bodily nature, but remain pure until the hour when God him- self is pleased to release us. And then the foolishness of the body will be cleared away, and we shall be pure, and hold con- verse with other pure souls, and know of ourselves the clear light everywhere, which is no other than the light of truth” (“ Phesdo,7e63).*
We find in the classical writers, however, the occasional sense of the universal faultiness of mankind, though even Plato fur- nishes scarcely any traces of accepting the doctrine of innate de- pravity. Thus Theognis: ‘The sun beholds no wholly good and virtuous man among those who are now living” (615). “ But having become good, to remain in a good state and be good, is not possible, and is not granted to man. God only has this blessing; but man cannot help being bad when the force of circumstances overpowers him ” (Plato, “ Protagoras,” 344). “‘ How, then: is it possible to be sinless? It is impossible; but this is possible, to strive not to sin” (“ Epictetus,” iv., 12, 19).
We deceive ourselves (éavrovs mAavapev). Lit., we lead ourselves astray. See on Mark xii. 24; Matt. xxvii. 63, 64; Jude 13. Not only do we err, we are responsible for it. The phrase only here in the New Testament. For the verb as ap- plied to decewvers of various kinds, see Matt. xxiv. 4; Apoc. ii. 20; xiii. 14; xix. 20; xii.9; xx.3. Compare wAdvou decewers (2 John 7); wAdvy error (Jude 11; 1 John iv. 6).
The truth. The whole Gospel. All reality isin God. He is the only true God (aAn9iv6s, John xvii. 3; see on John i. 9). This reality is incarnated in Christ, the Word of God, “the very image of His substance,” and in His message to men. This message is the truth, a title not found in the Synoptists, Acts, or the Apocalypse, but in the Catholic Epistles (Jas. v. 19; 1 Pet. i. 22; 2 Pet. ii. 2), and in Paul (2 Cor. xiii. 8; Eph. i. 13, etc.). It is especially characteristic of the Gospel and Epis- tles of John.
*The student may profitably consult on Plato’s view of sin, Ackermann, “¢ The Christian Element in Plato,” p. 57, sq.