The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
▸ AUTHOR: External and internal evidence amply support the Pauline authorship of this letter. There is an interval of about a year between these two letters to the Corinthians. Since Paul’s first letter, the Corinthian church had been swayed by false teachers who stirred the people against Paul. They claimed he was fickle, arrogant, unimpressive in appearance and speech, and unqualified to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. During this time Paul has paid them what must have been an unpleasant visit and then wrote them another letter, which we do not have (2:1–4). Paul wrote 2 Corinthians in A.D. 56 in Macedonia and sent the letter to the church with Titus and another brother (8:16).
▸ TIME: c. A.D. 56
▸ KEY VERSES: 2 Cor. 4:5–6
▸ THEME: As Paul writes this letter, he is looking forward to yet another visit, and it appears that the Corinthians have listened to him and things are getting on the right track. But there are still some problems. The key issue seems to be Paul’s leadership. He spends a good deal of the letter establishing his authority and the need to exercise it, which makes the letter intensely personal. In it we can see the depth of his relationship with the Corinthians, and we get an understanding of the hardships Paul went through for these people on his missionary journeys. Most importantly we see a faith that is so focused that Paul is ready to endure anything to see it spread.