festations of the divine glory, in the wilderness (Exod. xvi. 10; xxiy. 16, ete.) ; in the temple (1 Kings viii. 11); to the proph- ets (Isa. vi. 3; Ezek. i. 28). The divine glory flashed out in Christ from time to time, in His transfiguration (Luke ix. 31; compare 2 Pet. i. 16, 17) and His miracles (John ii. 11; xi. 4, 40), but appeared also in His perfect life and character, in His fulfilment of the absolute idea of manhood.
Glory. Without the article. This repetition of the word is explanatory. The nature of the glory is defined by what follows.
As (as). A particle of comparison. Compare Apoc. v. 6, “a lamb as though it had been slain; ” also Apoc. xiii. 3.
Of the only begotten of the Father (sovoyevots mapa matpos). Rev., “from the Father.” The glory was lke, cor- responds in nature to, the glory of an only Son sent from a Father. It was the glory of one who partook of His divine Fa- ther’s essence; on whom the Father’s love was visibly lavished, and who represented the Father as His ambassador. The word povoyerns, only begotten (De Wette and Westcott, “only born”) is used in the New Testament of a human relationship (Luke vii. 12; viii. 42; ix. 38). In the Septuagint it answers to darling, Heb., only one, in Ps. xxi, A. V. xxii. 20; and to desolate in Ps. xxiv., A. V. xxv., 16. With the exception of the passages cited above, and Heb. xi. 17, it occurs in the New Testament only in the writings of John, and is used only of Christ. With this word should be compared Paul’s mpwrotoKos, first born (Rom. vill. 29; Col. i. 15, 18), which occurs but once in John (Apoe. i. 5), and in Heb. i. 65 xi. 28; xii. 23. John’s word marks the relation to the Father as unique, stating the fact in itself. Paul’s word places the eter- nal Son in relation to the universe. Paul’s word emphasizes His existence before created things; John’s His distinctness from created things. Movoyevys distinguishes between Christ as the only Son, and the many children (réxva) of God; and further, in that the only Son did not become (yevéoSar) such