The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 17

xii. 11), ofthllt pbr&Se of withcring scorn," Those who are so super-exoeasively°lpbstlea ( ~o~r ~P -''..,, &.1roa-ro-'ovs)." It seems strange, by the way, that many interpret:erJ, i ,rluding c-,en l~hrysc>stom, should ha,e supposed that St. Pt\ul is in tllese ,vorde refer• rin,: tD s,,me of the twel~. In these three chapters the writer's mind appears altogether absorbed by the I\Il~<"Onism between himself and the pseudo~postles ; to none of the '1"8nerated twelve does he in these chapters make the slightest referenc&. TM professed ./tmction qf these pseudo-apostles. It appears to be a form of (pro• fessedq) evangelistic agency which is indicated in these chapters as exercised by the "apostles" spoken of-a kind of agency which, in those ages, was undoubtedly much employed by the Church. At times "apostles" were delegated and 'sent forth by Churches for the discharge of other functions; for example, Epaphroditus appears to have been despatched by the Philippians as " their apostle," to bear to St. Paul a practical expresm.on of their sympathy with him in his imprisonment. The "apostles" mentioned in the eighth chapter of this Epistle to Corinth (ver. 23) were deputed to be treasurers of the alms collected among Gentile Churches for the poor in the Churches of Judrea.. But the specific business of the "apostles" now under consideration, as w~H as very ~upposably that of Andronicus and Junias mentioned above, seems to have been, at least in part, of a missionary character. ' St. Paul seems to have in view such as being the professed and legitimate calling of those pseudo-apostles, when he censures them as he allusively does, as "glorying beyon4 the measure assigned to them" (2 Cor. x. 15); that is to say, exercising their ministry in a field ofabonr already occupied by another apostle-an apostle owning a highe~ mission than theirs in any case could be. Instead of evincing the respect due to him, viewed u·en as a fellow-worker of their own class of apostleship, they had rudely ·and ins~- lently sought to thrust him aside in the estimation of the Corinthian' C,'h~rch, in order to make room for themselves; nay-e.nd this touched the inmost feeling of his SC)ul far more than any disrespect shown to himself personally...'..they sought to tbrust aside the gospel which he had delivered to that Church, in order to make room for a gospel which they were themselves bringing. And the gospel wherewith they would fain have replaced his was in some way or other a vitiated gospel : they had in some way tampered with the proper message entrusted to the evangelist, as is implied by his expres:,i.ons in 2 Cor. ii 17 and iv. 2-" corrupting," "handling deceitfully the Word of God.." What was the precise form of the adulteration is nowhere clearly indicated, neither in these three chapters of direct encounter with these adversaries, nor in tha~ earlier part of the Epistle which is so pervaded by the consciousness of their presence and by indired reference to them. We can only surmise; but, considering all the con~ ditions of the case, the surmise appears more than merely probable, that they aimed ultimately at modifying both the faith and the religious policy of the Corinthi11,;n Church after the same lines ofreactionary Judaizing, as those men worked upon, who _n.re ~o sternly censured in the second chapter of the Galatians. •... But however, both the exist-ence and the distinguishing character of ,th\'t pseudo• apostleship which is here presented to our view reveal to us both the existence and the legitimate character of a genuine form of apostleship which this othl'!r simulated. Those pseudo-apostles called themsel,vea "apostles of Christ;" "ministers of Christ." We must not overlook the emphasis and persistency with which these impugners of St. Paul's position connected their-own official character with Christ. They said they "\\"ere Christ's" (2 Cor. L 7); "ministers of Christ" (2 Cor. xi .. 23); and, what is of especial interest for us, as will be shortly seen in our present inquiry, that they were "apostles of Christ" (2 Cor. xi. 13). Let us look more closely at these several particulars. 1. In claiming to be regarded as" being Christ's "-that is, as "belonging to Christ,"  DISSERTATION I. xxix