Commentary on 2 Corinthians 11.1–11.32

“Would that you would bear with a little of my foolishness! But indeed you do bear with me.” Beginning to tell true things about himself, he calls himself foolish, because it seems to pertain to his praise. That is why it was said: “Let not your own lips praise you, but your neighbour's” (Prov 27:2). But here he is compelled by grief, because of those who, though they ought to think better of him than of others, thought unworthily of him.

“For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God; for I have prepared you to present you as a chaste virgin to one husband, Christ.” He shows that what he is about to say he will say out of love for them, so that it may profit not so much his praise as their progress, so that they may learn how to support their parent in the gospel; because blame of the father is disparagement of the children, and the praise of the children is the father's glory (Sir 3:11). He wishes them, then, to be virgins in faith; hence he is also jealous to keep the corrupters of faith from them, so that in the day of judgment he may present them undefiled to Christ the judge. This is why in the Apocalypse of John it is read: “These,” he says, “are those who have not been defiled with women; for they have remained virgins. These follow the Lamb wherever he goes” (Rev 14:4). By “women” he signified error, because error began through a woman; as he also speaks of the woman Jezebel, on account of Ahab's wife, who out of zeal for Baal killed the prophets of God (1 Kgs 18:4); for idolatry is understood, by which morals and the truth of the faith are corrupted. For if you understand women, so as to think that they are called virgins because they kept their bodies undefiled, you exclude the saints from this glory; because all the apostles except John and Paul had wives. And see whether it is fitting to accuse the apostle Peter, who is first among the apostles, how much more among the rest?

“But I fear lest, as the serpent seduced Eve by his cunning, so your minds be corrupted from the chastity that is in Christ Jesus.” He shows why he is compelled to testify true things about himself; for he declares the glory given him for this purpose, not to praise himself, but to discredit those who preached against Christ under the name of Christ, by whom the Corinthians were being seduced; and so that this truth might profit them more than him. For he did this so that the seducers might not be heeded, whom he compared to the devil because of the cunning of their malice; because they try to corrupt the hearts of the faithful from the truth of Christ. Fearing this, then, he is always anxious about them, lest they be violated.

“For if the one who comes preaches another Christ, whom we did not preach, or you receive another Spirit, whom you did not receive, or another gospel, which you did not accept, you would rightly bear with it.” Why does he say, “you would rightly bear with it,” if another Christ had been preached to them, or another Spirit or another gospel handed on to them, when he says to the Galatians: “If anyone proclaims to you anything other than what you received, let him be anathema” (Gal 1:9)? If it was perverse for the Galatians to receive anything other than what the apostles had handed on, how was it right for the Corinthians if another Christ had been preached to them? But the Apostle, knowing that no other Christ was ever preached than this one who was crucified, therefore says: “You would rightly bear with it, if another, greater Christ had been preached to you by those who come.” But to the Galatians he pronounced anathema if they should hear something other, which would certainly not be greater, but contrary. But further, he says, if the very same Christ is preached by them who is proclaimed by us, and the same gospel, what reason is there for us to be held inferior, when nothing more is learned from them? Above, he speaks of the false apostles, corrupters of the faith; but in this place of true preachers; because the people of the Corinthians wavered among various errors, so that some favoured the false apostles; some those from whom, in polished words, they heard the same things they had heard from the Apostle; and others favoured the apostles because they had been with the Lord, disparaging their own apostle Paul because he had not seen the Lord in the flesh.

“For I think that I have been in nothing inferior to those who are very great apostles.” He does not want the grace of God to seem inferior in him; because he taught in the same way and did the same things that the apostles did, who seemed preferred because they had begun to teach first and had been with the Lord, and hence were thought to be of greater authority; whereas this apostle's election was proved by a remarkable testimony, and he himself laboured more than the rest, and saw the Lord while praying in the temple, and spoke with him.

