2 Corinthians Introduction
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We are now in a position to decide the issue of the “previous letter” and the “severe letter.” Clearly the “previous letter” predated 1 Corinthians; it has no connection with 2 Corinthians. But what of the “severe letter,” which some identify with a fragment within 2 Corinthians (6:14–7:1 or 10–13)?
Neither passage qualifies as the “severe letter.” For one thing, 6:14–7:1 is too brief and lacking too many marks of a letter to be considered a letter. For another, the “severe letter” is referred to retrospectively within chapters 10–13, namely at 10:10.
Some suggest chapters 10–13 was a separate letter, written not long after the dispatch of chapters 1–9. By this explanation, chapters 10–13 were editorially attached to the earlier letter as a kind of appendix at some later time.
This is questionable, as early Christians copying his manuscripts would not have felt at liberty to discard the concluding sentences of one and the opening sentence of another of Paul’s letters. The second-century manuscript evidence supports their unity.
Those seeing chapters 10–13 as fundamentally different from chapters 1–9, but whose approach is generally conservative, tend to resolve the problem by supposing Paul received news of a deteriorating situation in Corinth during the writing of the letter, which dramatically affected the character of chapters 10–13. But would Paul have sent a letter, the first part of which would now be redundant?
Moreover, the letter presents a natural progression. In chapters 1–2 Paul updated the Corinthians with his past movements after leaving them and explained why he did not directly return. Chapters 6–9 challenge them about current issues, particularly their continuing participation at pagan temples and their failure to complete the collection for Judean believers. In chapters 10–13 he anticipated his future (and final) visit to Corinth and exhorted his readers to set their house in order before he came. Thus 2 Corinthians presents a chronological logic, moving from past to present to future.