own

lows: "We cannot endure to rank ourselves amongst those who commend themselves; on the contrary, they measuring themselves by their standard, and comparing or ranking themselves with themselves, hereby show their folly; whereas we refuse to boast beyond our lawful measure, but on the contrary keep to the measure appointed for us by God."

Such would be the general sense, whether the reading of συνιοῦσι be taken as the dative, or whether it be taken as the 3rd pers. plur. ind. presént, from the Hellenistic verb ovview, or whether (which is the same thing) we read ovviâow (as in B.). The only difference is that, if it be the participle, we have then the anomalous, but not unusual, construction of a participle instead of the principal verb. The indicative, however, is preferable. The sense of the will then be, that the passage Apostle first contrasts himself with those that commend themselves, and then proceeding to explain that the folly of this self-commendation consists in judging of themselves by their own standard, contrasts himself with them still further, by showing that he measures himself by the standard of God, and confines himself to the sphere pointed out to him by God. The great objection to this mode of explanation is:

(a.) That the context of the sentence would naturally expect us to find in avroí not the Apostle's adversaries, but the Apostle himself. (b.) That in the 13th verse, the contrast is not, properly speaking, between God's measure and man's measure, but between teaching out of a lawful sphere, and teaching within a lawful sphere.

Both these difficulties may indeed be explained by the extreme abruptness and rapid transition so frequent in this Epistle; but they would leave the passage one of the most entangled in the New Testament. Any other mode of interpreting the present text, though more agreeable to the context, is so contrary to the words themselves as to be at once out of the question. Such would be the attempt to take αὐτοὶ of the Apostle, and συνιovo (the dative participle) of the adversaries: "We, on the other hand, confine ourselves to ourselves, and do not rank ourselves with those who are not wise." Or again, to take auroi of the Apostle, and ovviovoi (the dative participle) also of the Apostle: "We do not rank ourselves with ourselves, we whom they call not wise." In either case the article roîs or TIσI would have been required; and the harshness of the expression would in itself be an almost fatal objection.

(2.) If, on the other hand, instead of the Received Text, we adopt the other reading, sup ported by less authority, the whole passage will cohere almost without difficulty. The Vulgate omits the words où ovviaσiv, D. F. G. omit also the words uɛîs dé, and D. omits καυχησόμεθα, for which F. G. substitute KavXóμEVOL. So, if we combine these varieties, all tending in the same direction, the text will run. thus: ἄλλ ̓ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἑαυτοὺς μετροῦντες, καὶ συγκρι νοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς οὐκ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον ; and the sense will be: "We cannot endure to rank ourselves with those that commend themselves; on the contrary, we are measuring ourselves by ourselves, and ranking ourselves with ourselves, not going into spheres beyond our measure." The contrast will then be based simply on the distinction between intrusion beyond a lawful sphere, and self-restraint within it. In this way In this way the word μETρOûVTES in the μετροῦντες twelfth verse, has the same sense as μέτρον or ἄμετρα in the thirteenth; and whatever irregularity there may be in the omission of καυχησόμεθα, οι the substitution of καυχώμενοι for it, it is no more than is frequently found in the Apostle's

writings, and is in this case corrected, as it were, by the resumption of the sentence in οὐκ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα καυχώμενοι, in verse 15. The only internal objection to the reception of this reading is its comparative freedom from difficulty, and consequently the probability of its being a correction to escape the confusion of the Received Text. If, however, we could suppose that οὐ συνιᾶσιν had crept in from the margin, as an explanation of Tow, then ἡμεῖς δὲ would naturally follow as an antithesis, to meet the new sentence thus unexpectedly formed, to which again subsequent correctors would add καυχώμενοι οι καυχησόμεθα.*

Such is the general sense of this passage, which is not materially affected, whichever is adopted.

It only remains to explain the particular expressions. Tоλμμεv, like "sustinemus" in Latin. "We cannot endure," perhaps with a tinge of irony: "We can venture on the full exercise of our power, but not on classing ourselves," &c. Compare for this use of the word Rom. xv. 18.; 1 Cor. vi. 1.

ἐγκρῖναι ἢ συγκρῖναι. The two words are put side by side, on account of their similarity

τῶν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστανόντων. See iii. 1. From the abrupt transition in the next verse, it is evident that those who "commended themselves are charged by the Apostle with intruding, as if by the authority of their commendatory letters, into his sphere; and this forms the subject of the next verses, 14-18.

"The meaning of the next words varies, of course, according to the two readings given above. If the reading of the Received Text is preferred, then μετρούντες is

ν οὐχί

notas συγκρῖναι in the previous clause, for" ranking" or "assimilating," but in the sense of "comparing," of which signification there are undoubted instances in Greek writers of this period (see Lobeck ad Phryn, p. 278.), but not in the New Testament or the LXX.

