Criswell Theological
Review 4.1 (1989) 153-157.
Copyright © 1989 by The
COMMENTING ON COMMENTARIES
ON 2 CORINTHIANS
DAVID
S. DOCKERY
Southern Baptist
Theological Seminary
As
we prepare to teach the 1990 Winter Bible study on 2 Corinthians,
there are several important works worth noting. After
several years of
neglect by Pauline scholars, 2 Corinthians has
now attracted the atten-
tion it deserves. With the
forthcoming works by M. J. Harris in the
New
International Greek New Testament Commentary, and M.
E.
Thrall,
in the new International Critical Commentary, the interest in
this epistle will certainly continue to grow. This
important epistle has
numerous challenges for the interpreter. In many
ways, it is simul-
taneously the most passionate and
most difficult of the Pauline epistles.
Emphasis
on ministry, suffering, weakness, and genuine maturity will
bring rewards for students, teachers, and hearers as
well.
For the evangelical student, the
small work by M. J. Harris in
vol.
10 of the Expositor's Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 1976), even
though limited by space, is excellent and deserves
careful reading and
meditation. The top three full-leugth
commentaries include C. K.
Barrett
(Harper, 1974), V. P. Furnish in the Anchor Bible (Doubleday,
1984), and R. P. Martin in the Word Bible Commentary
(Word, 1985).
Barrett's
volume is outstanding, though his treatment of chaps. 10-13
will not satisfy everyone. Furnish has given us the
most careful exe-
getical treatment and has not
failed to tackle every major issue. If one
disagrees with Furnish, it will require competent
exegesis and theolo-
gizing to counter his
conclusions. Martin's work is a bibliographical
goldmine. It is worth consulting to trace out the
important articles on
the "problem passages" in 2 Corinthians
3, 5, and 10-13. Yet Martin
evidences his growing tendency toward speculative
interpretation, as
well as E. Kasemann's
influence upon him.
154
CRISWELL
THEOLOGICAL REVIEW
The second line of works on 2
Corinthians is headed by F. F.
Bruce in the New Century Bible (Eerdmans, 1971). It is a brief work
with great dependence on Barrett. P. Hughes, writing
in the New
International
Commentary, has produced a solid and reliable theo-
logical work well worth consulting. Four other
important works that
need to be mentioned are: G. R. Beasley-Murray (Broadman, 1971);
R.
V. G. Tasker (Tyndale New
Testament Commentary, 1958);
C.
Kruse (Eerdmans, 1987); P. Barnett, The Message of 2 Corinthians
(InterVarsity, 1988).
Some older works are difficult to
find, but are nevertheless very
useful. These include: H. A. W. Meyer (Bannerman,
1884); A. Plummer
(T.
& T. Clark, 1915); C. Hodge (1857) and J. H. Bernard, in vol. 3 of
the Expositor's
Greek Testament (1903). J. Denney's (1894) older and
out-of-print work is most reliable
and helpful throughout.
While there are dozens of
significant articles, in addition to the
fine contributions in this issue of CTR, there are
also more general
works that are most informative for those who wish to
focus on the
more challenging sections of this book. D. A.
Carson's From Tri-
umphalism to Maturity (Baker, 1984) superbly handles chaps. 10-13.
this volume. D. A. Black's Paul: Apostle of Weakness (Lang, 1984)
makes an important contribution to the issues of
weakness, suffering,
and glory in this epistle. H. D. Betz, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9: A Com-
mentary on Two Administrative Letters of the Apostle Paul (Fortress,
1985)
adds insight to these two middle chapters. D. Georgi
wrestles
with the numerous attempts to identify the opponents
and their doc-
trine in The
Opponents of Paul in Second Corinthians (Fortress,
1986).
Sociological approaches that provide useful insight to the issues
surrounding the Corinthian community can be found in
R. F. Hock,
The Social Context of
Paul's Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostleship
(Fortress,
1980) and W.A. Meeks, The First Urban Christians (Yale,
1983).
