ἀσπάζεται ὑμᾶς ἡ ἐ ἀσπάσασθε ἀλλή
KTH καὶ hous ἐν φιλήματι a
Βαβυλῶνι συνεκλε
πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν XG.
old) Israel, not that it was the centre of the world (Oec.). Literal interpreta- tions (i.) Babylon, (ii.) Babylon in Egypt are πιοάετη.--Μᾶρκος 6 vids pov. Oecumenius interprets son of spiritual relationship and adds noting that some have dared to say that M. was the fleshly son of St. Peter on the strength of the narrative of Acts xii. where P. is repre- sented as rushing to the house of the mother of John M. as if he were return- ing to his own house and lawful spouse. So Bengel, “ Céelecta sic coniugem suam appellare videtur; cf. iii. 7, Erat enim soror; 1 Cor. ix. 5, Et congruit mentio fil Marci”. But granting that Petro- nilla (?) was missionary and martyr and that Peter may well have had a son— though Christian tradition is silent with regard to him—what have they to do sending greetings to the Churches of Asia Minor in this Encyclical ?
Ver. 14. Φιλήματι ἁἀγάπης. So St. Paul concludes 1 Thess. with greet all the brethren with an holy kiss (v. 26; ¢f. x Cor. xvi: 20; 2 6οτ. πα το, Rom. xvi. 16). “ Hence,” says Origen, ‘“‘the custom was handed down to the Churches that after prayers (so Justin Apol., i. 65) the brethren should welcome one another with a kiss.’”’ Chrysostom (on Rom. l/.c.) calls it “the peace by which the Apostle expels all disturbing thought and beginning of smallminded- ness ... this kiss softens and levels”. But the practice was obviously liable to abuse as Clement of Alexandria shows, “love is judged not in a kiss but in good will. Some do nothing but fill the the Churches with noise of kissing. .. . There is another—an impure—kiss full of venom pretending to holiness” (Paed., iii, 301 P.). Therefore it was regulated (Apost. Const., ii. 57, 12, men kiss men only) and gradually dwindled.—eip xv. The simple Hebrew salutation is proper to Peter’s autograph postscript and links it with the beginning. —toits ἐν Χριστῷ, cf. iii. 16, ν. 1ο, and the saying, Thus have I spoken to you that in me ye might have peace: in the world ye have tribulation but be of good cheer I have conquered the world (John xvi,
33).
λα Μα mI Pf [ ie ν . i ‘i We i, ο η i ed , J Ae λα aN αι h ign αν