RESULTADOS Y DISCUSIONES
5 IDENTIFICANDO DIFICULTADES PARA BRINDAR EL CUIDADO ENFERMERO.
2 Corinthians 12:1-10
Introduction
As Paul concluded his letter to the Corinthians, and in response to the accusations and insinuations that had been levelled against him, he explicitly stated his paradigm for ministry:
He [Christ] is not weak in his dealings with you, but is powerful among you, for indeed he was crucified as a result of weakness, but lives as a result of God’s power. So we also in our dealings with you, share in his weakness, but we will live with him as a result of God’s power (2 Cor 13:3b-4).
Ministry was always to be done in God’s power, not human power. Throughout 2 Corinthians, and especially in 2 Corinthians 10-13, Paul described how this looked in practice: what it looked like to share in Christ’s weakness but also to live with him as a result of God’s power. Thus, it is in this context that 2 Cor 12:1-10 forms the climax of what Paul had said regarding weakness in 2 Corinthians as a whole and, in particular, in 2 Corinthians 10-13.
Throughout chapters ten and eleven he had been answering the accusation, in its various forms, that he was weak. He had dealt with accusations and inferences that he was inconsistent (10:1, 10), functioned by human standards (10:2), was a poor speaker (10:10), lacked integrity with money (11:7-11), and had a
questionable heritage (11:22). His manner of dealing with these issues was to do what the Corinthians thought he should do, that is, to boast of his qualifications even though such boasting was, he said, foolishness (11:1, 21; 12:11). However,
the “qualifications” he boasted of were not what was expected. Instead of boasting in his power and eloquence, he boasted in his weaknesses, including his persecutions (11:23-33).
Exegesis of 2 Cor 12:1-10
In 12:1-10 Paul dealt specifically with the accusation, or at least inference, that he was “weak” in the matter of ecstatic visions. “It is necessary to go on boasting;” he said, “not that it will do any good, but I will go on to visions and revelations” (12:1). He proceeded to recount an experience he had had fourteen years earlier, although he told the story in the third person so it is not until 12:7 that it becomes clear that he was referring to himself. Paul gave only minimal details about the experience, and revealed nothing at all of the actual content of the revelation.
Given the context in which Paul recounted this experience, it would appear that in all his previous dealings with the church in Corinth, he had never revealed it. That he had revealed it now was not to be used as a basis for evaluating his genuineness as an apostle. He was always to be judged on the basis of what he said and did, not on the basis of ecstatic experiences (12:6).
While the situation in Corinth had forced Paul to reveal this experience, he did not stop with just revealing it, but went on to reveal what happened in the aftermath. Such exceptional visions and revelations could easily be the cause of enormous pride. In order to stop him from becoming proud, Paul was given a “thorn in the
flesh” (sko,loy th/| sarki,; 12:7).1 Although this “thorn” was a “messenger of Satan” (a;ggeloj satana/), the passive “given” (evdo,qh), is most likely a “divine passive” indicating that this “thorn”, whatever it might have been, was something that ultimately had come from God.
It would seem that initially Paul did not recognise it as having been given by God for a purpose, as he three times pleaded with the Lord for it to be removed (12:8). Only when he had received a categorically negative reply (12:9a), did he realise its true purpose. Having come from God, the “thorn” was to keep him from becoming proud because of the exceptional revelation he had received. In fact he began and ended the statement regarding the thorn with the phrase i[na mh.
u`perai,rwmai (“so that I might not be proud”; 12:7b,d). Rather than the “thorn” being removed, it was to remain as a constant reminder that such revelations were a gift, not a right, and were based on the grace of God, not on Paul’s worthiness.
Unlike the “unutterable utterances” Paul heard when he was caught up to paradise (12:4), the Lord’s reply to his request that the “thorn” be removed was something that Paul openly shared (12:9a). In fact he repeated it verbatim: avrkei/ soi h` ca,rij mou( h` ga.r du,namij evn avsqenei,a| telei/tai. This statement is usually translated: “My grace is sufficient for you; for my power is made perfect in
1
There has been a huge amount of discussion about what the “thorn in the flesh” might have been. For an extensive discussion of the various conclusions that have been drawn see Thrall (2000, pp 809-818). Furnish (1984, pp 547-550), Martin (1986, pp 411-416), Barnett (1997, pp 568-571) and Harris (2005, pp 857-859) also discuss the various views. As discussed in chapter 2, the two most common views are that it was some sort of physical infirmity or that it was some form of opposition or persecution. There is insufficient evidence to make an absolute identification of what this “thorn in the flesh” might have been. For the argument in this work the existence of the “thorn in the flesh” is important, but its exact identification is immaterial. However, the view taken is that it was most likely some form of physical infirmity, but that some form of opposition or persecution cannot be excluded as a possibility.
weakness.”2 However, a more literal translation is: “My grace is sufficient for you; for power is brought to an end in weakness.” This raises the questions of why the more literal translation does not appear in any standard translation, and how the traditional understanding came to be.
