ACC ~ 2 Corinthians 3 v12 - 18

OVERVIEW:

We have a hope of seeing glory, not the kind that was on the face of Moses, which comes to an end in Christ (THEODORET OF CYR), but the kind the three apostles saw on the mountain (AMBROSIASTER). By this our confidence will increase, because what we eventually see will be in proportion to what we now believe (AMBROSIASTER, SEVERIAN OF GABALA). There is no need for us to cover ourselves as Moses did, for we are able to look at the glory with which we are encircled, even though it is far brighter than any previous glory (CHRYSOSTOM). The covering that concealed useful truth until this day (CYRIL OF JERUSALEM) has now been removed (JEROME, AUGUSTINE, CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). The law has its proper glory, but the people were unable to behold it (ORIGEN, CHRYSOSTOM), hardened as they were by unbelief (AMBROSIASTER). The Lord, who is the Spirit, enables freedom (AMBROSE, THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA). When we turn to the Lord, we see the glory of the law in the face of the Lawgiver (ORIGEN, CHRYSOSTOM, ISAAC OF NINEVEH, THEODORET OF CYR). We are being changed from knowledge of the law into the grace of the Spirit (SEVERIAN, GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, GREGORY OF NYSSA, CHRYSOSTOM).

3:12 | Having Such Hope

FERVENT IN LOVE. AMBROSIASTER: Paul is saying that we have a hope of seeing glory, not the kind that was on the face of Moses but the kind which the three apostles saw on the mountain when the Lord revealed himself. Therefore we ought to repay the love of God as far as we can by being more fervent in our love for him, who by cleansing us from our sins has given us this confidence. Now our confidence ought to increase, because what we eventually see will be in proportion to what we now believe. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

WE HAVE SUCH HOPE. SEVERIAN OF GABALA: What hope do we have? The hope that the grace of the Spirit will not be abolished like the law but that it will remain, even after the resurrection. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

3:13 | The Fading Splendor

MOSES’ VEILED FACE. CHRYSOSTOM: Paul is saying that there is no need for us to cover ourselves as Moses did, for we are able to look at the glory with which we are encircled, even though it is far brighter than the other one. HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 7.2.

THE END OF SPLENDOR. THEODORET OF CYR: Paul says that the law was fading away, by which he means that it was coming to an end in Christ, whose coming was foretold by the law. COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 305.

THE WITNESS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. AUGUSTINE: The truth is that the Old Testament of Mount Sinai, “producing children of slavery,” now serves no purpose but to bear witness to the New. Otherwise, the words of St. Paul would not be true: “Yes, down to this very day when Moses is read, the veil covers their hearts”; but when any of them turn from the Old Testament to Christ, “the veil shall be taken away.” What happens is that the deepest aspirations of those who make the change are shifted from the Old Testament to the New, whereupon they begin to look for spiritual—rather than earthly—happiness. CITY OF GOD 17.7.

THE TEARING OF THE VEIL. AUGUSTINE: Doubtless, there is a veil in the Old Testament, which will be removed as soon as one comes to Christ. At his crucifixion, “the veil of the temple was torn,” to signify what the apostle said about the veil of the Old Testament, “Because in Christ it is made void.” LETTER 140, TO HONORATUS 10.

THE NEW CLARIFIES THE OLD. AUGUSTINE: It is not the Old Testament that is done away with in Christ but the concealing veil, so that it may be understood through Christ. That is, as it were, laid bare, which without Christ is hidden and obscure. The same apostle adds immediately: “When you shall turn to Christ, the veil shall be taken away.” He does not say: “The law or the Old Testament will be taken away.” It is not the case, therefore, that by the grace of the Lord that which was covered has been abolished as useless; rather the covering has been removed which concealed useful truth. This is what happens to those who earnestly and piously, not proudly and wickedly, seek the sense of the Scriptures. To them is carefully demonstrated the order of events, the reasons for words and deeds and the agreement of the Old Testament with the New, so that not a point remains where there is not complete harmony; and such secret truths are conveyed in figures. When they are brought to light by interpretation, they compel those who wished to condemn rather than to learn. THE USEFULNESS OF BELIEF 3.9.

