thought that the subject thus `revealed' could have been discovered by human wit or

sagacity (I Cor. 2: 10).

A new and wonderful body of truth, such as is found in the epistles of the Mystery,

was not revealed to Paul for his own private enjoyment, but given to him because he was

Divinely chosen to be an earthen vessel. In the first place, even though the gospel had

been preached unto Abraham (Gal. 3: 8), yet the gospel preached by Paul was given him

`by revelation' (Gal. 1: 12), and the apostles of the circumcision ultimately admitted that

it had something special and peculiar about it (Gal. 2: 7), even as the declared purpose "I

went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among

the Gentiles" (Gal. 2: 2) makes clear.  Here the original reads kata apokalupsin

`according to revelation' not `through' dia as in Gal. 1: 12. The words used in Eph. 3: 3

are kata apokalupsin `according to a revelation' and the difference should be noted. Kata

followed by the accusative is translated `by' in the A.V. twenty-five times. A few

instances must suffice, which we will translated each time literally `according to':

While we do not suggest that the word `by' should be exchanged for `according to' in

these passages, the English idiom hardly allowing it, it should be remembered that the

word `by' has a very great variety of meanings which should be kept in mind when

reading, its distinction being under the following headings:

Had the Mystery been made known to Paul `by' revelation simply, the language of

Gal. 1: 12 di apokalupseos would have been sufficient; instead the Apostle employs the

language of Gal. 2: 2 "I went up kata apokalupsin in harmony with a revelation", for no

one believes that the revelation was the mode of transport `by' which Paul went up to

Jerusalem. He went up because a revelation had been made to him, and in harmony with

that revelation it was incumbent upon him to go up to Jerusalem, lay before those in

charge `that gospel' which he preached among the Gentiles, and to `yield' not for an hour

to any pressure put upon him. In like manner Paul had received a revelation, first at his

original commission (Gal. 1: 16) and at the subsequent appearing to him of the Saviour

(Acts 26: 16-18). This revelation included such terms as:

and no one acquainted with the Prison epistles will need chapter and verse to be quoted

here to show that these are an integral part of their testimony. So, says Paul `in harmony

with this all covering revelation given to me, there was made known unto me the