The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (204 page)

11:3 the serpent deceived Eve:
An allusion to Gen I 3:1-7. • Paul looks back to the Fall of Adam and Eve to warn readers that the same danger once present in the Garden of Eden is now lurking in Corinth. He fears that the Corinthians, like Eve, will be lured away from Christ by the seductive voice of evil. Satan is once again the intruder, this time disguised as the "false apostles" (11:13). 
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11:4 another Jesus:
A distorted message about Jesus in conflict with the apostolic gospel. 
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11:5 superlative apostles:
A sarcastic title for the counterfeit apostles in Corinth (12:11). It suggests they viewed themselves as superior to Paul.
See note on 2 Cor 11:13
. 
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11:7-11
Paul defends his practice of refusing financial assistance from the Corinthians. He was able to support himself among them by donations from other Churches (11:8) and by manual labor, probably tentmaking (Acts 18:3). The Corinthians unfortunately took this as an insult and an indication that Paul did not love them (2 Cor 11:11). To counter this, Paul reveals several reasons for this pastoral decision.
(1)
He wished to lay no unnecessary burden on them (11:9).
(2)
He hoped to accentuate the stark difference between his ministry and that of his opponents, who greedily took advantage of the Corinthians' resources (11:20).
(3)
As their spiritual "father" (1 Cor 4:15), he wanted to provide for them in the same way that parents do for their children (2 Cor 12:14). In the end, Paul's tireless labor was a greater expression of love than accepting their monetary gifts (12:15).
See note on 2 Cor 2:17
. 
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11:9 from Macedonia:
Possibly from the Christians in Philippi (Phil 4:15-18). 
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11:13 false apostles:
The precise identity and mission of these agitators are unknown. Paul provides us with only general information:
(1)
they were Israelites (11:22),
(2)
they furnished letters of recommendation for themselves (3:1),
(3)
they preached a foreign gospel (11:4),
(4)
they accepted financial support for their services (2:17),
(5)
they took advantage of the Corinthians (11:20),
(6)
they were outsiders who invaded Paul's missionary field during his absence (10:13-18), and
(7)
they were severely critical of Paul (6:8; 10:2, 10). Some scholars have argued on the basis of this that the Corinthian impostors were like the Judaizers in Galatia who pressured Christians to accept circumcision and embrace the entire ritual law of the Old Covenant. In this case, they may have come from Judea to collect money (taxes) for the Jerusalem Temple. 
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Word Study

Unskilled
(
2 Cor 11:6
)

Idiōtēs
(Gk.): a "layman", "amateur", or "one who is untrained". The word appears only here in 2 Cor and four times in the rest of the NT. Its precise meaning depends upon the context in which it is found. In Acts 4:13, it refers to men who are uneducated. In 1 Cor 14:16, 23-24, it denotes an outsider not initiated into a local Church. Paul uses the word here to admit that he is not trained in the art of professional public speaking. His opponents presumably are and jeer at the lack of eloquence and refinement in his preaching (2 Cor 10:10). This is why Paul compares himself with Moses, who ministered to Israel despite his own struggles with oral communication (Ex 4:10; note on 2 Cor 3:5). Interestingly, one of Paul's contemporaries, the Jewish historian Josephus, puts this same term in the mouth of Moses when he complained to the Lord of being an "unlearned man" (Gk.
idiotes aner
), unable to persuade the Israelites to follow him (
Antiquities
2, 271). Like Moses, Paul has a message from the Lord, and its power to save is not lessened by the personal weaknesses of the one who preaches it (Rom 1:16; 1Cor 1:17; 2:1-5).

