Theophylact directly paraphrases this word in keeping with what was said above: “Receive us more spaciously, and let there be no narrow place for us in you.” Oecumenius recalls the thought of blessed Photius. According to him, the Apostle asks them to receive not only himself, but still more his word and teaching.
This thought is not contrary to the course of the discourse.
“We have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.” “By this he points to the false apostles” (Chrysostom). He says, You receive those who do all these things to you. Below he points to this in 2 Cor 11:20.
All the more readily, therefore, should you receive us, who have done none of these things to you. Saint Paul might have pointed to the good they had received from him, first spiritually and then materially. A modest Christian life could not fail to influence their outward condition.
Yet this would not have been as powerful as comparing the Corinthians’ relation to himself with their relation to others. From those others they had received no good at all, but only harm.
“He is silent about his benefactions, yet in another way he both softens and strengthens his word. He does not say, ‘We have shown you such and such benefits.’ Rather, he speaks as if saying this: Even if we had done you no benefit at all, even then you ought not to flee from us. For you cannot accuse us in anything, great or small” (Chrysostom).
“We have wronged no man,” ηδικησαμεν, that is, we have deprived no one of his right in any respect. We lived among you for a year and a half quietly, peaceably, and honorably. No one was wronged or offended by us, not only by deed, but even by word.
“We have corrupted no man.” We corrupted no one by a bad example and turned no one from the way by evil teaching. “We did not use flattering words, adorning falsehood” (Theodoret). “We led no one into error by damaging the mind with impious doctrines” (Theophylact).
“We deceived no one and corrupted no one’s mind, beguiling simplicity as the serpent beguiled Eve by his craftiness” (Chrysostom).
“We have defrauded no man,” that is, we took advantage of no one in anything. “We extorted nothing from anyone by acting deceitfully” (Chrysostom). “We did not make merchandise of the word of the Gospel, turning it into a means of enrichment” (Oecumenius, Theophylact).
These words stand in Saint Paul without explanatory additions. Therefore there is no need to depart from their direct meaning.
The occasion for these words is less likely to have been that Saint Paul’s ill-wishers spread such judgments about him. More likely, as Chrysostom indicated, some false teachers actually acted in this way among the Corinthians.
That is, they took profit, corrupted minds by falsehood, left a bad example, and wronged someone by bearing themselves loftily. Such conduct could not pass without causing offense.
One cannot fail to note what high praise it is for a pastor if, before the face of his whole flock, he can speak such words. Were only the Prophet Samuel and Saint Paul such men? No.
In every age the eye of God faithfully sees not seven, but several times seven thousand pastoral souls who have not bowed the knee before falsehood, flattery, unrighteousness, and mammon.
THEOSIS