The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Peter — Section 49

sile.11 bring in damne.ble heresies. The verb truth or his humanity. But St. Peter may (,r11prnrd(ou111v) is found only here in the New mean tbe practical denial of Christ evinced Testo.ment; the o.djcctive derived from it in an ungodly and licentious life. The is used by St. Paul in Ge.I. ii. 4, " false !atter _form of denial appears most prominent brethren une.wares brought in." It means, rn this chapter; prob~bly the apostle in- " to bring in by the side of," as if these tended to warn his rea,lern a,,.ninst b0th. It folse teachers brought in their errors by the is touching to remember that°he had himself side of the true doctrine; it implies also the denied the Lord, though indeed the price secondary notion of secrecy. Compare St. with which our souls were boao-ht 0 had not Jude's use of the verb 1ra.pE1CT<6vu11v, com- then been paid; but his denial was at once pounded with the same prepositions (ver. followed by a deep and trne repentance. 4); and notice the difference of tenses-St. The Lord's loving look recalled him to him- Jude using the pe.st where St. Peter looks self; his bitter tears proved the sincerity of forward to the future; but St. Peter passes his contrition. And bring upon themselves to the present tense in ver.10,aucl maintains swift destruotion; literally, bringing. The it for tLe rest of the chapter. We may, per- participial construction unites t'he two haps, infer that the false teaching referred clauses closely; the latter expresses the to wo.s already beginning to affect the consequence of the former: they brino- Churches of Asia l\Iinor ; but the errors heresies of destruction into the Church, and were not so much developed there, the by so doing bring upon themselves swift false teachers had not gained so much destruction. The word for" swift" (Tax,vos) influence as it seems they had in the is UBed by no other New Testament writer. Churches which St. Jude had principally in There is e.n apparent allusion to this verse his thoughts. The literal translation of the in Justin Martyr (' Cum Tryph.,' lxx.xi i.), and words rendered " damnable heresies " is the first clause of it is quoted in a homily "heresies of destruction," the last word ascribed to Hippolytus of Portus. Notice being the same which occurs again at the St. Peter's habit of repetition. He repeats end of the verse. 'l'hese heresies destroy the word ,i,r~l. .. a three times in vers. 1-3; the soul; they bring ruin both to those who 6i1tat0s three times in vers. 7, 8; the verb are led astray and to the false teachers ,rpou601t.!w three times in eh. iii. 12-14, etc. themselves. The word for "heresy" ( 117p,u,s ), Ver. 2.-And many shall follow their per- meaning originally "choice," became the nioious we.ye; rather, as in the Revised name for a party, sect, or school, as in Acts Version, their lascivious doings; the reading v, 17, "the sect of the Sadducees;" Acts r11presented by t.he Authorized Version Ii as xv. 5," the sect of the Pharisees;" Actsxxiv. very little support (comp. Jude 4, 8). (For 5 (in the mouth of Tertullus), "the sect of "shall follow" (,(a1<01'ou6~uouCT1v), see note the N uzo.renes;" then, by a nature.I tmnsition, on eh. i. 16.) By reason of whom the way of it came to be used of the opinions held by truth she.ll be evil spoken of. The henthen a sect. The notion of eel f-will, deliberate were accustomed to charge Christia.us wit.h separation, led to its being employed immoro.lity; the conduct of these false generally in a bad sense (see especially tea.chers go.ve them occasion; they did not Titus iii. 10, "A man that is a heretic, distinguish between these licentious heretics (o.lp<T11tos)"). Even denying the Lord that and true Christians. The expression, "wo.y bought them; literally, as in the Revised of truth," occurs in the' Epistle ofBarn11.bas,' Version, denying even the MasteT that bought oh. v. Christi11nity is c111led " the we.y '' them. The word for "Master" (6•u1roT17s) several times in the Acts (ix. 2 ; xix. 9, 23, implies that the deniers stand to the Lord in etc.). It is the way of truth, because Christ, the relation of slaves, bondservants. The who is the Centre of his religion, is the Way, Lord had bought them ; they were not their the Truth, and the Life; because it is the own, but his, bought with a p1·ice, "not with way of life which is founded on the truth. corruptible things, as silver and gold, but Vor. 3.-And through oovetousness she.ll with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Pet. i. they with feigned words make merchandise 18; see also the parallel passo.ge Jude 4). of you j rather, in covetou1111ess. Covetous- These words plainly assert the univers11.lity nPss was their besetting sin, the sphere in of the. Lord's redemption. He " tasted which they lived. St. Paul wnmed Titus death for ·every man" (Heb. ii. !l), even for against fo.lse teo.chcrs who taught "things those fulse teachers who denied him. The which they ought not, for filthy lucre's deniul referred to may have been dofll;rinnl s11.ke" (Titus i. 11; see also 1 Tim, vi. G o.nd or practical; most of the ancient forms of Judo 16). Simon Mngus, the first beresiareh, bt•resy involved some gro.ve error as to the sought to trade in holy things; the like sin l'craon of Ghrist; 1md the germs of those seems to have been chnmcteristic of the errors nppe1m'd ve1·y eo.rly in the Church false teachers of o.postolio times. The word (see 1 John ii. 22, 23), denying sometimes tmnslated " fcignau" ( 1rl.auToi's) occurs no- t.he Godhead of our Lord, sometimes the where else in the New Testament; the  THE SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. [ctt. rt. 1-2!3,