St. Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians: A Practical Exposition

115

Col. iii. 11.

116

1 John ii. 7, 8.

117

Phil. 16.

118

Eph. iv. 1-3.

119

Acts xxii. 21; xxvi. 17, 18.

120

Thus the limitation of the term 'brotherhood' to Christians is implied in 1 Pet. ii. 17, 'Honour all men. Love the brotherhood;' and in 2 Pet. i. 7, 'In your love of the brethren supply love' (i.e. in the narrower and closer circle of believers, learn the wider and all embracing attitude towards men as men); and in 1 Cor. v. 11, 'Any man that is named a brother.' The word brother is throughout the New Testament used of Christians only, except where, in the Acts, it is used by Jews of Jews. Our Lord's language about brotherhood applies to the circle of the disciples, except Matt. xxv. 40, 'One of these my brethren,' i.e. the wretched.

121

Acts xvii. 28.

122

Acts xvii. 26.

123

Dr. Hort thinks 'read' is a technical word for reading the Scriptures, and that this reading of the Old Testament Scriptures is to enable them to appreciate St. Paul's 'understanding in the secret of the Christ.' But I doubt if so technical a use of 'read' can be made out.

124

In Epist. Joan, ad Parth. v. 10.

125

And not as Dr. Robertson (Smith's Dict. of Bible, ed. ii. vol. i. pt. ii. p. 951) suggests, to introduce a prayer to God, which is resumed in iii. 14. The 'For this cause' which is repeated in iii. 14 is not nearly so significant as 'the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,' which is taken up again in iv. 1.

126

I have interpreted this word in the light of what is said in verse 16.

127

Tit. iii. 5.

128

Ps. lxviii. 18 (Delitzsch).

129

I do not think St. Paul need refer to the descent into Hades. 'The lower parts of the earth,' Is. xliv. 23, may also refer not to Hades (see Delitzsch in loco) but to 'the earth beneath.'

130

The 'filling all things' is, in the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, the characteristic action of the exalted Christ and the result of the reconciliation and atonement won. Cf. 1 Cor. xv. 24-28, 'That God may be all in all.'

131

See Delitzsch's and Perowne's notes.

132

Calvin, in loc.

133

Hil. de Trin. viii. 7-9. The last sentence is condensed.

134

Vol. i. p. 317 (Longmans, 1895).

135

1 Thess. iv. 14.

136

In Ps. lvi. i.

137

It is one very noticeable feature of the recent Encyclical of Leo XIII on the Unity of the Church ('satis cognitum') that it assumes that 'only a despotic monarch can secure to any society unity and strength.'

138

Romans x. 9.

139

For example, see Gal. i. 6-9.