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New Testament Interpretation: Exegesis of II Corinthians 10:1-6 Exegeses of II Corinthians 10:1-6 OPLA THS STRATEIAS Alvin D. Shaul New Testament Interpretation Dr. George Lyons April 2005 Major Translations Used: New Revised Standard Version New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update The King James Version English Standard Version Young�s Literal Translation Also Drawn From: Nestle-Aland 27th Edition Greek New Testament With McReynolds English Interlinear Personal translation of the Greek text Paraphrase: Now I, Paul, make a request to you with the same gentleness that Christ used, for I am shy when I am around you, but now I can be bold since I am away. I hope that you do not force me to be bold toward you when I get there, as I already fear I will have to be toward those who still believe that we are living as the world would have us live. Yes, we are human beings, but the war we are fighting is not one that is fought like human wars are fought. The spiritual weapons that we can use in this spiritual battle are strong enough to destroy entire civilizations. They help us to demolish wrong arguments and things that disagree with what is commonly understood about God, and they help us to change everything so that it is just like God wants it. And once you guys have learned to listen to God in this way, we will be able to wage spiritual war against the evil in this world. Contextual Outline: Introduction, Pretense and Plea: � Paul identifies himself as speaker � Paul labels the manner in which he is speaking o Gentleness and meekness � Paul labels his usual mood in accordance with his location o Bold=away o Timid=with them � Paul seeks not to need boldness in approaching them when he arrives. Spiritual Warfare � We are flesh, but don�t fight by the flesh o What do we fight by then? � Weapons are not of the flesh, but divine o Answers previous question � Weapons: cast down false arguments and things that disagree with the common knowledge of God. o Suggests that the �weapons� used will be words � Move everything into obedience with Christ o �Fleshly� weapons lead not to Christ � When obedience is achieved, warfare can begin. o This preparation for �battle�. Trying to fight spiritual wars without being obedient to God will not succeed. Structural Outline Greek Verse 1: ????? ?? ??? ??????? ????????? ????? ??? ???? ????????? ??? ?????????? ???? ????????, ?? ???? ???????? ??? ???????? ?? ?????, ???? ?? ?????? ??? ?????� 2 ?????? ?? ?? ?? ????? ????????? ??? ?????????? ?? ????????? ????????? ??? ????? ???? ???????????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ??????????????. 3 ?? ????? ??? ?????????????? ?? ???? ????? ????????????, 4 ?? ??? ???? ???? ????????? ????? ?? ??????? ???? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????????? ??????????, ????????? ????????????? 5 ??? ???? ????? ??????????? ???? ???? ??????? ???? ?????, ??? ??????????????? ???? ????? ??? ??? ??????? ???? ????????, 6 ??? ?? ?????? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ????????, ???? ???????? ????? ? ??????. I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ� I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!� 2 I ask that when I am present I need not show boldness by daring to oppose those who think we are acting according to human standards. 3 Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; 4. for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments 5 and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ. 6 We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete. Significant Words Worthy of Further Study Verse WORDS 1 Meekness Gentleness Face to face 2 I beg confidence ???? ????? 3 Walk war 4 Warfare Divinely powerful Fortresses 5 ????????? ????????????? Knowledge of God captive 6 Punish disobedience complete Selected Word Study: ???? ????? Below are the NT occurrences of ???? ?????* Romans 1:3 ???? ???? ????? ?????? ???? ????????? ?? ????????? ????? ???? ?????, Romans 4:1 ?? ???? ???????? ????????? �?????? ??? ????????? ????? ???? ?????; Romans 8:4 ??? ?? ???????? ???? ????? ???????? ?? ????