[791] mss. and Edd. after ton apostolon add ton loipon, which we omit as evidently out of place: for "the Apostles" here are Paul and Barnabas. Possibly it should be dia ton loipon, "by the rest of the particulars related on former occasions," but if so, this must be placed after ton ap. to ethos.
[792] The notes of this Homily have fallen into extreme confusion, and we have but partially succeeded in restoring the true order.
[793] Mod. text omits this question: C. for apheis has aphetheis, "he that was left, or, dismissed." Part of the answer has dropped out, "Paul did well: for" etc. The interlocutor rejoins: "Then if Paul did well, Barnabas did ill?" Here Edd. and all our mss. oukoun, phesi, kakos ho Barnabas; to which mod. text adds, "By no means: but it is even exceedingly absurd to imagine this. And how is it not absurd to say, that for so small a matter this man became evil?" We restore oukoun kakos ho Barnabas;
[794] malista men oun kai enteuthen (as by other instances of human infirmity, so by this also) deiknutai ta anthropina, i.e. we are shown what in the preaching of the Gospel proceeded from man: that man, as man, did his part, which part is betokened by the ordinary characters of human nature. If even in Christ it behooved that He should not do all as God, but that His Human Nature should also be seen working, much more was it necessary that the Apostles, being but men, should work as men, not do all by the immediate power of the Spirit.
[795] This refers to exiou in the sense "he begged," as he says below, in the beginning of the Recapitulation, kaitoi ouk edei axioun auton echonta kategorein meta tauta.
[796] If this sentence be in its place, something is wanting for connection: e.g. (It was a great oikonomia) for the more extended preaching of the word: since on Barnabas's plan these "at Cyprus" were to have a second visitation, but those "in Asia" not even once. But it may be suspected that this part is altogether misplaced: and that the houtoi are the brethren "in the cities where we have preached," and ekeinoi the people of Macedonia," etc. See end of Recap. where Chrys. says, had it not been for this parting, the word would not have been carried into Macedonia.
[797] Chrys. has treated the dissension of Paul and Barnabas with discrimination, without, however, placing quite the emphasis upon exiou--"he thought good not to"--"he determined not to"--and upon ton apostanta--"who had fallen away from--apostatized from,"--which those terms seem to require. The conduct of Mark in returning to Jerusalem from Pamphylia (Acts xiii. 13) was clearly regarded as reprehensible by Paul, apparently as an example of fickleness in the service of Christ. It is not strange that Barnabas, Mark's cousin (Col. iv. 10) should have been more lenient in his judgment of his conduct. It is certain that this difference of opinion regarding Mark did not lead to any estrangement of Paul and Mark, for in his imprisonment the apostle speaks of Mark as a trusted fellow-worker (Col. iv. 10; 2 Tim. iv. 11).--G.B.S.
[798] The method of the derangement here is, that there being five portions, these were taken alternately, in the order 1, 3, 5, and then 2, 4.
[799] So Edd. and all our mss. apeste ap' auton ho Barnabas: which may mean, "And so the same may now be said of Barnabas, viz. that he departed (from Paul)," etc. The same word apeste is applied to Barnabas below, p. 216.
[800] sunkatebesan allelois houto meizon agathon einai to choristhenai. The meaning is as below, that they parted kata sunesin. Mod. text "sunkat. all. idein. The point required is to see that," etc. Then, Houto m. a. gegone to chor. "Thus their being parted became a greater good," etc.--Kai prophasin ek toutou to pragma elabe, i.e. "They saw that it was best to part viz.: that so the word would be more extensively preached, and this difference gave a pretext for so doing." He means that the contention was oikonomia (see the Recap.), the object being, partly this which is here mentioned, partly a lesson to Mark.
[801] Edd. and mss. ou prosekato, against the sense of the passage, whence OEcum. omits the negative, not much improving it. The Catena has preserved the true reading, ou proekato. See instances of confusion the other way in Mr. Field's Index to Hom. in Matt. s. v. prosiemi.
