Theophylact of Ohrid

In his own words on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:1

  Since the apostle, in his first epistle, sent Timothy to Corinth and then received him back again when he returned, he rightly joins his name to his own. Moreover, Timothy had shown the Corinthians proof of his virtue as well. Thus, the apostle mentions Timothy in the present epistle as a person already known to the Corinthians and who had corrected many things among them. Notice that sometimes he calls him a son: "as a son with a father," he says, "he served with me in the gospel" (Phil. 2:22), sometimes a fellow worker: "for he does the work of the Lord, as I also do" (1 Cor. 16:10), and now a brother, presenting him as worthy of respect in every regard. Again he unites them, having said "church"; for those who are in division do not constitute a church. He mentions all those living in Achaia, showing preference to the Corinthians by greeting everyone through the epistle addressed to them, and at the same time calling the whole people to concord. Moreover, since they were all wavering, he offers them a common remedy; he does the same thing in the epistles to the Galatians and to the Hebrews. And by calling them saints, he shows that if anyone is impure, he is unworthy of this greeting and designation.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:2

  And now he employs the customary greeting, about which has been spoken in other places.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:3

  In the first epistle he promised to come to them, but since he did not come, he supposed that he had greatly grieved them with the thought that he had preferred others over them. So, wishing to justify himself and show that many temptations that had befallen him had delayed him, he offers a fine explanation in his defense. I give thanks, he says, to God who saved me from dangers; through this thanksgiving he hints that there were certain great obstacles holding him back, for deliverance from which he also gives thanks. Place a punctuation mark after the word "God," then begin: "and Father of the Lord." But if you understand this jointly—God and Father of the Lord—there will be nothing novel in it, for He is of one and the same Christ: by His humanity, God, and by His divinity, Father. That is, He showed such great mercies that He brought us out from the very gates of death and deemed us worthy of every consolation in afflictions. It was the custom of the saints to name God according to the benefits received from Him. Thus, on the occasion of victory in war, David says: "I will love You, O Lord, my strength" (Ps. 18:1), and again: "The Lord is the strength of my life" (Ps. 27:1); on the occasion of deliverance from the darkening and eclipsing of the mind and from grief: "The Lord is my light" (Ps. 27:1). So now Paul calls God the Father of mercies and the God of consolation as a result of what happened to him. Notice his humility: having received deliverance from trials for the sake of the Gospel, he does not say that the deliverance was according to merit, but according to the mercies of God.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:4

  He did not say: the one who never ceases to afflict us, but — the one who comforts us in the time of sorrows; for if He permits us to be afflicted, it is so that through patience we might acquire a reward; but when He sees that we are growing faint, He comforts us; and this He does always. Therefore he did not say that He once comforted, but "who comforts," that is, always; and not in this or that sorrow, but "in all." Not because, he says, God comforts us because we are worthy of comfort, but so that by the pattern of the comfort I have experienced, I might also comfort others who are in temptations. Therefore you too, seeing me so comforted, do not lose heart while remaining in afflictions. Through this he also points to the work of the apostles, that they were appointed to encourage and inspire others, and not like the false apostles, who, living in luxury and sitting at home, neglect those in need of comfort and encouragement.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:5

  Let no one lose heart, he says, who hears of afflictions and sufferings, for to the degree that they multiply, consolations also increase. He did not simply say "sufferings" either, but "of Christ," so as to encourage the Corinthians by this as well. The sufferings of Christ are those which we endure and through which we become partakers with Him in sufferings. Therefore, let this very thing be the greatest consolation for you: that you bear the sufferings of Christ, and not only His, but even greater ones. For he says, "the sufferings of Christ abound in us" — that is, we suffer more than Christ Himself suffered. Sensing, however, how great a thing he has said, he softens this very point by saying, "through Christ our consolation also abounds," for he attributes everything to Him. And he did not say that consolation is equal to the afflictions, but that it "abounds" — far exceeding the afflictions.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:6

  You, he says, should not be troubled by the fact that I endure afflictions, because we undergo afflictions for your salvation and consolation. We could have lived our lives in safety if we had not preached; but now, since we preach in order to save you and comfort your souls through the preaching and the blessings that come from it, we undergo afflictions. Thus, we endure afflictions for your salvation, but you should not be troubled. This salvation is accomplished, he says, not only through our endurance, but also through yours; that is, I alone do not effect your salvation, but you yourselves do as well. For just as I, in preaching, endure afflictions, so you also, in receiving the preaching, endure the very same sufferings that I endure. He testifies before them of their great virtue in that they received the preaching with trials.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:7

  That is, we are firmly confident in you that you will not fall away in temptations, and therefore all the more do not be troubled seeing that we suffer. Since he said above: we endure afflictions for you, then, lest what was said seem unbearable, he now says: we are also comforted for you, that is, our comfort becomes your consolation. For if we receive even a small encouragement, this too is sufficient for your comfort, because you become partakers of our joy. Since you, he says, when we are persecuted, grieve as though you yourselves were suffering this, we know that when we are comforted, you consider yourselves to have received comfort.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:8

