My Notes
Authors
John Calvin - Commentaries
**If you keep in memory — unless in vain 99 “Our version does not express intelligibly the sense of ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ εἰκὢ ἐπιστεύσατε by rendering it so literally — _unless ye have believed in vain. To believe in vain, _according to the use of ancient languages, is to believe _without just reason and authority, _giving credit to idle reports as true and authentic. Thus _Plutarch, _speaking of some story which passed current, says, τοῦτο ἡμεῖς ἐ᾿ἴπομεν ἐν τί τῶν εἰκὢ πεπιστεύμενων — “this I said was one of those tales which are believed without any good authority.” (Sympos. lib. 1, quaest. 6.) The Latins used credere frustra — _to believe in vain, _or temere — _(rashly.) Kypke _takes notice that ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ, for _except _or _unless, _which has long been a suspected phrase, is used more than ten times by _Lucian. _It is also used by _Plutarch _in the Life of Demosthenes, volume 4.” — _Alexander’s Paraphrase _on 1 Corinthians 15 . (London, 1766,) — Ed. These two expressions are very cutting. In the _first, _he reproves their carelessness or fickleness, because such a sudden fall was an evidence that they had never understood what had been delivered to them, or that their knowledge of it had been loose and floating, inasmuch as it had so quickly vanished. By the _second, _he warns them that they had needlessly and uselessly professed allegiance to Christ, if they did not hold fast this main doctrine. 1010 “Ce principal poinct de la foy;” — “This main article of faith.”