independentparticipialrelativepurposecausecomparativecontentconditionalphrase modifierdashed = verbless / suspended
Flush-left = a main (independent) clause. Each dependent line begins directly beneath the word it attaches to in the line above — the anchor word is dotted-underlined, and lights up when you hover its dependent clause; each tag also names the attachment. A dashed border marks verbless, elliptical, or suspended lines. Where a long sentence's staircase runs wider than the page, the diagram scrolls sideways. (In print, or without JavaScript, lines fall back to stepped indent columns.)
Letters of recommendation — you are our letter 3:1–3
1
Ἀρχόμεθα πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστάνειν;independent — the anticipated charge — συνιστάνειν, the letter's key verb of commendation (cf. 5:12)
ἢ μὴ χρῄζομεν ὥς τινες συστατικῶν ἐπιστολῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἢ ἐξ ὑμῶν;independent — μή expects 'no' — τινες, the rivals who trade on credentials
2
ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐστε,independent — the answer — the church itself the credential
ἐγγεγραμμένη ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν,participial — perfect — a standing inscription; 'our hearts' read with the better witnesses (v.l. 'your')
γινωσκομένη καὶ ἀναγινωσκομένη ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων·participial — the wordplay γινωσκομένη / ἀναγινωσκομένη — a letter anyone can read
3
φανερούμενοιparticipial — masculine plural ad sensum with the Corinthians of v. 2
ὅτι ἐστὲ ἐπιστολὴ Χριστοῦcontent — the metaphor deepened — Christ the author
διακονηθεῖσα ὑφ' ἡμῶν,participial — Paul the courier and scribe, not the author — διακον-, seeding vv. 7–9
ἐγγεγραμμένηparticipial — the inscription again — now contrasted by medium and surface
οὐ μέλανιphrase modifier — the perishable medium negated
ἀλλὰ πνεύματι θεοῦ ζῶντος,phrase modifier — the divine ink — Ezek 36:26–27
οὐκ ἐν πλαξὶν λιθίναιςphrase modifier — the Sinai surface negated — Exod 31:18
ἀλλ' ἐν πλαξὶν καρδίαις σαρκίναις.phrase modifier — καρδίαις in apposition to πλαξίν — Ezek 11:19; 36:26
Competence from God — ministers of a new covenant 3:4–6
4
Πεποίθησιν δὲ τοιαύτην ἔχομεν διὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεόν.independent — the hinge — πεποίθησις fronted; confidence exercised before God, through Christ
5
οὐχ ὅτι ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν ἱκανοί ἐσμεν λογίσασθαί τι ὡς ἐξ ἑαυτῶν,content — οὐχ ὅτι — the disclaimer guarding v. 4 from self-sufficiency
ἀλλ' ἡ ἱκανότης ἡμῶν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ,content — the corrective — verbless; the ἱκαν- root passed from adjective to noun
6
ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν ἡμᾶς διακόνους καινῆς διαθήκης,relative — on θεοῦ — God supplies what he requires (ἱκάνωσεν); Jer 31:31
οὐ γράμματος ἀλλὰ πνεύματος·phrase modifier — the covenant's defining antithesis — genitives of quality
τὸ γὰρ γράμμα ἀποκτέννει,cause — γάρ — the aphorism's first limb: the code alone condemns (Rom 7:9–11)
τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζῳοποιεῖ.cause — the counter-limb — ζῳοποιεῖ, the engine of vv. 7–18
The two ministries — the glory that surpasses 3:7–11
vv. 7–8 — the first a fortiori: the death-ministry's glory vs. the Spirit's
7
Εἰ δὲ ἡ διακονία τοῦ θανάτου ἐν γράμμασιν ἐντετυπωμένη λίθοις ἐγενήθη ἐν δόξῃ,conditional — protasis — first-class, granted as true; leans on the question below; ἐντετυπωμένη kept in line as attributive
ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ πρόσωπον Μωϋσέωςpurpose — ὥστε + infinitive — actual result, not purpose; Exod 34:29–30
διὰ τὴν δόξαν τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ τὴν καταργουμένην,cause — διά + accusative grounds — καταργουμένην, the section's keyword: already passing
8
πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἡ διακονία τοῦ πνεύματος ἔσται ἐν δόξῃ;independent — apodosis as question — πῶς οὐχί demands assent; logical future
vv. 9–11 — condemnation vs. righteousness; the fading vs. what remains
9
εἰ γὰρ τῇ διακονίᾳ τῆς κατακρίσεως δόξα,conditional — protasis — verbless; the ministries renamed by their verdicts
πολλῷ μᾶλλον περισσεύει ἡ διακονία τῆς δικαιοσύνης δόξῃ.independent — apodosis — πολλῷ μᾶλλον; περισσεύει, awash in glory, not merely possessed of it
10
καὶ γὰρ οὐ δεδόξασται τὸ δεδοξασμένον ἐν τούτῳ τῷ μέρει εἵνεκεν τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης·cause — καὶ γάρ — the paradox pressed: the old glory eclipsed to nothing; polyptoton δεδόξασται / δεδοξασμένον
11
εἰ γὰρ τὸ καταργούμενον διὰ δόξης,conditional — protasis — verbless; the decisive labels: transient vs. permanent
πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μένον ἐν δόξῃ.independent — apodosis — verbless; note διά → ἐν: what abides rests in glory
The veil removed — with unveiled face, from glory to glory 3:12–18
vv. 12–13 — boldness, not Moses' veil
12