  Since he mentioned affliction indefinitely, he now explains what exactly the affliction was. Through this he also shows his love for them, for it is characteristic of love to reveal to others what has happened. At the same time he also presents an explanation for his delay. In Asia, he says, an affliction befell him, about which he also speaks in the first epistle: "for a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:9). It would seem that he says one and the same thing when he uses the expressions "exceedingly" and "beyond our strength," but in reality they are not the same. He says the following: the trial was excessive, that is, great; then, since a trial, even being severe, can be courageously endured by one who has the strength to endure it, he says that it was not only great but also exceeded our strength, that is, both great and unbearable, such that we despaired even of life, that is, we no longer hoped even to remain alive. David calls such a state the chains of hell, the pangs of death, because they give birth to death, and the snare of death (Ps. 18:4–6).

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:9

  We had the sentence, the verdict, the answer that the circumstances gave, even though they had not yet uttered a voice, that is, before we even thought about it, the expectation of death presented itself and the verdict that the circumstances pronounced, but in reality this did not come to pass. For what reason, he says, was this? So that we might learn not to place hope in ourselves, but only in God. However, Paul says this not because he himself now needed this instruction (for who believed more firmly that one must hope only in God?), but under the guise of speaking about himself he instructs others, and at the same time teaches humility.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:10

  Again he reminds them of the preaching about the resurrection, of which he spoke so much in the first epistle, and which he confirms even more by the present circumstances; therefore he also added: "Who delivered us from so great a death." He did not say: from danger, but "from death." Although the resurrection is a future and unknown matter, he shows that it also happens daily. For when God delivers a person who has drawn near to the very gates of Hades, He shows nothing other than a resurrection; and that is why we are accustomed to say about such a condition of a person: we have seen a resurrection of the dead. From this we learn that our life must constantly be spent in struggle; for when he says "will deliver," he foretells a storm of many temptations.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:11

  Since the words "that we should not trust in ourselves" could seem to some as a general accusation concerning them, he softens what was said and asks for their prayers as a great intercession. From this we also learn humility, because Paul needed the prayers of the Corinthians, and we recognize the power of prayer itself, for the prayer of the Church, offered as it should be, can do much, so that even Paul had need of it. God delivered us, he says, and will deliver us through your prayers, "that for the gift bestowed upon us by the intercession of many," that is, so that for the grace that was in me through your prayers, many persons among you might give thanks. For my salvation, which came about through your prayers, He granted to all of you, so that many persons might give thanks to Him on our behalf. From this we also learn not only to pray for one another, but also to give thanks for one another. Notice how at the beginning he says that he was saved by the compassions of God, but now he attributes his salvation to their prayers, for with the mercies of God we must also unite our own mercies. And here Paul did not attribute all of the benefit to the Corinthians, lest he lead them to pride, but neither did he entirely exclude them from it, lest he make them negligent. God, he says, will deliver us "with the help of your prayer as well," that is, with your cooperation.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:12

  Here is what, he says, serves as a source of consolation for us: our conscience, testifying to us that we are persecuted and pursued not because we have been convicted of wicked deeds, but for virtue and for the salvation of many. So then, the first consolation proceeded from God, while this one, he says, proceeds from the purity of my conscience, and for this reason he also calls it a boast, showing thereby the great power of conviction that he had in a pure conscience. What, he says, does our conscience testify to us? And why do we boast? We conducted ourselves in "simplicity," that is, in guilelessness of heart, and in "sincerity" and openness of mind, having nothing that needed to be hidden, nothing shameful: this is what God accepts. He said this with the crafty false apostles in mind. That is, without refined words and intricately woven sentiments. For the wisdom of the flesh is such that they are puffed up by it, but he rejects and despises it. That is, according to the God-given wisdom, the signs and miracles that occurred by the grace of God. And the greatest consolation is when someone has within himself the testimony that he does everything not by human strength, but by the grace of God. And they lived this way not only in Corinth, but in the whole world. In what way? For the apostle preached the Gospel to them not only with signs, but also without any recompense on their part. Notice how he attributes his own actions to the grace of God.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:13

  Since the apostle seemed to have said much about himself, lest anyone say this is self-praise, he says: we write to you what you read in the present epistle and what you already know even without this. For the knowledge you previously received about me does not contradict my epistles. Some, however, understood this as follows: we write to you what you read, that is, what you recall; for reading is recollection, or higher knowledge. And why, he says, do I speak of what you remember, of what you know belongs to us and needs no reminder, as something already known?

