testing

πειράζω impf. ἐπείραζον; fut. πειράσω; 1 aor. ἐπείρασα, mid. 2 sg. ἐπειράσω. Pass.: 1 aor. ἐπειράσθην; pf. ptc. πεπειρασνένος (fr. πεῖρα; Hom., then Apollon. Rhod. 1, 495; 3, 10. In prose since Philo Mech. 50, 34; 51, 9; also Polyb.; Plut., Cleom. 808 [7, 3], Mor. 230a; Vett. Val. 17, 6; schol. on Aristoph., Pl. 575; PSI 927, 25 [II A.D.]; LXX; TestJos 16:3 v.l.; ApcSed 8:5 p. 133, 5 Ja.; Joseph.; Just., D. 103, 6; 125, 4.—B-D-F §101 p. 54; Mlt-H. 387 n. 1; 404).

① to make an effort to do someth., try, attempt at times in a context indicating futility (ὁ θεὸς τῷ πειράζοντι δοὺς ἐξουσίαν τὴν τοῦ διωκειν ἡμᾶς Orig., C. Cels. 8, 70, 11) w. inf. foll. (Polyb. 2, 6, 9; Dt 4:34.—B-D-F §392, 1a) Ac 9:26; 16:7; 24:6; Hs 8, 2, 7. Foll. by acc. w. inf. IMg 7:1. Abs. Hs 8, 2, 7.

② to endeavor to discover the nature or character of someth. by testing, try, make trial of, put to the test

ⓐ gener. τινά someone (Epict. 1, 9, 29; Ps 25:2) ἑαυτοὺς πειράζετε εἰ ἐστὲ ἐν τῇ πίστει 2 Cor 13:5 (π. εἰ as Jos., Bell. 4, 340). ἐπείρασας τοὺς λέγοντας ἑαυτοὺς ἀποστόλους Rv 2:2. προφήτην οὐ πειράσετε οὐδὲ διακρινεῖτε D 11:7.

ⓑ of God or Christ, who put people to the test, in a favorable sense (Ps.-Apollod. 3, 7; 7, 4 Zeus puts τὴν ἀσέβειαν of certain people to the test), so that they may prove themselves true J 6:6; Hb 11:17 (Abraham, as Gen 22:1). Also of painful trials sent by God (Ex 20:20; Dt 8:2 v.l.; Judg 2:22; Wsd 3:5; 11:9; Jdth 8:25f) 1 Cor 10:13; Hb 2:18ab; 4:15 (s. πειράω); 11:37 v.l.; Rv 3:10 (SBrown, JBL 85, ’66, 308–14 π.= afflict). Likew. of the measures taken by the angel of repentance Hs 7:1.

ⓒ The Bible (but s. the Pythia in Hdt. 6, 86, 3 τὸ πειρηθῆναι τοῦ θεοῦ κ. τὸ ποιῆσαι ἴσον δύνασθαι ‘to have tempted the deity was as bad as doing the deed’; cp. 1, 159) also speaks of a trial of God by humans. Their intent is to put God to the test, to discover whether God really can do a certain thing, esp. whether God notices sin and is able to punish it (Ex 17:2, 7; Num 14:22; Is 7:12; Ps 77:41, 56; Wsd 1:2 al.) 1 Cor 10:9; Hb 3:9 (Ps 94:9). τὸ πνεῦμα κυρίου Ac 5:9. In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (vs. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative. τὸν διά σου θεὸν πειράσαι θέλων, εἰ since I want to put the god (you proclaim) to a test, whether AcPt Ox 849, 20–22 followed by οὐ πειράζεται ὁ θεός God refuses to be put to a test.—ASommer, D. Begriff d. Versuchung im AT u. Judentum, diss. Breslau ’35. S. πειράω.

③ to attempt to entrap through a process of inquiry, test. Jesus was so treated by his opponents, who planned to use their findings against him Mt 16:1; 19:3; 22:18, 35; Mk 8:11; 10:2; 12:15; Lk 11:16; 20:23 v.l.; J 8:6.

