come under its influence.’’ At a definite time God had shown mercy to these Christians, who before—according to the strict Jewish point of view—had been outside the pale of His mercy. And, if we may argue from silence as from the tenses employed, they were formerly not a people at all, to say nothing of their being no people of God. In fact they were just tribes and Gentiles—not a dads but just έθνη. It is true that Hosea was speaking of the children of Israel, who had apostatized, and of the final restoration, when all the dispersed should be gathered together. It is true, again, that St. Paul! uses the pro- phecy conformably with the apparent intention of the prophet; but he cites it more fully than St. Peter in connexion with the calling of the Gentiles.2, The Christian Church is God’s, Israel the heir of His promises; and—who knows ?—the writer may have added the title of the Dispersion partly because it is written in the book of Hosea,® ‘“‘and I will sow her unto myself upon the earth, and 1 will love her who was not beloved, and I will say to Not-my-people, Thou art my people and he shall say, Thou art the Lord my God”. It is a great prophecy and a Jewish Christian would be slow to forget its first intention. Noline of argument can exclude the possibility that some of the Christians, to whom his letter is addressed, were born Jews. And if he thought less of them and most of the aliens, who, perhaps, outnumbered them, at anyrate his own mind was Jewish and he spoke to his Jewish self, before he wrote or dictated his letter. It must have been a strange experience for a Jew to preach a Messiah, whom his Nation had rejected, to a motley collection of Gentile be- lievers and to use such prophecies as this.
But whatever emotions the words stirred up within his heart they remained there. The thought of his countrymen does not shake him visibly as it shook St. Paul;+* and from this self-repression one might conclude that the Jewish element in these churches was insignificant, or that the decree which severed him and them from the unbelieving Jews was already made absolute.
The probable significance of this use of Hosea’s phrase is sup- ported by the words, “ For ye were once wanderers like sheep but now ye have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls” .® It is, of course, possible to exaggerate the force of ἐπεστράφητε, ye have returned, as if it implied a previous association with God. But the word means no more than obedience to the invitation Repent, which Christian missionaries addressed to all the world; in the Septuagint it is used of Jewish apostasy without implying previous
1Rom. xi. 28-32 2Rom. ix. 24-26. 3 Hosea ii. 23 (LXX). 4 Rom. ix. 1 ff. Sti. 25.