Colossians 1:24

It is usually assumed that ὃς read by the Western text is due to dittography; but it may quite as easily have fallen out through homœoteleuton as have been inserted. It is, however, omitted by such an overwhelming combination of MSS. that it would not perhaps be justifiable to place it in the text. On grounds of internal evidence a strong case can be made out for the insertion. Lightfoot omits, and thinks the abruptness characteristic of Paul. He quotes as parallels 2Co 7:9, 1 Timothy 1:12. But the connexion in the former case is uncertain; Westcott and Hort do not begin a new sentence with νῦν χαίρω; if correctly, it is not a true parallel. But if otherwise there is not the abrupt change of subject we find here, for Paul has been speaking of his previous regret, and νῦν χαίρω follows naturally on this. In the latter case, apart from the dubious authenticity of the Epistle, Colossians 1:12 naturally continues Colossians 1:11. On the other hand, it is very characteristic of our Epistle for transitions to be effected by the relative. Without it we have no preparation for Colossians 1:24, for νῦν is not transitional. And with it the appeal to their loyalty in οὗ ἐγεν. ἐγὼ Π. διάκ. is greatly strengthened. νῦν χαίρω : “I now rejoice,” not “now, in contrast to times of repining,” or “now as I contemplate the greatness of redemption,” but simply “in my present condition as a prisoner”. Joy in suffering is a familiar Pauline idea. ἐν τοῖς παθήμασιν : not, as Meyer and Haupt, “over my sufferings,” for which ἐπὶ would have been expected (though cf. Philippians 1:18; Luke 10:20), but “in my sufferings,” ἐν denoting the sphere in which, not (as Ell.) both sphere in and subject over which. ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν : i.e., for your benefit. Oltramare compares Philippians 1:29; Ephesians 3:1; Ephesians 3:13; 1 Peter 3:18, and interprets “for love of you” a fine thought; but probably that is not in Paul's mind. ἀνταναπληρῶ. The meaning of this verb is much disputed. ἀναπληροῦν is “to fill up”. ἀντι - in composition has, according to Grimm, the following senses: opposite, over against; the mutual efficiency of two; requital; hostile opposition; official substitution; but some of these do not occur with verbs. He explains it in this way: “What is wanting of the affliction of Christ to be borne by me, that I supply in order to repay the benefits which Christ conferred on me by filling up the measure of the afflictions laid upon Him”. ἀντι - on this view means “in return for”. Another view proposed is that Paul makes up by present suffering for his former persecution. Winer (followed by Lightf., Findl., Moule) says ἀναπλ. is used of him who “ ὑστέρημα a se relictum ipse explet,” and ἀνταναπλ. of him who “alterius ὑστέρημα de suo explet” (quoted in Meyer). The parallels Lightfoot quotes are intended to show that “the supply comes from an opposite quarter to the defect”. He takes the sense to be that Paul suffers instead of Christ, and translates “I fill up on my part,” “I supplement”. Abbott pertinently points out that in the two instances in which ἀναπληροῦν is used with ὑστέρημα (1 Corinthians 16:17; Philippians 2:30) the supply comes from an opposite quarter to the defect, and therefore we have no more reason for including this idea in ἀνταναπλ. than in ἀναπλ. The simplest explanation is that of Wetstein, “ ἀντὶ ὑστερήματος succeedit ἀναπλήρωμα ”. (So Mey., Ell., Alf., Haupt, Abb.) We thus get the idea that over against or corresponding to the previous defect comes the filling up. To Lightfoot's criticism that this deprives ἀντὶ of its force, Ellicott replies that there is no such clear correspondence of personal agents as would be needed to substantiate the assertion. It is impossible to feel sure which of these views is right, but this is of negative importance, since it excludes arguments (such as Lightfoot's) as to the meaning of the rest of the verse, based on the sense of this verb. τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ χριστοῦ. Leaving out of account such interpretations as “afflictions for the sake of Christ,” or “afflictions imposed by Christ,” the following are the chief views that have been taken: (1) Many Romanist commentators explain the sufferings of Christ to be His mediatorial sufferings, left incomplete by Him and completed by His saints, Paul taking his share in this. (2) Lightfoot, Oltramare, Findlay, Haupt and others agree with (1) in taking τ. θλ. τ. Χ. as the sufferings which Christ endured on earth. But they deny that these