2 Corinthians 1:1

Contextual Overview

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia: ¹ Howdy, boys! It's me, Paul. I'm one of the cowboys God chose to lead this gathering because I reckon it's what he wanted. Timothy says howdy, also.I'm writing to the big gatherin' of cowboys and cowgirls who make up the church in Corinth as well as all those scattered throughout Achaia taking the outside for God. ¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia: ¹ Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Timothy the brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia: ¹ Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by God's will, and the brother Timotheus, to the assembly of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia. ¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and Timothy our brother: To God's church at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia. ¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia: ¹ Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints that are in all Achaia:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Paul: Romans 1:1-5, 1 Corinthians 1:1, 1 Timothy 1:1, 2 Timothy 1:1

Timothy: Acts 16:1, Romans 16:21, 1 Corinthians 16:10, Philippians 1:1, Philippians 2:19-22, Colossians 1:1, Colossians 1:2, 1 Thessalonians 1:1, 2 Thessalonians 1:1, Hebrews 13:23

the church: Acts 18:1-11, 1 Corinthians 1:2

all: 1 Corinthians 6:11, Ephesians 1:1

Achaia: 2 Corinthians 9:2, 2 Corinthians 11:10, Acts 18:12, Romans 15:26, Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:15, 1 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Thessalonians 1:8

Reciprocal: Acts 20:4 - Timotheus Romans 1:7 - To all Philemon 1:1 - Timothy Hebrews 13:24 - and all

Cross-References

Genesis 1:4
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4
God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4
And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4
God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4
And God sawe the lyght that it was good: and God deuided the lyght from the darknes.

Genesis 1:4
He saw the light, and he knew that it was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4
And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

Genesis 1:4
And God seiy the liyt, that it was good, and he departide the liyt fro derknessis; and he clepide the liyt,

Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God diuided the light from the darkenesse.

Genesis 1:4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,.... The inscription of this epistle is pretty much the same with that of the former; only whereas here he styles himself an apostle of Jesus Christ, there he says he was "called" to be one: for he did not assume that character and office without the call of Christ, and will of God; and which he chooses to mention, in opposition to the false apostles, who had neither. Likewise, in the inscription of the former epistle Sosthenes is joined with him; in this Timothy, whom he calls

our brother, not so much on account of his being a partaker of the same grace, as for his being a minister of the same Gospel: and he the rather mentions him, because he had sent him to them, to know their state, and was now returned to him with an account of it, and who joined and agreed with him in the substance of this epistle. Moreover, the former epistle is directed as "unto the church of God which is at Corinth"; so to all that call upon the name of Christ in every place; and this is directed also to the same church, together

with all the saints which are in all Achaia; which was a very considerable part of Greece, and of which Corinth was the metropolis: and the apostle's intention in directing it in this form was, that copies of this letter might be sent to them, who equally, with this church, stood in need of the reproofs, exhortations, and instructions which are in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Paul an apostle ... - ; see the Romans 1:1 note, and 1 Corinthians 1:1 note.

By the will of God - Through, or agreeably to the will of God; note, 1 Corinthians 1:1.

And Timothy our brother - Paul was accustomed to associate some other person or persons with him in writing his epistles. Thus, in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Sosthenes was associated with him. For the reasons of this, see the note on 1 Corinthians 1:1. The name of Timothy is associated with his in the Epistles to the Philippians and Colossians. From the former Epistle to the Corinthians 1 Corinthians 16:10, we learn that Paul had sent Timothy to the church at Corinth, or that he expected that he would visit them. Paul had sent him into Macedonia in company with Erastus Acts 19:21-22, intending himself to follow them, and expecting that they would visit Achaia. From the passage before us, it appears that Timothy had returned from this expedition, and was now with Paul. The reason why Paul joined Timothy with him in writing this Epistle may have been the following:

(1) Timothy had been recently with them, and they had become acquainted with him, and it was not only natural that he should express his friendly salutations, but his name and influence among them might serve in some degree to confirm what Paul wished to say to them; compare note, 1 Corinthians 1:1.

