2 Corinthians 3:1Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He does the same later in the epistle. After listing countless afflictions, sorrows, hardships, extreme need, and similar things, he added: "We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you occasion to boast on our behalf" (2 Cor 5:12).

There he says this much more strongly and with greater indignation. Here his words, "Do we need, as some do, letters of approval to you or from you?" express love.

There, as was necessary and useful, his words are filled with special force and indignation. "We are not," he says, "commending ourselves to you again, but giving you occasion to boast on our behalf."

Again he says: "Do you still think that we are defending ourselves before you? We speak before God in Christ... I fear lest, when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish" (2 Cor 12:19-20).

So that he would not incur reproach for flattery or for seeking praise from them, he says: "I fear lest, when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish."

But all this he says with great rebuke. At the beginning, however, he does not speak so, but much more condescendingly.

What do his words mean? Above he spoke of temptations, dangers, and how God in Christ makes him victorious everywhere, and how the whole world knows of his victories.

Having thus said something great about himself, he poses this question to himself: "Are we beginning again to become acquainted with you?"

His words have this meaning: perhaps someone will say to us, "What does this mean, Paul? Why do you speak this way about yourself? Why do you exalt yourself?"

To forestall such an objection, he says: no, we do not wish to boast or exalt ourselves before you.

We are so far from asking for letters of approval about ourselves to you that you yourselves serve us instead of a letter.

His forceful words have this meaning: will someone say that we must present letters of approval to you, so that through them we may become known among you? Or must we present such letters from you to others?

Then he adds with feeling.

The Christians had spiritually left them and cleaved to Christ, who had been preached to them. Thus they themselves were a spiritual writing of the heart, clearly proclaiming to all the great dignity of the preachers of the Christian Gospel.

This writing, inscribed in the heart and sealed by the manifold gifts of the Holy Spirit, is higher and more precious than all writings. It does not exclude even the tablets of the covenant.

Those tablets were indeed engraved by God, but only on stone slabs. Here, however, the writing is on the very source of life, in the heart.

Therefore this writing is inward, indelible, always living and life-giving. It embraces consciousness and freedom, and reveals itself in Christian works of love, peace, and joy.

According to Saint John Chrysostom's explanation, "Here the Apostle expresses not only his love for the Corinthians, but also testifies to their virtuous life.

That is, they can prove before all, by their virtues, the dignity of their teacher. This is what his words mean: you are our epistle.

What your letters would have done, if you had approved and praised us in them, you accomplish by your life according to faith, which all see and hear about.

For the virtues of disciples serve as the best adornment for their instructor, and approve him better than any letter.

Raising them to a higher understanding, he calls them Christ's epistle, as those who have the law of God written within them, in Christ Jesus."

Carrying the comparison to the end, the Apostle shows that they, the Apostles, value highly the letters of the heart written by those whom they have converted.

Therefore they carry them on their heart and have them everywhere with them, as letters of approval and encouragement. If a recommendation is needed somewhere, they are ready to refer to them, as Chrysostom says.

In the present case he had to speak of his dignity before the Corinthian Christians themselves. Therefore the Apostle most wisely revealed to them that they themselves were a great and glorious letter of recommendation for the Apostles.

For this reason they had to reject decisively every slander against them, and be certain of the God-inspired dignity of the Apostles and of their teaching.

This replaced every letter of recommendation for them. The power of the Gospel word and the signs accompanying it assured everyone that they truly were messengers of God.

From this assurance faith was born. Through faith the whole Gospel was received. After this came sanctification and renewal by grace, and the communication of special gifts.

From that moment, what ruled was no longer an external assurance, but an inward one concerning the heavenly dignity of the Gospel. This was so not only for those who had received the Gospel and been renewed by its power.

It was also so for all outsiders. Outsiders saw spiritual renewal in some place, were amazed, and themselves came to the conviction that the Gospel received there was heavenly, divine, and worthy of reverent attention and faith.

Thus this renewal in one place served the Apostles as a letter of recommendation in every other place. Saint Paul now reminds the Corinthians of this course of Gospel success in a few expressions.

He said above that they mix nothing into the word of their Gospel. Rather, by transmitting it in its natural purity, they leave it to act by itself as is proper to it.

Now he reminds them: remember, we came to you with the word of the Gospel alone, and it itself made you what you now are. By its power you are what you are.

You know this. Here, then, is the assurance nearest to you that the word of the Gospel acts by itself and is all-conquering, as I said above.

Here too is our letter of recommendation, both before you and before all others. But Saint Paul expresses this with a figure of correction, as if saying: what are we doing?

Are we beginning again to recommend ourselves to you, as strangers, as though entering into relations with you for the first time?

There is no need for us to recommend or present ourselves to you. Nor do we need, as custom has it, letters of recommendation from others to you, or from you to others.

You yourselves replace all such things. You yourselves are our recommendation, both before you and before others.

"To commend," synistanein, means to present someone to someone else, or to recommend. Blessed Theodoret writes in this sense: "Are we beginning to commend ourselves? This should not be said by us, but by you.

You know exactly what concerns us, and the work of the Gospel among you." Oecumenius renders the Apostle's speech with this turn: "Should someone say that we set all this forth because we want to recommend ourselves to you or present ourselves to you?

No. Do we need, as some others do, letters of recommendation to you or from you? Not at all. You are our letter of recommendation."