Ver. 7. W. H. place a comma after παρηκολούθηκος and a full stop after παραιτοῦ; so R.V. nearly. But as παραιτοῦ is an imperative, as in reff. in Pastorals, it is best taken as antithetic to γύμναζε. ᾿ &
γραώδεις: The μῦθοι, in addition to their profane nature, as impeaching the
124
w See I Tim. i. 4. x 1 Tim. v. 11, 2 Tim. ii. 23, Tit.“ εὐσέβεια πρὸς πάντα 11. 10, Heb, xii. 2 5 - 3/ y2Macc.x.® πάσης = ἀποδοχῆς © ἄξιος. 15, Heb.
ν. 14, ΧΙ. Bites p 11,2 Pet.ii.14. 2 See 1 Tim. ii. 2. only. c Jas. iv. 14.
vii. 1, Heb. vii. 6. f 2 Tim. 1. 1.
11. 16, cf. 1 Tim. v. 17.
Εζωῆς τῆς νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης.
a 4 Macc. i. 32, iii. 1, Luke iii. 22. d 2 Tim. iii. 16, Tit. iii. 8, not LXX. g See 1 Tim. i. 15.
“ μύθους “ παραιτοῦ, ” γύμναζε δὲ σεαυτὸν πρὸς " εὐσέβειαν - 8. ἡ γὰρ “ σωματικὴ " γυμνασία πρὸς “ ὀλίγον ἐστὶν “ ὠφέλιμος - ἡ δὲ ὠφέλιμός ἐστιν, °* ἐπαγγελίαν ° ἔχουσα
9. “πιστὸς “ὁ “λόγος ὅ καὶ 1Ο. εἰς τοῦτο yap! " κοπιῶμεν καὶ b 4 Macc. xi. 20
e Cf. Different use in 2 Cor. h Matt. xi. 28, Col. i. 29, Phil.
1 Ins. καὶ FerGKL.
goodness of the Creator, were absurd, unworthy of a grown man’s considera- tion. See note on chap. i. 4. Hort’s view (Fudaistic Christianity, p. 138) that βεβήλους here merely means “the absence of any divine or sacred char- acter’’ does not seem reasonable. παραιτοῦ: refuse, turn away from, as n Heb. xii. 25. Alf. renders excuse thyself from, as in Luke xiv. 18 (bis), 19. Decline would be a better rendering. In addition to the reff. given above, παραιτέομαι occurs in Mark xv. 6, Acts xxv. 11 (a speech of St. Paul’s), Heb. xii. το. γύμναζε: There is here an intentional paradox. asceticism of the heretics by exercising himself in the practical. piety of the Christian life. See chap. ii. 2. The paradox is comparable to φιλοτιμεῖσϑαι ἡσυχάζειν of τ Thess. iv. τι. The true Christian asceticism is not essentially σωματική, although the body is the means by which the spiritual nature is affected and influenced. Although it brings the body into subjection (τ Cor. ix. 27), this is a means, not an end in itself. Ver. 8. σωματικὴ γυμνασία: The parallel cited by Lightfoot (Philippians, p. 290) from Seneca (Ep. Mor. xv. 2, 5) renders it almost certain that the primary reference is to gymnastic exercises (as ‘Chrys., etc., take it); but there is as cer- tainly in σωματικὴ γυμνασία a connota- tion of ascetic practices as the outward expression of the theories underlying the fables of ver. 7. παραιτοῦ elsewhere in the Pastorals is followed by reasons why the particular thing or person should be avoided. The teaching is identical with that in Col. ii. 23. St. Paul makes his case all the stronger by conceding that an asceticism which ter- minates in the body is of some use. The contrast then is not so much between bodily exercise, commonly so called, and piety, as between piety (which includes a
Timothy is to meet the spurious -
discipline of the body) and an absurd and profane theosophy of which discipline of the body was the chief or only prac- tical expression.
πρὸς ὀλίγον: to a slight extent; as contrasted with πρὸς πάντα. πρὸς ὀλίγον means for a little while in Jas. iv. 14. This notion is included in the other. The R.V., for a little is am- biguous; perhaps intentionally so. In view of the genuine asceticism of St. Paul himself, not to mention other ex- amples, it is unreasonable to think him inconsistent in making this concession.
ἔπαγγελίαν ἔχουσα ζωῆς; If we take ἐπαγγελία to signify the thing promised (as in Luke xxiv. 49, Acts i. 4, xiii. 32), rather than a promise, we can give an appropriate force to the rest of the sentence. A consistent Christian walk possesses, does not forfeit, that which this life promises; in a very real sense “it makes the best of both worlds’’. ἔχω will then have its usual meaning; and ζωῆς is the genitive of possession, as in Luke xxiv. 49, Acts i. 4 (ἐπ. τοῦ πατρός). Itis not the genitive of apposi- tion, piety promises life. That which is given by life to Christians is the best thing that life has to give. Von Soden compares πάντα ὑμῶν, 1 Cor. iii. 21 sq. Bacon’s saying ‘‘ Prosperity is the bless- ing of the Old Testament; Adversity is the blessing of the New”? is only half a truth. If religion does not make us happy in this life, we have needlessly missed our inheritance (see Matt. vi. 33; Mark κ. 30). On the other hand, though piety does bring happiness in this life, the exercise of it deliberately with that end in view is impious; as Whately said, ‘‘Honesty is the best policy, but the man who is honest for that reason is not honest”’. ἢ