Galatians 6

Galatians 6:1

VI. Ἀδελφοί, ἐὰν καὶ προλημφθῇ ἄνθρωπος ἐν τινὶ παραπτώματι, ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοί καταρτίζετε τὸν τοιούτον ἐν πνεύματι πραΰτητος, σκοπῶν σεαυτὸν μὴ

some day, and may stand in need of like forgiveness. Have sympathy one with another. Lend a ready hand in bearing your neighbours’ burdens. So doing you will fulfil the most perfect of all laws—the law of Christ. But if any one asserts his superiority, if any one exalts himself above others, he is nothing worth, he is a vain self-deceiver. Nay rather let each man test his own work. If this stands the test, then his beast will be his own, it will not depend on comparison with others. Each of us has his own duties, his own responsibilities. Each of us must carry his own load.

1. ἀδελφοί] ‘Brothers.’ ‘A whole argument lies hidden under this one word,’ says Bengal. See iii. 15. iv. 12 and especially vi. 18

The fervour and pathos of this appeal are perhaps to be explained by certain circumstances which engaged St Paul’s attention at this time. A grave offence had been committed in the Church of Corinth. St Paul had called upon the Corinthian brethren to punish the offender; and his appeal had been promptly and zealously responded to. He had even to protest against undue severity, to interpose for the pardon of the guilty one. The remembrance of this incident still fresh on his mind may be supposed to have dictated the injunction in the text. The striking resemblance in his tone here to 2 Cor. ii. 6—8, where he is speaking of the Corinthian offender, bears out this conjecture. See the introduction, p. 54.

ἐὰν καὶ] See the note on i. 8.

προλημφθῇ] ‘be surprised, detected in the act of committing any sin,’ so that his guilt is placed beyond a doubt. For this sense of προλημφθῇ] ’to take by surprise, to overpower before one can escape,’ see Wisd. xvii. 16 προλημφθεὶς τὴν δυσάλυκτον ἔμειν ἀνάγκην: comp. κατελήπται, Joh. viii. 4. The word cannot here mean ‘be betrayed into sin,’ for neither will the preposition be admit this meaning, nor is it well suited to the context.

ὑμεῖς οἱ πνευματικοί] St Paul had once and again urged them to walk by the Spirit v. 16, 25. This explains the form of address here: ‘Ye who have taken my lesson to heart, ye who would indeed be guided by the Spirit.’ Their readiness to forgive would be a test of their spirituality of mind. It might indeed be supposed that the Apostle was here addressing himself especially to the party of more liberal views, who had taken his side against the Judaizers, and in their opposition to ritualism were in danger of paying too little regard to the weaker brethren; comp. Rom. xv. 1 ἡμεῖς οἱ δυνατοί. In this case there would be a slight shade of irony in πνευματικοί. The epistle however betrays no very distinct traces of the existence of such a party in the Galatian Churches (see v. 13), and indeed the context here is far too general to apply to them alone. For οἱ πνευματικοί, see 1 Cor. ii. 13, 15. iii. 1.

καταρτίζετε] ‘correct, restore.’ The idea of punishment is quite subordinate to that of amendment in καταρτίζετε, which on this account is preferred here to κολάζετε or even νουθετεῖτε, though the latter occurs in a similar passage. 2 Thess. iii. 15 μὴ ὡς ἐχθρὸν ἡγεῖσθε ἀλλὰ νουθετεῖτε ὡς ἀδελφὸν. On καταρτίζετε see the note 1 Thess. iii. 10. It is used especially as a surgical term, of setting a bone or joint; see the passages in Wetstein on Matt. iv. 21.

ἐν πνεύματι πραΰτητος’ Comp. 1 Cor. iv. 21 ἐν ἀγάπῃ πνεύματι τε πραΰτητος.

Galatians 6:2-4

καὶ σὺ πειρασθῆς. ²ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε, καὶ οὕτως ἀναπληρώσετε τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ. ³εἰ γὰρ δοκεῖ τις εἶναι τι μηδὲν ὤν, φρεναπατᾷ ἑαυτόν· ⁴τὸ δὲ

2. οὕτως ἀναπληρώσετε.

Gentleness is a characteristic of true spirituality. By their conduct towards wrong-doers their claim to the title of πνευματικοί would be tested.

σκοπῶν] The transition from the plural to the singular gives the charge a direct personal application; ’each one of you individually.’ Compare the καὶ σὺ, and see the note on iv. 7.

2. ‘If you must needs impose burdens on yourselves, let them be the burdens of mutual sympathy. If you must needs observe a law, let it be the law of Christ.’ The Apostle seems to have used both βάρη and νόμον (the latter certainly), with a reference to the ritualistic tendencies of the Galatians; see above vv. 13, 14. For the idea of the burden of the Mosaic law compare especially Luke xi. 46 φορτίζετε τοὺς ἀνθρώπους φορτία δυσβάστακτα, Acts xv. 10 ἐπιθεῖναι ζυγὸν ὃν οὔτε οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν οὔτε ἡμεῖς ἰσχύσομεν βαστάσαι, ver. 28 μηδὲν πλέον ἐπιτίθεσθαι ὑμῖν βάρος. For the ’law of Christ,’ always in contrast to the law of Moses, see 1 Cor. ix. 21 ἔννομος Χριστοῦ, Rom. iii. 27 διὰ ποῖον νόμον; τῶν ἔργων; οὐχί, ἀλλὰ διὰ νόμον πίστεως, viii. 2 ὁ νόμος του πνεύματος της ζωῆς κ.τ.λ.; comp. James i. 25, ii. 12.

ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη κ.τ.λ. Comp. Matt. viii. 17, Rom. xv. 1 τὰ ἀσθενήματα τῶν ἀδυνάτων βαστάζειν, Ignat. Polyc. 1. πάντα βαστάζε ὡς καὶ σε ὁ Κύριος, and again πάντων τὰς νόσους βαστάζει, Epist. ad Diagn. § 10 ὅστις τὸ τοῦ πλησίον ἀναδέχεται βάρος. Here the position of ἀλλήλων is emphatic: ‘These are the burdens I would have you bear—not the vexatious ritual of the law, but your neighbour’s errors and weaknesses, his sorrows and sufferings.’ ἀναπληρώσετε] ‘ye will vigorously ji (fil,’ the idea of completeness being contained in the preposition. It is difficult to decide here between the readings ἀναπληρώσετε and ἀναπληρώσετε, the external authority for either being nearly balanced. On the whole the preference may perhaps be given to ἀναπληρώσετε as having the versions for the most part in its favour, such testimony being in a case like the present less open to suspicion than any other. On the other hand ἀναπληρώσετε makes excellent sense; the past tense, so far from being an objection, is its strongest recommendation; for this tense marks the completeness of the act, and thus adds to the force of the proposition, ‘fulfil the law then and there.’ See the passages in Wiatr § xlii. p. 393.

του Χριστοῦ] is added in a manner παρά προσδοκίων; ’the law not of Moses but of Christ.’

3. These words are connected with the first verse of the chapter, the second being an amplification of and inference from the first.

εἰ γὰρ δοκεῖ τις κ.τ.λ. Comp. Plat. Apod. p. 41 εἰὰν δοκῶσι τι εἶναι μηδὲν ὄντες, Arrian Epict. ii. 24 δοκῶν μὲν τις εἶναι ὦν δ’ οὐδεῖς; and for οὐδὲν εἶναι, see 1 Cor. xlii. 2, 2 Cor. xlii. 11. μηδὲν ὦν] ‘being nothing,’ i.e. ‘seeing that he is nothing,’ not ‘if he is nothing,’ for the very fact of his thinking highly of himself condemns him. ‘His estimate,’ says Chrysostom, ‘is a leading proof of his vileness.’ In Christian morality self-esteem is vanity and vanity is nothingness. With the Christian it is ’not I but the grace of God which is with me’: see 1 Cor. iii. 7, xv. 9, 10, 2 Cor. iii. 5.

φρεναπατᾷ, ‘decises by his fancies,’ comp. Tit. i. 10 ματαιωλόγοι καὶ φρεναπάται. More is implied by this word

Galatians 6:5

ἔργον ἑαυτοῦ δοκιμαζέτω ἕκαστος, καὶ τότε εἰς ἑαυτὸν μόνον τὸ καύχημα ἔξει, καὶ οὐκ εἰς τὸν ἕτερον· Σίναστος γὰρ τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον βαστάσει. than by ἀπατὸν, for it brings out the idea of subjective fancies and thus enforces the previous δοκεῖ. It was possibly coined by St Paul, for it seems not to be found in any earlier writer, and at a later date occurs chiefly, if not solely, in ecclesiastical authors. 4. τὸ δὲ ἕργον ἑαυτοῦ ‘his own work’; ἕργον, emphatic by its position, stands in contrast to δοκεῖ and φρεναπατὸν; and this contrast is enhanced by the addition of ἑαυτοῦ.

δοκιμαζέτω ’let him test, examine’; see the notes on 1 Thess. ii. 4, v. 21. εἰς ἑαυτὸν κ.τ.λ.’ in himself and not by comparison with others. ‘Probitas in re, non in collatione,’ says Castalio. For the preposition compare Ephes. iii. 16 κραταιωθήναι εἰς τὸν ἴσω ἀνθρώπων, Rom. iv. 20, xv. 2, xvi. 6, etc.: Winer § xlix. p. 456.

τὸ καύχημα ‘his ground for boast-

ing’; καύχημα is the matter of καύχησες; compare Rom. iii. 27 with iv. 2, and 2 Cor. i. 12 ἡ γὰρ καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστὶν κ.τ.λ. with i. 14 ὅτι καύχημα ὑμῶν ἐσμί.

τὸν ἕτερον ‘his neighbour.’ For the article compare Rom. ii. 1, xiii. 8, 1 Cor. vi. 1, x. 24, 29.

5. Having started from the precept ‘bear one another’s loads,’ the Apostle has worked round to an appareally contradictory statement ’each man must bear his own burden.’ This expression of complementary truths under antagonistic forms is characteristic of St Paul. For instances of similar paradoxes of expression see Phil. ii. 12, 13 ‘work out your own salvation, for it is God that worketh in you,’ or 2 Cor. xii. 10 ‘when I am weak, then I am strong.’ Compare also his language in speaking of the law, Romans vi. vii.

τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον] It is difficult to establish any precise distinction between φορτίον here and φόρη, ver. 2. This much difference however there seems to be, that the latter suggests the idea of an adventitious and oppressive burden, which is not necessarily implied in the former; so that φόρη points to a load of which a man may fairly rid himself when occasion serves, φορτίον to a load which he is expected to bear. Thus φορτίον is a common term for a man’s pack, e.g. Xen. Mem. iii. 13. 6. Here it is perhaps an application of the common metaphor of Christian warfare in which each soldier bears his own kit ‘φορτίον’, as each is supplied with his own provisions (ἐφώδια, Clem. Rom. 2), and each receives his proper pay (ἐφώδια, 1 Cor. ix. 7. Ignat. Pol. 6). The soldier of Christ sets out on his march, ‘Non secus ac patris acer Romanus in armis Injus to sub fuscæ viam cum carpit.’ If so, βαστάζει τὸ ἴδιον φορτίον refers rather to the discharge of the obligations themselves than to the punishment undergone for their neglect.

βαστάσει ‘is appointed to bear, must bear.’ Each man has certain responsibilities imposed on him individually, which he cannot throw off. For the future tense see ii. 16, Winer § xi. p. 296.

