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2Co_11:13. Justification of the aforesaid ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καυχῶνται , εὑρεθ . καθὼς κ . ἡμεῖς . “Not without ground do I intend that they shall, in that of which they boast, be found to be as we; for the part, which these men play, is lying and deceit.”
Those who take καθὼς κ . ἡμεῖς in 2Co_11:12 : not better than we, must forcibly procure a connection by arbitrarily supplying something; as e.g. Rückert: that in the heart of the apostle not better than we had the meaning: but rather worse, and that this is now illustrated. Hofmann, in consequence of his view of ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καυχ . κ . τ . λ . 2Co_11:12, interpolates the thought: “for the rest” they have understood how to demean themselves as Christ’s messenger.
οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι κ . τ . λ .] for people of that kind are false apostles, etc., so that ψευδαπόστολοι is the predicate.[330] So also de Wette and Ewald. Usually, after the Vulgate (also Flatt, Billroth, Rückert, Hofmann), ψευδαπόστολοι is made the subject: “for such false apostles are,” etc. But it should, in fact, be rather put: “for the false apostles of that kind (in distinction from other false apostles; comp. 2Co_12:3; Soph. O. R. 674; Polyb. viii. 2, 5, xvi. 11, 2) are,” etc.,—which would be quite appropriate. Besides, the ψευδαπόστολοι , disclosing entirely at length the character of the enemies, would lose its emphasis. On the contemptuous sense of τοιοῦτος , comp. Ellendt, Lex. Soph. II. p. 843.
ἐργάται δόλιοι ] comp. Php_3:2. They were workers, in so far certainly as they by teaching and other activity were at work in the church; but they were deceitful workers (dealt in δολίαις βουλαῖς , Eur. Med. 413, δολίοις ἐπέεσσιν , Hom. ix. 282, and δολίαις τέχναισι , Pind. Nem. iv. 93), since they wished only to appear to further the true Christian salvation of the church, while at bottom they pursued their own selfish and passionate aims (2Co_11:20). For the opposite of an ἐργάτης δόλιος , see 2Ti_2:15.
μετασχηματιζ . εἰς ἀποστ . Χ .] transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. Their essential form is not that of apostles of Christ, for they are servants of Satan; in order to appear as the former, they thus assume another form than they really have, present themselves otherwise than they really are. In working against Paul in doctrine and act, they hypocritically assumed the mask of apostle, though they were the opposite of a true apostle (Gal_1:1; Rom_15:18 ff.; 2Co_12:12).
[330] Bengel says aptly: “Haec jam pars praedicati, antitheton, ver. 5. Nunc tandem scapham scapham dicit.” On the idea of ψευδαπόστολοι , Erasmus rightly remarks: “Apostolus enim ejus agit negotium a quo missus est, isti suis commodis serviunt.” Without doubt the people maintained for themselves their claim with equal, nay, with better right than Paul, to the name of apostle, which they probably conceded to Paul only in the wider sense (Act_14:4; Act_14:14; 1Co_15:7).