t W. B, Smith. Rti. Snn.t p. UL
'glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders.' In the Psalms He is addressed as 'terrible out of his holy places ' (G8") ; His name is ' holy and terrible '(111"); ' -J" is great in Zion, and exalted above all the peoples,' therefore they are exiiorted to praise His 'great and terrible name ; holy is it ' (99^- % This conceotion is specially prominent in the Bk. of Ezekiel, where the divine holiness appears to denote no other attribute than tliat of majesty, exhibited in the exercise of irresistible power. J'"s ' holy naiue^ is synonymous with His ' gi-eat name ' (30-', ef. v.^") ; and when He is said to 'sanctify himself (i.f. show Himself to be holy), or to 'sanctify his name,' which is profaned when He is forced to conceal any of His divine attributes, the meaning always is that by a display of might He produces the recognition of His true majesty (3ti'-"-=* SS'"- '=' 20" etc.). Tliese illustrations, which might easily be multiplied, will serve to show how largely the usage of the words for holiness is influenced by the'niajestic and awe-inspiring side of the divine nature. .
(2) The priestly Torah, bein^ largely occupied with questions of cleanness and iincleanness, was naturally led to present divinity as opposition to all that is impure ; and hence in the legal books the idea of holiness approximates to that oi physical p u rity (cf . Lv II"''- 2U^- =«, Ezk 43'- • etc. ). It is an undue exaggeration of this fact that has led some theologians to suppose that the primary signilicance of holiness is purity in a physical sense, or freedom from defect, or 'normality of life' (Uiestel). In reality this is but one manifestation of divinity (readily intelligible as a niodilication of the funda- mental conception of unapproachableness) ; and although it is necessarily emphasized by priestly writers, it is altogether inadequate to explain the whole range of meaning covered by the term • holy.' What it expresses is J'"s jealous care for the purity of His own worship, and that, again, is probably rooted in antagonism to the worship of heathen deities and other forms of superstition, especially the worship of dead ancestors (see Lv I'J^, Dt 14' etc.). The most characteristic expres- sion of the idea is perhaps in the striking but somewhat dilHcult sentence, ' Be ye holy : for I am holy ' (Lv 11" ID- 20-«, cf. 20' W'*). Evidently, the holiness of Israel is there conceived as in some sense a reflexion of the holiness of J", for it is hardly reasonable to take the word ' holy ' m two diverse accej)tation9 in the two members of the sentence. While there are many ways in which holiness might be predicated of J", and many also in which it might be predicated of Israel, there are very few in which the word could be applied to both. At all events, in such a connexion the holiness of God cannot be His deity in general, nor His power or majesty, but must mean that .separa- tion from impurity which belongs to His nature, and is to be rejiro.luced and exhibited in the life of His people. Holiness in this sense is the ruling principle of the Levitical legislation, just as elhical righteousness is the supreme idea of pro- phecy. Although the expression of the idea occurs chierty in later writings (esp. Ezk and tho Triestly Code), the thought iUself U un.louble.lly ancient, and must have exercised an influence on tho do- velopmeut of the notion of holiness.
(3) The t7/iiV.i/ sen.so of the divine holiness is most clearly to bo discerned in some parts of the prophetical writings, particularly m those of Isaiah To the prophets J' was cssent lall y a moral lieing, 'of too pure eyes to behold evil' (ll.ib 1"), and swift to resent and punish tho iniquity o( His people. .\nd since holiness embraecd every distinctive attribute of Godhead, it was to be ex- pected that, in the light of this ethical concep
39«
HOLINESS
HOLI.NESS
tion of Ood, tlie word sliould take on the sense of moral jierfectness, at least on ita nepitive Hide of opposition to liunian sin. Accordingly, in Am 2"' we iind the holiness of J'"8 name set in contrast to the immoral practices of Canaanitish heathenism which had been introduced into the reli^'ion of Israel. It may be objected that in this instance the opposition to J"'s holiness lies not so much in the immorality of the custom as in its a.ssociation with the worship of strange gods. But, even if that be true, the sifniiticance of the allusion is hardly diminished. The fact remains that a rite consistent with the godhead of other deities was inconsistent with the holiness of J", and the onl^ reason that can be assi].'ned for the dill'erence is that J"'8 godhead or holiness included a moral element which placed a wide gulf between Him and the deities of the Semitic pantheon. In the teaching of Isaiah the thought of the divine holiness has a central importance which it possesses in that of no other prophet ; and it is there also that the ethical aspect of the idea receives the fullest ex- pression. In his inaugural vision the great fact impressed on his mind is the holiness of the God of Israel (Is 0^), and this perception awakes in him the consciousness, not merely of creaturely inlirinity, but of undeanness in a moral sense, as adhering both to himself and his nation (v.°). The con- nexion of holiness and morality is again expressed in a striking manner in the words of 5'*, wliere we read that ' the holy God shall .sanctify himself in righteousness,' i.e. He shall show Himself to be holy by the exercise of punitive righteousness. But indeed Isaiah's whole conception of national sin as rebellion against J" and ignorance of His character, and his demand that J " should be ' held holy' by compliance with His revealed will (H3* gii ogas etc.), imply a view of holiness which is profoundly ethical ; and all this is embraced in the diWne title which is continually on his lips, 'the Holy One of Israel.' There is, however, no i)as- Bage of the OT where it can be supposed that moral purity exhausts the idea of holiness. It never appears detached from the underlying thought of majesty and power ; it is, in short, an element of holiness as conceived by the prophets, but neither in their writings nor in any other part of the literature does it supersede the vaguer original meaning of the word. So in a later prophet the ■words, ' Thou that art of too pure eyes to behold evil,' etc. (Hab 1"), are no doubt connected with the name ' my Holy One ' in the previous verse, but at the same time they cannot be regarded as the complete equivalent of that phrase.