The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Timothy — Section 63

CHAPTER Ill. porary only, as those of Visitors. For 1uch occasional visitation is implied in the verb Ver. 1.-Faithful is the saying for tl,is iB l..-.u«,....,.,u6a., (Matt. xxv. 36, 43; Luke i. a tro.e aaying, A. V. ; seeketh for desire, !',-- V. 68, 78; Acts vii. 23; xv. 36; Jas. i. 27). Faithful is the saying (see above, eh. 1. 15, A~erwards, when the wants of the Churches note). This manifestly refer3 to what required permanent oversight, the name follows, nut, as Chrysostorn and <;>thers, 9:nd orlu«o,ror-vescovo (It.), t!veque (Fr.), bi8chof margin of the RV., tu the saying which (Ger.), bisceop (A.-S.), aipiskaupus (Mmso- precedes, in eh. ii. 15. Seeketb ( op,,,na,): Goth.), etc.-became universal for the chief literally, ,!;retches out his hands after. It overseer of the Church. A good work is peculiar in the New Testaruent to the («a>..ov lf"'YoU, not O.')fa6ov, as ver. 10). Ka>..ov pastoral Epistles and the Epistle to the means "honourable," "becoming," "bene- Hebrews, though common in classical Greek ficial," and the like. (see eh. vi.10; Heb. xi. 16). The noun ~p,{,s, Ver. 2.-The for a, A.V.: therefore for appetite, desire (which is found several then, -\.. V. ; without reproach for /,lameleBB, Li 11Jes in the LXX.) is used once by St. Paul A.V.; temperate for vigilant, A.V. J 8ober- (Rom. i 27). The ~:flice of a bishop; mean- minded for 80ber, A.V.; orderly for of good ing here, as everywhere_ else ~ Script?r.e, behaviour, A.V. The bishop (see note on that of a presbyter, or pnest. E,r,u«o,r71, ID ver. l) ; " a bishop " is better English. the sense of "the episcopate," occurs only Without reproaoh (a.v,,r(>..71-rr-ros); only here here and Acts i. 20, where it is rendered and eh. v. 7 and vi. 14 in the New Testament; "bishopric" in the A..V., and "o~erseer- not found anywhere in the LX.X., but used ship" in the margin of the R.V., b~~~g !he by Thucydides, Euripides, and others, in trauslation in the LXX. of Ps. cvm. (cu::., the sense of " not open to attack," " blame- A..V.) 9 of the Hebrew in"JR'f, •• his office." less." The metaphor is said (though denied Elsewhere (Luke ll:ix. 44; • l Pet. ii. 12; by others) to be from wrestling or boxing, v. 6) it means "visitation." But i,r/u«o,ros, when a man leaves no po.rt of his body "biBhop" (ver. 2)-except in l Pet. ii. 25, exposed to the attack of hie adversary. where it is applied to Christ-always means The hUBband of one wife (comp. Titus i. 6). the overseer of the particular flock, -the Three senses 1<re possible. The passage presbyter (Acts xx.. 28; Phil. i. l ; Titus i. 7); may be understood (I) 88 requiring a bishop, &Dd h1iT«o1riiv the functions of such /,r/u«o• (or presbyter) to have a wife, and so some -..o• (I Pet. v. 2 compared with 1). It was took it even in Chrysostom's time (though not till the sub-apostolic age that the nan,e he does not so understand it), and so the of i..-iuKo-rros was confined to the chief over- Russian Church understands it; (2) as pro- seer who had "prieb'ts and deacons" under hibiting his having more than one wife at him, as Timothy and Titus had. Possibly a time ; (3) as prohibiting second marriages this application of the word arose from the for priests and bishops. l:lishop Words- visits of the apostles, and afterwards of worth, Bishop Ellicott, and Dean Alford, men sent by the apostles, as Timothy and among English commentators, all agree in fituB, TychicllB and Arlemas, were, to visit thinking that (3) is the apostle's meaning. the Ohwahe&, being OCCB8ional 8.Jhl tow• In spite of snob. consemu.,, it 11,ppear11 in OR, m. 1-16.] THE FIRST EPISTLE TO TIMOTHY. 51