The Pulpit Commentary — Galatians — Section 342

who.t for? ht>ee.nse the Jews did not like it, to be&r in mind Blso tho.t Jud11iem w1111 In e.nd 1-bcy did not "ish to get into trouble Roman jurieprudence treated as o. tolerated by offending them! A gmnd disdain prompta reli,p.on ( religio licita): and that, u long as the apostle, at the cost of impairing the Christians were regarded aa belonging to "'1100th rnn of the sentence, to (BB it were) a sect or branch of Judaism, they might be.J,.nce e.~inst ea.eh other the "oross of seem to be entitled, in the eyes of Romo.u Christ" n~d "not being pemecuted," The law, to the same toleration BB the Jews them• construction of the dative t.o express "by selves enjoyed. But if the Jews co.et them means of," that by which a oerte.in result is off or disowned them they might forfeit brought about, is not very common; but we such immunity, and become liable to be have it in Rom. xi. 20, "'P u..-,ni~ l{E1<;;..&. treated, not only by mobs, but by the crlh)c,av: and ibid., 30, -li"-E1!1h/TE Tji Toti,-..,., Roman law itself, as offendem. The per- GTICT'ri~: 2 Cor. ii. 12, .... p.:/, Eop,iv. Our sons, then, here censured by the apostlo attention is in this passe.ge again drawn to may be supposed to lmve pursued the oourse the manner in which the Jews regarded they did with the ideo. that, by me.ldng "the word of the cross" (1 Cor. i. 18), e.s themselves acceptable to the Jews through that "word" we.s unfolded by St. Pllul and the adoption to a. limited extent of Jewish :received by his disciples o.mong the Gentiles. ceremonies, and especially through the ao- The great point of offence (<T1<&v3a.\ov) in ceptanoe in their own person and the urging the apo8tle's tea.ching respecting it lay in upon others of circumcision, they would his presenting its pollution in the view of relieve themselves of " the offence of the the Law, as interring the abrogation of the cross" (eh. v. 4). Without ceasing to ·be ceremonial institute itself. On this account Chl'istians, they would wipe themselves ihe Jews could not abide him nor those clear of the odium which with the Jews who attached themselves to him e.s their attached to Paul and those who held with teacher, though in a degree able to put up Paul. Suoh seems to be the situation to with Christians not anti-Judaists. To the which St. Paul's words allude. Bishop Galatians he ho.d presented " Chl'ist crnci- Lightfoot interprets it somswho.t differently. :fied" (eh. iiL 1) e.s he saw hi:n to be, and Ver. 13.-For neither they themselves who they had accepted the doctrine. But now a.re cironmoised keep the Law ( oua~ .,,ap ol some, at least, of them were beginning t.o feel 'frEP•T•p.vop.EIIOt UOTOI 11op.011 </)vAdtr<ToV<TIV); for uneasy e.t observing how the Jews in their neither do they who are being circum- neighbourhood regarded Panl and those who ci.sed the111Belves keep the Law; or, for attached themselves closely to Paul. Had not e'llen they who are being circumcised, not the Jews (they felt) high claims to con- Uumu,elvea keep the Law. It is doubtful siderationJ Were they not the original de- whether the ovB~ e.ocentuates the ma.in idea. posite.ries of the oracles of God? Was not of the clause (see note on eh. i. 12), or only their religion venerable for its antiquity, the single term, "they who are being cir- magnificent in its temple and ritual, and in cumcised," as in John vii. 5 it accentuates origin Divine? To these new converts from •" his brethren." "For ; " pointing back t.o the gross spiritne.l darkness and degradation the words, " only that," "for no other reason of heathenism, some of them, perhaps, drawn than that," of the previous verse. The from it originally by the teaching of non- apostle means, it is from no zeal for the Law Ch.ristie.n Jews, the adherents to the ancient itself that they do what they do, for they faith would natnmlly appear entitled t.o are at no pa.ins to keep the Law; but only high respect-respect which they themselves with the object of currying favour with the were also not backward in claiming (see Jews. The present participle 1np,np.11op.E110, Bom. iL 19, 20). When the personal in- is the reading more generally . accepted, fluence exercised upon their minds by the thongh the perfect .,,.,p,.,..,,.,,_.,,,.,.,o, has a corn• holy love e.nd fervour of the apostle had peting amount of documentary authentice, through his absence begun to wane, they tion. The perfect is ao much the ee.sier also, we may imagine, began to get dis- reading to understand (" not even those wh( heartened, by feeling that their Chl'istiau dis- have actually been circumcised") as to be cipleship was viewed with disfavour by their much more likely to be a. correction displac- ,Tewish neighbours, by reason of its Pauline ing .,,,p,np.11op.no, thau the converse hypo- complexion; that on this account the Jews thesis of the lo.tter being o. correction of the looked upon themselves, though worshippers other borrowed from ver. 3, "They who of the same God, ae unworthy of notice; are being circumcised " may be understood nay, were even disposed to point them out of a party, including those who first set th6 io the surrounding heathens, only too will- =ement agoing, who were on" i.t'ter another ing t.o follow up the hint, ae proper object. undergoing the rite. Another turn is given of contempt and ill usage (see for illustra- t.o this participial phrase, as meaning •• wli.o tion, Acbi xiii; xiv. 22; xvii. ; xviii.; l are eager for circumcision," " who are all Tbeas. ii. 14-16). And herewith we have for being oucumcised," "the circumcision  OR, VI, 1-18.) THE EPIS'rLE TO THE GALATIANS. 309