A CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL COMMENTARY

ON

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF ST PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS

BY

ALFRED PLUMMER

Master of University College, Durham

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Latest impression 1999

ISBN 0 567 05028 9

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

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THE INTERNATIONAL CRITICAL COMMENTARY

on the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments

general editors

S. R. DRIVER

Regius Professor of Hebrew, Oxford

A. PLUMMER

Master of University College, Durham

and

C. A. BRIGGS

Edward Robinson Professor of Biblical Theology, Union Theological Seminary, New York

presently under the editorship of

J. A. EMERTON

C. E. B. CRANFIELD

G. N. STANTON

PREFACE

Since the volume on the First Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians appeared, circumstances have arisen, some of which have affected the present volume, while others must affect volumes in this series which still remain unpublished.

The increase of episcopal work which had fallen to the lot of the Bishop of Exeter, and the ill-health from which he suffered for a considerable time, convinced the present writer that, in the interests of the Diocese and of the Bishop himself, he ought to offer to free the Bishop from the promise which he had kindly given of sharing with his former colleague the work of producing the present volume. This offer the Bishop, after much consideration, reluctantly accepted, and the commentary has been written without the advantage of his co-operation. The loss is great, but it is not quite total. The writer who has been left to do the work single-handed knows the Bishop’s mind about most of the important questions which are raised by this perplexing Epistle, and moreover he has had his article on it in Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (i. pp. 491–498) to aid him. Readers who miss in the present volume qualities which they valued in its predecessor may find in the above statement an explanation of the difference.

The changes of circumstances which must affect the remaining volumes of this series are more grave. The deaths of Dr. Briggs in June 1913 and of Dr. Driver in February 1914 are a loss, not only to these commentaries, but to Christendom. Wherever learning, acute criticism, and sound judgment are appreciated, the loss of two such scholars within less than a year will be deeply deplored; and it is impossible for their surviving colleague among the original editors of the International Critical Commentary adequately to express his own personal loss. Dr. Briggs and he were almost exactly the same age, and a year or two ago Dr. Briggs expressed to him a doubt whether either of them would ...