The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Chapter 8
ii. He points (ver. 9) to the example of Christ, who for our sakes was made poor, that through His poverty we might be rich.
iii. He urges them (ver. 10) to fulfil their purpose and half-promise, and bids each one give according to his means.
iv. He says (ver. 13) that by so doing rich and poor will be equalised, through the former giving their temporal goods in return for spiritual benefits.
v. He reminds them (ver. 16) that he had sent Titus and other Apostles to make this collection, and warns them that if they put His messengers to shame they themselves will also be put to shame before them.
The first example of the almsgiving referred to in this and the next chapters is related by S. Luke (Acts xi. 28). This famine under Claudius is referred by many to his fourth year, by Baronius to his second, a.d. 44. From S. Luke’s narrative it appears that the Christians of Antioch zealously met the famine beforehand with alms by the hands of Barnabas and Paul. Many years afterwards, in a.d. 58, the collection spoken of in this chapter was made in Corinth and the neighbouring places. Further, a greater and more lasting cause of the poverty of the Christians of Jerusalem was the constant persecution suffered by them at the hands of the Jews since the death of Stephen, frequently taking the form of banishment and confiscation of their goods (Acts viii. 1, and Heb. x. 34). From that time forward the Jews were sworn foes to Christ, and bitterly persecuted the Christians ; and since the Church of Jerusalem was the mother of all others, the custom prevailed amongst Christians in all parts of the world of sending help to the poor of that Church. When Vigilantius found fault with this custom in the time of Theodosius, S. Jerome, writing against him, testifies to its prevalence with approbation. He says : “ This custom down to the present time remains , not only among us, but also among the Jews, that they who meditate in the law of the Lord day and night, and have no lot in the earth save God only , be supported by the ministry of the synagogues, and of the whole earth.”
In this chapter, then, the Apostle is urging the Corinthians, as being rich, to the duty of almsgiving. Corinth was the most frequented emporium of Greece, and in it were many wealthy merchants.
Ver. 1. — Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God. God has given to the Macedonian Christians great patience, liberality , and pity for others.
Ver. 2. — How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy . When greatly tried by sundry tribulations, they were very joyful.
And their deep poverty abounded. Having sounded the depths of poverty, the Macedonians, as it were, broke out into plentiful and abundant kindness and almsgiving.
Liberality is given in the Latin version simplicity, and denotes a pure, liberal, and ready will to give. Liberality is measured not by the greatness of the gift, but by the promptitude of the mind, as Chrysostom and Theophylact say. “ Simplicity ,” says Ambrose (Ep. 10), “ weighs not pros and cons, has no mean suspicions or dishonest thoughts, but overflows with pure affection.” Cf. Rom. xii. 8.
Ver. 3. — For to their power . . . they were willing . Of their own free will, without being solicited, they came forward and contributed as much as and more than they were able to afford.
Ver. 4. — Praying us . Begging us to undertake the gracious work of collection, and take our part in it. The Apostle often applies the word χάρις (gift) to what is gratuitous and munificent. Here he applies it to the work of collection. In ver. 7 and elsewhere he applies it to the alms itself.
Ver. 5. — Not as we hoped. They gave much more than we expected.
But first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us. They first surrendered themselves to the will of God and then to ours, to do and give whatever I wished.
Observe here that they who give alms ought, if they are to do it properly, first to give their hearts to God, and in token that they have so surrendered themselves to Him, they ought then to give alms, as tribute paid to Him.
By the will of God. God wishes people to follow our directions, and regard our wish as His, and us as the interpreters of His will, so what we will God also wills to be done by those under us. He Himself says: “He that heareth you heareth Me” (Anselm and Theophylact).
Ver. 6. — Insomuch that we desired Titus . We asked Titus to collect these alms, just as we had collected them in Macedonia. We doubted not for a moment that the liberality of the rich Corinthians would not be outshone in readiness and amount by the poverty of the Macedonians. This is to stimulate the Corinthians to liberality by the example of the Macedonians.
Ver. 7. — See that ye abound in this grace also. See that, as ye abound in faith, care, and love towards me, so ye abound in almsgiving to the poor (Anselm).
Ver. 8. — By occasion of the forwardness of others. I do not command , but seek to move you by the example of the Macedonians, who were so anxious to help the poor.
And to prove the sincerity of your love. I say this to make test of your love, sincerity, and goodness, and to stimulate you by others' example. The Latin ingenium, which is the rendering of the Greek γνήσιον, does not here denote the good disposition of charity, as Anselm thinks, in which case the meaning would be : I say this, not to test and show that your charity has a good disposition, by its suggesting, dictating, and advising that you do this good deed without any order from me ; but γνήσιον denotes, not ingenium but ingenuum , or an innate disposition. Again, the word for prove has the double idea of testing and then demonstrating. Maldonatus, indeed (Note Manusc.), renders it, “longing to prove to others;” for, as he says, the Greek verb here denotes not the effect but the affection.
Ver. 9. — For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is a fresh stimulus to almsgiving. Christ, the King of kings, for your sakes became poor when He was born in the stable, because there was no room for Him in the inn. Instead of His royal throne He had a manger; for bedding, hay; for fire, the breath of ox and ass ; for curtains, spiders’ webs ; for sweet perfumes, stable ordure ; for purple, filthy rags ; for His stud, ox and ass ; for a crowd of nobles, Joseph and Mary. So, too, His whole after-life was stamped with poverty, or, as Erasmus renders the Greek here, with beggary. From this it appears that Christ was not merely poor, but was also an actual beggar.
That ye through His poverty might be rich. Rich with spiritual riches, with lessons of godliness, with forgiveness of sins, righteousness , holiness, and other virtues. The Corinthians are tacitly bidden, if they wish to imitate Christ closely, to enrich the poor with their alms, to impoverish themselves so as to enrich others. Cf. Anselm on the riches and poverty of Christ, and Chrysostom (Hom. 17), who points out how the Christian should not be ashamed of or shrink from poverty.
S. Gregory Nazianzen ( Orat. 1 in Pascha) beautifully contrasts our benefits and Christ’s loving-kindness. He says : “ Christ was made poor that we through His poverty might be rich. He took the form of a servant that we might regain liberty. He descended that we might be exalted. He was tempted that we might overcome. He was despised that He might fill us with glory . He died that we might be saved. He ascended , to draw to Himself those lying prostrate on the ground through sin’s stumbling-block.” S. Augustine again says beautifully : “ What will His riches do if His poverty made us rich ?” Lastly, from these words of the Apostle, Bede infers : “ All good faithful souls are rich : let none despise himself. The poor in his cell , being rich in his conscience , sleeps more quietly on the hard ground than he that is rich in gold sleeps in purple.”