Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

34 First Timothy I. 8-10.
ment of the design of the law fully agrees, and it alone will explain
why the apostle here enumerates a series of the worst vices which
the law is designed to punish. It fares with those teachers of the
law that, while they would be wise, they become fools ; while they
boast of a higher wisdom and a higher morality, they really bring
themselves down to the level of the dvofxoi. For this very reason the
apostle says of them, that they know not loliat they say nor luhereof
they affirm.—On KeXadat in the signification, " to be ordained, appointed,"
comp. Luke ii. 34 ; Phil. i. 17 ; 1 Thess. iii. 3. On vofiog,
without the article, Winer's Gr., § 19, 1, p. 109. AiKaiog has here
its exact opposite in what follows, according to which it cannot be
understood of the justified person = diKaicddeig, but in the sense
which it often has = honest, virtuous, which indeed he only can
be who is justified, and who has received the new life of the spirit.
Comp. on the whole subject, G-al. v. 18, 23 ; Kom. vi. 14. Then
follow as opposed to diKaio), the general terms, dvonoig ds koX dwnordicToig.
On dvofxog^ comp. Tit. ii. 14. 'Kw-noraKTog^ as the efiect of
obstinacy, occurs only in the Pastoral Epistles in this sense ; similar
to it is the term d-neidElg often used by the apostle. As these two
terms are connected with each other, so also are the two following,
do£J3eoi Kal dfiapro)Xolg, and in like manner dvoalotg Kai (ie(iriXoLg.
daeiirig, comp. Tit. ii. 12. 'AjuaprwAof here denotes the open sinner.
On dvooiog, Tit. i. 8. BefirjXog, Heb. xii. 16, unholy, impure. From
these general terms, the apostle passes to special crimes and vices
which the law is designed to restrain. He purposely names the worst
crimes and vices, in order thus to expose the folly of those who make
the observance of the law to be binding upon Christians, and thereby
fancy that a special superiority belongs to them. " The law is designed
for fratricides and matricides, for manslayers, for whoremongers,
for Sodomites, for menstealers (comp. Ex. xxi. 16 ; Deut. xxiv.
7), for liars, for perjured persons, and whatsoever is contrary to
sound doctrine." With regard to the first three of these terms,
Schleiermacher remarks that they are all foreign to the New Testament,
and also, that Paul is not wont to name such vices in such a
connexion. These remarks remind us anew, of how difi'erently the
ipostle goes to work, when he elsewhere opjDOses the Judaizers. And
n^hat proper sense can we attach to what the apostle here says, when
viewed as directed against the Judaizers, namely, that the law is not
designed for the righteous, but for the laivless ? He surely cannot
intend to say ; in reference to the lawless, etc., those Judaizers are
right in their way of enforcing the observance
On
of the law, but not
in reference to the righteous. The entire distinction between the
dUaiog and the dvo/jLog, as here given, has not the slightest reference
to the question of dispute between the apostle and those opponents.
For as they could not be supposed to insist on the righteousness by