. L^T4 . A COMMENTARY ON THE HOLT SCEIPTUKES CRITICAL, DOCTRIML, AND HOMILETICAL, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO MINISTERS' AND STUDENTS JOHjN PETEE LAjS-GE, d.d. CONNECTION WITH A NUMBER OF EMINENT EUROPEAN DIVINES. TRANSLATES FROM THE GER3IAN, AND EDITED, WITH ADDITIONS ORIGINAL AND SELECTED, By PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D. IN CONNECTION TTlin AMERICAN DIVINES OF VARIOUS EVANGELICAL DENOMINATIONS. VOL. I. OF THE NEW TESTAMENT : CONTAINING A GENERAL INTRODUCTION, AND THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. NEW YORK: CHAKLES SCRIBNEE, 124 GRAND STREET. 1865. THE GOSPEL ACCOPa^ING TO MATTHEW, TOGETPIER WITH A GENERAL THEOLOGICAL, AND HOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. JOHN PETEK LANGE, D.D. PROFESSOS OP THEOLOGY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BONN. / TRANSLATED FROM THE THIRD GERMAN EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS ORIGINAL AND SELECTED, By PHILIP SCHAFF, D.D. NEW YORK: CHAKLES SCPJBNER, 124 GRAND STREET. 1865. r^ » itr. jt!!5 5CEI3533.. PREFACE TO THE A\fFRTrA\ EDITIOy. if:lr li Tie boci of 2fe. Zkc ti«e-]_ : -:: --r^r^=IW«si«f God God. Tie ci^tl _ - ri Tifi TffNt' a^^ss. & ^nmLsr tie Bide is i - — - Ms- - :- ' 3 *rei:J"_ - cf Aiaisi. in. ■Ei; it ter-:- PREFACE. absolute religion of God, both in its preparatory process or growth under the dispensation of the law and the promise, and in its completion under the dispensation of the gospel, a religion which is intended ultimately to absorb all the other religions of the world. It speaks to us as immortal beings on the highest, noblest, and most important themes which can challenge our attention, and with an authority that is absolutely irresistible and overwhelming. It can instruct, edify, warn, terrify, appease, cheer, and encourage as no other book. It seizes man in the hidden depths of his intellectual and moral constitution, and goes to tLe quick of the soul, to that mysterious point where it is connected with the unseen world and with the great Father of spirits. It acts like an all-penetrating and all-transforming leaven upon every fac- ulty of the mind and eveiy emotion of the heart. It enriches the memory ; it elevates tlie reason ; it enlivens the imagination ; it directs the judgment ; it moves the affections ; it con- trols the passions ; it quickens the conscience ; it strengthens the will ; it kindles the sacred flame of faith, hope, and charity ; it purifies, ennobles, sanctifies the whole man, and brings him into living union with God. It can not only enlighten, reform, and improve, but regenerate and create anew, and produce effects which lie far beyond the power of human genius. It has light for the blind, strength for the weak, food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty ; it has a counsel in precej^t or example for eveiy relation in life, a comfort for every sorrow, a balm for every wound. Of all the books in the world, the Bible is the only one of which we never tire, but which we admii-e and love more and more in proportion as we use it. Like the diamond, it casts its lustre in every direction ; like a torch, the more it is shaken, the more it shines ; like a healing herb, the harder it is pressed, the sweeter is its fragrance. What an unsjDeakable blessing, that this inexhaustible treasure of divine truth and comfort is now accessible, without material alteration, to almost every nation on earth in its own tongue, and, in Protestant countries at least, even to the humblest man and woman that can read ! Nevertheless we welcome every new attempt to open the meaning of this book of books, which is plain enough to a child, and yet deep enough for the profoundest philosopher and the most comprehensive scholar. EPOCHS OF EXEGESIS. The Bible — and this is one of the many arguments for its divine character — has given rise to a greater number of discourses, essays, and commentaries, than any other book or class of books ; and yet it is now as far from being exhausted as ever. The strongest and noblest minds, fathers, schoolmen, reformers, and modem critics and scholars of every nation of Chris- tendom, have labored in these mines and brought forth precious ore, and yet they are as rich as ever, and hold out the same inducements of plentifal reward to new miners. The long line of commentators will never break off until faith shall be turned into vision, and the churcli militant transformed into the church triumphant in heaven. Biblical exegesis, like every other branch of theological science, has its creative epochs and classical periods, followed by periods of comparative rest, when the results gained by the pro- ductive labor of the preceding generation are quietly digested and appropriated to the life of the church. There are especially three such classical periods : the patristic, the reformatory, and the modern. The exegesis of the fathers, with the great names of Chrysostom and Theodoret of PREFACE. the Greek, and Jerome and Augustine of the Latin Church, is essentially Catholic ; the exegesis of the reformers, as laid down in the immortal biblical works of Luther and Melanch- thon, Zwingli and Oacolampadius, Calvin and Beza, is Protestant ; the modem exegesis of Germany, England, and America, may ])c called, in its hest form and ruling spirit. Evangelical Catholic. lb includes, however, a large variety of theological schools, as represented in the commentaries of Olshausen and Tholuck, Liicke and Bleek, Heugstenberg and Delitzsch, Ewald and Hupfelcjl, de Wette and Meyer, Lange and Stier, Alford and Ellicott, Stuart and Robinson, Hodge and Alexander, and many others still working wdth distinguished success. The modern Anglo-German exegesis is less dogmatical, confessional, and polemical than either of its predecessors, but more critical, free, and liberal, more thorough and accurate in all that pertains to philological and antiquarian researcli ; and while it thankfully makes use of the labors of tlie fathers and reformers, it seems to ojjen the avenue for new developments in the ever-expanding and deepening history of Christ's kingdom on earth. The patristic exegesis is, to a large extent, the result of a victorious conflict of ancient Christianity with Ebionism, Gnosticism, Arianism, Pelagianism, and other radical heresies, which roused and stimulated the fathers to a vigorous investigation and defence of the truth as laid down in the Scriptures and believed by the Church. The exegesis of the reformers bears on every page the marks of the gigantic v»'ar with Romanism and its traditions of men. So the modem evangelical theology of Germany has grown up amidst the changing fortunes of a more than thirty years' war of Christianity with Rationalism and Pantheism. The future historian will represent this intellectual and spiritual conflict, which is not yet concluded, as one of the most important and interesting chapters in history, raid as one of the most bril- liant victories of faith over unbelief, of Christian truth over anti-Cbristian error. The German mind has never, since the Reformation, developed a more intense and persevering activity, both for and against the gospel, than in this period, and if it should fully overcome the modern and most powerful attacks upon Christianity, it will achieve as important a work as tlie Reformation of the sixteenth century. Former generations have studied the Bible with as much and perhaps more zeal, earnestness, and singleness of purpose, than the present. But never before has it been subjected to such thorough and extensive critical, philological, histori- cal, and antiquarian, as well as theological investigation and research. Never before has it been assailed and defended with more learning, acumen, and perseverance. Never before has the critical apparatus been so amjjle or so easy of access ; the most ancient manuscripts of the Bible having been newly discovered, as the Codex Sinaiticus, or more carefully compared and published (some of them in fac-simile), as the Codex Sinaiticus, Vaticanus, Alexandrinus, Ephraemi Syri, and the discoveries and researches of travellers, antiquarians, historians, and chronologers being made tributary to the science of the Book of books. No age has been so productive in commentaines on almost every part of the sacred canon, but more particularly on the Gospels, the Life of Christ, and the Epistles of the New Testament. It is very difiicult to keep up with the progress of the German press in this department. One commentary fol- low.s another in rajiid succession, and the best of them are constantly reappearing in new and improved editions, which render the old ones useless for critical purposes. Still the intense productivity of this period must sooner or later be exhausted, and give way to the more quiet activity of reproduction and application.* * Even Dr. Wordsworth, who is disposed to find in the old Catholic and modern Anghcan fathers the beginning and the end of exegetical knowledge and wisdom, feels constrained to admit (in the Preface to hia Commentary nn PREFACE. The time has now arrived for the preparation of a comprehensive theological commentary, which shall satisfy all the theoretical and practical demands of the evangelical ministry of the present generation, and serve as a complete excgetical library for constant reference : a com- mentary learned, yet popular, orthodox and sound, yet unsectarian, liberal and truly catholic in spirit and aim ; combining with origmal research the most valuable results of the exegetical labors of the past and the present, and making them available for the practical use of minis- ters and the general good of the church. Such a commentary can be sucessfully wrought out only at such a fruitful period of Biblical research as the present, and by an association of ex- perienced divines equally distinguished for ripe scholarship and sound piety, and fully com- petent to act as mediators between the severe science of the professorial chair and the practical duties of the pastoral office. LANGE'S COMMENTARY. Such a commentary is the Bibelwerlc of Dr. Lakge, assisted by a number of distinguished evangelical divines and pulpit orators of Germany, Switzerland, and Holland.* This work was commenced in 1857, at the suggestion of the publishers, Velhagen and Klasing, in Biele- feld, Prussia, on a plan similar to that of Starke's Synopsis^ which appeared a hundred years ago, and has since been highly prized by ministers and theological students as a rich store- house of exegetical and homiletical learning, but which is now very rare, and to a large extent antiquated.f It is to embrace gradually the whole Old and New Testament. The Rev. Dr. John P. Lange, professor of evangelical theology in the University of Bonn, assumed the general editorial supervision ; maturing the plan and preparing several parts himself (Matthew, Mark, John, Romans, and Genesis), selecting the assistants and assigning to them theu- share in the work. It is a very laborious and comprehensive undertaking, which requires a variety of talents, and many years of united labor. It is the greatest literary enterprise of the kind undertaken in the present centuiy. Herzog's Theological Encyclopoedia, of which the eight- the N. T., p. V.) : " Indeed it must be confessed, -witli thankfulness to the Divine Author of the Scripture, that the present age enjoys, in certain respects, greater privileges for the due understanding of Iloly "Writ than were ever con- ferred by Almighty God on any preceding generation since the revival of letters." And he is candid enough to ad- mit, also (on p. vi.), " that the palm for industry in this sacred field is especially due to another nation. The Masorites of the New Testament are from Germany." * The full German title of this work is : Theologisoh-homiletisches Bibeltvkrk. Die HeUige Schrift Alien und Neuen Testaments mii Buckaicht mif das theologisch-homiletische Bedurfniss des pastoralen Amies in Veriindung mit namhaften erangelischen Theologen iearbeitet und herausgegeben von J. P. Lange. Bielefeld. Verlag von Vel- hagen und Klasing, 1857 if. t Synopsis Bibliothecjs Exegetic^ in Novum Testamentum. Kurzgefasster Aussug der grUndlichsten und nutsbarsten Auslegungen uber alle Bucher Neuen Testamenis. In Tabellen, ErMdrungen, Anmerkungen %ind J^'uisan- tcendungen, mit Zuziehung des Grundtevies, und fleissiger Anfuhrung der dahey gehraucMen Bucher, zum erwUnsch- ten Eandbuch, etc. etc. Mit Beyhidfe einiger Gelehrten von Oheistoph Starke, Pastore Primario und Garnison, Prediger der Stadt vnd Fentung Driesen. 3 vols. 4to. The preface is dated 1733. I have seen in this country and occasionally compared two copies of this work, one of the second edition, Leipzig, 1740 (in the Theo!. Seminary Library at Mercersburg, P.a.), and one of the 4th ed., Leipz. 1758 (in possession of a German clergyman at New York). The first volume, containing the four Gospels, covers 2,523 closely prii.ted qttarto pages. The title of the Old Testament Part is : Synopsis BibliothecjE Exegeticje in Vetus Testamentum, etc., Berlin and Halle, 1741 if. 5 vols. 4to. His Bon, Johann Georg Starke, completed the Did Testament. Christoph Starke was born A. d. 1684, was pastor primarius in the town and fortress Driesen, and died 1744. His motto was : Crucem sumo, Christxim sequor. He was not a man of genius, like Lange, but of immense literary industry, and his work is a dry but useful compilation. He embodied in it extracts from previous exegetical works, especially those of Luther, Brentius, Canstein, Cramer, Hedinger, Lange, Majus, Osiander, Piscator, Quesnel, Tosanus, Biblia "Wurtembergensia, Zeisius. Lange transfers the substance of Starke's labors to the homiletical sections of his Commentary, and credits him with the extracts from his prede- cessors under their names. PREFACE. ecuth volume has just been published (with two volumes of supplements still in prospect), is a similar monument of German learning and industiy, and will be, for many years to come, a rich storehouse for theological students. So far the Commentary of Lange has progressed rapidly and steadily, and proved decidedly successful. Even in its present unfinished state, it has already met with a wider circulation than any modern commentary within the same time, and it grows in favor as it advances. The following parts have been published, or are in course of preparation : I. The Gospel according to Matthew, with an Introduction to the whole New Testament. By Dr. John P. Laxge, 1857. Second (third) edition revised, 1861. n. The Gospel ACCORomG to SIark. By Dr. John P. Lange. Second edition re- vised, 1861. ni. The Gospel according to Luke. By Dr. J. J. van Oosterzee, profess6r of theology at Utrecht. Second edition revised, 1861. IV. The Gospel according to John. By Dr. John P. Lange. Second edition, 1863, V. The Acts of the Apostles. By Prof. Dr. G. Lechler, of Leipzig, and Dean K. Gerok, of Stuttgart. Second edition revised, 1863. VI. The Epistle to the Romans, now in course of preparation by the editor, in connec- tion with his son-in-law. Rev. Mr. Fay, in Crefeld, who assumed the homiletical part. Vn. The Epistles to the Corinthians. By the Rev. Dr. Chr. Fr. Kling, 1863. Vm. The Epistle to the Galatians. By the Rev. Otto Schmoller, 1863. IX. The Epistles to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians. By Prof. Dr. Dan. ScHENKEL, of Heidelberg, 1863.* X. The Epistles to the Thessalontans. By Prof. Drs. C. A. Auberlen and Chr. John RiGGENBACH, of Basel, 1864. XI. The Pastoral Epistles and The Epistle to Philemon. By Dr. J. J. van Oos- terzee, of Utrecht. Second edition revised, 1864. Xn. The Epistle to the Hebrews. By Prof. Dr. C. B. Moll, 1861. XIII. The Epistle op James. By Prof. Drs. J. P. Lange and J. J. van Ooster- zee, 1863. XrV. The Epistles of Peter and The Epistle op Jude, by Di*. G. F. C. Fronmuller. Second edition revised, 1861. The remaining parts, XV. and XVI., containing The Epistles op John, and The Reve- liATiON, have not yet appeared. Part VT. (on the Epistle to the Romans) and Part XV. are, however, in process of preparation, and may be expected within a year. Of the Commentaxy on The Old Testament, one volume has just been published (1864), which contains a general Introduction to the whole Old Testament, and a commentary on Genesis by the editor. According to a private letter of our esteemed friend. Dr. Lange, the following dispositions have already been made concerning the Old Testament : Deuteronomy. By Rev. Jul. Schroder, of Elberfeld (successor of Dr. F. W. Krum- macher as pastor, and author of an excellent practical commentary on Genesis). Joshua. By Dr. Paulus Cassel, in Berlin. * This part will probably be rewritten by another hand on account of the recent unfortunate change in the theological position of the author. rilEFACE. Judges. By Ilev. Mr. Scitneider, rector of the seminary at Bromberg. Kings. By Dr. Bahr, in Carlsruhc (author of the celebrated work on the Symbolism of the Mosaic "Worship, etc.). The Psalms. By Dr. Moll, general superintendent in KiJnigsberg. Jbkeioah. By Rev. Dr. Nagelsbach, of Bayreuth. DR. LANGE. Tlie reader will naturally feel some curiosity about the personal history and character of the editor and manager of this great Biblical work, who heretofore has been less known among English readers than many German divines of far inferior talent. Only two of his many works have been brought out in an English dress, and they only quite recently, namely, his Life of Jesus, and parts of his Commentary on the Gospels. Dr. Lange was born on the 10th of April, 1803, on the Bier, a small farm in the parish of Sonnborn, near Elberfeld, in Prussia. His father was a farmer and a wagoner, and brought his son up to the same occupation, but allowed him, at the same time, to indulge his i)assion for reading. Young Lange often drove the products of the soil to market. He early acquired an enthusiastic love of nature, which revealed to his poetic and pious mind, as in a mirror, the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven. He was instructed in the doctrines of the Heidelberg Catechism, which is still in use among the Reformed Churches on the Rhine, although the Lutheran and Reformed Confessions are united in Prussia since 1817 under one government and administration, and bear the name of the United Evangelical Church. His Latin teacher, the Rev. Herrman Kalthof, who discovered in him unusual talents, induced him to study for the ministry. He attended the Gymnasium (College) of Diisseldorf from Easter, 1831, to autumn, 1833, and the University of Bonn from 1833 to 1835. There he studied mainly under Dr. ]Srit2Bch, the most venerable of the living divines of Germany, who for many years was a strong pillar of evangelical theology in Bonn and subsequently in Berlin. The writings of Nitzsch, though pregnant with deep thoughts and suggestive hints, give but an imperfect idea of his power, which lies chiefly in his pure, earnest, and dignified, yet mild and amiable personal character. He is emphatically a homo gravis, a Protestant church-father, who, by his genius, learning, and piety, commands the respect of all theological schools and ecclesiastical parties. After passing through the usual examination, Lange labored from 1835 to 1826 in the quiet but very pleasant town of Langenberg, near Elberfeld, as assistant minister to the Rev. EmU Krummacher (a brother of the celebrated Dr. Frederic William Krummacher, who wrote the sermons on Elijah the Tishbite, and other popular works). From thence he was called to the pastoral charge of Wald, near Solingen, where he remained from 1826 to 1838. In 1833 he removed as pastor to Duisburg, and began to attract public attention by a series of brilliant articles in Hengstenberg's Evangelical Church Gazette and other periodicals, also by poems, sermons, and a very able work on the history of the infancy of our Saviour, against Strauss's Life of Jesus, la. 1841 he was called to the University of Zurich, in Switzerland, aa professor of theology in the place of the notorious Strauss, who had been appointed by the radical and infidel administration of that Canton, but was prevented from taking possession of the chair by a religious and political revolution of the people. In Zurich he labored with great per- PREFACE. severance and fidelity in the midst of many discouragements till 1856, when he received a call to the University of Bonn, in Prussia, where he will probably end his days on earth.* Dr. Lange is undoubtedly one of the ablest and purest divines that Germany ever pro- duced. He is a man of rare genius and varied culture, sanctified by deeiJ piety, and devoted to the service of Christ. Personally he is a most amiable Christian gentleman, genial, afiec- tionate, unassuming, simi)le, and unblemished in all the relations of life. He combines an unusual variety of gifts, and excels as a theologian, philosopher, poet, and preacher. He abounds in original ideas, and if not always convincing, he is always fresh, interesting, and stimulating. He is at home in the ideal heights and mystic depths of nature and revelation, and yet has a clear and keen eye for the actual and real world around him. He indulges in poetico-philosophical speculations, and at times soars high above the clouds and beyond th^ stars, to the spiritual and eternal " land of glory," on which he once vsa'ote a fascinating book.t His style is jGresh, vigorous, and often tnily beautiful and sublime, but somewhat deficient in simplicity, clearness, and condensation, and is too much burdened with compound, semi-poetical, unwieldy epithets, which offer peculiar difiiculties to the trans- lator. His speculations and fancies cannot always stand the test of sober criticism, although we might wish them to be true. But they are far less numerous in his Commentary than in his former writings. They are, moreover, not only harmless, but suggestive and pious, and , supply a lack in that sober, realistic, practical, prosaic common-sense theology which deals with facts and figures rather than the hidden causes and general principles of things, and ^ .eldom breathes the invigorating mountain air of pure thought. }' Poetical divines of real genius are so rare that we should thank God for the few. Why should poetry, the highest and noblest of the arts, be banished from theology ? Has not God joined them together in the first and last chapters of the Bible ? Has He not identified poetry with the very birth of Christianity, in the angelic hymn, as well as with its ultimate triumphs, in the hallelujahs of the countless hosts of the redeemed ? Is it not one of the greatest gifts of God to man, and an unfailing source of the purest and richest enjoyments ? Is it not an essential element and ornament of divine worship ? Can any one fully understand and explain the Book of Job, the Psalms and the Prophets, the Parables, and the Apocalypse, without a keen sense of the beautiful and sublime ? Theology and philosophy, in their boldest flights and nearest approaches to the vision of truth, unconsciously burst forth in the festive language of poetry ; and poetry itself, in its highest and noblest forms, is transformed into worship of Him who is the eternal source of the True, the Beautiful, and the Good. No one will deny this who is familiar with the writings of St. Augustine, especially his Confessions^ where the metaphysical and devotional elements interpenetrate each other, where meditation ends in prayer, and speculation in adoration. But the greatest philosophers, too, not only Plato, Schelling, and Coleridge, who were constitutionally poetical, but even Aristotle, Kant, and Hegel, who were the greatest masters of pure reasoning and metaphysical abstraction, prove ♦ For the biographical notices I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Lange, who commiinicated them to me by letter at my request. I previously wro^e also a sketch of his character as a divine in my book ou Gennany^ its Uni- versities and Divines, Philadelphia, 1807, of wiiich I have no copy on hand, the edition being exhausted. I have seen Dr. Lange in Zurich in 1S44, and at Bonn in 1854, and corresponded with him more or less for the last twenty years. t Under the title : Das Land der ITerrlichkeit, oder die christUclte I.ehre rom Ilimmel, first published as a series of articles in Hengstenbcrg's Evangelical Church Oaseite, and then in book form, 1R33. Dr. H. Uarbaugh, of Mer- cersburg, Pa., has translated a portion of it in the third of his three popular works ou the heavcniy world, which have gone through some fifteen or twenty editions. PREFACE. this esseutial harmony of truth aud beauty.