The Textual Issues
Earlier manuscripts3 do not have the mou (“my”), although it is included in some later manuscripts and many English translations. Some manuscripts4 have
teleiou/tai which is from the verb telei,ow (make perfect, make mature, fulfil, complete). However there is stronger support for telei/tai, which is from the verb
tele,w (finish, complete, end).
Most standard translations render the phrase “my power is made perfect in weakness”, or something similar, although some more recent translations5 omit the “my”. 6 The majority of commentators follow this translation without
2
e.g. RSV, NIV, TNIV, similarly KJV.
3
Nestle-Aland (27th edition, 1993, p 459) lists the following manuscripts as omitting mou: P46vid,
a
*, A*, B, D*, F, G, latt, sa, bopt, Irlat; and the following manuscripts as having it:a
2, Ac, D1, Y, 0243, 0278, 33, 1739, 1881, M, sy, bopt, Irarm; but opts to omit the mou in the text. Metzger (1994, p 517) comments, “The Textus Receptus, following acA2 Db,c E K L P most minuscules syrp,h copbo arm. reads h` ga.r du,nami,j mou. The possessive pronoun, which is absent from P46vid a* A* B D* F G 424c itd,g vg copsa goth rth al, was no doubt added by copyists for the sake of
perspicuity.”
4
Nestle-Aland (27th edition, 1993, p 459) lists the following manuscripts as having telei/tai: a*,
A, B, D*, F, G; and the following manuscripts as having teleiou/tai: a2
, D2, Y, 0243, 0278, 33, 1739, 1881, M; but opts for telei/tai in the text. In the second edition (21994), Metzger does not comment, but in the first edition (1971, p 586) he makes the following comment: “On the basis of external support (a* A B D* G 623) the Committee preferred telei/tai to teleiou/tai (ac
Dc E K L P almost all minuscules).” United Bible Societies (4th edition, 5th printing; 2001, original, 1993) notes the textual variant of the inclusion of mou, but does not note the textual variant of teleiou/tai
for telei/tai.
5
e.g. NEB, NJB, NAB, REB, NRSV.
6
comment on any textual issues.7 Some note that the “my” is not in the earlier manuscripts,8 but still interpret the phrase as if the “my” was there,9 sometimes arguing that it is implied.10 A few note that some manuscripts have teleiou/tai
rather than telei/tai, but make no comment on the significance of this.11
Exceptions to this are Lenski (1937, pp 1302-1306) and Dawn (2001, pp 37-41) who argue that the usual meaning of tele,w (“finished” or “ended”) is the one that is intended here.
Lenski opts for the translation: “For the power is brought to its finish in weakness”. He does, however, still argue that it is God’s power:
The verb used is telei/tai, the very verb that is employed in John 19:28, 30 where Jesus cried: tete,lestai, which our versions properly translate: “It is finished!” literally, “it has been and now is finished.” But in the case of our passage our versions translate the same verb with the present tense “is made perfect.” This sounds like a translation of teleiou/tai, a different verb and an inferior variant reading. One must distinguish between the two verbs. … The sense of our passage is not, as our versions have it, the power “is made perfect,” comes to perfection only in the midst of weakness. The Lord says that divine power “is finished,” is brought to the end of its work in
weakness. … We translate “the” and not “my” power although, as the next sentence shows, the Lord is speaking of his own power. The Lord’s power is certainly always te,leioj, mature, complete, and it cannot be made perfect, for it is ever so. But this power has work to do. When it has brought us to the point were we are utter weakness, its task is finished (Lenski, 1937, pp 1304-1305).
Dawn follows Lenski in arguing that tele,w should be translated “to finish” or “to end” and not “to make perfect” as if it were teleio,w. However, she differs from
7
Those who do not discuss textual issues include Hughes (1962, pp 449-451), Barrett (1973, pp 305-306), Garland (1999, pp 523-526), and Harris (2005, pp 861-864).
8
Among those who note that the “my” is not in earlier manuscripts are Furnish (1984, p 530), Martin (1986, p 389), Barnett, 1997, p 566), Lambrecht (1999, p 203), and Thrall (2000, p 823).
9
Those who note that the “my” is not in earlier manuscripts, but interpret the phrase as if it was include Furnish (1984, pp 550-551), Barnett (1997, p 571) and Thrall (2000, pp 823-825).
10
Among those who argue that the “my” is implied are Martin (1986, pp 419-420) and Lambrecht (1999, pp 203-204).
11
Martin (1986, p 389) and Thrall (2000, p 823) both note the textual variant, but make no comment on its significance.
