Thanks

giving (3, 4)

Paul's

references

to his

former visit

(23, 21-4)

Forgive

ness

for the

penitent

of

peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of tender mercies and the God who comforteth us in all our affliction, so that we are able to comfort those who are in any affliction, by the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

I call God to witness against my soul that it was to spare you that I did not revisit Corinth. I decided I would not come to you again to bring you pain, for if I pain you, who is there then to give me joy except the very people I am paining? And I write this to you in order that when I come, I may not receive pain from those who ought to give me joy, being assured regarding all of you that my joy is a source of joy to you all. For I wrote you in great affliction and misery of heart, with many a tear, not to give you pain, but in order that you might know how my heart is overflowing with love for you.

If a certain individual has caused pain, he has caused it not only to me, but in some degree (that I may not exaggerate) to all of you. The censure from the majority is sufficient for that individual, so that, on the contrary, you fender should rather now forgive and comfort him, lest he be over(5-108) whelmed by excessive grief. Therefore, I beg of you to reinstate him in your love. For I wrote you with the aim that I might know your mind, whether you were absolutely obedient. If you forgive the man, I will forgive him also. Appeal O Corinthians, our mouth is unsealed to you!

for

confi

dence (611-13, 72-4)

Our

heart is wide open for you! There is no restraint in our love; yet you restrained your feelings for us; but let it be a fair exchange. I speak as to my children, Öpen wide your hearts to us. Make room for us. We have wronged no one, ruined no one, taken no selfish advantage of anyone. I speak, not in order to condemn you, for I said before that you are our very heart, whether we die with you or live with you. I have great confidence in you; great is my boasting over you. I am filled with comfort. I am overflowing with delight amidst all our affliction.

Now, brothers, we would have you know the grace of

GENEROSITY OF THE MACEDONIANS

Mace

ans

God, which has been given to the churches of Macedonia, The how while passing through a most trying ordeal, their generosity boundless joy and their deep poverty have overflowed in a of the flood of generous liberality. I can testify, that according donito their means, and even beyond their means, they have (81-6, given freely; with much entreaty, they begged us for the 91,2) favor of sharing in the service in behalf of the saints. They have also done more than we hoped, for first of all they gave themselves to the Lord and to us in accordance with the will of God. This led us to urge Titus, inasmuch as he had been the one who had commenced the work, also to complete this work of beneficence among you. Indeed it is superfluous for me to write to you about this service to the saints. For I know your willingness, on account of which I boasted about you to the Macedonians, saying that Achaia was ready last year. And your zeal has spurred on the majority of them.

fruits

of lib

erality

(10-15)

He who furnisheth the seed for the sower and bread to The eat will supply you with seed and multiply it and will increase the fruits of your charity. You will be enriched in every way, so as to show all liberality which through us makes men give thanks to God. For the service rendered by this sacred gift, not only supplies the wants of the saints, but in addition causes many a cry of thanksgiving to God. By the practical proof of this service you cause God to be praised for the fidelity of your allegiance to the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all. They also with supplication in your behalf are bound to you in love because of the surpassing grace which God has bestowed on you. Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!

I. Conditions in the Church at Corinth That Called Forth Paul's Letters. At least a year had elapsed since Paul had concluded his initial work at Corinth. From I Corinthians 161 we learn that meantime he had made a visit to the Galatian churches; already a strenuous period of work at Ephesus lay behind him. Apollos, the brilliant Alexandrian disciple of John the Baptist and later a convert to Christianity, had labored for a time at Ephesus, together with Aquila and Priscilla, and then had gone on to Corinth to take Paul's place.

When I Corinthians was written he had returned to Paul at Ephesus. Notwithstanding his Greek name, Apollos was clearly a Jew by birth, learned in the scriptures of his race, and a gifted orator. Alexandria, Tarsus, Ephesus, and Rome were the chief centres at this period in which the culture and learning of the East and West mingled and found prominent public expression. The Jewish community at Alexandria was still dominated by the personality and teachings of the famous Jewish scholar Philo, many of whose disciples survived. Here Apollos would be trained equally in Greek and Jewish thought and in the allegorical method of interpretation which the Jews had learned from the Greeks. To the Greek Christians of Corinth Apollos evidently appealed very strongly. His eloquence, his learning, and his methods of interpretation fascinated them and suggested to these rather ignorant, uncultured members of the Christian community invidious comparisons with Paul the humble tent-maker. Even though Apollos and Paul were in heartiest accord and recognized no rivalry, as is clearly shown by the fact that Paul urged Apollos later to return to Corinth (I Cor. 1612), a factious spirit broke out in the ranks of the Greek Christians at the commercial metropolis of Achaia. News of this reached Paul and was one of the chief themes in his Corinthian correspondence. The Christians of Corinth were also especially exposed and susceptible to the social immorality which characterized the life of that ancient maritime city. The case of incest was tolerated even within the church itself and the prevailing standard of morality was low. Questions of church discipline and of individual responsibility also agitated the members of the Christian community. To Greeks trained to accept Plato's doctrine of spiritual immortality, the Jewish belief in bodily resurrection and of a final judgment day, in which the righteous should rise to share in the messianic kingdom with those still living, presented great difficulties. These were the major problems which are the occasion of the voluminous correspondence between Paul and the church which he first planted in Achaia. Apparently he received two letters from them and himself sent four to them. Twice he visited them. Twice he was informed of conditions there by Christian travellers from Corinth and twice he appears to have despatched Timothy to them with direct messages. This correspondence represents a period of intense activity and apprehension on the part of Paul and at the same time reveals with remarkable clarity his spirit and teachings.

