruction. This narrative sequence gives the reader, I hope, a sense of the dynamic turbulence of these exchanges, their potential, for better or worse, and how they shaped both Paul and the Corinthians.
L IST OF A BBREVIATIONS
I NTRODUCTION
Corinth: The City
According to Paul's report, not many of the households of believers in this city were educated or aristocratic (1 Cor 1:26-29). Cosmopolitan Corinth was in fact no better or worse than any comparable Mediterranean city of the time (ABD.
Paul’s Mission to Corinth
The gift of the Spirit, enthusiastically received and celebrated in the house churches, he believed, provided tangible evidence of the arrival of God's eschatological rule and the triumph of justice. Moreover, the archeology of the interaction between Paul and the Corinthians contains several layers, some precisely delineated, and others somewhat less distinct.
The casual reader may wonder what difference all the fuss makes about the chronology of those layers in 2 Corinthians, and yet decisions about the number and sequence of those stages inevitably shape one's interpretation of the letters. His study sparked fierce debate, but once the genie was out of the bottle, it couldn't be put back; and since then, his study has forced all serious students of 2 Corinthians to confront the literary challenges this letter presents.
The Argument for Literary Unity
Kennedy, for example, who is often cited by proponents of the literary unity hypothesis of 2 Corinthians, instead advocated separating 2 Corinthians 1–9 from chapters 10–13 as discrete and separate rhetorical units (Kennedy. These appeals to rhetoric, leading to conflicting conclusions about the literary integrity of 2 Corinthians, warns against any loose appropriation of rhetorical theory to support any a priori argument for the literary unity of the letter (Thrall.
The Two-letter Hypothesis
Finally, many believe that the two-letter hypothesis fails to account for the apparent independence of the two accounts of the offering in chapters 8 and 9. By placing chapters 10-13 in the preceding position chronologically, Watson is able to put the more positive letter . of reconciliation at last (chapters 1-9), which paves the way for the positive outcome Paul notes in Romans 15:26-27 and for expressions of confidence in and praise of the Corinthians.
The Three-letter Hypothesis
The Five-letter Hypothesis
His influential five-letter hypothesis continues to guide discussion of the letter's literary integrity. For these reasons, among others, my commentary on the text follows the outlines of the five-letter hypothesis.
Fifth, this placement of the "letter of tears" and Titus' visit makes plausible the letter of reconciliation Paul wrote after Titus delivered the glad tidings that although some burning questions remained, a reconciliation had been accomplished. Moreover, the rhetorical skills and apostolic persona of these men dwarf those of the weak and rhetorically unskilled Paul.
A T HEOLOGICAL P OSTSCRIPT
C OMMENTARY
A L ETTER OF A PPEAL FOR THE O FFERING (8:1-24)
Introduction
Paul invested so much energy and spiritual capital in promoting the sacrifice because it had such deep eschatological, symbolic, and social significance. As the axis mundi and central symbol of Israel's faith, Jerusalem opened its gates to welcome the constant procession of kings who paid homage to Yahweh and pledged their service.
An Appeal for Generosity (8:1-15)
Paul begins his letter by urging the Corinthians to follow the example of the Macedonian churches and to supplement their offering for. Moreover, the rendering of the adverbial phrase "as long ago as last year." apo perysi) is better than "a year ago" in the RSV.
Recommendation of the Envoys (8:16-24)
And was his appointment of another brother intended to maintain control over the sacrificial effort (v. 22). Was Paul's autocratic selection of Titus and the other brother seen as contrary to the democratic process of the churches.
Later in Paul's second defense (chapters 10–13) the profile of a group of outsiders becomes clearer, but attempts to present detailed descriptions of their origins, their theology and their preaching have not been convincing. However, apart from Paul's vague reference in 3:1 to "certain people" who came with "letters of recommendation", we learn next to nothing about them in this first defence.
Multiform Defense of Ministry (2:14–6:10)
It speaks optimistically about the spread of the gospel and offers a preview of Paul's defense. This thanksgiving, if so, then gives way to the opening of the body of the letter and the defense of Paul's ministry in 3:7. Based on these resources and in the light of new challenges, he speaks of a ministry of the.
And the overwhelming glory of this service outshone that of Moses' service as sun to moon. Each of the contrasts in this last list touches on a different facet of Paul's modus vivendi.
S ECOND L ETTER OF D EFENSE : THE “L ETTER OF T EARS ” (10:1–13:10)
The "Letter of Tears" reveals the seriousness of the challenge presented by the anti-Pauline faction. But Paul's response in his first letter of defense lacks the cutting invective of this "letter of tears." Whether Paul was then aware of the seriousness or exact nature of the charges against him, we cannot say, but after his "painful visitation." ended in disaster, he fully understood that he was in the fight of his life to protect his apostolic ministry and to maintain his mission base in Corinth.
