A Forgiving Community

Interpreting the Concept of Forgiveness in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 by Means of Intercontextual Method

Authors

  • Yudit Tiwery Weldemina Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Ambon
  • Vincent Kalvin Wenno Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Ambon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v11i1.381

Keywords:

forgiveness, public forgiveness, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, inter(con)textual method, biblical interpretation

Abstract

Public forgiveness plays a crucial role in efforts to reduce conflicts. In practice, forgiveness performed by a group or community often becomes the subject of diverse discourses. The text of 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 conveys a message about the necessity of forgiveness in a public context. The text is closely associated with the dynamic relationship between Paul, the community, and the individuals considered guilty. Paul makes a demand for the community to forgive those who have committed wrongdoings, following the example of forgiveness that he has demonstrated towards the offenders. Employing an intercontextual method, this study examines the context of public forgiveness in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 and the forgiveness process that occurs in the post-conflict situation in Maluku. Both contexts are treated as subjects that collectively contribute creatively to determining meaning within this research. Considering both contexts, this study elaborates on the experiences of forgiveness in these two contexts simultaneously. Ultimately, the study deduces that public forgiveness is also important to be considered in reconciliation efforts. Forgiveness is not solely confined to the dimensions of personal piety or personal morality, but it also serves as a moral value that must be implemented by the entire community.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Yudit Tiwery Weldemina, Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Ambon

Weldemina Yudit Tiwery is a faculty member at Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Ambon teaching contextual theology and feminist theology.

Vincent Kalvin Wenno, Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Ambon

Vincent Kalvin Wenno is a faculty member at Institut Agama Kristen Negeri Ambon teaching New Testament studies. 

References

Arendt, Hannah. The Human Condition. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 1958.

Barkan, Elazar. The Guilt of Nations: Restitution and Negotiating Historical Injustices. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press, 2001.

Bash, Anthony. “Did Jesus Discover Forgiveness?” Journal of Religious Ethics, Vol. 41, No. 3 (2013): 382-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/jore.12020.

_______. “Forgiveness, Reconciliation and Spirituality: A Theological Perspective.” Journal for the Study of Spirituality, Vol. 4, No. 1 (2014): 58-72. https://doi.org/10.1179/2044024314Z.00000000021.

Bright, David S., and Julie J. Exline. “Forgiveness at Four Levels: Intrapersonal, Relational, Organizational, and Collective-Group.” In The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Eds., Kim S. Cameron and Gretchen M. Spreitzer, 245-259. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012.

Calcagno, Antonio. “Can a Community Forgive? Edith Stein on the Lived Experience of Communal Forgiveness.” In Phenomenology and Forgiveness. Ed., Marguerite La Caze, 117-130. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2018.

Diehl, Judith A. The Story of God Bible Commentary: 2 Corinthians. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2022.

Ernas, Saidin. “Dari Konflik ke Integrasi Sosial: Pelajaran dari Ambon-Maluku.” International Journal of Islamic Thought, Vol. 14 (2018): 99-111.

Errichiello, Oliver. Collective Forgiveness: The Constructive Power of an Enigmatic Feeling. Berlin: Springer, 2021.

Forster, Dion A. “A Public Theological Approach to the (Im) Possibility of Forgiveness in Matthew 18: 15-35: Reading the Text through the Lens of Integral Theory.” In Die Skriflig, Vol. 51, No. 3 (2017): 1-10.

Gobodo-Madikizela, Pumla. “Psychological Repair.” Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, Vol. 63, No. 6 (2015): 1085-1123, https://doi.org/10.1177/0003065115615578.

Harrison, J. R., and L. L. Welborn, eds. The First Urban Churches 2: Roman Corinth, Vol. 8. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, 2016.

Hawthorne, Gerald F., Ralph P. Martin, and Daniel G. Reid, eds. Dictionary of Paul and His Letters: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship. Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2009.

Horsley, R. A. Abingdon New Testament Commentaries: 1 Corinthians. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2011.

Hubbard, Moyer V. 2 Corinthians. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2017.

Hughes, Paul M. “Political Forgiveness.” In Encyclopedia of Global Justice. Ed., Deen K. Chatterjee, 867-868. Dordrecht: Springer, 2011.

Iwamony, Rachel, and Tri Astuti Relmasira. “Rekonsiliasi Sebagai Proses Bersama Menyembuhkan Luka Sejarah Islam Kristen Di Kota Ambon.” Religió Jurnal Studi Agama-agama, Vol. 7, No. 1 (2017): 1-27. https://doi.org/10.15642/religio.v7i1.706.

Kim, Kangil. “A Theology of Forgiveness: Theosis in Matthew 18:15–35.” Journal of Theological Interpretation, Vol. 16, No. 1 (2022): 40-56. https://doi.org/10.5325/jtheointe.16.1.0040.

