Timothy to Hebrews - The Preterist Archive

First Timothy III. 1. 67
sent passage. On the whole subject, see on ver. 7. Aet ovv, thus the
apostle begins, these words being placed emphatically before what
follows, just as the 6el yap in Tit. i. 7. Ovv as an inference from
/ea/l ov Spyov, and not merely as connecting what follows with the preceding.
The excellence and dignity of the office do not consist with
moral turpitude on the part of the office-bearer. 'AvemXrjTTToVj properly,
" one against whom nothing can be laid," occurs only in our
epistle, comp. however emkafxfidveodaL in Luke xx. 20. The word is
not unusual elsewhere, comp. Wahl. Passow.
And Planck well observes,
that the term djiiw^/of, to which Schleiermacher refers, is used
by the apostle likewise only in the two contemporary Epistles to the
Ephesians and the Colossians, and in these occurs several times. We
may learn from this predicate being placed first, what is the true
point of view from which the whole passage should be considered ;
comp. on Tit. i. 6. We find here, as there, that the stress is laid
on the moral repute in which the person to be chosen is held among
those over whom he is to preside. He must stand pure and blameless,
free especially from the reigning vices, if he is to be able
rightly to fulfil the duties of his office. Here also, as in the passage
in Titus to which we have referred, it appears to me that the emphasis
which is laid on the qualification, husband of one wife, is to
be explained by the regard which is had to the prevailing opinions
on morality. Comp. on Tit. Olshausen is also of the same opinion.
On the import of this qualification, which can be explained only of
second marriage, as Olshausen also thinks, Schleiermacher's prejudice
against our epistle, as Dr. Baur has already observed, becomes
very glaring. In Tit. i. 6, according to Schleiermacher, we have no
reason to understand the words otherwise than of polygamy, properly
so-called ;
here, on the other hand, they must, on account of
ver. 9, be understood of deuterogamy. The latter assertion is certainly
correct ; but if the words are to be understood here, there
can be no reason for explaining them difierently in Tit. i. 6 ; and if
the necessity of explaining the words of second marriage in our
epistle is to be taken as a mark of spuriousness, this applies to the
epistle to Titus, as well as to the first Epistle to Timothy (Baur. p.
115). We have already said all that is necessary on this subject in
connexion with the corresponding passage on Titus. The farther
qualifications which are mentioned, and which for the most part are
of a more external kind, are also to be explained from the same
point of view, and with reference to the prevailing faults and vices.
N?;0aAiof is taken in a metaphorical sense by some, so Chrysostom,
V7j(f)dX,t,ov, rovreoTt diopariKov, nvpiovg exovTa navTors 6(j)daXfxovg, etc.,
and Theodoret. But we do not find it used any where else in this
special reference to the office, comp. ver. 11 ; Tit. ii. 2 ;
rather in
the metaphorical sense it would be " sober = prudent, discreet, in