* The poetic and imaginative element imparts freshness to thought, and turns even the sandy desert of dry critical research into a blooming flower garden. I fully admit, of course, that the theologian must regulate his philosophical si)c;cu]atious by the word of revelation, and control his poetic imagination by sound reason and judgment. Laiige represents, among German divines, in hopeful anticipation, the peace- ful and festive harmony of theology and poetry, of truth and beauty, which exists now in heaven, " the land of glory," and will be actualized on the new earth. Take the following striking passage on the locality and beauty of heaven, as a characteristic specimen of his thought and style : f "When the beautiful in the world manifests itself alone, so that the friendly features of God's character are exclusively seen, profane souls remain profanely inclined ; yea, they become even more profligate in the misuse of the riches of God's goodness. If, on the other hand, the greatness and power of God are revealed in the rugged aud terribly sublime, in the hurricane, in the ocean-storm, then the profane are overwhelmed with horror, which is easily changed into fear, and may manifest itself in hypocritical or superficial exhibi- tions of penitence ; but when the goodness and power of God manifest themselves in one and the same bright phenomenon, this produces a frame of spirit which speaks of that which is holy. This is the reason why the much-praised valley of the Rhine is so solemn aud sabbatic, because it is enamelled by a blending of the beautiful and the sublime : stern mountains, rugged rocks, ruins of the past, vestiges of grandeur, monumen- tal columns of God's power, and these columns at the same time garlanded with the loving wreaths of God's favor and goodness, in the midst of smiling vineyards which repose sweetly around in the mild sunlight of heaven. For this reason the starry night is so instructive — the grandest dome decked with the brightest radiance of kindness and love. For the same reason there is such magic attraction in the morning dawn and in the evening twilight: they take hold upon us like movings to prayer; because in them beauty is so miu. gled with holy rest, with spiritual mystery, with the earnest and sublime. Thus does it meet the festive chil- dren of this world, who are generally of a prayerlcss spirit, so that they are as it were prostrated upon the earth in deep devotion, when some great sight in nature, in which the beautiful is clothed with sublime ear- nestness, bursts upon their view ; or when, on the other hand, some marked manifestation of God's power is associated with heart-moving wooings of kindness. Accordingly, we hear one tell what pious emotions he felt stirring his bosom, when he beheld the wide-extended country from the top of the Pyrenees ; another tells how the spirit of prayer seized upon his soul when he stood upon the height of Caucasus, and felt, as he looked over the eastern iields and valleys of Asia, as if heaven had opened itself before him. Such witnesses might be gathered to almost any extent. " But now it is certain that there must be some place in the upper worlds where the beauties and wonders of God's works are illuminated to the highest transparency by his power and holy majesty; where the com- biaation of lovely manifestations, as seen from radiant summits, the enraptured gaze into the quiet valleys of universal creation, and the streams of light which flow through them, must mpve the spirits of the blest in the mightiest manner, to cry out : Holt ! Holt ! Holt !— And there is the holiest place in the great Temple ! It is there, because there divine manifestations fill all spirits with a feeling of his holiness. But still rather, because there he reveals himself through holy spirits, and through the holiest one of all, even Jesus Him- self! " Dr. Lange's theology is essentially biblical and evangelical catholic, and inspired by a fresh and refreshing enthusiasm for truth under all its types and aspects. It is more positive and decided than that of Neander or Tholuck, yet more liberal and conciliatory than the orthodoxy of Hengstenberg, which is often harsh and repulsive. Lange is one of the most uncompromising opponents of German rationalism and scepticism, and makes no concessions to the modem attacks on the gospel historj\ But he always states his views with moderation, and in a Christian and amiable spirit ; and he endeavors to spiritualize and idealize doctrines * I would mention as examples that noble passage of Aristotle on nature's argument for the existence of God, preserved by Cicero, De Nat. Deoritm, ii. 37, and quoted by Alexander von Humboldt with admiration, in his Kob- mos, vol. iL p. 16 (German edition), a work where otherwise even the name of God is nowhere mentioned ; Kant's famous saying of the two things which till liis soul witli ever-growing reverence and awe, tlie starry heaven aliove him, and the moral law within him ; and Hegel's truly Bublime introduction to his Lectures on the Philosophy of Ite- Ugion, as well as many of the noblest passages in his Lectures on Esthetics. t From hia youthful work : Das Land der Herrlichkeit. Not having a copy of the original within reach, I bor. row the translation from Dr. Harhaugh's Heavenly Home, ch. vii. p. 142 ff. PREFACE. aud facts, and thus to make them more plausible to enlightened reason. His orthodoxy, it is true, is not the fixed, exclusive orthodoxy either of the old Lutheran, or of the old Calvinistic Confession, but it belongs to that recent evangelical type which arose in conflict with modern infidelity, and going back to the Reformation and the still higher and purer fountain of primitive Christianity as it came from the hands of Chiist and His inspired apostles, aims to unite the true elements of the Reformed and Lutheran Confessions, and on this firm historical liasis to promote catholic unity and harmony among the conflicting branches of Christ's Church. It is evangelical catholic, churchly, yet unsectariau, conservative, yet progressive ; it is the truly living theology of the age. It is this very theology which, for the last ten or twenty years, has been transplanted in multiplying translations to the soil of other Protestant countries, which has made a deep and lasting impression on the French, Dutch, and especially on the English and American mind. It is this theology which is now undergoing a process of natm-alization and amalgamation in the United States, which will here be imited with the religious fervor, the sound, strong common sense, and free, practical energy of the Anglo-Amer- ican race, and which in this modified form has a wider field of usefulness before it in this new world than even in its European fatherland. Dr. Lange is an amazingly fertile author. Several of his works belong to the department of belle-lettres, aesthetics, and hymnology. Some of his hymns have deservedly found a place in modern German hymn books,* and help to swell the devotions of the sanctuary. His principal works on theological subjects are, fii-st, a complete system of Divinity, in three parts, severally entitled : PhilosopJikal Dogmatics, Positive Dogmatics, and Applied Dogmatics (or Po- lemics and Irenics). This is an exceedingly able work, abounding in original and profound ideas, but aitificial and complicated in its arrangement, often transcending the boundaries of logic, and in many sections almost untranslatable. His second great work is a Life of Jems, also in three parts, which, upon the whole, is justly regarded as the fullest and ablest modem work on the subject, and the best positive refutation of Strauss. It has quite recently been given to the English public by Mr. Clark, in sis volumes.! His History of fhe Apostolic Cliurch, in two volumes, was intended as the beginning of a general History of Christianity, which, however, has not been continued. But the last, the most important, and the most useful labor, worthy to crown such a useful life, is his Theological and Homiletical Commentary. All his preceding labors, especially those on the Life of Christ, prepared him admirably for the exposition of the Gospels, which contains the rich harvest of the best years of his manhood. This Commentary will probably engage his time for several years to come, and will make his name as familiar in England and America as it is in Germany. I add a complete list of all the published works of Dr. Lange, including his poetry, in chronological order : 1. Die Lelire der Jieiligen ScTirift von der freien und allgemeinen Chuide Gottes. Elberfeld, 1831. 2. BiUische BicUungen. 1 Bandchen. Elberfeld, 1832. 3. Predigten. Munchen, 1833. 4. Biblische Bichtungen. 2 Bandcben. Elberfeld, 1834. * I adopted a number of them in my German hymn book, published in 1859 and extensively used in this country, e. g., K"os. 94, 194, 227. t The Life of the Loed Jescs CnRiST : a compleU critical examination of the Origin, Contents, and Connection of the Gospels. Translated from the German of J. P. Lanob, D.D. Edited, with additional Notes, hy the Rat. 3far- cm Dads, A.M., in 6 vols. Edinburgh : T. & T. Clark, 1864. Vol. i. is translated by Sophia Taylor, vol. ii. by J. E. Ryland, voL iii. by M. Gr. Huxtable, vol. iv. by Rev. Rob. E. "WalliB, vol. v. by Rev. S. Manson, vol. vi. by Rov. Robert PREFACE. 5. Kleine polemiscJte GedicJde. Duisburg, 1835. 6. Oediclde und Spruche aus dcm Gehiete chrvftlicher MiurbetracMvng. Duisburg, 1835. 7. Die Welt des Hcfrn in didahtisclien Gesdngen. Essen, 1835. 8. Die Verjinsterunff der Welt. LehrgedicTit. Berlin, 1838. i). Grundzuge der urchriMiclun ffolun Boteehaft. Duisburg, 1809. 10. Hovnlien iiher Colosser iii. 1-17. Vicrte Auflaije. Bremen, 1^44. 11. ChristUche Betrachtungen ilber zusa?nmenhdngende bililische Abschnitte fur die Mmliche Erbauung. Duisburg, 1841. 12. Ueber den geschicldlkhen Cliarakter der kanonischen Evangelien, insbesondere der Kindheiisge^chicJde Jem, mit Beziehung auf das Leben Jem von D. F. Strauss. Duisburg, 1836. 13. Das Land der Ilerrlichked, oder die christliche Lehre vom IHmmel, Mors, 1838. M. Vermischte Schriften, 4 Binde. Jlors, 1S40-'41. 15. GedicJde. Essen, 1843. 16. Die Urchliche Hymnologie, oder die Lehre vom Kirchengesang. Theoretische Einleitung und Kirchen- Uede)-buch. Zurich, 1843. 17. Das Leben Jesu, 3 Bucber. Heidelberg, 1844^' 47. 18. Worte der Abwehr {in Beziehung auf das Leben Jesu). Zurlcli, 184G. 19. ChristlicJie Dogmatik, 3 Bande. Philo&ophiscTie, Positive, und Angewandte Dogmatih. Heidel- berg, 1847. 20. Ueber die Neugestaltung des VerMUnisses zioisclien, dem Stoat und der Kirehe. Heidelberg, 1848. 21. Neutestamentliche Zeitgedichts. Frankfurt a. M., 1849. 22. Brief e eines communistischen Propheten. Breslau, 1850. 23. Gothe's religiose Poesie. Breslau, 1850. 24. Die Geschichte der KircJie, Erster Tbeil. Das apostolische Zeitalter, 2 Bande. Braunschweig, 1853-54. 25. Auswahl -von Gast und Gelegenheitspredigten. Zweite Ausgabe. Bonn, 1857. 26. Vom Oelberge. Geistliche Dicldungen. Neue Ausgabe. Frankfurt a. 31., 1858. 27. Vermischte Schriften. Neue Folge, 2 Bandchen. Bielefeld, 1860. 28. TJieologiseh-Jtomiletisches Bihelwerk, commenced 1857, Bielefeld. Dr. Lange prepared the Commentaries on Matthew, 3d edition, 1S61 ; on Mark, 2d edition, 1861 ; on John, 2d edition, 1862 ; on the Epistle of James (in connection with van Oosterzee), 1862 ; Genesis, with a general introduction to the Old Testament, 1864, and the Epistle to the Romans (now in course of publication). THE PLAN OF LANGE'S COMMENTARY. The plan of Lange's Bibelwerlc is very comprehensive. It aims to give all that the minis- ter and Biblical student can desire in one work. Its value consists to a great extent in its completeness and exhaustiveness, and in the convenient arrangement for jiractical use. It contains, first, api)ro]Driate Intkoductions, both critical and homiletical, to the Bible as a whole, to each particular book, and to each section. The sections are provided with clear and full headings, the parallel passages, and the indications of their homiletical use in the order of the church year. The Text is given, not in the original Greek, nor in Luther's version, but in a new German version., which is as literal as the genius of the language will bear, and is made with special reference to the exposition. The principal readings of the Greek text are given in foot-notes, with short critical remarks. The critical editions of the Greek Testament by Lachmann and Tischcndorf * are made the basis. Smith. Six translators for one of the many books of Lange 1 This is a sufficient evidence of the difficulty of the task. The editor (Mr. Dods), in the introductory preface to vol. i., speaks in the highest terms of " this comprehen- eive and masterly work." I am very happy to find that Lange, who has been comparatively unknown out of Ger- many, is heginning to be appreciated in England. The frequent references to the Leben Jesu in this Commentary on Matthew are always to the German original ; the translation having reached mo too late to change the figures. It is not likely, however, that such a vnlnminous and costly work will be soon reprinted in America ; the less so, since the author has embodied many of the most important results in his Commentaries on Matthew, Mark, and John. * Not, however, the seventh and bef.t edition of Tischendorf, which appeared in 1859, two years after the first edition of Lange's Matthew, and wh.ch often devintes from the text of his previous editions and returns to many of the PREFACE. Theu follows the Commentary itself. This is threefold, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homi- LETiCAL.* The three departments are kept distinct throughout, and are arranged under differ- ent heads, so that the reader can at once find what he wants at the time, without being forced to work his way through a mass of irrelevant matter. 1. The first department contains : Exegetical axd Critical NoTES.f These explain the words and phrases of the text, and endeavor to clear up every difficulty which presents itself to the critical student, according to the iirinciiiles of grmnmatico-historical exegesis. On all the more imijortant passages, the different views of the leading ancient and modern commen- tators are given ; yet without the show and pedantry of learning. The chief aim is to con- dense, in as brief a space as possible, the most valuable and permanent results of original and previous exegetical labors, vrithout detaining the reader with the tedious process of investiga- tion, and a constant polemical reference to false opinions. The building appears in its beau- tiful finish, and the scaffolding and rubbish required during its construction are removed out of sight. 2. The second department is headed : The LEADrsa Dogmatical a^'D Ethical TnorcnTS, or DoctrdhAL aj^d Ethical.J It presents, under a number of distinct heads, the fundamental doctrines and moral maxims contained in, or suggested by, the text. In the Gospels, these truths and principles are viewed mainly from the christological point of view, or as connected with the person and work of our Saviour. The reader will l^nd here a vast amount of living theology, fresh firom the fountain of God's revelation in Christ, and free from scholastic and sectarian complications and distortions. The person of Chiist stands out everjTvhere as the great central sun of truth and holiness, from which light and life emanate upon all parts of the Christian system. 3. The third department is entitled : Homiletical Hlsts or SuGGESTioiyS.§ This shows the way from the study to the pulpit, from the exposition and understanding of the word of God to its practical application to all classes and conditions of society. It is especially the pastor's department, designed to aid him in preparing sermons and Biblical lectures, yet by no means to supersede the labor of pulpit preparation. It is suggestive and stimulating in its character, and exhibits the endless variety and applicability of Scripture history and Scripture truth. It brings the marble slabs from the quarry, and the metals from the mine, but leaves readings of the iexUis recepttis. This is the case in the Gospel of Matthew alone in more thau a hundred places, «. g., Matt. ii. 13 ; iii. 1 ; iv. 23 ; v. 11, 13, 32 ; vi. 5, 16, 33 ; vii. 14 ; viii. 10, 13; ix. 1, 8, 9, 11, 17 ; x. 7, 10, 14, 19, 23. 33, etc. * The proper rendering of the German headings of the three distinct eections, viz., Exegetische EKL^CTEErH- GEK, Uogmatisch-Christologischk or (in the Acts and Epistles) DoGsiATiscn-ExnisCHE Grcsdoedanken, and lIOMiLETiscHE AxDEUTUSGEN, has given some trouble. The Edinburgh translation of Matthew renders them : Criti- cal Notes, Doctrinal Reflections, and Homiletical Hints. Bat this is too free, and the edition alluded to is not consistent. The Scotch translator of the Commentary on the Acts, of which the first twelve chapters have just ap- peared, Rev. Paton J. Gloag, renders the headings more literally : Exegetical Explanations, Dogmatical and Ethical Thoughts, Homiletical Hints. But Grundgedanken means fundamental or leading thoughts. Upon the ■whole I thought it most advisable to nee the adjectives only, as best calcnlr.ted to reconcile conilicting tastes and opinions. Chrktologico-Dogmatical, and Dogmatico-Ethieal would be too h';'a\-y, while Doctrinal and Ethical is good English and gives the idea as well. For symmetiy's s;ike I chose a double adjective for the other sections: 1. Exegetical and Critical ; 2. Doctrinal and Ethical ; 3. Homiletical and Practical. t In German : Exegetische ErljEutercngen, lit. : Exegetical Illustrations or Explanations (v/hich is somewhat tautological, exegetical being identical with expository or ecrplanatory). X In Grermau : DoGMATiscn-ErniscHE Gp.undgedanken. In the Gospels, where the christological element pre- ponderates, Lange calls them : DoGMATiscn-CHRiSTOLOGiscHE Grundged iNKEN. But his Contributors have substi- tuted for it the more general title : Dogmatico-Etbical Fcndamektal TnouGnrs, which is as applicable to the re- spective sections in the Gospels as to those in the Epistles. In his Commentary on Genesis, just publialied (1S64), Dr. Lange uses Theologischb Grcndgedanken. S Homiletische Andectungen. PREFACE. the chiselling and hammering to the artist. The authors of the several parts give imder this heading first their own homiletical and practical reflections, themes and parts in a few words, and then judicious selections from other homiletical commentators, as Quesnel, Canstein, Stakke, Gossner, Lisco, Otto von Gerlach, IIeubner, and occasionally brief skeletons of celebrated sermons. I must confess, I was at first prejudiced against this part of the Commentary, fearing that it made the work of the preacher too easy ; but upon closer examination I became con- vinced of its great value. If I am not mistaken, the American readers will prize it in propor- tion as they make themselves familiar with it. They will be especially edified, I think, by the exuberant riches and high-toned spirituality which characterize the homiletical sugges- tions of Lange, and several of his contributors, especially Dr. van Oosterzee (a man of genius, and the best pulpit orator of Holland), as also with the selections from Starke and his predecessors found under his name. Otto von Gerlach (late court-preacher in Berlin, and author of a brief popular commentary), and the veneral)le Ileubner (late director of the Theo- logical Seminary at Wittenberg). There are standard commentaries on special portions of the Scriptures, which excel all others, either in a philological or theological or practical point of view, either in brevity and condensation or in fulness of detail, either in orthodoxy of doctrine and soundness of judg- ment or in expository skUl and fertility of adaptation, or in some other particular aspect. But, upon the whole, the Biblical work of Dr. Lange and his associates is the richest, the soundest, and the most useful general commentary which Germany ever produced, and far better adapted than any other to meet the wants of the various evangelical denominations of the English tongue. This is not only my individual opinion, but the deliberate judgment of some of the best Biblical and German scholars of America whom I have had occasion to con- sult on the subject. THE ANGLO-AIVIERICAN EDITIOIT. A work of such sterling value cannot be long confined to the land of its birth. America, as it is made up of descendants from all countries, nations, and churches of Europe {e pluribus unu7n), is set upon appropriating all important literary treasures of the old world, especially those which promise to jjromote the moral and religious welfare of the race. Soon after the appearance of the first volume of Dr. Lange's Commentary, I formed, at the solicitation of a few esteemed friends, and with the full consent of Dr. Lange himself, an asso- ciation for an American edition, and in September, 1860, I made the necessary arrangements with my friend, Mr. Charles Scribner, as publisher.* The secession of the slave States, and * I mny be permitted to state that I went into this enterprise at first with considerable reluctance, partly from a sense of its vast labor and responsibility, partly because it involved in all probability the abandonment of an original, though much shorter commentary (German and English) which I had been prejjaring for the last twenty years, and of which a few specimens appeared in the Kirchenfreund (lS4S-'53) and in the Mercersburg Review. But the task seemed to devolve on me naturally and pro'S'identlally, and I gradually became so interested in it that I am willing to sacrifice to it olher cherished literary projects. Dr. Lange himself, in forwarding to me an early copy of the first volume, wished me to take part in the original work, and encouraged me afterward to assume the editorial supervi siou of the English translation, giving me every liberty as regards additions and improvements. I made, however' no use of my old notes on Matthew, leaving all my exeget'cal manuscripts boxed up with my library at Mercersburg I did not wish to mix two works which differ in plan and extent, and I adapted my additions to the general character and plan of Lange's work and the wants of the English reader. PREFACE. the consequent outbreak of the civil war in 1861, paralyzed the book trade, and indefinitely suspended the enterprise. But in 1863 it was resumed at the suggestion of the publisher, and with the consent of Jlr. T. Clark, of Edinburgh, who in the mean time (since 1861) had commenced to publish translations of parts of Lange's Commentary in his " Foreign Theolo- gical Library." * I moved to New York for the purpose of devoting myself more fully to this work amid the literaiy facilities of the city, completed the first volume, and made arrangements with leading Biblical and German scholars of different evangelical denominations for the trans- lation of the other volumes. The following books are already finished, or in course of prei^aration for the press : The Gospel according to Matthew, with a General Introduction to the New Testament. By the American Editor. The Gospel according to Mark. By the Rev. Dr. W. G. T. Shedd, Professor of Biblical Literature in the Union Theological Seminary at New York. The Gospel according to Luke. By the Editor. The Gospel according to John. By the Rev. Dr. Edwards D. Yeomans, of Roches- ter, N. Y. The Acts op the Apostles. By the Rev. Dr. Charles F. Schaffer, Professor in the Evangelical Lutheran Seminary at Philadelphia. The Epistles to the Corinthians. By the Rev. Dr. William Poor, of Newark, N. J. The Epistle to the Galatians. By the Rev. Charles C. Starbuck, New York. The Epistle to the Thessalonians. By the Rev. Dr. John Lillie, of Kingston, N. Y. The Epistle to the Hebrews. By the Rev. Dr. A. Kendrick, Professor in Rochester University, N. Y. The Catholic Epistles. By the Rev. J. Isidor Mombert, of Lancaster, Pa. These gentlemen, and others who are or will be invited to take part in the work, have already an established reputation as eminent Biblical scholars and experienced translators from the Gei-man, and will no doubt do full justice to the task assigned them. It is impossible beforehand to state with absolute certainty the number of volumes or the time required for the completion of the whole commentary. It is sufficient to say that it will be energetically pushed forward, without undue haste, and published with proper regard to economy of space and price. The enterprise is necessarily a very extensive and expensive one, and falls in a most unfavorable jjeriod of the American book trade; the war having caused an unprecedented rise in the price of composition, paper, and binding material. But it has the advantage over an ehcyclopsedia and other voluminous works, that each volume will cover an entire book or books of the Bible and thus be relatively complete in itself, and can be sold separately, PRINCIPLES OF THE AIMERICAN EDITION. The character of the proposed Anglo-American edition of Lange's Bibelwerk, and its rela- tion to the original, may be seen from the following general principles and rules on which it will be prepared, and to which all contributors must conform, to insure unity and syrametiy. * Mf. Clark has issued the first three Gospels and a port-on of the Acts, but I understand that he does not intend at present to prosecute the enterprise. PREFACE. 