ner ; only the restriction of the " walking in wisdom" (nepinarelv
iv (7o0ia) to non- Christians (jrpbg rovg lw) is peculiar to this pas-
sage. Eph. iv. 29 is parallel with ver. 6, as to matter, but not as to
form. What is here expressed positively is there given negatively,
thus : TTaf Adyof GdTrpbg EK rov oro^aro^ vp&v fj,fj t:itiropevJ;a6<*). The
%dpi<;, which is here recommended in conversation, points most to the
necessity of meekness ; the tiXart riprv^vog, seasoned with salt, which



COLOSSIANS IV. 7-11.

follows, denotes, on the contrary, the animating and seasoning qual-
ity which should mark the speech of the believer at the same time,
in order to be able to give every one such address and answer as be-
comes a child of God. At Mark ix. 50 it is said just in the same
way, PXETE KV lavTois aXa^. (See at Matth. v. 13.)

Vers. 7-9. To these verses, too, Eph. vi. 21, seq., is parallel.
As we have already remarked in the Introduction to the Epistle to
the Ephesians, Tychicus brought both epistles, that to the Ephe-
sians and that to the Colossians. According to ver. 9, Onesimus, of
whom particulars will be noted in the Introduction to the Epistle
to Philemon, was in Tychicus' company. (Ver. 7. 'Ev nvpfai refers
not merely to ovvdovXo^, but also to did/covo^ and <MeA06$\ Ver. 8.
The reading yvwre rd rcepl fytiv has such important authorities for it
that we cannot hesitate to prefer it. Biihr thinks, as the same thing
is put in vers. 7 and 9, it would be inconceivable that Paul should
again have said in ver. 8 that he would communicate to the readers
news of himself ; it would be more reasonable to suppose he had
here expressed the wish to hear through Tychicus something of the
readers too. But that very consideration might easily cause the al-
teration of the original text. But a more accurate view also will
shew that there is no mere repetition in these verses ; for in ver. 7
Paul announces that Tychicus will make communications to the
readers as to his state ; in ver. 8 he remarks that he has sent this
his fellow-labourer expressly for the purpose of making these com-
munications ; finally, in ver. 9 he speaks not of himself alone, but
of all that was occurring in Home, where he wrote. Here, therefore,
he gives news of the circumstances of the church in general, not of
himself alone.

Vers. 10, 11. Paul first transmits greetings from some fellow-
countrymen, born Jews, Aristarchus, Marcus, and Jesus with the
surname of Justus. Aristarchus has already been named Acts xix.
29, xx. 4, and his name occurs also Philem. ver. 24. Marcus' name
often occurs in the Acts, especially xii. 12, 25, xv. 37, 39, and he is
also named by Paul at Philem. ver. 24 ; 2 Tim. iv. 11. We see by
this passage that he was connected with Barnabas which throws
light on the relation of these two to one another, according to the
accounts of the Acts. (See the Comm. on Acts xv. 37.) It does
not admit of being determined what the addition -nepl ov IXdQere t'v-
roXdg, concerning which ye received commands, refers to. It is to
be presumed that the ''commands" had proceeded from Paul, but
it is wholly unknown through whom they had come to the Colos-
sians, and what they embraced. Mosheim's opinion, that they must,
from the words immediately following, have referred to the reception
of Marcus if he came to Colossae, is very improbable ; because neither
would the plural (tVroAaf) have been used, nor would the command



COLOSSIANS IV. 12, 13. 237

need to be repeated., if the Colossians were already informed that
Marcus was coming, and was to be well received. The third Jewish
Christian from whom Paul sends a salutation, Jesus, with the sur-
name Justus, is known no further. Here we find that the name of
Jesus is still given to other persons also ; in later times it was dis-
used in the church, out of reverence towards the Redeemer. It
seems striking that Paul designates these three alone as his fellow-
labourers in the kingdom of God, as he in vers. 12 and 14 transmits
salutations from several more, who must surely, therefore, have also
been in his circle. We may presume, however, that the \i6voi refers
to the preceding ovreg KK. 7repitO|u%, thus designating these three as
the only Jewish Christians who approved themselves to him as fel-
low-labourers in the kingdom of God, and so became a comfort unto
him. For the majority of the Jewish Christians were his opponents,
and prepared grief for him, instead of comfort. (Ver. 11. HapT/yopm
is found in the New Testament only here. Plutarch often uses the
term in the sense " comfort/')