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:14

  He places everything upon God. I hope, he says, in God that you know us to be such as our epistles and our past life show us to be. "As also you have acknowledged us in part," that is, you know from experience, because we have already in part presented to you certain proofs of a virtuous life. He said this out of modesty. What then will you know? That your boast, that is, that I am such that I can give you reason to boast of me, that you have such a teacher who teaches nothing human, nothing harmful, nothing deceitful. Then, lest it seem that he says this about himself out of boasting, he makes the boast mutual and says: and you will be my boast; for I will boast that I had such disciples, not wavering, not yielding to the seductions of the false apostles. When will we boast of one another? Both now, but especially on that day. For even now many see the slanders and reproaches that we endure, and perhaps even slander us, but then, when everything will be revealed, it will be manifest concerning me that I am not such as the calumny of the false apostles represents me to be, and you likewise will be our boast, because you did not join the deceivers.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:15

  With what confidence? With the fact that I am not conscious of anything bad in myself, that I am your boast, that I conducted myself not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, and that, finally, you are witnesses of all this for me. That is why I intended "to come to you." That is, a double joy: one from the first epistle, and another from my presence.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:16

  In the first epistle he said: "I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia" (1 Cor. 16:5), but here he says: "I intended to come to you earlier." What then? Does he contradict himself? No. For although I wrote otherwise, he says, I nevertheless strove and desired to come to you before I would see Macedonia. So far was I from being negligent in coming to you and delaying the fulfillment of my promise, that I even desired to come earlier. In the first epistle he said indefinitely: "that you may send me on my way, wherever I go" (1 Cor. 16:6), fearing that, having said he would go to Judea, and then, being compelled by the Spirit to go to another place, he might appear to be a liar. But now, when he did not manage to come to them, he boldly says that he wanted them to send him on his way to Judea; but it was God's will that I not come to you at all and not be sent on my way by you to Judea. Listen to what follows.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:17

  Here he more clearly defends himself regarding the delay, saying that he wished to come to them, but why did he not come? Is it because I am fickle and inconstant, deciding now one way, now another? No. Or do I desire according to the flesh, that is, in a human manner, and am guided by my own will, so that whatever I decide myself, I carry out, whether it be yes or no? Not at all. But I am under the direction of the Spirit and do not have the authority to go where I wish, but where He commands. Therefore, with me "yes" often does not remain "yes," for this is not pleasing to the Spirit, and "no" does not remain "no," for what I deny, the Spirit commands. Observe the wisdom: how that which the slanderers made a pretext for reproach — namely, that he did not come although he had promised — he turns into praise, saying that he does not have authority over himself, but the Spirit leads him wherever it is pleasing to Him. What then? Did he make the promise without the assistance of the Spirit, but out of ignorance of the future? Out of ignorance, for he did not know all things. Thus he also prayed sometimes for what was unprofitable, for example, for the removal of temptations (2 Cor. 12:7–9). And in the Acts there is an example that this was beneficial, so that people would not regard the apostles as gods, as happened with the Lycaonians (Acts 14:11).

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:18

  He refutes an objection that arises. Someone could quite rightly say: if what you say is unreliable, and you often say "yes" but it turns out to be "no," then we fear that your teaching and your preaching may be the same — "yes" and "no," that is, inconstant and unreliable. In refutation of this objection, he says that the promise to come to them was his own affair, and therefore it was not fulfilled; but as for the preaching, it is the work of God, and what is from God is inaccessible to falsehood. Therefore he also said: "God is faithful," that is, true, and since He is true, His word to you, preached by us, is neither inconstant nor unreliable, sometimes "yes" and sometimes "no."

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:19

  Finally he says what word was not "yes" and "no." He Whom we preached to you was not "yes" and "no," that is, one thing was not preached now and another thing now, but it was "yes," that is, what was preached was firm and without wavering. He also lists many of those who preached, presenting their testimony as worthy of belief and at the same time teaching humility, for he presents his disciples as co-teachers.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:20

  In the preaching there are many promises: the resurrection of the dead, adoption, and in general the hope of the age to come. So then, he says that not only is the preaching always perfectly the same and proclaimed with unchangeableness, but so also are the promises contained in it, for they are God's. And what God has promised is in Him "yes" and in Him "amen," that is, it is unchangeable, for it is fulfilled not in any man but in God Himself, which is why it is also unchangeable. Moreover, they serve for His glory, and certainly, if for nothing else, then for His own glory God will fulfill His promises. How then will He fulfill them? "Through us," that is, through His benefactions toward us. For we who receive the promises give Him occasion to fulfill these promises. And if the promises of God are faithful, then all the more faithful is God Himself, and the word concerning Him is firm. The words "through us" can also be understood in another way, that is, to the glory of God offered up to Him through us, for He is glorified through us.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

