In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul spoke about something which really was tormenting him, the thorn that he was bearing in his flesh.

“Therefore, in order that I should not become conceited, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, in order to batter me, that I should not become conceited.” (2 Cor 12, 7).

The phrase “the thorn in the flesh” has been the subject of extensive speculation. Different Biblical scholars came up with various theories in their attempt to decipher what Paul’s thorn could have been. One theory presents the thorn as alluding to Paul’s opponents.

According to this theory the “messenger of Satan” might point to someone who opposed Paul in his ministry. Paul likened such a conflict with that between God and Satan. The phrase “in order to batter me” suggests that a human person can in fact inflict such harm on another. Furthermore, in the Bible, Israel’s enemies are portrayed as “thorns” (Ezek 23, 24).

Medieval thinkers from Gregory the Great to Aquinas interpreted the thorn as being sexual temptation. Luther and Calvin held that the thorn Paul was speaking about was his spiritual temptation.

Another bunch of scholars interpreted the thorn as being some form of physical ailment.

For instance, Windisch said that the thorn referred to a severe form of ophtalmia. Lightfoot proposed that it was epilepsy. Whereas Ramsay, Allo and Alexander concluded that the thorn might have been a recurring malarial fever, (specifically, the Malta fever according to Alexander).

Menoud came up with the idea that the thorn may have been the agony that Paul underwent due to the Jewish refusal of the Gospel. Clavier thought that Paul suffered disorders to his nervous system because of the hardship he bore and the shock his psyche received from visions and revelations. Barrett believed that Paul’s ailments could have been the result of demonic agency. Clarke defended the claim that Paul’s thorn was his defective speech.

All these suppositions point to the simple fact that we do not know the meaning behind “the thorn in the flesh”.

What we can say is that it seems that this thorn was a constant problem for Paul. From studying the possibilities for the meaning of thorn, two things surface very strongly. First, the thorn was intrinsically evil. Second, the thorn served a good purpose as a gift from God. Paul uses a divine passive (passivum divinum). In itself, this verb suggests that God is the hidden driving force behind the events and experiences of human lives. Thus, Paul is implying that the thorn he was enduring in his flesh came from God.

His suffering is to be seen within the perspective of divine grace which both tolerated the affliction and supported the sufferer. Most of all, the thorn was for Paul an opportunity for God to demonstrate his mighty power.

Thanks to his weakness, Paul became a powerful instrument for God. He was not discouraged by the tormenting presence of the thorn. He strongly believed what the Lord revealed to him: “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Cor 12, 9).

What is the thorn that you are carrying in your flesh? Do you believe that God’s power is at work through your tormenting thorn?

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap

San Gwann