—to a Chlisti;.!! ii.- 1- .ih.T
in tlie ahslra.d. Iln.lin- ..I hi in the fellowship of .l.'^n- ('hri~ ' This is the true Gnd an. I .f.i
11. One form of ]>uttiny tin.-; dence of later Christian hit. development.-, .'njiiiii-t i li.> :ii:ii of Cliristian ...ij.ii.. Clni-! h:i havem..aiitt..inni..l. :. w.-i-hi Germans can J. nt this in a, j.hr; liohe Christus ' versus 'der sogenannte historische Jesus' (Kahler). There is a measure of truth in this. Indeed, it is bad history to forget, in study-
' blind unbelief.' faith grtisps the aeiuraiies, non- tian i.liil..-n|ihers
.,1 s..l>llieevi-
,\ ith it-, known
m.jdern study
iii.led, and must
( hurch ! The
.Icr geschicht-
HOLINESS
HOLIKESS
ing origins, wliereunto the origins grew. On the other hand, the appeal, put forward without quali- fication, helps the Higli Churchmen, if not the Ultraraontanes. The Church of history is sacer- dotal ! Protestant evangelical Christians are forced by their faith, by their experience, into a fruitful alliance with sober all-round history. Like the Keformers, we must go back to the primary revela- tion. Christianity, as the world knows it, is not the measure of Christ, nor His worthy interpreter. ' Hear ye Him ! ' Robert Mackintosh.
HOLINESS.— The word 'holy' is etymologically connected with 'whole,' 'hale,' 'healthy,' etc. (cf. Ger. heilsam, hcilig). Modern lexicographers hesi- tate to speak with certainty in regard to the primi- tive meaning of the root whence this group of words is derived. Murray's Eng. Diet, is content to equate 'holy' -with the Lat. sanctus, sacer, on the ground that 'we cannot in Old English get behind the Christian sense.' It is probable that the sense-development is either from hxiilo, i.e. in- violate, inviolable, that which must be preserved whole ; or from hail in the sense of health, well- being.
In all the passages to which reference will be made, the Greek word is fiyios or one of its deriva- tives, with the exception of Ac 2=' 13==, Lk 1«, He T"", where Scnos or baibrrji is found. In Acts the words of Ps 16'° are quoted twice ; ' thy Holy One ' is a title of the Messiah to whom i^re-eminently belongs the OT designation of the theocratic nation, — ol Strioi toO Beov, God's pious ones. ' The Bo-ios, the German /romm, is one who reverences the everlasting sanctities and owns their obligation' (Trench, Synonyms of the NT, § ,lxxxviii.). In Lk 1~= 'holiness' and 'righteousness' are closely associated, as is frequently the case both in classi- cal and biblical usage. The words are comple- mentary, though the sharp distinction drawn by Plato (Gorgias, 507 B) cannot be maintained : in the NT 'righteousness' cannot be limited to duties toward men, nor can 'holiness' be restricted to duties toward God. Righteousness is the man- ward, as holiness is the Godward aspect of pious character and conduct. Hence Jesus, our High Priest, is 'holy' (He 7"'); in His filial reverence and in His devotion to His Fatliov's will there is no flaw; He is, therefore, litti.l in :i|,|„ .n- in the presence of God to do prii'siU' -.ni.r mi our behalf. The LXX usually r._-n.lci^ r:- i ■ -mlly ' or ' beloved ') by iVios (Dt 33», '2 « L'-i^", Ps 4^ etc. ), but B^nj; is generally translated Hyios (Ex 19", Nu 6^ Ps 15S etc.).
Both ^7105 and u'lin are used when holiness is ascribed to God as well as to persons and things. The question, therefore, arises— What is the pri- mary meaning which underlies and connects these different applications of the word ? If the funda- mental idea is separation, the progress of thought is from the negative to the positive, from men and things to God, fi'om the cleansing which is an essential qualification for use in the service of God to puiitv .K 111'- c i-ntral attribute of God Himself. But ii till- luinlunicntal idea is essential Divinity, separiilioii l).r.>i]u's a derivative conception; the progress of thought is then from the positive to the negative, from God to external things and persons. Every thing devoted to God must be separated from profane or common uses ; and every person devoted to God is not only thus set apart, but is also under moral obligation to fit himself for drawing near to God by separating himself from all that is sinful.
Those who regard separation as the radical meaning of (£7105 make it almost synonymous with ayp6s, which signifies mire, and sets forth a nega- tive conception of holiness. Stevens (Hastings' DB
ii. 399) follows Trench, and interprets 1 Jn 3'— e/ceri/os d7i'65 ea-Tiv — of God. But, as Westcott {Cotn. in loc.) points out, ^KeiKos in this Epistle always refers to Christ ; it is in respect of His true humanity that it can be said ' He is pure,' and not only ' He was pure.' In His glorified state ' the result of the perfection of His earthly discipline (He S'"') still abides.' According to St. John, a 'hope set on' (RV) Christ is a constant incentive to strive after lioliness ; and the standard by which the disciple will always measure his attainments is the perfect purity of his Lord. Few will doubt the soundness of the inference which Westcott bases on his ex- position of this verse and on his study of the words :
' Both otyv6i and xaSxpo? differ from ciyier in that they admit the thought or the fact of temptation or pollution ; while ij-n.- describes tliat which is holy absolutely, either in itself or in idea. God can be spol^en of as xyw; but not as i>-v(j>, while Christ can be spoken of as ij-.o; in virtue of the perfection of His humanity. A man is Uyio; in virtue o£ his Divine destina- tion (He lOiO) to which he is gradually conformed (iyiiZirxi, He lOW) ; he is iytk in virtue of earthly, human discipline."