Corpus-Paul

[Richard Fellows <rfellows AT shaw.ca>]

Dale and Ron,

thanks for the interesting information. The cases that you cite are not
close parallels to the NT partition theories, and I am still rather
concerned that the fusing of two letters into one was rare at best. It is
also troubling that there is no manuscript evidence for the partitioning of
2 Cor (or Phil). Of course we can indulge in all sorts of speculations to
try to defend the partition theories. Perhaps the original copies of the
letters became fragmented. Perhaps the scrolls were lost for a time so that
no copies were made before their discovery. Perhaps someone then created our
2 Cor from the fragments. Perhaps he destroyed the originals. Perhaps the
creator had his own idiosyncratic style. But it seems to me that assumptions
like these are often rather lightly accepted, and I am wondering whether we
should not rather abandon the whole project.

I used to partition 2 Corinthians, but I now consider it a unity, and see it
as being written to more than one audience. Perhaps you could comment on the
suggestion that 2 Cor 10-13 was aimed at a city other than Corinth. Do
partition theories have any advantages over this type of explanation?

Richard.