containing an adaptation of some words from the ‘“‘Sermon on the Mount”; 13-18 deals with the subject of the visita- tion of the sick in the early Church, while vv. 19, 20 bring the Epistle to an abrupt termination with a very pro- nounced utterance upon the Jewish doc- trine of works. Each of these sections is self-contained, and it would be im- possible to have a clearer or more pointed illustration than this chapter offers of the ‘* patchwork ” character of our Epistle. It will not be necessary, in dealing with the very large subject of Jewish Eschat- ology, to do more than indicate very briefly its connection with the section wy. 1-6 of this chapter; at the same time, a slight reference to its leading ideas is essential, as some of these are referred in this passage; one of these is the punishment about to overtake the wicked —who are often identified with the rich —in the ‘‘last days”. Jewish Eschato- logy, or the “' Doctrine of the last things,” is based on the teaching of the O.T. prophets regarding the ‘‘Day of the Lord,” or, as the phrase runs, “ the last day,” or ‘“‘last time” ; another formula which occurs frequently is ‘‘in those days”. “ΒΥ the time of the New Testa- ment period Judaism was in possession of most, if not all, of its eschatological ideas. These had been developed during the two eventful centuries that immedi- ately preceded the rise of Christianity. It was these centuries which saw the rise of the Apocalyptic Movement with its vast eschatological developments that were essentially bound up with the doc- trine of a future life, and a belief in a judgment after death, with rewards and punishments” (Oesterley and Box, op. cit., p. 211). The four outstanding sub- jects that the doctrine of the last things comprises are: (1) The signs of the ap- proach of the ‘Messianic Era”—this latter took the place of the “ Day of the Lord” in the development of eschato- logical thought, (2) the actual advent of the Messiah, together with the great events that should then come to pass, viz., the ingathering of Israel and the resurrection of the dead; (3) The judg- ment upon the wicked; (4) The blessed- ness of the righteous (Cf. the writer’s The Doctrine of the Last Things). In
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466 IAKQBOY ν. 9 Rom. iii “ ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις.: 2. ὁ πλοῦτος ὑμῶν σέ- 10. d Matt. vi. 19, 20.
1 Add υμιν δῷ, 5, 8, 25, Vulg., Pesh., Copt., Arm., Aeth.
the passage before us (vv. 1-6) three of the above are referred to, viz., the Messianic Era; the punishment of the wicked, and (implicitly) the blessedness of the righ- teous. In ver. 3 the phrase ἐν ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις points indubitably to the times of the Messiah; the language is that of Fewish Eschatology based on prophetic teaching (cf. Isa. ii. 2; Mic. iv. 1; Hos. 111. ρε nit.) τ Am, ΨΗΙ nix. ἘΣ Zech. viii. 23). In vv. 1, 3 the punish- ment of the wicked is referred in the words, κλαύσατε ὀλολύξοντες ἐπὶ ταῖς ταλαιπωρίαις ὑμῶν ταῖς ἐπερχομέναις :
++ «καὶ ὃ ἰὸς αὐτῶν . -. φάγεται τὰς
σάρκας ὑμῶν ὡς πῦρ; as illustrating this”
cf. Book of Enoch xcvi. 8, '' Woe unto you mighty who violently oppress the righteous, for the day of your destruction will come; in that time many happy days will come for the righteous, then shall ye be condemned’’; xciv. 7, 8, 9, “Woe to those that build their houses with sin...; and those who acquire
gold and silver will perish in judgment:
suddenly. Woe to you, ye rich, for ye have trusted in your riches. . . . Ye have committed blasphemy and unrighteous- ness, and have become ready for the day of slaughter and the day of darkness and the day of the great judgment”; xcv. 7, “Woe to you sinners, for ye persecute the righteous . . .; xcvi, 4, ‘‘ Woe unto you, ye sinners, for your riches make you appear like the righteous . . . and this word shall be a testimony against you” ; many other similar quotations could be given, the striking resemblance in thought and language with our passage cannot fail to be observed; see further below, ver. I. And lastly, in νετ. 6, there is an implicit reference to the happiness of the righteous, in the words, κατεδικάσατε, ἐφονεύσατε τὸν δίκαιον οὐκ ἀντιτάσ- σεται ὑμῖν; that is to say, the righteous can afford to suffer such ill-treatment because he knows that the time of