The Pulpit Commentary — Revelation — Section 66

SO~!i . ~hat " dee~ '! was a favourite ex- been coll/-mended (ver.. 19)., -OolJl.p. eh., iii. p ~ . of t_heirs wtth regard to ihe know- 11, where a similar charge iii. giv;en t.o the. ledge which they rrofessed. " The Valen- Ch;urch , at, Phi!11,del~hia. ~e. Gt~\_.for tini&QS have formed Eleusinian orgies, con- "µ11 I come'' 1s ~~:Ji:11,ble.:...i!xp•s .~v :&• a sec,mted by mighty silence, having nothing ;;~.,; where the lv conveys e. touch of in- h.~venly ,in them but th_eir ID~ite:ry. If, in definiteness as to the date specified-t1,~til gop~;f9:iti1, you ask questions with.contracted the time whimsoerier I shall come. We have foriihead ·and frowning brow, they J!i!.Y, a similar constr1.1e,tion in 1 Cor. xv. 25. · •It is profqund'" (Tert., 'Adv. Valent.,' i.). Ver. 26.-And. he that overl)omsth. The Siin.i]~ly, Irenreus states .that they claimed usual promise (vets. 7, 11, 17; eh. iii. 5, 12, tq have.found out the "deep· things of By- 21) is here closely connected :with. the charge th;oe "-" profunda Bythi adinvenisse se which immediately· precedes. In .thill and dioimt" (II. xxii. 1). Bv8&, (equivalent to in the remaining three epistles the proclama- '' depth") is the primary being or god of tion, "He that' hath an ear," etc.; follo1•.s the ,Vale~tinian system, another name for instead of preceding the promise. . ~epelli which UJ ~App?J-ro• (equivalent to "unsp\)ak- my works. This is a phrase thoroughly cha- able "). Hence elsewhere, for profunda raoteristio · of St.· John's style; compare for Bythi, Irenams uses the expression pro- this use of" keep," eh. i. 3; iii. 3, 8, l 0, etc. ; funda Dei in speaking of these Gnostic John viii. 51, 52, 55; ix. 16; xiv.15, 21, 23, claims (II. xxii. 3). Similarly, Hippolytuii · 24, etc. ; 1 John ii. 3, 4, 5; iii. 22, 24, etc. ; (' Refut.,' V. vi. 1) states that the Naassenes and for "works," in the sen§e o_f works called themaillves Gnostios, saying that they which Christ does or approves, ·comp,'dh. alone knew the depths--Tct {3<£9?, ..,,vwo-,wv, xv. 3; ·John vi. 28; 29; vii. 3, 21; xi. S;,t; which UJ tiingnlarly close' to what we h9.ve etc. " My works" here are in marked, con- here. Note, however,. that here the true trast to •• her wol'ks" in ver. 22. "He that., reading is Tei $a8ia, neuter plural of the overoometh, and he that keepeth " is. e. adjactive /3a.66s, not (as in 1 Cor. ii. 10) naminativus pendens; and such constr:uc.tions Ta lld.611, plural of .the substantive 8&8or. ~~e spec\ally frequen~ in St. J_~hn (c\Jmp. eh. See.:altio the fragment of a. letter o.f Valen- m. 12, 21; John v1. 39; vu. Si;: xv:. 2; tinus, preserved in Epiphanius (' Contra xvii. 2 ; 1 John ii. 24, 27). Links of con- Hmr. adv, Ve.lent.,' i. 31). I cast upon you nexion between the Revelation and tbeGospel none other burden. An obvious echo of the or Epistles of St. John should be carefully decision Qf the Council of Jerusalem respeet- noted. The phrase for " unto the end,. ing these very sins, fornication and idola- (!lx,,,.-/,\ovs)occure only here and Heh. vi.11; · try, in reference to Christian liberty (Acts bnt comp. Heb. iii. 6, 14; 1 Cor. i. 8. "Unto xv. 28, 29), where the very same word the end" (,;ls .,-J,\os) in John xiii. 1 probably (fJr!poi) is used for "burden." , In Matt. :ri. means " to the uttermost," not "to the. end 30; niii. 4; Luke xi. 46 ; Gal. vi. 5, the of life." Authority over the :pe.tion1, word, for "burden" is fop-rfov, whereas "Authority" is better than "pow;er" (or llcipods used in Matt. xx. 12; 2 Cor. iv. 17; l!avola., not merely as implyiug that the Qiu. vi. 2,; 1 Thess. ii. 6._ Here, as in ver. power is rightly held and exercised. but also 22, ¥1e}rue.t,extgives {Jd.AAIIJ, not,/3<1Aril; and to mark the parallel with "Have thou obVIously the, word should be rendered in autliority over ten eities" (Luke xix. 17 ; the same way in both verses, not "cast" in comp. Matt. xxi. 23, 24, 27 ; Acts ix. H: one. place 'and ••put" 'in another. "None xxvi. 10). other" me!lnA none other than a more deter- Ver. 27.-The verse is not a parenthesis. mined opposition to these specious abomi- He shall rule them. Here; eh. xii. ii ; and nations. Hold fast your own doctrine, and in xix. 15, the LXX. rendering of Pa. ii. !.I is . denounce the false. Others; :much less pro- adopted; 11:01µ.aviis al,.,-o6s, " Thou shalt nle bably, interpret " none other burden '.' than them," or more literally, "shalt ihepherd the -11ufferiogs in which they exhibit the them," instead of " shalt br~ak them," which "pP,tience" for which they are prallled (ver. almost certainly is the meaning of .the 19). .Thlll gives a very poor meaning, and. Hebrew. The Hebrew original, trhm with- morll{lver, breaks the connexion with what out ;vowel-points, J:JJ.ay represent either follows : they are certainly not told to hold tirh.em or teroh6m; but the latter is required ' fast their sufferings, but Christ's precepts as by what follows; " shalt dash theiµ i~ to faith and conduct. pieces." Nevertheless, the gentler Tende1ing Ver. 25.-Howbeit. Not simply me£ or better suitt5 the requirements of, these pas•· lll, but- ,tkfw, which ooours nowher-e else in sages- in the .Apooe.lypse. ·The rule over. St. ,John's· writings. Although no other the nations is to be strong, but it ii to ,be burden 1han this is imposed.,• yet remember loving also. To ihose who obey it, it will- what. it• impllils. Hold fast. .the love. and be a shepherding; only th~ who resi,t it. faith, and service, and patience, and the will be de.ahed in · pieces. Precisely the qt'OleOI. iu these.viriue&, for which thou hast !lllme expres11ion :is. Qied. in eh. vii. 17 of the, 8ll Tim RE\rELATION 01!' S'r• .TOB.lt ~ DWINE. [mt. IL 1---29.