Ἔχοντες οὖν τοιαύτην ἐλπίδαparticipial — causal — the fronted ground, leaning on the main clause below; οὖν draws on vv. 7–11
πολλῇ παρρησίᾳ χρώμεθα,independent — παρρησία — open, unconcealed ministry, the antithesis of the veil
13
καὶ οὐ καθάπερ Μωϋσῆς ἐτίθει κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ,comparative — elliptical comparison — 'we do not do as Moses did'; iterative imperfect, Exod 34:33–35
πρὸς τὸ μὴ ἀτενίσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς Ἰσραὴλ εἰς τὸ τέλος τοῦ καταργουμένου.purpose — πρὸς τό + infinitive — purpose; τέλος: termination, and in Christ the goal (Rom 10:4)
vv. 14–16 — the veil on the heart, removed at the turning
14
ἀλλὰ ἐπωρώθη τὰ νοήματα αὐτῶν.independent — the turn — the veil becomes a figure for dulled perception (cf. 4:4)
ἄχρι γὰρ τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας τὸ αὐτὸ κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τῇ ἀναγνώσει τῆς παλαιᾶς διαθήκης μένειcause — γάρ — the evidence; 'old covenant' named for the first time, against καινῆς (v. 6); ironically it is the veil that remains (μένει, cf. v. 11)
μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον,participial — the veil left unlifted — anticipating ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ (v. 18)
ὅτι ἐν Χριστῷ καταργεῖται·cause — the crux — ὅτι taken as causal with μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον, per the data's punctuation; the alternative reads content, 'that the old covenant is abolished in Christ'
15
ἀλλ' ἕως σήμερον ἡνίκα ἂν ἀναγινώσκηται Μωϋσῆςconditional — ἡνίκα ἄν + subjunctive — indefinite temporal, protasis-like, leaning on the clause below; ἕως σήμερον strictly with κεῖται, printed with the fronted temporal
κάλυμμα ἐπὶ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν κεῖται·independent — the veil relocated — from the text to the reader's heart
16
ἡνίκα δὲ ἐὰν ἐπιστρέψῃ πρὸς κύριον,conditional — ἡνίκα δὲ ἐάν — Exod 34:34 LXX echoed: Moses' turning universalized to conversion; subject unexpressed
περιαιρεῖται τὸ κάλυμμα.independent — περιαιρεῖται — the very verb of Exod 34:34 for the unveiling
vv. 17–18 — the Lord, the Spirit: freedom, and glory to glory
17
ὁ δὲ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν·independent — the exegetical gloss — the κύριος of v. 16 (Exod 34) is met as the life-giving Spirit (v. 6), not a collapse of persons
οὗ δὲ τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου, ἐλευθερία.independent — doubly verbless — presence and consequence in five words (Gal 5:1; Rom 8:2)
18
ἡμεῖς δὲ πάντες ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου κατοπτριζόμενοιparticipial — the fronted participial complex, leaning on the main verb below — ἡμεῖς πάντες vs. the one veiled mediator; κατοπτριζόμενοι: beholding-in-a-mirror, not 'reflecting'
τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμεθα ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν,independent — the climax — μεταμορφούμεθα, divine passive; the image is Christ's (4:4)
καθάπερ ἀπὸ κυρίου πνεύματος.comparative — καθάπερ — the agent named; κυρίου πνεύματος read as apposition, 'the Lord, the Spirit' (v. 17)
Analysis. 2 Corinthians 3 opens in diatribe and ends in doxology, and the shape tracks the turn. Verses 1–3 hang everything from two flush-left questions and one flush-left declaration — ἡ ἐπιστολὴ ἡμῶν ὑμεῖς ἐστε — from which a chain of letter-participles descends (written, known and read, made manifest, ministered) to the paired dashed antitheses that name the media: not ink but Spirit, not stone tablets but hearts of flesh. Verses 4–6 step down from one main verb, ἔχομεν, through the οὐχ ὅτι / ἀλλά corrective to the relative ὃς καὶ ἱκάνωσεν, and bottom out in the two-limb aphorism the rest of the chapter argues from: the letter kills, the Spirit gives life. Verses 7–11 are three olive protases leaning forward on their apodoses — death/Spirit, condemnation/righteousness, fading/remaining — the a fortiori engine visible as three matched overhangs, two of them verbless. Verses 12–18 return to flush-left declarations (their minds were hardened; the veil remains; a veil lies; the veil is removed; the Lord is the Spirit) until the climactic sentence, where a single fronted participial line — we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord — leans on μεταμορφούμεθα. Cruxes the layout takes a side on: κατοπτριζόμενοι (v. 18) is rendered 'beholding as in a mirror,' not 'reflecting' — transformation comes through contemplation, though the middle voice permits either; the ὅτι of v. 14 is attached causally to μὴ ἀνακαλυπτόμενον ('not unveiled, because it is in Christ that it is abolished'), per the data's punctuation, with the content-reading ('that the old covenant is abolished in Christ') noted as the live alternative; ὁ δὲ κύριος τὸ πνεῦμά ἐστιν (v. 17) is read as an exegetical gloss on the κύριος of v. 16 / Exod 34 — the Lord to whom one turns is met as the life-giving Spirit — not an ontological collapse of persons; and κυρίου πνεύματος (v. 18) is taken as apposition, 'the Lord, the Spirit.'