Ben Witherington III, a prolific NT scholar (60 books!), wrote a socio-rhetorical commentary on 1–2 Corinthians in 1995. Now he’s come back with another volume on 2 Corinthians in the Word and Spirit Commentary on the New Testament (WSCNT) series. This series is aimed at Spirit-filled Christians. While that does include every believer who calls Jesus “Lord” (1 Cor 12:3), this series is more narrowly geared toward Christians within the Pentecostal, Charismatic, and Renewalist streams. This series is written by Christian scholars who believe that all of the gifts of the Spirit continue today—also referred to as continuationists—such as Pentecostals, charismatic Methodists, and Reformed charismatics.
Ben Witherington III is the Jean R. Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and emeritus professor of New Testament at the University of St. Andrews. He is also a John Wesley Fellow for Life and a research fellow at Cambridge University.
This series does not cover the text verse-by-verse, but proceeds paragraph-by-paragraph. Witherington begins with an excellent “outline” of 2 Corinthians. I placed parenthetical marks around outline because Witherington merely lists the different sections. However, instead of giving us the usual Point 1, Subpoint A, B…, Witherington comments on how each section functions. For example, 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 functions as a blessing prayer and rhetorical introduction, 1:8–2:16 offers the backstory, 2:17 is the thesis of Paul’s defense, and 3:1–18 is the first part of Paul’s opening argument—the testimony of the Old Testament and the Corinthians. After this there are other “arguments” and a digression, all of which are filled out in the commentary proper. What would have been even more helpful would have been to group the rhetorical sections into an actual outline, visually showing which parts should be grouped together.
Witherington begins by introducing the letter, Paul’s problems, and the belief that 2 Corinthians is a unified letter (because it is). He guides us briefly through the historical context of Corinth and Paul, as well as surveying commentaries that have been published since his was published. He has a section that seems to be mistitled “How to Read a Complex Rhetorical Discourse,” because he doesn’t actually explain how to read such a discourse. He does encourage you to study God’s word deeply, and he discourages standing up in front of a crowd and expecting God to speak through you if you don’t know what his word says.
To help you understand some of the cultural background, Witherington interprets Paul within his Greco-Roman context. He explains honor-shame dynamics, patronage, and ancient rhetorical conventions, which help us understand verses like 2:14–16 with the Roman triumph (see the Biblical Backgrounds sidebar “An Inverted Triumph,” pp. 34–35) and chapters 10–13 with Paul’s ironic defense against the super-apostles.
Witherington guides us through the letter by noting Paul’s rhetoric, shifts in tone, and line of thinking, as well as thematic connections with other Bible passages and brief pastoral application. He notes, for example, that 2 Corinthians 1:3–7 functions rhetorically by appealing “to the audience’s emotions and make them favorably disposed to hear what Paul will go on to say in the rest of this discourse. Paul is trying to establish rapport with his converts” (21). While Paul has some strong emotions in his letter, he is also one of the apostles of the crucified and risen Lord, sent to the nations to proclaim the gospel. We who may be pastors and leaders in churches today are not that. Witherington rightly discourages binding “our audience, in a cult-of-personality sort of way, to us as individual leaders” (22). He encourages us to “model ourselves on Christ without developing a Messiah complex” (22).
There are numerous sidebars that highlight biblical backgrounds:
- “The Christocentric Character of 2 Corinthians” (23),
- “‘I’ and ‘We’ in 2 Corinthians and Elsewhere” (27),
application:
- “I Can Endure All Things in Him” (76–77)
- “The Price of Success” (78),
- “Good Grief” (89),
and Pentecostal Interest
- “The Spirit—Not Just ‘May the Force Be with You'” (31–32),
- “What About Speaking in Tongues?” (123–24),
- “More on Visions and Revelations” (125).
Witherington’s commentary is an easy introduction into Paul’s seemingly convoluted letter. When I read through 2 Corinthians for the first time in Bible college, I ended up being more confused about the letter than before I had read it. I didn’t understand why Paul wrote it the way he did. Witherington’s book would have gone a long way toward helping me understand both Paul and the Bible.
That said, while Witherington keeps the rhetorical nature of Paul’s letter in view, he doesn’t always show Paul’s line of thought in his argument. He skips 2 Cor 3:13–18, arguably one of the most difficult passages in any of Paul’s letters. Thankfully, many laypeople may not be looking for Paul’s reasoning behind everything he writes. It’s enough for them to begin with what Paul means and what we can do with that today.
Recommended?
This is an easy, accessible, and enjoyable book to read by Witherington. This is a good entry into the letter of 2 Corinthians by a Wesleyan-Arminian biblical scholar within the charismatic tradition. If you haven’t read a book on 2 Corinthians before, begin with this one to help you get a handle on the letter before you dive into a deeper commentary.
Buy it on Amazon or from Baker Academic!
Lagniappe
- Author: Ben Witherington III
- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Baker Academic (October 2024)
Review Disclosure: I received this book free from Baker Academic. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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