THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS

COMMENTARY FROM THE OLD IRISH GLOSS

CHAPTER 1

1:1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia. apostle. — To establish his apostolic authority, he puts his own name at the beginning of the epistle. brother. — Timothy was their preacher and teacher, and a brother in the faith: it was not impossible that he may have been also a brother in the flesh.

1:4. Who comforteth us in all our tribulation. tribulation. — Both the trials of the present life and the [apprehension of] future punishment.

1:5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our con solation also aboundeth by Christ. consolation. — In the same degree as suffering is meted out to us, so is consolation also. God does not send suffering we cannot endure; and even for the sufferings we do endure, He gives us consolation.

1:9. But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead. death. — Of our nearness to death. sentence (or, answer). — We had the death of Christ for [a subject of] preaching; or, we were ready to suffer death for Christ; or [we had] tidings from death. Another interpretation is: life was a burthen to us. Question: What did we do? The reply is not difficult. We had the answer of death, that is, to pray urgently for our death, but we have not found it.

1:15. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit.1 benefit (or, grace). — i.e., penitence. Question: What is first grace? The answer is not difficult. The grace of forgiveness of sins through baptism. The second grace is the forgiveness of sins through repentance.

1:19. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea. yea. — It is difficult for us to speak falsehood, for He who speaks in us, i.e., Jesus Christ, is the Just One. There was not in Jesus Christ yea and nay, that is, the true and false, but in Him there is yea only, that is, the true, even everlasting righteousness.

1:23. Moreover, I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth. spare you. — Sparing you I came not to you at once to inflict vengeance and reprimand you, though I had power to do so, as Peter in the case of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts v. 1-10).

CHAPTER 2

2:1. But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you in heaviness. heaviness. — That it was not necessary to blame you on this occasion. In the former Epistle he rebuked them, and shewed them their sins; in this latter he forgives and comforts them. come. — The arrival of the Epistle he considers as his own coming.

2:15. For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. savour. — Because we inspire in each other the knowledge of Christ. saved. — Through the knowledge of the faith. perish. — They do not savour of the faith [preached] by us, and [yet] it is preached to them in every way.

2:17. For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ. speak we. — It is Christ we preach.

CHAPTER 3

3:3. Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us. epistle. — Because you fulfil the commands of Christ, while Christ is in your hearts.

3:6. The letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. killeth. — In that it avenges every one's sin on him, and there is future punishment for transgressing it. He says the letter killeth, because its burthen was " let him die the death." (Matt. xv. 4.)

3:13. And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished. vail. — To signify that the children of Israel did not understand the mysteries [of the law], and that there was a vail of unbelief between their hearts [and him].

3:14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ. day. — The day of the writing of this book (epistle). vail. — Because they believed not in Christ as He was prefigured in the mysteries of the law. untaken away. — From us, for there is no vail [to take away] between us and Christ; or, from those Jews, for they understood not, inasmuch as it is done away in Christ: for the vail of the letter was done away by faith in Christ. Question: What has been done with respect to them? The answer is not difficult: " Until this day remaineth the same vail," &c.

3:16. Nevertheless when it1 shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away. when it. — When Israel. Twelve thousand of them [out of each tribe] shall believe. Or, as many of them as believe shall understand the mysteries of the law.

3:17. Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. that Spirit. — As though he had said the Jews trust only to what is corporeal and physical. But the Lord is a spiritual Being, and all the new covenant is spiritual also. liberty. — Freedom from serving the law.

3:18. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. image. — [We become] like Christ in our manner of life: or, it refers to the image of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor.

CHAPTER 4

4:3. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. hid. — If our Gospel is dark to any one, it is not to those who fulfil it, but to those who do not believe it.

4:4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. glorious Gospel. — In which is preached the glory of Christ. image. — His natural form according to His Divinity.

4:6. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of dark ness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. hath shined. — It is for this reason we preach to you. light. — The fire1 of the Holy Ghost, by which we are skilled in the mysteries of God.

CHAPTER 5

5:2. In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. groan. — In the body: or, wearisome to us is the separation of the body and soul. clothed upon. — That an immortal house should be let down around us from heaven.

5:8. We are confident, I say, and willing father to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. absent. — We prefer to part from our bodies, if what we desired is exceedingly difficult; that is, to go to heaven in our bodies.

5:13. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God. beside ourselves. — From charity (love); that is, from meditating on God.

5:14. For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. constraineth us. — To be beside ourselves; or, not to think of the wishes and desires of the world, but that we should all be at one time meditating on God; at another, preaching for the love of God; both those things we do.

