i 11 IP Si! i!^^^^
:E>sa7os'
Paul's Joy in Christ
Studies in Philippians x^'^'o^^W?^
FEB 15 1918
y By
A. T. ROBERTSON, M.A., D.D., LL.D.
Professor of New Testament Interpretation in
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary^
Louisville, Ky.
" To me to Live is Christ '
New York Chicago Toronto
Fleming H. Revell Company
London and Edinburgh
Copyright, 19 17, by FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY
New York: 158 Fifth Avenue Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave. Toronto: 25 Richmond Street, W. London : 2 1 Paternoster Square Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street
S-D
To y. M. Robertson
my brother who made it possible for me to be a preacher
Preface
THESE lectures were first prepared as ex- pository talks from the Greek text for the Northfield Conference for Christian work- ers in August, 191 3. They were dehvered in Sage Chapel and their publication was requested by the hearers. The addresses have since been repeated at Winona Lake, Indiana, Columbus, Ohio, Virginia Beach, Moody Bible Institute, and to various other assemblies and churches. The Greek text is kept in foot-notes so that the average man can read the book with comfort without a knowledge of Greek. The volume is essentially popular in style and purpose, while the latest researches of modern scholarship are utilized for the illustration of this noble Epistle. No- where is the tender side of Paul's nature better shown than here, his delicacy, his courtesy, his elevation of feeling, his independence, his mysticism, his spiritual passion. My book is not so much a technical com- mentary, though it covers all the Epistle, as an in- terpretation adapted to modern needs on the part of all teachers, preachers and students of the New Testament. Nowhere does Paul have more " charm," to use Ramsay's phrase, than in Philippians. No- where is he more vital and more powerful. Paul was
7
8 PREFACE
not merely a man of supreme genius and high cul- ture, but one who let himself go completely in spiritual abandonment to the love and life of Jesus. It is small wonder that the hypercritical spirit seeks to discount him as a paranoiac or a Pharisaic bungler who distorted the message of Jesus. Such modern critics fail to understand Paul because of failure to know Jesus as Paul knew Him by rich experience of heart and soul. I confess to a feeling of reverent hesitation as I venture to enter afresh this Holy of Holies of Paul's Life in Christ. Here we see in clear outline, not only Paul's Joy in Life, but his Joy in Death, a message sorely needed by many stricken hearts during these dreadful days of war. Paul was able to see the Face of Christ in Death since Death brought Christ in all His fullness.'
A, T. R.
Louisville, Ky.
^ Once more, as I read the proof of this page, I am called upon to find Christ in Death, in the going of my young daughter, Charlotte, who loved Jesus utterly.
Contents
I. The Brief Salutation . . .11
{Philippians i : 1-2.)
II. Joy in Prayer 56
III. Good Out of III .... 73
(/ .• 12-20.)
IV. Joy in Death as Well as in Life . 92
(/ .• 21-J0.)
V. Paul's Full Cup . . . .110
{2 : /-//.)
VI. Realizing God's Plan in Life . . 141
{2 : 12-18.)
VII. Fellowship 158
{2:19-30)
VI II. The Holy Quest . . . .174
IX. Following the Road . • . 204
{3:iS-2i)
X. The Garrison of Peace . • . 225
{4:1-9)
XI. The Secret of Happiness • • . 245
{4.: 10-2 J.)
THE BRIEF SALUTATION (Philippians i : 1-2.)
THE formula for greeting in Paul's Epistles is now very familiar to all students of the Greek papyri. Here the technical word for greeting,* so common in the papyri and seen in James I : I, is absent. But it is implied, of course, and is simply taken for granted by Paul. The full formula is to " say greeting," ^ like our vernacular " say howdy," as we find it in 2 John 10, " give him no greeting,"^ and 11, "that giveth him greeting."* This most familiar of all Paul's Epistles (or Letters, as Deissmann ' insists on calling them all) is very simple and direct in the salutation. The outstanding facts of the situation come promptly before us.
I. Paul the Author.
No one of Paul's Epistles stands upon firmer ground than this one, in spite of Baur's vigorous attacks upon its genuineness. His arguments have been completely answered and McGiffert ^ sums the
^ ^aipeiv. ^ Xiyecv )raip£iv. ^ )facpetv auT^ fxij Xiyere. * 6 Xiywv avTW ^aipztv. ^" Light From the Ancient East," p. 225. ^ " The Apostolic Age," p. 393. II
12 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
matter up by saying : " It is simply inconceivable that any one else would or could have produced in his name a letter in which no doctrinal or ecclesias- tical motive can be discovered, and in which the personal element so largely predominates and the character of the man and of the apostle is revealed with so great vividness and fidelity," Von Soden * denies the genuineness of Ephesians and the Pastoral Epistles, but he stoutly defends Philippians : " VVe are treading upon very sacred ground as we read this epistle. It is without doubt the last from St. Paul's hand." The ground is holy beyond a doubt, but not because this is the last of Paul's Epistles, Moffatt^ waves aside Baur's criticisms as to alleged imitation, anachronisms, gnostic controversies, and doctrinal discrepancies and argues also for the unity and in- tegrity of the Epistle in spite of Polycarp's use of the plural ^ in referring to Paul's Epistle which, like the Latin litterce, can be used of a single epistle. The somewhat broken and disconnected style of Philip- pians is due rather to the incidental character of the letter and its personal nature. It is in no sense a formal treatise and has no announced theme as in Romans i : 17, Critics who carp at the lack of order in Philippians " forget that Paul was a man, and an apostle, before he was a theologian ; and are actually
* " Early Christian Literature," p, 107. ^ " Introduction to the Literature of the New Testament," pp. 170-176. ^ iruazoXai.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION I3
surprised at his not giving to this familiar letter the methodical order of a treatise." ' This " Epistle is like a window into the Apostle's own bosom." ^ Let us gratefully and reverently look in to see what Paul has revealed of Christ in himself. We do not know that he used an amanuensis for this Epistle, though that was his usual custom (as in Rom. 16 : 22). He may have written it all as he did the little letter to Philemon (verse 19, " I Paul write it with mine own hand "). Timothy and Epaphroditus were with Paul when he wrote to the Philippians and either of them (in lieu of another scribe) could have performed the function for Paul. And yet it is quite possible that he penned this love letter with his own hand. At any rate he put his heart into it and some of the noblest passages that were ever penned by mortal man are here. Paul was a versatile man and his style adapted itself to the subject matter and the mood of the moment, as is the case with all men of real eloquence and power of speech.
2. Paul in Rome.
He does not say so, nor does he necessarily imply it, though that is the most natural inference from the incidental allusions in the Epistle. There are some scholars who hold that Paul was in prison at Ephesus when he wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. The
' Sabatier, " The Apostle Paul," p. 252. "Shaw, "The Pauline Epistles," p. 419.
14 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
Ephesian imprisonment is largely hypothetical and the theory due to a possible interpretation of i Cor- inthians 15 : 32 ("I fought with beasts at Ephe- sus ") and 2 Corinthians i : 8-9 (" concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia " and " the sen- tence* of death within ourselves "). The idea here is, according to this theory, that Paul languished in prison in Ephesus and came near to death. It is possible to take " praetorian guard " (Phil. 1:13) for a band of soldiers in Ephesus and by a stretch " Caesar's household " (Phil, 4 : 22) of messengers in Ephesus, but the situation and outlook of the Epistle do not belong to any known period in Ephesus. Caesarea can be made a much more plausible location for Paul when he wrote the letter. The arguments of Paulus (1799) and Boettger (1837) for Caesarea have been adopted and enlarged by O. Holtzmann.^ But at most only a possible case is made out. The use of praetorium^ for an imperial residence outside of Rome is undoubted (Kennedy, Phil, in " Exp. Greek Testament," Vol. Ill, p, 404) and it occurs for Herod's palace also (Acts 23 : 35) in Caesarea. We know that the Augustan band (Acts 27: i)^ was at Caesarea. But even if Csesar's household^ is equiva- lent to these soldiers or the praetorian guard, it is still far more likely that the real household of Caesar
' TO d.T:6/(pi[ia too davdrou, the answer of death. *Theol. Lit., 1890,00]. 177. ^ rpacTwntov.
* ffT:eijiri<i ^^,3a(Tr7^<s. ^ olaia Kaiaapo^.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 15
in Rome is meant. We know that later there were Christians in the imperial drcles and it is by no means unlikely that Paul was able to reach some of the slaves in the home of Nero by the help of the soldier to whom he was chained. It is true that the jealousy of the Judaizing Christians pictured in Phi- hppians i : 15-17 does seem to suit Cassarea better than Rome, because of its proximity to Jerusalem, but it is to be borne in mind that the Judaizers do not appear against Paul in Csesarea, and the onset against Paul in Jerusalem in Acts 21 was due to Jews from Ephesus and not to the Judaizers. It is not at all unlikely that the Judaizers would reappear in Rome after their defeat in Jerusalem, Antioch, Galatia, and Corinth. It is very difficult, besides, to think of Paul as expecting a speedy release in Csesarea, either at the hands of Felix or Festus, according to the nar- rative in Acts 24-26. There was delay also in Rome since Luke in closing his story in Acts (28 : 30) states that Paul had already spent two whole years ' in his own hired house. Nero, Hke Tiberius, was noted for his dilatory habits and no accusers may have come against Paul.
When Paul wrote to the Philippians time enough had elapsed since his arrival in Rome for the Philip- pian church to hear of his arrival and condition and to send Epaphroditus with messages and gifts, for Epaphroditus to fall ill, for the Phihppians to hear of
* dceriav vXtjv.
l6 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
it, and for Epaphroditus to be distressed over theii sorrow, and to recover his health (Phil. 2 : 25-30). We do not know, of course, how long this was nor precisely how long Paul was in prison in Rome before his release, assuming, as I do, that he did not fall a victim to the hate of Nero in connection with the burning of Rome in a. d. 64. We may say then that Paul had left Rome before the early summer of A. D. 64. He may have reached Rome in the spring of A. D. 59 or 60. Colossians, Ephesians, and Phi- lemon were sent together by Onesimus and Tych- icus (Philemon 10, 13; Col. 4:7-9; Eph. 6:2if.). They were also written from Rome, I hold, and not from Ca^sarea or Ephesus. It is not clear whether Philippians was despatched before or after this group to Asia. The common opinion is that Philippians was sent afterwards and just before Paul's release, because he expects to be set free when he wrote to Philippi (I : 25-26). But he is just as confident of getting free when he writes to Philemon and asks for a lodging to be made ready for him (22). The ap- parent absence of Luke and Aristarchus (Phil. 2 : 20) is a puzzle, but we have no right to say that they remained with Paul constantly in Rome. The pres- ence of Timothy surely calls for no explanation. The doctrinal aspect of the Epistle comes in well between the Judaizing controversy in the great doc- trinal Epistles (i and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ro- mans) and the Christological controversy raised by
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 17
incipient Gnosticism in the Lycus Valley and other parts of Asia (Colossians, Ephesians). Thus we have an echo of the Judaizing trouble in Phihppians I : 15-17 and 3: 1-2, while in Philippians 2:5-11 Paul has his greatest passage concerning the Person of Christ. There was probably no great space of time between Philippians and the other three (Phi- lemon, Colossians, Ephesians) Epistles of the First Roman Imprisonment. Till we can get further light on this point I follow Lightfoot in placing Philip- pians before the others, though not long before. Lightfoot's essay on " St. Paul in Rome " (pp. 1-29 of his commentary on Philippians) is still the master- piece on this topic. We can fill in some of the de- tails in the picture of Paul's life in Rome, whither he had come at last. He had long planned to come to the Im.perial City (Acts 19 : 21 ; Rom. i : 13 ; 15 : 22, 32). In spite of all the hindrances of Satan and the Jews Paul was to go to Rome (Acts 23:11) for he was to stand before Caesar (27 : 24) to whom he had appealed. He had not expected to come to Rome as a prisoner, but he is not in despair because of that fact. #Things might be worse. He has his own hired house (Acts 28 : 30), even if he is chained to a Roman soldier (28 : 20 " this chain "). He was al- lowed liberty to receive his friends by the Prsetorian Prefect Burrhus, if so be Paul fell to his care. Ram- say indeed thinks that Paul was the rather under the care of the Princeps Pcrigrinoruin {stratopedarchf
l8 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
according to some manuscripts for Acts 27 : 16), who was the head of the soldiers from abroad with some of whom Paul had been sent to Rome. He was a prisoner with dignity and some degree of hberty. He paid for his own lodging (in his own hired dwelling ') and so did not have to stay in the soldiers' camp. He " received all that went in unto him "2 (imperfect tense and here shows his habit). His friends had free access^ (without hindrance) to him and he preached to them the kingdom of God and the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ* with all boldness.® His life was therefore a busy one and he met Christians, Jews, and Gentiles, men of all classes. To all of them he presented Jesus as the Saviour from sin and the Lord of Ufe. Lightfoot emphasizes the sharp antithesis " between the Gospel and the Empire" when Paul comes to Rome. He had seen long ago that the Roman Empire was the world-power of Antichrist (2 Thess. 2:6f.), unless, indeed, as Lightfoot suggests, Paul then looked on the Empire as the power that was restraining Anti- christ, a view I do not hold. But Paul with a states- man's grasp of the situation saw that the kingdom of Christ and the kingdom of Caesar were at grips with each other. He longed to win this world empire to Christ and laid his plans to that end. His appeal to
* TO. TTe/j] Tov kupioo 'It](1oo ^piarou. ^ fierd ndffrj^ Tzapprjuta^.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION I9
Caesar sharpened the issue, though Nero as yet had taken no notice of Christianity. The official attitude of Rome was still probably the lofty indifference and tolerance of Gallio which looked upon Christianity as a variety of the Jewish superstition and hence a religio licita} At Rome the greatest preacher of Christianity necessarily gave fresh impetus to the cause of Christ, as we shall see, and made Christians '• a mark for the wanton attack of the tyrant. The preaching of Paul was the necessary antecedent to the persecution of Nero " (Lightfoot, Phil., p. 2). The shadow of Nero falls across Paul's path because he had appealed directly to him. Even if Nero finally dismissed the case without a formal trial, Paul was still at the mercy of the Roman Emperor. Roman power and Roman citizenship loom large before Paul now and bring out more strongly the imperial aspects of the kingdom of God.
The character of the church at Rome was mixed, as seems probable from Philippians i : 12-20 and from Romans i, 2, 15. They were partly Jews and partly Gentiles, though the Jewish element apparently
' Prof. D. Plooij, of Leiden (see The Expositor, December, 1914, February, 191 7, and M. Jones' reply March, 191 5), contends for the idea that Luke wrote the Acts as an apolo- getic for Paul to influence Jewish and Roman opinion about Paul favourably for his release from his first imprisonment. He does not mean that the book was ever formally presented to Nero, but that it was conceived as a defense of Paul's career. This interpretation explains the attention given to the arrest in Jerusalem and the imprisonment in Cssarea.
20 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
predominated. Rome itself was the home of men of all races and all lands, a conglomerate like New York to- day. Paul had already many friends in Rome, if we still take, as I do, Romans i6 as a genuine part of the Epistle to the Romans. Rome drew people like a magnet from all parts of the world, and Christians came as well as others. Probably few people of social or political importance in Rome had as yet identified themselves with this " superstitio externa " (Tacitus), with which Pomponia Graecina, wife of Plautius, Britain's conqueror, was charged. A generation later, Lightfoot notes (pp. 2i f), " Flavius Clemens and his wife Flavia Domitilla, both cousins of Domitian, were accused of • atheism,' and condemned by the emperor." Legend has claimed as Christians " the poet Lucan, the philosopher Epictetus, the powerful freedmen Narcissus and Epaphroditus, the emperor's mistresses, Acte and Poppcea, a strange med- ley of good and bad," but without a particle of proof. More interest attaches to the presence in Rome of the Stoic philosopher Seneca as Nero's friend and adviser. The subject has a fascination for Lightfoot (pp. 270-333) and there is small doubt that Paul had adequate knowledge of Stoicism. He had probably met it in Tarsus, the home of Athenodorus. In Athens Paul argued with the Stoics (Acts 17: 18). Many of the ethical teachings of Paul's Epistles are parallel to those of the Stoics as seen in the writings of Seneca and Epictetus. Many of these were mor^
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 21
or less current proverbs and sayings of the time. But there is no real evidence that Paul and Seneca met or that they had any Hterary connection. " The Letters of St. Paul and Seneca " are certainly spurious. Ramsay (" St. Paul the Traveller," p. 355) thinks that Seneca exerted a restraining influence of great value on Nero till his disgrace and retirement in a. d. 62, when Nero became much worse under the baleful influence of Tigellinus. The fact that Nero, Seneca, and Paul are in Rome at the same time appeals to one's imagination. Nero is the embodiment of will- ful power and wanton ambition. Seneca is the adroit and suave worldly-wise philosopher in the imperial court where he preaches lofty maxims for others to practice, a Stoic in creed and a hair-splitter in practice like the Jewish Pharisee. Both would scorn to no- tice Paul the provincial prisoner, a Jew and worse, a Christian, an intellectual outcast with no standing with gods or men. The very pride of Nero and Seneca lifted Paul to greater heights by contrast. This " prisoner of Christ " ' (Eph. 3 : i), this " slave of Christ Jesus " ^ (Phil, i : i), this " ambassador in a chain " ' (Eph. 6 : 20), is conscious of his spiritual, moral, and intellectual superiority to Nero, Seneca, and all the minions of the world-power of that age^ He was the ambassador * from the Lord Jesus in heaven
' diffiico<s TOO ^piffTou.
' douXog, same root (de-) as in di-(7-fj.io? bondsman.
' unep 00 Tzpeff^euu) iv dkuffet. * npea^ev'S,
22 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
to the court of each soul in Rome and all the world. The proud court of Nero was to Paul but an incident and an item in his world program. The outcome has vindicated Paul as all the world knows. The great man is the man who does the really great task in spite of appearances. The glitter of tinsel in Rome did not confuse the eyes of Paul. He was able to grasp the elements of real power in the world and to work with God and to abide God's time. One is tempted to linger with this hero of faith as he makes Rome the new world capital of spiritual energy and power. He vitalizes the Roman Church (Phil. I : 12-20) and directs the enterprise of Christian missions in the Lycus Valley, in Philippi, and wherever there was call for cheer and guidance. He is guiding the forces that will ultimately overthrow the world-powers of evil and make Nero's power puny and Seneca's sophistries puerile.
3. The City of Philippi.
The ancient name was Crenides (Strabo vii. 331) or springs (" Little Fountains "). Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, gave his name to each one of the springs and hence Philippi (plural) for the town. The city occupied a strategic position on a hill, between the rivers Strymon and Nestus, which commanded a view of the plain of Druma with the river Gangites or Angites (Herod, vii. 1 1 3) and overlooked also the mountain pass be-
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 23
tween Pangseus and Hsemus. It is nine miles from its seaport, Neapolis (the modern Kavala). Philip seized it and exploited it for its gold and silver mines, which were of great service for his wars and helped him as much as his use of the Macedonian phalanx. The gold went before and paved the way for the phalanx. He gained a revenue from these mines of a thousand talents a year (Diodorus xvi. 8).
With the battle of Pydna in b. c. 168 Macedonia became Roman and in b. c. 146 one Roman province. But Strabo (vii. 331) says that it was now " a small settlement" {Kozoinia fj.tkpd) and the exhaustion of the mines marked its decline as a commercial point. In the autumn of b. c, 42 Cassius and Brutus successively met defeat here (twenty days apart) at the hands of Octavius and Antony ; and the defeat and suicide pf Cassius and Brutus marked the end of the Roman republic. Macedonia and Achaia were at first sena- torial provinces, then at their own request imperial under Tiberius (Tac. Ann. i. 76) and senatorial again under Claudius (Snet. Claud. 25). Octavius was much impressed by the position and importance of Philippi and made it a military colony {Colojiia lulia fhilippensis) with the jus Italicum. Copper coins of Philippi have the inscription Colonia lulia Augusta Victrix Philip pcnsium. This title was given after the battle of Actium b. c. 31, when the colony was largely strengthened by Italian partisans of Antony displaced at Rome by followers of Octavius. The city was
24 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
thus a colony' (Acts i6: 12) with many privileges, immunity from taxation being the chief one. The people also had the right to own and sell property like other Roman citizens and the right of civil action (vindicatio). The mother city was copied closely and the colony was in reality " a miniature Rome "(Vin- cent) even in the form and the appearance of the city. Roman inscriptions were on the coinage. The city had its own magistrates {Duumviri) who called themselves Prcstores "^ {Kcts 16:20-38). The city was exempt from interference from the provincial government.^ The famous Egnatian Way {Via Egnatia) ran by Philippi and added to its impor- tance as an outpost of Rome. It is not clear what Luke means by " the first of the district " ^ (Acts 16; 12). Thessalonica was the capital of the province and Amphipolis, thirty-three miles away, was a larger city. But Philippi, because a colony and in such a strategic position, may still have been the most im- portant in rank in this district of Macedonia.
The village of Filibedjik or Filibat, which preserved the name Philippi, has now vanished. Near by is the modern village of Ratchka, in a ravine to one side of the ancient city which was on the height. But " an enclosure of rough stones preserves traces of the Hellenic wall " (Vincent, Int. Crit. C, p. xvii.)
' k()X(ovia, ' (TzpaTrjyni,
* Mommsen, " Provinces of the Roman Empire," i., pp. 299-302, * ~(i(orrj T^? fxepido^.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 25
upon the hill, while the plain below is covered with ruins and the theatre can still be seen on the face of the acropolis fronting Mount Pangaeus. The rocks around are covered with inscriptions to the ancient gods, " a veritable museum of mythology " (Heuzy and Daumet, " Mission Archeologique de Mace- doine," p. 85). Traces exist of a temple dedicated to the Roman god Silvanus, one of the popular deities of the imperial era. He was considered " the sacred guardian of the Emperor" (Kennedy, " Exp. Greek Testament," Vol. Ill, p. 400). Two statues of this god have been found, one of which may have stood in the temple here at Philippi. Tablets also have been found with the names of the members of the sacred college of the temple. Some of these names (like Crescens, Pudens, Secundus, Trophimus) are the same as those of some of Paul's friends. The god Men was also worshipped here and Dionysus, the favourite god of Thrace, had his chief sanctuary in the mountains near by. There was plenty of religion, such as it was, in Philippi, when Paul and his party first appeared here.
