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§14 Closing (2 Cor. 13:11–14)

These last four verses close Paul’s second canonical letter to the Corinthians. Pauline letter closings are carefully constructed units, shaped and adapted in such a way that they relate directly to—sometimes, in fact, even summarize—the major concerns and themes taken up in the bodies of their respective letters (cf. J. A. D. Weima). Consequently, in important ways the letter closings aid our understanding of Paul’s purpose, arguments, and exhortation. Moreover, if, as L. A. Jervis argues, “The opening and closing sections are where Paul (re)establishes his relationship with his readers and where the function of each of his letters is most evident,” then we must pay special attention to 2 Corinthians 13:11–13, for then we may gain a clue not only about the major thrust of Paul’s letter but also about its unity (or lack thereof).

Pauline closings typically contain an exhortation section, a peace benediction, greetings, and a grace benediction. These elements are also found in the closing to 2 Corinthians (in vv. 11a; 11b; 12–13; and 14 respectively). In the closing, Paul lays aside the harsh threats and bitter irony that characterized chapters 10–13, returning instead to the conciliatory tone and message that were more characteristic of the first nine chapters of the letter.

13:11 / Paul closes the letter (finally, loipon) with an appeal for concord. After four chapters of hard-hitting polemic and invective, Paul returns to a conciliatory tone that is more in keeping with his ultimate purpose of admonition, rather than condemnation. Hence, Paul again addresses the Corinthians as brothers, just as he did in the first part of the letter (cf. 1:8; 8:1). Earlier, Paul had emphasized the mutuality between himself and the Corinthians. Now he returns to that theme and reinforces it as his parting shot.

After addressing the Corinthians as brothers, Paul goes on to give (four or) five exhortations in rapid succession. Compared to other Pauline letter closings, 2 Corinthians has a fuller section of exhortation. First, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to “rejoice” (chairete). The NIV translates the verb as good-by (NRSV: “farewell”). Here, however, the verb can and probably should be taken to mean “rejoice,” as it is throughout the letter (cf. 2:3; 6:10; 7:7, 9, 13, 16) and also in the immediate context (cf. 13:9; cf. also 1 Thess. 5:16). We may also compare the very similar wording of Philippians 3:1: “Finally [to loipon], my brothers [adelphoi mou], rejoice [chairete] in the Lord.” Paul desperately wants the Corinthians to be a cause of his own rejoicing (cf. 2:3; 7:9, 16; 13:9). If the Corinthians repent of their attitude toward the apostle before he arrives, then they have reason for rejoicing—in the Lord, with each other, and with Paul (cf. Phil. 2:18; 4:4). Rejoicing thus becomes an expression of unity in the congregation, and unity seems to be the main thrust of the imperatives in 2 Corinthians 13:11.

Second, Paul exhorts the Corinthians to aim for perfection (katartizesthe). This verb is a cognate of the noun katartisis, which is used in 13:9, but, as we have seen, the interpretation of the noun is uncertain there. The problem is compounded by the fact that in verse 11 katartizesthe can be taken as either a middle or a passive verb. In light of the other imperatives in our verse, we may suppose that Paul is calling the Corinthians to positive action in order to remedy the perilous situation in the congregation, perhaps “aim at restoration” (so Martin, 2 Corinthians, pp. 498–99). The thrust of verse 11 seems to be an appeal for concord.

Third, Paul exhorts the addressees either to listen to my appeal or possibly to “encourage one another,” depending on whether the verb [parakaleisthe] is understood as passive or as middle. Here again the verb form is equivocal. Paul’s usage of the verb allows for either possibility. Martin argues: “Since Paul is hoping that the Corinthians will again live in harmony, we take the verb to be construed as the middle voice” (p. 499). This does not exclude the possibility, however, that Paul is solemnly underscoring his appeal in verse 11.

