testimony of the Acts, he always offered the gospel to the Jews first. Of course, however, the owτíσaι návτaç is to be understood not of the actual result, but of the tendency of the office, so that what Paul himself could not execute remained for his successors to do. Further, there is no occasion here to maintain in oikovoμía τov μvστnpíov a reference to the calling of the Gentiles to the kingdom of God, to which idea doubtless the reading kovovía owes its origin. In vers. 18, 19, Paul himself explains the expression Tís ǹ oikovoμía. It denotes merely the riches of Divine grace which are revealed in the institution of redemption through Christ. This mystery, however, is designated as hidden in God from eternity in order to contrast the present in the viv, as the time of the revelation, with the past. But the object of the addition, T Tà Távтa kтíσavтi, who created all things, is the most difficult thing to explain in this passage. For that the reading διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, which is wanting in all the better MSS., is not genuine, may be considered as decidedly certain as the interpretation of the words of the physical, not of the spiritual creation of the new birth, in conformity with the striking remarks of Harless ad h. 1. Usteri and Meier have again recommended the latter acceptation of the words in addition to Calvin, Calixtus, and others. But both the aorist of the participle and the тà ñávτа, all things, require the reference of the words to the creation generally. But for what purpose does Paul here exalt the creative energy of God? In order, we may suppose, to make it observed that the institution of the redemption in Christ himself is a creative act of God, and could emanate from him only who has made all things; the Creator alone could also be the Redeemer. (On pwríšev see at i. 18. A.B.C.D.E.F.G. and other important critical authorities read oikovouía, so that there can be no question whatever as to the decision for it and against κοινωνία.—In addition to ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων = , Gen. vi. 4, F.G. read also kaì ảñò twv yevε v. But this addition is quite incongruous, for it points to the historical development of humanity; while Paul intends, as the ev To Oe shews, to speak of absolute eternity, of the decree of redemption as God conceived it in his eternal being, which in the following verse is called póОεσι

τῶν αἰώνων.

Ver. 10. The following idea is clear, it is true, when taken literally, but it contains a difficulty, partly in itself, partly in the connexion of the passage. "The infinite wisdom of God," says Paul ("which reveals itself in the gospel-the mystery of redemption), is through the church (as the theatre of his working) made known to the angels in heaven." According to this Paul supposes the angels capable of an increase of their knowledge. We have no reason to refer this exclusively to good or exclusively to bad angels. Paul speaks altogether generally. All higher beings receive by means of

the church a deeper insight into God's wisdom. We found in the gospels that sympathy with events in the church is attributed to the angels; particularly, joy at the penitence of sinners (Luke xv. 10). Paul says further, in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, "we are become a spectacle to the angels" (iv. 9); but here only is an increase of their insight into God's wisdom through the church and the events in her spoken of. A concordant declaration is found in 1 Pet. i. 12 in the words, eiç à inovμovoi äyуeλoi пaparópai, into which the angels desire, etc. The idea is difficult to conceive, since, as we cannot imagine in the angels any propagation, so neither can we imagine any development, nor, therefore, in general, any history. The earth, with man, the bearer of her consciousness, appears, according to this idea of the apostle, again as the centre of God's workings, as the Golgotha of the universe. The universe takes part in the occurrences on her, not merely in the contemplation of them, but also in their actual reaction. The increase of knowledge in the angels is to be conceived as at the same time a change of their position; all that is in heaven and on earth is reconciled through Christ. (Eph. i. 10; Col. i. 20.) The particular thing, however, which is now first (võv), i. e., after the revelation of the hidden decree of God, made known to them, as the manifold wisdom of God (πоλνπоíkiλoç σоpía тov Oɛov), is the wonderful way of God in the pardon of the sinner, through the adjustment in him of the antagonism between justice and grace. But how comes Paul upon this idea here in this connexion? He wishes to contrast with his personal nothingness the grandeur of his call, and therefore pursues the theme of his ministry through all its stages. "First of all," says he, "he has to preach among the Gentiles, then to enlighten all men as to the mystery, and both in order to make known, even to the angels in heaven, the infinite wisdom of God." (Nov is wanting in F.G., but it certainly is necessary to the context; it forms the antithesis to the concealment from eternity of the Divine decree. On ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, see at i. 3, 20. Πολυποίκιλος is, it may be supposed, coined by Paul himself; it is not found again in Greek. It means properly multiformis, manifold, many-formed; as a predicate of God's wisdom it denotes the various forms in which it manifests itself.)

Vers. 11, 12.-In conclusion, Paul refers the wisdom of God, which is now made manifest to the angels, to the eternal decree of redemption (see on i. 5, 10), which he conceived in Christ, in whom through faith Christians have joy and access to God. (In verse 11 πрóðεσ τν alúνшv is "the purpose determined on in eternity," as Jude ver. 6, Koiois μɛyáλns quépas, "judgment that will take place on the great day." Further the nоíηoεv ¿v XQiOT, wrought in Christ, is necessarily to be referred to the historical realization of God's de

cree through Christ's suffering and death, not to the inner act of the Divine will. First, the aorist leads to that interpretation, secondly, the form of the name; Christ Jesus designates, always and without exception, the Word become flesh.-Afterwards ver. 12 gives the consequence of the decree being carried out; πappŋoía denotes the state of faith in its relation to the world, and Toоσaуwyń in its relation to God [see ii. 18].-The accumulation of substantives has given occasion to various readings. F.G. read ν прооауwу εἰς τὴν παῤῥησίαν, D. reads ἐν τῷ ἐλευθερωθῆναι for ἐν τῇ πεποιθήσει. But the common text deserves the preference on the testimony of all critical authorities. ПIEπоinois (see 2 Cor. i. 15, iii. 4, viii. 23, x. 2) is certainly closely related to παρρησία. It here defines the προσαγωγή more accurately as a coming near unto God, which proceeds in a trustful tone of mind. On the other hand, dià Tis пíσтεws avтov denotes the means by which both παρρησία and προσαγωγή are alone possible. The genitive aurou relates to Christ; see on this construction in lieu of eiç autóv the Comm. on Rom. iii. 26.)

Ver. 13. The idea which follows at length concludes the long digression from verse 2; we may add that it is stated so generally that many interpretations of it are possible, and have been proposed. Θεόν οι ὑμᾶς may be supplied at αἰτοῦμαι, and again ἐμέ or ὑμᾶς at ἐκκακεῖν. With Harless I prefer supplying αἰτοῦμαι Θεὸν μὴ ἐκκακεῖν épé, I ask of God that I may not faint, because thus only év receives its proper meaning, and dió too by this interpretation is best connected with the main idea which precedes. Paul had spoken in what precedes of his great mission, and with this is fitly connected, "for the reason that so great a charge has been entrusted to me I beseech God that I may not faint in my tribulation for you." But the vπèρ uv I connect, on account of the analogy of iii. 1 and Col. i. 24 (on which see more particulars), with 02ípeoí pov, not with αἰτοῦμαι. The last words of the verse, ἥτις ἐστὶ δόξα ὑμῶν, again admit a double reference also; the ris, attracted by the following doša, can be joined to θλίψεις, or to μὴ ἐκκακεῖν. I prefer the latter, because it could be asserted only in a forced way that Paul's sufferings were a glory of the Gentile Christians. On the other hand, the thought "my indefatigable endurance of all dangers, the approving of my faith in tribulations, that is your glory," is entirely pertinent.

Vers. 14, 15.-Here now Paul resumes with TOÚTOV Xápiv, on this account, the course of ideas from ver. 1, and utters the prayer for his readers, which should come in immediately after ii. 22. The bending of the knees is mentioned Acts xx. 36 as a symbol of devotion and humiliation before God. But the designation of the Father by the addition ἐξ οὗ, κ. τ. λ. is peculiar here ; for the words τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ here are decidedly not genuine, according to Α. B.C., and Lachmann has justly erased them. The clause § où, K. T. λ. ἐξ κ.

