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BIBLICAL COMMENTARY
OH
THE NEW TESTAMENT,
BT
DR. HERMANN OLSHAUSEN,
PROFESSOR OP THEOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF ERLANGEN.
CONTINUED AFTER HIS DEATH
BT
DE. JOHN HENRY AUGUSTUS EBRARD
AND
LIC. AUGUSTUS WIESINGER.
TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN
FOB CLARK'S FOREIGN AND THEOLOGICAL LIBRARY.
REVISED AFTER THE LATEST QERMAN EDITION,
BY
A. C. KENDRICK, D.D.,
PBOFESSOB OF GREEK IN THE UNIVEBSITY OF BOOHESTEB.
VOL. V,
NEW YORK:
SHELDON, BLAKEMAN & CO.,
115 NAS'SAU STREET.
I 1858..
Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by
SHELDON, BLAKEMAN & CO.,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of
New York.
STEREOTYPED B*
THOMj* S B SMITH
82 & 84 Beekman-street, N, Y.
PRINTED BY
PTJDNET i RUSSELL,
79 John-street.
PREFATORY NOTE,
THE Commentary of Olshausen was carried through the Gospels,
the Acts, and the Epistles to the Eomans, Corinthians, Galatians,
Colossians, Ephesians, and' Thessalonians, when it was arrested by
his death. The task of completing it was assigned to his successor
and former pupil, Dr. Ebrard, who associated with himself Aug.
Wiesinger, also a former pupil of Olshausen, and like Ebrard, sym-
pathising thoroughly in the evangelical views of his venerated
teacher. Ebrard has completed the Exposition of Hebrews and
the Revelation ; Wiesinger, of Philippians, the Pastoral Epistles,
James, and 1 Peter, and is engaged on the other Catholic Epistles.
Both are men of sound evangelical views, and thorough biblical
scholarship ; and if they want something of that depth of spiritual
insight, and high genius which lend such a charm to the writings
of Olshausen, they are by no means his inferiors in soundness of
judgment, and exegetical acumen. If they enter less into ex-
tended discussions of topics, they will be found, on the contrary,
more full and satisfactory to the philologist. Wiesinger is, indeed,
sometimes over-minute and prolix, and the Editor has occasionally
condensed his statements, and cancelled repetitions, without, how-
ever, sacrificing any valuable thought. On the whole both his work
and that of Ebrard are marked by great learning, soundness, and
ability, and being carried out on the plan and in the spirit of their
predecessor's, they will constitute an entire Commentary on the New
Testament, unique in its place, and of inestimable value to the
Biblical student.
TABLE OF CONTENTS,
THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.
INTRODUCTION.
FACT
1. The First Readers of the Epistle 9
2. Of the Genuineness of the Epistle 16
3. Time and Place of the Composition of the Epistle 20
4. Course of Thought in the Epistle 23
6. Literature 24
EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS.
FIRST PAKT.
1. Thanksgiving for Salvation in Christ 27
2. Thanksgiving for the Faith of the Readers 42
3. Of the Unity of the Believers in Christ 65
SECOND PAET.
4. The Harmony of the Faith 92
5. Detached Moral Precepts 112
6. Precepts for Matrimony and the Family 133
7. Of the Spiritual Combat 146
THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS.
INTRODUCTION.
1. Of the Genuineness of the Epistle 157
2. Of the False Doctrines which were Prevalent in Colossae 161
3. Course of Thought in the Epistles 167
4. Literature . 168
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO THE COLOSSIANS.
FIKST PART.
PAQB
1. Thanksgiving for the Faith of the Readers in Salvation in Christ ............ 169
2. Warning against False Teachers ..............................
3. General Ethical Precepts
4. Special Moral Precepts
SECOND PART.
227
'
THE EPISTLES TO THE THESSALONI ANS.
INTRODUCTION.
l. Of the Occasion of the Epistles 2
2. Of the Genuineness of the Epistles 2
S 3 Course of Thought in the Epistles 25
9KQ
4. Literature '
EXPOSITION OF THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS.
FIRST PART.
1. Thanksgiving for the Faith of the Readers 253
2, Account of Paul's Labours in Thessalonica 258
8 3. Of Paul's Desire to see the Thessalonians 265
SECOND PART.
4. Exhortations to a Holy Life 272
5. Instructions as to Christ's Advent 277
6. Concluding Exhortations 292
EXPOSITION OF THE SECOND EPISTLE TO THE THESSALONIANS.
