Biblical commentary on the New Testament - The Christian ...

Matthew XII. 31, 32. 461
rem. on 1 Peter iii. 18, scq.) This is also indicated by such passages
as Matth. v. 26, compared with xviii. 34, for the being cast into prison
till one shall have paid the uttermost farthing, is evidently very differ-
ent from KQlmq alcoviog, eternal punishment. (Comp.^the remarks on
Matth. xviii. 34 ; Luke xvi. 19, seq.) But that the doctrine of the for-
giveness of some sins in the a/wv jueAAwv, ivoi'Id to come, is not in con-
tradiction with the doctrine of the judgment, is she^vn by the following
exposition of the relation of alibv ovrog to the aluv jut'AAwv. For
the former expression, the New Testament uses also Ci vvv al6v (Tit.
ii. 12 ; 2 Tim. iv. 10), Kaigbg ovrog (Mark x. 30), aiojv rov Koaiiov toC-
rov (Ephes. ii. 2), aluv tveorcbg novrjQog (Gal. i. 4). Instead of alu)V
jxeXXuv we find also the expressions : aluv 6 kQxoiievog (Mark x. 30),
alu)v EKELvog (Luke xx. 35), alCiveg tTTepxoiievoi (Ephes. ii. 7). The
phrase : Koa^og neXXc^v does not occur. The old controversy about
the relation of the Rabbinical terms t:^^: t\hy and xa^t, which was
carried on with so much vehemence between Witsius and Rhenferd
(comp. Ko'p'pe's Exc. i. on the Epistle to the Ephesians), as to
whether the Messianic period or eternity is to be understood by
a/wv iieXXo)Vj is somewhat barren, and does not touch the substance
of the contrast ; the aluv [xeXXojv^ coming age, comprehends indeed
l^th (just as the (iamXeia rov Qeov, comp. remarks on Matth iii. 2),
the phrase, however, having a preponderating reference now to the
one, now to the other relation. In general, the ali)v neXXuv forms
the contrast to the whole temporary order of things, the peculiarity
of which is, that in it good and evil are mixed together. In so far
it stands intermediate between the kingdom of light and that of
darkness, and forms the contrast to the kingdom of heaven. For,
although the good has assuredly its root in the temporary order of
things, yet the evil apparently prevails, on which account. Gal. i. 4,
the present age or world {aluv Ivearug) is even termed 77ov7](i6g^ evil,
PaoiXeia rov dpxovrog rov aitorovg^ the kingdom of the jyrince of dark"'
ness. With this temporary order of things is contrasted the fu-
ture one, which terminates the blending of good and evil, and estab-
lishes in its purity the dominion of the former. The term : a/wv
fiiXXov, with its synonyms, is therefore related to the ISamXeia roi
Qeov; it only views the same phenomenon from a different point,
and is somewhat differently iised. It is not applied to individuals,
as is the ftamXeia rov Qeov (comp. remarks on Matth. iii. 2) ; it is
nowhere said : the a/wv ^eXXcov exists for some one, or in some one.
It has reference always to the collective body of the church, or of
mankind. But, on the other hand, the icsits loquendi is in so far
the same, that the expression alcov ntXXo)Vj as well as the king-
dom of God is used in a twofold sense as to its manifestation ; sometimes
it appears as having already come and taken effect ; at others,
as still future. Instances in which the ali^v ji^XXov appears as al-