In Eph 2'^ and Ro 9'* the idea of ' will ' seems most probable. The use of the plural of SiadrjKTj to express the singular meaning ' will ' is very frequent in Greek, meaning either the different provisions or the will as a whole. It is possible, however, that the Apostle is thinking of the oft- renewed promises made to the fathers. In Gal 4^* the word is twice used, and applied once to the dLaOriKT) of promise given to Abraham and fulfilled through Christ, and once to the Siad-qKri made at Sinai. As we can hardly suppose that St. Paul speaks of the Abrahamic dispensation in another sense than in ch. 3, and as the thought of a will seems clearly present in 4^, we find the same con- ception here. The Law of Moses, which in 3^^ appeared only as a supplement to the testament of promise, delaying its operation but not cancelling it, is here spoken of as an inferior testament. There appears to be a very marked touch of irony here. ' If you will have it that it is a testa- ment,' says the Apostle, ' and insist on choosing to come under its provisions, it is a testament which will bring you an inheritance of slavery.' Our view of 2 Co 3^ will be determined by our ex- planation of 1 Co 11-'. Here we note the comment of Zahn (Galatcr, p. 162) that the Greek word had actually in the time of our Lord passed over into the Aramaic as a loan-word in the sense of ' will.' Hence we may suppose that our Lord, speaking almost in the very presence of death, and promis- ing to His disciples a share in His inheritance (Lk 22-'*), enriched tlie OT idea of covenant with the thoughts that cluster round the testament of a dying man planning out the future of those who are dear to him. This is the best illustration the NT ailbrds of the new wealth of meaning put into the old conception of h^rith. If so, we may find tliis in St. Paul's use also. In the case of 2 Co 3'**, wliere SiaOiqKr) seems to stand for the OT, the archaic use appears more likely.
(c) Lastly (omitting Ro IP^'and Rev 11", which, as cited directly from the OT, do not contribute anything to the understanding of the question), we may say that Ac 3-', referring to Abraham and to the inheritance, may have been at least coloured
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by the Greek conception of ' testament.' In Ac 7^ diadriKT] stands for the seal which accompanied the estaljlishment of the new relationship, and sheds no light upon its character.
(3) Sub-apostolic writers. — Passing to the sub- apostolic Christian writers, we Hnd few instances that are decisive. In Clem. Rom. ad Cor. i. the word occurs twice (xv. 4, xxxv. 7), each time in citations from the OT. The Epistle of Barnabas quotes also from the OT, and refers specially to the two tables of the diadriKr] which were broken by Moses (iv. 6f. ). Yet his most frequent use is ' heii's of the dtad-^Kr]' (vi. 19, xiii. 1, 6, xiv. 5). ' Moses as a servant received it ; but the Lord himself, having suti'ered in our behalf, hath given it to us that we should be the people of inherit- ance.' 'He was manifested that we . . . being constituted heirs through him, might receive the SiadrjKT) of the Lord Jesus, who was prepared for this end, that ... he might by his word enter into a 5iadrjKT] with us.' In this last passage we seem to have a clear instance of a passing over from the idea of ' will ' to that of * covenant.'
4. Conclusion. — As an illustration of the new fullness of meaning which we have discovered above, reference may be made to one of the most interesting of all the Jewish non-canonical writings, The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. There the fatliei's of the Hebrew tribes plan out the future of their descendants, and with warning and promise speak of what lies before them. In the NT all earlier thoughts of God are summed up in the grand conception of Fatherhood, whilst man's relationship to God is set forth as perfected in the realization of sonship. It was the knowledge that we have been brought into the family of God, and made cliildren of His and therefore heirs, that called fortli St. Paul's adoring gratitude (Ro 8'*'-). Looking back into the past, he delighted to think that this gracious ' will ' which adopts us and makes us heirs of the great inheritance had been made long since in favour of Abraham, and of those who are partakers of his spirit of faith and trust. If he read into the OT b''rith something that was hidden from the sight of those who first wrote of it, it is but another illustration of Augustine's saying : ' Vetus Testamentum in Novo patet.'
Literature. — E. Riggenbach, ' Der Begriff der SmBtikt) im Hebraerbrief (in T/ieologische Studien Th. Zahn dar;iebracht, Leipzig, 190S), pp. 291-316 ; J. Wackernagrel, 'Die grienhische Sprache' (Eultur der Gegenwart, i. 4 [do. 190SJ) ; F. O. Norton, A Lexicographical and Historical Study of AIA0HKH, Chicago, 190S ; A. Deissmann, Light from the Ancient East-, Eng. tr., 1911, and St. Paul, Eng. tr., 1912 ; G. Milligan and J. H. Moulton, ' Lexical Notes from the Papvri,' in Expositor, 7th ser., vi. [190S] S62; J. Behm, Der BeqrifSlAQHKHimNT, Leipzig, 1912 ; E. Lohmeyer, Diatheke, Ein Beitrag zur Erkliir- ung des NT Begriffs, Leipzig, 1913 ; Dawson Walker, The Gift of Tongues, 1906, pp. 81-175. See also the Commentaries on Galatians and Hebrews: on Gal., especially W. M. Ramsay (1899), Zahn (21907), Lukyn Williams (1911), Lightfoot (*1874) ; on Hebrews, Westcott (1SS9), A. S. Peake (1902). Ct. also artt. in Bible Dictionaries and Lexicons, especially H. Cremer, Bibl-Theol. Lexicon^, 1880.