7. Set δὲ καὶ “ μαρτυρίαν
καλὴν ἔχειν ἀπὸ "τῶν “ ἔξωθεν, ἵνα μὴ εἰς " ὀνειδισμὸν "ἐμπέσῃ καὶ
8. Διακόνους ἢ ὡσαύτως * σεμνούς,"
ἅ d Mark iv. 11, 1 Cor. ν. 12, 13, Col. iv. 5, 1 Thess. iv. 12. e Rom. xv. 3 (Ps. Ixix το), Heb. x. 33, xi. 26, xiii. 13.
f Rom. xi. 9 (Ps. Ixix. 23), 1 Tim. vi. 9.
i Phil. iv. 8, 1 Tim. iii. 11, Tit. ii. 2.
2Om. σεμνού5 Ν”, three cursives.
be understood to imply that the opinion of “‘those without’ might usefully balance or correct that of the Church. There is something blameworthy in a man’s char- acter if the consensus of outside opinion be unfavourable to him; no matter how much he may be admired and respected by his own party. The vox pfopuli, then, is in some sort a vox Dei; and one can- not safely assume, when we are in an- tagonism to it, that, because we are Christians, we are absolutely in the right and the world wholly in the wrong. Thus to defy public opinion in a superior spirit may not only bring discredit, ὀνειδισμός, on oneself and on the Church, but also catch us in the devil’s snare, v7Z., a supposition that because the world condemns a certain course of
‘action, the action is therefore right and
the world’s verdict may be safely set aside.
We cannot infer with Alford and von Soden, from the absence of another pre- position before παγίδα, that ὀνειδισμόν also depends on τοῦ διαβόλου. It would not be easy to explain satisfactorily ὀνειδ. τ. διαβόλου. -
Ver. 8. διακόνους ὡσαύτως: s.c. δεῖ εἶναι.
For ὡσαύτως, see On ii. 9.
σεμνούς: grave. ‘The word we
want is one in which the sense of gravity and dignity, and of these as inviting reverence, is combined”’ (Trench). See note on ver. 2. The term is used in reference to women workers and old men.
μὴ διλόγους: Persons who are in an intermediate position, having in the same department chiefs and subordinates, are exposed to a temptation to speak of the same matter in different tones and manner, according as their interlocutor is above or below them. So Theodoret, ἕτερα μὲν τούτῳ ἕτερα δὲ ἐκείνῳ λέγοντες. Polycarp (8 5) has the same phrase of deacons. Lightfoot there suggests the rendering tale-bearers. Per- haps insincere. Cf. δίγλωσσος, Prov πα ται εις,
q7—Iil.
μὴ "διλόγους, μὴ |
an , > “ , 9. ἔχοντας τὸ ° μυστήριον τῆς πίστεως ἐν " καθαρᾷ ἢ" συνειδήσει.
ΠΡΟΣ ΤΙΜΟΘΕΟΝ ἃ
115
3 1 A m / AY πο 9 τ a“ ivw ἱπολλῷ ™wpocdyovta αἰσχροκερϑεῖς, kHere only, ow@ : ροσεχ 5, µη κροκερ "ΕΣ Χ
του] τε α. 5, cf. 1 Tim.
~ , καὶ οὗτοι δὲ “ δοκιμαζέσθωσαν πρῶτον, εἶτα * διακονείτωσαν, " ἀνέγ- v. 23.
” κλητοι ὄντες.
ο Πε απο Teta Vs .2.
p 2 Tim. i. 3. 13, I Pet. iv. 11, not LXX. 5 σε πι, 5.
μὴ οἴνῳ πολλῷ προσέχοντας: Less ambiguously expressed than νηφάλιος in the case of the episcopus. A similar direction is given about women, Tit. ii. 3, μὴ οἴν. πολ. δεδουλωμένας. ᾿
μὴ αἰσχροκερδεῖς: This negative qualification is demanded of the epis- copus in Tit. i. 7. See reff. The ren- dering not greedy of filthy lucre is unnecessarily strong; the αἰσχρότης consists, not in the source whence the gain comes, but in the setting of gain before one as an object in entering the ministry. Not greedy of gain expresses the writer’s meaning. The κέρδος be- comes αἰσχρόν when a man makes the acquisition of it, rather than the glory of God, his prime object. On the other hand, the special work of deacons was Church finance; and no doubt they had to support themselves by engaging in some secular occupation. They would thus be exposed to temptations to mis- appropriate Church funds, or to adopt questionable means of livelihood. If such circumstances were contemplated, not greedy of filthy lucre might be an allowable rendering. In Crete, the epis- copus would seem to have also performed the duties of the deacon; consequently he is required to be μή αἰσχροκερδής.