Vers. 12, 13. To this are annexed salutations from Gentile
Christians, and first from Epaphras, the apostle of the Colossians
and of the Christians of the neighbouring cities of Laodicea and Hie-
rapolis. (See on Col. i. 7.) Epaphras was a Colossian born (6 e
fyiwv), and therefore took an especially hearty interest in his nearer
and more remote countrymen. This interest declared itself by ear-
nest prayer for them, which Paul compares with a spiritual wrestling
and a labouring. The object of this supplication of Epaphras is the
spiritual welfare of the Christians there : they are, as being perfect,
to stand fast (with an allusion to the fight which the faithful have
to wage in the world), and as neTT^pufisvot Iv travrl 0eA4u<m rov Qeov.
It is very intelligible that the transcribers stumbled at these words ;
in fact A.C.D.F.G. read TreTrA^po^opT/^evoj, which Lachmann, in ac-
cordance with his critical principles, was obliged to receive into the
text. But precisely the circumstance that 7re7rA7/po0op^evoi is better
and more easily connected with the arjjre rekeioi makes it more
probable that it is a correction of the copyists. If, however, we
compare at Col. i. 9, 'iva TrA^pudfjre rt}v imyvuaiv rov de^f^aroc, it is
conceivable how Paul could employ along with reXeioi the term rte-
TrAT/pWjuevot. To be filled but defines more closely perfection, as the
being filled with the Holy Ghost is meant, by which alone man is
made perfect. The words ev -navrl BeAjjfian rov Qeov, in all the will
of God, connect themselves quite naturally with Tren^pu^Evot. For
the interpretation defended by Bahr, " by means of, or by virtue of,,
the whole will or decree of God/' is forbidden by the use of ndv.
The whole will of God has unmistakably its reference to the ideas
of perfection and of the being filled, in which it arrives at fulfilment.
The connexion of TrkrjpovoOat with ev has no difficulty ; at Eph. v. 18



238 COLOSSIANS IV. 14, 15.



we read Tr^rjpovoOe KV -rrvevfian, and we see no reason why that pas-
sage should be translated, with Biihr, " through the Spirit." Being
filled by or through anything presupposes a being in that element,
and accordingly Tr^jjpovadat is united immediately with iv. But the
referring of rrXTjpovodai here to the will, rests upon the view that God's
will is one with his Spirit and Essence ; " to be filled with the whole
will of God" is to be made capable, through the Spirit, of executing
the will of God in every relation. The two cities which Paul names
in ver. 13 as near Colossse are both situated in Phrygia. Laodicea,
situate on the Lycus, was a very considerable city, to the church of
which one of the seven epistles in the Kevelation is addressed.
(See Rev. iii. 14.) Hierapolis was only a small place, but has be-
come celebrated in the ancient history of the church by means of
the well-known bishops of the church there, Papias and Claudius
Apollinaris.

Vers. 14, 15. Further salutations are delivered from Luke and
Demas. It has been doubted whether the Luke named here is the
Evangelist ; for it has been said Paul meant by the designation 6
Jarpof, the physician, to distinguish this Luke from the well-known
Evangelist, whom Paul, at 2 Tim. iv. 11 designates by no addition.
But Bengel has already pertinently remarked in opposition to this,
that in an Epistle to Timothy the person of Luke required no more
definite designation, but it did in an epistle to a whole church,
among the members of which might be many who did not know
Luke more nearly. Therefore, not to multiply without reason the
persons of the same name mentioned in the Bible, we take this
Luke for the Evangelist. As to the rest, tradition differs with respect
to his calling : it is well-known that he is also designated as a painter ;
however, the two might be conceived as combined in him, the physi-
cian's art and love for painting, if the account of his works as a
painter did not belong to too late a time to be able to lay claim to
credibility. (See Winer's Encyclopedia in voc.) Demas, contracted
from Demetrius, is brought in without an epithet of praise ; as he,
according to 2 Tim. iv. 10, again fell in love with the world, and
forsook Paul, it is not improbable that Paul even then was not quite
satisfied with him, when he wrote to the Colossians. Paul delivers
salutations to the brethren of the neighbouring chuch in Laodicea,
and especially to Nymphas and the Christians who were associated
with the church which was in his house. (See on KKK^aia ar' OIKOV
at Rom. xvi. 5.) As to the rest, this man is not to be supposed in Co-
lossse, but in Laodicea ; at Colossae Philemon had the church in his
house (Philem. ver. 2). True, there might have been several places
of meeting in Colossae ; but the way in which Paul proceeds (ver.
16) to speak of the church in Laodicea makes it extremely probable
that Nymphas belonged to it and not to the Colossian church. (The



COLOSSIANS IV. 16. 239

reading avr^g for avrov, which B. defends, Lachraann has received
into the text ; A.C. read avr&v. This latter reading is explained
only by the hypothesis that avr&v was joined to t-KK^aiav, and re-
ferred to the brethren in Laodicea. AVTT^, however, doubtless arose
from the circumstance that Nymphas was erroneously looked on as
a woman's name.

