Ver. g. οἱ εἰρηνοποιοί: not merely those who have peace in their own souls
1οο
Vv.
rRom.ix.1.odpav@v. ΣΙ. µακάριοί ἐστε, ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσι, Heb. vi. 8 » η a - ‘ 7 18. καὶ εἴπωσι πᾶν πονηρὸν ῥῆμα] καθ ὑμῶν Σ " ψευδόµενοι,ῖ ἕνεκεν
ἐμοῦ. Ch. vi. 1 μα
12. χαίρετε καὶ '" ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ " μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν
α,5,είε τοῖς οὐρανοῖς' οὕτω γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.
1 This word (in ΟΔΣ) is omitted in ΜΒΓ.
sense clear. 2 kal υΌμων before way in D. ? Omitted in D; found in SBC al,
through purity (Augustine), or the peace- loving (Grotius, Wetstein), but the active heroic promoters of peace in a world full of alienation, party passion, and strife. Their efforts largely consist in keeping aloof from sectional strifes and the passions which beget them, and livi
tranquilly for and in the whole. Su
men have few friends. Christ, the ideal peace-maker, was alone in a time given up to sectarian division. But they have their compensation—vlol θεοῦ κληθή- σονται. God owns the disowned and distrusted as His sons. They shall be called because they are. They shall be called at the great consummation; nay,
even before that, in after ations, when party strifes and passions have ceased, and men have come to see who
were the true friends of the Divine interest in an evil time.
Vv. 10-12. of εε,δικ. The original form of the Beatitude was pro- bably: Blessed the persecuted. The added words only state what is a matter of course. No one deserves to be called a persecuted one unless he suffers for righteousness. οἱ δεδιωγ. (perf. part.): the persecuted are not merely men who have passed through a certain experience, but men who bear abiding traces of it in their character. They are marked men, and bear the stamp of trial on their faces. It arrests the notice of the passer-by: commands his μμ and prompts question, Who whence? They are veteran soldiers of ri sness with an unmistakable air of dignity, serenity, and buoyancy about them.—atrév ἐστὶν ἡ β. τ. οὖρ. The common refrain of all the Beatitudes is expressly repeated here to hint that theirs emphatically is the Kingdom of Heaven. It is the proper guerdon of the soldier of righteous- ness. It is his now, within him in the disciplined spirit and the heroic temper developed το ο II. µακάριοί doe. Teacher εχ- patiates as if it were a favourite theme, giving a personal turn to His further re-
It may have been added to make the
flections—“ Blessed are ye.” Is it likely that Jesus would speak so early of this ic to disciples? Would He not wait till it came more nearly within the range of their experience? Nay, is the whole discourse about tion not a reflection back into the teaching of the Master of the later experiences of the apostolic age, that suffering disciples might be inspired by the thought that their Lord had so spoken? It is possible to be too incredulous here. If it was not too soon to speak of Pharisaic righteous- ness it was not too soon to speak of suffering for true righteousness. The one was sure to give rise to the other. The disciples may already have had ex- perience of Pharisaic disfavour (Mk. ii., iii.). In any case Jesus saw clearly what was coming. He had had an apocalypse of the dark future in the season of tempta- tion, and He deemed it fitting to lift the veil a little that His disciples might get a glimpse of it.—Srav ὀνειδίσωσιν .. . ἵνεκεν ἐμοῦ: illustrative details pointing to persistent relentless persecution
word and deed, culminating in wilful, malicious, lying imputations of the gross- est sort—way πονηρὸν, every conceivable calumny—wWev8épevor, lying: not merely in the sense that the statements are false, but in the sense of deliberately inventing the most improbable lies; their only excuse being that violent prejudice leads the calumniators to think nothing too evil to be believed against the objects. of their malice.—évexev ἐμοῦ: for Him who has undertaken to make you fishers of men. Do you κ. ων following Him? No reason why.—Ver, 12. yalpere καὶ ay. In spite of all, joy, exultation is possible—nay, inevitable. I not only exhort you to it, but I tell you, youcannot help being in this mood, if once you throw yourselves enthusiastically into the warfare of God. ’A is a strong word of Hellenistic coinage, from ἄγαν and ἄλλομαι, to leap much, 9. ing irrepressible demonstrative gladness. This joy is inseparable from the heroic