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ????????????? ???? ???? ???????. Romans 8:5 ?? ??? ???? ????? ????? ?? ???? ?????? ??????????, ?? ?? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ?????????. Romans 8:12 ????? ????, ???????, ????????? ????? ?? ??? ????? ???? ???? ????? ????, Romans 8:13 ?? ??? ???? ????? ?????, ??????? ???????????� ?? ?? ???????? ??? ??????? ???? ??????? ??????????, ???????. Romans 9:3 ??????? ??? ??????? ?????? ????? ??? ??? ???? ???????? ???? ???? ???????? ??? ???? ????????? ??? ???? ?????, Romans 9:5 ??? ?? ??????? ??? ?? ??? ? ??????? ?? ???? ?????, ? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ????????? ??? ???? ???????, ????. 1 Corinthians 1:26 ??????? ??? ??? ??????? ?????, ???????, ??? ?? ?????? ????? ???? ?????, ?? ?????? ???????, ?? ?????? ?????????� 1 Corinthians 10:18 ??????? ??? �?????? ???? ?????� ??? ?? ????????? ??? ?????? ???????? ???? ???????????? ?????; 2 Corinthians 1:17 ?????? ???? ?????????? ???? ??? ??? ??????? ?????????; ? ? ?????????? ???? ????? ??????????, ??? ?? ???� ???? ?? ??? ??? ??? ?? ?? ??; 2 Corinthians 5:16 ?????? ?????? ??? ???? ???? ?????? ??????? ???? ?????� ?? ??? ????????? ???? ????? ???????, ???? ???? ?????? ??????????. 2 Corinthians 10:2 ?????? ?? ?? ?? ????? ????????? ??? ?????????? ?? ????????? ????????? ??? ????? ???? ???????????? ????? ?? ???? ????? ??????????????. 2 Corinthians 10:3 ?? ????? ??? ?????????????? ?? ???? ????? ????????????, 2 Corinthians 11:18 ???? ?????? ?????????? ???? ?????, ???? ??????????. Galatians 4:23 ???� ? ??? ?? ???? ????????? ???? ????? ??????????, ? ?? ?? ???? ????????? ??� ??????????. Galatians 4:29 ???� ????? ???? ? ???? ????? ????????? ??????? ??? ???? ???????, ????? ??? ????. Ephesians 6:5 ?? ???????, ????????? ????? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????? ??? ?????? ?? ???????? ???? ??????? ????? ?? ??? ???????, Colossians 3:22 ?? ???????, ????????? ???? ????? ????? ???? ????? ???????, ?? ?? ????????????? ?? ?????????????, ???� ?? ???????? ??????? ?????????? ??? ??????. *The phrase never appears in the Septuagint. A similar phrase: ???? ??? ????? appears in John 8:15 and is translated �according to the flesh� With exception to this passage, all uses of ???? ????? within the NT are Pauline. This would either suggest that Paul formed the construction and John borrowed it, or that John formed it and Paul borrowed it. The former is probably more likely. The NIV has often incorrectly translated this phrase as the �sinful nature.� Paul at no time uses the ??????o~ to describe the flesh. The closest Paul ever comes to calling the flesh �sin� is in Roman 8:4-8 when he calls it �hostile toward God.� The simple conclusion that sin comes about because we are human and are by nature sinful and that we are not God is obvious, but that does not warrant a direct correlation between sin and the flesh itself. I am not convinced that that type of translation is what Paul had in mind. Instead, I believe Paul�s usage of the term here and elsewhere is simply separating humankind, from God. That is, we are of the flesh, not of the Spirit (Rom. 8:5) by nature. It is only when we invite the Spirit of God to live within us that we become �of the Spirit� (Rom. 8:9). Martin also notes that �flesh� in this specific case (v. 2) �may well imply that Paul was no pneumatic person, singularly lacking in demonstrable, charismatic gifts of leadership� (304). The use of �fleshly� in verse 4 further implies that the war to be fought will not be done with normal weapons of war, but with the power of the Spirit within us (Martin 305). Beyond all else, we are in a permanent state of humanity (or flesh) while here on earth. It continues that we both sin while in the flesh and live for God while in the flesh. While this may seem to equalize Christianity and sin, it is in actuality simply separating all of our earthly being from the divineness of God. That is, nothing we can do on earth can make us divine as God is divine. Furthermore, because we are human and not divine, we by nature live according to our surrounding and background. Ethnic and cultural �standards� define how we live up until that point when we see God�s Spirit is revealed to us. That is, we live according to the standards of this world until we are filled with the Spirit of God. Lambrecht states that here ???? ????? �possesses the�negative sense of �according to worldly standards.