of the subject, instead of the common phrase, I rejoice . — K pkon xa / Taiov, Crispus and Gaius) He brings forward his witnesses. Paul baptized with his own hand, the most respectable persons, not many others ; and not from ambition, but because they were among the first, who believed. The just estimation of his office is not pride, ch. xvi. 4. The administration of baptism was not so much the duty of the apostles, as of the deacons, Acts x. 48 ; nor did that circumstance diminish the dignity of this ordinance.
15. "im //LTjy lest) Paul obviates [guards beforehand against] the calumnies, which might otherwise have arisen, however unjust ; and takes them out of the way ; 2 Cor. viii. 20. — spiv, my own) as if I were collecting a company [of followers] for myself.
16.1 Aoiwov, for the rest [as to what remains]) He is very anxious to be accurate in recording the facts as they occurred. — ovx olda ;, I do not know) It does not occur to my memory without an effort'. — s7 r/va, if any) i.e.l have baptized no one else, or scarce any other ; comp, the following verse. He left it to the memory of the individuals [themselves to say], by whom they were bap- tized.
17. ’ Av'stirsiXe, sent) A man should attend wholly to that, for which he is sent. — /3a vr/fyiv, to baptize) [even] in His own name, much less in mine. The labour of baptism, frequently under- taken, would have been a hinderance to the preaching of the Gospel ; on other occasions [where not a hinderance to preach- ing] the apostles baptized; Matt, xxviii. 19; especially [they administered that sacrament to] the first disciples. — euayygA/£ £<r0a/, to preach the Gospel) This word, in respect of what goes before, is an accessory statement :2 in respect of what follows, a Propo- sition. Paul uses this very [word as a] mode of transition, which is such that I know not, whether the rules of Corinthian elo- quence would be in accordance with it. [ Therefore the Apostle
1 K od tou IrsCpecvA oIkovj the house of Stephanas also) viz. the first fruits of Achaia, xvi. 15. The rest of the believers at Corinth may have been bap- tized by Silvanus, Timotheus, Crispus, Gaius, or at least by the members of the family of Stephanas. — V. g.
2 The Latin, or rather the Greek word, is syncategorema. In logic cate- gorematic words are those capable of being employed by themselves as the terms of a proposition. Syncategorematic words are merely accessory to the terms, such as adverbs, prepositions, nouns not in the nominative case, etc. — See Whateley’s Logic, B. II., Ch. i. § 3. — T.