“But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet not in knowledge.” This does not refer to the apostles, because they were not eloquent, being without letters, yet full of the Holy Spirit; but it touches those whom the Corinthians preferred on account of polished speech, whereas in religion it is the force of speech that is needed, not a sweet sound. How, though, does he humble himself so as to say that he is unskilled in speech? And where is that which Festus says: “Paul,” he says, “Paul, much learning is driving you mad” (Acts 26:24)? By saying this, then, he did not wish to be understood as not knowing how to speak, but spoke because of those who wished to be commended not by faith but by eloquence. And yet he called himself unskilled in that which carries no guilt; but in that which gains salvation, and ignorance of which is not without guilt, he did not declare himself unskilled; because one who is unskilled in speech is not guilty before God, but one who does not have the knowledge of God is guilty of ignorance, because it is not permitted to be ignorant, above all of what pertains to salvation. Therefore the Apostle, spurning eloquence, strove that the faith might be acceptable with power as its witness, so that not eloquence but power, to which eloquence yields, might commend the faith. “But in all things I have been made manifest to you.” He says he has been made manifest to the Corinthians in all things, because they were not unaware that he also had skill in speaking; and knowing this, some favoured others in that in which they did not know him to be inferior; and therefore he speaks moved, because this was worse: that, knowing he lacked nothing, they ranked him below others, though they had seen not only the preaching fulfilled through him, but also apostolic signs and wonders done.

“Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?” Since they were puffed up because he refused to accept support from them, and on this account were setting others before him, he therefore says: “Did I sin, because I humbled myself so as to judge myself unworthy to receive? For you are angry with me on that account, when this is a matter not of sin but of glory.” So he humbled himself in that he did not demand what was owed him. For it was owed that he receive support from those to whom he preached the gospel of God, as the Lord laid down, saying: “The worker is worthy of his wage” (Luke 10:7); but he refused it so that it might profit them. For he refused the support offered for two reasons: so as not to be found like the false apostles, who preached not for God's glory but for their own advantage, lest they take occasion for plunder (for when one does not accept, another cannot demand much); and so that the vigour of the gospel's authority might not grow slack; for one who accepts from sinners loses the authority to reprove. They are exalted in this way, then, when nothing is accepted from them, so that, rebuked, they may be amended, raised from death to life.

“I robbed other churches, accepting wages for your service. And when I was with you and in want, I was a burden to no one.” He burdens them; for he shows that not only had he been unwilling to accept from them, but had also accepted from others and ministered to them. And to show that this was much, not little, he says: “I robbed other churches for your service.” So he indicates that he spent no small amounts on them; for when he says “I robbed,” he means that much was received and given, not extorted. Hence he added, “accepting wages”; for wages are what a soldier receives for his expenses, in place of pay. He has made them blush, then, because he certainly did not refuse with guile, since he himself ministered to them, and so that by this they might more easily fulfil the ministry they had promised, knowing that they were debtors; so that their ministry might now be not very glorious but owed, lest they boast even of that.

“And when I was with you and in want, I was a burden to no one.” He wished so much to profit them that he bore his want patiently for the sake of their salvation. For, suffering want, he was content, so that they might not take any offence. For one who gives thinks himself exalted and no longer allows himself to be reproved. “For my need was supplied by the brothers who came from Macedonia.” He always accepted from the Macedonians, because they had first corrected their vices. And as he was not to accept from the Corinthians, lest it cause them offence, so again he was to accept from the Macedonians, lest those who sowed well lose the fruit.

“And in all things I have kept myself from being a burden to you, and I will keep myself.” He says that he will always remain in this, so that they may correct themselves, because of the false apostles, who sought occasion to plunder them. “The truth of Christ is in me, that this boasting will not be broken off in me in the regions of Achaia.” He exhorts all Achaia to minister to the saints, but not to permit it for himself, lest he fail to complete the glory begun; for it is glory to abstain from lawful things, above all for the salvation of others. In the regions of Achaia, then, he would not make use of it; elsewhere he did; and he promises more, under the testimony of Christ, saying that he will remain in this, never to accept from the regions of Achaia.

“Why? Because I do not love you? God knows.” Having given his reason, he also gives God's knowledge as witness to the love he had toward them: that he did not refuse to accept because he did not love them, but rather because he loved them, so that this very thing might profit them, as I said.

“But what I do I will also continue to do, so as to cut off the occasion of those who want an occasion, so that in what they boast of they may be found just as we are.” The false apostles' boasting lay in receiving money. Therefore the Apostle refused it, so as not to seem like them; because if this had not been avoided by the Apostle, a greater occasion would have been given them to accept, or rather to extort, since they would have pointed to a pattern given by the Apostle in this matter.

“For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.” They are deceitful because they preached Christ for the sake of greed, not with a religious mind nor having been sent, usurping the apostolic name for themselves.

