EXPOSITION. had Been with his ryes. He he.d seen the CHAPTER V. Lord bound nnd delivered into the hl\nds of Yer. 1.-The elders which are among you wiokcd men ; probably he had watched hie I exhort. The Vatican and Alexandrine last sufferings nmong them whioh stood afur 1\fonuscript-s omit the article, and insert off. And also a partaker of the glory that "therefore" (the Sinaitic gives both), read· shall be revealed. The thought of the ing, " Elders, therefore, among you I ex- sufferings of Christ leads on to the thought hnrt." The solemn thoughts of th:3 last of the future glory (comp. eh. i. 11; iv. 1::1). chapter, the coming judgment, the approach Perhl\ps St. Peter was also thinking of the of persecution, the necessity of pcrse,ernnce Lord's promise to him8elf, " Whither I go, in well-doing. suggest the exhortation; thou canst not follow me now; but thou hence the "therefore." The context shows shl\lt follow me afterwards" (John xiii. 36). that the apostle is using the word "elder" Ver. 2.-Feed the :6.ook of God which is (7rpe<1/3tJT•pos, presbyter) iu its official sense, among you; rather, tend, as a shepherd tends though its original meaning was also in his his flock. The Vel'b (7ro1µ.&.va.n) is aorist, ne thoughts, as appears by ver. 5. We first meet if St. Peter wished to concentrate into one with the word in the Old Testament (Exod. point of view all t.he labours of the minis- iii. 16, 18; x.xiv. 9; Numb. :xi. 16; Josh. u. terial life. He is echoing the word so 4, etc.). Used originally with reference to solemnly addressed to himself by the risen age, it soon became a designation of office. Lord, "Feed my sheep (7rolµ.a.iv, Ta. ..-p&- Very early in the history of the Christian /3a.Tri. µ.ou )." The word covera all the various Church we meet with the same title. It duties of the pastoral office : " Pasce mente, occurs first in Acts x:i 30. The Christia.us pasoe ore, pa.see opere, pa.see animi oratione, of Antioch make e. collection for the poor verbi exhorte.tione, e:xempli e:xhibitione" (St. saints at Jerusalem, and send their alms by Bernard, quoted by Alford). St. Peter lays the hnnd of Barnabas and Saul to the elders stress upon the solemn fuot that the flock be- of the Jerusalem Church. We read several longs to God, not to the shepherds (comp.Acts times of these elders iu Acts :xv., as asso- xx. 28). Some under,tand the words ren- ciated with the apostles in the consideration dered" which is among you (To iv ~µ.w)" a.a of the great question of the circumcision of meaning "quantum in vo):>is est," "as far Gentile Christians; they joined with St. as lies in your power." Others as "that James in the o:flicie.l reception of St. Paul at which is committed to vou," or" that which his last visit to Jerusalem (Acts :xx:i 18). It is placed under your care." But the simple appears, then, that the Chri~tia.n presby- local meaning seems the best. Taking the terate originated in the mother Church of oversight thereof. This word (bri,r,co.,,ovv-rn) Jerusalem, It was soon iutroduced into the is not found in the Sinaitio and Vatican daughter Churche.a; the apostles Paul and Manuscripts. Alford thinks that "it has, Barnabas ordained elders in every Church perhaps, been removed for ecolesia.stical during the first missionary journey (Acts reasons, for fear "'P•<1/36npo, should be sup- :xiv. 23); and the 'l'arious notices scattered sed to be, as they really were, ,,../,r,co7ro1." .P".
over the Acts of the Apostles and the 1 1• is in the Alexandrine and most other Epistles imply the early establishment of !< ;cient manuscripts and versions, and there the office throughout the Church. Who am seems to be no sufficient reason for omitting e.l.ao an elder (o <1uµ.1rp,<1/3vT<pos). St. Peter, it. It shows that when this Epistle was though holding the very Liglwst rank in the written, the words .,,p,u{36npos und /.,,[. Church as an apostle of Christ, one of thooe <1tcowos, presbyter and bishop, wero still who were to sit on twelve thrones Judging synonymous (comp. Acts :xx. 17 and 28 the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. :xi:x. 28), in the Greek; also Titus i. 5 and 7). Not by claims no supremacy; he simply designates constraint, but willingly, The word a.vn-y• himbelf as a brother presbyter. So also St. 1e1&1TTws, by constraint, occurs only here. St. JoLn (2John l; 3Jvhn 1). He exhorts the P,llll says (1 Cor. ix. 16), "Necessity is laid presbyters as a broth< r, and grounds his upon me; " but that was an inward neces- exhortation on community of office. The sity, the constra.iniug love of Ch1ist. Bede, absence of any note of distinction between quoteu by Alford, says, " Coa.ote pascit gre- bishops and preibyters is, so far, an indica- gem, qui propter rerum tcmporalium penu- tion of the early date of this Epistle, as rinm non ho.hens unde vivat, idcirco pr10dioat against Hilgenfeld e.nd others. And a wit- eva.ngelium ut de cvangelio vivere possit." ness of the &lllferings of Christ. This was Some good manuscripts add, after " will- his one futinction above those whom he ingly," the words tco.Ta. 0,&,,, "according to e.ddreases. Like St. John, he declared unto God," i.e. oroording to hie will (comp. them that which he had Leard, wLich he Row. viii. 27). Not for filthy luoro. Tho OB. v. 1-14.J 'l'HE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF P~TER. 207