Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:21-26

"I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also. Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep; [in] journeyings often, [in] perils of rivers, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils from [my] countrymen, [in] perils from the Gentiles, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren;" — 2 Corinthians 11:21-26 (ASV)

Having given the reasons for commending himself and the causes why the Corinthians should bear with him, the Apostle now begins his commendation. In this, he does two things: first, he shows himself equal to the false apostles and others who commended themselves; second, he presents himself as superior to them (see 2 Corinthians 11:23).

Paul makes himself their equal in glory, but there are two kinds of glory. One is according to the flesh, which is insignificant and worthy of contempt; as he says to the Philippians, “But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ” (Philippians 3:7). The other is according to Christ, which should be sought, because “it is great glory to follow the Lord” (Sirach 23:38, Vulgate) and “far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 6:14).

Therefore, the Apostle makes himself equal to them in both kinds of glory: first, in the glory according to the flesh, and second, in the glory according to Christ (see 2 Corinthians 11:23).

First, Paul shows his equality with them in a general way. He asks them to receive him as a fool, though he speaks hypothetically. For whatever anyone else dares to boast about or take for granted in self-commendation, Paul can dare to do the same, because they have no better reason to commend themselves than he does.

He says, “I am speaking as a fool,” meaning that he knows he is acting foolishly by worldly standards. Yet he was actually acting wisely, because his purpose was not to boast but to humiliate the false apostles. As he says elsewhere, “I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles” (2 Corinthians 11:5).

Second, when he asks, “Are they Hebrews? So am I,” he details his equality with them, addressing one by one the points in which the false apostles gloried. They commended themselves on three points:

1. In their nationality and language, because they called themselves Hebrews. Regarding this, Paul shows his equality. It should be noted that some say they are called Hebrews from Abraham, as the name was uncommon before him. But it can be said, perhaps more accurately, that the word is derived from Eber, who is mentioned in Genesis 11:14–15: “When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber.” Eber then lived thirty-four years and fathered Peleg. It was during this time that languages were divided, and the Hebrew language remained in Eber’s family.
2. In their race, because they claimed to be of the race of Israel. Regarding this, Paul shows his equality, saying, “Are they Israelites? So am I,” that is, according to the rite.
3. In the promise, because they claimed to be partakers of the promise to Abraham, since they were his descendants. Regarding this, Paul says, “Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.”

Of these three points, Paul says in Philippians 3:4–5: “If any other man thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day” (regarding the third point); “of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin” (regarding the second point); “a Hebrew born of Hebrews” (regarding the first). He also states, “I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin” (Romans 11:1).

Thus, it is clear that Paul is not inferior to them regarding glory according to the flesh. Nor is he inferior regarding glory according to Christ. For while they claim to be servants of Christ to deceive the people, Paul declares, “I am a better one.” He is a true minister, as Scripture says: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ” (1 Corinthians 4:1), and “who has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant” (2 Corinthians 3:6).

Then, when Paul says, “I am talking like a madman,” he begins to present himself as superior to all the other apostles, both true and false. He does this first by discussing the hardships he has endured, and second, by discussing the benefits he has received (in chapter 12).

Regarding the hardships, he first presents himself as superior because of what he endured, and second, he describes how he escaped those hardships (in verse 32). In discussing the hardships he endured, he does three things: first, he proposes that he should be considered superior to the others; second, he shows in what ways he is superior (from verse 23 onward); and third, he confirms some of his statements (in verse 30).

Paul says, “I am talking like a madman,” as if to say, “If I seem unwise for commending myself and making myself equal to the others, how much more unwise will I seem if I now present myself as superior to them?” He declares that he is not only a minister of Christ like the others, but—speaking, in their opinion, as one who is less wise—he is a better minister of Christ than they are. In this way, he claims superiority, as he says elsewhere: “I magnify my ministry” (Romans 11:13), by placing it ahead of the ministry of others.

Paul then indicates the areas in which he is superior, beginning with “with far greater labors.” He means that he is “more” because he is more obviously a proven minister of Christ. He first lists the hardships inflicted upon him, and second, the hardships he voluntarily undertook (in verse 26). In general, he is a proven minister “with far greater labors” than they, even though they also undertook some labors: “I worked harder than any of them” (1 Corinthians 15:10).

