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VirginiaHuguenot · #19 (**permalink**) 05-30-2007, 09:22 AM

William Gouge:

Quote:

Sec. 4. Of the author of this epistle.

The proofs before produced for the divine authority of this epistle give evidence that an apostle, or some other extraordinary minister, immediately inspired and infallibly insisted1 by the divine Spirit, was the author of it.

Some have supposed it to be written by Luke the evangelist, or by Clemens ;2 some by Apollos, whose learning and eloquence, joined with great piety, is much commended,3 who also, in special, is said to have mightily convinced the Jews, Acts xviii. 24, 25, 28.

But the evidences following do more than probably evince that Paul the apostle was the author of this epistle.

1. The ancient Greek churches accounted it to be St Paul's, and thereupon prefixed this title before it, The Epistle of Paul, &c.4 And in the catalogue of St Paul's epistles this is reckoned up ; whereupon there are said to be fourteen epistles of St Paul.

2. Both matter and manner of penning this epistle is agreeable to St Paul's other epistles.5

3. That which St Paul styleth his ' token in every epistle,' 2 Thes. iii. 17, is also in the close of this epistle thus set down : ' Grace be with you all, Amen.' Indeed, in most of his epistles he styles it ' the grace of Jesus Christ;' yet in both his epistles to Timothy and to Titus, it is as here.

4. The mention which is made of Timothy, who was St Paul's associate, of whom he oft makes men¬tion in his other epistles, and gives the same epithet to him that is here, our brother Timothy. Compare with Heb. xiii. 23 ; 2 Cor. i. 1 ; Phileni. 1.

To shew that that very Paul is here meant who was immediately called by Jesus Christ, and infallibly assisted by his Spirit, he is described by his extraor¬dinary function, the apostle. Hereof see chap. iii. 1. Thus much of the author.

Objections made against this penman of this e.pistle are answered in their due places. See Chap. II. Sec. 27.

1 Qn. 'assisted'?—Er>.
2 Origines, ut refert Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 1. vi. c. xxv.
3 Beza in Annot. major.
4 Παύλ(υ του Άνοα-^όλου, &c. Ita scriptum invenimus in omnibus Mostriscodicibusexceptouno.—Beza ioc citat.; Euseb. Hist. Eccl. 1. iii. c. iii. Plurima patrum testimonia, citan-tur a Whitakero.—Controv. i. de S. Script, q. i. c. xvi.
5 Vide Piscat. Prolegom de autliore hujus Epist. β Vide August, de Civ. Dei. 1. xvi. c. iii.; et Flor. Josep. Antiq. Jud. 1. i. c. xiv.

Quote:

Sec. 27. Of confirming the gospel to them that then lived.

About confirming the gospel, this clause is added, ίίς ημ&ζ, ' to us.' Hereby the penman of this epistle includes himself in the number of those to whom the gospel is here said to be confirmed, as he did before in the number of those whom he exhorted to give diligent heed to the gospel, and to beware that they let not slip what they had heard; and whom he told, that they should not escape if they neglected so great salvation.

From this expression, 'confirmed to us by them that heard him,' we may well infer that this epistle was written in the apostle's days; yea, and by one of the apostles.

Of the author of this epistle, see the title, Sec. 4.

But, on the contrary, it is by many1 hence inferred that neither Paul nor any other of the apostles was the author thereof, because he saith that it was confirmed to them by the apostles. Whence they gather, that the penman hereof received not the gospel from Christ, which Paul did, Gal. i. 12 ; and all the other apostles, Mat. xxviii. 20, Acts i. 8.

Many answers may be given to this objection.

1. The two Greek pronouns of the first and second persons plural, ημείς, νμεΐς, have so small a difference, and that in one only letter, as one may soon be put for the other. Judicious Beza2 saith that he hath oft noted this mistake. If, therefore, the second person plural were here put, thus, ' was confirmed to you,' si ς υμάς, that scruple is clean taken away.

2. This phrase, unto us, may be referred to the time as well as to the persons; as if it had been thus translated, until us, or to our days, έως εις ημοίς; implying that the gospel, from Christ's own preaching thereof, was confirmed by the apostles to their very days.

3. The apostle may use the first person, as he was a member of that mystical body, whereof they, to whom he wrote, were also members, and by virtue of that communion, included himself; though it did not in particular concern himself, Thus he puts himself in the number of those who shall be living at Christ's last coming, where he saith, ' we shall not all sleep,' 1 Cor. xv. 51, yet he himself slept many hundred years ago. So 1 These, iv. 17.

4. The gospel might be confirmed to Paul by other apostles, though it was immediately revealed unto him by Jesus Christ. Not that that confirmation wrought in him any greater assurance of the truth thereof, but that it established the church more therein, by the mutual consent of other apostles with him; to this purpose, saith the apostle, ' I communicated unto them the gospel, &c., lest by any means I should run, or had run in vain,' Gal. ii. 2.

5. The confirmation here intended may have re¬ference to the miracles which were wrought by the apostles. Thus might the gospel be confirmed, not only to other believers, but also to the apostles them¬selves ; even by the miracles which they themselves and others also did. To this purpose tends the prayer of the apostles, Acts iv. 29, 80,

6. The words do not necessarily imply that the pen¬man of this epistle, or any other person, was confirmed, but rather that the gospel itself was confirmed. Here¬of see Sec. 25.