4. Paul in Philippi.
Situated on one of the main trade routes east and west, Philippi offered a splendid opportunity for Paul's first work in Europe.' " Philip and Alex-
' Ramsay, " Church in the Roman Empire," pp. 56, 70.
26 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
ander, ^milius, Mummius, and Octavianus had thus prepared the way for Paul " (Vincent, p. xviii.). The Macedonian Cry' (Acts i6:8-io) was not specifically from Philippi. It was simply " a certain Macedonian man " ^ who was standing in the vision and urging Paul : " Cross over into IN'Iacedonia and help us." ^ This incident is in one of the " we-sec- tions " of Acts which fact shows that Luke, the au- thor of the book, was present. Ramsay * says that Paul, since the Macedonians and Greeks dressed ahke, recognized the man in his dream by sight as one already known to him. Hence he argues that the man was Luke who had talked to Paul before he had his vision about the need in Macedonia. Ram- say concludes further that Luke now lived in Phi- lippi, as is shown also by the fact that Luke con- tinued in Philippi for some five years after Paul's first visit. We do not know whether Luke was a Macedonian by birth if he now lived there. There is some support for the idea that he was a native of Antioch in Syria. It is not clear whether Luke first met Paul in Alexandria Troas, or had already been with him in Galatia during his illness there (Gal. 4 : 1 3).'' But, at any rate, we know the names of Paul's three companions (Silas or Silvanus, Timothy,
' In the second missionary journey, a. d. 50-51.
* a.v7]p MaRtdu)> ri?.
^ dia,3a<i e/? Mar:e8(i\>ioy jSoyjOrjfyov r^/dv.
*" St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen," p. 201.
* Shaw (" Pauline Epistles," p. 400) thinks that Luke now
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 2^
and Luke) who went with him from Alexandria Troas to Philippi. They all " concluded " ' (Acts i6 : lo) with Paul that God called them to evangelize Macedonia. The cry was the cry of one man, but he plead for his country, and it was the voice of God. Paul is in Philippi three times. The first time is recorded in Acts i6 : 11-40, and the narrative is full and vivid and adds further point to the view that Luke now made Philippi his home. Ramsay (" St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen," p. 206) thinks that Luke here shows " the true Greek pride in his own city." One is struck at once by the ab- sence of Jewish influence in Philippi and the promi- nence of the Roman element in the narrative (M. N. Tod, " Philippi in Int. St. Bible Enc"). There was no synagogue in the city, showing that the number of Jews there were small. It was now a military outpost rather than a great commercial emporium like Thessalonica where Jews abounded. The pray- ing place ^ (Acts 16: 13) may have been in reality a synagogue. There seems no doubt that proseuche was used for synagogue.^ The location of the pray- ing place several miles out of town by the riverside was due to the need of water for the Jewish ablu- tions. The worshippers were mostly women, as Paul
lived at Troas and met Paul in a professional way as his phy- sician and was thus converted.
' (rov/?:/5'aCovr£9 making go together. ^ Tzpoazw/rj.
^ Schuerer, " Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ," Vol. II, Div. II, pp. 68-73.
28 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
and his friends found, and they did not seem to be certain (we supposed) ' of finding the place of worship at all, having evidently failed to find a synagogue in the city as had been so easy to do in Salamis (Acts 13:5), Antioch in Pisidia (13:14-43), Iconium (14: i), etc. Here by the Gangites Paul was on the site of the battle of Philippi and near the old mines (Shaw, " PauUne Epistles," p. 405). Here, moreover, the Jews seem to have been few, for Luke does not say that Lydia was a proselyte, but a " God-fearer " ^ (Acts 16: 14), a Gentile who had come to worship the God of the Jews, hke Cornelius in Acts 10, but not necessarily one who had gone over formally to Judaism. There is no mention of Jewish converts, for the household ^ of Lydia, if her employees, were probably simply •' God-fearers " like herself. Some Jews may have been converted, or at any rate Paul found it necessary in his letter to warn the church against the activity of the Judaizers (Phil. 3 : 1-2). It was a small enough beginning that Paul was able to make. " A man had summoned Paul to Mace- donia in the vision. Paul went to Macedonia and found a ivoinan first of all " (Hayes, •• Paul and His Epistles," p. 411)."' But this Asiatic merchant-woman
' ivofii^oiisv. * ffe^o/iivr] tuv Oeov.
* Women seemed to occupy " a specially favourable position in Macedonia " (Kennedy, Phil., p. 402). Note mention ot the activity of women in Acts 16 : 13 ; 17 : 4, 12. "The extant Macedonian inscriptions seem to assign to the sex a
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 29
from Thyatira proved to be one of the greatest trophies in Paul's ministry. This church came to be the joy and crown of Paul (Phil. 4 : i), and that fact was largely due to Lydia and Luke.
The Roman features of the story come out sharply in connection with the episode of the poor girl with the spirit of a python or divination.' Luke represents Paul as driving the spirit out of her (Acts 16 : 18) as of an unclean spirit or demon. A Pythoness was thought to have oracular power from the Pythian Apollo who had a shrine near here. She was able to earn many a penny for her masters^ (16:19), whose slave she probably was, by her soothsaying or raving^ (16 : 16). The ancients sometimes described such a gift as that of ventriloquism,^ but, whatever the cause, the poor girl was exploited by a company of men for commercial purposes just as " white- slavers " exploit girls to-day for gold. We are making some progress in the United States when at last Congress has passed a child-labour law. It is an old trick, this use of helpless children and women to fill the pockets of greed. Paul touched this " syndi- cate in its tenderest spot " (Shaw, " Pauline Epistles," p. 406). He had no respect for the vested interests
higher social influence than is common among the civilized nations of antiquity " (Lightfoot, Phil., p. 56 ; cf. also Achelis, Zeitschr, f. N. T. Wiss. I, 2, pp. 97-98).
' Tzveufia TzuOu)va. ^ ol kopioi. ^ p.avrsuorj.ivrj.
* eyyaarpifiuOu^. Ramsay, ** St. Paul the Traveller," p. 215, accepts the view that the girl was a ventriloquist.
30 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
of capital that traded in human Hfe and human souls. He set the girl free from the spell of Satan and from the grip of her enslavers. Their fury knew no bounds and was as violent as is the rage of men to- day who are compelled to give up the liquor business, gambling, or any other form of graft or greed that fattens on the weaknesses of human nature. These men (the girl's masters) were Romans, as is shown by the appeal to race prejudice which they make in the effort to stir up the Romans against the Jews (Acts i6:2of.). The Romans were more than half the population of the city, though there was still a solid substratum of the old Macedonian stock. So then the masters of the girl feel perfectly safe in the spurious cry which they put forth to the archons ' (16:20, the common Greek term for chief magis- trates) or the praetors 2 (16:21, the Latin term claimed by the magistrates, though duumviri was the technical title) in the market-place ^ like the Roman forum. These officers are accompanied by lictors* (16 : 35, 38) or sergeants who carry the fasces with which they scourge Paul and Silas' (16 : 22). They are charged with a breach of public order and the intro- duction of customs '^ unlawful for Romans to observe. It was a skillful turn, for '• the population prided themselves on their Roman character and actually called themselves Romans " (Ramsay, " St. Paul the
* p'ai38ouxoi. ^ p'a^diZstv. ^ edrj.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 3I
Traveller," p. 218). No chance was offered for Paul and Silas to defend themselves, but they are at once condemned after an onset by the multitude who are completely deceived by the pious and patriotic claptrap of the accusers. The magistrates themselves give way to excited indignation and the farcical trial is over. Paul and Silas are placed in the inner prison for safety with their feet fast in the stocks.' The forms of Roman law are duly observed, but the spirit of justice is utterly violated. The sud- den change of base by the magistrates next morning after the earthquake is not explained by Luke (Acts 16: 35)^ when they sent the hctors and said to the jailor : " Let these men go." The magistrates may have heard what had taken place and may also have become ashamed of their conduct. But this request gave Paul his opportunity to state the fact of his own Roman citizenship and to recount how Roman law had been violated in his imprisonment. Everything done to him and Silas was illegal, they being Romans. They had been beaten publicly and uncondemned '
^ £('9 rrjv iffwTipav (pulan-qv.
" The addition in Codex Bezae (" assembled together in the Agora, and remembering the earthquake that had taken place, they were afraid, and ") is hardly genuine. Cf. Ramsay, " St. Paul the Traveller," p. 223.
^Ramsay, "St. Paul the Traveller," p. 225, thinks that Luke has not accurately rendered Paul here, who probably spoke in Latin and said re iticogttita, " without investigating our case." But it did aggravate the matter for the imprison- ment to happen without condemnation.
32 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
and cast into prison. It was a sudden turn of the wheel of fortune and the magistrates are themselves in grave peril. They come and in apologetic style beg Paul and Silas to leave before further compli- cations arise. They do go, but not before their own innocence is established and Christianity is vindicated in Philippi. We do not know how long Paul was in Philippi, though Luke uses " many days " (Acts l6: i8) of the case of the girl with the spirit of divination. But a sturdy church of Gentile Chris- tians is now established before Paul leaves. Paul went to Lydia's house and " comforted the breth- ren," showing that men were won also to Christ here, though the term for " brethren " ' probably included the " sisters " also. Lightfoot (Phil., p. 57) notes how in Philippi the gospel exerted a powerful effect on woman, on the slave, and on family life (Lydia and the jailor). The church in the house of Lydia, for they had no other meeting place at first, grew to be the most loyal and helpful of all the Pauline churches. When Paul and Silas left Philippi, Luke and Timothy remained behind. Troubles came to the Philippian church " in much proof of afflic- tion " (2 Cor. 8 : 2) at a later time, we know, and probably also soon after Paul left, for the Philippians knew the "proof" of Timothy (Phil. 2:22). It is meet, therefore, that Paul should associate Timothy (now with Paul in Rome) with him in the salutation
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 33
of the Epistle (Phil, i : i), though Timothy is in no sense co-author with Paul. Timothy joined Paul and Silas in Bercea (Acts 17: 14) and probably be- fore that in Thessalonica (Phil. 4: 16), *' for even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again to my need." Luke, however, apparently remained in Philippi.
Paul appears in Philippi again during the third mission tour (a. d. 55-57) when he hurried over from Troas to Macedonia ahead of time in his eagerness to see Titus on his way back from Corinth (2 Cor. 2:12; 7:5-14; Acts 20 : i). We do not know that Paul stopped at Philippi and met Titus there, but there is every probability of it, though Paul tells us that " even in Macedonia " he had no relief till Titus came (2 Cor. 7 : 5 f.). We naturally think of him as waiting with Luke and Lydia in Philippi who could cheer his despondent spirit in the meanwhile. He was preceded by Timothy and Erastus (Acts 19 : 22). He had originally planned to go first to Corinth from Ephesus and then to Macedonia and back to Corinth and Jerusalem (2 Cor. 1:15 f.), but the acuteness of the crisis in Corinth made Paul de- cide to postpone his visit to Corinth till they had one more chance for repentance, and so he sent Titus to them with a rather sharp letter (2 Cor. 2 : 1-4), the effect of which he awaited with eager anxiety. The outcome was joyful on the whole (2 Cor, 7 : 5-15), though the minority remained stubborn (2 Cor. 2: 5-1 1 ; 10-13). While in Philippi Paul apparently
34 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
wrote 2 Corinthians, if we take the Epistle as a unit, as I still hold to be the most plausible theory. Paul is still in Macedonia when he writes (2 Cor. 8 : 1-5 ; 9 : 2-4). But Luke, for some reason, tells us nothing in Acts about this visit of Paul to Philippi and Mace- donia.
After three months in Achaia (Acts 20 : 3) Paul suddenly changed his plans again and, instead of sail- ing direct to Syria, went on to Philippi, where he met Luke again who remained with him till the close of Acts. Luke gives the names of Paul's compan- ions in travel (Acts 20 : 4), messengers of the churches to accompany Paul in carrying the great gift to the poor saints in Jerusalem, and he mentions the fact that Paul remained in Philippi to keep the passover there (Acts 20 : 6), probably a slight evidence of the presence of some Jewish Christians by this time in the church in Philippi.
We know, if we may follow the Pastoral Epistles as letters of Paul as I do, that Paul was in Mace- donia once more, though after he wrote the Epistle to the Philippians. When he wrote to the church, he expressed the hope that he would himself be able to come " shortly "' (Phil. 2:24). He did come to Macedonia again after his release from imprisonment in Rome, and was there when he wrote the first Epistle to Timothy (i Tim. i : 3). It is certainly highly probable that Paul went once more to Phi-
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 35
lippi where he could thank them face to face for their many tokens of affection and support during the years. There may, indeed, have been other visits, but these four are reasonably certain.
5. The Philippian Church and Paul.
Paul himself tells us of the devotion and zeal of the Philippian church. While Paul was in Thessa- lonica shortly after leaving Philippi (Acts 17 : 1-9), the church in Philippi had sent twice at least gifts for his needs (Phil. 4 : 16). They kept up this good work when Paul went to Corinth and was in want, for it was not Corinth, but Philippi alone that at first supplied his wants above what he could make by his own hands (2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:15). The ex- ample of Philippi was later followed by some other churches, though never by all. " I robbed other churches," Paul ironically says, " taking wages of them that I might minister unto you " (2 Cor. 1 1 : 8). " In the beginning of the Gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church had fellowship with me in the matter of giving and receiving but ye only " (Phil, 4: 15). Probably Thessalonica and Bercea soon fell into Hne with Philippi and helped Paul in Corinth. Certainly Thessalonica became " an ex- ample to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia " (i Thess. I : 7). From them " has echoed forth the word of the Lord"'(i : 8).
36 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
But no one of the Pauline churches was so thor- oughly missionary in spirit and deed as that in Phi- lippi. The church in Antioch has as its glory that it rose above the narrow prejudices of the Judaizers in Jerusalem, the Pharisaic (anti-mission or " Hard- shell " element there), and welcomed the propaganda among the Gentiles, though there is no evidence that the Antioch church contributed anything but good- will to the enterprise. It was a Greek church and was open to this world-movement. But the Roman church in Philippi rallied heartily and steadily to the practical support of Paul's missionary campaign to win the Roman Empire for Christ. They set the pace for all time for the churches that wish to ex- emplify the love of Christ for men. It was all the more beautiful that it was voluntary and continuous. The Greek church at Antioch had responded to the appeal of Paul and Barnabas to send a contribution to the poor saints in Jerusalem in proof of the gen- uineness of their conversion (Acts 1 1 : 29 f ), but they did not at first catch the vision of practical coopera- tion with Paul in his great missionary enterprise. This glory belongs to the church in Philippi, who thus became Paul's " joy and crown " (Phil. 4 : i). They had true " fellowship " with Paul in the work of the Gospel. At first they alone had this " part- nership," ' for this is the true meaning of the word (Phil. 1:5; 4:14 f.). They alone at first were Paul's
' Koivwvia.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 37
" co-sharers " * (Phil, i : 7) in this grace of giving the Gospel to the lost world. It may seem amazing that the early churches were so slow to respond to the missionary appeal. But it is not for modern Chris- tians to say much on this subject till we do enough to entitle us to speak.
The church at Philippi probably did far more for Paul than he has told in his letters. The last instance of their " fellowship " after an interval when they " lacked opportunity " (Phil. 4 : 10) was while Paul was in Rome the first time when they sent Epaphro- ditus, " your messenger and minister, to my need " (Phil. 2 : 25). They seem to have fairly outdone themselves this time and their gift was "an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice, acceptable, well-pleasing to God" (Phil. 4:18). They may have sent a letter to Paul by Epaphroditus and he may have written other letters of thanks to them (Phil. 3 : i).
Paul leaned on the church in Philippi heavily in raising the great collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem from the churches in Galatia, Asia, Mace- donia, and Achaia. The churches in Achaia were quick to promise and slow to pay, like some modern churches. Under the spur of Titus's leadership they promised a whole year ahead (2 Cor. 8:10) and Paul used their prompt pledges to stir the Macedonian churches to activity (9 : 2). And now in turn he has to spur the Achaian churches on to actual payment
38 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
by the liberality and prompt paying of the Mace- donian churches (8: 1-15; 9: i-S). Paul does not wish to be ashamed of the Achaian churches if he comes with some of the Macedonian brethren to whom he has boasted of the Achaian liberal promises. It is all a very modern situation drawn from life. But it is clearly the church at Philippi, poor and generous, that has long had the habit of giving, that set the pace for the other Macedonian churches and for the Achaian churches as well.
The church in Philippi no longer exists. The Turks have swept over Macedonia like the locusts of Egypt. But its early fame is secure. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, stops in Philippi early in the second cen- tury on his way to Rome where he is condemned as a Christian and is thrown to the wild beasts. The Philippian Christians treated Ignatius kindly and wrote a letter of sympathy to his home church in Antioch and to Poly carp, Bishop of Smyrna, asking him to send them copies of any letters of Ignatius which he might have, a side-light on the circulation of Paul's Epistles. Polycarp complied with their request and also wrote the church a letter of his own full of comfort and cheer. Polycarp censures a presbyter, Valens, and his wife for avarice, though the church at Philippi seems to be doing well. The church lived on apparently to modern times, but no story of the destruction of city and church is known. Le Quien (Or. Chr. II, p. 70) gives the
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 39
name of the Bishop of Phihppi when he wrote in
1740.
6. Purpose of the Epistle.
In reality Paul's immediate purpose is to express his appreciation of the love and kindness of the Philippian church in their gracious generosity by the hand of Epaphroditus (Phil, 1:3-11; 2:19-30; 4 : 10-20). Three times he takes up the subject. He explains the occasion of the Epistle to be the re- turn of Epaphroditus, the bearer of their gift and now of his Epistle to Philippi after his dangerous illness. It is all perfectly natural and obvious. Paul tells also something of his own situation in Rome and expounds his comfort in Christ and urges the Philippians to constant joy. He strikes a jubilant note, though a prisoner himself, as he and Silas sang praises at mid- night in the Philippian jail (Acts 16:25). Paul sings the song of victory and not of despair. It is thus a letter of joy and a letter of love. The sheer simplicity and beauty of his rapture in Christ make this Epistle a favourite with all who know the deep things of God in Christ. It is easy to take the theology of Philippians and apply it to modern con- ditions. The mass of modern men and women have to live their lives in untoward circumstances. They must do their work and sing their song in spite of prison or pain, of penury or pressure, of perversity or pugnacity. The very sanity and serenity of Paul's
40 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
piety bring his loftiest flights within the range of the humblest of us who gladly try to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ. Lightfoot (p. 72) says : " The Epistle to the Philippians is not only the noblest reflexion of St. Paul's personal character and spiritual illumi- nation, his large sympathies, his womanly tenderness, his delicate courtesy, his frank independence, his en- tire devotion to the Master's service ; but as a monu- ment of the power of the Gospel it yields in im- portance to none of the Apostolic writings."
7. The Church and the Officers.
Paul does not here use the word church,' but he writes " to all the saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." ^ Evidently Paul has the church in mind because he mentions the two classes of officers, " bishops and deacons," and yet 'he addresses the Christians in Philippi as indi- viduals (" all ") rather than as an organization. The unit in the kingdom of God is not the local church and not the officers. The church is made up of in- dividual believers and the church chooses its own officers. The believers are here addressed as " saints." The term was already in use for the covenant people of Israel as " the saints in Jerusalem " (i Mace. 10 : 39), «* the holy nation," " the holy people," " the saints "
^iXinnoti; irhv iTtcfr/^oTzoii} nai 8ia/z6voc<s.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 41
(cf. Ex. 19:6; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; Dan. 7:18, 22). It was natural to apply it to the true Israel, the be- lievers in Christ, " a chosen generation, a royal priest- hood, an holy nation "(i Pet. 2 : 9). Lightfoot (m loco) notes that even the irregularities and profligacies of the Corinthian church did not prevent Paul's use of the word for this church ♦' called to be saints " (i Cor. I : 2).' It is really the technical term for Christians on a par with " believers " ^ and carries with it the atmosphere of consecration found in the Old Testament usage (Septuagint) as in Leviticus 11:44-45. The term is used of the priests who consecrated themselves to God, who were set apart from the people for the service of God. So it is used of the chosen people who were set apart from the nations as God's instrument in the work of re- demption. Now it is applied to those of all nations who are set apart from both Jew and Gentile as the elect of God. The idea of holiness^ as a duty is necessarily involved in the word, as appropriate and obligatory, though not always actual. Its use in the Gospels seems to be confined to Matthew 27:52.
' The adjective ayiofi is common in the inscriptions as Ozm aym uil'iaza) OGIS 378^ (a. d. 18-19). See Moulton and Milligan, "Vocabulary of the Greek Testament."
^ ol Tztaroi.
^ dyiiDfu'jvq, dyiorrji}, dyiaaiio^. The verb ayid'^u) is not yet found outside of Biblical and ecclesiastical Greek. The ancient Greeks used dj't'Cw, o.yiaiw'i in their religious language. Cf. Moulton and Milligan, " Vocabulary of the Greek Testa- ment."