Ver. 16. In what follows Paul further orders, that, when this
epistle has been read among the Colossians, it may be imparted to
the Christians in Laodicea also, and vice versa. We see from this
that the epistles to churches were not merely read by the presbyters,
but also publicly read out in the congregations. This is probable
even of private epistles from apostles (see Tit. iii. 15), if they hap-
pened to offer a more general interest. In 1 Thess. v. 27 Paul ex-
pressly declares that his epistle is to be read out before all of the
brethren. As to the rest, the reciprocal communication of the
apostolical epistles, recommended in this passage, explains the rapid
spread of the writings of the New Testament into all the churches
of the then existing world, and their great multiplication by means
of copies. The regular public reading of the New Testament writ-
ings in the congregations of the faithful first came into use' much
later, of course ; in the beginning they used only the books of the
Old Testament for that purpose.

The closing words of this verse alone occasion difficulty. The
reading KV for KK is supported by too few vouchers to be taken into
the text. But the words i] emaro^rj KK, Aaodtiteiag admit of being
variously explained. However, the context clearly shews that the
discourse here is of an Epistle of Paul's ; we must not, therefore, re-
fer these words to an epistle of the Laodiceans to Paul ; but as Paul
himself never was in Laodicea, the words cannot express, either,
" read also that epistle which I have written from Laodicea." The
IK is rather chosen by Paul only because he put himself in the posi-
tion of the Colossians receiving the epistle. It came from Laodicea
for them; it therefore was for them r] ImaTohr) rj in AaodtKelag, though
it was addressed by Paul to the Christians in Laodicea. But is the
Epistle here meant that to the Ephesians, which might be intended
for Laodicea also as an encyclical epistle, or is it to be considered as
distinct from the Epistle to the Ephesians, and therefore as lost ?
This question has already been decided in the Introduction to the
Epistle to the Ephesians. The Epistle to the Laodiceans mentioned
here by Paul must be regarded as a lost composition, and by no
means identical with the Epistle to the Ephesians. For, even
granting that the Epistle to the Ephesians was, as an encyclical
epistle, addressed to the church in Laodicea conjointly with that in
Ephesus, still the charge of Paul here in ver. 16 scarcely admits of



240 COLOSSIANS IV. 17-19.

being interpreted of that epistle : for, considering the near affinity
of the Epistles to the Ephesians and to the Colossians, Paul could
have no special occasion further to refer the Christians in Colossae
expressly to the Epistle to the Ephesians. Surely, too, the same
Tychicus brought both epistles ; according to this it is hardly prob-
able that the circular epistle could have come so quickly from Ephe-
sus to Laodicea that Paul could, in his Epistle to the Colossians,
designate it as already to be found in Laodicea.

Ver. 17. Nothing justifies us in placing Archippus, to whom
Paul gives a special charge, in Laodicea. Philem. ver. 2 shews that
he was in Colossse ; from his being associated with Philemon and
his wife it is possible that Archippus was Philemon's son. The ex-
hortation given him here is most simply explained ,on the assump-
tion that the ecclesiastical office, the worthy fulfilment of which
Paul here recommends, had but a short time previously been com-
mitted to Archippus. For, after the way in which Archippus is
named at Philem. ver. 2, we cannot well imagine any blame of him
here. Inasmuch, however, as the exhortation is bestowed on Archip-
pus through the medium of the church, it reminds him more forcibly
of his obligation towards the church which he serves. Conclusions
as to the relation of ministers to the churches, and as to the depend-
ence of the former on the latter, in the time of the apostles, can in
no wise be made from this passage. (In itself dianovia might mean
every form of ministry in the church, but from Philem. vers. 1, 2 it
is probable that Archippus was deacon in Colossae, while Philemon,
his father, was bishop there. The tv icvpiu is to be joined with
TroptA,a/3ef, with which word it is especially connected by its position.
As to the construction of the clause, it is far-fetched, with Bohmer
to combine /3/U-7re rrjv dianoviav, and to take the words in the sense,
" fix your eyes on the ministry !" Bht-neiv occurs so nowhere in the
New Testament except Phil. iii. 2. It is better with Bahr and
others, to suppose that (3keneiv is here used in the sense, " to be on
one's guard, to look before one," which is usual in the New Testa-
ment. With this construction avrr\v at the end of the verse is then,
according to the Hebraizing style, redundant, since diaicoviav depends
on TrA^poZf.)