� The fact that Paul �has been weak and cowardly in his personal dealings with the Corinthian church� has been taken �as evidence of his bondage to the flesh and of his lack of charismatic power and authority�� (Lambrecht quoting Furnish, 2 Corinthians 461; 154). Authorship: There is little to no debate over the fact that Paul is the author of the Second Letter to the Corinthians. Having already identified himself similarly in his first letter, Paul identifies himself several times in the second letter. The debate, rather, comes with the structure as an entity. Scholars are evenly divided over whether Second Corinthians is one letter, two letters, or a combination of multiple letters. Those who believe it is two, make the split between chapters 9 and 10 because of the drastic change in mood and context. Much of chapters 10-13 seem to have been written before chapters 1-9. The introduction in 10:1 of �I myself, Paul� is similar to his normal introductions. However, while these arguments may continue, the rhetoric and teachings seem to remain the same. This, along with Paul�s own self-identification, serves to support Paul�s authorship of Second Corinthians. According to John MacArthur, �That Paul wrote this epistle, as it twice claims (1:1; 10:1), is almost universally accepted, even by critical scholars who deny that Paul wrote other New Testament books attributed to him. It is impossible to imagine a motive for someone to forge such an emotional and highly personal letter. The letter's Pauline vocabulary, similarities to 1 Corinthians, and correlation with the evidence from Acts also prove Paul's authorship� (MacArthur 4/27/05). Date and Place of Writing: World Wide Web sources date the Writing of 2 Corinthians as 57 AD (Gann 4/27/05) 55-56 AD (Arthur 4/27/05) and the fall of 56 AD (MacArthur 4/27/05). Leighton Pullan places the writing of 2nd Corinthians in 55 AD from Philippi (144). Purpose 1. False teachers, claiming to be apostles, had infiltrated the ranks of the church. 2. They discredited Paul�s apostleship in order to enforce their own claims. 3. So, Paul wrote this letter to refute those accusations against him by the imposters, who were �poisoning the minds of the Corinthians.� I. Paul sent 1Cor. from Ephesus by the hand of Titus and company in the spring of 56AD, cp. 2Cor.2:13. II. Paul left Ephesus and, arriving in Troas, found an open door for the gospel, 2Cor.2:12. III. Paul, not meeting Titus as he expected, moved on into Macedonia, 2Cor.2:13. IV. Paul was reunited with Titus somewhere in Macedonia. Titus brought him news of the situation at Corinth, 2Cor.7:5,6. V. Paul wrote 2Cor. in autumn (Sep-Oct) of 56AD and Titus took it back to Corinth. (Purpose information from Ballinger on 4/27/05). Exegetical Analysis Verse 1: Most commentators agree that the phrase �I myself, Paul, say to you�� is Paul�s way of maintaining his own authority as to what is going to be said. Paul sees himself as an apostle for Christ, as wants his words to be respected as such. Several commentators also believe this to have relevance to Paul�s solitude apart from Timothy and Silvanus. The words ????????? and ?????????? come across into English as rather close in meaning. The former is most often translated �meekness� and the latter �gentleness.� Other possibilities include �humility�, �clemency�, and �kindness�. As Sampley states, �Paul�s two terms regarding Christ reinforce each other because their semantic fields overlap. Both suggest gentleness, with the former ranging to humility and considerateness toward others and the latter compassing graciousness, clemency, and a disposition to mercy� (136). Martin states that these two terms could be referring to either Christ�s earthly life or to his condescension in becoming incarnate. Being intimately related, �Christ�s incarnation and his character were foundational as setting up a paradigm for Christian behavior� (Martin 302). Furnish points out that this construction is frequently used in ancient texts, including Christian texts (i.e. 1 Clem. 30:8, Diogn. 