Konstan, David, and Charles L Griswold, eds. Ancient Forgiveness: Classical, Judaic, and Christian. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

Krog, Antjie. “’This Thing Called Reconciliation...’ Forgiveness as Part of an Interconnectedness-towards-Wholeness.” South African Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 27, No. 4 (2008): 353-366. https://doi.org/10.4314/sajpem.v27i4.31524.

Kruse, Colin G. 2 Corinthians: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015.

Liew, Tat-siong Benny, Politics of Parousia: Reading Mark Inter(con)textually. Leiden: Brill, 1999.

Magnuson, Chad M., and Robert D. Enright. “The Church as Forgiving Community: An Initial Model.” Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 36, No. 2 (2008): 114-123. https://doi.org/10.1177/009164710803600204.

McConville, Gordon J. “Forgiveness as Private and Public Act: A Reading of the Biblical Joseph Narrative.” The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Vol. 75, No. 4 (2013): 635-648.

Meyer, Linda Ross. “Forgiveness and Public Trust.” Fordham Urban Law Journal, Vol. 27, No. 5 (1999): 1515-1540.

Miyamoto, Arata. Embodied Cross: Intercontextual Reading of Theologia Crucis. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2010.

Montiel, Cristina Jayme. “Sociopolitical Forgiveness.” Peace Review, Vol. 14, No. 3 (2002): 271-277. https://doi.org/10.1080/1367886022000016811.

Mucci, Clara. Beyond Individual and Collective Trauma. London: Routledge, 2018.

Oropeza, B. J. Exploring Second Corinthians: Death and Life, Hardship and Rivalry, Vol. 3. Atlanta, GA: SBL Press, 2016.

Pettigrove, Glen. “Hannah Arendt and Collective Forgiving.” Journal of Social Philosophy, Vol. 37, No. 4 (2006): 483-500. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9833.2006.00353.x.

Philpott, Daniel. “When Faith Meets History: The Influence of Religion on Transitional Justice.” In The Religious in Responses to Mass Atrocity: Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Eds., Thomas Brudholm and Thomas Cushman. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

Ruimassa, Aleta A. “Mengingat atau Melupakan? Suatu Upaya Menilai Pengampunan Pasca Konflik Dalam GPM Jemaat Bethel Berdasarkan Pengampunan Menurut Geiko Meller-Farhenholz.” Tesis. Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana, 2015.

Rumahuru, Y. Z. Dua Kota Satu Cerita: Dinamika Kerukunan dan Pemanfaataan Modal Sosial di Ruang Konflik. Yogyakarta: Ombak, 2019.

Stegman, T. D. “Reading ἔγϱαψα in 2 Corinthians 2: 9 as an Epistolary Aorist,” Novum Testamentum, Vol. 54 (2012): 50-67.

Van Stokkom, Bas, Neelke Doorn, and Paul Van Tongeren, eds. Public Forgiveness in Post-Conflict Contexts. Cambridge: Intersentia, 2012.

Talakua, Rizard Jemmy. “Pasar; Bakudapa Bangun Rekonsiliasi: Refleksi Peran Perempuan Papalele dalam Resolusi Konflik.” KENOSIS: Jurnal Kajian Teologi, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2017): 163-180. https://doi.org/10.37196/kenosis.v3i2.12.

Theisen-Womersley, Gail. Trauma and Resilience Among Displaced Populations: A Sociocultural Exploration. Cham: Springer, 2021.

Toker, Leona. Gulag Literature and the Literature of Nazi Camps: An Intercontexual Reading. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2019.

Topor, A., M. Borg, S. di Girolamo, and L. Davidson. “Not Just an Individual Journey: Social Aspects of Recovery.” International Journal of Social Psychiatry, Vol. 57, No. 1 (2011): 90-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764009345062.

Tutu, Desmond. No Future without Forgiveness. New York: Doubleday, 1999.

Volf, Miroslav. “Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Justice,” in Stricken by God? Nonviolent Identification and the Victory of Christ. Eds., Brad Jersak and Michael Hardin. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2007.

Welborn, Laurence L. An End to Enmity: Paul and the “Wrongdoer” of Second Corinthians. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2011.

Wenzel, Michael, Farid Anvari, Melissa de Vel-Palumbo, and Simon M. Bury. “Collective Apology, Hope, and Forgiveness.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Vol. 72 (2017): 75-87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2017.05.003.

White, B. G. “The Varieties of Pain: Re-examining the Setting and Purpose of 2 Corinthians with Paul’s λυπ-Words.” Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Vol. 43, No. 2 (2020): 147-172.

Wire, A. C. 2 Corinthians. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2019.

Published

2023-07-08

How to Cite

Weldemina, Y. T., & Wenno, V. K. (2023). A Forgiving Community: Interpreting the Concept of Forgiveness in 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 by Means of Intercontextual Method. Indonesian Journal of Theology, 11(1), 197-221. https://doi.org/10.46567/ijt.v11i1.381

Most read articles by the same author(s)