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2 Corinthians 10:1-3
New Catholic Bible
2 Corinthians 10:1-3
New Catholic Bible
Paul’s Self-Defense[a]
Chapter 10
Recommendation from Human Beings or from God?[b] 1 I myself, Paul, exhort you by the gentleness and the mercy of Christ, I who am “timid” when I am face to face with you, but “bold” when I am at a distance! 2 I beg you that when I am in your presence I will not have to act with boldness and the self-assurance that I consider necessary when I oppose some of those who accuse us of acting according to human standards.[c]
3 [d]Although we are human beings, we do not engage in battle according to human standards.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Corinthians 10:1 All at once, the tone of the Letter changes. The text becomes harsh and unyielding. It indicates that some missionaries have slipped into the Corinthian community, probably Jewish Christian in origin, who wish to take over this new Church. Their human and religious pretensions go beyond all measure. They strive to discredit Paul, and many Christians lend a complacent ear to their calumnies and caricatures. Paul rebukes both his attackers and those who failed to defend him, for the Christian life itself is at stake and the authenticity of the Gospel of Jesus is threatened. The Letter is no longer a paternal address to children but a strong indictment.
Some exegetes think that these chapters were part of a stern Letter mentioned earlier (2 Cor 2:3); if so, the text predates the rest of the present Letter. - 2 Corinthians 10:1 In order to be accepted and applauded, the false apostles seek their human prestige. They have nothing more than that, for they usurp the work of others. In contrast, Paul and his coworkers are missionaries of the Gospel in the midst of Gentiles and it was they who founded the community of Corinth—that is their recommendation. The work of God has become a reality through their efforts.
- 2 Corinthians 10:2 Human standards: literally, “according to the flesh.”
- 2 Corinthians 10:3 Paul is ready to wage war, but his weapons are not those prized by this world and forged by human pride and arrogance. They have “the divine power” (e.g., the Word of God and the Spirit) and can demolish arguments and every pretension put forth against “the knowledge of God” (see Rom 1:18-23). Among the latter are the reasonings by which the false apostles strive to shake the faith of the Corinthian Christians (see 1 Cor 2:13f).