6. ‘I spoke of bearing one another’s burdens. There is one special application I would make of this rule. Provide for the temporal wants of your teachers in Christ.’ Δι’ arrests a former topic before it passes out of sight; see the note iv. 20. Otherwise it might be taken as qualifying the clause which immediately precedes: ‘Each man must bear his own burden; but this law does not exempt you from supporting your spiritual teachers.’ Such a turn of the sentence however, inas-

Galatians 6:6-7

⁶Κοινωνείτω δὲ ὁ κατηχούμενος τὸν λόγον τῷ κατηχοῦντι ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς. Ἰμὴ πλανᾶσθε, Θεὸς οὐ μυκτηρίζεται· ὃ γὰρ ἐὰν σπείρη ἄνθρωπος, τοῦτο καὶ θερίσει·

much as it is not obvious, might be expected to be marked in some more decided way than by the very faint opposition implied by δί.

6. κοινωνείτω] ’let him impart to’; literally ’let him go shares with.’ The word is properly intransitive and equivalent to κοινωνὸς εἶναι ’to be a partner with.’ It may be construed with all three cases. (1) The genitive of the thing which is participated in: once only in the New Testament, Heb. ii. 14 κεκοινώνησιν ὡματος καὶ σορκός; comp. Prov. i. 11, 2 Mace xiv. 25. In this case the verb may denote either the person who gives or the person who receives. (2) The accusative of the thing imparted, as Æsch. c. Ctes. p. 63 οἱ ἀποδόμενοι καὶ κατηκοινωνήσοντες τὰ τῆς πᾶσας ἰσχύου, a rare construction not found perhaps with the simple verb, and due in the passage quoted to the preposition. (3) The dative, which is explained by the idea of partnership implied in κοινωνός, and expresses the person or thing with which the other makes common cause. He who κοινωνεῖ in this case may be either the receiver, as Rom. xv. 27 τοῖς πνευματικοῖς αὐτῶν ἐκοι-

νώνησαν τὰ ἔθνη, or the giver, as Rom. xii. 13 τοῖς χρεῖαις τῶν ἁγίων κοινωνούν-

τες. Here the latter is intended.

κατηχούμενος] ‘instructed.’ The word in this sense is not peculiar to biblical Greek. κατήχησις ‘oral instruction’ occurs as early as Hippocrates p. 28. 25 κατηχήσιος ἰδιωτέων, and probably κατηχεῖν ’to instruct’ was in common use in the other dialects, though it would seem to have been banished from the Attic of the classical period. See the remarks on ἀπόστολος, p. 92 note 3.

ἐν πᾶσιν ἀγαθοῖς’ in all good things.

The obligation of the hearers of the word to support the ministers of the word is again and again insisted upon by St Paul, though he seldom asserted his own claims; see 1 Thess. ii. 6, 9, 2 Cor. xi. 7 sq. Phil. iv. 10 sq. 1 Tim. v. 17, 18, and especially 1 Cor. ix. 11. The resemblance of language in this last passage leaves no doubt that St Paul is here speaking of imparting temporal goods. The metaphor of sowing and reaping both there and in the very close parallel, 2 Cor. ix. 6, has reference to liberality in almsgiving. The more general sense which has been assigned to this passage, ’let the taught sympathize with the teacher in all good things,’ is not recommended either by the context or by St Paul’s language elsewhere. For ἀγαθοῖς, ’temporal blessings,’ see Luke i. 53, xii. 18, 19, xvi. 25. Compare Barnabas § 19 κοινωνήσεις ἐν πᾷσι τῷ πλησίον σου.

7, 8. ‘What? you hold back? Nay, do not deceive yourselves. Your niggardliness will find you out. You cannot cheat God by your fair professions. You cannot mock Him. According as you sow, thus will you reap. If you plant the seed of your own selfish desires, if you sow the field of the flesh, then when you gather in your harvest, you will find the ears blighted and rotten. But if you sow the good ground of the Spirit, you will of that good ground gather the golden grain of life eternal.’

7. οὐ μυκτηρίζεται] ‘is not mocked.’ Μυκτηρίζειν, which is properly ’to turn up the nose at,’ ’to treat with contempt,’ involves as a secondary meaning the idea of contradicting one’s language by one’s gesture or look, and so implies an outward avowal of

Galatians 6:8-9

ὅτι ὁ σπείρων εἰς τὴν σάρκα ἑαυτοῦ ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς θερίσει φθοράν, ὁ δὲ σπείρων εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκ τοῦ πνεύματος θερίσει ζωὴν αἰώνιον. *τὸ δὲ καλὸν ποι-

respect neutralised by an indirect expression of contempt. In other words it conveys the idea of irony, whether this irony be dissembled or not. Thus μυκτὴρ is frequently connected with εἰρωνεία, as in Lucian Præon. c. 1; compare Pollux ii. 78 καὶ τὸν εἴρωτά τινες μυκτῆμα καλοῦσε. In writers on rhetoric μυκτηρισμός is ordinarily treated as a species of εἰρωνεία; see for instance four different treatises on ’tropes’ in the Rhet. Grace, III. pp. 205, 213, 235, 254 (ed. Spengler). Similarly Quintilian, viii. 6, 59, well defines it, ‘dissimulatus quidam sed non latens risus.’ Such is the force of μυκτηρίζεται in this passage: ‘you cannot with impunity turn your professions to contempt, you cannot with God indulge in a postica suum.’ ὁ γὰρ τὸν κ.τ.λ.] A common proverb not only in the Bible (Job iv. 8), but elsewhere; e.g. Cic. de Orat. ii. 65 ‘ut sementem feceris, ita metes,’ and Gorgias in Arist. Rhet. iii. 3 σι δὲ ταῖτα οἰσχρῶς μὲν ἑσπείρας κακῶς δι’ ἐβίρισας (see Plato Phaedr. 260 c. Thompson’s note). It occurs in 2 Cor. iv. 6, of the contributions for the brethren of Judaea. To this object the Galatians also had been asked to contribute (1 Cor. xvi. 1). We may therefore conjecture that nigranilliness was a besetting sin with them (see p. 14); that they had not heartily responded to the call; and that St Paul takes this opportunity of rebuking their backwardness, in passing from the obligation of supporting their ministers to a general censure of illiberality. See p. 55.

