In 2 Corinthians 12:7–8 Paul speaks of receiving a “thorn in the flesh.” This problem prompted him to seek the Lord three times to remove it. What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? Thorny Answers Interpreters speculate over what this “thorn in the flesh” might mean. Some associate it with a recurrent illness or physical limitation Paul suffered. They sometimes connect it to Galatians 4:13–15. Here Paul says that he first preached to the Galatians in the “weakness” of his... Read more
Christians are not the only ones who value faith. The Romans considered faith—fides in Latin—to be one of their cardinal virtues along with piety, gravity, and constancy. Faith impacted the way they received the gospel, as we discovered in my previous post (“Don’t Stop Believing”). We continue finding more insights when comparing Roman fides with and Christian faith. Roman Faith and Four Types of Commitment Cicero, the famous Roman statesman, rhetorician, and philosopher, considers faith to be the basis of... Read more
I start this post while watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and seeing a masked group of enthusiasts at Time’s Square await the New Year. The classic rock group Journey comes on and plays their 80’s hit, “Don’t Stop Believin‘.” Yes, that’s the right message as we embark on 2022. Amidst uncertainties related to the resurging virus, inflation, political divisions, smash and grab bandits, and my almost getting hit by a reckless driver while walking earlier today, I’m looking... Read more
The new Spider-Man movie, No Way Home, has come upon us. This film opens up the multiverse for our hero, and it looks like several of Spidey’s old villains are returning. Marvel movies prompt a biblical theologian like me to ask, “What do superheroes and the gospel of Christ have in common?” My Story and Stan Lee’s Code As a comic-book aficionado since childhood, I essentially learned how to read by reading comics. And for my special report in the 3rd... Read more
We already read about five misconceptions in 1 Corinthians from my earlier post. Here are four more misconceptions from some of the later chapters. First Corinthians 11:1-16 Readers often assume that this passage, which speaks of women veiling their hair, has to do with female submission to men, and even to angels. We read in 1 Cor 11:10: “For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels” (NKJV). However, there is a better interpretation... Read more
We often hear Paul’s second largest letter, 1 Corinthians, read at wedding ceremonies. Its famous “love” chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, is considered one of the most beautiful pieces of poetry regarding love. The letter also famously speaks of the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection of Christ, among many other things. There are also a number of popular misconceptions about this letter. We will cover five of them, beginning with the well-known chapter on love. First Corinthians 13 This... Read more
In 2 Corinthians 4:4 the apostle Paul says: The “god of this age” has blinded the minds of unbelievers from seeing the light of the gospel so that they could understand and follow Christ. In the Greek, there is no distinction between an upper case “God” or lower case “god.” Theos can mean either of these depending on syntax and context. There are a few competing views regarding the identity of this being. Five Views of the “God of this... Read more
What do I mean by reading the Bible intertextually? And what is intertextuality? The term refers to our detecting words in a given text that can be found in another text (broadly speaking). In the Bible we see this happening all the time whenever a New Testament author references or alludes to a person, place, or thing from the Old Testament. And of course, this also happens whenever New Testament authors quote something from the Old Testament. A famous example... Read more
I had the recent privilege of interviewing Dr. Robert A. Mullins, Professor and Chair of the Biblical and Religious Studies Department at Azusa Pacific University. Dr. Mullins is an outstanding archaeologist and fellow colleague who recently wrote a book that is extremely helpful for Bible enthusiasts, students, ministers, and academicians alike: Atlas of the Biblical World (Fortress Press). This user-friendly work, co-authored by Professor Mark Vitalis Hoffman of United Lutheran Seminary, is a virtual tour guide of the biblical world.... Read more
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Top 10 Commentaries on 2 Corinthians
Second Corinthians is one of Paul’s most complex letters. Biblical interpreters may need to consult good commentaries to help navigate through its dense 13 chapters. Questions related to the letter as a whole include these: Why is it that, in the earliest chapters, Paul writes amiably to the Corinthians, but in the later chapters he seems to be almost throwing stones at them? Who are his opponents in this letter? What is he defending himself against? Why do lists of... Read more