The literary context of 2 Corinthians 5.11–21

The unity of the document we now possess as 2 Corinthians was much debated in the twentieth century, and even now the question is far from settled. Yet in spite of the lack of consensus on the composition of canonical 2 Corinthians, no one doubts the unity of 2.14–7.4 (6.14–7.1 excepted). The argument of this chapter is not dependent on any particular literary reconstruction of 2 Corinthians, nor can the unity of this letter be positively excluded. In what follows I will assume that chapters 1–9 belong together, and leave open the question of 6.14–7.1. Chapters 10–13 will be used critically to inform this (probably earlier) material, but only when specific data in both segments can be correlated in such a way as to warrant this. Given these general assumptions, the connection between 2.14ff. and what precedes deserves comment.

The transition from 2.13 to 2.14 is abrupt, though it is not unreasonable to suppose that the thanksgiving period of 2.14–17 was occasioned by the mention of Titus in 2.13. Paul resumes this line of thought in 7.5, where we discover the reason for his sudden outburst of thankfulness: he was overjoyed by the reception Titus had received from the Corinthians (7.5–16).