Commentary on the Epistles to the Corinthians John Calvin (continued)
John Calvin was excessively mean, 1288 so that they could scarcely deign to give it a direct look. "So great," says he, "was the splendor of the law, that the Jews could not endure it. What, then, must we think of the gospel, the dignity of which is as much superior to that of the law, as Christ is more excellent than Moses?"
10. What was rendered glorious. This is not a correction of what goes before, but rather a confirmation; for he means that the glory of the law is extinguished when the gospel comes forth. As the moon and stars, though in themselves they are not merely luminous, but diffuse their light over the whole earth, do, nevertheless, disappear before the brightness of the sun; so, however glorious the law was in itself, it has, nevertheless, no glory in comparison with the excellence of the gospel. Hence it follows, that we cannot sufficiently prize, or hold in sufficient esteem the glory of Christ, which shines forth in the gospel, like the splendor of the sun when beaming forth; and that the gospel is foolishly handled, nay more, is shamefully profaned, where the power and majesty of the Spirit do not come forth to view, so as to draw up men's minds and hearts heavenward.
2 Corinthians 3:12-18
2 Corinthians 3:12-18 12. Seeing then that we have such hope, we use great plainness of speech: 12. Habentes igitur hanc spem, multa fiducia (vel, libertate) utimur. 13. And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:
13. Et non quemadmodum Moses (Exodus 34:33-35) ponebat velamen ante faciem suam, ut non intuerentur filii Israel in finem eius quod aboletur. 1289
14. But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.
14. Sed excœcati sunt 1290 sensus eorum: nam usque in hune diem velamen illud in lectione Veteris Testamenti 1291 manet: nec tollitur, eo quod aboletur
1288"Trop abiecte et contemptible:" — "Excessively mean and contemptible." 1289"Ne regardassent à la fin de ce qui deuoit prendre fin;" ou, "ne veissent de bout de ce," etc.; ou, "ne veissent iusqu'au fons de ce qui," etc.; — "Could not look to the end of what required to be abolished;" or, "could not see to the close of what," etc.; or, "could not see to the bottom of what," etc.
1290"Aueuglez ou endurcis;" — "Blinded or hardened." 1291The Apostle says, (2 Corinthians 3:14,) speaking of his countrymen — 'Until this day remaineth the veil untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament.' ({ἐπὶ} {τὣ῎῝}8217; {ἀναγνώσει} {τὢς} {παλαιᾶς} {διαθήκη}''.) The word in this application is always rendered in our language Testament. We have in this followed the Vulgate, as most modern translators also have done. In the Geneva French, the word is rendered both ways in the title, that the one may serve in explaining the other. `Le Nouveau Testament, c'est à dire, La Nouvelle Alliance;' --- (`The New Testament, that is to say, The New Covenant,') in which they copied Beza, who says --- `Testamentum Novum, sive Fœdus Novum;' --- (`The New Testament, or the New Covenant.') That the second rendering of the word is the better version, is unquestionable; but the title appropriated by custom to a particular book is on the same footing with a proper name,