3:14 | Their Minds Hardened

THE VEIL REMAINS UNLIFTED. CYRIL OF JERUSALEM: “Until this day” means not just until the time of Paul but until our time also, and indeed, till the end of the world. CATECHETICAL LECTURES 15.32.

HARDENED THROUGH UNBELIEF. AMBROSIASTER: Their minds were hardened through unbelief, and this will not change until they convert and believe in Christ. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

THROUGH CHRIST IS THE VEIL TAKEN AWAY. CHRYSOSTOM: What happened once in the case of Moses happens continually in the case of the law. What is said is not an accusation of the law, nor does it reflect on Moses, who veiled himself, but only on the narrow Jewish legalists. For the law has its proper glory, but they were unable to see it. Why should we be surprised that the Jews do not believe in Christ, since they did not believe in the law either? HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 7.2.

3:15 | A Veil Over Their Minds

CARNAL MINDS. CHRYSOSTOM: The veil is not there because of Moses but because of their gross and carnal minds. HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 7.3.

DIM EYES. JEROME: The curtain of the temple is torn, for that which had been veiled in Judea is unveiled to all the nations; the curtain is torn and the mysteries of the law are revealed to the faithful, but to unbelievers they are hidden to this very day. When Moses, the Old Testament, is read aloud by the Jews on every Sabbath, according to the testimony of the apostle: “the veil covers their hearts.” They read the law, true enough, but they do not understand because their eyes have grown so dim that they cannot see. They are, indeed, like those of whom Scripture says: “They have eyes but see not; they have ears but hear not.” HOMILY 66 ON PSALM 88 (89).

BEHOLD THE NAKED TRUTH. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA: Yet the shadows bring forth the truth, even if they are not at all the truth themselves. Because of this, the divinely inspired Moses placed a veil upon his face and spoke thus to the children of Israel, all but shouting by this act that a person might behold the beauty of the utterances made through him, not in outwardly appearing figures but in meditations hidden within us. Come, therefore, by taking off the veil of the law and by setting the face of Moses free of its coverings, let us behold the naked truth. LETTER 41.

SPIRITUAL TRUTH REVEALED THROUGH THE SPIRIT. ORIGEN: The apostle also says, “Even until this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts; but when a man shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” For so long as a man does not attend to the spiritual meaning “a veil lies upon his heart,” in consequence of which veil, in other words his duller understanding, the Scripture itself is said or thought to be veiled. This is the explanation of the veil which is said to have covered the face of Moses when he was speaking to the people, that is, when the law is read in public. But if we turn to the Lord, where also the Word of God is and where the Holy Spirit reveals spiritual knowledge, the veil will be taken away, and we shall then with unveiled face behold in the holy Scriptures the glory of the Lord. ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 1.1.2.

THE LANGUAGE OF GOD. ORIGEN: Further, if any one ponders over the prophetic sayings with all the attention and reverence they deserve, it is certain that in the very act of reading and diligently studying them his mind and feelings will be touched by a divine breath. He will recognize that the words he is reading are not human utterances but the language of God; and so he will perceive from his own experience that these books have been composed not by human art or mortal eloquence but, if I may so speak, in a style that is divine. The splendor of Christ’s advent has, therefore, by illuminating the law of Moses with the brightness of the truth, withdrawn the veil which had covered the letter of the law and has disclosed, for everyone who believes in him, all those “good things” which lay concealed within. ON FIRST PRINCIPLES 1.1.3.

3:16 | The Veil Removed

REMOVING ALL DARKNESS. ORIGEN: The Lord himself, the Holy Spirit himself, must be entreated by us to remove every cloud and all darkness which obscures the vision of our hearts, hardened with the stains of sins, in order that we may be able to behold the spiritual and wonderful knowledge of his law. HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 1.4.

THE VEIL’S PURPOSE. CHRYSOSTOM: The purpose of the veil was not to hide Moses but to prevent the Jews from seeing him, for they were unable to do so. But when we turn to the Lord, the veil is naturally taken away. When Moses talked with the Jews, he had his face covered, but when he talked with God, the veil was removed. Likewise when we turn to the Lord, we shall see the glory of the law and the face of the Lawgiver uncovered. And not only this, we shall then be in the same frame of reference as Moses. HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 7.4.

EVEN SO FOR YOU. THEODORET OF CYR: The same is true for you as well. When you believe in Christ, the veil of your unbelief will be taken away. COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 305.

