Ver. 18. Aug.: ‘“‘ Pueros alloquitur, ut festinent crescere, quia novissima hora est. . . . Proficite, currite, crescite, no- vissima hora est”. Ver. 28 puts it be- yond doubt that ἐσχάτη Spa means “ the end of the world,” and rules out various attempts which have been made to give it another reference and absolve the, Apostle from the current misconception : (1) Aug. says vaguely: ‘the last hour is of long duration, yet it is the last” (novts- sima hora diuturna est ; tamen novissima est). And Calv.: ‘‘ Nothing any longer remains but that Christ should appear for the redemption of the world... . He calls that ‘the last time’ in which all things are being so completed that no- thing is left except the last revelation of Christ”. (2) Lightfoot, Hor. Heb., on
a Acts xv.
24, b John iii. I
c Matt. i. 23, XXVi.
XX. 30, ο πμ ὅτι ἐσχάτη ὥρα ἐστίν.
19. "ἜἘξ ἡμῶν ἐξῆλθον,] add”
οὐκ ἦσαν ef ἡμῶν : εἰ γὰρ ἦσαν ἐξ ἡμῶν,” µεμενήκεισαν ἂν opel ἡμῶν - GAN * ἵνα "φανερωθῶσιν ὅτι οὐκ εἰσὶ πάντες ἐξ ἡμῶν.
20. Καὶ ὑμεῖς
5ο, 3858, χρίσμα ὃ ἔχετε ἀπὸ Ξ τοῦ ἁγίου, Kal» οἴδατε πάντα." 21. οὐκ ἔγραψα
69; Acts i26. di Cor xi. 1ο.
1 εξηλθον SKLP; εξηλθαν ABC, edd.
e John iii. 21; 2 Cor. iii. 3.
f Ver.27. gCf.Comm. hx Cor. ii. 15.
2noav εξ ηµων NAKLP, Tisch. ; εξ nuwv ησαν BC, WH, Nest.
Σχρίσμα WH; χρῖσμα Tisch., Nest. ;
Cf. ο. 5η.
4παντα ACKL, Syrvg (understanding πάντα ἄνθρωπον) ph, Vg., Cop., Aeth.,
Arm. ; παντες NEP, Sah., edd. John xxi. 22, compares O97 TTS
i.e., ‘‘the last times of the Jewish city, nation, and dispensation,” and remarks: ‘“‘Gens ista vergit jam quam proxime in ruinam, cum enatus jam sit ultimus et summus apex infidelitatis, apostasiz et nequitie”. (3) Beng. with unwonted in- eptitude: The advanced age of St. John and his contemporaries in contrast to his “little children”. “‘Ultima, non respectu omnium mundi temporum: sed in anti- theto puerulorum ad patres, et ad juve- nes”. (4) Westcott: ‘‘a last hour,” z.e., “a period of critical change”. This is possible but improbable. The omission of the def. art. in the pred. is regular. ᾽Αντίχριστος (anarthrous) is a proper name. Nowhere in N.T. but in the Jo- hannine Epp. It may mean (1), on the analogy of ἀντιφιλόσοφος, ἀντικάτων, ἀντικείμενος, ἀντίθεσις, “adversary of Christ,”’ Widerchrist (Luth.); cf. Orig. C. Cels. vi. 45: τὸν τούτῳ κατὰ διάµετ- pov ἐναντίον, Tert. De Praescript. Her.: ‘*antichristi, Christi rebelles,” Aug.: ‘“‘Latine Antichristus contrarius est Christo”; (2), on the analogy of ἄντι- βασιλεύς, ἀνθύπατος (proconsul), ‘ anti- pope,” a ‘rival of Christ,” usurping His name, a ψευδόχριστος (cf. Matt. xxiv. 24 = Mark xiii. 22); cf. Aristoph. Eq. 1038 Sq.: ἐγὼ γὰρ αντὶ τοῦ λέογτός εἰμί σοι. / καὶ πῶς p ἐλελήθης ᾽Αντιλέων γεγεν- npevos; St. John seems to combine both ideas. The heresy arose in the bosom of the Church and claimed to bean en- lightened Christianity ; yet, while calling themselves Christians, Cerinthus and his followers were adversaries of Christ. Wetst. : ‘ Qui se pro Christo gerit, ideoque ei contrarius est”. ἀντίχριστοι πολλοί, the exponents and representatives of the antichristian movement were a numerous party. υὙεγόνασιν, ‘‘have arisen,” in contrast to the true Christ who “ was in the beginning”. Cf. the contrast between the Word and the Baptist in John i. 1, 6.
Ver. 19. Cf. Aug.: ‘‘Sic sunt in cor-
pore Christi quomodo humores mali. Quando evomuntur, tunc relevatur corpus: sic et mali quando exeunt, tunc Ecclesia relevatur. Et dicit quando eos evomit atque projicit corpus: Ex me exierunt umores isti, sed non erant ex me. Quid est, non erant ex me?’ Non de carne mea precisi sunt, sed pectus mihi preme- bant cum inessent”. tva, sc. ἐξῆλθαν or yéyove τοῦτο--α frequent Johannine
ellipse) cfs John Ἱ. δ, ο κας τδ XV. 25. Ver. 20. An expression of confidence
in his readers: they will not be led astray; they have received ‘‘a chrism,” the enlightening grace of the Holy Spirit,. ‘‘which He poured forth upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Saviour” (Tit. iii. 6). Baptism was called χρῖσμα in later days (Greg. Naz. Orat. xl. 4) be- cause of the r:te of baptismal] anointing (cf. Tert. De Bapt. 7: ‘“‘ Exinde egressi de lavacro perungimur benedicta unctione de pristina disciplina, qua ungi are de cornu in sacerdotium solebant”; Aug.: ‘“‘Unctio spiritalis ipse Spiritus ‘sanctus est, cujus sacramentum est in unctione visibili”); but there is no reference here to this rite, which was of a later date and was derived from our passage. χρῖσμα is suggested by ἀντίχριστοι. “ They are ἀντίχριστοι, you are χριστοί.' Cf. Ps. cv. (civ. LXX) 15: pH ἄψησθε τῶν χριστῶν µου. τοῦ Ἁγίου, not the Holy Spirit. St. John has τὸ Πνεῦμα in Epp. and Rey., but never τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ "Αγιον. Either (1) Christ (cf. Rev. iii. 7) or (2) God the Father (cf Acts x. 38; Heb. i.g). The latter is preferable. The Spirit παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται (John xv. 26)—from (ἀπό) the Father through (διά). Christ (cf. Tit. iii. 6).