According to biblical scholars, St. Paul spent 18 months in Corinth (AD 50–51) founding the Church there (Acts 18:1–18). Sometime between AD 51 and 53, St. Paul wrote a letter to them with moral instructions: “I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people” (1 Cor 5:9).
In the spring of AD 54, St. Paul sent the First Letter to the Corinthians from Ephesus via his delegate, St. Timothy. That same year, he made a “painful visit” to Corinth (2 Cor 2:1) and wrote a “tearful letter” afterward (2 Cor 2:4; 7:8). The “tearful letter” was delivered through St. Titus. Later, Paul met Titus and received both good news and reports of new challenges concerning the Church in Corinth. In response, in the spring of AD 55, he sent the Second Letter to the Corinthians from Macedonia via St. Titus.
St. Paul wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Cor 1:3–4).
The word comfort literally means to come to one’s side. A fourth-century biblical commentator known as Ambrosiaster wrote: “Paul mentions two kinds of consolation. One is the sort by which people who are suffering distress unjustly on account of the name of Christ find consolation in being set free. The other is the consolation of those who, when they are grieved because of sins, receive consolation from the fact that hope of forgiveness is promised to them when they mend their ways. This happens amid a community of those who have received consolation from God and been rescued from distress.”
In 2 Corinthians 1:12–24, St. Paul explained his change of plans. St. John Chrysostom commented: “Paul did not want to go to Corinth in order to plunge the Corinthians into despair. Instead, he stayed away so that they would reform themselves, fearing what might otherwise happen if he did come.”
St. Paul wrote, “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you” (2 Cor 1:12). Ambrosiaster commented: “The boast of Paul’s conscience was simplicity and sincerity, qualities which belong to God’s teaching. In his first letter Paul had criticized teaching based on earthly wisdom, and he alludes to that again here. He accused preachers of that kind both because they preached according to the wisdom of the world and because they were doing it in order to make money. For that reason, Paul was unwilling to receive any payment from the Corinthians.”
St. Paul also wrote, “And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor 1:21–22). This passage is a direct reference to the Sacrament of Confirmation and the form of the Sacrament: “Be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
St. John Chrysostom commented: “And what is, hath anointed, and sealed? Hath given the Spirit, by whom He hath done both these things, making at once prophets, and priests, and kings—for in old times these three sorts were anointed. But we have not now one of these dignities, but all three preeminently. For we are both to enjoy a kingdom, and are made priests by offering our bodies for a sacrifice (for, saith he, present your members a living sacrifice acceptable unto God); and withal we are constituted prophets too; for what things eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, these have been revealed unto us. And in another way too we become kings: if we have the mind to get dominion over our unruly thoughts—for that such an one is a king, and more than he who weareth the diadem.”
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天主為我們蓋上聖神的印記
根據聖經學者的研究，聖保祿宗徒於公元50至51年間在格林多停留了18個月，並在當地建立了教會（宗18:1-18）。在公元51至53年間，聖保祿曾寫信給格林多教會，提出道德勸誡：「我先前在信上給你們寫過：不可與淫蕩的人交結。」（格前 5:9）
到了公元54年春天，聖保祿從厄弗所派遣代表聖弟茂德，將格林多人前書送達格林多。同年，聖保祿親自前往格林多，進行一次「憂苦的探訪」（格後 2:1），並在此之後寫下了「流着許多淚的信」（格後 2:4；7:8）。
這封「流着許多淚的信」由聖弟鐸親自送達。之後，聖保祿在途中遇見了弟鐸，得知格林多教會的喜訊與新挑戰。因此，到了公元55年春天，聖保祿從馬其頓再度寫信給格林多人，這便是格林多人後書，並由聖弟鐸傳送。
聖保祿寫道：「願我們的主耶穌基督的天主和父，仁慈的父和施與各種安慰的天主受讚揚，是衪在我們的各種磨難中，常安慰我們，為使我們能以自己由天主所親受的安慰，去安慰那些在各種困難中的人。」（格後 1:3–4）
「安慰」這詞在原文中意指「來到某人身邊」。一位公元四世紀的聖經註釋家，名為「盎博息雅斯特」（Ambrosiaster），如此解釋：「保祿所講的安慰有兩種：一種是那些因基督之名而遭受不義苦難者，在獲得自由後得到的安慰；另一種是那些因罪憂傷的人，在悔改時因天主所應許的寬恕而獲得的安慰。這種安慰存在於那些已蒙天主安慰、並從困苦中被拯救出來的信友團體中。」
在格後 1:12–24中，聖保祿解釋了他行程上的改變。金口聖若望說：「保祿沒有馬上前往格林多，是怕使格林多人陷入絕望；他反而選擇暫時遠離，好讓他們自行悔改，免得若他親臨，後果可能更嚴重。」
聖保祿寫道：「我們認為光榮的事，就是有我們的良心作證：我們處世是本著由天主而來的直爽與真誠，並不是本著本性的智慧，而是本著天主的恩寵；對於你們尤其如此。」（格後1:12）盎博息雅斯特評論說：「保祿良心的誇耀，是直爽與真誠，這兩德行屬於天主的教導。他在前書中曾批評依世俗智慧講道的方式，這裡再次提及。他指責那類傳道者既依靠世俗智慧，又為牟利講道；因此，保祿堅決拒絕從格林多教會收取資助。」
聖保祿又寫道：「那堅固我們同你們在基督內的，並給我們傳油的，就是天主；衪在我們身上蓋了印，並在我們心裡賜下聖神作為抵押。」（格後 1:21–22）這段經文直接指向堅振聖事，聖事的形即為：「請藉此印記領受天恩聖神。」金口聖若望解釋說：「『傅油』與『蓋印』是什麼意思？就是賜予聖神；藉著聖神，祂完成這兩件事，立我們為先知、司祭與君王。古時這三種職務的人都受傅油，而我們如今不僅承擔其一，而是全然兼備：我們將承受天國，且作為司祭，奉獻自己的身體為祭品（如經上說：『獻上你們的身體當作生活、聖潔和悅樂天主的祭品』）；我們同時也是先知，因為『天主為愛祂的人所準備的，是眼未見、耳未聞、人心未曾想到的』。我們還有另一層面的王位：若我們願意制服心中的邪念，那人就是王，且勝過世上的君王。」
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