 |  |
qualities of endurance and non-entanglement with the things of this life. We must
therefore call a halt in our advance through this third section to make sure that the figures
intended by Paul are understood by ourselves.
"The good soldier."--The word "good" is the translation in the N.T. (A.V.) of several
words.
Agathos.--"The evil and the good" (Matt. 5: 45).
Bios.--"This world's good" (I John 3: 17).
Eu.--"Ye may do them good" (Mark 14: 7).
Kalon.--"When I would do good" (Rom. 7: 21).
Kalos.--"Bringeth not forth good fruit" (Matt. 3: 10).
Kalòs.--"Do good to them that hate you" (Matt. 5: 44).
Chrestos.--"Evil communications corrupt good manners" (I Cor. 15: 33).
Chrestotes.--"There is none that doeth good" (Rom. 3: 12).
There are other occurrences of the word where the words so translated are compounds,
such as "Be of good cheer", etc. These we have not tabulated.
The word used by Paul in II Tim. 2: 3 for "good" soldier is kalos. Cremer says of the
two words agathos and kalos, that: "kalos is related to its synonym, agathos, as the
appearance to the essence." Confining our attention to the second epistle to Timothy, we
find that the Apostle uses agathos twice, "good works" (II Tim. 2: 21; 3: 17), and
kalos thrice, viz.:
"That good thing which was committed" (II Tim. 1: 14).
"Endure . . . . . as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (II Tim. 2: 3).
"I have fought a good fight" (II Tim. 4: 7).
Here are three "good" things that are stressed in this epistle. Anticipating a possible
objection to what has been observed as to the soldier and "fighting", we remark that the
word "fight" in II Tim. 4: 7 is agon, a word meaning an athletic contest or race
(Heb. 12: 1), which we must consider more fully when we reach the fourth chapter. The
word translated "soldier" is stratiotes, and a variant of it appears in our own language in
the words "stratagem" and "strategy", both of which refer to "the device of a general of
an army". The following occurrences should be compared so that some true idea of the
word may be obtained.
Strateia.--"Warfare" (II Cor. 10: 4; I Tim. 1: 18).
Strateuma.--"Army" (Matt. 22: 7, etc.).
Strateuo.--"To war" (I Cor. 9: 7, etc.).
Strategos.--"Captain" (Luke 22: 4, etc.).
Stratia.--"Host" (Luke 2: 13; Acts 7: 42).
Stratiotes.--"Soldier" (Acts 28: 16, etc.).
Stratologeo.--"To enroll a soldier" (II Tim. 2: 4).
Stratopedarche.--"Captain of the guard" (Acts 28: 16).
Stratopedon.--"Army" or "Camp" (Luke 21: 20).
The true basis of the Apostle's teaching lies in what he says of the "good soldier", and
to this we now turn. The Apostle was at liberty to select any one or more of the