1. Thanksgiving for the Faith of the Christians in Thessalonica 299
2. Of the Conditions of the Happening of Christ's Advent 306
3. Concluding Exhortations 335
THE EPISTLE TOTHE PHILIPPIANS.
INTRODUCTION.
1. Of the Church at Philippi 343
2. The Occasion and Contents of the Epistle . 340
TABLE OF CONTENTS. VT1
PAOT
3. The Time and Place of Composition 347
4. Genuineness and Integrity of the Epistle,
1. Genuineness , 349
2. Integrity 360
5. Literature 862
EXPOSITION OP THE EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS.
1. Inscription and Thanksgiving for their Steadfastness in the Faith 363
2. The Apostle's Statement respecting Himself. 372
3. The Apostle's Earnest "Wish with Eespect to the Church 384
4. Announcement of his Intention to send Timothy, and of his having sent back
Epaphroditua 412
5. "Warning against the Possibility of being Led Away 417
6. Concluding Exhortations to Particular Individuals, and to the Church at large*
Expression of Thanks. Salutations 445
THE PASTORAL EPISTLES.
GENERAL INTRODUCTION.
ON THE GENUINENESS OF THE PASTORAL EPISTLES.
1. The Problem 465
2. The External Testimonies 466
3. Solution of the Problem on the Supposition of their being not Genuine. Their
Genuineness Impugned and Defended 467
4. Attempt at the Solution of the Problem on the Supposition of the Genuine-
ness of the Epistles 600
6. Literature 642
THE EPISTLE TO TITUS,
INTRODUCTION.
I. The Historical Testimonies of the Epistle concerning itself. 643
II. Critical Objections 551
EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE TO TITUS.
1. Inscription and Salutation 555
2. Instructions in Regard to the Appointment of Presbyters 563
3. "What Titus is to Teach in Opposition to the False Teachers, and how he is to
Act . ... / 587
4. Personal Matters. Salutations. Conclusion 619
Appendix to the Introduction to the foregoing Epistle 621
EXPOSITION
Of THE
EPISTLE TO THE EPHESIANS
INTRODUCTION,
1. THE FIRST READERS OF THE EPISTLE.
PAUL came, for the first time, to Ephesus, the famous capital of
proconsular Asia, as he, after a year and a half's sojourn in Corinth,
was concluding his second missionary journey, and was travelling
thence to Jerusalem. However, on this occasion he only touched at
Ephesus, and stayed but a few days there (Acts xviii. 19, 20). Nev-
ertheless, he even then formed connexions, and was besought to pass
a longer time there ; but a vow compelled him to haste ; he there-
fore soon took leave, though with the promise of returning thither
for a longer visit. This promise he very soon performed ; after
ending his journey, he left Jerusalem once more for his third mis-
sionary journey, and went through Gralatia and Phrygia directly to
Ephesus. Now, he found here so favourable a soil for the gospel,
that he remained here two years and three months, and founded a
prosperous church. (Acts xix. 8, 10.) He would probably have
stopped there still longer, had not the goldsmith Demetrius obliged
him, by a tumult, to leave the city. Meanwhile, the church in
Ephesus had been sufficiently established. Judaism and G-entilism
threatened it no more, but internal schisms through false teachers
were imminent. When, therefore, Paul, in his last journey to Jerusa-
lem, passed through Miletus, he sent thither for the presbyters of the
Ephesian church, and took leave of them in a moving speech. (Acts
xx. 17-38.) At a later period John chose for himself Ephesus as a
centre for his comprehensive labours in Asia Minor. Their effects
were so considerable, that a few decennia later Pliny was already
obliged to write to Trajan that paganism appeared to be almost en-
tirely lost in hither Asia. (Plin. Ep. x. 97.)
To this important church in Ephesus the second of the shorter
epistles of Paul is, according to its superscription and title, addressed.
But extrinsic and intrinsic reasons combine to excite doubt as to that
destination of the epistle. First, as to the extrinsic reasons. But
little stress were to be laid on the fact in itself that MSS. B. and
67 have not KV E^taw in the text (for the former, the Codex Vati-
canus, has at least the words in the margin, and that by the original
12 INTRODUCTION.
hand, and in Codex 67 they are wanting only ex emendatione), but
this want becomes important by its coincidence with other data.
