II CORINTHIANS: INTRODUCTION TO THE LITERARY STRUCTURE

 Those wishing the complete text (with references) of the analysis abstracted below can contact me at dr2mccoy.hotmail.com.

Unity of the Letter

For the most part, Paul’s authorship of this epistle has been accepted as a given. However, in terms of unity, this letter is the most problematic in all the Pauline corpus. The specific problems in considering this work a discrete composition, and these are well rehearsed in the literature, are at least fourfold:

a. The passage 2:14-7:4 appears to be a separate document which was inserted into Paul’s account of his travels.

            b. In addition, 6:14-7:1 seems to break the train of thought of the immediate context in which it is located.

            c. II Corinthians 8 is a near duplicate of ch. 9.

            d. Verses 10:1-13:4 differ from the first part of the letter in tone and in several details.

These phenomena have led to a heated discussion in scholarly circles regarding opposing theories of composition, with opinions ranging from the basic unity of the letter to a six-letter hypothesis. Even if there were multiple documents behind the composition of II Corinthians, the present analysis will follow the lead of Childs, who advises that “it is equally important to realize that the canonical role of the final form of this book has its own integrity.” Determining the shape of our present text will be the goal of this article.

Divisions

In a broad sense, there is almost complete agreement concerning the major divisions of this letter. Broomall labels them Conciliation (1:1-7:16), Collection (8:1-9:15), and Credentials (10:1-13:14). The first of these sections begins with an introduction, whose exact bounds are somewhat disputed. The present treatment holds to the minority view that it consists of 1:1-7. There is a near consensus that 13:11-14 should be viewed as the conclusion of the letter. This results in the simple structure:

I. Introduction (1:1-7)

II. Conciliation (1:8-7:16)

III. Collection (8:1-9:15)

II'. Credentials (10:1-13:10)

I'. Conclusion (13:11-14)

Sections I (1:1-7) and I' (13:11-14)

The bounds of the concluding section are marked out by the mirror-image phrases “God of love” (13:11) and “love of God” (13:14). If these last four verses of the book are accepted as its conclusion, several lines of argument point to the first seven verses as its introduction. In the first place, 13:11 addresses the audience as “brothers,” a term known to begin many of the discrete literary sections within Paul’s writings. In II Corinthians, this address is found in only two other places – the start of Section III (9:1) and at 1:8. In 9:1, “brothers” is accompanied by the phrase “we want you to know.” The strikingly similar phrase “we do not want you to be ignorant” appears in 1:8. The inescapable conclusion is that 1:8 begins a major section of the epistle, thus setting the terminus of the introductory section at 1:7.

Several additional reasons can be cited for extending the limits of the introduction beyond the first two verses of ch. 1, as some would have it. First is the consideration of key words found in both the opening and closing verses of II Corinthians:

“All the saints” 1:2; 13:13

            “The grace...from/of...our...Lord Jesus Christ” 1:2; 13:14

            “peace” 1:2; 13:11

            “comfort” (verb) 1:4 (3x), 6; 13:11

These verbal parallels not only demonstrate the corresponding relationship between the Introduction and Conclusion; they also indicate that verses 1:4-6 are included in that relationship. One of the theological implications of these two framework sections of the epistle is to strongly emphasize Christ’s deity.

Section II (1:8-7:16)

One plausible organization for Section II is shown in Fig. 1. This threefold structure is emphasized by Paul’s distinctive use of pronouns. He speaks predominantly in the first person singular in IIA, first person plural in IIB, and alternates these usages in IIB'. Martin remarks that despite the many parallels between the preludes to IIB and IIA', the change in first person usage makes it hard to envision these passages as part of a once continuous travel narrative that has been interrupted by insertion of extraneous material. The purposeful scheme shown below seems to be a better explanation.

Figure 1: The Structure of Section II

Paul’s past travels (1:8-10)

A. The results of Paul’s “harsh” letter to the Corinthians (1:11-2:11)

Paul’s past travels (2:12-13)

B. “An eternal weight of glory” (2:14-7:4)

1. God’s word causes division (2:14-17)

2. “We...commend ourselves” (3:1-6)

3. Past, present and future contrasted (3:7-6:3)

a. We behold the glory of God (3:7-4:6)

                                            -----------------------------------------------------

                                                                        b. Our inner nature is being renewed (4:7-6:3)

2'. “We commend ourselves” (6:4-10)

1'. God’s word causes division (6:11-7:4)

Paul’s past travels (7:5-7)

A'. The results of Paul’s “harsh” letter to the Corinthians (7:8-16)

Paul's confidence in the Corinthians is expressed near the end of IIA (2:3), the end of IIB (7:4), and the end of IIA' (7:16). Paul’s travel itinerary functions as a set of prologues to introduce the three major parts of this section.