is therefore immediately connected with rarépa, by which the reference to Christ is excluded; rather God, in the most general sense, as Father, i. e., as Creator of all beings, is designated. According to the special reference of the prayer to the Gentile Christians (ver. 1), the clause declares expressly that God is the Father of the Gentiles also, not of the Jews alone. The meaning of the clause ἐξ οὗ κ. τ. λ. is entirely determined by that of the word πατριά, for the formula όνομάζεσθαι ἐκ τινὸς cannot be translated otherwise than : "to be named from something," and not as= είναι σ to be," or even "to be made." IIarplá is found again in the New Testament only at Luke ii. 4, Acts iii. 25, in the sense of ovλý, "family, the whole of those who are descended from one aτýр." But the language, "every family in heaven and on earth," involves an incongruity. The reference to heaven can apply only to the world of angels, of which no ovan can be predicated, because no propagation takes place in it. Grotius, Wetstein, and Holzhausen, thought they could solve the difficulty from the Rabbinical idea, which represents the Jews as the earthly, the angels as the heavenly, family of God. (See Buxtorf. lexic. talm. p. 1753. The Rabbis had received the word also.) But in this epistle Paul is precisely occupied with proving that Jews and Gentiles are equals: it is therefore utterly improbable that he would here have reference to that sectional representation. Besides, the article must then have been necessarily repeated before ἐν οὐρανοῖς and ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Equally inadmissible is another interpretation which takes латρiá in the sense of "paternity," яаτρóτηs. For although this seems to afford a good sense, still it is not demonstrable that атрiá is ever so used. Again, the idea of "paternity in heaven" is unsuitable, because in the world of spirits no development takes place. The passage seems to become plain, only as we take nãoa here as at ii. 21, in the sense of "entire," although the article is wanting. Paul conceives in his mind all the beings of the creation in its two halves, the spiritual and the material world, as one posterity, as one family of God (compare ii. 19, oikeło тov Oɛov), and this entire family has its name of children from God. In sense, therefore, Luther's version, "all that are called children in heaven and on earth," is entirely correct.

Ver. 16. The first thing which the apostle now begs of God for his readers is that he, according to the riches of his glory (which includes particularly along with it his almighty power), may strengthen them as to the inner man. The "being strengthened" (paraιwoñva) which is further enforced by the adverbial dvváμɛ, refers primarily to the will; and the strengthening of the will through God's. Spirit alludes to the conflict which awaits all Christians. The ɛis Tòν low äν0рwπоν, in the inward man, determines, finally, with more

exactness the direction of the working of the Spirit; the Divine Spirit operating in the believer refers primarily not to the body, the ěž ävОршñоç, but to the human spirit, or this considered as a faculty, to the vous, mind, as the tow avoрwлоç. Mention of this antithesis was already made at Rom. vii. 22, 23. The inner man is not = Kaivòs ävÕρwños, new man; even the unregenerate man, living under the law, has the ἔσω ἄνθρωπος, the νοῦς. But without the operation of Divine grace through the Holy Ghost it remains in that paTaιóτns (iv. 17), which makes it incapable of conquering; it is only through strength from above that the vous becomes a conqueror. (See on Rom. vii. 25.)

μα

Vers. 17, 18. The meaning of κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, cannot in itself be doubtful after what has been observed at ii. 22. It denotes the indwelling of Christ, the Xploròs ¿v nμïv (Col. i. 27), which realizes itself in the new birth through the working of the Holy Ghost on the one side, and of the receptivity of man (of the Tíoric) on the other. (Compare the remarks on John xiv. 23, Gal. ii. 20.) But how does the idea here stand related to what precedes and what follows? Paul cannot entreat God that he would grant that Christ may dwell in them; for surely Christ already dwelt in the hearts of the readers (ii. 22) inasmuch as they are treated by the apostle as regenerate. Certainly the regenerate man may by degrees be more and more strengthened in the work of sanctification by the inner man ; but regeneration itself, and the dwelling of Christ in the heart connected with regeneration, are incapable of increase; they merely are, or they are not. The difficulty can be removed only by connecting the following words : ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἐῤῥιζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι, being rooted and grounded in love, immediately with the kaтokoai k. 7. λ—True, considering the passage from a purely grammatical point of view, the connection of the clause v dуánη K. T. 2. seems to require a Metathesis of the iva; but intrinsic difficulties produced by this isolation of the κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ipov, totally forbid that supposition. The Anacoluthon, which is accordingly to be supposed here (just as in Col. ii. 2), is excellently justified by Harless remarking (p. 318), "the change of construction (in the nominative of the participles) was the more natural here, that the predicate applicable equally to kapdíais and to iv, could therefore be less properly joined exclusively with one of the two; and moreover the determining predicative clause, as an essential feature in the sentence, could not be subordinate to the preceding, but must stand independently." In this mode of taking it that great difficulty entirely vanishes. Paul prays for the indwelling of Christ not as something else after the being