The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 117

eore feeling which thia nnrrotivo of St. being equivalent to lnrerr-rl>-Ano, the use of Paul's nnd tho mo.nner of its diction left which middle voice is illustrated by Acts behind in the minds of a cerfain section of xx. 27. The Gentile converts could not but Jewish Chrietio.ns. perceive that his manner with them was less Ver.12.-P'or before that certain oame from openly cordial than heretofore. He was no J'amea (,rpo -roii ")'O.p IMeiv 'TWOS a.,,-1, 'la1twtlov ). longer so ready to go to their houses. In Since the apostle writes "from James," o.nd public, be shrank from being seen with them not" from Judmo." (o.s Acts xv. 1) or" from on terms of frank and equal companionship. J eruso.lem,"' the surmise suggests itself that Fearing them whioh were of the circnm· these men had a mission from St. James. oision (,Potlo6µevos -roh l1t ,,.,p,-roµiis); fear• Alford'e view appears probable, that St. ing the brethren drawn fr= the circ11,rnci,i011, Jamee, while holding that the Gentile con- If the apostle had written 'f"ltl. -r1jv ,,.,p,-roµf,v, verts were not to have the obeervo.nce of the the expression would have taken in the not- Law forced upon them, did nevertheless believing Jews as well; whereas the prepo- consider that the Jewish believers were still sition'"• like ;,,,,,.,1 in Acts xv. 19, indicates bound to keep it. Possibly he had sent the branch of mankind from which the con- them to Antioch to remind the Jewish Chris- verts had come (Acts L 45; xi. 2; CoL iv. tians of the city of their obligations in this 11 ; Titus i. 10). respect. This would be in no way incon- Ver. 13.-And the other J'ews dissembled sistent with Acts xv. 19, where the emphatio likewise with him (1tal rrvvu,,.e1<p[/J-rJrra.v alrrip words, "them which from the Gentiles turn 1tal ol Ao,,,.o, 'lovlia,01); and the rest of the to God," tacitly imply that the obligations Jews dissembled likewise with him. "The of Jewish believers continued the so.me as Jews," i.e. the Christian Jews who were at before (comp. Acts xxi. 18-25). He did Antioch before these brethren " from James" eat with the Gentiles (µ.,.,.;,,, -rwv ~6vwv rrwfi- arrived there, and who, as Cephas bad done cr81ev). The Greek expression is no doubt till their coming, associated quite frankly equivalent to -rois tev,rr, rrvvf,rr81ev (comp. with the Gentile Christians. "Dissembled Acts xi. 3; see Matt. xvii. 3 compared with with !Jim;" tliey a.s well ns be acted in a Mark ix. 4). There appears to be no ground manner which did not faithfully represent for restricting this "eating with" them to their own inward man. They were, in uniting with them at the agape or at the reality, convinced that Chriat bad made all Lord's Supper. The words in Acts xi. 3, those who believed in him alike righteous spoken some ten years before this, " Thou before God with themselves, and alike meet wentest in (elrrijA6es) to men still in their to be admitted to Christian fellowship. But uncircumcision, and didst eat with them," now, by practically siding with those who pointed to a social participation of food treated their Gentile brethren as more or rather than to one merely religious ; though, less unclean, not fit for them to associate it must be confessed, these two things were with, they disguised their real sentiments not as yet so sharply distinguished from from "fear" of forfeiting the confidence and eaoh other as it was afterwards found neces- good will of those narrow-minded Jews. sary that they should be (1 Cor. xi. 34). The ri.postle brands their behaviour as "dis- While thus eating witlJ Gentiles, St. Peter simulation" or "hypooriey," because their may well have fortified hie mind with motive wo.s a deceitful one. They, though, the thought, that the Lord Jesus had been no doubt, in a degree unconsciously, wished wont to hold, not merely teaching converse, to mo.ke those newly arrived Jews suppose but socio.I intercoUise also, with persons that they themselves did at bottom feel as whom " the scribes and the Pharisee~" re- they did as to a certo.in measure of unclean- garded as themselves unclean and by contact ness attaching even to the believing uncir- polluting (Luke v. 30; xv. 2; xix. 7). cumcision. lnsomnoh that :Barnabas alac Christ, it is true, both himself observed the ( /J,rr-re Kai Bapv<ltlas) ; 10 that tven Barnabas. Lo.w and taught his disciples to observe it, The lo.et man from whom such conduct could He wore" the border" (tcpdrr,,.,liov) attached have been expected I The expression shows to his garment; but he did not wear the how deeply the apostle felt Barnabas to "border" unnecessarily "enlarged." On have hitherto sympathized with himself the contrary, the rabbinical exaggerations of with regard to Gentile believel'B; as, i~de_ed, legal prescriptions, inconsistent with ohnrity the history of the Acts proves, beg1nn1n~ or with reason, he was wont emphatically with xi. 21-26 to xv. 12, 25. Further, to repudiate (Matt. xxiii.; llfork vii. 1-13). tho tone of this reference to him, written But when they were come, he withdrew and three or four years after the occasion spoken separated himself (U-re lif ;\"6ov, lnrlrr-reMo o( as well as of that which he makes in his 1tul &,pwp,(ev ,av-rov); but when they came, he First Epistle to the Corinthians (ix. 6), l,egan to shrink back and sepa1·ate lii'ITIIJelj written at nearly the same time as this from them. 'Eav-rlw is governed by lnrlrr-r•>-· Epistle to the Galatians, shows in the most ,..,. o.e well as by l,,,pwp1(,v, &,,.,cr-r•>->-•v ic,v-rbv natural QJ.I\Dner the high and corJi,\l estee~ GALATIANS, Q S2 THE EPISTLE TO THE G.ALA'l'IANS, [en. u. 1-21.