5:16. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet henceforth know we him no more. after the flesh. — Since Christ accomplished all these things for us, it is not right for anyone to yield to the desires of the flesh: or, we know of no Christ1 who died again for sinners. no more. — For He has risen and ascended.

5:20. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. ambassadors. — [We are on] an embassy, according to the words, "As my Father sent me, even so send I you." (John xx. 21.)

5:31. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. sin. — That is a [sin-offering; for they gave the name of sin to the offering that was made for sin. For the sin of Adam's seed, therefore, was this offering made, so that it is rightly termed "sin."

CHAPTER 6

6:2. For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. time. — The time of the New Testament: or, the lifetime of everyone. accepted time. — The time of the acceptance of faith by all, and the acceptance of all by God. salvation. — The salvation of all by faith.

6:4. But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses. distresses. — Distress of mind: or, hunger and cold.

6:5. In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings. labours. — Up to this he enumerates compulsory sufferings; he then refers to voluntary trials.

6:7. By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left.1 left hand. — That pride may not take possession of us in prosperity, nor despair in adversity.

6:10. As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing: as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. all things. — All spiritual mysteries: or, all food from our own labour, that we may not suffer hunger or cold, according to the saying, " The whole world belongs to the faithful man."

CHAPTER 7

7:1. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. beloved. — He describes them by three names here [and in chap. vi.], i.e., the temple of God, his sons, and his dearly-loved ones. ourselves. — He joins himself with them, as is the custom of good teachers.

7:10. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. sorrow of the world. — About the cares of the world; sorrow for anything that has perished, and for anything unattainable, and for anything that another has, and you have not.

CHAPTER 8

8:20. Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us. blame us. — For appropriating alms: or, the suspicion that the collection they brought would not be sent to Jerusalem: or, the taking of pay for our preaching. As I do not receive [any], neither does Luke.

8:23. They are the messengers of the churches, and the glory of Christ. glory. — They preach the glory of God in all the churches.

CHAPTER 9

9:1. For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you. ministering. — Two things are treated of in the following passage: It is the preaching of morality to all the Corinthians. I do not speak to you, he says, of the alms which are taken to Jerusalem, for 1 know you are ready to give. Or, it refers to the alms he had suggested before; but it is on account of the laity he refers to them now; as for ecclesiastics and perfect ones, there was no need to remind them.

CHAPTER 10

10:7. If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. Christs. — As he had just boasted that he had power, he declares now that he is a servant, and not the lord ; and having then said he is a servant, he reflects again that he should perform the work of servant; hut let not any one suppose that he is no more than a servant; and that even when we boasted it was not for love of boasting, but for your advantage, so that you might believe, and be imitators of my example, and might not believe in any one who could not do these works.

10:10. His letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. speech. — His discourse is not eloquent; that is, it is not powerful, but it is simple and clear. letters. — Important are the judgments which are written in his epistles.

CHAPTER 11

11:1. Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. bear. — You bear with one who is worse to you, viz., the false apostle.

11:2. That I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. virgin. — Who does not think of anyone else but Christ.

11:3. For I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. corrupted. — It was to Eve the serpent went first, and not to Adam, for the woman is weaker than the man. I am not surprised then that you should be treated as weak people.

11:14. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Satan. — He begins to claim even equality with God.

11:24. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. forty. — Save one ; that is, one thong was wanting to it when it struck, and thus it was "save one :" or, it is the blows themselves, that is, forty blows, less one, i.e., not together, but each separately, five forties of blows : or, a special kind of scourge wherein there were forty thongs.

11:27. In hunger and thirst, in fastings often. fastings. — i.e., compulsory fastings.

11:28. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. without. — Thinking of the faithful brethren. care of all the churches. — Lest false apostles should come to them.

CHAPTER 12

12:6. For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool: for I will say the truth, but now I forbear. forbear. — I abase myself: or, I cut short my story, lest I should be a fool: I have not recounted all I saw, lest my hearers should honour me, i.e., lest I should be considered not a man but a God.

12:7. There was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. thorn in the flesh. — Headache i1 or persecution: or fleshly appetites, according to Isidore."

12:8. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. besought. — What is contrary to salvation is denied to us not withstanding our prayers for it. it. In nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing. chiefest. — Those who were in the presence of Christ.

CHAPTER 13

13:2. I told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present the second time. present. — He is present when his epistle is read.

13:4. We also are weak in1 him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you. weak in him (or, with him). — We bear the likeness of His human nature.

13:5. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? reprobates. — Unless you practice what was preached to you.

13:14. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. grace. — Of the remission of sins. love of God. — God's love to you, and your love to God. communion. — So that the Holy Ghost may be in you. with you. — Let it be given to you all.