Two other volumes that should be consulted are K. F. Nickle's
The Collection: A Study
in Paul's Strategy
(Allenson, 1966) and D. W.
Oostendorp's Another Jesus: A Gospel of Jewish-Christian Superiority
in II Corinthians (Kamper, 1967).
Though dated, W. Schmithals' Gnos-
ticism in
the past two decades.
A recent work calling for a
"hermeneutics of retrieval" that brings
out the theology of 2 Corinthians, as well as
arguing for the integrity
of this complicated book, is Meaning and Truth in 2 Corinthians
(Eerdmans, 1987), by
F. Young and D. Ford. I highly recommend this
study. Another important and extremely valuable
recent work is
P.
Marshall's Enmity in
Dockery: COMMENTING ON COMMENTARIES 155
with the Corinthians (Mohr, 1987). A. T. Robertson's The Glory of the
Ministry (Revell,
1911) is a classic.
While none of us will need to
consult all of these works to
prepare to teach 2 Corinthians, these works
hopefully will guide us as
we seek to minister the word of God in the
churches in 1990. Second
Corinthians
depicts a powerful debate between Paul and the tri-
umphalist opponents who had
recently come to
fascinating account of this emotional conflict, it
is primarily a book
that communicates to Christ's church the message
that God's power is
made known in human weakness.
A bibliography of the works
mentioned in this brief article, in
addition to other works on 2 Corinthians,
follows. Let us thank God
for the labors that have gone into these works and
ask for divine
enablement in our study and exposition of this
challenging epistle.
Commentaries
Barnett,
Paul. The Message of 2
Corinthians. BST.
Varsity, 1988.
Barrett,
C. K. A Commentary on
the Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
HNTC.
Beasley-Murray,
George R. "2 Corinthians." In the Broadman Bible Commen-
tary, vol. 11, ed. by C. J.
Allen.
Bernard,
J. H. "The Second Epistle to the Corinthians." In The Expositor's
Greek Testament, vol. 3, ed. by W. R. Nicoll. 1903 reprint.
Eerdmans, 1970.
Bratcher,
R. G. A Translator's Guide to Paul’s
Second Letter to the Corin-
thians.
Bruce,
F. F. 1 and 2 Corinthians. NCB.
Bultmann, R. The Second Letter to the Corinthians.
Trans. by R. A.
Harrisville.
Calvin,
J. Commentary on the Epistles of Paul the
Apostle to the Corinthians.
Reprinted.
Denney,
J. The Second Epistle
to the Corinthians.
Duduit, Michael. Joy
in Ministry: Messages from II. Corinthians.
Baker, 1989.
Furnish,
V. P. II Corinthians.
Goudge, H. L. The Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
1927.
Hanson,
R. P. C. The Second
Epistle to the Corinthians. Torch.
SCM, 1954.
Harris, M. J. "2 Corinthians." In The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 10,
ed. by F.
E. Gaebelein.
156
CRISWELL THEOLOGICAL
REVIEW
Hering, Jean. The Second Epistle of
A. W. Heathcote and P. J. Allcock.
Hodge,
C. A Commentary on the Second Epistle to
the Corinthians
Reprinted.
Hughes,
P. E. Paul's Second Epistle to the
Corinthians. NICT; Grand
Eerdmans, 1962.
Kruse,
C. G. The Second
Epistle of Paul to the Corinthians. Grand
Eerdmans, 1987.
Lenski, R. C. H. The
Interpretation of
the Corinthians.
Martin,
R. P. 2 Corinthians. WBC.
Meyer,
H. A. W. Critical and Exegetical Handbook
to the Epistles to the
Corinthians.
Moule, H. C. G.
The Second Epistle to the Corinthians.
and Inglis, 1962.
Plummer,
A. A. A Critical and Exegetical
Commentary on the Second Epistle
of
________.The
Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
bridge:
Strachan, R. H. The Second Epistle of Paul to the
Corinthians. Moffatt; New
Tasker, R. V. G. The Second Epistle of Paul to the
Corinthians. Tyndale.