“And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” It is plain that Satan often deceives many, showing himself to them as an angel of God, so as to deceive them. Hence Joshua son of Nun anxiously asked who it was that appeared to him (Josh 5:13). And the apostles in the boat, terrified, thought it was a phantom. Hence the apostle Peter, when the Lord said, “Do not be afraid, it is I” (Matt 14:27), not readily believing, said: “If it is you, bid me come to you on the water” (Matt 14:28), so that if he set his foot firmly on the water he would know it was true that what appeared was not a phantom.

“It is no great thing, then, if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness.” The ministers of righteousness are the apostles, whose companions these men falsely claimed to be, to deceive their hearers. “Whose end will be according to their works.” Without doubt, because such people will be judged according to the wickedness of their mind; because not for God's sake but for their own belly they pretend to be ministers of God. Yet he says their end will be according to their works, so that, as the works and care of the belly perish, so these too are understood to perish.

“Again I say, let no one think me foolish; or else receive me as foolish, so that I too may boast a little.” Above (11:1) he already said: “Would that you would bear with a little of my foolishness”; this he now repeats; for he always proposes what he will afterwards pursue after much intervening. What he proposed above, then, he now begins to set out; but, about to say true things, he calls himself foolish, because they seem to pertain to his praise. “So that I too,” he says, “may boast a little.” He said “a little” because it is in words, not in intention. So he does not truly speak here for his own glory, but wants to show them that those whom they think glorious have nothing more than he does; and therefore, if these are thought glorious, “I too,” he says. He says this is a fool's part, to pursue something for one's own praise, but that he is compelled to speak. For it grieved him that they thought those men lofty while despising him, who had nothing more than he.

“What I speak, I do not speak according to God.” He does not speak according to God, because these things pertain to the swelling of the flesh, and glory before God does not arise from puffing up, because before God humility is glorious. “But as in foolishness, in this substance of boasting.” He did not call it full foolishness, but partial; for it is true. But because self-elevation is a vicious thing, therefore, although what is said is true, yet for anyone to praise himself is a kind of foolishness. Full foolishness, however, is if one praises oneself with falsehoods; for the former is proud about what is true, the latter foolish about what is false. Yet the substance of the boasting in this case is fleshly; because like the flower of grass, so this glory falls.

“Since many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.” He says this because some of the Jews who believed presumed on the fact that they were children of Abraham. This is to boast according to the flesh: to claim for oneself nobility of the flesh. For from this they defend for themselves the prerogative of their race; whereas those are called his children who have believed God; since “the soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezek 18:20). If, then, this is glory, he says, “I too will boast,” because I too am a son of Abraham. But to be a son of Abraham profits nothing before God; because it is faith that saves, not descent from Abraham's line. And therefore this glory is a glory of the flesh, as if, for example, it were said, “the son of a noble man.”

“For you gladly bear with the foolish, since you yourselves are wise.” He calls foolish those who boasted of circumcision of the flesh; and because they were borne with by the Corinthians so as to seem glorious, the Apostle therefore wants to be borne with by them too, so that he might show that he too was what they were, and yet not boast in this respect according to God; hence he calls this glory foolishness. For he says he boasts according to the flesh, but he declares that this is foolish, both to empty this glory and to teach that he was compelled to break out into praise of the flesh. So this is irony. For how are those wise who are often reproved? Is not the Apostle's foolishness wiser than their prudence? For the wise man bears with the imprudent, who by his patience endures them so that they can make progress, lest by provoking or rejecting them he make them worse; or certainly, if he cannot profit them, he keeps his own moderation. Of these things there is nothing in the Corinthians. How, then, do they gladly bear with the imprudent, since they themselves are wise, unless he does not wish it understood as the words sound? This lies in the sense and the delivery; because the same words do not have the same sense when spoken differently, so that sometimes one affirms, sometimes denies what one says. For they, as wise men, were bearing with the foolish false apostles. “For you bear with it if anyone brings you into slavery.” This is true, because they were being brought into slavery, not through prudence but through folly, so as to serve the false apostles. “If anyone devours you.” Nor is this false, because they were content to have their property devoured by false teachers. “If anyone takes you.” To take is to capture someone by deceit; and therefore he means that they were captured by deceitful teachers and bore what was not expedient. “If anyone exalts himself.” Exaltation is pride. He touches, then, those who were proud, slandering the Apostle; and these did not displease them. “If anyone strikes you in the face.” One is struck in the face when insult is inflicted on one's face. Now he means those who, because they were of Abraham's race, disparaged them for being uncircumcised, preferring themselves and humbling these.