1. The Biblical Commentary of Dr. Lange and his associates must be faithfully and freely translated into idiomatic English, without omission or alteration.* 2. The tran.slator is authorized to make, within reasonable limits, such additions, original or selected, as will increase the value and interest of the work, and adapt it more fully to the wants of the English and American student. But he must carefully distinguish these addi- tions from the original text by brackets and the initials of his name, or the mark Tr. 3. The authorized English version of 1611, according to the present standard edition of the American Bible Society ,t must be made the basis, instead of giving a new translation, wliich, in this case, would have to be a translation of a translation. But wherever the text can be more clearly or accurately rendered, according to the present state of textual criticism and biblical learning, or where the translation and the commentary of the German original require it, the improvements should be inserted in the text (in brackets, with or without the Greek, as the writer may deem best in each case) and justified in the Critical Notes below the text, with such references to older and recent English and other versions as seem to be necessary or desirable. 4. The various readings are not to be put in foot-notes, as in the original, but to follow immediately after the text in small type, in numerical order, and with references to the verees to which they belong. 5. The three parts of the commentary are to be called : I. Exegetical and Criticajl ; II. Doctrinal and Ethical ; III. Homiletical and Practical. 6. The Exegetical Notes are not to be numbered consecutively, as in the original, but marked by the figure indicating the verse to which they belong ; an arrangement which facili- tates the reference, and better accords mth usage.J 7. Within these limits each contributor has full liberty, and assumes the entire literary responsibility of his part of the work. If these general principles are faithfully carried cut, the American edition will be not only a complete translation, but an enlarged adaptation and improvement of the original work, gixdng it an Anglo-German character, and a wider field of usefulness. The typogi-aphical arrangement will be closely conformed to the original, as upon the whole the best in a work of such dimensions. A page of the translation contains even more than a page of the original, and while the size o^ volumes will be enlarged, their number will be lessened. THE COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW. The first volume which, is now issued, will show these principles and rules in their actual execution, and may therefore serve as a specimen for the volumes that will follow. As regards the translation of this part of the commentary, I must acknowledge my indebt- * A condensation, such as has been proposed liy some in this case, opens the door for an endless variety of con- flicting opinions and tastes, and almost necessarily results in a mutilation of the original. The only projer alterna- tive seems to bo either to translate a foreign work entire, if it be at all worthy of translation, or to make it the basis of a new work. t Not the revision of 1854 (which contained unauthorized changes and was pet aside), but the collation adopted by the Board of Managers in 1858, and printed in 1860 and since. See the Report of the Committee on Versions to the Board of Managers of the American Bible Society, for February, 1859. .t I would remark, that all the changes and improvements above proposed have the hearty approval of Dr. Lange. The last one he has since adopted himself in his recent Commentary on Genesis. PREFACE. edness to the Ediuburgli translation of the Rev. Alfred Edersiieim aud the Eev. W. B. Pope, which I used to a lai'ge extent as a basis, especially in the earlier chapters, comparing it word for word with the original.* But I found it necessary to make innumerable alterations and addi- tions, so that tliis may be regarded almost as a new work. There is not a page and hardly a sentence in the Edinburgh translation, so far as I used it at all, wliich remained untouched. I have no disposition to criticise it in detail, or to injure any of the useful publications of my esteemed friend, Mr. Clark, who has done more than any other publisher for transplanting German learning on British soil, and is entitled to the lasting gratitude of English and Amer- ican divines. But I must say that, while some portions of the Edinburgh translation are well executed, especially if we take into consideration the peculiar difl&culties of Lange's style and thought, it is veiy unequal and imperfect : it omits, besides the improvements of the second aud third editions of the original, without a word of exjilanation, all the critical foot- notes and various readings of the text, the changes in the English version, even where they are imperatively demanded by Lange's German version or comments, all the liturgical and most of the literary references of the work, and abounds in mistakes and mistranslations, some of which pervert the sense of the original into the very opposite, and suggest the charitable supposition that the nominal translators employed in part other and inferior hands in the execution of their laborious and difficult task.f But I confined myself by no means to a thorough revision and completion of the Edin- burgh translation. The American edition contains over one hundred pages, mostly in the smallest type, that is, fully one fourth, more matter than the German original (which numbers 642 pages). The additions are found mostly in the department of textual criticism, the revi- sion of the English version, and in the comments on the later chapters of the Gospel.J It seemed to me worthy of the labor aud trouble to make an attempt, on a somewhat larger scale than Dr. Lange, to popularize so much of the immense critical apparatus of modern biblical learning as can be made available for the practical use of ministers and students. A few words of explanation on the principles which guided us, may not be out of place here. The great variety of readings in the Greek Testament is a fact which should stimulate in- vestigation and strengthen our faith. All these discrepancies in the few uncial and the more than five hundred cursive manuscripts of the K T. are unable to unsettle a single doctrine or precept of Christianity, and strengthen the evidence of the essential purity and integrity of the sacred text, showing that it has been substantially the same in all ages and countries in which those manuscripts were written. " If there had been," said Richard Bentley, the great classical scholar and critic, more than a hundred years ago, " but one manuscript of the Greek Testa- ment at the restoration of learning, then we had had no various readings at all. And would the text be in a better condition then, than now we have 30,000 (50,000) ? So far from that, ♦ The Edinburgh translation w.-is made from the first edition of Lange, and appeared in small octavo, large type, uniform with "Clark's Foreign Theolo.u'ical Library," Third ser-es, vols. ix. ff., under the title: Theological atid ITomUetieal Commmtanj on the Gospel of St. Matthew. From, the German of J. P. Lange, D.D. By the Bev. Alfred Edersheim, Ph. Z>., vol. i., Edinburgh, 1861 ; vol. ii. and part of vol. iii., 1862. From a note on the back to the title page of vol. ii. it appears that the I{ev. W. B. Pope translated from ch. x.x. 28 to the close of the second volume. The third volume, which cont.iins the conclusion of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark, appears without the name of a translator. According to this plan, the whole Commentary of Lange on the iST. T. would require at least thirty volumes of Mr. Clark's "Library." t I h.ave occnsionally pointed out some of tho omissions and errors of the Edinburgh edition, where ttey furnished occasion for additional explanations. See e. g. pp. 31, S7, 367, 389, 394, 398, 445, 511, 531, 533, 550. X Compare pp. 18, 33, 34, 121, 180 f , 203-208, 228, 239, 250-2G0, 267, 293-207, 339, 353 f., 3S1 f., 449, 454^158, 467 f. 471-475, 519-522, 555-566, etc. PREFACE. that in tlie best single copy extant we should have hundreds of faults, and some omissions irreparable. Besides that, the suspicions of fraud and foul play would have been increased immensely. It is good, therefore, to have more anchors than one It is a good providence and a great blessing that so many manuscripts of the New Testament are still amongst us, some prociu-ed from Egypt, others from Asia, others found in the Western Churches. For the very distances of places, as well as numbers of the books, demonstrate that there could be no collusion, no altering nor inteq^olating one copy by another, nor all hj any of them. In profane authors whereof one manuscript only had the luck to be preserved, as Velleius Patcrculus among the Latins, and Hesychius among the Greeks, the faults of the scribes are found so numerous, and the defects so beyond all redress, that, notwithstanding the pains of the learnedest and acutest critics for two whole centuries, those books still are, and are like to continue, a mere heap of errors. On the contrary, where the copies of any author are numerous, though the various readings always increase in proportion, there the text, by an accurate collation of them, made by skilful and judicious hands, is ever the more correct, and comes nearer to the true words of the author." The object of biblical criticism is to restore the oldest and purest text which can be ob- tained with our present means and facilities. In accordance with the well-known principle first propounded by Bentley, revived by the venerable Bengel, and recently applied and carried out by Lachmann, we must make the oldest and most authoritative uncial manuscripts of the New Testament now extant the basis of the true text, especially those few which date from the fourtli to the sixth century. They are the following : 1. Codex Sinaiticus, edited by Tischendorf, Leipz., 1863.* 3. Cod. Vaticanus (designated by the letter B., defective from Heb. ix. 14), carelessly edited by Cardinal Angelo Mai, with improvements by Vercellone, Rome, 1857, and much better by Philip Buttmann, Berlin, 1862. 3. Cod. AiiEXAiroiiiNUS (A., in the British Museum), of which the New Testament was published in uncial types, though not in fac-simile, by C. G. Woide, Lond., 1786, with an Appendix, Oxf, 1799. 4. Cod. (rescriptus) Ephraemi Syri (C, a cod. rescriptus, or palimpsest, very imperfect), published by Tischendorf, in uncial type, but not in fac-simile, Leipz., 1843. 5. Cod. Bez^ (D., at Cam- bridge), containing the Gospels and the Acts, with a Latin version, published in fac-simile by Ths. Kipling, Camb., 1793, 3 vols., fol.f In the same class with these oldest manuscripts, * Dr. Lange could not make use of this very important discovery, ^yhich will hereafter figure largely in the criti- cal apparatus of future editions of the Greek Testament, although it will not materially disturb the principles and results of modern criticism. Tischendorf (Prolegff., p. xxs. sqq.) regards the Sinaitic MS., which he was so fortu- nate as to discover on Mount Sinai, and which he published under the liberal patronage of the Russian government, as the oldest copy extant, older even than the famous Vatican MS., and Baurnlein and Meyer are disposed to agree, while Hilgenfeld objects. It is moreover the only complete uncial MS., and contains the whole Bible of the O. and N. T. Compare the Addenda at the close of this volume. The Sinaitic Bible generally agrees with Codd. B., D., L., T. (T. is Codex Borgianus, at Rome, of the iiflh century, and contains only a few fragments, John vi.-viii.), X. (Codex Monacensis, parts of the four Gospels), Z. (Dublinensis, a palimpsest, the greater part of Mat- thew), over against Cod. A. (Alesandrinus) and the great majority of later uncial and cursive manuscripts, while Cod. C. (Ephraemi Syri) occupies a position of its own. With all its great value the Sinaitic Manusciipt abounds in blunders owing to the ignorance and carelessness of the transcriber. This shows the great importance of the vast number and variety of manuscripts of the Bible, which far exceeds in amount that of any other ancient book in the world. 1 1 was so fortunate as to have access, iu the Library of the American Bible Union of New York, to the printed editions of these important manuscripts, which are far xjreferable to the imperfect collations of former critics, and the mere references often faulty in the apparatus of Greek Testaments. Vot fuller information on these and other Co- dices I must refer the reader to the ample Prolegomena of Tischendorf to his seventh critical edition of the N. T., 1859, and to his edition of Cod. Sinaiticus, 1S63 ; also to the Prolegomena of Alford, Commentury, vol. i., 4th ed., 1859, ch. vii., p. 102 ff., and to Scrivener's Introdueiion to the Criticism of the S'. T., 1S61. PREFACE. Itiough last, must be placed the later aud less important uncials, as Cod. Basiliensis (called E., of the eighth or ninth century, containing the Gospels), Cod. Boreeli (P., at Utrecht, the Gospels, except some, portions of Matthew and Mark), Cod. Seidelii Harleianus (G., in the British Museum, the greater part of the Gospels), Codd. H., I., K., L. (Paris, No. 63, generally in agreement with Codd. Sin. and Vatic), etc. Next in importance to the uncial manuscripts are the quotations of the early fathers, and the ancient versions, especially the Latin and the Syriac. In the "third rank are to be placed the cursive manuscripts of later date, down to the close of the fifteenth century, of which more than five hundred have been collated in the Gospels alone. For our purpose it was useless to refer to them except in those rare cases where the older authorities arc insufficient to establish the original text. The deci- sion of the true reading depends, however, not only on the antiquity and number of author- ities, but also on internal reasons. Lachmann's object was simply historical, viz., to establish the oldest attainable text, as it stood in the fourth or fifth century, in the place of the compar- atively recent, accidental, and unreliable textus reeeptus. This is the only safe basis for future critics, but it is only a part of the task, which must be completed by a proper consideration of the internal evidences. Where the oldest authorities — uncial manuscripts, patristic quota- tions, and ancient versions — lead to no satisfactory result, later manuscripts (which may be transcripts of uncial manuscripts even older than those we now possess) may be profitably consulted, and that reading deserves the preference which gives the best sense and agrees most with the style and usage of the writer. Thus, in many instances, a return from Lachmann to the textfxs recejytus may be justified. See the seventh critical edition of Tischendorf. As to the corrections of the authorized English version, I beg the reader to view them as part of the commentary. Some of them would be unnecessary or even objectionable in a revised version for public use. Our incomparable English Bi})le stands in no need of a radical revision ; its idiom, beauty, and vigor are all that can be desired. But no good scholar will deny that it might be greatly improved as to clearness and accuracy ; while many doubt whether it could be done without producing greater division and confusion, and thus doing more harm than good. A final revision for popular use should proceed from a body of schol- ars representing the British and American Bible Societies, and all the Protestant Churches which worship God in the English language, and have an equal claim to this inestimable in- heritance of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In the mean time, no one can object to new translations and revisions for exegetical and critical use. They prepare the way for a final authorized revision for general and poj^ular use. My selections from other writers are mostly taken from representative older and modem commentators of the various English and American Chm-ches, with the view to give this work an Anglo-Garman character. Thus Burkitt, M. Heni-y, Scott, and Doddridge represent the older practical exegesis of England ; Alford and Wordsworth, the modern Anglican exegesis in its two divergent, progressive, and conservative, tendencies ; D. Brown, the Free Church of Scotland ; Addison J. Alexander, the Old School Presbyterian ; Barnes and Owen, the New School Presbyterian ; Whedon and Nast, the Jlethodist ; Conant, the Baptist views on the more important doctrinal passages in the Gospel of Matthew. I cannot conclude this lengthy preface without giving public expression to my sense of gratitude to the oflicers of the " American Bible Union," for the unrestricted use of their valuable Biblical Library, with its rich variety of Bibles in all languages, commentaries, xxii PREFACE. dictionaries, the Benedictine and other editions of the church fathers, etc., which make it l>robably the best collection of the kind on this continent. May the blessing of the triune God rest upon this commentary on His holy word, which was commcnccu iu foith and with the earnest desire to assist the ministers of the Gospel in the discharge of their high and holy mission. PHILIP SCHAFF. Bible House, New York, Oct. 31«^, 1864. THEOLOGICAL AND IIOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION THE 'NEW TESTAMENT. § 1. Theology in general, or the scientific knowledge of the Christian religion, may, according to its historical and scientific character, be arranged under two great divisions, — Historical, and Theoretical or Systematic Theology, taking these terms in their widest sense. (I.) Historical Theology may again he ranged under the follow- ing three sections : — (l) The History of Revelation, or of the Kingdom of God, which forms the basis of the whole system ; (2) The History of the Records of Revelation, or Exegetics in the wider sense ; (3) The History of Revealed Religion, or Church History. (H.) In the same manner, Theoretical or Systematic Theology may be divided into three sections : — (l) The System of Christian Doctrines, or Dogmatics ; (2) The System of Christian Morals, or Ethics ; (3) The System of Christian Polity, or Practical Theology. § 2. From this analysis we infer that the materials from which to construct a theological and homiletical Introduction to the Sacred Scriptures, must be derived from the elements of the history of revelation, of exegesis, and church history, as well as from the elements of dogmatics, ethics, and practical theology, always with special reference to the practical, homiletical, and pastoral point of view. § 3. Before proceeding with our special Introduction to the New Testament, we must premise, in brief outline, a General Introduction to the Scriptm-es. The special introduction to the Old Testament may be left for another occasion,* not merely be- cause our present task is connected with the New Testament, but because, as Chris- tians, we pi'oceed, theoretically, from the New Testament to the Old, and not vice versa. It is sufficient for our purpose to communicate, in briefest form, the results obtained by modern research, and to indicate the works which may ai 1 the reader in reviewing these results for himself. § 4. Accordingly, we shall have to preface the N. T. portion of our Commen- tary,— (l) by a General Introduction from the theological and homiletical point of view ; (2) by a Historical and Exegetical Introduction to the New Testament in general, and to its various parts ; (3) by a General Homiletical and Pastoral Intro- duction ; (4) by a Homiletical and Pastoral Introduction to the New Testament. • [The Thcol. and nomil. Commentary on the Old Testament which is included in the plan of Dr. Lanj^e's Sihel- tceri:. and will follow that on the New T.— P. S.] 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. FIRST SECTION. GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. THE HISTORY OF REVELATION, OR OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. The History of the Kingdom of God must not be confomidcd with Biblical His- tory. The latter, like Biblical Theology, forms part of Exegesis, -while the History of the Kingdom of God embraces the whole history of the world viewed from the Christian stand-j^oint. The kingdom of God is that new creation in which God reveals Himself in His character as Redeemer. It is based upon the universal and absolute dominion of God over the world, and results from it ; and it consists in the restoration of the dominion of the Spirit of God over the hearts of men, brought about by Christ, who is the heart of the race. As mankind was originally destined to form the kingdom of God, and for that purpose was arranged into one family, the kingdom of God may also be viewed as the restoration of mankind to one body under the One and Eternal Head (Acts iii. 21 ; Eph. i. 22), in whom it was elected from all eternity, and called, for the harmonious manifestation of the glory of God (Eph. i. 4, 5). The restoration of this kingdom presupposes the existence of an oiDposite pseudo- kingdom, in which the human family were scattered and dispersed by sin — a king- dom of darkness and of falsehood, the kingdom of Satan. Accordingly, the history of the preparation, foundation, and completion of the kingdom of God, is at the same time the history of its hostile conflicts with the antagonistic kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of God disappeared from earth through the working of unbelief, by which the Lord was robbed of His dominion over the heart. Similarly has it again been restored to the world by the combined operation of the grace of God, and of a spiritual faith wMch He has planted in the heart of His elect, and which ultimately appeared in all its fulness and perfectness, as conquering the world, in Christ, the Elect One. This salvation of the world is destined gradually to spread till it pervades all mankind. Hence the extension of the kingdom of God to its final completion in the world will occupy the entire course of time, even as this kingdom is destined to cover all space in the world. Viewed in this light, the whole history of the world itself is simply the history of the restoration and transformation of the world into the kingdom of God. Thus, all history may be included under the idea of the f^aaiXda tov Qeov. But its innermost centre is that manifestation of God's redeeming grace, by which, on the basis of His general revelation to man. He has foimded His kingdom. The all-comprehensive medium of God's revelation was His personal incarnation in Christ. Throughout the entire conrse of history, we perceive how mankind, in ever-narrowing circles, tends towards this manifestation of the God-Man. Again, after He has appeared, we notice how, in ever-widening circles, it tends towards the final goal — to preseiiL u.l mankind as born of God. HISTORY OF REVELATION. 3 Christ, then, is the beginning, the middle, and the end of all revelation. But as revelation is ever love, light, and life, it embodies at the same time both saving truth and saviiig reality, or revelation in the narrower sense, and actual redemption. Hence it is that in Christ we have not only the completion of revelation, but also complete redemption. Redemption, in all its phases and stages, is prepared and introduced by judg- ments, which, by the grace of God, are, hoAvever, converted into so many deliver- ances. Again, every new stage in the imfolding and history of salvation is marked by a fresh extension and establishment of the kingdom of God, appearing as the Church of the redeemed. Hence, while the real kingdom of God was founded when redemption was first introduced, it shall be perfected when the benefits of redemp- tion shall have been extended to the utmost boundaries of the world. This is the Development of Mevelation^ to which we now proceed. I. General Revelation. a) Widest circle (revelation by Symbolical signs, which ultimately point to the Word). 1. Objectively : creation (Rom. i. 20). 2. Subjectively : the human mind, especially the conscience (Rom. ii, 14, 15). 6) Nnrroxner circle (revelation by facts). 1. Objectively : history (Ps. ii., ex.). 2. Subjectively : the dealings of God with indi- viduals (Ps. cvii. ; cxxxix. 16). n. Special Revelation^ or Revelation of Salvation (by the Word, accompanied by Symbolical Signs). a) Revelation during the course of its progress. 1. Objectively: the Old Covenant (Gen. xii. 2. Subjectively: faith (Gen. xv. 6). etc.). h) Revelation completed. 