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Theopompus ( Pamph. fr. 2) perivstaton bow'sa th;n kwvmhn poiei' (‘causes the village to stand round her’).

( g ) The effort of Christians. Having marked our position and preparation as Christians, the writer bids us begin and continue the effort to which we are called with patient endurance.
dij uJmomonh'" ... ajgw'na ] For uJpomonhv see Heb. 10:36 note. The thought of this ‘patient endurance’ is prominent in the context (12:2 uJpevmeinen , v. 3 uJpomemenhkovta , v. 7 eij" paideivan uJpomevnete ).

For diav see 2 Cor. 5:7; Rom. 8:25. The dij uJpomonh'" stands first as colouring trevcwmen .

The construction of trevcein ajgw'na (Lat. strangely, curramus ad propositum nobis certamen ) is formed on trevcein drovmon : miserabile currunt certamen , Stat. Theb. 3.116.
to;n prok. hJmi'n ajgw'na ] The image of the race is common in St Paul: 1 Cor. 9:24 ff.; Gal. 2:2; Phil. 2:16; 3:12; 2 Tim. 4:7. Compare Acts 13:25; 20:24; Rom. 9:16.

It is found in classical writers: e.g., Eur. Orest. 847 yuch'" ajgw'na to;n prokeivmenon pevri dwvswn ; and in Philo, de agric. §§ 25 ff. (1.317ff. M.).

The ‘race’ is spoken of by the more general title of ‘a contest’ in regard to the strain and peril which it involves. Comp. Herod. 8.102 pollou;" pollavki" ajgw'na" dramevontai peri; sfevwn aujtevwn oiJ {Ellhne" . Eur. Or. 877 oJra'/" ... ajgw'na qanavsimon dramouvmenon . And still, as Chrysostom remarks, the Apostle chooses the image of athletic effort, which is least repellent: oujk ei\pe Pukteuvwmen, oujde; Palaivwmen, oujde; Polemw'men, ajllj o} pavntwn koufovteron h\n, to; tou' drovmou, tou'to eij" mevson tevqeiken .

Prokei'sqai ( proponi ) is the usual word in this connexion. God Himself has set our work and our prize before us as ajgwnoqevth" . Comp. Heb. 6:18.

( d ) The aim of Christians. 12:2. The encouragement to be drawn from earthly witnesses passes into the supreme encouragement which springs from the contemplation of Christ. Above the ‘cloud of witnesses,’ who encompass us, is our King, no Roman Emperor dispensing by his arbitrary will life or death to the stricken combatant, but One Who has Himself sustained the struggle which we bear. He Who is ‘the captain (author) of our salvation,’ ‘the righteous Judge’ (2 Tim. 4:8), is also the example and the inspiration of our faith. He in His humanity endured suffering and shame beyond all others and received compensating joy and glory. We therefore may hope by sharing His sufferings to share His glory (Rom. 8:17 ei[per sunpavscomen i{na kai; sundoxasqw'men ). Compare Thomas a Kempis De imit. 3.18, 3 Vita tua vita nostra: et per sanctam patientiam ambulamus ad te qui es corona nostra. Nisi tu nos praecessisses et docuisses, quis sequi curaret?
ajforw'nte" eij" ] Vulg. aspicientes in, looking away from all that distracts on earth into ...not only at the first moment, but constantly during the whole struggle. Contrast 5:1 ajpoqevmenoi . Christ is always near and in sight. The word does not occur elsewhere in the N. T. or in the LXX. (4 Macc. 17:10); but see ajpevblepen Heb. 11:26; and compare Arrian, Epict. 2.19, 29 eij" to;n qeo;n ajforw'nte" ejn panti; mikrw'/ kai; megavlw/ ; and id. 3.24, 16. Clement uses ajtenivzein eij" frequently: 1 Cor. 7, 9; 19 & c.


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