Fourth, the apostle exhorts the Corinthians to be of one mind (to auto phroneite; lit., “think the same thing”). Unlike the first three imperatives, this verb is unequivocal in meaning. The idiom is used elsewhere in the sense of “be in agreement, live in harmony” (cf. Herodotus 1.60.2; Dio Chrysostom 34.20; Phil. 2:2; [3:16]; 4:2; Rom. 12:16; 15:5). Just as the Corinthians are being transformed into “the same image,” that is, the image of the resurrected Lord (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18), so also they are to reflect this image by “thinking the same thing.” As we have seen, the Corinthian church is wracked with dissension among factions (cf. 2 Cor. 12:20; 1 Cor. 1:10), much like the situation of Korah’s rebellion (Num. 16–17). Therefore, Paul calls the congregation back to harmony both with himself and with each other in order to avoid divine judgment. The exhortation in 13:11 indicates that 2 Corinthians should be seen as an appeal for concord, a sub-category of discourse that seeks to calm the outbreak of faction by dissuading from strife (stasis) and exhorting to concord (homonoia). This is not just harmony for harmony’s sake, but unity in the truth as Paul understands it. In 6:15 Paul gives a reason the Corinthians must not be allied with “unbelievers” (especially the interlopers) by asking the rhetorical question, “What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?” Hence, while the congregation must separate completely from the false apostles, who are regarded as servants of Satan (cf. 11:14), they must also be of one accord with Paul. The apostle frequently emphasizes the mutuality between himself and the Corinthians (cf., e.g., 1:1–2, 3–11, 14, 18–22, 24; 2:2; 3:18; 4:12, 14; 6:11–13; 7:2; 8:1, 16–17; 9:11; 12:14–15; 13:11). Moreover, Paul has the “ministry of reconciliation” with a corresponding “message of reconciliation” (cf. 5:18–19), which the Corinthians have already accepted but are now in danger of forfeiting by their attitude toward him (cf. 6:1–2).

Finally, the apostle exhorts the addressees to live in peace (eirēneuete). This is closely related to the foregoing exhortation, for thinking the same thing is the basis for living in peace. Some forty years after the writing of 2 Corinthians (ca. A.D. 96), Clement of Rome wrote a letter to the Corinthians (1 Clem.), which, as the closing explicitly states (63:2; cf. 65:1), was designed as an “appeal” (enteuxis) to “peace” (eirēnē) and “concord” (homonoia) in the congregation. The similarity to Paul’s appeal to concord and peace in the closing of 2 Corinthians (13:11) is obvious, but it extends even further than the closing. For, as 1 Clement makes clear, certain rebels in the congregation, consumed with jealousy and pride, had revolted against the presbyters’ legitimate authority, founded on the tradition of the apostles and comparable to the Aaronic priesthood. The revolt caused the church to split over the issue of legitimate leadership. Therefore Clement calls the rebels to repentance, using Korah’s rebellion against Moses and Aaron (Num. 16–17) as an example to warn the “leaders of rebellion and dissension” (archēgoi staseōs kai dichostasias) that schism due to jealousy has dire consequences (1 Clem. 51:1–4; cf. also 4:12). This shows that the Corinthian rebellion that Clement faced in the mid 90s was similar to the one Paul faced in the mid 50s, and that it necessitated a similar missive in order to restore concord and peace (note the conscious recollection of the earlier Corinthian correspondence in 1 Clem. 47:1–7). The peace of which Paul speaks in 2 Corinthians 13:11 is not just a cessation from strife, but rather a state of mutual harmony based on genuine agreement in the truth of Paul’s apostolic gospel (cf. v. 8). Elsewhere Paul exhorts believers to “live peaceably with all people,” insofar as it depends on them (Rom. 12:18; cf. also 1 Thess. 5:13).

Immediately following the exhortation to live in peace Paul adds a peace benediction: And the God of love and peace will be with you (cf. Rom. 15:33; 16:20; Phil. 4:9; 1 Thess. 5:23; 2 Thess. 3:16; Gal. 6:16). As a comparison of Pauline benedictions reveals (see the synoptic table in Weima, “Pauline Letter Closings,” p. 9), the apostle sometimes varies the wording his peace benedictions in order to emphasize a particular element. Here, for example, instead of referring simply to “the God of peace” (cf. T. Dan. 5:2), Paul refers to the God of love and peace, that is, God is the source of love and peace. If the And (kai) that begins the benediction introduces a result (“and then”), the logic of the passage seems exactly the opposite of what we observed in 2 Corinthians 6:16–17. Whereas there obedience is a consequence of the promise of God’s presence among his covenant people, here the promise of God’s presence among his people seems contingent on their obedience (cf., similarly, Phil. 4:9b). Our text possibly presupposes an interdependent relationship between human responsibility and divine bestowment (cf. Phil. 2:12–13). Perhaps, however, we should understand our moralistic-sounding text merely as a prelude to the real conclusion and climax of the letter (see on 13:14).

13:12–13 / After the exhortations and the peace benediction (v. 11), Paul moves next to the greetings. First, he exhorts his readers to greet one another with a holy kiss. Three other Pauline letters contain similar exhortations in their closing sections (1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Cor. 16:20; Rom. 16:16). Paul was apparently the first person in the Greco-Roman world to have instructed members of a mixed social group to greet one another with a kiss, although it is found in another letter closing in the NT (cf. 1 Pet. 5:14: “Greet one another with a kiss of love”). There is no evidence in the NT that the practice was specifically connected with the liturgy. If the believers at Philippi and elsewhere are to be greeted as “holy ones” or “saints” (Phil. 4:21), the “holy kiss” is probably the kiss that “holy ones” give each other when they meet. On the analogy of the situation reflected in the greetings of Romans 16 (vv. 5, 10, 11, 14, 15), perhaps we can imagine in Corinth separate house churches sending greetings back and forth to one another by delegated representatives. If the Corinthian house churches provided a sociological context that encouraged the formation of factions, then this gesture of mutual goodwill and brotherly love would do much to overcome the natural schismatic tendency.

