Conversation (Hastings' Dictionary)

The word never occurs in .A.V in its modem sense of colloquy, but always in its earlier sense of conduct, beh.aviour. But as intercourse by speech is a large jiart of conduct, the word was specialized to its present limited sense at an early date (not much later than the date of AV). See Oxf. Eng, Diet. * ' Conversation ' in A V is prob- ably due to Vulg. conversatio, conversor. 'These usually stand in Vulg.

for N'T avairTpotj>-fi, ivaarpi- (peaBai, though in two cases, Ph 1" and 3*', they represent ttoXit^vo^i and TroXfrci-^. On these latter passages see CITIZENSHIP. In one instance where Vulg. renders TroXireia bycon!'<!r«(<io(Eph2'°), A V departs from the guidance of Vulg. and correctly renders 'commonwealth.' In a few other places AV does not render by 'have our c.' but by ' behave,' ' live,' ' pa-ss the time of.' The true equivalent of am<rrpo(fi-^ in mod. Eng.

is ' conduct ' ; and it is an unfortunate result of the AV archaism 'conversation' that the real pro- minence of conduct in NT teaching isob.'scured (see Ethics). Indeed, the substantive 'conduct' no- where occurs in AV, though RV wisely introduces it in 2 Ti 3'" to represent dyuy^. There are but two passages in OT where c. occurs (I's 37" and 50'-^). In both it represents i]-i^ ' way.'

Conduct in OT is thought of under the metaphor of walking, and the words describing it are literally tr^, hence abstract nouns to express moral conduct do not occur. Hatch (Essai/s m liibl. Gr. p. 9) sees the conditions of Syr. and dr. life respect- ively mirrored in the metaphors wliich the two nations severally emploj-cd for conduct, viz. irepi- waTfTv and dvacrrp^tparffai.

' Whereas in Athens and Rome the bustling activity of the streets gave rise to the conception of life as a quick movement to and fro ; the constant intercourse on foot between village and village in Syria, and the difficulties of travel on the stony tracks over the hills, gave rise to the metaphors which regard life as a jouniev' But the OT metaphor naturally runs on into t1i<' NT, and in Epp. of St. Paul TtpiTarttp is far more frequent than dta<rrpi(pea$ai. Christianity is 'the Way.' Cf.

Hort, IVai/, Truth, and Life,' Lect. I. a good example of conversation in tlic old ai dirtinffuiaht-^t from the mod. sense, is in Bunyan's Pilgrim'$ Prog. * Voiir Conversation gives this your Mouth-profession, the lye.' 478 CONVERSION COKAL The NT words for converse in its modern sense are o.^Xfii' (Lk 24'''- " ' they talked tof;etlier '), awo/iiKeiy I Ac 10-''). K. K. Bernard. CONYERSION The nonn (^incrrpo^i?) occurs only once in Scripture, Ac 15' (ef.

Sir id-), where it need not denote the definite spiritual chan;;e belonging to the word in the verb-form. The verb- form (iTnaTpi<pii.ii) is frequently found both in OT and NT, answering in the former to such Heb. terms as Tijn, a]c_ and esp. z;v. The point to be noted i-i that it almost invariably denotes an act of laan : ' Turn ye, turn ye (;3 c-) from your evil ways ' (Ezk 33") ; ' Except ye turn ' (Mt 18') ; ' When thou hast turned agam ' (Lk 22^-), etc.

It is worth noting also that 'convert' is merely a synonym for ' turn,' and answers to the same originals. In Ps 19' ' converting ' is a mistrans!. of nj's'? (RV correctly ' restoring,' i.e. ' refreshing,' cf. Ps 23' and La 1"). In Is 1" 'her converts' (AVm, RVm ' tlicy that return of her') is too technical a tr" of n-:y'. Wliatever the causes lying behind the act of turning, the act itself is man's. The idea is esp.

pro- minent in OT ; and, while in NT it is often brought into connexion with repentance, in OT the term rr/init seldom occurs in reference to man. Manj' times it is used to denote an a|iparent change of Iiurpo.se on the part of God (Gn 0" etc.), but very seklom in the same sense of man (1 K 8", Job 42"). It never there becomes a standing term, as in NT. Twice at least in NT, ' turn ' is associated with 'repent' (Ac S'" 26=<').

We find the term also similarly associated with faith : ' A great number that believed turned to thi» Lord' (Ac IF'). As the very idea of the word implies both a turning from and a turning to something, it seems equally natural to make the former aspect coincide with repentance, which is a turning from e\'il, and the latter coincide with faith, which is a turning to God. In other words, conversion on its negative side is repentance, and on its positive side is faith.

In some cases one element will be emphasized, in some the other ; and in some both will be included. This interpretation will, we believe, explain all the passages of Scripture. ' Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ' (Ac 20-'), though the term conversion does not occur, expresses the contents of the idea.

Nor is the divine ground of these acts of man overlooked : ' Unto you first, God, haWng raised up his Servant, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities ' (Ac 3=" ; cf. Jn 6-"). The ancient prophet held the same faith : ' Turn thou me, and I shall be turned ' * (Jer 31").

Sinful man turns, but the power by which he does so is God's, given him for Christ s sake ; just as the stretching out of the withered hand was man's act, but the power by which it was done was divine. The prophets are addressing, not the good, but the wicked ; the wicked are to turn and live. In like manner the apostolic exhortations are addressed to those who have not yet come to God.

There is thus little ditficulty in fixing both the nature of conversion and its place in the order of sal- vation in biblical teaching. It is man's first act under the leading of divine grace in the process of salvation, the initial step in the transition from evil to good.

A universal presence and operation of grace is a necessary corollarv of universal atone- ment ; the universal work of tlie Spirit goes along with the universal work of the Redeemer, always, of course, assuming the necessity of conditions on man's part. The fulfilment of the conditions, divine grace supplying the power, is biblical con- • The Heb. is simply ' I will turn.' Cf. La S", where the same passive tonn is adopted in both AV and RV.

This unfortunate misttansi implies a technical dogmatic sense, which is not in the origuikl. Of. RV of Ps 61'3, Mt 13ii>, Lk 22M. version. Subsequently conversion has been identi fied with regeneration ; and there is less objection to such use, if tlie term is so defined and accepted. Scripture recognizes not only divine grace as the efficient cause of conversion, but also human agency in bringing it about.

This is the preaching of the truth by prophets and apostles : in other words, the proclamation of God's truth by men who are themselves witnesses to its power. This is not onlj' implied in the passages already referred to, but is expressly mentioned in other places, e.g. Ac 10** 14'. The importance of the channel whicii conveys the water, or of the wire which conveys the force, although secondary, is still great.

While recogniz- ing that, as a rule, divine grace works through human means and instruments, we need not doubt that it also can and does often work independently. J. S. Banks.