8. The former verse speaks of the kind of seed sown (ὁ τὸν σπείρᾳ). In the present the metaphor is otherwise applied, and the harvest is made to depend on the nature of the ground in which it is cast (sic), as in the parable of the sower. In moral husbandry sowers choose different soils, as they choose different seeds. The harvest depends on both the one and the other. For St Paul’s diversified application of metaphors, see the notes on ii. 20, iv. 19.

(αὐτοῖς) which disturbs the equilibrium of the clauses, is added to bring out the idea of selfishness.

φθοράν ‘rottenness, corruption.’ The field of the flesh yields not full and solid ears of corn, which may be gathered up and garnered for future use, but only blighted and putrescent grains. Comp. 1 Cor. xv. 42 σπείρεται ἐν φθορᾷ, Col. ii. 22 ὁ ἐστιν πάντα εἰς φθορὰν τῇ ἀποχρήσει. The metaphor suggests that φθορὰν should be taken in its primary physical sense. At the same time in its recognised secondary meaning as a moral term, it is directly opposed to life eternal, and so forms the link of connexion between the emblem and the thing signified. In ζωὴ αἰώνιον, the metaphor is finally abandoned.

9. Having passed from a particular form of beneficence (ver. 6) to beneficence in general (vv. 7, 8), the Apostle still further enlarges the compass of his advice: ‘Nay, in doing what is honourable and good let us never tire.’ Compare 2 Thess. iii. 13 μὴ ἠγκακήσητε καλοποιούντες. The word καλοποιεῖν includes ἀγαθοποιεῖν and more, for while τὰ ἀγαθὰ are beneficent actions, kind services, etc., things good in their results, τὰ καλὰ are right actions, such as are beautiful in themselves, things absolutely good. In this passage, as in 2 Thess. l. c., the antithesis of καλὸν and κακὸν seems to be intended, though it can scarcely be translated into English: ‘in well doing let us not show an ill heart.’

Galatians 6:10

οὕντες μὴ ἐγκακῶμεν· καιρῷ γὰρ ἰδίῳ θερίσομεν μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι. ¹⁰ἄρα οὖν ὡς καιρὸν ἔχομεν, ἐργαζώμεθα

ἐγκακῶμεν] ’turn cowards, lose heart’; ἐγκακείν or ἐγκακείν is the correct word in the New Testament, not ἐκκακείν. It is read persistently in a few of the best xss, though in all six passages where it occurs ἐκκακείν is found as a various reading; see the note on 2 Thess. iii. 13.

καιρῷ ἰδίῳ] ‘at its proper season,’ i.e. the regular time for harvest; comp. 1 Tim. ii. 6, vi. 15, Tit. i. 3.

μὴ ἐκλυόμενοι] ‘if we faint not,’ as husbandmen overcome with heat and fatigue. Comp. James v. 7. For ἐκλύεσθαι compare 1 Macc. iii. 17, Matt. xv. 32, Mark viii. 3. On the synonyms here used Bengel remarks: ‘ἐκκακείν [rather ἐγκακείν] est in relle, ἐκλύεσθαι est in posse.’ To this it may be added that ἐκλύεσθαι is a consequence of ἐγκακείν; the prostration of the powers following on the submission of the will.

10. ὡς καιρὸν ἔχομεν] ‘as we find a seasonable time, as opportunity presents.’ The καιρὸς here answers to the καιρὸς of the former verse. There is a time for sowing as there is a time for harvest. It is perhaps best translated as above. There is however no objection to rendering it ‘while we have time’; comp. Joh. xii. 35 ὡς τὸ φῶς ἔχετε (as it is read in the best xss). Ignat. Smyrn. 9 ὡς ἔτι καιρὸν ἔχομεν, [Clem. Rom.] ii. 8 ὡς οὖν ἐσμὶν ἐπὶ γῆν. ib. 39 ὡς ἔχομεν καιρὸν. The distinction is introduced by translation; the original ὡς covers both meanings.

τοῖς οἰκείοις κ.τ.λ.] ’the members of the household of the faith’; compare Ephes. ii 19 σουπολίται τῶν ὀγίων καὶ οἰκείοι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Similarly the Church is elsewhere spoken of as the house of God. 1 Tim. iii. 15, 1 Pet. iv. 17; comp. 1 Pet. ii. 5, Heb. iii. 6. We need not therefore hesitate to assign this meaning to οἰκείοι here. Comp. Clem. Rec.

p. 45, l. 31 (Syr.). In this case τῆς πίστεως will probably be nearly equivalent to τοῦ τωγγελίου; see above, p. 157. On the other hand, οἰκείος τινος is not an uncommon phrase in profane writers for ‘acquainted with,’ e.g. φιλοσοφίας, γεωγραφίας, ὀλιγαρχίας, τυραντίδος, τρυφής; see the passages in Wetstein; but this sense would be insipid here.

11. At this point the Apostle takes the pen from his amanuensis, and the concluding paragraph is written with his own hand. From the time when letters began to be forged in his name (2 Thess. ii. 2, iii. 17), it seems to have been his practice to close with a few words in his own handwriting as a precaution against such forgeries. Frequently he confined himself to adding the final benediction (2 Thess. iii. 17, 18), with perhaps a single sentence of exhortation, as ‘If any one love not the Lord Jesus Christ, etc.’ (1 Cor. xvi. 21-24), or ‘Remember my bonds’ (Col. iv. 18). In the present case he writes a whole paragraph, summing up the main lessons of the epistle in terse eager disjointed sentences. He writes it too in large bold characters, that his handwriting may reflect the energy and determination of his soul (see above, p. 65). To this feature he calls attention in the words which follow.

