I would like to get some input from the forum on any scholarly books which speak to "Paul's thorn in the flesh." I will be doing a masters paper for my class.
Thanks in advance,
Clay
You should check out the advanced commentaries on 2 Corinthians.
You will probably need to read relevant sections from the the top three commentaries listed on this page: http://bestcommentaries.com/2-corinthians/, if not more. Most of those commentaries listed there are in Logos, though some are only available in a bundle (like Barnett's NICNT volume). Good commentaries will have references to other monographs and journal articles on a subject.
I'd also suggest searching theological journals for references to 2 Cor 12:1-10 and also for "thorn". Logos has journals here: https://www.logos.com/product/8114/theological-journal-library-vols-1-10
Here's a bibliography of the most significant mentions of Paul's thorn in the flesh I could find in my scholarly monographs and journals:
Kreitzer, Larry. 2 Corinthians. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996, pp. 124–127.
Dawson, Audrey. Healing, Weakness and Power: Perspectives on Healing in the Writings of Mark, Luke and Paul. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2008, pp. 201–203.
Messer, Neil G. “The Human Genome Project, Health and the ‘Tyranny of Normality’.” In Brave New World?: Theology, Ethics, and the Human Genome, 93–115. London; New York: T&T Clark, 2003.
Russell, Ronald. “Redemptive Suffering and Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 39, no. 4 (1996): 558–570.
Also here are a couple of abstracts of journal articles which are not available in Logos (from Religious and Theological Abstracts). Perhaps you can find these articles through your seminary library.
Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh: A Messenger of Satan?
Abernathy, David. “Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh: A Messenger of Satan?” Neotestamentica 2001, Vol. 35 (1), pp: 69–79. ISSN: 0254–8356
Paul describes certain difficulties figuratively as “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” (2 Cor 12:7). Most interpreters take “thorn” and “messenger of Satan” as metaphorical and “flesh” as the concrete element to which the metaphor refers. However, if the entire phrase “thorn in the flesh” is figurative, then “a messenger of Satan” is more likely to be the concrete referent to the metaphor than a second metaphor with no concrete referent. Because there is precedent in the LXX for interpreting the entire phrase “thorn in the flesh” figuratively we should consider the possibility that Paul is saying that harassment from a literal demon was his “thorn.” Such an understanding is not inconsistent with autobiographical information about Paul in his epistles and with the account of Paul’s life and ministry depicted in the book of Acts.
A “Thorn in the Flesh": The Appropriation of Textual Meaning
Powers, Janet Everts. “A “Thorn in the Flesh": The Appropriation of Textual Meaning.” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 2001, Vol. 18, pp: 85–99. ISSN: 0966–7369
A central issue in Pentecostal hermeneutics is how the reader enters into the biblical narrative and appropriates the meaning of the biblical text. The issue of how a reader is to appropriate the biblical text is clearly raised in discussions of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor 12:10). Does the meaning of this “thorn” apply to Paul alone or does he urge his readers to appropriate that meaning for themselves? After examining various meanings of the “thorn in the flesh,” it is clear that Paul’s account of his experience is a testimony that invites his readers to enter into the world of the biblical text. When they do this they allow their lives to be shaped by the same understanding which has illuminated the meaning of the “thorn” for Paul: my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor
[note that this abstract stops abruptly like that in the middle of a Scripture reference; I would report the missing text as a bug to Logos, however I see that it's also missing on rtabstracts.org, so it's probably not anything Logos can fix; the Scripture reference in question is 2 Cor 12:9, and likely that's the end of the abstract anyway]
I would like to get some input from the forum on any scholarly books which speak to "Paul's thorn in the flesh." I will be doing a masters paper for my class. Thanks in advance, Clay
Is this an assigned topic or one of your own choosing? If it is one of your own choosing, might I suggest picking a different topic...one in which you have a clearer sense of what is being said and what you want to say. This topic has been butchered badly for about 2000 years, and if you are asking for other's opinions, it is highly unlikely that you will have anything useful to add to the historical muddle.
This topic has been butchered badly for about 2000 years, and if you are asking for other's opinions, you probably won't have anything useful to add to the historical muddle.
It's not a thesis. It's just a paper for a class. I would be surprised if he's being asked to add new thought to the topic.
Thanks to everyone for your input. This is an assigned topic and is just a paper for class.