42 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
Since the Jews would apply the term «' the saints " to themselves, Paul here adds " in Christ Jesus " (Chrys- ostom, ill loco). This is Paul's common idiom for the mystic union between the believer and Christ. Jesus used the figure of the vine and the branches (John 15 : 1-8). The branch abides in the vine. Paul uses " in Christ Jesus " forty-eight times, " in Christ " thirty-four, " in the Lord " fifty (Vincent, Int. Crit. Comm.).' " These words sum up Paul's Christianity " (Kennedy, Exp. Gk. Test.). The idiom is apparently original with Paul, but one must compare the words of Jesus, "Abide in me, and I in you " (John 15 : 4).'' The most intimate and vital union with Christ is Paul's idea, not a perfunctory ecclesiastical connec- tion. Paul assumes that the nominal saints in Philippi are real saints in the sense of actual life in Christ ; not in the sense of absolute sinlessness, but of living connection with Christ who vitalizes and sustains each one. They are members of Christ's body of which He is the Head (i Cor. 12). It is not pro- fessional saints who pose as superior to other be- lievers that Paul has in mind, but he makes his salu- tation to all those who live in Christ as the sphere of the spiritual activity. This inclusive circle cuts out other circles. But Paul does not ignore the
* Cf. also Deissmann, Die Neutestamentliche Formel " in Christo Jesu " (i 892).
^ Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research," pp. 588 f
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 43
officers of the saints or church, though they occupy a secondary ' place in his mind. The officers are im- portant, but not primary. The individual saint is primary. Church officers are made out of saints. The fundamental reason that we do not have better preachers (bishops) and deacons is that they come from the body of the saints, a part of whom they still are. Paul does not draw a line of separation between clergy and laity. He rather emphasizes the bond of union by the use of " together with." ^ To be sure, the progress and usefulness of a church are largely gauged by the efficiency of the officers. Like priest hke people. And yet the other side is true also. Like people like priest. So long as the saints are sound at heart Christianity will outlive the vagaries and follies of sporadic preachers. A corrupt ministry will ruin any church if condoned. Certainly preachers and deacons are not free from the respon- sibility for sainthood by their official position. Noblesse oblige. Their very prominence imposes higher burdens. Fundamentally the average church member has precisely the same obligations and limi-
* The use of (juv shows this. It is not certain whether aov here has the idea of " plus " or " including " since the prepo- sition bears either connotation. The papyri show both ideas (Moulton and Milligan, " Lexical Notes from the Papyri," Expositor, Sept., 191 1). The context favours the idea of " including " here. On the whole Paul uses iisrd much more frequently than <yvv, particularly in the two last groups of his Epistles. He has ^lerd seven and auv four times in Philippians,
^ auv.
44 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
tations that the preacher has, but practically the preacher and deacon cannot escape an extra respon- sibility because of their leadership (cf. Jas. 3 : i).
We are confronted here with the whole problem of the Christian ministry (its origin, character, and functions). Bishop Lightfoot ' has proven that in the New Testament •' bishop " and " elder " are used in- terchangeably for the same ofifice as in Acts 20 : 17, 28 ; I Timothy 3 : 1-7 and 5 : 17-19 ; Titus i : 5-7 ; I Peter 5:1-2. See also Clement's " Epistle to the Corinthians," §42. Lightfoot translates the words ^ in Philippians i : I " presbyters and deacons " to make it plain to his readers that Paul is not using " bishop " in the sense of Ignatius in the second cen- tury who gives a threefold^ ministry, " the bishop, presbyters, deacons," and insists on the distinction. Ignatius makes the bishop supreme and the embodi- ment of ecclesiastical authority.* It is clear that in the New Testament usage the Christian ministry is in a more or less fluid state as to the functions of different members. General terms occur in i Thes- salonians 5 : 12, " them that labour among you, and
' Cf. note on " The synonymns bishop " (eTrtVA-orr*?) and " presbyter " (jcptfr^uTspoq') (Phil., pp. 95-99) and dis- sertation on "The Christian Ministry" (Phil., pp. 181- 269) and Lightfoot's " Apostolic Fathers " (Vols. I, II).
^ Tu> intakoTZip, Tzpea^oripot^, dia/zdvoc^. Letter to Poly- carp ^5 6.
* Cf". Ep. to Smyrn., Ch. VIII.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 45
are over you in the Lord, and admonish you."' In Hebrews 13:7, 17, 21, we find " your leaders " com- mended to their memory, obedience, welcome.^ The term ♦* elders " (presbyters) first appears in Acts 1 1 : 30, but as an established body of officers who are later active in the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15. The term itself is very old in an official sense as is shown by the Septuagint usage which merely reflects the older Egyptian custom as has been amply shown by Deissmann.' The " elders of the village " were town officers. The term also occurs for pagan priests. The technical use appears in the inscriptions of Asia Minor. Even " bishop " (^TrtV/coTro?) appears in " the technical religious diction of pre-Christian times " in inscriptions in Rhodes, curiously enough along with " scribes." ^ Precisely " elder " means an older man and " bishop " an overseer, but when both became technical terms no such distinction is drawn. Kennedy {m loco) suggests that " elder " applied more to status and " bishop " \.o function. Vincent (Phil, pp. 36-49) argues for a distinction between " bishop " and " elder," though he admits the vague-
^ T6h<i koTZimvra'i iv v(xTv kai T:poiaTa[iivuu<s 6[j.iuv iv kopim/Zai vouOsTouvrai} ofidi}.
^ Tu)v rjyouijAviuv (-oi?, -ou?).
'"Bible Studies," pp. 154-157, 233-235. We can no longer follow Cremer in speaking of iTrc'rrtf ottm? as " the Greek coloured designation" and izpeffiSure/iois as of " Jewish col- ouring."
* Cf. Deissmann, " Bible Studies " /parxp.are'i'i, pp. 230 f.
46 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
ness of the early usage and renders (p. 4) " with the superintendents and ministers." Here at Philippi we meet a twofold ministry, though the definition of neither " bishop " nor " deacon " is given. One may note also that use of the plural '• bishops " is like the plurality of " elders " found at Jerusalem (Acts II : 30) and Ephesus (20 : 17, 28). This fact shows clearly that " bishop " is not here used in the later ecclesiastical sense of Ignatius when one bishop is head of a large city or district with many elders and deacons under his rule.
The term deacon is of obscure etymology ' and is a general term for one who serves. It is common in the New Testament in the general sense of servants of God or Christ (i Cor. 3: 5 ; 2 Cor. 6:4). It is not always clear when the word has a technical use in the New Testament or precisely what the ofifice is meant to be. The papyri and inscriptions show the word in the general sense and for religious officials.^ It is probable, though not certain, that deacons in the technical sense are described in the group of seven chosen in Acts 6:2-6 to "serve tables."^
^ Some derive dtdkovo^ from dt-qfuo or dico/mj (eager pur- suit) and others even from dcd, A:6vi<; (dusty with running). Certainly some deacons can " raise a dust " if nothing more.
'^ Moulton and Milligan, " Vocabulary," quote Magrr. 109 circa b. c. 100, where dtduovixi is used for temple officials, and in CIG II, 1800, a " college " oi dtd/^ovni is mentioned, while ibid., 3037 we see two (hd/ioyot, and a female 8td/covng as in Rom. 16: i. See further Dibclius, Phil., p. 45 in " Handbuch zum N. T." ^ dia/2ovelv Tpa7:it^aig.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 47
The qualifications given in I Timothy 3:8-13 are not wholly different from those for bishops (i Tim. 3 : 1-7 ; Titus I : 5-9). Probably it cannot be shown beyond controversy that in the beginning the bishops had charge of the spiritual functions and the deacons the business side of the church life. There were at first apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers " for the perfecting of the saints " (Eph. 4:ilf.), though strangely enough Paul does not mention bishops and deacons in this list. Both terms are Hkewise absent in i Corinthians 12:28: " first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, govern- ments, divers kinds of tongues." Some have thought to sefe " bishops " in " governments " ' and " dea- cons [' in " helps," ^ In " The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles " the primacy still belongs to the apostles, prophets, and teachers (XI. 4-7; XIII. 3) as the spiritual guides of the churches, while bishops and deacons^ are local officers (XV. i), though " elders " or " presbyters " are not mentioned. One may note the famous discussion on the Christian ministry in The Expositor for 1887, which was participated in by W. Sanday, G. Salmon, C. Gore, G. A. Simcox, A. Harnack, J. Rendel Harris, W. Milligan, J. Mac- pherson. The lower view of the origin of bishops and deacons as presidents and dispensers of the ordi- nance of the Lord's Supper in particular is advocated
48 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
by Rev. H. F. Hamilton in " The People of God " (191 2, 2 vols.).' There seems little doubt that the development varied in different regions. Perhaps Ignatius represents one line of development while " The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles " shows an- other. But in the course of time apostles, prophets, and teachers disappeared and a consequent readjust- ment of functions followed. The growth of the ad- ministrative bishop was certainly later than the New Testament period, as Lightfoot has proven. The modern " pastor " (shepherd) 2 of the flock is expected to be at once apostle (missionary,^ or one sent of God), bishop or overseer, shepherd to care for each lamb in the flock, herald^ or preacher to proclaim the message, evangelist (gospelizer ^) to win to Christ, prophet^ or for-speaker for God, teacher^ to instruct in the way of the Lord, deacon (in the general sense of service) at the call of one and all in the com- munity, elder or guide and counsellor. The de- mands upon the " bishops " have grown with the years, while those upon the " deacons " have lessened by comparison. The wise pastor seeks to throw some of his burdens upon the deacons and upon the church as a whole,
' See his theory ably reviewed by Rev. Maurice Jones in The Expositor, August, 1916, pp. 118-135. See the other side in Loenning, " Genieindeverfassung des Urchristen.-ums," Theol. Lit., 1889, coll. 418-429.
^ Tzot/jLTJv. ^ anoazoXtKi. * UTJfw^.
^ evayyekiaTrj'i. ^npoyrjrr^g. ^ diddffkaXo<s.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 49
8. The Fatherhood of God and the Lordship of Christ.
This is Paul's favourite greeting ' as it appears also in I and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Romans, and Ephesians, and in slightly modified form in one and 2 Thessalonians, Colossians, I Timothy, Titus, 2 Tim- othy. There seems little doubt that Paul means to place Jesus Christ on an equality with God the Father in spite of the absence here of the application of the term God to Jesus. Paul ascribes divine at- tributes to Christ in Colossians i : 15-19, and is cred- ited by Luke in Acts 20 : 28 (true text, " Church of God ") with applying the term God directly to Christ. According to the probable punctuation in Romans 9 : 5 Paul calls Christ God, and that is the real idea in Titus 2:13.^ Besides, in Philippians 2:5-11, Paul argues on the basis of Christ's being " in the form of God " and possessing " equality with God." In Colossians 2 : 9 he says that all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Jesus Christ. It is beside the mark, therefore, for Vincent (" Int. Crit. on Phil.," p. 5) to say : " The fact that God and Christ appear on an equality in the salutation cannot be adduced as a positive proof of the divine nature of Christ, though it falls in with Paul's words in chap-
^ ^dpi<i v/jlTv Jzdl slpy^vfj and deou narpog ijfxcuv fcai ffupioo ^IrjfTou ypiGToo.
^ See margin of Am. St. Version ** of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ." Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of Greek New Testament in Light of Historical Research," p. 786.
50 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
ter 2, and may be allowed to point to that doctrine which he elsewhere asserts. We cannot be too care- ful to distinguish between ideas which unconsciously underlie particular expressions, and the same ideas used with a definite and conscious dogmatic purpose. This Epistle especially has suffered from the over- looking of this distinction." Per contra^ the almost unconscious attribution of deity to Jesus Christ by Paul so often and in so many ways reveals better than anything else Paul's attitude of mind towards the Person of Christ. It is not positive proof of the deity of Christ for Paul to have this opinion, to be sure, unless one is willing to follow Paul's guidance in the matter, but the repeated implication is strong proof of Paul's conception of Christ's nature and re- lation to God. Certainly Paul is not meaning to give a mere Trinitarian formula, since he does not mention here the Holy Spirit, though Rainy (" Ex- positor's Bible," Phil., p. i6) suggests that the work of the Holy Spirit is really involved in the grace and peace from the Father and the Son. Sometimes at the conclusion of the letters Paul mentions only Jesus, as in 2 Thessalonians 3 : i8 ; Galatians 6: i8; Philip- pians 4:23. No name at all may be used as in Colossians 4:18 ("Grace be with you"); Titus 3: 15. But in 2 Corinthians 13: 13 we have the full Trinity named : " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 5 1
The term " Lord " ' is common in the Old Testa- ment (Septuagint) for God, and there can be httle doubt that Paul in his frequent use of this word means to affirm the essential deity of Jesus Christ. The word is common in the papyri and the inscrip- tions for the Roman emperors who claimed divine attributes and accepted worship. But Paul was not going to allow this pagan usage to rob him of the privilege of employing this noble word with its rich heritage. Indeed, it is quite possible that Paul made a point of applying " Lord " to Jesus so many times for the very reason that the emperors claimed it for themselves. The word in a way became the hall- mark of Christianity in the Roman Empire. The Christians applied it to Jesus, the heathen to Csesar. The Gentile Christians who once said " Lord Caesar " now learned to say " Lord Jesus." Hence Paul says (i Cor. 12: 2 f.): "Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols, howsoever ye might be led. Wherefore I make known unto you, that no man speaking in the spirit of God saith, Jesus is anathema^; and no man can say, Jesus is Lord,^ but in the Holy Spirit." During the trial of Polycarp he was urged by Herod and Nicetes to say the words " Lord Caesar " and live : " For what is the harm in saying ' Lord Caesar ' and in offering sacrifices and doing the things
* fibpio<i. ^ 'AvdGefia ^Irjtxou^.
' KOptOg 'I7](T0U^,
52 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
following these and being spared ? " ' A Phrygian Christian, Cointus, had just renounced " Jesus as Lord " and said " Lord Caesar " and was spared. Polycarp stoutly refused to say " Lord Caesar " when those words meant the renunciation of " Lord Jesus." He said in defense, " I am a Christian " ^ and was burned as he knevv^ he would be. It cost something then to say " Lord Jesus," and Paul was right in say- ing that no one could say these words (and mean them) except in the Holy Spirit. These three words (Lord, Jesus, Christ) present the various aspects of the work of Jesus. His human name " Jesus " * means " saviour of his people from sin " (Matt. I : 2i) and the glory and dignity of the humanity is em- phasized in Philippians 2 : 5-1 1 and in the Epistle to the Hebrews (in particular ch. 2). He is the new Joshua of the people of God. The name was com- mon enough among the Jews as Josephus testifies and the papyri also show it. Christ was at first merely the description of His Messianic mission, the Hebrew Messiah,^ the Anointed One. In the Gospels we usually have the article with it, the Anointed One^ (the Messiah) as in Matthew 1:1/;
' Martyrdom of Polycarp, VIII, 2. rt yap nanov iariv eiTretv Kupw<5 Aalffap, kai iiziOuffui /cat ra toutoc^ aR.6Xooda Red biaaw'^zaOai. '^ Ibid., X. ^piaTtavd^ eipi.
' Ibid., V. del pe Zu>vza kauOi,vai. * ^l7jaou<i.
^ ^pcarog.
^ Meaaia^ is transliteration as Christ is translation. ^piffTo^ is the verbal adjective of y(ptio to anoint.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 53
16: 16. But its use as a title or mere proper name also occurs in the Gospels (as Matt. I : I) as is the rule in the Epistles and Revelation. In Paul's later Epistles we usually have " Christ Jesus " instead of " Jesus Christ," a still further development in the usage (cf. I Tim. i : 1-2). Thus by " Lord Jesus Christ " Paul really presents the statement that Jesus is a real man, is the Jewish Messiah of promise, and is divine, Son of God and Son of man (cf. Luke 2 : 1 1 " the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord "). Paul does not explain in what sense he uses " Father " as ap- plied to God, whether the general sense in which God is the Father of all men who are His offspring (Acts 17 : 26-29) 01" tl^s more limited sense as Father of the redeemed (Rom. 8 : 14-16). The use of " God our Father " reminds us of the Lord's Prayer (Matt. 6 : 9).
9. Grace and Peace.
It has already been noted that Paul does not use the common word for greeting so abundant in the let- ters in the papyri. He may have felt that it was " too meagre for Christian intercourse " (Kennedy, in loco). Grace is from the same root ' as the other word for greeting. Kennedy calls grace Paul's " own great watchword." It is the distinctive word for the new dispensation as John has it in his Gospel (i : 17): " For the law was given through Moses ; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." It is Paul's word
^ yap — root of both yaipu) {^yaipeiv) and ydpi^. Our word •* grace " is the Latin gratia.
54 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
in his famous antithesis between legaHsm and law, "justified freely by his grace" (Rom. 3 : 24). " But if it is by grace, it is no more of works : otherwise grace is no more grace " (Rom. 1 1 : 6). The word is constantly coming from Paul's pen and is akin to the word for joy/ as has just been shown. It is used for " gift " and " gratitude " and " charm " and " good- will" and " lovingkindness." No one word in Eng- lish can translate its wealth of meaning. This word, " perhaps above all others, shows the powerful re- moulding of terms by Christian thought and feeling " (Kennedy, in loco). It lays emphasis on ihe/reencss of God's lovingkindness to men (Vincent, m loco). It is the " free favour " of God, the state of grace (Rom. 5 : 2) and the power from that state (Eph. 4 : 7), the overwhelming richness of the love of God in Christ Jesus, which Paul wishes for the saints in Philippi.
The other word " peace " '^ is a picture of " the harmony and health of that life which is reconciled to God through Jesus Christ" (Kennedy, in loco), tliQ peace which follows from the grace. The two words thus cover the whole of the Christian experience. This word " peace " is used of nations and of indi- viduals and implies a bond that is made, words that are spoken, as the basis on which peace rests. The Jews said " shdlorn " (salaam, Arabic salam, peace)
" Elp-j-^rj may be either from s^.pto to join or elpto to say. Our word " peace " is the Latin pax through the French paix.
THE BRIEF SALUTATION 55
as a greeting. The angels brought a message of " peace " to men of good-will in their song of greeting to the shepherds (Luke 2 : 14). It is the Messianic greeting to those who welcome the preachers of Christ (Luke 10 : 5). But peace in the Pauline conception implies reconciliation with God in Christ (Vincent, in loco). It is the tranquil soul at peace with God. God is the God of peace (2 Cor. 13: 11; Heb. 1 3 : 20). Jesus gave His peace as a blessing to the disciples, His parting blessing (John 14 : 27), a peace which the world could not give. Paul has this same idea when he speaks (Phil. 4:7) of the peace that passeth all understanding. But let no one imagine that Paul taught" peace at any price " either with man or devil. No one exhibits the spirit of courage and conflict more than Paul. He has no patience with cowardice in preachers (2 Tim. i : 7). Christ bade His disciples to be of good cheer in the midst of tribulation, for He had overcome the world (John 16: 33). Jesus offers us repose in the midst of struggle. God's peace makes us independent of man's petty wars. Peace is not the greatest good. Righteousness out- ranks peace. " First pure, then peaceable " (J as. 3:17). Only those who "do peace" may expect " the fruit of righteousness " which is sown in peace (J as. 3 : 18). It is not always possible to live at peace with men, but theresponsibiUty for breaking the peace should rest upon others (Rom. 12: 18). But peace at the price of the triumph of evil is cowardly sin.
II
JOY IN PRAYER
(Philippians 1:3-11.)
JOY is the key-note of Philippians. Here we see Paul's joy in prayer. It is a noble gift, this exultation and exaltation in prayer. The men of a former generation spoke of " Hberty " in prayer. There is no higher spiritual exercise than this and it comes only from long practice. The Philippians knew of this trait of Paul, for in prison there he and Silas " were praying and singing hymns unto God " ^ (Acts 16:25). Rainy ("Expositor's Bible") calls this prayer " The Apostle's Mind about the Philip- pians." It is that, but it is his mind in prayer, a summary of his constant prayer for them, the deepest desires of his heart about them, the highest hopes he has for them. There are delightful words here that linger in the mind.
I. Memory (verse 3).
" Upon all my remembrance of you." The words could mean " upon all your remembrance of me," but the other is probably the idea. It cannot' be
' 7Tpnff£u-(6fi£vot ufivouv Tov OsSv. Almost as if the prayer was a song.
^ Because of rd<T3j rrj fxveia (the article). Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research," pp. 769 f.
56
JOY IN PRAYER 57
" upon every remembrance." Paul is not thinking of isolated memories of Philippi, but of the total picture that is still vivid in his mind. There were unpleas- ant memories of Philippi if he cared to dwell upon them, the rage of the masters of the poor girl whom Paul set free and the conduct of the magistrates and the populace towards Paul. But these were not part of the flock in Philippi. Even there Paul knows of unpleasantness between two women (Phil. 4 : 2 f.) and of others who seek their own desires (3 : 17). But time and distance mellow one's memories in a gracious way, particularly in the case of an old pastor who no longer feels the petty irritations that once were so keen. Fortunately also the people forget their grudges against the pastor, now that he is gone. Paul will not allow specks to spoil the whole. So he meditates upon the names and faces of the saints at Philippi with his marvellous faculty for recalling them, happy trait for any preacher who can thus bind people to him. Time blurs names and faces for most of us, but Paul has zest in the life of people. He is fond of folks and joys in them through the haze of the past, in all of them. Indeed, it almost sounds as if Paul did nothing else but dream about the Philippians, " always in every supplication." ' Memories of his work all over the world came to him often in moments of despair and of cheer
* He plays upon the word " all " : Tratriy, ndwoTe, izdarj, ndvTwv,
58 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
(cf. 2 Cor. ii). These hallowed associations with the elect of earth spur one on to fresh endeavour. One feeds upon rich experiences of grace, like those at Northfield, and can go in the strength of this meat for many days.
2. Gratitude (verse 3).
Gratitude springs out of memory, bubbling up like a fountain. His feeling of gratitude' rests upon^ the happy and holy memories of his days with the Philippians and their kindness to him. Paul always has something to thank God for in the churches to which he writes, save in the case of the Galatians, whose sudden defection shocked him severely. Even in Corinth he finds much to praise. Paul is a man of prayer and gratitude to God is an essential ele- ment in real prayer. " The great people of the earth to-day are the people of prayer. The greatest force of the day is prayer " (Baskerville, " Sidelights on the Epistle to the Philippians," p. 6). But nowhere is Paul in more grateful mood than in this Epistle of joy and suffering. He " dwells long and fondly on the subject " (Lightfoot, m loco). The Western
^ eu^aptffziu} is condemned by the Atticists, but is good Koine and occurs in the papyri (Deissmann, " Bible Studies," p. 122) and from Polybius on. The vulgate gr alias ago is a good deal like eu^dptaro^ (from so and yapiZnjKii').
