CuapTeR II].—Ver. τ πιστὸς 6 λόγος: This refers to the exegesis of Genesis which has preceded. (So Chrys.). We may compare Barnabas, § 9, where, after an allegorical explana- tion of Abraham’s 318 servants, the writer exclaims, οὐδεὶς γνησιώτερον ἔμαθεν ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ λόγον ἀλλὰ οἶδα ὅτι ἄξιοί ἐστε ὑμεῖς. See note oni. 15.
Vv. 1 b-13. The qualifications of the men who are to be ministers ; and first (a) of the episcopus (1 b-7) secondly (0) of the deacons (8-13) with a parentheti- cal instruction respecting women church- workers (11).
a—Z2.,
Εἴτις ἐπισκοπῆς “ὀρέγεται, 4 καλοῦ 4‘ épyou “ἐπιθυμεῖ.
2. ‘Set ‘ody b Here only in this
“τὸν ἐπίσκοπον 5 ἀνεπίλημπτον εἶναι, is μιᾶς ᾿Ξ γυναικὸς Ἀ ἄνδρα, 'νηφά- sense,
10, Heb. xi. 16. f Acts i. 21. ii. 2, not LXX.
εἴ τις ἐπισκοπῆς; κ.τ.λ.: Having given elementary directions concerning the scope of public prayer, and the ministers thereof, St. Paul now takes up the ‘matter of Church organisation. He begins with the office of the episcopus, or presbyter, because that is of the very essence of Church order. On the ques- ‘tion as to the terms presbyter and episcopus, it is sufficient here to state my own conclusion, that they represent slightly different aspects of the same office, pastoral and official; aspects which ame naturally into prominence in the Jewish and Greek societies respectively which gave birth to the names. This seems the obvious conclusion from a .comparison of Acts xx. 17, 28; Phil.1. 1; πα ἘΠ: τμ ὑπ τ 21 ουν, τος το τω 2; πε. hom: © σον. 44; Polycarp, 5; Clem. Al. Quis Dives, 842.
ὀρέγεται ... ἐπιθυμεῖ: The ΚΕΝ. (seeketh . . . desirveth) indicates to the English reader that two distinct Greek words are used; a fact which is con- cealed in the A.V. (desire. . . desirveth). So Vulg. has desiderat in both places; but m4’, cupit. . . desiderat. ὀρέγεσθαι, which occurs again in vi. 10 of reaching aftey money, is not used in any deprecia- tory sense. Field (in loc.) notes that “it has a special application to such objects as a man is commonly said to aspire to”. ‘The sanity of St. Paul’s judgment is nowhere better seen than in his commendation of lawful ambition. A man may be actuated by a variety of motives; yet it is not inevitable that those that are lower should impair the quality of the higher; they need not in- terpenetrate each other. In any case, St. Paul credits the aspirant with the noblest ideal: He who aspires to be an -episcopus desires to perform a good work, “Est opus; negotium, non otium. Acts xv. 38, Phil. ii. 39” (Bengel).
καλοῦ ἔργου : καλὸν ἔργον and καλὰ ἔργα (see reff.) are not peculiar to the Pastorals (Matt. v. 16, xxvi. 10= Mark xiv. 6; John x. 32, 33) ; but, as the refer- ences show, the phrase is found in them only of the Pauline Epistles. On the other hand, ἔργα ἀγαθά occurs six ‘times in the Pastorals. See reff. on chap. ii. 10. We perceive in the use ‘of it a qualification of the earlier de-
dx Tim. v. 10, 25, vi. 18, Tit. ii. 7, 14, iii. 8, 14. gi Tim. v. 7, vi. 14, not LXX.
Acts 1. 20. ci Tim. vi. e Here only in Pastorals.
h Ver. 12, Tit. i. 6. iz Tim. iii. r1, Tit
preciation of the works of the Law, induced by a natural reaction from the abuse of that teaching.
Ver. 2. With the qualifications of the episcopus as given here should be com- pared those of the deacons, ver. 8 sqq., and those of the episcopus in Tit. i. 6 sqq.
δεῖ οὖν. . . ἀνεπίλημπτον εἶναι. The ἐπισκοπή being essentially a good work, ‘© bonum negotium bonis committendum”’ (Bengel). The episcopus is the persona of the Church. It is not enough for him to be not criminal ; he must be ove against whom it is impossible to bring any charge of wrong doing such as could stand impartial examination. (See Theodoret, cited by Alf.). He must be without reproach (R.V.), irreprehensible (Trench), a term which involves a less exacting test than blameless (A.V.) ; the deacon (and the Cretan episcopus) must be ἀνέγκλητος, one against whom no charge has, in point of fact, been brought.