Ἴδετε κ.τ.λ.] ‘Look you in what large letters I write with mine own hand.’ In the English version the words are translated ‘How large a letter I have written with mine own hand.’ It is true indeed that γράμματα sometimes signifies ‘a letter’ (Acts xxvi. 21, 1 Macc. v. 10, comp. Ignat. Polye. 7, Clem. Hom. xii. 10), and therefore πηλίκα γράμματα might mean ‘how long a letter’; but on the other hand, it seems equally clear that

Galatians 6:11

τὸ ἀγαθὸν πρὸς πάντας, μάλιστα δὲ πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους τῆς πίστεως.

Ἴδετε πηλίκοις ὑμῖν γράμμασιν ἔγραψα τῇ ἐμῇ

γράμμασιν γράφειν ’to write with letters’ cannot be used for γράμματα γράφειν ’to write a letter’. On this account the other interpretation must be preferred. But what is the Apostle’s object in calling attention to the handwriting? Does he, as Chrysostom and others have supposed, point to the rude ill-formed characters in which the letter was written, as though he gloried in his imperfect knowledge of Greek? But where is there any mention of rudeness of form? and is it at all probable that St Paul who had received a careful education at Jerusalem and at Tarsus, the great centres of Jewish and of Greek learning, should have betrayed this child-like ignorance and even gloried in it? Or again does he, as others imagine, refer to the physical difficulties under which he was labouring, the irregularity of the handwriting being explained by his defective eyesight or by his bodily suffering? But here again πηλίκοις denotes size only, not irregularity; and altogether this explanation is forced into the passage from without, nor does the sentence in this case contain the key to its own meaning. Theodore of Mopsuestia has caught the point of the expression, explaining it ἅγαν μείζοσιν ἐχρήσατο γράμμασιν ἐμφιλοῦν ὅτι οὔτε αὐτὸς ἐρυθρὶδ οὔτε ἀρνεῖται τὰ λεγόμενα. The boldness of the handwriting answers to the force of the Apostle’s convictions. The size of the characters will arrest the attention of his readers in spite of themselves.

ὑμῖν! Its right place is after πηλίκοις, though a few uses have transposed the words. Standing therefore in this position, it cannot well be taken with ἔγραψα, ‘I write or I write to you’; but is connected rather with πηλίκοις,

Galatians 6:12-13

χειρί. ¹²ὅσοι θέλουσιν εὐπροσωπῆσαι ἐν σαρκί, οὗτοι ἀναγκάζουσιν ὑμᾶς περιτέμνεσθαι, μόνον ἵνα τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μὴ διώκονται. ¹³οὐδὲ γὰρ οἱ περιτεμνόμενοι αὐτοὶ νόμον φυλάσσουσιν, ἀλλὰ θέλουσιν ὑμᾶς

sistency. They advocate circumcision, and yet they themselves neglect the ordinances of the law. They would make capital out of your compliance; they would fain boast of having won you over to these carnal rites.

It was not against bigotry alone that St Paul had to contend; his opponents were selfish and worldly also; they could not face the obloquy to which their abandonment of the Mosaic ordinances would expose them; they were not bold enough to defy the prejudices of their unconverted fellow-countrymen. And so they attempted to keep on good terms with them by imposing circumcision on the Gentile converts also, and thus getting the credit of zeal for the law. Even the profession of Jesus as Messiah by the Christians was a less formidable obstacle to their intercourse with the Jews than their abandonment of the law.

12. εὐπροσωπῆσαι κ.τ.λ.] ’to show fair in the flesh,’ i.e. ’to make a pretentious display of their religion in outward ordinances.’ The emphasis seems to lie as much on εὐπροσωπῆσαι as on ἐν σαρκί, so that the idea of insincerity is prominent in the rebuke. Thus the expression is a parallel to our Lord’s comparison of the whited sepulchres, οἵτινες ἔξωθεν φαίνονται ὡραῖοι (Matt. xxii. 27). The adjective εὐπρόσωπος is not uncommon in classical Greek, and generally has this sense, ‘specious, plausible,’ e.g. Demosth. p. 277 λόγους εὐπροσώπους καὶ μέθους συνθεῖς καὶ διεξελθών. The verb εὐπροσωπίζειν (I) occurs in Symmachus, Ps. cxli. 6.

ἐν σαρκί] ‘in the flesh,’ i.e. in external rites. It has been taken by some as equivalent to σαρκικοὶ ὄντες, but, besides that this interpretation is harsh in itself, ἐν σαρκί here cannot well be separated from ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ σαρκί of the following verse μόνον ἵνα] seemingly elliptical; ‘only (their object in doing so is) that they may not etc.’ See the note on ii. 10.

τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ] not as it is sometimes taken, ‘with the sufferings of Christ,’ but ‘for professing the cross of Christ.’ A comparison with ver. 14 and v. 11 seems to place this beyond a doubt. The cross of Christ and the flesh are opposed, as faith and works. They are two antagonistic principles, either of which is a denial of the other. For the dative of the occasion compare Rom. xi. 20, 30, 2 Cor. ii. 13.

διώκονται] The reading διώκονται, however well supported, can only be regarded as a careless way of writing διώκονται. In the same way in ver. 10 many texts read ἐργαζόμεθα for ἐργαζόμεθα; compare Rom. v. 1, ἔχομεν and ἔχομεν.

13. οὐδὲ γὰρ κ.τ.λ.] ‘for even the advocates of circumcision themselves do not keep the law.’ The allusion here is not to the impossibility of observing the law, the distance from Jerusalem for instance preventing the due sacrifices, for this would argue no moral blame; but to the insincerity of the men themselves, who were not enough in earnest to observe it rigorously.

