Transcriber's Note.
Apparent typographical errors have been corrected. Inconsistenthyphenation has been retained.
Phrases from the author's own translation of the Epistle areprinted in bold type, interspersed by his commentary on them.Sidenotes mark the start of most individual verses. The sidenotesapplying to each paragraph have mostly been consolidated.
A list of the 'Expositor's Bible' series has been shifted to the endof the book.
THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE
EDITED BY THE REV.
W. ROBERTSON NICOLL, M.A., LL.D.
Editor of "The Expositor", etc
BY
HANDLEY C. G. MOULE, M.A.,
PRINCIPAL OF RIDLEY HALL, CAMBRIDGE
London
HODDER AND STOUGHTON
27, PATERNOSTER ROW
MDCCCXCIV
Printed by Hazell, Watson & Vincy, Ld., London and Aylesbury.
To
The Rev. ROBERT SINKER, D.D.,
LIBRARIAN OF TRINITY COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE,
MY FRIEND OF THIRTY-TWO YEARS,
TO WHOSE KINDNESS AND KNOWLEDGE
I AM DEEPLY AND INCREASINGLY INDEBTED,
THIS BOOK IS AFFECTIONATELY
INSCRIBED.
H. C. G. M.
Hearing read, as I do continually, theEpistles of the blessed Paul ... I delight in the enjoyment of hisspiritual trumpet, and my heart leaps up, and my longings set meglowing, as I recognize the voice so dear to me, and seem to image thespeaker all but present to me, and to see him in discourse. But Imourn and am distressed, because all do not know this man as theyshould know him.... It is from hence our myriad evils spring—from ourignorance of the Scriptures. Hence grows this epidemic of ourheresies; hence our neglected lives, hence our unfruitful toil.
St Chrysostom,Preamble to Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans.
He who attempts to expound the Epistle to theRomans, when his sacred task is over, islittle disposed to speak about his Commentary; he isoccupied rather with an ever deeper reverence andwonder over the Text which he has been permittedto handle, a Text so full of a marvellous man, aboveall so full of God.
But it seems needful to say a few words aboutthe style of the running Translation of the Epistlewhich will be found interwoven with this Exposition.
The writer is aware that the translation is oftenrough and formless. His apology is that it hasbeen done with a view not to a connected readingbut to the explanation of details. A rough pieceof rendering, which would be a misrepresentation ina continuous version, because it would be out ofscale with the general style, seems to be anothermatter when it only calls the reader's attention to aparticular point presented for study at the moment.
Again, he is aware that his rendering of theGreek article in many passages (for example, wherehe has ventured to explain it by "our," "true," etc.)is open to criticism. But he intends no more insuch places than a suggestion; and he is conscious,as he has said sometimes at the place, that it isalmost impossible to render the article as he hasdone in these cases without a certain exaggeration,which must be discounted by the reader.
The use of the article in Greek is one of thesimplest and most assured things in grammar, asto its main p