(b) St. Paul's second visit if \inrr). — On the receipt of bad news from Corinth, whether from Timothy or from some other source, St. Paul sailed thither in person, but his visit was unsuccessful, and he soon went back again to Asia Minor. The evidence for this visit is to be found in three passages of 2 Cor., viz. 13^"^ 1'2" 2^. The most natural exegesis of IS'"'' and 12^^ implies that he had been to Corinth twice already, though it is just possible to avoid this conclusion. When these two passages are combined with 2^ the case for a second visit to Corinth becomes overwhelming, for in 2^ it is im- plied that St. Paul had paid a visit to Corinth iv Xvirji. Now such a description would not apply to his first visit, which was a distinct success, in spite of certain disappointments and sorrows. The fact that this visit is not mentioned in Acts is unim- portant. It was very brief, and in the main un- successful. The difficulties which occasioned it were afterwards settled, and it would not naturally enter into the plan followed by the author of Acts.
This visit must have been paid after 1 Cor. had been written, for in that Epistle St. Paul speaks
throughout as though there had been only one visit. His knowledge of the state of attairs at Corinth is derived from information received, not from personal observation (cf. 1" 5^ 11'*), and in 4'" he shows tiiat he realized the possibility that he might have to pay a second visit, though he was not sure about it.
(c) The severe letter. — On his return to Ephesus, St. Paul wrote a severe letter ' out of much afflic- tion and anguish of heart.' The letter so referred to in 2 Co 2^ must have been written at this time, thougli efforts have been made to identify it eitiier with 1 Cor. or with the 'previous letter' alluded to in that Epistle (1 Co 5' ; see above, § 2). 1 Cor. was certainly not written ' otxt of much affliction and anguish of heart, with many tears.' It is calm and in the main unemotional. Moreover, the references to the ' severe letter ' in 2 Co 7®' ^3' 1-* 2' do not suit 1 Cor. particularly well. There is not a word in 1 Cor. to suggest that he was shrink- ing from a visit for fear of its being unpleasant. The 'previous letter' is also impossible. For St. Paul only heard that his ' severe letter ' had brought the Corinthians to repentance when Titus returned and met him in Macedonia (see below). But, when writing 1 Cor., St. Paul had already had an answer to the ' previous letter ' { 1 Co S''"").
The theory has been put forward that part of the ' severe letter ' is to be found in 2 Co 10-13. If this tiieory is correct, we should expect to find
(1) a great difference in tone and spirit between the two parts of the Epistle, together with a sudden break of the sense at the end of ch. 9 : the last four chapters should be severe and threatening, the first nine should be encouraging, cheerful, and forgiving ;
(2) a certain number of cross-references, passages in the first nine chapters which seem to look back to the last four ; (3) a solution of tlie rather in- tricate question of the relations of Titus with Corinth.
(1) The first nine chapters are clearly written at a time when St. Paul has suddenly been relieved from very great anxiety by the arrival of Titus and the good news wliich he has brought from Corinth (7^"^ 2i2-i3). The whole tone of these chapters is one of great relief, apparently caused by the impression produced by his 'severe letter.' But in chs. 10-13 we find great anxiety and great passion. The change cannot fail to be noticed by any reader of the Epistle. And there is a marked break in the sense at the end of ch. 9. After speak- ing of the collection, and ending with an ascription of praise to God, suddenly, without even an dWd, he begins to threaten liis readers. This has been accounted for by those who believe in the integrity of the Epistle in two ways — (i.) That the first nine chapters were addressed to the repentant majority, the last four to the rebellious minority. But there is no hint of this. Ch. 10 is apparently addressed to the Church as a whole. There seems no room for a repentant majority. And chs. 1-9 give no hint of a rebellious minority (cf. 7^^'^^). (ii.) That St. Paul received later news from Corinth while writing the Epistle, and wrote the last four chapters in the light of this later news. But surely there would have been some indication of this. He could hardly have allowed the earlier part to stand without alteration.
(2) We find certain apparent cross-references between the two parts of the Epistle, pointed out by Kennedy in his Second and Third Epistles to the Corinthians (pp. 79-94), and by Lake in The Earlier Epistles of St. Paul (pp. 157-162). Of these tlie most striking is the parallel between 2* and 13'". In 2' the Apostle states that he wrote a severe letter in order that when he came he might not have to be so severe. In IS'** he says that he is at that moment writing a severe letter, that he