II. Paul's First Letter to the Corinthian Christians. In I Corinthians 59 Paul writes: "In my letter I wrote you that you are

PAUL'S FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

not to associate with those who are immoral." From this reference it is clear that our present epistle known' as I Corinthians is not the first in Paul's correspondence with the Corinthians. In the heart of the second epistle to the Corinthians is a section (614-71) which is evidently alien to its present context and begins: "Avoid all unnatural ties with unbelievers. What have righteousness and iniquity in common or how can light associate with darkness?" Through six verses he emphasizes the importance of Christians not associating with those who are immoral. It is exceedingly probable that this is a fragment of the missing first letter to which Paul refers. It and the evils of which it speaks probably led three of the Corinthian Christians, Stephanus, Fortunatus, and Achaicus, of whom Paul speaks in I Corinthians 1617, to visit him in Ephesus and to lay before him the concrete problems which he discusses at length in his second letter, now found in I Corinthians.

III. Paul's Second Letter to the Corinthians. First Corinthians is the longest and in many ways the most beautiful letter which Paul has bequeathed to us. Here is pre-eminently revealed the pastor dealing with the definite question which his Corinthian converts had propounded to him in person and with the unfortunate conditions which had arisen in Corinth during his absence and which had been brought to his attention by the members of the household of a certain Christian woman by the name of Chloe. His broad aim is to teach the Corinthian Christians how they, in their individual and communal life, may realize the ideal of Jesus. The structure of the letter is clearly defined. The first nine verses contain his formal greeting and the rather measured note of thanksgiving in which he refers to the virtues of those to whom he was writing. Chapters 110-421 contain a kindly but sharp rebuke of the factious tendencies of the Corinthians. Here Paul's breadth is strikingly illustrated. The individual leaders and their early doctrines are unimportant; loyalty to Christ and his cross are alone essential. Here he contrasts the Greek philosophies and sophistries, which certain of the Gentile Christians of Corinth are inclined to esteem most highly, with the simple spiritual message of the Gospel which he had proclaimed. Argument, gentle irony, and personal appeal are here united in Paul's characteristic way. In 5-7 he deals with the lax moral conditions that prevailed in the Corinthian church and more concretely with the special case of incest which had been reported to him. Here and in the succeeding chapters Paul's fundamental principles of living are

dramatically set forth. In 81-111 he defines the proper Christian attitude toward idol sacrifices and feasts. In 112-1440 he discusses questions of public worship and the relative values of the different types of religious activity then prevalent in the church. Chapter 15 takes up the question of personal immortality, and 16 contains Paul's concluding instructions, salutations, and benediction. Paul throughout these burning chapters aims to lead his Corinthian converts to look beyond parties and teachers and doctrines to the vital spiritual life within the individual, which is the essence of Christianity and of all true religion.

IV.

Paul's Third Letter to the Corinthians. Students have long noted the dramatic and fundamental contrast in spirit, content, and literary style between the first nine chapters of II Corinthians and the concluding four chapters. The spirit in the first part of the epistle is that of thanksgiving and commendation; in the second part Paul sometimes ironically, sometimes appealingly, expresses his surprise and bitter disappointment at the attitude of those to whom he is writing. The glaring inconsistencies of the epistle disappear when we recognize that 10-13 probably contain a part of Paul's third letter to the Corinthians which has been appended, by a later editor or as the result of displacement, to the fourth and final letter now found in 1-9. In his second letter Paul speaks of Timothy's impending visit and urges the Corinthians to receive him with open mind. The apostle also expresses the hope that he himself may visit them soon. It is evident from II Corinthians 10-13 that Timothy did visit them but met with a most unfavorable reception, for Paul's kindly but strong rebuke of their party strife and lax morality had aroused their resentment. When the news of this reached Paul, he had apparently gone to Corinth, only to meet with rebuff. It was undoubtedly one of the most tragic moments in his life. He could endure patiently and even joyously the perils of land and sea, but the disloyalty of the Corinthian church cut him to the heart. Evidently certain Judaizers, possibly the same who had dogged his footsteps in Galatia, had reached Corinth and had poisoned the minds of the Corinthian Christians, already smarting under Paul's just rebukes. For the moment they were inclined to distrust him and to attribute to him mercenary motives. One of the bolder wrong-doers had openly insulted him, and the better-minded members of the church had failed to rebuke the offender. Paul evidently left Corinth baffled and heart-sick. As has been truly said, when he wrote his third letter to the Corinthians: