1 John 2:27

27. For ἐν ὑμῖν μένει ([516][517]) read μένει ἐν ὑμῖν ([518][519][520]); for τὸ αὐτὸ ([521][522][523]) read τὸ αὐτοῦ ([524][525][526]); and for μενεῖτε ([527][528]) read μένετε ([529][530][531][532] and Versions). [533] has χάρισμα for the first χρῖσμα and [534]1 has πνεῦμα for the second.

[516] 9th century. All three Epistles.
[517] 9th century. All three Epistles.
[518] 4th century. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the monastery of S. Catherine on Mount Sinai, and now at Petersburg. All three Epistles.
[519] 4th century. Brought to Rome about 1460. It is entered in the earliest catalogue of the Vatican Library, 1475. All three Epistles.
[520] 5th century. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it. In the National Library at Paris. Part of the First and Third Epistles; 1 John 1:1 to 1 John 4:2; 3 John 1:3-14. Of the whole N.T. the only Books entirely missing are 2 John and 2 Thessalonians.

[521] 5th century. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. All three Epistles.
[522] 9th century. All three Epistles.
[523] 9th century. All three Epistles.
[524] 4th century. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the monastery of S. Catherine on Mount Sinai, and now at Petersburg. All three Epistles.
[525] 4th century. Brought to Rome about 1460. It is entered in the earliest catalogue of the Vatican Library, 1475. All three Epistles.
[526] 5th century. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it. In the National Library at Paris. Part of the First and Third Epistles; 1 John 1:1 to 1 John 4:2; 3 John 1:3-14. Of the whole N.T. the only Books entirely missing are 2 John and 2 Thessalonians.

[527] 9th century. All three Epistles.
[528] 9th century. All three Epistles.
[529] 4th century. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the monastery of S. Catherine on Mount Sinai, and now at Petersburg. All three Epistles.
[530] 5th century. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. All three Epistles.
[531] 4th century. Brought to Rome about 1460. It is entered in the earliest catalogue of the Vatican Library, 1475. All three Epistles.
[532] 5th century. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it. In the National Library at Paris. Part of the First and Third Epistles; 1 John 1:1 to 1 John 4:2; 3 John 1:3-14. Of the whole N.T. the only Books entirely missing are 2 John and 2 Thessalonians.

[533] 4th century. Brought to Rome about 1460. It is entered in the earliest catalogue of the Vatican Library, 1475. All three Epistles.
[534] 4th century. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the monastery of S. Catherine on Mount Sinai, and now at Petersburg. All three Epistles.

27. καὶ ὑμεῖς τὸ χρ. δ ἐλάβετε. As in 1 John 2:2, we have the false and the true Christians put side by side in contrast; but this does not justify us in turning S. John’s simple ‘and’ (καί) into ‘but’. As in 1 John 2:24, we have the pronoun put first with great emphasis, and as a nominativus pendens. Moreover, the reception of the chrism refers to the definite occasion when Christ poured out His Spirit upon them, viz. their baptism; and therefore the aorist should be retained. Wherefore, as R.V., And as for you, the anointing which ye received.

μένει ἐν ὑμῖν. In order to convey a command or a rebuke gently, we often state as a fact what ought to be a fact. This may be the meaning here; and hence the Vulgate reads maneat in vobis. If not, it is an expression of the Apostle’s great confidence in the spiritual condition of his children. For λαμβάνειν ἀπό comp. 1 John 3:22; 3 John 1:7. S. John more often writes λαμβάνειν παρά, ‘to receive at the hands of’; John 5:41; John 5:44; John 10:18; 2 John 1:4; Revelation 2:27.