“I speak according to dishonour.” He calls “dishonour” what he said above: “I too will boast according to the flesh” (2 Cor 11:18). For he says it does not pertain to praise that he was not weak in the thing in which they boasted, which he touches on covertly. Hence he also added: “As though we had been weak in this respect.” It is plain that he was not weak in this glory in which the Jewish believers, whom these people tolerated, set themselves above others, as though their Apostle were unlike them in this matter; because he too was of the seed of Abraham, and therefore was not weak in this glory of the flesh. But those were judged weak who had been joined to Abraham's race. For these, as though weak in that in which those men set themselves above them because they were Israelites, wished in this very thing to be borne with. To show that in this glory of the flesh they were not unlike or weak, when he speaks of his own case he brings in the person of Barnabas his companion. Hence in the first letter too he says: “Or do only I and Barnabas not have the right to do this?” (1 Cor 9:6). They were not, then, lesser in this glory in which the Jews boasted, but they did not applaud themselves for it. Then he says: “In whatever anyone dares (I speak in foolishness), I dare too”: that is, he was not weak in the glory in which the Israelites boasted; nor indeed is he to be judged prudent in this matter, for the prudent do not wish to set themselves above others. So he says he dares in foolishness, in that in which those dare who boast because they are sons of Abraham, so as to empty their glory; he declares himself imprudent, lest they seem prudent in this respect, or noble. “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.” In these things he shows himself equal to those whom he indicated above, so as to show that their disparagements, by which he was judged unworthy by them, were false.

“Are they ministers of Christ? I speak as a fool: I am more.” Saying true things about himself, he declares himself foolish, so that he may be understood to have broken out into his own praise under compulsion. For one who of his own accord relates what serves his praise does not call himself imprudent. He showed, then, what the things are that make him more a minister of Christ than the other preachers. For, finding the occasion, he touches the persons of all, even of the apostles, grieved that the grace of God was judged lesser in him, though he did the same things as the other apostles and endured greater perils for the faith. Hence he says in another letter: “I laboured more than all of them” (1 Cor 15:10). “In very many labours.” He says “in more labours” because they too laboured, but not as much. For he sought his living with his hands from morning until the fifth hour, and then from that time until the tenth hour he disputed publicly with such labour as to persuade those who contradicted. “In prisons more abundantly.” It is clear that he was sent to prison more often than they. “In beatings beyond measure.” “Beyond measure,” that is, beyond what was fitting. For they too were beaten, but not as much. “In deaths often.” It is true, because he endured dangers more often than the rest.

“From the Jews five times I received forty lashes less one.” He says this because he was flogged five times by the Jews according to the law of Moses, receiving thirty-nine blows, as it is written in Deuteronomy (Deut 25:3). What happened on five occasions, then, he here reports in summary.

“Three times I was beaten with rods.” This he suffered from the gentiles. “Once I was stoned.” He was stoned by the Jews in a city of Lycaonia (Acts 14:19). “Three times I was shipwrecked.” For one who is read to have sailed at all times, it was easy to be shipwrecked three times in contrary storms. “A night and a day I was in the depth of the sea.” This happened when he was sent to Rome, having appealed to Caesar (Acts 25:12). Then, despairing of life on the deep, that is, in the depth of the sea, he was, having death before his eyes. For so it is written in that very place: “So that we despaired even of living” (2 Cor 1:8).