1. Objectively : the New Covenant (Luke xxii. 2. Subjectively : justifying faith, in its New Tes- 20 ; John xiii. 34). tament sense (Rom. v. 1 ; 1 Pet. iii. 21). So far as we are concerned, it is by subjective revelation that we become par- takers of objective revelation, even as it is only by the revelation of salvation that we come to understand and see general revelation. The various cycles of revelation are clearly perceived only when viewed in the light of justifying and saving faith, which sheds upon each of them a new and glorious lustre. The following are the various periods of historical revelation in parallel review : — The Old Testament in the wider sense of the term : The New Testament in the wider sense of the term : 1. Primeval religion, unto Abraham, 2000 b. c. 1. Gospel history, and the Apostolic Age. 2. Patriarchal faith in the promise, unto 1500 2. The ancient Catholic Church. The Fathers. B. C. 3. The period of the Law, unto 800 b. c. 3. The legal Church of the iliddle Ages. [The Popes.— P. S.] 4. The period of the Prophets, unto 400 b. c. 4. The Protestant Churches. [The Reformers.— P. S.] ."5. The period of national religiousness (the Mac- 5. Union into one evangelical Church in its jirog- cabees). ress. fi. Concentration of religious longing in the an- 6. The Bride of Christ, or the Church in the last cient world as the cradle of the Messiah. days awaiting His coming. The Blessed Virgin. 7. The first coming of Christ. 7. The last coming of Christ. His manifestation in glory. GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. Tlie manifestation of salvation, as it constitutes the great moving force of all history, draws the course of the latter into the v/liole of tlie history of the kingdom of God. The history of the /SaaiXua toD &€uv may he divided into that of the King- dom of God in its legal and typical form, or tlie Theocracy (a term formed by Josephus, Contra A2non. ii. 16), and that of the real Kingdom of God in spirit and in truth — the /SaaiXeta twv ovpavwv^ — or into the Pre-Christian and the Christian (not Pos^Christian) Era. I. History of the Theocracy^ or of the Pre-Christian Era. 1 . Primeval times, the type of the entire history of the world to the great judgment — till the Flood — and the new formation of the (Noachic) race. 2. The dispersion of nations and the calling of Abraham ; or, origin of the contrast between Heathen- ism and Judaism (preparation for the Theocracy), or between passive and active religiousness (the religions of nature, and that of revelation). a) The table of nations in Genesis, and the a) Promise of the holy people. mythologies of the Gentiles. h) Separation between the civilized nations of antiquity and barbarous tribes (Heathenism in its ascending and in its descending line. 6'ee Rom. ii.). h) Separation between Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. Difference among the sons of Israel (Judaism in its ascending and in its descending line. Rom. ii. and x.). 8. Establishment of the great contrast ; or, the Empires of the world as the central points of civiliza- tion, and the foundation and history of the Theocracy in the narrower sense. Antagonism and mutual influence. a) Great Empires of the world in their origin and growth. Egypt, Assyria, Phoenicia, etc. 6) The great Empires of the world fully developed. — Dan. ii. Vision of the image of the vari- ous monarchies. Its bright aspect : Union. Dan. vii. Vision of the four beasts. Its dark aspect : Division. a) The Babylonian Empire. /3) The Persian Empire. 7) The Macedonian Empire. 8) The Roman Empire. a) The Theocracy in its origin. Antagonism and mutual influence between Israel, and Egypt, Canaan, Syria, Phoenicia, and As- syria. V) The Theocracy in its full typical manifesta- tion. Antagonism and mutual influence between Isratel and the four Empires. a) Period of the Judge sand Prophets, from Moses to David. ff) Period of the Kings, from David to the Babylonian Exile. 7) Period of the Priests (blooming period under the Maccabees). 5) Close of the typical and conunence- ment of the real kingdom of God. 4. Removal of the great contrast and antagonism. Gentiles settle in Palestine ; the Jews of the Dias- pora. Cessation of the typical, and preparation of the real Theocracy. (Heathen power and heathen cul- ture. Oppression of the Jews and prophecies.) a) The Cuthteans settled in Samaria, and be- coming Samaritans. 6) The Aramaean language and Sadduceau no- tions introduced into Palestine on the re- turn from Babylon. c) The Decapolis in Galilee of the Gentiles, founded chiefly by the veterans of Alexan- der the Great. d) The Herodians. Introduction of Grecian and Roman manners in Palestine. (The Proselytes.) a) The ten tribes carried to Assyria beyond the Euphrates. b) Many of the Jews remaining in Babylon. e) Jewish colonies in Alexandria, Libya, Syria, and Asia Minor. The Septuagint. d) The Jewish Diaspora in Rome and through- out the West, since the time of Pompey and Caesar. (The Essenes.) § 1. HISTORY OF REVELATION. c) Rule of the heathen, of Christians, and of Mohammedans in Palestine. c) Destruction of Jerusalem, and dispersion of the people throughout the world. 5. The first comii: of the world. of Christ. Close of the first, and commencement of the second era. Redemption II. History of the Kingdom of God in its Fidness^ or of the Kingdom of Heaven in the World. 1. Primeval Christianity, the type of all Church History. 2. Appearance of the antagonism between the Christian Church and the Jewish and heathen world. a) The Talmud, and heathen calumnies against Christianity. 6) Judaism in its unhistorical ossification. (Analogy with the partial barbarism of the original races.) 3. Establishment of this antagonism ; or, the Chr the narrower sense. Hostility and mutual influences. o) Movement in the heathen world 6) Secularization of the Church. c) Migration of the nations into the Church, and the great baptism of water. d) The Eastern Church, or orthodoxy secular- ized. e) Mohammedanism, or heresy completed. a) The ancient Catholic Church and the mar- tyrs. b) Separation between the Church and heret- ical sects. f) The Western Papacy. g) The Catholic Roman Empire. The anti- evangelical powers. Machiavellianism. istian Empires, and the establishment of the Church in Mediaeval Legalism a symbol and type of the future. a) The worldly Church of Constantino the Great. Missions. b) The Monastic Church. c) The Theocratic legalistic Church. d) The Roman Church. e) Western Catholic Christendom. The Cru- sades. /) Protestant parties and movements during the Middle Ages. Humanism. Popular literature. g) Evangelical Christendom. Germ of the true Church and the true State. 4. Removal of the antagonism, and appearance of the true Church and the true State. a) The Roman Catholic world. b) The reformatory movements in the Roman Catholic Church. c) The dissolving elements of Jesuitical Monas- ticism, Mysticism, political influences, and the advance of civilization in Romish Churches and countries, under the form of reaction. d) Revolutions in the Roman Catholic world. e) The world in all forms of intellectual heath- enism acting upon the Church. f) Humanism as leaven in the Roman Catholic and in Romanizing Churches. 5. The future of Christendom. rt) Apostasy in the alliance between Absolutism and Antichrist. b) Judgment upon the apparent completion of Hierarchisra and Secularism. a) The Church of the Reformation (harmonious difference between Church and State). b) Romanizing divisions of the Evangelical Church. c) Awakenings and union among Protestants. d) Protestant Reforms. e) Christian missions acting upon all parts of the world. /) The authority of Christ appearing in all de- partments of life. The Bible the book of nations. a) Victory in the union of believers under the banner of Christ. b) Redemption of the visible Church of Christ in its apparent destruction. Manifestation of the Bride, and advent of the Bridegroom. LITERATURE. Tn a certain sense, every branch of literature may be regarded as auxiliary to the study of the history of the kingdom of God. More particularly, however, we include here those Avorks on universal history which are written from a general or a GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. religious point of view, and works on the philosophy of history. It is scarcely necessary to add, that we would also direct special attention to historical books written in a Christian spirit, and to those which treat expressly of the history of the kingdom of God. I. Genkral Wokks*. On Chronology ;— Gatterer (IV??), Ideler (1825- '26), Brinkmeier (1843). On General History : — Her- der, Fred. Schlegel (R. C), and Hegel, on the Phi- losophy of History. Eyth : Hiatory from the Chris- tian stand-point (1853). Ehreufeuchter : The Histor. Development of Mankind (Hcidclb. 1855). Brum, Barth, Lisco, Theremin, Grundtwig, Zahn, Kalkar, Ziegler, Kurtz, on Sacred History. Bunsen : Ood in History (Part I. Leipz., 1857). Leo (Romanizing), and Dittniar : History of the World before and since Christ. [R. Turnbull : Christ in History. Boston, 1854.— P. S.] II. On Pahticular Periods and Branches. 1. History of Creation.— Schubert, Wagner, PfafF, Burmeister (negative), Rougemont. Hum- boldt: Kosnws. Kurtz: Bible and Astronomy (Germ, and English). [Hugh Miller : Testimony of the Rocks, or Geology in its hearings on the two the- ologies, natural and revealed. Edinb. and Boston, 1859. Tayler Lewis: Tlie Six Days of Creation, or the ScrijHural Cosinology. New York and Lon- don, 1855.— P. S.] 2. The Flood, — Liicken, Stolberg {Hist, of Religion, Germ., vol. i. App.), Buttmann, Bopp {Die Siindfluth, Berlin, 1829), Rud. Wagner {Naturge- schichte des Menschen, 1838), Schubert {Das Welt- gehaude, Erlangen, 1852). 3. The Division of Nations and the Ge- nealogical Table. Heathenism. — FeldhofF {Die Volkertafel der Genesis, 183'7), Knobel (ditto, 1850). [Tuch, Delitzsch, Bush, on Genesis, ch. x. — P. S.] Creuzer, Baur, Stuhr, Wuttke, on Ancient Mythol- ogy and the heathen religions. G. Seibert: Grie- chenthum und Christenthum, 1857. Bollinger (R. C): Heidcnthum und Judenthum — Vorhalle des Ghristenthums, 1857. [A very learned and instruc- tive work, also translated into English. — P. S.] Schelling : Philosophy of Mythology. 4. History of Israel.— Hess, Jost (a liberal Jew), Bertheau, Ewald, [Milman, Stanley] on the his- tory of the Jews. — Comp. Josephus on the Jeivish war. 5. Fulfilment of Prophecies. — Keith, 0. Strauss {Niniveh and the Word of God, 1855), Lay- ard {Nineveh and Babylon). 6. .The Life of Christ.— Works of Hase, Ne- ander, Lange, Ewald, Lichtenstein, Friedlieb, Bucber, [Sepp, Kuhn, Ellieott, Andrews, on the Life of Christ; also Ullmann, Young, Bushnell, Schaif, Dorner, on the Character and sinless Perfection of Jesus. — P. S.] 7. The Apostolic Age. — Neander, J. P. Lan- ge (Leipz., 1853), P. Pchaff (2d cd., Leipz., 1854, German and English), Thiersch, Trautmann, Lechler, on the Apostolic Age. Mosheirn, Baur, Hagenbach and Schaft", on the Churcli in the first three cen- turies. 8. Church History. — See Liter, in Hagen- bach's Theol. Encyclop., p. 220, and in SchafF's Hist, of the Apost. Church, Gen. Introd., ch. iv. On the moral effects of Christianity : Tzschirner, on the Down- fall of heathenism (German), Chastel, Beugnot, on the same subject (French), C. Schmidt: Essai his- torique svr la societe civile dans le nionde romain, et sur sa transformation par le Christianisme ; [comp. an able review of the latter work, by Dr. Sears, in the Bibliotheca Sacra for April, 1863.— P. S.] 9. Post-Christian Judaism. — Friedliinder, Gratz, Beer, M'Caul, Jost, [Edersheim,] on later Jewish history. 10. Mohammedanism. — G. Weil : Moham- med, his Life and Doctrine (German). Stuttgart, 1843. 'Do\Ymg%v: Mohammed's Religion. Miinchen, 1838. W. Irving : Life of Mohammed. Gerok : Christology of the Koran (Germail). Gotha, 1839. German translations of the Koran, by Boysen, Wahl, Geigcr, Ullmann. [Engl. trsl. with notes, by J. M. Rodwell. London, 1861.— P. S.] 11. History of Civilization. — A very exten- sive literature. General works on the sulyect by Gruber, Kolb, Wachsmuth (Leipz. 1850), Guizot [Balmez.] History of Philosophy by Brucker, Ten- nemann, Reinhold, Rixner, Ritter, Hegel, Sigwart, Schwegler; and on special sections of the hist, of Philos.: Brandis, Erdmann, Chalybaus [Zeller, Morell, A. Butler, Maurice.' — P. S.] History oi Art by Kug- ler, Schnaase, Otte, Springer, Piper, etc. History of Literature by Eichhorn, Wachler, Bouterweck, Schlegel, [Griisse, Brunet, Allibone, etc.] His- tory of Law and Jurisprudence by Eichhorn, Walter, Philipps, Grimm, Savigny. 12. History of Missions. — Blnmhardt : Gen. Hist, of Missiotis in the Christ. Church. Basel, 1828-1837, 3 vols. G.Schmidt: Victory of Chris- tianity, etc. (German). Leipz., 1857, 3d ed. Steger : [This long list of booka is the Edinb. trsl. to a few lines, without division of subjects.— P. S.] §2. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. Protest. Missions, 1838. W. Hofifmann : 3fi.tslo)is- Stunden, and other writings. Wallinann : T/ic Mis- sio7is of the Euangel. Churches (Germiin), 1849. [Harvey Xewcomb : Cyclopedia of Missiotts (700 pages). New York, 1854. The Me>.iorial Volume of the first Fifty Years of the Ama: JJoard of Com. for Foreign Missions. Boston, 1861.— P. S.] The periodical reports and publications of Missionary societies in Europe and America. On Inner mis- sions see the works of Wichern, Miirz, [and the reports of the German Church Diet and Congress for Inner 3fissions, since 1848. — P. S.] THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. I. Auxiliary Sciences. Among the auxiliary sciences of exegesis we include all those which serve to prepare us for the study of Scripture. To this class belongs the study of antiquities, and that of ancient languages, generally ; and, more particularly, that of criticism and of hermeneutics. The direct auxiliaries to the study of the Scriptures are, so far as the text itself is concei-ned, biblical antiquities and the sacred languages ; and, so far as regards the present form of the text, biblical criticism and hermeneutics. These two sciences consist in the knowledge how scientifically to examine and to ascertain the genuineness of the records of Scripture and of the text, and in acquaintanceship with the fundamental jirinciples of biblical interpretation. 1. 23iblical Archeeology in general. — Comp. Hageubach, T/icol. Encyclop., p. 132. Among works on this subject we name those by Warnekros, Roscn- miiller, Jahn, de Wette, Ewald, Scholz, Saalschiitz, the Real- Worterbuch of Winer (indispensable), and other Encycloptedias of Biblical Literature. Various branches of biblical Archeeology. a) Ethnology. — The descendants of Shem. The Hebrews. The Jews. The nations of Canaan. The nations surrounding Israel. Comp. the Archa3ological works of Bellermann, Rosenmiiller, Winer, Movers {on the Phaenicians), [Layard, Rawlinson, and Fie- buhr on the Assyrians.'] b) Geography. — Palestine and the other coun- tries mentioned in the Bible. Travels. Topograph- ical works. Maps. Comp. especially Crome, von Raumer, Robinson {Researches, Engl, and Germ.), Strauss {Sinai und Golgatha), Krafft {Topography of Jerusalem), Schulz {Jerusalem), Tobler ; the Trav- els of Berggren, Schubert, Rol^inson, Wilson, Van de Velde, Schulz, Tischendorf, [Stanley, Hackett, Thomson, Bausman,] etc. c) Natural Science. — Bochart's Hierozoicon. d) Chronology. — Comp. as above, p. 6. e) Civilization. — Agriculture. Pastoral life. Dwellings. Furniture. Trades. Domestic life. Social life (Poetry and Music). Government. The- ocracy. See Michaelis, The Laws of Hoses ; Herder and Saalschiitz {on Hebrew Poetry) ; [the various commentaries of Ewald, Hupfcid, Umbreit, Hengs- tenberg, Delitzsch, Alexander, etc., etc., on the Psalms and other poetical books of the 0. T. — P. S.J /) Religion.— Oa the typology of the Old Testa- ment services, comp. the works of Biihr {Symbolik des Mos. Cultus, 2 vols. 1837), Kurtz, Hengstenberg, Kei], [and Fairbairn, Typology of Scriptures, Edinb. and Philad., 1857.] 2. The Languages of Scripture Philologia sacra. Sec Hagenbach, p. 123, and the manuals quoted below. 3. Biblical Criticism.— Unhappily, we are still without any accurately defined canon of criticism, es- pecially of biblical criticism. Hence, when biblical criticism appears in so many instances to be self- contradictory and self-destructive, this must be ascribed not merely to Rationalism, but also to the want of well-ascertained scientific principles. The two great points which must be kept in view in criti- cism are, the authenticity of the text, and its integ- rity. On the character and literature of biblical criticism, see Hagenbach, p. 146. — Fundamental principles : (1) The plaee of criticism is not above the subject, as looking down upon it, but in juxtaposi- tion to, and in living contact with it. (2) In criticism we must progress from the general to the particular, in order to be always sure that we are treating of the same subject ; while, on the other hand, we must also pass from the particular to the general, in order thereby to make sure of the reality and actuality of the subject. (3) The standard which we apply to a subject must be commensurate to it. Thus historical facts cannot be judged of by the physical standard applied to them by Pantheism and by Fatalism. Mythological ideas are altogether inapplicable to the 8 GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTUREfS. has become flesh — i.e., that the idea has become his- tory— must be laid down as tlie fundamental princi- ple of all criticism. This presupposition raises the critic above all false presuppositions. See Langc, Lebcn Jesic, i. 108; Posit. Dogm., p. 605. On the history of criticism, see Hagenbach, Uieol. Encxfclop., p. 157, s^qq. 4. Biblical Hermeneutics. — This is the science of the right understanding and the right interpreta- tion of Holy Writ. For further explanation, and for the literature of the subject, see Hagenbach, p. 162. Among modern writers on hermeneutics, we mention Liicke, Clausen, Schleiermacher, Lutz, and the writer of the article Hermeneutics in Herzog's (German) Real-Encyel. ; [also Cellerier : Manuel cf Ilermerieu- tigue, Geneva, 1852 ; Fairbairn : Hermeneutical Mamial, Philad. 1859.— P. S.] For the history of scriptural interpretation, and of its principles, we re- fer to the work of G. W. Meyer {Hist, of Exegesis since the revival of Letters (Gott., 1802—1808, 5 vols.). On the allegorical exegesis of the Middle Ages, see Elster : De medii cevi tkeologia exegetica, Gott., 1855. elucidation of the Scriptures. The Old Testament standard is insufEcicnt for the criticism of the Gospel history. (4) The critic must first have settled iiis general principles before he can arrive at any conclu- sion as to the special results of these principles. Above all, therefore, he must be quite clear about the personality of God and of the God-Man. (5) Criti- cism must ever recognize it that all history has a deep religious bearing, symbolical of the great fact that all history has an ideal object, and that this grand idea is evolved in the course of history. (6) The critic must bear in mind that one gTand idea pervades and connects the various portions of Scripture, while he at the same time keeps in view the gradual devel- opment of Scripture, its various periods, and the spe- cial form which each separate portion has taken, ac- cording to the individuality of tlie writer. (Y) Criti- cism must be able to distinguish between agreement in spirit, and agreement in the letter merely. (8) The criticism of the witnesses themselves must precede the criticism of what they witnessed. (9) The various records of Scripture must be classified according to their relation to the character and object of those who bore the record. (10) The great fact that the Word The following are the essential conditions in hermeneutics : a. For the right understanding. (1.) Inward condition of interpretation : homogeneousness of spirit ■v\dth the writer and his subject. (2.) Outward condition : familiarity with the languages, antiquities, and history. (3.) .Combination of these two elements : familiarity with the peculiar character and spirit of revelation, and, in consequence, ability to distinguish between what is symbolical and mere myths, and again, between what is symbolical and what is pure history or abstract dogma. (The symbolical must not be confounded with myths ; but, on the other hand, it must not be regarded as pure dogma.) (4.) The mind of the interpreter must continually connect and biing into juxta- position the Scriptures, in their general bearing, with the individual portions imder examination. (Scripture must not be made to contradict itself by pressing the letter.) Analogy of faith : survey of the grand total bearing, the fundamental idea. Analogy of Scripture : survey of the individual and the special parts. Comparison of Scripture v.'ith Scripture. (5.) A comparison and connection between the general spirit of Scripture, and the personal and individual views of each inspired writer. (6.) A lively interchange between the mind of the "Word and the mind of the interpreter. (V.) A living interchange between the individual interpreter and the general spirit of interpretation in the Church. (Not, indeed, blind submission to authority, but neither craving for singularity.) K For the proper interpretation. (1.) Accurate exposition of the meaning of the text. Interpretation in the narrower sense. 2. THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. (2.) Illustration of the meaning of the text, by analogous passages. Explana- tion. (3.) Reproduction of the meaning of the text, by pointing out its eternal bearing and import. Application. n. Exegeties, Exegetics, in the -widest sense, depends on the proper connection between the right understanding and interpretation of the general import of Scripture and that of its individual portions. The parts can neither be understood without the whole, nor the whole without the parts. Hence that interpreter only can advance the subject who has learned to view the individual parts in the light of the total bearing of Scripture, and the total bearing in the light of the individual portions thereof. Thus alone can the necessary equilibrium be preserved. Viewed theoretically, criticism is the first process, although, in point of practice, criticism follows upon exegetics and hermeneutics. Criticism consists in a lively interchange between a scrutiny of the general prin- ciple and that of the individual statements of Scripture. Hermeneutics then shows the lively interchange existing between the interpreta- tion of the spirit, or of the meaning of Scripture as a whole, and the interpreta- tion of the special passage or expression. Lastly, we have Exegetics proper, which may bo either general or special. The foi-mer, or Introduction (Isagogics), establishes and explains, from the mutual rela- tionship between the character of Scripture as historically ascertained, and the sum- mary contents of its various portions, the import and substance of the Scriptures generally. Special Exegetics develops and exhibits the succession of thought in Scripture, down to the minutest expression and letter, by connecting and comparing the ascertained character of Scripture with the text under review. The Introduction to the various books of Scripture belongs to the department of Exegesis, since, on the one hand, it presupposes an exegetical analysis of each book, while, on the other, it concludes with an exegetical survey of the contents of the portion of Scripture examined. Again, Exegesis itself is an Introduction, in the most special sense of the term. For every exegetical treatise must not only commence with a special in- troduction to, and indicate the character and contents of, the portion of Scripture about to be examined, but it must ever again revert to those general views and leading characteristics which have been ascertained. 1. Definition of the Holy Scriptures. Holy Scripture is the complete sum of the records of our divinely revealed reli- gion, which culminates in Christianity. Hence it marks the progress of the incarna- tion of the Eternal Word of God to its completion in the final settlement of the canon of Scripture. If, generally speaking, writing is the pecidiar organ of civiliza- tion, the medium for the increasing interchange of thought, the record of the history of mankind, the standard of its development, all this applies in the highest, and, indeed, in a unique sense, to the sacred writings. They are the form under which Christianity originally appeared to regenerate the world, the bond of fellowship between believers of all nations and ages, the record of the history of revelation, and the standard and rule for the development of Christianity and of the Church. 