The first part of this letter to the Corinthians (1:12–7:16) is concerned primarily with a defense of Paul’s apostolic authority. The second part (chs. 8–9), which deals with the collection for the church in Jerusalem, has a related issue. When Paul went with Titus to the so-called apostolic council in Jerusalem in order to present his gospel, the other apostles not only unequivocally acknowledged his gospel, his apostolic authority, and his mission to the nations, but they also added nothing to him, except that he should “remember the poor” in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:1–10; cf. Rom. 15:26). As a result, the collection for Jerusalem became one of Paul’s major objectives as an apostle over the course of the next two decades. He wanted to conclude his evangelistic work in the eastern Mediterranean …