Corpus-Paul

["Bob MacDonald" <bobmacdonald AT home.com>]

Mark Matson wrote in response to Amador
>>What kind of letter is it?  What is its central thesis and point?

Here is a personal view answering this question. My first posting - I hope
it gets there.

I have never been comfortable with 2 Cor as a unity because of what reads to
me as a stark discontinuity in 6:14 "Do not be mismated with unbelievers".
But encouraged by Amador's article, I read through 2 Cor at one sitting and
found it cohered better than I expected. The whole letter has Paul's
apostolate as its theme and he seems to be building himself up to 'blow his
own horn' even though that is  against his own advice (3:1, 5:12, esp
10:18 - It is not the man who commends himself that can be accepted, but the
man who is commended by God.) This 'commending' is a thread that ties the
letter together. in the NT, the word (sunistemi) occurs 6 times in this
letter and three times in Romans. But only in 2 Cor does it always refer to
'commending ourselves'.

I don't see any confusion with Titus being spoken of both in the past,
present and future. All that is needed is for Titus to be recognized as
Paul's repeated emissary much as Timothy (leaving aside the suggestion that
these are the same person). So Titus was in Corinth. Paul distressed that he
had not heard from him (2:13) is finally comforted by him in Macedonia (ch 7
& 8). Then Titus is sent back again with this letter & other disciples (ch
8) as part of the collection administration. The mention in ch 12:18 is
simply a reference to the first visit (prior to ch 2 ref), not a reference
to the anticipated visit in ch 8.

Has anyone ever considered that 1 Cor might have been the severe letter? It
begins with a strong criticism of divisions in Corinth, treats them as
infants in ch 3, warns severely in 4:21, is not exactly gentle in ch 5 and
6. And is quite critical in ch 15 (v 34).

I also wondered if Paul's distress to which he refers in 2 Cor 1:8 included
his concern for the Corinthian church. It must have been very discouraging
to try to get this motley collection of humans to think less of justifying
themselves and of power over each other and to think more about the love
that Paul wants them to know. Perhaps even this self-commendation in 2 Cor
is a reflection on his 'fatherhood' to the Corinthians (1 Cor 4:15) as
gentle rather than as severe. The out of context section 6:14 to 7:1 also
picks up this theme of fatherhood - an invitation to purity from God as
father. The severity of the section is gentled again by 7:3: "together we
live or together we die". Paul's success really is dependent on the letter
of commendation he has written in the Corinthian's hearts (3:3).

Bob

BobMacDonald AT home.com
+ + + Victoria, B.C., Canada + + +
Catch the foxes for us,
   the little foxes that make havoc of the vineyards,
for our vineyards are in flower.   (Song 2.15)

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