Paul’s Defense and Criticism of His Antagonists (10:1–13:10)
Sometimes, as in the case of the Stoics and Epicureans, it is deliberately chosen and employed. Was it a lesson in the survival of the weak disconnected from the previous foolish discourse. 15 places Paul prominently in the formula of the economy of love as the primary caregiver.
The Salutation (1:1-2)
This construction allows us to view this letter as an intact and complete literary work containing all parts of a normal Pauline letter. The fact that Paul named Timothy as a co-sender and not as a co-author of the letter elicited a favorable response. Paul himself tells us about the support he received there from Phoebe, patroness of the church, and from Paul.
The Blessing/Thanksgiving (1:3-11)
Ultimately, the location of the captivity – whether elsewhere in Asia or in Ephesus – does not change Paul's main point here one iota. That is why he focuses again on their shared experience of the raw sides of life to emphasize their common 'bond that binds'. The solidarity affirmed here is broad and deep and is reflected in the conclusion of this main paragraph of the letter.
The Body of the Letter (1:12–2:13; 7:5-16)
Paul's boast here may echo his defense in the "Epistle of Tears" against the accusations of the now deceased rival apostles (chapters 10–13). Doubts about one link in the chain raised questions about the reliability of the others. However, Paul's confidence in the truth of the story of God's dealings with Israel led to a conviction about history that is almost breathtaking.
O FFERING L ETTER TO C HURCHES IN A CHAIA (9:1- 15)
It offers a succinct, thick, and evocative summary of the story of God's dealings with the world, a story in which its recipients now find themselves. Also unique and different from the other two parts of the formula is the reference to. While chapter 8 marks the beginning of the sacrificial project, chapter 9 declares that the sacrificial project is nearing completion (Mitchell 2005, 325).
The Offering Campaign’s Final Phase (9:1-5)
Was he afraid after telling the Macedonians that the offering had been ready in Achaia “since last year”? 9:2) that he would be exposed as one who exaggerates or deceives to achieve his ends. In any case, Paul was so nervous about his upcoming visit to Achaia with the Macedonian delegation that he charged the brothers as a progressive team to collect a generous pledge “not as an extortion (pleonexia), but as a generous blessing” (v. 5). , AT) to avoid embarrassment.
God as the Source of Generous Sowing and Reaping (9:6-10)
10 completes the arc that connects the moral maxim of the wisdom proverb with the “harvest of your righteousness” (Hos 10:12, LXX). However rooted the Word of Wisdom was in the reality and scents of the earth, it nevertheless retained, here, as in both the Jewish and Hellenistic religions, its sacred connection. This God, whom Paul introduced as the one who provides and “scatters” the seed “abroad,” remains active, he notes, in the increase of the “fruits” of the planting.
Results to Come from Receiving and Scene Shift (9:11-15)
I take this to mean the offering by the Gentiles to the "poor" in Jerusalem, not the offering of the Gentiles themselves as evidence of God's eschatological final moment.). Thus Gentile and Jew join together to praise and glorify the God of Israel and celebrate the redemption of the world—the Jew as God's chosen, of course, and the Gentile. All past quarrels with the leaders of that mother church have been put aside.
A P OSTSCRIPT
Paul pleads with the Roman believers to pray for his deliverance from the "unbelievers" in Judea, but we have no idea who these imagined antagonists were. Whether they were from the Jerusalem church, from the synagogue, from the temple, or even from the ranks of the Roman civil authorities, we simply do not know, because we learn nothing from Paul himself. If he doubted this result, it would be because of human error and wrongdoing, not because of any fundamental weakness in God's glorious promise.
S ELECT B IBLIOGRAPHY
E XCLUDING C OMMENTARIES )
Epistemology at the turn of the ages." In Theological questions in Paul's letters, 89-110. Paul's Letters to Corinth: An Interpretive Interweaving of Literary and Historical Reconstruction.” In Urban Religion and Roman Corinth, Interdisciplinary Approaches, edited by Daniel Showalter and Steven J.
This two-volume work draws the reader's attention to all the thorny questions that flood this text. A recent and interesting discussion of how the collection project affected the relationship between Paul and the Corinthians. A monumental achievement that stands in the Weiss tradition and, although two generations old, remains one of the absolute best commentaries on 2 Corinthians.
S CRIPTURE I NDEX
Old Testament
New Testament
S UBJECT I NDEX
Paul's voluntary expulsion or departure from Paul's joy at reconciliation with the Corinthians Paul's love for the Corinthians. Paul's anxiety for the realization of Paul's appeal for generosity for Paul's protection of his integrity and Paul's intention to give Paul's joy within. See also 1 Corinthians; 2 Corinthians; Criticism of Paul; Defense of Paul's ministry; Letters from Paul; "Super apostles".