Vers. 18, 19. The salutation by his own hand shews that Paul,
as usual, dictated the epistle ; from Col. i. 1, Timothy was, we may
suppose, the writer of the Epistle to the Colossians. The addition,
however, is not merely an expression of Paul's love, but is also a
mark of the authenticity of the epistle. (See the remarks on 2
Thess. ii. 2, iii. 17.) In the request, \ivr\\iovKvtrf. pov r&v dea/^wv, we
are not to suppose assistance in money, but aid by supplication ;
and that, too, partly by prayer for patience and other Christian



COLOSSIANS IV. 18, 19. 241

virtues, partly for a speedy deliverance from bonds. That Paul
hoped for a speedy deliverance when he wrote this epistle is clearly
shewn by Philem. ver. 22. True, there has already been' above, Col.
iv. 3, a mention of supplication for Paul, but merely in respect io
his labours in the ministry, not in respect to his personal condition.

The usual blessing, ^ %dpi$ peO' vfitiv, finally closes the epistle.
VOL. V. 16



EXPOSITION



OP THE



EPISTLES TO THE THESSALONIANS.



1. OF THE OCCASION OF THE EPISTLES BEING WRITTEN.

THE city of Thessalonica in Macedonia was originally called
Therinas ; it first received the name of Thessalonica from Cassander.
On the conquest of Macedonia by the Komans it was fixed on for
the chief city of the second district of that province, and, as such,
was the seat of. the Koman authorities.* The city now bears the
name of Salonichi. As early as at the time of the Koman dominion
there dwelt a numerous body of Jews at Thessalonica, as is still the
case, because, being situated on a fine gulf, it carried on an extensive
commerce. To this body of Jews many G-entiles of consideration,
especially women, had united themselves as proselytes. (Acts xvii.
1, seq.) Now, when Paul, about the year 53, visited Thessalonica
with Silas, on his second missionary journey, f he came on three suc-
cessive Sabbaths into the synagogue there, and shewed from the pro-
phecies of the Old Testament that Jesus of Nazareth was the Mes-
siah. The space of a few weeks sufficed to assemble the church in
Thessalonica ; a remarkable testimony to the Divine power which
manifested itself in the labours of Paul. It is true, Schott thinks
the three Sabbaths mentioned in Acts xvii. 2 related merely to his
labours among the Jews, and that it is to be presumed Paul had
laboured a longer time among the Gentiles. But, according to the
representation of the Acts, the tumult of the Jews, which drove
Paul out of Thessalonica, followed immediately on the third Sab-
bath ; there is no mention at all of special labours of Paul merely
among the Gentile inhabitants of Thessalonica. To Schott's argu-
ment that Paul worked at his craft in Thessalonica (1 Thess. ii. 9 ;
2 Thess. iii. 7, 8), which he did only where he meant to remain a
rather long time, we reply simply by saying that Paul seems, no
doubt, to have had the design of remaining a longer time than usual
in Thessalonica, but was hindered from doing so by the tumult.

* See Tafel's Historia Thessalonicae. Tubing., 1825.

f See Schottii isagoge hist, critica in utramque epistolam Pauli ad ThesscJanicenses.
Jenae, 1830, and Burgerhoudt de co&tus Christ. Thess. ortu fatisque, et prioris epist. consilio
atque argumento. Lugd. Bat, 1825.



