21--25.
καρδίας ἀπὸ συνειδήσεως πονηρᾶς 23. “Kat λελουμένοι τὸ σῶμα kiv. τ4: τ
ὕδατι καθαρῷ, κατέχωμεν τὴν ὁμολογίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀκλινῆ " πιστὸς ρῷ, κατέχωμ μολογίαν τῆ ἢ
γὰρ ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος > 24. καὶ κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους εἰς παροξυσ-! Ε
μὸν ἀγάπης καὶ καλῶν ἔργων, 25. ᾿ μὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυν- Ρ
ditions already possessed, ‘our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our body washed with pure water”. Both participles must be construed with προσ- ερχώµεθα. The obvious connection of ‘heart ” and “body” forbids the attach- ment of λελουσμένοι to κατέχωμεν. To connect both participles with κατεχ. is equally impossible. “προσέρχεσθαι is a technical liturgical word, and sprinkling and washing are liturgical acts of prepara- tion” (Delitzsch). Possibly the mention of sprinkling and washing is an echo of the injunctions of Exod, xxix. 4, 21, xxx. 20, xl. 30, prescribin g similar preparation for the priestly functions. Our heart or inner man by the application of the αἷμα ῥαντισμοῦ (cf. τ Pet. i. 2) is delivered from the consciousness of guilt (ix. 14) ; our body by the application of the purify- ing water of baptism becomes the symbol of complete purity. ‘Sprinkled with that blood which speaketh evermore in the heavenly sanctuary, and washed with baptismal water sacramentally impreg- nated with the same, we are at all times privileged to approach by anew and living way the heavenly temple, entering by faith its inner sanctuary, and there pre- senting ourselves in the presence of God” (Delitzsch). Cf. especially Ps. li. 6-7, and Plutarch, [sts and Osiris, ο. 80 (p. 383) where ceremonial purifications are ex- plained on the principle that the Pure and Undefiled must be worshipped by the pure in body and soul.
Ver. 23. A second branch of the ex- hortation is given in the words κατ- éxopev τὴν ὁμολογίαν. . . “Let us hold fast and unbending the confession of our hope,” as in iii. 6. Cf. also vi. ττ. For as yet in this life the fulness of bless- ing which comes of fellowship with God is not experienced, the perfected salvation and the heavenly country (xii. 22-23) are yet to be reached. But these are the contents of the Christian hope, and this hope is confessed and maintained in pres- ence of a commonplace, scoffing and alluring world. It is to be maintained for the best of all reasons: πιστὸς yap ὁ ἐπαγγειλάμενος. The promises of God are necessarily the ground of hope, v. vi. 12. These promises cannot fail, be- cause God cannot lie, vi. 18.
Cor. i. 9; 1 Thess. ν. 24. om. xiii. Τὴ 2 eter iii. 9, 11, 14.
Ver. 24. Το the exhortation to faith and hope he adds an exhortation to love : kal κατανοῶμεν ἀλλήλους, “and let us consider one another,’’ taking into account and weighing our neighbour’s circumstances and especially his risks, but this with a view not to exasperating criticism but ets παροξυσμὸν aya- πης, “with a view to incite them to love and good works,” acknowledging honest endeavour and making allowance for im- perfection. παροξυσμός is “stimulation” either to good or evil. In Acts xv. 39 it is used of angry irritation, as in LXX, Deut. xxix. 28, Jer. xxxix. 37. So in medical writers of a paroxysm. But fre- quently in classics the verb is used of stimulating to good as in Plato, Epist. iv. p. 321 and in Xen. Cyrop. 6, 2, 5, Tov- τοὺς ἐπαινῶν παρώξυνε. Isocrates, ad Demon., etc. The writer, in vi. 9-10, has set his readers a good example of this considerate incitement. In order to fulfil his injunction they must not neglect meeting together for Christian worship and encouragement μὴ ἐγκαταλείποντες τὴν ἐπισυναγωγὴν ἑαυτῶν. Delitzsch suggests that the compound word is used instead of the simple συναγωγή in order to avoid a word with Judaic associations ; but συναγωγή might rather have sug- gested the building and formal stated meetings, while ἐπισυν. ἑαυτῶν denotes merely the meeting together of Christians. That these meetings were for mutual edification is shown bythe ἀλλὰ παρα- καλοῦντες. Some made a practice of neglecting these meetings, whether from fear of persecution or from scorn or from business engagements. Cf. Jude, 18-20, and Moberly’s Minist. Priesthood, Ῥ. 14. This good custom of meeting to- gether and mutually exhorting one an- other was to be all the more punctually and zealously attended to, ὅσῳ βλέ- πετε ἐγγίζουσαν τὴν ἡμέραν, ‘in proportion as ye see the day drawing near”. ‘The day” is of course the day of the Lord’s return (ix. 28), the day of days. The Epistle being written in all probability a year or two before the des- truction of Jerusalem, the sins οἵ the coming day which could be “scen” were probably the restlessness, forebodings of coming disaster, and initial collisions with