pr.:imi.ses lActs xi. 17). By " further and a qunlity of the apnstlo (so Meyer, quoting yd b0I,kr npJlOSition, this lll~'Erory of (}hrist 1 Cor. iii. 10), but objccliv(), tho qunlity of ifi (',,.l<>~-•fo11 belicrerg is mRdc, one with the the truth itself (cowp. eh. ii. 2, 2:-J ; iii. 16 ; bope of glory (,ers. 5, 23; eh, iii. 4; Eph. Eph, i. 18; l Cor. i. 22-25; ii, 6, 7). i. 12-14. IS; Phil. iii. 20, 21; Hom. ii. 7; Tho.t we may- present every mlUl perfeot in ,iii. lS-25; 1 Cor. x.. 43; 1 John iii. 2), Christ -~yer, 22; Epb. iv. 13; v. 25-27; 2 of which it is a pledge and a foretaste (,·ers. ~- :uu. 7-9 ! 1 1:hese. ii. 19, 20; 2 Tim. 4, 5; eh. iii. 15; Eph. i. 13, 14; Rom. viii. 1~. 10): the aim alike of Christ's rodemp• 10-li). This glory is thnt which the t10n (ver. 22) and of the apostle's ministry. Christian will wear in his perfected, "Perfect" ( ..-b.uos) is. a word associo.ted hea,enly Etate (eh. iii. 4; l Cor. xv. 43; with the Greek mysteries (comp. 1 Cor. ii. Rom, viii. IS), when be will fully reflect 6, 7; and quotations in Lightfoot), and in the glory be now beholds in God through common use denoted "full-grown," "grown Christ (" the glory of this mystery") : men," as opposed to" children" (Eph. iv.13 compare the double "glory" of 2 Cor. iii. H; Phil, iii. 12, 15 ; Heh. v. 11-vi. l)'. I 8. The rights of the Gentile believer in The philosophio Judaists n:ffeoted this term Christ are therefore complete (Eph. iii. 6). considerably. Philo frequently distin- Possessing him now in his hen.rt, he antici- guishes between the "perfect" or "fully pates a.11 that he will bestow in heaven (on initiated" (..-h,.,o,), who are admitted to "hope," see ver. 5). the sight of God, and the "advancing" , er. 28.-Whom we proalaim, admonishing (.,,po1<&,,.,.ovTEs: comp. Gal. i. 14), who are ev~ man, and teaching ev~ man in all candidates for admission to the Divine mys- wisdom (eh. iii. 16; 1 Thess. ii. 4-13; 1 teries; and he makes Jacob a type of the Cor. i. 23, 24; iv. 1-5; :i::v. 11; 2 ~- iv. latter, Israel of the former (see •On Drunken- 1-6: V. 18--ri I; Acts=· 18-35; xxvi. ness,' § 20 ; ' On Ch1U1ge of Names,' § 3; 22, 23). We (emphatic, like the "I" of • On Agriculture,' §§ 36---38), The apostle vers. 23, 25) includes St. Pa.nl's coe.djntors, makes "perfect" designedly parallel to the Epaphrss in particular (ver. 9; eh. iv. 7. "holy a.nd without blemish" of ver. 22, 11, 12 : comp. 2 Cor. i. 19). Ka-.ayyb,>.,.,, f.o holding out a spiritual ideal :very different publish, bears a. wider sense tha.n IC1/porrcr.,, from that of Alexandrine mystics; and de- tn herald (ver. 23), St. Paul's favourite clares that it is to he realized " in Christ " word. "Admonishing a.nd teaching" 11.re (vers. 2, 4), as in ver, .22 it appeared to the two essential pa.rt.a of the apostle's be wrought "through Chl'ist" Wld "for ministry, related as repentance to faith Christ" (comp. ver. 16). . , . (Lightfoot., who gives interesting classica.J Ver. 29.