From a combination of ixiadd^ and airoSlbwiu we get the late and non-clas.sical compound iiktB- airoSoirla, which word (with its corresponding fiia$- airoSdrrj!, He 11*) occurs in Hebrews only (2- \(fi' 11™) and nowhere else in the Greek Bible. RV trans- lates/i«rSa7ro56T7;s by ' rewarder,' hut fiurffairodoaiain each instance by ' recompense of reward.' The word is employed in a neutral sense, for 2' refers to the consequences of transgression and disobedi- ence, while 10^' refers to the consequences of Chris- tian wappriaia, and 11^-26 refer to the reward of faith and faithful endurance. In fact, the word emphasizes the exact requital of either good or evil by a sovereign judge.
The word ^i(rSa;ro5oo-iadoes not occur in the writ- ings of the Apo.stolic Fathers. The Pauline aun- litaBla appears now and then in 2 Clement (i. 3, 5, ix. 7). In xi. 6 it is coupled with a quotation from He 10-^, iritrros yap iariv 6 ^TrayyeLXdfiei'OS rds dvTifiiadlas A-jrodLOdpat CKdcTTU} ruif ^pywp aCrov. XV. 2, speaking of faith and love, says, TavT-qv yap Ixof-^" r7]y avTifitaSiav dwodouvat ti^ Gey t^ KrlcravTi 7]fj.d$.
dvTawoa&nis occurs in Ep. Barn. xix. 11 and Diilmhe iv. 7, in the same phrase in both places : oil 5iaTdtT€ti Sovpai ov5^ 5t5o('S yoyyvaeis' yvCxj-Q ydp rls ianv 6 tov fiiaOou KaXis dvTairob^ri)^,
/u<Tff6s is of fairly frequent occurrence in con- texts suggesting reward or requital. Perhaps the most interesting for the present purjmse are 1 Clem, xxxiv. 3 and Ji/j. Barn. xxi. 3, in both of which the allusion is to Is 40'° : Kvpio! ficrd laxi'O! lpx"'<''^ • • • l5ov 6 fj.t(T$ds avToO /xer' avrov. The same idea is expressed in Mp. Barn. iv. 12 : f)ca(rTos koSus i-woirtutv KOfj-Uirat.
3. The foregoing investigation has been con- cerned with the words usually employed by the apostolic writers to express the idea of requital in general and of reward in particular. The general idea of requital does not come up here for discus- sion. It may sullice to .say that the idea of judg- ment, with the view that a man's works, the general moral tenor of his life, is the standard by which he will be judged, is the consistent doctrine of Scripture throughout. The more immediate question is the place which the idea of reward holds in the apostolic teaching — the conception of the Christian life as a service rendered for which pay- ment will be received.
It may be said that the conception of reward may be traced throughout the apostolic writings, the later as well as the earlier, and tliat, presum- ably, it reproduces the teaching of our Lord. That it formed part of His teaching is undeniable (cf. Mt 6* 16'-'). It is sometimes suggested that the holding forth of reward is not the highest ground of appeal for virtuous action, and that our Lord's words here were conditioned by the exigencies of addresses to a popular audience. Without raising the question whether ' virtue for virtue's own .sake,' in total abstraction from all thoughts of conse- quences of any kind, is a thing really conceivable by any human intelligence, it may be asserted that the idea of reward as employed by Christ requires neither extenuation nor apology.
He came to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The relation of the members of that Kingdom to God is one of service, a service involving the correspond- ing idea of reward. This idea of service is in no way incompatible with that of sonship ; a son as well as a subject must serve. It should also be remembered that reward, so far as it appears in Christ's teaching, is conceived not quantitatively but qualitatively. The reward for which the disciple looks is simply the completion of his .sal- vation. In all his service and all his .sacrilice for the Kingdom he is moved by the desire for parti- cipation in the completed Kingdom. His reward lies in the attainment of that for which he has striven, and any other motive destroys the value of his service.
In fact, the idea of reward is entirely legitimate and appropriate when we remember in what the reward consists. It might be thought, for example, that the Johannine conception of salvation as eternal life, a life developing by its own inner necessity, would exclude the idea of reward. But in the Johannine writings, along with the idea of life, we have that of keeping Christ's command- ments. From this point of view the idea of service ajipears, and with it the presence of an impulse, which is provided by the promised reward. What is the reward ? Simply closer union with Christ. ' He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me : and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself unto him ' (Jn 14^') ; ' if ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love' (15'") ; 'ye are my friends, if ye do the things which I command you' (15'''). A reward for service, which consists in abiding in Christ's
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love, needs no apology, but may well stand aa the highest conceivable motive to action. Tlie reward may be otherwise expressed as honoiir bestowed by theFather(cf. Jn li--"-**, a passage which comes into close contact with the Synoptic presentment of the matter in Mt 10^'-, Lk 1-i"). It is the tcachiiif; of the Fourth Gospel, as quoted above, that forms the background to the passage in 2 Jn ", ' Look to yourselves . . . that ye receive a full reward.'