  Having said above that God will fulfill His promises, he now confirms this. That you and I, your teacher, stand firm in faith in Christ, he says, was given by God, Who also anointed us and sealed us, that is, made us prophets, kings, and priests. For such is every baptized person: he is a prophet, as one who sees what eye has not seen and ear has not heard; he is a priest, as one who must offer himself as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God; he is a king, as a son of God the King and an heir of the coming Kingdom, and as one who even now reigns over improper thoughts and is set above the whole world. Just as in ancient times priests and kings were anointed with oil, so now we have been anointed with the Spirit, when God gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts. And if He gave a pledge, then He will certainly give everything. By "pledge" he means the gifts of the Spirit bestowed now; for we know in part and prophesy in part, but we shall receive what is perfect then, when Christ appears in His glory. Therefore, do not think that we make promises only so as not to appear liars. For it is not we who establish you, but God both promises and establishes both me and you; for He Himself will fulfill everything. Therefore understand also that God, Who does this and that, will Himself fulfill His promises.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:23

  Above he said that he did not come to them because he did not have authority over himself and was not permitted by the Spirit. How then does he now say that he did not come in order to spare them? Because either this very thing happened by the will of the Spirit, that is, the Spirit suggested to him the thought of not going in order to spare them, or — at first the Spirit forbade him, and then he himself, having reasoned that this was better, remained. Note the wisdom of the apostle. While they were saying: you did not come because, it seems, you have come to hate us, he asserts the opposite: I did not come because I am sparing you. He says this because some among them were those who had sinned and not repented, whom he would have punished if, upon arriving, he had found them uncorrected. Therefore, he remained so as to come only when they had corrected themselves, and not have cause for punishment.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 1:24

  Since what was said smacked of authority (for he who has the power to punish others can also spare them), he softens the harshness of his speech: I did not say that I am sparing you, he says, because I wished to lord it over your faith, for faith is a matter of free will and no one is compelled to believe against their will; but rather, considering your joy as my own joy, I did not come so as not to plunge you into sorrow and not to be grieved myself. For I do everything for your joy, and I stayed away so that by threat alone I might correct the sinners and cause you no grief whatsoever. He converses with them gently, since in the first epistle he had already struck them sufficiently. His words mean the following: as far as the faith is concerned, you stand firm in it, and I had no reason to complain about you, but in other matters you wavered, and if you had not corrected yourselves and I had risen against you, I would have both grieved you and caused grief to myself.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:1

  The word "again" shows that he had been grieved before as well. However, he did not say openly: "you also grieved me before," but in another way: "I did not come so as not to grieve you again," which, nevertheless, has one and the same force (for he grieved them with reproaches because they had grieved him with their sins), but for them it was more bearable.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:2

  Although I grieve you, he says, with reproaches and indignation toward you, yet because of this very thing I also rejoice, seeing that you respect me to such a degree that my indignation and reproaches produce sorrow in you. For no one gladdens me so much as the one who grieves in this way at the sight of my indignation. This shows that he does not despise me. He gladdens me, because in this way he gives hope of his own correction.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:3

  What? That I did not come to you, sparing you. Where did he write? In this very epistle. For this reason I wrote to you now, so that you would correct yourselves, and so that, finding you uncorrected, I would not have sorrow from you, from whom it was fitting to provide me occasions for joy. I wrote, he says, hoping that you would correct yourselves, and thereby gladden me. And my joy is joy for all of you. And I said "so that, when I come, I might not have sorrow" because I have in mind not my own benefit, but yours. For I know that if you see me rejoicing, you will rejoice, and if you see me grieving, you will grieve.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:4

  Since he said above that he rejoices when they grieve, lest they say: you endeavor to sadden us so that you yourself may rejoice, he explains that he himself grieves greatly, grieves more than the sinners themselves. Not from sorrow only, but "from great sorrow," and not with tears only, but "with many tears" I wrote. That is, grief, compressing and constricting my heart, was crushing it, and therefore I wrote like a father and at the same time a physician who, performing incisions and cauterizations on his son, grieves doubly—both because the son is sick and because he himself must subject him to the incision—but, on the other hand, also rejoices because he hopes for the son's recovery. So, he says, I too, in grieving you who are sinning, sorrow, but on the other hand also rejoice when you grieve, for I have hope in your correction. Not "to grieve you" should he have said, but "to correct you"; however, he does not say this, but sweetens his speech, wishing to attract them with the assurance that he loves them more than his other disciples, and that if he grieves them, he grieves them out of love, not out of anger. For it is a sign of the greatest love that I grieve over your transgressions and hasten to rebuke you and thereby grieve you. If I did not love you, I would have left you without healing.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:5

