4. The rest of the NT.— The other books of the NT present few new features which call for notice here. llie Epistle to the Hcbreics emphasizes Christ's absolute righteousness, in order to show Him as tiie one sufficient Victim and High Priest. He is ' the efi'ulgence of (God's) glory and the very image of his substance ' (P). The Psalmist's words apply to Him uniquely, ' Thou hast loved right- eousness and hated iniquity' (!•'). He Avas 'in all points tempted like as Ave are, yet Avithout .'in ' (4^'^). He is the 'king of righteousness' (7'^). With regard to His Avork for His folloAvers, the Avriter of the Epistle usually employs the Avords dyid^w and reXeiou. He exhorts his readers to have ' experience of the Avord of righteousne.ss,' that is, ' to press on unto perfection (reXetoTTjs), not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead Avorks, and of faith toward God, of the teaching of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resur- rection of the dead, and of eternal juilgment' (5^^ and 6^- ^). This perfection comes only through Christ (7"-^") ; He is the risen High Priest, Avho ' ever liveth to make intercession for us ' (7-^. cf. 4'« 58 6'8-20). His blood purges us 'from dead Avorks to serve the living God ' (9^^). ' By one ott'ering he hath perfected for ever {i.e. potentially) them tliat are being sanctified' (10^^). Therefore Ave must ' folloAv after the sanctiiication Avithout Avhich no man shall see the Lord' (12'''). The Epistle bases our sanctiiication on love through faith, just as St. Paul does {^^'■> Avith 4^). The OT heroes Avrought all their great deeds through faitli (ch. 11); but faith could not possibly bring them such TeXfiuiffis as it can to the Christian, Avho is united Avith his risen Lord (IP"). The Christian's Avork rests on a fuller faith ; but love is Avhat makes it fruitful, — love to man rooted in love to God (6'" 10'-''). Our first duty is to offer up loving Avorship to God ; our second, ' to do good and to communicate' (13'*-''').
The Epistles of St. Peter touch the subject at several points ; but, being practical rather than doctrinal, they do not treat it systematically. The Avriter of the Second Epistle salutes those ' that have obtained a like precious faith Avith us in the righteousness' {i.e. consistent mercy) 'of our God and (the) Savicmr Jesus Christ' (2 P V). Christ, the righteous, died for us the unrighteous (1 P 3^^ ; cf. St. Peter in Ac y^*) ; He is the ' lamb Avithout blemish and Avithout spot' (P*). 'He bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that Ave, having died
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unto sins, might live unto righteousness ' (2^'*), by the power of tiie risen Lord (P 3-^). Our union with Him in love and faith works out the salva- tion of our souls (1**- '•'). For faith ends in love (2 P !'• ''). The Christian's duty, therefore, is to love his neighbour 'from the heart fervently' (1 P P^) ; ' above all things being fervent in love . . . for love covereth a miiltitude of sins ' (4*). But the end of all his good works is that men may glorify God (2'^). So shall he be saved unto the new lieavens and new eartli, where this righteousness shall dM'ell in perfection (2 P 3^^).
2'Ae Epintle of St. James follows closely the Sermon on the Mount. He speaks once of God's righteousness, meaning the righteousness which (xod demands of us (P"). And in all probability he refers to Christ as 6 StKatos (S**). He speaks of love for one's neighbour as ' the royal law ' (2^) ; and he insists at some length that the faith which was accounted unto Abraham for righteousness was not merely intellectual ; it could not be separ- ated from his works, in which it was realized and made perfect (2-^- '^).
Literature. — Tlie subject is treated, in some of its aspects, in so many books that it is liard to select any for special mention. There are chapters on it in almost every work on NT Theology ; e.g. Beyschlag and Stevens ; see also Wendt, Teach- ing of Jesus, vol. i. § iii. ch. iv. ; Bruce, Kingdom of God, chs. viii. ix. For individual passages in the NT, reference must be made to the standard Commentaries. Probably the fullest anal3"sis of the word is in Cremer's Bi.b.-Theol. Lex. of NT Greek.
C. T. Wood.
RING. — When the Prodigal Son in the parable returned to his father (Lk 15"), the latter ordered a ring (5aKTv\Los) to be placed on his son's finger. This was not only a mark of opulence (Ja 2'^), it is perhaps intended also as a token that he was restored to a place of authority in the house, and allowed to issue orders in his father's name (see Gn 3818 41-*-, Est 3i»). For the allegorical fancies that have clustered round this ring, see the works on the Parables; cf., further, art. Seal.
C. H. Prichard.
RIVER (7roraAi6s).— 'River' (MkPetc), 'flood' (Mt 7'-5), ' stream ' (Lk 6^«), and ' waters ' (2 Co ipS) stand for tlie same Greek word irorafids. ' Stream ' in Lk 6*8 corresponds to ' flood ' in Mt 7-^