The Pulpit Commentary — 1 John — Section 7

the whole Gosprl lends up, "My Lord 1tnd his chnrnc(cr of the Lifo, became visible, nnd mY God I" Had St.. John merely eitid in him n1·0 ccntrctl all the rclntions be- "i,C'nrd," we might hnve thought that ho tween God and man." Quito in St. John's meRnt a doctrine. Hnd he merely sai<l. style, vcr. 2 takes up and develops n portion "hcRrd nnd seen," we might hnve under- of ver. l, using its Inst wor,l LIB tho b11sis of stood it of tl,o effects of Christ's doctrine. a new departure (comp. John i. 14; l</Ja- But" our hands hnnclled" shows cleRrly thnt vcpwB.,, gives t\10 same foot ns CTclpt l-y(v.-ro tlw at.lrilmies of the Word become flesh are from another point of view). llecnme flesh what St.. John insists on, and probnbly ns a is the fact in itself; the incnrnation of the cDntrndiction of D,JCetism. "Those who ronu J\&-yor, "Was me.nifostcd " is the fe.ot in re- his letter could hnvc no doubt that he was fercn~c to mnukincl; their ndmission to the referring to the time when he snw the face knowledge of it. The union of" see" with of Jesus Christ, when he heard his dis- "bear witness" recalls John xix. 35; nnd <'ourses, when he grasped his baud, when here, ngain, vcr. 2 resumes and develops part he leaned upon his breast" (Maurice). Be- of ver. I. Have seen sums up the four fer be tween the first clause nnd what follows lies in ver. l ; for in nil languages sight is used the tremendous fact of the Incarnation; nnd of experience generally. llear witneES and St. John piles Yerb on verb, and clause on declare carries us a stage further-the com• clause, to show that he speaks with the au- munication of the experience. It is doubtful thority of full knowle,lge, and that there is whether -r¾,v (01¾,v -r¾,v aiwv,ov is the object of uo possible room for Ebionite or Cerintbian all four verbs orof a.,rane'/1.1'.oµev only. Note error. The first clause assures us that Jesus the double article: the life, the eternal life. was no mere man ; the others assure us tha.t The Epistle begins o.ud ends with this theme he was really man. Precisely that Being who (eh. v. 20). (For l\Tir and,rp&r, cf.Johu viii. was in existence from the beginning is that 53; i. 1.) Which indeed (as all must know) of whom St. John and others have had, and wu with the Father. The verse ends e.s it still possess, knowledge by o.11 the mee.ns began, but not with a mere repetition; the through which knowledge can ha.Ye access Life was manifested, o.nd in particular tons. to the mind of man. (For "seeing with the Ver. 3.-The main sentence is resumed eyes," cf. Luke ii. 30; for BeaCTBa, of con- from ver. 1, only the chief points being re- templating with delight [Mark xvi. 11, 14), touched. We declare to you also (,cu.! must John i. 14, 34; Acts i. ll.) Concerning the · be read before 6µ.,v, on overwhelming autho- Word of lifa. " Concerning" ( ,rep() may de- rity); i.e. "you as well as we must sho.re pend on "he.ve heard," and, by e. kind of in it," rather tb:an " you as well as others to zeugma., on the other three verbs e.lso; or on whom we have deelnred it." Of course, the main verb, " we declare." " The Word of a.,rarttll.1'.oµev must be rendered alike in life" means '' the Word who is the Life," like both verses "we declare." To what does " the city of Rome," "the Book of Genesis ; " it refer? Not to this Epistle, which does the genitive case is "the characterizing or not contain the writer's experience of the identifying genitive." The ,repl is strongly Word of life manifested to mo.nkind, but against the interpretation, " the word of to his Gospel, which the Epistle is to nc- life," i.e. the life-:tiring gospel. Had St. compe.ny. The parallel between tho two John meant this, he would probably hnve wli.Lings must often be notecl, especially ue- written ~ v a.l0)1<ou.µev ... -r~v 1'.cryov -rr,< (onir twcen the Epistle and John xvii. Compare a:tra.y-/<1'.1'.oµ•v (John v. 24, 37; viii. 43; xiv. this verse with John xvii. 21. St. John's 24); ,rep/ il! Yery frequent of persons (John aim in writing his Gospel is that the ,;reat i. 7, 8, 15, 22, 30, 48, etc.). Moreover, the High Priest's prayer may be fulfilled-that evident connexion between the introductions believers may be one in that communion of to his Gospel and Epistle compels us to which the unity between the Fo.ther and underste.ud /J Acryos iu the same sense in the Son is the pnttern and the basis; may both (see on John i. I, in this Commentary, "be joined together in the same bocly, ihe and in the 'Cambridge Greek Testament' same belief, the same knowledge, the same or 'Bible for Schools'). What St. John has aims, the same hopes, the same destinies" to announce is his own experience of the (Jelf). Communion with Christians is Ekrnal Word incarnate, the Eternal Life shown to mean o. great deal-no less than m~de nrnnifest (John xiv. 6); his hearing of communion with the Father and with tho !,is \'l'Ol'ds, his seeing with his own eytcs his Son. Note tho double µ.,.,,J.. St. Johu'e lllcssiunic works, his contemplation of the w1itings teem with indications of the unity Divinity which shone through both; his and yet distinctness between the Fathe1· 11,nd handling of the body of the risen Redeemer, the 8on. Communiou with the one, BO far Ver. 2.-Parentbetical. The main thought from absorbing aud cuncelling communion of vers. 1 and 3 is, "We declare to you a with the other, implie5 it as a separate ulies. Bt:iug bolh <olcrnal e.nd yet seen aud known The clause, ,cu.l 71 1eaw01vla Ii~, K,T,1'.., does by ue." Th..it of ver. 2 is, "'fhis Being, in not depend on 1vu., o.s the Ill shows; we CII, I, 1-10.] THE FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 3