We refer to Manuscripts, Versions, Fathers; and what do

we find?

It is demonstrable that the oldest Codices, besides the whole

body of the Cursives, know nothing about the method of "some

modern interpreters".

There is absolutely not a shadow, not a tittle of evidence in any

of the ancient Versions, to warrant that they do.

How then about the old Fathers?  We find that the expression,

"Who is over all (things), God blessed for ever"! is expressly

acknowledged to refer to our Saviour by the following 60

illustrious names'.

The Dean then gives the sixty names, with chapter and verse, which the

interested reader can find fully set out in his Revision Revised (pp. 212,

Long ago it was noted by Bengel that in all classes of doxology barak

(blessed) in Hebrew and eulogetos (blessed) in Greek precede the name of God.

There are thirty places where the LXX following the Hebrew order, adheres to

this rule, and if Paul had intended a separate doxology, he would certainly

have followed the same practice.

In the earlier part of this same Epistle to the Romans we find a

passage which is in some respects parallel with Romans 9:5:

'Who ... worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, Who

is blessed for ever.  Amen' (Rom. 1:25).

There is consequently no justification for departing from the plain

meaning of the A.V. in Romans 9:5.  The remaining reference, Romans 8:3, does

not speak of the Deity of the Saviour, but deals with a particular aspect of

His incarnation that bears upon His sacrificial Work:

'For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh,

God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh' (Rom. 8:3).

Marcus Dods opens his book, On the Incarnation of the Eternal Word,

with these words:

'That the "Word was made flesh" and that He was not made sinful flesh,

are propositions which lie at the very foundation of Christianity'.

In these words he is but saying what Paul has said in the Epistle to

the Romans:

The Word was made flesh (Rom. 1:3; 9;5).

He was not made sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3).

Hamartia, occurs in the New Testament  174 times, but is only once

translated 'sinful' namely in the reference before us.  The actual words used

by the apostle in Romans 8:3 are en homoiomati sarkos hamartias, 'In likeness

of flesh of sin'.  Somewhat comparable is the expression used in Romans 6:6,

'the body of sin', or that found in Romans 7:24, 'the body of this death'.

The Son of God knew no sin, did no sin, and though He became flesh, He did

not take upon Him a body composed of the flesh of sin, although He suffered