Thomas Aquinas Commentary 2 Corinthians 11:4-8

"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or [if] ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with [him]. For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. But though [I be] rude in speech, yet [am I] not in knowledge; nay, in every way have we made [this] manifest unto you in all things. Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for nought? I robbed other churches, taking wages [of them] that I might minister unto you;" — 2 Corinthians 11:4-8 (ASV)

Having described the zeal he had for the Corinthians and proved it reasonable, the Apostle now rejects their excuse. In this regard, he does two things: first, he presents their excuse, and second, he refutes it (2 Corinthians 11:5).

Regarding the first point, it should be noted that the Corinthians might have supposed Paul was zealous for them only because he feared they would set aside his teaching for that of the false apostles. From this, they could argue that lesser goods should obviously be discarded in favor of greater ones. Therefore, they might say, "If the false apostles teach better doctrines, you should not be disturbed if we yield to them." The Apostle, therefore, presents this excuse by showing that no one is better than he is in teaching and preaching.

The Apostle preached and taught three things. First, that the Corinthians belonged to Christ: For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians 4:5). Second, that they possessed the Spirit of Christ: Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him (Romans 8:9). Third, that they had received the Gospel of Christ: For I am not ashamed of the gospel: it is the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek (Romans 1:16).

If, therefore, the false apostles were to preach and teach you something better, you would be right and your actions excusable; but they do not do this. This is what Paul means when he says: For if someone comes and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough (2 Corinthians 11:4).

It is as if Paul is saying: I fear that a false apostle might come to you, not having been sent, but on his own authority, like a thief and a robber. As Scripture says, All who came before me are thieves and robbers (John 10:8); I did not send the prophets, yet they ran (Jeremiah 23:21); and, And how can men preach unless they are sent? (Romans 10:15).

If, I say, such a preacher preaches to you another Christ—that is, one more excellent than the one we have preached—this is impossible, because as it says in 1 Corinthians 8:6, there is ...one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist. This relates to the first point.

Or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received—that is, one better than you received from us through our ministry—this is also impossible, because as it says in 1 Corinthians 12:11, All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. This relates to the second point.

Or if you accept a different gospel—that is, another teaching or doctrine—from the one you accepted from us, as he says to the Galatians, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and turning to a different gospel (Galatians 1:6). If, I say, they did other and better things for you, then you submit to it readily enough; that is, you would be right to excuse yourselves. But because another—meaning, a better—Gospel cannot be delivered, the Apostle condemns the Galatians if they receive another Gospel: If any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:9).

Then, when he says, I think that I am not in the least inferior (2 Corinthians 11:5), he refutes this excuse. In this regard, he does two things. First, he shows that he did no less for them than the others; second, that he did more (2 Corinthians 11:7). Regarding the first point, he does three things. First, he shows that in his deeds he did nothing less than the other apostles; second, he suggests that he was not lacking the means to do this (2 Corinthians 11:6); third, he presents the evidence for both (2 Corinthians 11:6b).

Therefore, he says: you would be right to let yourselves be seduced by them if they preached something better to you, but this is not true. This is because I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles (2 Corinthians 11:5)—that is, Peter and John, whom they considered great. He compares himself to the great apostles both because Paul seemed to them and was regarded by them as lesser, on the grounds that they had been with Christ and Paul had not, and because the false apostles claimed to have been sent by them. Therefore, by showing himself equal to the great apostles, he corrects their error and refutes the false apostles, stating, I worked harder than any of them (1 Corinthians 15:10).

But in case they might ask him, "From where did you get the ability to do this, since you are unskilled in speaking?" he shows that his ability is due to the vastness of his knowledge, saying, even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not in knowledge (2 Corinthians 11:6). As Peter also wrote, So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him (2 Peter 3:15).

It should be noted that the false apostles, seeking their own glory and pursuing financial gain, tried to attract people with ornate, subtle, and exquisite words, seeking only to please their listeners. But the Apostle, because he was not seeking his own advantage but only the spread and growth of the faith, presented the word of faith in such a way that all could understand, adjusting himself to the condition and capacity of his hearers.

Therefore, because they were not initially capable of lofty doctrine, he presented the faith to them not in subtle terms but in a way they could understand—that is, plainly and clearly. That is why they called him unskilled in speech. As he wrote elsewhere, he preached not with eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power (1 Corinthians 1:17). For this reason, the Apostle says: although I may be unskilled in speech, as it seems to you, this was not due to a lack of knowledge but was for your benefit, as a way of administering the truth to you, because I could not address you as spiritual men, but as men of the flesh, as babes in Christ (1 Corinthians 3:1).

Alternatively, taking the text literally, it could be said that the Apostle stuttered, and for this reason the false apostles ridiculed him. Therefore he says: for even if I am unskilled in speaking—that is, have a speech impediment—I am not in knowledge. This is similar to Moses's statement: I am slow of speech and of tongue (Exodus 4:10).

But the fact that I did no less than the great apostles is evident from the things I have done for you. Therefore, he says, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things (2 Corinthians 11:6), for you have experienced what I have done. As he also says, You are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord (1 Corinthians 9:2), and, The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works (2 Corinthians 12:12).

Then, when he says, Did I commit a sin... (2 Corinthians 11:7), he shows that he has done more than all the others, because he preached without payment. In this regard, he does two things. First, he states the fact; second, he assigns the reason for it (2 Corinthians 11:11). Regarding the first point, he does two things. First, he shows the fact concerning the past; second, concerning the future (2 Corinthians 11:9b). He shows the past fact in two ways: first in general, and second in particular (2 Corinthians 11:7b).

Therefore, he says: I am correct in saying that I have done no less than the others, unless you think I did less and acted wrongly because I lessened my authority by not accepting payments from you. But if this were so, I would have done evil. He shows, however, that it is not evil, asking, Did I commit a sin in humbling myself...? (2 Corinthians 11:7). It is as if he is saying, "No." For Scripture says, The greater you are, humble yourself in all things, and you will find grace in the sight of God (Sirach 3:20, Vulgate); For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more (1 Corinthians 9:19); and, Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:4).

The reason for humbling myself was not for my own gain but for your improvement. This is why he says, so that you might be exalted (2 Corinthians 11:7), that is, be strengthened in faith. The Corinthians were very greedy, and if he had accepted payment from the very beginning, they might have abandoned the faith. Similarly, the false prophets preached for financial gain. Therefore, so that the Corinthians would receive the Apostle and to remove any opportunity for the false prophets to profit, the Apostle preached for free and without financial support.

Then he explains in detail what he had said in general. In this regard, he does two things. First, he shows how he preached to them without charge during his first visit; second, he shows that he did the same during the long stay he made with them (2 Corinthians 11:9).

Regarding the first point, he does two things. First, he mentions the humiliation, saying: in this I humbled myself, because I preached God’s gospel without cost to you (2 Corinthians 11:7)—that is, without charge. This was not for a reward, because that is not praiseworthy. For although all apostles could receive personal payment from those to whom they preached the word of God, yet no one should preach for the sake of the reward or payment.

Second, because they could ask, "Where did you get your support?" he answers that it came from the other churches, saying, I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you (2 Corinthians 11:8). By this, he convinces them that they cannot tell the Apostle it is unlawful for him to receive support from them. For if he may lawfully take support from other churches to serve the Corinthians, it is even more lawful for him to take support from the Corinthians themselves. From this, it is apparent that a papal legate visiting one part of his jurisdiction can accept stipends, and that the Pope can take subsidies from various parts of the world to relieve the needs of some country. The reason is that the Church is one body. We see this in a natural body: when one part is weak, nature provides nourishment and strength by drawing from other parts.