The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Corinthians — Section 292

Oor; 't. 80). To St. Pon} every true Ver. 5.-0f 111cb a one. These a.re legi- Christion WM II me.n whose personal life timate enbjects of "boast," bccnuso they arEY wns lost in the lifo of Obrist. Above four- heo.ve:nJ:r privileges, ~o\ earthly grounds of teen years a.go. The note of time is very enpenor1ty. Exoept m my infirmities (eh. vague. If we nro at all nble to identify the xi. 80). vision nlluded to, it must hnve been the Ver. 6.-I forbear; literally, I spare; i.e. vi•ion in the temple, referred to in Acts I refrain from boo.sting. Should think of xxii. 17, which we.a, roughly speaking, me; Ii terally, that no man should estimate "nbout fourteen yenrs II beforo this time. concerning me beyond what he sees me (to be), The vision on the road to Damascus had OT hears at all from my Q'IJ)n lips. If he occurred about twenty years earlier than were to tell them more of his revelations the date of this Epistle. Whetll.er in the he mi!(ht encourage them to think mor~ body, etc. A powerful description of the of him than he deserves or wishes. absorption of all conscious bodily modes Vere. 7-10.-The thorn in thefleih. of apprehension. In their comments on Ver. 7.-Lest I ehonld be exalted above these verses, many commentators enter into mee.aure; literally, thaJ, I may n-0t be over- speculations which eeem to me to be so ezalted. It was necessary to show St. Paul entirely arbitrary and futile that I she.II not that he only held the treasnre in an earthen even allude to them. St. Paul's bodily and vessel. There was given me. Even Gnd's mental state during this vision is familiar afflictions are meant for gifts. A thorn to all who know the history of Oriental and (iilrolopa). The more nsual meaning is, ae mediaival mysticism. Canght up (Ezek. Hesychins says, " a sharp stake " (' Sudes,' xi. 24; Acts viii. 89; Rev. iv. 1, 2). Into Tert.). Hence the word akolopizo, I impale the third heaven. It is most undikely that or crucify. St. Paul's agony was an impale- St. Paul is here in e.ny way referring to the ment or crucifixion of a.II sensual irnpnlses Jewish nagadoth about seven heavens. The and earthly ambitions. In the flesh. There expression is purely general, an·d even the· have been endless conjectnres e.s to the rabbis did not expect to be taken au pied. exact nature of this painful and most de la lettre. Hence all speoule.tions about humbling physical affliction. It is only by first, second, and third heavens are idle and placing side by side a great many separate useless.. Even e.s late e.s the Clementine· passages that we a.re almost irresistibly writings in the middle of the second century, led to the conclusion which is now most an attempt is me.de, in reference to this generally adopted, namely, that it was acute passage, to· disparage St. Pnul by sneering and disfiguring ophthalmia., originating- in at visions ns a medium of revelation, on the the blinding glare of the light which flashed ground that they may- spring from self- round him at Damascus, e.ud accompanied, deception ; and this rapture of the " be.Id e.s that most humiliating disease usually hook-nosed Galilean II to the third heaven is, by occasional cerebral excitement. It is also sneered, at in. tbe ' Philope.tris • of would be impossible here to enter into the the pseudo-Lucian. Yet how modest and whole inquiry, for which I refer to my 'Life simple is St. Paul's awestruck reference to of St. Pan!,' i. 214-226. The messenger of this event, when compared, not only with Se.tan ; rather, an angel of &tan. By way the ·lying details of Mohammed's visit to of comment, see Matt. x:xv. 41; Luke xiii.. heaven, but even with the visions of St. •16; Jobii.7; Rev. xii. 7, 9. To buffet me. Theresa or Swedenborg I The verb is derived from kolaphos, a slap on Ver. 4.-lnto Paradise. Here, age.in, we the face, l\nd would be suitable to such a encounter long speculations as to whether disfigurement e.s opbthalmia ( eh. x. 10), Paradise is the same as the. third heaven; Ver. 8.-l!'or this thing. In reference to whether St. Paul is referring to two visions this or " to him," the angel of Satan. The or two parts of one vision. Suoh questior.s Lord. That is, Christ (1 Cor. i. 3). Thrico are clearly insoluble, and I leave them (comp. Matt. x.xvi. 44). where I find them. We shall never un- Ver. 9.-And he said unto me. The derstand thie passage otherwise than in the original is much more forcible: " And dim and va11:ue outline in which St. Paul he has said to me." Is sufficient for thee. has purposely left it. All that we can A similar phrnse, though in a very dif- know from the New Testament about ferent context, occurs in Dent. iii. 26. My Paradise must be learnt from this verse and strength is made perfeot in weaknesa Luke xxiii. 68 and Rev. ii. 7, and it is . (comp.eh. iv. 7; Phil. iv. 13; 1 Cor. ii. 3-5). extremely little. Unspeakable words. A The verse contains a paradox, which yet figure of speeoh called nn oxymoron. Utter- describes the best history of the world. a11,,C!lB (or " things 11 ) incapable of utterance. 'l'he pMadox becomes more suggestive if, Not lawfnl for a man to .utter. How futile, .with ~. A; B, D, F, G, we omit •• my." May then, must be the attempt to guess what rest upon me; litemlly, may tabe·rnacle ot•er ihey were, or on what subject I ms. The oompouu<l verb occurs here l\loue,  292 THE SECOND EPISTLE 'l'O THE CORINTHIANS. [en. xn. 1-21,