â– ^ tTTt' here in a semi-local (Ellicott) or ethico-local (Ken- nedy) sense.
JOY IN PRAYER 59
text ' makes Paul emphatic in the assertion of his gratitude, suggesting that the Phihppians had written Paul a letter with the gifts which Epaphroditus brought. Perhaps also they may have imagined a slight lack of cordiality on Paul's part (Kennedy, in loco), because some time had elapsed with no word of appreciation from him. But the sickness of Epaphroditus explains his delay and he repeats his gratitude with emphasis. One of the common faults of men is failure to express gratitude for the simple courtesies and favours of life. It costs little to say " Thank you," and this word smooths out many wrinkles of care. Paul certainly had not meant to be derelict in this grace and amply atones for his apparent neglect by this beautiful Epistle which is a model of Christian courtesy. His gratitude is in no sense the Frenchman's definition, a lively sense of favours expected. This notion is repellent to Paul (Phil. 4: 17). It must be admitted that many a life is embittered by lack of gratitude and appreciation on the part of those who matter most.
" How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is To have a thankless child."
3. Supplication (verse 4).
But Paul was not content with their spiritual state, many as were the grounds of thanksgiving. A holy discontent and high ambition for them led him to pe- * DEFG defg have iycb fiev.
6o PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
titionary' prayer. One cannot well be in the pres- ence of God without a sense of need. The words in this verse can be variously punctuated, but they prob- ably go together as a single thought with its studied repetition of the word all (Lightfoot, iti loco). One's mood in prayer varies according to the subject of the prayer. Here the Apostle prays " with joy," ^ " with a sense of joy " (Moffatt). This note is the under- tone of the whole ^ Epistle and sounds on through Paul's petition for them which partakes of the nature of a spiritual rhapsody. Christians often show emo- tion in prayer. Sometimes uncontrolled passion sweeps them away. At times feeling seems to be without thought and merely incoherent ecstasy or even worked-up artificiality as in some shouting, the " holy laugh," the " holy rollers " and similar per- formances. But dead formalism has little right to find fault with such excesses. With Paul joyful prayer is the normal atmosphere of his life with God. He had a " hallelujah chorus " in his heart. Christ to Paul was the spring of all joy. He could not be a pessimist. He was not a blind optimist. Joy is not mere excitement, not mere noise, but serenity of spirit that overcomes circumstance. His
^ ^irjfTig (twice in this verse) is, like enyapinria^ just one aspect of 7:f>()(7su/yj (general prayer) addressed only to God, though di-^ffc?, from Sio/iac to need or to beg, is to God or man.
* fisrd yapa?,
' Summa epistols (Bengel).
JOY IN PRAYER 6l
** buoyant spirit can prevail Where common cheerfulness would fail."
The happiest man in Rome is Paul the pris- oner for Christ. Joy is the missing note in many- lives which are too easily upset by the little worries. The little foxes eat away the vines. Christianity will have more power when it recovers joyful prayer, jubilant praying, mighty wrestling with God. Bas- kerville justly says that we need a revival in our prayer-life ; " Prayer may well be regarded as the hne of communication with the base of supplies." We have let the stream get choked from this foun- tain of hfe. If we lay hold on God with great energy, we shall have power with men.
4. Partnership (verse 5).
Partnership is one of the grounds * of Paul's thanksgiving about the Philippians. It is their part- nership ^ or fellowship with Paul in the furtherance of the Gospel.^ The specific reference is to the con- tributions made by this church " from the first day until now,"* to Thessalonica and to Corinth at the very start of the church's life (Phil. 4: 15 f.). At first they stood alone in this cordial support of Paul's
* int.
't^ aocvojvi'a (3/iaii/ (subjective genitive), from the adjective /zotvog (in common). The word novjiD^na is used in the papyri of the marriage contract as well as of commercial part- nership, a iife-partnership ^ioo /ioivwvia.
^ eig TO euayyiXiov. Note this use of e;?.
* aizo T/J9 TTpcuTTjis r^[j.ipa<i cl^pi Tou vuv.
62 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
missionary labours, though others later followed this noble example (2 Cor. 1 1 : 8). The Philippian church was thus a missionary church from the start. The word here for fellowship means cooperation in the largest sense, though the particular application is to their help to Paul in the work. James and John were partners * with Simon in the fishing. Titus was Paul's partner (2 Cor. 8 : 23). Paul uses this word for partnership on the part of the Philippians in the collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 8 : 4). The Philippians gave themselves to the mis- sion cause heart and soul (Rainy, in loco). Here was one church to which Paul could always turn, upon whom he could always count for sympathy and support. It is just the lack of this sense of fellowship and of responsibility that makes so many Christians ineffective and useless in aggressive work. After Pentecost the Jerusalem Christians continued stead- fastly in this fellowship or partnership (Acts 2 : 42). This mutual bond of spiritual commerce should bind together with hooks of steel people and pastor and make the church glad to remunerate properly both pastor and missionary (Gal. 6 : 6). It is the great distinction of the Philippian church that they had enlightenment enough to see their opportunity as co- workers with Paul in the greatest enterprise of the ages. They were only too glad of the chance of taking stock in this chief business of the world. ^ koivwvoi (Luke 5 : 10).
JOY IN PRAYER 63
Cooperation is still the great demand among modern Christians. Churches so often leave it all for the pastor to do. The forces of righteousness in our cities so easily disintegrate and fly apart. We have a common salvation, a common task, a common peril, and a common Captain of our salvation. When Christians, with frank recognition of their differences of standpoint and convictions, learn to pull together in all common interests against Satan, we shall see the beginning of the end of his dominion among men. But we have not even learned how to enlist all those in one denomination in any common cause.
5. Confidence (verses 6 and 7).
Paul's state of confidence * grew out of his experi- ence with God and his knowledge of them. Paul places God first always. God began ^ a good work in them, took the initiative as He always does. God will also perfect^ it, carry it on to perfection, will not take His hand from the task till the day of Jesus Christ, the day of consummation. God " will go on completing it" (Moffatt). Paul is cheered by the hope of the Parousia or Second Coming of Christ, though he sets no day for it. He nowhere says that it will be before his death, and in this very Epistle he faces his own death as a real problem (i : 21 ff.). Paul does, hov/ever, maintain an expectant attitude
* i:£Tcoi0u)<s^ second perfect participle.
' 6 ivap^dii£vo<s. ^ inireXiaei linear fiiture.
64 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
towards the return of Christ, and the hope has a moulding influence on his Ufe. It is a pity that so many modern Christians have lost any real joy in this blessed hope and no longer look for the coming of Jesus to claim His own. Some, indeed, go to the other extreme and have formal programs and details and even dates for the Parousia. One can admire Paul's sanity and balance on this subject as on all others that he discusses. He counts it right' to have the opinion about the Philippians that he cher- ishes. This church was good soil, no doubt, and good seed was sown there, and good cultivation was kept up also. But the reason here given for Paul's optimism is that he holds them in his heart. Inter- estingly enough the phrase in the Greek ^ can mean " because you hold me in your heart." Both things are true, but Paul is speaking of his own love for his children in the Gospel. He was bound to believe the best about them. He has the shepherd heart and grounds his confidence in his own love as well as in God's purposes about them. The Philippians have shown the grace of continuance. They are not quitters. They press on both in the defense^ and in the confirmation of the Gospel. There are so many unfinished books, pictures, sculpture, buildings. It
' diKaiov (justum, Vg.). Right here, not righteous. * dia TO k'^ety fie iv rfj /iapdia u/j.(7^. Here fcapdia in- cludes the purposes of the will as well as the emotions. ' d-nokoyia is used of defense in a judicial action.
JOY IN PRAYER 65
is a joy to see a church carry a thing through as they are doing. This is Hke God whose work is thorough (Baskerville). Hence Paul is proud to have the PhiUppians co-partners ' with him in grace, in all the rich grace in Christ. They all share to the full with^ Paul. He claims no clerical grace above them. They are fellows in Christ Jesus. It does Paul good to brood over this noble band of brothers linked to- gether in the mystic bond of love for God and man, linked not merely in idea and theory, but in actual practice. If all churches of Christ lived up to this ideal, there would be no need and no room for any other brotherhoods, much good as many of them do. The church would fill all the life to the full.
6. Longing (verse 8).
Paul uses a very strong word ^ here, a word of in- tense feeling and yearning, sometimes transliterated as pathos^ The solemn oath here adds to the emo- tion. Paul calls God to witness in no light or flip- pant way (cf. Rom. l : 9-1 1). But Paul actually says that he longs after them in the tender mercies ^ of
^ (TUV/201VIUV0U? fjLdU T^9 ^(Iptzog.
^<70v. ^ innzodS).
* We cannot press the force of the compound ir.i- in the
^ GTzXayy^^a is used for the nobler viscera (heart, liver, lungs, etc.), as opposed to the hrs^a (lower intestines). It occurs in the papyri in sense of pity v-kp anXdyj^voo " for pity's sake " (BQ 1 139'?, V. B. C), Moukon and MilHgan, " Lex- ical Notes from the Papyri," Expositor, June, 191 1.
66 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
Jesus Christ, with all the heart-hunger of Jesus Him- self. The ancient Greeks located the emotions of love, pity, joy, etc., in the " stomach-brain," as it is sometimes called. This word is used about Phile- mon, "my very heart"* (Phile. 12). Paul longs for the Philippians, not only with the best of his own heart but in mystic union with Christ with the very heart-throb of Jesus Himself. He identifies his own heart-life with that of Christ. Paul, though a man of tremendous intellectual power, was even more a man of heart. He was a spiritual dynamo for Christ, a sort of electric battery, charged with the love of Christ.
7. Discerning Love (verses 9-10*).
Petition (cf. i : 4) is now the form of Paul's prayer, petition closely connected with the gratitude already so richly expressed. Paul's prayers for the Chris- tians are very suggestive. They are never perfunc- tory but always pertinent to the situation. " Prayer makes the preacher a heart-preacher. Prayer puts the preacher's heart into the preacher's sermon. Prayer puts the preacher's sermon into the preacher's heart " (Baskerville, in loco). This prayer lias the very breath of heaven. Paul prays for the overflow ^
' TO. kixa aTzXdy^va.
'^ TzepiffffcuTj (cf. TzepcfTfTog from -rept). In ancient Greek this word meant to remain over. It is common in the Septua- gint. Paul uses it commonly for " abound " (Vg, here abundei). Cf. Thomas, " The Prayers of St. Paul."
JOY IN PRAYER 67
of the love ' of the Phihppians for one another and for himself. There is no danger of an excess. There is still room, " yet more and more," ^ Paul pleads with his fondness for piling up adverbs. Some coldly critical people dislike exuberance in Christian affection, but Paul sets no limit' to the development and expression of love except " in knowledge and all discernment,"* " all manner of insight " (Moffatt), a very important qualification. Love must not be a raging flood like that in the Miami Valley that threat- ened the very existence of Dayton and other cities. It is a flood of love that Paul prays for and yet a flood within the bounds of good sense and discretion. He wishes that " the sensitiveness of touch may be added to love " (Kennedy, in loco). There should be sense in love and not bhnd impulse. Enthusiasm needs common sense for poise and guidance. What we call common sense is sense about common things, and is itself an uncommon quality. The flood is good if we know how to use it or to ride it. Love grows best in the full light of knowledge.^ Love has
' d-YaTz-q is a " back-formation " from ayandm. There is one doubtful example of dydnrj in a Herculaneum papyrus (i. B. C.) 81 a.[j\dr.rj<i i.\yap'\Y<n)<{. The verb dyaKdu) in the New Testament is a deeper and richer word than (fiUoj which is more human (Moulton and Milligan, " Vocabulary ").
"^ ere [idXlov ka\ irnkko'^.
^ Paul here uses the tense for durative action (j:spi<T(7si>i^.
* h l-rayvd}(j£t. fidi r.da-^ aiffOyjffsc. Vg. has in scientia, et in omni sensu,
'" Paul is fond of l-iziyv<uai<i which is added (£"£-) knowledge.
68 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
nothing to fear from the light. Suspicion kills love. " Perfect love casts out fear" (i John 4: 18). In- tense love makes people hypersensitive to slights and misunderstandings unless one is quick to apply full knowledge to the situation. The word " discern- ment " ^ calls for the practical application of this spiritual insight and sensitiveness. This word de- notes the fineness of spiritual perception that comes from alertness and practice. Hippocrates,^ a med- ical writer, employs the verb for perception with sight, touch, hearing, the nose, the tongue, and knowledge. The word suggests the nervous organ- ism of the body, all the avenues of approach by the senses of the mind, that wonderful sensitive plate, more delicate than any seismograph for recording earthquake shocks, or than any chemical apparatus for detecting affinities between atoms, or than any electrical machinery for noting the behaviour of electrons. Wireless telegraphy requires apparatus for sending and receiving the sound-waves. We give various names to this ethical sensitiveness like tact, spiritual sensibility, a trained conscience. One
See its intensive force in i Corinthians 13:12. Cf. Epictetus II, 20, 21 kruYvu>(Tt<s T!^? dXrjOsia^.
' actT0yj(Tt<}. Here only in the New Testament, but in Proverbs 1:4, 7, 22, etc. Cf". elg aiffOrjaiv rou Raftoib in Epictetus II, 18, 8. In Hebrews 5:14 note aiffOrjTiijpia for the organs of moral sense (Lightfoot).
^ De Off. Med. 3 (quoted by Kennedy, in loco) a kal rrj o<fn Rai kai tTj 6.iprj Ra\ rfj d/2oufj /cat rfj pivi fiat zy yXwaarj kat T^ yvcufxT^k'ffTcv alaOiOat.
JOY IN PRAYER 69
is reminded of the phrase in Hebrews 5 : 14 " who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil," trained hke athletes ' " to discriminate between good and evil." ^ Sin blunts the moral sense and blurs the spiritual vision so that the eyes of the heart do not see correctly. Paul's wish about the saints at Philippi is that they may be in a position^ where they can " approve the things that are ex- cellent," ^ " have a sense of what is vital " (Moffatt). This is one of the translations of this expression and probably what Paul really means here. But the original idea is " to test the things that differ." The word for " excellent " ^ means to " bear apart " either in hostility or superiority. By comparison or ex- amination^ as in the testing of metals one learns wherein they differ and which is superior and at what points. Thus one is prepared intelligently to ap- prove '' the excellent. It is only when one has his ethical sense quickened and has also full knowledge of the facts that he is able to render a sound judgment on
'^yeyoixvaaiiha. Perfect tense, state of readiness.
^npo'i diduptaiv kaXoo re KaX na/iou.
^ d<i TO with the infinitive. Probably purpose though con- templated result is possible.
* doKaiidZ^tv TOL diacfipovra.
^ dia<pipovTa neuter plural participle from diatpipu),
^ 8of!ifidZeiv. Very common in this sense in the papyri. It is used for assaying metals as in Proverbs 8 : 10 ; 17:3.
"^ The papyri have this sense also. Cf. 6\noTipio<i oZv Ral (TO do/2ijj.d^£ig, P. Pap. III. 41 (quoted by Moulton and Milligan, " Vocabulary ").
70 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
matters of right and wrong. When the ethical sense is dulled by misuse or blinded by misinformation or prejudice, its decisions cannot be trusted. So the good is the enemy of the best. One cannot be satis- fied with what is " good enough " for others. Few things are more needed by modern Christians than precisely this intelligent moral insight mingled with a wealth of love. It is needed to keep us from failure to see sin. We need it to help us to see spiritual opportunity and privilege. We need it to enable us to see what things are relatively the most important and to put the emphasis in the right place. We need it to keep us from becoming the dupes of slick- tongued adventurers and religious mountebanks. We need it to shield us from being ourselves the victims of religious prejudice and narrowness. It is the only combination that insures loyalty to truth with progress in grace and service. God give us all discerning love.
8. Fruit (i : lob-ii).
Paul has a series ' of requests in this prayer, each a link in the chain. He prays for abounding and dis- cerning love, that the Philippians may be drawn to the highest and the best, that in ^ the day of Christ
' (Va, el(^ rd, ha (verses 9-11), each dependent on the other, the two last of an epexegetical nature,
^ ei's" yj/jiifiav A'ptffroT). Literally in or for the day of Christ, the Parousia. Cf. Phil. 2 : 16; Eph. 4 : 30 ; 2 Tim. i : i 2. Vg. has in diem Christi.
JOY IN PRAYER 7 I
they may pass under the eye of the Judge with ap- proval. The goal of Paul in his work is the Day of Assizes when Jesus comes to judge. Then he wishes the Philippians to be sincere.' The old etymology ^ (T. H. Green quoted by Kennedy, in loco) defines the word as " perfect openness towards God." Plato uses the word for pure intellect, for the soul purged from sense. Certainly the eye of Him with whom we have to do sees us as we are (Heb. 4:12 f.). He is the God of things as they are. But Paul prays also that the Philippians may be " void of offence," a possible translation. The word is either in- transitive as in Acts 24:16 and means " not stum- bling" or transitive as in I Cor. 10 : 32 and means " not causing others to stumble." Either will make good sense here, for Jesus (cf. Matt. 2$ : 31-46) men- tions our treatment of others as one of the tests of character on the Judgment Day. But Paul is not satisfied with a negative statement of ^goodness. He adds a prayer for " the fruit of righteousness," " that harvest of righteousness" (Moffatt), for a fulF crop on a fruitful tree (cf. Ps. I ; Prov. 1 1 : 30). In the
* elh/cpivel?. Unmixed, pure, unsullied. Vg. sinceri.
* From kpivio and e'iXrj (heat of sun) tested by sunbeams or e'lX-q separated into ranks is very doubtful. The word is com- mon enough, though the etymology is unknown. Cf. i Cor. 5:8; 2 Cor. I ; 1 2 for eiXikpivsia. Light would be in- visible apart from obstructions against which it strikes.
â– * nenXTjpvjui'M^i. Perfect passive, state of completion. Note the accusative napizuv.
72 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
Sermon on the Mount Jesus gave fruit as the proof of one's sincerity in God's service. " By their fruits ye shall know them" (Matt. 7: 16). The figure is common enough in all ages. Paul adds that this fruit of righteousness comes only through Jesus Christ.' The Pharisees did not possess it according to the indictment of Jesus in Matthew 6 and 23. Jesus is the vine on which this fruit grows (cf. John 15 : 1-8). Paul closes his prayer with the purpose of this glorious fruitage, " unto the glory and praise of God." The fruit is not for the glory of the Philippians nor for the honour of Paul. Redemp- tion has its origin in God and its end in God. " For of him, and through him, and unto him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen " (Rom. II : 36). The word for glory ^ originally meant opinion. But in the Septuagint it is used for the glory of the Lord, for the Shekinah. This is the conception here. The word had a popular sense also like our glory .^ Paul means that men will be led to praise God because good fruit is found in our lives.
' rov did ''I-QfTou Xpiffzoo. Note the added article to the attributive clause.
"^ do^a from dokiu).
* Cf. du^a tz6Xeu)<s of the prytanis in P. Oxy. I. 41, 4 (iii, iv, A. D.) quoted by Moulton and Milligan's " Vo- cabulary."
Ill
GOOD OUT OF ILL (i : 12-20)
T
â– ^HE interpretation of Providence is not al- ways easy if one looks at the whole prob- lem. There are always glib interpreters, like Job's miserable comforters, who know how to fit the cap to others with complete satisfaction to themselves. Modern science has thrown the chill of doubt over many of those who find refuge in the love of a personal God, our Heavenly Father. It is grim comfort to find consolation only in the certain opera- tion of inexorable law. Our problem is to be able to see the hand of God in a world of law and order when things go against us. Paul was able to get sweet out of bitter. It is easier to see the good after it has come out of the ill. But it would be a dreary world if one could not believe that God cares for His people and overrules the evils of life for the progress of man and of men.
I. Progress of the Gospel (verse 12), It is possible that Epaphroditus brought a letter to Paul from the Philippian church which was full of concern for Paul's welfare. He had been a prisoner
73
74 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
for some years now, two at Caesarea and one or two in Rome. Kennedy raises the question whether Paul may not have been by this time transferred from his hired lodging (Acts 28 : 30) to the castra pcrigrino- rum where provincial prisoners were kept in military custody. If so, the Philippians would naturally ex- pect Paul to have a harder time than he had so far experienced in Rome. At any rate Paul is anxious * for them to know the true state of the case about his affairs.* Paul tells of his experiences in Rome be- cause only thus can he relieve their anxiety. There are two extremes in this matter. Some men talk too much about themselves and some do it too little. The use of" rather "^ clearly implies that the Philip- pians had expected the worst for Paul. He hastens to tell them that he has good news, not bad news, about the progress of the Gospel in Rome. The word for progress* seems to mean cutting a way ahead, blazing a trail before an army to come after- wards. The pioneers, like Daniel Boone in Ken-
' The idiom yv^uxj/zstv dk vixa<i l3o6X(>[iac occurs only here in the New Testament, but is like Paul's common Oiho with the infinitive (i Cor. 10 : i ; 11:3; Col. 2:1; Rom. 1:13). It is a common epistolary phrase (Kennedy).
^ rri kar i/ie. This use of /^ard is almost equivalent to the genitive in the tor^rj. Cf. Kslker, " Ouestiones de clocu- tione Polybiana," p. 282. Cf. Eph. 6:21; Col. 4: 7.
^ fidXXov. Comparative without standard of comparison as in Phil. 2 : 26 ; i Cor. 7 : 38 ; 2 Cor. 7:7; Rom. 15 : 15. " Really tended to advance the Gospel " (MofFatt).
