Commentary on 2 Corinthians

“Commentary on the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians” (13 chapters) is one of the voluminous Commentaries on the 14 epistles of the Apostle Paul, written by Bl. Theodoret of Cyrus later than all his other comments. In the preface, Bl. Theodoret briefly reveals the purpose of the apostolic letter: “Some of the believing Jews, loving a life under the law and going everywhere, began again to slander the apostolic teaching, calling the godly Paul an apostate and lawless and ordering everyone to keep the law.” The apostle compares the old with the new, lists his works, exposing the lies of the deceivers. He “also appends a list of his own sufferings, teaching that this is the distinguishing characteristic of preachers of the truth.” Blzh. Theodoret explains that the suffering of believers is not a sign of God's rejection, but, on the contrary, testifies to His consolation and grace. Believers become participants in the sufferings of Christ and have the opportunity to strengthen their faith. The commentary addresses issues of church discipline and unity, emphasizing the importance of forgiveness and restoration of relationships within the community. Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 The Corinthians received much benefit from the First Epistle; This benefit was increased for them in every way by excellent and admirable men, the first Timothy and after him Titus, because both were sent to the Corinthians. But some of the believing Jews, loving a life under the law and going everywhere, began again to slander the apostolic teaching, calling the God-wise Paul an apostate and lawless and ordering everyone to preserve the law. They did the same in Corinth. Therefore, the divine Apostle writes, having already come to Macedonia according to the promise, and first of all apologizes for not being with them yet, however, not because he broke the promise, for he promised to first see the Macedonians and after that to come to them; This is what he said in the First Epistle: “I will come to you when I pass through Macedonia: for I am passing through Macedonia. But if it happens to me, I will remain, or I will winter, so you can see me off, or if I go” (1 Cor. 16:5-6). Therefore, he did not act contrary to his promise in anything, but, having spent a long time in Ephesus, he explains the reason for the slowdown; deigns mercy to those who dare to commit great lawlessness; then he compares the old with the new, without humiliating the former, but showing the superiority of the latter. After this, he counts his own labors, not enslaving himself to the passions of ambition, but exposing the lies of deceivers. Encourages you to take care of serving the saints; by mentioning the Macedonians, he encourages you to give generously; He also encloses a list of his own sufferings, teaching that this is the distinguishing feature of preachers of the truth. This is the content of this message; the exact meaning of what is written will be revealed by a detailed interpretation. You might be interested in: