|
re
that the prayer was not formally πο ἢ ὦ
—else why emphasise that God had powe to answer it? σώζειν ἐκ θανάτου. The:
7-9.
289
A fol καὶ δακρύων προσενέγκας, καὶ εἰσακουσθεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας, 8.h Phil. ii.6,
Ἂ j etc. Ἢ καίπερ ὧν υἱὸς, ἔμαθεν ἀφ᾽ ὧν ἔπαθε τὴν ὑπακοὴν, 9. ᾿ καὶ τελειω- { Π, το.
prayer recorded in Mark xiv. 36, and the anticipation of Gethsemane alluded to in John xii. 57 [Πάτερ σῶσόν pe ἐκ τῆς Spas ταύτης] are sufficient to show ναι itis deliverance from dying that is
meant. Milligan, however, says: “Christ is thus represented as praying not that death may be averted, but that He may be saved ‘out of it,’ when it comes.” Westcott thinks the word covers both ideas and that in the first sense the prayer was not granted, that it might be granted in the second. It is preferable to abide by the simple statement that the passion of Christ’s prayer to escape death was intensified by the fact that He knew God could deliver Him by twelve legions of angels or otherwise. His absolute faith in the Father’s almighty power and infinite resource was the very soul of his trial. καὶ εἰσακουσϑεὶς ἀπὸ τῆς εὐλαβείας ‘‘and having been heard on account of His godly reverence”. εὐλάβεια [from εὖ λαβεῖν to take good hold, or careful hold] denotes the cautious regard which a wise man pays to all the circumstances ofanaction. Thus Fabius Cunctator was termed εὐλαβὴς. And in regard to God εὐλάβεια means that re- verent submission to His will which cau- tion or prudence dictates. [See Prov. xxvili. 14 and the definitions by Philo. Quis. Rer. Div. Haer., 6.] That ἀπό fol- lowing εἰσακουσθεὶς means in Biblical Greek ‘‘on account of” we have proof in) Job xxxv. 12 and Luke χικ. 3, as well as from the frequent use of ἀπό in N.T. to denote cause, John xxi. 6; Acts xii. 14, etc. In classical Greek also ἀπό is used for propter, see Aristoph., Knights, 1. 767 ὡς ἀπὸ μικρῶν εὔνους αὐτῷ θωπ- ευµατίων γεγένησαι. See also the Birds, 1. 150. The cautious reverence, or reverent caution—the fear lest He should oppose God or seem to overpersuade Him— which was heard and answered was expressed in the second petition of the prayer in Gethsemane, ‘Not my will but thine be done”, And ἀπό is used in preference to διά, apparently because the source of the particular petition is meant to be indicated, that we may understand that the truest answer to this reverent submission was to give Him the cup to drink and thus to accomplish through Him the faultless will of God. To have removed the cup and saved Him from death would not have answered the εὐλάβεια of the prayer. The meaning
πο Ἐν:
of the clause is further determined by what follows.
Ver. 8. καίπερ ὧν vids ἔμαθεν. ad’ ὧν ἔπαθε τὴν ὑπακοήν [having been heard . . .] although He was ἃ son He learned obedience from the things He| suffered. The result of his being heard . was therefore that he suffered, but in the suffering He learned obedience, perfect unison with the will of God for the salvation of men so that He became), a perfected Priest. He learned obedience | καίπερ ὧν vids: “thisis statedto obviate, the very idea of assumption on his part” ιά (Davidson). Perhaps, therefore, we should | translate, with a reference to ver. 5,. ‘although He was Son”’. Although Son and therefore possessed of Divine love and in sympathy with the Divine purpose, He had yet to learn that perfect submission which is only acquired by obeying in painful, terrifying cir- cumstances. He made deeper and deeper experience of what obedience is and costs. And the particular obedience [τὴν ὑπακ.] which was required of Him in the days of His flesh was that which at once gave Him perfect entrance into the Divine love and human need. It is when the child is told to do something which pains him, and which he shrinks from, that he learns obedience, learns to: submit to another will. And the things which Christ _suffered.in obeying God’s will taught Him perfect submission and at the same time perfect devotedness to man. On this obedience, see Robertson Smith in Expositor for 1881, p. 424.. καίπερ is often joined with the participle to emphasise its concessive use [see Burton, 437], as in Diod. Sic., ΠΠ. 17, οὗτος 6 βίος καίπερ ὧν παράδοξος. ἔμαθεν ἀφ᾽ ὧν ἔπαθε, a common form of attraction and also a common proverbial saying, of which Wetstein gives a number of instances; Herodot. i. 207; Zésch., Agam., 177, πάθει μάθος, De- mosth., 1232 τοὺς μετὰ τὸ παθεῖν pav- θάνοντας. Carpzoyv also quotes several from Philo, as from the De Somn., ὃ παθὼν ἀκριβῶς ἔμαθεν, and De Profug., 25. ἔμαθον μὲν ὃ ἔπαθον. see also Blass, Gram., p. 299 E. Tr.