πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει πνευματικῇ, ^{10}περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς
πᾶσαν ἀρέσκειαν· ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ
σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει] ‘_wisdom and intelligence_.’ The two words are
frequently found together: e.g. Exod. xxxi. 3, Deut. iv. 6, 1 Chron.
xxii. 12, 2 Chron. i. 10 sq., Is. xi. 2, xxix. 14, Dan. ii. 20, Baruch
iii. 23, 1 Cor. i. 19, Clem. Rom. 32. So too σοφοὶ καὶ συνετοί, Prov.
xvi. 21, Matt. xi. 25, and elsewhere. In the parallel passage, Eph. i.
8, the words are ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ φρονήσει, and the substitution of
φρόνησις for σύνεσις there is instructive. The three words are mentioned
together, Arist. _Eth. Nic._ i. 13, as constituting the intellectual
(διανοητικαὶ) virtues. Σοφία is mental excellence in its highest and
fullest sense; Arist. _Eth. Nic._ vi. 7 ἡ ἀκριβεστάτη τῶν ἐπιστημῶν ...
ὥσπερ κεφαλὴν ἔχουσα ἐπιστήμη τῶν τιμιωτάτων (see Waitz on Arist.
_Organ._ II. p. 295 sq.), Cicero _de Off._ i. 43 ‘princeps omnium
virtutum,’ Clem. Alex. _Pæd._ ii. 2, p. 181, τελεία ... ἐμπεριλαβοῦσα τὰ
ὅλα. The Stoic definition of σοφία, as ἐπιστήμη θείων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων καὶ
τῶν τούτων αἰτιῶν, is repeated by various writers: e.g. Cic. _de Off._
ii. 5, Philo. _Congr. erud. grat._ 14, p. 530, [Joseph.] _Macc._ 2,
Clem. Alex. _Pæd._ ii. 2, p. 181, _Strom._ i. 5, p. 333, Aristob. in
Eus. _Præp. Ev._ xiii. 12 p. 667). And the glorification of σοφία by
heathen writers was even surpassed by its apotheosis in the Proverbs and
in the Wisdom of Solomon. While σοφία ‘wisdom’ is thus primary and
absolute (_Eth. Nic._ vi. 7 μὴ μόνον τὰ ἐκ τῶν ἀρχῶν εἰδέναι ἀλλὰ καὶ
περὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἀληθεύειν), both σύνεσις ‘intelligence’ and φρόνησις
‘prudence’ are derivative and special (_Eth. Nic._ vi. 12 τῶν ἐσχάτων
καὶ τῶν καθ’ ἕκαστον). They are both applications of σοφία to details,
but they work on different lines; for, while σύνεσις is critical,
φρόνησις is practical; while σύνεσις apprehends the bearings of things,
φρόνησις suggests lines of action: see Arist. _Eth. Nic._ vi. 11 ἡ μὲν
γὰρ φρόνησις ἐπιτακτική ἐστιν ... ἡ δὲ σύνεσις κριτική. For σύνεσις see
2 Tim. ii. 7 _νόει_ ὃ λέγω, δώσει γάρ σοι ὁ Κύριος _σύνεσιν_
ἐν πᾶσιν. This relation of σοφία to σύνεσις explains why in almost every
case σοφία (σοφός) precedes σύνεσις (συνετός), where they are found
together, and also why in Baruch iii. 23 οἱ ἐκζητηταὶ τῆς συνέσεως, ὁδὸν
δὲ σοφίας οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, we find σύνεσις implying a tentative, partial,
approach to σοφία. The relation of σοφία to φρόνησις will be considered
more at length in the note on the parallel passage, Ephes. i. 8.
πνευματικῇ] The word is emphatic from its position. The false teachers
also offered a σοφία, but it had only a show of wisdom (ii. 23); it was
an empty counterfeit calling itself philosophy (ii. 8); it was the
offspring of vanity nurtured by the mind of the _flesh_ (ii. 18). See 2
Cor. i. 12 οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ σαρκικῇ, where a similar contrast is implied,
and 1 Cor. i. 20, ii. 5, 6, 13, iii. 19, where it is directly expressed
by σοφία τοῦ κόσμου, σοφία ἀνθρώπων, σοφία τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου, ἀνθρωπίνη
σοφία, etc.
10. περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως κ.τ.λ.] So 1 Thess. ii. 12, Ephes. iv. i; comp.
Phil. i. 27. The infinitive here denotes the consequence (not
necessarily the purpose) of the spiritual enlightenment described in ἵνα
πληρωθῆτε κ.τ.λ.; see Winer § xliv. p. 399 sq. With the received text
_τοῦ_ περιπατῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἀξίως κ.τ.λ. the connexion might be
doubtful; but this reading is condemned by external evidence. The
emphasis of the sentence would be marred by the insertion of ὑμᾶς. The
end of all knowledge, the Apostle would say, is conduct.
τοῦ Κυρίου] i.e. ‘of Christ.’ In 1 Thess. ii. 12 indeed we have
περιπατεῖν ἀξίως τοῦ Θεοῦ; but St Paul’s common, and apparently
universal, usage requires us to understand ὁ Κύριος of Christ.
ἀρέσκειαν] i.e. ‘to please _God_ in all ways’; comp. 1 Thess. iv. 1 πῶς
δεῖ ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν καὶ αρέσκειν Θεῷ. As this word was commonly used to
describe the proper attitude of men towards God, the addition of τοῦ
Θεοῦ would not be necessary: Philo _Quis rer. div. her._ 24 (I. p. 490)
ὡς ἀποδεχομένου (τοῦ Θεοὖ τὰς ψυχῆς ἑκουσίου ἀρεσκείας, _de Abrah._ 25
(II. p. 20) τὰς πρὸς ἀρέσκειαν ὁρμάς, _de Vict. Off._ 8 (II. p. 257) διὰ
πασῶν ἰέναι τῶν εἰς ἀρέσκειαν ὁδῶν, with other passages quoted by
Loesner. Otherwise it is used especially of ingratiating oneself with a
sovereign or potentate, e.g. Polyb. vi. 2. 12; and perhaps in the higher
connexion, in which it occurs in the text, the idea of a king is still
prominent, as e.g. Philo _de Mund. Op._ 50 (I. p. 34) πάντα καὶ λέγειν
καὶ πράττειν ἐσπούδαζεν εἰς ἀρέσκειαν τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ βασιλέως. Towards
men this complaisance is always dangerous and most commonly vicious;
hence ἀρέσκεια is a bad quality in Aristotle [?] (_Eth. Eud._ ii. 3 τὸ
λίαν πρὸς ἡδονήν) as also in Theophrastus (_Char._ 5 οὐκ ἐπὶ τῷ βελτίστῳ
ἡδονῆς παρασκευαστική), but towards the King of kings no obsequiousness
can be excessive. The ἀρέσκεια of Aristotle and Theophrastus presents
the same moral contrast to the ἀρέσκεια here, as ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσκειν to
Θεῷ ἀρέσκειν in such passages as 1 Thess. ii. 4, Gal. i. 10. Opposed to
the ἀρέσκεια commended here is ἀνθρωπαρέσκεια condemned below, iii. 22.
ἐν παντὶ κ.τ.λ.] i.e. ‘not only showing the fruits of your faith before
men (Matt. vii. 16), but yourselves growing meanwhile in moral stature
(Eph. iv. 13).’
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