omission of his official designation here was therefore not merely accidental. And how well does this agree with the contents of the epistle, which represents the church as resting on the foundation of a close personal relationship to the apostle, and which was immediately occasioned by his having to send his thanks for a favour he had received from them! There is no ground for supposing that, in naming Timothy along with himself, the apostle wished to procure for him the same honour that would be given to himself. To all the saints in Christ Jesus. To these the inscription and salutation are addressed, saints through their fellowship with Christ. On Tois dyíos compare Rom. i. 7, where Olshausen well observes that, with reference to the New Testament church, the idea contained in this word is, the impartation of a new and higher principle of life. That which makes them holy is their fellowship with Christ; by means of this are they sanctified, and sin in its principle is overcome within them, although their victory over it in reality is but gradual.

That emphasis is intended to be laid on the word all, is plain from the repetition of this word, 1, 4, 7, 8. But those commentators go too far who suppose that the apostle had particularly in his mind either those referred to in ii. 3, who were shewing a spirit of strife, or those perhaps who had not contributed anything to the gift that was sent to him, and that he used this expression purposely to include them, and in order to make no difference. It is rather to be regarded, as Meyer also supposes, simply an expression of affection. The ioкоTо and diákovot are in this passage alone parἐπίσκοποι διάκονot ticularly named by the apostle. How little reason there is for doubting the existence of such office-bearers in the apostolic time is shewn in the Introduction to the Pastoral Epistles. The manifest identity in this passage between ἐπίσκοποι and πρεσβύτεροι, and the plurality of the Tíоколо, are unmistakeable features of the apostolic era. The special notice however of these office-bearers in this epistle is striking. It has been explained by supposing that they had been specially instrumental in collecting the contributions which had been transmitted to the apostle, and for which he returns thanks in this epistle. Meyer thinks this a probable explanation. But on this supposition might we not reasonably expect that the apostle would have made a more distinct acknowledgment of the services rendered by these office-bearers? Besides, the passage at 2 Cor. viii. 9 does not warrant this conjecture. Shall we not rather look for the reason in the circumstances of the church? With all the strength and sincerity of its faith, the church at Philippi was in danger of division from the vainglory of some of its members. And as, on the one hand, the existence of office-bearers presupposes a certain unity of the faith in the church, so that we are not surprised to find no particular reference to such office-bearers in those

epistles, the design of which is to lead to a right apprehension of the truth, and unity of the faith, so, on the other hand, against any undue assumption of individual importance, no more effective check can be applied than the restraints of public officers whom the apostle here recognizes in connexion with the church. Comp. also ii. 29.

Ver. 2.-Grace be with you, etc. The apostle's usual salutation, upon which see the excellent observations of Olshausen at Rom. i. 7.

Ver. 3-11.-In which the apostle's feelings toward the church are expressed in hearty thanksgiving to God on their behalf, 2-5, confidence that the good work will be carried on in them, 6-8, and earnest prayers for them, 9-11.

Ver. 3.—As in his other epistles (Gal. i. 6 excepted), so in this the apostle sets out by giving thanks to God for what he finds good and praiseworthy in the church at Philippi. I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. In the expression my God, he gives the reader a glance into his own near relation to God. Fellowship with God, although resting on one and the same basis for all, yet takes a particular form in the case of each individual, according to the particular experiences which he has of this fellowship, and which entitle him to call the God of all his God. And when is this consciousness of special relationship to God more felt than in prayer?

In all my remembrance of you. With Meyer, I see no reason to interpret this as most commentators do: upon every remembrance of you. The apostle says rather, the remembrance of them, as it were in all its elements, in its every relation, constrains him to give thanks to God. So uveía, used as here by itself, and without TоLETOOαι, signifies not mention, but remembrance.

