Who wrote the book of 2 Corinthians? Who was the author of 2 Corinthians?

The apostle associates himself in his address to the Corinthians now, in his constant, gracious way, with the brother Timotheus; while he has to maintain, in the state of things which we know was at Corinth, his own distinct apostleship by the will of God. He writes, therefore, with authority, not simply by way of advice; and we see, in fact, all the way through the epistle, how he claims this authority, while desiring to use it with all the gentleness of grace. He writes to the assembly at Corinth, but with a larger reference also to all the saints who were in all Achaia, wishing them in the first place, as that which would qualify for all that he will urge upon them here, "grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Grace is, as we know, our fundamental need, as well as that in which we stand with God, and peace is that which may well be our possession as we realize the grace in which we stand; but there is also a peace which flows from communion with the Father and with the Son, and which is essential, therefore, to all Christian walk.

"Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by God's will, and Timothy the brother to the assembly that is in Corinth, with all the saints that are in the whole of Achaia; grace to you and peace from God our Father and [our] Lord Jesus Christ."

The opening words of the second epistle naturally resemble those of the first, yet with well defined marks of difference. There is no repetition here of his calling to the apostolate, nor does he qualify the assembly at Corinth as sanctified in Christ Jesus, and saints by the analogous calling of God, which one cannot but judge intrinsically calculated and intended by grace to exercise their consciences in the then state of things in that city. Sosthenes was there graciously associated with the apostle, as one known to and probably of themselves, whom he could honour if they did not; as here we find Timothy from elsewhere, as to whose worthy reception by them the first epistle shows him solicitous. But in the first the apostle had joined the Corinthian church "with all that call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place, both theirs and ours," here "with all the saints that are in the whole of Achaia." It is clear that the first gives a far wider extension than the second, and leaves room for a profession which might not be real, as indeed the apostle evidently feared for the Corinthians themselves in both epistles, especially the first. But the direct force seems to be to embrace, in the express address, saints here or there in Achaia who might not be gathered into assemblies, or such as called on the Lord's name everywhere. As it was of moment that all these should know their heritage in the privileges given and revealed, and be kept from the snare of unbelief which denies their catholicity and continuance, so it was of moment that all the saints throughout Achaia should know and rejoice in the grace that had wrought restoratively in the Corinthian assembly, whatever might remain to be desired from the Lord. It was their common interest and profit for others as well as those immediately concerned. If one member suffer, all the members with it; and if one member is honoured, all the members rejoice with it. In both Epistles he could not but wish them characterised by "grace" the spring and by "peace" the effect of love above evil and need, flowing richly and freely "from God our Father and [our] Lord Jesus Christ," the source and the channel of every blessing, but here again associated with the desired grace and peace.

(Vv. 1, 2). In writing his second Epistle to the Corinthians the Apostle Paul links with himself Timothy, who was well known to them as having laboured in their midst; and, in addressing the Assembly he includes the saints in Achaia of which Corinth was the capital. He is thus careful to show, on the one hand, that in all that he has to say he has the full fellowship of one to whom they are well known, and, on the other hand, that he does not view them as independent of other assemblies of the Lord's people.

Paul an apostle," etc. (1, 2.) His opening salutation differs from that prefixed to the former epistle in some points worth noticing. First, it is less formal. Paul is an apostle, but his calling to that office is not again mentioned, his claims to the title having already been sufficiently vindicated (1 Cor. 9). Secondly, he here names as his associate Timotheus, whom, at the date of his earlier epistle, he had supposed to be among them as his messenger and fellow-helper. Thirdly, the church at Corinth is addressed by its simple designation only, and with no descriptive amplification as before. And lastly, the immediate scope of his address is limited to the saints then locally "in Achaia," instead of appealing, as in the former case, to the common ear of "all who call upon the Lord."

DURING THE STAY at Ephesus, Timothy had been sent in advance into Macedonia (Acts 19:22), which accounts probably for the omission of his name at the beginning of the first epistle. By the time the second was written both Paul and Timothy were in Macedonia, and hence his name appears.

Paul was at Ephesus, intending to go to Corinth, but they were in such a bad state there that he could not go, but he wrote a letter, and then went up from Ephesus to Troas, in hope to meet Titus with an answer to his letter. He went into Macedonia, met Titus, and wrote them the second letter, now that his heart could open out more upon blessing. He could go farther on in the truth now, though they were still babes, yet he could lead them on.

The second epistle to the Corinthians was written not long after the first, and when the apostle was in Macedonia (2 Cor. 7), having gone there to meet Titus, who had been to Corinth to ascertain the present condition of the assembly in that city, and the effect made on the saints by Paul's former letter. In the former he had told them how to deal with the offender; in this one he stirs them up to forgive him, as really repentant.

2 Corinthians 1. The apostle writes the second Epistle to the Corinthians under the influence of the consolations of Christ — consolations experienced when the troubles which came upon him in Asia were at their height; and renewed at the moment when he wrote his letter, by the good news which Titus had brought him from Corinth — consolations which (now that he is happy about them) he imparts to the Corinthians; who, by grace, had been their source in the last instance.

In the meantime Paul had left Ephesus (possibly because of the tumult described in Acts 19:23-41; see also 2 Corinthians 1:8). First he preached the gospel in Troas, then, not having had peace of mind to stay in Troas, he moved on to Macedonia where he met with Titus (2 Cor. 2:12-13; 7:6). Following his partly good, partly not so good reports Paul then wrote the second letter to the Corinthians from Macedonia (2 Corinthians 9:2-4) which was then probably taken by Titus to Corinth (2 Cor. 8:16-18). It is estimated this second letter was written at the end of the same year the first letter to the Corinthians had been written, i.e. 57 AD.

This second epistle is inseparably connected with the first Paul had written to the Corinthians. Its authorship is undoubted, for no other epistle bears such distinctive marks of the author and brings out all which characterized him as a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. From critical sides it is claimed that between the first and second epistles, there must have been another letter of the Apostle, more severe in tone than the first epistle. This letter the critics maintain was lost. This supposition is mostly founded on chapter 2:3-4 and chapter 7:8. The statements made by the apostle in these passages, it is argued, cannot be explained by the message of the first epistle and the situation described is altogether too strong to have been created by the first epistle. But there is no need to invent an intermediate letter to explain the tone and burden of this second epistle. The first epistle contains sufficient material to produce the effects in the Corinthians and also in the mind and heart of the apostle of which he writes in the above passages. 1 Corinthians 4:18-21; 5:1-8; 6:5-8; 11:17-22 and 15:35-36, account fully for the great Apostle's solicitude and emotions.