Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Colossians 4:11 - 4:11

Online Resource Library

Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | Download

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - Colossians 4:11 - 4:11


(Show All Books | Show All Chapters)

This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

11. καὶ Ἰησοῦς ὁ λεγόμενος Ἰοῦστος. Nothing is known of him save from this passage. Besides our Lord the following bear the name Ἰησοῦς in the N.T.: (a) the son of Eliezer, Luk 3:29; (b) Joshua, Act 7:45; Heb 4:8; (c) possibly Barabbas, Mat 27:17, i.e. according to a few cursives, the Armenian version and the Latin translator of Origen; (d) Jesus called Justus.

Ἰοῦστος is used also of (a) Ἰωσὴφ τὸν καλούμενον Βαρσαββᾶν, ὅς ἐπεκλήθη Ἰοῦστος, Act 1:23; (b) a proselyte at Corinth, Τιτίου Ἰούστου, Act 18:7. Levy (Neuhebr. Wörterb. p. 231) gives examples of Justa as a man’s name, e.g. R. Justa bar Shunam; cf. also Dalman, Jüd. Pal. Aram. Gr. p. 148.

On examples of persons, particularly Jews, having an alternative name, see Deissmann, Bible Studies, pp. 313 sqq. At the present time all Jews have one name for religious purposes and another for use in daily life.

It is uncertain whether Ἰοῦστος is here a translation of a Jewish title, e.g. Zadok (cf. the modern Zaddik in Chassidism) or (as is more probable) was chosen merely because of its similarity in sound to Ἰησοῦς (like Ἰάσων), compare the modern Moses-Moss, Levi-Lewis.

οἱ ὄντες ἐκ περιτομῆς. Not “who are of the group of circumcised people,” i.e. the Jews (cf. Tit 1:10, οἱ ἐκ τῆς περιτομῆς), but “who are by origin circumcised”; so Act 10:45; Act 11:2; Gal 2:12.

Observe (1) the phrase doubtless includes Aristarchus. Act 20:4 is urged against this, but there is no need for all the persons mentioned there to have been carriers of the collection for the saints at Jerusalem, or even, if so, for all of such persons to have been Gentiles;

(2) There is no point in giving the Colossians this information about Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus, unless the phrase serves as a basis, either grammatically or in sense, for the next statement.

οὖτοι μόνοι, i.e. of Hebrew Christians, see last note. It would be glaringly untrue if it included Gentile Christians, in view of St Paul’s statement about Epaphras and indeed Luke (cf. also Phm 1:24). In these words we have a hint of that general opposition of Hebrew Christians to St Paul at Rome which we find mentioned more at length in Philippians 1.

συνεργοὶ. Cf. Phm 1:1; Phm 1:24. In σύνδουλος the common work is only implied, in συνεργός the fact that it is service is out of sight. See also Rom 16:3; Rom 16:9; Rom 16:21; Php 2:25; Php 4:3.

εἰς with συνεργός, 2Co 8:23, indicating there the persons, here the cause, which formed the object of the work.

τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ. See Col 1:13 note.

οἵτινες, classifying (cf. Col 2:23, Col 3:5) them as men who, etc.

ἐγενήθησάν μοι. Became by their actions. When is not stated.

παρηγορία. Only here in the Greek Bible except 4Ma 5:12; 4Ma 6:1. The verb occurs only in 4Ma 12:3, and also not unfrequently is Symm., e.g. Gen 24:67, Isaac παρηγορήθη (LXX. παρεκλήθη). Lightfoot gives references for the use of the verb and its derivatives παρηγορία, παρηγόρημα, παρηγορικός, παρηγορητικός, by Hippocrates (430 B.C.), Galen (163 A.D.), and Plutarch as medical terms in the sense of “assuaging,” “alleviating” (our English “paregoric”). So perhaps here St Paul purposely uses a word which would suggest physical as well as mental help. Perhaps “soothing” would be nearest in modern English, though in derivation it is wholly unconnected with any such thought.