J'accuse! 2 Corinthians 10.

Emile Zola's open letter - J'accuse!

The stinging phrase, J'accuse! (French for "I accuse") was affixed to the top of an open letter from Emile Zola to the president of France, Felix Faure, published on January 13, 1898. Zola was a famous and internationally respected writer, and this letter was intended to bring the plight of Albert Dreyfus to the attention of the international community and force the hand of the French government. Dreyfus was a Jewish army officer, accused of revealing military information to the Germans. The document was stunning, Zola's approach convoluted (getting himself put on trial), and the division in French society ran deep with long-lasting political effects. Historically, the incidents are referred to as "The Dreyfus Affair," and it was a major crisis in France during the 1890s and 1900s.

The divisions in the Corinthian church no doubt had their origin, in part, from both the occasional criticism of Paul by members of the church itself, and the active hostility and accusations of those who were enemies of Paul. We've seen these opponents by inference in the letter to the Galatian church (where this group may have been at its strongest), and in some of the underlying arguments Paul makes in his letters to Rome and to Ephesus. In Acts we read about a fairly constant dogging of his steps by both upset Jews and Jewish Christians.

What emerges in this chapter are some of the specific accusations made against Paul and his defense against them. Let's take a look at them.

The accusations:

v.1 & 10 - Paul's a coward -- meek in person, bold when writing

v.2 - Paul walked according to human standards (the flesh), an attack on his personal character

v.7 - Paul doesn't measure up to his accusers' standards of what it means to be under Christ.

v.8 & 15 - Paul was boastful -- another attack on his personal character
From earlier chapters we can add:

v.3:1 - Paul had no credentials for his authority

v. 8:20+ - (insinuated) Paul was fiddling with the funds

There will be more accusations hinted at in chapter 11. And how does Paul confront these accusations?

accusation: Paul is cowardly
counter: he reminds them that meekness and gentleness were qualities of Jesus (an alternate translation of the Greek is "with lenience and clemency"). Paul also suggests that he's perfectly capable of being as thunderous in person as he is in his letters, but he'd prefer that the Corinthians get their act together, so it won't be necessary.

accusation: Paul is fleshly
counter: even when engaging in a defense against the accusation of fleshly behavior, Paul will refrain from responding in a fleshly way. From 1 Corinthians we have an idea of what this means -- not rhetoric, not personal wealth/influence, and not special credentials; instead, the basic message of Christ crucified.

accusation: Paul is not under Christ
counter: you might want to think that through again, Pilgrim.

accusation: Paul is boastful
counter: whatever you describe as boasting, is: within the God-given authority for building you up, not tearing you down; is limited to the work God has given us; is always and only, a boast in Christ.

accusation: Paul has no credentials
counter: his accusers are just plain goofy if they think that measuring themselves (or Paul) according to their own standards demonstrates anything. (In chapter 3, Paul says that his credentials are the changed hearts and lives of the Corinthians.)

accusation: Paul might be an embezzler
counter: (from chapter 8) Paul avoids even a hint of fishy behavior concerning the offering for Jerusalem by appointing other men of good reputation to handle it, staying clear of it himself.

In the case of the Dreyfus Affair, Albert Dreyfus was accused and convicted of a crime he didn't commit. It was Zola's cry of J'accuse, saying in essence, "I accuse those who made the original false accusations to be guilty of a monstrous miscarriage of justice.", that led to the eventual reversal of the verdict against Dreyfus. In the case of Paul, he makes his own defense against the false accusations of his detractors, in the process also turning the accusations back on them. In both cases, these false accusations led to incredible division between those who chose one side or the other.

Cartoon by Caran d'Ache (Emmanual Poiré)
Published in 1898 in the newspaper, le Figaro
Title: A Family Supper
First panel caption : above all, let us not discuss the Dreyfus Affair
Second panel caption: they have discussed it

As always, Paul's arguments lead us to new truths. Here's one: even within the boundaries of the work God has chosen for us, there is room for continued growth. You can dig out some others.