“In journeys often.” Now he recounts other dangers, to show that he was tossed by land and sea for Christ according to the flesh. “In dangers of rivers.” If he has recounted the dangers of journeys, why does he say “in dangers of rivers”? Because, travelling in winter, when there are continual rains, he ran into danger from rivers overflowing. “In dangers of robbers.” When the devil could not kill him in the city, he stirred up robbers against him on the road, though he carried nothing that robbers would want. “In dangers from my race.” He means the persecutions of the Jews, who were his brothers according to the flesh; for they were grieved that he had left the Law and turned to the gospel of Christ. “In dangers from the gentiles.” From the gentiles he suffered persecutions because of the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ and the preaching of the one God. “In dangers in the city.” So great was the danger in the city that he escaped through a window the hands of those lying in wait for him (2 Cor 11:33). “In dangers in the desert.” This danger was contrived by the Jews when, having laid an ambush, they wished to kill him on the road (Acts 23:12–15). “In dangers at sea.” He already said above: “Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was in the depth of the sea”; what other danger at sea was there? But this is the danger, when at sea, that is, on the ship, the soldiers had planned to kill all the prisoners, lest anyone swim away and escape; which danger the centurion prevented from being carried out, lest Paul be killed, so as to bring him alive to Rome (Acts 27:42–43). “In dangers among false brothers.” False brothers are those of whom he says to the Galatians: “But because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus” (Gal 2:4). For these were partly Christians, partly Jews, perfect in neither, who out of zeal for the Law stirred up ill will against the Apostle because he said that, once Christ was preached, the Law now ceased. Indeed, under their pressure he was compelled to circumcise Timothy. So a false Christian is one who persecutes a Christian out of emulation for the Law; and this is a false brother. For if these were only Jews, and he calls them false brothers because of Judaism, what need was there to repeat it? For he already said above: “in dangers from my race.” But according to the flesh they are not false brothers; but in Christ they are false, because they are not Christians with their whole mind. There were also other false brothers, such as Demas and Hermogenes (2 Tim 4:10; 1:15).

“In labour and trouble.” It is true that there can be labour without trouble; but he added “and trouble” to show that the labour itself was deadly. “In many vigils.” His vigils were many, some voluntary, others of necessity; for when placed in affliction he had to keep vigil seeking God's help, and to teach not only by day but also by night, as he says in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 20:31). “In hunger and thirst.” Often put to flight by the Jews persecuting him, he necessarily suffered hunger and thirst through want. “In fastings often.” He fasted rather often, so as to deserve to be protected by God's support; for one fasts who abstains while he has something to eat. “In cold and nakedness.” He was in cold and nakedness when he suffered shipwreck. Indeed, he says, “The barbarians on the island of Malta made a fire and refreshed us because of the rain that had set in and the cold” (Acts 28:2).

“Besides those things that are external, the pressure on me daily, the care of all the churches.” This care, which he calls daily, comes down from the practice of the tradition: that every day he should instruct the people entrusted to him; but the things he mentions above were imposed in addition, under the compulsion of necessity. For the day is given for work, the night for rest; but because necessity pressed him to help all, he taught even at night. For he did not hesitate to afflict himself, lest the grace of God be idle.

“Who is weak, and I am not weak?” He says that he suffers with all and grieves with the affection by which he provides medicine for the wound. He pursues this in order to show with what care he protects and governs the church entrusted to him, and therefore that he ought to be judged in no way inferior to the other apostles; since, according to what he declared, he laboured more than all of them. For he laboured under greater ill will among the Jews than the other apostles; because while he was persecuting the church he was suddenly changed and became its defender, testifying and confirming that he had heard Christ, whom he had earlier thought a dead man, speaking with him from heaven (Acts 9:4–6). Many would necessarily follow his testimony, knowing that he had certainly not become a defender from a persecutor without reason. For this reason the Jews were tormented and were always seeking to kill him. “Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn?” To be made to stumble is, as far as this passage is concerned, to suffer the desire of the flesh. And because even the unwilling usually stumble, enticed by the form or beauty of a body or by the heat of their own flesh, the Apostle, considering the necessity of human nature, says that he burns, so as to counsel such people, suffering with their weakness; not condemning them, but admonishing in humble speech, so that in hope of the promised reward they may resist the goads of the flesh; lest any of those who hear him, overcome by the desires of the flesh and despairing of themselves, thinking that God would no longer accept them if they correct themselves, should remain in the same things and perish.

“If one must boast, I will boast in the things of my weakness.” He says this because if a Christian must boast, he must boast in the humility by which one grows before God. Hence he says in another place: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10); that is, when I am humbled for the salvation of the brothers, then I am exalted. One must boast of this, not of fleshly descent, that one is of the seed of Abraham.

“The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for ever, knows that I do not lie.” He gives God as witness so that what he says may readily be believed; and this at least because of those who did not honour him as a true apostle.

“At Damascus the governor of the nation under King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes to seize me; and I was let down through a window in a basket over the wall, and escaped his hands.”