Ver. 4.-The words of this verse are variously connected. Many expositors regard the words, always in every prayer of mine for you all, as merely explanatory of the words, upon every remembrance of you. This, however, is inadmissible, because the latter phrase does not mean, every time I remember you; chiefly, however, because then the additional phrase, for you all, is entirely inappropriate. For with what propriety could the apostle say that as often as he prays for them all he remembers them? Better to join TávTOTε with Exapior, as other passages also shew, e. g., 1 Cor. i. 4; Col. i. 3; 1 Thess. i. 2; 2 Thess. i, 3. Thus the apostle says that every time he remembers them he gives thanks; and the meaning of TáνTOTE is rendered more apparent by what follows, viz., in every prayer of mine for you all. (Comp. Col. i. 3; 1 Thess. i. 2.) The phrase for you all, in which the tenderness of the apostle's regard for every member of the church finds expression, is not to be joined to what follows. It forms the required limitation to the words preceding, viz., in every prayer of mine, comp. with this Col. i. 3; 1

Thess. i. 2, where the apostle says only, praying for you, or, in our prayers. It is altogether wrong to separate the words, for you all, from their connexion with what goes before and what follows, and to join them with, I give thanks. Compare Meyer against this view. He says then that he never prays for them without giving thanks to God on the remembrance of them. But his delight in this church constrains him to add, that he prays for them with joy. Such intercessions coming from a joyful heart lead naturally to thanksgiving, and form the ground of the exaptor in ver. 3. (The article in T δέησιν points back to the preceding δέησις.)

Ver. 5.-The apostle now states more particularly for what he gave thanks to God in his prayers for them. 'Ení is therefore to be joined with exapioтw, not as has been recently maintained by Van Hengel and De Wette, with dénow, for then there would be no specific statement of what was the subject of the apostle's thanks, and the words, from the first day until now, would have no proper meaning. As the apostle in other passages, where he expresses thanks, generally specifies the subject of his thanksgiving, so here he gives thanks to God for their fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. It is self-evident that κοινωνία εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον is not the same as тou εvayyɛλíov, and cannot be rendered by "quod participes facti estis evangelii," to which axpi Tov viv would not correspond. The connexion between eis and kovoveiv is certainly not so close as to warrant our taking eiç to be a circumlocution for the genitive. We shall therefore, with most modern expositors, translate the phrase, for your fellowship in reference to the gospel. Here too a double meaning is possible, according as els ɛvayyéhɩov is connected more or less closely with κοινωνία. In the latter case κοινωνία will express that fellowship of faith and love, that sweet concord, as Meyer expresses it, in which the Philippians were united to one another, while siç evayyéλov determines more strictly the nature of that fellowship, a fellowship, namely, "the centre point of which was the gospel." Against this view, the omission of the article before eiç evayyénov seems to me to be conclusive. As the words stand, they must be closely connected so as to form one idea. Comp. Winer's Gr. § 19, 2, p. 155. Besides, it appears to me not consistent with other passages of the epistle, that the apostle should first and foremost acknowledge with thankfulness to God, the unity and mutual love of the church at Philippi. Comp. i. 27, ii. 1, iv. 2. Meyer, in support of the view which we here controvert, refers to verse 9, where the expression, your love, according to him, means the same thing as your fellowship. But is it so clear that that expression in the 9th verse means their love toward one another? If, on the other hand, we connect εἰς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον with κοινωνία more closely, so as to express one idea, then this fellowship will mean, not that

