ἐντρεφόμενος τοῖς λόγοις τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς καλῆς διδασκαλίας
τα
ὑποτιθέμενος τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καλὸς ἔσῃ διάκονος Χριστοῦ ᾿Ιησοῦ,! τ Here only
(N.T.) in this sense.
7. τοὺς δὲ "βεβήλους καὶ * γραώδεις s Here only,
not ΧΧ. t Luke i. 3,
Ὁ See 1 Tim. i. 9. v Here only, not LXX
1 Ἴησ. Χριστ. De, 17, 31, 47, many others, am., syrpesh,
3 ἧς A, 80, one other.
3So NMADKLP; παρηκολούθησας CFG.
reference to the Sacrament of the Eucha- rist, it is probable that thoughts about it have influenced the language; for the Eucharist is the supreme example of all benedictions and consecrations of material things. And if this be so, the passage has light thrown on it by the language of Justin Martyr and Irenzus about the Prayer of Consecration; 4.9.» Justin, Afol. i. 66. ‘As Jesus Christ our Saviour, by the word of God (διὰ λόγου θεοῦ) made flesh, had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so we have been taught that the food over which thanks have been given by the word of prayer which comes from him (τὴν δι’ εὐχῆς λόγου τοῦ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ εὐχαριστη- θεῖσαν τροφήν)---ἰ(ῃαί food from which our blood and flesh are by assimilation nourished—is both the flesh and the blood of that Jesus who was made flesh”’. Similarly Irenzeus (Haer. v. 2, 3), ‘‘ Both the mingled cup, and the bread which has been made, receives upon itself the word of God, and the Eucharist becomes the body of Christ” (ἐπιδέχεται τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ γίνεται ἡ εὐχαριστία σῶμα Χριστοῦ). Perhaps by the word of prayer which comes from him Justin means a formula authorised by Christ. It must be added that the Prayer Book of Serapion, bishop of Thmuis in Egypt, ciyc. A.D. 380, contains an eficlesis in which we read, ‘‘O God of truth, let thy holy Word come to sojourn on this bread, that the bread may become Body of the Word, and on this cup, that the cup may become Blood of the Truth” (Bishop J. Wordsworth’s trans.).
A comparison of these passages sug- gests an association in the thought of the primitive Church of the Holy Spirit and the λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ.
Vv. 6-10. The spread of these mis- chievous notions among the brethren is most effectively discouraged by a demon- stration in the person of the minister himself of the positive teaching of the Gospel as to practical life. We are as- sured, and declare our confidence by our
lives, that Christianity differs essentially from theosophy in that it has respect to the eternal future, as well as to the pass- ing present.
Ver. 6. ταῦτα: repeated in ver. 11, refers to all the preceding directions, but more especially to the warnings against false asceticism.
ὑποτιθέμενος : (renind, suggest) is a somewhat mild term, as Chrys. points out; but in some circumstances sugges- tion is more effectual than direct exhor- tation.
διάκονος Xp. "Ina. seems emphatic, a deacon, not of the Church, but of Christ Jesus, who is the Chief Pastor.
ἐντρεφόμενος: The present tense is significant, ‘‘meaning to imply constancy in application to these things” (Chrys.), “ever training thyself” (Alf.), ‘The present . . . marks a continuous and permanent nutrition” (Ell.). The pro- cess begun from his earliest years, 2
Tim. i. 5, 111, 15, was being still main-
tained.
ἡ πίστις and ἡ διδασκαλία denote respectively the sum total of Christian belief, conceived as an ideal entity, and the same as imparted little by little to the faithful. See note on i. το.
ἡ παρηκολούθηκας: There is a similar use of this verb in 2 Tim. iii. 10, where see note. Alford attempts to give the word here the same force as in Luke i. 3, by rendering the course of which thou hast followed. The A.V., whereunto thou hast attained, expresses also the sense of achievement which we find in Luke 1.26. It seems better, however, to associate the word with the notion of discipleship; so R.V., doctrine which thou hast followed until now.