Philippians and Philemon - MR Vincent - 1906.pdf

4 PHILIPPIANS [l. 1, 2
themselves ' saints ' from the first oracle, when they were called
' a holy and peculiar people ' (Ex. ix. 6 ; Deut. vii. 6). For this
reason he added * that are in Christ Jesus.' For these alone are
holy, and those henceforward profane." Similarly Theoph, (See
DeUtzsch, Art. " Heiligkeit Gottes " in Herz. RL Enc.)
ev Connect with rots a.yioL'i. This, and the
;:
kindred formulas iv,iv, ,iv, are common
Pauline expressions to denote the most intimate communion
of the Christian with the living Christ. 'Ev occurs
48 times, iv 34, iv 50. These phrases are not found
in the Synoptic Gospels, though their equivalent appears in John
in the frequent ev ifjioi. The conception is that of a sphere or
environment or element in which a Christian lives, as a bird in the
air, a fish in the water, or the roots of a tree in the soil. Christ
glorified, Christ as /
(2
Cor. iii. 17), is the normal life-
element of the believer. He " puts on " Christ as a garment
(Gal. iii. 27). In Christ alone he truly lives, and his powers
.
attain their full range and efficiency. The order is invariably iv
The formula is elaborately and ably discussed by G. A. Deissmann in his
monograph Die neutestamentliche Formel ' in Christo Jesu^ Marburg, 1892.
He carefully traces the use of iv with the personal singular through the
Classics, the LXX and the N.T., and concludes that the phrase is original
with Paul. His discussion as to whether a material conception is at the
bottom of it, or whether it is a purely rhetorical mode of speech is not
important.
€7()79 :
^ DK read{-, " to the fellow-bishops." So Chrys., Theoph.
Render :
* with the superintendents and ministers,' and notice
that the mention of these officials is appended to the more special
salutation to the members of the Church. See Excursus at the
end of this chapter.
2. 5 ®eov 7