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

Here he expresses not only his love for them, but also testifies to their virtuous life. That is, by their virtues they can prove before all the dignity of their teacher.

This is the meaning of the words: "You are our letter." What your letters would have done, if you had approved and praised us in them, you yourselves accomplish by your life according to faith, which all see and hear about.

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

"Written in our hearts" means that it is known to all, because we carry you with us everywhere and keep you in our heart.

It is as though he said: "You serve as our approval before others. We always have you in our heart, and before all we proclaim your virtues.

Therefore we not only have no need of letters of approval from you to others, because you serve as our approval, but even for you yourselves we need no testimony from others, because we love you deeply.

Letters of approval are needed for strangers, but you are in our hearts." He did not simply say, "you are," but "you are written," that is, so that you cannot be erased from our hearts.

As by reading our letters, so by being assured from our hearts, all know the love we have for you.

If letters are used to show that such a person is my friend and enjoys my confidence, then your love replaces all this for us.

Therefore, whether we go to you, we do not need to take approval from others, since your love for us fully replaces it.

Or whether we go to others, again we do not need to take letters of approval from you, because instead of them this same love is sufficient for us here also.

We carry the epistle in our hearts.

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.

But when he says here, "written in our hearts," the Apostle means only this: all read you as our epistle, but you are not strangers to us, as we are not strangers to you.

We carry you in our hearts. Lest someone say, "We are your letter of recommendation, but you have thrown this letter open; let whoever wishes read it," the Apostle answers this.

Let them read you openly there, but we value you no less than anyone else values a letter of recommendation.

Such a person wraps up his letter and keeps it safely in his bosom, but we carry you in our heart. You are written there within us.

Where necessary, we ourselves also read this letter to others. From us people know about you no less than through seeing you yourselves.

Saint Chrysostom says: "Here the Apostle expresses not only his love for them, but also testifies to their virtuous life.

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

What your letters would do, if you began to approve and praise us, 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.

'Written in our hearts,' because we carry you with us everywhere and keep you in our heart. It is as though he said: you serve as our approval before others, and we always have you in our heart.

Before all we proclaim your virtues. Therefore we do not need letters of approval from you to others. You serve as our approval.

If it becomes necessary for us to recommend ourselves before others, we shall place you in the midst instead of a letter of approval. He said this also in the first epistle: 'For you are the seal of my apostleship' (1 Cor 9:2)."

Blessed Theodoret writes: "We have no need of letters. The deeds themselves testify concerning us, and we have a living epistle that speaks in our favor to you and to all.

This is your faith, glorified everywhere, both on land and at sea, because we [...]"