-To which end also I toil hard, parallels). Nov6ETi"' (radically, "to put in striving a.coording to his working (eh, ii. I; mind "), peculiar to St. Pa.ul in New Testa- iv, 12, 13; 1 Cor, xv, 10; Ga.I.iv, 11; Phil. ment (including Acts XL 31), may denote ii. 16; 1 Tim. iv, 10 ; Acts xx. 35), Ko,r1ii>, reproof for the pa.st, bnt more especially to labour to weariness, often used of manual warning for the future (see 1 Cor. iv. 14.; labour, is o. favourite word of St. Paul's (1 2 Thess. iii 15 : comp. note on eh. iii. 16). Cor. iv. 12; 2 Cor. xi. 27; 1 These. ii. 9 : Thrice in this verse "every man" is re- comp, Eph. iv, 28; 1 Thess. i. 3; John iv. peated, a.nd "in all wisdom" follows "teach- 38). The figurative use of "striving" ing" w:ith a marked emphasis. The Colos- (" agonizing," i.e. "contending in the arena") sian enorists, as we should presume from is ollly Pauline in the New ,Testament: the general tenor and affinities of their comp. ob. ii. l ; iv. 12; Phil. i. 30; 1 Cor. ix. system, sought to form an inner mystical 25 ; 1 Thess. ii. 2 ; l Tim. vi, 12 ; 2 Tim. school or circle of discipleship within the iv. 7; alao Luke xxii, 44; in 1 Tim. iv. 10 Church, initiated into a wisdom and holiness (R.V.) it is again connected with "toil" supposed to be higher tha.n tha.t attainable (,cmruk). We need not, with Meyer and by ordinary Chri,;tian faith (see note on Ellicott, distinguish inward from out- "mystery," ver. 26; also eh. ii 2, 3, 8). An ward striving in this word. The apostle's int£Tkctual CaJ1te-jeel.ing (see note, oh. iii. lJ) bodily sufferings (ver, 24) aud his mental was springing op in the Church. In 1 Cor. anxiety (eh, ii. 1) o.like enter into the ii. 6-16 the 11po,tle denounces the pride of mighty struggle .wl\ich be is. maintaining n,ason which claims "the things of God" on the Church's behalf, IIJld which strains u.s its own ; here he denounces the pride every fibre of his natul'!l to the utmost of intellt:et which refuses the knowledge of (comp. 2 Cor. xi. 28). "!:!triving" implies tLe:IL to tLobf: who stand on a lower level of opponenta o.ga.insi whom he contends (Eph, mt:1:1u:.l culture. To ~ man the Divine vi. 12 ; 2 'l'hess. iii. 2 ; 2 Cor, :d 26) ; wi.dom ill CLrist is e.coosllible (oh. ii. 3, 10; " toiling hard," the paiuful efforts he has to iii. 10, Hi; Eph. ii. 17; iii. lFI, 19): to none make. In this toil he is divinely snsto.ined, 1,_u1." t11; spiritual man" (1 Cor. ii. 6, 12- for he "strivee according to his [Cbriet's: lll. 1). "Wu.dow " ht:n, iB not su1j~tive, comp. PhiL iv. 13J working." 'Evfnd• OIJ, I. 1-29,] THE EPISTLE TO '.l'HE COLOSSIANS. 19
(" ener;i:y," '' opemtive force," "power in the Divine " energy of Christ" puts itself ocUoa ")-rmothcr worcl of St. P&ul's vocu.- forth e.nd shows what it can do (comp. 2 bulo.ry (frequent e.lso in Aristotle)-is used Cor. xiii. 3-6); see note on'' bearing fruit," by him only of euperna.turo.l power, "o. ver. 6, and Winer's 'N. T. Grammar,' p. 318 working of God," "of Satan" (2 These. ii. (dynomic middle). So it work3 unmiatak- 9, 11). Whioh worketh in me with power a.bly "in [or,' with'] power." Never do we (ver. 11 ; Eph. iii. 16; PhiL ii. 13; iv. 13; find this consciousness of the Divine power 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10): The "energy of Christ" is dwelling in himself expressed by St. Pa11l such tho:t it "effectuo.lly works" in the with such joyous confidence as e.t this e.postle; the ea.me idea. is repea.ted in noun period (see Phil. i. 20, 21; iv. 13; Eph. iii e.nd verb (ver.11, note). The verb is middle 9, 20; and comp. note ou ver. 23 b). in voice, as this" working" is tha.t in which