Die invloed van die Mediterreense tydsbegrip op die betekenis van die dag van die Here in 2 Petrus

Abstract

The day of the Lord in 2 Peter in the light of the first-century Mediterranean concept of time. In this aricle the apocalyptic expression 'the day of the Lord' in 2 Peteris understood in the light of the first-century Mediterranean concept of time. Unlike modern Western societies, Mediterranean peasant societies had the present as first-order temporary preference. Secondary preference is past, and the future comes as third choice. According to a social-scientiic model of Mediterranean time, the present and past can be understood as expeienced time, as well as cyclical and processual time. The future is viewed as imaginary time. These insights are especially crucial for understanding the day of the Lord in 2 Peter within the context of the delay of the parousia, winch is of primary concern to the author of 2 Peter. The author advocates the shiting of the parousia from the present to the far-of future of an imaginary time of God's control. As a result, his ethics for the present was sill strongly influenced by the day of the Lord. In contrast, the author's opponents' untidyethics reflected their rejecion of the relevancy of the future parousia fortheir present lives.