The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Peter — Section 215

nnrl may therefore be rendered "I write." H; l Cor. ix. 5) is intended, or some other Exhorting, and testifying. The general well-known Christian woman (comp. 2 John t0ne of this Epistle is hortatory: St. Peter 1). In fo.rnur of this view is the following ~0mforts his readers in the sufferings which sn.lutRtion from llfarcus. It is more naturnl were coming on them, and exhorts them to to join together the names of two persons patient endurance. The word rendered thn.u to couple a Church with an individua,1. "testifying" ( briµaprvpwv) occurs only here A !so it seems exceedingly improb11L>le that in the N cw Testament. Bengel and others such n. word as" Church" should be omitted take the preposition i,rl in the sense of (a word, we may remark, which occurs no- insupe:r, in "nddition:" "Petrus insuper tcs- whc,e in St. Petcr's Epistles), and the tatur;" he adds his testimony to that of ellipse left to be filled up by the ree.dcro. Paul and others who have gone before; or, On the other hand, it is said to be unlikely he not only exhorts, be also testifies-the that a humble Gn.lilroan woman should be testimon v is in addition to the exhortation. described ns "the co-elect in Babylon." But more probably the brl is intensive, or This argument would have considerable expresses simply the directiou of the testi- weight if the apostle were writing from a fying (comp. .Acts ii. 40, where the same large and well-known Church, like that at words (nearly; the Greek for "testified" is Rome; but it is quite possible that •• the llLEµripr6paro) are used in describing St. co-elect" might be the only Christian Peter's exhortations). That this is the true woman, or the one best known among a grace of God whe,ein ye stand ; rather, as very small number in Babylon. On the 111 the Revised Version, that this is the true whole, it seems most probable to us that grace oj God: stand ye fast therein. The by "the co-elect" (whether we supply "to- reading ,ls f,v uri;n is supported by the gether with you" or "with me") is meant oldest manuscripts. The construction in- 11 Christian woman known at least by name volves a common ellipse, "Into which to the Churches of Asia. Minor, and there- (having entered) stand fast." Some think fore very possibly St. Pater's wife, who, St. that it was St. Peter's intention in these Paul tells us, was his companion in travel. words to set the seal of his apostolic au- The question now meets us-Is "Babylon" thority upon the truth of the teaching to be to.ken in a. mystic sense, as e. crypto- which the Christia.us of .Asia. Minor had gr11ph for Rome,or literally? Eusebius, 11q.d received from St. Paul. It may be so. The ancient writers generally, understand it of whole Epistle corroborates the teaching of Rome. Eusebius is commonly understood St. Paul, and shows St. Peter's exact agree- to claim for this view the authority of ment with it. But it seems probable that, Pa.pie.a and Clement of Alexandria. (as has if St. Peter had thought it necessary to give been stated in the Introduction, p, ix.). But a formal sanction to St. Paul's preaching, the historian's words (' Hist. Eccl.,' 11. xv. he would have done so plainly, as he does 2) seem to claim that authority only for tha at the end of the Second Epistle. Again, connection of St. Peter with St. Mark's there are no traces in the Epistle of any Gospel; the identification of Babylon wit11 doubts now existing in the minds of the Rome seems to be mentioned only os a Asia.tic Christie.Ill!, or of any opposition to common opinion in the time of Ensebius. It St. Paul, snch as there once had \)een in is said that there is no trace of the existence of the Churches of Corinth and Galatie.. .And e. Christian Church at the Chaldean Baby- St. Peter does not say, "These are the true lon, and no proof, a.part from this passage, doctrines," but " This is the true grace of that St. Peter was ever there.. There had God." He seems rather to be giving the been e. great Jewish colony e.t Babylon, bU:t testimony of his knowledge and spiritual it had been destroyed in the time of Cali- experience to the fact that the grace which gula. In answer to these arguments, it may they had receirnd came indeed from God, be urged that the cryptogre.ph of Babylon that it was his true grace, that it was he for Rome would probably not be understood: who was working within them both to will even if we assume the earliest date assigned and to do. They must stand fast in that to the .Apocalypse, that book could scarcely grace, and by its lrnlp work out their own be known very generally in .Asia. Minor salvation. when this Epistle we.a written. St. Peter Ver. 13.-The Church that is at :Babylon, at Babylon, like St. Paul ot .Athens, may elected together with you, aaluteth you; have met with little success; the •infant literally, the co-elect in Babylon U1 ,,, Ba.Bu- Church may have been quickly crushed, >..wv, uuv,,c>..,,c-rfi). The word "Church" is There may have been e. second settlement given in no mnnuscripts with the remark- of J ewe at Babylon between A.D. 40 and able exception of the Sinaitic; the rest have the date of this Epistle. But it is quite simply "the co-elect." We ask-What word possible that St. Peter may have been is io be supplied, "Church".or "sister"? Some working o.s e. missionary among the Baby- think thAt St. Peter'11 wife (comp. Matt. viii. lonian Gentiles, for we cannot believ@ tha& os, v.1-H:.] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 21i