④ to entice to improper behavior, tempt Gal 6:1; Js 1:13a (s. ἀπό 5eβ) and b, 14 (Aeschin. 1, 190 the gods do not lead people to sin). Above all the devil works in this way; hence he is directly called ὁ πειράζων the tempter Mt 4:3; 1 Th 3:5b. He tempts humans Ac 5:3 v.l.; 1 Cor 7:5; 1 Th 3:5a; Rv 2:10. But he also makes bold to tempt Jesus (Just.. D. 103, 6; Orig., C. Cels. 6, 43, 28) Mt 4:1; Mk 1:13; Lk 4:2 (cp. use of the pass. without ref. to the devil: ἐν τῷ πειράζεσθαι … καὶ σταυροῦσθαι Iren. 3, 19, 3 [Harv. II 104, 3].—Did., Gen. 225, 2). On the temptation of Jesus (s. also Hb 2:18a; 4:15; 2b above) s. HWillrich, ZNW 4, 1903, 349f; KBornhäuser, Die Versuchungen Jesu nach d. Hb: MKähler Festschr. 1905, 69–86; on this Windisch, Hb² ’31, 38 exc. on Hb 4:15; AHarnack, Sprüche u. Reden Jesu 1907, 32–37; FSpitta, Zur Gesch. u. Lit. des Urchristentums III 2, 1907, 1–108; AMeyer, Die evangel. Berichte üb. d. Vers. Christi: HBlümner Festschr. 1914, 434–68; DVölter, NThT 6, 1917, 348–65; EBöklen, ZNW 18, 1918, 244–48; PKetter, D. Versuchg. Jesu 1918; BViolet, D. Aufbau d. Versuchungsgeschichte Jesu: Harnack Festschr. 1921, 14–21; NFreese, D. Versuchg. Jesu nach den Synopt., diss. Halle 1922, D. Versuchlichkeit Jesu: StKr 96/97, 1925, 313–18; SEitrem/AFridrichsen, D. Versuchg. Christi 1924; Clemen² 1924, 214–18; HVogels, D. Versuchungen Jesu: BZ 17, 1926, 238–55; SelmaHirsch [s. on βαπτίζω 2a]; HThielicke, Jes. Chr. am Scheideweg ’38; PSeidelin, DTh 6, ’39, 127–39; HHoughton, On the Temptations of Christ and Zarathustra: ATR 26, ’44, 166–75; EFascher, Jesus u. d. Satan ’49; RSchnackenburg, TQ 132, ’52, 297–326; K-PKöppen, Die Auslegung der Versuchungsgeschichte usw.’61; EBest, The Temptation and the Passion (Mk), ’65; JDupont, RB 73, ’66, 30–76.—B. 652f. DELG s.v. πεῖρα. M-M. EDNT. DLNT 1166–70. TW. Spicq. Sv.

πειρασμός, οῦ, ὁ (πειράζω; in extra-Biblical usage only Diosc., Mat. Med. Praef. 5; Cyranides; Syntipas [s. 2b].—LXX; TestJos 2:7).

① an attempt to learn the nature or character of someth., test, trial (Sir 6:7; 27:5, 7) πρὸς πειρασμόν to test you 1 Pt 4:12. διὰπειρασμόν τινα because you are being tried in some way Hm 9:7. Perh. Js 1:2 and 1 Pt 1:6 belong here (cp. Pind., O. 4, 22 διά πειρά τοι βροτῶν ἔλεγχο=trial is the test of mortals; sim. N. 3, 70f). Here also belongs the testing (s. πειράζω 2c) of God by humans (cp. Dt 6:16; 9:22) Hb 3:8 where vs. 9 shows that it is God who is being tested, and not the Israelites (Ps 94:8f).

② an attempt to make one do someth. wrong, temptation, enticement to sin.

