The day of the Lord, however, -will come as a thief (v. 10). In verse 15 the course of thought in verse 9 is repeated, and the reader is ex- horted to account the long-suffering of the Lord salvation. This inter- pretation has in its favor that the expression 'our Lord' (v. 15) can be referred to Christ. Apart from Rev 4I1 ii^^ (2 Tim i^) it is the constant rule in the N. T. and in this Epistle (i2,8,ii,i4,i6 320 3I8) that the pronoun ijiimv is adjoined to xupio<; only when xijpio<s refers to Christ; and already on this ground xopio<s in v. 15 can scarcely designate God. The declaration in v. 8 that a day with the Lord is as a thousand years, causes no great difficulty, since it is no unwonted occur- rence in the N. T. that a statement made of Lord Jehovah is referred to Lord Christ, wholly apart from the circumstance that the statement in question is scarcely an Old Test, citation. On the other hand, our explanation is rendered uncertain by the expression in v. 12, ' the coming of the day of God.' Since v. 12 speaks of 'the day of God,' 'the day of the Lord' is commonly explained in connection with it; and as ultimate result there emerges that nothing assured can be at- tained concerning the meaning of 38,9,io,i5_>'
1^ Cf. Isaiah 43^^, " I, even I, am the Lord and beside me there is no Saviour"; Is 43^, "The Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour," cf. 4513-21 49^6 60IS 63^, Jer 14^, " O thou hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble; Hos 13*, "Beside me there is no Saviour" (cf. i Sam 1019 14.39^ 2 Sam 223, ps 710 177 io62i). But cf. Is 1920 where the Lord promises to send " a Saviour and a mighty one " : and such pas- sages as Judges s^-i^, where the Saviour sent is a man raised up by God for the purpose (cf. Judges 6^6, 2 Kings 138, Neh 92). The O. T. term for Saviour is the Hiphal participle of J?B''/ viz., ytJ'IID
270 The Designations of Our Lord
It occurs five times, always of Christ, and never alone, but always coupled under a single article with another designation, and so forming a solemn formula. In this respect the two phrases, ' our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' (i^^ 2-° 3^^) and 'our God and Saviour Jesus Christ' (i^) are perfectly similar and must stand or fall together. Not only, however, is the deity of our Lord openly asserted in the direct naming of Him here ' our God and Saviour.'^^ It is almost equally clearly asserted in the parallel phrase, ' our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.' And it is implied in the con- junction of ' God ' and ' Jesus our Lord ' in i^ as co- objects of saving knowledge (cf. i^ 2-^ 3^^)) ^rid in the ascription to ' our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ' of an eternal Kingdom (i^^)." Besides these designa- tions, our Lord is called by Peter, as by Jude (4), our ' Master ' {deaTTorif];:) with the same high impli- cations (2^) ;^* and the declaration of God the Father at the transfiguration that He is ' God's Son,' ' God's Beloved,' is cited (i") with profound and reverential satisfaction.^®
Perhaps nothing is more notable in the designations
of our Lord in these Epistles — James, Jude, i Peter,
John's Epistles 2 Peter,— than the dropping out of
and 'the sight of the title 'Son of God.' Only
Son of God.' ji^ the single passage in 2 Peter in which
1- That the passage is to be taken so is convincingly argued by Spitta, von Soden, and especially Bigg. Cf. Lightfoot on i Clem 2, ■where some of the patristic parallels are noted.
^^ The phrase "eternal Kingdom" is found here only in the N. T. ; but cf. Mart. Polyc, 20, Clem. Horn., viii. 23 ; x. 25 ; xiii. 20, etc.
1* Spitta, von Soden, etc. (cf. Wetstein) take the dsaitorr^'i here of God the Father ; Mayor hesitates. But cf. above on Jude 4.
^° Cf. the statement of the christology of the Epistle by Bigg, p. 235.
The Catholic Epistles 271
the testimony of the Father in the transfiguration scene is appealed to, Is the term ' Son ' applied to Jesus at all. The case is very different in the Johannlne Epis- tles. Of them the application to Jesus of the title ' Son of God,' in one form or another. Is preeminently characteristic.^^ He Is called. Indeed, simply ' Jesus ' (i Jno 2" 4^ 4^^ 5^), and 'Christ' without adjunct (l Jno [2-^ 5^]," 2 Jno 9) ; and also 'Jesus Christ' (i Jno 4" [4^^] 5^ 2 Jno 7) ; and even 'Jesus Christ the Righteous' (i Jno 2^) ;^^ and He Is described in the great phrases 'Word of Life' (i Jno i^), 'Ad- vocate with the Father ' (2^) , ' Saviour of the World ' (4^"*) . But the favorite designations applied to Him in these Epistles emphasize His divine Sonship. The most common formula employed Is the simple ' Son ' standing in correlation with God or the Father ( i Jno 22-^'2^'23,24 410,14 ^9,10,11,12^ 2 Jno 9) ; but the full