Snatched into Paradise (2 Cor 12:1-10)

In 2 Corinthians 12:1 10, Paul claims to have been snatched into paradise but then tells how he received a thorn in the flesh . Many recent scholars contend that Paul belittles ecstatic experiences such as the ascent to paradise. This monograph places 2 Corinthians 12:1 10 in the contexts of ancient ascent traditions as well as other accounts of extraordinary religious experience in Paul s letters, and it engages premodern interpretation of the ascent. This study argues that for Paul, extraordinary experiences such as the ascent enable self-transcending love for God and neighbors.