The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-09-15
THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST.

A subscriber in Dayton, o., sends US
the following question, asking that it
be answered through the paper. AS
the letter contained also some criti-
cisms upon DR.. Hanson's New Cove
nant, we turned the letter over to him.
The question is;
''In John ii, %, he speaks of COM
ing of Christ. Now learned writers say
that John wrote those epistles not ear
lier than A. D., IS or 96, which was
| some rs years after the destruction of
Jerusalem and the downfall of Judaism,
| at which time Universalists usually
date the second coming of Christ. If
that be true, what coming does the
apostle refer to?'
The following is DIR. Hanson's COM
ment:
1.-THE difficulty in our corresp ondent's
mind is produced by the unfortunate
rendering in the Accepted Version, and
also in the Revision, neither of which
does justice to the original Greek;
though the Revision does approach
accuracy by placing the correct word in
the margin. This Is one of the many
instances in which the American schol-
ars of the Revision Committee indicate
their superior scholarship; for the read
er should always remember that the
marginal words in the Revision are the
renderings of the American members.
The word pGrousia onus twenty
four times in the New Testament, and
is translated in our standard version
correctly but twice, namely, II Cor. K,
10, and Phil. ii, IL. In these two texts
it is rendered presence but in all the
other passages coming whereas, it
should read presence in every instance,
as it does in The New Covenant
1.-THE reader will see that COM
ing would be entirely inaccurate in the
text in which King james, translations
renders it presence Paul says his
bodily presence is weak I'll Cor. x,
l0,) and he speaks Of those who are in
his presence phil. ii, 12). In these
passages coming would be so palpably
incorrect that the translators were COM
PEELED to be accurate. But though the
other passages seem less inaccurate, they
are really no less so, and would read far
better, and convey the authors mean
ing had presence been employed in
every instance as it is always found in
The New Covenant Matt. xxiv-3, 81,
81, 49, What shall be the sign of
your presenter so will be the presence
of the Son of man. thus will be the
presence of the Son of Man. Il Cor.
xv-23,) They that are Christ's at his
presence xvi, %, Il agreed at the pres
ence of Stephanas;' III Cor. vii, 81, the
presence of Titus Phil. i, 26, my
presence with you again. 1 Thes. ii, 10,
THE Lord Jesus at his presence iii, IS,
lin the presence of our Lord Jesus
Christi iv, Is, to the presence of the
Lord;' V, %, at the presence of our
Lord Jesus Christi 2 Thess. ii, 1, the
presence of our Lord Jesus Christi s,
the manifestation of his presence 9,
whose presence is according to the
working of the adversary James V, Z,
s, till the presence of the Lord;' 'the
presence of the Lord has approached
II Pet. i, 16 the power and presence of
our Lord Jesus Christi iii, 4 where is
the promise of his presenter 10, the
presence of the day of God;' John ii,
%, mot be ashamed of him, in his pres
ence.'
SIN but two or three of these pas
sages is the word coming at all allow
able, and in them all presence con-
veys the precise meaning for presence
includes coming while coming does
not include presence; and it is the
presence of the Lord, during which the
events described occur, and not at the
beginning of his presence which the
word coming denotes. Our friend is
correct in saying that Johns Epistles
were written subsequent to the de-
struction of Jerusalem, a. D., xcv-6,) |
and therefore it is improper to render
parOusia by coming and therefore
that John refers to period during his
presence but subsequent to his coming
which occurred a quarter century be-
fore. The presence of Christ began at |
his coming and is now in continuance,
and the word is far better to denote the
New Testament meaning of par0usia
than is this word coming. The Revised
Version acknowledges this by placing
the proper word in the margin. The
New Covenant places the correct word
where it should be, in the text. ="
1t is said of those who listened to
the Saviour's Sermon on the Mount
that they "were astonished at his doc
trine." They saw a difference between