For Tertullian informs us in his controversy with Marcion (adv. Marc.
v. 11): praetereo hie et de alia epistola, quam nos ad Ephesios pras-
scriptum habemus, hasretici (Marcion cum suis) vero ad Laodicenos ;
with which chapter xvii. of the same work is to be connected, where
the words run : ecclesise quidem veritate (i. e., according to mere eccle-
siastical tradition) epistolain istam ad Ephesios habemus emissam,non
ad Laodicenos ; sed Marcion ei titulum aliquanto interpolare (i. e. }
according to Tertullian's usual language, merely corrumpere, whether
addenda or delendo) gestiit, quasi et in isto diligentissimus explora-
tor. Nihil autem de titulis interest, quum ad omnes scripserit Apos-
tolus, non ad quosdam. According to this, therefore, even in the
time of Tertullian our epistle was known as an Epistle to the Ephe-
sians ; only Marcion and his sect declared it to be addressed to the
Laodiceans. Tertullian does not intimate what reading they found
in the passage Eph. i. 1, but it lies in the nature of the case that
they could not have read iv 'E^txroj, if they considered the epistle as
addressed to the Laodiceans. Now, true as might have been, on
the whole, Tertullian's charge against Marcion, that he had altered
the text of the Scriptures, so far as he received them, yet it is not
easy to see what could here have influenced him to the alteration.
Dogmatical reasons determined him in his alterations ; but these
could find no application here. However, this notice of the African
Father upon the Marcionite dealing with the epistle, becomes im-
portant only through the more accurate communication which we
owe to Basil. (Basil. M. cont. Euuom. operum, vol. i. p. 254, edit.
Gamier.) For this Father gives us express information as to
the state of the MSS., and that, too, of the old MSS., in the
passage Eph. i. 1. He informs us that the reading was : rolg dyiotg
roZ? ovat K al morals & Xpiory 'Iijoov, with the important addition :
OVTU yap Kal ol rrpb fauv napctfedtiitaoi, Kal ^ iv rolg TTO^wotf ru>v
avnypd^v efyfaiv*. Thus Basil grounds on traditkra, and his
own inspection of old MSS. the conviction, that the words to 'E</, t W
were wanting in the exordium of our epistle ; the Father even uses
this reading for a dogmatical argument; he finds in it that Paul
the Ephesians imj, an intimation that they through the
knowledge of faith, were essentially united to Christ, the only truly
existing. (To% Ttywfotf imoT&b* u> C yvrpfa; ,^'WKC ro5 torn 6f
as^, OVTO.S airoiX; id^ovr^ Avd^ey O) Through this acCU-
">.
INTKODUCTION. 13
rate communication Tertullian's reports as to the nature of the Mar-
cionite text, as also the state of some of our MSS., certainly become
very important.
To these extrinsic arguments, which are calculated to excite
doubts whether our epistle is addressed to the Ephesians, are added
intrinsic ones also, by which these doubts are very much confirmed.
We should expect from the relation of Paul to the Ephesian church,
that some personal allusions to it and its members would be prom-
inent features in the epistle. But such are altogether wanting.
True, a hearty cordiality pervades the epistle, but that is based
merely on the common consciousness of faith, not on personal ac-
quaintance and friendship. The circumstance that Paul had com-
missioned Tychicus, the bearer of the epistle, to relate of him by
word of mouth (vi. 21, 22), certainly in some measure explains a
total want of greetings and personal intelligence ; but still it is
hard to think, in the case of an epistle of Paul to a church in
which he lived longer than two years, that he should have spoken
of their faith as if he had only heard of it by report (i. 15), and
that he leaves in doubt whether the readers had heard of the grace
of God which had been given to him (iii. 2). Thus, even apart from
extrinsic reasons, the contents of our epistle itself lead us to sup-
pose a wider circle of readers, whose circumstances were not known
to the apostle in the same degree as those of the Ephesians must
have been ; for, that Paul means to address only those converted after
his departure from Ephesus, who were therefore as yet unknown to
him, is a totally inadmissible assumption, as nowhere is such a dis-
tinction among the Christians at Ephesus hinted at.