  He wishes through this to confirm love toward the one who had fallen into fornication, about whom he wrote in the first epistle, for at Paul's command they had all turned away from him as one who inspired loathing. And so, lest by again commanding the opposite—that is, to receive him and show him affection—they should take offense at Paul as being inconstant, he very prudently presents the matter and makes them also participants in the forgiveness, saying: as he grieved all of us in common, so all in common ought to rejoice at his forgiveness. For he grieved not me alone, he says, but also all of you "in part," that is, he struck you with some small measure of sorrow; I would not say that he grieved you completely, as he did me, but still, so as not to burden him who had fallen into fornication, "in part," I say, he grieved you.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:6

  He does not say: for the one who fell into fornication, but "for such a one," as also in the first epistle. But there he did not even wish to name him, while here, sparing him, he never recalls the sin, teaching us also to show compassion toward those who have stumbled.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:7

  Not only, he says, remove the prohibition, but also grant him something more, and comfort him, that is, restore him, heal him, just as one who has punished someone would not only release him but would also apply care to the healing of his wounds. And he said well: "you would do better to forgive." For, lest he think that he receives forgiveness as one who has sufficiently confessed and repented enough, he shows that he receives forgiveness not so much for his repentance as by their indulgence. It is necessary, he says, to receive him, comfort him, and heal him, "lest he be swallowed up," as if by some beast, or by waves, or by a storm, or lest from despair he resort to suicide, like Judas, or lest he become even worse, that is, not being able to endure the sorrow from excessive punishment, he give himself over to greater impiety. Notice how he also restrains him, so that having received forgiveness, he does not become even more negligent. I accepted you, he says, not because you have been completely cleansed of defilement, but out of fear that in your weakness you might do something worse. Notice also that punishments should be assigned not only according to the nature of the sins, but also in accordance with the disposition of those who have sinned.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:8

  He no longer commands as a teacher, but as an advocate asks the judges "to show him love," that is, to receive him with firm love, and not simply and casually. He also shows their virtue, for those very people who previously loved the man so much that they boasted of him, now because of his sin conceived such an aversion to him that Paul himself intercedes on his behalf.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:9

  He frightens them so that, fearing condemnation for disobedience, they would more willingly show leniency to the man. "I wrote for this reason," he says, "to test by experience" your virtue of obedience — whether you will show me the same obedience now, when he ought to be comforted, as you showed then, when I punished him. For this is the meaning of the words: "whether you are obedient in all things." Although he wrote not for this reason, but with the salvation of the sinner in mind, he nevertheless says "for this reason," in order to dispose them all the more in favor of the guilty one.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:10

  By this he softens the disagreement and stubbornness by which they might not have shown the man leniency. For here he presents them as the source of his forgiveness, and himself as agreeing with them, saying: "whom you forgive anything, him I forgive also." Lest they should think that forgiveness was granted at their discretion, and consequently neglect the forgiveness of the man, he shows that he has already granted him this, so that they could not oppose him. And lest they should be offended, as though being disregarded, he says: "for your sakes" I granted him forgiveness, for I knew that you would agree with me. Then, lest it should seem that he forgave him for the sake of men, he added: "in the person of Christ," that is, he forgave by the will of God, before the face of Christ and as if by His command, as one representing His person, or: to the glory of Christ; for if forgiveness is accomplished to the glory of Christ, how can one not forgive the one who has sinned, so that Christ may be glorified?

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:11

  Lest, he says, there be common harm and lest the number of Christ's flock be diminished. He beautifully called this matter an injury. For the devil not only takes what belongs to him, but also seizes what is ours, chiefly as a result of our own conduct, that is, on account of immoderately imposed repentance. Therefore he called the craftiness and deceit of the devil his devices, and mentioned how he destroys under the guise of piety; for he casts into perdition not only by drawing into fornication, but also by excessive grief. How is this not an injury, when he catches us through ourselves?

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:12-13

  Above he mentioned the affliction that befell him in Asia and showed how he was delivered from it; now again he reports that he was grieved by another thing as well, namely that he did not find Titus. For when there is no comforter, things become harder. So why do you accuse me of delay, when I was enduring so many hardships that do not allow us to go where we wish? He says that he went to Troas not without purpose, but "for the gospel," that is, in order to preach. Why then did you preach, but not for long? — Because he did not find Titus. "I had no rest in my spirit," that is, he was grieved, distressed on account of his absence. Did you therefore abandon the work of God? Not for that reason, but because due to his absence the work of preaching met with hindrance, for Paul greatly desired to preach, but the absence of Titus, who helped him greatly when he was with him, was an obstacle.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:13

  That is, he was not there for a long time due to difficult circumstances. For although a great door was opened, that is, there was much work to do, yet for lack of a helper it met with hindrance.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:14

