Ver. 2. ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν κ.τ.λ.; ye are our epistle. They are his ποδια, Cf. 1 Cor. ix. 2, where he tells them that they are the '' seal"’ of his apostleship. Note the emphasis laid on ἐπιστολή by its position in the sentence.—éyyey ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν: written in our hearts, i.e., in the heart of me, Paul (cf. vii. 3); a somewhat moreno and, as it were, parenthetic application of the metaphor, suggested by the memory of
1—6,
43
k Ref. i. τς
k ’ ‘ , 3 1 x a ~ A x Ν 4. " Πεποίθησιν δὲ τοιαύτην ἔχομεν διὰ τοῦ gues πρὸς τὸν hea LE , α Ea Θεόν]: 5. οὐχ ὅτι likavol ἐσμεν dd? ἑαυτῶν λογίσασθαί ὃ τι," ὡς °m Here
only.
ἐξ ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ "'ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, 6. ὃς καὶ "ἱκάνωσεν 2 Col. 1. τς
nly
ἡμᾶς “ διακόνους ἢ καινῆς " διαθήκης, οὐ “ γράμματος, ἀλλὰ “ πνεύ-ο ae Eph,
p Mt. xxvi. 28; Lk. xxii. 20; 1 Cor. xi. 25; Heb, viii. 8 (Jer. xxxi. 31), ix. 15.
1A has exo.
ΠΠ, 7; Col.
i, 23. q Rom. ii. 29, vii. 6.
2 ad εαντων is placed as in text by KL and the Harclean, and after λογισασθαι τι by ADEGP and the Latins; its true place is before ικανοι ἐσμεν with SBC 73 and the Bohairic; 17 and the Peshitto omit ad’ eavtwv altogether,
3 CDEG give λογιζεσθαι for λογισασθαι of RABKLP. 4B om. tt; P has the order τι λογιζεσθαι.
δ C om. ως as unnecessary for the sense.
5 αὐτων BG for εαντων.
717 has ov γραμματι αλλα πνευματι, which the Latin vss. follow.
his labours among them which had left an indelible impression upon his heart.— γινωσκ. καὶ ἀναγινωσκ. κ.τ.λ.: known and read of all men. This is the legiti- mate application of the metaphor, and is expanded in the next verse. The letter written on St. Paul’s heart was not open to the world; but the letter written on the heart of the Corinthians by Christ through St. Paul’s ministry was patent to the world’s observation, as it was re- flected in their Christian mode of life. Facts speak louder than words. For the jingle γινωσκομένη . .. ἀναγινωσκομένη cf. Acts viii. 30, γινώσκεις ἃ ἀναγινώσ- kets, and see the note on i. 13 above.
Ver. 3. avepovpevor ὅτι ἐστὲ κ.τ.λ. : being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ (sc., written by Christ), minis- tered by us (the Apostle conceiving of himself as his Master’s amanuensis).— ἐγγεγραμμένη οὐ μέλανι κ.τ.λ.: written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone but in tables that ave hearts of flesh. This writing’? which the Corinthians ex- hibit is no writing with ink on a papyrus roll, but is the mystical imprint of the Divine Spirit in their hearts, conveyed through Paul’s ministrations; cf. Jer. xxxi. 33, Prov. vii. 3. And this leads him to think of the ancient ‘‘ writing” of the Law by the “finger of God” on the Twelve Tables, and to contrast it with this epistle of Christ on tables that are not of stone but are “hearts of flesh” (see reff.). For σάρκινος (cf. λίθινος, ὀστράκινος) see on i. 12 above.
Vv. 4-6. His succESs IN THE MINIS- TRY OF THE NEW COVENANT IS ALTO- GETHER DUE TO Gop.—Ver. 4. πεποί- θησιν δὲ τοιαύτην κ.τ.λ.: and such con-
fidence have we through Christ towards God (cf. Rom. iv. 2, v. 1 for a like use of πρὸς τὸν Θεόν). That is ‘ we are sufti- cient for these things’’ (see ii, 16, 17) ; but he hastens to explain the true source of his confidence.
Ver. 5. οὐχ ὅτι ἱκανοί κ.τ.λ.: not that we are sufficient of ourselves to judge anything as from ourselves ; sc., to judge rightly of the methods to be followed in the discharge of the Apostolic ministry ; there is no thought here of the natural depravity of man, or the like. For the constr. οὐχ OTL... cf. i. 24 and reff. λογίζεσθαι is here used in its widest sense of carrying on any of the ordinary processes of reasoning (cf. x. 7, xii. 6). The repetition ag’ ἑαυτῶν . . . ἐξ ἑαυτῶν emphasises the statement of the need of God’s grace. St. Paul’s habit of dwell- ing on a word and coming back to it again and again (an artifice which the Latin rhetoricians called traductio) is well illustrated in this passage. We have ἱκανοί, ἱκανότης, ἱκάνωσεν; γραμ- pa (following ἐγγεγραμμένη in ver. 2) ; διακονηθεῖσα, διάκονος, διακονία; and δόξα eight times between vv. 7-11. With the sentiment ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, cf. τ Cor. xv. 10 and chap. xii. g.