II. ^1 Θέλω γὰρ ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι, ἡλίκον ἀγῶνα ἔχω ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν καὶ τῶν ἐν
Λαοδικίᾳ καὶ ὅσοι οὐχ ἑώρακαν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ἐν σαρκί, ^2 ἵνα
παρακληθῶσιν αἱ καρδίαι
II. 1–3. ‘I spoke of an _arena_ and a _conflict_ in describing my
apostolic labours. The image was not lightly chosen. I would have you
know that my care is not confined to my own direct and personal
disciples. I wish you to understand the magnitude of the struggle, which
my anxiety for you costs me—for you and for your neighbours of Laodicea
and for all who, like yourselves, have never met me face to face in the
flesh. I am constantly wrestling in spirit, that the hearts of all such
may be confirmed and strengthened in the faith; that they may be united
in love; that they may attain to all the unspeakable wealth which comes
from the firm conviction of an understanding mind, may be brought to the
perfect knowledge of God’s mystery, which is nothing else than
Christ—Christ containing in Himself all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge hidden away.’
1. Θέλω κ.τ.λ.] as in 1 Cor. xi. 3. The corresponding negative form, οὐ
θέλω [θέλομεν] ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, is the more common expression in St Paul;
Rom. i. 13, xi. 25, 1 Cor. x. 1, xii. 1, 2 Cor. i. 8, 1 Thess. iv. 13.
ἀγῶνα] The arena of the contest to which ἀγωνιζόμενος in the preceding
verse refers may be either outward or inward. It will include the
‘fightings without,’ as well as the ‘fears within.’ Here however the
inward struggle, the wrestling in prayer, is the predominant idea, as in
iv. 12 πάντοτε ἀγωνιζόμενος ὑπὲρ ὑμων ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς ἵνα σταθῆτε
κ.τ.λ.
τῶν ἐν Λαοδικίᾳ] The Laodiceans were exposed to the same doctrinal
perils as the Colossians: see above pp. 2, 41 sq. The Hierapolitans are
doubtless included in καὶ ὅσοι κ.τ.λ. (comp. iv. 13), but are not
mentioned here by name, probably because they were less closely
connected with Colossæ (see iv. 15 sq.), and perhaps also because the
danger was less threatening there.
καὶ ὅσοι κ.τ.λ.] ‘_and all who_, like yourselves, _have not seen_,
etc.’; where the καὶ ὅσοι introduces the whole class to which the
persons previously enumerated belong; so Acts iv. 6 Ἄννας ὁ ἀρχιερὲυς
καὶ Καΐαφας καὶ Ἴωαννης καὶ Ἀλέξανδρος _καὶ ὅσοι_ ἦσαν ἐκ γένους
ἀρχιερατικοῦ, Rev. xviii. 17 καὶ πᾶς κυβερνήτης καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἐπὶ τόπον
πλέων καὶ ναῦται _καὶ ὅσοι_ τὴν θάλασσαν ἐργάζονται. Even a simple
καὶ will sometimes introduce the general after the particular, e.g. Acts
v. 29 ὁ Πέτρος καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι, Ar. _Nub._ 413 ἐν Ἀθηναίοις καὶ τοῖς
Ἕλλησι, etc.; see Kühner _Gramm._ § 521, II. p. 791. On the other hand
καὶ ὅσοι, occurring in an enumeration, sometimes introduces a different
class from those previously mentioned, as e.g. in Herod, vii. 185. As a
pure grammatical question therefore it is uncertain whether St Paul’s
language here implies his personal acquaintance with his correspondents
or the contrary. But in all such cases the sense of the context must be
our guide. In the present instance καὶ ὅσοι is quite out of place,
unless the Colossians and Laodiceans also were personally unknown to the
Apostle. There would be no meaning in singling out _individuals_ who
were known to him, and then mentioning comprehensively _all_ who were
unknown to him: see above p. 28, note 84. Hence we may infer from the
expression here, that St Paul had never visited Colossæ–an inference
which has been already shown (p. 23 sq.) to accord both with the
incidental language of this epistle elsewhere and with the direct
historical narrative of the Acts.
ἑώρακαν] For this ending of the 3rd pers. plur. perfect in -αν see Winer
§ xiii. p. 90. The received text reads ἑωράκασι. In this passage the ω
form has the higher support; but below in ver. 18 the preponderance of
authority favours ἑόρακεν rather than ἑώρακεν. On the use of the form in
ο see Buttmann _Ausf. Griech. Sprachl._ § 84, I. p. 325.
2. παρακληθῶσιν] ‘_encouraged_, _confirmed_,’ i.e. ‘comforted’ in the
older and wider meaning of the word, (‘confortati’), but not with its
modern and restricted sense: see παράκλησις Phil. ii. 1. For παρακαλεῖν
τὰς καρδίας comp. iv. 8, Ephes. vi. 22, 2 Thess. ii. 17.
------------------------------------------------------------------------