may fall into this group or be considered a free rendering of certain passages in Isaiah.[11] The “faithful sayings” from the Epistles to Timothy and to Titus have also been viewed in this light.[12] The passage opening
For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him (II Tim. 2:11-13),
possesses a marked lyrical character. The lines beginning
Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords (I Tim. 6:15-16),
reveal poetic features of a generally oriental style, framing the Old Testament content. Certain digressions in the Epistles, in which formulas of belief or of praise rise to a sure and effective climax, have the qualities of sustained hymns:
God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit,
seen of angels,
preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world,