In the context of 2 Corinthians Paul’s exhortation to greet one another with a holy kiss reinforces and underscores his prior admonitions to be of one mind and to live in peace (13:11). Like the rejoicing that Paul advocates in verse 11, this kiss may have been encouraged to demonstrate and strengthen the concord already achieved. Perhaps, too, the apostle hoped that the kiss would play a role in actually effecting the restoration still needed in the congregation.

Second, Paul conveys greetings from the believers (all the saints) in whose company he is writing the letter (v. 13). Just as the Corinthians are “holy ones” or saints (cf. 1:1), so also other believers in other localities are called saints. This presupposes that all believers are members of one universal church (cf. 1 Cor. 12:28)—the worldwide family of God (cf. 2 Cor. 6:18). Paul regularly conveys greetings from those who are with him when he writes his letters (cf. Rom. 16:3–23; 1 Cor. 16:19–20; Phil. 4:21; Col. 4:10–15; Phlm. 23). One of his goals in doing so was undoubtedly to promote self-identity, reciprocity, and unity within the church.

13:14 / The letter ends with a grace benediction. Usually Paul closes his letters with the simple formula, “[May] the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be/is with you/your spirit” (cf. Rom. 16:20; 1 Cor. 16:23; Gal. 6:18; Phil. 4:23; 1 Thess. 5:28; Phlm. 25). Here, however, he employs a much more elaborate benediction that, in parallel structure, lists both the three persons of what we now call the Trinity and their main gifts to the church. Since the word may is not present in the Greek text, the verb to be supplied in translation could just as well be “are” (cf., similarly, 2 Cor. 1:3). In that case, Paul is expressing not a pious wish, but rather a confident matter of fact: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit are with you all.” This statement concludes the letter on a very positive note, for Paul’s confidence in the renegade Corinthians (cf. 7:4, 16) is based ultimately on God and his presence in their midst (cf. 13:11). After all, the Corinthians reveal that they are a letter of Christ written by the Spirit of the living God (3:3). Paul apparently expects them to pass the test after all (cf. 13:5).

The first gift listed in the benediction is the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 8:9; 12:9). We might have expected the order Father-Son-Spirit as in the trinitarian formula of the later creeds. Instead, we have Christ-God-Spirit. Several explanations for this primary position of “Christ” are possible. Either Paul began with his ordinary benediction (see above) and then expanded it, or the last two gifts are understood as results of the gracious work of Christ on the cross. The second gift is the love of God. This probably means that God loves believers or that God is the source of love (cf. 13:11), rather than that God is loved by believers. God shows his love for believers by sending his Son to die for them (Rom. 5:8). Nothing can separate believers from “the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:39). The final gift is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. In parallel with the first two gifts in the grace benediction, Paul probably speaks here of the fellowship created and given by the Holy Spirit, rather than of participation in or fellowship with the Spirit per se (cf. Phil. 2:1). The thrust of Paul’s letter is to promote concord in the strife-ridden church at Corinth (see on 2 Cor. 13:11); therefore, Paul emphasizes the fellowship or solidarity that the Spirit creates. By putting into practicing the implications of the new covenant for their sanctification, the Corinthians will effectively open their Spirit-filled hearts to the apostle and thus affirm the solidarity of believers in the sphere of Christ (cf. 6:11–7:2).

Paul affirms that these three gifts are with you all. This is an amazing statement in view of the dissension and strife in the church at Corinth. Paul does not normally include the word all in this part of the closing grace benediction; therefore, its inclusion here is probably highly significant. Paul is saying that, despite the current factions and rebellion, his affirmation of trinitarian blessings applies to the whole Corinthian congregation. The apostle thereby expresses confidence about the ultimate outcome of the situation in the church (cf. 1:13–15; 2:3; 7:14, where Paul boasted to Titus about the Corinthians even before the delivery of the tearful letter). This confidence is rooted in Paul’s “trinitarian” conviction expressed earlier in the letter: The God who is faithful and who vouches for Paul’s word in the face of accusations has given the apostle a message of the Son of God, Jesus Christ; he has established Paul with the Corinthians in Christ; and he has given his Spirit in their hearts as a guarantee (cf. 1:18–22; also 1:15a; 3:3–4).