FALSE APOSTLES (ψευδαπόστολοι). Reference to false apostles occurs only in 2 Corinthians 11:13. The reasons for Paul’s harsh judgment of these men are their destructive work in the Corinthian Church, and their criticisms of Paul. Paul says they led the Corinthian Christians “astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ” (2 Cor 11:3), and they preached “another Jesus” (v. 4). They said Paul was an inferior (v. 5) and unskilled apostle (v. 6), who received “outside” support from Macedonia (vv. 7-9). They boasted of their special religious prerogatives as Jews (v. 22). These items show they lacked the apostolic virtues and message.

They were counterfeit apostles, but not from the circle of the apostles or apostolic men. Rather, they were members of the Judaizing party whose activity in the early churches gave the occasion for Paul’s classic defense of his gospel and apostleship in the Galatian epistle. In the narrative of Galatians, Peter and James figure prominently, but not as opponents of Paul. The Judaizers claimed the authority of James (Gal 2:12) but these claims were false (Acts 15:24). (See the language of 2 Cor 11 with Gal 1; 2; Acts 15; esp. “false brethren” in Gal 2:4 and 2 Cor 11:26. See Rev 2:2.)