ⓐ act. tempting συντελέσας πάντα πειρασμὸν ὁ διάβολος when the devil had exhausted every way of tempting Lk 4:13.

ⓑ pass. being tempted Js 1:12. Temptation, fr. without or fr. within, that can be an occasion of sin to a person (Sir 33:1; 44:20; 1 Macc 2:52; Orig., C. Cels. 8, 56, 9) μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν Mt 6:13; Lk 11:4 (s. bibliog. in The Lord’s Prayer and Other Prayer Texts fr. the Gr-Roman Era, ed. JCharlesworth ’94, 186–201); D 8:2; cp. Pol 7:2.—KKnoke, Der ursprüngl. Sinn der sechsten Bitte: NKZ 18, 1907, 200–220; AHarnack, Zur sechsten Bitte des Vaterunsers: SBBerlAk 1907, 942–47; AKleber, CBQ 3, ’41, 317–20; GVerity, ET 58, ’46/47, 221f; FGrant, Introd. to NT Thought, ’50, 208.—μέγα ἐπίκειται π. a great temptation is before me AcPl Ha 8, 22=Ox 1602, 31 as corrected HTR 31 ’38, 58 n. 2, ln. 10=BMM recto 28.—(εἰς)έρχεσθαι εἰς πειρασμόν (Did., Gen. 225, 8) Mt 26:41; Mk 14:38 (Unknown Sayings, tr. Fuller ’57, p. 59 n. 1 and s. the agraphon fr. Tertullian, pp. 57–59); Lk 22:40 (HBate, JTS 36, ’35, 76f), 46. ἐμπίπτειν εἰς πειρασμόν 1 Ti 6:9. ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ in a time of temptation Lk 8:13. ἡ ὥρα τοῦ π. Rv 3:10. ἐκ πειρασμοῦ ῥύεσθαι 2 Pt 2:9. Cp. also Ac 15:26 v.l.; 1 Cor 10:13ab; 2 Cl 18:2.—Also in the pl. temptations (Cyranides p. 40, 24 πειρασμοὶ ἐν γῇ κ. θαλάσσῃ; Syntipas p. 124, 18; TestJos 2:7) Lk 22:28. μετὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης καὶ δακρύων καὶ πειρασμῶν Ac 20:19. ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς 1 Pt 1:6; cp. Js 1:2 ( trial is also prob. in the last two passages, s. 1 above).—2 Pt 2:9 v.l.—On the difficult saying τὸν πειρασμὸν ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου οὐκ ἐξουθενήσατε Gal 4:14 s. on ἐξουθενέω 1 and 2 and s. JdeZwaan, ZNW 10, 1909, 246–50.—HKorn, ΠΕΙΡΑΣΜΟΣ. Die Versuchg. des Gläubigen in der griech. Bibel, ’37; MAndrews, Peirasmos, A Study in Form-Criticism, ATR 24, ’42, 229–44; KKuhn, πειρασμός im NT, ZTK 49, ’52, 200–222, New Light on Temptation, etc., in The Scrolls and the NT, ed. Stendahl, ’57, 94–113.—M-M. TW. Spicq. Sv.

πύρωσις, εως, ἡ (πυρόω; Aristot., Theophr. et al.; PGM 2, 110; Am 4:9; TestSol 18:29 P; TestJud 16:1; Just., D. 116, 2)

① process of burning, burning (Jos., Ant. 1, 203) lit. in pass. sense τὸν καπνὸν τῆς πυρώσεως αὐτῆς Rv 18:9, 18.

② an intense degree of some painful occurrence or experience, burning ordeal fig. ext. of 1 ἡ π. τῆς δοκιμασίας the fiery test D 16:5. π. πρὸς πειρασμὸν γινομένη fiery ordeal to test you 1 Pt 4:12 (cp. the πύρωσις for testing metals Pr 27:21). In this sense the focus is on degree of intensity of the trial, but a component of suffering is indicated by the context, and some would prefer to render: severe suffering.—DELG s.v. πύρ. M-M. TW.

