FOREIGNER

symbolism in Rev 7', etc., where the marls is the Divine signet. It is doubtful what Is the mark of the beast (Rev 13"); see Swete, ad loc. 17» is a probable allusion to a custom of Roman harlots. Shaving the forehead in sign of mourning is forbidden (Dt 14'). For Ezk 16", see RV. See also Marks. C. W. Emmet.

FOREIGNER.— See Nations, Stranger.

FOREKNOWLEDGE.— See Predestination.

FORERUNNER.— The English word gives the exact sense of the Greek prodromos, which, in its classical usage, signifies ' one who goes before ' ; it may be as a scout to reconnoitre, or as a herald to announce the coming of the king and to make ready the way for the royal journey.

1. John the Baptist was our Lord's 'forerunner.' The word is never applied to him in the NT, but he was the 'messenger' sent 'before the face' of the Lord 'to prepare his way' (Mt 11">, Mk V, Lk 7"; cf. Mai 3'), and to exhort others to ' make his paths straight ' (Mk 12; cf. Is 40«).

2. Only in He 6m is the word 'forerunner' found in the EV (Wyclif ' the bifor goer,' Rheims ' the precursor '). Instead of the AV ' whither the forerunner has for us entered, even Jesus,' the RV rightly renders: 'whither as a forerunner Jesus entered for us.' The change is important. To the readers of this Epistle it would be a startling announcement that Jesus had entered the Holy of Holies as a forerunner. Thither the Jewish liigh priest, one day in the year, went alone (He 9'). He was the people's representative, but he was not their forerunner, for none might dare to follow him. The key-note of the Epistle is that all believers have access with boldness to the presence of the Most Holy God 'in the blood of Jesus'; they have this boldness because their High Priest has inaugurated for them a fresh and living way (10"*). Already within the veil hope enters with assurance, for Jestis has ' gone that we may follow too.' As the Forerunner of His redeemed He has inaugurated their entrance. He makes intercession for them, and He is preparing for them a place (Jn 142). Commenting on the significance of this 'one word,' Dr. A. B. Bruce says that it ' expresses the whole essen-tial difference between the Christian and the Levitical religion — between the religion that brings men nigh to God, and the religion that kept or left men standing afar off' (Expositor, ni. vii. [1888], p. 167 f.).

J. G. Tasker. FOREST. — 1. ya'ar (root meaning a 'rugged' place), Dt 195, 2 K 2", Jer 4623, Mic S" etc. 2. horesh, 2 Ch 27' etc. ; tr. 'wood,'l 823" (perhaps apropername). 3. pardes, Neh 2* AV 'king's forest,' RVm 'park'; also tr. 'orchards,' Ca 4", Ec 2*, RV 'parks.' From the many references it is clear that Palestine had more extensive forests in ancient times than to-day, — indeed, within living memory there has been a vast destruction of trees for fuel. Considerable patches of woodland still exist, e.g. on Tabor and Carmel, in parts of N. Galilee, around Banias, and specially in Gilead between es-Salt and the Jabbok. E. W. G. Masterman.

FOBGETFULNESS.— Ps 8812 -shaU thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulnessT' The meaning is general, as Coverdale 'the londe where all thinges are forgotten,' but probably more passive than active, that the person is forgotten rather than that he forgets. So Wis 17'; but in Wis IV^ 16", Sir ll^s the word expresses the tendency to forget.

FORGIVENESS. — Like many other words employed to convey ideas connected with the relations of God and man, this covers a variety of thoughts. In both OT and NT we have evidences of a more elastic vocabulary than the EV would lead us to suppose. 1. The OT has at least three different words all tr. 'forgiveness' or 'pardon,' referring either to God's actions with regard to men (cf. Ex 34', Ps 86=, Neh 9") or to forgiveness

FORGIVENESS

extended to men by each other (cf. Gn 50", 1 S 26"). At a very early period of human, or at least of Jewish, history, some sense of the need of forgiveness by God seems to have been felt. This will be especially evident if the words of despairing complaint put into the mouth of Cain be tr. literally (see Driver, The Book of Genesis, on 4", cf. RVm). The power to forgive came to be looked on as inherent in God, who not only possessed the authority, but loved thus to exhibit His mercy (Dn 9», Neh 9", Jer 36'). In order, however, to obtain this gift, a corresponding condition of humiliation and repentance on man's part had to be fulfilled (2 Ch 7", Ps 86»), and without a conscious determination of the transgressor to amend and turn towards his God, no hope of pardon was held out (Jos 24", 2 K 24*, Jer S'- '). On the other hand, as soon as men acknowledged their errors, and asked God to forgive, no limit was set to His love in this respect (1 K 8"s<', Ps 103'; cf. Dt 30'-"°). Nor could this condition be regarded as unreasonable, for holiness, the essential characteristic of the Divine nature, demanded an answering correspondence on the part of man made in God's image. Without this corre-spondence forgiveness was rendered impossible, and that, so to speak, automatically (cf. Lv 19', Jos 24"; see Nu 14i8, Job 10", Nah 1').

According to the Levitical code, when wrong was done between man and man, the first requisite in order to Divine pardon was restitution, which had to be followed up by a service of atonement (Lv 62-'). Even in the case of sins of ignorance, repentance and its outward expression in sacrifice had to precede forgiveness (Lv 4"5._ Nu 152M'- etc.). Here the educative influence of the Law must have been powerful, inculcating as it did at once the transcendent holiness of God and the need of a similar holiness on the part of His people (Lv 11«). Thus the Pauline saying, 'The law hath been our tutor to bring us to Christ' (Gal 32<), is pro-foundly true, and the great priestly services of the Temple, with the solemn and ornate ritual, must have given glimpses of the approach by which men could feel their way and obtain the help indispensable for the needs adumbrated by the demands of the Mosaic insti-tutions. The burden of the prophetic exhortations, 'Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye die?' (Ezk 33"; cf. Is 4422, Jer 35" 18", Hos I41, Jl 2" etc.), would be meaningless if the power to obey were withheld, or the way kept hidden. Indeed, these preachers of moral righteousness did not hesitate to emphasize the converse side of this truth in dwelling on the 'repentance' of God and His returning to His afiBicted but repentant people (Jon 3», Mai 3' etc.). The resultant effect of this mutual approach was the restoration to Divine favour, of those who had been alienated, by the free act of forgiveness on the part of God (Ps 85*, Is 55' 592°, Jer 13"- M etc.).

2. We are thus not surprised to learn that belief in the forgiveness of sins was a cardinal article of the Jewish faith in the time of Jesus (Mk 2'=Lk 52', cf. Is 432s). Nor was the teaching of Jesus in any instance out of line with the national belief, for, according to His words, the source of all pardon was His Father (Mk 1 12"-, Mt 6"'-; cf. His appeal on the cross, 'Father, forgive them,' Lk 23M). It is true that 'the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins' (Mk 2"'=Mt 9» = Lk 52*), but the form of the expression shows that Jesus was laying claim to a delegated authority (cf. Lk 7**, where, as in the case of the palsied man, the words are declaratory rather than absolute; see Plummer, ICC, in loc). This is more clearly seen by a reference to NT epistolary literature, where again and again forgiveness and restoration are spoken of as mediated 'in' or 'through' Christ (Eph 422, Col 2>2«., 1 p 5"i; cf. Eph 1', Rev 1«, 1 Jn 212 etc.). Here, as in OT, only more insistently dwelt on, the consciousness of guilt and of the need of personal holiness is the first step on the road to God's forgiveness (1 Jn 1', cf. Ps 32' 51' etc.); and the open

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