(a) Incartuilinn. — The 'Son' becamenan. This nionientous event is alluded to in various places and in diverse forms of langu.ige ; now in terms boiroweil from the Psalter as being made a little lowe' than the angels (2'), now as becoming par- taker of blood and flesh (2'*), and at another time by the very general expression ' in the days of his flesh' (5'). Under what precise conditions the Son entered humanity, whether, e.rj., by ordi- nary generation or otherwise, is nowhere in- dicated. The term 'children' applied to men in 2", and the expression ' likewise ' (TapoirXTjo-fci)!) applied to the Son's becoming a participant in human nature, may jiLstify the inference that the author conceives of Him as being born, and piuss- iiig from childhood to manhood. This would .scarcely be worth remarking, were it not that in the prologue of the Fourth Gospel these details are left doubtful. There the Logos simply becomes flesh, and dwells for a season among men.
(/)) Eartlibj Life of Jesus. — What knowledge our author had of the earthly history of the Son, whether, e.f/., he was aei]uainted with the evan- gelic tradition ;is embodied, s.ay, in the Gospel of .St. Mark, does not clearly appear. He certainly knew more than, after a cursory perusal of the Kpistle, we might think. He knew of the tempta- tions of .Jesus (2'^ 4'^), of the scope that His earthly experience afforded for the exercise of faith (12-), of His agony in the garden (5"), of the opposition He endured at the hands of the evil, or ignonant, prejudiced men (12'), of His gentle bearing towards the erring (5-), of His wcrk as a preacher of the good tidings (2^), of His being surrounded by a band of companions who after- wards became a source of valuable and trustworthy information concerning the words of the Master (2^). Of course, one who knew .so much had the means of knowing more. In his description of the agony he seems to indicate knowledge of par- ticulars not reported in the Gospels, when he repre- sents .Jesus as offering up prayers ' with strong crying and tears,' though it has been suggested that iie borrowed this part of the picture from Ps 22'*- -*.»
(c) The State of Humiliation. — Be this as it may, one thing is certain, the writer has a magnifi- cent conception of the moral significance of the earthly life of the Son as a whole ; of the historic career of Him whose human name ' Jesus ' he for
• So von Soden in Theologische Abkandlungen, Carl von Weizsiicker gewidmet, p. 113.
the first time introduces in 2'. He perceives cleiirly the pathos of that life, the humiliation and the glory in the humiliation. It may be, as has been said, that it is the exalted .Jesus he h;is con- stantly in his eye, but he never forgets that the exalted One pa.ssed heroically through a severe curriculum of temptation and suffering, which awakens in his mind, .is he contemplates it, admiration and love. There is no trace in his li.oges of the tendency, very perceptible in the (iospel of St. Luke, to tone down those elemeiils in Chri.st's experience which might be thought out of keeping with the image of Uie exalted Lord as it pre.seiited iuself to the eye of faith. [Compare St. Luke's report of the agony in the garden (leaving out the unauthentic verses, 22*^*') wiih the brief but strong Staleiiieiit on the .same subject in this Epistle]. He was not without temptation to follow this policy, arising out of the state of feeling prevailing in the coniinunity of believers for whose benefit he wrote. Their conceptions of the Christian religion .seem to have been crude, ignorant, and superficial all along the line. They did not yet understand even the first principles of Christian belief (i)'-). The best clue to the nature of their deficiencies in Christian knowledge is to note the things empli,a.sized and reiterated by tlieii instructor. One of these things is the humiliation of Christ. That, therefore, was one of their stumbling-blocks. If the Son was so great as you say, how could He be tempted, and suffer death, aii<l death in such an iirnominious form '.' Such was (uie of their perplexities. One writing to a community in this state of mind was tempted to throw a veil over the indignities of the .Saviour's life ; to p.ass over in silence this, to understate that. But there is neither silence nor under- statement. ' In all points tempted like as we are ' (■*'') ; ' prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears ' (■'>'); ' though he were a .Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered ' (5*); 'endured the cross, despising the shame ' (12'-)-, 'endured such contr.adiction of sinners .against himself (12^). This depicting in dark colours of the tragic humiliating side of Christ's earthly ex- perience means much. It means, for one thing, that the writer sees in that aspect nothing to hide or be .-i.shamed of ; rather something to rejoice in and to be thnnkful for. He beholds glory in the humiliation, honour in the shame, contemporary honour, not merely honour following and com- pensating, in a state of exaltation. It means, further, that he does not despair of getting his readers to see this also. At least he is deterinined to try, because he knows that, until they see it, tlu'ir faith is unintelligent, and their Christian standing very insecure.