1
The
1Corinthians
letter is a combination of three letters by Paul:
'1aCorinthians'
(written early 53): 1:10-4:21
'1bCorinthians'
(written later in 53): 9:1-27
'1cCorinthians'
(written early 55): the rest (except 1:4-9,14:33b-35,15:3-11,15:23-28
added later. See included explanations)
Why is '1Corinthians' made up of three different
letters?
a)
Different travel plans:
'1aCorinthians' --> 1Co4:17-19
"... but I will come to you
very soon
...";
"... I am sending to you Timothy, ..."
'1cCorinthians' --> 1Co16:5-11
"After I go through Macedonia , I will come to you ... But
I will stay on
at Ephesus until Pentecost, ..."
;
"...
if
Timothy comes, ..."
b)
Different relationship between Paul and the
Christians of Corinth:
Paul is partly rejected in '1aCorinthians':
1Co1:11b-12
"... there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ.""
and also in '1bCorinthians':
1Co9:1b-2a
"... Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! ..."
However, he appears fully accepted in '1cCorinthians':
1Co16:10-11b
"If Timothy comes,
see to it that he has nothing to fear
while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. No one, then, should refuse to accept him ..."
totally in control, very confident, feeling free to ramble & reveal his inner thoughts and dealing as a bishop would towards his flock. For example, Paul is judging a sinner (as God would!):
1Co5:3b-5a
"... And
I have already passed judgment
on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
When you are assembled
in the name of our Lord Jesus
and I am with you in spirit
, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present,
hand this man over to Satan
..."
and putting himself as equal of the "Lord" in issuing commands:
1Co7:10,12
"To the married
I give this command
(not I, but the Lord): A wife
must not
separate from her husband. ... To the rest
I say this
(I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he
must not
divorce her."
c)
Insertion:
'1bCorinthians' (all about Paul's problems) is evidently an insertion in a passage where Paul is rambling about Christian food, idolatry and sexual immorality (1Co5:1-8:13,10:1-11:1).
1Co8:11-13,10:1-3 "And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will
never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble. [1bCorinthians inserted here]
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, all ate the same spiritual food,"
2
The
2Corinthians
letter is also a combination of three letters
by Paul:
'2aCorinthians'
(written late spring 55): 2:14-7:4 (except 5:10,6:14-7:1
added later. See included explanations)
'2bCorinthians'
(written late summer 55): 10:1-13:10
'2cCorinthians'
(written late 56): the rest (except 1:1-2,13:11-14
added later)
Why is '2Corinthians' made up of three different
letters?
a)
Insertion:
'2aCorinthians' is obviously an insertion
in a passage dealing with Paul going to Macedonia
to meet Titus.
2Co2:12-13,7:5-6
"Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel
of Christ and found that the Lord had opened
a door for me, I still had no peace of mind,
because I did not find my brother Titus there.
So I
said good-by to them and went on to Macedonia.
[2aCorinthians inserted here]
For when we came into Macedonia, this body of
ours
had no rest, but
we
were harassed at every turn--conflicts on
the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts
the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming but also by
the comfort you had given him."
Note: '2aCorinthians' was written from the point of view of Paul and his helpers, using "we", "us" & "ours". The Christian "editor" likely changed the "I", "me" & "mine" in the three verses after the insertion. Afterwards, things become more normal:
2Co7:7-8 "... us ... me ... me ... my ... I ... my ... I ... I ... I ... my ..."
b)
Different relationship between Paul and the
Christians of Corinth:
Almost fully rejected in '2aCorinthians':
2Co6:12-13
"We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.
We are not withholding our affection
from you, but you are withholding yours from us.
As a fair exchange
--I speak as to my children-- open wide your hearts also."
2Co7:2-3
"Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one. I do not say this to condemn you; I have said before that you have such a place
in our hearts that we would live or die with
you."
and also in '2bCorinthians':
2Co12:20b-21a
"...
I fear
that there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, gossip,
arrogance
and disorder.
I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you
..."
2Co13:1-3a
"This will be my third visit to you. "Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second time. I now repeat it while absent: On my return I will not spare those who sinned earlier
or any of the others, since you are demanding proof that Christ
is speaking through me."
But Paul is fully accepted (but cautious) in '2cCorinthians':
2Co1:21-22
"Now it is
God who makes both us and you stand firm
in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
2Co7:7
"... He
[Titus]
told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever."
To the same Christians, Paul is imploring for reconciliation in '2aCorinthians' (2Co5:19-20), he is most angry in '2bCorinthians' (2Co11:13-15) but very forgiving (2Co2:5-11,7:8-9) & friendly in '2cCorinthians':
2Co7:16
"I am glad I can have complete confidence in you
[the Christians of Corinth]."
c)
The mentioned other letter:
In '2cCorinthians', Paul keeps referring to a letter he wrote earlier:
2Co2:3-4a
"I wrote as I did so that
when I came I should not be distressed
by those who ought to make me rejoice ...
For
I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears
..."
2Co2:9
"The reason I wrote you was to see if you
would stand the test and be obedient in everything."
2Co7:8
"Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it.
Though I did regret it
-- I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while--"
The letter in question is undoubtebly '2bCorinthians':
2Co12:21
"I am afraid that
when I come again
...
I will be grieved
over many who have sinned earlier ..."
2Co13:5-6
"Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith;
test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have
not failed the test."