(2) Paul may have wished to give as much influence as possible to Timothy. he designed that he should be his fellow-laborer; and as Timothy was much younger than himself, he doubtless expected that he would survive him, and that he would in some sense succeed him in the care of the churches. He was desirous, therefore, of securing for him all the authority which he could, and of letting it be known that he regarded him as abundantly qualified for the great work with which he was entrusted.

(3) The influence and name of Timothy might be supposed to have weight with the party in the church that had slandered Paul, by accusing him of insincerity or instability in regard to his purposed visit to them. Paul had designed to go to them directly from Ephesus, but he had changed his mind, and the testimony of Timothy might be important to prove that it was done from motives purely conscientious. Timothy was doubtless acquainted with the reasons; and his testimony might meet and rebut a part of the charges against him; see 2 Corinthians 1:13-16.

Unto the church of God ... - see the note, 1 Corinthians 1:2.

With all the saints which are in all Achaia - Achaia, in the largest sense, included the whole of Greece. Achaia proper, however, was the district or province of which Corinth was the capital. It comprehended the part of Greece lying between Thessaly and the southern part of the Peloponnesus, embracing the whole western part of the Peloponnesus. It is probable that there were not a few Christians scattered in Achaia, and not improbably some small churches that had been established by the labors of Paul or of others. From Romans 16:1, we know that there was a church at Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth, and it is by no means improbable that there were other churches in that region. Paul doubtless designed that copies of this Epistle should be circulated among them.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

THE SECOND EPISTLE OF PAUL THE APOSTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS.

Chronological Notes relative to this Epistle.

-Year of the Constantinopolitan era of the world, or that used by the emperors of the east in their diplomata, c., and thence also called the "civil era of the Greeks," εφξε (5565.)

-Year of the Alexandrian era of the world, or ecclesiastical epoch of the Greeks, εφνθ (5559.)

-Year of the Antiochian era of the world, εφμθ (5549).

-Year of the Eusebian epoch of the creation, or that used in the Chronicon of Eusebius, and the Roman martyrology, δςπε (4285.)

-Year of the Julian period, 4767.

-Year of the world, according to Bedford and Kennedy, in their Scripture Chronology, 4065.

-Year of the Usherian era of the world, or that used in the English Bibles, 4061.

-Year of the world according to Scaliger, 4001. The difference of sixty years in the era of the world, as fixed by Scaliger and Usher, arises from the former chronologer placing the birth of Abraham in the 70th, and the latter in the 130th year of the life of his father Terah. For Scaliger's computation, see on Genesis 11:26 and for Usher's computation, see on Genesis 11:26, and Genesis 11:32, conferred with Acts 7:4.

-Year of the minor Jewish era of the world, 3817.

-Year of the greater Rabbinical era of the world, 4416.

-Year since the Deluge, according to Archbishop Usher and the English Bible, 2405.

-Year of the Cali Yuga, or Indian era of the Deluge, 3159.

-Year of the era of Iphitus, who re-established the Olympic Games 338 years after their institution by Hercules, or about 884 years before the commencement of the Christian era, 997.

-Year of the two hundred and ninth Olympiad, 1. This epoch commenced, according to the most accurate calculations of some of the moderns, precisely 776 years before the Christian era, and 23 years before the building of Rome; and computations of time by it ceased about A. D. 440.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Fabius Pictor, who flourished about 225 years before Christ, and who is styled by Dionysius of Halicarnassus an accurate writer, 804. (This epoch is used by Diodorus Siculus.)

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Polybius the historian, 808.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Cato and the Fasti Consulares, and adopted by Solinus, Eusebius, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, c., 809.