  Since he mentioned many afflictions—the affliction in Asia, the affliction in Troas, the affliction from not having come to them—lest it seem that he enumerates afflictions with sorrow, he says: "Thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph," that is, who makes us glorious. For a triumph is the procession of a king or commander through a city with victory and trophies. And God makes us glorious in victory over the devil. Because what seems to be dishonor constitutes our glory, for then the devil falls. All of this, however, takes place in Christ, that is, through Christ and through preaching. Or: for the fact that we triumph in Christ, we are glorified; for bearing Christ Himself, as a kind of trophy, we are glorified by His radiance. The precious ointment, he says, is the knowledge of God, which we reveal to all people, or rather – not the ointment itself, but its fragrance. For the present knowledge is not entirely clear, but "as through a glass, darkly" (1 Cor. 13:12). Thus, just as someone smelling the fragrance knows that somewhere there is ointment, but what it is in its essence he does not know, so also we know that God exists, but Who He is in His essence we do not know. Thus, we are like a royal censer, and wherever we come, we bring the fragrance of spiritual ointment, that is, the knowledge of God. Therefore, having said above that we always triumph, he now says: in every place we impart fragrance to people. For every place and time is filled with our teachings. Thus, one must endure courageously, since even now, before receiving the good things to come, we are glorified to such a degree.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:15

  He says this both because we offer ourselves as a sacrifice, dying for Christ, and because at the slaying of Christ we too send up a certain fragrance. The meaning of his words is as follows: whether someone is saved or perishes, the Gospel preserves its dignity and we continue to be what we are. Just as light, though it blinds those with weak sight, nevertheless remains light, or as honey, though it may seem bitter to those suffering from jaundice, nevertheless does not cease to be sweet, so too the Gospel emits fragrance, even though unbelievers perish. And we are "the fragrance of Christ," but not simply so, but "to God." And if God has determined this concerning us, who will contradict?

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:16

  Since he said: "we are a fragrance even among those who are perishing," lest you think that those who perish are also pleasing and acceptable to God, he added the following: smelling this fragrance, some are saved, while others perish. Just as myrrh, they say, suffocates swine and beetles, so too Christ was set as a stone of stumbling and offense. Likewise, fire purifies gold but burns up thorns. Since he said so much with the words "we are a fragrance," and "we triumph," he again tries to temper his speech. For this reason he says that we by ourselves without God's help are insufficient; for everything belongs to Him and there is nothing of our own.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 2:17

  Here he points to the false apostles, who regarded the grace of God as their own work. Therefore, he says, I said: "who is sufficient?" – and ascribed everything to God, that I am not like the false apostles, I do not corrupt or distort the gift of God. He hints that they mix the contrivances of worldly wisdom into the evangelical teaching and try to sell for money what should be given freely. But we are not like that. Therefore he adds the following. That is, we speak from a pure mind incapable of deceit, and as having received what we say from God, not as something accomplished by us. "In Christ" – not from our own wisdom, but inspired by His power; and he said "before God" to show the uprightness and openness of heart: our heart is so pure that we lay it open before God.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:1

  Since he said many great things about himself, he says: will not someone say: what is this, Paul? By saying this about yourself, you are praising yourself. He removes this objection with the following words. He says this with force, making his speech more expressive. He hints at the false apostles, who, having nothing in their deeds that could make them known, composed letters of commendation, presented them to whomever they wished, and in this way recommended themselves and brought themselves into prominence. His words, spoken with force, have this meaning: would anyone really say that we must present to you letters of commendation in order to become known through them among you, or present such letters from you to others? Then he adds with feeling.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:2

  What, he says, letters would have done, in which you would have commended and glorified us, that very thing you accomplish by your life of faith, which everyone sees and hears. And wherever we go, we carry you with us everywhere, because you are written in our heart, and we proclaim your virtue to all. Thus, since you are for me a letter of commendation to others, I have no need of other letters from you in order to become known to those who do not know me. Likewise, since I have you in my heart, I have no need for others to recommend me to you. Letters of commendation are needed for strangers, not for acquaintances, and you are so written in my heart that you cannot leave it. Here he testifies not only to his love for them, but also to their virtuous life, that is, that they were able to demonstrate before all people the worthiness of their teacher, for the virtue of disciples serves as an adornment for the teacher.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:3

  In what way? In that the law of Christ and His commandments, like written letters, abide and are preserved in you. Having taken the opportunity to compare the Law with the Gospel, he makes here such a comparison: as Moses was a minister of the Law, so we too are ministers of your faith in the Gospel, and as he engraved on stone tablets, so we engrave on your hearts; the Law was written with ink, but the Gospel is written in you by the Spirit. Therefore, as much as the Spirit differs from ink and the heart from stone, so much does the New Testament differ from the Law. Since hardened people have hearts of stone, he called the hearts of believers fleshly, because they are receptive to the word.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:4-5

  Since he showed that the New Testament is above the Old, and it was natural to conclude that we too — the apostles, ministers of the New Testament — are above Moses, who served the Old Testament, but this seemed arrogant, he says: nothing is ours, but our "confidence," that is, our boasting is "in God through Christ." For Christ is the reason that we boast in God, and nothing is ours, not even the slightest thing. This very thought he expresses with the words: "we are not sufficient to think anything of ourselves." Our strength, he says, is from God: He made us "sufficient," that is, He strengthened us, made us capable of serving this great divine work — the New Testament.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:6

