Gentleness

Softness or mildness of disposition and behaviour. Little as this disposition is thought of by many, we find it considered in Scriptures as a characteristic of the true Christian. "The wisdom that is from above, " saith St. James, "is gentle, " ch. 3: 17. "This gentleness, indeed, is to be distinguished from passive tameness of spirit, and from unlimited compliance with the manners of others. That passive tameness, which submits without a struggle to every encroachment of the violent and assuming, forms no part of Christian duty; but, on the contrary, is destructive of general happiness and order. That unlimited complaisance, which on every occasion falls in with the opinions and manners of others, is so far from being a virtue, that it is itself a vice, and the parent of many vices. It overthrows all steadiness of principle, and produces that sinful conformity with the world which taints the whole character.

In the present corrupted state of human manners, always to assent and to comply, is the very worst maxim we can adopt. True gentleness, therefore, is to be carefully distinguished from the mean spirit of cowards and the fawning assent of sycophants. It renounces no just right from fear; it gives up no important truth from flattery: it is, indeed, not only consistent with a firm mind, but it necessarily requires a manly spirit and a fixed principle, in order to give it any real value. It stands opposed to harshness and severity, to pride and arrogance, to violence and oppression: it is properly that part of charity which makes us unwilling to give pain to any of our brethren. Compassion prompts us to relieve their wants; forbearance prevents us from retaliating their injuries: meekness restrains our angry passions; candour our severe judgments; but gentleness corrects whatever is offensive in our manner, and, by a constant train of humane attention, studies to alleviate the burden of common misery."

GENTLENESS.—St. Paul in 2Co 10:1 appeals to the meekness and gentleness (πραύτης καὶ ἑπιείκεια) of Christ. These qualities would be readily admitted to be so characteristic of Jesus as to require no specific illustration. Yet such is the objective character of the Gospels, that with the exception of His own claim to be ‘meek and lowly in heart’ (Mat 11:29) and the Evangelist’s application of the prophecy, ‘Behold, thy king cometh unto thee, meek …’ (Mat 21:5), neither quality is directly attributed to Him, nor, with the exception of Mat 5:5, does either word occur in His recorded teaching.

These characteristics of Jesus are not easily defined in themselves, or distinguished from one another. (See art. ‘Gentleness’ in Hastings’ DB, vol. ii. p. 150). Πραύτης is rather an inward disposition of the mind, the quietness of soul which is the result of faith and self-restraint; ἐπιείκεια is an active grace, exhibited in human relations, ‘it expresses the quality of considerateness, of readiness to look humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case’; it denotes in Jesus the tenderness of His dealings with the moral and social outcasts, the burdened and heavy laden, the weak and ignorant; His gracious courtesy, geniality of address, thoughtfulness, and delicacy of touch. It is not the expression of a nature of such softness as to be always on the verge of tears, or of a sentimentalism which has little strength of conscience, and no power of moral indignation and repulsion. The gentleness of Christ can be appreciated only when it is related to certain other elements in His personality. (1) His consciousness of His Divine origin, and His royal vocation as founder of the Kingdom of God (cf. Joh 13:3-5). (2) His moral consciousness. His is not the gentleness towards the sinful which arises from moral indifference, or the desire of a sin-marred nature to be judged of leniently. He is conscious of sinlessness; He looks upon sin as the great tragedy of human life, but His passion for righteousness does not make Him harsh in judgment or unmerciful in dealing (cf. Mat 5:6-7). (3) His consciousness of Divine power. It is the gentleness not of weakness, but of might. The Lamb of God answering Pilate so mildly was conscious that twelve legions of angels stood at His disposal (Mat 26:53).

The Baptist, himself stern of soul, foresaw the coming of one greater than he—greater, but not more gentle. The axe, fan, and fire of judgment were at His command, and He would wield these instruments of wrath to the destruction of wickedness (Mat 3:10-12). But, to John’s intense disappointment, Jesus found His ideal and method not in these symbols of violence, but in the conception of the Servant of Jehovah, who did not strive or cry or lift up his voice in the streets, who did not break the bruised reed or quench the smoking flax (Mat 12:19-20; cf. Luk 4:16; Luk 4:19 and Mat 11:4-6, and see Isa 42:1-3).