-Year from the building of Rome, according to Varro, which was that adopted by the Roman emperors in their proclamations, by Plutarch, Tacitus, Dio Cassius, Gellius Censorinus, Onuphrius, Baronius, and by most modern chronologers, 810. N. B. Livy, Cicero, Pliny, and Velleius Paterculus, fluctuate between the Varronian and Catonian computations.

-Year of the epoch of Nabonassar, king of Babylon, after the division of the Assyrian monarchy, or that used by Hipparchus, by Ptotemy in his astronomical observations, by Censorinus and others, 805. (The years of this era constantly contained 365 days, so that 1460 Julian were equal to 1461 Nabonassarean years. This epoch commenced on the IVth of the calends of March, (Feb. 26,) B. C. 747 and, consequently, the beginning of the 805th year of the era of Nabonassar coincided with the Vth of the Ides of August, (Aug. 9,) A. D. 57.

-Year of the era of the Seleucidae, or since Seleucus, one of the generals of Alexander the Great, took Babylon and ascended the Asiatic throne, sometimes called the Grecian era, and the era of principalities, in reference to the division of Alexander's empire, 369.

-Year of the Caesarean era of Antioch, 105.

-Year of the Julian era, or year since the Calendar of Numa Pompilius, the second Roman king, was reformed by Julius Caesar, 102.

-Year of the Spanish era, or since the second division of the Roman provinces among the Triumviri, 95.

-Year since the defeat of Pompey, by Julius Caesar, at Pharsalia, called by Catrou and Rouille the commencement of the Roman empire, 105.

-Year of the Actiac, or Actian era, or proper epoch of the Roman empire, commencing with the defeat of Antony by Augustus at Actium, 87.

-Year from the birth of Jesus Christ, 61.

-Year of the vulgar era of Christ's nativity, 57.

-Year of the Dionysian period or Easter Cycle, 58.

-Common Golden Number, or year of the Grecian or Metonic Cycle of nineteen years, 1, or the first common year.

-Jewish Golden Number, or year of the Rabbinical Cycle of nineteen years, 17, or the sixth Embolismic.

-Year of the Solar Cycle, 10.

-Dominical Letter B; or, which is the same thing, the Calends of January, (Jan. 1,) happened on the Jewish Sabbath, or our Saturday.

-Jewish Passover, (15th of Nisan, or Abib,) Tuesday, April 5, or on the Nones of April.

-Number of Direction, or number of days that Easter Sunday happens after the 21st of March, 21; or the XIIth of the Calends of April.

-Mean time of the Paschal Full Moon at Corinth, (its longitude being twenty-three degrees to the east of London,) according to Ferguson's Tables, which are sufficiently exact for this purpose, April 7, or the VIIth of the Ides of April, at forty-eight minutes and thirty-eight seconds past eight in the evening. True time of the Paschal Full Moon at Corinth, according to Ferguson's Tables, April 8, or the VIth of the Ides of April, at thirty-seven minutes and one second past five in the morning; the true time of the Paschal Full Moon being eight hours, forty-eight minutes, and twenty-three seconds after the mean.

-Easter Sunday, April 10, or the IVth of the Ides of April.

-Epact, or moon's age on the twenty-second of March, or the XIth of the Calends of April, (the day on which the earliest Easter happens,) 29.

-Year of the reign of Nero Caesar, the Roman emperor, and fifth Caesar, 4.

-Year of Claudius Felix, the Jewish governor, 5.

-Year of the reign of Vologesus, king of the Parthians, or the family of the Arsacidae, 8.

-Year of Caius Numidius Quadratus, governor of Syria, 7.

-Year of Ishmael, high priest of the Jews, 3.

-Year of the reign of Corbred I., king of the Scots, brother to the celebrated Caractacus, who was carried prisoner to Rome, but afterwards released by the emperor, 3.

-Roman consuls; Nero Caesar Augustus, (the second time,) and L. Calpurnius Piso.

Eminent men, contemporaries with St. Paul.

