_Do we begin again to commend ourselves_? At the end of the Apostle had seemed to praise himself and seek the favour of the Corinthians, hence he meets here any suspicion of vain glory. _Or need we._. _. epistles of commendation to you_... _or from you? ie_., written by you to commend me to others.... [ Continue Reading ]
CHAPTER III. SYNOPSIS OF THE CHAPTER i. Paul asserts that he does not seek or need the praise of men, as the Judaising false apostles sought it: the fruit of his preaching is, he says, sufficient commendation. II. He states (ver. 6) the cause of this to be that the Apostles and other ministers of... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ye are our epistle._ You, 0 Corinthians, converted by my efforts, are to me like an epistle of commendation read and understood by all, which I can show as my credentials to whom I like. As the work recommends the workman, and the seal faithfully is represented by its image, so do you commend me as... [ Continue Reading ]
_Not of the letter but of the spirit._ Not of the law, but of grace. I am a minister of the New Testament, but not in such a way that I bring tables of the law and of the covenant and its words, as did Moses in the Old Testament, but so that God may by my words inspire into you heavenly thoughts and... [ Continue Reading ]
_If_ _the ministration of death_... _was glorious._ If the ministration and promulgation of the old law, which threatened and brought death and condemnation, were glorious, _i.e._, accompanied by thundering and the sound of the heavenly trumpet, by an earth-quake and the splendour of Moses' countena... [ Continue Reading ]
_How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?_ This glory of the evangelical law of righteousness was seen in the mighty wind and the different tongues of fire which, when the new law was promulgated, glorified the Apostles before all nations. It was seen too in the gifts of tong... [ Continue Reading ]
_For even that which was made glorious_, &c. _For_, by a common Hebraism, is here assertive, not causal. The glory of Moses cannot be called glory when compared with that of the Apostolic office, which far excels it. " _As_," says Theodoret, " _the light of a lantern shines at night, but is at noond... [ Continue Reading ]
_Seeing then that we have such hope._ Since the Lord diffuses the spirit of grace by us His Apostles, we have hope that He will hereafter give us glory far beyond that of Moses. _We use great plainness of speech._ We preach the Gospel boldly, freely, frankly, openly. VER. 13. _And not as Moses, whi... [ Continue Reading ]
_But their minds were blinded._ They were blinded by the brightness of the face of Moses, and, allegorically, blinded by the Gospel light. As this clause is the antithesis to the preceding both meanings are included. _Until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Tes... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now the Lord is that Spirit_. (1.) The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not body but spirit. Spirit in this explanation is taken _essentially_ for what is common to the Three Persons. So S. Ambrose. (2.) Spirit here way stand for the Holy Spirit: the Greek MSS. have the definite article, and Roman... [ Continue Reading ]
_But we all with open face._ The open face is that of Christ incarnate or of the mysteries of the faith. We, looking on them, see the glorious Godhead of the Lord and His grace, and the work of our redemption foreshadowed in Moses and the Old Testament. _Beholding as in a glass_. "Seeing as in a mi... [ Continue Reading ]