We might resolve this difficulty by assuming that our epistle
is the one written to the Laodiceans, of which mention is made
Col. iv. 16, as Grotius, Mill, Wetstein, and lately Holzhausen,
have asserted. For Paul did not know the Laodiceans per-
sonally ; therefore the passages of our epistle, which surprise us
as addressed to the Ephesians, would seem quite well adapted to
the church in Laodicea. It was also obvious to seek in the similar
assumption of the Marcionites a historical basis for this view, the
rather that Marcion originated in Asia Minor, and therefore we
might suppose his manuscripts to contain the purest text. But
there are decisive reasons against this assumption. Had Paul writ-
ten at the same time to the Christians in Colossas and in Laodicea,
he would not certainly have commissioned the Colossian Christians
to make his greetings to the Laodiceans also (Col. iv. 15). Fur-
ther, Paul's wish, that the Laodiceans might read the Epistle
to the Colossians, seems to have but little motive, on the assump-
stood in the greeting, and therefore ovai is to be taken in a pregnant sense), for the rea-
son developed in what follows.
14 INTRODUCTION.
tion that the Epistle to the Ephesians is the one addressed to the
Laodiceans, because this epistle is of similar purport, in general, with
that to the Colossians, and the Laodiceans could have no particular
interest, after the more detailed epistle directed to them, in read-
ing the shorter one to the Colossians, which was calculated for par-
ticular circumstances. The epistle mentioned Col. iv. 16 must
rather he considered as lost, since, as will be immediately shewn
in detail, to the assumption of the Marcionites, that the Epistle
to the Ephesians was intended for the Christians in Laodicea, no
exclusive importance can be ascribed, since this circumstance ad-
mits of a simple explanation in another way, without supposing
any corruption of the text. We can adopt, therefore, for the solu-
tion of the difficulty as to the destination of our epistle only this
one assumption, viz., that the Epistle to the Ephesians was an en-
cyclical one, i. e., that it was meant to circulate among a number of
churches, and to be read in their assemblies. For this supposition,
which completely explains the character of the epistle, the greater
number, and the most eminent, of the modern critics have accord-
ingly decided. However, it is still a question, even supposing the
correctness of this general view, how the Ephesians were exactly
situated with regard to this number of churches, for whom this
epistle was intended, and how we are to establish the original
reading in the salutation. The Epistle to the Ephesians can by
no means be understood so encyclical as not to include in the
number of the churches, for which it was especially intended, the
Ephesian church itself; on the contrary, it must be regarded as
the first church in that number ; as the one to which the epis-
tle was given first of all by Tychicus that they might forward it
to the others (vi. 21, 22). This appears from the fact, that in all
the Fathers without exception, even in Basil, our epistle is taken as
an Epistle to the Ephesians. Marcion alone interprets it as an
Epistle to the Laodiceans, as we saw ; but even in him it remained
doubtful, whether he read iv Aaoducda in the salutation, or, as is
more probable, had no name of a city at all in the text, just like
Basil's MSS. That this variation of Marcion's does not express
the general view of the ancient church is irrefragably established by
the fact, that, before Marciou, Ignatius, in his Epistle to the Ephe-
siaiis, mentions our epistle as one addressed to the Ephesian church.
(Ignat. ad Eph. cap. xii. in the shorter recension of these epistles,
which, according to the latest investigations, is to be considered as
genuine.) This universal concord would be completely inexplicable,
f the epistle had not been especially addressed to the church in
Ephesus, much more if this was entirely excluded. On the other
hand, it is quite comprehensible (unless we choose to suppose that
it was merely Col. iv. 16 that was the cause of this supposition), that
INTRODUCTION. 15
if our epistle was addressed, among others, to the Christians in
Laodicea, it could be occasionally considered as an Epistle to the
Laodiceans (from, which, however, the one mentioned Col. iv. 15
must still be supposed different), of which view a vestige seems to
have remained among the Marcionites. Tertullian's charge of a
designed corruption of the text is in this point clearly without any
probable ground. Thus, then, there only remains this further
question, how the original text in Eph. i. 1, may have stood. Ac-
cording to the above-cited passage of Basil, the oldest MSS. known
to him seem to have left out the ev 'E0(ra), so that rdlq ovat nal mo-
Tolg were closely united ; for he deduces from this passage, as we
already remarked, that he supposes the readers to have been thus
called ovreg, because they stood in connexion with Christ, the only
truly existing (rw ovri). But this interpretation, as similar ones
attempted in later times by Schneckenburger, Matthies and Meyer
(see Harless p. xlvii.), cannot possibly be recommended. The an-
alogy of the exordia of Paul's epistles is in favour of the name
of the city, or province, in which the readers of them are, directly
following the participle. But then, how shall the omission of iv
'E</>ea&> be explained, which took place in many old MSS.; and, on
the other hand, if we regard KV 'E0ea<y as the true reading, how could
an encyclical epistle be designated as addressed to the Ephesians
merely, especially as our epistle is addressed to Gentile Christians
(ii. 11) whereas the Ephesian church was composed of Gentile and
Jewish Christians (Acts xix. 17, xx. 21)? To the latter point, how-
ever, but little importance is to be ascribed, because all the churches
founded by Paul were predominantly Gentile-Christian, and could
not be otherwise from the mission which he undertook (Gal. ii. 9);
even if there were individual Jews among them, still Paul might
properly keep the mass especially in view, and remind them of their
former idolatry. For it must be supposed in the case of all the epis-
tles, and therefore here also, that Paul wrote to whole churches, not to
individuals of those churches, because he would by the latter course
have himself dissolved their unity in faith and love. But there could
scarcely have been any churches without some Jewish Christians.
