IVP New Testament Commentary Series - 2 Corinthians

The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: 2 Corinthians
By Linda L. Belleville
InterVarsity Press. 357 pages.
ISBN 0 85111 679 5

A commentator from the earlier part of this century, Alfred Plummer, referred to 2 Corinthians as a 'trackless forest'. Certainly it is one of the most difficult of Paul's letters for the modern readers, not least of the difficulties being the structure. Belleville gives a good deal of attention to this, and to the other technical problems - language, date, style, the identity of the intruders in the Corinthian church, the nature of the disagreements between the apostle and the church, the content and identity of the 'severe letter' and so on.
But in many ways it is not these issues that trouble today's general reader. The uncomfortable and disturbing issues are strikingly modern, and which we need to face as a church: self-promotion, authority in the church, 'spiritual' language, confrontation, personality clashes, dealing with money and payment of church workers. As Belleville points out, Paul's 'curriculum vitae', a list of the humiliations he has suffered, would instantly debar him from serious consideration as a candidate for ministry in the modern church. But so, on the other hand, would his adoption of the boasting style and super-spiritual language of the intruders. Paul grapples with the problems of communicating with a church that does not speak the same language.
Belleville examines Paul's instructions on the Jerusalem collection with some care. The conclusions she draws contrast somewhat with the kind of teaching I was brought up on. Tithing, she points out, is nowhere taught in the New Testament (p. 219), and she strongly suggest that the pooling of assets practised in the early church of Acts exacerbated the famine experienced by the Jerusalem Christians (p. 207). The proportionate giving she discerns Paul as teaching would be giving from a surplus to those in need. The fact that Paul had such difficulty in collecting the necessary money is acknowledgement that, then as now, the purse is often the last part of the human being to be converted.
The commentary deals with linguistic matters in some depth, making it valuable to the student. There is quite a bit of overlap between the linguistic commentary at the foot of the page and the main text, and the detail here impairs the flow. But the author enlivens the text from time to time with sharp and witty illustrations, which the preacher will appreciate. In all, this is a valuable addition to the series, and one which brings fresh thought to old and unresolved problems.

Paul Cavill
Lecturer in English,
University of Nottingham