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Eph_4:20. Ὑμεῖς δέ ] opposed to the unconverted Gentiles.
οὐχ οὕτως ἐμάθετε τὸν Χριστόν ] but ye have not in such manner (so that this instruction would have directed you to that Gentile conduct of life, Eph_4:17 ff.) learned Christ. Observe the litotes in οὐχ οὕτως (quite otherwise, comp. Deu_18:14). The proposal of Beza: “Quid si post οὕτως distinctionem adscribas?” is, although adopted by Gataker and Colomesius, quite mistaken, since Eph_4:21 contains the confirmation not of the mere fact ἐμάθετε τὸν Χριστόν , but of the mode in which the readers have learned Christ, hence οὐχ οὕτως must necessarily belong to ἐμάθετε τὸν Χριστόν .
ὁ Χριστός does not mean the doctrine of Christ or concerning Christ (so most expositors before Rückert; but see Bengel and Flatt), nor does μανθάνειν τινά mean to learn to know any one, as it has usually in recent times been explained (by Rückert, Holzhausen, Meier, Matthies, Harless), wherefore Raphel wrongly appeals to Xen. Hellen. ii. 1. 1 ( ἵνα ἀλλήλους μάθοιεν ὁπόσοι εἴησαν , comp. Herod. vii. 208, where it means to perceive); but Christ is the great collective object of the instruction which the readers have received (Gal_1:16; 1Co_1:23; 2Co_1:19; Php_1:15, al.), so that they have learned Christ. This special notion is required by the following εἴγε … ἐδιδάχθ .