Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

John 17:19

The crowning plea is that it was for this end, their consecration, Jesus consecrated Himself: καὶ ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν, “and in their behalf, that they may be consecrated in truth, do I consecrate myself”. “ Ἁγιάζω in the present with ὑπέρ can only be understood of Christ's self-consecration to His sacrificial death.” Tholuck. ἐγὼ ἑκουσίως θυσιάζω ἐμαυτόν, Euthymius; so Meyer, Reynolds and others. This however is needlessly to limit the reference and to introduce an idea somewhat alien to this context and to John 10:36. Calvin is right: “Porro sanctificatio haec quamvis ad totam Christi vitam pertineat, in sacrificio tamen mortis ejus maxime illustris fuit”. ἵνα … The object of Christ's consecration to His work was the severance of His disciples from the world and their inspiration with the same spirit of self-sacrifice and devotedness to sacred uses. ἐν ἀλήθειᾳ, understood by the Greek commentators as “real” in contrast to what is symbolic, cf. John 4:23. Thus Euthymius, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ ὦσι τεθυμένοι ἐν ἀληθινῇ θυσίᾳ, ἡ γὰρ νομικὴ θυσία τύπος ἦν, οὐκ ἀλήθεια. “Discernit a sanctificationibus legis.” Melanchthon Similarly Godet. Meyer renders “truly” and remarks: “As contrasted with every other ἁγιότης in human relations, that wrought through the Paraclete is the true consecration”. But is it possible to neglect the reference to ἀληθείᾳ, John 17:17 ? As Lücke points out, John (3 John 1:3-4) does not always distinguish between ἀλήθεια and ἡ ἀλήθεια. The object to Christ's consecration was to bring the truth by and in which the disciples might be consecrated.

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Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

John 17:19

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