10 GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. In the all-wise arrangement of the God of revelation, Holy Writ was therefore as necessary as the Incarnation itself. The Gospel was destined to pervade every relationship of life and cveiy institution. As in Baptism, it sanctified the washing with water ; in the Eucharist, the meal of felloAvship — the bread and the wine; and by the Charismata, the diversity of human gifts, so as a written record it sanctified the letter and assumed this essential form of intellectual and spiritual intercourse among men. Bretschneider : * " The Bible may be viewed, — 1, historically, if we inquire what its character is, according to tlie testimony of history — viz., a collection of credible documents of the Jewish and the Christian religion ; or, 2, dogmatically, if we in- quire in what light the religious society of Christians regard it — viz., as the code of Divine revelation." While at one time theologians were wont to lay special em- phasis on the dogmatical, they have of late equally dwelt upon the Jdstorical charac- ter of Scripture. But all such seeming antagonism disappears if we take a deeper view of Holy Writ. Scripture is not " a collection," it is the collection. The various records of which it is composed, together form only one record. Lastly, the great question which claims our attention is not merely concerning the records of the Jewish and Christian religion generally, but as to the Divine origin and institu- tion of these religions. Literature. — Comp. the article Bible in the dif- ferent Encyclopasdias of Ersch and Gruber, Ilerzog, Hagenbach, Pelt, [Kitto, Smith.— P. S.]. The dif- ierent Introductions to the Old and New Testament (see a list of them in Winer's Handhuch der theol. Literatur, vol. i, p. 33 sqq.). Also the introductory chapters of the Bible-works of Starke, Richter, Ger- lach, Lisco, Bunsen. Then the articles on the Holy Scriptures in the principal works on Dogmatics. Koppen : Die Bibel, 2 vols. Finally the modern works on Biblical Theology. On the Ilintory of the Bible, see E. Reuss (Braunschweig, 2d ed., 1853), and the more popular works of Ostertag : Die Bibel und Hire Gescfiickfe, (2d ed., Basel, 1857), and Tholuck: Die Bibel (Leipzig, 1851). [Prideaux, Stackhouse, Howel, L. Clarke, on the History of the Bible; A. Alexander, and L. Gaussen, on the Canon of the Old and New Testaments. — P. S.] 2. Various Designations of the Scriptures. The three different designations commonly given to the Scriptures indicate the different points from which the same Divine record maybe viewed. The term Bible (to, Pl/SXlu sc, ^eta), i. e. the Book, or the Book of books, points out the difference between Holy Writ and all other literature, while at the same time it also connects the Scriptures with the intellectual productions of men. All other writings are, like planets, to move round this central sun. The name Holy Scripture (Icpa ypa' Testament writings substantially similar to that of the Jews for the Old Testament. Thus we find mention of three sections of the New Testament, to cor- respond with the ancient division into Law, Prophets, and Hagiographa. Besides the arrangement into to (.iayyiXiov and. 6 (Ittoo-toXos (Clemens Alex.), ra emyyey\iKa koX TO. d-oo-roXiK-a (Ircnoius) — by which they meant the Gospels, and, in the first place at least, the wi-itings of St. Paul — we also find mention of a thii\i collection imder the name of Ka^oXiKoi e-to-ToXai, which seems to have included the apostolic writings generally, KaSoXov (see Hug. £i?il. iti's JV. T., vol. ii., p. 428). This explanation of the word Ka^oXiKos has been controverted ; but the fact that the Epistle to the 24 GENERAL AND SPECIAL INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. Hebrews, although catliolic in its tenor, was not included among the Catholic Epistles, because its authorship Avas attributed to St. Paul, speaks in favor of the above suggestion. This division of the New Testament, however, fell to the ground when the canon was completed. Hence there can be no valid objection to the modern division into Historical, Doctrinal, and Prophetic books. But it deserves no- tice that the Book of Acts was originally, and also in the Scripture lessons, included among the Epistles, and this with good reason ; for in the strict historical sense, it belongs not to the period of the Gospel history, but to that of the foundation of the Church by the Apostles, and serves as historical basis to the Epistles. Properly speaking, it forms a transition from the historical to the doctrinal books. This division of the New Testament is warranted by the peculiar cast, and by the prevailing characteristics of its various books, although in a certain sense each of them contains, at the same time, history, doctrine, and prophecy. Keeping this arrangement in view, the New Testament canon presents to our mind the eternal past, present, and future of the Church ; Jesns Christ, the same yesterday, to-day^ and for ever — or Christ in His historical manifestation, in His rule over the Church, and in His glorious advent. But here each part is organically connected with the other, just as, in the idea of eternal life, the past, the present, and the future pervade and interpenetrate each other. " All the writings of the New Testament contain, in the first place, the basis, or the ideal past of the Church ; next, its standard, or the rule for its present development ; lastly, its final aim, or the goal of its future." (See my Ajyost. Age, ii., p. 571.) The historical books describe the first manifestation and the foiindation of the kingdom of heaven in our world, and its inroad upon the world, with a view to final conquest, by the planting of the apostolic Church. The doctrinal books are intended to serve as a directory for the development of Christian and ecclesiastical life in the kingdom of heaven, or of the kingdom of heaven as manifest in ecclesiastical and Christian life, in all its relations to the world, whether hostile or peaceable. This development is ever based upon, and traced to, the first coming of Christ for the redemption of man. Lastly, the prophetical books are intended to guide this de- velopment of Christian and ecclesiastical life, in accordance with the prophetic announcement and description of the second advent of Christ. The foundation of the kingdom of heaven — its unfolding — its future conquests, and ultimate comple- tion : such are the three parts which constitute the New Testament. The Historical portion of the New Testament consists of two parts, the Gospels, and the Book of Acts. The fonner exhibits the eternal basis of the Church, and its foundation in time ; the latter, the jDlanting of the Church, its original form, and the first and prophetic outlines of its spread through the world. HISTORICAL BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. The four Gospels, which together form only one Gospel (to d-ayyiXtov) under a fourfold aspect (/cara, 'MarSaZov, etc.), constitute, along with the Book of Acts (Trpafets rdv airoaToXutv), the historical records of the New Testament. The great leading idea which peiwades thi;, history, is the introduction of the kingdom of heaven {(SacrtXeia twj/ ovpavdv), or its manifestation (at least, so far as its § 2. THE HISTORICAL BOOKS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 25 principles and powei- are concei-ned) — the revelation of God being completed by the coming of the God-Man, the Redeemer of the world, and His kingdom founded upon earth by the planting of His Church through the power of the Holy Ghost. Accord- ingly, this evangelical history forms the centre of all history, by concluding that of tlie ancient and commencing that of the new world. The difference between the historical books of the New Testament consists in this, that while the four Gospels record the history of the revelation of the kingdom of heaven, and of its foundation in the Person and the work of the Lord Jesus, the Book of Acts describes the royal administration of Christ as manifested in j^lanting His kingdom in and for the world, by the power of the Holy Ghost working through the Apostles. The Gospels exhibit the kingdom of heaven in the Person of Christ ; tl\e Book of Acts, the Person of Christ in the kingdom of heaven ; the former show us the kingdom of heaven upon the earth, yet above the earth, separate and distinct from all the world ; the latter, the kingdom of heaven in the world — all its roots and fibres having taken hold upon the soil of earth. In the one case, we have the perfect revelation of God in the Spirit of Christ (the d7roKa/\j.'i//is), in the other, by the Spirit of Christ (the (j)avepwai<;); in the one case, the descent of the heavenly Jerusalem upon the holy city, in the other, the spread of that heavenly kingdom from Jerusalem to Rome. The Gospels show us how Christ consecrated Himself for the world, and thereby reconciled it to God in that solemn judgment which the world pronounced upon itself; the Book of Acts teaches how Christ consecrated the world imto Himself, and theieby redeemed it. Yonder, the old era terminates, the principle of the ncAv having appeared ; here, the new era commences, the principle of the old having been mortified. I. The One Gospel in the Four Gospels. Viewed as a literary production, the Gospel history exists in a fourfold form. But for the ancient, true, chin-chly view, this circumstance is altogether secondary to the fact that under this fourfold form we have the one Gospel of the Lord. Strictly speaking, therefore, it is not the Gospel of Matthew, etc., as we now are accustomed to say, but the Gospel according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, and according to John. It is this grand unity of character, of history, of doctrine, and of spirit, which gives to the Gospels their common designa- tion. Though we have four human writings, they form only one Divine record of the Gospel. To doubt this essential imity, is to lose to the same extent the capacity for the churchly appreciation and even the Christian understanding of the Gospels. But even this does not exhaust the relation between the four Gospels and the one Evangel. Not only does the difierence between the four Gospels not obscm-e the unity of the one Evangel ; but this number four rather indicates the unfolding of the Evangel in all its fulness, so that it reflects the fourfold sway of God in the world, meets the fourfold wants and views of the world, and under a fom-fold aspect displays the infinite riches of revelation. Irengeus {Advers. Hares, iii. 1) connected the vision of the four cherubim in Ezekiel i. with the four Gospels, and explained the symbolical meaning of that passage as applying to the distinctive peculiarities of the Evangelists. The idea was afterwards adopted and developed by the Fathers, and the four Gospels were com- pared with the vision of the four living creatures. Christian art has perpetuated the special arrangement of these symbols, proposed by Jerome, by assigning to Matthe-"' i3G GENERAL AND SPECIAL INTRODUCTION TO TIIE NEW TESTAMENT. tlio symbol of the man, to Mark that of the lion, to Luke that of the ox or sacrificial bullock, and to John that of the eagle. (Comp. Credncv : Introd. to the N. 2\ p. 54.) Our own study of the Gospels would lead us to modify the interpretation of Jerome in so far as to regard Matthew under the symbol of the ox, and Luke under that of the man. {Leben Jcsu^ I. p. 156.) Stier has approved of this change. The first Gospel is preeminently that of history, and of the fulfilment of the Old Testament by the sacrificial sufferings and death of Christ and the redemption thus achieved. Hence the sacrificial bullock is the appropriate symbol of Matthew. The second Gospel j^rcsents to our minds the all-poAverful revelation and working of Christ as direct from heaven, irrespectively of anything that preceded, — the completion of all former manifestations of the Deity. Symbol, the lion. The third Gospel is preeminently that of perfect humanity, — human mercy presented in the liglit of Divine grace, the transformation of all human kindness into Divine love. Symbol, the figure of a man. Lastly, the fourth Gospel exhibits the deep spiritual and eternal import of the history of Christ — the Divine element pervading and underlying its every phase, — and with it the transformation of all ideas, and of all ideals, in connection with Christ. Symbol, the eagle. To this rapid sketch we might add, that the essential harmony of these Gospels cannot be properly appreciated, unless, while recognising their intrinsic unity, we also keep in mind those peculiar characteristics of the Evangelists on which the differences in their narratives depend. Literature.* — On the Gospel Harmony compare the [German] works of Tholuck : Credibility of the Gospel History (against Strauss's Life of Jesus) ; Ebrard : Criticism of the Evangelical History ; Thiersch : On the Eestoraiion of the historical staiiJpoirit, etc. ; Lex : The Gospel Harmony on the Life of Jesus (Wiesbaden, 1855). Also the Lives of Jesus by Neander, Hase, Lange, and J. Zeller : Voices of the German Church on Strauss's Life of Jesus. [Engl, works : Macknight, Campbell, Greswell, Rob- inson, Strong : on the Gospel Harmony ; Westcott : Litroduction to the Study of the Gospels (1862); Ebrard : 77ic Gospel History (Edinb. trsl., 1863) ; Ellicott, and Andrews : 27ie Life of Christ.— F. S.] n. The Boolz of Acts, Tlie Book of Acts may also be arranged under four sections. 1. We have the apostolic Church, as the preparation and foundation of the one primeval Church for all the world, — embracing all nations and tongues (ch. i. and ii.) ; 2. The Jewish Christian Church (with Jerusalem as its metropolis, and Peter as its representative), tending toward the Gentile world and the Gentile Church (ch. iii. to xii.) ; 3. The Gentile Christian Church (with Antioch as its metropolis, and Paul as its representa- tive), tending toAvard the Jewish Christian Church (ch. xiii. to xxv. 12) ; 4. The removal of any temporary difference by a higher unity, commencing with the journey of the Apostle Paul to Rome, and in the church at Rome, where the Jewish Christian and the Gentile Christian elements appear combined. The modern assaults on the credibility of the Acts I Lange : History of the Apostolic Aye, and in part by are refuted by Lechler: The Apostolic and post-Apos- Baumgarten in his Commentary on Acts. [AlsoinWie- tolicAge; Dletlein: Has l/rchristenthum; Schatfand j seler: Chro7iology of the Apostolic A ye, 184:8. — P. S.] [Omitted in the Edinb. trsl.— P. S.: 3. THE DIDACTIC PORTION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, OR, THE EPISTLES. 27 THE DIDACTIC PORTION OF THE NEW TESTAMENT, OR, THE EPISTLES. " As the historical writings of the New Testament form a TeTpay-opcfiov emyyeXiov, 80 a similar r€Tpa.iiop<^ov (to use an ancient ecclesiastical expression), a Terpa/xop^os dTTooToXos, might, so to speak, be traced in its parenetic portions" (Guericke, Isagogics, p. 216). This writer then proceeds to compare MatthcAv with James, Mark with Peter, Luke with Paul, and the Gospel with the Epistles of John. So also substantially Neander, Schmid, Schafi". The didactic portion of the New Testament consists of epistles addressed to particular churches (epistles in the narrower sense), and general or catholic epistles addressed to the whole Church, or to a larger section of it. (On the various inter- pretations of the word Ka^oAtKos, comp. the Litroductions). The Avritings of Paul, although belonging to the former class, might also be termed catholic, as they suc- cessively extend over every department of Christian life. Thus 1. JEschatological Epistles : the two Epistles to the Thessalonians, which treat of the doctrine of the last things ; 2. Ecclesiastic Epistles : the two Epistles to the Corinthians, which treat of the organization and discipline of the Church ; 3. Soterlological Epistles : the Epistle to the Galatians, which treats of the doctrine of redemption, presenting the righteousness by faith in contrast with the spurious righteousness by works ; while the Epistle to the Romans exhibits this same righteousness in its nature and effects, in opposition to sin and its consequences. 4. Christological Epistles : the Epistle to the Pliilippians, which shows the exaltation of Christ in and by His humiliation, fotms a transition between the previous epistles and those which treat of the Person of Christ, more especially the Epistles to the Colossians, and to the Ephesians. The Epistle to the Colossians commences by presenting the eternal and inherent glory which Christ possessed before all time, and then presents Him as the sole object of our faith ; while the Epistle to the Ephesians commences with the final glory of Christ at the termination of all time, and presents Him as the only goal of the Church, and as forming the grand bond of its unity, 5. Lastly, we have the Pastoral Epistles : among which we include, besides the two Epistles to Timothy and that to Titus, the Epistle to Philemon. The Epistle to the Hebrews must, on account of its general tenor, be classed with tlie Catholic Epistles, although, from its origin and character, it evidently claims kindred to those of Paul. We have thus three series of Catholic Epistles. The Epistle to the Hebrews, and that of James, express the relation in which the Church imiversal, but especially the Jewish Christian Church, stands to the Old Testament (to the ceremonial and the moi'al law), Avith the vicAV of warning against apostasy and Judaizing tendencies. The three Epistles of John exhibit the relation- ship between the Church and the present state of things: 1. The fellowship of believers in Christ ; 2. The proper limits of that fellowship, — the necessity of avoid- ing heretics; 3. The proper extent of that fellowship, — avoiding a spirit of separatism. Lastly, the Epistles of Peter and of Jude treat mainly of the relation- ship of the Church to the future. 28 GENERAL HOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION. THE PROPIIETIC PORTION OF TUB NEW TESTAMENT. The Book of Revelation contains a prophetic description of the second advent of the Lord, and of the manifestation of Ilis new creation and the transformation of the world, which is to be brought about by a series of great conflicts Mid tiiimphs of Christ over Antichrist and over the world. The description of this new work of creation opens with the Sabbath of redemption (hence the prophet has his vision on the Lord's Day), and extends to the eternal Sabbath of final completion. Accordingly, we also have the sacred number seven, seven times re[)eated — the seven churches, the seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven thunders, the seven vials, and the seven heads of Antichrist. At the close, we have the manifestation of the seven Spirits of God — who throughout have guided the struggle (ch. i.) — in the appearance of Christ and the transformation of the world : a new genesis, by which the Bible at its conclusion points back to its commencement, showing how final and perfect fulfilment had now been attained. THIED SECTION. GENERAL HOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION. THE PLACE OF HOMILETICS. OxE of the main duties of the pastoral ofiice is preaching, as this work is more clearly defined by practical theology. The latter science, however, embraces more than that special department. It gives the theory of ecclesiastical life and Christian fellowship, and of its cultivation, or of edification, and treats, according to the teach- ing of Paul (1 Cor. xii. 4-6), — 1. Of the Charismata in the Church; 2. of ecclesiasti- cal ofiices ; 3. of ecclesiastical functions. Among these, public worship occupies the most prominent place ; and again, in public worship the preaching of the word, for which homiletics supplies the rules. Public worship is the real (not symbolical) and direct outward manifestation of the life of the Church in Christ its Head ; while, at the same time, it also serves to deepen and to extend that life. The former of these objects is attained more especially by what may be designated the liturgical services, or prayer and praise, while the latter is aimed at by means of the sermon. Based upon the eternal "Word of God, and derived from it, the sermon is intended to advance the spiritual life of the Church in its individual members^ — its lessons being always pointed with special reference to the present state and require- ments of Christians, and to their ultimate calling. The rules for the proper dis- charge of this New Testament prophetical office are laid down in the science of Homiletics, or the sacred Art of Religious Discourse. § 2. CHARACTER AND PRINCIPLES OF HOMILETICS. 29 §2. CHARACTER AND PRINCIPLES OF HOMILETICS. Christian Homiletics is tlie evangelical churchly application of Rhetorics to sacred purposes. The homiletic oration is addressed to the spiritual feelings and interests of men, in divine wisdom and simplicity, and Avith spiritual motives, in order either to enlist them for those spiritual purposes Avhich form the one grand aim of man, or else to quicken their spiritual life. From this it follovv'S, that we shall have to dispense with all the mere outward artifices of secular rhetorics — many of Avhich are dishonest, and to present our theme in a simple, yet' well arranged, lively and effective address. From this we may derive the following fundamental rules of Homiletics. 1. The sermon occupies a place intermediate between the eternal Word of God and the present requirements of the Church. On this ground, it must neither he merely a practical exposition of Scripture, nor yet merely a practical address adapted to the wants of the moment. It must combine these two elements, and at the same time serve to quicken, to sanctify, and to further develop the inner life, from the Word of God. 2. This application of the Word of God to the state and wants of the Church, is entrusted to the believing hearts of a properly tramed ministry. Accordingly, the sermon must bear evidence both of personal piety and of intellectual individuality, or rather, this intellectual individuality must appear consecrated by devotion to the altar. 3. The sermon is addressed to a real church, — not a perfect church, but yet to a church. On this ground, it must proceed on the assimiption that there are spiritual principles and sympathies to which it can appeal, whilst at the same time keeping in view and seeking to remove existing obstacles and objections. It must therefore avoid the extreme of being merely an appeal to the unconverted (a Xo'yos TrpoTpeTTTiKos), while, on the other hand, it eschews mere indirect and pointless " speaking with tongues " (yen? -yXwcro-wv) , It must ascertain the exact spiritual state of the congrega- tion, and, in accordance theremth, progress from conviction to joy and thanks- giving. Nor should it ever be forgotten that the sermon forms part of worship, and that, while in its character and purpose prophetic, it is also essentially devotional. Hence the sermon must be neither noisy nor drawling ; noise in the pulpit runs counter to the dignity of w^orship, and to that of Christianity itself. Conversion is not to be confounded with nervous excitement ; it implies a state when the soul is moved indeed to its inmost depths, yet calmed in Christ. As for drawling, it is entirely out of place in the pulpit. Singing should be left to the congregation ; and the moment the sermon rises into musical festivity, it should close. 4. The sermon is addressed to a congregation, not to studeiits. Hence, it must be popular, clear, pointed, and practical, — avoiding obscurity, confusion, and abstract propositions. On the other hand, it must be simple, direct, lively, yet sufficiently dignified. It must have sprung from prayer and meditation, from communion with the Lord and with His Word, and from deep sympathy with the spiritual state and the wants of the congregation. 5. The sermon is addressed to an evangelical church, i. e., a church called to the freedom of the Spirit. Hence it is to be a homily, in the ancient sense of the term ; 30 GENERAL HOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION. i. e., an interchange between the mind of the preacher and the spiritual views of the congregation, Avhich cannot be obtained by mere persuasion, far less by outward or authoritative injunction, excluding all liberty, but by communion and fellowship of life. The homily is, so to speak, query and reply. Yet it Avere a mistake to rebut every objection Avhich might possibly be raised, instead of replying to the queries which would naturally arise in the mind of the audience. These enquiries must be answered not Avith the wisdom of man, but by the Word of God. 6. The sermon is an official address delivered to the Church in the name and by the authority of the Head of the Church. Hence its name, Preaching, — proedicatio^ declaration. Accordingly, the testimony of the truth must be supported by evidence ; uor'must it be of the nature of mere philosophical demonstration, which, of course, is incapable of being preached. Nor, lastly, would it be riglit to sub- stitute for this testimony a mere asseveration : the testimony of the heart is to be combined with argument addressed to the mind. 7. The sermon is to edify. It is intended to huild up the living temple with living stones ; i.e.., to promote spiritual communion., and thereby to quiclcen Christians. 