3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work. 9 As it is written,
“He scatters abroad, he gives to the poor;
his righteousnessb endures forever.”
10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and
increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which
will produce thanksgiving to God through us; 12 for the rendering of this ministry not only supplies the needs of the
saints but also overflows with many thanksgivings to God. 13 Through the testing of this ministry you glorify God by
your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ and by the generosity of your sharing with them and with all
others, 14 while they long for you and pray for you because of the surpassing grace of God that he has given you.
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
As Paul continues his discussion on the relief offering he continues to encourage the Corinthians to get
their contribution to this offering ready for his arrival. In vv. 1-5, Paul appeals to a hugely important societal tradition
in the ancient Greco-Roman world, that of honor and dishonor. 168 Most western cultures in the modern world
possess only highly watered down versions of this ethical tradition in the ancient Mediterranean world. But both
African and especially modern Asian societies have traditions much closer to this ancient pattern, in large part
because of the common collective oriented society rather than the highly individualistic patterns in the modern
west.
What Paul had believed when the Corinthians first promised to take up a relief offering earlier led him to
use them as an example to the Ephesians, and now to the Macedonians. He assumed that the offering had been
received after his earlier visit to Corinth within a short time after returning to Ephesus. Sometime later he learned
either from the first visit of Titus or from other sources that this was not being done as promised. Thus Titus was
dispatched from Ephesus to make sure that the Corinthians fulfilled their promise. When he met up with Paul in
Macedonia he had encouraging news that real progress was being made. In the meanwhile Paul had pointed to
their initial eagerness to participate in the offering (v. 2) as an inspiring example to the Macedonian churches.
This had indeed encouraged the Macedonians to give generously (v, 2). 169 But Titus’ report indicating that the
offering had not yet been completed although Paul initially thought it had been (v. 3) prompted the apostle to
send Titus and the other two brothers on ahead of him so that it indeed would be ready to be formally received
upon Paul’s arrival in the city (v. 5). Should the Corinthians fail to complete this task they would bring substantial
dishonor down upon both Paul and the Corinthians (vv. 3-4). Paul describes this dishonor in terms of having his
boasting about them emptied of content (ἵνα μὴ τὸ καύχημα ἡμῶν τὸ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν κενωθῇ, v. 3) and being put to
shame (καταισχυνθῶμεν ἡμεῖς, v. 4), something they too would suffer (ἵνα μὴ λέγω ὑμεῖς, ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει ταύτῃ,
v. 4). But even with all this strong encouragement to the Corinthians, Paul was most concerned that the promised
168Out of ancient literature comes some social insights into how envoys from one group or leader to another group such as a city
helped contribute to the honor of both parties.
Welles’s collection contains a letter (no. 15) from Antiochus II to Erytrae, granting the city autonomy and tax-exemption
(dated after 261 B.C.[?]). In the letter, the king responded to a delegation of three men sent by Erytrae to deliver a decree stating
that the city had voted the king honors, a wreath, and a gift of gold. Naturally, they attached a petition: “they asked with
all earnestness and zeal that we should be friendly to you and should aid in advancing the city’s interests in all that refers to
glory and honor” (ἠξίουν μετὰ πάσης σπουδῆς τε καὶ προθυμίας φιλικῶς διακεῖσθαι ὑμῖν καὶ μοῦ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἀνήκουσι
πρὸς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν συναύξειν τὰ τῆς πόλεως).
Page 435
351
Welles’s no. 25 is a letter from King Ziaelas of Bithynia to the council and the people of Cos, also in response to a delegation
which had presented him with a petition. In his response, the king made the following remarks about his own conduct:
“We do in fact exercise care for all the Greeks who come to us as we are convinced that this contributes in no small way to
one’s reputation” (ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντων μὲν τῶν ἀφικνουμένω[ν] πρὸς ἡμᾶς Ἑλλήνων τυγχάνομεν τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιούμενοι,
πεπεισμένοι πρὸς δόξαν οὐ μικρὸν συμβάλλεσθαι τὸ μέρος τοῦτο). 352
Letter no. 34 in Robert K. Sherk’s collection is similar. M. Valerius Messala, praetor of 193 B.C., wrote to the council and
people of Teos, in response to the Teans’ sending of the envoy Menippus (dated 193 B.C.): 353 “And we have received the man
in a friendly manner, and because of the glory that had been bestowed on him before and because of his genuine goodness
we have also given a favorable hearing to him with regard to the things he asked for” 354 (ἡμεῖς δὲ τόν τε ἄνδρα ἀπεδεξάμεθα
φιλοφρόνως καὶ διὰ τὴν προγεγενημένην αὐτῶι δόξαν καὶ διὰ τὴν ὑπάρχουσαν καλοκαγαθίαν περί τε ὧν ἠξίου διηκούσαμεν
εὐνοῶς).
[Hans Dieter Betz, 2 Corinthians 8 and 9: A Commentary on Two Administrative Letters of the Apostle Paul, ed. George W.
MacRae, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1985), 81-82.]
169What Paul recognized clearly was that these two Greek provinces of Macedonia to the north and Achaia to the south felt both
a strong kinship to one another, along with considerable rivalry with one another as well. So what the “southerners” did in Achaia would
inspire the “northerners” in Macedonia to match or surpass. This lies behind his use of the province designation of Achaia rather than
the city designation of Corinth which was one of the major cities in the province.