Section III The Grace of Christian Giving

¹Keith Nickle, The Collection, A Study of Paul’s Strategy (London: SCM Press, 1966), p. 142. This is the most recent thorough study of the collection. Its general conclusions are sound, although a few of the supporting positions in regard to historical reconstruction and the nature of the literary sources can be questioned. The discussion which follows owes much to it.

²George Forte Moore, op. cit., pp. 93 ff.

³Nickle, op. cit., p. 103. It is noteworthy that the Corinthians had never contributed to Paul’s support as had the churches of Macedonia (11:8-9; 12:2; I Cor. 9:11-12; Phil. 4:14-17).

⁴Nickle goes beyond the evidence to posit a serious rift between the two segments of the Church that needed to be healed. If the incident between Paul and Peter at Antioch (Gal. 2:11-14) took place after the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), this would be plausible, but certainly not mandatory. It is quite possible, however, that the incident took place before the council which settled the Jewish-Gentile issue in the Church.

⁵Because of its symbolism for the unity of dispersed Judaism, Paul seems to have patterned the organization of his collection after the Jewish Temple tax (ibid., pp. 99, 74-93).

⁶See Joachim Jeremias, Jesus’ Promise to the Nations (London: SCM Press, 1958), pp. 19 ff., 25 ff., 46 ff.

⁷Ibid., pp. 129-43; Munck, op. cit., pp. 285-303; Ferdinand Hahn, Mission in the New Testament, trans. Frank Clarke (London: SCM Press, 1965), p. 109.

⁸Op. cit., pp. 109-10.

⁹Which it is would depend on whether the visit of Gal. 2:1 is identified with Paul’s Jerusalem visit of Acts 11 or 15. See Nickle, op. cit., pp. 23-32, for an attempt to bring out the significance of this offering. He finds it quite anticipatory of the one at hand.

¹⁰Literal translation.

¹¹Plummer, op. cit., p. 234.

¹²Tasker, op. cit., p. 11.

¹³Arndt and Gingrich, op. cit., p. 85. The word is peculiar to Paul’s writings: cf. 8:2; 9:11, 13; 11:3; Rom. 12:8; Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22.

¹⁴Hughes, op. cit., pp. 289 ff.

¹⁵That we would receive (4) is not in the better MSS. Gift (charts) is “grace” or “favor.”

¹⁶See Thornton, op. cit., pp. 5-33; C. E. B. Cranfield, “Fellowship, Communion, ” A Theological Wordbook of the Bible, ed. Alan Richardson (London: SCM Press, 1957), pp. 81-83; Nickle, op. cit., pp. 105 ff.

¹⁷Nickle, op. cit., p. 109. See his discussion, pp. 106-9, for the total background of the word in relation to its use here.

¹⁸Op. cit., p. 134.

¹⁹Op. cit., pp. 109 ff. In I Cor. 16:3 charis (liberality) designates the offering itself.

²⁰Op. cit., p. 297.

²¹From class notes.

²²The Greek places this phrase first for emphasis.

²³The aorist tense indicates the crisis of the Incarnation and all that it involved.

²⁴Loc.cit. On Phil. 2:5-11 see R. P. Martin, An Early Christian Confession (London: The Tyndale Press, 1960).

²⁵Hughes, op. cit., p. 306. Nickle, op. cit., p. 121, feels that their abundance refers to “the ‘spiritual blessings’ of the Jerusalem Christians” rather than to possible reciprocal financial aid.

²⁶See the apt comments of Calvin, op. cit., p. 297.

²⁷Op. cit., p. 71.

²⁸The participle is present in the better MSS.

²⁹Cheirotonetheis meant originally “to elect by raising hands” (Arndt and Gingrich, op. cit., p. 889).

³⁰The MSS tradition is divided between with (syn) and “in” (en).

³¹See Hughes, op. cit., pp. 312-16, for the arguments for Luke and the others mentioned in the history of interpretation.

³²Op. cit., pp. 18-22. His arguments are subjective and at times even objectionable.

³³Reading pronooumen gar with the better MSS rather than pronooumenoi.

³⁴Op. cit., p. 210.

³⁵Op. cit., p. 89.

³⁶Spoude and its related forms occur significantly in the chapter; vv. 7-8, 16, 22; cf. 7:11-12.

³⁷See comments on 4 where koinonia is used.

³⁸TDNT, I, 42 ff. See comments on 1:1.

³⁹0p. cit., p. 251.

⁴⁰Hughes, op. cit., pp. 321 f., has a discussion of this issue.

⁴¹Lenski, op. cit., p. 1164.

⁴²This verse gives some credence to the view of Nickle that the two brethren were appointed by the Jerusalem church (op. cit., pp. 19 ff.).

⁴³So Hering translates hypostasis, op. cit., p. 74. Lenski, op. cit., p. 1165, favors “assurance.” Boasting is not in the better MSS.

⁴⁴Whereof ye had notice before is based on an alternative reading which has no support in the earliest MSS.

⁴⁵Hans Windisch, Der zweite Korintherbrief, Kritisch-exegetischer Kommentar uber das Neue Testament (Gottingen: Vandenhoeck & Ru-precht, 1924), p. 274.

⁴⁶Nickle, op. cit., p. 122.

⁴⁷Lenski, op. cit., p. 1170.

⁴⁸The better MSS read “has purposed” rather than purposeth.

⁴⁹8:l, 4, 6, 7, 9,16, 19; 9:8, 14, 15; I Cor. 16:3.

⁵⁰Note the “every’s” (pan)—pasin … panti pantote pason … pan.

⁵¹'See comment on 5:21. Righteousness received is the fountain of righteousness displayed: “as we have received mercy” (4:1).

⁵²Lenski, op. cit., p. 1177.

⁵³Nickle (op. cit., p. 137) feels that Paul’s use of these two OT quotations in the light of their original contexts supports the idea “that Paul had embodied his desire for the conversion of Israel within his collection project.” Thus the “harvest” here would be the hoped-for “conversion of Jews.” But this is perhaps straining at the meaning.

⁵⁴The word is used in the LXX of the function of priest and Levites in the sanctuary. It can also mean “public service.” See Hughes, op. cit., p. 337.

⁵⁵See 8:4; Rom. 15:25. Koinonia by itself never means “contribution.” In Rom. 15:25 it is koinonian Una (a certain sharing-out), which together means “contribution.” On liberal, see comment on 8:2.

⁵⁶See Nickle, op. cit., pp. 136 ff.

⁵⁷Plummer, op. cit., p. 257.