P. Derek Overfield PhD Thesis - Research@StAndrews:FullText

Although the author of the epistle
frequently uses scriptural citations it is only in
4:8 that he employs scripture in a way that is at all
similar to a proof text; in the other instances he
rather presents his own argument by the use of
scriptural words. 72 The author uses 4;8 to substantiate
the argument that he has just advanced, namely,
that each individual Christian has received the gift
of grace. We note I hOvlever, that regardless of the
fact that the same Introductory Formula is employed
in 5:14, the citation there does not fulfill the s~ue
purpose as in 4:8.
The argument advanced in the
verses that immediately preceed 5:14 is that light
will expose a:l evil and in this ins-cance it is ~che
a:cgU:'Tlent that substantiates t~le
theology that is
e;x:pressed in the citation: Christ himself \!,Jill appear
and give light to the faithful. 73
It is thus entirely
possible that having decided that the citation in 5:14
required an Introductory Formula then the author was
influenced by the one he had already used in 4:8.
There is then no vlarrant for the citation in 4: 8 being
regarded as anything less than scripture because the
same Introductory Formula is used with this text as
. h h . t 1 . . . . 5 14 74
Wlt t e non-scrlp ura Cl~atlon In : •
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