The Nature of Divine Blessings and Afflictions
He addresses all those in Achaia, for Corinth is a part of Achaia. He also addresses the letter as having been written by himself along with Silvanus and Timothy, although he does not always do this; I think he does this when he writes to a church that knows him personally, both himself and those accompanying him in the arrangement.
There are those speaking about those who act this way, saying that at some time while he was writing, some of those accompanying him suggested certain thoughts, and he set forth their names, showing that they also contributed to the writing; and this was done through much carelessness. But if he is writing healthily by the Holy Spirit, he ought to be careful of the association with others; nevertheless, even if the letter is from three, he himself alone is shown to be the apostle of Christ through the will of God, not the disciples accompanying him being apostles.
The 'with all the saints' is said ambiguously; for is it 'all the saints with us address you,' or 'we address you with all the saints'? It should not be ignored that in some copies, the present letter is found to be inscribed as being written by Paul and Timothy only.
Those writing pray that grace and peace may exist for the Corinthians from God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ, which is clearly a gift given from Father and Son; for just as the works which the Father does, the Son likewise presents, so just as the gifts which the Father gives, the Son bestows; for one grace and one peace is given toward the Trinity. And this must be said: having said God their Father, they no longer say brother but Lord their Savior, showing that even if the born become sons of God, they remain nothing less than slaves of the Lord Jesus who is their Creator; for he himself, being the Son of God in truth and not by position, is the master of those being made sons. 2 Cor 1:3 Blessed be the God...
The divine words are such, not to receive blessing but to provide it; for just as He alone is holy and good, sanctifying and making others good, and not becoming those things which He makes others, so He alone is blessed, providing blessing but not receiving it. This blessed God exists as God and as Father of the Lord Jesus, God through the economy, and Father through the Word and being the only-begotten Son. He is Father of mercies in essence, being the source of them; for such a one is not found by the acquisition of virtue like those who become merciful. As the heavenly Father, He is merciful; for the Father of mercies imparts to those who hasten to imitate Him, not to be mercy but to become merciful. Along with these, God is the source of all consolation, sympathy, and grace. This is that source in which and through which all those who are afflicted for the sake of truth, and rather for piety, are exhorted; for thus they will teach those others who are being afflicted, being inferior to them, to be exhorted by those who are being afflicted.
The teachers say they are being afflicted for the progress and salvation of those being instructed, so that having endurance they may be made perfect, hoping to receive worthy rewards that will be given to the apostles who contend for the truth and to the hearers of these (2 Cor 1:6). Since they had a share in the sufferings on which there is consolation, it shows to them the great affliction that existed in Asia from the slanderer and the informer Demetrius (2 Cor 1:7-10); and quite so, since he said they suffer for the sake of their consolation and salvation, so that they might acquire endurance working in the same sufferings, he makes it manifest to them how both he and those with him endured persecution and affliction beyond power, so as to be almost despaired of, that is, to fall, to live. But he presents the reason for having to suffer this little, saying: for since we were convinced of ourselves as being without hope against every affliction...
Greek
