ABSTRACT
2 Corinthians 13:3–4 is hardly a locus classicus for Paul’s theology of the cross, but arguably offers a needed corrective to a recent trend in theological interpretation of the cross that I characterize here as “power dissolved into weakness.” This essay offers a close reading of Paul’s theology of the cross in this passage, demonstrating that Paul’s theologizing into the Corinthian crisis is rhetorically predicated upon the inseparable unity of participation in the Messiah’s cruciform weakness and resurrection power by the life of God. Subsequently, by probing the reception history of this passage, I attempt to draw out critical and constructive possibilities for the contribution of this passage to contemporary theological interpretation related to divine power, Christology, and regard for the vulnerable.
