2 Corinzi 11:3

3 Ma temo che come il serpente sedusse Eva con la sua astuzia, così le vostre menti siano corrotte e sviate dalla semplicità e dalla purità rispetto a Cristo.

2 Corinzi 11:3 Meaning and Commentary

2 Corinthians 11:3

But I fear lest by any means
Jealousy is always attended with fear, care, and solicitude, whether in things natural or spiritual. The apostle, as things were in this church, could not but express his fears, lest

as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety;
that is, the old serpent the devil, who made use of a serpent, the most subtle creature of all the beasts of the field, and seduced Eve from her obedience to God, to transgress his command, by eating the forbidden fruit. The apostle here speaks the language and sense of the Jews, who say ^F16, that, (Mhl dxa Mv vxnw Njv) "Satan and the serpent have one name", i.e. are the same; and that it was the old serpent (the devil), (hwxl ytpd) , "that beguiled Eve" ^F17, and who is said to be corrupted by him;

``the serpent (they say ^F18) was corrupted first, after that, (hwx hlqlqtn) , "Eve was corrupted", and after that Adam was corrupted.''

So the apostle was jealous and fearful, knowing that the false apostles were ministers of Satan, artful and cunning men, lest, through their craftiness and sophistry,

your minds,
says he,

should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ;
that is, lest their judgments should be misled, their minds be vitiated with corrupt principles, and be carried away in any degree with the error of the wicked, from off the pure and simple doctrine of the Gospel, which respects the person and grace of Christ; and chiefly lies in this one plain, easy, and important truth, salvation alone by him. The Vulgate Latin version reads, "your minds should be corrupted, and should fall from the simplicity that is in Christ".

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Caphtor, fol. 93. 1.
F17 Raya Mehimna in Zohar in Exod. fol. 50. 1.
F18 T. Bab. Taanith, fol. 15. 2.

2 Corinzi 11:3 In-Context

1 Oh quanto desidererei che voi sopportaste da parte mia un po’ di follia! Ma pure, sopportatemi!

2 Poiché io son geloso di voi d’una gelosia di Dio, perché v’ho fidanzati ad un unico sposo, per presentarvi come una casta vergine a Cristo.

3 Ma temo che come il serpente sedusse Eva con la sua astuzia, così le vostre menti siano corrotte e sviate dalla semplicità e dalla purità rispetto a Cristo.

4 Infatti, se uno viene a predicarvi un altro Gesù, diverso da quello che abbiamo predicato noi, o se si tratta di ricevere uno Spirito diverso da quello che avete ricevuto, o un Vangelo diverso da quello che avete accettato, voi ben lo sopportate!

5 Ora io stimo di non essere stato in nulla da meno di cotesti sommi apostoli.