Fragmenta in epistulam ii ad Corinthios 2 Kor 1,1-2 Πάντας τοὺς ἐν τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ προσαγορεύει· μέρος γὰρ τῆς Ἀχαΐας ἡ Κόρινθος. προσφωνεῖ δὲ τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ὡς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ Σιλουανοῦ καὶ Τιμοθέου γραφεῖσαν, καίτοι οὐκ ἀεὶ τοῦτο ποιῶν· τοῦτο δὲ οἴομαι αὐτὸν ποιεῖν, ὅταν γράφῃ ἐκκλησίᾳ γνωριζούσῃ κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτόν τε καὶ τοὺς παραλαμβανομένους ἐν τῇ συντάξει. εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ περὶ τῶν οὕτως ἐχόντων λέγοντες, ὅτι εἴ ποτε γράφοντος αὐτοῦ ὑπέβαλον νοήματά τινες τῶν συνόντων, καὶ τούτων τὰ ὀνόματα προέταττεν, δεικνὺς ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ συνεβάλοντο τῇ γραφῇ· ἐπράττετο δὲ τοῦτο διὰ πολλὴν ἀτυφίαν. εἰ δὲ ὑγιῶς ἔχει τὸν ἐξ ἁγίου πνεύματος γράφοντα δεῖσθαι τῆς πρὸς ἕτερον συλλήψεως, ἐπίστησον· ὅμως δὲ εἰ καὶ ἐκ τριῶν ἐστιν ἡ ἐπιστολή, ἀλλά γε αὐτὸς μόνος ἀπόστολος Χριστοῦ διὰ θελήματος θεοῦ σημαίνεται τῶν σὺν αὐτῷ προσφωνούντων μαθητῶν ὄντων ἀποστόλων. Τὸ σὺν τοῖς ἁγίοις πᾶσιν ἀμφιβόλως λέγεται· ἤτοι γὰρ σὺν ἡμῖν πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι προσαγορεύουσιν ὑμᾶς, ἢ σὺν ὑμῖν πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους προσαγορεύομεν. οὐκ ἀγνοητέον ἔν τισιν ἀντιγράφοις φέρεσθαι, ὡς ὑπὸ Παύλου καὶ Τιμοθέου μόνον κεχάρακται τὸ προκείμενον γράμμα. Ἐπεύχονται οἱ γράφοντες χάριν καὶ εἰρήνην ὑπαρχθῆναι Κορινθίοις ἀπὸ θεοῦ πατρὸς καὶ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τῆς αὐτῆς δηλονότι ἐκ πατρὸς καὶ υἱοῦ διδομένης δωρεᾶς· ὡς γὰρ τὰ ἔργα ἃ ποιεῖ ὁ πατήρ, ταῦτα ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ὑφίστησιν, οὕτως ἃ δίδωσιν ὁ πατὴρ χαρίσματα, ὁ υἱὸς δωρεῖται· μία γὰρ χάρις καὶ εἰρήνη μία πρὸς τῆς τριάδος δίδοται. καὶ τοῦτο δὲ λεκτέον, πατέρα ἑαυτῶν τὸν θεὸν εἰρηκότες οὐκέτι ἀδελφὸν ἀλλὰ κύριον ἑαυτῶν τὸν σωτῆρά φασιν, δεικνύντες ὅτι κἂν υἱοὶ θεοῦ γένωνται οἱ γενητοί, οὐδὲν ἧττον δοῦλοι μένουσι τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ δημιουργοῦ αὐτῶν τυγχάνοντος· μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς ἀληθείᾳ καὶ οὐ θέσει υἱὸς ὢν θεοῦ δεσπότης ἐστὶ τῶν υἱοποιουμένων. 15 2 Kor 1,3 Εὐλογητὸν τὸν θεόν φασιν οἱ θεῖοι λόγοι, οὐ τῷ εὐλογίαν δεδέχθαι ἀλλὰ τῷ παρέχειν αὐτήν· ὡς γὰρ ἅγιος καὶ ἀγαθὸς μόνος αὐτός, ἁγιάζων καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ποιῶν, καὶ οὐ γινόμενος ταῦτα ἅπερ ἑτέρους ποιεῖ, οὕτω μόνος εὐλογητός ἐστιν, εὐλογίαν παρέχων ἀλλ' οὐ δεχόμενος. οὗτος ὁ εὐλογητὸς θεὸς θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ὑπάρχει, θεὸς μὲν διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν, πατὴρ δὲ διὰ τὸ λόγον καὶ μονογενῆ υἱὸν ὑπάρχειν. Πατὴρ οἰκτιρμῶν ἐστι κατ' οὐσίαν, πηγὴ αὐτῶν τυγχάνων· οὐ γὰρ ἐξ ἀναλήψεως ἀρετῆς εὑρίσκεται τοιοῦτος οἷοί εἰσιν οἱ γινόμενοι οἰκτίρμονες. ὡς ὁ πατὴρ οὐράνιος, οἰκτίρμων ἐστίν· ὁ γὰρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν πατὴρ μεταδίδουσι τοῖς σπεύδουσι μιμεῖσθαι αὐτόν, οὐκ εἶναι ἀλλὰ γίνεσθαι οἰκτίρμοσιν. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ πάσης παρακλήσεως, ἐμπαθείας καὶ χάριτος ὢν θεός. αὕτη ἐστὶν ἐν ᾗ καὶ δι' ἧς παρακαλοῦνται πάντες οἱ ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας μᾶλλον δὲ εὐσεβείας θλιβόμενοι· οὕτω γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θλιβομένους ὄντας αὐτῶν ὑποδεεστέρους διδάξουσι παρακαλεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν θλιβόντων. 2 Kor 1,6 Θλίβεσθαί φασιν οἱ διδάσκαλοι ὑπὲρ προκοπῆς καὶ σωτηρίας τῶν πεπαιδευμένων, ἵν' ὑπομονὴν ἔχοντες τελείαν βεβαιωθῶσιν, ἐλπίζοντες τυχεῖν ἐπαξίων ἀμοιβῶν δοθησομένων τοῖς ὑπὲρ ἀληθείας ἀγωνιζομένοις ἀποστόλοις καὶ τοῖς τούτων ἀκροαταῖς. 2 Kor 1,7-10 Ἐπείπερ κοινωνίαν εἶχον τῶν παθημάτων ἐφ' οἷς ἡ παράκλησις, δηλοῖ αὐτοῖς τὴν ὑπάρξασαν θλίψιν οὖσαν μεγάλην ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ ἐκ διαβολῆς καὶ συκοφαντίας ∆ημητρίου· καὶ εἰκότως γε, ἐπείπερ εἶπεν πάσχειν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἐκείνων παρακλήσεως καὶ σωτηρίας, ὅπως κτήσωνται ὑπομονὴν τὴν ἐν τοῖς αὐτοῖς παθήμασιν ἐνεργουμένην, φανεροῖ αὐτοῖς ὡς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν διωγμὸν καὶ θλίψιν ὑπέμεινεν αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ σὺν αὐτῷ, ὡς μικροῦ δεῖν ἐξαπορηθῆναι, τοῦτ' 1 ἔστιν ἐκπεσεῖν, τοῦ ζῆν. παρίστησι δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ μικροῦ δεῖν τοῦτο παθεῖν, εἰπών· ἐπεὶ γὰρ πεπειθότες ἦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς ὡς πρὸς πᾶσαν θλίψιν ἀνενδότως
About this text
Didymus on Paul's second letter to Corinth: suffering, comfort, and what makes a true apostle.
Catalogue & scope
Khazarzar scan
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.