7:4). However, in these writings, the terms are reversed (Furnish 455). Barnett focuses on the relation of these terms to the terms �timid� and �bold� in the latter half of the verse. He states that Paul is painting himself in relation to Christ with all four terms. What Paul�s critics fail to see in Paul�s timidity and boldness is the timidity and boldness of Christ. Christ was very humble when he needed to be, and yet bold as the situation warranted. For indeed, Christ lays blessings down on the meek (Matt 5:5) (Barnett 457-459). Lambrecht briefly agrees with Barnett in stating that �these exemplary virtues that belong to Christ are to a certain degree his own and should also become virtues of the Corinthians� (153). My first interpretation of the phrase �I who am timid when face to face with you, bold when I am absent!� is that Paul is being extremely sarcastic. Paul is frustrated with the condemnation he has received from his critics and the false teachers. It was most likely being taught to the Corinthians or at least rumored that Paul didn�t �have the guts� the stand up for his beliefs when he was actually with the Corinthians. This discrediting of his character was annoying to Paul. I imagine Paul grinding his teeth while writing the first few sentences of this chapter. Paul felt more that the image of Christ was being tainted than his own image, for he was �in the image of Christ.� We shall see if my thoughts are shared. Carver does in fact state that Paul�s �enemies in usual fashion have distorted the truth into an untruth�Paul�s gentleness being interpreted as weakness� (591). Verse 2: Paul begins to show how desperate he is to reach the Corinthians with the truth concerning him. He knows that they are in essence being �brainwashed� by his critics. So, Paul �begs� (??????, to be interpreted as a request, not a prayer) to them that he not have to be �bold� or �haughty� (Martin 303) when he arrives. Bibliography Arthur, James G. Jude Ministries: Contending for the Faith. New Testament Survey: Second Corinthians. 2001- 2002, James G. Arthur and Jude Ministries. Accessed 4/27/05 . http://www.judeministries.org/ntsurvey/ 2cor.htm Ballinger, Jack M. Introduction to Second Corinthians. May 26, 1982, Maranatha Church, Inc., Accessed: 04/27/05. http://www.versebyverse.org/doctrine/intro-2cor.html Barnett, Paul. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians. The New International Commentary on the New Testament. 1997, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. Bornkamm, G. and A.M.G. Stephenson. The Authorship and Integrity of the New Testament. �The History of the Origin of the So-Called Second Letter to the Corinthians.� �A Defense of the Integrity of 2 Corinthians�. 1965. S.P.C.K. Publishers, London, England. Carver G. Romans, I and II Corinthians. Beacon Bible Commentary. Vol. 8. 1968, Beacon Hill Press, Kansas City, MO. Furnish, Victor Paul. II Corinthians. The Anchor Bible. Vol. 32A. 1984, Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, NY. Gann, Windell. Walking Thru the Bible. New Testament-2 Corinthians. Accessed: 4/27/05 http://home.hiwaay.net/~wgann/walk.htm. Lambrecht, Jan. Second Corinthians. Sacra Pagina. Ed. Daniel J. Harrington. 1999, The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota. Martin, Ralph P. 2 Corinthians. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 40. 1986, Word Books, Waco, TX. MacArthur, John. 2 Corinthians. Pulpit-Shepherd�s Fellowship. 2004, Accessed: 4/27/05. http://www.biblebb.com/files/MAC/sf-2cor.htm. Pullan, Leighton. The Books of the New Testament. 1901, Rivingstons, London, England. Sampley, J. Paul. The Second Letter to the Corinthians. The New Interpreter�s Bible. Vol. XI, 2000, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN. |