jit.
Διὰ τοῦτο δεῖ
Παν οὐ ἢ
περισσοτέρως ἡμᾶς προσέχειν τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσι, μή ποτε παρα-
with its cognates has come to play a large part in ecclesiastical language. It is originally “4 public servant”; from λεῖτος, an unused adjectiveconnected with λαός, meaning “what belongs to the people’ and ἔργον. It occurs frequently in LXX, sometimes denoting the official who attends on a king (Josh. i. 1), some- times angels (Ps. ciii. 21), commonly the priests and Levites (Neh. x. 39), ot ἱερεῖς οἱ λειτουργοί, and Is. Ixi.6. In N.T. it is used of those who render service to God or to Christ or to men (cf. Lepine’s Ministers of Fesus Christ, p. 126). εἰς διακονίαν ἀποστελλόμενα; pre- sent part., denoting continuous action. ‘“Sent forth’’; therefore as servants by a higher power (cf. Acts i. 25, διακονίας ταύτης K. ἀποστολῆς). Διακονία origin- ally means the ministry of a body servant or table servant (cf. Luke iv. 39; Mark i. 13, of ἄγγελοι διηκόνουν αὐτῷ) and is used throughout N.T. for ministry in spiritual things. μέλλοντας might almost be rendered ‘destined”’ as in Matt. iii. 7, xi, 14, xvi. 27, xvii. 12, etc. σωτηρίαν in theclassics means either preservation or deliverance. In N.T. the word naturally came to be used as the semi-technical term for the deliverance from sin and entrance into permanent wellbeing effected by Christ. See Luke. ὮΣΙ. χη: JOON ἴν: 5ο Acts 1V. το, Xvi. τη Rom. i. 16, etc. In ii. 3 the salvation referred to is termed τηλικαύτη. Cf. Hooker’s outburst, Eccles. Pol., i., iv., 1, and Sir Oliver Lodge (Hibbert ¥ournal, Jan., 1903, p. 223): “If we are open toin- fluence from each other by non-corporeal methods, may we not be open to influence from beings in another region or of an- other order? And if so, may we not be aided, inspired, guided by a cloud of wit- nesses—not witnesses only, but helpers, agents like ourselves of the immanent God?” On guardian angels, see Charles’ Book of Fubilees, Moulton in Χ. T. S., August 1902, and Rogers’ edition of Aristoph., Eccles., 999, and the Orphic Fragment quoted by Clement (Stvom., ν.) XG δὲ θρόνῳ πυρόεντι παρεστᾶσιν πολυ- μόχθοι Αγγελοι οἷσι μέμηλε βροτοῖς ὡς πάντα τελεῖται. Cf. Shakespeare’s “Angels and ministers of grace defend Sie
CHAPTER II.—Vv. 1-4. From this proved superiority of the Son to the
κληρονομεῖν, see On ver. 4.΄
angels the writer deduces the warning that neglect of the salvation proclaimed by the Lord Himself and attested by God in miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost will incur heavier punishment than that which was inflicted upon those who neglected the word spoken by angels:
Ver. 1. Διὰ τοῦτο: “on this ac- count,”’ because God has now spoken not through prophets or angels, but through a Son. δεῖ... ἡμᾶς: “νε must give more excessive heed”. * Alibi utitur verbo ὀφείλειν debere : hic δεῖ oportet. Illud dicit obligationem: hoc, urgens periculum”; Bengel, who also remarks on 1 Cor. xi. 10, ὀφείλει notat obligationem: δεῖ necessitatem ; illud morale est, hoc quasi physicum; ut in vernacula, wir sollen und mussen”’. Here then it is the logical necessity that is prominent. περισσοτέρως is to be joined not with δεῖ as in Vulg. (and Bengel), ‘‘abundantius oportet obser- vare,” but with προσέχειν. The adverb; occurs in xiii. Το and six times in 2 Cor, ; the adj. frequently in N.T. περισσοτέρως [περιττοτέρως] occurs in Diod. Sic., xiii. 108, τὰ περ. εἰργασμένα ; also in Athenaeus, v., p. 192 F. κλισμὸς περιτ. κεκόσμηται. “The comparative is here .. used with reference to the greater at- } tention due to the revelation than if it had been delivered by one of less posi- tion. Atto Vercell. suggestively, ‘‘Quare abundantius . . . Nonne et illa Dei sunt et ἰδία ἢ" His answer being that those who had been brought up to reverence the O.T. might be apt to de- spise the new revelation. προσέχειν never in N.T. and only once in LXX (Job vii. 17) has the added τὸν νοῦν usual in classics. As προσέχειν is com- monly used of bringing a ship to land, this sense may have suggested the παραῤῥυῶμεν. ἡμᾶς, including him-, self, but meaning to indicate all who in these last days had heard the revela- . tion of Christ. τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν: ν᾽ “the things heard,” the great salvation first preached by the Lord, ver. 3 ; cf. Acts, viii. 6, xvi. 14. He means to disclose the ; significance of what they have already | heard, rather than to b ing forward new truth, μὴ ποτε παραῤῥυῶμεν: “lest haply we drift away”. μή ποτε, as Hoogeveen shows, occurs in N.T. as = ne quando and also as = ne forte; but