A CALL FOR DILIGENT AND DISCIPLINED UNDERSTANDING. ORIGEN: Let us beware, therefore, lest not only “when Moses is read” but also when Paul is read “a veil” be “placed over” our “heart.” And clearly, if we hear negligently, if we bring no zeal to learning and understanding, not only are the Scriptures of the Law and Prophets but also of the apostles and Gospels covered for us with a great veil. I fear, however, lest by too much negligence and dullness of heart the divine volumes be not only veiled to us but also sealed, so that “if a book should be put into the hands of a man who cannot read to be read, he would say, ‘I cannot read’; if it should be put into the hands of a man who can read, he would say, ‘It is sealed.’” Whence we see that we must not only employ zeal to learn the sacred literature, but also we must pray to the Lord and entreat “day and night” that the lamb “of the tribe of Judah” may come and himself taking “the sealed book” may deign to open it. For it is he who “opening the Scriptures” kindles the hearts of the disciples so that they say, “Was not our heart burning within us when he opened to us the Scriptures?” May he, therefore, even now see fit to open to us what it is which he inspired his apostle to say, “But the Lord is a spirit, and where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” HOMILIES ON EXODUS 12.

A CLEAN HEART WILL PERCEIVE THE TRUTH. ORIGEN: For thus the apostle said, “If anyone turns to the Lord, the veil will be removed; for where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Therefore, the Lord himself, the Holy Spirit himself, must be entreated by us to remove every cloud and all darkness which obscures the vision of our hearts hardened with the stains of sins in order that we may be able to behold the spiritual and wonderful knowledge of his law, according to him who said, “Take the veil from my eyes and I shall observe the wonders of your law.” HOMILIES ON LEVITICUS 1.4.

3:17a | The Lord Is the Spirit

THE SPIRIT IS GOD. CHRYSOSTOM: We did not say “The Lord is a spirit” but “The Spirit is the Lord.” HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 7.5.

THE SPIRIT. THEODORE OF MOPSUESTIA: If Paul had wanted to say that the Lord is a spirit, he would have left the article the out. Compare John [4:24], where in speaking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus says that God is a spirit, meaning that he does not have a body. But in this case Paul puts the article in, which proves that he is not saying that the Lord is a spirit but rather that the Spirit is Lord. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

THE SPIRIT NOT A CREATURE. THEODORET OF CYR: Paul shows here that the Spirit and God are equal. Moses turned his eyes toward God; we turn ours toward the Holy Spirit. Paul would hardly have said that what the Spirit reveals is greater than what Moses saw if the Spirit were merely a creature and not God himself. COMMENTARY ON THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE CORINTHIANS 305-6.

3:17b | There Is Freedom

THE LIBERTY OF FAITH. AMBROSIASTER: Because God is Spirit, he has given through Christ the law of the Spirit, which persuades us to believe in invisible things which our reasoning understands spiritually. This law gives liberty because it demands only faith, and because it believes what it does not see, we are able to be rescued from our condition. COMMENTARY ON PAUL’S EPISTLES.

SET FREE FROM CONDEMNATION. SEVERIAN OF GABALA: The person who has been blessed with the Spirit of the Lord has been set free from the condemnation of the law, for the spiritual gifts are given their power through the Spirit. Moreover, the gift is given freely to those who are ready to receive it. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

SHARED SUBSTANCE. AMBROSE: The same, then, is the Lord, who is the Spirit of the Lord; that is, he called the Spirit of the Lord, Lord, just as also the apostle says: “Now the Lord is a spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” You have then, the Lord called also the Holy Spirit; for the Holy Spirit and the Son are not one person but one substance. THE HOLY SPIRIT 2.1.18.

FAITH LEADS TO FREEDOM. AMBROSE: Just like children, so are the Jews also under a tutor. The law is our tutor; a tutor brings us to the master; Christ is our only master. … A tutor is feared, the master points out the way to salvation. Fear brings us to liberty, liberty to faith, faith to love, love obtains adoption, adoption an inheritance. Therefore, where there is faith, there is freedom, for a slave acts in fear, a free man through faith. The one is under the letter, the other under grace; the one in slavery, the other in the spirit; for “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” LETTER 69.

