then with joy that anticipates your future glory. You arewinning the prize of your faith, the ultimate salvation of souls. St. Peter returns to the present and regards it from the point of view of those whom God is guarding—but only to advance again to the glorious future (7 fin, 9) when Jesus Christ the present object of their love and faith shall be revealed. He is the central figure of this sectionwhich is based upon two of His sayings which are appropriate to the circumstances of these His persecuted followers (so iv. 13) v. Matt. v. 12 = Apoc. xix. 7 from Ps. xxi. 1, cxvill. 24. Compare Jas. i. 2-4 and John cited below.
Ver. 6. ἐν ᾧ. There are four possible antecedents. (1) καιρῷ, (2) Jesus Christ, (3) God, (4) the state of things described in 3-5. (1) would imply that they must live in the future and is least probably right. (2) is supported by 8 but is un- likely at this point. The choice lies be- tween (3), God being hitherto the domin- ating figure; and (4): cf. Luke i. 47 = 1 Sam. il. 1 a—a. with évin LXX as well as ἐπὶ. ἀγαλλιᾶσθε. Indicative (with or without quasi future meaning) rather than Imperative. Bye form of ἀγάλλομαι (Homer downwards) first found in LXX especially as assonant
rendering of "1 : used later in bad sense (λοιδορεῖται, Hesych): here bor- rowed from Matt. v. 11 f. χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε. ὀλίγον, (1) for a little time, or (2) to a small extent (contrast John xvi. 6, 4 λύπη πεπλήρωκεν ὑμῶν τὴν καρδίαν). εἰ Séov, they cannot but fee] grief at their trials (John xvi. 20, ἡμεῖς λυπηθήσεσθε ἡ δὲ λύπη ὑμῶν εἰς χαρὰν γενήσεται), but they must not in- dulge their natural weakness. To take the ‘‘necessity” as referring to their’ trials (for not all the Saints are oppressed, Oec.) limits Ava. to the external sense of vexation without reference to the feelings of the grieved corresponding to the feel- ings implied in ay. The contrast is thus destroyed, but this sense harass would suit the other military metaphor, τοὺς Φρουρουμένους.--ἐν ποικίλοις πει- ρασμοῖς, the adjective rules out the
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44 ΠΕΤΡΟΥ Α is
7 ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς
πολυτει 2
o 4 5 , 1 ε (a ἵνα τὸ Soxipiov! ὑμῶ µότερον χρυσοῦ τοῦ
τῆς πίστεως
ἀπολλυμένου διὰ πυ ρὸς δὲ
1 For δοκίµιον three cursives read δόκιµον, a more familiar form of the adjective. *The ει in πολυτειµότερον is used in place of the conventional t to show that
the syllable is long: so τειµήν, etc.
limitation of π. to external trials which St. James who has the entire phrase seems to put upon it.
Ver. 7. τὸ δοκίµιον. The evi- dence of the papyri (Deissmann, Bible Studies, pp. 259 ff.) shows that δοκίµιος is a bye form of the adjective δόκιµος approved; so Ps. xii. 7, ἀργύριον πεπυρ- ωμένον δοκίµιον (cf. 1 Chron. xxxix. 4; Zech. xi. 3, where it occurs as v.l. for δόκιµον). Hence the phrase (here and in Jas. i. 37) corresponds exactly to St. Paul’s τὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης γνή- σιον--' {πε genuineness of your faith or “the approvedness ”). So Arethas on Apoc. ix. 4, of δὲ τὸ δοκίµιον ἑαυτῶν διὰ πυρὸς παρεχόµενοι. The substantive δ.-Ξ ‘‘ means of trial, testing”’ which does not suit this context, or a specimen of metal to be tested.—rolv- τιµότερον, to justify the common rendering (A.V., R.V.) according to which π. κ.τ.λ. are taken as in apposition to τὸ δοκ., Sv must be supplied as if omitted by haplography after πολ. But there is no need for emendation, if πολ. be taken as predicate thrown forward for the sake of emphasis.— xpvaov κ.τ.λ. St. Peter adapts the familiar comparison of man’s sufiering to the fining-pot of precious metal, insisting on the superiority of the spiritual to the material gold. The stress lies on διὰ πυρός. True faith is tested by trials, just as goldis proved by fire. It is more valuable than gold which is per- ishable. If men test gold thus, much more will God test faith which outlives the present age, cf. Hebrew ix. 23. Cf. use of πύρωσις, iv. 12. Zech. xili. 9, δοκιμῶ αὐτοὺς ὡς δοκιµ- άζεται τὸ χρυσίον; Ps. Ixvi. το; Prov. xvii. 3; Sir. ii. 5, etc.—Tod ἀπολ- λυμένον, cf. John vi. 27, τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπ. (contrasted with imperishable food; here gold generally is contrasted with faith) and Φθαρτοῖς ἀργυρίῳ καὶ χροσίῳ below.—etpeOq, cf. 2 Peter iii. 14, σπουδάσατε ἄσπιλοι καὶ ἀμώμητοι αὐτῷ εὑρεθῆναι ἐν εἰρήνῃ; Ps. xvii. 3, ἐδοκί- µασας τὴν καρδίαν pov... καὶ οὐχ εὑρέθη ἐν ἐμοὶ ἀδικία.--- eis ἔπαινον ..» must be taken with the whole sen- tence, unless dv be supplied. So eis might introduce the predicate (better ".'