Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, James, Jude and the writer of Hebrews managed to expound on the Gospel without recourse to Areté (ἀρέτη),^[1] Greek virtue.  Paul used it once in a way that seems to question its existence or value: Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue (ἀρέτη) and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.^[2]  But Peter commanded me to add ἀρετήν (a form of ἀρέτη) to faith (πίστει, a form of πίστις):^[3] giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue.^[4]

“There is a tale that Arete (Virtue) dwells on unclimable rocks and close to the gods tends a holy place; she may not be seen by the eyes of all mortals, but only by him on whom distressing sweat comes from within, the one who reaches the peak of manliness.”^[5]  In other words, Areté (ἀρέτη) is Gerard Butler as King Leonidas in the movie “300,”  straining, leaping, crawling, clawing, dragging himself by brute strength up a sheer cliff face to reach an oracle.  That Peter had this imagery of a slow, painful ascent in mind is obvious (2 Peter 1:5-7 NKJV):

But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.

And if such a manly man may imagine virtue at the pinnacle of his arduous climb as something like King Leonidas found in the movie—a beautiful, half-naked woman, writhing in ecstasy—that’s all for the better.  Peter’s letters, the only ones preserved in the New Testament, were addressed to people temporarily residing abroad,^[6] presumably in the churches founded by Paul, probably after Paul’s execution in Rome.  I don’t really believe that Peter held any ill will toward Paul or his teaching.  I believe that Peter was Peter, “Ready! Fire! Aim!”  A fisherman by trade, Peter was ready to take on soldiers in the garden the night Jesus was arrested.^[7]  But I do want to compare and contrast Paul’s and Peter’s How-To writings, because Peter’s writing spoke to me long before Paul’s made any sense at all.

At the time I was ready to believe Jesus again I was more than willing to make every effort to add to [my] faith excellence.^[8]  Excellence is a contemporary attempt to rekindle some Greek fire in Areté (ἀρέτη), since virtue has become an old scold.  I set out, discounting the Gospel as something I’d already tried and found wanting, to obey the law, excellently, virtuously.  And I saw my efforts as the only sure way of escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire (ἐπιθυμίᾳ, a form of ἐπιθυμία).^[9]  After I escaped the worldly corruption produced by evil desire by making every effort to keep the law, then I may become [a partaker] of the divine nature.^[10]  But that wasn’t what Peter said, not really.  Or if it is was, it wasn’t exactly what he meant.

Peter’s point was that God’s divine power (δυνάμεως, a form of δύναμις)^[11] has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence (ἀρετῇ, another form of ἀρέτη).^[12]  For I am not ashamed of the gospel, Paul wrote, for it is God’s power (δύναμις) for salvation to everyone who believes.^[13]

Through these things, Peter continued, [through God’s divine power that has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence] he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises (ἐπαγγέλματα, a form of ἐπάγγελμα).^[14]  Abraham, according to Paul, did not waver in unbelief about the promise (ἐπαγγελίαν, a form of ἐπαγγελία)^[15] of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God.  He was fully convinced that what God promised (ἐπήγγελται, a form of ἐπαγγέλλω)^[16] he was also able to do.^[17]

Peter continued, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire.^[18]  To become partakers of the divine nature by believing what was promised sounds exactly like Paul, but only after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire?  The translators of the American Standard Version rendered it, having escaped from the corruption that is in that world by lust.^[19]  This, according to Paul, was achieved by God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.^[20]  Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?^[21]  Paul continued, our old man was crucified with him so that the body of sin would no longer dominate us, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.^[22]

The translators of the New International Version rendered Peter’s explanation, so that through [his very great and precious promises] you may participate in the divine nature and [emphasis added] escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.^[23]  But a note in the NET justifies the translation after escaping as follows: “The aorist participle ἀποφυγόντες (apophugontes) is often taken as attendant circumstance to the preceding verb γένησθε (genesthse). As such, the sense is ‘that you might become partakers…and might escape…’ However, it does not follow the contours of the vast majority of attendant circumstance participles (in which the participle precedes the main verb, among other things). Further, attendant circumstance participles are frequently confused with result participles (which do follow the verb). Many who take this as attendant circumstance are probably viewing it semantically as result (‘that you might become partakers…and [thereby] escape…’). But this is next to impossible since the participle is aorist: Result participles are categorically present tense.”

Reading this makes me wonder, did a fisherman who could change from first person plural to second person plural in mid-thought (he has bestowed on us…so that…you) know this subtle nuance of the Greek language?  The alternative—that Peter actually meant to say that God had bestowed his precious and most magnificent promises on Apostles only (or Jews only), so that the laity (or Gentiles) may become partakers of the divine nature, after making every effort to escape the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire—seems untenable to me given his opening salutation.  From Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness (δικαιοσύνῃ, a form of δικαιοσύνη)^[24] of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ, have been granted a faith just as precious as ours.  May grace and peace be lavished on you as you grow in the rich knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord!^[25]

If, however, I accept that Peter was not the writer, not the literary man or learned man, that Paul was, I can make some sense of this.  The Areté (ἀρέτη) Peter wanted me to add to my faith was nothing less than the Areté (ἀρέτη) of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence (ἀρετῇ, a form of ἀρέτη) who by his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness.^[26]  Even the rabbis who translated the Septuagint used ἀρέτη for God’s virtue as Peter alluded to Isaiah 43:21: you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues (ἀρετὰς, another form of ἀρέτη) of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.^[27]

Peter changed the word from διηγεῖσθαι to ἐξαγγείλητε, something more than mere telling.  It is only used once in the Bible, but is a compound of two words that would literally be from an angel (messenger).  It was translated show forth in the KJV.  It seems that ἀρέτη (ἀρετάς above) served the same function for Peter that δικαιοσύνη served for Paul: But now apart from the law the righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – namely, the righteousness (δικαιοσύνη) of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe.^[31]

There are really only two ways for me to add virtue or moral excellence to my faith.  I can trust in Christ, relying on the credited righteousness of God through the fruit of the Holy Spirit, or I can strive to keep the law, relying on myself.  Had I like Saul achieved the status of blameless according to the righteousness stipulated in the law,^[32] I still wouldn’t have qualified as a Pharisee.  And Jesus said, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.^[33] Though the love that fulfills the law, the credited righteousness of God by the fruit of his Spirit, seems a long way off from Areté (ἀρέτη) in Peter’s arduous climb, it is an appropriate distance between self acquired blamelessness according to the righteousness stipulated in the law and the righteousness of God.  Of course, I didn’t see it this way before I grasped what Paul was saying in Romans.

I thought I was trusting Christ and striving to keep the law, even that by striving to keep the law I was trusting Christ, as I misunderstood James, Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by MY WORKS.^[34]  I added the emphasis here to indicate how full of the pride of life^[35] I was.  Thankfully, I can’t satisfy my God-given hunger and thirst for righteousness^[36] by striving to keep rules.  And I also thank God that Jesus made a special appearance to call a wayward Pharisee named Saul, transformed him into Paul the Apostle, and gave him the words that make up the bulk of the Gospel commentary in the New Testament.