This change of meaning from that which the words possess in the context, is not in itself an argument against any interpretation which would require it; inasmuch as similar variations are to be found elsewhere in the Apostle's writings. (See 1 Cor. xi. 23.) But it is of course in favour of the second interpretation given above, that, with the reading of the Vulgate, the words μετρείν and συγκρίνειν both retain their original meaning; and the peculiarity of the expressions ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἑαυτοὺς and ἑαυτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς, as applied to the Apostle himself, would be explained by the desire to express as strongly as possible the strict limits within which he confined himself. He would thus oppose himself both to the exaggerated boasts and the unwarranted intrusions of his opponents; limiting ourselves within our own limits, and associating ourselves only with ourselves."

13. In order to enter into the following passage, we must conceive something of the order which it presumes to exist in

the Apostolic age. Without adopting the tradition which represents the Apostles as portioning out the world amongst them, with a peculiar province for each, it is clear from Gal. ii. 9. that at least in the great divisions of Jew and Gentile, the former were undestood to belong to the original Apostles, James, Peter, and John, the latter to Paul and his companions. It would also appear to have been the Apostle's maxim, never to establish himself for any permanent stay, in those parts where the Gospel had already been preached by some previous teacher; so much so, that his visit to Rome (which had already received the faith) was regarded by him merely as taken on his way to Spain, which was still open to any new teacher (Rom, xv. 18 -24.)

This arrangement was doubly infringed by the appearance of Jewish teachers at Corinth; the sphere of the Apostle of the Gentiles was invaded by Jews; the sphere which St. Paul had won for himself by his own labours, was appropriated by those who had no original claim to it. And they followed, like vultures, upon his track, partly to mar, partly to avail themselves of the effects of his teaching. To Antioch, the original seat of his teaching,

they came from James."

(Acts xv. 1.; Gal. ii. 12.) In Galatia "a little leaven' of their influence had so completely leavened the whole lump," that the Apostle was regarded as an "enemy." (Gal. v. 9., iv. 16.) And even at Corinth, their power had reached such a height, that "the majority," at least of the teachers, had joined them (ii. 18.); and already in the First Epistle (whether, or not, against this particular section of his rivals or opponents is doubtful) the Apostle complained that he had laid the foundation, and another built upon it," and " that whilst they had ten thousand teachers (Taidaywyous) they had but one father, for that he only (y) had begotten them through the Gospel." (1 Cor. iii. 10., iv. 15.) Now they were claiming to be

66

Apostles," and " more than Apostles" (xi. 5. 13.), and endeavouring to shut out the Apostle of the Gentiles from the greatest and proudest field of his exertions (x. 16.).

It is this conduct that the Apostle rebukes by contrast with his own forbearance. His "boasting" was confined to the sphere which had been marked out for him, and which, according to the joint representations of Rom. xvi. 18-24. and Acts xiii.-xxviii. seems to have extended "from Jerusalem to Illyricum," through all the Grecian pro

i. e.,

· οὐ γὰρ ὡς μή.

vinces of Asia Minor and Greece, properly so called, and ending apparently where the barbarian languages of Illyria put a check to his communications with the natives. Of this sphere Corinth, up to this time, had probably been the extreme point. The expression in Rom. xv. 19., 66 as far as Illyricum" (μέxpι TOû 'IxAuρikov), if taken literally, can only apply to journeys made in the interval which elapsed between the writing of this Epistle and that to the Romans, and would most likely be accomplished in the route described in Acts xx. 2. as "the passage through those parts," i. e. the parts contiguous to Macedonia. But before this time, we gather with tolerable precision from Acts, xvii. 15—xviii. 18., that during the whole of his long stay in Greece, on his previous visit, Corinth had been his head quarters; and was the westernmost point which he reached. Hence the expressions used emphatically here (äxpı кai vμôν, ἐφικνούμενοι εἰς ὑμᾶς), you," "as far as you," imply that he had a right to speak confidently of his labours so far, but no further; whilst at the same time he had hopes, which he afterwards accomplished, of advancing westward first as far as Illyria, and then, omitting, or hastily pass

"to

· ἀφίκομενοι.

ing by the Italian cities, where the Gospel had already been preached, to the still further regions of Spain.

Tà aueтpa, properly "unἄμετρα, measured;" but here "beyond the measure fixed for us.'

κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τοῦ κανόνος, οὗ ἐμέρισεν ὁ Θεὸς μέτρου. και vov is the "rule" by which the limits of the sphere are marked out. In the New Testament the word only occurs in this passage and in Gal. vi. 16., Phil. iii. 16., in both of which texts the expression is the same, σTOIXεIV TO KAVÓVI ("to walk within the prescribed limit"). In the LXX. it occurs in Psalm xix. (xviii.) 4.; Job, xxxviii. 5. for "a measuring line." The construction is, "which rule" (où referring to ToÛ KAVÓVOS) “God appointed us as a measure” (μέτρου). οὗ = ὅν. μέτρου = μέτρον.

pixeσ Oai, "to reach." These last words serve to explain the introduction of the name of God as the author of his limits. "God has appointed and enabled me to fulfil my duty." Compare the parallel passage, Rom. xv. 18.: "I will not venture to speak of the things which Christ has not wrought in me."

14. The sense is the same, whatever be the right reading. "We are not extending our boast beyond our limit." For the metaphor" stretching out