meaning is, then, that Christ, in His human manifestation, ap- peared after John, but, as the Eternal Word, preceded him, because He existed before him. Compare viii. 58.*
16. And (xai). But the correct reading is 671, because, thus connecting the following sentence with “full of grace and truth ” in ver. 14. We know Him as full of grace and truth, because we have received of His fulness.
Of His fulness (€« tod wAnp@paros adtod). These and the succeeding words are the Evangelist’s, not the Baptist’s. The word fulness (Ajpwpua) is found here only in John, but fre- quently occurs in the writings of Paul, whose use of it in Ephesians and Colossians illustrates the sense in John; these being Asiatic churches which fell, later, within the sphere of John’s influence. The word is akin to wAnpns, full (ver. 14), and to wAnpodp, to fill or complete ; and means that which 7s com- plete in itself, plenitude, entire number or quantity. Thus the crew of a ship is called 7Anjpwpa, its complement. Aristophanes (‘‘ Wasps,” 660), ““rovt@y mAjpwua, the sum-total of these, is nearly two thousand talents.” Herodotus (iii., 22) says that the JSull term of man’s life among the Persians is eighty years ; and Aristotle (“‘ Polities,” iv., 4) refers to Socrates as saying that the eight classes, representing different industries in the state, con- stitute the pleroma of the state (see Plato, “ Republic,” 371). In Ephesians i. 23, Paul says that the church is the pleroma of Christ: «.e., the plenitude of the divine graces in Christ is com- municated to the Church as His body, making all the body, supplied and knit together through the joints and bands, to in- crease with the increase of God (Col. ii. 19 ; compare Eph. iv. 16). Similarly he prays (Eph. iii. 19) that the brethren may be filled unto all the pleroma of God: i.e. that they may be filled with the fulness which God imparts. More closely re- lated to John’s use of the term here are Col. i. 19, “It pleased
*TI follow Meyer and Godet. De Wette, Alford, Milligan and Moulton adopt the other interpretation, referring ZumpocSev, to rank or dignity. So Westcott, who, however, does not state the issue between the two explanations with his usual sharpness.
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the Father that in Him (Christ) should all the fulness (70 TAnpwwa, note the article) dwell;” and ii. 9, 10, “In Him dwelleth all the pleroma of the Godhead bodily (i.e., corpo- really, becoming incarnate), and in Him ye are fulfilled (rer\n- popévo.).” This declares that the whole aggregate of the divine powers and graces appeared in the incarnate Word, and corre- sponds with John’s statement that “the Word became jlesh and tabernacled among men, full of grace and truth;” while “ye are fulfilled” answers to John’s “of His fulness we all received.” Hence John’s meaning here is that Christians receive from the divine completeness whatever each requires for the perfection of his character and for the accomplishment of his work (com- pare John xv. 15; xvii. 22).*
Have—received (€AdBouev). Rev., we recewed: rendering the aorist tense more literally.
Grace for grace (xdpw dvtl ydpitos). The preposition avri originally means over against ; opposite ; before (in a local sense). Through the idea of placing one thing over against another is developed that of exchange. Thus Herodotus (iii., 59), “ They bought the island, avti ypyudtov, for money.” So Matt. v. 38, “An eye for (dv7) an eye,” etc. This idea is at the root of the peculiar sense in which the preposition is used here. We re- ceived, not New Testament grace instead of Old Testament grace; nor simply, grace added to grace; but new grace im- parted as the former measure of grace has been received and improved. “To have realized and used one measure of grace, was to have gained a larger measure (as it were) a exchange for it.” Consequently, continuous, unintermitted grace. The idea of the development of one grace from another is elaborated by Peter (2 Pet. i. 5), on which see notes. Winer cites a most interesting parallel from Philo. “ Wherefore, having provided and dispensed the first graces (ydputas), before their recipients have waxed wanton through satiety, he subsequently bestows