2 Corinthians 12:12

κατειργάσθη (אAB3KL) rather than κατηργάσθη (BFG) or κατηργάσθην (D). Comp. 2 Corinthians 7:11. But see WH. App. p. 161. σημείοις (א1AD 71, 80, d Pesh. Arm. Goth.) rather than σημείοις (D3KLP, Vulg.) or καὶ σημείοις (FG, Chrys.) or τε σημείοις (א3) or σημείοις τε (Bא 17): but the last may be right.

12. τὰ μὲν σημεῖα τοῦ�. Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought out (2 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Corinthians 5:5; 2 Corinthians 7:10; 2 Corinthians 9:11) among you. He does not say κατειργασάμην, because he himself is οὐδέν. His contribution to the result is expressed by ἐν πάσῃ ὑπομονῇ (2 Corinthians 1:6; 2 Corinthians 6:4), by which ‘endurance under persecution’ is specially meant. See Mayor on James 1:3, and comp. Luke 21:19. The endurance is his; all the rest is God’s work, and it is the latter which forms the evidence of his Apostleship. The μέν anticipates a coming δέ, which is forgotten in dictating. The τοῦ is generic: ejus qui sit apostolus (Bengel); comp. ὥσπερ ὁ ἐθνικὸς καὶ ὁ τελώνης (Matthew 18:17).

σημείοις [τε] καὶ τέρασιν καὶ δυνάμεσιν. See critical note. The combination σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα is very frequent in Gospels and Acts, as in the LXX., and τέρατα καὶ σ. is not rare. In Hebrews 2:4 we have σ. τε καὶ τ., as possibly here. The threefold enumeration is found there and Acts 2:22, as here: comp. 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Romans 15:19. “The passage is of deep interest, as chewing the unquestioned reality of miraculous gifts in the early Church” (Westcott on Hebrews 2:4). We have similar evidence in 1 Corinthians 10:8-11; 1 Corinthians 14:18-19; Romans 15:18-19; Galatians 3:5. Every one of the great Epistles of S. Paul bears witness to this fact. “It is simply impossible that evidence of this kind for the special purpose for which it is adduced should be otherwise than true. It is given quite incidentally; it is not didactic, i.e. it is no part of an argument the object of which is to produce a belief in miracles; it refers to notorious matter of fact, to fact equally notorious for S. Paul himself and for those to whom he is writing; it shews … that he could appeal to it without fear of being challenged” (Sanday, Church Congress paper, 1902). In the N.T. supernatural works are often called σημεῖα without τέρατα, especially by S. John (John 2:11; John 2:23; John 3:2; John 4:54, &c.), but never τέρατα without σημεῖα. The quotation from Joel 3:3 in Acts 2:19 is the nearest approach to such a separation. Miracles are never mere ‘wonders’ (prodigia); they are divine ‘tokens’ (signa), and products of divine power (virtutes). While the Vulgate is consistent in its rendering of δυνάμεις, the A.V. is very capricious; ‘mighty deeds’ (here), ‘wonderful works’ (Matthew 8:22), ‘mighty works’ (Matthew 11:20), ‘miracles’ (Galatians 3:5). The last two are most frequent. Trench, Syn. § xci.