πῦρ, ός, τό (Hom.+) fire

ⓐ of earthly fire, as an important element in creation Dg 7:2.—Mt 17:15; Mk 9:22; Ac 28:5; Js 5:3 (cp. 4 Macc 15:15); ITr 2:3. Melting lead 2 Cl 16:3. Necessary for forging metals Dg 2:3. Testing precious metals for purity 1 Pt 1:7; Hv 4, 3, 4; in metaphor Rv 3:18. For ἄνθρακες πυρός Ro 12:20 s. ἄνθραξ. For κάμινος (τοῦ) πυρός (Iren. 5, 5, 2 [Harv. II 332, 2) 1 Cl 45:7; 2 Cl 8:2 s. κάμινος. For βάλλειν εἰς (τὸ) π. s. βάλλω 1b.—περιάπτειν πῦρ kindle a fire Lk 22:55. κατακαίειν τι πυρί burn someth. (up) with fire, in a pass. construction Mt 13:40; τινὰ ἐν πυρὶ Rv 17:16 (v.l. without ἐν). Pass. construction 18:8. ὑπὸ πυρὸς κατακαίεσθαι MPol 5:2 (κατακαίω, end). πῦρ καιόμενον 11:2b (καίω 1a). πυρὶ καίεσθαι Hb 12:18; Rv 8:8 (καίω 1a). Fire is used in comparisons γλῶσσαι ὡσεὶ πυρός Ac 2:3 (Ezek. Trag. 234 [in Eus., PE 9, 29, 14] ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ φέγγος ὡς πυρὸς ὤφθη ἡμῖν). φλὸξ πυρός a flame of fire (Ex 3:2; Is 29:6; PsSol 15:4; JosAs 14:9): ὀφθαλμοὶ ὡς φλὸξ πυρός Rv 1:14; cp. 2:18; 19:12.—Of a Christian worker who has built poorly in the congregation it is said σωθήσεται ὡς διὰ πυρός he will be saved as if through (the) fire, i.e. like a person who must pass through a wall of fire to escape fr. a burning house (Ps.-Crates, Ep. 6 [=Malherbe p. 56] κἂν διὰ πυρός; Jos., Ant. 17, 264 διὰ τοῦ πυρός; Diod S 1, 57, 7; 8 διὰ τοῦ φλογὸς … σωθείς from a burning tent) 1 Cor 3:15 (HHollander, NTS 40, ’94, 89–104; s. σῴζω 3). Cp. Jd 23 (ἁρπάζω 2a).—Of the torture of a loyal confessor by fire IRo 5:3; ISm 4:2; MPol 2:3; 11:2a; 13:3; 15:1f; 16:1; 17:2; cp. Hb 11:34; in imagery of Rome ἀπέρχομαι εἰς κάμινον πυρός AcPl Ha 6, 20 (cp. b below).

