119
puts this summing up of the things which he has hitherto treated of, proceeding to other things which are built upon the remission of sins as a foundation. — d/a) on account of. — a vrou, of Himself) Jesus Christ.
13. "On, because ) Thus three times : comp. ver. 12 ; 1 Pet. v. 12, where the sense of because is explained by an accusative with an infinitive, which is more clear. He proposes three subjects, and will shortly treat of them ; and he here represents [gives at once] the summaries of those subjects, of which he is about to treat. — syvu- xars, ye have known) a heavenly Father, in preference to fathers of flesh. — rov liar's pa, the Father) and so all things, ver. 20.
14. "Eypa-^a, I have written) In ver. 13 and 14, he passes from I write to I have written: and not without reason. For by trans- posing the verb of writing from the present to the past, he suggests a most strong admonition. — on) because. — syvwxars rov an apyfr., ye have known Him who is from the beginning) He who is from the be- ginning is Jesus Christ. ’A pyy\ is not the beginning of the Gospel, but the beginning of all things : ch. i. 1, note. Artemon objects, that God the Father might also be thus spoken of : Part ii. c. 13. I reply, Why not ? But the figure Antonomasia is frequently em- ployed by John, when he speaks of Christ. Comp. ver. 20. The fathers, as well as the apostle, were already alive at that time, in which Jesus Christ had been conspicuous on earth: and some of them, as it is probable, had known Him both in person and by faith. Comp. ch. iii. 6, note ; 1 Cor. xv. 6 ; Matt. xiii. 16. Certainly all had known Him by faith, and had seen that golden age of the Church, to which the age of the younger men, who ought to avoid anti- christs, is opposed. John repeats this clause from the preceding verse, without the addition of more words, subjoining to the state- ment a treatment of the subject equally brief, and using modesty towards the fathers, to whom it was not necessary that many things should be written. The knowledge of even these respecting Christ is very great, comprising all things. Knowledge is assigned to fathers and children ; strength to young men. — layvpo), strong) Other young men are strong in body ; you, in faith. — 6 Xoyog roD Qeou, the Word of God) from which is strength : ch. iv. 4. — h IfiTv ilsvsi, abideth in you) Nor can the Evil One tear it away from you, nor does Anti- christ endanger you. — rov novqpov, the Evil One) who especially lies in wait for youth. John appears to refer to a certain remarkable in- stance of virtue exhibited by the young men to whom he writes. Of this nature was their constancy in confession in the persecution of
120