3:18 | Changed into His Likeness

WE BEHOLD THE GLORY OF THE LORD. CHRYSOSTOM: This does not refer to those things which are brought to an end but to those which remain. The Spirit is God, and we are raised to the level of the apostles, because we shall all behold him together with uncovered faces. As soon as we are baptized, the soul beams even more brightly than the sun because it is cleansed by the Spirit, and we not only behold God’s glory, we receive from it a kind of splendor. HOMILIES ON THE EPISTLES OF PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS 7.5.

THE GLORY OF OUR INHERITANCE. SEVERIAN OF GABALA: We are being changed from knowledge of the law into the grace of the Spirit. And it must be remembered that from the glory of the Spirit working in us we come to the glory of our inheritance as sons. This is the work of the Spirit, for it must be held that here the word Lord refers to the Spirit and not to the Son of God. PAULINE COMMENTARY FROM THE GREEK CHURCH.

ACQUIRING A LIKENESS. ISAAC OF NINEVEH: Although “as in a mirror” indicates “not substantially,” it does show clearly, in any case, the acquisition of a likeness. ASCETICAL HOMILIES 2.

GRADUAL AND DEEPER REVELATION THROUGH THE SPIRIT. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS: For the matter stands thus: The Old Testament proclaimed the Father openly and the Son more obscurely. The New manifested the Son and suggested the deity of the Spirit. Now the Spirit himself dwells among us and supplies us with a clearer demonstration of himself. For it was not safe, when the Godhead of the Father was not yet acknowledged, plainly to proclaim the Son; nor when that of the Son was not yet received, to burden us further (if I may use so bold an expression) with the Holy Ghost. … For this reason it was, I think, that he gradually came to dwell in the disciples, measuring himself out to them according to their capacity to receive him, at the beginning of the gospel, after the passion, after the ascension, making perfect their powers, being breathed upon them and appearing in fiery tongues. And indeed it is by little and little that he is declared by Jesus, as you will learn for yourself if you will read more carefully. THEOLOGICAL ORATION 5.26.

ANOTHER MOSES. CHRYSOSTOM: Do you wish to know of another way in which you were judged worthy of greater wonders? In their day the Jews were unable to see the face of Moses transfigured, although he was their fellow slave and kinsman. But you have seen the face of Christ in his glory. St. Paul cried aloud, saying: “But we all, with faces unveiled, reflect the glory of the Lord.” At that time the Jews had Christ following them, but all the more does he follow us now. Then Christ followed along with them thanks to Moses; he goes along with us not only thanks to [the new] Moses but thanks to your own ready obedience. For the Jews, after Egypt came the desert; for you, after your exodus will come heaven. They had Moses as their leader and excellent general; we have another Moses, God, to lead and command us. BAPTISMAL INSTRUCTIONS 3.25.

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER. GREGORY OF NYSSA: Therefore, I do not think it is a fearful thing (I mean that our nature is changeable). The Logos shows that it would be a disadvantage for us not to be able to make a change for the better, as a kind of wing of flight to greater things. Therefore, let no one be grieved if he sees in his nature a penchant for change. Changing in everything for the better, let him exchange “glory for glory,” becoming greater through daily increase, ever perfecting himself and never arriving too quickly at the limit of perfection. For this is truly perfection: never to stop growing toward what is better and never placing any limit on perfection. ON PERFECTION.

UNDERSTANDING THE TRUTH 2 CORINTHIANS 4:1-6

OVERVIEW: Paul attributes perseverance to the mercy of God (CHRYSOSTOM), which first cleanses people, then makes them righteous, adopts them and endows them with a glory like that of God’s own Son (AMBROSIASTER). The “god of this world” may be read either as the devil (PELAGIUS) or as the God of the universe who has blinded the minds of the unbelievers of this world (AMBROSIASTER, DIDYMUS THE BLIND). They cannot see the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God (ORIGEN, GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS, JEROME). In the world to come there will be no unbelievers (CHRYSOSTOM, THEODORET OF CYR). Paul was not preaching the gospel for his own advantage but for the glory of the Lord (DIDYMUS THE BLIND, AMBROSIASTER, CHRYSOSTOM), whose light shines out of darkness (GREGORY OF NYSSA, THEODORET OF CYR, ISAAC OF NINEVEH, SAHDONA [MARTYRIUS]).