Section III (II Corinthians 8-9)

These two chapters constitute what is in many ways a doublet, giving rise to various theories concerning the origin of its composition. The two most attractive choices are to either view these verses as a unity or treat ch. 9 as a separate message to the Corinthians written soon after ch. 8 was complete, perhaps to a slightly broader audience. There are able defenders of both positions as well as those scholars who feel that there is not enough evidence to decide between the two options. The analysis below supports the unity theory.

Perhaps this section’s most obvious common factor, outside of its main theme of the collection for the Jerusalem church, is the repetition of key words and phrases to mark its borders. Some examples of these include: “the grace of God” (8:1; 9:14), “abundance/abound” (8:2; 9:12), “test” (8:2; 9:13), “generosity” (8:2; 9:11,13), “ministry” (8:4; 9:13), “to the saints” (8:4; 9:12) and “fellowship” (8:4; 9:13). The last example not only serves as an inclusio for the center Section III, but also closes out the whole letter (13:13). The Greek word for “grace/gift” appears exactly ten times in Section III. Quotations from and allusions to the Book of Proverbs figure prominently in both these chapters.

The next factor to consider is the above-mentioned two-part nature of this section, divided along chapter lines. Both 8:1 and 9:1 have all the earmarks of opening remarks. II Corinthians 8 begins, as previously noted, with an address to the “brethren” and the phrase “we want you to know.” Similarly, ch. 9 uses the key word “concerning” which plays such a role in delineating the divisions of I Corinthians. These two chapters also open with much of the same language and the common theme of a delayed collection (8:6; 9:2). Within this section, “churches” acts as an inclusio for Chapter 8 and “ministry” and “saints” serve the same function for ch. 9.

“The structure of the two chapters is virtually the same: theological warrant, derived argument, practical directives, but it is varied in part by a chiastic arrangement.” These perceptive words of Childs provide an excellent introduction to the organization shown in Fig. 2.

Figure 2: The Structure of Section III

Plural Introduction: The Macedonians held up as an example (8:1-7)

Singular                         A. The Corinthians’ willingness to give, not by command (8:8-12)

B. God blesses those who give – “as it is written” (8:13-15)

C. “Thanks be to God” (8:16)

Plural                                                              D. Brothers sent to take up collection (8:17-23)

E. Paul’s “boasting” about the Corinthians (8:24)

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Singular                                                                      E'. Paul’s “boasting” about the Corinthians

(9:1-2)

D'. Brothers sent to take up collection (9:3-5a)

Plural                              A'. The Corinthians’ willingness to give, not by command (9:5b)

 B'. God blesses those who give – “as it is written” (9:6-14)

C'. “Thanks be to God” (9:15)

Section II' (I Cor. 10:1-13:10)

The structural organization of this passage is seen in Fig. 3 to be much like that of its sister unit II: an ABA pattern in which the center segment is a five-part chiasm. As an inclusio for this section, 10:8 and 13:10 both speak in almost identical language of Paul’s authority given for building up the church, not destroying it.

Figure 3: The Structure of Section II'

A. Paul’s Coming Visit (10:1-18)

                        B. A Fool’s Speech (11:1-12:13)

1. Comparison with false apostles (11:1-21a)

2. Paul’s hardships (11:21b-33)

3. Paul’s vision (12:1-5a)

2'. Paul’s hardships (12:5b-10)

1'. Comparison with false apostles (12:11-13)

            A'. Paul’s coming visit (12:14-13:10)

Overall Structure

The three major sections of the epistle (II, III and II') can be seen, according to Hughes, as the respective past, present and future plans involving Paul’s visits to Corinth. “The gospel of Christ” also appears in all three major sections of this work: once each near the beginning of Section II (2:12), the end of III (9:13) and the start of II' (10:14). The division separating Section III into two symmetrical parts (as shown in Fig. 2) also serves as the center point of the whole letter. In accord with this proposed two-part division of the letter is the presence of the coupled words “God” and “love” at 9:7 and 13:14 to mark the start and conclusion of its second half.

Major Themes

As in our treatment of the companion epistle, the literary structure of II Corinthians can now be used to test various proposals concerning its main theme(s). In a broad sense, structural considerations would place Section III concerning the collection for the Jerusalem church at the center of emphasis for the book. This seems, from a human perspective, to be a rather specific (and time-bound) event to chose as the raison d'etre for a canonical book. Nonetheless, there are prominent commentators who defend this as the main reason behind the composition of the epistle. The issue, in fact, goes far beyond the mere money involved:

1. Childs notes that the theology behind this center section of II Corinthians “derives from a Pauline view of office and community,” as outlined in chs. 1-7.

            2. Raymond Brown’s opinion is that “the collection may have played a spiritual, ecclesiastical, and diplomatic function in Paul’s ministry.”

            3. According to Young and Ford, the collection for the Jerusalem church “is given extraordinary importance and breadth of implication by the very terms Paul uses to name it... This money seems to function like a sacrament of both the unity of Jews and Gentiles in the Church and the validity of Paul’s apostolate in relation to the original apostles in Jerusalem.”