  Our strength, he says, is from God: He made us "sufficient," that is, He strengthened us, made us capable of serving this great divine work — the New Testament. And the Old Law is spiritual, that is, given by the Spirit; but it did not bestow the Spirit, as the New will bestow Him. So the meaning of the words is this: we have been entrusted to impart not the letter, as Moses did, but the Spirit. For the apostles not only taught spiritual and divine things, but also imparted the Spirit through the laying on of hands. The Law, he says, subjects to punishment when it notices someone sinning even in what would seem the very least matter, such as gathering wood on the Sabbath (Num. 15:32–36), while the Holy Spirit, receiving those who have committed innumerable iniquities, justifies them in the bath of baptism and gives life to those dead through sin.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:7

  Having shown above the difference between the New and Old Testaments, which consists in the fact that the latter is written with ink, while the former with the Spirit, the one on stones, and the other on hearts, and also that the latter kills, while the former gives life, he now wishes to show that the glory of the Gospel is also greater. Since the law had a sensible glory, that is, glory in the face of Moses, while the New Testament has an intelligible glory, which no one sees with the senses, he demonstrates the superiority of the evangelical glory by means of reasoning, saying that the law was a minister of death. He did not say "author of death," so as not to give occasion to the heretics, but "minister." For the author of death was sin, while the law administered the punishment. Moreover, the law was only a letter and did not provide those who struggled with any help, as baptism does, but imposed punishments that could not be erased. For this minister of death was engraved on stones. If, therefore, the law, with such a character, was so glorious, how much more glory does grace have, which incomparably surpasses it? He covertly accuses the Jews. They, he says, were so crude that they could not gaze even upon the sensible glory. He did not say that the law and the tablets had glory, but the face of Moses; for it was Moses who was glorified, not the tablets of the law. But he also diminishes the very glory of Moses, calling it passing away. Notice, however, that he did not call it bad, but having an end and ceasing.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:8

  Since he called the law the ministry of death, it was natural to call the Gospel the ministry of life; but the apostle gave it a higher name – he called it the ministry of the Spirit. For the New Testament has the power to impart not only life, but – what is far more important – the Spirit Himself, who gives life. All the more glorious, then, is it in comparison with the law.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:9

  Again in another way he presents the same thought. Explaining his own words, "the letter kills," he calls the law "the ministry of condemnation," as the punisher of sins, not their cause. The Gospel, however, he calls "the ministry of righteousness," because it not only frees from punishment, but also makes sinners righteous. Therefore the Gospel will possess far greater glory.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:10

  For what am I, he says, comparing the Old and New Testaments with each other? The superiority of the New Testament is such "in this regard," that is, in comparison, that the glorified one, that is, the Old Testament, appears to have no glory at all, by reason of the surpassing glory of the New. For although the law was glorious in itself, yet by reason of the superiority of the evangelical glory it appears inglorious. Note that by this too he commends the Old Testament; for things that are compared are usually of the same kind.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:11

  He presents another syllogism. If the law that was ceasing and subject to abolition was given in glory, then how much more shall the law that is unshakeable and eternal – the New Testament – be in glory.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:12

  Since he ascribed extraordinary glory to the New Testament, to those who, having heard this, would wish to see his glory in a sensible manner, he says that we have such hope. What kind? That all of us who believe have been deemed worthy of more than Moses, and therefore we use great boldness toward those whom we instruct, hiding nothing and omitting nothing, and we do not cover our face from you, as Moses covered his from the Jews. For you are not as weak as they were. Moses, when he received the tablets for the second time and came down from the mountain, had such a radiant face that the Jews could neither approach him nor speak with him until he covered his face with a veil. Paul points to the history of this event when he says the following.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:13

  That is, we do not need to cover ourselves, like Moses. For you can look upon that glory which we have, I mean the glory of the Gospel, although it is far more radiant than that of Moses. That is, you can understand the mysteries of God, namely the Gospel, and we do not need to hide them from you with obscurity, as with a veil. The Israelites, being carnal, could not see that the law has an end and that it would be abolished; for the veil signifies their carnal mind, as you will learn below. Some, however, understood this as follows: the very fact that they could not gaze upon the face of Moses showed that this glory has an end. For as soon as they did not see the glory, it was no more, and by this it was shown that it was short-lived, because it did not manifest itself as glory.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:14

