The Second Letter to the Corinthians
in Pillar New Testament Commentary
Pages
569
Publisher
Eerdmans
Published
12/17/2014
ISBN-13
9780802837394
The question that Paul set before the ancient church in Corinth—Do you not recognize that Jesus Christ is in and among you? (2 Cor 13:5)—remains a critical question for the church today. This commentary by Mark Seifrid seeks to hear Paul's message afresh and communicate it to our time.
Seifrid offers a unified reading of 2 Corinthians, which has often been regarded as a composite of excerpts and fragments. He argues that Paul's message is directed at the "practical atheism" of the Corinthian church — the hidden heresy that assumes God's saving work in the world may be measured by outward standards of success and achievement.
Like all of the Pillar volumes, Seifrid's commentary on 2 Corinthians offers careful grammatical analysis and exegesis with clear pastoral application.
Seifrid offers a unified reading of 2 Corinthians, which has often been regarded as a composite of excerpts and fragments. He argues that Paul's message is directed at the "practical atheism" of the Corinthian church — the hidden heresy that assumes God's saving work in the world may be measured by outward standards of success and achievement.
Like all of the Pillar volumes, Seifrid's commentary on 2 Corinthians offers careful grammatical analysis and exegesis with clear pastoral application.
Collections
This book appears in the following featured collections.
- Basic Library Booklist by Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary
- TGC: Scholarly Commentaries by The Gospel Coalition
Reviews
DavidH
August 12, 2026
August 12, 2026
Seifrid offers one of the most theologically coherent and genuinely distinctive readings of 2 Corinthians. His controlling insight is that the word of the cross overturns ordinary human judgments concerning power, weakness, suffering, authority and glory, so that Paul’s afflicted apostolic existence is not an embarrassment requiring explanation but the form in which the crucified and risen Christ is made known. This perspective gives remarkable unity to the letter’s treatment of suffering, new covenant ministry, reconciliation, boasting and apostolic warfare. Seifrid is especially strong where Paul’s theology and apostolic existence intersect. His Lutheran law-gospel framework can occasionally become too controlling, particularly in chapter 3, but the commentary repeatedly advances the theological interpretation of the letter rather than merely summarising existing scholarship.
The Gospel Coalition
June 1, 2024
June 1, 2024
Unlike many commentaries, Seifrid doesn’t catalog and evaluate the opinions of modern scholars. Instead, he provides a sustained exegetical argument for his own reading of the letter and its theology. Seifrid’s theological reflections are rich and rooted in a Reformational Lutheran understanding of justification by faith.
[Full Review]
Robert M. Bowman Jr.
December 11, 2016
December 11, 2016
Just published, but reviews suggest this may now be the best commentary on 2 Corinthians.
[Full Review]