2 Corinthians 12:2-10
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- Reading the Text:
- NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
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- The Bible Gateway: NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
- The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Greek text with concordance, commentaries.
- The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
- Historical References, Commentary and
Comparative Texts:
- Comparative World Scriptures from United Communities of Spirit:
- Vision III.3, Shepherd of Hermas. (c.145)
- II.XXX.7, III.XX.1, V.II.3, V.III.1, V.V.1, Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons. (c. 180)
- Chapter XXIV, The Prescription of Heretics, Tertullian (c. 200)
- II.3, On The Apparel of Women, Tertullian (c. 202)
- I.14, I.29, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 207)
- Chapter IX, On the Soul, Tertullian (c. 210)
- Chapter IX, Chapter XLVII, On the Resurrection of the Flesh, Tertullian (c. 211)
- V.12, Against Marcion, Tertullian (c. 212)
- Concerning Flight in Persecution (paragraph 2) Tertullian (c. 212)
- Chapter XIII, Scorpiace, Tertullian (c. 213)
- Chapter XIII, On Modesty, Tertullian (c. 217)
- II.VII.4, First Principles (De Principiis), Origen. (c.225)
- V.III, VII.XIV, The Refutation of all Heresies (Philosophumena), Hippolytus of Rome. (c. 225)
- I.XLVIII, VI.VI, VII.XLIII, Against Celsus, Origen (c. 246)
- On the Mortality -- Cyprian of Carthage (c. 252)
- III.24, VII.25, Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius of Caesarea (c 320).
- The Vision of Paul (c 350?)
- From the
Geneva Notes.
- "He concludes that he will only set his miseries against the vain braggings of the false apostles, and with this also excuses himself, because by their troublesome braggings he was forced to speak as much of those things as he did. That is, because if his apostleship were subverted, his doctrine would necessarily fall."
- From
Matthew Henry's
Commentary.
- "Troubles are sent to teach us to pray; and are continued, to teach us to continue instant in prayer. Though God accepts the prayer of faith, yet he does not always give what is asked for: as he sometimes grants in wrath, so he sometimes denies in love."
- From
Wesley's Notes.
- "We see there may be grace where there is the quickest sense of pain."
- From the
Commentary on the Whole Bible
(Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
- "to buffet me--In Greek, present: to buffet me even now continuously. After experiencing the state of the blissful angels, he is now exposed to the influence of an evil angel. The chastisement from hell follows soon upon the revelation from heaven. As his sight and hearing had been ravished with heavenly "revelations," so his touch is pained with the "thorn in the flesh.""
- From The People's
New Testament, B.W. Johnson, 1891.
- "The Lord answered his prayer, not by removing the thorn, but by giving grace to bear it, and by the assurance that Paul's sense of weakness, caused by it, fitted him to receive the divine strength."
- Contemporary Commentary, Studies and Exegesis:
-
- "Instead of being full of himself and his religious experience, Paul is aware that his own weakness, his emptiness is the occasion for the presence of the living Christ..."
-
-
"First
Thoughts on Passages on Year B Epistle Passages in the Lectionary,"
Pentecost 5, William
Loader, Murdoch University, Uniting Church in Australia.
- "He was a strange man, a world apart from us, but his issues remain just as relevant today. The struggle is still on."
-
"Earthly Vision,"
- "One of Paul's objectives in writing this letter is to try to direct this community's attention away from so much that sparkles and beguiles, and to encourage them to think faithfully, in the manner of Christ."
- "Paul's Humiliation," Rev. Bryan Findlayson, Lectionary Bible Studies and Sermons, Pumpkin Cottage Ministry Resources. Includes detailed textual notes.
-
Commentary, Luke A. Powery, The African American Lectionary,
2009.
- "God?s grace is sufficient for us. God?s grace will see us through any hard time, even those that try our very souls."
-
"Power Source," Daniel Harrell, The Christian Century, 2006.
- "The closest I get to the kind of religious experience the apostle Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 12 is the occasional Sunday when the music and the congregation merge in worship that is unrestrained praise."