ⓑ of fire that is heavenly in origin and nature (cp. Diod S 4, 2, 3 of the ‘fire’ of lightning, accompanying the appearance of Zeus; 16, 63, 3 τὸ θεῖον πῦρ; Just., D. 88, 3 πῦρ ἀνήφθη ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῳ [at Jesus’ baptism]. In gnostic speculation Iren. 1, 17, 1 [Harv. I 164, 14]; Hippol., Ref. 6, 9, 5.—Orig., C. Cels. 4, 13, 19): an angel appears to Moses ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς βάτου in the flame of a burning thorn-bush Ac 7:30 (s. Ex 3:2; cp. Just., A I, 62, 3 ἐν ἰδέᾳ πυρός.—PKatz, ZNW 46, ’55, 133–38). God makes τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα (cp. Ps 103:4, esp. in the v.l. [ARahlfs, Psalmi cum Odis ’31]) Hb 1:7; 1 Cl 36:3. Corresp., there burn before the heavenly throne seven λαμπάδες πυρός Rv 4:5 and the ‘strong angel’ 10:1 has πόδες ὡς στῦλοι πυρός, but both of these pass. fit equally well in a. Fire appears mostly as a means used by God to execute punishment: in the past, in the case of Sodom ἔβρεξεν πῦρ καὶ θεῖον ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ Lk 17:29 (Gen 19:24; cp. 1QH 3:31). Cp. Lk 9:54 (4 Km 1:10, 12; TestAbr A 10 p. 88, 13 [Stone p. 24, 13] ἐξ οὐρανοῦ; Jos., Ant. 9, 23 πῦρ ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ πεσόν). Quite predom. in connection w. the Last Judgment: the end of the world διʼ αἵματος καὶ πυρός Hv 4, 3, 3; cp. Ac 2:19 (Jo 3:3. Also Sib-Or 4, 173; 5, 376f); Rv 8:7. κόσμος αἴρεται ἐν πυρί AcPl Ha 2, 26; 9, 11. The Judgment Day ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται makes its appearance with fire 1 Cor 3:13a; cp. 13b (JGnilka, Ist 1 Cor 3:10–15 … Fegfeuer? ’55); 2 Pt 3:7 (on first-century cosmological views s. FDowning, L’AntCl 64, ’95, 99–109, esp. 107f). When Jesus comes again he will reveal himself w. his angels ἐν πυρὶ φλογός (cp. Sir 45:19) 2 Th 1:8. Oft. in Rv: fire is cast fr. heaven upon the earth 8:5; 13:13; 20:9 (καταβαίνω 1b). It proceeds fr. the mouths of God’s two witnesses 11:5 and fr. the mouths of plague-bringing horses 9:17f. See 16:8. For πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν μέλλοντος τ. ὑπεναντίους Hb 10:27 s. ζῆλος 1, end. ἡ χείρ μου πυρὶ ἀποπίπτει ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ my hand falls off me from (burning in) the fire GJs 20:1 (codd.).—The fire w. which God punishes sinners (cp. ApcSed 4:1 κόλασις καὶ πῦρ ἐστιν ἡ παίδευσίς σου) οὐ σβέννυται (cp. Is 66:24) Mk 9:48; 2 Cl 7:6; 17:5. Hence it is called (s. PGM 5, 147 τὸ πῦρ τὸ ἀθάνατον): (τὸ) πῦρ (τὸ) αἰώνιον (4 Macc 12:12; TestZeb 10:3; GrBar 4:16; Just., A I, 21, 6 al.; Tat. 17, 1; Theoph. Ant. 1, 14 [p. 92, 9]) Mt 18:8; 25:41; Jd 7; Dg 10:7 (opp. τὸ πῦρ τὸ πρόσκαιρον 10:8). πῦρ ἄσβεστον (ἄσβεστος 1) Mt 3:12; Mk 9:43, 45 v.l.; Lk 3:17; 2 Cl 17:7; IEph 16:2; AcPl Ha 1, 22. It burns in the γέεννα (τοῦ) πυρός (ApcEsdr 1:9 p. 25, 1 Tdf.; s. γέεννα and cp. En 10:13 τὸ χάος τοῦ πυρός) Mt 5:22; 18:9 (cp. 1QS 2:7f); Mk 9:47 v.l.; 2 Cl 5:4 (a saying of Jesus not recorded elsewhere). ἡ λίμνη τοῦ πυρὸς (καὶ θείου) Rv 19:20; 20:10, 14ab, 15 (cp. Jos As 12, 10 ἄβυσσον τοῦ πυρός); cp. Rv 21:8; 14:10, 18; 15:2. The fiery place of punishment as ἡ κάμινος τοῦ πυρός Mt 13:42, 50 (difft. AcPl Ha 6, 20 see at the end of a, above). τὸ πῦρ ἐστι μετʼ αὐτοῦ fire awaits that person AcPlCor 2:37. The fire of hell is also meant in certain parables and allegories, in which trees and vines represent persons worthy of punishment Mt 3:10; 7:19; Lk 3:9; J 15:6. The one whose coming was proclaimed by John the Baptist βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί; whether πῦρ in Mt 3:11; Lk 3:16 refers to reception of the Holy Spirit (esp. in Lk 3:16) or to the fire of divine judgment is debatable; for association of πῦρ with πνεῦμα s. Ac 2:3f; AcPlCor 2:13 (βαπτίζω 3b). As Lord of Judgment God is called πῦρ καταναλίσκον Hb 12:29 (Dt 4:24; 9:3.—Mesomedes calls Isis πῦρ τέλεον ἄρρητον [IAndrosIsis p. 145, 14]).—Of a different kind is the idea that fire is to be worshiped as a god (Maximus Tyr. 2, 4b of the Persians: πῦρ δέσποτα; Theosophien 14 p. 170, 11 τὸ πῦρ ἀληθῶς θεός) Dg 8:2.

