11.
μηδὲν λαμβάνοντες 9 ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν.ὶ 8. ἡμεῖς οὖν " ὀφείλομεν ἀπο- λαμβάνειν τοὺς τοιούτους, ἵνα ' συνεργοὶ ' γινώμεθα τῇ ἀληθείᾳ. Ἔγραψα ὃ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ: ἀλλ᾽ ὁ " φιλοπρωτεύων αὐτῶν Διοτρεφὴς οὐκ 15
ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς.
” a - , ” w nw ς - ri a a > , ἔργα ἃ ποιεῖ, λόγοις πονηροῖς ” Φλυαρῶν Huds” καὶ μὴ ἀρκούμενος
ΙΩΑΝΟΥ Tf
207
p Acts xx. 35 ; 1 Cor. ΙΧ. 12-15. ο qi John v.
5 ος τΙ John ii.
1Ο. διὰ τοῦτο, ἐὰν ἔλθω, " ὑπομνήσω αὐτοῦ τὰ © reff.
5 Rom. xvi.
3) 9, 21 ; 1 Cor. iii.
ἐπὶ τούτοις, οὖτε αὐτὸς ἐπιδέχεται τοὺς ἀδελφούς, καὶ τοὺς βουλο- 9; 2 Cor.
Vili. 23.
µένους "κωλύει, καὶ ex THS ἐκκλησίας ” ἐκβάλλει. 11. Αγαπητέ, ΄ μὴ t Matt. v.
u Cf. Matt. xx. 27. 38, 39. y John ΙΧ. 34.
v John xiv. 26; 2 Tim. ii. 14; Tit. iii. 1. z Rom. xii. 9; Ps. xxxvii. 27.
w 1 Tim. v. 13. x Mark ix.
1 εθνων KLP; εθνικων SQABC, edd. απολαμβανειν KLP; υπολαµβανειν SABC*, edd. 3 eypaia: add τι SABC, Cop., Sah., Arm., edd.
The former would have been used here had the Gentiles “ proferred an acknow- ledgment; the latter implies exaction. The missionaries might have accepted maintenance (Matt. x. ro), but like St. Paul they waived their right, ‘that they might cause no hindrance to the Gospel of Christ ” (1 Cor. ix.).
Ver. 8. ἡμεῖς, emphatic in contrast to the Gentiles. ὀφείλομεν, of moral obli- gation. See note on 1 Johnii. 6. ὑπολαμ- βάνειν, suscipere, ‘receive hospitably”’ (cf. ὑποδέχεσθαι), ‘take under one’s protection”. Observe the Wortspiel— λαμβάνοντες, ὑπολαμβάνειν. συνεργοὶ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ: a division ο{]αβοιτ. If we cannot preach the Gospel ourselves, we may help others to doit. William Carey, comparing his missionary enterprise to the exploration of a mine, said: “I will go down if you will hold the ropes”.
Vv. ο-το. Churlishness of Diotrephes. ‘IT wrote something to the Church, but Diotrephes, who loveth pre-eminence over them, doth not receive us. There- fore, if I come, I shall call to remem- brance his works which he doeth, prating about us with evil words; and, not con- tent therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren and them that would he preventeth and casteth out of the Church.”
“ Der Zweck des 3. Briefes liegt in der Empfehlung der Gastfreundschaft gegen wandernde Glaubensboten ” (Holtzm.).
Ver. g. ἔγραψά τι, a brief letter of commendation, συστατικὴ ἐπιστολή (2 Cor. iii. 1), introducing and authorising a company of itinerant brethren, probably those referred to in v. 5. Φιλοπρω- τεύειν. ‘love to be first, to be chief ’ (ἅπαξ λεγόμενον). The noun is φιλοπρωτεία and the adj. φιλόπρωτος (Polyb., Plut ). προάγειν (2 John g) and Φιλοπρωτεύειν denote two tempers which disturbed the Christian life of Asia Minor—intellectual
arrogance and personal aggrandisement. αὐτῶν refers κατὰ σύνεσιν to ἐκκλησίᾳ. οὐκ ἐπιδέχεται ἡμᾶς, “doth not receive me in the person of my delegates ” (cf. Matt. x. 40), z.e., “ disowneth my autho- rity”.
Ver. το. ἐὰν ἔλθω: the aged Apostle with his failing strength can only “hope” (cf. ver. 14) to undertake the journey. ὑπομνήσω αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα, not “remind him of his works ”’ (contrast the “work ” of Gaius in νετ. 5), but ‘* bring his works to remembrance,” by reciting them at a meeting of the Church. St. John does not threaten excommunication or any sort of discipline, but simply that he will state the facts and let them speak for themselves. A terrible reckoning, like that of the Day of Judgment (cf. Rev. xx. 12)—to hear a recital of all one’s passionate speeches and_ inconsiderate actions. Contrast St. Paul’s threats (x Cor. iv. 21: 2 Cor. x. 11, xiii. 1-3). St. John deserved to be called “the Apostle of Love”. Φλναρεῖν (nugari, verschwatsen), of foolish chattering. Suid.: Φλύαρος: φλήναφος καὶ λῆρος καὶ µάταιος λόγος. The chatter of Dio- trephes was not only foolish but male- volent (λόγοις πονηροῖς). μὴ ἀρκ., see note on i John ii. 4. οὔτε . . . καί, cf. John iv. 11. κωλύει, ἐκβαάλλει, 'ρτες. implying not that he actually did it but that he tried to do it. ἐκβάλλει, here not of literal ejection (cf. John ii. 115= Matt. xxi. 12= Mark xi. 15) but of ex- communication from the fellowship of the congregation.