2 Corinthians 12:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

But our exaltation is not the same when we alone know the cause of it and when we disclose it to others. It is usually not merits themselves that puff us up, but the fact that many bear witness to them and know them. Therefore the Apostle says, "It is not profitable for me," lest he give his hearers occasion to think of him beyond what is proper. The false apostles told about themselves even things that had never happened. But he hides even what did happen, even when necessity itself required that he not hide it. "It is not profitable for me," he says, teaching everyone in every way to avoid self-praise. Truly, it brings no benefit, but only harm, unless some necessary and profitable reason compels one to boast.

But he, though he had many visions and revelations of the Lord, mentions only one, and that against his will. Know, then, that revelation contains something more than vision. Vision merely gives one to see, while revelation discloses something higher than what is seen.

Either of what we have but did not acquire personally, such as good relatives or good abilities, or of what we do not have at all, such as great wealth, enterprises, and victories over our neighbors. But consider your boastful speeches impartially, boaster, and you will understand how foolish and frivolous it is to put yourself on display, to walk on stilts, and to appear great. In reality you are weak, small, poor, foolish, and deaf. Will you not then be ashamed of yourself? And whom can you convince by this? And for how long? A boaster and liar is soon recognized. Afterward, for a long time, if not forever, nothing and no matter is entrusted to him. It is not profitable to boast. Only in certain extreme cases may a man speak of his good qualities and even defend them. First, this is when his public and previously well-known beneficial position in service requires it. It is also when a slander may harm a publicly useful good work which he began and serves from a pure heart. In this case, a humble reference to one's activity is necessary for the benefit of one's neighbor. Or, second, it is when someone's honor is being disgraced in order to harm both his service and his family life. Saint Paul the Apostle acted in this way when defending his apostleship. Yet even in his boasting the holy Apostle showed astonishing modesty. Fourteen years after the vision that had come to him, he had to speak of it before men. What does he do? He speaks of himself as though it were not he who had been counted worthy of supernatural visions and revelations.

It was of this boasting that Paul said, "It is not profitable for me to boast." But whoever boasts in order to bring profit to his neighbor is profited by that boasting, for it is nothing other than love for one's neighbor. Such was Paul's boasting: it was love for his neighbor. The false apostles wove innumerable accusations against Paul, and by this they diminished the force of the Gospel truth preached by him. Therefore, by narrating his struggles, visions, and revelations, he destroyed the slanders woven against him. He increased reverence for the Gospel preaching, and, healing the error of those corrupted by the false apostles, he established the word of truth in their hearts. As then, so now, even until the end of the age, all the pious will receive benefit by hearing of Paul's great deeds and divine gifts. See here that when he said, "For I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord," he showed that he had seen not only that one vision and revelation about which he wrote, but many others. He himself confirmed this by the words, "and because of the abundance of revelations" (2 Cor 12:7; cf. Theophylact there). Revelation is something greater than vision. In vision the saints see what is presented only to them. For example, the Prophet Daniel saw the Ancient of Days sitting upon a throne (Dan 7:9). The protomartyr Stephen saw "the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God" (Acts 7:56). There are other similar visions. In revelation, however, they not only see what is presented, but also come to know what was unknown. Such was the revelation which Isaiah saw "in the year that King Uzziah died" (Isa 6:1). Through it the Prophet came to know the mystery of God's Incarnation and the remission of sins which we receive through communion in the Divine Eucharist. Such also is the revelation which the Evangelist John saw "on the Lord's Day," through which he came to know the things to come (Rev 1:10). Therefore what Paul narrates is also a revelation, since through it he "heard ineffable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (2 Cor 12:4). He begins to narrate this revelation of his in this way.

It is difficult to determine this because of the mystery and spirituality of the vision of which he was counted worthy. Without entering into vain and refined inquiries about the number of existing heavens, it is best to understand the third heaven in a spiritual sense. It is a metaphorical expression for the highest degree of blessed state. Even in modern speech, a similar state is figuratively called the seventh heaven. Since the whole vision was a vision of what the bodily eye does not see, the heavens seen by Paul cannot be defined by correspondence to anything visible above, whether to the simple or aided bodily eye (Bishop Theophan).

It is outward when God or an Angel appears and says what is needed. But it also occurs through visions. A vision either presents spiritual things in images, such as the visions of Ezekiel and the Apocalypse, and requires a new revelation in the mind in order to be understood. Or it is a different vision of the spiritual world in its very reality, when a man's spirit is taken up in an extraordinary manner and brought into contemplation of it, not in images, but as it is. Saint Paul is now speaking about such a vision."

But something brilliant catches the eye of itself and itself proclaims its own glory. Therefore Saint Paul, needing to speak of the revelations granted to him, introduces his word with the reservation: this is not profitable for me, or this is not fitting for me. Then, after speaking of it, he concludes: "Lest I be exalted, there was given to me an afflicter." It is as though he said: do not draw excessive conclusions about me from what has been said, and do not think of me more than what I am.

"Boasting is not profitable for me, for I will come to visions." "For I will come" shows a reason, but for what? For the unspoken thought: I say this because I am passing on to the account of the revelations granted to me. "The narration of this is not profitable for me, but it is profitable for you. Therefore, taking thought for your benefit, I am compelled to say even what I do not consider profitable for myself" (Theodoret).

Chrysostom says: "What does this mean? After saying so much, he says, 'Boasting is not profitable for me.' Does he mean that he has not yet said anything? No. Since he intends to pass to another kind of boasting, which does not lead to the same reward as the former kind, but in appearance glorifies him more in the eyes of many who cannot fully look into the matter, he says, 'Boasting is not profitable for me.' For the reasons for boasting listed above are great, namely temptations. But he intends to present reasons of another kind: revelations and ineffable mysteries. Therefore he speaks in this way. Why does he say, 'It is not profitable for me'? He answers: lest I fall into high-mindedness. What are you saying? Do you not know of this even if you do not speak of it? But our exaltation is not the same when we alone know the cause of it and when we communicate it to others. Usually it is not merits in themselves that puff us up, but the fact that many testify to them and know them. Therefore the Apostle says, 'It is not profitable for me.' Besides this, he does not wish to make his hearers think of him above what is proper. The false apostles recounted about themselves even things that had never happened, but Paul conceals even what did happen, even when necessity itself required him not to conceal it. 'It is not profitable for me,' he says, teaching everyone to avoid self-praise in every way. For it brings not benefit, but harm, unless some necessary and profitable cause compels one to praise."

Vision and revelation here contain one thought for the Apostle: revelation through vision. Revelation embraces everything that it pleases God to reveal to us. It is intellectual when knowledge is placed in the mind. It is external when God or an Angel appears and says what is needed. But it also occurs through visions. A vision either presents spiritual reality in images, as in the visions of Ezekiel and the Apocalypse, and requires a new revelation in the mind in order to be understood. Or it is a vision of the spiritual world in its reality, when the human spirit is taken up in an extraordinary manner and introduced into contemplation of it, not in images, but as it is. Saint Paul now speaks of such a vision.