are mediatorial sufferings; they had “a ministerial utility”. Christ suffered for the kingdom of God, and His followers must continue this. Hofmann's view is a special form of this. Christ was sent only to Israel, and endured sufferings in His ministry to it. Paul fills up what is left of these sufferings, as Apostle to the Gentiles. (3) Meyer, followed by Abbott, thinks the afflictions are Paul's own, and are called the afflictions of Christ, because they are of the same essential character. Since his sufferings are still incomplete, he speaks of filling up the measure of them. (4) The sufferings are those of the Church, which are still incomplete. They are called the afflictions of Christ because they are those of His body. Thus Bengel: “Fixa est mensura passionum, quas tota exantlare debet ecclesia. Quo plus igitur Paulus exhausit, eo minus et ipsi posthac et caeteris relinquitur. Hoc facit communio sanctorum.” Cremer similarly says that the defect is not in what Christ suffered, but in the communion of the Church in His sufferings. Paul concentrates on himself the hate of the world against Christ and His Church. (5) The sufferings are the sufferings of Christ, not, however, those which He endured on earth, but those which He endures in Paul through their mystical union. The defect is not (as in 4) in the sufferings of the Church, but in Christ's sufferings in Paul. (1) must be set aside on the ground that θλίψις is not used of Christ's atoning sufferings, for which Paul employs αἶμα, θάνατος, σταυρός. (3) must be rejected because the afflictions of Christ can hardly mean afflictions like those of Christ. (4) is to be rejected on similar grounds, the defect is in Christ's own suffering, not in that of the Church. Besides there would be an un-Pauline arrogance in the claim that he was filling up the yet incomplete sufferings of the Church. We are thus left with (2) and (5), each of which takes “the afflictions of Christ” in the strict sense of afflictions endured by Christ Himself. We cannot, with Lightfoot, decide against (5) on the ground that ἀνταναπλ. excludes an identification between the sufferings of Paul and Christ. Hofmann's view is very attractive on account of the context, in which Paul is speaking of his Apostleship to the Gentiles. It is perhaps the best form of (2), and may be right. It, however, labours, with (2) generally, under the objection that it implies defect in Christ's earthly sufferings, for ὑστέρημα means defect, and also that the claim thus made to fill up the defect left by Christ is strangely arrogant. It is therefore best to accept (5). It is urged that there is no N.T. parallel to the idea that Christ suffers in His members. But, apart from Acts 9:4, Paul's doctrine of union with Christ is such that we should almost be compelled to infer that Christ suffered in His members, even if Paul had not here affirmed it. And there is no arrogance here. For Paul does not claim to fill up the defects in Christ's earthly suffering or in the sufferings of the Church, but in the sufferings which he has to endure in his flesh, which are Christ's sufferings, because he and Christ are one. We should accordingly take τ. θλ. τ. Χ. with ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου as a single idea, “Christ's sufferings in my flesh”. ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου. There is a delicate contrast between the flesh of Paul and the body of Christ. If these words were connected with ἀνταναπλ. they would probably have immediately followed. ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ : “on behalf of His body”. This may simply mean that the sufferings of Paul advanced the interests of the Church (cf. Philippians 1:12-14). But, taking into account Paul's strong feeling of the solidarity of the Church, he probably means that apart from any furthering of the Church's interests which his imprisonment may bring about, the suffering of one of the members must benefit the whole body; just as in a higher and fuller sense the suffering of the Head had procured salvation for the Church. Paul rejoices, not, as Abbott says the view taken of τ. θλ. τ. Χ. would involve, “because they went to increase the afflictions of Christ,” but because his afflictions, which were those of Christ also in the necessity of the case, were a blessing to Christ's body. ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία : “that is, the Church,” perhaps added because σάρξ and σῶμα occur together here, and the readers might be confused as to the precise meaning of σώματος.