* Tzpokor.r^. Cf. I : 25 ; I Tim. 4:15. Common in the later Greek. From npoRuTzru), to cut forward.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 75
tucky, blazed the path for civilization and Christian- ity. In the Stoic philosophy (Zeller, " Stoics," p. 294) the word is used for progress tovv'ards wisdom. Paul uses it for the progress of a young minister in culture and power (i Tim. 4 : 15). So then the op- position to Paul in Rome has kicked the Gospel up- stairs. The Jews from Asia did not stop the onward march of the Gospel when they raised their hue and cry in the temple in Jerusalem, The hand of God was with Paul when he was at the mercy of the mob and before the Sanhedrin. Even Felix and Festus did not stay God's arm. In spite of shipwreck and delay on the part of Nero work has gone on. Paul had not courted imprisonment, but he does not fret unduly because of his chain. This very chain has been used of God to spread the Gospel.
2. Sermons in Bonds (verse 13).
The precise way in which good has come out of ill Paul goes on to show in an explanatory clause of result.' Paul's bonds ^ are literal bonds, for he was constantly chained to a Roman soldier (cf. Acts 28 : 20). He probably means to say that his bonds have become manifest in Christ.^ It has become
* mart — ysviadat nai — roXpidv. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Re- search," pp. 999 f.
"^ deaiiov^'. deffpid (cf. Luke 8 : 29) is more common, but no real distinction is traceable.
^ iv Xpiarip yeviadat. Position is ambiguous, but Vg. has manifesta fierent in Christo.
76 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
plain that he is a prisoner for no crime, but solely for Christ's sake, so that Paul can properly call himself " the prisoner of Christ " ' (Eph. 3 : i). This fact at- tracted attention to Christ and gave Paul a fresh op- portunity to preach Christ to those interested. Paul is never ashamed of Christ. He is not ashamed of his bonds. They become a badge of honour for they come to preach Christ to all who see them and who know why he wears them. In particular Paul has a fresh opportunity each day with the guard to whom he is chained. The soldiers relieved each other. He not only talks to this guard about his armour (cf. Eph. 6 : 10-20) and his service, but he tells him of Jesus. By this means alone the knowledge of Jesus would be conveyed to many. But Paul insists that the Gospel by means of his bonds has become known " throughout the whole praetorian guard." ^ The expression is ambiguous in the Greek and can be interpreted in four different ways. It may mean the ten thousand picked soldiers who formed this notable guard. It may be the barracks where the guard were stationed in Rome. It may refer to the impe- rial palace as it is used of the governor's palace in the provinces (cf. Matt. 27:27; John 18:28, 33). It may refer to the judicial authorities of the imperial court. There seems to be no way of determining the matter finally, for good arguments are adduced
' 6 difffllOii TOU XptfTTUO.
'iv uXu} T(p rrpautopioj. Vg. has in omni pratorio.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 77
for each meaning.* We know that there were con- verts in Caesar's household (Phil. 4 : 22), though this fact does not prove that Paul himself had access to the emperor's palace. There were Jews connected with the household of Nero (his wife Poppaea, for instance). The Christians there probably were slaves or other menials. It is possible that Paul was re- moved to the prsetorian camp {castra prcstoriana) and thus had ready access to the whole guard. But if not, he was still able slowly to spread the knowl- edge of Jesus through this famous band of soldiers. He would probably make visits to the camp with his guard who went with him from his lodging. In a way, therefore, Paul became the friend and chaplain of these soldiers. Mithraism was already beginning to get a powerful hold upon the Roman soldiers ^ and Paul would not be slow to seize the opportunity to counteract this influence and to tell the men about Jesus. The Roman soldier probably took kindly to Paul (cf, the centurion Julius in Acts 27 : 3 who treated Paul " kindly " ^). Certainly Paul had a manly message to present. He is manifestly proud of the fact that he has set all the praetorian guard, almost the flower of the Roman army, to thinking and to talking about Jesus. Preaching to soldiers has always appealed to strong preachers.^ The shadow
^ See Kennedy, in loco.
' Cf. Kennedy, " St. Paul and the Mystery-Religions."
* Cf. Broadus in Lee's Army (Robertson, " Life and Letters
78 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
of death in the battle of to-morrow brings the mes- sage close home to strong men's hearts. One is able to preach as a " dying man to dying men." Whether Paul was able to address the soldiers in large companies in formal sermons we do not know, but he was able to make skillful use of conversation. These rough and ready men of affairs saw the steady joy of Paul the prisoner. They watched him day by day and his buoyant optimism caught their fancy. Jesus is the secret of Paul's life of joy. Thus the contagion of Paul's love for Jesus spread to " all the rest," whether to soldiers, or to people in Rome it -s not clear. He had spoken to the Jews we kn^\v (Acts 28 : 17, 23). There was much in the soldier's life that appealed to Paul's heroic nature and he drew frequent illustrations from the life of the soldier.
3. Spurring Others to Action (verse 14).
This is the second result of Paul's imprisonment in Rome. There are always timid souls who lose heart in times of persecution. Some even go to the extent of apostasy when the cause seems lost. The early Christian centuries furnish examples of those who renounced Christ for Caesar under the pressure of the Roman state (cf. i Cor. 12:1-3). Paul had long foreseen the coming conflict between Christianity and the Man of Sin or Lawlessness embodied in
of John A. Broadus," pp. 198-209 ; Jones, "Christ in the Camp," pp. 312-326) ; and the opportunity during the Great War.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 79
the Roman Empire (2 Thess. 2:3-12). Here in Rome itself that dark shadow loomed blacker than ever in spite of the fact that Nero had not yet come out openly against Christianity. The faint-hearted in Rome knew the power of the state. Paul was a prisoner and the outcome was uncertain. These fearful saints would take no chances. There was a minority of the brethren in Rome who exercised extra caution because of Paul's activity for Christ. They wished no responsibihty for his conduct if things went against him. There are always these shirkers who practise absenteeism from church in times of struggle, these cowards in a crisis who shnk away till danger is past. They come in for the shouting after victory is won. In case of disaster they are ready to say : " We told you so." But " the most of the brethren " ' constituted that inner circle of the brotherhood that does and dares things for Christ while the rest hang back. Paul was lucky to have won a majority to this scale of activity. It is usually the minority of Christians who put energy into the work while the majority drift along or criti- cize what the minority do. The papyri ^ give plenty of examples of " brothers " in the sense of " fellows "
* roug nXetova? ruJv adelcpwv. The comparative can thus be translated. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar," p. 668.
^ Thus a town clerk calls another d(?£/l^«9, P. Tebt. I. 12 (b. c. 118), members of a burial club are so termed in P. Tor. I, I. »• 20 (ii. B. c). See Moulton and Milligan's " Vo- cabulary " for others.
8o PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
in service or members of guilds or brotherhoods. Paul's courage and contagious enthusiasm had shamed many into action who had at first held back through fear or indifference. These gain confidence in the Lord, which is the probable * translation rather than "brethren in the Lord." This confidence in the Lord is caused by Paul's bonds.^ Paul's chain re- buked their lethargy and cowardice and stirred the conscience so that they are now " bold to speak the word of God without fear." ' Manifestly they had been afraid to open their mouths for a while till they saw how brave Paul was in spite of his bondage and impending trial. Some, never eloquent before, now find tongues of angels as they catch the spirit of Paul. The bolder spirits are rendered " more abundantly * bold " than they were before. These cast caution to the winds and are overwhelmingly daring in their championship of Jesus. They speak " the mes- sage of God," Paul's phrase here for preaching and telling the story of the gospel of grace. There are always in a crisis some choice spirits ready to die for Christ like the ten thousand native Chinese Christians who at the time of the Boxer movement died rather than renounce Jesus. Fortitude is con-
' iv fiuptu) irsTTtdiHTai;, Cf. Phil. 2 : 24 ; Gal. 5 : lo; 2 Thess. 3 : 4. The order here is different, but that is not a material point.
* Tin<i d£)T/i(Hi} fiou. Instrumental case.
' ToXfldv TOV XoyOV TOU 0£UU difOiiiWi.
* TtEfjtcrffoTipcug.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 8 1
tagious, Paul's courage was like that of a brave general leading his troops. There is nothing that will quicken a dying church into life like courage on the part of the leaders. Prophets to-day have to call to the dry bones to live. Paul waked up the church in Rome by going ahead in spite of his limi- tations and doing his duty boldly as opportunity came to him. It is a great achievement to revive a " dead church. There are plenty of them dead or dying or asleep. Much of the pastor's energy is required to keep his church awake or to wake it up. It is not enough to galvanize a corpse. Life must come back into the body. This is no artificial or mechanical process. Paul did his own part heroically. That is the way to wake up our churches. Let each one lay hold of his own task. That is better than con- ventions or conferences or resolutions. Life is more contagious than death. Life can put death to flight if it is given a fair chance, " And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God ; many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord " (Ps. 40 : 3).
4. Preaching Christ from Envy of Paul (verses
iS^^" 17)-
But Paul had no bed of roses in Rome. The minority furnished plenty of thorns for his side. ^ Some * of these were provoked by Paul's activity, it
' Tcve<i fi£v. He does not define them.
82 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
is true, to preach ' Christ, but they did it " even of envy and strife," ^ pitiful enough motives for Chris- tian zeal. Envy ^ is a powerful motive in human life. It played its part in the trial and death of Jesus (Matt. 27: 18). There is a personal side to this preaching which is as much against Paul as in favour of Christ (cf. Eph. 2 : 4). Kennedy pleads for •' rivalry " * rather than " strife " in this passage and the word often has this sense. Envy and rivalry often lead to open strife. We do not, indeed, know to what class of teachers Paul refers. It may be some of the old teachers of the church in Rome who do not relish Paul's leadership since it displaces them, a form of jealousy that one sees only too often. In that case their fresh activity would be with a view to regaining their former prestige and influence and partly by depreciating Paul.^ If it was not personal pique that stirred these men, they may have been Jewish Christians who disliked the note of universality in Paul's message and feared that he did not suffi- ciently guard the interests of Judaism.*' It may have been the Judaizers, Paul's old enemies who did him such harm in Jerusalem and Galatia and Corinth. This is the usual view since Bengel, but it is open to
' kr]po(T(Tou(nv to herald Christ. * rcai dia ipOuvov ka\ e'ptv.
'Philemon, a comic poet of b. c. 330, says: Trokkd /le dt8dirkEt<; a(p66vu>(; dia (pOovov. * For epiv.
^ Cf. Weiss, "Am. Journal of Theology," i. 2, pp. 388-389. •^ Cf. McGifFert, " Apostolic Age," pp. 393-395.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 83
the objection that Paul here apparently condones their preaching. That, however, is not quite true, as we shall see. We do not, indeed, know that the Judaizers had reached Rome, though there is no in- herent difficulty in that supposition. As a matter of fact, it is quite likely that all of these elements enter into the situation, for Paul expressly says that these men proclaimed * Christ from mixed motives, " not sincerely." ^ In fact, they preach from a partisan ^ or selfish motive (cf. Gal. 5 : 20). It was primarily " labour for hire" (cf. Job 2:11) and the word was applied to those in official position who looked after their own selfish interests rather than the common good. Kennedy argues for " selfishness " as the meaning here. But, in any case, these selfish parti- sans cared as much for giving trouble to Paul as for preaching Christ. They thought * that they were stir- ring up tribulation' for Paul by making his chains gall him (Lightfoot). They found added zest in the thought that the growth of their peculiar type of Christian doctrine would irritate (" annoy," Moffatt) Paul. One must confess that some Christians seem to enjoy sticking pins in the preacher. It is possible
' KaraYyiXXoufnv. A rather more formal word than kripixjaui above.
'^ ob^ dyvajg. Cf. 2 Cor. II : 13, 20 for the charge of insincerity. So also in Gal. 6:22.
*The word Iptdia is from epiOo?, a hired servant.
*o}6pLevot. Planning and thinking it out.
^ dXiil'iv kyeipeiv. As if from the dead.
84 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
for one to be more of a denominationalist than a Christian, to care more for the progress of one's special views than for the kingdom of God. There are ministers with small jealousies who wreck churches like a tornado with their winds of doctrine. Paul's very success makes these men in Rome jealous and resentful and determined to nag him if they can- not stop his onward march. These men feel that they are entitled to success as much as men less able who get ahead of them. So the destructive spirit eats its way into their hearts and lives. It was a pity that this spirit should burst forth against Paul in Rome at the time of the crisis in his imprison- ment. But at such a time small men feel like taking advantage of such a situation and they strike Paul when he is a prisoner. Wolves turn and rend one of their own pack who falls in the fight. It is a small thing to try to undermine another preacher's power. One may wonder that God should bless at all the message of men with such a spirit. But after all we should be glad that our own wrong motives do not wholly hinder the reception of whatever truth is preached to men. The power is from God and not from the preacher, in God's message and not in the preacher's heart.
5. Preaching Christ from Love of Paul (verses IS." 16).
There is action and reaction in all things. The
GOOD OUT OF ILL 85
factious opposition of the minority stimulated the majority to increased efforts out of love for Paul. They do it out of good-will ' as well as love. There is this good that comes out of a church dissension. Some sluggish souls wake up and begin to take an interest in the affairs of the kingdom who had not done so before the disagreement arose. There is this conso- lation to be found in the midst of the bitter strife of the ages among various Christian sects which have often caused sadness. We can excuse much even of rancour in theological debates and wranglings over minor points because of the obvious sincerity and conviction of the disputants. We may rejoice in the larger spirit of charity now in the world with the hope for its increase provided the result is not a spineless uniformity without point or pith. Love calls for no sacrifice of principle. Love and good- will moved the majority to stand valiantly by the side of Paul in his exposition of spiritual Christianity. One can be a conscientious denominationalist to-day and full of love and the spirit of cooperation in all wise and proper ways. These men are active be- cause of 2 good-will to Paul, and their zeal springs
^ 81 ebdokiav. This word ffrom tu and dokiui) is used either for desire (Rom. 10: i) or satisfaction (2 Thess i : 11) as in the Father's good pleasure in Jesus (Matt. 3 : 17). The best manuscripts here in verse 16 give the order in the Revised Version which is a chiasm or cross reference to verse 15. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek N. T.," p. 1 200.
86 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
out of ^ love. Some even love Paul for the enemies that he has made, even among Christians, but most love him for his great achievements in Christ. When Paul is thus under attack in Rome, the faithful rally round him as the disciples did in a circle ^ at Lystra. The recognize ^ Paul as " set for the defence of the Gospel," * They rejoice in his courage in chains and take his view of his situation. His defence is an apology in the original force of the word (cf. i : 7). Paul is a living apologetic for Christ, a typical ex- ample of the word^ in Jude 3. To desert Paul at this juncture is to desert Christ. The cause of Christ is here identified with the cause of Paul, its leading ex- ponent. The cause is crystallized in the man. One cannot stand by Christ in theory and leave Paul in the lurch in practice. Alas, so often church mem- bers fail to rally to the support of the pastor or of the denominational servants. They are willing to give up the preacher to save the cause as Caiaphas pro- posed about Jesus in John 1 1 : 50, voluntary offering of some one else as a sacrifice. Sometimes, to be sure, the minister is at fault and has to go for the good of all concerned. Christianity is incarnated in men and women. This fact gives dignity to the Christian's task, but it makes it imperative that one ' i$. ^ kurcXwadvrtuv tu>v fiaOrjTwv (Acts 14 : 2o).
* el? dnoXnyiav too eoayyeXinu /zel/iai. The word kelfJ-at (positus sum, Vg.) means continued state like perfect of rt'tfiy/xt.
* inayujvU^eaOai. To contend steadfastly.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 87
shall be really doing the work of Christ if people are to suffer with him for Christ's sake. Else the very- love of the people for the man and minister may lead many into the pit. The words of Jesus here are final : " Inasmuch as ye did it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye did it unto me — Inasmuch as ye did it not unto one of these least, ye did it not unto me " (Matt. 25 : 40, 45).
\- 6. Paul's Conquering Joy (verse 18).
Nowhere does Paul appear to better advantage than in this verse. He faces frankly the limitations of ministers and men in the service of Christ, limita- tions in preacher and hearer. What is to be the attitude of the preacher towards other preachers who do not see things as he does in all points of Christian doctrine ? This is a practical question and one that men must answer to-day. People are often diligent to stir up jealousy between preachers. The effort was made to make John the Baptist jealous of Jesus, but it failed miserably * (John 3 : 22-29). There is joy enough for all the workers in the kingdom, the one who sows and the one who reaps (John 4 : 36-38). People criticize the preachers in the most inconsistent ways and it is hopeless to try to please them all. They found fault with John and with Jesus for directly opposite things (Luke 7: 31-34).^ It has been ob-
* Cf. Robertson, "John the Loyal," pp. 165 ff. ^ Ibid., pp. 243 fF,
88 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
jected here that Paul seems to condone the errors of the Judaizers which he had so severely criticized in 2 Corinthians 10-13 and in Galatians. But this estimate fails to understand Paul's spirit here. He speaks out in Rome with the same courage and clearness as heretofore. He abates no whit his own convictions. But the issue before Paul is simply whether or not he is to spend his time railing at preachers who have the same right to preach as he has and give ground for charges of pique and jealousy besides filling the ears of the Roman sol- diers with stories of the shortcomings of these en- vious preachers. He could have done that and angels would have wept and the ungodly would have sneered at this exhibition of so-called Christian love. Jeal- ousy had found a place even in the ranks of the twelve apostles. Paul rises to the high plane of con- quering j*oy in Christ. " What then ? " ' The an- swer of Paul is " only that," ^ <« in every way " ^ or in any event " Christ is preached." ^ This is what matters most. One must learn to see things as they are and to find the consolation in the big truths of life in spite of the minor drawbacks. The alternative here between pretense ^
' T£ ydf}. A common classical idiom. Cf. Rom. 3 : 3.
* TT^v on. Undoubtedly the correct text. ^ Travri rpo-uj.
* XptaTu^ RaraYyO.XeTai. Linear present.
* TTfxxpdiTsc. Our word " prophecy." It is the thing set forth, the alleged or face value of a statement, whether true or
GOOD OUT OF ILL 89
and truth ' is a very common one. Some men were using the name of Christ as a cover or mask for personal and selfish ends (Vincent, in loco). We are shocked at that statement, and yet we may also thank God that He can use such poor preach- ing for His glory. God can even bless insincere preaching. Even hypocritical preaching, alas, can be blessed of God. Somehow God blesses the grain of truth that is mixed in with error and bad motives. He places no premium upon error or upon pretense. But Paul's problem is one of personal adjustment. Is he to embitter his own heart because all preachers of Christ are not pure ? Far from it. He the rather seizes upon the salient point in the situation. Christ is preached. This is what matters most. Other things are important in varying degrees, but this is primal. Paul knows how to put first things first and to keep them there. So he takes his stand. " And therein I rejoice, yea, and will rejoice." ^ He does not rejoice in false preaching, but in the fact that even in such preaching Christ is found by souls that hunger after Him. Surely we can all rejoice that God does bless
false. Here the contrast with truth shows the meaning to be pretext or pretense. Cf. i Thess. 2:5.
^ aXriOsia. The word means openness {p. privative and kavddvu} to conceal, unconcealed), the very opposite of deceit.
^ fiai Iv ToOroj ^acpu) aXXa izai ^ap-q<TO!J.ai. Note the affirmative use of aUA here (Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek N. T. in the Light of Hist. Research," p. 1185). Note also the volitive linear future ^apjau[ia(.. Robertson, ibid., p. 889.
90 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
indifferent preaching. Over and above all the clangour of contending voices in modern Christendom rises the fact of Christ. It is Jesus that saves men from their sins. This is the universal note in the eternal Christ. We look at Him from different angles and with im- perfect eyes and we tell what we see in broken speech, sometimes incoherent and contradictory. But, if by means of it, men see Jesus, it is worth while.
7. Christ Magnified in Paul (verses 19 and 20).
Paul now turns to his own case and declares that it matters little what happens to him in Rome. Al- ready the imprisonment, as he has shown, has turned out for the progress of the Gospel. He is grateful for their prayers (" your supplication ") and " for the supply' of the spirit of Jesus Christ" (both source and gift). Paul's attitude is measured by^ the earnest expectation^ and hope that Christ shall be magnified* now as always in his body. Whether this is by life or death is not material. If Christ is made great in the hearts and eyes of men it is a small matter what hap-
' intyopriyiai;. A word used for the chorus leader who furnished entertainments for the chorus. Then for '• supply '* in general. Cf. 2 Pet. 1:5, ii. The verb iTzc^ofirjyiiu occurs in the papyri.
'^ /card.
^ a-KoKapadokiav. A very strong and striking word (cf. Rom. 8:19) used for intent watching with head bent or stretched in that direction. It occurs in the papyri of the ex- pectation of peasants about the visit (jzapouaia) of a high official.
* (leyaXw/OTJaerai. Made great.
GOOD OUT OF ILL 91
pens to Paul. Then he shall not be put to shame* in anything. Hence Paul knows ^ that his present troubles will turn out^ at last for his eternal salva- tion,* not merely rescue from imprisonment, for it applies (verse 20) both to death and life. He will get the spiritual development that God means for him to receive from his imprisonment and from the personal antagonisms in Rome. It is all one to Paul what the future holds in store for him on earth. He is sure of the prayers of the Philippians and of the presence of the Spirit of Jesus and of the triumph of Jesus in his work whether by life or death. So he faces the future with calmness whatever doubt as to the course of events may exist. As to that Paul is not sure of his own mind as he now proceeds to show.
* alff)^ovdTJffoiiai. 2 olda. Intuitional conviction.
^ d7zoj3yj<TeTac. Go ofF at last in this direction.
* ffujTrjpiav.
IV
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE (I : 21-30)
PAUL'S indifference about his personal incon- veniences and his confidence that Christ will be magnified in his body whether by life or by death (i : 20) raise the whole question of what life is and what death is. Every one has to face this problem sooner or later. He must have his philosophy of life. The Stoics preached apathy as the triumph of the reason over the passions. But that cold and colourless creed is not for Paul's warm heart. He gives us in this paragraph his conception of real life, the life worth while. Kabisch,' it is true, affirms that with Paul life is simply existence and has no ethical quality, an inadequate interpretation of Paul's view in my opinion, though in verse 20 the contrast is be- tween the present life and death.^ He argues from this basis.^
I. The Gain of Death (verse 21).
Life has different senses and different standards.
' *• Eschatologie des Paulus," p. 134. * Cf. Kennedy, in loco. ^ yap in verse 21.
92
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE 93
Paul here announces the principle of life ' so far as he is concerned. The personal pronoun has the em- phatic place in the sentence.^ It means more than in my opinion, but in my case, in my realization of life^ (EUicott, in loco). This is what life means to me, whatever it means to others. With many life means pleasure, sensual indulgence, money, power, having one's way, flattery. But with Paul the regu- lative principle of life is Christ. Jesus had said that He was the life^ (John 1 1 : 25 ; 14 : 6) as well as the resurrection, the way, the truth. Jesus is the source of power in life in the cosmic sense of energy, in the moral sense of truth, in the practical sense of guide, and is the origin of spiritual vitality. So Basker- ville (" Sidelights on Philippians," p. 25) says that *' Christ Jesus must be the origin of life, the essence of life, the model of life, the aim of life, the solace of life, the reward of life." In Colossians 3 : 4, Paul speaks of " Christ our Life." ^ But what Paul here affirms is not " Christ is life," but " living is Christ, and dying is gain." ^ Paul does say in Galatians 2 : 20: "It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me." ' Christ has taken possession of Paul so
' TO Zrjv, not TO /Stouv (manner of life). Elsewhere Paul has Tu C^y for the process of life (verse 22 ; Rom. 8:12; 2 Cor. I : 8). ^'Efi<n yap ru Zr^v Xptaro^.
^ The ethical dative. * >y C^i"?.
^ Xpt(Tro<s rj f^u)yj 7jiJ.W'^.
^ This is plain from the use of the article with the infinitive and its absence with XpitrTo^ and fiipdo<i.
94 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
completely that Paul has lost his autonomy and will- ful independence of Christ. He is the glad slave of Christ. He " is crucified with Christ " ' in spiritual identity. This is mysticism, but reality, the deepest reality of life for Paul, who has been initiated into the mystery of Christ (Col. 2 : 2). So then Paul is able to say that life with him has come to mean Christ, no less and no more. " To go on living " ^ means more of Christ, living the " Christ life " in the real sense of that term. BengeF has interpreted Paul thus : " Whatever I live, I live Christ." I live only to serve Christ and have no conception of life apart from Christ (Lightfoot). Christ occupies the whole of my life. I have no secrets apart from Him. I have no locked doors to keep Him out of any part of my life. Christ has full possession of myself. Paul's life is not on the bulk-head principle (Hutton). In a word, Paul leads a surrendered life and finds the utmost peace and power in it. It is the victo- rious life in the truest sense. Mere existence is not real life for Paul. He is not just marking time. Christ covers the entire horizon for Paul, the whole circumference of his interests. Christ fills all of Paul's eye. Christ is his all and in all. But then what about death ? Simply more of Christ. That is all. " To die is gain." The word here for " gain"*
* XpiffTuj (TuvstTTahfiwtxat.
"^ TO Cv'' Tpresent and durative).
* Quicquid vivo, Christum vivo. * Kip8o^,
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE 95
is used for interest, gains, profits. All that death ' can do for Paul is to give him more of Christ. It will be like cashing in the principal and the interest. Then he will gain all of Christ. It is this idea that he has in mind in Philippians 3 : 8 when he speaks of " gain- ing Christ." ^ Paul feels like an eagle in a cage. Death will be his liberation from the limitations of the flesh. Death has no terrors for Paul (cf. Heb. 2 : 15). He looks upon death as a friend in disguise, the door to complete and glorious union with Christ. So then Paul is ready for death, but is not dissatisfied with Hfe here.
2. The Quandary About Life (verses 21-24).
Paul faces life or death with equanimity. He is ready for either. He has shown that for him death means fuller and richer hfe in gaining Christ. But he is not discontented to live on in the flesh if that is the will of God, He adds " in the flesh " here be- cause he has used " life " about death. Lightfoot quotes " the sublime guess " of Euripides : ^ " Who knows if living is indeed dying, while dying is liv- ing." The comic poets ridiculed this saying of Euripides, but Christians have found it to be the truth in Christ. Verse 22 is capable of several trans- lations. The most natural one is this : " But if life
^ TO drnOavelv here is the act of dying (aorist), not the process (present). ^ Zva Xpibrov KepSi^aw.
^ Ti<i dldsv e\ to ^rjv [liv iffTv Kaxdavt'iv to KorOavtlv de ^rjv.
96 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
in the flesh (be my lot), this ' (means) for me fruit of work." la this translation, the copula has to be supplied in both clauses ; but this is no more difficult than to repeat the " if" with a dash after " flesh " or to make a question out of the first clause.^ He is sure that if he is to live on in the flesh, it means that Christ has " fruit of work " ^ for him, a beautiful phrase. Hence he does not complain in spite of the attractiveness of death for him with the glory of Jesus beckoning him on. So Paul goes on : " And (in that case, fruit of work in life in the flesh) what I shall choose I know not." * There would be not a moment's hesitation with Paul if it were clear to him that his work was done. Just to eke out a useless existence has no charm for him. He does not wish to be like a fruit tree that no longer bears and only cumbers the ground. He has no desire to be laid on the shelf, to be past the dead-line in the ministry. Paul had no friends to take care of his old age. One of the saddest of all spectacles is the sight of an old minister whom no one wishes to hear preach and who is no longer able to support himself.' So then Paul
' -oorn here then refers to ro ^t^v.
^ See Kennedy, Lightfoot, Vincent.
^ /cap7ru<i epyoo. The very phrase occurs in Ps. 103
(104)- 13- _
* A'ui zi atnyjfT(>ij.at ou yvMpi'^w.
^ It is gratifying to note the efforts in the United States to
raise adequate endowment funds to care for the aged servants
of Christ who need help. They should be pensioned like old
soldiers.
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE 97
declines to commit himself in case there is still work for him to do. " I do not say." ' But Paul has no hesitation in declaring his personal preference for death since that means the riches in Christ. But it seems clear to him that there is work for him yet and so he is " in a strait betwixt the two," ^ life and death. Once elsewhere (2 Cor. 5 : 14) Paul uses this verb of the love of Christ that " constrains " him, holds him together. He is in a vise between these two con- ceptions. He is caught on the two horns of this dilemma. He has " the desire," the real longing of his soul, " to depart and be with Christ," to loosen his ship from her moorings and put out to sea on " the Great Adventure " of death which fascinates Paul, not by its uncertainty, but by the certainty of being with Jesus. He is not abashed by the thought that no traveller has ever returned from the other shore. He does not wish to return, but to go and to stay with Jesus. That will be glory for Paul. One may note here that Paul speaks as if he expected to be with Jesus at death without an interval. The word " depart " ^ was variously used, for a ship's de- parture, for breaking up camp, and for death. Paul
^ 00 yvtopiZu). The ancient meaning was I do not perceive, but in the New Testament it is as above (declare or say). In the papyri it is common in the sense of " recognize " or " identify." (Cf. Moulton and Milligan, " Vocabulary," etc.)
^ (juviy^0[iai 8k iA: riuv dun.
^ avaXbaai (loosen up). The intransitive sense of depart is common in Polybius and the papyri (Moulton and Milligan, " Vocabulary," etc.).
98 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
himself uses a similar word ' for death under the figure of breaking up camp or striking a tent (2 Cor. 5 : i). And in 2 Tim. 4: 6 he speaks of his own death again with the same word ^ as here. Paul is willing to make an end of his tent life in the flesh, a stranger and a pilgrim on the earth like Abraham (Heb. 11:13). His Promised Land is beyond Jordan where Jesus is. He feels sure that for him this " is very far better," piling up comparatives,^ a triple superiority, to ex- press the intensity of his feeling on the subject. But Paul does not take a selfish view of his life. He is willing to " abide by the flesh " * since it is " more necessary for you," ^ After all this is one of the chief joys of life to know that your life is necessary or useful for that of some one else. There is the pang of parting from loved ones here, the sorrow of leav- ing others without one's help, the shock of an incom- pleted task. So then Paul faces his work with joy, only he would have more joy to go to be with Jesus. But the hero is no shirker. He has kept to his task even though a prisoner for these five years.
^ /iaTaXuOrj.
"^ avaXv(Tc(i)? (cf. our analysis).
^ TToU^ yap fiaXXov kptl(SGov. This doubling or trebling {TzoXXif) of comparison is common enough in the /iinvrj. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research," pp. 663 f.
* Tu inip-i'^siv So T^ ffapA't. So it is to be rendered rather than " in the flesh."
^ dvay/zacSrepoy di" u/jia?. Comparative again, a sort of momentum from the first clause.
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE 99
3. The Reason for Longer Life (verses 25 f.).
Paul has no desire for longer life just to be alive, hanging on to the ragged edge of existence. To be sure, he does not advocate suicide. The matter is in God's hands and he v^ould not have it otherwise. Old people can be very happy and very useful. If they become a problem, it is partly because they take a morose view of things. Even the sick bring a bless- ing, often just because they are sick and suffering. Robert Hall and Charles H. Spurgeon are instances of ministers who turned physical suffering to glorious gain. The same thing is true of Adele Kamm, the wonderful invalid girl whose life blessed so many. Paul was already doing that very thing while a prisoner. Paul is not here claiming prophetic in- sight into the course of his career. He is confident ' of this very hope of being useful to the Philippians. He uses the same word again in 2 : 24 about his plans. In Acts 20 : 25 Paul speaks of a presenti- ment ^ about not seeing the elders of Ephesus again, which apparently was not fulfilled (i Tim. 1:3; 2 Tim. 1:15, 18; 4:20). But his personal con- viction about seeing the Philippians again seems to have come true (i Tim. i : 3). He plays on the Greek verb as he loves to do with words. It is all a mistake to think that such plays or puns are simply funny or idle conceits. " I know that I shall bide
^ rouTo Tt£-oi0(b?. State of assurance. ' olda. His intellectual conviction.
ICX) PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
and abide with you all." ' The second word ^ has in the later Greek the notion of remaining alive. So Paul expects to remain alive and to be with the Philippians again by God's favour " for your prog- ress and joy in the faith." ^ He had spoken of •' the progress of the Gospel" (i : 12) in Rome in spite of his imprisonment, in fact largely because of it. Now he I oes the same word about the progress of the Phihppians. Joy will go along with progress in the faith It is eminently worth while to see people make progress in the faith and to find joy in the faith. The preacher who sees people grow under his min- istry has his reward here and now. So the people love to see the preacher grow in his insight and grasp of spiritual truth. There is joy, mutual joy, because of mutual progress, joy pari passu with the progress. Paul strikes again the triumphant vic- torious note in his message to the Philippians. There is no " hark-from-the-tomb religion " for him.
' [i£vu) nai Tzapaij.evu) natno vfilv. The first verb is abso- lute (for life), the second is relative and particular with the dative, by the side of you all. Cf. Plato's Phsdrus 1150 nn/iirt vfilv napaiiv^w. The word is in common use for " serve " as an apprentice or sla\'e-boy (Moulton and Milli- gan, " Lexical Notes in Papyri," Expositor, Sept. 19 10). For other word-plays by Paul see 2 Thess. 3:11; Rom. i : 20 ; 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:8; 5:4. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar of the Greek New Testament," etc., pp. izoof.
'^ Tzapaiisvu). Cf. Schmid, " Atticismus," I, p. 132.
^ £^9 TTjv Vfimv TTpii/io-jzijv A:at ^apdv r>*? zi^TEcug. The one article goes with both substantives as in 2 Pet. I : i and i : il. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar," etc., p. 785.
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE lOI
The Christian ought to be the happiest man alive, full of spiritual ecstasy and rapture. Joy is more than Epicurean sensualism. Baskerville quotes the Yorkshireman who found so great joy in his religion that he had " A happy Monday. A blessed Tues- day. A joyful Wednesday. A delightful Thursday. A good Friday. A glorious Saturday. A heavenly Sunday." Indeed, Paul wishes that the^r " glory= ing " ' may literally overflow ^ all bounds, provided it is in Christ' (because of Christ primarily .»Aid under the control of Christ, in the sphere of Christ). If people have enough occasion to shout aloud their joy, let them do it. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Sing aloud the praises of our God, The Philippians will have, so Paul hopes, a special occasion of joy in his case^ "through my pres- ence^ with you again." He lives to serve and to give joy to others. That is his joy. Paul, like his Master, came not to be ministered unto, but to min- ister. He is not a minister who has to be " molly- coddled," but a virile spirit radiating life and joy to all about him. The key-word to Paul's life is pre- cisely the notion of service. There is no harm in a spiritual flood if it does not get beyond the sphere of Jesus Christ.
' Kaii-piixa ground of boasting. ^ TzeptffneuTj. All around and over.
' iv XpiiTTU) ^l-qaoX). â– * iv ifxa).
^ dtd TTJ's k/i^<s TTapnuffia'i. Common in this sense of coming in the papyri. Cf. the Parousia of Christ.
I02 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
4. The Christian as a Citizen (verses 27 f.).
Paul's coming to them cannot do it all. They must do their part if his coming is to be of any value to them. So he conditions ^ his hope of helping by a striking clause : " Only be citizens of the Christian commonwealth in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ." The Authorized Version preserves a curious mark of the inevitable change in words dur- ing the centuries for it has : " Only let your conver- sation, etc." In modern EngHsh " conversation " is confined to talk, whereas in old English it signified manner of Hfe according to its etymology .^ Chris- tian conversation now means Christian talk. But the Revised Version has *' manner of life " which is the old idea in " conversation." The Greek, however, has a more precise idea than that and gives the pic- ture of a city-state or commonwealth, from which we get our words politic, political, polite.^ Paul uses the word once also of his life in good conscience before God.* The Stoics had familiarized the public
^ See a similar use of ixovov in 1 Cor. 7 : 39 ; Gal. 2 : 10; 2 Thess. 2 : 7.
^ Conversatio from cotiverso to turn round, then conversor to turn oneself, to live.
^ ToXiTzuiaOt. Act your part as citizens. From TtoXirrjg citizen, and that from 7r«Ajf city. Cf. Fowler, *' The City- State of the Greeks and Romans" (1895); Coulanges, "The Ancient City" (1916). Cf. roXireuna in Phil. 3:20. Jo- sephus (" Life," § 2) says -/jp^dfiriv izoXirtdtaOai rfj tpapcffattuv alpiaei fcarakoXouOihv. The Pharisees were both a political and a religious party.
^ TztnoXireuiiai (Acts 23 : 1).
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE 103
with the idea of a world-wide state (Lightfoot on Phil., pp. 270 ff.). " Stoic philosophy had leavened the moral vocabulary of the civilized world " (Vin- cent, in loco). The life of Paul in Rome had made him think afresh of the great Roman Empire and he himself was a Roman citizen (Acts 22 : 28) by birth and was proud of it. From the great center of the Roman world he would naturally think of Christian- ity in Roman terms as Jesus so often spoke of the kingdom ' of God, a Jewish conception. But the Philippians themselves lived in a city that was a Roman colony and so were perfectly familiar with the rights and dignity of Roman citizenship. Clem- ent of Rome also {ad Cor, iii, xxi, liv) shows how Christians owe obligations to a spiritual polity as citizens do to the state. Christians are to live worthily^ of the Gospel of Christ. This is the standard. They are " no more strangers and so- journers," but " fellow-citizens ^ with the saints " (Eph. 2 : 19). One of the great lessons for to-day is just this matter of Christian citizenship. The age- long conflict between church and state has caused such a reaction that too many Christians fail to bring
^ ^affiXtia from ^atrtXeug.
' d^iw<i. Cf. Inscr. of Pergamum in 2 cent. a. d. Bd. ii, p. 496, for d^ccjg T^9 TToAettf?. Deissmann (** Bible Studies," pp. 248 f.) gives five examples of inscriptions from Pergamum with this use of dft'tu? with the genitive. So a priest of Dionysus is praised as (To[i/]rer£A£>toT09 ra lepd dc w? tou deou.
* auvitokiTai zmv d/iwv.
I04 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
their consciences and their votes to bear upon the problem of civil government. The divorce between church and state has been entirely too complete. Churches have no right as organizations to infringe upon the prerogatives of the state. But after all the Christian citizen is still a citizen and must not forget that when he takes a hand, as he must, in civic affairs. A new conscience has come to our citizens who are no longer willing for the laws to be made and to be executed by men who make a specialty of placing their own interests above the public welfare and who ruthlessly sacrifice ethical ideals to carry their point. This new conscience in American business and po- litical life is doing away with many old abuses that flourished because Christians were not worthy citi- zens. Child labour, white slavery, the liquor traffic, the sweat shop, bribery in elections, the city boss are just a few of the evils that must disappear before the concerted effort of Christian citizens. The party em- blem must not be more sacred than the Gospel of Christ. The Christian has at least as much right in city politics as the ward politician or the dive-keeper. The time has come for Christians to clean up the cities of the country and to keep them clean. The day will come when the modern city will be a safe place for women and children to live in. As it is, the city streets are the last place on earth for our boys and girls as Miss Jane Addams has so well shown. It is not good citizenship when money is
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE I05
ground out of the pinched faces of the children and out of the souls and bodies of helpless girls. A citizenship worthy of the Gospel of Christ cannot be indifferent to the social ills in the body politic.
Paul is not sure when he can come, but he is anxious for unity and cooperation on their part in their life together in the Christian Commonwealth in Philippi. But his purpose ' is that, whether he comes and sees them or only hears in his absence^ about them, it may be true that they stand together in one spirit.' It is a great deal to be able to stand when under attack and sometimes it is very hard to do so, especially when others run away. They must stand fast like the famous Macedonian phalanx. Paul made fine use of the military figure of standing one's ground against the hosts of evil in Ephesians 6 : 1 3 ff. Team work in the games is absolutely essential. It I is so to-day in baseball or football. It was so in the ancient games. Paul knew the spirit of the athletic games and makes frequent use of metaphors from them. He had probably seen the games in the Greek stadium (cf. Phil. 3 : 14). In i Cor. 4:9 he speaks of himself as a ♦• spectacle " ^ to the world. In 2 Tim. 2 : 5 Paul speaks of contending ' in the
^ This sentence is not evenly balanced in the Greek. One would expect drcoum to be d-kobiov like i8wv.
^ nveufiart (spirit) in contrast to (/'U)(tj (soul) just below. But the words are sometimes interchanged.
* diarpov. ^ d.6X^ vo[ii[xw<s.
I06 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
games according to the rules. Here he uses the compound verb ' as in Phil. 4:3. It is the esprit du corps or camaraderie of college boys in the games or of soldiers in battle. There should be church spirit in every local church that binds all together in Christ " for the faith of the Gospel" (of. Jude 3 " contend earnestly ^ for the faith once delivered to the saints "). In particular, those who thus strive in concert for the advance of the faith of the Gospel, the new rule of life, must not be frightened by the adversaries. The word here for frightened ' means to be startled like a scared horse or fluttered like a surprised bird. War horses will stand the booming of cannon and the bursting of shells at their feet. Some Christians are like scared rabbits. They jump and run at the first adversary ^ who says " Boo ! " They have no more courage than grasshoppers and shy at every shadow. They have to be nursed and coddled if they do their ordinary duty as Christians and church members. Panic is the worst sort of defeat. It is rout. This^ refusal to be fluttered is proofs to the adversaries of their eternal destruction^ and of your eternal salvation.^ And this proof comes from God.
^ ouvaOXouvreq. Acting as athletes in concert.
"^ iTtayiuvi^eaOai. Another athletic word from dywv contest.
^ TZTupoixtvoi. Cf. Diod. Sic. XVII, 34, 6.
* d.vri(i£iiJ.£vo<s. Lined up against, face to face opposition.
* ^Tt?. Explanatory relative.
* evdet^tg. Attic law term.
.' dTicjXeta^. ^ autxTipia^.
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE 107
The signal of life or death comes from God, not from the fickle crowd at a gladiatorial show.
5. The Gift of Suffering (verses 29 f.).
The " proof" of God's love, of which Paul spoke in verse 28, is seen * precisely in the fact that the Phi- lippians have been honoured by God with the gift of suffering. This sentence is quite broken and Westcott and Hort have tried to mend it by a parenthesis, but the punctuation of the Revised Ver- sion is clear enough.^ The Philippians not only have the gift' of faith in Christ, but also of suffering in His behalf. This is one of the great paradoxes of God's love. In Isaiah 48 : 10 note : " I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction." The Servant of Jehovah was to be " a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief" (Isaiah 53:3). The Captain of our salvation was made perfect through sufferings (Heb. 2 : 10). Jesus suffered as we do and is able to sympathize with us and to help us because of His experiences in the flesh (Heb. 2 : 17 f. ; 4 : 1 5 f.). The fellowship with
^ oTc. Because.
* There are here two instances of the broken structure. One is the suspension of the clause after ru OTzkp Xptarou which is left without an infinitive, and the addition of 00 [lovov to â– Kiffreueiv which necessitates dXXd /iai and the repetition of t^ before TAay_s.i.\i. Paul was no stylist when his passion surged over all grammatical bounds (cf. Rom. 4 : 16), but his mean- ing is clear. The other instance is the nominative e^ovre? after viiiv. This is again a common idiom with Paul. See Robertson, " Grammar," etc., pp. izpf., 439 f.
^ kyi^apiaOfi. Aorist tense, but they still have the gift.
