group of words designates ideas and relatinus which are more distinctively characteristic of UT than of NT, ttpic m this sense having been taken over from the LXX, where it abounds in 1 1> and tiie Books of Maccabees.
The word inct means piout, godly. It is the nearest Or. equivalent of the Lat. tanctut and of the Heb. TCi^. In its classic use it commonly denoted what was consecrated by law or custom, whether ol the gods or of men. In .NT, however, it has a distinctively religious significance, and means consecrated to God, pure, hoOj, pious. The NT use of otjw, Lai'ry.t may be seen in such |»assages as lie ?•**, where Christ, as High Priest, is
described as 'evm'., ix^iu^f, etuJ^troe, Xf^aifliffu.-.ne ccTt tv* kputp'
r«»X»» ; Lk l"^, where the people of God are spoken of as serv- ing Him \i iffiirxTi Kcii lix.(xicffiyri\ and Kph 4'-^, where the new man is said to be created according to G'«d f* 3**«iMTi»*j e«' oc■lo^y^'r^ tr.t etkr.Ou'as. In both classic and NT usa;rc this gnup of words is couuuonly associated with iixx40( and its cognatesi In the L.\X ci onaj tcv t/isu is a frequent designation of God's true worshippers. It will thus be seen that lioliness, in the sense of i<noTr.;, includes especially what is designated by the words reverence, piety, Frommigkeit.
2(ttv« properly means deserving of reverence or awe, and in classic usage is applied both to the gods and to men. It is even used of things, in the sense of grand, magnificent, \mprf»inve. In NT «u.v«f denotes deserving of reverence, hotwurable. It is once applied to deeds, Ph 4'^(HV 'honourable'), and three times to persons, 1 Ti 38*^ TitS^, in all of which coses RV renders grave. In like manner RV renders «,«>fr»5f gravity in all three passages in which it occurs, 1 Ti 2- Z*, Tit 2". The word signifies something more than gravity ; it suggests dignity or worth. It is obvious, however, that ri,«»6T»]f designates but a secondary aspect of the NT idea of holiness.
Ayycf, etytirrf me&n pure, purity. In LXX these words refer to ceremonial purity In NT they refer to freedom from moral faults in general, and esp, to free<lom from carnal sins. In one passage ctyit is applied to God (1 Jn 33). The chancteristio use of the word is seen in passages like 2 Co H^, Tit :i^ ' Ayye< represents an aspect of holiness, but only in a limited and negative way. Even the idea of moral purity is inadequate to represent the full content of tlie Christian conception of boUuess.
The characteristic NT word for holt/ is, as we have seen, 07*05. It is the nearest Gr. equivalent of the Heb. c'it;?, and is the common rendering; of that word in the LXX. It is probably from the same root as d7»'o'?( Lat. sacer)^ and the fundamental meaning; of the two words is nearly the same. 'Avtos, however, wliich is a rare word in classic Greek, appears to have diverj^ed from ayvos in the direction of a moral and religious conception of holiness. It is fjenerally believed that the funda- mental idea which underlies tlie word is that of separation, and that its moral signification tlicre- fore is : separation from sin, and so, consecration to Qod. The Christian use of the word lifted it into accord with the highest ethical conceptions, and gave it the idea of separateness from the sinful world, liarmony with God, the absolutely good Being, moral perfection. Thus &yio^ is, above all tilings, a qualitative and ethical term. It refers chicily to character, and lays emphasis upon the demands which that which is sacred {Upov) in th© highest sense makes upon conduct.
It is neces.sary brieny to refer to the LXX use of this word, and to the circle of OT ideas which it represents. We find that S.yi.oi is predicated of God as the absolutely perfect One, and of men and things so far as they are devoted to Him, and, as we may say, in some way identiHed with Him. Israel, c.g.^ was an ^^1*0$ Siyiov because (iotl's peculiar possession. Men are called upon to sanctify tnemselves, that is, to cleanse themselves from all delilement, to forsake sin, and to come into liarmony of life with God. So men may sanctify things by regarding, treating, or using thetn as sacred, that is, by associating them with God's perfection. The basis of this*lemand upon men tliat they be holy is the obligation to be like God : * Ye shall Iks Imly : for I the Lord your Gixi am Iioly'{Lv lO'-*). Nuw this holiness, as seen in OT, scciiis to wear a twofold aspect. It compre- hends both • the gotxlnessaiid the severity of God.' It issues both in redemption and in jutlgment. These two aspects of the divine holiness ni'pcar continually in inseparable connexion and inter- play. ' Holiness in the OT) is the perfect purity oi Ciod, which in and for itself excludes all feilowslii/i
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HOLINESS
with the world, and can only establish a relation- Rhip of free, electing love, wfiereby it asserts itself in the sanctilication of God's people, their cleans- ing and redemption ; therefore " the purity of God manifesting itself in atonement and redemption, and correspondingly in judgment"' (Cremer, Bib.- Theol. Lex. s.v.).
It is evident that Syioi and its kindred words are best adapted to represent the NT idea. They express soiuetliing more and higher than itpos, sacred, otitwnrdhj associated with God ; soinetliiiig more than Saios, reverent, pious ; something more than aeixvos, worthy, honourable ; something more than oYi'dt, pure, free from drfilement. '.^710! is more positive, more comjirehcnsive, more elevated, more purely ethical and spiritual. It is character- istically Godlikeness, and in the Christian system Godlikeness signifies completeness of life.