Post by MoGrace2U on Mar 18, 2009 10:31:41 GMT -5
Here are the passages where these names are mentioned:
Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
Acts 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
Acts 19:33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
1 Tim 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
2 Tim 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2 Tim 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
If Alexander is the same one in each passage or not, I don't know. But it would seem he was one of Paul's companions during the uprising in Acts 19 at Ephesus. Elsewhere Paul spoke of that time as facing 'lions' from whom he was delivered.
The thing I am seeing here is that H, P & A were men who became subverted by the Judaizers who were following Paul around. In 1 Tim, if we read all that Paul says to Timothy about these evil men - of which he particularly points out these two; I think I we can see that their heresy was a bit more than just their saying the resurrection was 'past'.
1. There is only one passage that would suggest that a resurrection had taken place which they may be referring to. It is found in Mat 27:
Mat 27:50-53 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
2. That the saints were still being persecuted by the Jews is found in all the epistles. And some were being subverted to turn back to them.
3. Since Paul was preaching a judgment to come at Jesus' appearing, these men may have been saying that no judgment was forthcoming upon the Jews, which timing Paul gave as being tied to the resurrection.
4. Since they had this witness of the dead rising and judgment had not come, they may have determined that the judgment was yet a long way off as they tried to get the saints to join them and quit listening to Paul who was telling them to hold fast to faith and godliness. This is similar to the error the Jews made when warned of the Babylon captivity.
5. They were among those who accused Paul of being a liar and deceiver, which Paul goes to great lengths to show the difference between himself and them - who were liars and deceivers and false prophets.
Anyway, I think the Judaizers are who Paul has lumped these 3 men with, and may have named them because they had been with him for awhile and were set forth as an example of those who had departed from the faith. I don't suspect that their heresy was any different than what the Judaizers were already promoting which was shipwrecking the faith of some.
Mark 15:21 And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross.
Acts 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem.
Acts 19:33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.
1 Tim 1:20 Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
2 Tim 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2 Tim 4:14 Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
If Alexander is the same one in each passage or not, I don't know. But it would seem he was one of Paul's companions during the uprising in Acts 19 at Ephesus. Elsewhere Paul spoke of that time as facing 'lions' from whom he was delivered.
The thing I am seeing here is that H, P & A were men who became subverted by the Judaizers who were following Paul around. In 1 Tim, if we read all that Paul says to Timothy about these evil men - of which he particularly points out these two; I think I we can see that their heresy was a bit more than just their saying the resurrection was 'past'.
1. There is only one passage that would suggest that a resurrection had taken place which they may be referring to. It is found in Mat 27:
Mat 27:50-53 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
2. That the saints were still being persecuted by the Jews is found in all the epistles. And some were being subverted to turn back to them.
3. Since Paul was preaching a judgment to come at Jesus' appearing, these men may have been saying that no judgment was forthcoming upon the Jews, which timing Paul gave as being tied to the resurrection.
4. Since they had this witness of the dead rising and judgment had not come, they may have determined that the judgment was yet a long way off as they tried to get the saints to join them and quit listening to Paul who was telling them to hold fast to faith and godliness. This is similar to the error the Jews made when warned of the Babylon captivity.
5. They were among those who accused Paul of being a liar and deceiver, which Paul goes to great lengths to show the difference between himself and them - who were liars and deceivers and false prophets.
Anyway, I think the Judaizers are who Paul has lumped these 3 men with, and may have named them because they had been with him for awhile and were set forth as an example of those who had departed from the faith. I don't suspect that their heresy was any different than what the Judaizers were already promoting which was shipwrecking the faith of some.
