Déλε épуášεolaι undè ¿oliéτw, if any will not work, etc., is couched an allusion to Gen. iii. 19. It is an universal law in the world, that man should eat his bread in the sweat of his face; he that has no business allotted him must therefore choose for himself a useful business.) Vers. 11, 12.-After this, what was merely intimated in ver. 6 is more particularly set forth. Whether Timothy had brought the apostle the news of these disorders with him to Corinth, or whether he had received information elsewhere, is unknown; but the former assumption is the more probable, because a short time only seems to have elapsed between the composition of the two epistles. (Ver. 11. The expression пερруáčɛσ0αι is significant; it is found nowhere in the New Testament but here. Hesychius explains it by πpáσσεv πεрioσá, to do superfluous, needless, things. It occurs so also at Sirach iii. 22. In this passage it is to be referred to the spiritual labours which were not enjoined on the Thessalonians [see on James iii. 1]. In their fanatical excitement they sought, it may be presumed, through a busy but unprofitable activity, more and more to inflame themselves and others by the idea of the proximity of Christ's coming.-Ver. 12. Merà novxías of course only refers to outward quiet perseverance at their handicrafts.—Ὁ ἑαυτῶν ἄρτος is bread earned by one's own labour, the livelihood which the handicraft afforded, in opposition to allowing one's-self to be maintained by others.) Vers. 13-15.-Instead of making the rebuke of the disobedient the next topic, Paul first introduces an exhortation to those that had continued firm, which is obscure in its connexion. Kaho¬оLETV can be taken in a perfectly general sense, like ȧуа0олоιɛt̃ν 1 Рet. ii. 15, or it can be understood of almsgiving, of doing good in the narrower sense. But trustworthy passages are wanting to prove this latter meaning; besides it will not well suit the context, for the exhortation, not to grow weary in almsgiving, almost looks like a favouring of those lazy fanatics. But Koppe's opinion that Paul meant to say, "they should not support the lazy indeed, but the really poor they should," clearly introduces into the passage something which is not at all in it. We shall therefore be able to explain каλожоιεiν only of doing good in general. But certainly the context requires us to refer каhо¬оιεiv principally to the affectionate, indulgent, treatment of the brethren, so that ver. 15 contains a more particular elucidation of this term.-In ver. 14 the connexion of dià TIS émoτоλns is disputable; it admits of being joined with what precedes or what succeeds. The position of the TOUTоv, however, favours the former; for, if the meaning were, "denounce him by a letter," TOUTOV would stand before dià Tйs ¿πioToλns; then too the article would have to be omitted before ¿ñιστоλý, as a definite epistle would be denoted by the Ts. (But see Winer's remarks, Gr. p. 99, note.)-As to the meaning of oneιovolaι we may doubt whether it denotes indicare or adnotare. But in the former case uv would scarcely be wanting; we therefore prefer the meaning "to note." However, the term is not to be understood of an outward noting or registering, but figuratively of an inward noting in one's own mind.—The σréλλɛσ0αι åñó in ver. 6 is more closely defined by μǹ ovvavaμíyvvolaι here; it denotes the breaking off church-communion (see on 1 Cor. v. 9), more intimate intercourse, therefore excommunication, but in the lowest form. (See Winer's Encyclop. vol. i., p. 158, seq.) The aim of this punishment is humiliation, i. e., amendment, by true repentance. (See on Evтрéлεo0aι at 1 Cor. iv. 14; Tit. ii. 8.-'Ex@pós as an antithesis to adeλpós denotes no personal enemy, but God's enemy, i. e., one altogether fallen away from the faith.) Ver. 16.-A prayer for peace from the Lord of peace, who bears it complete in himself, and can, therefore, impart it to others in every relation for spiritual and external needs, then closes the epistle. (Lachmann has, after A.D.F.G., put Tón in the text for Tрów. But, as the epistle is addressed merely to Thessalonians, this reading seems quite inadmissible; it might, according to Schott's proable conjecture, have crept in here from other passages, as 1 Cor. i. 2; 2 Cor. ii. 14; 1 Tim. ii. 8.) Vers. 17. 18.-Paul usually dictated his epistles; Timothy seems to have written these two. (See 1 Thess. i. 1; 2 Thess. i. 1.) But, to meet such abuses as were touched on at 2 Thess. ii. 2, Paul added a salutation with his own hand, as a mark of his genuine epistles. It might indeed surprise us that Paul promises this mark v á Oŋ ¿Пσтоλй, whereas it is found in some only; what was requisite, however, on this circumstance, has already been mentioned in the Introd. to these two epistles, § 2. INTRODUCTION. § 1. OF THE CHURCH AT PHILIPPI. WE shall let Olshausen himself speak here, and shall only, where it appears necessary, supplement what he has written with some additional remarks.* The city of Philippi lay in Macedonia near to the Thracian boundary, at a distance from the sea, on which stood its haven Neapolis. It bore anciently the name of Kpηvides, fountain-city; but about 358 A. c. Philip of Macedon enlarged it, and called it after himself, Philippi. At a later period the Triumviri gained near this city the famous victory over the Republicans. As a result of that battle Roman colonists settled at Philippi, which, becoming a Roman colony, received the jus Italicum. (Comp. on this and on the expression рóτη пóλs, which is applied by Luke to the city Philippi, the Comm. on Acts xvi. 12.)† In that city, also, continues Olshausen, lived some Jews, who had there an oratory (no synagogue). This small Jewish community was increased by some * The introduction to this epistle, and that also to the pastoral epistles, is from Olshausen's own pen, and was left in a state of complete readiness for the press. I perfectly agree with what Olshausen remarks there on the púτη ñóλiç. It could not be called the chief city on the ground, to which reference is there made, that in that particular district, where Philippi lay, Amphipolis held such a place--comp. Liv. xlv. 29. Equally groundless is the other opinion, that Philippi received the appellation on account of its peculiar privileges. The intention and meaning of this epithet, admit, on the contrary, in my judgment, of being perfectly determined from the connexion of the narrative in Acts. It had already been intimated-xvi. 6, 7-that the course which the proclamation of the gospel should take, was of Divine direction, In ver. 9 the vision is related in which a man from Macedonia calls on the apostle to "come over and help them ;" and in ver. 10, we are told of the apostle's straightway purposing to go into Macedonia. What, then, is more natural than that in the report of the journey at ver. 12, “ and thence to Philippi, ἥτις ἐστὶ πρώτη τῆς μερίδος τῆς Μακεδονίας πόλις, κολωνία,” we should think of its geographical position, and in connexion with that should perceive a reference to the fulfilment of the call in ver. 9. Even the "thence," and the pronoun (Ts, ut quæ) point to this. So, after Van Til, in particular Rettig. Quæst. Philipp. Giss. 1831, Van Hengel p. 6, and Winer Real-Wört. That the expression was literally correct in this view of it, since Neapolis was reckoned to belong to Thrace, see Van Hengel, Introd., p. 4. Van Hengel, however, may be quite right in saying, that the expression in Acts xvi. 13, où évoμíleto пpooεvxù eivaι says nothing of an oratory, but only, as also Luther translates, where they were wont to pray. |