Ver. 14. κατὰ σκ. ‘In the direction ot the mark.” Exactly parallel is Acts viii. 26, πορεύου κατὰ μεσημβρίαν. Per- haps akin are uses like Thucyd., 6, 31, κατὰ θέαν ἥκειν; Hom., Odyss., 3, 72, κατὰ πρῆξιν (‘ for the sake of business,” Ameis-Hentze), It is needless to dis- tinguish between σκοπόν and βραβεῖον in the Apostle’s thought. Both really point to that unbroken and complete fellowship with Christ which is attained through the power of His resurrection, that resurrec- tion being the condition of the believer's victory over sin and death, and making it possible for him to enter the “ house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens”. The purified life in heaven is, in a word,
"βραβεῖον τῆς "ἄνω "κλήσεως ' τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ ᾿ἸΙησοῦ.3 ὅσοι οὖν " τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν 3: καὶ εἴ Tu” ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε,
t Rom. xi. 29; Eph. i. 18; Heb. iii. x αἱ,
459
τ1 Cor. ix. 15. vi \ 8 Gal. iv. hs 26; Col.
iii. 1. u See note infr. v Only here in N.T.
1 Tert. apparently reads ανεγκλησεωφ. 2 D*EFe«.G, d, e, g ev Κυριω |. Χ. 591’, 30, 39, 41 al., Clem. φρονουμεν (so Lft. mg.).
both the goal and the prize. Contrast with this exulting thought Omar Khay- yam, xxxviii.: “‘ The stars are setting and the caravan starts for the dawn of no- thing ”’.—eis τὸ βραβ. The word occurs in Comedy, Inscrr, and N.T. (1 Cor. ix. 24). Cf. τ Clem., v., 5, 6 Παῦλος ὑπο- μονῆς βραβεῖον ὑπέδειξεν» where it is perhaps suggested by our passage. It is possibly one of those words which must have been common in colloquial Greek (cf. the frequent use of βραβεύς), but have survived only in a few books. eis must be read with the best authorities, for, as Lft. notes, ‘‘the prize marks the position of the goal’. ἐπί [5 an explana- tory gloss.—t7js ἄνω κλ. “The upward calling.” The Apostle seems to mean that the βραβεῖον is the ἄνω κλῆσις (so aiso Lips.). κλῆσις is the technical word in the Epistles for that decisive appeal of God to the soul which is made in Jesus Christ: the offer of salvation. Those who listen are designated κλητοί. Cf. Rom. viii. 30 and Hltzm., N.T. Th., τὸ; p. 165 ff. This κλ. is not merely to ‘‘ the inheritance of the saints in light”. Its effect must be seen in the sanctification of the believer’s life on earth. But here the addition of ἄνω suggests that the Apostle has before him the final issue of the calling which belongs to those who have endured to the end, who have run with patience the race set before them. The phrase seems to carry much the same meaning as Heb. iii. 1, κλήσεως ἐπουρανίου. Cf. the suggestive comment of Chr., τοὺς μάλιστα τιμωμένους τῶν ἀθλητῶν καὶ τῶν ἡνιόχων οὐ στεφανοῦσιν ἐν τῷ σταδίῳ κάτω, ἀλλ᾽ ἄνω καλέσας ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐκεῖ στεφανοῖ.--ἐν Χ. Ἰ. Although it would give a satisfactory sense to take these words with διώκω (so e.g., Myr., Ws.), it is far more natural to join them closely with τ. ἄνω κλ. This is emphatically ἐν Χ. Ἰ. Only in con- nexion with Him has the κλῆσις either in itself or in its goal any meaning.
Ver. 15. τέλειοι. What Paul under- stands by τέλ. we can easily discover from Eph. iv. 13-14, Col. i. 28, iv. 12, 1
Cor. ii. 6 (cf. also the definition of the word in Heb. v. 14 taken in connexion with vi. 1). In all these passages τέλ. depends upon knowledge, knowledge gained by long experience of Christ, resulting both in firm conviction and maturity of thought and conduct. It has not so much our idea of ‘ perfect” = “ flawless,” as of “perfect” = “ having reached a certain point of completeness,”’ as of one who has come to his full growth, leaving behind him the state of childhood (νήπιος). Cf. chap. i. 9-1ο. Lft. supposes a reminiscence of the tech- nical term τέλειος, used in the Mysteries to denote the initiated, and imagines Paul to speak with a certain irony of people at Philippi who claimed to be in this fortunate position as regards the Christian faith. There is no need to assume here the language of the Mysteries (as Anrich shows, Das Antike Mysterienwesen, GOtt., 1894, p. 146, 1. 1), or to find irony in Paul’s words. Probably there were some (see on ver. 13 supr.) at Philippi who boasted of a spiritual superiority to their brethren and who may have called themselves τέλειοι. This may have been due to special equip- ment with the Spirit manifesting itself in speaking with tongues, etc. See 1 Cor. xii. passim. But Paul takes the word seriously and points out what it involves. [Wernle’s attempt in Der Christ u. die Siinde bet Paul., pp. 6-7, to show that this passage is no argument against Christian perfection which he believes Paul to hold, rests on the erroneous association of τέλ. with the Mysteries.] —rotto dp. Let us show our humble conviction that we are still far from the goal which we desire to αἰίαῖπ.-- καὶ et... ἀποκαλ. If, in the case of any separate detail of character or know- ledge, you imagine yourselves to be τέλειοι, to have reached the highest point, God will reveal the truth (the true standpoint of humility) on this matter also. The form of the conditional sen- tence suggests that Paul knew of persons at Philippi who had erroneous views on