The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 59

to his life before his conversion ; and thht "devnstntc," " hrtrry; " and in clnsoieal the accounts which thev had l'eoeived of it Greek is used with refei·euco to towns, had oome through nnfriendly informants, oounti-ies, and the like, being applied to These may have been either unbeliev• persons only in the poetical style (Liddell ing Jews or Judaizing Christians, who and Scott). In the New Testament it is wished by these ttatements to dispnmge the used only in relation to Saul's persecution, apostle's charaoter ns one who, if be really apparently marking its deadly effeoti veness was not dishonest, was at all events oe.pable as well as Saul's determination if possible to of passing from one extreme of sentiments eztirpat,e the faith and its adherents. The to their direct opposite with the utn10st ~pugnabam or the Vulgate would eeem a 1mddenness and levity, and therefore was fo.ir equivalent. not a man entitled to be regarded with con- Ver. 14.-And protlted in the Jews' re- fidence. Of my oonversa.tion in time past in ligion (Kal ,rpol,co,,..,.ov lv -rep 'louSaiCTµq,); afld the Jews' religion ('dw ,µ+,v &v,urr;po#J~ ,ro'Te 'IDa& going jorUJard in Judaism; that is, wes iv 'Tep 'louoai<rµcii); of mJ/ manner of life going on further and further in Judaism. formerly in Judaism. "The manner in The Greek verb (1rpi>K01rT«v) "to- make which I once behaved myself as devoted to way," "advance," is found al..o Luke ii. 52; Judaism." The ,roT, belongs t.o the action Rom. xiii. 12; 2 'fim. ii. 16: iii. 9, -13. denoted in the verbal noun &.va.tr'Tpocfww, like "In Judaism," i.e. in the sentiments and ;, 'T'ijs Tpolas G.>,..,q,s ,-l, o,trr,,pov, oited by practices of Judaism. The pELrlioular kind Meyer from Plato (' Legg ..' iii. 685, D). of Judaism which he hus in view wns the 'Ava<rTpocp-fi, conversatio, which oocnrs re- Pharisean form of Mosaism. , 'A-" Pharisee peatedly in the Now Testament, is generally and son of a Pharisee," a ,high-caste" He- rendered "conversation" in Authorized Ver- brew sprung of Hebrews" (Acts -xxiii. 6 ;' sion (Eph. iv. 22; 1 Pet. i. 18; iv. 12; Heb. Phil. iii. 5), Saul had thrown himself upon xiii. 7). "Judaism" means "the religions life the study and observance, not only of all of a Jew," which distinctively was Mose.ism. the rites and ceremonies prescribed in the It occurs in 2 Mace. ii. 21 ; xiv. 38; 4 Mace. written Law, but also of the doctrines, rites, iv. 16. Ignatius (' Ad Magn.,' 8) speaks of e.nd ceremonies which rabbinical teaching "not Ii ving according t.o Judaism," as in ibid., and tradition added thereto : outvying, in 10, he uses the word " Christ.ianism." St. strictness those who were the strictest; never Paul has the verb" Judaize" below, eh. ii. satisfied without adopting whatever fresh 14. On the objective accusative b.va.CTTpo<f>~" observances tb:e . authority or a Pharisean ns defined by the following clause, •• how rabbin might commend to his regELrd. Above that," etc., see note on ,bayy,>,.,011 in ver. 11. many my equals in mine own nation ( lnr~p Row thst beyond measure I persecuted the 'IN>AAoUs crv1111A,,ctcl,Tas Ev -rep ;,lve, µov). Church -of God (lln KaB' inr,p/3o>,.'l/v /o,.,Ko11 " Above," beyond; the same Greek preposi- ,-+,v iKK,.,TJ<Tlav 'Tov e,oii); how that beyond tion as in Acts xxvi. 13 ; Philem. 16, 21; measure I was persecuting the Ch,urch of God. Heb. iv. 12. ~uvtJ>,.<K<WTTJS, synonymous with The imperfect" was persecuting," 88 well as <Twfj>,.1(, used in the Septuagint of Dau. i. 10,, the following, " was mal.'i.ng havoc and was is equivalent to 71>,.1KuilTTJS or ij>,.,(, the r16v advancing," points to what he was doing being prefixed merely to make the notion when God ioterposed in the manner de- of parity more emphatic. Saul was then scribed io vers. 15, 16. Compare the use or "a young man" (Acts vii. 58) ; and the the aorist ,oiwf11 in 1 Cor. xv. 9, where no reference which he here mELkes to" coevals" such simultaneity required to be indicated. of hie, 88 shoring iu his J udaistio enthu- "Beyond measure" or" snperlatively" (KaB' siasm, but outstripped by him therein, seems lnrepf3o>dw) was, at least about this time, a to point to the rising up at thnt time of a fuvourite phrase with St. Paul. A less cager party," a young Jewry," as we might nowa- pen ruigl,t have writtell "exceedingly" days style it. especially espoused by the ~"~',""P"~· Cf._ Rom.~- I~; l C?.'r. ;Kii. 31,: more youthful "Hebrnwa," which devoted ii Cor. 1. 8; 1v. 7, l 1; XII. 7. Of God. itself to the revival and consolidation of 'l'hiti is ad,led to "the Church" with pathos Pharisean Judaism in its most advanced of strong self-condemnation, as it is also in form. We mayconoeive of them as actuated l Cor. xv. 9. Tile apostle foels now that by antagonism, alike to the Gentilizin[J his violence against the Church was a kind spirit of the Herodians; to the rigid hara ol' eacrileg-e. The sentiment is au echo of form of Mos:1ism cherished Ly the Sudrlu- Clirist'I! words to him," Why persecutest thou cees which rejected that development of me?" And wa.Bted it (Kal J.,&pBouv ab-rrw); spiritual doctrine which for many genera- and makiWJ havoc of it. The Greek verb tions had been going on in many pious and (-.-upO,,v) used again in this relation below, thoughtful minds: and finally, and perhaps ver. 23, is t<imih1rly employed also in Acts most specially of ull, to the new but mpidly ix. 21, "made havoc of those who called spreading sect of the "Nazareues." "In UJ)On thiB Name." The verb properly denotes my nation." 'l'he apostle says" my," 01 OIJ, I, 1-24.) THE EPIS'l'LE TO THE GALATIANS. 23