Commentary
The Ministry of Death, and the Ministry of Life
(2 Corinthians 3)
A Paraphrase
Will it be thought that in thus contrasting ourselves with false teachers that we are beginning again to recommend ourselves (as we have been obliged necessarily to do)? Surely, no one will suppose that like certain other persons we require letters of recommendation from others to you, or from you to others. You are yourselves our letter written in our hearts (which we bear about with us not as material documents but inscribed upon our inward conscience which bears witness that our working and preaching among you is a sufficient recommendation)—a letter too which is recognized, and so is read by all men, for it is manifest that you are a letter in the hand-writing of Christ to all (his finger has traced the characters in your souls, his sign-name is set upon you)—a letter which is borne about by us as ministers, from place to place, the characters whereof are traced not in ink but in the Spirit of the living God on no tablets of stone, but on tablets of flesh, I mean on men’s hearts.
But if this language betokens confidence, it must be remembered that we owe this confidence in regard to God (i.e. in our relations to Him, to Christ). It is not that we are competent before any judgment by our own unaided efforts, as if it depended only on our own resources, but our competence has God for its source for he has ever made us competent as ministers of a new covenant, a spiritual and not a formal covenant, for the external form kills, but the inward Spirit gives life. Now if the dispensation of which death was a consequence, a dispensation of outward form written on stones was ushered in with glory, so that the sons of Israel would not look with steadfast gaze on the face of Moses, owing to the glory of his face, a glory which after all was fleeting and transitory, must we not a fortiori believe that the dispensation of the Spirit shall continue to be in glory, since if the dispensation which brings condemnation is glorious, a fortiori does the dispensation which brings righteousness (by our justification through Christ) abound in glory, nay the glory of the former covenant is no glory at all in this respect (comparatively) on account of the superior glory of the latter. For if the transitory was attended with glory, much more shall the enduring abide in glory [and this thought inspires us with hope].
Therefore, having such a hope (the expectation of this future glory), we use much plainness of speech and here as we just enforced the contrast between the two dispensations themselves by reference to the Old Testament history, may we carry the contrast further and apply it not only to the Christian dispensation itself, but also to the teachers and professors of Christianity.
Moses placed a veil over his face when he left off speaking to the people, and thus the brightness of his face faded away unperceived. By this was foreshadowed the future history of the race, it was a token that something would interfere with their spiritual vision, that they would not see to what the transitory ordinances of the Mosaic dispensation led; they would not discern how they were annulled in Christ. Nay we may apply this type of Moses in another way, a veil is over the face of the people of Israel, as there was a veil over the face of Moses. When they turn to the Lord, this veil will be removed, in the same manner as his was; and by turning to the Lord is meant communing with the Spirit, looking beneath the outward form of the Mosaic law, and discerning its inward meaning, and so of a necessity accepting the Christian dispensation as that to which the Mosaic pointed. And this communing with the Spirit will bring freedom. They will be relieved from the bondage of the law. For where the Spirit is, there is freedom. Now we all of us (we Christians) enjoy this freedom, for we all look with our face unveiled on the glory of the Lord, though at present only in a mirror and not as we shall see it hereafter, yet uninterruptedly, and not by snatches as Moses, and doing so we catch this reflection, a light is shone upon us; a gradual change is being wrought in us; we are advancing from glory to glory. Christ, the image of the invisible God, is being formed in us. And this is the result we rightly looked for, seeing that the Lord, whose glory we behold is the Spirit. Therefore, we have freedom to speak with much boldness.
Textual Issues
3:1—ἢ μὴ. Considerable authority for Εἰ μὴ.
The second συστατικῶν to be omitted.
Vs. 3—The best supported reading is καρδίαις.
Vs. 4—τοιαύτην as is implied in 2 Cor 2:16-17.
Vs. 5—Position of ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν varies.
Vs. 7—ἐν γράμματι—correct reading, so Lachmann.
Vs. 9—τῇ διακονία to be read (with W+H).
Vs. 10—οὐ not οὐδὲ.
Vs. 13—αὐτοῦ not ἑαυτοῦ.
Vs. 15—Peshit. has ἂν ἀναγιγινώσκηται.
Vs. 17—Omit ἐκεῖ.
Commentary
Vs. 1—πάλιν See Stanley.
Εἰ μὴ—ironical.
ὥς τινες—probably the Judaizing teachers.
