16.
οὗ γὰρ
k Amos ii. σεσοφισµένοις µύθοις * ἐξακολουθήσαντες ἐγνωρίσαμεν ὑμῖν τὴν τοῦ
4, Isa. lvi. 11, of.2 Peter ii. 2, 15.
κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ δύναμιν καὶ παρουσίαν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπόπται γενηθέντες τῆς ἐκείνου µεγαλειότητος.
17. λαβὼν γὰρ παρὰ
A Q A Ν , - > / 2 A a Θεοῦ πατρὸς τιμὴν καὶ δόξαν, φωνῆς ἐνεχθείσης αὐτῷ τοιᾶσδε
(ο: always in Greek writers, from Hero- dotus down = ‘“mentionem facere, ‘“¢make mention of” (cf. Grimm-Thayer under μνήμη). The sense here seems much thesame. The document “referred to” would be an authentic source of in- formation. Cf. P. Fay, 19}° (ii. A.D.) [ἀκριβ]εστάτην µνήµην ποιούµενος. Vv. 16-18. The fact of the Trans- figuration a guarantee of the writer's truthfulness. ‘‘ For we are not without facts to rest upon. Our preaching of the power and coming of Jesus Christ was not based on sophistical myths. We were eye-witnesses of His Majesty. For He received from God the Father honour and glory, a voice coming to Him through the splendour of the glory, ‘ This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased’. This voice we heard, as it was borne from heaven, when we were with Him in the Holy Mount.” (Fora comparison of this passage, with the
Synoptic account, see Introduction, pp- 94 ff.). Ver. 16. σεσοφισµ. µύθ. ϐ/.σεσο-
Φισμένη µήτηρ.: '' suppositious mother ”’. Greg. Nyss.i.171 D. Thisis evidently the character attributed to the facts of the Christian Gospel by the False Teachers. They specially sought to discredit the outlook for the Second Advent. pt@or is often used in the Pastoral Epistles or the fanciful Gnostic genealogies (τ Tim. i. 4, iv. 7; Tit. i. 14). ἐγνωρίσαμεν. Used in N.T. of preaching the Gospel (e.g. 1 Cor. xv. 1). δύναμιν καὶ παρ- ουσίαν. For collocation of words, cf. Matt. xxiv. 30, Mark ix. 1. For δύναμις, see note on verse 3. παρουσίαν. Chase (op. cit. 797a) regards the word here as denoting the first coming of Christ, be- cause (1) the context speaks of history and not of prophecy; (2) the word itself naturally bears this meaning. He admits, however, that elsewhere in the N.T and in this Epistle it is used of the Second Coming (cf. Ignat. Philad. 9). Justin (Dialogue 32) distinguishes ‘ two advents,—one in which He was pierced by you; a second, when you shall know Him, Whom you have pierced’, There is, however, no real difficulty here in taking παρ. in the usual sense, which,
indeed, is more in harmony with the context. The Transfiguration itself, as used by this writer, is regarded as a basis for belief in the Second Advent, against the False Teachers.
Dr. Milligan, in his recent edition of Thessalonians, gives a valuable note on παρουσία (p. 145). He mentions that it occurs frequently in the Papyri as a kind of terminus technicus with reference to the visit of the king, or some other official. (P. Petr. ii. 39 (e), 18 (iii. B.c.). P, Τέδε. 48, το, (i Bie) πο eee) P. Gren., ii. 14 (6), 2 (iii. B.c.)). Ditten- berger, Sylloge, 226, 84 ff. (iii. BC.). τῶν δὲ ἀρχόντων συναγαγόντων ἐκλησίαν καὶ τήντε παρονσίαν ἐμφανισάντωντοῦ βασιλέως. ‘ We fall back upon” these examples of the word “the more gladly because for this particular sense of the word the Jewish sacred writings give us little help ’’ (tbid.). The word must, there- fore, have come into use, in this applica- tion to the Second Advent, in apostolic times, as faithfully representing the meaning of Jesus Himself (cf. Matt. xxiv. 3, 27, 37,39). The usual classical sense of the word as “presence”’ must not be disregarded. Taken together with the other meaning illustrated by the Κοινή, παρου- aia would thus seem to combine in itself the meaning of “actual presence,’”’ and a near “coming”. This combination of meaning in the consciousness of the early Church, with its perplexity as to the interpretation of our Lord’s promise, would seem to be reflected in John xvi. 16-18. ἑπόπται : used of those who had attained the highest degree of initiation into the Eleusinian mysteries. Judging from the use of ἐποπτεύω in 1 Peter, the word may have passed into ordinary speech, but no doubt is used here to en- hance the splendour of the vision, and the honour done the disciples, at the Trans- figuration—“ admitted to the spectacle of His grandeur’ (Moffat, H. N. T. p. 600). ἐπόπτης is applied to God in Esth. v. 1, 2 Mace. vii. 35, cf. O.G.I.S., 666% τὸν Ἠλιον "Αφμαχιν ἐπόπτην καὶ σωτῆρα (reference to απ Egyptian Sun-god). Hof- mann holds that the reference is rather to the Resurrection and Ascension. µεγαλε- ίοτητος. Cf. Luke ix. 43, Acts xix. 27.