Paul's own hand - Part 2

2 Thessalonians 3:17 - I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand, which is the distinguishing mark in all my letters. This is how I write.

Here is the explanation to why Paul wrote as he did at the end of Galatians (and elsewhere). It was simply his signature.

I wonder how many letters he wrote that have not been passed down to us. We can be certain that every letter that we need, we have. God has seen to that.

Epaphroditus

Philippians 2:25-30 - But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. Welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor men like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ, risking his life to make up for the help you could not give me.

I wonder what almost killed Epaphroditus. Did he stay outside in the cold too long and catch pneumonia? (How cold does it get where Paul was? Was he in Rome?) Did Epaphroditus go into a remote area and get bitten by some critter or poisoned by some plant that made him very ill? Did he have some more common ailment like a cold that he just didn't take care of properly letting it nearly cost him his life?

Was he over-devoting (if that's even possible) himself to the spreading of the gospel, so much so that he neglected his health? Or does Paul simply mean to say that the illness came to him in the normal course of his service to the Lord?

Paul's own hand

Galatians 6:11 - See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

I wonder why Paul decided to write part of this letter with his own hand. Did he want to prove he was actually present dictating the rest of it to his scribe? Would there be any doubt about that in the Galatians' minds?

Had his scribe stepped out of the room for a break leaving Paul with nothing better to do? Did Paul write more than this one sentence in his own hand? Did he finish the letter himself?

Why did he use large letters? (Some think he may have had poor eyesight.) Was it just to distinguish his writing from that of his scribe? What made him think to write those particular words; that is, that particular self-referential sentence? Was he trying to be humorous?

Did later scribes copy Paul's handwriting in large letters to help preserve the difference and meaning? Do any handwritten copies in existence today (We don't have the originals.) have larger print for this verse?

Did Paul have neat penmanship?

The brothers who shall not be named

2 Corinthians 8:16-22 - I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he is coming to you with much enthusiasm and on his own initiative. And we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and to show our eagerness to help. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous, and now even more so because of his great confidence in you.

I wonder why Paul doesn't hesitate to mention Titus by name but seems to go out of his way not to mention two other brothers. Was it for their protection? Was it to keep the Corinthians in suspense as part of a surprise? Paul sometimes used a secretary to do his letter-writing for him. Did he not want that man to know the identity of the two brothers? Was someone else listening, as he dictated to the scribe, who wasn't supposed to know who was being sent to Corinth? Was it one or both of those brothers?

Generous to a fault

2 Corinthians 8:1-3 - And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability.

I wonder what the "severe trial" was. Was it the poverty itself that they were subjected to? Was it something economic that caused the poverty? A natural disaster? Poor investments? A sharp decline in (the equivalent of) their stock market?

If they were already facing "extreme poverty," how could they give "beyond their ability"? Amazing how the Spirit can move someone no matter what their status or station in life!

Going out for supper?

1 Corinthians 8:9-13 - Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak. For if anyone with a weak conscience sees you who have this knowledge eating in an idol's temple, won't he be emboldened to eat what has been sacrificed to idols? So this weak brother, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. When you sin against your brothers in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Why would a Christian eat in an idol's temple? Was it just like going to a fancy restaurant? I imagine they did have good food there. After all, whoever brought the sacrifice probably gave the best they had in order to appease the god.