Fathers

2 Corinthians 3

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Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men, being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh. Such confidence we have through Christ toward God, not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face, which was passing away, won’t service of the Spirit be with much more glory? For if the service of condemnation has glory, the service of righteousness exceeds much more in glory. For most certainly that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasses. For if that which passes away was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory. Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel wouldn’t look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away. But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away. But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face seeing the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

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What the Fathers say

2 Corinthians 3:14

Eastern Fathers

John Chrysostom

See what he establisheth by this. For what happened then once in the case of Moses, the same happeneth continually in the case of the Law. What is said, therefore, is no accusation of the Law, as neither is it of Moses that he then veiled himself, but only the senseless Jews. For the law hath its proper glory, but they were unable to see it. …

Homily 7 on 2 Corinthians ↗

Cyril of Jerusalem

"Until this day" means not just until the time of Paul but until our time also, and indeed, till the end of the world.

Catechetical Lecture 15:32 ↗

Theophylact of Ohrid

Their mind has been blinded, he says, and therefore neither those who lived then saw, nor those who live now see, being blinded and having the same veil on the face of Moses during the superficial reading of the law. For Christ calls the law Moses, as in the following place: "they have Moses and the prophets" (Luke 16:29). And it is not revealed to them, it is not recognized by them, that Christ was to abolish the Old Testament. Therefore, their error is an error of the mind, because blindness is a sin of the mind. …

Commentary on 2 Corinthians ↗

Western Saints

Thomas Aquinas

What effect this voiding had on the Jews is shown. In regard to this he does two things. First, he shows that it was not removed from them in the state of unbelief; secondly, he shows that it will be removed when they are converted (v. 16). In regard to this he does two things: first, he shows why this voiding has no place among the Jews; secondly, from this he shows that they still have the veil (v. 15). He says, therefore, that it is removed for those who believe, but not for the unbelieving Jews. …

Commentary on 2 Corinthians ↗