8. The construction of the sermon depends upon an exercise of the mind, which in turn presupposes meditation, prayer, and theological and religious knowledge. For the regulation of this exercise of the mind, Homiletics lays dov/n certain rules about the inventio?i of the theme, its division, and the execution and delivery of the discourse itself. ECCLESIASTICAL AND MATERIAL HOMILETICS. That which gives to the sermon its value, is the Word of the living God, whicli is laid down objectively in the Scriptures, and expressed and applied by the preacher in a subjectve form. The central point of the Word of God, and its gi'and, all-embi'acing personality, is the eternal and historical Christ v/ith His finished work. In the Person of the God-Man revelation and redemption are united, and revelation itself becomes redemption ; there the Law and the Gospel meet, and the Law itself becomes Gospel ; there doctrine and history meet, and doctrine itself becomes history ; there the Church and the Scriptures meet, and the Church itself presents the epistles read and known of all men ; there the Church and the believing heart meet, the Church being in Him of one heart and one soul ; lastly, there justification and sanctification are united, and sanctification becomes a justification for the day of judgment. With aU this we wish to impress upon our readers that the mystery of revelation must be preached, not as a matter of speculation, but with a view to its grand teleological object — the salvation of sinners ; that the Old Testament must be explained accord- ing to the analogy of the New ; that doctrine must be illustrated by life, and the confessions of tlie Church regulated by the Divine Scripture ; that the Church must be built up by seeking the conversion and personal holiness of souls ; and that justi- fication by faith must ever be presented along with its final aim — the glorification of saints. The main point which tlie preacher should keep in view is, that the great object of Christianity is to bring us into personal relationship to the risen Saviour, that is, §3. ECCLESIASTICAL AND MATERIAL HOMILETICS. 31 into blessed felloAvship, through Him, with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The selection of -a suitable subject for the sermon may be determined, 1, by the order of the Church imiversal, as it presents itself in the ecclesiasticiil year Avith its great festivals ; 2, by the traditional or a new series of Gospels and Epistles for the day ; 3, by the directions of the authorities of the particular national or state- Churches ; 4, by the order of Synods and consistories ; 5, by the ordinary course of nature and its seasons ; G, by extraordinary events (casualia) ; 7, by the peculiar relation and condition of the pastor and the congregation ; 8, by literary helps, con- cordances, commentaries, religious reading, etc., which facilitates the invention and prepai'ation of matter for sermons.* I. The Order of the Church General. Tlie Church Year. The Church year designates the Christian consecration of time to thfi service of God, whereby the cycle of seasons becomes the symbol and type of the cycle of the evangelical history, and of the great facts of redemption. The Greek and Koman Churches changed the whole secular time into a succession of holidays in the interest of an exclusive hierarchy and an external shoAvy ceremonialism ; and thus the holidays of saints gradually obscured and almost annihilated the holy day of the Lord, or the Christian sabbath. But the ancient Catholic and the evangelical Church year represents tj^^ically and really the sanctification of the year as a manifes- tation of, and preparation for, eternity. [The Church year, as observed in the evan- gelical churches of Germany and the Contir.ent, in the Church of England, and their descendants in America, is a reformation, purification and simplification of the Catholic Church year ; it omits most or all holidays of saints, martyrs and angels, and of the Virgin Mary, but retains the leading festivals Avhich commemorate what God has done for us in the incarnation, the passion and death, the resurrection and ascen- sion of Christ, and the outpouring of the Holy Ghost ; thus making the festivals of Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost prominent, and restoring — at least in England and America — the weekly festival of the Christian Sabbath to its proper dignity and significance. — P. S.] Literature. — On the Christian Church year see the works of Fred. Strauss (Berlin, 1850), Lisco (Berlin, 1852), Alt (1851), Harnack (1854), Warner (1860), and Piper's Evangelical Year-book, pub- lished annually at Berlin since 1850. [Also the Liturgical works and collections of Daniel, Mone, Neale, etc., the Liturgies of the Church of Eng- land, and the Lutheran Churches of Europe and America, Ebrard's Ref. Kirc/ienbuch, the new Baden Liturgy, the Irvingite Liturgy, the new (provisional) Liturgy of the G. Eef. Church of the U. S. (Philad. 1857), Baird's Colledimi of Prcshi/tcrian Liturgies (New York, 1859), etc., etc. —P. S.] 2. The Old and JSFevj Pericopes^ or Scripture Lessons for the Sundays of the Tear. On the history of perikopes see the article Perikopen in the L'nivers. Theol. Dictionary of Danz ; [also the more recent one in Ilerzog's Real- EncT/clopccdie, vol. xi., p. 373-399, written by E. Ranke. — P. S.] Ranke : Bas kirchliche Pcrikopcn- system. Berlin, 1847. Alt: Der christl. Ctdtus. Berlin, 1851, sqq., 3 vols. Lipco : Das christl. KirrJienjahr, 4th cd., Berlin, 1852. Bobertag: Das evangel. Kirchenjahr in sdmmtlichen Perikopen des iV. T. Breslau, 1857. On modern selections of Scripture lessons: Ranke (Berlin, 1850), Suckow, and Nitzsch {Bihl. Vorlesnngen aus dem A. und N. T. Bonn, 1846). See the list of the old sorios of peri- kopes at the close of the gen. introduction. [This last and all tho followinj!; sections from 1— S till §4, are omitted ia the Edinb. trsl.— P. S.] 82 GENERAL HOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION. 3. National and State Churches. These have ai)pointecl in diflerent countries of Europe a festival of the Refor- mation. [In Germany it is celebrated October 31, the day when Luther affixed the 95 theses on the doors of the castle church at Wittenberg, in 1517. — P. S.] Also political festivals, [coronation of kings, commemoration of royal birthdays ; in the Cliurch of England, the commemoration of the death of King Charles I., and of the Gunpowder Plot, — now abolished and omitted from the Common-Prayer Book. — P. S.] National fast and humiliation days. [Thanksgiving days annually recom- mended by the Governors of the different States of the United States of America, especially in New England, and national thanksgiving, or fast days, recommended to the whole people by the President of the United States, e.g. by President Taylor, during the cholera in 1849, and several times by President Lincoln, during the civil war, especially on the 30th of April, 1863. But, owing to the separation of Church and State, Governors and Presidents cannot ordain and command, like European sovereigns, but simply recommend, the observance of Christian festivals. Never- theless, such days are generally even better observed in America than in Europe, perhaps for the very reason that their observance is not made a matter of compul- sion, but of freedom. — P. S.] 4. Provincial Synods [Denominations] and Local Congregations. Missionary festivals, foreign and domestic. Laying of corner stones, and dedica- tion of new churches, etc. Confirmations, communions, benedictions, solemnization of marriage, funerals. All these are not, strictly speaking, casuaUa, "but occur in the ordinary course of religious and congregational life. 5. Churchly Festivals of the Naturcd Seasons. New Year. Spring festival. Harvest festival. Sylvester, (close of the year, December 31). 6. Extraordinary Events of Nature and of History (Casualia). Extraordinary days of humiliation and prayer, during seasons of pestilence, famine, and war (Comp. above sub No. 3), or of thanksgiving after the return of peace or some great national deliverance. 7. Pastoralia. Ordination — , installation — sermons. Litroductory and valedictory sermons. [Opening sermons at Classical and Synodical meetings, diocesan and general Conven- tions, Centenary and other commemorative discourses. — P. S.] 8. Homiletical Helps. 1 . Concordances, verbal or real, or both, by Wich- I German.] Greek concordance by H. Bruder : Tafxeiov mann (1782), Schott (1827), Hauff (1828), Biichner tSiv ttjs Kaivris hiaSii]K't)s xi^euiv. Lips., 1842. [Based (1776), continued and improved by Hubner (1837 1 upon an older work of Erasmus Schmid ; contains and often), Bernhard (1850). [All these works are | all the words of the Greek N. T. in alphabetical § 3. ECCLESIASTICAL AND ^[ATERIAL HOMILETICS. J3 order with the passages where they occur ; invalu- able for reference. — P. S.] Hebrew concorJance by Jul. Furst : Concordimtim libror. V. T. Lips., 1840. [Based upon Joh. lluxtorf, and as valuable for the Hebrew, as BruJcr for the Greek T. — English Con- cordances : Alex. Cruden : A complete Concordance to the Holy Scriptures of the 0. and N. I'est.^ first published in London, 1*731, and often since, both in England, Scotland and America, in full and in abridged forms. ' Also : The Englishmaji's Greek Concordance of the Xew Testament, publ. by S. B;i^'- ster, London, and rcpubl. by Harper & Br., Ni w York, 1855, — a useful adaptation of Schmid's Greek Concordance to the study of the English Bible. — The Englishniaii's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance of the Old Test., etc., Lond. (Longman, Green, Brown, and Longmans), 1843, 2 vols., — an equal adaptation of Buxtorf-Fiirst to the English Bible.— P. S.] 2. Lists of Texts. Schuler : Repertorium bibli- scher Texte und Idcen f>ir Casual-Predigten itnd Reden. Halle, 1820. Haupt : Bibl. Casualtcxt- Lexicon, 1826. [There are a number of English works of the kind with or without skeletons of ser- mons ; but I have none within reach, and cannot now find their titles. — P. S.] 3. 3Ialerials. Homiletical Bible-works and col- lections of Sermons and Preachers' Manuals. See the list in Dauz's and Winer's works on theol. Litera- ture. Collection of Patristic sermons in Germ., trnsl. by August! (2 vols., 1830 and 1839). Luther's Hauspostille and Kirchcnpostille. The older Ger- man sermons of Scriver, H. Muller, Val. Hcrberger, Rieger, and the more recent sermons of Reinhart, Driiseke, Harms, Schleiermacher, Nitzsch, Fr. Strauss [court chaplain at Berlin, died 1863], Tholuck, Jul. Milller, G. Dan. and Fr. W. Krumraacher, Ludw. and Wm. Hofacker [brothers], Kapfi' [of Stutgart], Schen- kel [of Heidelberg], Beck [of Tubingen], Steiumeyer, W. Hoffmann [both of Berlin], Sticr, Liebner, van Oriterzee [of Rotterdam, now of Utrecht], and many others. — [Tlie best English pulpit orators are Jeremy Taylor, Rbt. South, Isaac Barrow, Jos. Butler, Tillot- son, Whitefield, John Wesley, among the older, and Edward Irving, Melville, Robt. Hall, Chalmers, Guthrie, Caird, Hare, Trench, Archer Butler, Spurgeon, among the more recent. Of American preachers we mention Jonathan Edwards, Sam. Da- vies, John M. Mason, Bethune, Alexander (father and two sons) G. Spring, Skinner, Stockton, Durbin, Wayland, Lyman Beecher, Park, Bushnell, Phelps, H. Ward Beecher, etc., etc. The French pulpit is best represented by Bossuet, Bourdaloue, Massnet, among the Roman Catholics, and Saurin, Adolf Mo- nod, and Vinet, among the Reformed. — P. S.] * * [We add a more complete list of distinguished deceased American preachers, selected almost entirely from Dr. W. B. Sprague's Annals of the American Pvlpit, arranged by denominations and in chronological order. The list is, of course, very incomplete, and a number of very eloquent and useful men are omitted, because they published nothing, or were poorly educated. The most eloquent preachers in the list are put in italics; those marked (*) have left behind them one or more volumes of sermons; those marked (t) have left nothing except in pamphlet form.— P. S.] Congregational (Trinitarian). ♦Thomas Hooker Died, 1C47. ♦Benjamin Wadsworth " 1T37. ♦Benjamin Coleman, D. D. " 1747. *Jonathan Edicards " 1753. tJohn Ilooker " 1777. iSamuel Cooper, D.D " 17S3. i Joseph Bellamy, D.D.... " 1790. tPeterTliatcher, D.D " 1S02. ♦Charles Backus, D. D " 1S03. ♦David Tappan, D. D " 1S03. ♦Nathan Strong, D.D " 1S16. * Timothy Dwight, D. D.. . " 1817. ♦Jesse Appleton, D.D " 1S19. tSarauel Spring, D.D " 1819. ♦Joseph Lathrop, D. D " 1S20. ♦Samuel Worcester, D. D... " 1821. *Da rid Oxdood, D.D. " 1822. *Edicard Payaon, D.D... " 1S27. •Ebenezer Porter, D.D.... " 1834. ♦Nathaniel Emmons, D. D.. " 1840. tLconard Woods, D. D " 1854. ♦Joshua Bates, D.D " 1854. *Lyman Beecher, D.D.... " 18G3. Presbyterian. ♦Jonathan Dickinson Died, 1747. " 1757. " 1701. *lfithert Ten/nent " 176J. 3 tSamuel Finley, D. D ♦Jonathan Parsons *John Witherspoon,D.D... tSamuelBuell, D.D iJohn Pl.ur Sinith, D. D... \Jah:, l:l,ilr Linn, D.D... . *Sai,iu,l. .St.inhope Smith, Died, 1-60. " 1776. " 1794. " 1798. - 1799. " 1804. " 1819. " 1820. « 1825. " 1829. " 1831. " 1835. " 1837. " 1840. " 1841. " 184.3. " 1848. " 1850. " 18.51. " 1851. " 1854. " 18.55. " 1859. " 1861. *Jos. Addison Alcs.'mder, D.D Episcopalian. tSamuel Johnson, D.D ♦Rt. Rev. Samuel Seabury, D.D Diet Diec Died Died , 1860. , 1772. 1796. D.D.,LL.D * Sylvester Lamed tRt. Rev. John Henry Ho- hart D D 1830. *John B. Romeyn, D.D.. .. *John Mitchell Mason, D.D ^Gregory Townsmd Bedell D.D *Et. Rev. William White, D.D tSamuel Farmar Jarvis, D.D., LL.D Baptist. ■*Sa.mnel Stillman, D. D.. . . * Jonathan Maxcy, D.D.... tRichard Furman, D. D. . . . tThomas Baldwin, D.D. . .. ^Wi!liamSt.tngMon,D.D. * William Theophilus Brantley, D.D *Wm. Parkinson 1834. tJohn Holt Kice, D. D *WilliamNevins,D.D.... *Edicard Dorr GHffin, D D 1836. 1851. * Daniel A. aark iJohn BrecJcenridge, D. D. *James Pviehards, D. D *Ashbel Green, D. D tSamnel Miller, D.D *Archihald Alexander, D.D 1807, 1820. 1825. 1826. 1829. ♦Erskine Mason, D.D *Tchabod Smith Spencer, D.D 1845. 1848. 185.'). *Philip Lindsley, D. D *James W. Ale.xander, D.D Methodist. ♦Thomas Coke, LL. D iFrancis Asbury tNicholas Murray, D. D 1S!R. 34 GENERAL IIOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION. PASTORAL OR FORMAL HOMILETICS. Finding of the Subject. — This evidently depends on the above-mentioned ti'adi- tions of the church year, etc., and on circumstances which cannot be prescribed or induced from without. Standing betAvecn the Word of God and the special wants of his congregation, the minister must choose his theme according to his spiritual perception and peculiar disposition at the time. However obvious in the circum- stances a text may appear, yet the theme is always a discovery, or rather a gift from the Lord, a message to the Church, which can only be obtained or understood by prayer and meditation, by inward labor and spii'itual meditation, Divisio7i. — The sermon itself is the organic and artistic mifolding of the theme, showing the living connection between the text and the peculiar wants and circum- stances of the congregation. The theme of the discourse constitutes the fundamental idea of the sermon, and, accordingly, must pervade the whole. It is generally expressed in a short, definite proposition (which accordingly is frequently called the theme). The theme must embody both the cause and the obje(!t of the discourse ; «.e., it must have a divine basis, and at the same time a divine aim, although, in the proposition, either the cause or the object may be more prominently brought forward. The different parts of the sermon naturally flow from the theme. It is the object of the introduction to prepare the audience for the theme. Again, the subject must be presented in a lucid manner. This is the object of the proposition and of the division. The execution aims at i:)resenting the theme in all its fulness. Lastly, the subject is summed up and applied in the conclusion. The general object and benefit of the delivery is, that in it the living truth is directly communicated to the living soul. The homily, in the narrower sense (or the familiar expository lecture), differs from the sermon, in that it follows not so much the logical order of the theme, as the order of the text, which in this case is generally a larger portion of Scripture. In the sermon, the main contents of the text are compressed and expressed in the theme and in its proposition, and afterward systematically expounded in the various parts of the discourse. The distinction commonly made, of analytical and *John Suminerfield Died, 1825. tWilbur Fisk, i). D " 1839. *II&>iry Bidl&man Bascom, D.D " 1850. *Stepheii OHn, D.D., LL.D. " 1S51. tEliJHh Hedding, D. D " 1852. * William Capers, D.D.... " 1855. Dutch Kepokmed. •Theodore Jacobus Freling- hnysen Died, 1751. * William Linn, D.D " 1 SOS. ^Jnlm N. Abeel, D.D " 1812. iJohn Henry Livingston, D.D " 1825. iJbhn Melanchthon Brad- ford, D.D " 1R26. tJohn De Witt, D. D " r^'. tPhilipMilledoIer, D.D.... '• If.W. t Jacob Brodhcad, D. D " 1855. German Eefoumed. tMicliael Schlatter Died, 1700. *Charles Becljer, D. D " 1818. * Augustus Eauch, P. D. . . . " 1841. EVANG. LtJTHEEAN. tHenry Melchior Miihlen- berg Died, 17ST. tJu.stus Henry Christian irelmuth,D.D " 1883. tC.irl Rudolph Demme, D.D " 1863. Ekpokmd) Pkesbytekian. tJames McKinney Died, 1804. * Alexander McLeod, D. D. " 1883. tGilbertMcMaster, D.D.... " 1854. Associate Eefoemed. *Jam(s Gray, D.D. Died, 1824 * Alexander Proudjit, D. D. Died, 1843. ^J. M. Duncan, D. D " 1851. Unitaeian. * Jonathan ilaxjhew, D. D.. Died, *John Clarke, D. D " *Joseph Stephens Buck- minster " *Samuel Cooper Tliacher. . . " *Abiel Abbott, D.D. (of Beverly) " *James Freeman, D. D " tJohn Thornton Kirkland, D.D " * William ElUry Chan- ning,D.D " * Henry Ware, Jr., D. D... " *Francis William. Pitt Greenwood, D.D " *W. B. O. Pe.abody, D. D. . . " 1T66. 1798. 1812. 1817. 1S28. 1835. 1842. 1843. 184S. 184T. §4. PASTORAL OR FORMAL HOMILETICS. 35 synthetical discourses, is apt to mislead. Even the most analytical homily must be one in its idea and aim, otherwise it degenerates into a mere accidental exposition ; while the so-called synthetic or systematic sermon also must ever unfold the teaching of the word, if it is to be a sermon, and not merely a religious address. As inter- mediate between the homily and the sermon, we may mention those compositions in Avhich the two elements are combined, homiletic sermons and systematic homi- lies. The theme must be expressed in the proposition, briefly, clearly, strikingly, yet simply and not artificially. According to the text, or the circumstances of the case, or the state of the audience or of the speaker, it may be expressed either in a posi- tive sentence, or in the form of a query, x)r of an inscription ; in which latter case it resembles more closely the ancient homily, or the mental interchange between the congregation and the preacher. Uniformity in presenting the subject would indicate a Avant of living interchange of thought with the people — a kind of dead scholasticism and formalism, unsuited to the pulpit. The same remark holds true in reference to the division, which must not be determined simply according to the syntactic arrangement of the sentence, but flow from the subject by an interchange of thought and feeling between the preacher and the hearers. The division of the sermon will therefore vary with our varying aim. Still, it is always necessary to observe logical order, which may be expressed in the following rules. The division must, 1, embrace no more than the theme; 2, it must exhaust the theme ; 3, it must arrange it according to its essential synthetic parts ; 4, it must express the regular progress of these parts, from the cause to the final object, from the apx^ to the tc'Aos. Execution. — The same rules are here to be observed. The subject must be properly grouped, without, however, allowing this arrangement to appear too promi- nently. So far as style is concerned it behoves us to remember that ours is sacred oratory, and that the effects aimed at are spiritual m their nature. Accordingly, we must equally avoid the extreme of vulgar familiarity, and that of philosophic pom- posity or of flowery poetry. Delivery. — Here also art comes into play. The delivery of the discourse, in reference botli to what is heard and what is seen (declamation and action), must not be rude nor unstudied. On the otlier hand, it must be free from extravagance or aflfectation. It must be natural, in the sense of corresponding to and expressing the subject treated, and yet distinctive, according to the individuality of the preacher, always bearing in mind that he is but the minister of the Avord. Literature.* — The principal writers on Practi- cal Theologii are Baxter, Burk, Schwarz, Kijster, Marheineke, HufTell, Harms, Gaiipp, Nitzsch, Scblei- ermacher, Moll, Ebrard. The chief works on Homi- letics are those of Schott [translated in part by Dr. Park in earlier vols, of the Bibliotheca Sacra. — P. S.], Theremin [trsl. by Dr. Shedd.— P. S.], Stier, Alex. Schweizer, Palmer, Baur, Vinet [trsl. by Dr. Skinner.— P. S.]. On the History of Pulpit Eloquence^! we refer to the works of Schuler, Amnion, Schmidt, Panicl, and Lentz, also Beyer : Das Wesen per christl. Prcdir/t, 1861, and Kirsch : Die j^opn- larc Predicft, 1861. [Comp. Henry C. Fish: His- tory aiid llcposltory of Pulpit Eloquence (a collec- tion of the masterpieces of the greatest preachers of different ages and denominations, w'ith biographi- cal sketches, and a masterly introductory essay by Dr. Park, of Andover), New York, 1857, 3 vols. — P. S.] [Omitted in the Edinb. trsl— P. B.] 36 nOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. FOURTH SECTION. HOMILETICAL INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT. The rules wliich we have already given apply specially to the homiletical treat- ment of the New Testament, It may be considered a mark of progress, that in our days, more than in the ancient Church, the New Testament is chosen as the subject of exposition ; although, on the other hand, Socinian and Rationalistic views may have led to a depreciation of the Old Testament. In opposition to any such ten- dency, it is suiBcient to remark, that the Apostles themselves based their teaching upon the Old Testament, and that the saying of Paul, in 2 Tim. iii. 16, applies to air times. Deeper and more spiritual views of the New Testament as the fulfilment of the Old, and that of all jsrophecies of creation and of ancient history, -^all lead us, in expounding the New Testament, ever to refer to the Old, and thus to enrich and explain, to enlarge and to quicken, our addresses. The point to be always kept in mind is this, that in Christ alone is all fulness. Literature.* — 1. Homiletical and Practical Commentaries on the New Tcstameoit. C. H. Rie- ger : Betrachtungen iiber das iV. T. zum Wachs- thum in der Gnade und JErkenntniss Jesu Christi. Tubingen, 1828, 2 vols. Heubner: Prahtische Er- klarung des iV. T. Potsdam, 1860, sqq. Besser : Bibclstunden. Halle, 1854, sqq. Mad. Guyon : La Ste. Bible, avec des explications. Amsterd., lYlB-'lS, 20 vols. Also the commentaries of Ben- gel, Bogatzky, Gossner. [The best English commen- tators for homiletical and practical use are Henry, Scott, Gill, Doddridge, Burkitt, Barnes (Hodge on the Romans). Comp. also David Brown and others : A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, arid Practical, on the Old and New Testaments. Glasgow and London, 1863 sqq. — P. S.] 2. Expositions of the Pericopes, or Gospels and Epistles for the year. A large number of German sermon books of Herberger, Rambach, Harms, Stier, the two Hofackers, Kapff, Hirscher (R. Cath.), Lisco, etc. ♦ [Omitted in the Edinb. trsl.— P. S.] APPENDIX. 37 APPENDIX. — Table of the Ancient Scripture Lessons, or Gospels and Epistles for the Sundays of the Year.* The Gospels. 1. Advent Matt. xxi. 1-9. 2. " Luke xxi. 25-36. 3. " M.att. xi. 2-10. 4. " John i. 19-28. 1. Christmas Luke ii. 1-U. The Epistles. Rom. xiii. 11-14. Rom. XV. 4-13. 1 Cor. iv. 1-5. Phil. iv. 4-7. Tit. ii. 11-14. (Isa. ix. 2-7.) 2. " Luke ii. 15-40. Tit. iii. 4-7. (St. Btephen'8 Day) Matt, xxiii 34-39. Acts vi. 8-vii. 2. 3. Christmas John 1. 1-14. Ilebr. i. 1-12. (St. John's Day).. . John xxi. 20-24. 1 John i. Sunday after Christmas Luke ii. 33-40. Gal. iv. 1-7. New Ye.ir's Day ; Circumcision.... Luke ii. 21. Gal. iii. 23-29. Sunday after New Year. Matt. ii. 13-23. 1 Pet. iv. 12-19. Epiphany Matt. ii. 1-12. Isa. Ix. 1-6. 1. Sunday after Epiphany Luke ii. 41-52. Rom. xii. 1-6. 2. Sunday after Epiphany John ii. 1-11. Rom. xii. 7-16, 3. Sunday after Epiphany Matt. vui. 1-13. Rom. xii. 17-21. 4. Sunday after Epiphany Matt. viii. 23-27. Rom. xiii. 8-10. 5. Sunday after Epiphany Matt. xiii. 24-30. Col. iii. 12-17. 6. Sunday after Epiphany Matt. xvii. 1-9. 2 Pet. i. 16-21. Septuagesima Matt. xx. 1-16. 