In an ancient letter, the purpose of an opening, or prescript, is to establish a relationship between the sender and the addressees. Accordingly, in 2 Corinthians Paul and Timothy are named as the senders of the letter; “the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia” represents the recipients; and “grace and peace” is the expression of greeting and good will. Paul deviates somewhat from the established form by adding details about the senders, and by using the word “peace” in a new sense. The prescript here intends to establish Paul’s position of apostolic authority over the Corinthians. In a situation in which the relationship between Paul and the Corinthians is strained to the limit, and Paul’s apostleship has been called into question, the prescript thus b…