I08 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
the sufferings of Christ is a favourite idea with Paul (cf. 2 Thess. 1:5; Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2 : 12). In Colossians I : 24 he even speaks of " filHng up in his turn " ' the sufferings left over by Christ. Paul already had the stake ^ in the flesh which was given' to him to keep him humble (2 Cor. 12: 7 f.). The Philippians had seen ^ Paul suffer as a prisoner while with them (Acts 16 : 23 " many stripes." Cf. i Thess. 2 : 2), Now they hear ^ of his sufferings in Rome as a prisoner. At last it has come their turn to undergo like^ sufferings themselves. It is their time to strive in the arena as Christian gladiators in the same con- flict.^ He uses the common word (cf. Col. 2 : i ; I Tim. 6: 12; Heb. 12:1) for athletic contests (our " agony," " agonize "). The lesson of suffering as a chastisement is one that is learned by experience. Happy is he who learns the Father's hand in the stroke of love (cf. Heb. 12:4-13). Some Christians do not learn it and grow bitter instead of sweet. They are not worthy of the high privilege of suffering for Jesus' sake. The ministry of suffering is one of the blessings of life. It equips us for service in a way that nothing else does or can. Preachers are enriched who themselves drink this cup. Their sympathy is
' dvTava7:XT)pu>. Note both prepositions avd (up to the brim) and dvTj, in Paul's term.
^ (TnoXn4>, * idoOt], * eTdere.
* aiiomzt iv liwi. ® tov abrov — o\ov.
' ayiova. Cf. I Thess. 2 : 2. Paul thus uses the same word about his experiences.
JOY IN DEATH AS WELL AS IN LIFE I09
no longer perfunctory. They know by experience what it is to suffer. So the Philippians are now quahfied by this new bond of sympathy to under- stand Paul as they have never done before. " Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake."
PAUL'S FULL CUP (2:i-ii)
" -m yrAKE full my joy" Paul pleads. His l^/l cup is not full to the brim. It is not •1- ▼ J- running over with bubbling joy. The Philippians had begun well and were doing well on the whole, but Paul was not satisfied with their at- tainment. He had a holy dissatisfaction about them as shown in his prayer in I : 9 ff. He longed for them all to see the possibilities of growth in Christ and to be shaken out of a pious complacency. And then there were already signs of strife in the church at Philippi. Rumours of this contention had come to Paul's ears probably through Epaphroditus. Paul reveals concern in this whole paragraph, in his plea with Euodia and Syntyche (4 : 2), in his words about moderation (4 : 5) and the peace of God (4 : 7). He had just made a fervent exhortation for unity of ef- fort and courage in the face of adversaries (i : 27 1.). Paul refers now to this appeal by the use of " there- fore," ^ skipping the digression in I : 29 f. He takes
^ Ouv. Argumentative here, not transitional. Cf. Robert- son, " Grammar," pp. 1 191 f.
no
PAUL'S FULL CUP III
up again and presses the exhortation to unity in order to fill up his cup of joy.
I. The Grounds of the Appeal (2 : i).
There are four grounds given here by Paul for his plea for unity. He puts his grounds in the form of conditional clauses, but he assumes in each instance that the condition is true.' This " if " is simply a rhetorical device to get a grip on their attention. He places in the form of hypothesis their funda- mental experiences of grace in Christ. •' The rapid succession and variety of the appeals and the repe- tition of * if any ' are peculiarly impressive " (Vincent, in loco). The first ground of Paul's appeal is the «' stimulus in Christ " (Moffatt). " If there is any power of exhortation in your connection with and experiences in Christ."^ The Latin vulgate has consolatioy but exhortation (cf. Rom. 12:8; Titus 2 : 1 5),^ not comfort (2 Cor. 1:3; 7 : 4), is the real idea. There is comfort in Christ beyond a doubt, all the real comfort of life, for God is the God of all comfort (2 Cor. i : 3) in Christ Jesus (i : 5). " There is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother "
^The condition here is that of the first class, tl with the in- dicative, though the predicate is not expressed. See Robert- son, "Grammar," pp. 1007-1012. Cf. Virgil, Aen. i. 603 for similar rhetorical form {si qua, si quid').
^ el' T£9 TtapdKXrjfft^ iv Xptaru).
^ napd/cXyjcri^ (from napa — /calico, to call to one's side) means " exhortation " first, then *' comfort." Cf. double meaning o( napdklrjro'^ (Paraclete).
112 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
(Prov. 18:24). "The Lord will even light my candle" (Ps. 18:28). But that is not the idea of Paul here. Jesus is both Advocate and Comforter, but here He is presented by Paul as the Advocate who pleads the cause of God to the Philippians. The whole case of Christ, His Person and His Work and in particular the experience of the Philippians is here offered for consideration. " If your life in Christ, your knowledge of Christ, speaks to your hearts with a persuasive eloquence " (Lightfoot). Paul's mystic phrase " in Christ " which he uses so often here has all the rich content that he can pour into it. Let Christ speak to you in the hush of your own hearts. I have seen a physician try to find a response to all sorts of stimuli in a victim of apo- plexy. He used needles, he touched the ball of the foot, he used every known physiological device to find signs of life. If Christ makes no appeal to the professed Christian, he is not " in Christ." He is out of contact with Christ. He is spiritually dead. If one's own hfe in Christ does not stimulate the soul to the noblest effort, it is useless to go on with the appeal. Response to stimuli is the sign of life. The absence of it is the proof of death.
The second ground of Paul's appeal is the " in- centive of love." Here again the word means en- couragement, not consolation, though the Vulgate has solatmm caritatis. Paul uses the two words side by side also in i Thessalonians 2 : 1 1. The idea is the
PAUL'S FULL CUP I13
tender persuasiveness of love. If love has any power by its tenderness to stir your hearts, then listen to me. It is the incentive that springs from love. He does not define whose " love " he has in mind and probably leaves it vague on purpose. He may be thinking of his own love for the Philippians, but he may also be presenting to their contemplation Christ's love for them. " Love makes the world go round," Love spurs to one last endeavour. Dr. John A. Broadus used to close his last lecture to the class in Homiletics in the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with a plea for the young ministers to do their very best for Jesus* sake. And then, with tears in his eyes and in the eyes of his pupils, he begged that they would do just a bit better for their old teacher's sake. A man who is deaf to love is deaf indeed, deaf to the love of mother, of father, of wife, of child, of Jesus, of God the Father. Love of man may let us go, but not the love of God. We can all understand George Matheson's " Oh, love that will not let me go," the deathless love of Jesus.
The third ground of appeal is the participation in the Holy Spirit. " If fellowship in the Spirit is a reality," Paul means. It is a phrase that meant a great deal for Paul (cf. 2 Cor. 13 : 13 ; Rom. 15 : 30). People use it glibly and without meaning. The Holy Spirit is very vague to many Christians who refer to the Third Person in the Godhead by " it." The Greek used grammatical gender which has no
114 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
bearing in English.* The word here for " fellow- ship"'^ we have had already (i : 5) and means par- ticipation or partnership. If we have any part- nership in the life and blessings of the Holy Spirit, then we are ready to listen to Paul's plea for unity. The Holy Spirit is the unifying principle in the local church (cf. I Cor. 12:4-11). He alone can bring order out of chaos and preserve harmony in the body of Christ. Unless the Holy Spirit rules, there is mere excitement and confusion (i Cor. 14). In- stance to-day the " Holy Rollers " and other fanatics. Without the Holy Spirit there is no life and no power.
The fourth ground of appeal is compassion in the heart. Paul uses two words here. One is the seat or organ of the compassion (" tender mercies " ^), the other is the pity itself (" compassion " ^). My phy- sician, the late Dr. J. B. Marvin, a brilliant scientist and earnest Christian, used often to speak of the
' Tvevfxa is grammatically neuter. But in John 1 4 : 26 iKslvo^ skips over Tzveufxa o to T.apdkXriro<i, The Holy Spirit is a person and we should say " He."
* koivwvia.
^ffTtXayyva. The organ of the higher viscera (the heart, the stomach, etc.).
^ o\/iTipiJ.oL In Col. 3: 12 Paul combines them (77:Aa^;fva ol/zTipiwT) as the Vulgate does here viscera miser atmiis. There is a difficulty in the Greek text {t1 zi? ffTzXdyxva) that has various explanations. Paul may have written et ri in all four clauses, the rt. being in the predicate in each instance. T£? here may be a scribal error due to the a in the next word. There is an early error undoubtedly.
PAUL'S FULL CUP II5
" stomach-brain " in justification of this ancient idiom, a sort of sensitive plate in the stomach that corresponded to the brain. If you have a heart and if your heart has any compassion, Hsten to me, says Paul. If you love me at all, hear me. Could they resist that plea ?
2. The Nature of the Plea (2 : 2).
Paul's cup of joy will indeed be full if the Philip- pians respond to his fourfold appeal. There is, for- sooth, real joy in having our own wdcy, but that is not Paul's feeling. His word here for " make full " is the original meaning of the word' so often translated " fulfill." John the Baptist uses the word about his joy in the joy of Jesus the Bridegroom : " This my joy therefore^ is made full " (John 3 : 29).^ The sub- stance or purport ' of Paul's plea is that the Philip- pians exhibit the unity of the spirit of which he spoke in I : 27 f. Paul cannot rest content while the spirit of faction exists in this generous, glorious church at Philippi. He uses " the tautology of earnestness " (Vaughan), but it is not quite " hyper- critical " to see some distinction in the expressions employed to emphasize unity.
There is first the unity of thought (" think the
* -KX-qpuxTaTe,
^ aoTfj ()7>v i] y^apa ^ Ifvri izzTzlrjpoiTat. ' ?va here is not final, but sub-final. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar," pp. 991-994.
Il6 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
same thing " '), even identity of thought (" of one mind," " thinking the one thing " 2). Surely this is not an easy thing to do, especially where people have active minds and independent spirits. It is only true where minds are in tune that two minds think as one. Then one will say : " I was just thinking," and both say the same thing at once. There is something in telepathy when mind answers to mind like wireless telegraphy with transmitter and receiver. To be sure, one can be acquiescent without thinking and parrot-like repeat what he hears. This is a mechanical echo and not real har- mony of thought from conviction and sympathy. There should be also unison of affection, " having the same love." ^ We have the phrase " two hearts that beat as one." If this were true, preachers would remain longer in their pastorates, churches would be more fruitful in good works, there would be fewer losses in the membership.
There should be also harmony of feeling, " of one accord." ^ A common disposition will ensue where there is unity of thought and of affection. Our word
* TO aoTo (ppovTJTE. Dcissmann (" Bible Studies," p. 256) quotes an inscription of Rhodes of 2 cent. b. c. which has Tfwrd Xiyovreg raora (ppovouvreg i^}.0n/i£v used of a married couple.
'' TO |y <ppnv()uvT£<f. Sometimes both constructions occur together. Cf. Aristides c/e Cone. Rhod., p. 569 IV /?«! rabTov <ppovoovT£^, Polybius V. 104, X-yovre? sv nai tuvto.
* ri/V auTTjv dyaTzrjv eyovT£<;.
* ffuv<puyot. Soul with soul.
PAUL'S FULL CUP II7
accord (heart to heart, ad -|- cor) suggests two hearts in perfect key, a symphony of the spirit. Certainly there would be fewer divorces if husband and wife never got out of tune. There is a music of the spheres. The same note will respond when in key with another instrument. If one note is struck, the one in key answers to it. Everything has its note. The whole church is a choir and must be kept in tune. Musical natures are sensitive and high strung and readily get out of tune. But, if each one of us keeps his life in tune with God, " in tune with the Infinite," it will not be impossible to get in tune with each other.' The discord will all be lost in the glorious orchestra that blends in common praise to God. Such a church will have variety in plenty, but it will be the variety of concord, not jarring notes out of tune with the rest.
3. The Preeminent Social Grace (2 : 3 f.).
What is it ? Elegance of manners ? The gift of saying agreeable things ? Courtesy ? These are all worth while and courtesy comes very close to Paul's idea of humility, if it is courtesy of the heart and not of the mere occasion or fashion. " Paul's ethic is at least as much a social as an individual ethic." ^ Church life is a social fact and humility is a prime factor in it. Egotism and party spirit destroy the
^ Holtzmann, " N. T. Theol," ii., p. 162.
Il8 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
unity essential to healthy church life. The antidote to these evils is humility. It is absolutely essential to social harmony. The egotist is a bore in any circle. The partisan is tiresome to all save his circle. Egotism and partisan pride seem to be the chief perils to the Philippian church.* The Jewish element had the pride of privilege, the Gentile element the pride of culture. The Pharisee was an egotist and a parti- san by inheritance of seclusive virtue and grace. The cultured Greek or the oriental Gnostic had a profound sense of his own superiority over the outside bar- barians. So Paul attacks earnestly the sins that lie in the way of spiritual unity in Phihppi. Humility is essential to concord in the church.
There is no participle in the first clause in verse 3, but we need only repeat the last one in verse 2, " thinking 2 nothing by way of ^ faction or vainglory." The word for " faction " ^ Paul has used already (l : 17) of a party in Rome that loved to trouble him. He is reluctant to see that spirit break out in Phihppi. Per- haps already the church members are beginning to take sides in the dispute between Euodia and Synty- che. There is danger of a conflagration if the fire is not stamped out at once. Vainglory' is emptiness
' Vincent, in loco. ^ <ppovoovTe^.
^ Hard. The standard of measure. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar," pp. 608 f. * IpiOia.
^ /ievodo^ia. See Gal. 5 : 26 for /cevodo^ot where envy is also mentioned, Ignatius (^Magn. XI.) has uykiaTpa r^y /ievudu^ia£. The Vulgate has itianem gloriam.
PAUL'S FULL CUP II9
of ideas. The man who is puffed up with conceit is regarded as empty headed. Censoriousness and con- ceit are the marks of the zealous braggart whose loud protestations do not conceal his poverty of ideas. Vanity (from vanus) means emptiness. Moody has a good word here : " Strife is knocking another down — vainglory is setting oneself up."
The antidote is humility. " But in lowliness of mind," ' Paul says. This word is very common in the New Testament, but does not appear earlier, though it may turn up in the papyri of an earlier date any time. Plutarch has an adjective ^ kin to it. Epictetus^ uses the very word, but in the ancient sense of meanness of spirit : " Where is there still room for flattery, for meanness?" The ancients meant abjectness of spirit or a grovelling condition or rank self-abasement by the adjective. Plato and the Platonists do sometimes use it for submission to the divine order or modesty of attitude, a preparation for the use of the word by Christ. Jesus raised humility to the rank of a grace and spoke of Him- self as " lowly " (Matt. 1 1 : 29) and often praised the humble and condemned the proud and self-seeking.
' T^ zaizeivoippoauvrj. For the case cf. Robertson, ** Gram- mar," p. 530.
^ raiztvjofpui'j. Cf, Deissmann, " Light From the Ancient East," p. 72, n. 3.
* Bk. Ill, ch. xxiv, § 56 Tzoo k'rt /zokaAreia? totto?, ttoD ra7zevjo(ppo(TvvT)<s] see frequent use of Tanet'^6^ by Epictetus quoted by Sharp, " Epictetus and the New Testament," pp. i3of.
I20 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
He made " low " mean ** lowly " and gave dignity to this despised word. Once Paul (Col. 2: i8) uses the word for " mock humility," an echo of the ancient usage. The word has played a large part in Chris- tian ethics.' Absolute humihty we learn at the feet of Jesus before God. Relative humility we practice towards each other. It is the crowning social grace and is Christian in origin and spirit.
" Each counting other better than himself." ^ This is a very astonishing clause, to be sure, from the standpoint of the natural man. Paul has the same idea in Romans 12: lo "in honour preferring one another."^ It is the dehberate estimate and prefer- ence of others, not a momentary impulse of polite- ness. I have heard Paul's principle here pointedly challenged by a Christian minister as making too great a demand on one's self-esteem. But there is no doubt at all as to the meaning of Paul and that he is in harmony with the teaching of Jesus on the sub- ject. It is difficult to practise this Christian chivalry to women, to aged men, to ministers for Christ's sake, to all men for humanity's sake. Deference is a beautiful word and the absence of it in the family is " pig manners," every one for himself. A girl at school surprised her friends by a motto on the wall of her room which read: " I am willing to be third."
' Cf. Neander, " Planting of Christianity," I, p. 483. ' T^ Tt/xfj dXXyjXoug TCfxiTjj'ou/ievoi,
PAUL'S FULL CUP 121
God was first with her, others second, self third. That is the spirit of Christ. This is the secret of the hfe of WilHam Booth. Once, when he was unable to come to a meeting in New York, he sent the cable- gram " Others." That is the key to the life of David Livingstone dying in the heart of Africa.
Proper self-respect does not demand selfishness. " Not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others." * Paul does not mean that a man should not attend to his own business. If one does not do his own work, no one else will do it for him. Paul is not advocat- ing our being busy-bodies in other people's affairs. His use of" also"^ shows that he has no such idea. But he means that one must not fix his eye ^ (like the runner on the goal) upon his own interests to the exclusion of those of others. The Christian has no right to conduct his life by the law of the jungle. He cannot look out simply for " number one." The Golden Rule must be applied to business and to politics as well as to private life. There is no love in the rule of might, in ruthless overriding of the
' The plural iftaaroi is unusual in the New Testament, though common elsewhere. The participle a/zoTzouvrei; is the correct text, not ako-Ke'ire, but it is tantamount to an imper- ative. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar," pp. 1132-1135. The word here for " others " is iriptuv, not aXXmv, even people of another class. The caste spirit is all over the world. " Peo- ple like that," we hear in a snifF of contempt.
"^ alXa fcai.
^ (T/SonouvTsg, From aaoTz6<i goal, aim.
122 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
rights of others. Might does not make right in the state or in the individual. That is the rule of the bully and the braggart. The Juggernaut method is the spirit of the devil, and rides rough shod over all in the way whether men, women, or children. There is no surer way to wreck a church than this spirit of selfishness, the rule or ruin policy. Social justice is impossible without courtesy, love, sympathy. This is what Paul pleads for and to enforce it he gives the supreme example of the ages.
4. The Example of Jesus (2 : 5-11).
(a) For Our Imitation (verse 5). Look at Jesus ; " Have this mind in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Kennedy {i7i loco) makes a striking sugges- tion as to what this sentence means. It is very awkward in the Greek.' He takes it to mean : " Think this very same thing in yourselves that you think in Christ Jesus." That is, apply the same rule to yourselves that you see and approve in Jesus our Lord and Saviour. It is not always true that Chris- tians put religion into their business relations or feel the same call for consecration that they love to note in Christ. " The keenest zeal may be displayed in religious work, accompanied by singular laxity of principle in the common concerns of daily business and social intercourse " (Kennedy). This is certainly
' Kennedy would supply (ppovtlre after o instead oUtppoveiTo or ^v. The use of v[ilv as a reflexive is common enough. Cf. Robertson, " Grammar," pp. 680 f., 687 f.
PAUL'S FULL CUP 1 23
a possible meaning. Some people are piously hum- ble on Sunday, but a terror on Monday. Sheldon's " In His Steps " did not quite state the case. We are to do what Jesus wishes us to do, not always just what He did. Paul cites the example of Jesus (cf. verse 8, " humbled himself") with the command that the Philippians imitate it.
(d) The Preincarnate Glory (verse 6). Every word in this verse has been the subject of fierce controversy. Kennedy makes two very sensible ob- servations. One is that Paul is not here giving a technical theological discussion. The other is that he is not using the language of philosophical meta- physics. He is probably familiar with the chief terms of Greek philosophy and of rabbinical theology. The Gnostics in a way combined both sets of terms. But here Paul is making a practical use of the In- carnation of Christ to enforce the great lesson of humility as essential to unity. Christ was humble. Therefore we should be. It is a piece of popular theology that Paul gives us in this great passage (2 : 6-1 1), but the words are^balanced with rhetorical rhythm (two strophes of four lines each). He is not formally discussing Christology, but he does hft the veil and shows us Jesus Christ in His Preincarnate Glory as John's Gospel docs in i : i-io. As there, so here Paul shows identity of personality in the two states of Christ.' There is no "Jesus or Christ" ^ By the use of 09 for both spheres of existence.
124 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
controversy for Paul.^ Christ, according to Paul here, is divine in nature and glory before the Incar- nation. Bacon,^ forsooth, thinks that John's Gospel merely copies Paul's Christology here. The preex- istence of Christ does not carry with it the preexist- ence of others. (See Wordsworth's "Ode on Im- mortality.") It is poetical to say " trailing clouds of glory do we come," but not necessarily true.
The definite statement is here made by Paul that Christ " existed " ^ before His Incarnation (cf. also 2 Cor. 8:9^). This Preincarnate state of Christ was " in the form of God," ^ a difficult phrase to translate. God, of course, has no " form " in the usual sense of that term. It is used of Christ's human form in Mark 16:12 and of Christ's Incarnation in " the form of a servant " here in verse 9. Lightfoot argues that the word means here " the essential attributes of God " as below in verse 9 " the essential attributes of servant." Paul has no notion of a body or form
* Cf. Hibbert Journal Supplement (January, 1909).
* " The Fourth Gospel in Research and Debate," 19 10, p. 7.
^ uTzdpywv. This word denotes prior existence. Cf. iv apy^ in John I : i and npturoro/zog in Col. 1:15, 17. But dndpyojv comes in the kocvrj to be a mere copula r:= being. Cf. Robertson, '* Grammar," p. 394.
* Here we have cov.
^ iv p.(>p(pfj Oeoi). Vulgate in forma Dei. The word does differ from obaia, <pu(n<s, tido^^ el/^wy, and tryr^ixa, but one must not go into psychological or philosophical refinements in these words. Sharp (" Epictctus and the New Testament," pp. 32f.) shows that Epictetus used ik (/'tXr^g fiop^fj^ = "^ i/tTdi nepiypaf-j (Bk. IV, ch. v, §§ 1 9, 20).
PAUL'S FULL CUP 12$
for God, but simply the character of God in His real essence. In Colossians 1:15 Paul describes Jesus as the Image' of God, as the author of Hebrews (i : 3) calls Him "the Radiation ^ of His Glory and the Character^ or Stamp of His Substance* or Na- ture." We cannot comprehend the nature of God's Person. John applied Logos ^ to Christ as the Ex- pression of God. Paul means to affirm that Christ had not the accidents of the divine glory and environ- ment, but the essential attributes of God's nature, actual deity, not mere divinity such as is dimly seen in all men who were made in God's image.
