The Writings of the New Testament by Luke Timothy Johnson

Author:Luke Timothy Johnson
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2010-06-23T13:37:00+00:00

Even within the first nine chapters, moreover, there seem to be gaps. The detailed itinerary of 1:15-2:13, for example, breaks off without warning, only to be picked up in 7:5 as though nothing had intervened. The small segment 6:14-7:1, furthermore, appears to contain non-Pauline vocabulary and thought patterns, as well as a break in the coherence and natural sequence of 6:13-7:2. Is this a pre-Pauline or even anti-Pauline fragment interpolated by a later editor? Finally, chapters 8 and 9 deal with the collection, but chapter 9 begins with such an independent thought-"Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the offering for the saints" (9: 1)-that it seems difficult to regard this as a continuation of the argument of chapter 8. That has led some to see in these two chapters separate notes on the collection.

Second Corinthians is therefore commonly regarded as an edited collection of Pauline letter fragments. The case is not, however, absolutely conclusive. The shift in tone between chapters 9 and 10

can be accounted for on rhetorical rather than editorial grounds. The disparity between chapters 8 and 9 is not so great as it first appears. The broken itinerary is difficult but not impossible to explain. Even in what appears to be a clear instance of interpolation (6:14-7:1), the insertion may have been done by Paul himself, or at least under his supervision. (In light of the great cost of writing materials and the effort involved, it would not have been unusual for an author to make an insertion into a letter rather than rewrite it.) If, in fact, he wrote something like this in his "lost letter" to the Corinthians, warning them to avoid immoral associations (see 1 Cor. 5:9), it is not impossible that he used it again here to make a definite point: if the Corinthians reject him in favor of other teachers, it is tantamount to "yoking themselves with Belial."

Still, in view of the literary complexity of the writing, it is prudent not to insist on a sequential development of argument. Nor is such a linear reading required in order to make good sense of the occasion for the letter. Whatever the precise historical situation, this much is clear: Paul's relationship with the Corinthians is shaky. They are more attracted to other teachers than to him. The apostolic work of the collection has only exacerbated the tension, making the Corinthians think Paul is defrauding them. Whether Paul wrote one or a series of letters, he is clearly a man trying to build a bridge across a rapidly widening gulf. His task is therefore one of reconciliation. Even as he seeks to advance his own great project of reconciliation with the Jerusalem church (in the collection), he must try to reestablish peace with his own community.

For Paul, to think about reconciliation means thinking about the nature and style of his apostleship. It is possible, then, to see the three major sections of this letter as addressing that issue from slightly different

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