2 Corinthians 11:4

εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐρχόμενος κ. τ. λ.: for if he that cometh (ὁ ἐρχόμενος may point to some one conspicuous opponent, but it would not be safe to press this, or to lay stress on the verb as indicating one who comes without authorised mission, as at John 10:8; it is probably a quite indefinite phrase, “if any one comes and preaches,” etc.) preacheth another Jesus whom we did not preach (not “another Christ,” “a new Messiah,” for of this false teachers at Corinth were not guilty; but “another Jesus,” i.e., a different representation of the historical Person, Jesus of Nazareth, from that which St. Paul put forward when at Corinth; see reff.), or if ye receive a different Spirit which ye did not receive, sc., a Spirit different from Him whom you received at your baptism (λαμβάνειν is the regular verb with πνεῦμα; cf. John 20:22; Acts 8:15; Acts 10:47; Acts 19:2, Romans 8:15, 1 Corinthians 2:12; Galatians 3:2; it expresses the co-operation of the will in a degree which δέχεσθαι, the verb used in the next clause of “accepting” the Gospel, does not; see Acts 7:38; Acts 17:11; 1 Thessalonians 1:6, etc.), or a different Gospel which ye did not accept, sc., when the Gospel was first brought to you by me, ye bear with him finely! καλῶς is ironical, as at Mark 7:9 = praeclare. This facile acceptance of novelty is the cause of his anxiety; cf. 1 Corinthians 3:11; Galatians 1:6-8. Such instability is always a danger in the case of newly-founded Churches.