  Their mind has been blinded, he says, and therefore neither those who lived then saw, nor those who live now see, being blinded and having the same veil on the face of Moses during the superficial reading of the law. For Christ calls the law Moses, as in the following place: "they have Moses and the prophets" (Luke 16:29). And it is not revealed to them, it is not recognized by them, that Christ was to abolish the Old Testament. Therefore, their error is an error of the mind, because blindness is a sin of the mind. Do not be surprised, he says, that the Jews cannot see the glory, the glory of the law. If they had seen the glory of the law, they would have also seen the glory of Christ. For the glory of the law consists in turning to Christ. But where is it said that the law would be abolished by Christ? There, where it says: "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet — listen to Him" (Deut. 18:15). Therefore, when it is commanded to listen to Him, and He abolished the Sabbath, circumcision, and everything else, it follows that the law itself gave the command concerning this abolition. Besides this, by the fact that it was commanded to offer sacrifices in one temple, and Christ destroyed it, are not the sacrifices completely abolished? And: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4), also: "sacrifice and offering You did not desire" (Ps. 40:6) — all this constitutes the abolition of the law.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:15

  Since he said above that a veil lies upon the reading of the Old Testament, lest anyone think that by the veil he means the obscurity of the law, he says: no, I call the veil the blindness and dullness of heart of the Jews. For even on the face of Moses it lay not for his sake, but because of the dullness and weak sight of the Jews.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:16-17

  Now he speaks about the way in which the Israelites can be corrected. "When they turn to the Lord," he says, that is, when they abandon the law and approach the spiritual Gospel, then the veil will be removed. For Moses too, as the narrative relates, when he turned to the Lord, removed the veil from himself. And this prefigured what was to come afterward, namely, when someone turns to the Spirit (for He is the Lord), then he will see the uncovered face of the lawgiver, and even more — he himself will be on par with Moses and will enjoy the glory that surpasses, as was said, the glory of the law. For the Spirit will grant it, as Lord and Almighty.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:17

  The law had a yoke and slavery, but in the law of the Spirit and in the Gospel there is freedom, so that the glory of the Lord is contemplated without hindrance and freely.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 3:18

  We enjoy, he says, such freedom and nobility, that all of us who are faithful, not as there — Moses alone, "with unveiled face" (for believers have no veil) "beholding the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory," that is, we receive the same glory, and, like a mirror, receiving radiance, we reflect it. Just as silver, lying in the sun, itself also emits certain rays under the influence of the sun, so we too, purified by the Spirit in baptism and illumined by His rays, reflect a certain spiritual radiance and are transformed according to the same image from the glory of the Spirit into our own glory, and indeed into such glory as is proper to have for one who is enlightened by the Spirit of the Lord, Who is subject to no one. For being Lord, He also possesses sovereign lights. For all believers through baptism are filled with the Holy Spirit and their soul is illumined, and Moses too, beholding the divine glory, was himself transformed into it, that is, he himself received radiance, and his face was illumined, prefiguring us.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 4:1

  Since he expressed many great things, saying that we, the apostles, are above Moses (for if all are above, then all the more so they), he tempers his word and says: all this belongs to God. For we are only ministers, and the fact that we have been appointed as ministers is not ours either, but, he says, this too belongs to the mercy of God. The words "therefore we do not lose heart" refer to both, that is, since we have been deemed worthy of such great blessings, we do not shrink from danger and sorrows, because, having once been shown mercy, we were appointed to the ministry.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 4:2

  He points to the false apostles, who were pretending in everything. They took gifts and presented themselves as unbelievers; they appeared holy, but were impure. We, however, he says, have renounced such deeds which, when exposed, cover the one who does them with shame, that is, such deeds as are performed hypocritically. For he adds: "not resorting to cunning," so that what is done with craftiness is precisely what brings shame. However, if you understand this as referring to shameful deeds, there will be nothing new in that, for this too is characteristic of the false apostles. Not only, he says, is our life simple, pure, and free from lawlessness, but in our teaching and in our word there is no deceit either. For we mix nothing into them from worldly wisdom or anything flattering, we do not collect money from preaching, and we do not say one thing today and another tomorrow, adapting to times and persons, as the false apostles do. The false apostles present themselves outwardly and for appearance, and seem to be other than what they actually are. But I present myself "by manifesting the truth," that is, I use the very deeds themselves as testimony. Thus, I say that I take nothing, and I have you as witnesses of this; and I act the same way in everything else. This is how I present myself to all people, believers and unbelievers alike, that is, by laying open my life and preaching openly to all, so that everyone can understand. And since people can be deceived, he adds: "before God," Whom the false apostles do not take as witness.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians

• 2 Corinthians 4:3

  Having said above that although a veil lies upon the Israelites, we believers look with uncovered face, he now says that if the Gospel is veiled, it is veiled to unbelievers. For what was the case then with the Jews regarding Moses, the same thing now happens with unbelievers regarding the Gospel. But they themselves are to blame for this, not the Gospel, for if they had believed, they would have seen the glory of God without a veil.

  Commentary on 2 Corinthians