defective (1 Thess. 3:10), and of the amendment of that which is faulty (Gal. 6:1; comp. Mark 1:19). Comp. Ign. Eph. 2; Phil. 8; Smyrn. 1; Mart. Ign. 4.
Chrysostom remarks wisely on the choice of the word, pavlin marturei' aujtoi'" megavla : to; ga;r katartizovmenovn ejsti to; ajrch;n e[con ei\ta plhrouvmenon .
The general phrase
ejn panti; ajgaqw'/
conveys the thoughts expressed by the explanatory glosses
e[rgw/
and
e[rgw/ kai; lovgw/
.
eij" to; poih'sai
...]
to the end that you do
.... Action is the true object of
the harmonious perfection of our powers. And each deed is at once the deed of man and the deed of God (
poih'sai, poiw'n
). The work of God makes man's work possible. He Himself does (
aujto;" poiw'n
), as the one source of all good, that which in another sense man does as freely accepting His grace. And all is wrought in man through Jesus Christ. Comp. Acts 3:16.
to; eujavr. ejnwvp. aujtou'
] Compare 1 John 3:22
ta; ajresta; ejnwvpion aujtou'
; and for
ejnwvpion aujtou'
Acts 4:19; 1 Pet. 3:4; 1 Tim. 2:3; 5:4.
dia; jIhsou' Cristou'
]
Eij mesivth" genevsqai qeou' kai; hJmw'n hjqevlhsen eijkovtw" dij aujtou' oJ path;r to; eujavreston aujtw'/ eij" hJma'" ejpitelevsei
(OEcum.).
w|/ hJ dovxa
...] The doxology may be addressed to Christ as in 2 Tim. 4:18; 2 Pet. 3:18; Apoc. 1:6. The Greek, however, admits the reference of the relative to the main subject of the sentence,
oJ qeov"
(cf. Heb. 5:7; 2 Thess. 2:9), and this is the most likely interpretation. Primasius combines both persons: Cui est gloria, id est, Deo Patri et Jesu Christo. Compare Additional Note.
eij" tou;" aij. tw'n aij.
] Comp. 13:8 note. The phrase occurs here only in the Epistle. It is common in the Apocalypse (twelve times, with the varied phrase
eij" aijw'na" aijwvnwn
in 14:11), and is found also in Phil. 4:20; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2 Tim. 4:18; 1 Pet. 4:11 (all doxologies).
The language of the Apostle's prayer has given occasion to an instructive expression of the characteristic differences of Greek and Latin theology in regard to man's share in good works. The Greek Commentators find in the word katartivzein the recognition of the free activity of man: the Latin Commentators see in the prayer itself a testimony to man's complete dependence upon God.
Thus Chrysostom writes:
oJra'/" pw'" deivknusi th;n ajreth;n ou[te ejk tou' qeou' to; o{lon ou[te ejx hJmw'n movnon katorqoumevnhn
:
tw'/ ga;r eijpei'n katartivsai
....
wJsei; e[legen [Ecete me;n ajreth;n dei'sqe de; plhrwvsew"
.
Theophylact goes farther:
o{ra o{ti dei' hJma'" provteron a[rcesqai kai; tovte aijtei'sqai to; tevlo" para; tou' qeou'
. And so OEcumenius
hJma'" dei' ejnavrxasqai to;n de; plhrou'nta iJketeuvein
.
On the other hand Primasius writes: A vobis nihil boni habere potestis nisi illo praeveniente et subsequente.... Per illum facti et redempti sumus, et
per illum quidquid boni habemus nobis subministratur. And this thought is forcibly expressed by Herveius in a note on Heb. 13:25: Haec est gratia quae mentem praevenit et adjuvat ut homo suae voluntatis et operationis obsequium subjungat; et dictum ex hoc ne de liberi arbitrii sui viribus praesumerent et quasi ex seipsis haec posse bene agere putarent (Herv.).
It is obvious that the two views are capable of being reconciled in that larger view of man's constitution and destiny which acknowledges that the Fall has not destroyed the image of God in which he was created. Every act