From: JEK@cu.nih.gov
Subject: Paul's "thorn in the side"
Lines: 49

Joe Moore writes:

 > Paul repeatedly talks about the "thorn" in his side. Some think
 > it refers to lust, others pride, but who knows? Whatever the
 > thorn was, apparently it was not compatible with Christianity,
 > yet does that make his epistles any less?

Paul mentions his "thorn" (SKOLOPS, actually a sharp stake) in 2
Corinthians 12:7-9

 + And to keep me from being too elated by the abundance of
 + revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of
 + Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. Three
 + times I besought the Lord about this, that it should leave me;
 + but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my
 + power is made perfectr in weakness."

He does not explain what it was, but it need not have been a moral
problem.  One guess is that Paul had a disorder of the eyes. He
ordinarily dictated his letters, and then added a personal note and
his signature. At the end of the letter to the Galatians, he says,
"See, I am writing in large letters with my own hand," or else, "See
what a long letter I have written with my own hand." If the former
translation is adopted, it seems that Paul could not write in the
small script of a practiced writer, but needed to make his letters
larger, and this suggests eye problems. Again, he says to the
Galatians (4:13-15),

 + You know that it was because of a bodily ailment that I preached
 + the gospel to you at first; and although my condition was a trial
 + to you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an
 + angel of God.... For I bear you witness that, if possible, you
 + would have plucked out your eyes and given them to me.

Perhaps this last line means simply, "You would have done anything
for me, not withholding your most precious possessions (your eyes)."
But in that case, we would expect some wording like, "If I had
needed them." "If it were possible" sounds as though the bodily
ailment was connected with his eyes.

William Barclay, in his volume on Acts, makes a more specific
suggestion.  Before Paul preached in the highlands of Galatia, he
had been preaching in the coastal areas of Asia Minor. If he had had
a malarial attack while there, a doctor would have advised him to
leave the low country and head for the hills. Malaria might well
have given him both severe headaches and blurred vision.

 Yours,
 James Kiefer