[802] hoste deixai ton timesanta auton kalos bebouleumenon. The sense requires ton tim. auton kai ton me timesanta kalos beb. or the like: "that both Barnabas and Paul had taken the course which was for his (Mark's) own good."
[803] hoti kai epegeto auton. The meaning seems to be, (but the confusion into which the text has fallen, leaves it very uncertain), "The wonder is that he took Timothy, being as he was the son of a heathen father, and uncircumcised."
[804] hoti ekeino ekolusen. Mod. text kai me to Pn. to A. ekeleusen; But see the Recap. where the question is explained, viz., How is it that when they were to be kept from preaching, the Holy Ghost spoke to them, but here a vision, and that in a dream, is all?
[805] In the mss. this sentence is placed before "And now he crosses over," etc. v. 10.--"In this manner:" i.e. in a night-vision or dream; the allusion is to xxiii. 11, "the Lord stood by him," confused with xxvii, 23, "the Angel of the Lord."
[806] i.e. just displeasure on the one side; lenity, compassion, intercession, etc. on the other. Thus God is wroth with Miriam, Moses pleads for her, and so in the other cases.
[807] Mod. text omits this clause relating to St. Paul, as in the old text it is incomplete, the remainder of the sentence ("would not have been wroth," etc.) having been transposed to the end of what relates to Barnabas, after "relating to the decree."--Below, alla lambanousin heautous, may perhaps be heautois, sc. tous deomenous below, i.e. choose their spheres of action where each was most needed. But the context rather seems to require this sense: "There is no animosity between them, but they take their parts in this dispute for the good of those who, as Mark, need the instruction which was to be derived from the gentleness of Barnabas, and the severity of Paul's character. Paul indeed is stern, but his object is to do good: as 2 Thess. iii. 13, where (comp. the context) rebuking, and enjoining severity to be shown to the disorderly, he says, "And be not weary in well-doing." We have changed the order of the two sentences, "And he rebukes," etc. and, "As he does elsewhere," etc.--Touto kai en te sunethei& 139; poioumen. i.e. this putting on a show of anger, to do good to one whom we would correct: or perhaps, of altercation, as when, for instance, father and mother take opposite parts, the one for punishing, the other for sparing an erring child--sunaganaktesai to Paulo. Ben.indignati esse in Paulum. But whether it means this, or "to have had indignation together with Paul," there is nothing to show: nor is it clear what is the reference of the following sentences; unless it be, But he would not allow these persons who were indignant along with, or at, him, to retain this feeling: he takes them apart, makes them see the thing in its right light, and so departs in peace, "being commended by the brethren to the grace of God," with the prayers of concord and charity. Great is the power of such prayer. (See the former comment on this verse, p. 214.)--Kau huper megalou axiois, kan anaxios es. Perhaps it should be e, "Whether it be on behalf of a great man (as Paul), or whether the person be unworthy," etc.
[808] So in Gen. Serm. ix. text iv. 695. D. Chrys. infers from this passage with 2 Tim. i. 5, that the father emeinen en te asebeia kai ou meteballeto. Hom. i. in 2 Tim. p. 660. E. "Because of his father who was a Gentile, and because of the Jews he took and circumcised him. Do you mark how the Law began to be dissolved, in the taking place of these mixed marriages?" (so here hora ede ton nomon luomenon.) In the mss. all this is extremely confused by transpositions (the method; 1, 4: 2, 5: 3, 6) and misplacing of the portions of sacred text (where these are given). Thus here, "And therefore because of the Jews which were in those parts he circumcised him. Ouk en emperitomos."--Mod. text "thy mother Eunice. And he took and circumcised him. And wherefore, he himself goes on to say: Because of the Jews, etc. For this reason then he is circumcised. Or also because of his father: for he continued to be a Greek. So then he was not circumcised. Observe the Law already broken. But some think he was born," etc. He is commenting on the fact, that Timothy was uncircumcised: viz., because his father was a heathen. Here then was a devout man, who from a child had known the Holy Scriptures, and yet continued uncircumcised. So that in these mixed marriages we see the Law already broken, independently of the Gospel. It may be indeed that he was born after the conversion of his mother to the faith, and therefore she was not anxious to circumcise him. But this (he adds) is not likely.
