their personal attitude and relationship towards Jesus Christ. A warmth and intensity of feeling is apparent all through 1 Peter, which displays a much more vivid and tender sense of the reality of the grace and presence of the Risen Christ in the individual heart wey. i, 5 18, ii. 9, 21, iv. 12 £, ν. 16) than the second epistle. ‘‘The flame of love,” so bright in the first epistle, burns but dimly in the second. 2 Peter contains what Mayor calls ‘“ reverential periphrases,” such as θεία φύσις, θεία δύναμις, µεγαλειότης, μεγαλοπρεπὴς δόξα, κυριότης. ἐπίγνωσις, ἐπιγινώσκω are the only words that are used of the deepest and most intimate religious experience, communion of heart with the Living Christ. It is true that the thoughts of God’s long-suffering (ili. 9-15) and His care of the righteous (ii. 9) are full of tender meaning, but we do not find in 2 Peter that sense of personal relationship to Christ, founded on memories of past, and an actual sense of present discipleship, which transfuses the thought of the first epistle, and we miss the penitential sense of cleansing through the death of Christ so prominent in 1 Peter (cf. 1 Peter 1. 18-19, ii. 21-23). The references to the Risen Lord in 2 Peter are few, and are pervaded chiefly by a sense of His majesty (cf. i. 16, ii. 1, 3, 12, 17, 20, 21, ili. 7, 10, 12). Even where the language is purely hortatory, as in 2 Peter, chap. i., the difference of tone and manner compared with 1 Peter is quite clearly marked. Thus the religious and devo- tional atmospheres in the two Epistles are far apart. Allowance must no doubt be made for the varying circumstances under which they were written. The one is written to a scattered body of Christians who are suffering persecution, and are in special need of spiritual comfort and stimulus; the other is directed against the immoral influences of false teaching. At the same time external circumstances are quite insufficient to account for these fundamental differences in the religious attitude of the two writings. Such a change could not take place in the history of a single personality, unless through some crisis completely revolutionising thought and feeling.
CHAPTER V. VOCABULARY AND STYLE OF 2 PETER.
THE extreme limit of depreciatory criticism of the style of 2 Peter is reached in the epithet applied by Dr. E. A. Abbott, (Expositor ii., vol. iii.; From Letter to Spirit 1121-1135), who describes it as “ Baboo: Greek”. The most moderate treatment of the subject is found in the article, so often referred to, by Dr. Chase. We may briefly summarise the chief points of criticism.
*1. The large number of words found in 2 Peter, and nowhere else inthe N.T. The full list may be given: d@eopos,! ἀκατάπαυστος, ἅλω-
123 ἀστήρικτος,; αὐχμηρός.”
2
σις,! 2 ἀμαθής,; ἁμώμητος,” ὃ ἀποφεύγειν,” ἀργεῖν, βλέμμα,” BopBopos,'?* βραδύτης,” διαυγάζξειν, Ὀυσνόητος, ἐγκατοικεῖν,” ἑκάσ- τοτε, ὃ ἔκπαλαι,ὁ ἔλεγέις.ὶ ἐμπαιγμονή, ἐντρυφᾶν,! ἐξακολουθεῖν,! ὃ ἐξέραμα, ἐπάγγελμα,” ἐπόπτης,! 3ὃ ἰσότιμος, κατακλύζειν,] ὃ καυσοῦσθαι, κύλισμα, λήθη,! μεγαλοπρεπής, ὃ μέγιστος, ὃ µίασμα,] ” µιασµός,} μνήμη, ὃ µυωπάζειν, μῶμος;' ὀλίγως, ὀμίχλη, 2 παραφρονία, παρεισάγειν, παρεισφέρειν,; ὃ πλαστός,” ῥοι- ζηδόν, σειρός, στηριγµός,; ὃ στοιχεῖον] (in sense of physical elements), στρεβλοῦν,] 2 ταρταροῦν, ταχινός, τεφροῦν, τήκεσθαι, τοιόσδε, τολµητής, Us,)? φωσφόρος,ὃ ψευδοδιδάσκαλος.
One or two remarks on the list may be offered.
(1) Largely’on the ground of the use by 2 Peter of such a re- markably long list of ἅπαξ λεγόμενα the vocabulary of 2 Peter has been characterised as an “ambitious” one (Chase). It has also been described as “bookish,” ** with a strong inclination for striking and poetical words.
It is undoubtedly true that many of the words marked ? are found only in the Greek dramatists or historians, but it is rash to conclude that at the time 2 Peter was written all of them were still poetical words. Moreover, the use of poetical language is not in- compatible with the prophetic tone in 2 Peter. The words marked ® are found in various Papyri, representing the vernacular of daily