The two other arguments, however, the omission of the KV 'E0t<rw in
some, and again the retention of the words in other MSS., can
surely be only explained, considering the encyclical destination of
the epistle, by the assumption,* that either Tychicus was provided
with several copies of the epistle, and that in them the space for the
proper city was left blank for filling up ; or that copies of the epis-
tle were made in Ephesus for different places, and, as it was known
to be an encyclical epistle, the iv 'E^eaw was put, not in all, but
* The author of this hypothesis is Usher, the famous Archbishop of Armagh, in his
Annal. Munch' ad arm. 64, p. 686.
INTRODUCTION.
onlyinthe copies intended for Epbesus and its neighbourhood ; while
asEphesus was the chief city of Asia, most copies naturally went
out from it, which therefore spread that reading. The objection has
been made (see Harless, p. xlv.) to this hypothesis (as to which i
is immaterial whether it be received thus or modified),
transfers the usages of modern times to the ancient world," incor-
rectly, as it appears to me. Copies must have been taken, as much
in olden time as in the present day, of an epistle addressed to sev-
eral churches, whether by the bearer himself, or by those to whom
the epistle came first ; and that in these copies the name of the
place either was wanting at first, or was afterwards left out by the
copyists, who knew the encyclical destination of the epistle, seems
also to be entirely analogous to the state of things at all times.
This supposition therefore of Usher, Hug, and others, has ever
seemed to me the most suitable solution of the difficulty, which, if
we reject it, we are obliged to leave unsolved.
2. OF THE GENUINENESS OF THE EPISTLE.
While our epistle maintained the character of an apostolical
production, as well throughout the early church as in later ages,
without any dispute, the critics of our days have attempted to cast
doubts on the correctness of this tradition. Schleiermacher expressed
himself doubtful as to the origin of our epistle, but his reasons have
not as yet been published. De Wette also (Introd. p. 221, seq.), is
just as doubtful, but confesses that the reasons are as yet insufficient
for rejecting it. Meanwhile we need not apprehend that plausible
reasons will fail the sharp-sighted hyper-criticism of other theolo-
gians,* in order to reject this epistle also, along with others, as not
Paul's. Let us examine cursorily, since the publication of the rea-
sons for the non-genuineness of this epistle has not yet taken place,
what may be considered as arousing suspicion. Historical arguments
of the sort are entirely wanting, with the exception of the one
which ( 1) was adduced as to its destination. But uncertainty as to
the first readers of an epistle can only then excite suspicion as to the
declared author, when corroborated by some other important points.
Such the internal character of the epistle is said to suggest. De
Wette (ubi supra p. 220) expresses himself on these points in the
following fashion : " In the Epistle to the Ephesians we are surprised
by a style which when compared with that of others of Paul's epis-
tles, is quite too loose (this sounds as if looseness were, in general, a
* According to Baur in his work against Rothe, Paul's Epistles to the Romans, Co-
rinthians, and Galatians, are alone decidedly genuine ; all the others are spurious, or more
or less suspicious.
INTRODUCTION. 17
characteristic of Paul's mode of discussion), overladen with paren-
thetical and subordinate clauses, disjointed, rich in words, but poor
in new ideas, and varying in particulars, as also by many things in
its conceptions, opinions, and mode of teaching. Certainly, these
reasons are not sufficient for rejecting the epistle, which contains so
much which is worthy of Paul, and scarcely to be expected of an
imitator, and, which antiquity has always acknowledged as gen-
uine." The arguments here cited as arousing suspicion, are, how-
ever, of such a description that very little, if any, stress is to be
laid on them. As to the remarks, first of all, on the form of our