6—14.
yopijou.” τοῦτον, ἀλλ᾽ ots δέδοται.
13. εἰσὶ γὰρ ” εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες ἐκ Ἡ
247
11. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, “OU πάντες " χωροῦσι τὸν λόγον g 2 Cor. vil.
3 (ἡμᾶς). Acts vii!
κοιλίας μητρὸς ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτω: καί εἶσιν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εύνου-
χίσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων”: καί εἶσιν εὐνοῦχοι, οἵτινες εὐνούχισαν
ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.
χωρείτω.”
13. Τότε προσηνέχθη ? αὐτῷ παιδία, ἵνα τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιθῇ αὐτοῖς, Ν lA ς A , > ο) A καὶ tmpocedénrar> οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἐπετίμησαν autoise 14. 6 δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, ““Adete τὰ παιδία, καὶ μὴ ᾿κωλύετε αὐτὰ ἐλθεῖν
1B Orig. omit τουτον (W.H.).
2$8BCDL and most other uncials have the pl. προσηνεχθησαν.
ὅ δυνάµενος χωρεῖν
i Lk. xxiii.2 Acts xvi. 6; xxiv.23. Heb. vii. 23 (same const.,acc. and inf.).
The sing. (T.
R. after late uncials) is a gram. cor. to correspond with neut. pl. nom, (παιδία). ΣΝΟΡΙ. add αντοις. (Tisch., W.H. in margin),
in any view the manner of expression is somewhat helpless, as was not unnatural in the circumstances, Euthy. gives both meanings = αἰτία συζυγίας and αἰτία διαζευγνύουσα, with a preference for the former.—avOpaémov here = vir, maritus ; instances of this use in Kypke, Palairet, etc.
Ver. 11. &Séetwev. Jesus catches up the remark of the disciples, and attaches to it a deeper sense than they thought of. Their idea was that marriage was not worth having if a man must put up with all the faults and caprices ofa woman, without possibility of escape, except by gross misconduct. He thinks of the celibate state as in certain cases desirable or preferable, irrespective of the draw- backs of married life, and taking it even at the best.—rév λόγον thus will mean: what you have said, the suggestion that the unmarried condition is preferable.— χωροῦσι = capere, receive, intellectually and morally, for in such a case the two are inseparable. No man can understand as a matter of theory the preferableness of celibacy under certain circumstances, unless he be capable morally of appre- ciating the force of the circumstances.— ἀλλ” ols δέδοται: this phrase points chiefly to the n.oral capacity. It is not a question of intelligence, nor of a merely natural power of continence, but of attaining to such a spiritual state that the reasons for remaining free from married ties shall prevail over all forces urging on to marriage. Jesus lifts the whole subject up out of the low region of mere personal taste, pleasure, or con- venience, into the high region of the Kingdom of God and its claims.—Ver. 12 is an explanatory commentary on
δέδοται.---εὐνοῦχος: keeper of the bed- chamber in an Oriental harem (from εὐνή, bed, and ἔχω), a jealous office, which could be entrusted only to such as were incapable of abusing their trust; hence one who has been emasculated. Jesus distinguishes three sorts, two physical and one ethical; (1) those born with a defect (ἐγεννήθησαν οὕτως) ; (2) those made such by art (εὐνουχίσθησαν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων); (3) those who make themselves eunuchs (εὐνούχισαν ἑαυτοὺς).---διὰ τὴν β. τ. ο., for the King- dom of Heaven’s sake. This explains the motive and the nature of ethical eunuchism. Here, as in xv. 17, Jesus touches on a delicate subject to teach His disciples a very important lesson, viz,, that the claims of the Kingdom of God are paramount; that when necessary even the powerful impulses leading to marriage must be resisted out of regard to them.—é Suvdpevos χωρεῖν χωρείτω: by this final word Jesus recognises the severity of the demand as going beyond the capacity of all but a select number. We may take it also as an appeal to the spiritual intelligence of His followers = see that ye do not misconceive my mean- ing. Is not monasticism, based on vows of life-long celibacy, a vast baleful mis- conception, turning a military requirement to subordinate personal to imperial in- terests, as occasion demands, into an elaborate ascetic system ?