He then lists these hardships in detail. First, regarding the misery of prison, he endured “far more imprisonments” than they did: “And when they had inflicted many blows upon them”—that is, on Paul and his companions—“they threw them into prison” (Acts 16:23). Second, regarding the pain of floggings, he suffered “countless beatings,” which were beyond normal human endurance or custom, as he wrote: “in beatings, imprisonments, tumults, labors, watchings, hunger” (2 Corinthians 6:5).

This might seem to contradict 1 Corinthians 10:13: “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your strength.” If so, his sufferings were not beyond human endurance. The answer is that God does not permit us to be tried without the help of divine grace. That is why the Apostle said, “It was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Finally, regarding the terror of death, he says he was “often near death,” meaning he faced constant mortal danger. As he wrote, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long” (Romans 8:36), and “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31, Vulgate).

Paul then reveals the extreme dangers he underwent, first from beatings and second from the threat of death. He describes the danger of beatings by citing those he suffered from his own people, the Jews: “Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one.” It should be noted that Deuteronomy 25:2–3 states that a man may be beaten “with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.”

This shows that people could be whipped for lesser sins, but the victim was never to receive more than forty stripes. The Jews, however, to appear merciful, always administered fewer than the forty allowed by the Law. Because they hated Paul, whenever they flogged him, they gave him the maximum punishment possible while staying under the limit, omitting only one stroke. Thus, he received thirty-nine lashes, and this happened five times. Second, he mentions the perils from outsiders, the Gentiles, saying, “Three times I have been beaten with rods.” This is confirmed in Scripture: “The magistrates tore the garments off them and gave orders to beat them with rods” (Acts 16:22), and “The tribune commanded him to be brought into the barracks and ordered him to be examined by scourging” (Acts 22:24).

Next, Paul reveals the perils of death he faced. First are those inflicted by men: “Once I was stoned.” This happened in a city of Lycaonia, where he was struck with stones and nearly killed: “They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead” (Acts 14:19). Second are the perils from natural forces, particularly the sea. He elaborates on these, first by their number (“three times I have been shipwrecked”) and second by their duration, which was more severe (“a night and a day I have been adrift at sea”). Although he was shipwrecked multiple times, he remained in the water for a day and a night under the protection of God’s power. Therefore, he could say with Jonah, “For you cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood was round about me” (Jonah 2:3).

Having listed the hardships inflicted from without, Paul now lists those he voluntarily undertook, beginning with “on frequent journeys.” He outlines first the external hardships (in verses 26–27) and second, the internal ones (in verse 28).

He proves he is a minister of Christ by patiently enduring many difficult things on his “frequent journeys.” He traveled many roads, going to Rome and into Spain, fulfilling his call: “from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Romans 15:19). As the psalmist says, “For the sake of the words of your lips, I have kept to the hard ways” (Psalms 17:4, Vulgate).

Paul then details the dangers of these journeys. He lists them according to their cause, whether from natural forces like “dangers from rivers”—for streams rise in the winter and become swift and dangerous—or from malicious violence, such as “danger from robbers,” whom the devil stirred up to rob him. As Job said, “His troops come on together; they have cast up their siege works against me and encamp around my tent” (Job 19:12).

He also lists dangers based on the people who caused them. He faced “danger from my own people,” that is, instigated by the Jews, and “danger from Gentiles,” who wanted to capture him for preaching the one true God. Consequently, he had no rest from his own people or from others: “Woe is me, my mother, that you bore me, a man of strife and contention to the whole land!” (Jeremiah 15:10).

Finally, he lists dangers according to their location. He faced “danger in the city,” such as in cities stirred up against him like Ephesus and Corinth (see Acts 18 and 19), and “danger in the wilderness,” whether from wild animals—as when a viper bit his hand (Acts 28:3)—or from a lack of food. He also faced “danger at sea” from plunderers and pirates: “Let those who sail the sea tell of its dangers” (Sirach 43:26, Vulgate). But he mentions the most serious danger of all: “danger from false brethren,” that is, from false Christians, heretics, and false apostles, for “Let every man beware of his neighbor” (Jeremiah 9:4).