Lenski in that she argues that “power” is intended to be a reference to Paul’s power and offers the following translation:
Three times I appealed to the Lord concerning this, that it might depart from me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for [your] power is brought to its end in weakness.” All the more gladly, then, will I boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ [not mine!] may tabernacle upon me (Dawn, 2001, p 41).
Savage (1996, pp 63-64, 166-167) does not offer a translation as such, but does present an interpretation that is congruent with Dawn’s translation and
interpretation:
Had Paul not been humbled by the thorn in the flesh he would have been tempted to boast of his divine visions as though they were his own
achievement. He would have used them to exalt himself (the implication of
i[na mh. u`perai,rwmai, which appears twice in 12:7). But this would have amounted to denying God’s role as agent in the visions. Indeed it would have been tantamount to usurping that role for himself. On this basis, the power could hardly have been ‘of God’, but rather ‘of Paul’ (cf. evx h`mw/n, in 4:7). In other words, where there is pride and arrogance there cannot, by definition, be divine power (1996, p 167).
The Meaning of tele,wtele,wtele,wtele,w and telei,owtelei,owtelei,owtelei,ow
There are three groups of meanings for tele,w (BDAG, 2000, pp 997b-998a): (1) “to complete an activity or process, bring to an end, finish, complete”; (2) “to carry out an obligation or demand, carry out, accomplish, perform, fulfil, keep”; and
(3) “to pay what is due, pay”.
BDAG include the occurrence in 2 Cor 12:9 in group (1), with the following translation for h` du,namij evn avsqenei,a| telei/tai: “power finds its consummation or
reaches perfection in (the presence of) weakness” (BDAG, 2000, p 997b). No explanation is given, however, as to why a meaning of “finds its consummation”
or “reaches perfection” should be included in the category of “bring to an end, finish, complete”. Neither is the possibility considered that in this occurrence, the word might have the usual meaning of this category.
The word telei,ow also has three groups of meanings (BDAG, 2000, pp 996a-996b):
(1) “to complete an activity, complete, bring to an end, finish, accomplish”; (2) “to overcome or supplant an imperfect state of things by one that is free fr. objection, bring to an end, bring to its goal/accomplishment”, including meanings of “completion and perfection”, “bring to full measure, fill the measure of”, “fulfill”, “perfection of upright pers.”, and “made perfect”; and (3) “As a term of mystery religions consecrate, initiate”.
As can be seen, there is significant overlap in meanings between the words tele,w
and telei,ow. However, with the possible exception of 2 Cor 12:9, the meaning of “to perfect” appears to be limited to telei,ow. Thus, if 2 Cor 12:9 does indeed have the meaning of “made perfect”, it would appear that the verb tele,w has been used as if it were telei,ow. This raises the question of whether this phenomenon occurs anywhere else.
New Testament Use of tele,w
A study of the New Testament occurrences of both these verbs12 and other related words13 shows that all uses of tele,w (excluding for the moment 2 Cor 12:9)
12
The verb tele,w occurs at: Matt 7:28; 10:23; 11:1; 13:53; 17:24; 19:1; 26:1; Luke 2:39; 12:50; 18:31; 22:37; John 19:28, 30; Acts 13:29; Rom 2:27; 13:6; 2 Cor 12:9; Gal 5:16; 2 Tim 4:7; Jam 2:8; Rev 10:7; 11:7; 15:1, 18; 17:17; 20:3, 5, 7. The verb teleio,w occurs at: Luke 2:43; 13:32;
clearly fit the three categories listed above with meanings of “end”, “finish”, “complete”, “accomplish”, “fulfil”, “perform”, “keep [commandments]” or “pay [taxes]”. There are no references where tele,w is used with the meaning “to perfect”.
Septuagint Use of tele,w
Study of the LXX shows that the only use of tele,w that could mean “made perfect”
is found in Wisdom 4:16.14 The REB translates neo,thj telesqei/sa tace,wj as
“youth come quickly to perfection”, and the NRSV translates it as “youth that is
quickly perfected”. However, the NRSV has a footnote indicating that telesqei/sa
could mean “ended”. As the phrase is contrasted with “prolonged old age”, “youth that is quickly ended” is at least as good a translation as “youth that is quickly perfected”, and is arguably superior.
In the LXX, the use of compounds of tele,w is much more common than the use of
tele,w on its own. There are a number of different compounds, most of which are used in a manner that is almost identical to the use of tele,w alone. There is only one example where a compound of tele,w, in this case suntele,w, may be used as if John 4:34; 5:36; 17:4, 23; 19:28; Acts 20:24; Phil 3:12; Heb 2:10; 5:9; 7:19, 28; 9:9; 10:1, 14; 11:40; 12:23; Jam 2:22; 1 John 4:12, 17, 18.
