The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 290

emphntically wnrncd the Gnlatians against arrl7'.')'11s describes a man insolently and making their emancipation from the Mosaic wantonly reckless in his trenbnent of others; Law an occnsion fo1· tl1e flesh, and in ver. but in the New Testament it gonercilly ap- 16 nffirmed the inc0mpatibility of a spiritual pears to point moro specifically to unabashed walk with the fulfilment of the desire of the open indulgence in impurity. The noun is fl,·sh. he now specifies samples of the vices, connec.ted with "uncleanness" and "forni- whrther in 0ut,rnrd conduct or in inward cation" in 2 Cor. xii. 21 ; with " unclean- fo ling, in which the working of the flesh is 0 ness" in Eph. iv. 19; is used of the men of nppsrent, as if cautioning them; adduc- Sodom in 2 Pet. ii. 7 ; comp. also 2 Pet. ii. ing just those into which the Galatian con- 18; l Pet. iv. 3; Judo 4 ( cf. 7). Only in wr1s would naturally be most in danger of Mark vii. 22 can it from the grouping be fo1ling. Both in the list which he gives naturally taken in its classical sense. them of sins, and in that of Christian graces, Ver. 20. -Idolatry, wi.tohcraft ( e/8.,7'.u• he is careful to note those relati rn to their 7'.a-rp,la., 4>op_u.a.1Cela); idolatry, sorcery. These Church life as well as those bearing upon two form a second group-sins of irreligion; their p2rsonal private life. l:istances of and such as would be likely greatly to beset enumeration of sins which may be compared new converts from idolatry. We may com- "ith that here given. are found, with respect pare, ;in respect to the former, the temp- to the heathen world, in Rom. i. 29-31 ; tations which the apostle recognizes the -..ith reference to Christians, Rom. xiii. 13; danger of in the case of the Corinthians (1 1 Cor. vi. 9, 10; 2 Cor. xii. 20, 21; Eph. v. Cor. viii. and x.). "Sorcery." The word </>a.p• 3-5, followed by a brief indication of fruits µa.1«la, originally denoting the use of drugs of the Spirit in ver. 9; Col. iii. 5-9; 1 Tim. merely, means, sometimes, their use for poi- i. ~. 10; 2 'l'im. iii. 2-4. "Manifest;" soning ; but this sense would not be very namelv, to onr moral sense; we at once feel suitable here. But the nouns 4>a.pµa1Cos, that these are the outcome of an evil natnre, 4>apµa1Ceos, and 4>a.pµa.1Ce!a, like venejicU8 and and are incompatible with the in ftucnce of veneficium in Latin, are also often used with the Spirit of God. "Works of the flesh" reference to the employment of drugs in means works in which the prompting of the charms and incantations; and thence of the :flesh is recognizable. The phrase is equiva- employment of black arts in genernl-mo.gic, lent to "the deeds or doings of the body," sorcery, witchcraft; cf. Rev. ix. 21; xxi. 8; "hich we are called to "mortify, put to xxii. 15 ; where the Authorized Version death, by the Spirit " (Rom. viii. 13). In gives "sorceries," "sorcerers;" and in the Rom. xiii. 12 and Eph. v. 13 they are styled Septuagint, Exod. vii. 11, 22; viii. 18 " works of darkness," that ie, works belong- (Authorized Version, "magicians ") ; Isa. ing properly to a state in which the moral xlvii. 9, 12 (''enchantments"). See o.lso sense ho.s not been qnickened by the Spirit, µa."f<Ow11, p.a."ftla,s ("sorceries"), Acts viii. or in which the light of Christ's presence 9, 11. The claim to the possession of such has not shone. Which are these ([i-rwcf irr-r,); powers, common at Ephesus (Acts xix. 19 ; of which IIOrl are. Adultery, foruication, un- 2 Tim. iii. 13, -yo71-r,s), and rife, perhaps, clea~ess, las~ivi~usness ~ ,rof11~la [Recept~, universally among heathens, certainly so µo,x«rt., ,rop11e.a], a.1Ca.8a.pu,a., rt.(J'<A"fEtrt.). Th!B in the Roman empire round the Mediter- is the first group, consisting of offences ranean, had no doubt been a snare also to against chastity-Bins against which the the Galatians. Bishop Lightfoot adverts Church has to contend in all ages and in all to a very stringent canon of the Council of countries; but which idolatry, especially Ancyra. (the capital of Galatia), A.D. 314, such idolatry as that of Cybele in Galatia, condemning 4>a.pµa.1C<ia.1, It may be doubted has generally much fostered. The first in whether the apostle himself would regard, our English Bible, "adultery,'' is rejected or had reason to regard, pretensions to such from the Greek text by the general consent supernatural arts as merely delusive or of editors. But in fact, "fornication" superstitious. Experiences such as that (,rop11drt.) may be taken as including it (Matt. recorded in Acts xvi. 16-18, would hardly v. 32), though it may also et.and at its side permit him to do so. Hatred, variance, as a distinct species of uncha.stity. "Un- emulatione, wrath, strife, seditione, heresies cleanness " covers a wider range of sensual (lxepa.,, lp,s [Receptus, lpm], 0)7'.o,, 8uµaC, sin(" all, uncleanness," Eph. iv. 19); solitary Ep,8t/ia,, 3,xorrTaula,, alpitrfu); enmities, strife, impurity, whether in thought or deed; un- jealousies, wraths, factions, di1,-isions, heresies natural lust (Rom. i. 24), though it can (or, parties). This third group, to whi.ch lin.rdly be taker, as meaning this lust alone. belongs also the envyings (q,8&110,), together "La,;civiousness," or "wantonness,'' is with the probably not genuine murders 11Carcely an adequate rendering oC a.u•7'."(•i.a. (,;,&110,) of the next verse, is bound together in this connection; it appears to point to by the common characteristic of malignity. reekless shamelessness in uncit.Rn indul- This vice of onr nature, so inveterate in our gences. In classical Greek the e.djective fallen ste.te-the antithesis to the love which OIL V, 1-26.) THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS. 257