General
Works
Baird,
W. "Visions, Revelations, and Ministry: Reflections on 2 Corinthians
12:1-5 and Galatians 1:11-17." JBL 104 (1985) 651-62.
Barrett,
C. K. The Signs of an Apostle.
________."Paul's Opponents in II Corinthians." NTS 17 (1971) 233-54.
SJT
14 (1961) 60-76.
Betz,
H. D. 2 Corinthians 8 and 9: A Commentary
on Two Administrative
Letters of the Apostle Paul. Ed. by G. W. MacRae.
1985.
Black,
D. A. Paul: Apostle of Weakness.
Bornkamm, G. "The History of the Origin of
the So-Called Second Letter to
the
Corinthians." NTS
8 (1961) 258-64.
Carson,
D. A. From Triumphalism to Maturity.
Dunn, J. D. G. "2 Corinthians III. 17 -'The Lord is the
Spirit.'" JTS 21 (1970)
309-20.
Fee, G. D. "2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 and Food
Offered to Idols." NTS 23 (1977)
140-61.
Forbes,
C. "Comparison, Self-Praise and Irony: Paul's Boasting and the Con-
ventions of Hellenistic Rhetoric.." NTS 32 (1986) 1-30.
Friesen,
of 2 Corinthians 2:14-3:18
Dockery:
COMMENTING ON COMMENTARIES 157
Georgi, D. The Opponents of Paul in Second Corinthians.
Fortress, 1986.
Harris,
M. J. "Paul's View of Death in 2 Corinthians 5:1-10." In New Dimen-
sions
in New Testament Study, ed. by R. N. Longenecker and M.
C.
Tenney.
Hock,
R. F. The Social Context of Paul’s
Ministry: Tentmaking and Apostle-
ship.
Kennedy,
J. H. The Second and
Third Epistles of
Lincoln,
A. T. Paradise Now and Not Yet: Studies
in the Role of the Heavenly
Dimension in Paul’s Thought with
Special Reference to His Eschatology.
SNTSMS 43.
_________."'Paul
the Visionary': The Setting and Significance of the Rapture to
Marshall,
P. Enmity in
the Corinthians.
Martin,
R. P. "The Setting of 2 Corinthians." TB 37 (1986) 3-19.
Meeks,
W. A. The First Urban
Christians.
1983.
Moule, C. F. D. "
NTS 12 (1966) 100-23.
Nickle, K. F. The
Collection: A Study in Paul’s Strategy.
1966.
Oostendorp, D. W. Another Jesus: A Gospel of Jewish-Christian Superiority
in II Corinthians.
Proudfoot, C.
M. "Imitation of Realistic Participation? A Study of Paul's
Concept of
'Suffering with Christ'" Int 17 (1963) 140-00.
Robertson,
A. T. The Glory of the
Ministry.
Schmithals, W. Gnosticism in
Abingdon, 1971.
Spencer,. A. B. "The Wise Fool (And the Foolish Wise): A Study
of Irony in
Paul." NovT 4 (1981) 349-60.
Stephenson,
A. M. G. "A Defense of the Integrity of 2 Corinthians" in The
Authority and Integrity of the New
Testament, 82-97.
Tabor,
J. D. Things Unutterable: Paul’s Ascent
to
Roman, Judaic, and Early Christian
Contexts.
Press of
Theissen, G. The
Social Setting of Pauline Christianity: Essays on
Trans. by J. H. Schutz.
Thrall, M. E. "Super Apostles, Servants of
Christ, and Servants of Satan."
JSNT
6 (1980) 42-57.
Watson, F. "2 Corinthians X-XIII and Paul's
Painful Visit to the Corinthians."
JTS 35 (1984) 324-46.
Young,
B. H. "The Ascension Motif of 2 Corinthians 12 in Jewish, Christians,
and Gnostic
Texts." GTJ 9 (1988) 73-103.
Young, F. and D. Ford. Meaning and Truth in 2 Corinthians.
Eerdmans, 1987.
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