The Great Commentary of Cornelius a Lapide: the Second Epistle to the Corinthians
Chapter 11
i. After declaring his love for the Corinthians, he proceeds (ver. 4) to defend his apostleship against the false apostles, pointing out that they had bestowed no more of the Spirit, nor given more Christian doctrine than S. Paul.
ii. He says, moreover (ver. 7), that they preached the Gospel for the sake of gain, but he freely.
iii. He insists (ver. 22) on his being equally with them a Hebrew, and what they were not, a minister of Christ. He then enumerates the marks of his apostleship, his labours for Christ, his persecutions, scourgings, sufferings, anxieties, and the care of all the Churches, and in them all he glories.
Ver. 1. — Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly. In my boasting, which sounds like folly. It is, however, a mark of the highest wisdom on my part, for I do it out of zeal to protect the faith of the Gospel against the false apostles (Chrysostom and Anselm). S. Paul anticipates an objection : he is about to praise himself, and he meets beforehand any charge of vain-glory or self-seeking. The last clause, “ and indeed bear with me,” may be also indicative, and then it is a correction to his request for forbearance : “I need hardly make such a request : you do indeed bear with me.”
At the commencement of his self-praise he thrice excuses himself : (1.) by saying, “Would ye could bear with me ;” (2.) by calling himself foolish ; (3.) when he says : “I am jealous over you” — he takes such pains to excuse himself that the Corinthians may see the violence he does to his feelings when he descends to self-praise. Chrysostom says : “Just as a horse , when about to leap some deep and precipitous ravine , collects its strength , as though it would cross it at a bound , but when it looks down on the yawning gulf refuses the leap ; then , under the spur of the rider , approaches again and admits its ability to leap and the necessity of it by standing still for a time , till at last it takes courage , and of its own accord boldly makes the attempt ; so too S. Paul, like one about to throw himself over a precipice , when going to sing his own praises , retreats once , twice, and thrice, and at length falls to the task of praising himself.”
Ver. 2. — For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy . I cannot endure any rivals, such as these false apostles, who seek to seduce you. Paul calls his great and unbounded love “jealousy,” implying that he seeks to be first in the affections of the Corinthians. S. Chrysostom remarks on this jealousy being a jealousy of God, which implies that Paul does not seek the bride for himself but for Christ and God — not for his own glory, pleasure, or gain. Christ is the Bridegroom ; he is but the paranymph.
For I have espoused you to one husband. “ I have fitted you ” (Augustine, contra Manich. lib. ii.); “I have prepared you” (Am brose) ; “ I have united you ” (Theophylact). The Greek verb may well bear the three meanings of, “ I have invited you,” “ I have betrothed you,” “ I have united you in wedlock.” The three duties of the paranymph are : (1.) to gain the maiden’s affections for the bridegroom, and to do all he can to get her to be the wife of his friend ; (2.) to see that she is espoused to him; and, (3.) when betrothed, to unite them in marriage. S. Paul says in effect : I, as the paranymph of a spiritual marriage, have by my preaching betrothed you to one husband, Christ, and by betrothing you I have persuaded you to present yourselves to Christ as His espoused bride. Or better still, with Anselm and Theophylact : I have now espoused you to Christ through baptizing you into the Christian faith, that I may show you, or present you in the day of judgment, as virgins, i.e., pure in faith, hope, and charity, fitted for the nuptial couch of the glory of Christ.
Chrysostom remarks that the betrothal takes place in this life, the union in the next, when the espoused Church, i.e., all the elect, shall come to the marriage of the Lamb and the eternal kingdom.
The Church of Corinth is described by S. Paul as the virgin spouse of Christ, whose paranymph he is. Then he transfers to himself the jealous love of the Bridegroom, and protests against Christ’s bride being stolen by false apostles, and handed over to the tender mercies of heretics. Just as true Apostles and preachers are paranymphs of Christ and His Church (S. John. iii. 29), so, on the other hand, false preachers are Satan’s panders.
This passage of the espousal of the Church and each faithful soul is famous and full of consolation. It has been commented on beautifully of the Fathers, and still is frequently treated in pulpits and elsewhere. That it may be clearly and fully understood, let us then dwell on it a little more at length.
Observe, then, firstly, that this espousal takes place by faith and hope and other virtues. For, as S. Augustine says ( Tract xiii. in Johan.), "the mind's virginity consists in perfect faith, well-grounded hope, and unfeigned love.” On the other hand, the soul becomes an adulteress or prostitute when she consents to unbelief, to sin, to the suggestions and wiles of the devil. " If therefore,” says Origen (Horn. 12 in Lev. ii.), "you have admitted an adulterous devil into the chamber of your soul, then your soul has committed fornication with the devil. If there has entered there the spirit of anger, envy, pride, uncleanness , and you have welcomed it, and listened to its words, and taken pleasure in its suggestions , then you have committed fornication with him."
Secondly, this betrothal makes the goods of each common to both, and therefore endows the Church and each faithful soul with the abundant riches of Christ. Hence, since the Bridegroom is a King, He makes His bride, even if she be a slave, however lowly and poor she be, a queen. S. Basil (de Vita Virgin.) says, quoting Ps. xlv. 9 : “ Upon thy right hand did stand the queen , in a vesture of gold wrought about with divers colours. Wherefore, she who now is counted vile for her sordid dress and servile habit, is ennobled by her station at the King’s hand , and found in the kingdom of heaven to be a queen. Let her , then, despise all visible things , and with open face beholding her Spouse , let her be filled with His love , and make all her faculties His handmaidens. In no respect should a virgin be an adulteress , not in tongue, in ears , eyes , or any other sense , no, nor yet in thought ; but let her keep her body as a temple , or bride chamber ready for her Spouse. No unfaithfulness can escape the eye of Him of whom it is said, ‘He that planted the ear, shall He not hear ; or He that made the eye, shall He not see?’ ”
S. Bernard (Serm. 2, Domin. 1, post Epiph.) thus describes the election, dignity, and glory of this bride: “ For the sake of that Ethiopian woman, the Son of God came from afar to espouse her to Himself. Moses, indeed, married an Ethiopian wife, but her colour he could not change; but Christ, loving the Church, who till then was contemptible and foul, presented her to Himself, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Whence, O human soul, whence comes this to thee ? Whence is the inestimable glory of meriting to be His spouse on whom the angels desire to gaze ? Whence is it to thee that thou art the spouse of Him, whose beauty sun and moon wonder at, at whose will all things are changed? . . . What reward, then, will you give unto the Lord for all the benefits that He hath done unto you, in making you a sharer of His table, of His Kingdom, of His chamber? See with what arms of love should He be in turn loved lovingly , who has thought so much of you, and made you so great. Leave all carnal affections, forget all worldly ways, undo all evil habits . For what thinkest thou? Does not the angel of the Lord stand ready to cut thee asunder , if perchance , which may He prevent , thou admittest any other lover ? ” Then he goes on to describe the nuptial feast : " Now thou art espoused to Him , now the wedding feast is being celebrated , for the banquet is prepared in heaven . There the wine will not fail, for we shall be inebriated with the fulness of the house of God, and shall drink of the torrent of His pleasure . For that marriage , truly, there is got ready a river of wine, which maketh glad the heart, an impetuous stream, which maketh glad the city of God.”