Paul’s Suffering and Weakness in 2 Corinthians

Missionary, theologian, and church leader, the apostle Paul is one of the giants of the Christian faith. He is also, Dr. Royal L. Pakhuongte suggests, a person who suffered from disability. Combining a disability perspective with rhetorical and sociological criticism, Pakhuongte explores 2 Corinthians through the lens of a disability hermeneutic. He examines Paul’s conflict with the Corinthian church against the sociological backdrop of Jewish and Greco-Roman culture, both of which rejected those deemed disabled as unfit for leadership, corporate worship, or, in some cases, life itself. Pakhuongte demonstrates that the depth of Paul’s suffering is best understood in the context of this stigmatization, which, far from being peripheral to Paul’s ministry, had profound impact on Paul’s gospel message.