ts. He
tells us himself that when he came to Troas he had still no relief for
his spirit--no news from Corinth. Though he found an opening for the
gospel at Troas, he hurried on into Macedonia, and at last Titus came
with joyful news of the penitence and submission of the Corinthians.
St. Paul then wrote this Epistle. Towards the end of December, A.D.
55, he reached Corinth, where he stayed for three months.

The Book of Acts fits perfectly with the Epistles. From Acts xx. 1-3
we see that St. Paul did visit Macedonia and Greece at the close of his
stay at Ephesus, and from Acts xix. 22 we see that he sent Timothy
before him.

[Sidenote: Character and Contents.]

The Epistle has the nature of a letter sent by a spiritual father to
his children rather than of a doctrinal treatise with an argument
carefully built up. Its value for us lies chiefly in the vivid reality
with which it reflects the personality of the writer, his love for his
converts, his intense conviction that his apostolic commission and
power are entirely genuine--a conviction which is set off by his wish
always to associate himself with the weakness and fragility of ordinary
human nature. Throughout the Epistle there are scattered allusions to
Christian doctrine which are of the very highest importance. Before
giving an outline of the {146} Epistle, we may notice one or two
doctrinal passages of special importance.

First, with regard to the Resurrection. The teaching of 1 Corinthians
is further explained. St. Paul shows how entirely he has thrown off
the feeling of terror which environed the ordinary Jewish idea of
death. The sense of union with God by which a few Jews in some rare
flashes of inspiration knew that they would live after death, is here
triumphant. St. Paul regards death as a portal to that happy existence
which can only be described as being "at home with the Lord" (2 Cor. v.
1-8; cf. Phil. i. 23). Union with Christ _now_ absolutely guarantees
union with Him hereafter. The resurrection-body which in 1 Corinthians
he described as "a spiritual body," he poetically calls the "house from
heaven" which God will provide for the redeemed spirit. Then he thinks
of this new body as a _robe_. And as he hopes that Christ will come
again before we have put off our present body in death, he says that he
desires to be clothed with the new body over his present body, "if so
be that being clothed we shall not be found naked." The last p