Augsburg Commentary on the New Testament

II CORINTHIANS

•

Frederick W. Danker

Augsburg Publishing House

Minneapolis, Minnesota

AUGSBURG COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT

2 Corinthians

Copyright © 1989 Augsburg Publishing House

All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical articles or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any matter without prior written permission from the publisher. Write to: Permissions, Augsburg Publishing House, 426 S. Fifth St., Box 1209, Minneapolis MN 55440.

Scripture quotations, unless translated by the author directly from the Hebrew or Greek, are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches.

Quotations from Greek and Latin authors are translated by the author.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Danker, Frederick W.

2 Corinthians / Frederick W. Danker.

p. cm.—(Augsburg commentary on the New Testament)

Bibliography: p.

Includes index.

ISBN 0-8066-8868-8

1. Bible. N.T. Corinthians, 2nd—Commentaries. I. Title. II. Title: Two Corinthians. III. Title: Second Corinthians. IV. series.

BS2675.3.D36 1989

227′.307—dc19 89-51

CIP

To John Tietjen, Endangered Benefactor

Contents

Foreword

Abbreviations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Outline

Commentary

Selected Bibliography

Index of Ancient Authors and Writings

Glossary

Foreword

The AUGSBURG COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT is written for laypeople, students, and pastors. Laypeople will use it as a resource for Bible study at home and at church. Students and instructors will read it to probe the basic message of the books of the New Testament. And pastors will find it to be a valuable aid for sermon and lesson preparation.

The plan for each commentary is designed to enhance its usefulness. The Introduction presents a topical overview of the biblical book to be discussed and provides information on the historical circumstances in which that book was written. It also contains a summary of the biblical writer’s thought. In the body of the commentary, the interpreter sets forth in brief compass the meaning of the biblical text. The procedure is to explain the text section by section. Because the readers of the commentary will have their Bibles at hand, the biblical text itself has not been printed out. In general, the editors recommend the use of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible.

The authors of this commentary series are professors at seminaries and universities and are themselves ordained. They have been selected both because of their expertise and because they worship in the same congregations as the people for whom they are writing. In elucidating the text of Scripture, therefore, they attest to their belief that central to the faith and life of the church of God is the Word of God.

The Editorial Committee

Roy A. Harrisville

Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary

St. Paul, Minnesota

Jack Dean Kingsbury

Union Theological Seminary...