il. 1—5.
595
II. τ. ΔΙΟ * ἀναπολόγητος ef, ὦ ἄνθρωπε was 6 κρίνων ἐν ᾧ γὰρ 5 Ch. i ο. κρίνεις τὸν ἕτερον, σεαυτὸν κατακρίνεις' τὰ γὰρ αὐτὰ πράσσεις ὁ
κρίνων.
ἐπὶ τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας. 3.
2. οἴδαμεν δὲ 1! ὅτι τὸ κρίµα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστι κατὰ ἀλήθειαν
Λογίζῃ δὲ τοῦτο, ὦ ἄνθρωπε
ὁ κρίνων τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας καὶ ποιῶν αὐτὰ, ὅτι σὺ ἐκφεύξῃ τὸ κρίµα τοῦ Θεοῦ; 4. ἢ τοῦ "πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ b Ch. ix 23, τῆς ἀνοχῆς καὶ τῆς µακροθυµίας καταφρονεῖς, ἀγνοῶν ὅτι τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς µετάνοιάν σε ἄγει; 5. κατὰ δὲ τὴν ᾿σκληρύτητά σου καὶ c Here only.
ἀμετανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ
18δε ABDGKL, γαρ ΝΟ d, vulg. A full statement of the evidence in S. and H. whose verdict is: ‘‘an even balance of authorities, both sides drawing their evidence
from varied quarters’’.
flected on the way in which he had once thought of God; he would feel in him- self that he ought to have known better, and that everything in the world cried shame upon him. Now to recognise this fact is to accept the premises of the Apostle’s argument, and the use to which he puts it. ‘‘Once we went after dumb idols ; our very worship led us into sin, and sometimes even consecrated it ; now we can only see in this our own blindness and guilt, and God’s judgment upon them ”—so we can fancy the converted pagan speaking. Such a world, then, as the Apostle describes in this chapter, with this terrible principle of degenera- tion at work in it, and no power of self- regeneration, is a world which waits for a righteousness of God.
For an interesting attempt to show Paul’s indebtedness for some of the ideas and arguments of vers. 18-32 to the book of Wisdom, see S. and H., p. 51 f.
CuapTer II.—Vers. 1-16. The Apostle has now to prove that the righteousness of God is as necessary to the Jew as to the pagan; it is the Jew who is really addressed in this chapter from the be- ginning, though he is not named till ver. g. In vers. 1-10 Paul explains the principle on which God judges all men, without distinction.
Ver.1. 86: The Jewis ready enough to judge the Gentile. But he forgets that the same principle on which the Gentile is condemned, viz., that he does evil in spite of better knowledge (i. 32), condemns himself also. His very assent to the impeachment in chap. i. 18-32 is his own condemnation. This is the force of 816: therefore. ἐν é=in that in which. τὰ αὐτὰ πράσσεις, not, you do the identical actions, but your conduct is the same, {.6., you sin against light.
The sin of the Jews was the same, but their sins were not.
Ver. 2. κατὰ ἀλήθειαν is predicate : God’s judgment squares with the facts— this is the whole rule of it. τοὺς τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντας: those whose con- duct is such as has been described. For the text, see critical note.
Ver. 3. ovhasstrongemphasis. The Jew certainly thought, in many cases, that the privilege of his birth would ot itself ensure his entrance into the king- dom (Mt. iii. 8,9): this was his practical conviction, whatever might be his proper creed. Yet the σὺ indicates that of all men the Jew, so distinguished by special revelation, should least have fallen into such an error. He is ‘the servant who knew his Lord’s will,” and whose judg- ment will be most rigorous if it is neglected.
Ver. 4. 7 states the alternative. Either he thinks he will escape, or he despises, etc. χρηστότης is the kindliness which disposes one to do good; ἀνοχη (in N.T. only here and in iii, 26) is the forbearance which suspends punishment ; µακροθυµία is patience, which waits long before it actively interposes. τὸ χρηστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ summarises all three in the con- crete. It amounts to contempt of God’s goodness if a man does not know (rather, ignores : cf. Acts xiii. 27, 1 Cor. xiv. 38, Rom. x. 3) that its end is, not to approve of his sins, but to lead him to repentance.