[809] For Timothy from a child had been brought up religiously as a Jew, yet now it was an offence that he should continue uncircumcised.
[810] Therefore he might have been exempt by the Apostles' decree. St. Paul, however, having carried his point in securing the immunity of the Gentile converts, did not care to insist upon this in behalf of Timothy.
[811] Our author correctly apprehends the ground on which Paul circumcised Timothy--an act which has often been thought to be inconsistent with his steadfast resistance to the imposition of the Jewish law. It is noticeable that he did not allow Titus to be circumcised (Gal. ii. 3) when the Jewish-Christian faction desired it. The two cases are materially different in the following particulars: (1) Titus was a Gentile; Timothy was born of a Jewish mother. (2) The circumcision of Titus was demanded by the Judaizers; that of Timothy was performed for prudential reasons as a concession to unbelieving Jews in order that Paul might the better win them to Christ. (3) The question of circumcising Titus was a doctrinal question which was not the case in the instance before us. Meyer well says: "Paul acted according to the principle of wise and conciliatory accommodation, not out of concession to the Judaistic dogma of the necessity of circumcision for obtaining the Messianic salvation."--G.B.S.
[812] A. B. C. Cat. eis auten ten rh& 176;zan tes Makedonias egeneto (Cat. egenonto). Ouk aei (Cat., ouk an ei) kata paroxusmon energese to Pn. to A. The former sentence may possibly mean, that Philippi became the root of the Churches in Macedonia. But it is more probable that the text is mutilated here, and that Chrys. speaks of the parting of Paul and Barnabas, as having become the very root or cause of the extension of the Gospel (into Macedonia and Greece). In the next sentence, the reading of Cat. may perhaps deserve the preference. "Not, if (they had parted) in a state of exasperation, would the Holy Ghost have (thus) wrought."--Mod. text "And besides, even the voyage showed this: for there was no long time ere they arrive at the very root of Macedonia (hothen eis...paraginontai). So that the sharp contention is providentially ordered to be for the best. For (otherwise) the Holy Ghost would not have wrought, Macedonia would not have received the Word. But this so rapid progress," etc.
[813] kai panta kaloumen. Mod. text substitutes the proverbial expression, kai panta kalon kinoumen, "we put every rope in motion," which is hardly suitable here, and not at all necessary. "We call to our aid horse-feeders, and doctors, and every one else who can help us."
[814] Our mss. have alogon: Savile (from N.?) lagon, which we adopt.
[815] kai suretai chamai kathaper paidion, kai aschemonei muria: this cannot be meant for the horse, but for the rider. Perhaps kai oudeis, kan suretai k t. l.
[816] kai to but Sav. Marg. kai to me kreittona chrematon einai: some slight emendation is necessary, but it is not clear whether it should be, kai me to...."and not to his being above wealth:" i.e. good in spite of his riches: or kai to me...with some verb supplied, i.e. "and make it a reproach to him that (though a good man) he is not above riches," seeing he does not abandon his wealth.--Mod. text kai to me endea chrematon einai;
[817] mallon meta tes poreias kai kosmo kekosmemenos numphiko; ho de epikath. k. t. l. The passage is corrupt: perhaps, as in the Translation, it should be mallon e numphiko, but this as a description of the horse is evidently out of place. For por., we read choreias as in mod. text (which has kai meta tes choreias kosmo kek. e numphiko.) Then transposing this, we read ho de epikath., meta tes chor., kai.--Below, B. C. an skoliaze: A. and mod. text askoliaze--alluding to the game of leaping on greased bladders or skins, unctos salire per utres; which does not suit ton cholon.