of the Philippians with one another, but their fellowship with all those who have the interests of the gospel at heart, who earnestly desire its increase and success. And this active interest in what pertained to the furtherance of the gospel, flowing from their deep and warm attachment to it, was precisely what distinguished the Christians at Philippi from the very beginning. The apostle had a fresh proof of this, in the gift which they sent to him, and which occasioned his particular allusion to this feature in their character, but the words he here employs are not to be confined in their application to that which occasioned them, nor in general to any pecuniary offerings. The Philippians brought whatever they had of Christianity into the service of the gospel. Chrysostom and Theophylact have given substantially the true meaning of this passage, ὅτι κοινωνοί μου γίνεσθε, καὶ συμμερισταὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ πόνων. So also Van Hengel and others. In this interpretation, per' ¿μov ἐμοῦ needs not to be supplied, as Meyer has objected with reference to a similar interpretation brought forward by others. For the apostle does not thank God for their fellowship with himself so much as for their belonging to the fellowship of those who are concerned for the furtherance of the gospel. According to this view, nothing needs to be supplied. In Gal. ii. 9, and Acts ii. 42, the word kovovía will be found in the same signification as here. And for eiç rò evayyéλtov in the sense of furtherance of the gospel, see ver. 12, and 1 Cor. ix. 14. Thus does the apostle render thanks for their fellowship in the gospel, but he adds that this fellowship had existed from the first day of their having received the gospel until the present time. How different from this was his experience in regard to other churches! In the words xp Tou viv there is a reference to the fresh proof of this which he had just received, in the gift that was transmitted to him. These words, from the first day until now, so appropriate when taken in connexion with your fellowship, become tame and meaningless, if, with Meyer and others, we connect them with being confident, ver. 6, or with I give thanks, ver. 3. Rheinwald and Van Hengel are also of this opinion. The absence of the article will not prove such a view of the passage to be correct. Compare for example ver. 26.

Vers. 6-8.-The apostle's confidence with regard to them.-Ver. 6. The apostle is led by the words he had just used, viz., until now, to look forward from the present to the end of their course. He thanks God for what he had seen in them up till the present time, axpι Toй vν, and as to what will happen betwixt the present and the final issue ἄχρις ἡμέρας Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ, he declares his confidence, a confidence which mingles with and deepens the thankfulness of his heart on their behalf. His confidence is not to be regarded as the moving cause of his thankfulness, but only as an accompanying cir

cumstance; Tεows means, whilst I confidently hope. The phrase, this very thing, sets forth that what was the ground of his giving thanks was also the subject-matter of his assured hope. This subject-matter is here, however, spoken of in general as a good work. And the Divine agency in bringing it about is held up to view, as the apostle's confidence was based on this Divine causality, not on the feeble will of man. The apostle then expresses the confidence he felt with regard to the subject-matter of the thanksgiving, viz., that God who had begun a good work in the Philippians would also carry it on to perfection. The beginning of a good work in them through God's grace is to him the pledge of its completion. (On avTÒ TOUTO placed before őrt, see Winer's Gr. § 23, 5, p. 45, seq: 'Evapxtiolai, besides in this passage, occurs in Gal. iii. 3. On the unimportant difference between evapxeĩolai and the simple verb, see Van Hengel or Matthies.) 'Ev piv means in you in animis vestris, as the phrase πèρ пáνтwν iμõν in the following verse proves. So Meyer and others. God then will carry forward to the end any good work which he has begun, and the end, the absolute in contrast with the relative until now, is the day of Jesus Christ. There can be no question as to what is meant by this expression in the sense in which it is generally used by the apostle. It is the day in which Christ will be revealed in his glory, the day of his coming. This day, whether it be near or distant, is to all, to the dead as to the living, the decisive day. (See ver. 10.) This passage does not necessarily imply the nearness of Christ's coming, as Meyer and others suppose.

Ver. 7.-How the apostle for himself (¿uoí) arrives at this assured hope concerning them we are now informed in verses 7 and 8. It springs from the love he bears to them, which, according to its nature, to hope all things (1 Cor. xiii. 7), cannot but give rise to such a hope. The apostle says that to think this of them is meet for him, i. e., suitable to the personal relation in which he stands to them. As this verse is explanatory of the preceding (on kalús, in this sense, see Winer's Gr. § 53, p. 397), the words TouTo opovciv must refer to the confident hope there expressed, and points out the source whence it sprung, without its being necessary, with Van Hengel, to translate this phrase by appetere. As the love of the apostle embraces every member of the church, so also does his confident hope. Hence he says ὑπὲρ πάντων ὑμῶν ; compare this with ver. 8.

He now proceeds to state wherefore it is that he entertains such an assured hope regarding them, because I have you in my heart. It has been doubted whether μe or vμaç is here to be considered as the subject, but the position of the words settles this point; and the concluding words of this and the 8th verse, in which the apostle calls God to witness his love to the church, clearly shew that the