1 Cor. ix. 24-x 5. Sexagesima Luke viii. 4-15. 2 Cor. xi. 19-xii. 9. Estomihi t Luke xviii. 31-43. 1 Cor. xiii. Invocavit Matt. iv. 1-11. 2 Cor. vi. 1-10. Reminiscere Matt. xv. 21-28. 1 Thess. iv. 1-7. OcuU Luke xi. 14-28. Eph. v. 1-9. LsBtare John vi. 1-15. Gal. iv. 21-31. Judica John viii. 46-59. Hebr. ix. 11-15. Palm Sunday Matt. xxi. 1-9. Phil. ii. 5-11. MoundayThursd'y John xiii. 1-15. 1 Cor. xi. 23-32. Good Friday Histoiy of the Pas- Isa. liii. sion. I.Easter Markxvi.1-8. 1 Cor. v. 6-8. 2. " Luke xxiv. 13-35. Acts x. 34-11. 3. " Luke xxiv. 36-47. Acts xiii. 26-33 . 1. Sunday after Easter (Quasi- modog.) John sx. 19-31. 1 John v. 4-10. 2. Sunday after Easter (Miser. Dom.) John x. 12-16. 1 Pet. ii. 21-25. 3. Sunday after Easter (Jubilate) John xvi. 16-23. 1 Pet. ii. 11-20. 4. Sunday after Easter (Cantatc) John xvi. 5-15. James i. 16-21. 5. Sunday after Easter (Rogate). John xvi. 23-30. James i. 22-27. Ascension Day .. . . Mark xvi. 14-20. Acts i. 1-11. 6. Sunday after Easter (Exaudi). John xv. 26-xvi. 4. 1 Pet. iv. 8-11. The Gospels. The Epistles. 1. Pentecost John xiv. 23-31. Acts ii. 1-13. 2. " John iii. 16-21. Acts x. 42-46. 3- " John X. 1-11. Acts viii. 14-17. Trinity Sunday. . .. John iii. 1-15. Rom. xi. 33-36. 1. Sunday after Trinity Luke xvi. 19-31. IJohn iv. 16-21. 2. Sunday after Trinity Luke xiv. 16-24. 1 John iii. 13-18. 3. Sunday .after Trinity Luke xv. 1-10. 1 Pet. v. 6-11. 4. Sunday after Trinity Luke vi. 36-42. Rom. viii. 18-^. 5. Sunday after Trinity Luke v. 1-lL 1 Pet. iii. 8-15. 6. Sunday after Trinity Matt. v. 20-26. Rom. vi. 3-11. 7. Sunday after Trinity Mark viii. 1-9. Eom. vi. 19-23. 8. Sunday after Trinity Matt. vii. 15-23. Rom. viii. 12-17, 9. Sunday after Trinity Luke xvi. 1-9. 1 Cor. x. 6-13. . 10. Sunday after Trinity Luke xix. 41-48. 1 Cor. xii. 1-11. 11. Sunday after Trinity Luke xviii. 9-14. 1 Cor. x v. 1-10. 12. Sunday after Trinity Mark vii. 31-37. 2 Cor. iii. 4-11. 13. Sunday after Trinity Luke x. 23-37. Gal. iii. 15-22. 14. Sunday after Trinity Luke xvii. 11-19. Gal. v. 16-24 15. Sunday after Trinity Matt. vi. 24-34. Gal. v. 25-vi 10. 16. Sunday after Trinity Luke vii. 11-17. Eph. iii. 13-2L 17. Sunday after Trinity Luke xiv. 1-11. Eph. iv. 1-6. 18. Sunday after Trinity Matt. xxii. 34-46. 1 Cor. i. 4-9. 19. Sunday after Trinity Matt. ix. 1-8. Eph. iv. 22-28. 20. Sunday after Trinity Matt. xxii. 1-14. Eph. v. 15-21. 21. Sunday after Trinity John iv. 47-54. Eph. vi. 10-17. 22. Sunday after Trinity Matt, xviii. 23-35. Phil. i. 3-11. 23. Sunday after Trinity Matt. xxii. 15-22. Phil. iii. 17-21. 24. Sunday after Trinity Matt. ix. 18-26. Col. i. 9-14. 25. Sunday after Trinity Matt. xxiv. 15-28. 1 Thess. iv. 13-18. 26. Sunday after Trinity Matt. xxv. 31-46. 2 Pet. iii. 3-14. 27. Sunday after Trinity Matt. xxv. 1-13. 1 Thess. v. 1-11. * [This Table is likewise omitted in the Edb. trsl. But as it belongs to the homiletical character of this Commen- tary and is frequently referred to in the Homiletical sections, we have retained it witli the exception of the Apostles' Days, and Days of the Virgin Mary, which are very rarelv observed among Protestants. The old series of Gospels and Epistles is essentially the s.ame in the Rom. Cath., Luth., Episcop., and Germ. Reform. Churches with a few variations. Compare the Tables in the Episc. Common Prayer Book, in the Germ. Ref Liturgy of 1857, pp. 30-33, and in many Lutheran and Reformed Liturgies .-md Hymn Books.— P. S.] t [This and the following Latin titles are the initial words of the introductory Latin Psalms appointed for these several Sundays in the Latin Church.— P. S.] 1 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW; OE, THE GOSPEL OF THEOOEATIO HISTOEY, {SYMBOLIZED BY THE SACRIFICIAL BULLOCK.) INTRODUCTION. §1. DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FIRST GOSPEL. The genealogy at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew is of the greatest importance. The first Gospel connects the New Testament most intimately with the Old, not by an index of the writings of the Old Testament, but by the Old Testament genealogy of Jesus. This serves as evndence of the indissoluble connection between the Old and the New Testament, which continued in the secret recesses of Jewish life even during tlie age of the Apocrypha. It expresses at the same time the important truth, that God's revelation was carried on not only by the spoken and written word, but also, and chiefly, in and by the seed of Abraham, through a succession of living men, until it reached its climax in the personal incarnation, in Christ. In the Gospel by Matthew, the life of Jesus is presented as forming part of the history and life of the Jewish nation ; and hence as the fulfilment of the hereditary blessing of Abraham. Jesus is here set before us as the new-born King of the Jews, as the promised Messiah, and the aim and goal of every progressive stage of tlie Theocracy. He is the great Antitype of Old Testament history, in whom everything has been fulfilled — the types in the law, in worship, in historical events, and in gracious interpositions — in short, the fulfilment of the Theocracy. In and with Him the Old Covenant is transformed into the New, the Theocracy into the kingdom of heaven, the demands of the law into the beatitudes, Sinai into the Mount of Beatitudes, the prophetic into the teaching office, the priesthood into redemption by suffering, and the kingship into the triumph of almighty grace, restoring, helping, and delivering a fallen world. But as Christ formed both the central truth and the crown of the entire history of the Old Covenant, Ilis life, and the perfect revelation of God in Him, were necessarily opposed to the carnal and spurious form which Judaism had assumed in that age, or the historical traditional- ism of the Scribes. This claimed to expound the full import of the law of Moses, and assumed the appearance of strictest conformity to its requirements, but, in point of fact, it perverted the Old Testament into a series of outward ordinances, utterly destructive of the spirit of the law, and which from their very nature evoked scepticism on the one hand, and false spiritualism on the other, while they necessarily led to the decay of national life. The truth of this statement 40 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. appears but too clearly from the connection of the Judaism of the Pharisees and Scribes with the scepticism of tlie Sadducecs, the false spiritualism of the Essenes, and the semi-heathen and semi-Jewish rule of Herod the Iduma3an. This essential antagonism between true and false Judaism accounts for the persecution and the sufterings of the Christ of God. In truth, His life was a continuous conflict between the real and the spurious King of Israel, between the true Prophet and the spurious claims of the Scribes and Pharisees, between the true High Priest and a carnal priesthood. This contest issued in Ilis deatli upon the cross. Hence Christ is at the same time the heir of the blessing and the heir of the curse, which descended upon Him through the successive ages of history. Viewed in Himself, as the Son of God and the Son of Man, He is the great Heir of the blessing of Abraham, and of humanity in general ; for from the first the human family was elected and blessed in Him. On the other hand, in His history, — i. e., through the connection subsisting between His sinless divine-human Person and His guilty and sin-laden brethren, — the curse due, in the first place, to His people Israel, and in the next, to all mankind, is seen to descend and to meet upon Him. But by His world-conquering love, tlie curse of the cross became in turn the greatest of blessings, even the reconciliation of the world. The glorious fact, that by the death of Christ the reconciliation of the world had been accomplished, became immediately manifest in His resurrection. Hence He who, in the execution of His mission, was subject to every human condition and limitation, — who, during His earthly course, was despised and rejected of men, and in His death bore the concentrated weight of every curse. He, the image of God from heaven, for His great love cast downi to hell by His blinded people, appears in His resurrection as the glorious and sovereign Lord and King, to whom all power is given in heaven and upon earth, and who gathers His elect from every nation and kindred. The history of Jesus, as delineated by Matthew, is at the same time the fulfilment and the transformation of all history. If that Evangelist has given us chiefly the History of the gospel, he has also furnished the Gospel of history. As here presented to our view, the Saviour not only sounds the depths of every sorrow, but also transforms it. It is this transformation of sorrow which constitutes the Priesthood of the Spirit. For, by His unconditional self-surrender, prompted by unspeakable love, the sacrificial Lamb became the eternal High Priest. The covenant blessing which Jesus had inherited as the Son of Abraham now opened up in all its fulness, and appeared as the fulfilment and the climax of every blessing hitherto vouchsafed to our earth. The Hngdotn of heaven — the eter- nal Canaan — was no longer confined to one spot, but all, of whatever nation or kindred, who were poor in spirit, and thus the true seed of Abraham, were to be admitted citizens of this spiritual and heavenly country. From its prevailing historical character, the Gospel of Matthew may be regarded as forming the basis of all the others. It dwells chiefly on the great facts of the life of Jesus as foretold and foreshadowed in the Old Testament ; while Mark sketches His individual personality, Luke presents Him in His mercy to humanity at large, and John, in his symbolical, divinely ideal Gospel, opens to our view the fulness of grace and of truth which came by Jesus Christ. In its typological view and exposition of the Old Testament, the Gospel according to Mat- thew strongly resembles the Epistle to the Hebrews. §2. MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST. From his peculiar genius, his training, and his apostolical calling, Matthew Levi, the publi- can and Apostle, was peculiarly fitted for the task of writing this Gospel. In truth, his Gospel is just the embodiment of the faith and blissful joy which sprung up in his own heart from a view of the Lord and a survey of His history. What he saw and beheved, he presents to his readers. Before his conversion, Matthew was employed in collecting toll and custom by the Lake of Gennesaret (Matt. ix. 9 sq.). He is the same with " Levi, son of Alpheus," whom, according to Luke V. 27, 29 ; Mark ii. 14, the Lord called from the receipt of custom. For the special COMrOSITION OF THIS GOSPEL. 41 calls of Christ in the Gospels refer always to the apostolic office, and besides this, only one of the Apostles — Matthew — had formerly been a publican. The change of name cannot be re- garded as an objection, as several of the Apostles adopted a new name expressive of their altered views or calling. His old name, Lex^i (for Levite, I'lb), might either express the idea of Jewish legalism, or, from its etymology (i^V), attachment and dependence. The name Mat- theic, which he adopted, is not identical with Matthias (n^nTQ, efciScopos or GeoSoroj). The dif- ferent formation of the word points to a different derivation. Besides, another of the disciples bore the name of Xathanael^ or " gifc of God." The word ip^a signifies full extension or growth — in concreto, like n^ one who is fully grown, a man, a hero : add to this the word Jah, and the name might be interpreted as meaning " God's free man," in opposition to Levi, the servant of the law. Such at least was Matthew, whatever may be deemed the right interpretation of his name.* The great and gracious calling of Matthew from the receipt of custom to the apostolic office took place at a time when many publicans and sinners (or excommunicated persons) were awakened by the word of the Lord. Even before that, however, Matthew had been an "Israelite indeed," familiar and imbued with the spirit of the Old Testament. The circum- stance that, although deeply attached to the religion of his fathers, he adopted an occupation against which such strong prejudices were entertained, would seem to indicate that, to some extent at least, he could distinguish between the true essence of Judaism and its outward forms and traditional prejudices. In his conversion, this distinction was fully impressed on his mind. Internal and external Judaism, spiritual and outward tradition, the fulfilment of genuine hope in Christ, and its perversion in the carnal expectations of the Jews, — such are the fundamental ideas of his Gospel, and set before his readers in that orderly, rubrical, business-like manner, to which he had been trained in the school of his former employment as a publican. Thia methodical arrangement of the subject, an aptitude for descrying and presenting any grand contrast in a striking manner, to which must be added a peculiar breadth of mind, formed the mental qualifications of our Evangelist for his work, which were still further developed in the school of grace. The New Testament furnishes no details of his later activity as an Apostle. According to Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. iii. 24), Matthew proclaimed the Gospel first to the Hebrews, and then went to other nations, after having " committed his Gospel to writing in his native language " (the Hebrew). Later historians report. that he had gone to Ethiopia (to Meroe), and there preached the Gospel (Socrates, Hist. Eccles. i. 19; Rufinus x. 9). According to the earlier statement of Clement of Alexandria (Strom, iv.), he died a natural death : later writers speak of his martyrdom! (Mart. Rom. 21 Sept. Abdiso Hist. Ap. 7). Isidore of Seville represents him as laboring in Macedonia, Symeon Metaphrastes in Upper Syria, Ambrosius in Persia, and others in different places. But we attach no historical value to any of these notices, except those of Clement and Eusebius. According to an ancient tradition, Matthew remained in Jeru- salem for fifteen years after the ascension of the Lord (Clement Alex. Strom, vi.). Matthew and John alone have the honor of being at the same time Apostles and Evange- lists. As Evangelist, our publican stands first in order, and opens the message of salvation, even as Mary Magdalene, who had been a sinner, was the first to bring tidings of the resurrec- tion. §3. COMPOSITION OF THIS GOSPEL. 1. As to the original language of the first Gospel, the most ancient and trustworthy wit- nesses record that Matthew wrote it in Hebrew. The testimonies to this eff"ect commence with that of Papias of Hierapolis, at the beginning of the second century, who evidently refers to the written Gospel by Matthew (see Euseb. H. E. iii. 39). His statement is confirmed by * For other derivations of tho name, see "Winer's £i7>l. Real-Wbrterbuch. + The legend runs, that one of the attendants of Ilirtacus, king of Ethiopia, murdered Matthew, by piercing him through the bacli while at prayer. The revenge of the king was prompted by the conversion of ^Egyppus, his predecessor on the throne, who, with his whole family, had adopted Christianity in consequence of the preaching of Matthew. 42 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. almost all the older Fathers, such as Irensous, Origeu, Eusebius, Jerome, and Eplphanius. On the other hand, however, an independent examination of our present Greek Gospel by Mat- thew, and especially of the independent form of his quotations from the Old Testament as com- pared with the Heptuagint, leaves the impression of an original work, whether it was wiitten by Matthew himself, or by some other person clothed witli apostolic authority. Papias relates that this Gosi)el was repeatedly interpreted, and the ajjostolic Church undoubtedly retained its most trustworthy rendering. This translation was preserved in its purity, and obtained canon- ical authority; while the Hebrew original was afterwards corrupted and interpolated by the Jewish-Christian sects, and in this heretical form called the Gospel of the Ilelrew)'^ which lost or rather never enjoyed canonical authority. The wliole tenor of the first Gospel proves, that it was originally destined for Jewish Christians. Matthew evidently assumes that his readers are conversant with the Old Testament, with the sacred writings, and with Palestine and its manners. If this view be correct, we also gather how different the tenets of the early Jewish Christians were from those of the later Ebionites. Christians who could appreciate his narra- tive -would not afterwards confound the Gospel with legal and ceremonial traditionalism. The genuineness of the first two chapters of this Gospel has been doubted, but without any good reason. We might as well separate the head from the body as call in question the chap- ters, which form the basis of the whole Gospel. Such doubts belong to a period, happily gone by, when commentators and critics had not the most remote conception of the fundamental ideas and the organic connection of the various Gospels. 2. Time of Composition. — From such passages as chaps, xxvii. 8, and xxviii. 15, we infer that this Gospel was composed a considerable time after the resurrection of Christ. Again, we may conjecture from chap. xxiv. 15, that it was written when the temple of Jerusalem was already, in a certain sense, desecrated by the " abomination of desolation." Of course it must date from before the destruction of Jerusalem, although that event was already foreshadowing. Hence we may date the Gospel of Matthew from the year 67 to 69. 3. Authenticity. — For the many testimonies in favor of the authenticity of this Gospel, we refer the reader to the various Introductions^ especially to Kirchhofer's Collection of Sources (Quellensarnmlunf/) for the History of the New Testament Canon (Zur., 1842). Papias already knew this Gospel, the expression recorded by Eusebius (H. E. iii. 39) manifestly referring to a Gospel,— the word Aoyta applying to the entire evangelical tradition of Matthew, and not merely to a collection of sayings, as appears from the similar statement about Mark. The Diatessaron of Tatian, which dates from the middle of the second century, shows that at that time all the four Gospels had already been recognized by the Church; and it must be remem- bered that Tatian was a disciple of Justin, and that the Memorabilia {aTroixv-qixovevjiaTa) point back to an earlier period. In the second half of the second century, the founder of the Cate- chetical School at Alexandria met with the Gospel of Matthew among the Arabs (Euseb. v. 10). The testimony of Irenaius (adversus hseres. iii. 1) dates from about the same period ; after which we have the testimonies of Origen, Eusebius, Ei)iphanius, Jerome, and others. 4. Title. — As in the inscription to all the other Gospels, so in this also, the expression, According to Matthew {Kara MarSntoi/), calls attention to the important fact, that, notwithstand- ing the human diversity appearing in the Gospels, they form but one Divine message of salva- tion. §4. THEOLOGICAL AND HOMILETICAL TREATMENT OF THIS GOSPEL.* "We confine ourselves here to the special works on Matthew, having already noticed the general commentaries on the New Testament. Among the older monographs on Matthew we mention Melanchthon : Breves Commentarii in Matthaum, Strasb., 1523; CEcolampadius : Enarrationes in Evang. Matthcei, Baa., 1586; and similar works of Wolfg. Musoulus, Oleakius, &c. Modern commentators of Matthew, in full or in part, are : Geiesbach ; Wizenmann {The History of Jesus according to Matth.) ; Men- * [This whole sectiou is omitted in the Edinb. edition.— P. S.] §5. ITS FUNDAMENTAL IDEA AND ORG^VNISM. 43 KEN (Meditations on the Gospel of M., 2 vols., Frankf., 1809 ; Bremen, 1822, — homiletical and practical) ; Haenack (Jesus the Christ, or the Fuljillcr of the Law, a bibl. thool. Essay on the basis of the Gospel of Matth,, Elberf., 1842); Tiioluok [Commentary on the Sermon on the ' Mount, Matt, v.-vii., Hamburg, 1833, 3d ed., 1845 ; translated into English by R. L. Beown, Edinb., 1860 ; it is regarded as the most elaborate and valuable exegetical work of Dr. Tho- luck, — P. S.] ; Kling (The Sermon on the Mount, Marburg, 1841) ; [Fr. Arndt, of Berlin, Ser- mons on the Sermon on the Mount, Magdeb., 1889, 2 vols. — P. S. ;] Lisoo [and especially TrenohJ on the Parables, and on the Miracles of Jesus (several editions) ; Stier (in the Reden Jesu) [Words of Jesus, vols. i. and ii., German and English]; Hkubner (Practical Com., vol. i. : IVic Gospel of Matth., Potsdam, 1855) ; and the Roman Catholic divines: Arnoldi (The Gospel of Matth., Treves, 1856); Sohegg (Munich, 1856); and Bcoher (Schaffhausen, 1855). Comp. also the critical essays of Harless: Pe compositione Evang. quod Matthceo trihuitur (Erlangen, 1842), and Delitzsoh : On the Origin and Plan of Matth. (Leipz., 1853); also the exegetical monograph of Dorner: De oratione Christi eschatologica, Stuttg., 1844 [on !Matt. xxiv.]. For fuller lists of older writers on Matthew, see Heidegger: EnchiiHdion Mlllcum, p. 464; Waloh, BiUioth. theol., p. 468 ; Danz : UniversalwarterlucJi der theol. Literatur, p. 636-'46, and the Supplement, p. 73 and 73 ; Winek : Eand- buch der theol. Lit., i., p. 245 sqq.. Supplement, p. 33 ; and Schmidt : Biblioth. theol. (Ilalle, 1S55), p. 86. [American works on Matthe"^. — ^Jos. Addison Alexander (0. S, Presbyt.) : The Gospel ac- cording to MattheiD (New York, 1861). The last work of the author, completed only to the close of chapter xvi. ; with a short analysis of the remaining chapters which he finished a few days before his death. William Nast (educated in the university of Tiibingen, minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and editor of a German religious periodical in Cincinnati) : Krl- tisch-PraTctischer Commentar ilher das K T., vol. i. on Matthew (Cincinnati, 1860). It is now being translated into English under the supervision of the author. D. D. TVhedon (Method. Episc.) : A Commentary on the Gospels of Matthew and MarTc, for popular use (New York, 1861). T. J. CoNANT (Baptist) : The Gospel J^y Matthew. The Common English Version and the Received Greek Text; with a Revised Version and Critical and Philological Notes ; prepared for the Amer. Bible Union (New York, 1860). Oomp. also the popular Commentaries on the Gospels by A. Barnes (N. S. Presbyt.), Prof. Owen (N. S. Presbyt.) and Prof. Jacobus (0. S. Presbyt.), and Robinson's and Strong's Harmonies. — P. S.] § 5. FUNDAMENTAL IDEA AND ORGANISM OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. Jesus, the offspring of David, is the fulfilment of the Old Covenant. His doctrine and His life embody the essence and the spirit of the Old Testament Theocracy — Judaism is its funda- mental idea and import, — thus proving that He was the promised Christ of God. But, on this very ground, His history presents a continual antagonism with the spurious and degenerate Judaism, represented by the hierarchy of His age. In this conflict, while outwardly succumb- ing, He achieves that triumph by which His eternal kingdom is established. lie dies, — but as the great atoning sacrifice by which the world is reconciled to God ; and this reconciliation constitutes the basis of His kingdom. Viewed in this light, the Gospel of Matthew presents to us the fulfilment of the Old Cove- nant. It is the Gospel of the law, of the priesthood, of the genealogies, of history, of suffer- ings, and of death, — in a word, the Gospel of the promised and accomplished atonement, of the predicted and achieved triumph. As fulfilling the Old Covenant, Jesus Christ transforms the typical Theocracy into the ever- lasting kingdom of heaven ; and that in His capacity as eternal Prophet, High Priest, and King., — i. e., as the true Christ. Part First. Jesus comes into this world, as the true theocratic Messiah, to fulfil the Old Covenant. He remains unknown to, and unrecognized by, the outward and worldly Theocracy of His day ; 44 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. yea, lie was rejected and cast out. Hence He is destined to undertake His Messianic pilgrimage in obscurity and humility; but He is glorified and attested by God. 1st Section. — Prophetic types of the Messiah in the genealogy of the Messiah (Ch. i. 1-17). 2d Section. — Jesus, as miraculously conceived by Ilis mother in faith, or in the mystery of His incarnation, is not recognized even by the legitimate representative of the house of David (Joseph), till attested by an angel from heaven (Vers. 18-25). Zd Section.