οὐ χρείαν ἔχετε ἵνα. Ye have no such need that any one teach you. The construction is peculiar to S. John (Gospel John 2:25; John 16:30): elsewhere either the infinitive or a genitive. For the meaning comp. 1 John 2:20. He who has once been anointed with the Spirit of truth has no need even of an Apostle’s teaching, This seems to be quite conclusive against ‘little children’ anywhere in this Epistle meaning children in years or children in knowledge of the Gospel. S. John writes throughout for adult and well-instructed Christians, to whom he writes not to give information, but to confirm and enforce and perhaps develope what they have all along known. Of course S. John does not mean that the anointing with the Spirit supersedes all necessity for instruction. The whole Epistle, and in this chapter 1 John 2:6-7; 1 John 2:24, are conclusive against such a view. S. John assumes that his readers have been thoroughly instructed in ‘the word’ and ‘the truth’, before receiving the outpouring of the Spirit which shows them the full meaning of ‘the word’ and confirms them in ‘the truth’. If S. John has no sympathy with a knowledge which professed to rise higher than Christian teaching, still less has he sympathy with a fanaticism which would dispense with Christian teaching. While he condemns the Gnosticism of his own age, he gives no encouragement to the Montanism of a century later. But he does testify to the high position of the Christian laity who make good use of their privileges.

There are several various readings of importance in the second half of this verse: see critical notes. The A.V. deserts Wiclif, Purvey, Tyndale, Cranmer, and the Rhemish to follow the Genevan in preferring μενεῖτε to μένετε ([578][579][580][581] and Versions). The possible constructions are almost as numerous as the readings and are less easily determined, but they do not seriously affect the general sense. We may render (1) But as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you,—do ye abide in Him; making only one sentence with a long protasis. Or (2) we may break it into two sentences, each with a protasis and apodosis; But as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, it is true and is no lie; and even as it taught you, do ye abide in Him. The majority of English Versions, including R.V., are for the former: so also the Vulgate. Commentators are much divided; but Huther claims to have most on his side for the latter. He has against him Alford, Braune, De Wette, Düsterdieck, Ewald, Lücke, Neander, Westcott. The sentence seems to be a recapitulation of the sentence:—ὡς τὸ αὐτοῦ χρίσμα διδάσκει ὑμᾶς περὶ πάντων recalls 1 John 2:20; ἀληθές ἐστιν καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ψεῦδος recalls 1 John 2:21-23; μένετε ἐν αὐτῷ recalls 1 John 2:24-25. The καθώς emphasizes the exactness of the conformity, even as: comp. 1 John 2:6; 1 John 2:8; 1 John 3:2-3; 1 John 3:7; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:17; 2 John 1:4; 2 John 1:6. What is the nominative to ἐδίδαξεν? Probably ‘He’ implied in αὐτῷ. This explains the change of tense: ἐδίδαξεν refers to the gift of the Spirit made once for all by Christ; διδάσκει to the continual illumination which is the result of that gift. Winer, 764. Whether μένετε is indicative, like the μένει just before, or imperative, like the μένετε just following, is uncertain and unimportant. Therefore we adopt (3) But as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as He taught you,—ye abide in Him, or abide in Him. The number of passages in S. John’s writings in which verbs occur which may be either imperative or indicative, is remarkable: comp. 1 John 2:29; John 5:39; John 12:19; John 14:1; John 15:18; John 15:27. As in 1 John 2:10, ἐν αὐτῷ is ambiguous: it may be neuter and mean ἐν τῷ χρίσματι, as some Latin Versions seem to have taken it; permanete in ipsa (unctione). But the next verse is decisive: ἐν αὐτῷ in both cases must mean in Christ. And this confirms the rendering ‘He taught’ as preferable to ‘it taught’. Luther makes ἐν αὐτῷ refer to καθὼς ἐδίδαξεν: und wie sie euch gelehret hat, so bleibet bei demselbigen.

[578] 4th century. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the monastery of S. Catherine on Mount Sinai, and now at Petersburg. All three Epistles.
[579] 5th century. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. All three Epistles.
[580] 4th century. Brought to Rome about 1460. It is entered in the earliest catalogue of the Vatican Library, 1475. All three Epistles.
[581] 5th century. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it. In the National Library at Paris. Part of the First and Third Epistles; 1 John 1:1 to 1 John 4:2; 3 John 1:3-14. Of the whole N.T. the only Books entirely missing are 2 John and 2 Thessalonians.