This " equality with God " ^ refers only to relation, which '• in the form of God " refers only to nature. Jesus could not give up His essential character of Sonship. He was the Son of God in the Preincar- nate state. He was the Son of God during the In- carnation after He became also the Son of man. So John says that the Logos became flesh (John i : 14). Jesus did not consider ' this state of " equality with God," His glory at the right hand of the Father, a thing to be held on to^ at any cost when, by giv-
^ eifiwv. ^ anauyafffxa. ^ Xapakr^p.
* uniKTraaiq. These are all philosophical terms. ^ I) Xoyo^ TOO deou (John I : i).
" TO ehac I'ffa dew. It is doubtful if much can be made of the distinction between laa and 'laov (cf. John 5:18 laov Tip 0s(p). Lightfoot makes taov refer to the person, \aa to the attributes. ^ ou'^ rjyyjfTaro.
* dpTzayixo^. Words in /zoy express the action of the verb as a rule, but they often come to mean the result of the action
126 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
ing up the glory and holding on to the nature of God, He could enter upon His redemptive work for mankind. This is my view of this crux intcrpretnm. The notion of " robbery " is not the idea of Paul in spite of the Vulgate " rapina " which itself is ambigu- ous and may mean only a highly-prized possession. Kennedy argues cleverly for the interpretation that Jesus was not willing to compel men by a display of His Godhood to recognize His deity, but preferred that men acknowledge Him by gradual conviction. This is a possible interpretation, but nothing like so probable as the one just given.
(c) The Humiliation ' (verses 7 f.). These two verses give a wonderful portrayal of what was in- like those in fia. Cf. in the New Testament Ma(T/zo?= propitiation, not the act of propitiating ; dytaff/iui^, not the act of consecration, but sanctification. Other words so used are 0epi(Tfi6{, (/j.arcfTfi6(^, <pak/i6<}^ U7:oypaiJL!i6(^.
^ One thinks at once of Bruce's great book on " The Hu- miliation of Our Lord" (1902). Many other books are worth consulting like Bruce, " St. Paul's Conception of Chris- tianity " (1898) ; Denney's " Jesus and His Gospel " (1908) ; Dorner, " History of the Development of the Person ot Christ" (5 vols., 1B78) ; Fairbairn, "The Place of Christ in Modern Theology" (1893); Forsyth, "The Person and Place of Jesus Christ" (1909); GifFord, "The Incarnation" (1897); Gore, "The Incarnation of the Son of God" (1891); Liddon, " Our Lord's Divinity " (1889); Mackin- tosh, "The Doctrine of the Person of Jesus Christ" (19 12); Sanday, " Christologies Ancient and Modern" (1910); Schweitzer, "The Quest of the Historical Jesus" (1910); Somerville, "St. Paul's Conception of Christ" (1897); Stalker, "The Christology of Jesus " (1901); Warfield, «* The Lord of Glory " (1907).
PAUL'S FULL CUP 1 27
volved in Christ's Incarnation. Bacon ^ says that the key-note of the synoptic story of Jesus " is not incar- nation, but apotheosis," while in Paul's Epistles and John's Gospel it is incarnation. There is undoubt- edly in the Synoptic Gospels the account of the slow recognition of Jesus as the Son of God, but that appears in the Fourth Gospel also. Besides, the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus at first as the Son of God (Luke i : 32-35 ; Matt, i : 18, 23 ; Luke 2:11; Mark i:ii; Matt. 3:17; Luke 3:22). The Bap- tism of Jesus by John and the recognition of Jesus as the Son of God by the Father occurs in each of the Synoptics, and belongs therefore to Q or the Logia of criticism, the oldest form of the tradition. From the first Jesus is presented as both the Son of God and the Son of man. He was the Son of God before He was the Son of man. He continued to be the Son of God after He became the Son of man.
He did give up much in order to become the Son of man. That was inevitable and foreseen by Christ. Paul has said in verse 6 that Christ did not cling to " the equality with God " when He faced the redemp- tive work for man, but " he emptied himself " * of the visible glories and the manifest prerogatives of deity. We may pass by the various Kenosis theories which seek to explain of what Christ emptied Himself and confine ourselves to the details of the humihation
^ " The Fourth Gospel in Research and Debate," p. 1 1.
^ iaoTov ikivuiatv. Vulgate semetipsum exinanivit.
128 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
mentioned in these two verses. We can feel certain that He did not empty Himself of His divine nature (" the form of God " of verse 6), which He could not do in the nature of the case (no son can change the fact of his sonship), but only " of the insignia of His majesty " (Lightfoot), the outward manifestation of His deity. Jesus did not appear to men in the likeness of God, but of man. He suffered in so doing in ways that are beyond our comprehension. " We may do well to cherish the impression that this self-emptying on the part of the eternal Son of God, for our salvation, involves realities which we cannot conceive or put into words. There was more in this emptying of Himself than we can think or say " (Rainy, Philippians, p. 119). We catch glimpses of the yearning of Christ for the glory which He had with the Father before the Incarnation and even before the world was by the Father's side* (John 17: 5). There is a fullness of knowledge^ between the Son and the Father not true of others and Jesus often goes alone ^ to pray with the Father. How the Son missed the glories of heaven we can only imagine. How the sin and desolation of earth jarred upon His sensitive soul we do have some comprehension, but only a little after all, for we have become used to the dullness and the hardness of our world. Perhaps, it was in mercy to Jesus that there was some humilia-
' T.apd aoi. '^ i-iyivwafiei (Matt. 1 1 : 27).
^ auro? n6vo<i (John 6:15).
PAUL'S FULL CUP 1 29
tion in His Incarnation, else He could not have en- dured His earthly estate. We are expressly told here that the emptying was voluntary on Christ's part. The emphasis is on the act (the verb). It applied to the state of glory, to some extent to His knowledge, and to His power. Into that subject I do not here enter. I do not believe that Jesus subjected Him- self to error of any kind. He mentions His lack of knowledge about the time of His second coming (Matt. 24 : 36). He shows surprise and weariness. He was a real man, free from sin and from errors of ignorance, I believe. No effort to explain the com- bination of deity and humanity has succeeded. We do not understand the nature of God. We do not understand our own human nature (spirit and matter in combination). It is not surprising that we fail in the union of the divine and the human. Certainly Dr. William Sanday's excursion ' with the " sublimi- nal consciousness " does not explain it. But let us turn from merely speculative theology to Paul's interpretation of the details involved in the Incarna- tion.
" Taking the form of a servant," ^ Paul says, by way of explanation of " emptied himself." Here Paul employs the same term for " form " that he did in verse 6. As Christ possessed the real attrib-
' " Christologies Ancient and Modern," 19 10.
^ IJ.opipTj-f donlnu Xa^Uiv. Cf. iJ.op(f^ deob in verse 6. The aorist participle is here simultaneous with the verb kaivtuasv and explanatory (Robertson, " Grammar," pp. 860 f., 1127).
I30 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
utes of deity, so He took upon Himself the real at- tributes of servantship. Here there is a change in the condition of Christ. He was ' in the form of God, but He took^ upon Himself the form of a servant. How- ever, we must not understand that Christ lost " the form of God " in so doing. He lost only the appear- ance as God, not His essential nature as God. It is the reality of Christ's humanity that is here affirmed by the side of the reality of His deity. He did not become an actual " slave "^ of any single man, but was an actual " servant " (or slave) of mankind. Paul thus " describes the humility to which He con- descended " (Kennedy, in loco). The Master ^ of all became the slave of all (Matt. 20: 27 f.; Mark 10 : 44 f.). Jesus entered upon the condition of service as He had before the condition of equality with God (Vincent, in loco ).
" Becoming in the likeness of men," ^ a further ex- planation of the self-emptying of Christ. Here again Paul states that Jesus entered'' upon the state of His humanity as we have it in John i : 14. But the word here is " likeness," ' not " form " as in verse 6. It is a real likeness, but not identity that is meant. All of Jesus is not human. Hence Paul could not use the
* undp^wv. ^ Xa^<l)v. ^ douXo<i.
* Kbpio<i. Cf. John I 5 : 20 ouk ecTTtv SouXo^ /lei^wv rou kupiou aoTov.
^ iv 6fiot(Ofj.aTt dvOpcoTzwv yevofievoi;.
^yevdfievoi, not U7:dp^ujv. So Oeu'S rjv and ffdp^ ej'iveTo in John 1:1,14. ' 6pucwp.aTi.
PAUL'S FULL CUP I3I
word for " form." ' Christ " was no mere phantom, no mere incomplete copy of humanity " (Kennedy, in loco). " To affirm hkeness is at once to assert similarity and to deny sameness " (Dickson, Baird Lec- tures, 1883). The humanity of Jesus, though thor- oughly real and not merely apparent as the Docetic Gnostics held, yet did not express the whole of Christ's self. He was still " in the form of God " in His essential nature in spite of His Incarnation. He still has the essential nature of God while in the similitude 2 of man. The pluraP here shows Christ's relation to the race. Christ no longer wore His " Godlike majesty and visible glories " (Ellicott), but appeared as a man and to most only as a man.
" And being found in fashion as a man." * Here the word for " fashion " ^ refers more to the outward appearance of Christ. It is like the word " habit " ^ as applied to dress. The *' form of a bondservant " expressed the essential nature of the servantship of Christ and the " likeness of men " showed the reality of His humanity (Vincent, in loco). This word
"^ hi similitudinem hominum f actus (Vulgate).
^ a\>dpu)Tzu)v.
* /cat ff^yjfxari e6p£0£\<; w? avOpwKo?. ^ ff^tj/iaTC.
^ Vulgate has i» habitus inventus ut homo. Habitus is from habeo as a-puxa from e^'"- The word ff/^/^a is used of God in Test. XII Patr. Zab. 9 oil'^adz Oeuv iv <T)(yjfiaTt avdpumuo. In Benj. 10 note km yr^is (pavivza iv p-opfyj dvOpwTzou.
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" fashion " expresses the appeal that Christ made to the senses, to human observation. " His outward guise was altogether human " (Kennedy, in loco). The words for " form " and " fashion " are contrasted by Paul in Romans 12:2: " And be not fashioned ' according to this world," the outward expression in conduct and manners, " but be ye transformed ' by the renewing of your mind," the inward spiritual change. Jesus was discovered' or recognized as ^ a man, though He was more than man, and in His very humanity revealed God to men if they had eyes to see (cf. John 14 : 7-9 ; Matt. 1 1 : 27).
" He humbled himself" ^ This is not a mere repetition of " emptied himself " in verse 7. This verb expresses plainly' and simply the fact of the Humiliation^ of Christ. "The depth of the self- renunciation " (Kennedy) is brought out by the fol- lowing phrases. The great act was voluntary on Christ's part and hence has moral value. This idea is set forth clearly in Hebrews 9: 12 " having found by himself eternal redemption " ^ (the middle voice)
^ /xerafiop^ouffOs. Cf. also Phil. 3:10 (TUfx/JLop^t^ofievo^ and I Pet. 1:14 (Tuva^rjuariZofievoi. In Phil. 3:21 we have fjLezatT^rj/iaTcffsc and aufi/iop^ov.
^ £L)pe0e\<i.
* ctf?. Implying that he was more than man.
^ iTaneivuxrev kaurov. The emphasis is here on the verb as in verse 7 on iauruv.
^ The Vulgate has humiliavit semetipsum.
' aiwviav kuTpwaiv eupd/ievog.
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and in 9 114 "he offered himself,"' a construction like the one in PhiHppians 2 : 8.
" Becoming obedient unto death." ^ Jesus followed the Father's will obediently in the path that led straight to death. The hate and guilt of His ene- mies do not at all remove the dignity and the glory of Christ's death for sinners. Paul speaks of the obedience^ of Christ also in Romans 5 : 19. It was an obedience that Jesus had to learn from suffering as is true of all sons (Heb. 5 : 8) and won Jesus the right and the power to offer eternal life to all those who obey Him (Heb. 5 : 9). There were moments when Jesus was tempted to turn back from the road that led to death, moments of anguish that rent His very soul with a cry to the Father (John I2:2y{.; Matt. 26:39; Mark I4:35f. ; Luke 22:42), times that brought sweat like blood from His forehead (Luke 22 : 44) and tears to His eyes (Heb. 5 : 7). Jesus saw the end from the beginning, saw His " hour " coming, saw the gathering cloud about to break upon His head, but resolutely set His face to go on to Jerusalem to meet it. The very reality of His humanity made Him flinch as He saw that He was to be regarded as sin by the Father while He bore the sin of the world in His death, and made
' iauTov Tzpoarjvsy/zev with the emphasis on iaorov. ^ ysvofi^voii oTTTJ/zooi} f^^XP^ Oavdrou. The Vulgate has /actus obediens usque ad mortem.
^ unaJioy,^. Note force of ut:6 (luF) under.
134. PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
Him cry aloud when the Father's presence left Him in the dread darkness and lonehness (Matt. 2/ : 46). But Jesus held on His way " unto death " ' and was able to look on His death as a "glorification" (John 13 : 31 f. ; 17 : 2). He went as far as death in His humiliation. "Yea, the death of the cross," ^ Paul adds, as the lowest rung in this Jacob's Ladder of Christ's humanity of which Jesus had spoken to Nathanael (John 1:51). Christ left His place in glory and majesty by the Father's side with all the Father's wealth of grandeur and became a poor man on earth (2 Cor. 8 : 9). He took the estate of a serv- ant and bore the likeness of men and no longer seemed to be God to the multitudes. He Himself was like a bondservant and served others on earth. He humbled Himself to the end and met death as a condemned criminal with all the shame of the Cross. Down, down Christ went to the bottom of darkness, the very depth of humiliation and shame. The body of one that hung on a tree was accursed according to the Mosaic law (Deut. 21 : 23) and Paul knew this well (Gal. 3:13). Cicero spoke of crucifixion as the most cruel of punishments (Verr. V. 64). The Ro- man boasted of his right to die a freeman, free from
^ lii^pt Oavdrou. Cf. fxi^pt? o.1fiaro<i (Heb. 12:4) ot those who had not yet resisted unto blood and iJ-e^pt difffiwv (2 Tim. 2:9)" unto bonds."
^ Oavdrou 8i: aTaupou, Note this use of Si as addition. Cf. Rom. 3:22; 9 : 30c Robertson, " Grammar," pp. 1183-1185.
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the very name of cross.' Paul, as a Roman citizen, was free from this shame. He was beheaded, though the tradition is that Peter was crucified head down- ward. The Jews stumbled ^ at the cross of Christ and the Greeks thought it foolishness,^ but Paul came to see in it the wisdom and the power of God (i Cor. 1:23 f.). Jesus saw the shame of the Cross and felt it keenly, but He endured it for the sake of the joy that would be His when He reached the goal and finished His atoning death (Heb. 12:2). Therefore Jesus despised the shame.^ The Cross of Christ has come to be His Crown of Glory.
{d) The Exaltation (verses 9-1 1). Paul has taken us down to the bottom of the Valley of Death into which Jesus went, the valley of darkness and shame. He has not forgotten his purpose in appeal- ing to the example of Christ. It is to enforce the lesson of humility, " lowliness of mind " (2 : 3), the mind of Christ Jesus (2 : 5). Jesus Himself is the supreme illustration of His own saying : *« He that humbleth himself shall be exalted " ^ (Luke 14 : 11 ; 18: 14). Paul seems to know this Logion of Jesus for he says : " Wherefore also God highly exalted
' Cf. Cicero /r(7 Rabir., V. 10 Nomen ipsum cruets absit non mo do a cor pore civ turn Romanorum sed etiam a cogitationet oculis, auribus.
''â– (T/idvdaXov,
* unifisivtv axaopov alff^uvT^? Arara^povrjffa^, ^6 Taneivuiv kaurov U(puj0vj<TeTai,
136 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
him." * The " wherefore " is not reason, but conse- quence (cf. Heb. 2:9; 12 ; 2). The exaltation is the result of the humiliation. " The idea of Christ's re- ceiving His exaltation as a reward was repugnant to the Reformed theologians " (Vincent, in loco), but there is no objection certainly to regarding it as the natural result of His service. " Christ's saying in Matthew 23: 12 was gloriously fulfilled in His own case " (Meyer, in loco). It is not clear whether Paul means to say that Jesus had a higher state of glory than before His Incarnation or not. That is the natural way to take the verb ^ here. He had not lost " the form of God," but He had " emptied himself " of the majesty and dignity in His Pre- incarnate state. This He received again and sat in transcendent glory at the right hand of God on high (cf. Rom. i : 3f. ; 8 : 34 ; Col. 3 : i ; i Cor. 14 : 25). Paul does not here say in what the " superior " dignity consists which Christ did not have before His Incarnation. I agree with Ellicott that it is His Humanity which was permanently added to His Divinity. He is the Son of man now as well as the Son of God which He was before. The argument in Hebrews 2: 5-18 illustrates the point which comes out also in Paul's own argument here.
" And gave unto him the name which is above
* 8io ual 6 ^eo? avrdv 6nepu</iiij(T£v. Vulgate exaltavit.
^ bn£pu(j)u»(T£v. Cf. Psalm 97 (96) : 9 aipoSpa UT:£pu4'<J^d'>]9
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every name." ' The obvious implication of this lan- guage is that the gracious bestowal of this name upon Christ as the prerogative of the Father was be- cause of the Incarnation. The Son had voluntarily given up His position of " equality with the Father " and taken a subordinate one on earth (cf. John 14 : 28, " for the Father is greater than I "). " Christ obtained as a gift what He renounced as a prize " (Vincent, in loco). But what is " the name which is above every name " ? There is great diversity of opinion. Lightfoot and Haupt make it simply " tjile " or " dignity " as " name " ^ often represents " po.ws^'j " " authority." Vincent takes it to be " Jesus Christ," " combining the human name, which points to the conquest won in the flesh, and the Messianic name, ' The Anointed of God.' The two factors of the name are successively taken up in verses 10, II." EUicott makes it Jesus, " the name of His humiliation, and henceforth that of His exaltation and glory." Kennedy {in loco) considers it " amaz- ing " how one can hold this view, but the very next verse (" in the name of Jesus ") certainly lends colour to this interpretation. Besides, it strengthens greatly the point of Paul's use of the example of Jesus if the added glory after Christ's Ascension is precisely the human nature of Jesus which was His state of hu- miliation. This point appeals to me, I confess, in
* flai iy^apiaazo aoril) ro ovofia to UTzep irav 6vo[ia. ^ 6vo[xa. So in the papyri as in the Septuagint.
138 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
spite of the fact that the name " Jesus " was already (Matt. I : 21) given to Christ before His Ascension. Still, there is force in the argument for " Lord " ' as the word meant by Paul in lieu of the Tetragramma- ton (the unpronounceable name of Jehovah). The Jews often used " the Name " when referring to this word.^ Jeremy Taylor so interpreted it : " He hath changed the ineffable name into a name utterable by man, and desirable by all the world ; the majesty is arrayed in robes of mercy, the tetragrammaton or adorable mystery of the patriarchs is made fit for pronunciation and expression when it becometh the name of the Lord's Christ." The confession of Jesus as " Lord " in verse 1 1 gives colour to this view. But even so, we must not forget that it is Jesus who still preserves His human nature who is termed Lord. He is our Elder Brother at the right hand of God.
*' That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow."^ It is not " at" the name of Jesus, not mere genuflection. There is no essential merit in that atti- tude every time the name of Jesus is pronounced or heard. It is reverent worship that is here presented. Jesus is the object of worship. Surely it is worth while to note that Paul makes a point to use the name for Christ's human life, the name Jesus. Many had this
' Kt')ptn<s. Used in the Septuagint for Jehovah (Jahwe). * Cf. C. Taylor, " Sayings of the Jewish Fathers," iv., 7.
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name, the Greek form of Joshua,* but they were not saviours from sin (Matt. 1:21). Jesus was wor- shiped while in the flesh and He is still the Son of man. The Epistle to the Hebrews uses constantly the name Jesus and defends gloriously the dignity of Christ's humanity. Jesus purchased the right to this universal adoration with the price of His blood. It is interesting to compare Revelation 5, where Jesus is pictured as receiving worship in heaven from all created things, with this verse. This idea of the mystic sympathy of the whole universe with the Cosmic Christ occurs also in Romans 8 : 21 f. ; i Cor. 15:24; Ephesians 5 : 20-22 ; Hebrews 2:8. Paul's language in Philippians 2: lof. seems to reflect the Gnostic terminology so freely condemned in Colos- sians and Ephesians. " And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." ^ The Lordship of Jesus came to be the test of loyalty. The pass- word in the dark days of persecution came to be " Jesus as Lord." This was the Shibboleth of the faithful. It is so yet. Vain is the praise of those who refuse to bow the knee to Jesus and to confess Him as Lord. One is reminded of Charles Lamb saying that, if Shakespeare appeared in the company of literati, they would all rise, but, if Jesus came, they would all kneel. This word for " Lord " does
' kai Tzaaa yXmaaa i^ofioXoyyjaTjzai ozt Kupio<s Vrjffous XpiffTog.
140 PAUL'S JOY IN CHRIST
not in itself imply divinity. It was used for Mas- ter as opposed to slave (Eph. 6 : 9), and even for "sir" in address (Matt. 13 : 27). But in the Septu- agint it was a common translation for the Hebrew words for God. It was used also for Caesar. " Lord Caesar " was a common term in the papyri and in- scriptions. The Emperor cult was the chief religion of the Roman world in the time of Paul. Life was offered to Polycarp if he would only say " Lord Caesar." ^ " No one is able to say * Lord Jesus ' ex- cept by the Holy Spirit " (i Cor. 12:3). To confess Jesus as Lord was the mark of a true believer, a Christian in reality (Rom. 10 : 9). " God made this Jesus both Lord and Christ " (Acts 2 : 36). " Christ the Lord" the angels said (Luke 2:11) the Saviour would be. It is not apotheosis or deification of Jesus that we here see, but the taking up of the humanity of Jesus into His deity with new glory, the glory of the humihation, the glory of the accomplished re- demption, the glory of the battle-scarred hero whose scars are his crown. It is all " to the glory of God the