-
"The
Gospel of our Weakness," guest essay by Dan Lewis.
- "In a contemporary culture that stresses personal autonomy and social advancement?even in a Christian sub-culture that at times succumbs to the siren song of political clout?we should more directly conform our mindset to the gospel of our weakness."
-
-
- "Yet even with Paul's wish to serve, even with his good motives, the Lord did not answer his prayer as he had asked or expected. This instead was the answer: 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' Good-bye, Paul Almighty. Hello, servant, through whom the power of Christ can shine."
- 2 Corinthians 12:7-12, Pentecost: Paul the Pastor in 2 Corinthians, David Fredrickson, Word & World Texts in Context, Luther Northwestern Theological Seminary, 1991.
-
- Articles & Background:
-
"Holy Men and
Their Sky-Journeys: A Cross-Cultural Model," John J. Pilch, Biblical
Theology Bulletin, 2005.
- "Insights from cultural anthropology, a science that compares cultures, and cognitive neuroscience, a discipline that deals with the one thing that all human beings have had in common for millennia: the human body, contribute to the construction of a model for analyzing and interpreting sky journeys made in alternate states of consciousness (ASCs) and reported in ancient literature."
-
"Declining with Grace," Robert C. and Elizabeth V. Roberts, (other
resources at)
"Aging," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2003.
- "Gratitude and generosity - two virtues that acknowledge we are not all strength and independence, but also (and very basically) weakness and dependency - prepare us for better adjustment in situations of loss."
-
"Power Made Perfect in Weakness," Rebecca Konynkyk DeYoung,
(other resources at)
"Suffering," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian
Ethics at Baylor University, 2005.
- "While our culture may idolize strength in adversity and tough self-reliance, courage has another side that many of us have not thought about much."
-
"Witchcraft Accusations
in 2 Corinthians 10 - 13: Paul in Social Science Perspective," Jerome H.
Neyrey, S.J.
- "Although the word "witchcraft" may initially sound disturbing, the model reveals typical mythological codes of perception, and allows us to glimpse the inner social dynamics of a group which employs such language and symbols."
-
"Satan Talk in Corinth: the Rhetoric of Conflict," Lee A. Johnson,
Biblical Theology Bulletin, 1999.
- "...Paul's Satan talk is a phenomenon arising out of social conflict over Paul's authority in Corinth, rather than a reflection of Paul's cosmology."
- "The
Fool's Speech and Its Context: Paul's Particular Way of Arguing in 2 Cor
10-13," Jan Lambrecht, Biblica, 2001.
- "Paul?s particular way of arguing in 2 Cor 10?13 is visible in the Fool?s Speech (11,22?12,10) as well as in its context."
- "The 'Third Heaven'," Douglas Ward, Voice Bible Studies, Christian Resource Institute.
-
"Spirituality
and the Avoidant Personality," L. Rebecca Propst, Lewis and
Clark College. Theology Today, 1992.
- "Dorothee Soelle in her critique of post-Christian apathy states that we are so dominated by the goal of avoiding suffering that we wall out the world and assume we have a God who does the same. But pain can be good if it furthers the process of its own abolition."
-
"Il 'discorso del
pazzo' o periautologia immoderata? Analisi retorico-letteraria di 2 Cor
11,1?12,18," Antonio Pitta, Biblica, 2006. English
Abstract. (Scroll down to Fasc. 4.)
- "The main thesis of the section (2 Cor 11,5-6) announces an apology of Paul?s superiority which will be proved not by means of verbose or empty elocution but by the facts: gratuity in evangelization, ministerial relationships with Christ, visions and revelations, all of them balanced by means of a paradoxical boasting in one?s own weakness."
-
"Holy Men and
Their Sky-Journeys: A Cross-Cultural Model," John J. Pilch, Biblical
Theology Bulletin, 2005.
- Recommended articles
from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are
linked below.
ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of
selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices.