Vs. 3—διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ’ ἡμῶν probably does not refer to the amaneuensis but rather to the bearer of the letter.
ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις. See Aeschyl. Prom. 789.
Observe in this verse two circumstances that confuse the metaphor: 1) he confuses two different kinds of writing, on parchment and on tablets of stone; 2) he . . . s [?] about the metaphor. The ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν (2 Cor 3:2) being understood in a somewhat different sense than the ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις.
γινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη—This seems at first sight to contradict ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν, for if the writing was traced in the mind and consciousness of Paul and Timothy, how could it be outwardly manifested? Meyer has a very good note on this—‘So far as Paul and Timothy have the consciousness in their hearts, that they are recommended by the Corinthians themselves, these (i.e. the Corinthians) are a letter of recommendation written in their hearts, and still inasmuch as everyone is acquainted with the fact and the manner in which the Corinthians have served to recommend Paul and Timothy, this letter is recognized and read by all men. Thus, the letter has both the properties that would be contradictory in an actual letter, and the figure is not confused with the proper thing, but adapted to it.’
Here Christ is the penman and the Spirit the ink.
Vs. 5—Explaining the reason why God ἱκανοί ἐσμεν λογίσασθαί. The stages of the argument are then: 1) the superiority of the new covenant to the old is in its results; 2) the greater glory which consequently attaches to it (of which the present glory is an earnest); 3) the hope which Christians possess.
Vs. 6—καινῆς διαθήκης, not as the E.V. but with Alford. See Jer 31:31 quoted in Heb 8:8. What is described in Jeremiah is not of the letter but of the Spirit.
τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτείνει—cf. 1 Cor 15:56 so that he goes on to ‘the ministry of death.’
Vs. 7—ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου. There is a double impact of the law—the obvious one is given in Rom 6:12, ἐν γράμμασιν.
On ἐν δόξῃ see the δεδόξασται in Exodus. See also Rom 4:4; Luke 2:32; 1 Cor 15:41.
Vs. 9—τῇ διακονία brings out the contrast better than ἡ διακονία.
Vs. 10—ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει cf. 2 Cor 4:3 and 1 Pet 4:16.
Vs. 11—διὰ δόξης surpasses what was given ἐν δόξῃ.
Vss. 12-17—In Exodus 34:29 we are told that when Moses came down from the Mount, his face shone, so that at first the people were afraid to come near, that he called them to him, and he spoke to them, that having spoken, he draws the veil over his face. The veil remained there and was only withdrawn when Moses went in to speak to the Lord. He came out from the tent with his face uncovered after speaking with the Lord and he spoke to the people, each time drawing the veil over his face when he had finished speaking. In the E.V. of Exodus 34:33 for ‘til’ read ‘when.’ The translation there of the E.V. seems to have arisen from misconception of St. Paul’s application here and the error has carried over to this passage and entirely confused the understanding of it.
Vs. 13—καὶ οὐ καθάπερ—See the introduction of comparison in Gal 3:6.
πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀτενίσαι—i.e. the divine Purpose is implied in the πρὸς as De Wette rightly says.
Vs. 14—ἀλλὰ ἐπωρώθη is attached to the μὴ ἀτενίσαι (not as Alford has it). St. Paul here passes from the type to the thing typified almost unconsciously. This is very common in Scripture and not uncommon elsewhere. See especially Aeschylus, Agam. 121sqq (in the prophecy) where type and antitype are mixed up in the same way. See Stanley.
μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον—An accusative absolute, ‘it not being revealed’ not as the E.V. has it.
On the παλαιᾶς διαθήκης and the αὐτὸ κάλυμμα see Stanley.
Now from the end of vs. 14, the application is simple—We employ παρρησία openness, plainness of speech, we withdraw nothing, we conceal nothing. Herein the preaching of the new covenant differs widely from the promulgation of the old. There, there was something hidden, something unrevealed. This is symbolized by what we read of Moses. When the reflected glory of God (betokening the majesty of the covenant), shone upon his face at the giving of the law, he came out and spoke to the people, but when he had done speaking he covered his face. He would not let them see that glory fade away, thus symbolizing their future history, for their minds were hardened, and so to this day, when Moses speaks to them in the reading of the Old Testament, their same veil interferes with their seeing, they cannot see how it fades away, how it is annulled and abrogated in Christ.
