Ver. ο. προειρήκαμεν. The contrast between this plural and the singular λέγω proves that Paul is here referring, not to previous warnings of his own by letter, but to joint warnings given by his companions Silas and Timothy as well as himself during his visit to the Churches, He never speaks of himself in the plural number. ὡς ... ἄρτι: as we have also
forewarned you of late, I say again.
Our versions interpret προειρήκαμεν we have said before and καὶ ἄρτι πάλιν λέγω so say I now again. But Greek usage forbids this antithesis between προ. and ἄρτι. Προλέγειν means to forewarn, not to say in time past (cf. 2 Cor. xiii. 2, Gal. v. 21, 1 Thess. iti. 4); while ἄρτι is used indifferently of recent or of present time. In Matt. ix. 18, 1 Thess. iii. 6 it means of late, in Matt. xxvi. 53, John xiii, 7, 37, xvi. 12, 31, Σ Cos. πω τα xvi. 7 it means now, by way of contrast with the future. "Αρτι cannot therefore be used to contrast the present time with the immediate past. The words καὶ ἄρτι belong really to the preceding clause, and contain a reminder how recent had been the warnings which the Apostle is repeating. Since the rendering of John ix. 25 Whereas 1 was blind, now
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ΤΟ. Αρτι yap ἀνθρώπους πείθω ἢ τὸν Θεόν; ἢ ζητῶ ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν ; εἰ ἔτι] ἀνθρώποις ἤρεσκον, Χριστοῦ δοῦλος οὐκ ἂν ἤμην.
ΤΙ. Γνωρίζω δὲ 2 ὑμῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν ὑπ᾽
ἐμοῦ, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι κατὰ ἄνθρωπον - 12. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ παρὰ ἀνθρώπου παρέλαβον αὐτὸ, οὔτε ὃ ἐδιδάχθην, ἀλλὰ δι ἀποκαλύψεως Ἰησοῦ
Χριστοῦ.
13. Ἠκούσατε γὰρ τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναστροφήν ποτε ἐν τῷ
Nev ετι ΝΑΒΡΙΕ( 17, etc.; ει yap ere ΡΓ'ΕΚΙ.Ρ. 28e SAD°EKLP; γαρ NaBD!FG 17. 8 ovre before e815. BDSEKL; ουδε SAD!FGP 31, etc.
1 see appears to contradict this view of ἄρτι, it may be well to point out that ὧν does not mean whereas I was, but that the speaker’s real meaning was, I being (sc., by nature) blind now see.
The true rendering is of some historical importance, as evidence that warnings on the subject of circumcision had been given to the Galatians by Paul and his companions during a recent visit (see Introd., p. 146).
Vv. 10-24. REPUDIATION OF CORRUPT MOTIVES, EVIDENCE FROM PAUL’S PER- SONAL HISTORY THAT HIS CONVERSION WAS DUE TO GOD, AND THAT HE WAS TAUGHT THE GOSPEL BY GOD INDE- PENDENTLY OF THE TWELVE AND OF JERUSALEM.—Ver. 10. The order of words in the Greek text forbids the stress laid in our versions on the alternative men or God; the meaning of which is besides a little obscure in this connection. The true rendering of ἤ is rather than (= μᾶλλον ἤ), as in Matt. xviii. 8, Luke χν. 7, xvii. 2, 1 Cor. xiv. το: Am I now persuading men rather than God? ‘This language indicates clearly what kind of calumnies had been circulated. His detractors accused him of sacrificing the truth of God for the sake of persuading men. It was, we know, his boast that he became all things to all men, but whereas his real motive was that he might win all to Christ, they insinuated that he was more bent on winning favour with men than on securing the approval of God. During his recent visit he had made two concessions to Jewish feeling ; he had circumcised Timothy, and had recommended for adoption regulations tending to promote harmonious inter- course between Jewish and Gentile converts. It was easy to misrepresent these concessions as an abandonment of his former principles: and they furnished his enemies accordingly with a handle for decrying him as a time-server without fixed principles, now bent on winning
Jewish favour, as he had been before on gaining the Gentiles (see Introd., p. 145, and cf. ν. 11).—Aptt. The Greek text throws the emphasis on this word, and its subtle irony is brought out by the ἔτι which follows. ‘Am I doing this now ἢ Do you charge me now (he says in effect to these partisans of Judaism) with regarding men more than God? There was atime, before I knew Christ, when I did study to please men: if that were still my desire, I should not have been a servant of Christ.”