Abstract

VERGEER, W.C.. Clay pots that break easily? A reinterpretation of 2 Corinthians 4:7. In Skriflig (Online) [online]. 2008, vol.42, n.2, pp.253-280. ISSN 2305-0853.

Translations of and commentaries on the Bible see the image of clay pots Paul uses in 2 Corinthians 4:7 as a derogatory self-characterisation which is used to depict the fragility, ordinariness, cheapness or expendability of those that serve in the ministry. It is generally held that the brittleness of the clay pots in a paradoxical way underlines the "all-surpassing power of God". In this article the thought structure, syntactical, grammatical and socio-historic basis for this understanding of 2 Corinthians 4:7 is researched and (re)interpreted. The results suggest that the metaphor of clay pots should be understood in a complementary rather than a paradoxical way.

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