The Gospels abound in illustrations of the winsome manner of Jesus. His reception of the little children (Mat 18:2; Mat 19:13), His thoughtfulness for the multitude lest they should faint by the way (Mat 15:32), the brotherly touch of His hand upon the leper (Mar 1:41), the delicacy of His approach to the sorrowing (Luk 7:13, Joh 11:35), His tender tones to His perplexed disciples—‘little children,’ ‘I will not leave you orphans’ (Joh 13:33; Joh 14:18), and His sense of their frailty in the words, ‘Sleep on now and take your rest’ (Mat 26:45), His consideration, even in the agony of death, for His mother (Joh 19:26-27),—are but examples of that gracious gentleness which consisted with, and was the expression of, a Divine dignity of love. His attitude to the sinful is distinguished by the same tenderness. His intense love of holiness, quick moral sensitiveness, and stainless purity, made Him uncompromisingly stern in His rebuke of a self-righteousness which had little capacity of repentance; but He combined with that a deep insight into the possibilities of sin-marred natures; and by His disclosure to them of dormant powers of being, and the tenderness of His dealing with them, He won them to repentance and a new life (Luk 7:36-50; Luk 19:1-10). And, similarly, His rebukes, touched by His gentleness, become appeals, and are charged with the inspiration of a renewed trust. His ‘O ye of little faith’ (Mat 8:26), ‘Can ye drink the cup that I drink of?’ (Mar 10:38), ‘Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things’ (Luk 10:41), ‘Could ye not watch with me one hour?’ (Mat 26:40), ‘Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?’ (Joh 21:15 ff.),—were rebukes whose gentleness could leave no bitterness or despair, but recalled the soul to its loyalty to Him. So, although Jesus never formally held forth ἐπιείκεια as an ideal of Christian life, He left us an example that we should follow His steps (1Pe 2:21).

Literature.—Trench, Synonyms, § xlii.; M. Arnold, Literature and Dogma, vii. 3; A. L. Moore, God is Love (1894), 134; G. Jackson, Memoranda Paulina (1901), 61; J. Watson, The Inspiration of our Faith (1905), 190; J. W. Jack, After His Likeness (1906), 88.

Joseph Muir.

GENTLENESS.—The word ‘gentle’ occurs five times in NT (AV [Note: Authorized Version.] ). In 1Th 2:7 and 2Ti 2:24 it corresponds to Gr. çpios; it is the character proper to a nurse among trying children, or a teacher with refractory pupils. In Tit 3:2, Jas 3:17, 1Pe 2:18 ‘gentle’ is the AV [Note: Authorized Version.] tr. [Note: translate or translation.] of epieikçs, which is uniformly so rendered in RV [Note: Revised Version.] . The general idea of the Gr. word is that which is suggested by equity as opposed to strict legal justice; it expresses the quality of considerateness, of readiness to look humanely and reasonably at the facts of a case. There is a good discussion of it in Trench, Syn. § xliii.; he thinks there are no words in English which answer exactly to it, the ideas of equity and fairness, which are essential to its import, usually getting less than justice in the proposed equivalents.

In 2Sa 22:36 = Psa 18:35 (‘Thy gentleness hath made me great’) RV [Note: Revised Version.] keeps ‘gentleness’ in the text, but gives ‘condescension’ in the margin, which is much better. The key to the meaning is found in comparing such passages as Psa 113:5 f., Isa 57:15, Zec 9:9, Mat 11:29.

jen´t’l-nes (ענה, ‛ānāh; ἐπιείκεια, epieı́keia, χρηστότης, chrēstótēs): In 2Sa 22:36 ‛ānāh, “to bend low,” “to condescend,” is translated “gentleness,” “Thy gentleness hath made me great,” the Revised Version, margin “or condescension”; so also Psa 18:35, where the word is ‛anwāh “humility,” “gentleness,” or “condescension.” In the New Testament epieikeia (“fairness,” “moderation,” in Act 24:4 translated “clemency”) is in 2Co 10:1 translated “gentleness,” “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Macc 2:22 “favour,” the Revised Version (British and American) “forbearance”); chrēstotēs, “kindness,” “usefulness,” is translated “gentleness” in Gal 5:22 the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) “kindness”; chrēstós is the word translated “kind” (to the unthankful and evil, Luk 6:35), and chrēstotēs seems to carry in it a similar idea of active kindness.

Gentle occurs in the Old Testament only in the Revised Version (British and American) of Jer 11:19, “I was like a gentle lamb” (kebhes). In the New Testament it is the translation of ḗpios, “mild,” “gentle” (1Th 2:7; 2Ti 2:24), and of epieikḗs, “fitting” “proper,” etc. (1Ti 3:3 the Revised Version (British and American); Tit 3:2; Jas 3:17; 1Pe 2:18); also, with article, Php 4:5 (the King James Version “moderation,” the Revised Version (British and American) “forbearance”). In 2 Macc 15:12 Onias is said (the King James Version) to be “gentle (práos) in condition,” the Revised Version (British and American) “in manner.”

See Meekness.

See HUMILITY; MEEKNESS.