13
The noun te,loj (“end, termination, conclusion”) occurs at: Matt 10:22, 17:25; 24:6, 13, 14; 26:58; Mark 3:26; 13:7, 13; Luke 1:33; 18:5; 21:9; 22:37; John 10:4; Rom 6:21, 22; 13:7[2x]; 1 Cor 1:8; 10:11; 15:24; 2 Cor 1:13; 3:13; 11:15; Phil 3:19; 1 Thess 2:16; 1 Tim 1:5; Heb 3:14; 6:8, 11; Jam 5:11; 1 Pet 1:9; 3:8; 4:7, 17; Rev 2:26; 21:6; 22:13. The adjective te,leioj (“complete, perfect, mature”) occurs at: Matt 5:48[2x]; 19:21; Rom 12:2; 1 Cor 2:6; 13:10; 14:20; Eph 4:13; Phil 3:15; Col 1:28; 4:12; Heb 2:9; 5:4; Jam, 1:4, 17, 25; 3:2; 1 John 4:18. The noun telei,wsij
(“perfection, fulfilment”) occurs at: Luke 1:45; Heb 7:11; 12:2. The noun teleio,thj (“perfection, completeness, maturity”) occurs at Col 3:14; Heb 6:1. The adverb telei,wj (“fully, completely”) occurs at 1 Pet 1:13. And the verb telesqerew (“produce mature fruit”) occurs at Luke 8:14; Phil 3:12.
14
In the LXX text in Rahlfs (BibleWorks 5.0), the occurrences of tele,w in the LXX are: Num 25:3, 5; Ruth 2:21, 3:18; 1 Esdr 8:65; Ezre 5:16; 6;15; 7:12; 9:1; 10:17; Neh 6:15; Jdt 8:34; Tob 7:9; 1 Macc 4:51; 13:10; 2 Macc 4:23; 3 Macc 5:27; Ps 105:28; Wis 4:16; Sir 7:25; 38:27; Dan 4:33; Hos 4:14.
it were teleio,w. This occurs in Ezek 16:14: kai. evxh/lqe,n sou o;noma evn toi/j e;qnesin evn tw/| ka,llei sou dio,ti suntetelesme,non h=n evn euvprepei,a| (“And your name went out among the nations because it was
perfected/accomplished/completed/ended(?) in beauty”). The general consensus of standard translations15 is for a meaning of “perfected” which reflects the MT
lyliK'
, “whole”, “entire”, “perfect”.Consequently, there is no clear LXX use of tele,w with the meaning “perfect”.
However, there is one use of a compound of tele,w that would seem to be used with this meaning.
Non-Biblical Use oftele,w
Non-biblical use of tele,w includes use by Classical Greek writers and the Early Church Fathers. Liddell and Scott (91968, p 1772a) list five examples from Classical Greek writers of tele,w being used with the meaning “bring to fulfilment
or perfection”, “bless him with perfect happiness” or “bring a child to maturity. These are as follows:16
15
Including RSV, NEB, NIV, NAB, REB, NJB, NRSV, TNIV.
16
Greek text and English Translations are taken from the Perseus website
(http://www.perseus.tufts.edu) accessed on 17th November 2003. The dates for the writers come from Encyclopaedia Britanica 2005 Ultimate Reference Suite CD-ROM.
Greek Text Translation Comments Pindar, Odes (Pi.N.4.43)
(Born:518/522BCE; died after 446BCE, probably c. 438BCE)
evmoi d v o`poi,an avreta.n e;dwke po,tmoj a;nax eu= oivd v o[ti cro,noj e[rpwn peprwmenan tele,sei tele,sei tele,sei tele,sei evxu,faine glukei/a kai to,d v auvtika fo,rmigx Ludia,| su.n a`monia,|
As for me, I know that whatever excellence ruling destiny gave me, time will creep forward and bring it to its
appointed perfection. Weave out, sweet lyre, right now, the beloved song with Lydian harmony…
(Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien)
“Bring to its appointed perfection” makes sense in this context, but it would seem that “bring to its appointed end” or “bring to its appointed completion” would equally make sense.
Pindar, Odes (Pi.I.6(5).46) nu/n euvcai/j u`po. qespesi,aij li,ssomai pai/da qrasuv evx VEriboi,aj avndri. tw|/de xei/non avmo.n moiri,dion tele,sai tele,sai tele,sai tele,sai to.n me.n avrrhkton fua,n w[sper to,de de,rmame me nu/n periplana/tai qh,roj
… now with divine prayers, I entreat you to grant this man a brave son from Eriboea, a son fated to be my guest-friend. May he have a body as invulnerable as this skin that is now wrapped around me, from the beast whom I killed…
(Translation by Diane Arnson Svarlien)
This translation appears to ignore the tele,sai, unless “fated to be” represents “to complete/fulfil/ accomplish what is destined”. This does not appear to have anything to do with “bring to