11:14 an angel of light:
Satan is a master of deception, adept at hiding his darkness behind the mask of innocence and light. The "false apostles" (11:13) are intruders who collaborate with the devil and his plan to destroy the Church in Corinth. Jesus warned that such "false prophets" would masquerade as wolves in sheep's clothing (Mt 7:15). 
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11:15 Their end:
The eternal destiny of Paul's opponents will correspond to their present wickedness. 
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11:20 For you bear it:
Paul chides the Corinthians for tolerating the aggressive tactics of his rivals. Their lack of resistance enabled the impostors to exploit them and wield reckless authority in their Church. 
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11:21-12:10
An impassioned account of Paul's credentials, sometimes called the "Fool's Speech". It falls into two parts: the first recounts the apostle's numerous afflictions (11:22-33), the second his heavenly journeys (12:1-10). Paul boasts of these experiences to counter the claims of his opponents, who brag that their credentials and leadership skills outmatch his own. Paul insists otherwise: unlike them, he follows the footsteps of Christ by suffering and laying down his life in service to others (4:7-12; Lk 9:23; 1 Pet 2:21). 
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11:22 Hebrews:
The term can have a
linguistical
sense, referring to peoples who speak Aramaic (Acts 6:1), or a
genealogical
sense, referring to the descendants of Eber, the great-grandson of Shem (Gen 10:21). Perhaps both senses are intended here.
Israelites:
Descendants of the patriarch Jacob, renamed Israel (Gen 32:28).
So am I:
Paul boasts the same genealogical and linguistic credentials as his adversaries (Acts 21:40; Rom 11:1; Phil 3:4-5). 
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11:23 imprisonments:
Several are mentioned in the NT (Acts 16:23; 24:27; 28:16). 
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11:24 forty lashes less one:
A form of Jewish punishment administered by synagogue officials. Although the Torah prescribed 40 stripes, the Jews generally gave 39 to ensure the maximum penalty was not exceeded (Deut 25:1-3). That Paul endured this treatment five times over displays his unwavering commitment to bring the gospel to Israel, no matter the cost (Acts 9:15-16).
See note on Acts 13:5
. 
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11:25 beaten with rods:
A form of Roman punishment that Paul endured at Philippi (Acts 16:22). As a Roman citizen, he should have had legal protection from this abuse (Acts 16:3740).
I was stoned:
This happened on his first missionary journey in Lystra (Acts 14:19-20).
I have been shipwrecked:
This does not include the shipwreck in Acts 27:13-44, which happened a few years later. The Book of Acts never mentions these earlier hardships, although it does indicate that Paul embarked on numerous sea voyages (Acts 13:4, 13; 14:26; 16:11; etc.). 
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11:26 false brethren:
This may refer
(1)
to those who claimed to be Christians but were not or
(2)
to Judaizing Christians who opposed Paul's ministry and tried to impose the ritual and sacrificial laws of the Old Covenant on Gentile converts to Christianity (cf. Acts 15:1-2; Gal 2:4). The latter meaning would link them to the "false apostles" in Corinth (11:13). 
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11:30 I will boast:
Paul boasts only of his suffering and humiliation, i.e., those things that unite him with Christ, who was "crucified in weakness" (13:4). 
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11:32-33
Paul had to flee from
Damascus
when Jewish opponents from the synagogue conspired with the city's governor to arrest him and kill him as a troublemaker (Acts 9:23-25). This plot is dated within the reign of the Nabatean ruler
King Aretas
IV, who controlled the city between
A.D.
37 and 40. This was Paul's first experience of persecution as a Christian, only a few years after his conversion in the same city (Acts 9:23-25). This dramatic escape is one more example of his weakness, making him look more like a fugitive than like a hero. 
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12:1-10
Paul remembers a heavenly journey experienced years earlier. Though he is unable to articulate the precise nature of this rapture (in body or simply in spirit), it gave him a foretaste of glory that would encourage him through earthly trials. The NT indicates that Paul received numerous
visions
and
revelations
(12:1) throughout his apostolic career (Acts 9:1-8; 16:9; 18:9; 22:17-18; Gal 1:12). 
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12:2 I know a man:
Although his language is indirect, 12:7 makes it clear that Paul is speaking about his own experience.
fourteen years ago:
Corresponds approximately to
A.D.
42, when Paul was in Antioch (Acts 11:25-26) or Jerusalem (Acts 11:30). See introduction:
Author and Date.
the third heaven:
Reflects a common Jewish tradition that the Lord stacked the "heavens" three levels high:
(1
)the first heaven is the atmosphere of birds and clouds;
(2)
above that stands the realm of the sun and stars;
(3)
and beyond that lies the dwelling of God. Paul's journey took him to the highest heaven, "Paradise" (12:3), where he caught a glimpse of eternal glory. 
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12:4 cannot be told:
Paul was bound to silence by a prophetic restraint. This means he was not
permitted
to disclose the heavenly secrets he saw and heard, not that it was necessarily
impossible
to speak of them with words. 
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12:7 a thorn:
Sometimes interpreted as a sickness or physical disability, such as failing eyesight (Gal 4:13-15; 6:11). Others connect it with the Hebrew idiom used in Num 33:55, where it denotes personal opposition or harassment. Either way, God allowed Paul to suffer so that he would maintain perspective and not take pride in his heavenly experiences. Even the heights of Paul's mystical life were tempered with suffering and weakness.
messenger of Satan:
Like righteous Job, Paul endured afflictions that were permitted by God and administered by the devil (Job 1-2). • Some ask if the devil is good because he is useful. We respond that he is only evil, but God who is good and almighty draws from the devil's malice many just and good things. The devil possesses a will that is bent on evil, not the Providence of God that brings good from him (St. Augustine,
Against the Manichaeans
2, 28, 42). 
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12:9 My grace is sufficient:
Paul's petition for relief was denied (12:8), indicating that his suffering was serving a higher purpose in the plan of God (Rom 8:28). Grace was given him to endure these trials and make him rely upon the Lord. His experience shows that God gives us what we
need
and not always what we want (CCC 268, 273, 1508). 
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12:11 commended by you:
Paul's boasting would have been unnecessary had the Corinthians defended him against the attacks of the false apostles.
See note on 2 Cor 11:1
.
superlative apostles:
A sarcastic reference to the "false apostles" (11:13) who invaded the Corinthian Church (11:5). 
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12:12 signs of a true apostle:
Visible manifestations of divine power. Paul does not specify the exact nature of these extraordinary deeds but appeals to them as confirmation of his apostleship (cf. Mk 16:20; Rom 15:18-19; Heb 2:4). If Paul were a fraud, as his critics claim, such miracles would not have accompanied his message. 
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12:14 the third time:
An announcement of Paul's forthcoming visit (13:1, 10). His first trip to Corinth lasted over 18 months (Acts 18:1-18), while his second proved to be a short and distressing visit (2 Cor 2:1). As before, Paul does not plan to
burden
the congregation by accepting payment for his apostolic work.
See note on 2 Cor 11:7-11
.
parents for their children:
Paul is the spiritual father of the Corinthians (6:13). Because he is responsible for their Christian formation, he hopes he will not be humiliated or disappointed by misbehaving children when he comes (12:21).
See note on 1 Cor 4:15
. 
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