3:26 ejn tw'/ ajpostrevfein ). Unbelief might prevail at last even after a temporary victory of faith. The Vulgate rendering is expressive, cor....discedendi.
For
ajposth'nai
compare Lk. 8:13. It is construed commonly with
ajpov
(Acts 15:38), but also with the simple genitive (1 Tim. 4:1).
ajpo; qeou' zw'nto"
]
from Him Who is a living God.
The anarthrous title (
qeo;" zw'n
), which is far more common than
oJ q. oJ zw'n
(comp. Heb. 9:14; 10:31; 12:22), always fixes attention upon the character as distinguished from the Person of God (
oJ qeo;" oJ zw'n
Matt. 16:16; 26:63; Apoc. 15:7). In every case it suggests a ground for corresponding thought or action (e.g., Acts 14:15
ejpi; qeo;n zw'nta
not
to;n q. to;n z.
; 1 Thess. 1:9; Rom. 9:26 LXX.). The title is generally used of God, as the Creator and Preserver and Governor of the world (Deut. 5:26; Josh. 3:10; 1 Sam. 17:26 (A); 2 K
INGS
19:4, 16; (J
ER
. 23:36); D
AN
. 6:20, 26; (P
S
. 84:2),
IN CONTRAST WITH THE IDOLS
(
VANITIES
,
NOTHINGS
,
QEOI NEKROIV
D
IDACHE
6.3)
OF HEATHENDOM
. H
ERE IT SUGGESTS
,
AMONG OTHER THOUGHTS
,
THE CERTAINTY OF RETRIBUTION ON UNFAITHFULNESS
. T
HE TITLE IS NOT FOUND IN THE
G
OSPEL OR
E
PISTLES OF
S
T
J
OHN
(
BUT NOTICE
J
OHN
6:57
O ZWN PATHVR
).
I N OLD TIMES THE GLORY OF I SRAEL WAS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE LIVING
G OD ; BUT NOW TO FALL BACK FROM C HRISTIANITY TO J UDAISM WAS REALLY TO REVOLT FROM H IM ( COMP . H EB . 6:5 FF .), FOR AS G OD IS LIVING SO THE REVELATION WHICH H E GIVES OF H IMSELF IS PROGRESSIVE . O N THE ONE SIDE H E SPAKE IN H IS S ON (1:2 EJLAVLHSEN ), AND ON THE OTHER SIDE H E IS SPEAKING STILL (12:25 TON LALOUNTA ).
T HE PHRASE REAPPEARS IN H ERM . V IS . 2.3, 2 SWVZEI SE TO MH AJPOSTHNAIV SE AJPO QEOU ZWNTO " ...C OMP . 1 C LEM . 3:4 EJN TW AJPOLIPEIN EKASTON TON FOVBON TOU QEOU .
H EB . 3:13. AJLLA PARAKALEITE EAUTOUV " ...] B UT IN PLACE OF UNDUE CONFIDENCE , OF BLINDLY REPOSING IN THE PAST , HELP , ENCOURAGE , EXHORT YOUR OWN SELVES . T HE VIRTUAL NEGATIVE OF THE FORMER CLAUSE ( DO NOT NEGLECT THE FRESH VOICES OF G OD ...) IS NATURALLY FOLLOWED BY AJLLAV . T HE USE OF EAUTOUV " FOR THE MORE SIMPLE AJLLHVLOU " ( QUISQUE SE IPSUM ET ALTERUM B ENGEL ) SUGGESTS THE CLOSE UNITY OF THE C HRISTIAN BODY . T HE SIMILAR USAGE OF THE PRONOUN IN OTHER PLACES WILL REPAY STUDY : 1 P ET . 4:8, 10;
E PH . 4:32 EJI " AJLLHVLOU ", EAUTOI '" ; C OL . 3:13 AJLLHVLWN , EAUTOI '" ; ID . 3:16; 1 T HESS . 5:13.
F OR PARAKALEIN SEE H EB . 10:25; A CTS 14:22; J UDE 3; R OM . 12:1. C HRYSOSTOM SAYS ORA TO HMERON KAI PROSHNEV " . OUJK EIPEN EJPITIMATE , AJLLA PARAKALEITE . OUTW " HMA '" CRH TOI '" AJPO QLIVYEW " STENOCWROUMEVNOI " PROSFEVRESQAI .
KAQJ EKAVSTHN HMEVRAN ] DAY BY DAY . T HERE IS CONTINUOUS , DAILY NEED . ACRI " OU TOV S HVMERON KALEITAI ] V ULG . DONEC HODIE COGNOMINATUR . S O LONG AS THE TERM T ODAY ( TO S HVMERON , NOT H SHVMERON ) IS STILL USED : SO LONG AS , IN THE LANGUAGE OF THE P SALM , THE VOICE OF G OD IS STILL ADDRESSED TO YOU IN ITS APPOINTED TIME .
I N VARIOUS CONNEXIONS THE TERM T ODAY WILL HAVE VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS . F OR THE C HURCH IT IS THE WHOLE TIME TILL C HRIST ' S COMING . F OR THE BELIEVER THE PERIOD OF HIS OWN LIFE . T HUS T HEODORET SAYS :
SHVMERON TON PAROVNTA KEVKLHKEN BIVON , AND C HRYSOSTOM : EW " AN SUNESTHVKH O KOVSMO " . P RIMASIUS GIVES VARIOUS INTERPRETATIONS IN DETAIL :