The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 106

The apostle repeats this participle thrice in with hushed and respectful attention to Paul the following oontext--onoe(ver, 6),as here, and BarnabM, while they gave n detailed e.bsolutely; 1tnd twice (vers. 6, 9) with an account of what great signs nnd wonders infinitive. This harping upon lio1<oii,,.,-u God had wrought amon~t the Gentiles suggest.a a surmise thRt St. Paul's gain- through them. After this, upon James's sayers in Galatia had been fond of using proposition, "the npostles and the elders" the e:i.pression to designate the persons re- came to the resolution tho.t, in conjunction ferred to in disparagement of himself as a with the whole Church, they would choose man comparatively of no mark. Compo.re and depute carte.in memhers of their oom• the almost mocking reiteration of "super- munity to convey to the Gentile brethren a 1&.th-ely chief apostles," in 2 Cor. xi. 5 and certain letter, which very probably (of. as to xii. 11, referring to "pseudo-apostles." Jn diction, vers. 17, 23, with J as. ii. 7; i. l) order to determine who were the persons the James himself, as presiding in their meeting, apostle thus distinguishes, we naturally refer with the concurrence of the apostles and the to St. Luke's account of the circumstances. elders, drew up. The words," with the whole St. Luke, then, seems to spee.k of three Church," coming in here for the first time several meetings held on this occa.sion. The since ver. 4, indieate a third meeting, in first (in ver. 4) when Paul and,Be.rnabas, which the general body of believers was with their fellow-deputies, were "received prevailed upon to concur in the measures by tlie Church and the apostles and the before agreed upon in the second more elders;" '\\·hen" they [Paul nnd Barno.bas] private meeting. According to the more declared what great things God had done in approved reading of ver. 23 ( omitting the kcil co-operation with them." It cannot have before a.~•ll.,Pol), the letter issues from " the been then tho.t St. Po.ul gave this exposition apostles and the elder brethren" alone, as of his gospel. Bnt certain of the Pharisees these also were the persons with whom who had joined the Church began loudly to (ver. 2) the deputation from Antioch had insist upon the necessity of Gentile converts been sent to confer. Now, upon the review being circumcised and conforming to the of all the circumstances as now stated, the Law. Whether it was at this first meeting second of these three meetings would seem itself that this took place, or subsequently, to have presented just such an opportunity at all events " the apostles and the elders " as would suit the design which St. Paul had judged it to be undesirable .that the matter formed, of expounding his teaching to the i;hould be further discussed in so large an leading spirits in Jerusalem. When he and BS1emblage of the circumcision, before, in the Barnabas were relating those. signs and calmer atmosphere of a private conference, wonders by which the seal of Divine sanction they had themselves considered what course had been pnt upon tbeil' ministry among it would be best to adopt. Accordingly, St. the Gentiles, it was natural that Paul, here Luke tells us (ver. 6), " the apostles and the no doubt, as generally "the chief speaker," elders came together to see about this should tell their hearers with the utmost matter." "After much discussion had taken distinctness what that teaching was which place," which upon a question so closely Heaven had thus ratified; most especially touching the Jew'd national sensibilities that part of it which was so directly relevant mu~t even in this more select body have to the praclical question which wo.s then in been fraught with no ordinary excitement, debate, and which is so emphatically set the rising passions of controversy were forth in.the Epistles to tile Galo.tie.us and stilled by Peter; he recalled the story of the Romans-to wit, that all who believe in Cornelius, and founding thereupon, he Christ are justified and have full peace and warned his hearers, that by imposing, as sonsbip with God without any works of many perhaps even of those then present :Mosaical ceremonialism. 'fliis was precisely were wishful to do, the intolerable yoke of "the gospel" which here (ver. 2) he speaks Mosaism upon the neck of the Gentile dis- of as "preached by him among the Gentiles," ciples, they ran the risk of contravening and "The apostle~ and the elders " answer per- provoking God; for after all (he siguificantly fectly to the description of o/ lio1<ovvTu. For reminded them), their own hope of salvation, there is no reason tor supposiug tL1it the ol as well as the hope of Gen tile believers, was lio1<ovvTH of vers. 2 and 6, or the ol lio1<oiiv,,-u that they would be saved through the grace •lvcil -n of ver. 6, represent exactly the so.me of the Lord Jesus. Thereupon the" whole persons as the ol liuKuvv-ru tT-roll.o, •lvci, of company" (,rll.;j8os, in ver. 12, is used by ver. 9. These last are to be conceived ol St. Luke in the same way as in his Gospel rather as representative of those larger (x.xili. l) when speaking of the Sanhedrin; bodies of men recited in the former three the eldermip of the very large Church of references-"James" representing the elders J.,rusalem must of itself, without the doubt- (for the present writer makes no question fui addition of elders from Judaian towns, but that this Ja.mes "the Lord's brother" L.ave formed a CODJllderable body) listened w1111 the presiding officer or Bishop of the  OH, II, 1-21.] THE EPISTLE TO 'fHE GALATIANS. 71