The Second Letter to the Corinthians

The Drama of the Apostolate

After the First Letter to the Corinthians, some serious disturbances troubled the community of Corinth. Relations between Paul and those he considered his “children” went through a crisis caused by some radical challenges to him. His correspondents were, of course, only too familiar with the facts; therefore, there was no need to describe these to them. As a result, there is a danger that we may not understand this highly emotional Letter. Fortunately, the rather numerous references in the text itself make it possible to sketch a picture of the dark situation.

In A.D. 56, Paul was in Ephesus (Acts 19). He learned that some Jewish Christian intriguers (men who were converts from Judaism) were rousing the Corinthian community against him. He made a lightning visit but was received with coldness; pressed for time, perhaps weary and too personally caught up in the conflict, he settled nothing, and his passage through the community rather increased the disorder. He promised to return later and take all the time needed.

The affair became worse. Passions mounted and intrigues and cabals multiplied. One part of the community categorically rejected Paul’s authority and vilified his person. Another part remained silent and let things ride. Some missionaries, claiming a recommendation from the communities of Palestine and boasting of having known Jesus himself, wanted to establish themselves as leaders of the Corinthian community. They cunningly sought to destroy Paul’s reputation, mocking his supposedly authoritarian and jealous character, lack of eloquence, and timidity. They denied his vocation of apostle and went so far as to call into doubt the purity of his Gospel as well as his intentions. These were the people who would soon reproach him for not obliging the Gentile converts to practice the Jewish Law. They were united by a systematic opposition to Paul, and for them all means were good. The Apostle unmasks these agitators in the last two chapters of this Letter.

While Paul waited in Ephesus, he was publicly insulted back in Corinth, probably by one of his closest fellow workers: he speaks of an offense and an offender (2 Cor 2:5; 7:12). Impelled by his feelings, he sent a Letter that would be judged to be too severe (2 Cor 2:3-4, 9-11), and in it he demanded that reparation be made for the offense. Some exegetes regard the last four chapters of Second Corinthians as a fragment of this lost Letter.

A bit later, Paul sent one of his coworkers, Titus, a firm and capable diplomat, to turn the situation around. The community was stabilized and the offender punished (1 Cor 2:6). But Titus was slow in returning. Paul, who had been forced to leave Ephesus because of the riot of the silversmiths (Acts 19:23-40; 21:1), was unable to bear the waiting any longer and set out on his journey. He encountered Titus in Macedonia and received excellent news. He immediately sent Titus to Corinth to carry out the collection for the penniless mother Church of Jerusalem. A little later, around the year A.D. 56, he dictated this Second Letter to the Corinthians.

The complexity of the situation and Paul’s emotions explain the tone of the Letter. Arising from a heart that is overflowing with love yet revolted at the same time, it defies all analysis. Indeed, certain exegetes believe they distinguish portions of at least three different Letters therein. In any case, it is the movements of thought that are important, and they will be brought out in the notes.

After making his point about the sorrowful affair, Paul is led to meditate on the drama of the Christian apostolate: a mystery of human weakness and divine greatness. Then he stresses the ecumenical aspect of the collection: a sign of unity between Christians of Gentile origin and those of Jewish origin. Finally—resolved to drain the abscess—Paul lays the blame at the feet of those who have calumniated him. He initiates a strong counterattack in order to safeguard the Christian life of the Corinthians, whom he has evangelized at length. In no other place do we feel so concretely the link between the Apostle’s faith and his authority.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians is less rich in doctrinal instruction than the first, but it has the great merit of introducing us to the interior life and mysticism of the Apostle. We must look to the psychology and passionate nature of Paul for the unity of these chapters. In order to understand the Apostle, we must continually go back to this ardent Letter, which can be regarded as his personal diary, his “confessions.” Nowhere else in his writings does his personality come through so clearly with its contrasting strength and weakness, its boldness and reserve, its impetuosity and tenderness. We find him to be an organizer and a missionary, a founder and a pastor, a mystic and a man of action. And what a profound awareness he shows of the apostolic mission and its originality! The First Letter to the Corinthians provided a first reflection on the meaning of the apostolate; here we find the experience, mysticism, spirituality, and, at the same time, theology of the apostolate.

The Second Letter to the Corinthians may be divided as follows:

I: Address (1:1-11)

II: Apostle by the Power of Jesus and for Jesus (1:12—7:16)

III: The Collection for the Christians of Jerusalem (8:1—9:15)

IV: Paul’s Self-Defense (10:1—13:10)

V: Conclusion (13:11-13)