2 Corinthians, Volume 40

Second Edition

Ralph P. Martin, Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford, Lynn Allan Losie, Nancy L. deClaisse-Walford, Lynn Allan Losie

• Publisher: Zondervan Academic
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781418507732
• eBook ISBN: 9780310586296
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Pastors and students will appreciate this new edition with its up-to-date bibliography and discussion of pertinent issues. In this full revision and update of the book of Second Corinthians, Dr. Ralph P. Martin addresses the scholarly questions about the text of the epistle and the significance of Paul’s thought for Christian living and ministry.

In a penetrating analysis of Paul’s responses to the various crises within the Corinthian congregation, Dr. Martin gives insight into the particular problems of Christianity as expressed in the hedonistic, cosmopolitan setting of Corinth. He shows how Paul’s attempt to clearly distinguish the gospel from Hellenistic Judaism and Hellenistic Jewish Christian ideology results in a moving statement of the Christian message. Rather than the “theology of glory” prevalent in Corinth, Paul articulates his theology of the Cross as a “theology of weakness,” of servanthood and ministry. What was at stake at Corinth, says Dr. Martin, was “nothing less than the essence of the kerygma as in expressed in the way of the cross. . . for proclamation and daily living.” New sections on the Collection and Rhetoric have been added, and the issues of Composition and Social Setting of the letter have been included, along with topics such as the Spirit, the Opponents, Paul's Theology, and the Resurrection in this epistle.

 

The Word Biblical Commentary series offers the best in critical scholarship firmly committed to the authority of Scripture as divine revelation. It is perfect for scholars, students of the Bible, ministers, and anyone who wants a theological understanding of Scripture.

I. Address (1:1–2)

Bibliography

Asting, R. K. Die Heiligkeit im Urchristentum. FRLANT 46. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1930. Ayodeji Adewuya, J. Holiness and Community. Barrett, C. K. The Signs of an Apostle. London: Epworth, 1970. Bassler, J. Navigating Paul. Betz, H. D. “Apostle.” In ABD 1:309–11. Bosenius, B. Abwesenheit des Apostels. Byrskog, S. “Co-senders, Co-authors, and Paul’s Use of the First Person Plural.” ZNW 97 (1996) 230–50. Carrez, M. “Le ‘nous’ en 2 Corinthiens: Contribution à l’étude de l’apostolicité dans 2 Corinthiens.” NTS 26 (1979–1980) 474–86. Delling, G. “Merkmale der Kirche nach dem Neuen Testament.” NTS 13 (1966–1967) 297–316. Dobschütz, E. von. “Wir und Ich bei Paulus.” ZST 10 (1933) 251–77. Doty, W. G. Letters in Primitive Christianity. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1973. Doughty, D. J. “The Priority of CARIS.” NTS 19 (1972–1973) 163–80. Eastman, B. Significance of Grace. Evans, O. E. Saints in Christ Jesus: A Study of the Christian Life in the New Testament. Swansea: Penry, 1975. Fee, G. D. “ΧΑΡΙΣ in II Corinthians I. 15.” NTS 24 (1977–1978) 533–38. Fellows, R. G. “Was Titus Timothy?” JSNT 81 (2001) 33–58. Fitzmyer, J. A. “Some Notes on Aramaic Epistolography.” JBL 93 (1974) 201–25. Reprinted in A Wandering Aramean: Collected Aramaic Essays, SBLMS 25 (Chico, CA: Scholars Press, 1979) 183–204. Fridrichsen, A. Apostle. Gnilka, J. Theologie. Haenchen, E. The Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary. Trans. B. Noble, G. Shinn, and H. Anderson. Rev. R. McL. Wilson. Oxford: Blackwell, 1971. Hainz, J. Ekklesia. Hawthorne, G. F. Philippians. Revised and enlarged by R. P. Martin. WBC 43. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004. Kirk, J. A. “Apostleship since Rengstorf: Towards a Synthesis.” NTS 21 (1975) 249–64. Klauck, H.-J. Ancient Letters. Kramer, W. Christ, Lord, Son of God. Lieu, J. “‘Grace to You and Peace’: The Apostolic Greeting.” BJRL 68 (1985) 161–78. Lofthouse, W. F. “‘I’ and ‘We’ in the Pauline Epistles.” BT 6 (1955) 72–80. Machen, J. G. The Origin of Paul’s Religion. New York: Macmillan, 1921. Meier, J. P. “The Circle of the Twelve: Did It Exist during Jesus’ Ministry?” JBL 116 (1997) 636–42. Moffatt, J. Grace in the New Testament. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1931. Müller, M. “Der sogenannte ‘schriftstellerische Plural’—neu betrachtet: Zur Frage der Mitarbeiter als Mitverfasser der Paulusbriefe.” BZ 42.2 (1998) 181–201. Murphy-O’Connor, J. “Co-authorship in the Corinthian Correspondence.” RB 100 (1993) 562–79. Ollrog, W.-H. Paulus und seine Mitarbeiter. Richards, E. R. Paul. ———. Secretary. Rissi, M. Studien. Roloff, J. Apostolat-Verkündigung-Kirche: Ursprung, Inhalt und Funktion des kirchlichen Apostelamtes nach Paulus, Lukas und den Pastoralbriefen. Gütersloh: Mohn, 1965. Snaith, N. H. The Distinctive Ideas of the Old Testament. London: Epworth, 1944. Verhoef, E. “The Senders of the Letters to the Corinthians and the Use of ‘I’ and ‘We.’” In The Corinthian Correspondence. Ed. R. Bieringer. BETL 125. Leuven: Leuven UP, 1996. 417–25.

