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11. ὅπου ἄγγελοι Φέρουσιν Kat αὐτῶν παρὰ
γόγγυσος: ἐπειδὴ ὁδηγεῖ εἰς τὴν βλασ- dypiav: μηδὲ αὐθάδης μηδὲ πονηρόφρων. ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων βλασφημίαι γεννῶνται. The false teachers push for- ward their views, regardless of conse- quences. Cf. Ρ. Amh. 78, 13 f. (ii. a.D.), µ[ου] πλεονεκτὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀ(υ)θάδης. «Απ audacious man is taking advantage of me.” δόξας οὐ τρέµουσιν βλασφη- μοῦντες. δόξας is used of Unseen Powers whether good orevil. Howcan BAaognp. be used of evil powers? It is obvious that we must find some sense for βλασ- φημεῖν here; and also in Jude 8, that will be applicable to δόξας, apart alto- gether from their moral character. In Plato, Rep. 381 E, there occurs a passage dealing with the popular conception of the gods, which holds that they may sometimes change their form, and “in the likeness of wandering strangers, bodied in manifold forms, go roaming from city to city ” (cf. Homer, Od. xvii. 485). By such notions, as taught for example by mothers to their children, men may be said, ‘eis θεοὺς βλασφημεῖν ”. Not only are these a misrepresentation of the Divine, but their tendency is to make light of it, belittle it, detract from its dignity. Some such sense of βλ. seems to be required here. ‘The false teachers may have scoffed at the idea both of angelic help, and of diabolic temptation. Their tendency seems to have been to make light of the Unseen, to foster a sense of the unreality both of sin and of goodness, and to reduce the motives of conduct to a vulgar hedonism (cf. Mayor’s note, Ρ. 74).
Ver. 11. ὅπου = “whereas”. The interpretation of this verse turns on the meaning of kat’ αὐτῶν. Does it refer to the false teachers, or to a distinction be- tween two sets of angels, which finds an illustration in the contest between Michael and Satan for the body of Moses? (Jude, ϱ). Inthe latter case kat’ αὐτῶν would refer to the fallen angels. Another pos- sible interpretation is that ἄγγελοι ἰσχύϊ καὶ δυνάµει μείζονες ὄντες are a superior class of archangels (Spitta), and κατ’ αὐτῶν would refer to the δόξαι in general. Chase suggests that the reference is to the false teachers, and angels are re- presented as bringing before the Lord tidings as to the conduct of created beings, whether angels or men (of. ctt. 797 6).
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m Use of dat. in- stead of accus. indicates progress towards extinc- tion of
™Kupiw βλάσφημον κρίσιν.
prepp. with three cases (Moulton, Proleg. 106).