| Douay RheimsDouay-Rheims Bible -- The New Testament was published at Rheims (1582), the Old Testament at Douay (1609). The Douay Rheims served as the main English bible for the Catholic world for centuries. Bishop Challoner updated it extensively mid-18th century. Biblical scholar Rev. George Haydock compiled a Catholic commentary mid-19th century. This text set is from an approved 1914 U.S. printing. | Haydock CommentaryHaydock Catholic Bible Commentary - based on the Douay-Rheims Bible; originally compiled by Catholic priest and biblical scholar Rev. George Leo Haydock (1774-1849). |
| 1 But speak thou the things that become sound doctrine: | Sound doctrine. It is not sufficient to teach sound doctrine, says S. Jerom, if it be not at the same time taught in a manner worthy of itself; that is, if he who teaches it by his words belies it in his actions. S. Jerom.
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| 2 That the aged men be sober, chaste, prudent, sound in faith, in love, in patience. | Be sober. The Greek Fathers, Theodoret, and Theophylactus, translate the word, sober, attentive, or vigilant. But Latin interpreters understand it of sobriety, in the literal meaning of the word. Old men oftentimes under pretense of weakness, drink wine to excess. The ancients called wine the milk of old men; hence aquilæ senectus has passed into a proverb, to designate an old man who drinks much and eats little. Calmet.
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| 3 The aged women, in like manner, in holy attire, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teaching well: | In holy attire. [1] See 1 Tim. ii. 9. The Greek word is sometimes used to signify the whole constitution, or state of a man's health in all the parts of his body: here it is taken for a woman's whole exterior carriage, her gait, gesture, looks, discourse, dress, that nothing appear but what is edifying. Wi.
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| 4 That they may teach the young women to be wise, to love their husbands, to love their children, | Love their husbands. This is the first lesson he wishes to be given to young women; that they should always manifest a love, an attachment, respect and obedience to their husbands. But it must be a chaste love. Vult eas amare viros suos castè; vult inter virum et mulierem esse pudicam dilectionem. S. Jerom.
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| 5 To be discreet, chaste, sober, having a care of the house, gentle, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. | Discreet, chaste, sober. In the Greek is nothing for sober. The Latin interpreter seems to have added it, as another signification of one of the Greek words. See 1 Tim. iii. 2. Wi.
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| 6 Young men, in like manner, exhort that they be sober. | |
| 7 In all things shew thyself an example of good works, in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity, | |
| 8 The sound word that can not be blamed: that he, who is on the contrary part, may be afraid, having no evil to say of us. | |
| 9 Exhort servants to be obedient to their masters, in all things pleasing, not gainsaying: | Servants to be obedient. Servants owe respect and submission to their masters in every thing not contrary to the law, or the will of God. Hence they are strictly forbidden to murmur at their commands, to show any repugnance to obey them, or to censure their conduct. To avoid these evils, they ought to consider their masters as Jesus Christ himself, and their commands as those of God himself: which S. Paul often inculcates in other places in his epistles. Ephes. vi. 5, 6. Colos. iii. 23. S. Jerom.
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| 10 Not defrauding, but in all things shewing good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things: | Not defrauding. [3] S. Jerom puts, not stealing. The Greek signifies private thefts. Dr. Wells, not by filching. — That they may adorn (or give honour to) the doctrine of God, our Saviour, in all things; by whom we may understand God, i.e. Christ, God and Man, or God as common to the three divine persons. Wi. — Thus ought they to shew forth in their whole conduct that strict love of justice and sanctity which the Catholic faith inspires into those who profess it, and live up to the admirable rules it prescribes; thus alone can they be said to do honour to their religion, when they practically perform what they speculatively believe.
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| 11 For the grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men; | For the grace of God, our Saviour, hath appeared to all men. In the Greek: For the saving grace of God, &c. Wi.
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| 12 Instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, | We should live soberly, [4] and justly, and piously. S. Jerom puts (as in other places for the same Greek word) chastely, justly, and piously. The words comprehend man's duty to himself, to his neighbour, and towards God. Wi.
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| 13 Looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, | Waiting for the blessed hope; for the happiness of the blessed in heaven, promised and hoped for. — And coming of the glory of the great God, [5] and our Saviour Jesus Christ. The title of great God, says Dr. Wells, is here referred to our Saviour Jesus Christ, by Clem. of Alex. in protreptico, c. vi. He might have added, and by the general consent of the Greek and Latin Fathers. S. Chrys. here cries out: "where are now they who say that the Son is less than the Father?" S. Jerom in like manner: "where is the serpent Arius? where is the snake Eunomius?" And that this title of great God is here given to Jesus Christ, may be shewn from the text itself, especially in the Greek; for the glorious coming, and appearance, in other places of S. Paul, is always used to signify Christ's coming to judge the world. Secondly, inasmuch as one and the same Greek article falls upon the great God, and our Saviour Christ; so that even M. Simon, in a note on
these words, says the construction is, and the coming of Jesus Christ, the great God, our Saviour, and blames Erasmus and Grotius for pretending that this place is not a confutation of the Arians. Wi.
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| 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works. | A people, particularly acceptable. [6] S. Jerom translates an egregious or eminent people. He says in the Sept. it corresponds to segula, which signifies a man's proper possessions, which he has purchased or chosen for himself. Budeus says it signifies what is rare and uncommon; and it is well translated by the Protestants, a particular people. Wi.
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| 15 These things speak, and exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. | |
