The etymological meaning of o/ioXoyeiv is 'to say the same thing ' as others. It fitly expresses the condition necessary for joining the company or society of those who believed in Jesus Christ. Those who confessed their faith ' said the same things' about Him as those who were already in the society. At first the contents of the con- fession were very simple. Most probaldy the con- fession was the avowal of belief in Jesus as the Messiah, as in the great confession of Peter, ' Thou art the Christ' (Mk 8™). To the Christian Jew of Palestine He was the ' Messiah ' ; to the Hellenistic Christian Jew He was the 'Christ' ; to the Cliris- tian Gentile He was the ' Lord.' Cf. ' No man can say, Jesus is Lord, but in the Holy Spirit' (1 Co 12'^; see ExpT xv. [1903-04] '289, 296 tt.). Out of that simple confession there quickly grew other relative beliefs which were implicit in it, e.rf. His resurrection (Ro 10"), His Divine Sonship (1 Jn (I''-'), His coming in the flesh (1 Jn 4'-), and the baptismal confession or formula (Mt '28'").
Some writers on the Creeds lielieve that there are references to statements of belief, or summaries of doctrines which may have been included in the confession, in such phrases as ' the form of sound words' (2 Ti 1'^), the 'first principles of Christ' (He 6'), etc., but it is more likely that all such passages have only a general meaning (see art. 'Creeds,' EBr" vi'i. 393). Not till the time of Irenfpus and Tertullian (A.D. 175-200) is there evidence of definite credal statements, embodying the faith of the Church. It is, however, highly probable that there were some summaries of Chris- tian doctrine before that time. As the custom of baptizing immediately after conversion gave way to the system of the catechumenate, the particular elements of Christian doctrine in which the cat- echumens had been instructed would naturally re-
PROMISE
PROPHECY, PROPHET
27'J
appear in the questions that were aske<l, or the confession of faith that was iiiaile, liefore baptism. The jirocess of creed-format ion was lar^'ely assisted by the catechizing of the candidates for baptism iq.v.). The rise of error also had a marked influence in determining the particular beliefs that were to be confessed at dillerent times, or at least the particular form in which they were to be confessed. In the early Church the confession of faith was made in public, or before the Church. The I'auline jirinciple, 'If thou shalt confess with tliy mouth Jesus as Lord' (Ro 10"), was decisive on that point, to say nothing of our Lord's evident dislike for secret disciples. The public confession was not only a testimony for Christ, leading, it might he, to the conversion of others ; it had a strong ]>sy('ho- logical effect on those who made the confession, confirming them in their relation to Christ, and calling certain forces of their nature to tlie side of devotion. Those who were to be received into the Church sometimes had a form of words provided for them which they might use, but the convert was also allowed to speak for himself, as in the famous instance of Victorinus, whose testimony or confession can still be read with interest (see Augustine's Confessions, bk. viii. ch. 2).
Literature. — In addition to the works already mentioned, see P. Wernle, The Be'iitlninffS of Clirintianiti/, Eni;. tr., i. (1903) 139, 1;.4 ; J. C. Lambert.'art.' 'Confession (of Christ),' in DCG ; W. A. Curtis, art. ' Confessions," in ERE iii.
John Reid.
PROMISE. — The idea of promise is one of the great elements of Scripture teaching. It is a peculiarity of the Bible ; no other religious book has that as a distinguishing feature. It is the element of promise that runs through its various books, binds them into an organic whole, and unites in a vital union the OT and the NT. The promise of the OT is fulHlled in the blessing of the NT. Many promises may be taken as predictions. They constitute at least part of the content of prophecy. To write about promise in all its rela- tions would involve the discussion of prophecy, the preparation for the coming of Christ, tlie manifestation of the grace of God, etc. In what follows, reference is restricted to 'promise' in the apo.stolic writings of the NT.
In Acts and the Epistles the element of promise is very prominent. The words ^TrayyeXia, eTa.yye\/ia, eirayy^Wo/iai are of frequent occurrence.
(1) They are used in a general sense as in the phrases 'looking for a promise from thee' (Ac '23-') ; 'the first commandment with promise' (Eph 6^; also 1 Ti 4», 2 P 2'").
(■2) They are employed with special reference to the promises of God, out of which arose the economy of grace as it is set forth in all the variety of its blessing in the NT. Reference is often made (a) to the great fundamental promises given to Abraham, relating to the birth of Isaac, the blessing of his descendants, and the inheritance of the land of Canaan (e.g. ' for this is a word of promise . . . Sarah shall liave a son ' [Ro 9" ; also 4-", Gal 4=3, Ac 7", He 11»- '"■ ", etc.]) ;_(i) to the whole spiritual content of the Messianic blessing involved in the promise {e.r/. ' Now I stand here to be judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers' [Ac 26"], 'strangers from the covenants of the promise ' [Eph 2'= ; also Ro Q*, Gal 3'n-", He 6", etc.]). The passage where the significance of 'promise' is expressed is Gal 3'''-° (cf. also Ro 4'""^^). St. Paul is the chief e.xponent of the meaning of the promise given to Abraham and his seed. He emphasizes the fact that the promises in all their variety and fullness were fulfilled in Christ, ' for how many soever be the promises of God, in him is the yea : wherefore also through him is the Amen ' (2 Co V). The bless-