The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 110

which is embodied. in the gospel, and is its parenthesis asserting his independence with very hinge and substance. The snme phrase respeot to those whom hie gainsayers in is found in Col. i. 5. The "truth" is that Galatia would seem to have pronounced hie enunciated in ver. 16, e.nd that it is the vf!ry superiors, both in knowledge and in office, essence of the 1!,'0spel is declared Rom. i. 17. he loses si.,ht of the beginning of the The refusal of Church fellowship to e. be- sentence, and begins it afresh in another liever of this ,:-ospel except he were circum- form with the words (lµol -yitp ol llotcoiinu), cised, by just inference vitiated and, indeed, for t.hey who were of repute, eto. Reputed nullified the truth that faith in Christ is to be somewhat; tho.t is, thought highly ot: the sole and sufficient ground of justifica- The phrase is of frequent oocurrence, both tion. Might oontinue with you (o,aµd"11 in Greek and in Latin authors. It is ob- ..-po, oµas). Might never oease to ham its vious that he refers to the twelve and the home with you, to be believingly enter- leaders of the mother Church of J eruso.lem, tained by you. A,a.µ,vOJ is an intensified Whatsoever they were, it maketh no matter form of µ,v.,, The preposition ..-pos is used to me (cl..-oiol 1roT< ~crav, oMlv µ01 o,a.,Plpe,); as in eh. i. IS, where see note. It is pos- of what sort they at any time were maketh no sible that, ns Alford observes, the Galatians matter to me. The cl..-oio, (of what sort) is sug- may not specially have been in St. Paul's gested by the preceding .,., (somewhat), and mind at that time, but only the Gentile the ;\uav (they were) by the oo,covv'Twv (re- Churches in general ; and that for greater puted); from those reputed to be somewhat impressi,eness he applies to the particular whatever they really were. The comparison what was only shared by it in the general. of the usage of clrroios in other passages It is, however. supposable that the cases of (Acts xxvi. 29; 1 Cor. iii. 18; I Thess. i. 9; the several Churches which he had then Jas. i. 24) ha.rdly favours the specific inter- latelv founded with Barnabas were mnch pretation, "how great." In respect to the iu his thoughts at that time; for, as is 1r0Te,in a classical author,asDishop Lightfoot shown by his numerous references to his observes, we should have no hesitation in specific intercessory prayer, his spirit was taking it as equivalent to cunque. But the incessantly conversant with "all the word occurs in the New Testament in thirty- Churche," (2 Cor. xi. 28); and he wae one other places, and in not one is it cunque, anxiously cognizant of efforts ma.de from but always the adverb of time, either the rnry first by legalizing Christians to " sometime," "in time past," as e.bove, eh. i. pervert their faith. It is not certain that 13, 23; John ix. 13; or "any time," as Acts xvi. G records the first occasion of his I Cor. ix. 7; I Thess. ii. 5. The latter visiting the " Galatic country;" he may shade of meaning seems the more appro- have been there and fonnded "the Churches priate here. The any time, thoui:h not to of Galaiia " before the occurrences described be limited to, would, however, cover the in Ac!s xv. ; and the opinion is even held time when the twelve were in personal by many that Iconium and Derbe, belong- attendance upon our Lord-a circumstance ing to the Roman promce of Galatia, were which St. Paul's detractors were no doubt two of "the Churches of Galatia" (see wont to bold up as a mark of distinction not Introduction, p. 2). possessed by him. It seems best to te.ke of Ver. 6.-But of these who seemed to be what sort as dependent upon the following somewhat (a.,rl, o, 'Tow '601<ovV'TOJJ1 ,1va.l .,.,) ; words, malteth no matter to me. This le.st 1ww from those who were reputed to be some- clause is not exactly equive.lent to "I co.re 'UJhat. The conjunction o, does not seem not," as if it were an almost supercilious to be adversative here, but Rimply intro- waving aside of the consideration; it is ductory of a new particular. The writer is rather a grave assertion of a matter of fact. about to introduce, which he does in the Wl,atever were the gifts of knowledge and next five verses (6-10), a fresh illustration spiritual insight which the twelve or other of the independent position, which in point heads of the J ernsalemite Church possessed, both of doctrine and of ministerial footing or whatever their ministerial privileges or he held in relation to the first apostles and authority, whether derived from personal to the heads of the Jerusalemite Church, intercourse with tlie Lord Jesus when upon and at the same time of the full recognition earth or in any other way, Paul's know- v. hich in both respects these had accorded ledge of the gospel and Paul's apostolic to him. The construction of ibis sentence, authority were neither of them at all as it proceeds, is interrupted and changed. affected by them. Now, at the time that When St. Paul wrote, from tlwae who were ho is writing this Epistle, he was just the reputed UJ l,e BOmewll,(J.t, he would seem to same in respect to the possession of the have meant to add, '' I received nothing essential truth of the gospel and to his apo- fresh either in knowledge oftbe gospel or in stolic authority as if he had had no inter- authority ae Christ's minister," or somc- course with the spiritual rulers of the Jewish t[, ing to that effect ; hut in his indignant Church. God acoepteth no man's person Oil, II, 1-21.] 'rHE EPISTLE 'J;O THE GALA.TIANS. 75