Translation

1aPaul, apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and brother Timothy, to the church of God that is at Corinth and to all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia. 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Notes

a The translation throughout is based on NA²⁶. References to Bratcher signify A Translator’s Guide to Second Corinthians by R. G. Bratcher (New York: United Bible Societies, 1983) and those to Diglot signify Romans and 1 and 2 Corinthians: A Greek-English Diglot, ed. R. G. Bratcher (London: British and Foreign Bible Society, 1964).

Form/Structure/Setting

The revised edition of this commentary will note Long’s1 rhetorical outline alongside the outline provided by the commentary. The epistolary prescript (1:1–2) frames the rhetorical body of the epistle.2

Epistolary salutation in the Pauline letters follows the pattern of contemporary letter-writing practices, with obvious Christian features added.3 The names of sender and addressees are given at this point in the letter; and there is an expression of greeting. In the case of this epistle, Paul adds a self-description as “apostle of Christ Jesus,” and the colorless Greek greeting χαίρειν, “greetings,” becomes the rich Pauline χάρις, “grace.”4

Paul’s use of the letter-writing form to convey his presence is discussed by Bosenius. She begins with the question, “Why does the Apostle Paul state his theological ideas in the form of letters, of all things?”5 Granting that he writes as an absentee away from his church, she gives a deeper meaning: “Paul chooses the epistle as a means to solve the theological conflicts so that when he visits, he may act as συνεργὸς τῆς χαράς, ‘as a fellow-worker with [your] joy.’”6

Paul often includes Timothy (Phil 1:1; Col 1:1; Phlm 1), Timothy and Silvanus (1 Thess 1:1; 2 Thess 1:1), and others (Gal 2:2) in his greetings.7 Timothy is mentioned to endorse the letter, but other options for his role include a scribe, the letter bearer, a coauthor, or a co-sender. The issue of Paul’s use of his own name and that of his colleagues is considered in Byrskog, and more broadly it is the theme of Richards.8 In the latter book, Richards argues that “the named co-senders of Paul’s letters were contributors to the letter’s content, that is, they were coauthors. Material from the coauthors was non-Pauline but not un-Pauline.”9 This is improbable, in our view.10

The placing of Timothy’s name alongside that of Paul is not intended to connote a shared responsibility for authorship. To be sure, the following letter oscillates between the use of the singular (“I”) and the plural (“we”); and this feature has been discussed at some length.11 But there is no suggestion that Paul consciously looked to Timothy to lend support to his apostolic convictions or that Timothy was a coauthor.

On the contrary, it is more probable that Timothy is mentioned in the letter’s prescript because he needed Paul’s endorsement of all he had sought to do as he undertook an intermediate mission between the visits of Acts 18:3 and 20:4. In that interim we may postulate (on the basis of Acts 19:22) a visit made by Timothy subsequent to the sending of 1 Corinthians. Paul may well have dispatched him to report on the Corinthian crisis, inferred from 1 Cor 4:17–21, where v 17 is an example of an epistolary aorist, “I am sending to you Timothy.”12

The fact that 2 Corinthians does not allude to this mission may suggest that Paul is kindly drawing a veil of secrecy over an event that turned out disastrously for his own authority at Corinth. If so, Timothy’s name in the address is Paul’s attempt to rehab...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Editors’ Preface
• Author’s Preface to First Edition
• Preface to Revised Edition
• Abbreviations
• Commentary Bibliography
• General Bibliography
• Introduction
• I. Address (1:1–2)
• II. The Past Experience of Paul Reviewed (1:3–11)
• III. Transition to the Letter’s First Theme (1:12–14)
• IV. Paul’s Self-Defense of His Travel Plans (1:15–2:13)
• V. The Main Theme: Paul’s Apostolic Ministry (2:14–7:16)
• VI. The Collection (8:1–9:15)
• VII. Fresh Troubles in Corinth (10:1–13:10)
• VIII. Conclusion (13:11–13)
• Scripture Index
• Subject Index
• Author Index