The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 67

cnnnot bnt recollect, with reference to the his grace to the Getltiles, to no mortRl mo.n, J .ord Jesus, that when, after bis baptism, w bet Iler at Damascus or else,vhere, did I apply "the Spirit droye him forth into the wilder- for:further light; neither did I even repair ness," wit.h _a view, A.S v,e may in all to Jerusalem to seek instruction from Christ's reYercnco believe, to his preparing himself own [former e.postles: I at once deported in for his high ministry as the Christ, no one a direction which took me where I was still imngines that it was into the wilderness of far away [or, perhaps, 'which took me Sinai that be was led. And this suggests further and further away'] from Jerusalem, the remark that, at this particular juncture into Arabia: and who should tee.oh· me this in especial, Saul's mol'ements were directed doctrine in Arabia? Aud then, forthwith, by heavenly guidanco. This we seem I came back straight to Damascus, Damas• warranted to infer from our Lord's words cus being my first appointed sphere of to him. "Rise, and enter into the city, and labour." · it shall be told thee what thou must do" Ver. 18.-Then after three years (l,m+a (Acts ix. 6). At snch a season, indeed, the µe-rcl. -rpla f-r11). 'fhe -apostle's object is to unceasing cry or his whole sou.I-a cry illustrate the ·independent source of his surely not nnresponded to-must have been, doctrine as not deriv.ed from men. 'l'his he "Lord, what \\ilt thou haTe me to do?" does here by indicr"ting how long an in- For further description of the geographical terval elapsed after• he first wns •·made question, see Conybeare and Howson, eh. iii.; acquainted with it before he ever .got to ' Dictionary of the Bible,' articles "Arabia" even know Peter. By this he gives ,his and "Aretas;" Lightfoot's 'Galatians : Ex- readers to feel how strongly assured from cursus,' pp. 87-92, 6th edit. And returned the very first was his conviction 1lf the aga.ill nnto Damascus (i,:al miluv {11rfr-rp,,j,a. ,ls sufficiency and certain truth of those views Liaµ.a(T1<ov ). That ia, "without going else- of the "gospel" which had been divinely where or ro any place where I could meet communicated to him. The obvious in- with men who could be my instructors in the ference from this view of the writer's pre- gospel." This must be supposed to be sent purpose ie that., in· hie· reckoning ·of implied; otherwise the narrative would time, the terminus a quo in this verse ie the be illusive. AB above stated. the "imme- era of " God'11 revealing his Son in him," diately" appears intended to qualify this which in effect was thai of hie conversion. clause as well. as the preceding. The evi- There are two_modes of computing time em- dential value of this reference to Damascus; ployed in the New Testament-the inclusive by implication indicated as the scene of his and the non-inclusive. According to the previously mentioned conversion, is strik- former, just. ae "after three days" in Matt. ingly illustrated by Paley in his 'Horm xxvii. 63 and Mark viii. 31, means in fact "on Paulin&!' (Galatians),cited by Dean Howson, the next day after but one; " so in the present in loc. "A casual expression at the end, and instance, "after three years" may denote a an expression brought in for a differeni not greater interval than: " in the next year purpose, alone fixes it to have been at Da- after but one." Compare the "by the space mascns. Nothing can be more like sim- of three years " ( -rp,nla.v) of Acts xx. 31, plicity and undesignedness than this." At taken in conjunction with" for the· space of Ul6 risk of repeatiug some remarks already two years" of Acts xix. 10. On the other made, I venture to propose the following as hand, according to the non-inclusive way a just pare.phase of the whole passage, be- exemplified in the " after six days" of Matt. ginning with ver. 12. "My gospel which xvii. l; Mark ix. 2 •( compared· with the ye are swerving from I did not in any degree "about eight day11" of Luke ix. 28), the receive from men, but solely through the interval denoted may have been no less reYelation of Jesus Christ which God him- than three whole yea.re. Since it is to the self made to me. It is evident that before interest of the apostle's argument to mark I knew Christ, during the time that I was the interval at its greatest, the render will persecuting God's own Church with fanatical probably be of opinion that, if St. Paul had fury, my whole heart and soul devoted to had in hie mind e. space of time which was the strictest Judaism of the Pharisees, I not in reality Ieee than three years, he was removed pole11 asunder from all possible would have used e. form of expression more sympo.tlletio contact with this doctrine. clearly marking this, and . not .one which 'l'hat God's love was ready to embrace might be easily taken ae meaning less; and every believer in Christ, whether obeying therefore that the phrase, "after three Moses· Law or not obeying it,-this was a years," means in reality no more than " in trutll that in those days could not possibly the year e.fter the next; not before." I went have gained accea11 to my mind. .And after up to Jerusalem (l,,vijll.8011 .Js '1Epotro7'.uµa.l· this, when Guel gr11,Ciou11ly illuminated my The apostle writes "went up" with e. Jews iiOul with the sight of his Son, in oider instinctive feeling of Jerusalem being the that I might become the joyful herald of capital and centre of his nation and its OII, I. 1-24.] 'l'HE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. :n