I. Introduction to 2 Corinthians and its setting
   A. Opening the new study in Paul's second extant letter to Corinth
      1. The lesson begins 2 Corinthians in the Sunday service context.
      2. The prayer asks God to guide biblical investigation for Christ's glory.
   B. The long-standing dispute over Paul's apostolic authority
      1. Paul's claim to have met the risen Lord on the Damascus road has been disputed from the beginning.
      2. The Corinthian factions in 1 Corinthians 1:12 ("I am of Paul...") show early resistance to Paul.
      3. Acts and Galatians also reflect Paul's interactions with the apostles and his contested status.
   C. The book's relevance to modern disputes over authorship and authority
      1. 2 Corinthians is treated as one of the generally undisputed Pauline letters.
      2. Yet modern scholarship increasingly challenges Paul's authorship of other letters.
      3. Historical-critical scholarship often approaches the New Testament with skepticism toward inspiration and apostolic authority.
   D. The value and difficulty of 2 Corinthians
      1. The common claim that 2 Corinthians is difficult for translators and interpreters.
      2. Its difficulty is matched by its value as a window into Paul's pastoral heart.
      3. The letter is received as genuinely from Paul, though an amanuensis may have shaped the exact style.

II. Modern challenges to Paul and the "Jesus hermeneutic"
   A. The current scholarly map of Pauline authorship
      1. Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon are presented as the undisputed letters.
      2. Colossians and 2 Thessalonians are said to be widely disputed.
      3. Ephesians and the Pastorals are rejected by many historical-critical scholars.
   B. Recent radical proposals denying Pauline authorship altogether
      1. Nina E. Livesey's 2024 book is cited as arguing that none of the Pauline letters are really Paul's.
      2. The view is described as pseudonymous, second-century, and compared to other ancient literary examples.
      3. Statistical and stylistic methods are said to depend heavily on prior assumptions about what counts as Pauline.
   C. The influence of scholarship on teachers and churches
      1. Academic conclusions shape professors, students, and eventually church leaders.
      2. These views then spread into sermons, media, and Christian conversation.
      3. The result is strange doctrine and instability rather than biblical truth.
   D. The "Jesus hermeneutic" as a response to Paul
      1. The claim is that only Jesus' words should govern Christianity.
      2. Paul is then treated as unreliable, distorted, or secondary to Jesus.
      3. The New Testament as a whole unfolds the gospel, with Paul revealing the mystery.
   E. Four forms of the modern critique of Paul
      1. Jesus as the lens through which all Christianity is judged
         a. Tony Campolo is presented as a representative voice.
         b. Jesus is treated as the criterion, so Pauline teaching is accepted only if it matches Jesus.
         c. This wrongly ignores dispensational distinctions between Jesus' earthly kingdom mission and apostolic grace.
      2. Deconstructionist suspicion of Paul's authority
         a. Paul is rejected because he was not with Jesus during the earthly ministry of the Twelve.
         b. His Damascus road revelation is dismissed as private or subjective.
         c. This objection is not new; it arose already in Paul's lifetime.
      3. The claim that Paul never quotes Jesus
         a. Paul's major themes are said to be crucifixion, resurrection, lordship, union with Christ, justification, the Spirit, and ecclesiology.
         b. Critics complain that he says little about Jesus' miracles, parables, and earthly ministry.
         c. This produces the slogan that Jesus proclaimed the kingdom while Paul proclaimed Jesus.
      4. The "ethical Jesus" test
         a. Paul is said to conflict with Jesus on enemies and non-violence, wealth and poverty, hierarchy, women, slavery, sexual ethics, inclusion, church discipline, government, law, and judgment.
         b. If Paul seems unlike Jesus, critics reinterpret, limit, or reject him.
         c. Warning: this can become a tool for discarding whatever one dislikes.
   F. A sample text often used against Paul
      1. 1 Timothy 2:11-15 is cited as an example.
      2. The passage is dismissed as contrary to Jesus' treatment of women and therefore unapostolic.
      3. Similar arguments are applied to household teaching in Ephesians and Colossians.

III. Paul's own defense and the theological framework for 2 Corinthians
   A. Paul's defense against early and modern attacks
      1. 1 Corinthians 9:1, Galatians 1-2, 2 Corinthians 3, 2 Corinthians 10-12, and 2 Corinthians 11-12 are identified as key defense passages.
      2. Paul's apostleship, message, authority, rhetoric, and bodily weakness all come under scrutiny.
      3. 2 Corinthians answers these attacks from within Paul's own inspired writing.
   B. The contrast between Jesus' earthly ministry and apostolic revelation
      1. Jesus came to Israel, offered the kingdom, and fulfilled Old Testament promises.
      2. When Israel rejected the kingdom offer, the risen Christ commissioned the apostles.
      3. Pentecost and the coming of the Spirit mark a new age with a new focus.
   C. The distinction between Israel and the church
      1. The church is not latter-day Israel.
      2. The church is a distinct called-out body belonging to Christ.
      3. Israel's covenant promises are fulfilled in the millennial kingdom, while the church inherits heavenly promises.
   D. Why this matters for reading 2 Corinthians
      1. The book belongs with Galatians as a defense of apostolic gospel and authority.
      2. The same kinds of opponents and arguments appear in Corinth and throughout Achaia.
      3. The proper context helps prepare the reader for Paul's opening in the letter.

Summarizing Topics
1. Paul's authority under attack
2. Jesus-centered critiques of Paul
3. Israel, church, and apostolic revelation

Bible Passages Most Explored
- 1 Corinthians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 9:1
- Galatians 1-2
- 2 Corinthians 3; 2 Corinthians 10-12; 1 Timothy 2:11-15