- Adams, Joanna, "Paul Almighty,"
The Christian Century, 2003.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Akin, Daniel L., "Triumphalism,
Suffering, and Spiritual Maturity: An Exposition of 2 Corinthians
12:1-10 in Its Literary, Theological, and Historical Context,"
Criswell Theological Journal, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Baird, William,
"Visions, Revelation, and Ministry: Reflections on 2 Cor 12:1-5 and Gal
1:11-17," Journal of Biblical Literature, 1985.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Barrier, Jeremy, "Visions of
Weakness: Apocalyptic Genre and the Identification of Paul's Opponents
in 2 Corinthians 12:1-6," Restoration Quarterly, 2005.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Bash, Anthony,
"A Psychodynamic Approach to the Interpretation of 2 Corinthians 10-13,"
Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 2001.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Carl, William J., Jr.,
"Reflections on Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996. (see
Joy issue focus of The Living Pulpit 5.4, 1996.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Collins, Gerald,
"Power Made Perfect in Weakness: 2 Cor 12:9-10," Catholic Biblical
Quarterly, 1971.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Fredrickson, David, "Pentecost: Paul
the Pastor in 2 Corinthians," Word & World, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Garland, David,
"Paul's Apostolic Authority: The Power of Christ Sustaining Weakness (2
Corinthians 10-13)," Review and Expositor, 1989.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Goulder, Michael, "Vision and
Knowledge," Journal for the Study of the New Testament, 1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Harrell, Daniel, "Power Source,"
The Christian Century, 2006.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Loubser, J.A.,
"Exegesis and Proclamation: Winning the Struggle (Or: How to Treat
Heretics)," Journal of Theology for Southern Africa, 1991.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Mickey, Paul A.,
"Strength in Weakness: From Text to Sermon on II Corinthians 12:7-9,"
Interpretation, 1968.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Morray-Jones, C.R.A.,
"Paradise Revisited (2 Cor. 12:1-12): The Jewish Mystical Background of
Paul's Apostolate," Harvard Theological Review,
1993. Part 1.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Morray-Jones, C.R.A.,
"Paradise Revisited (2 Cor. 12:1-12): The Jewish Mystical Background of
Paul's Apostolate," Harvard Theological Review,
1993. Part 2.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - O'Collins, Gerald, S.J.,
"Power Made Perfect in Weakness: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10," The
Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1971.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Oschwald, Jeffrey A.,
"Homiletical Helps on LW Series B - Epistles," Concordia Journal,
2006. (Section on this text begins on p. 234.)
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Peterson, Brian K.,
"Conquest, Control, and the Cross: Paul's Self-Portrayal in 2 Corinthians
10-13," Interpretation, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Polaski, Sandra Hack, "2 Corinthians
12:1-10: Paul's Trauma," Review & Expositor, 2008.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Smith, Neil Gregor,
"The Thorn that Stayed: An Exposition of II Corinthians 12:7-9,"
Interpretation, 1959.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Walton, Jon,
"2 Corinthians 12:1-10," Interpretation, 1998.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Wangerin, Mark E., "Thirteenth Sunday
after Pentecost: 2 Corinthians 12:6-10," Concordia Journal,
1983.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Ward, Richard F.,
"Pauline Voice and Presence as Strategic Communication," Semeia,
1994.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials - Welborn, L.L.,
"The Identification of 2 Corinthians 10-13 with the 'Letter of Tears,'"
Novum Testamentum, 1995.
EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
- Adams, Joanna, "Paul Almighty,"
The Christian Century, 2003.
- Sermons:
- "The Weakness in Virtue, the Virtue in Weakness," J. Warren Smith, Faith and Leadership, 2010.
- "Strong in the Broken Places," the Rev. Dr. Robert Franklin, Day 1, 2009.
- With Children:
- "Strength in Weakness," Jim Kerlin, childrensermons.com.
- Drama:
- Liturgy:
- Prayer for People Who Are Struggling with Emotional Illness, Mental Health & Disabilities Program, Mennonite Central Committee, Canada.
- Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
-
- Hymns and Music:
- Hymns with Scripture Allusions: 2 Corinthians 12:9. The Cyber Hymnal.
- Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
- Movies Listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
- Study Links and Resources for the Book of 2 Corinthians