οἱ περιτεμνόμενοι] ’the circumcision party, the advocates of circumcision.’ See the apt. quotation from the apocryphal book Act. Petr. et Paul. § 63 (p. 28, ed. Tisch.), where Simon says of the two Apostles, οὗτοι οἱ περιτεμνόμενοι πανουργοὶ εἰσιν, to which St Paul replies, πρὸ τοῦ ἡμᾶς ἐπιγίωται

Galatians 6:14-15

περιτέμνεσθαι, ἵνα ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ σαρκὶ καυχῆσονται. Ἔμοὶ δὲ μὴ γένοιτο καυχᾶσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι’ οὗ ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται κἀγὼ κόσμος. Κοῦτε γὰρ περιτομή τι ἐστὶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν σαρκὸς ἔσχομεν περιτομήν· δὲ δὲ ἐφῶς ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ περιτομὴ καὶ περιτεμνόμεθα καὶ περιτέμνόμεν; and compare the some-

what similar classical usage in the expression οἰρίοντες Plat. Theod. p. 181 A. See the note i. 23. If this interpretation be correct, the present tense leaves the question open whether the agitators were converted Jews or converted proselytes. The former is more probable; for proselytes would not be so dependent on the good opinion of the unconverted Jews. The balance of authority is perhaps in favour of reading περιτεμνόμενοι rather than περιτετμημένοι, as the versions which have a present tense may safely be urged in favour of the former, while those which have a past cannot with the same confidence be alleged to support the latter; but independently of external authority, a preference must be given to περιτεμνόμενοι, as probably the original reading, of which περιτετμημένοι is so obvious a correction. ὅμοι] ‘They are no rigorous observers of late,’ regarded as a principle. On the absence of the article, see the references in the note on v. 18.

ὑράς, ὑμετέρα] opposed to αὐτοί;

‘Indifferent themselves, they make capital out of you.’ ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κ.τ.λ.] i.e. that they may vauat your submission to this carnal rite and so gain credit with the Jews for proselytizing. Comp. Phil. iii. 3 καυχώμενοι ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ καὶ οὐκ ἐν σαρκὶ πεποιθότες.

14. ‘For myself—God forbid I should glory in anything save in the cross of Christ. On that cross I have been crucified to the world and the world has been crucified to me. Henceforth we are dead each to the other. In Christ Jesus old things have passed away. Circumcision is not and uncircumcision is not. All external distinctions have vanished. The new spiritual creation is all in all.’ μὴ γένοιτο] with the infinitive. This is the common construction in the LXX, Gen. xlv. 7. 17, Josh. xxii. 29, xxiv. 16, 1 Kings xxi. 3, 1 Mace ix. 10, xiii. 5. ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ] Again not ‘in my sufferings for Christ. 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10), but ‘in His sufferings for me’ (Phil. iii. 3). The offence of the cross shall be my proudest boast.

δι’ οἱ] probably refers to σταυρῷ; ‘The cross of Christ is the instrument of my crucifixion as of His; for I am crucified with Him’ (ii. 29). If the relative had referred to Χριστοί, we should have expected rather ἐν ᾧ or σὲν ᾧ. For the same usage as here compare Col. ii. 14 αὐτὸ ἔρκερ ἐκ τοῦ μέσου προσήλωσας αὐτὸ τῷ σταυρῷ (i.e. it was nailed with Christ to the cross, and rent as His body was rent); and for the general purport of the passage, Col. ii. 20, ‘If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why as if living in the world are ye subject to ordinances?’ This κόσμοι, the material universe, is the sphere of external ordinances.

Some texts insert the article before κόσμος and κόσμος—before either or both. It should be expunged in both places with the best MSS. The sentence thus gains in terseness

15. This verse has been variously lengthened out and interpolated from the parallel passage, v. 6. Some of these interpolations have very considerable MS authority. The reading

Galatians 6:16

οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ καινὴ κτίσις. ¹⁶καὶ ὅσοι τῷ κανόνι τούτῳ στοιχῆσουσιν, εἰρήνη ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔλεος, adopted is the shortest form, and

doubtless represents the genuine text. οὔτε γὰρ κ.τ.λ.] In this annihilation of the world all external distinctions have ceased to be. This sentence occurs again, v. 6 and 1 Cor. vii. 19, in substantially the same words.

