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

THE PAULINE EPISTLES. bd
ness of the second Epistle of Peter is now disputed, and certainly
much that is of an imposing nature can be alleged against it. Still,
however, all that can be said does not, I am convinced, demonstrate
its spuriousness, while there is certainly much evidence of its genu-
ineness. At any rate, this mention of a collection of Paul's Epistles
should not be urged against the genuineness of the second Epistle
of Peter, as all acknowledge that nothing certain is known in regard
to the formation of this collection. But on these points we will
Bpcak more at large hereafter.
If it be admitted, however, that Paul himself made the collection
of his Epistles, or at least, caused it to be made at Rome under
his direction, we have then an explanation of the fact, that in regard
to the genuineness of this collection, as in regard to that of the
Gospels, not the slightest doubt ivas ever expressed. Members of the
Catholic church in all parts of the world, as also of the various sects,
make use of the collection and of the indi\adual Epistles, without
allowing themselves to intimate the smallest doubt in regard to
them. Now, this undeniable fact is wholly irreconcilable with the
supposition that all or any Epistles in the collection are spurious.
Indeed, the first suj)position, that all the Epistles of Paul are spu-
rious, has never been maintained, and never can be, except in de-
spite of all history. But even the idea that one or two spurious,
forged Epistles may have obtained a place in the collection, is
hardly to be reconciled with the universal acknowledgment of all
the Epistles in the church of ancient times. Consider only, how
universally Paul was known in the early church ! From Spain
(which in all probability he visited), he had travelled about through
Italy and all G-reece to the remotest countries of Asia Minor, Syria,
and Arabia ; he had resided for years in some of the large cities of
the then known world, in Rome, Corinth, Thessalonica, Ephesus,
Antioch, Ceesarea, Jerusalem ; he had everywhere founded numerous
churches, and maintained the most active intercourse with them.
How, then, when he was so well known, could a work be forged in
his name, with any prospect of its being generally acknowledged ?
The impossibility of this occurrence is the more evident, from the
fact that all Paul's Epistles are addressed to important churches,
or to persons living in well-known places. If those who received
the Epistles were not always designated, then it might be supposed
travagant. Our English translation, by inserting the word his in the phraseology of
Peter, has somewhat modified the sense of the original, and weakened tlie force of Ols-
hausen's remarks. The Greek expression is, h irdnaic: ralr iiriaToXalc, i. e., perhaps, in
all the Epistles. Now, though it would give an intelligible sense to these words to sup-
pose that Peter meant to make his observation concerning Paul's Epistles generally, of
which be presumed some might, and some might not, have come to the knowledge of
those to whom he wrote ; still, it can hardly be disputed, that his phraseology becomes
much more natural, if we suppose a current collection of the Epistles.—T.