By Prof. A. Lopukhin
Occasion and purpose of writing the epistle
In the Corinthian church, as is known from the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 1:10 et seq.), various disturbances and disorders arose. In order to put an end to them, the Apostle Paul wrote his First Epistle to the Corinthians from Ephesus. This epistle, as the apostle learned from Titus, whom he sent to Corinth, had a beneficial effect on the Corinthians (2 Cor. 7:5 et seq.). The decision of the Apostle Paul regarding the Christian who had fallen into incest was carried out, and this sinner repented of his act. Nevertheless, the same messenger informed Paul that his opponents – the so-called Judaizing Christians – were not idle, but were trying to undermine his authority among the Corinthian Christians. They claimed that the Apostle Paul was weak in spirit, unstable in his decisions, and therefore could not be relied on. With these attacks in mind, the Apostle wrote the Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
The Apostle himself speaks about the purpose of the Epistle in chapter 13 (v. 10). With it, he wants to bring the Corinthian church to such a state that in his personal meeting with the Corinthians he would not have to demonstrate all the severity of his apostolic authority. To this end, he seeks, first of all, to restore his authority in the eyes of the Corinthians – this is the main goal that he has in writing the Epistle. Everything else serves only as a means to achieve it.
Content of the Epistle
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, in addition to the greeting and introduction, contains three parts. The first part – the first seven chapters – describes the nature of Paul’s apostolic activity, with special attention paid to his love for the Corinthians and the greatness of the New Testament ministry. In the second part – chapters 8 and 9 – the apostle speaks about the collection of aid for poor Christians. In the third part – chapters 10 to 13 – the apostle argues with his opponents, rejecting the accusations made against him. Here he also sets out his demands for the Corinthians.
Place and time of writing the letter
As can be seen from the letter itself (2 Cor. 2:13; 2 Cor. 7:5; 2 Cor. 8:1; 2 Cor. 9:2; cf. Acts 20:1), at the time of its writing the apostle was in Macedonia, where Titus found him, returning from Corinth. The letter, in all likelihood, was written in the same year 57, during which the First Letter to the Corinthians was written (cf. Acts 18:1).
Authenticity and Unity of the Epistle
None of the biblical critics has raised any serious objections to the attribution of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians to the Apostle Paul. Indeed, if one reads this epistle carefully, there can be no doubt that it was written by the great apostle to the Gentiles, the founder of the Corinthian church.
However, criticism raises a special objection: it is claimed that the epistle does not represent one complete work, but consists of two or even three separate letters of the Apostle Paul, which were subsequently combined into one. According to this opinion, after the First Epistle to the Corinthians the Apostle wrote a second epistle, consisting of the last four chapters of our Second Epistle, and then a third – consisting of the first nine chapters.
On what is this opinion based? It is claimed that the last four chapters are not in harmony with the first nine and stand as separate from them. The critics refer mainly to the apparent difference in tone. In the first part, the apostle’s speech is calm, and he himself is in an elevated and joyful spiritual mood; in the second part, he speaks heatedly and with great excitement. The condition of the Corinthians is also different: in the first part, the apostle is pleased with them, while in the second, their condition worries and disturbs him (cf. 2 Cor. 7:14 and 12:20).
However, these reasons are insufficient to prove a different time of writing of the two parts. First of all, in the first part too there are not only praises, but also reproofs. For example, in chapter 6 (vv. 11–16) the apostle points out the lack of love for him on the part of the Corinthians and some weaknesses in their moral life. Moreover, when in the first part he praises their obedience, he has in mind specifically their attitude towards the one who fell into the sin of incest (2 Cor. 7:11, 14).
Further, if the tone in the second part is different, this can be explained by the fact that in the first part the apostle addresses the Corinthian Christians as his spiritual children, while in the second he has in mind mainly his enemies – the Judaizers. It is quite understandable that in the second part he gets more excited and uses irony towards them.
The fact that such a vast epistle was not written all at once should not be overlooked. It is possible that when the first part was already ready, the apostle received new information from Corinth that made him change his tone can also be explained by the fact that in the second epistle he insistently exhorts about the collection of alms, and later defends himself against the suspicion that he is using it for his own benefit.
The apostle probably learned about such suspicions after he had already written the first nine chapters, which, among other things, talk about the collection of alms. He did not want to rework this part, especially since the help was desperately needed for the poor Christians. Perhaps he thought: “It is better for me to fall under suspicion than for the poor to be left without the alms they already rely on!”
Finally, in the first part there is a hint of the existence of such suspicions against the apostle (see 2 Cor. 8:16–22).
Character of the Epistle
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians, after the Epistle to the Philippians, is particularly important for understanding the personality of the apostle Paul. Here we see the deep humility of the apostle, his meekness and unusual indulgence towards his spiritual children, and at the same time – a high awareness of his own apostolic dignity, which he defends with all his energy against his enemies, in this case the Judaizing Christians.
In terms of presentation, the message also stands out for its merits – above all, the power of expression, the striking irony, and in general, the beauty of the figures of speech.
Source in Russian: The Holy Bible or Commentaries on all the books of St. Writings of the Old and New Testaments: In 7 items / Ed. Prof. A.P. Lopukhina. – Ed. 4th. – Moscow: Daru, 2009. / T. 7
