Cath. Epp., translated into Latin by Epiphanius Scholasticus : Aug., In Epistolam Foannis Tractatus Decem (1st Ep., stopping abruptly- at v. 3); Bede, Expos.; Euthymius Zigabenus (12th c.),
Erasmus, In Ν. Τ. Annotat.; Luther; Calvin (1st Ep.); Βεζα: Carpzov, Commentatio in Ep. 2 $oan.; in Foan. Ep. 3 Brevis Enar- ratio ; Wetstein; Bengel; Liicke; Olshausen; Neander (1st Ep.) Disterdieck; Huther in Meyer (translated by T. & T. Clark) ; Braune in Lange; Alford; Haupt (lst Ep., translated by S&T. Clark) ; Rothe, Der erste Brief Fohannis practisch erklart (a beautiful work) ; Alexander in Speaker's Commentary ; Plummer in Cambridge Bible ; Westcott, The Epistles of St. FYohn ; H. J. Holtzmann in Hand-commentar zum Neuen Testament ; Bernhard Weiss, Die drei Briefe des Ap. Foh.; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity, chaps. xxxi-vii.; Cox, Private Letters of St. Paul and St. Fohn ; Maurice, Epistles of St. fohn ; Findlay, Fellowship in the Life Eternal ; Law, Tests of Life (Lectures on Ist Ep.).}
. ]
1 The two last appeared after this commentary was written.
πα ᾗ 5 yi aha ry j 1
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hy
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άν κ ai
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I. τ. Ὅ "ΗΝ ὃ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ' ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλ-5 Rev. is +
μοῖς ἡμῶν, ὃ
1 See Introd., p. 151,
2Tert. (de Anim. 17; adv. Prax. 15) quotes thus:
d 26 , 6 V2 ς a < a ἐθεασάμεθα, KaL~ al χειρες ἡμῶν
»ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ 5 b John i sf 16.
dJohni.14, κε Luke xxiv. 39; John xx. 27.
quod vidimus, quod audivi-
mus, oculis nostris vidimus et manus nostre contrectaverunt de sermone vite, as though reading 6 ἐθεασάμεθα, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, κ.τ.λ.
ΤΗΕ First ΕΡΙΡΤΙΕ.
ΟΗδρτεκ I,—Vv. 1-4. The Preface. ‘“ That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we beheld and our hands felt, concerning the Word of Life—and the Life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the Life, the Eternal Life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard, we announce to you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us. Yea, and our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we are writing that our joy may be fulfilled.”
The Apostle here characterises and commends his Gospel (cf. Introd. p. 154). 1. Its theme—the earthly life of Jesus. No mere biography, since Jesus- was not one of the children of men but the Eter- nal Son of God, the Word made flesh. (a) An ineffable wonder but no dream, an indubitable reality. His readers might doubt it, since they belonged to a later generation and had never seen Jesus ; but St. John had seen Him, and he as- sures them, with elaborate iteration, that it is no dream : ‘‘ These eyes beheld Him, these hands felt Him”. “ Because,” says Calvin, ‘‘the greatness of the thing demanded that its truth should be certain and proved, he insists much at this point”. (6) His narrative was necessarily incom- plete, since the infinite revelation was larger than his perception or understand- ing of it. ‘‘ He would give only a little
drop from the sea, not the sea itself” (Rothe). A complete biography of Jesus is impossible, since the days of His flesh are Only a segment of His life, a moment of His eternal years. 2. His purpose in writing it: (a) that his readers might share his heavenly fellowship; (b) that his joy might be fulfilled.
Ver. 1. 6, i.e. the Logos and the Eternal Life which He manifested, Cf. ν. 4: πᾶν τὸ γεγεννηµένον with note. ἦν, “«νετραπι eternitatis significativum non habentis initium ” (Clem. Alex.). It ‘‘ was” ere it ‘‘was manifested”. am’ ἀρχῆς, TWN TVD (Gen. i. 1). The Logos already was when time began. “The desiyn of the Apostle is to remove the idea of novelty which could lessen the dignity of the Gospel” (Calvin). Cf. Athan., Synops. Script. Sacr. : θεολογῶν δὲ ἐξηγεῖται μὴ νεώτερον εἶναι τὸ Kad’