Ver. 12. Adaptation of the saying, ὅπως wow ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσιν τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (Matt. ν. 16). The good be- haviour on which the resolved ἀναστρέ- Φεσθαι permits stress to be laid is the
1ο---15.
6 μῶν ὡς κακοποιῶν δοξά σωσι τὸν OV ἐν ἡμέρα πάση ἀνθρωπί
νη κτίσει
ὑπε µῥρέχοντι εἴτε ἡγεμό ἐκδίκη giv κακοποιῶν ἔπαι ἐστὶν τὸ θέληµα τοῦ Θῦ ἆγαθο
fruit of the abstinence of ver. 11; cf. Heb. xiii. 8; Jas. iii. 13. This second admonition is disjointed formally—against formal grammar—from the first; cf. Eph. ποσα παρακαλῶ oo + ὑμᾶς . . « ἄνε- χόμενοι.--ἐντοῖς ἔθνεσιν, the people of God (ii. ϱ) is a correlative term and implies the existence of the nations, who are ignorant and disobedient. The situa- tion of the Churches addressed justifies the use of Dispersion ini. 1. But the point of the words here is this: you—the new Israel must succeed where the old failed, as it is written my name is blasphemed ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν on your account (Isa. lii. 5; LXX, cited Rom. ii. 24)—tva... ἐπισκοπῆς, in order that as a result of your good works they may be initiated into your secrets and come to glorify God _in respect to your conduct when He at last visits the world, though now they calum- niate you as evildoers in this matter.— ἐν ᾧ in the case of the thing in which, {.ε., your behaviour generally ; cf. ii. 16, iv. 4, and for δοξ. τὸν θεὸν ἐν, iv. 11, 16. --καταλαλοῦσιν ὡς κ. Particular accusations are given in iv. 15. This popular estimate of Christians is reflected in Suetonius’ statement: Adflicti suppli- ciis Christiani, genus hominium super- stitionis novae et maleficae (Ner. 16).— ἐποπτεύοντες takes Acc. in iii. 2 (over- look, behold, as in Symmachus’ version of Ps, Χ. τό, xxxili. 13); but here the avail- abie objects are either appropriated (θεόν with 808.) or far off (ἀναστροφήν). It will therefore have its ordinary sense of become ἐπόπτης, be initiated. The Chris- tians were from the point of view of their former friends members of a secret asso- ciation, initiates of a new mystery, the secrecy of which gave rise to slanders such as later Christians brought against the older mysteries and the Jews. St. Peter hopes that, if the behaviour of Christians corresponds to their profession, their neighbours will become initiated into their open secrets (for as St. Paul insists this hidden mystery has now been re- vealed and published).—8o0fadqcwotrv τὸν θεόν, come to glorify God—like the centurion, who said of the crucified Jesus, Truly this was the Son of God