Moses in Corinth: The Apologetic Context of 2 Corinthians 3 by Paul B. Duff

Abstract

Reviewed by: Moses in Corinth: The Apologetic Context of 2 Corinthians 3 by Paul B. Duff Timothy Milinovich paul b. duff, Moses in Corinth: The Apologetic Context of 2 Corinthians 3 (NovTSup 159; Leiden: Brill, 2015). Pp. xi + 238. $142. The curious reference to Moses in 2 Corinthians 3 has resulted in a variety of readings, many of which consider Paul's argument to be apologetic and opposed to the Mosaic covenant. In this book, however, Duff's view that internal opponents were the cause of Paul's apology and that Moses is used as a positive example for the audience, challenges the status quo of the debate. The first chapter introduces the reader to major exegetical challenges and the existing conundrum involved in 2 Corinthians 3, especially with the use of Moses and allusions to Exodus 34. D. engages adjacent issues of context (integrity of the letter) and situation (the identity of the opponents). Unsatisfied with the present view of the passage that Paul defends himself against criticism from external Judaizing opponents, D. instead offers that Paul is referring to Moses and exodus traditions to respond to internal criticism from Corinthians who questioned his integrity over the collection. Paul uses Moses as a comparative to his own ministry to highlight how God qualified him, but also uses Moses as a model for gentile Corinthians. Just as Moses takes off his veil to turn to God, the gentile Corinthians turned from idolatry to have a new perspective through faith. Their transformed vision and life in Christ are then proof of Paul's qualifications. Chapter 2 is devoted to the letter's integrity. D. abbreviates a history of the debate before settling on a sequence in which 2 Corinthians 8 (an independent letter) follows [End Page 334] 1 Corinthians and creates significant suspicions among the Corinthian detractors who questioned the collection. Paul then wrote 2 Cor 2:14–7:4 (excluding 6:14–7:1) as a defense of his ministry in this internal dispute. (Other separate sections, 10:1–13:13; 1:1–2:13 + 7:5-16; and 9:1-18, are viewed as later, and 6:14–7:1 is considered a post-Pauline interpolation). In chap. 3, D. lays out the situation behind Paul's defense, arguing that there is insufficient evidence to see the "false apostles" of 2 Corinthians 10–11 as the antagonists, or that Judaizing tendencies are a threat (as compared to Galatia). Instead, D. avers that members of the Corinthian church dissatisfied with Paul's leadership challenged him on the grounds that he was a common huckster who preached for money. Paul's main error was in changing his directions on the collection in 1 Cor 16:1-4, which allowed the Corinthians to choose emissaries to escort the collection to Jerusalem, to that in 2 Cor 8:16-24, which states that Titus would take the collection and travel without them. At this point the internal opposition pounced and argued that Paul's sufferings, imprisonments, and even appearance were divine punishments for his attempts to defraud the community. Chapters 4, 5, and 6 cover the major sections relevant to the study in exegetical fashion: 2:14–3:6; 3:7-11; and 3:12-18, respectively. D. finds that Paul's defensive position over his sincerity in 2:14–3:6 is aimed at the letters of recommendation that the Corinthians demanded to authorize his collection. The reference to the stone tablets (3:3) constitutes Paul's ministry as spiritual but does not denigrate the law. The emphasis is on Paul's ministry, not the effectiveness of the Mosaic covenant. D. then argues that the "ministry of death" that comes from glory refers to how God's glory could condemn gentiles who did not know or follow the covenant. Since the Corinthians themselves had been recipients of God's mercy that freed them from condemnation, they should not then presume that Paul's sufferings are a divine rebuke or punishment. Lastly, Moses is used as a double model: as a comparative to Paul's ministry, and as an analogy to the Corinthians' transformative experience in the community. Since their lives have been...