201
Matt. ii. 10; Mark ιν αχ, Luke xxili. 8; John xx.
Rid) om a . και νυν 30 : 5 gi ]οῦη Ἱ,
ἐρωτῶ σε, κυρία, " οὐχ ὡς ἐντολὴν γράφω” σοι καινήνι ἀλλὰ ἣν 6,7, ii-6, It
εἴχομεν ὃ ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, ἵνα ἀγαπῶμεν ἀλλήλους.
6. καὶ ᾿ αὕτη ἐστὶν Β 1 John ii: 7, iii.
ς > - n~ A ἡ ἀγάπη, ἵνα ἕ περιπατῶμεν κατὰ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. * αὕτη ἐστὶν 11, 23.
1 κυριου Christo Fesu), Aeth., edd. * ehaBov NY. ὃΚυρια Tisch.
ir Johnv
3 reff. k 1 John iii. 23.
NKLP, Syrph, Cop., Arm.; om. AB, several minusc., Syrbo, Vg. (a
"γραφω several minusc., Aeth., Arm. ; γραφων NABKLP, Vg., edd. ὄγραφων σοι καινην BKELP, WH, Nest.; καινην γραφων σοι SSA, Tisch.
δειχομεν BKLP; ειχαµεν WA, edd.
Observe the high tribute which the Elder pays to Kyria: (1) He testifies to the esteem in which she is held; (2) he recognises her as a fellow-worker as though she were a fellow-apostle—the three-fold “us,” not ‘you’; (3) he is about to speak of the danger from here- tical teaching, but he has no fear of her being led astray : ‘‘ You and I are secure from the deceiver. The Truth abideth in us; with us it shall be for ever; yea, there shall be with us grace, mercy, peace.”
Ver. + The Occasion of the Epistle. “T was exceedingly glad because I have found some of thy children walking in Truth, even as we received command- ment from the Father.”
ἐχάρην, of a glad surprise (cf. Mark xiv. 11). He had been too often disap- pointed in lads like these (see Ιπίτοά,, p. 155). They had profited by the nurture of their godly home, the best equipment for the battle of life. “Νο man should ever leave money to his children. It isa curse to them. What we should do for our children, if we would do them the best service we can, is to give them the best training we can procure for them, and then turn them loose in the world without a sixpence to fend for them- selves” (Cecil John Rhodes). εὕρηκα, ““T have found”. He sits down at once and writes to Kyria. How glad she would be that her lads, far away in the great city were true to their early faith! ἐκ τῶν τέκνων, “some of thy children” (a tenderer word than “sons,” υἱῶν), “‘members of thy family,” not implying that others had done ill; the lads who had come to Ephesus. περιπατοῦντας, κ.τ.λ., ambulantes in veritate, die in der Wahrhett wandeln, “ordering their lives
according to the precepts of the Gospel”. See note on 1 Johni. 6,
Vv. 5-6. The Comprehensive Com- mandment. ‘“ And now I ask thee; Kyria, not as writing a new commandment to thee but the one which we had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love—that we walk according to His commandments; this is the com- mandment, even as ye heard from the beginning—that we should walk in love,”
These counsels are just a summary of the doctrines expounded at large in the first Epistle. There is here a sort of reasoning in a circle: The commandment is Love; Love is walking according to His commandments ; His commandments are summed up in one—Love.
Ver. 5. am ἀρχῆς, “from the begin- ning of our Christian life”. See note on τ John ii. 7.
Ver. 6. ἡ ἀγάπη, “the love just re- ferred to”. περιπ. κατὰ τὰς ἐντ. αὐτ., regulating our lives by their require- ments; περιπ. ἐν αληθείᾳ (ver. 4), keep- ing within the limits of the Christian revelation and not straying beyond them —not προάγοντες (ver. 9). αὐτῇ, {.ε., “love,” not ‘‘ the commandment ” (Vulg.: Hoc est mandatum, ut... in eo ambu- letis). περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀγάπῃ is synony- mous with περιπατεῖν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, since Love is Truth in practice. Cf. the story , of R. Hillel: A mocking Gentile pro- mised to become a proselyte if he would teach him the whole Law while he stood on one foot—a gibe at the multitudious precepts, reckoned at 613. “' What is hateful to thyself,” said the Rabbi, “do not to thy neighbour. This is the whole Law; the rest is commentary.” Yalk. Chad., κ. 2; ‘“‘ qui justum cibat frusto,