Ver. Ig. ἀπώλεια. Paul regards the two issues of human life as σωτηρία and ἀπώλεια (1 Cor. i. 18, 2 Cor. ii. 15-16). The lattertis a common word for “' destruc- tion”. There is much in the Epistles to support the statement of Hltzm. (N.T. Th., ii., p. 50): “Το be dead and to re- main dead eternally, that is to him (Paul) the most dreadful ofall thoughts”. (Simi- larly Kabisch, Eschatol. d. Paul., pp. 85,
462
in τὰ Ῥ. has it Eph. v. 23.
TOnly here» ἐπίγεια φρονοῦντες. 20. ἡμῶν γὰρ] τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς Ἴ. ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ ' σωτῆρα " ἀπεκδεχόμεθα, Κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν Χριστόν"
Past. Epp. (ten times). A word found (with excep. of four exx. in Luke's wri i hace books of NT. n1Cor.i.7; Gal. ν. 5; Heb. ic ak. exx, in 8. writings) only
λ δε ἆ, ε, f, g, m, go. arm. eth, syrsch. et p.mg., Clem., Or., Eus., Chr., Thdrt.,
134.)---ἧ κοιλία. Most comm. compare Eupolis, Κολακ. 4, κοιλιοδαίμων, a “ devotee of the belly”. κ. is probably used as a general term to include all that belongs most essentially to the bodily, fleshly life of man and therefore inevitably perishes. IJstorum venter nitet : nostrum corpus atteritur: utrumque schema com- mutabitur (Beng.). Hort ( ¥udaistic Chris- tianity, p. 115 ff.) supposes that we have here the same development of Judaism which is attacked in Col. ii. 20-23. But this type of life was by no means confined to Jews.— δ. ἐν τ. αἰσχ. ‘* Who boast of what is really a disgrace to them.” Wetst. aptly quotes Polyb., 15, 23, ἐφ᾽ ols ἐχρῆν αἰσχύνεσθαι καθ᾽ ὑπερβολήν, ἐπὶ τούτοις ὡς καλοῖς σεμνύ- νεσθαι καὶ μεγαλανχεῖν. Cf. Prov, xxvi. 11, ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ν, καὶ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις. (So also Sirach iv. - This was apparently a current proverb. The limiting of αἰσχ. here to sensual sins is doubtful.—ol τ. ἐπίγ. pov. It seems reasonable to ex- plain the nominative as a resumption of the opening words of the sentence, sum- ming up tersely the character in view. Cf. Mark xii. 38-40. τὰ ἐπίγ. are opposed to τὰ ἔμπροσθεν or τὰ ἄνω. Curiously parallel is the Homeric phrase (Odyss.,
21, 8s), ἀγροιῶται ἐφημέρια φρονέοντες. Vv. 20-21. HEAVENLY - MINDEDNESS
AND ITS PROSPECT.—Ver, 20. τὸ πολί- τευμα. “Our commonwealth.” (Ter- tull., municipatus. Cyp., Iren., conver- satio.) The thought is certainly suggested by ἐπίγ. φρον. in ver. 19 (this is the force of γάρ). This world has a characteristic spirit of itsown. Worldliness is the com- mon bond of citizenship init. There is another commonwealth, not of the world (John xviii. 36), which inspires its mem- bers with a different tone of life. They ‘*seek the things above where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God". Cf. 4 Esr., 8,52: Vobis enim apertus est para- disus . . . praeparata est habundantia, aedificata est civitas. The stability and security of the pax Romana (one of the most favourable influences for Christi-
anity) filled the thought of the time with high conceptions of citizenship and its value. This would specially appeal to the Philippians, who must have prided themselves on possessing ag ον Ttali- cum with all its privileges (see Marquardt, Rémische Staatsverwaltung, Bd. i., pp. 363-365). Again and again Paul himself found his Roman citizenship a sure pro- tection. Perhaps the unjust treatment he had received in that capacity at Philippi (Acts xvi. 22-23, 37-39) resulted in securing for the young Christian com- munity a certain immunity from persecu- tion through the favour of the magistrates who might fear the consequences of their gross violation of justice. The word πολίτευμα had been adopted by the Jews from Greek civic life long before this letter was written (see Hicks, Classical Review, i., 1, pp. 6-7, on the whole sub- ject of political terms in N.T.). Cf. Philo, de Conf. Ling., p. 78 (ed. Wendl.), πατρίδα μὲν τὸν “rer χῶρον ἐν ᾧ πολιτεύονται, ξένην δὲ τὸν περίγειον ἐν ᾧ παρῴκησαν νομίζουσαι ; Aug., de Civ. D., xi., 1 (quoted by Wohl.); the Latin Μεάίαεν. Hymn, Urbs Ierusalem beata, Dicta pacis visio, Quae construitur in caelis, Vivis ex lapidibus ; and see Heb. x. 34, Jas. iv. 4, 1 John ii. 17. πολίτ. is used = “ com- monwealth” in 2 Macc. xii. 7 and In- scriptions. There is a good discussion of Paul’s relation to the state in Hltzm., N.T. Th., ii., p. 157 Π.--ἓν οὐρανοῖς. Paul had no earthly home.—twdpye. It is perhaps used to add dignity to the thought, or, possibly, to emphasise the idea of substantial existence and reality. Cf. ὑπάρχων in chap. ii. 6.—é§ οὗ. It seems needless to make this an adverb. οὗ refers quite directly to πολίτευμα (so also Beng., Hfm., Lips., Holst., etc.).— καί marks the reasonableness of looking for the Saviour from the heavenly com- monwealth. Because their πολίτ. is in heaven they have a claim on the Saviour, just as the Philippians might rightfully look for protection to Rome.—owripa. Used, no doubt, in the technical sense of Christ’s deliverance at His coming (so