-L. Annaeas Seneca, the Stoic philosopher and poet, son of M. Annaeus Seneca, the rhetorician; born about the commencement of the Christian era, and put to death about A. D. 65.

-Annaeus Cornutus, the Stoic philosopher, and preceptor to Persius the satirist; flourished under Nero.

-Lucan, nephew to Seneca the philosopher; born about A. D. 29, put to death about A. D. 65.

-Andromachus of Crete, a poet, and Nero's physician.

-T. Petronius Arbiter, of Massila, died A. D. 66.

-Aulus Persius Flaccus, the Latin poet, of Volaterrae in Italy; died in the ninth year of the reign of Nero, aged 28.

-Dioscorides, the physician; the age in which this physician lived is very uncertain.

-Justus, of Tiberias, in Palestine.

-Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian; born A. D. 37, died A. D. 93.

-Silius Italicus, the poet who was several times consul; born about A. D. 23, died in the beginning of the reign of Trajan, aged 75.

-Valerius Flaccus, the Latin poet; flourished under Vespasian.

-C. Plinius Secundus, of Verona, born under Tiberius, flourished under Vespasian, and died under Titus, A. D. 79, aged 56.

-Thraseus Paetus, the Stoic philosopher, famous for his independence and generous sentiments; slain by order of Nero, A. D. 66.

-Quintius Curtius Rufus, the historian; the time when he flourished is uncertain, some placing him under Claudius, others under Vespasian, and others under Trajan.

-Asconius Pedianus, the historian and annotator, died A. D. 76, aged 85.

-Marcus Valerius Martialis, the epigrammatist; born about A. D. 29, died A. D. 104, aged 75.

-Philo-Byblius, born about A. D. 53, died A. D. 133, aged 80.

-Acusilaus, the rhetorician; flourished under Galba.

-Afer, an orator and preceptor of Quintilian, died A. D. 59.

-Afranius, the satirist, put to death by Nero, in the Pisonian conspiracy.

-Marcus Aper, a Latin orator of Gaul, died A. D. 85.

-Babilus, the astrologer, who caused the Emperor Nero to put all the leading men of Rome to death.

-C. Balbillus, the historian of Egypt; flourished under Nero.

-P. Clodius Quirinalis, the rhetorician, flourished under Nero.

-Fabricus, the satirist; flourished under Nero.

-Decius Junius Juvenalis, the satirist; born about A. D. 29, died A. D. 128, aged about 100 years.

-Longinus, the lawyer, put to death by Nero.

-Plutarch, the biographer and moralist; born about A. D. 50, died about A. D. 120, or A. D. 140, according to others.

-Polemon, the rhetorician, and master of Persius the celebrated satirist, died in the reign of Nero.

-Seleucus, the mathematician, intimate with the Emperor Vespasian.

-Servilius Nonianus, the Latin historian; flourished under Nero.

-Caius Cornelius Tacitus, the celebrated Roman historian; born in the reign of Nero, and died at an advanced age in the former part of the second century.

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CHAPTER I.

St. Paul encourages them to trust in God in all adversities,

from a consideration of the support which he had granted them

already in times of afflictions; and expresses his strong

confidence of their fidelity, 1-7.

Mentions the heavy tribulation which he had passed through in

Asia; as also his deliverance, 8-11.

Shows in what the exultation of a genuine Christian consists,

12.

Appeals to their own knowledge of the truth of the things which

he wrote to them, 13, 14.

Mentions his purpose of visiting them; and how sincere he was

in forming it; and the reason why he did not come, as he had

purposed, 15-24.

NOTES ON CHAP. I.

Verse 2 Corinthians 1:1. Paul, an apostle — Paul, commissioned immediately by Jesus Christ himself, according to the will of God, to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. 1 Corinthians 1:1.

In all Achaia — The whole of the Peloponnesus, or that country separated from the main land by the Isthmus of Corinth. From this we may learn that this epistle was not only sent to the Church at Corinth, but to all the Churches in that country.