The Pulpit Commentary — Colossians — Section 24

25, 26 ; xl. 25, 26, 83). The word "myetery '' strongly assertive finite verb in this e.lmoet pl11ys a large po.rt in Oolossie.ns e.nd Ephe- dise.ppee.re in English idiom : comp. vere. fi, sians. It occurs in 1 Corinthians, e.nd twice 6; Eph. i. 20-22 (Greek); anrl see Winer's in the Roman Epietle, written from Corinth. • N. T. Gre.mme.r,' p. 717, or A. Buttmann, Its use in Rom. xvi. 25 is identical with p. 382. There is also a change of tense : the.t of the passage before us. The Greek the me.nifeste.tion is a single, sudden event myBteries were secret religious doctrines e.nd (aorist), breaking through the long and rites me.de known only to initie.tecl persons, seemingly final conoee.lment of all previous who formed e.ssociations statedly e.ssem- time (present perfect participle); simile.rly bling at certain sacred spots, of which Eleusis in Rom. xvi. 25, 26 and 1 Pet. i. 20 (comp. near Athens was the most famous. These eh. ii. 14, note). To his sainta; i.e. to tho systems exercised e. vast influence over the Church e.t large (ver. 2; eh. iii. 12); but this Greek mind, and Greek literature is full of implies a spiritual qualification ( l Cor. ii. allusions to them; but their Eecret has been 14). "His saints" are the recipieuts; "hie well kept, and little is known of their ree.l holy apostles and prophets, in the Spirit," character. Some of these mystic systems, the organs (Eph. iii. 5) of this manifestation. probably, inculcated doctrines of e. purer The Church he.d long ago formally ~epted and more spiritual type the.n those of the this revelation (Acts xi. 18); it was St. vulgar polytheism. The ascetic e.nd Paul's office to make it practically effectual. mystical doctrines ascribed to Pythagoras Ver. 27.-To whom God willed to make were prope.ge.ted by secret societies. The known what is the riches of the glory of le.ngue.ge e.nd idea.a connected with the this mystery amongst the Gentiles (Eph. iii. mysteries were readily adopted by the Jew- 5-10; Acts xi. 17, 18; Rom. xi.11, 12, 25 ish Broe.d Church of ·.Alexe.ndrie., whose -32; xv. 9-12). "Willed" stands em- endee.vonr it we.a to expand Judaism by e. phatically first in the Greek. The revele.- symbolical e.nd allegorizing method into a tion was so momentous in its issue, so signal 11hilosophic e.nd universe.I religious system, in its method, and so contrary to human e.nd who were compelled to veil their inner foresight and prejudice, that it proceeded doctrine from the eyes of their stricter, evidently from" the will of God" (vers. 1, 9; unenlightened (or unsophisticated) fellow- eh. iv. 12; comp. Rom. ix. 18): "Who was believers. MvuT1,pwv appears in the Apocry- I,'' so.id St. Peter, " that I could withstand pha e.s e.n epithet of the Divine Wisdom God?" The Ephesian letter delights to (Wied. ii. 22; viii. 4; eto.): Ps. xlix. 4; dwell on GorJ:s will e.s the cause of the lxxviii. 2 (oomp. Matt. xiii. 34, 35) furnished whole counsel e.nd work of salvation. The the Old Testament basis of this use.ge. Revisers have rendered the verb by "was (See Philo, • On the Cherubim,' § 12 ; ' On pleased," the equivalent of euoo,cew (ver. 19; Fugitives,'§ 16; etc., for the place of mystery Eph. i. 5, 9; etc.). There is no need to in the Alexe.ndrine theology.) St. Paul, seek e. reference to free grace in the verb writing to men e.ccuatomed, either as Greeks "willed;" the two ideas a.re concurrent, or e.s Hellenistic Jews, to this phre.seology, but distinct (see, however, Lightfoot). The calls the gospel "e. mystery," as the.t which apostle's mind is filled with e.me.zement e.s is "hidden from the nature.I understanding he contemplates the boandless riches which e.nd from the previous searchings of men" the salvation of the Gentiles revee.led in (1 Cor, ii. 6-16). But in the words that God himself (comp. Rom. xi. 33-36; xvi. follow he repudiates the notion of e.ny 25-27; Eph. iii. 8-10). • The glory of secrecy or exclusiveness in its proclamation this mystery " is the splendour with which ( comp. 2 Cor. iii. 12-iv. 6); in his le.ngu11ge, it invests the Divine character (on "glory,'' " mystery is the correlate of revelation." see note, ver. 11 ; and for "riches of glory,'' The thrice-repeated c'r.1ro (" from," "e.we.y "), Eph. i. 18; iii. 16; Phil. iv. 19; Rom. ix. with the double indication of time, "gives 23). Amongst the Gentiles: "eem.i - loce.l e. solemn emphasis'' (Meyer) to the state- clause, defining the sphere in which the ment. Ages e.re sucoessi ve epochs of time, riches of the glory is 1110re specie.lly evinced" with their states and conditions ( oomp. Ge.I. (Ellicott). At le.at this mystery is defined : i. 4); generations e.re sucoessive races of men, whioh is Christ in you (oh. ii. 2, 3 ; 1 Tim. with their traditions e.nd hereditary ten- iii. 16; Eph. iii. 17; Ge.I. ii. 20; iv. 19; denoiee. But now it we.s me.de me.nifest Rom. viii. 10). By a bold metonymy, the to his saints (oh. ii. 2; iv. 3; Eph. i. 9; iii. mystery is identified with its subject or con- 5; vi. 19 ; _1 Tim. iii. 16; 1 Pet. i. 20). The tent. It is "Christ" himself (see eh. ii. 2, word "reveo.1" (Eph. iii. 5; 1 Cor. ii. 10) note), the Divine secret of the ages, the indicates e. process, " make manifest" burden of e.11 revele.t~u ; and " Christ in points to the result of this Divine e.ct (Rom. you" (oh. iii. ll), Christ dwelling in Gentile xvi. 25, 26: comp. Rom. i. 17 with iii. 21 ; see hearts-this is the wonder of wonders I So Trench's' Synonyms'). The trausition from the " sinners of the Gentiles" receive " the the pe.rtici pie in the le.et cl1mse to the like [equl\l) gift" with the heirs ':l.f thot OOLOSSIANB, (J  18 'l'Hli EPISTLE TO 'l'HE OOLOSSIANS. [cB, I. 1-29,