[340] ["There does not appear any allusion to the possible effect of night upon anger, as Chrysostom here, and Theophylact also."--Ellicott. The parallel Pythagorean custom is cited by Ellicott (Hammond and Wetstein): "If they were ever carried away by anger into railing, before the setting of the sun they gave the right hand to each other, embraced each other, and were reconciled."--G.A.]
[341] [This reference to church life is not implied in the context. He follows up what he said before by saying, Give not to the devil opportunity for being active by an angry state of mind.--G.A.]
[342] [Compare Goethe: Die Freundschaft ist gerecht. Sie kann allein, Den ganzen Umfang seines Werths erkennen.--G.A.]
[343] baptizomen ten machairan eis to tou diabolou stethos.
[344] ["The stealer (hoklepton) is to steal no more.' The present participle does not stand for the past, but is used substantively (like hospeiron, Matt. xiii. 3.). As there were in the apostolic church fornicators' (1 Cor. v. 1.), so there were also stealers,' and the attempts to tone down the word are arbitrary and superfluous."--Meyer.--G.A.]
[345] katharoi. The Cathari, or pure, was the title which the Novatians indirectly assumed, by maintaining that none were in God's favor but those who had not sinned after baptism, or who were pure as baptism made them, and by separating from the Church for granting absolution to penitents. The schism originated at Rome in the middle of the third century. Accordingly St. Chrysostom in the text says, that whereas all men need pardon continually, they who affected to be clean or pure without securing it were, as being without it, of all men most unclean. [And he strongly asserts, as against the Novatians, that it is possible to put away the guilt of sins committed after baptism, by ceasing from the practice of them and working that which is good. This view, however, differs from the Protestant view, that the putting away the guilt of sin is at first and always through God's mercy and grace in Jesus Christ.--G.A.] In the sixth of eleven new Homilies edited by the Benedictines, t. xii. p. 355, he says that we may as well talk of the sea being clear of waves as any soul pure from daily sins, though not from transgressing express commandment, yet from vainglory, willfulness, impure thoughts, coveting, lying, resentment, envy, &c., and he mentions as means of washing away sins, coming to Church, grieving for them, confessing them, doing alms, praying, helping the injured, and forgiving injuries. "Let us provide ourselves with these," he proceeds, "every day, washing, wiping ourselves clean, and withal confessing ourselves unprofitable," unlike the Pharisee. "Thus ordering ourselves, we shall be able to find mercy and pardon in that fearful day, &c." This homily was delivered at Constantinople. [On the Novatians, see Schaff, Church History, II., pp. 196, 197.--G.A.]
[346] [The clause, "And well does he give instruction concerning our words also" (kalos de kai peri logon didaskei), is omitted in the text of Field, but is well attested (three mss., Sav. text), and almost indispensable to the sense of the passage. Compare note, p. 82, on Field's text in general.--G.A.]
[347] ["It means that it may impart a blessing, bestow a benefit, on the hearers.'"--Meyer and Ellicott.--G.A.]
[348] [This is probably a misapplication of Paul's words here. The sealing here mentioned is quite the same as at chap. i. 13.--G.A.]
[349] [ennoeson tina eutheos ephthenxo rh& 208;mata techtheis, k.t.l. This evidently refers to baptism and the services and words used in connection therewith. Bingham says, "The catechumens did not learn the creed and the Lord's prayer till immediately before baptism." And Chrysostom says, "An unbaptized person cannot yet call God his Father." St. Augustine also says in one of his homilies, "Now learn the Lord's prayer, which ye must repeat eight days hence, when ye are to be baptized." So they received it (that is, the Lord's prayer) only on Saturday before Palm Sunday, in order to repeat it on Saturday before Easter, which was the day of their baptism. Antiquities, Bk. x. ch. v. sec. 9.--G.A.]
[350] [This paragraph has reference to the celebration of the Eucharist, concerning which, see Chrysostom's Hom. xviii. on 2 Cor. (viii. 24).--G.A.]
[351] hagiazein.
[352] hagios, hagios, hagios.