ABSTRACT
When reading the letters of the apostle Paul one is struck by the fact that this successful early Christian preacher of the Gospel seems to have met so much opposition. In all or almost all his letters he had to defend himself against bitter attacks from people who questioned his apostleship and the Gospel he preached. One of his most apologetic or polemic letters is without any doubt his second letter to the Corinthians. In at least two long sections in this letter Paul felt obliged to defend his apostolic ministry against people, most probably other preachers of the Gospel, who called his apostleship publicly into question.
