NOTES for Pe2 1:5-7
Peter describes an interesting chain: from trust to what is called by the Greek word ἀρετή, from it to knowledge, from knowledge to what in Russian could be called restraint or self-control, and then to perseverance and godliness, followed by brotherly love and love. What does the apostle have in mind? The Greek word ἀρετή is usually translated as "virtue", but the matter is not virtues as good deeds or good qualities of the soul. The word ἀρετή denotes, above all, the striving to follow principles that lead to the good, approximately what in the language of Yahwism and Judaism is called the striving for righteousness. As can be seen, without such striving there can be no normal spiritual life for a Christian. This striving helps the seeker acquire the knowledge, which a believing Yahwist or a Jew of the postexilic period would have called "wisdom", that helps the seeker of the righteous path not to stray from it. And if the seeker of the righteous path succeeds in mastering this "knowledge", which should rather be called a skill or habit, and the corresponding Greek word allows such an understanding, he acquires what in Judaism is called the inner Torah: every action, every word, and every choice he makes cease to be accidental or spontaneous; first they are evaluated for conformity to the Torah and to the commandments given by God, and only after that are they spoken or done. The apostle, writing in Greek, used to describe such an inner state of a Christian a word that could be translated as "restraint" or "self-control". The word "abstinence" later acquired in Christian usage a somewhat different, specific meaning, although in its original sense it would also have fit. When the seeker of the righteous path gains the habit of such restraint or self-control, one can say that the inner Torah has become an inseparable part of his spiritual life; he acquires what the apostle calls "godliness". Only now, in fact, does it become possible to speak of brotherly love, of such an attitude toward the brothers that can be called love, when one wishes only good to everyone with whom one has to deal, regardless of that persons behavior and attitude toward oneself. And only after this can one speak of the love about which the Savior spoke to His disciples at the Last Supper: for He spoke of love as the environment and space of the Kingdom, which can exist in Christian assemblies, as this Kingdom manifested in the world, only as long as brotherly love is preserved in the relationships among members of the community. Thus the apostle describes the path into the Church and the path into the Kingdom: from the striving for a righteous life to the moment when the life of the Kingdom is opened to the seeker in all its fullness.