Romans 16:25

τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ—Χριστοῦ. Cf. Romans 1:16 τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, δύναμις γὰρ θεοῦ ἐστιν εἰς σωτηρίαν.

στηρίξαι. Cf. Romans 1:11-12, of GOD; 2 Thessalonians 2:17; 2 Thessalonians 3:3; 1 Peter 5:10 (a near |[336]). ὑμᾶς. The need for strengthening is indicated in Romans 1:11; Romans 16:17-20. “The pronouns face each other with an emphasis which in such a context is hard to explain till we remember the presaging instinct with which S. Paul saw in the meeting of himself and the Roman Christians the pledge and turning point of victory”; Hort ap. Lft, Biblical Essays, p. 325; cf. Romans 1:10 f., Romans 15:29-32.

[336] | parallel to

κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγ. Adverbial to δυναμένῳ: κατὰ = as my Gospel declares; cf. Romans 2:16; Romans 11:28 in both cases with the same special reference as here to the inclusion of Gentiles, St Paul’s distinctive Gospel.

καὶ τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰ. Χρ. explains τὸ εὐαγγέλιον, cf. Romans 1:2-3 εὐαγγέλιον θεοῦ—περὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ followed by the two clauses which severally correspond to the names Ἰησοῦς and Χριστός, and are recapitulated in Romans 16:4 by the full name and title; for κήρυγμα cf. Romans 2:16; Romans 10:8-15; Romans 15:15 f.; 1 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Ἰ. Χρ. objective genitive.

κατὰ�.τ.λ. This should probably be taken as |[337] κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγ., describing in its character what that phrase states specifically. Cf. Romans 1:16 f., Romans 11:25 f.; 1 Corinthians 2:6-7; 1 Corinthians 2:10.

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κατὰ� verbally = Galatians 2:2; Ephesians 3:3; but the reference is different; nearer in thought is Galatians 3:23; closest Ephesians 3:5-9; Colossians 1:26; cf. ἀποκαλ. Romans 1:17.

μυστηρίου. ‘Of a secret’; cf. Romans 11:25; 1 Corinthians 2:1; 1 Corinthians 2:7-10; 1 Corinthians 4:1; then Ephesians 1:9; Ephesians 3:3-9; Ephesians 6:19 (|[338] Col.); 1 Timothy 3:16. The secret is the whole purpose of GOD for man’s redemption, formed in and ultimately revealed in the Christ, as born of David’s seed and marked by the resurrection as Son of GOD. In the argument of this Epistle, the special lesson of that secret, as revealed in Christ, is the union of all mankind in Him with GOD, as connected with justification by faith. The word has the same bearing in Eph., Col.: but there the special lesson is the development of this conception of union to illustrate the nature and work of the Church as such. In Romans this development is not directly treated but the foundation thought is here fully worked out.

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χρόνοις αἰωνίοις. Cf. πρὸ χρόνων αἰωνίων 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2, the only occurrences of the combination; cf. ἀπ' αἰῶνος, Luke 1:70; Acts 3:21; Acts 15:18; John 9:32. It seems to be a vague expression for an indefinitely long time, πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 3:9; Ephesians 3:11 is more definite, but probably not very different in meaning. For the dative of extension of time cf. Luke 8:29 and epistolary formulae ἐρρῶσθαί σε εὔχομαι πολλοῖς χρόνοις, Moulton, Prol. 75.

σεσιγημένου = ἀποκεκρυμμένον of 1 Corinthians 2:7; Ephesians 3:9 (= Colossians 1:26). The silence of that long time past is contrasted with the utterance of the present; but it was not complete, as the next clause shows; cf. 1 Peter 1:12, supra Romans 1:2; Titus 1:2. Tr. by pluperfect—‘which had been kept in silence.’