Nevertheless this passage is said by several ancient authors (Photius Amphil. Qu. 183, G. Syneclius Chronogr. p. 27; see also Cotel on Ap. et. Const. vi. 16, Cod. Bodl. A’thi p. p. 24) to be a quotation from the ‘Revelation of Moses.’ A sentiment however, which is the very foundation of St Paul’s teaching, was most unlikely to have been expressed in any earlier Jewish writing; and, if it really occurred in the apocryphal work in question, this work must have been either written or interpolated after St Paul’s time; see Lücke Offenb. d. Johann. 1. p. 232. Cedrenus (Hist. Comp. p. 4) states that the Revelation of Moses was identified by some persons (ἀκούτυνες) with the ‘Little Genesis.’ This latter title is another name for the Book of Jubilees, which of late years has been discovered in an Æthiopic translation. In the book of Jubilees however the words in question do not occur; see Ewald’s Jarb. III. p. 74. καινὴ κτίσις, ἀκούτε σκέταμε. Compare the parallel passage, 2 Cor. v. 17 εἰ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις. This phrase καινὴ κτίσις, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150, 151, 152, 153, 154, 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, 162, 163, 164, 165, 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175, 176, 177, 178, 179, 180, 181, 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, 238, 239, 240, 241, 242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 247, 248, 249, 250, 251, 252, 253, 254, 255, 256, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 262, 263, 264, 265, 266, 267, 268, 269, 270, 271, 272, 273, 274, 275, 276, 277, 278, 279, 280, 281, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 288, 289, 290, 291, 292, 293, 294, 295, 296, 297, 298, 299, 300, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 306, 307, 308, 309, 310, 311, 312, 313, 314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 319, 320, 321, 322, 323, 324, 325, 326, 327, 328, 329, 330, 331, 332, 333, 334, 335, 336, 337, 338, 339, 340, 341, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 358, 359, 360, 361, 362, 363, 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371, 372, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 378, 379, 380, 381, 382, 383, 384, 385, 386, 387, 388, 389, 390, 391, 392, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 399, 400, 401, 402, 403, 404, 405, 406, 407, 408, 409, 410, 411, 412, 413, 414, 415, 416, 417, 418, 419, 420, 421, 422, 423, 424, 425, 426, 427, 428, 429, 430, 431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 438, 439, 440, 441, 442, 443, 444, 445, 446, 447, 448, 449, 450, 451, 452, 453, 454, 455, 456, 457, 458, 459, 460, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 466, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 473, 474, 475, 476, 477, 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 486, 487, 488, 489, 490, 491, 492, 493, 494, 495, 496, 497, 498, 499, 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, 505, 506, 507, 508, 509, 510, 511, 512, 513, 514, 515, 516, 517, 518, 519, 520, 521, 522, 523, 524, 525, 526, 527, 528, 529, 530, 531, 532, 533, 534, 535, 536, 537, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 543, 544, 545, 546, 547, 548, 549, 550, 551, 552, 553, 554, 555, 556, 557, 558, 559, 560, 561, 562, 563, 564, 565, 566, 567, 568, 569, 570, 571, 572, 573, 574, 575, 576, 577, 578, 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 584, 585, 586, 587, 588, 589, 590, 591, 592, 593, 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, 599, 600, 601, 602, 603, 604, 605, 606, 607, 608, 609, 610, 611, 612, 613, 614, 615, 616, 617, 618, 619, 620, 621, 622, 623, 624, 625, 626, 627, 628, 629, 630, 631, 632, 633, 634, 635, 636, 637, 638, 639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649, 650, 651, 652, 653, 654, 655, 656, 657, 658, 659, 660, 661, 662, 663, 664, 665, 666, 667, 668, 669, 670, 671, 672, 673, 674, 675, 676, 677, 678, 679, 680, 681, 682, 683, 684, 685, 686, 687, 688, 689, 690, 691, 692, 693, 694, 695, 696, 697, 698, 699, 700, 701, 702, 703, 704, 705, 706, 707, 708, 709, 710, 711, 712, 713, 714, 715, 716, 717, 718, 719, 720, 721, 722, 723, 724, 725, 726, 727, 728, 729, 730, 731, 732, 733, 734, 735, 736, 737, 738, 739, 740, 741, 742, 743, 744, 745, 746, 747, 748, 749, 750, 751, 752, 753, 754, 755, 756, 757, 758, 759, 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767, 768, 769, 770, 771, 772, 773, 774, 775, 776, 777, 778, 779, 780, 781, 782, 783, 784, 785, 786, 787, 788, 789, 790, 791, 792, 793, 794, 795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801, 802, 803, 804, 805, 806, 807, 808, 809, 810, 811, 812, 813, 814, 815, 816, 817, 818, 819, 820, 821, 822, 823, 824, 825, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830, 831, 832, 833, 834, 835, 836, 837, 838, 839, 840, 841, 842, 843, 844, 845, 846, 847, 848, 849, 850, 851, 852, 853, 854, 855, 856, 857, 858, 859, 860, 861, 862, 863, 864, 865, 866, 867, 868, 869, 870, 871, 872, 873, 874, 875, 876, 877, 878, 879, 880, 881, 882, 883, 884, 885, 886, 887, 888, 889, 890, 891, 892, 893, 894, 895, 896, 897, 898, 899, 900, 901, 902, 903, 904, 905, 906, 907, 908, 909, 910, 911, 912, 913, 914, 915, 916, 917, 918, 919, 920, 921, 922, 923, 924, 925, 926, 927, 928, 929, 930, 931, 932, 933, 934, 935, 936, 937, 938, 939, 940, 941, 942, 943, 944, 945, 946, 947, 948, 949, 950, 951, 952, 953, 954, 955, 956, 957, 958, 959, 960, 961, 962, 963, 964, 965, 966, 967, 968, 969, 970, 971, 972, 973, 974, 975, 976, 977, 978, 979, 980, 981, 982, 983, 984, 985, 986, 987, 988, 989, 990, 991, 992, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 999, 1000 16. ‘On all those who shall guide their steps by this rule may peace and mercy abide; for they are the true Israel of God.’ ὅσοι] ‘as many as; no matter whether they are of the circumcision or of the uncircumcision.’ στοιχῆσουσιν] ‘shall walk.’ This reading is to be preferred to στοιχοῦσιν, both as having somewhat higher support and as being slightly more difficult. It is at the same time more expressive as implying the continuance of this order. Compare ii. 16, Rom. iii. 30, and see Wines § xl. p. 350. τῷ κανόνι τούτῳ, ‘by this line,’ corresponding to the meaning of στοιχῆσιν. Κανόνι is the carpenter’s or surveyor’s line by which a direction is taken. In 2 Cor. x. 13, 16, it is used metaphorically, where the image is taken from surveying and mapping out a district, so as to assign to different persons their respective parcels of ground. For the several senses through which this word has passed, and for its ecolesiastical meaning especially, see Westcott On the Canon, App. A, p. 541 sq. On the dative see the notes, v. 16, 25; comp. Phil. iii. 16 τῷ αὐτῷ στοιχῆσιν, where κανόνι is interpolated in some texts from this passage.

καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ κ.τ.λ.] ‘yea upon the Israel of God.’ Israel is the sacred name for the Jews, as the nation of the Theocracy, the people under God’s covenant, see Trench’s N. T. Syn. § xxxix p. 129 sq. and compare Ephes. ii. 12 ἀπολλοτριωμένοι τῆς πολιτείας τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, Rom. ix. 4 οἰτινῆς ἐἴσιν Ἰσραήλτας, ὡς ἡ ὑἱοῦσία κ.τ.λ. (comp. 2 Cor. xi. 22, Phil. iii. 5), John i. 48 ἴδε ἀληθῶς Ἰσραήλτης, compared with ver. 50 σὺ βασιλεῖς εἰ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. St Paul is perhaps referring here to the benediction εἰρήνη ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραήλ, which closes Psalms cxxv, cxxviii, and must have been a familiar sound in the ears of all devout Israelites. The ‘Israel of God’ is in implied

Galatians 6:17

καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἵτοῦ λοιποῦ κύπους μοι μηδεὶς παρεχέτω· ἐγὼ γὰρ τὰ στίγματα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματί μου βαστάζω.

contrast to the ‘Israel after the flesh’ (1 Cor. x. 18); comp. Rom. ix. 6 οὐ γὰρ πάντες οἱ ἐξ Ἰσραὴλ οὗτοι Ἰσραήλ, Gal. iii. 20, Phil. iii. 3. It stands here not for the faithful converts from the circumcision alone, but for the spiritual Israel generally, the whole body of believers whether Jew or Gentile; and thus καὶ is epizootic, i.e. it introduces the same thing under a new aspect, as in Heb. xi. 17, etc.; see Winer § liii. p. 545 sq.

17. St Paul closes the epistle, as he had begun it, with an uncompromising assertion of his office: ‘Henceforth let no man question my authority: let no man thwart or annoy me. Jesus is my Master, my Protector. His brand is stamped on my body. I bear this badge of an honourable servitude.’ τοῦ λοιποῦ] ‘henceforth’ differs from τὸ λοιπόν, as ‘in the time to come’ from ’throughout the time to come.’ Compare νεκτός and νύκτα. In the New Testament it occurs only here and Ephes. vi. 10, where however the received reading is τὸ λοιπόν.

τὰ στίγματα] ’the brands,’ i.e. the marks of ownership branded on his body. These στίγματα were used; (1) In the case of domestic slaves. With these however branding was not usual, at least among the Greeks and Romans, except to mark such as had attempted to escape or had otherwise misconducted themselves, hence called στίγματία, ’literati’ (see the ample collection of passages in Wetstoin), and such brands were held a badge of disgrace; Pseudo-Phocyl. 212 στίγματα μὴ γράψης ἐπονεδίζω· θερόποντα, Scnec. de Benef. iv. 37, 38. (2) Slaves attached to some temple (ἰερόβουλοι) or persons devoted to the service of some deity were so branded: Herod. ii. 113 ὅτι ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβάληται στίγματα ἰρά,

ἰκυτὸν διδαῖς τῷ θεῷ, οἷκ ἔξεστι τοῦ τοῦ ἀψασθῶ. Lucian de Dea Syr. § 59 στίζονται δὲ πάντες οἱ μὲν ἐκ καρπούς οἱ δὲ ἐκ αἰχένας; Philo de Mon. ii. p. 221 M.; comp. 3 Macc. ii. 29. The passage of Lucian is a good illustration of Rev. xiii. 16, 17. (3) Captives were retreated in very rare cases. (4) Soldiers sometimes branded the name of their commander on some part of their body; see Deylin: Obs. Sacra III. p. 427. The metaphor here is most appropriate, if referred to the second of these classes. Such a practice at all events cannot have been unknown in a country which was the home of the worship of Cybele. Ἀ ἱερὶς δώλου is mentioned in a Galatian inscription, Texier Asie Mineure I. p. 135.

The brands of which the Apostle speaks were doubtless the permanent marks which he bore of persecution undergone in the service of Christ: comp. 2 Cor. iv. 10 τὴν νέα μοι τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, xi. 23. See the introduction, p. 51 sq.

Whether the stigmata of St Francis of Assisi can be connected by any historical link with a mistaken interpretation of the passage, I do not know. Bonaventura in his life of this saint (§ 15. 4) apostrophizes him in the language of St Paul. ‘Jam enim propter stigmata Domini Jesu quae in corpore tuo portas, nemo debet tibi esse molestus’; and the very use of the word ‘stigmata’ (which is retained untranslated in the Latin Versions) points to such a connexion. On the other hand, I am not aware that this interpretation of the passage was current in the age of St Francis. A little later Aquinas paraphrases the words, ‘portabat insignia passionis Christi,’ but explains this expression away in the next sentence.

GAL.

Galatians 6:18

¹⁸ Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν, ἀδελφοί. ἀμήν.

Ἰησοῦ. So it is read in the majority of the older MSS. All other variations, including the received reading τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, are inferior, for the personal name of the owner alone is wanted.

Βαστάζω. St Chrysostom has probably caught the right idea, οὐκ εἶπεν ἔχω ἀλλὰ Βαστάζω, ὥσπερ τις ἐπὶ τροπαίους μέγα φρονῶν. Compare the use of περιφέροντες in 2 Cor. iv. 10 already quoted. For Βαστάζω see Acts ix. 15.

18. μετὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ὑμῶν; ‘with

your spirit’; perhaps in reference to the carnal religion of the Galatians, as Chrysostom suggests. This allusion however must not be pressed, for the same form of benediction occurs in Philem. 25, 2 Tim. iv. 22.

ἀδελφοί; ‘brethers,’ in an unusual and emphatic position; comp. Philem. 7. St Paul’s parting word is an expression of tenderness; ‘Ita mollitur,’ says Bengel, ’totius epistolae severitax.’ See the note on vi. 1.