kiana
(Kiana)
#1
228 linda l. belleville
(2 tim 2:16). such impious chatter includes teaching that the resurrection
has already taken place (2 tim 2:18).
While ἐπιφάνεια rather than the more common παρουσία is used in
the Pastorals of Christ’s return, the topic itself is central. the title “Christ
Jesus our lord” is connected with the term ἐπιφάνεια. timothy is to preach
the Word in view of “the ἐπιφάνεια of our lord Christ Jesus” as “Judge of
all” (2 tim 4:1). he is also to pursue a blameless life until “the ἐπιφάνεια
of our lord Jesus Christ” (1 tim 6:14), when all “who have loved Christ
Jesus’ ἐπιφάνεια will receive a crown of righteousness” (2 tim 4:8). Christ’s
first coming is equally an ἐπιφάνεια, whose “appearing” abolished death
and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (2 tim 1:10).
Εὐσέβεια and ἐπιφάνεια are connected: Believers are called to live εὐσεβῶς
lives until his second ἐπιφάνειαν (2 tim 3:12; cf. titus 2:12–13).
one avenue that has not been sufficiently explored to explain the Pas-
torals’ distinctive titles and language is the recipients’ imperial location
and their greco-roman religious milieu. the soteriological emphasis,
the language of “Christ Jesus our savior,” and “the ἐπιφανεία of our lord”
in a letter to a church located in a city that was temple-warden of the
emperors is significant. it was at ephesus in 48 bce that the city council
in conjunction with other greek cities of asia declared Julius Caesar “the
god made manifest... and common savior of human life” (SIG 347, 760).
the same is true of the religious piety of the day. it is the rare greek let-
ter that did not give thanks to some god or goddess for deliverance from
peril on land or at sea. a young military recruit, writes: “i thank the lord
serapis that when i was in peril in the sea, he saved me immediately”
(BGU 423). the oriental cults also lauded the saving quality of a god or
goddess. indeed, the highly popular egyptian goddess isis was lifted up as
the savior of humankind. she was the “holy and eternal guardian of the
human race,” who watched over the human race “always on land and sea,
driving away from them the tempests of life and stretching out over them
[her] saving right hand” (The Initiation of Lucius 11.25).
the language of ἐπιφανεία is similarly used in the first century of the
appearing of greco-roman deities. Plutarch states, “themistocles escaped
the peril,” because of “the epiphany (τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν) of the goddess dindy-
mene. he built a temple in magnesia in honor of dindymene, and made
his daughter mnesiptolema her priestess” (Themostocles 30). it is also used
of the appearing of god himself. lXX 2 macc 15:27 recounts the battle
of Judas maccabaeus against the seleucids: “so that fighting with their
hands, and praying unto god with their hearts, they slew no less than
