Thomas Aquinas, on 2Cor 11:5

“For I suppose that I have done nothing less than the great apostles.”

“Then when he says, I think that I am not in the least inferior, he removes this excuse. In regard to this he does two things. First, he shows that he did not do less for them than the others; secondly, that he did more (v. 7). In regard to the first he does three things. First, he shows that he did nothing less in deed than the other apostles; secondly, he suggests that he was not lacking the means to do this (v. 6); thirdly, he presents the evidence for both (v. 6b). He says therefore: you would be right in allowing yourselves to be seduced by them, if they preached something better to you; but this is not true. For, i.e., because I think that I am not in the least inferior to these superlative apostles, i.e., than Peter and John, whom they considered great. He compares himself to the great apostles, both because Paul seemed to them and was regarded by them as less than they, on the ground that they had been with Christ, and Paul not; and because the false apostles claimed to have been sent by them. Therefore, by showing himself equal to the great apostles, he removes their error and refutes the false apostles: "I worked harder than any of them" (1 Cor. 15:10).”

Imported from an open dataset — not yet checked against the printed edition.