The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Chapter 10
i. In this and the two next chapters Paul defends his apostleship against the false apostles, who held him up to contempt as vile and despicable , and accused him of over-harshness, audacity, and insolence. Paul here points out that his arms are not carnal but spiritual, and therefore all the more powerful, because it is theirs to cast down all the strongholds, counsels, and wisdom of the world, as well as to inflict punishment on all disobedience.
ii. He contrasts (ver. 12) the boast of the false apostles of the provinces traversed and converted by them with the actual journeyings and conversions wrought by himself.
Observe that these false apostles envied the glory of Paul, and wished to destroy it by their own eloquence, boasting, and calumnies . It appears, from xi. 22, that they were Jews, and were greedy of gain and glory, braggarts, and self-assertive. From xi. 4 it also appears that they preached Christ in appearance, but were endeavouring to gradually subvert the Gospel by Judaism and its errors (xi. 3; xii. 13). Of this class were Cerinthus, Ebion, and other Judaisers, who bitterly persecuted S. Paul as an apostate from their law. 1 Cor. xv. was an exposition of the resurrection against the teaching of Cerinthus.
Ver. 1. — Now I Paul myself beseech you. Hitherto I have pleaded the cause of others, the poor ; now I am going to speak for myself. I beseech you to observe my admonitions and the precepts which, as your Apostle, I have given you concerning a true Christian life.
By the gentleness of Christ He beseeches them, says Theophylact, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, that reverencing them they may lovingly hear, receive, and obey the entreaty of Paul. In the second place, he does it to signify that he imitates the meekness of Christ, not His severity. I do not order you, he seems to say, although by virtue of my apostleship I might, but I beseech you by the gentleness of Christ, which I imitate and ever keep before me. For Christ in rebuking, teaching, and guiding men, showed wondrous patience, kindness, and gentleness, as when He received into grace Matthew, the Magdalene, and other sinners, and most lovingly forgave them all their guilt and punishment without harsh words or blows.
In presence am base among you . When I am with you, I seem in outward appearance mean and base (cf. ver. 10); but when away from you, I am bold and confident. He speaks ironically ; for, as the next verse tells us, the false apostles, who held him up to execration, used to say : “ Why do you make so much of Paul ? He is a base and worthless fellow. Apollos and others have far more grace and eloquence ; there is no comparison between them. By the side of them he is ignorant and unpolished. Why, then, does he take upon himself, why does he presume, when away from you, to send you such threatening letters, rebuking you, ordering, scolding, excommunicating you ? ” S. Paul imitates the false apostles, and repeats their words, as much as to say : “ I am not the domineering, insolent , severe, threatening man, when absent, that my detractors make me, but I beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ.” Cf. vers. 9, 10 (Chrysostom).
Ver. 2. — But I beseech you that I may not be bold, I beseech you to lovingly receive my admonitions, lest when I come to you and see your disobedience, rebellion, and contumacy, I use my boldness and power to inflict excommunication and other spiritual punishment , which I am thought to have already inflicted arbitrarily (Anselm). The Latin version reads the passive, I am thought ; but Theophylact takes it actively — I think, I propose to boldly punish some evil-disposed persons.
Which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. As though we lived a carnal life, or better, as though we used carnal means, such as fleshly, human, and political wisdom, in doing by letter what I dare not do in person.
The Apostle says that they walk, fight, and glory according to the flesh, who, after the manner of carnal and crafty men, walk and boast in outward gifts, such as birth, prudence, eloquence, good looks, sagacity, and by means of these seek to gain the applause of men, and so win them to their side and overthrow their enemies. That this is his meaning is evident from the contrast drawn between these arms and spiritual arms in ver. 4. So, in xi. 18, he says that the false apostles boast according to the flesh, i.e., of external gifts. In v. 15, 16, again, he says that he knows no one, not even Christ, according to the flesh. In 2 Cor. i., he contrasts the natural and carnal wisdom of philosophers and orators with the spiritual wisdom of Christians, and especially of Apostles. Cf. also Gal. iii. 3.
Ver. 4 . — For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. Carnal weapons are such as serve for carnal and bodily warfare and life, as the honours, pleasures, and power of this world. This the Apostles did not use in their task of subduing the world to Christ. Or rather, as said above, carnal weapons are human arts, sciences, reasonings, systems, eloquence, flatteries, boasting, hypocrisies, affected gravity and prudence, all of which are used by men of the world to gain influence and respect ; while true and solid authority , such as Paul and the other Apostles had, is the gift of God, and is not to be obtained by external gifts or by assumed gravity, but rather by the display of virtue, wisdom, and holiness.
But mighty through God. Or, are the power of God. Through them God works powerfully in the minds of the hearers — converts them to the faith, makes them accept our preaching, brings them under subjection to Christ, so that we gain credence to what we say, and obtain what we want. These weapons are, says Anselm, (1.) Vehement spiritual zeal; (2.) Efficacious preaching, through God seeming to lend weight and force to our words; (3.) Wisdom; (4.) Courtesy; (5.) Holiness; (6.) Miracles; (7.) Frequent prayer; (8.) Purity of intention ; (9.) Patience ; (10.) Charity. When they see us men of the most blameless life, seeking not their wealth or honours, but their salvation only, and that by many labours, sacrifices, afflictions, daily death and martyrdom, and preaching to them with such zeal and ardour that all acknowledge Christ, and glorify Him and His Father — by all these things, as though by a most powerful dart, they are struck and wounded in their consciences, they yield, and believe our words and our doctrines. By these weapons do we Apostles destroy the vices and storm the kingdom of the devil, even the whole world. Hence apostleship and preaching of the Gospel are rightly called a warfare. Cf.
To the pulling down of strong holds . All reasonings, syllogisms, sophisms, eloquence, philosophic virtues, worldly power, grace, friendship, and all that the Gentiles and devils opposed to the preaching of the Gospel by the Apostles (Chrysostom and Anselm).
Ver. 5. — Casting down imaginations . Or, with Theophylact reasonings. The Syriac and Erasmus give imaginations; the Latin version, counsels . By our weapons we destroy all the counsels of the prudent of this world, by which they strive to overthrow the Gospel, to strengthen against it their heathenism, and to put their philosophers before Christ and us.
And every high thing . Every height, both of human and philosophic wisdom, as well as of diabolic magic, such as of Simon Magus and others, and of royal and imperial power. Imaginations and heights were the two towers set up by the Gentiles against the Apostles, one of which seemed impregnable through its intricate wiles, and the other by its height and strength. Yet both yielded to the weapons of the Apostles.
That exalteth itself against the knowledge of God. That knowledge of God given to us by Christ, and which we, His Apostles, teach throughout the world ; faith, that is, in the Three in One, in the Son of God, in His Incarnation and death, in the Cross and its Redemption.
into captivity. Every thought, every intellect, however full of resources, however exalted in wisdom, must surrender as a conquered foe, and obey the Gospel of Christ.