Galatians 1:22 - Exposition

And was unknown by face ( ἤμην δὲ ἀγνοούμενος τῷ προσώπῳ ); but I was all the while unknown by face. The dative τῷ προσώπῳ , "by face," or "in person," marks (see Winer,' Gram. N. T.,' § 31, 6, a) the sphere to which a wider term is restricted, as ταῖς φρεσίν ( 1 Corinthians 14:20 ). Its addition prepares the reader for the subsequent intimation that, though unknown by personal presentment, he was not unknown by repute καρδιᾳ ). The widened form of the verb, ηπμην ἀγνοούμενος , instead of ἠγνοούμην , intimates the long-continued period, represented by the words "all the while" in our rendering, for which the statement held good; which observation applies also to the ἀκούοντες ἧσαν of Galatians 1:23 . The word "still," introduced in the Revised Version, imports, as I humbly venture to think, on idea not actually expressed in the Greek. The apostle states no more than that the Churches of Judaea had at that time no opportunity of coming to know him personally. There is no ἔτι , They had, that is (for this is what seems intended), no opportunity of knowing him in his new character as a disciple of Christ. Whether or not they had known him in the terrible aspect of an unrelenting persecutor, is a matter which for the present lies out of the field of view. The period to which the apostle means this remark of his to apply may be assumed to be the whole time between his conversion and the close of this stay of his in " Syria and Cilicia." This, as we learn from the Acts, terminated with Barnabas's fetching him to join him in his work at Antioch. After this he did become known to the disciples of Judaea. Unto the Churches of Judaea which were in Christ ( ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις τῆς ἰουδαίας ταῖς ἐν χριστῷ ). This honorific form of designation, "which were in Christ," breathes a feeling on the part of the apostle of reverential respect for those Churches, as already organized communities vitally united to Christ, while he was as yet only beginning his Christian life (comp. Romans 16:7 , "Who were also in Christ before me"). This ceremonious respectfulness is the more in place, inasmuch as the apostle had reason to know that the doctrinal position which he fell himself set to defend, in reference to obedience to the Mosaic Law, was generally distasteful to Jewish believers. Grateful is it, however, to his own feelings to recollect, and now thus publicly to recognize, the kindness and devout thankfulness which in those early days of his Christian career they had evinced with reference to him (see note on verse 24). At the same time, his entire independence of the whole Jewish community when first beginning to preach is plainly indicated. It was from no Judaean Church any more than from Jerusalem and its apostles and elders that he derived the gospel which he had then and ever since been proclaiming. If we take the bearing of the clause, "which were in Christ," as above proposed, we have no need of

; and they only from time to time heard say. They did not see him in person, but only heard about him. The dilated imperfect, ἀκούοντες ἦσαν , applying to the whole space of time here referred to, suggests the insertion in the translation of the words, "from time to time." The ὅτι is inserted after the Greek idiom in introducing the very words spoken in oratio directa , as in Matthew 7:23 ; Mark 2:1 ; John 1:40 ; John 4:1 , etc. That he which persecuted us in times past ( ὅτι ὅ διώκων ἡμᾶς ποτε ); he that once was persecuting us. The διώκων is in the procter-imperfect participle, of which we have examples in τυφλὸς ὤν ἄρτι βλέπω , John 9:25 ; οἵ ποτε ὄντες , Ephesians 2:13 ; τὸ πρότερον ὅντα βλάσφημον , 1 Timothy 1:13 . Now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed ( νῦν εὐαγγελίζεται τὴν πίστιν ἥν ποτε ἐπόρθει ); now preacheth the faith which once he was making havoc of. The use of the term "faith" is the same as in Acts 6:7 , "Were obedient to the faith," which is equivalent to the "obeying the gospel" mentioned Romans 10:16 . The object to the verb εὐαγγελίζομαι is always something which is announced, never a thing which is required (cf. e.g. Luke 2:10 ; Acts 5:42 ; Acts 10:36 ; Ephesians 2:17 ; Ephesians 3:8 ); so that "faith" here cannot mean the faith which men are to render to Jesus, but the doctrine which they are to believe, to wit, that Jesus is Christ the Saviour. We have here the early beginnings of that objective sense in which afterwards the word got to be so commonly used in the Church to denote the Christian doctrine. In the second clause, "which he was sometime making havoc of," the "faith" is identified with the Church which held it (comp. Romans 10:13 ). We may heartily accept Estius's comment, cited by Meyer, "Quia Christi fidelibus fidem extorquere nitebatur," while we still think it intolerably harsh to understand "faith," as Meyer does, in a subjective sense.