The New Testament’s third Pauline Epistle; the eighth book of the New Testament; the forty-seventh book of the Bible.
Author: Paul, along with Timothy, as noted in 2 Corinthians 1:1. Timothy may have been serving as Paul’s amanuensis, writing down words in a manner similar to that of a secretary.
Audience: Paul wrote to Gentile Christians living in Corinth, sending this letter a few years after personally founding the church in that city. Paul had also written at least one other known previous letter to this church: the epistle of 1 Corinthians. It is also possible that Paul wrote at least one other letter to this church, which is no longer in existence (1 Corinthians 5:9). These believers had responded positively to Paul’s previous writing, yet appeared to continue to have some problems, particularly in the area of false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13).
Date: AD 55—56, within a year of the completion of 1 Corinthians.