The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 11

Cor. viii. 22 ; Phil. ii. 22). He puts hie seal course:" but this is forced, and doubtful in upon the ruinietry of Epaphrne, and vindi- point of ~rnmar). cntee it againet all questioning at home. Vere. 9-H:.-The opening prayer rises out •rextual evidence for "on our" or "your of the foregoing thanksgiving, ond leads behalf" ie pretty evenly balanced: most up to the chief doctrinal statement of the nlder Greek copies read the first perBon, Epis_tle (vers. ~5-20: compare, for the con- while the ancient versions generally adopted nection, Eph. 1. 15-23; Rom. i. 8-17). The the @econd; and the critical editors are burden of this prayer, o.s in other letters of ~iruilarly dinded. The ReviserB, with this period, is the Church's need of know- Treg.,lles, Alford, Lightfoot, Westcott and ledge (comp. Eph. i. 17, 18: Phil. i. 9, 10). Hort, prefer "our," which gives a finer a.nd Here this desire has its fullest expression more fittin!'.!' B<'nse. It WRI! as St. Paul's as the necessity of the Coloseians in thi~ representative that Epaphras had ministered respect was the more urgent 1md their situa- in Colossm, and to him he now reported his tion. therefore, the more fully representative ~n<'cess ; and this justified the apostle in of the ~tage in the history of the Pauline claiming the Colossians as hie own charge, Churches now commencing. He asks for and in writing to them in the terms of this his readers (1) 11 fuller knowledge of the letter (eh. ii. 1, 2, 5-7: comp. Rom. xv. 20; Divine will (ver. 9); to result in (2) greater 2 Cor. x. 13-16). "Minister" (8ui1<ovos, pleasingness to God (vcr. 10 a), due (3) to deacon, in its official sense found in St. Panl increased morn.I fruitfulness and spiritual first in Phil. i. I, then in I Timothy) is to be growth (ver. 10 b), to (4) patience under distinguished from the "servant" (8oiiAos, suffering (ver. 11 ), and to (5) thankfulness 11lat1c) of the last clause, and from" assistant" for the blessings of redemption(vers. 12-14). ( itn,pirris: I Cor. iv. I; Acts xiii 5; :u:vi. Ver. 9.-For this cause we alao (Eph. i. 16), and •• ott.cndant" (B•pthrc,,v: Heh. iii. 5); 15-17; I Thess. iii. 6-13). Timothy and @c~ Trench's 'Synonyms of the New Testa- I, in return for your love to us (ver. 8) and in ment.' It is a favourite word of St. Paul's, response to this good news about you (vers. 4 and points to the service rendered, while -6). From the day that we heard (it); an other terms indicate the status of the ser- echo of " from the day that ye heard it" Yant. (ver. 6). Do not oeaee praying for you, and Ver. 8.-Wb.o a.lso showed us your love making request. The former is a general in (tht) Spirit (2 Cor. 'Iii. 7; viii. 7; I Thess. expression (vcr. 3), the latter points to some iii 6; Phil. fr. 10); i.e. your Zotle to us, special matter of petition to follow. This Ti'l1UJtl1y and mysilf, especially if we read second verb St. Paul only uses elsewhere of ~ in our behalf" in ,er. 7: so, many inter- prayer to God in Eph. iii 13, 20 (see preters, from Chryeostom to Klapper. Trench's ' Synonyms' on afrl,.,, a1.,.11µa). Epapill'B6 had conveyed the blessings of the That ye may be filled with (or, made com- gospel from St. Panl to the Colossians, and plete in) the knowledge of his will (eh. ii. they now send back the grateful assurance lO; iv. 12; Eph. iii. 18, 19; Rom. xii. 2 ; of their love by the same channel (comp, Heh. xiii. 21). On" knowledge" (i1rl')'V,,,D'1s), note on "having heard," ver. 4, and parallel see note to ver. 6, and Lightfoot's note here.· passages). Th.is was a choice fruit of the "With the knowledge" represents the gospel in them (comp. Phil. iv. 10, 15-18), Greek accusative of specification (as in and such a reference to it gives a kindly Phil. i 11, where see Ellicott); and the conclusion to the thanksgiving, Ellicott verb 1TA1/P"'Bfi.,.. (comp. note on pleroma, ver. und others understand here brotherly love in 19), as in eh. ii. l 0 and i. 25, denotes " ful- general-a somewhat pointless repetition of filled" or "made complete," rather than ver. 4. Meyer, reading "on your behalf" "made full"-" made complete as to the in ver. 7, more suitably suggests the Colos- full knowledge," etc. "His will " (" God's siane' lot,e to Epaphras in return for his will," ver. 1 ; eh. iv.12) need not be limited services to them. 'fhe Spirit is the ruling to the original purpose of salvation ( Eph. i, element of the Colossians' love (Gal v. 22). 9), or to his moral requirements respecting "Love-in-the-Spirit" forms a single com- Christian belieoers (ver. 10; so Meyer), but pound phrase, like "faith-in-Christ-Jesu" includes "the whole counsel of God" (Acts (ver. 4). The one Spi.rit dwel.ls alike in all xL 27) made known to us in Christ (vers. the merubers of Christ's body, however 26, 27). In all spiritual wiadom •nd l!tl.Ildert:d by place or circumstance (Eph. iv. undemanding (eh. ii. 2; 'Eph. v. 17; 1--4), and makes them one in Jove to each Phil. i. 9; 1 Cor. xiv. 20). Tfi.Bdcm, in its other as to him (John xiii. 34, 35; I John iii. highest sense, is the sum of personal excel- Zl, 24 ). "Spirit" occurs besides in this lence as belonging to the mind ; it implies Epistl., only in eh. ii. 5 (hut see" spiritual," a vital knowledge of Divine truth, forming ver. 9), =d ;,owe find in eh. ii. l, 5 the the sentiments and determining the will as Eo:q:.kwi.tion of this phrW!c ( sc. " a love it possesses the reason. Hence the word fr,rmt;<l in abix:nce, without pr,rsonul illtcr- oocurs in 0. great variety of connections ; OH. I, 1-29.] THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS. r,