ν. «« ἐκοπίασα. These aorists look
ck from the day of Christ over the whole course of Paul’s life and work. It is now finished, and it has not failed. We must translate by English perfects, “I have not run,” etc. Lft. thinks that ἐκοπ. is a metaphor from ‘‘ training” in athletic contests. See his important note
16—19,
443
πᾶσιν ὑμῖν: 18. τὸ δ᾽ αὐτὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς χαίρετε καὶ συγχαίρετέ
μοι.
19. Ἐλπίζω δὲ ἐν Κυρίῳ 1 Ἰησοῦ, Τιμόθεον ταχέως πέμψαι ὑμῖν," ἵνα
1 Lach. Xptorw with CD*FG 38, 71, 74, ἃ, e, g, cop.
2 Ὁ", O.L. vg., προς υμας.
on Ignat. ad Polyc., vi., συγκοπιᾶτε ἀλλήλοις, συναθλεῖτε, συντρέχετε. But its occurrence in Isa. xlix. 4 (κενῶς ἐκοπί- aga, εἰς μάταιον καὶ εἰς οὐδὲν ἔδωκα τὴν ἰσχύν pov) shows that it may be taken without any metaphorical significance. Vv. 17-18. MUTUAL REJOICING IN CHRISTIAN SERVICE.—Ver. 17. ‘‘ Nay, although I should even be offered (lit. ‘poured out as a libation’) upon the sacrifice and sacred service,” etc. εἰ καί leaves abundant room for the possibility, as distinct from καὶ ei, which barely allows the supposition, See esp. Her- mann on Viger, no. 307. The metaphor of this verse has given rise to much dis- cussion. It is admitted that σπένδ. = to be poured out as a drink offering. Cf. 2 Tim. iv. 6, ἐγὼ γὰρ ἤδη σπένδομαι. But what is the meaning of ἐπί Is it “upon,” “over,” or ‘in addition to,” “concurrently with”? Ell. and others, holding that the Apostle refers to fewish sacrificial usages in which, it is said, the drink-offering was poured, not over the sacrifice but round the altar, decide for the latter sense. Paul’s life would be a sacrifice additional to that of their faith. But, in writing to the Philippians, it is far more likely that he should illustrate from heathen ritual in which the libation took so prominent a place. In that case we have an apt parallel in Hom., J1., xi., 775, σπένδων αἴθοπα οἶνον ἐπ᾽ αἰθομένοις ἱεροῖσι, where ἐπί can scarcely mean anything but ‘upon’. After all, the decision between the two does not affect the sense. The offering of Paul in either case, instead of being a cause of sadness and despair, is really the climax of their sacrifice, the libation which crowns it. Zahn (op. cit., p. 296-297), followed by Hpt., joins ἐπί with χαίρω in the sense of **T rejoice on account of the sacrifice,” etc. Thisis certainly attractive, but seems too bold in view of the order of the words. --τῇ θυσίᾳ κι λειτ. τ. πίστ. Here, again, unnecessary difficulties have been raised over the question whether Paul or the Philippians are to be regarded as offering the sacrifice. There is no evidence that the Apostle wishes to strain the metaphor to the breaking point. He has been
urging them to preserve their Christian faith pure and unfaltering. That will be a joy to him in the day of Christ. But now another thought crosses his mind. What if in his Christian labours he should fallavictim? The idea gives a sacrificial cast to his thinking, and he regards their faith (z.e., virtually, their Christian pro- fession and life), on the one hand, as a θυσία, an offering presented to God (cf. Rom. xii. 1), and, on the other, as a λειτουργία, a sacred service, the present- ing of that offering. (For the ritual use of λειτ. in Egyptian Papyri see Dsm., BS., pp. 137-138). ‘‘Even although I should fall a victim to my labours in the cause of Christ, I rejoice because your faith is an accomplished fact. I rejoice on my own account (χαίρω) because I have been the instrument of your salva- tion. I also share in the joy (συγχαίρω) which you experience in the new life you have received.’’ This paraphrase, per- haps, expresses the real force of the words in their close connexion with the context. We can see no ground for translating συγχαίρω (with Lft. and others) as “congratulate,” a translation which surely misses the point of the