Mystery:What Was Paul's Ailment?
Paul suffered from a painful ailment during the time that he wrote his letters to Christian churches, which are included in the New Testament. As Paul described in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10:[1]
| “ | So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. | ” |
As Paul recounts in Galatians, his illness caused him to stay there longer than expected.
Ailments suggested by scholars include malaria, ophthalmia, epilepsy, and severe neuralgia. Paul may have had some or all of those ailments, too, but none of them fit the description of the "thorn ... in the flesh" that he mentioned.
Very poor eyesight
In Galatians 6:11, Paul wrote:[2]
| “ | See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand. | ” |
In Galatians 4:15 Paul mentioned that other Christians would have taken out their own eyes and given them to him if they could. In Acts 23:3-5, Paul described a high priest as a "whitewashed wall"—a gross insult—perhaps because Paul could not see well. Paul then expressed regret for the mistake.
The mystery remains: what plagued Paul?