Paul in the challenge to his role as an apostle which permeates much of 2 Corinthians seems to defend himself at a very personal level, thereby giving the impression of reacting out of a sense of personal offense. In making his own weakness an issue of "public" debate he seems to move himself to the centre of attention despite his assurance that his argumentation is intended to serve the up-building of the Corinthian community. On the other hand Käsemann interprets Paul's references to power and weakness in e.g. 2 Cor 12.9 theologically and takes these as implying that weakness is the Lord's "Offenbarungsart der Kraft". In this paper I will propose a reading of 2 Cor 12.7-10 which moves beyond such a personal/theological dichotomy. Paul's argumentation here is seen as closely intertwined with the core of the gospel. He tries to get the Corinthians to understand that to be in Christ implies learning to live according to values which radically differ from those of the dominating value system. The vulnerability and the limitations of a leader then are not credentials against his/her leadership but rather a symbol/indication of the leader"s embodiment of the gospel. It is a perception of leadership which resonates with leadership perceptions represented by Moses (cf. Deut. 3.25-26) , and emphasized by Gospel narratives (cf Mt 20.24-28; Lk 22.24-27). Although the issue at stake in 2 Cor is the acceptance of Paul as an apostle the issue is not so much personal as theological. In Paul"s view the Corinthians" perception of leadership represents a radical misunderstanding of the implications of being in Christ and, as such, a misconception of the gospel. Paul"s references to himself as a leader who had to learn to accept his vulnerability and limitations could be described as references to embodied theology.