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2Co_3:12. Ἔχοντες οὖν τοιαύτ . ἐλπ .] οὖν , accordingly, namely, after what has just been said πολλῷ μᾶλλον τὸ μένον ἐν δόξῃ , sc. ἐστι . Since the ἐλπίς has its object necessarily in the future, and not yet in the present (Rom_8:24), τοιαύτη ἐλπίς cannot denote the consciousness of the abiding glory of his office, which Paul possesses (Hofmann; comp. Erasmus and others), but it must be the apostle’s great hope,—a hope based on the future of the Messiah’s kingdom—that the ministry of the gospel would not fail at the Parousia of its glory far surpassing the δόξα of the ministry of Moses. This will be the glorious, superabundant reward of the labour of Christ’s δοῦλοι , as promised by their Master (Luk_22:29 ff.; Joh_14:3; Mat_25:14 ff., al.). Comp. 1Co_3:14; 1Co_4:5; 2Co_1:14; Php_2:16; 1Th_2:19 f. It is the ἄφθαρτος στέφανος of the faithful labour in teaching, 1Co_9:25 ff.; 2Ti_4:8; 1Pe_5:4. The reference to the contents of the teaching (Emmerling: “tale munus quum habeam tantorum honorum spem ostendens”), to which Rückert is also inclined, is opposed to the words used and to the context. As little are we to assume, with Neander, an equalization of the ἐλπίς with the πεποίθησις , 2Co_3:4, and a linking on of the thought to 2Co_3:4.
πολλῇ παῤῥησίᾳ χρώμ .] denotes the frank unreservedness and openness towards those with whom the teacher has to do: μετʼ ἐλευθερίας πανταχοῦ φθεγγόμεθα , οὐδὲν ἀποκρυπτόμενοι , οὐδὲν ὑποστελλόμενοι , οὐδὲν ὑφορώμενοι , ἀλλὰ σαφῶς λέγοντες , Chrysostom. The evidentia (Beza, comp. Mosheim) or perspicuitas (Castalio) belongs to this, but does not exhaust the idea. On χρώμ . παῤῥησ ., comp. Plato, Ep. 8, p. 354 A; Phaedr. p. 240 E; χρῶμ . is utimur, not utamur (Erasmus).