The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 41

oonl!equent upon hie reaurreotion in the others, "auggested itself in anticipation ol apostle's words relative to his apoetolio the clause, • through Jesus Christ,' which appointment in Rom. i. 4, 5; where the we.a to follow." In the expression, "God Jesus Christ through whom "he had the Father,'' the addition of the words," the rreeived grace and apostleship," in contrast Father," was not necessary for the indication with his merely human condition as "of of the Person meant, any more than in 1 Pet. the seed of David aooording to the flesh," i, 21 1 "Believers in God which mised him is desoribed as "him who we.s declared to be from the dead," or in numberless other the Son of God with power, according to the passages where the term._ "God" regularly spirit of holiness by the resu1Tection of the designates the First Person in the blessed dead." The cle.nse, "who raised him from Trinity. It would be an incomplete para- the deail," hl!II a twofold bearing upon the phrase to explain it either as "God the point in hand. 1. It supplies an answer to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," or as objection which may be believed to have "God our Father." It is rather, "God the been made to Paul's cle.im to he re.,.o-arded e.s primary Author and supreme Orderer of Rn apostle sent forth by Jesus Christ, all things," or, as in the Oreed, "God the by those who said, " You have never seen Father Almighty." It ie best illustrated Christ or been taught by him, like those by the e.postle'e words in I Cor. viii. 6, "To whom he himself named apostles." The us there is one God, the Father, of whom answer is, "You might object so if Jesus [i.e. out of whom, •~ o1i] ure all ihinga, and were no more than e. dead man ; but he is we unto him;" and in Rom. xi. 36," Of him, not that: he is e. living Man raised from the o.nd through him, and unto him, a.re o.11 dead by the Father; and e.s such I have things." The apostle edds the term in order myaelf seen him (cf. 1 Cor. iL 1); and he to make the designation of the supreme it was that in his own person, and through God, who ie the Source of hie o.postleehip, no intervention of human agency, gave me the more august and impressive. both the commission to preach and the Ver. 2.-And all the brethren whioh a.re gospel which I was to preach" (see below, with me (Keil ol abv lJJ,ol 1r&v.-es a6e/\</Jol); vers. 11, 12). 2. It connects the e.ction of God and the brethren which are with me, one and the Father with that of Jesus Christ in all. The ordinary une.ccentuated colloca- appointing Paul to be an apostle; for the tion of 1r&vns would be, wci.v.-es ol ubv tµol things which Christ did when raised from a6e/\4>0C. Ite position here, where, perhaps, the dead and glorified with himself (John it we.a thrust in by e. kind of after-thought, xvii 5) by the Father muet obviously have marks it as emphatic; there is not one of been done from, with, and in God the those about him who does not feel the like Father. It "WOuld unduly narrow the grief o.nd indignation ae himself in reference pragmatism of the clause if we limited it to to the news juet now received. We have a either of the two purposes above indicated; similar collocation in Rom. xvi. 15. n&v-res both were probably in the mind of St. Paul would be marked e.s eDjlphatic e.leo if ple.c!'d in adding it. The immediate context gives last, o.s in I Cor. vii. 17 ; xiii. 2 ; xv. 7 ; Titus no warrant for our supposing, e.s many have iii. 15. Our attention is arrested by the ab- done, that the apostle has jnet here other sence of any name. A number of pereons trnthe in view e.e illvolved in the fact of our a.re named by St. Luke in the Acts (xviii. Lord's resurrection; such e.g. as he has 18-xx. 5), and by the apostle himself in himself indicated in Rom. iv. 24, 25; vi.; hie Epistles to the Corintl.Jie.ne and to the Col. iii. J. However cogent and closely rele- Romane, ae abouthispereon at different times vant some of these inferences might have during the latter pa.rt of his third journey : been with respect to the subjects treated of and it does not eeem very likely that not one in this Epistle, the Epistle itself, e.s a matter we.e now with him of those who had o.coom- of fact, makes no other reference whatever panied him, either in the first or in the to that great event, whether directly or second of hie two visits in Ge.le.tia. The indirectly. Should lit' il.Y6ptfnrov be rendered most probable way of explaining the entire " through man," the noun understood gene- euppreeeion of names is by reference to the rically, as e.g. Ps. lvi. I (Septuagint), or present mood of the writer; he ie too in- ~ through a roan," pointing to one individual dignant at the behaviour of the Ge.latie.u ooing? It iB Dot very material; but perhaps Churchmen to weave into hie greeting any the second rendering ie recommended by the euch thread of mutual pereone.l interest. It considHation that, if the apostle had meant ie enough to intimate that all about him felt still to write generically, he would have ae he <lid. trnto the Churches of Ge.le.tia repeated the plural noun already employer!, (rais IK1</\11ulctu .-ijs rct/\ci.-Ccis). The dry colrl- Indeed, it may be thought a preferable ness of tone with which this is written will rendering in the other pe.seagee above cited. be beet understood l;y the ree.dor upon his The transition from the plural noun to the comparing the e.poetle's manner in hie other 1DI1gular, u i■ noted by Bishop Lightfoot e,nd lettera, in e.11 of which he ill found 11ddlng dit, L 1-24.) THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.