2. οἱ δὲ πιστοὺς ἔχοντες > δεσπότας
μὴ καταφρονείτωσαν, ὅτι ἀδελφοί εἰσιν - ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον δουλευέτωσαν,
ΕἸ . κ 45 ‘ ‘ ε ~ μα) ΄ 8. / ὅτι πιστοί εἰσιν καὶ ἀγαπητοὶ οἱ τῆς * εὐεργεσίας ἦ ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι,
f 1 Macc. ii. 48, 4 Macc. xiv. 15, Luke i. 54, Acts xx. 35.
13, ἃ Cor. ν. 2, vi. 7,9, Eph. iv. 28, v. 11. Ignat. Polyc. 4 says of Christian slaves, μηδὲ αὐτοὶ φυσιούσθωσαν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ πλέον δουλευέτωσαν.
ὅτι πιστοί, «.t.A.: The Christian slave is to remember that the fact of his master being a Christian, believing and beloved, entitles him to service better, if possible, than that due to a heathen master. The slave is under a moral ob- ligation to render faithful service to any master. If the spiritual status of the master be raised, it is reasonable that the quality of the service rendered be not lowered, but rather idealised. ‘‘ The benefit is the improved quality of the ser- vice, and they that partake of or enjoy it are the masters’? (Field im loc.). So Vulg., qut beneficit participes sunt.
εὐεργεσία has its usual non-religious signification, as in Acts iv. g. It does not indicate the goodness of God in redemption, as suggested in A.V., in- fluenced no doubt directly by Calvin and Beza, though the explanation is as old as Ambr., because they are faithful and beloved, partakers of the benefit. On the other hand, it is more natural to use εὐεργεσία of the kindness of an employer to a servant or employee, than of the ad- vantage gained by the employer from his servant’s good-will. Accordingly Chry- sostom takes it here in the former sense, the whole clause referring to the slaves. Von Soden, taking εὐεργεσία similarly, renders, as those who occupy themselves in doing good. No doubt the best reward of faithful service is the acquisition of a character of trustworthiness and the grate- ful love of the master to whom you are invaluable; but it is rather far-fetched to read this subtle meaning into the passage before us. In support of the view taken above, Alford quotes from Seneca, De Benefictis, iii. 18, a discussion of the query, “An beneficium dare servus domino pos- sit?”? which Seneca answers in the affirmative, adding further: ‘‘ Quidquid est quod servilis officii formulam excedit, quod non ex imperio sed ex voluntate praestatur, beneficium est’”’. See Light- foot, Philippians, 270 sqq., St. Paul and Seneca.
ἀντιλαμβανόμενοι: ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι properly means to lay hold of, hence
ᾱ---4.
Ταῦτα δίδασκε καὶ παρακάλει.
: η - - , ~
ἃ προσέρχεται 1 | ὑγιαίνουσι ‘Adyors, τοῖς τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν col - ,
Χριστοῦ, καὶ " τῇ “Kat ΚΙ εὐσέβειαν διδασκαλίᾳ, 4. "᾿ τετύφωται,