246 INTRODUCTION.

Finally, the manifold supplies, of which mention is made Phil. iv.
16, refer, not to the^rs^ sojourn of Paul in Thessalonica, but to the
latter one, which followed on his flight from Ephesus (Acts xx. 1,
seq.) Among the dwellers in Thessalonica who became believers
but few Jews were found (Acts xvii. 4 : nvt-f 1% avrwv [scil.
lovdaiuv verse 1] eTTEiadqoav) ; on the other hand, however, a great
number of proselytes, especially many women of rank. This success
excited the envy of the Jews, who raised a mob which drove Paul
away. The rioters assembled before the house of a certain Jason,
with whom Paul dwelt (Acts xvii. 5); and, as they did not find Paul
and Silas, dragged Jason along with some of the brethren before the
magistrates. In their malice they here accused them of high trea-
son, in that they acknowledged another sovereign than Caesar,
namely Jesus. For the rest, we perceive from this charge what
the epistles themselves confirm, that Paul might in Thessalonica
have represented Christ as the king of the anticipated kingdom of
God. In order to moderate the rage of the Jews, Paul left the
city, and went first to Beroaa, then to Athens. His yearning after
the Christians in Thessalonica, to whom he had only been able to
devote himself so short a time, left him, however, no peace : he
made, probably from Beroea, two attempts to return to that city, but
in vain. (See 1 Thess. ii. 18.) There remained, therefore, nothing
for him but to send thither Timothy at least from Athens (1 Thess.
iii. 1, seq.) in order to collect information as to the state of things
there. Paul meanwhile betook himself to Corinth, and here
Timothy, who brought with him the best accounts of the young
church in Thessalonica, again met with the apostle. (Acts xviii. 5 ;
1 Thess. iii. C.) Hereupon Paul wrote from Corinth the first Epistle
to the Thessalonians, taking notice of the reports of Timothy ; its
composition, therefore, falls within the year 54, or thereabouts. A
very short time thereafter the second epistle was also sent off. (Cf.
the general Introd. to the life of Paul, vol. iii., p. 434.) The Epistles to
the Thessalonians are, accordingly, the earliest among the apostolical
writings which have been preserved to us. They fall some years
even before the composition of the Epistle to the Galatians. This
view, which is all but generally received by the critics, has been re-
cently again victoriously defended by Schneckenburgcr (Klaiber's
Stud, for 1834, part i. p. 137, seq.) against Wurm, who thought it
necessary to set the composition of these epistles after the journey
from Corinth to Jerusalem, only hinted at by Luke, to be supplied
in Acts xviii. 22. (Tubingen Journal for 1833, part i.) But Wurm
has on his side again refuted with striking arguments, Schrader's (vol.
i., pp. 90, seq., 164, seq.) utterly inadmissible hypothesis, that the
Epistles to the Thessalonians were written during the three months'
stay of Paul in Greece (Acts xx. 2, seq.), and Kohler's, who places



INTRODUCTION. 247

them even as late as the latest times of Paul's life, after the Acts
(pp. 68, seq., 112, seq.)

Now the first Epistle to the Thessalonians contains, like that to
the Ephesians, entirely general encouragements to the life in faith
and in love. Only in the fourth chapter (iv. 13, seq.) mention is
made of a particular point which affords an insight into the special
condition of the church in Thessalonica, and at the same time was
the occasion of the composition of the second epistle. For, as we
have already observed above, Paul seems in Thessalonica to have
especially preached Christ, as King of the kingdom of God, and the
hope of the setting up of that kingdom on earth. This the Chris-
tians there had eagerly caught up, but not without misapprehensions
and mistakes, as being inexperienced in that difficult field. Their
view was directed more to externals, more to the outward glory of
that kingdom, than to the moral conditions of participation in
it, and to its spiritual nature. Because of this outward rela-
tion to such hopes, it also happened that (as Timothy, we may
suppose, had reported) the Christians were in anxiety whether their
dear departed ones would not lose the kingdom of G-od, and those
only come to the enjoyment of it who should be alive at the second
coming of the Lord. Now Paul relieves them on that point by the
assurance that the dead would rise first, and the living be, along
with them, lifted into the air to meet the Lord. - The time, how-
ever, of his advent, did not admit of being fixed, as the Lord would
come like a thief in the night, They should, therefore, continu-
ally expect him, and be found watching as children of the light.
However, these instructions by no means relieved the Christians in
Thessalonica. On the contrary, symptoms developed themselves
there which afforded reason to fear that the church would become a
prey to enthusiasm. Probably Paul was indebted for the knowl-
edge of these errors to an epistle of the Christians in Thessalonica
to him. He therefore replied immediately in a second epistle, in
order to bring back those in error as soon as possible into the right
way. For it is apparent from 2 Thess. ii. 2 that the believers in
Thessalonica were thrown into great agitation, and that, too, not
merely by pretended revelations and prophecies, but also by a fic-
titious epistle under the name of Paul, from which they thought
they might gather that the coming of Christ was quite near. They
had, in consequence of those announcements, given up their handi-
crafts and callings (2 Thess. iii. 11), and went about in a state of
religious bustle but real idleness, a proceeding of which, according
to the first epistle (1 Thess. iv. 11), signs had shewn themselves
even earlier among the Christians of Thessalonica. With regard
to that error, as if Christ's coming were certainly immediately im-
pending (whereas, in the first epistle, v. 1, seq., it was only asserted



248 INTRODUCTION.

the Lord might come at any time), Paul now details the necessary
conditions, without which that coming would not take place. It is
particularly the appearance of Antichrist which must precede the
coming of Christ ; but this is still kept back by something. Before,
therefore, this is removed the Lord comes not. This explanation (2
Thess. ii. 3, seq.) is extremely important, because it is the only con-
nected communication of Paul's on the end of the world. We
therefore obtain by means of it a necessary complement to the doc-