The Second Letter of Paul to the Corinthians

This text which was handed down as the second letter of the apostle Paul to the church in Corinth, was probably put together from parts of previous letters by Paul. The parts from which 2 Corinthians has been assembled were probably written not long after each other, possibly all in AD 56.

At the time when Paul is writing 2 Corinthians, his relations with the church in Corinth are profoundly disturbed. In 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 he writes about the dispute that happened the last time between him and the church. This makes 2 Corinthians one of the first documents in the history of the church which deals with an important conflict between a community of Christians and their leader.
These tensions determine the way in which Paul addresses the Corinthians. He wants to gain their support again by using personal and theological arguments.
Other themes are the suffering of Paul (2 Corinthians 1:5), consolation (2 Corinthians 1:3-7), the covenant between God and his people (2 Corinthians 3:6-18), reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:14-21), generosity (2 Corinthians 8–9), bragging (2 Corinthians 10–12) and mystical experience (2 Corinthians 12:1-10). Finally, it is worthy of note that the letter is written from a theological point of view where the Holy Spirit is important, without this point being specifically expanded on.

2 Corinthians is one of the most personal letters of Paul. The letter contains many long sentences and much theological vocabulary. What is striking are the short questions and answers which Paul uses to silence his opponents in a decisive way (see for example 2 Corinthians 11:22-23).