ⓒ fig. (Just., D. 8, 1 πῦρ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἀνήφθη; Chariton 2, 4, 7 πῦρ εἰς τ. ψυχήν; Ael. Aristid. 28, 110 K.=49 p. 527 D.: τὸ ἱερὸν κ. θεῖον πῦρ τὸ ἐκ Διός; Aristaen., Ep. 2, 5; PGrenf I=Coll. Alex. p. 177 ln. 15 [II B.C.] of the fire of love; Theoph. Ant. 1, 3 [p. 62, 21] of God’s wrath) ἡ γλῶσσα πῦρ Js 3:6 (s. γλῶσσα 1a). The saying of Jesus πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν Lk 12:49 seems, in the context where it is now found, to refer to the fire of discord (s. vss. 51–53). πῦρ is also taken as fig. in Agr 3, the sense of which, however, cannot be determined w. certainty (s. Unknown Sayings, 54–56) ὁ ἐγγύς μου ἐγγὺς τοῦ πυρός. ὁ δὲ μακρὰν ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ μακρὰν ἀπὸ τῆς βασιλείας (cp. ἐγγύς 3; ἐγγὺς εἶναι τοῦ πυρός as someth. dangerous also Chariton 6, 3, 9). On the difficult pass. πᾶς πυρὶ ἁλισθήσεται Mk 9:49 and its variants s. ἁλίζω and cp. ἅλας b (s. also NColeman, JTS 24, 1923, 381–96, ET 48, ’37, 360–62; PHaupt, Salted with Fire: AJP 45, 1924, 242–45; AFridrichsen, Würzung durch Feuer: SymbOsl 4, 1926, 36–38; JdeZwaan, Met vuur gezouten worden, Mc 9:49: NThSt 11, 1928, 179–82; RHarris, ET 48, ’37, 185f; SEitrem, Opferritus u. Voropfer der Griechen u. Römer 1915, 309–44. JBauer, TZ 15, ’59, 446–50; HZimmermann [Mk 9:49], TQ 139, ’59, 28–39; TBaarda [Mk 9:49], NTS 5, ’59, 318–21).—B. 71; RAC VII 786–90; BHHW I 479f. DELG. M-M. EDNT. TW. Sv.

ἐλεγμός, οῦ, ὁ (s. three next entries; LXX; PsSol 10:1) =ἔλεγξις; the LXX exhibits various mngs: ‘testing’ of an accused pers. through trial by ordeal (Num 5:18ff), also ‘reproof, correction’ (Sir 21:6; 32:17; 48:7) and ‘discipline, punishment’ (4 Km 19:3; Jdth 2:10; 1 Macc 2:49) in our lit. expression of strong disapproval, reproach, rebuke, reproof w. διδασκαλία and ἐπανόρθωσις 2 Ti 3:16 (v.l. ἔλεγχον).—DELG s.v. ἐλέγχω. TW.