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corpus-paul - Re: Paul's boasting in 2 Cor 8&9

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  • From: Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>
  • To: Corpus-paul <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Paul's boasting in 2 Cor 8&9
  • Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 08:28:29 -0500


At 09:53 PM 12/15/99 -0800, you wrote:
>Paul boasted to the Macedonians about the eagerness of the Achaians to
>contribute towards the collection (2 Cor 9:2). This simple fact raises a
>number of problems:
>
>1. How could Paul boast about the Corinthians while sending the brothers
>to Corinth to ensure that his boasting was not empty? It would appear that
>either his boasting is dishonest, or he is playing a rather devious game of
>moral blackmail.

or- he was hedging his bets. tell em what you want em to be and that is
what they will be- right?

>
>2. How could Paul boast about the Corinthians to the Macedonians while
>boasting about the Macedonians to the Corinthians on exactly the same
>matter (2 Cor 8:1-8).

because he wished both groups to continue their giving ways.

>3. If Paul was confident enough in the Corinthians to boast to the
>Macedonians it is surprising that he should feel it necessary to spend two
>chapters encouraging them to renew their efforts.

not at all. he does this because he is uncertain of them. the whole letter
is a back and forth of uncertainty and confidence. thats why some have seen
it as a composite.

>Now, it seems to me that these problems disappear when we recognise that
>the boasting in question was initiated BEFORE the arrival of Titus from
>Corinth (2 Cor 7). From the time when he arrived in Macedonia Paul boasted
>about the Corinthians in good faith. But when Titus arrived with news that
>the Corinthians had lost their initial enthusiasm, he had the choice of
>either withdrawing his boast or sending Titus back to Corinth to get the
>collection going again. It would have been embarrassing to withdraw his
>boast since it was precisely that boasting which had motivated the
>Macedonians, so he decided to sent Titus back.
>

thats is certainly quite possible.

>So has anyone else argued that Paul's boasting about the Corinthians began
>before the arrival of Titus? Would anyone like to offer an alternative
>solution to the problems listed above?
>

in fact i made that very suggestion in a course on 2 corinthians i taught
here to local lay folk. but, alas, my notes for that series were lost when
my computer hard drive crashed irrecoverably.

>Should we be surprised that Paul should boast about the Corinthians
>eagerness upon arrival in Macedonia? Not if, as I have argued before, 1
>Cor was Paul's most recent contact with Corinth (see 1 Cor 16:1-3), and if
>Paul's anxiety in 2 Cor 2:12-13 concerns Titus rather than the situation in
>Corinth. That is to say, Paul's boasting in 2 Cor 8&9 presents no problems
>for those of us who believe that Titus was Timothy and reconstruct Paul's
>dealings with the Corinthians accordingly.

im not convinced of the titus = timothy line of thought.


best,

jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim West, ThD
jwest AT highland.net
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest

"This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put." Winston
Churchill





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