The life and work of St. Paul

SECOND EPISTLE TO THE COIUXTHIAN3. 407
assertion that " it is in vain to be a Christian without being a Jew," should bo
substituted the very opposite statement, that it is in vain to be a Christian if,
as a Christian, one relies on being a Jew as well. But, however irresistible
his arguments might be, they would be useless if the Judaists succeeded in
impugning his Apostolic authority, and proving that he had no right to be
regarded as a teacher. The defence of his claims was, therefore, very far
from being a mere personal matter; it involved nothing less than a defence of
the truth of his Gospel. Yet this defence against an attack so deeply wounding,
and so injnriotis to his cause, was a matter of insuperable difficulty. His
opponents could produce their " commendatory letters," and, at least, claimed
to possess the delegated authority of the Apostles who had lived with Jesus
(2 Cor. iii. 1 18). This was a thing which Paul could not and would not do.
He had not derived his authority from the Twelve. His intercourse with
them had been but slight. His Apostolate was conferred on him, not
mediately by them, but immediately by Christ. He had, indeed, " seen the
Lord " (1 Cor. ix. 1), but on this he would not dwell, partly because his direct
intercourse with Christ had been incomparably smaller than that of a Peter
or a James ; and partly because he clearly saw, and wished his converts to see,
that spiritual union was a thing far closer and more important than personal
companionship. To two things only could he appeal : to the visions and
revelations which he had received from the Lord, above all, his miraculous
conversion ; and to the success, the activity, the spiritual power, which set a
seal of supernatural approval to his unparalleled ministry. 1 But the first of
these claims was deliberately set aside as subjective, both in his own lifetime
and a century afterwards. 2 The difficulty of convincing his opponents on this
subject reflects itself in his passion, a passion which rose in part because it
forced upon him the odious semblance of self-assertion. His sole irresistible
weapon was " the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."
I will now proceed to give an outline of this remarkable letter, which,
from the extreme tension of mind with which it was written, and the constant
struggle between the emotions of thankfulness and indignation, 8 la more
difficult in its expressions and in its causal connections than any other. The
kbouring style, the interchange of bitter irony with pathetic sincerity, the
manner in which word after word now " tribulation," now "consolation,"
now " boasting," now " weakness," now "simplicity," now " manifestation,"
takes possession of the Apostle's mind serve only to throw into relief the
* 2 Cor. ii. 14 ; iii. 2 ; xi. 2123 ; 1 Cor. be. 1 ; xv. 10, &c.
* Pr. Clement. Ifom. XVil. 13, SC