The text in question, however, seems to relate to dignity, rather than to priority. Being "the first-born" to have reference appears - not to primogeniture, but-to eminence in official station: "Who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things he might have the pre-eminence." Col. i. 18.

In the Psalms we read, "Also I will make him My first-born, higher than the kings of the earth." According to the genius of Hebrew poetry, the latter half of this verse shows the sense of the former; and as it is not said, older, or more ancient than the kings of the earth, but simply higher ", it follows that, at least in the language of the Psalmist, "first-born" is the same as "Premier", or prime minister, or first minister, which, by usage, is synonymous with the chief officer under the Sovereign. An allusion to this text from the Psalms seems to be made in the book of the Revelation, where we read that Christ is "the first-begotten [, rightly, "the first-born] of the dead, and the PRINCE of the kings of the earth." So Paul, in a certain place, tells us that some were to be "conformed to the image " of Christ, in order "that He might be the first-born among many brethren". (The Premier, or Chief One.) So also, through the prophet, the Lord says, "Behold I have given him for.. Leader and Commander to the people." Note. In most of these texts, the idea of Regal heirship is probably also included. See Ps. ii. 7, 8, and other places.

1

a

In like manner, the text in question speaks of his having "the pre-eminence"; and the Common Version makes him to have it "in all things"; but the phrase rendered " in all things ", may quite as

1 Ps. lxxxix. 27; Rev. i. 5; Rom. viii. 29; Isa. lv. 4.

properly be rendered "over all persons." The language of the text is at least eminently calculated to set forth the fact of Christ's pre-eminent superiority. Even in the affirmation that he is "the beginning", the word so rendered, when applied to persons, and especially to those in office, properly signifies a Leader, or the one first or highest in rank. And in the phrase "from the dead", the preposition may import "selected from " or "chosen from" on account of excellence, and so be equivalent to "of" or "among". (See Chap. iii,) The sense of the text I then take to be that Jesus is the Leader, the Chief One of or among those who have died, the One having preeminence over all. With this view of the text, it is parallel with that one where, by a literal rendering, it is declared that "to this end Christ both died and lived, that he might have dominion over both dead and living ". 1

X. It will, however, be objected that Paul, before Agrippa, declares expressly that Moses and the prophets had predicted of Christ "that He should be the first that should rise from the dead."2 From this text the same argument is deduced as in the previous objection; and so far as rising from the dead is concerned, the same remarks are applicable. But it is needful to remark further, that the text is strangely mistranslated, the common rendering here being singularly unfaithful to the Greek original.

Ει πρωτος εξ αναστάσεως νεκρων

Ei protos ex anastaseos nekron.

In the Common Version, the above Greek phrase is rendered into English "on this wise":

Ei, "that;" protos, "the first; " ex, " from;"

anastaseos," he should be

that should rise;" nekron, "the dead," "That he should be the first that should rise from the dead."

"Anastaseos" is simply the noun anastasis in the genitive case; and this mere noun is here made to be equivalent to two verbs and their nominatives"he should be.... that should rise"!

The phrase ex anastaseos nekrōn occurs also in the Epistle to the Romans. (See i. 4.) In that place it is rendered thus: "by the resurrection from the dead." How different from the render

ing just considered !

The philosophy of the above-mentioned rendering in Romans, whether correct or otherwise, I take to be as follows:

The preposition ek or ex requires the genitive case after it; and when placed before two nouns in the genitive, it may have the same force as if duplicated, and placed next to the latter noun also, -the latter noun being put in the genitive-not to indicate the relation expressed by "of" in English, but because that case is required by ek or ex. "Ex anastaseos nekron," in that text, is taken to be equivalent to ex anastaseos ek nekrōn, literally, "out of a rising from among the dead,"

which, however, would be oftener rendered, "out of the resurrection from the dead," or "from the resurrection from the dead." But at the commencement of such an expression, "by is equivalent to "out of" or "from";- the translators therefore employed that word instead of "out of" as being more elegant, and instead of "from" to prevent tautology, and so represent the apostle as saying that Jesus Christ was "declared to be the Son of God with power, by the resurrection from the dead."

I do not say that the rendering of the Common

Version here, is the best that can be; but I do say that the rendering in Romans is superlatively preferable to that in Acts. How could the same translators translate the same expression so very differently, especially since it so obviously has the same reference in the one place as it has in the other!

Let the style of translation here in Romans be applied to the texts now in hand from Acts, and the passage will read substantially thus:

"That the Christ should suffer, in order that, by a rising from among the dead, he might first clearly announce light to the people and to the Gentiles."

CHAPTER XXX.

THE MANNER OF THE RESURRECTION.

"So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body.” 1 Cor. xv. 42-44.

What is it that is here said to be sown and raised?

"" "is

Just what it is, is not said by the apostle - and who else now can say? The subjects of those verbs he leaves to be supplied from the language he had used, and only says, "is sown,' raised," not prefixing even a pronoun. In the rendering of such constructions, however, which, by the way, are rather common in Greek, some pronoun is commonly taken to be understood; and accordingly the word "it" appears here, that is, in the Common Version. But, in this text, the insertion of "it" as a nominative to the verbs following, changes uncertain sense into sheer nonsense; since "it" seems to stand for the noun or phrase next preceding it, which makes the af firmation seem to be that "the resurrection of the dead" is that which is sown and raised: also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown," &c.

"So

Some supply the word "body"; as, "The body