Vs. 15—With vs. 15 the application of this passage in the Mosaic history is somewhat changed. Just as we saw in 2 Cor 2:14-17, where St. Paul employed the metaphor of the Roman triumphal procession, he was not careful to preserve the same application throughout. His exuberance of thought leads him to see a new analogy, but first he compares the Apostles and preachers of the Gospel to the captives led in the victor’s train, and then again to the incense, which is scattered in the path. So here Moses with his face veiled is at first taken to symbolize the obscurity which hung over the Old Dispensation, hiding its meaning from the Jews, and afterwards the image denotes the faithful Jew who accepts the Gospel, for there is a veil hanging over his heart, as there was over the face of Moses, and the veil is only removed, like that of Moses, when he turns unto the Lord i.e. accepts the Gospel truth. Paul explains what is symbolized and meant by turning to the Lord—‘the Lord is the Spirit’ i.e. by turning to the Lord is meant, the abandonment of the weak and beggarly elements, the reading of the types and ordinances of the Mosaic Dispensation in a spiritual light, and so seeing that they lead to the Gospel as their proper end, and the consequent acceptance of Christianity. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Hence the παρρησία (2 Cor 3:12) of those who commune with the Spirit. In the verse by verse he applies it to Christians. ‘This freedom pertains to us, for we all . . . etc.’
‘Now we all (not just the Apostles and teachers only but the whole body of Christians) have our face unveiled, whereas Moses veiled his face from time to time, the veil is never drawn over ours. And we see the glory of the Lord. We do not yet see the Lord as he is, but we still see His glory as in a mirror, but it is a mirror of perfect clarity in which His attributes are reflected, working in the church is the reflection, the image of the invisible God himself (εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου—Col 1:15; ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, Heb 1:3).’ It is still however only in a mirror, as St. Paul says elsewhere (1 Cor 13:12), ‘but hereafter, we shall see face to face.’
‘But not only do we see this glory, we are transformed thereby. The radiance from the divine image is reflected back from the mirror on our own countenances, and like that of Moses, our faces are lit up by its brilliancy. But the glory which is then shed on us is more permanent and effective than that which shone on Moses.’
Vs. 16—cf. the words of the LXX here.
Vs. 17—ὁ Κύριος is the subject, τὸ πνεῦμα the predicate.
Vs. 18—κατοπτριζόμενοι cf. Philo Leg. Alleg. iii.33 (and Alford). See the passages in the Schol. Hell. here and on 2 Cor 4:4. Cf. Clement of Rome, i.36. ‘No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared Him’ (John 1:18). cf. 2 Cor 4:4 which carries out the idea here.
Μεταμορφούμεθα—distinguish μορφή (the essential form) from σχῆμα (the outward fashion). St. Paul’s use of μορφή = the Greek philosophers’ use of ειδος. Cf. Rom 12:2—συνσχηματίζεσθε τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ μεταμορφοῦσθε τῇ ἀνακαινώσει τοῦ νοός, (E.V. wrong here), cf. 1 Pet 1:14. Cf. also Phil 2:5-7—ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλὰ ٤٨ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος· καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος. And cf. 1 Cor 7:31—παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Cf. Journal of Philology, p. 114, 121.
‘We then are transformed (undergo an essential change), and the new form we assume is τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα, the same image which is reflected in the mirror.’ This transformation is what is called elsewhere ‘putting on Christ’ (Rom 13:14) what is spoken of in Gal 4:19 as Christ being formed in us, οὗ μορφωθῇ Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν. But this transformation is not sudden, the change is gradual. We advance from one grade of glory to a higher one. The glory on Moses’ face faded away each time as he left the presence of the Lord and had to be renewed again; but with us it is different. We are constantly in His sight, and so instead of the reflected brightness which is coming and going, it is ever becoming more and more bright, i.e. more and more like the image from which it is reflected—Christ himself.
ἀπὸ Κυρίου πνεύματος—‘as is natural since it comes from the Lord i.e. the Spirit.’ Not as the E.V. has it. ‘As then we have this close communication with the Spirit, and as there is freedom where the Spirit is present (see 2 Cor 3:17), we therefore are free and so πολλῇ παρρησίᾳ χρώμεθα, we use much plainness of speech.’ Thus the assertion of 2 Cor 3:12 is justified and explained.