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New Testament Notes
II Corinthians
The following notes are intended to supplement, not replace, the readings from the Bible and the text book.
Comments or questions should be sent to: Dr. Rollinson.
2 Corinthians :
The letter known as the "Second" Epistle to the Corinthians, while obviously written after the First Epistle, may not have been written as one single letter, but it is possible that it is a combination of two or more letters which Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth.
Those who favor this theory see a break in Paul's mood, and in the coherence of the letter, between chapters 1-9 and chapters 10-13. For instance, 2 Corinthians 1:15 speaks of Paul thinking of visiting Corinth a second time, though in 2 Corinthians 2:1 he decides not to visit them while saddened by their behavior. In 2 Corinthians 13:1 Paul writes "This is the third time I am coming to you", and then refers to his second visit (2 Corinthians 13:2) as having been one when he had to deal with trouble-makers. However, both "sections" deal with some of the on-going problems and questions which continued to crop up amongst the Corinthian Christians (and also among Christians in general even up to today).
Structure
- 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 : Greetings and Prayers
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 - 2:4 : Paul's visit delayed
- 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 : The Corinthians had dealt with one of their problems - either a trouble-maker, or the immoral man mentioned in 1 Corinthians.
- 2 Corinthians 2:12 - 7:16 : Paul describes his ministry, and challenges the Corinthians to amend their lives
- 2 Corinthians, chapters 8 & 9 : The collection of money for the poor in Jerusalem
- 2 Corinthians, chapters 10 & 11 : Troublemakers in the Church
- 2 Corinthians 12:1 - 13:4 : Paul's answers to the troublemakers
- 2 Corinthians 13:5-14 : Farewell warnings and reassurances.
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