— On His appearance upon earth. He is rejected, despised, and pertocuted by the theocratic city, the theocratic priesthood, and royalty; but owned by God in sign., from heaven, in the adoration of wise men from the heathen world, in His miraculous and Divine preservation, effected by the flight into Egypt, and by His concealment during His youth iu the obscurity of Galilee (Ch. ii.), Aith Section. — On entering upon His public ministry, Jesus remained still unknown, even to those who had humbled themselves and professed penitence in Israel. In the baptism unto repentance He receives His solemn consecration unto the death which He was to accom- plish, while at the same time He is owned and glorified by the Father as His beloved Son, — the whole blessed Trinity shedding its lustre around Him, and His advent being announced by His special messenger, John (Ch. iii.). bth Section. — Jesus renouncing the world, and commencing His conquest of it. While prepar- ing for the public discharge of His office, He has to encounter the threefold temptation of Satan, corresponding to the threefold form in which a worldly minded people had shaped to themselves their hopes of the Messiah. Thus Jesus is constrained to conceal His dignity from the people, and to commence His work in the despised district of Galilee. But God glorifies Him in the homage paid to Him by His disciples and the people (Ch. iv.). Part Second, Christ manifests Himself as the true Messiah in His continual conflict with the spurious notions entertained by the Jews concerning the Messiah, and proves Himself the promised Prophet, King, and High Priest. Ist Section. — Christ manifests Himself as the Prophet : a. As Teacher of the kingdom of heaven, in the Sermon on the Mount (Ch. v. to vii.). K As Wonder-worker of the kingdom of heaven, attesting and confirming His word (Ch. viii. and ix.). 2d Section. — Christ manifests Himself as the King : a. As Shepherd of His people, in sending to the scattered sheep His twelve Apostles, en- dowed with the power of His Spirit, for the purpose of establishing the kingdom of heaven (Ch. x.). b. By bringing out clearly the fact that He has not been owned as Prophet, and by mani- festing His royal dignity (Ch, ix.). c. By proving Himself Lord of the Sabbath, Lord of the people, Conqueror of the king- dom of Satan, the future Judge of His foes, and the Founder of the kingdom of love, or of the family of the saints (Ch. xii.). d. By presenting in parables the foundation and the development of His kingdom through all its phases, from its commencement to its termination (Ch. xiii. 1-51). Zd Section. — Christ manifests Himself as the High Priest in His sufferings; — being rejected, a. By His own city, Nazareth (Ch. xiii. 52-58). T). By the political despotism of Herod, the ruler of Galilee (Ch, xiv.). c. By the Scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem, or the theological authorities of the schools (Ch. XV.). d. By the Pharisees and Sadducees, or the theocratical authorities of the whole coun- try (Ch, xvi. 1-12). 5. ITS FUNDAMENTAL IDEA AND ORGANISM. 45 Part Third. Christ presents the future picture of the kingdom of heaven, in (i])])()sitiou to the traditional form of the ancient workl and Theocracy. 1st Section. — The Church in its prophetic character, as confessing Clirist the Sou of God, in opposition to the legal opinions concerning Him entertained by the synagogue : a. The Church as confessing Clirist (Ch. xvi. 18-20). h. The Church as bearing the cross of Christ, in contrast to that worldly fear of the cross by which He is tempted (Vers. 21-28). c. The Church as a spiritual communion, in opposition to the solitary tents of spurious separation from the world as exhibited in the history of anchoretism and monasticism (Ch. xvii. 1-8). d. The Church as wholly unknown and hidden (Vers. 9-13). e. The Church as wonder-working by the spiritual power of prayer and fasting (Vers. 14-21). /. The Church in its human weakness (Vers. 22, 23). g. The Church as free, and yet voluntarily subject, and paying tribute to the old temple (Vers. 24-27). 2(? Section. — The priestly order in the Church of Christ : a. The hierarchy of the service of love (Ch. xviii. 1-14). h. The discipline of the Church (Vers. 15-20). c. Absolution in the Church (Vers. 21-35). 3(Z Section. — The priestly family in the Church : a. Marriage in the Church (Ch. xix. 1-12). I. Children in the Church (Vers. 13-15). c. Property in the Church (Vers. 16-23). 4^A Section. — Future Tcingly manifestation of the Church : a. Glorious reward of the Apostles, and of all who renounce the world (Vers. 27-30). I. Keward by free grace (Ch. xx. 1-16). Part Fourth. Christ surrendering Himself to the Messianic faith of His people. 1st Section. — Full prophetic anticipation of the end (Oh. xx. 17-19). 2has (Vers. 57-68). 7th Section.— Feter (Vers. 69-75). 8th Section. — Judas and the high priests (Ch. xxvii. 1-10). ^th Section. — Pilate, the Jews, and the band of soldiers (Vers. 11-31). IQth Section.— Go\goih2. (Vers. 32-56). 11th Section. — The burial and the sealing of the tomb (Vers. 57-66). Part Seventh. Christ in His full hingly glory (Ch. xxviii.). 1st Section. — The angel from heaven (Vers. 1-8). 2d Section. — The Lord, and the women worshipping Him (Vers. 9, 10). M Section. — Judaism and its saying; or, impotent end of the old world (Vers. 11-15). A:th Section. — Almighty rule of Christ, and His kingdom in lieaven and on earth (Vers. 16-20). aVo^e.— The view lately broached by Delitzsch (in the Essay: Neue Untersuchungen uber Entstehwig der kanoni- sehen Evangelien, Part I., Leipz., 1S53), on the connection between the Gospel of Matthew and the Pentateuch, is ex- ceedingly ingenious, although somewhat strained. Delitzsch sets out by selecting the passage in Matthew v. 17, "lam not come to destroy, but to fnlfll," etc., as containing the fundamental idea of the whole Gospel. Thus far we agree with him ; but we demur to his inference from this verse, that not only has the Old Testament Theocracy, in all its parts, been fulfilled in the life of the Lord, but that the arrangement of the Gospel is such, that its five parts correspond to, and fulfil, the five portions of the Pentateuch. Our author proceeds to prove this hypothesis by showing how the first chapter of Matthew, or the Book of the Genesis of Christ, corresponds with the Book of Genesis. Similarly as the Book of Exodus opens with the murder of the Hebrew infants in Egypt, so the second chapter of Matthew with that of the infants in Bethlehem. In general, many and striking points of analogy are brought out. The Sermon on the Mount is, of course, the counterpart of the giving of tho law. Ag.ain, Matt. viii. 1 is a fulfilment of the Book of Leviticus: the cleansing of the leper pointing to the corresponding legal ordinances. Still farther. Matt. x. 1 corresponds to the Book of Numbers,— the numbering of the twelve tribes being fulfilled in the selection of the twelve Apostles. Lastly, the portion correspond- ing to the Book of Deuteronomy commences with ch. xix., when the ministry in Galilee ceases, and that in JudaBa be- gins. In this case Genesis and Leviticus evidently would be too short. Numbers and Deuteronomy too long. The same disproportion would apply to the single parts. The hypothesis is ingenious, but fanciful, and has the disadvantage of over- rating a supposed formal correspondence at the expense of the inward and material correspondence. The main thing to be kept in view is the great fact, that the Old Testament Theocracy itself was fulfilled— not In the letter, but in tho spirit- by the kingdom of heaven under the New Testament. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW, PART FIRST. Jesus comes into this world, as the Messiah of the true Theocracy, to fulfil the Old Covenant. He remains unkno-wn to and unrecognized by the outward and secular Theocracy of His day. Rejected and cast out by His own. He undertakes secretly His first Messianic pilgrimage into Egypt. But He is glorified and attested by God. FIRST SECTION. PROPHETIC TYPES OF THE MESSIAH, IN THE GENEALOGY OF THE MESSIAH. Chapter I. 1-17 (Lnke iii. 23-38). CONTEJJTS :— 1. Superscription.— 2. Fundamental Idea.— 8. The Three Divisions of the Genealogy. — L Number of the Generations. 1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac ; David the king ^ begat Solomon — Isaac begat Jacob ; _ of her that had been the wife of Unas ; Jacob begat Judas and his brethren ; Y Solomon begat Roboam ; 3 Judas begat Phares and Zara — Roboam begat Abia ; of Thamar ; Abia begat Asa ; Phares begat Esrom ; 8 Asa begat Josaphat ; Esrom begat Aram ; Josaphat begat Joram ; 4 Aram begat Aminadab ; Joram begat Ozias ; Aminadab begat Naasson ; 9 Ozias begat Joatham ; Naasson begat Salmon ; Joatliam begat Achaz ; 5 Salmon begat Booz — Achaz begat Ezekias ; of Rachah ; 10 Ezekias begat Manasses ; Booz begat Obed — Manasses begat Amon ; of Ruth ; Amon begat Josias ; Obed begat Jesse ; 11 Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, 6 Jesse begat David the king ; about the time they were carried away (/^crotKeo-ta) to Babylon ; 12 And after they were brought to Babylon — Jechonias begat Salathiel ; Salatliiel begat Zorobabel ; 13 Zorobabel begat Abiud ; Abiud begat Eliakim ; Eliakira begat Azor : 48 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 14 Azor begat Sadoc ; Sudoc begat Achim ; Achiu> begat Eliud ; 15 Eliud begat Eleazar ; Eleazar begat Matthan ; Matthan begat Jacob ; 16 Jacob begat Josepli, tlie husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ [the Messiali].* 1 7 So all the generations from Abraham to David, are fourteen generations ; and from David, until the carrying away into Babylon, are. fourteen generations ; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ, are, fourteen generations. 1 Ver. 6.— [The title b $a.(ri\evs, the king, is repeated in tlie texi/ua recepPus with the majority of MSS. and retained by Meyer, Wordsworth, Lange, but omitted by some of the oldest MSS. and versions, and in tiie critical editions of Lach- raann, Tischendorf, Trcgelles, Alford (iu his fourth ed.). The repetition maybe defended on the eroimd of emphasis as giv- ing a clue to the design of this genealogy and showing the kingship of Christ, the heir of the whole theocracy. Dr. Words- worth makes use of "the texitca receptus as an argument for hisiview of the relation of the two genealogies: "The gene- alogy of St. Matthew is Christ's official succession to David as a king (see ver. 6, whore David is twice called 6 fiacn\evs). That of St. Luke is the derivation of his origin from David as a man, — hence he traces the Lord's pedigree further back- ward, even to the first men), Adam, the liither of the human race." Dr. W., following the fathers, regards both geneal- ogies a? the pedigrees of Joseph, not of Mary. — P. 8.] * [The authorized English version of the Greek Testament after the latest standard edition of the American Bible So- ciety (New York, 1862), is made the basis of this Commentary, and all occasional corrections are included in brackets {see tlie Preface). But in this section which contains the genealogy of Christ, I have deviated from the rule and conform- ed to the new German version of Lange in three points : 1, in the order and arrangement, with the view to bring out more clearly the three divisions or periods of Christ's ancestry ; 2, in omitting tha oft repeated and unneces.sary and (for the Greek 54) between the members of the pedigree; 3, in italicizing th& fem,(ile ancestry of Christ, ver. 3, 5, and 6; comp. Comment, p. 49. Italics then do not indicate here ndilitions to the Greek te.xt, as in the Common Version, which, in this genealogy, only supplies the words : " t/t,at had been tli,' 'iiif'c,'' ver. G. As regards the spelling of proper nouns 1 have (in the text, not in the notes) adhered to the C. V., alUiouL'li in :i r, riyion of the English Bible (which is in no way attempted in this Commentary) uniformity in the spelling sIkhiIcI uiulDiilifiMlly be aimed at' as much as possible, and Hebrew names should, as a rule, be conformed to the Hebrew, Greek names to the Greek spelling. Thus in this genealogy Judah should bo substituted for Judan, Pharez for Phares, Ilizrmi for Esrom,, Ram, for Arum,, Nahnhnn for Naasaon, Boaz for Booz, Rahah for Rachab, Uriah for Urias, Rehoboam for Roboam, Jehoahapliat for Josaphat, Ueziah for OziOD, Jotham, foj Joatham, Ahaz for Achaz, Ilezekiah for Ezekias. Josiah for Josias, Jeconiah for Jechonias, Zerubbabel for Zorobabel, Zadoc for Sadoc. Comp. the Hebrew and Greek dictionaries; Dr. Geo. Campbell's translation of the four Gospels with preliminary dissertations, Lond. 1834, Diss. xii. Pt. iii. 10-14; and Dr. T. J. Conant's "Revised Version of Matthew,'' New York, 1860, p. 2. -P. S.] EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 1. The expression /3t/8Aos y^vefficcs might be rendered, book of the natii'ity, and hence be applied in a more extended sense to the whole Gospel. But it may also mean genealogy, genealogical table, pedigree ; and this is the simplest and most obvious meaning. It is supported, 1) by the analogy of Gen. V. 1 (Sept.); 2) by the reference in ver. 18, toD 5s XpiffToi' 7) 7eVe(Tis, and in ii. 1, tov Se 'ItjctoC yfvvTi- Jesus, Joshua, yTOirr^ (Ex. xxiv. 13 ; Num. xiii. 16), or S^'^li."' — as the name was written after the Babylonish captivity (Neh. vii. 7) — God is helper, or deliverer. Christ, Xpi(Tr6s, rT'llia , anointed : the official designation of priests, Lev. iv. 3 ; v. 16 ; Ps. cv. 15 ; — of kings, 1 Sam. xxiv. 7, 11 ; Ps. ii. 2 ; Dan. ix. 25, 26. In 1 Kings xix. 16 we also read of anointing to the prophetic office. The inspired teach- ing of the prophets led Israel to look for salvation in and through a personal Messiah, who, although rep- resented in the first place as the anointed King of the stock of David, was also invested with the at- tributes of perfect Prophet and of High Priest. Vers. 2-16. From the expression "Jacob begat Joseph," ver. 16, we gather that wo have here the genealogy of Joseph, and not that of Mary. But why should the Evangelist present this genealogy to his readers? Joseph was descended from David through the legitimate royal line of the house of David ; and it was necessary to show that Jesus, the adoptive son of Joseph, was the legal heir to the throne of David. But this line of descent was, in the most important respect, also the line of Mary, though she was descended from David through an- other branch (Luke i. 27 ; Rom. i. 3). In Joseph's line of descent, the grand characteristics which dis- tinguish the line of Jesus appear in the most striking manner ; viz., its spiritual nobihty, its humiliations and consecrations in the progress of history, its glorious elevation, and its tragic reverses. It was necessary that even in His line of descent the Lord should be marked out as the chosen sacrificial Lamb of Israel and of the world. The line of descent, as traced by Matthew, pre- sents various difficulties. — First, in the way of omis- sions. The table gives Eahab as the great-grand- mother of David. Yet she lived about 400, or, more precisely, 366 years before David was born. " Tliis difficulty," remarks de Wette, " is connected with the statement in Piuth iv. 20, according to which the line between David and Nahshon is represented as consisting of only four generations." Besides, in the second division of the genealogy, the names of Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah are omitted, which, according to 1 Chron. iii. 1], 12, must be inserted between Joram and Ozias ; also the name of Jehoia- kim, which, according to 2 Kings xxiv. 6; 2 Chron. xxxvi. S, should come iu between Josiah and Jeco- niah or Jehoiachin. These omissions were evidently made with the view of reducing the generations from David to the Babylonish captivity to fourteen. But for this Matthew must have had a sufficient reason. According to some critics, the arrangement of the genealogical table was designed merely to aid the memory. Others have imagined that it bore refer- ence to certain cabalistic ideas. W. Iloflmanu ex- CHAP. I. 1-11. 49 plains the discrepancy {dan Leben Jenu, of.c, Stutt- gart, 183G) by the supposition that there was some confusiou in the gencaU)gical table which Matthew used. According to PTurard {EvaTU/cHcnkritik; p. 199), the descendants of the heathen Jezebel to the fourth generation were omitted, in strict accordance with the Decalogue. Thus Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah were lelt out. Jehoiakim also was omitted, because, in reference to the Theocracy, he and Je- hoiachin really formed but one link in tlie great chain, and the first was the less worthy of commem- oration. But none of the above suggestions supplies a valid reason for the omissions. The true explana- tion appears to be, that all the individuals omitted by the Evangelist hud, in one respect or another, no claim to be regarded as separate and distinct links in the theocratic chain. v\haziah was a mere puppet in the hand of his mother Athaliah, daughter of Ahaz, king of Israel. Joash deserved the title of sove- reign merely so long as he continued under the guid- ance of Jehoiada the priest, who was the king's son- in-law. After the death of Jehoiada, he yielded entirely to the influence of a godless court. It is remarkable that Jehoiada was buried in the tomb of the kings, but not Joash (2 Chron. xxiv. 16). In accordance with an express prophetic declaration, Amaziah was destroyed on account of his impeni- tence— according to the Sept. — by God (2 Clu'on. XXV. 16, 27). Jehoiakim was forcibly made king of Judah by the king of Egypt (2 Chron. xxxvi. 4). Similarly Zedekiah was left out, as having been merely a creature of the king of Babylon, and also because, as brother of Jehoiachin, he formed no new link between Jehoiachin and Salathiel. Assir also is passed over, because no political importance at- taches to his life, which was passed in the Babylonish captivity. (Comp. W. Hoffmann, 1. c, p. 152; K. Hofmann, Weissagimg und Erfiillung^ ii. 37.) Further, it will be noticed that the third division contains only thirteen generations, counting Joseph as the twelfth, and adding Je.sus as the thirteenth. By this Matthew evidently intended to indicate that the name of Mary was here to be inserted in the gene- alogy ; for in so important a matter he could not have made a mistake. Nor can we admit the suppo- sition that he counted the name of Jechoniab twice, — the second time as anew founding the Messianic line after the Babylonish captivity. At any rate, the Evan- gelist wished to lay emphasis on the fact, that Joseph was not the natural fiither of Jesus. Accordingly, there is a sudden break in the natural order of "the genealogy : Abraham begat etc., Jacob begat Joseph ; and an expression is introduced which forcibly points to the circumstance that Jesus was born of a virgin. Another point claims our attention. According to Jewish law, a stain attached to each of the four females — Thamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba — introduced by Matthew into the genealogy. But we can scarcely infer from this circumstance, with Starke, that they are specially mentioned in order to show that Christ was not ashamed of poor sinners, since He derived from such His human nature, and had re- ceived them as His own people ; for it is beyond question that Jesus was conceived by Mary without any taint of sin. It was rather the object of the Evangelist to point out to his Jewish readers a higher righteousness than that external and ceremonial sanc- tity which the Pharisees extolled. No doubt Thamar conceived Phares, knowing that she committed in- cest; while Judah, although not aware who slie was, was guiltv of fornication. Still, it was under the impulse of faith, though fanatical and sadly mis- directed, that Thamar took that strange and sinful step. She was resolved, at all hazards, to become one of the mothers of God's chosen race. By faith, Thamar rose over the guilt of incest, and Rahab over her former degradation of being a heathen and a harlot. By her heroic faith, Ruth, though pure and unblamable, yet a heathen, attained such distinction, that one of the books in the Old Testament canon bears her name ; while Bathsheba, David's accom- plice in adultery, became the partner of his penitence and his throne. In the arrangement and division of the genea- logical tree of Jesus, Matthew was undoubtedly in- liuenced by the Old Testament symbolism of num- bers. The grand general arrangement into three groups (patriarchs, kings, and persons of royal ex- traction) presents an ascending and descending line. In the first fourteen generations there is a gradual ascent (in a secular point of view), culminating in royalty. The second series consists of a lino of royal personages, gradually inclining downwards. The third begins during the Babylonish captivity, and forms a descending line, which finally terminates in Joseph the carpenter. Still, the main point in this arrangement is the number three. Three is the grand spiritual number. In spite of the sins and the apos- tasy of some of the representatives of David, that line always continued specially set apart by God and for God, constituting a hereditary spiritual nobility in the midst of the people of Israel, and of the world at large. In it the hereditary blessing of Abraham was more and more concentrated, — both the blessing of the promise and the blessing of faith. Each of these three groups was again subdivided into a series of four- teen— twice seven. The number seven denotes the full development of nature up to its consecration and transfiguration. Two is the number of contrast — of sex, of life. Accordingly, the number fourteen would indicate that the development of a genea- logical line had reached its completion. The number three, on the other hand, denotes the perfect eleva- tion of this perfect natural development of nature into the sphere of spiritual consecration. Hence the forty-two generations point to the spiritual consecra- tion of the theocratic line culminating in Him who was full of the Holy Ghost. On the same principle,. the Israelites wandered for forty years (a round num- ber for forty-two) through the wilderness, and had in all forty-two encampments. Thus, in reference both to time and space, the old race had to pass as it were through forty-two stages before a new race (in the symbolical sense) sprang up. We can here but briefly discuss the relation be- tween the genealogy of Jesus according to Matthexc^ and the same as given by LuJcc. So far as their ar- rangement is concerned, we notice, that while the first genealogy descends from the progenitor,, the second ascends from the last scion ; and that, while Matthew begins with Abraham, Luke goes beyond the father of the faithful to Adam, tlie first progeni- tor of the human race, and to God its Creator. Again, so far as the contents of the two tables are concerned J we find that from David downwards the names are for the most part different, and manifestly constitute two different lines, which coincide only in the names of Zorobabel and Salathiel. Matthew's line passes from David to Solomon, while that of Luke passes from David to his son Nathan. In Matthew's line, the parent of the foster-fatlier of Jesus is called Jacob, while in that of Luke he is designated Eli. 50 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. The same discrepancy extends over the whole table, — always assuming that the apparent coincidence of the two lines in Zorobabel and Falathiel is simply due to similarity of names. From the earliest period, various explanations of this difficulty have been sug- gested. At first it was supposed tiiat, by a marriage according to the law of Levirate (Deut. xxv. 5-10), the two lines had converged in one link. Julius Africanus (according to Eusebius, E. II. I. 7) sug- gested that Eli died childless, that Jacob espoused his widow, and was the real father of Joseph. But then, according to the law, Eli alone would in that case have been mentioned as the lather of Joseph (Deut. xxv. 6). Ambrosius reversed the above hy- pothesis : Eli, he supposed, was the real, and Jacob the nominal father. But in that case the same dif- ficulty recurs. Other hypotheses are even less plau- sible. The view most commonly adopted is that of Ilelvicus {see Winer's Heal- WCrferh. art. Jesus), according to which, Luke is supposed to furnish tlie maternal genealogy ; so that the Eli mentioned in Luke iii. 23 was the father of Mary, and, as father-in- law of Joseph, was called his father. The objection of Winer, that in such ease Luke would not have em- ployed the terms rov 'HA.i, may be met by a reference to the sim.ilar expression rod 0€oO, whore, of course, it could not be intended to represent God as the natural Father of Adam. The objection, that the Jews were not in the habit of keeping genealogical record of females, does not apply here, as Jesus had no natural father. Besides, down to Eli, the geneal- ogy given is that of males. Lastly, so far as the pro- priety of the thing was concerned, Luke also inserts the name of Joseph, as being in the eye of the law the father of Jesus. This hypothesis has been adopted by many modern expositors, as Bengel, Heumann, Paulus, Kuinoel, Wieseler, W. Hoffmann {Leben Jesu, p. 148).* It was in accordance with the general plan of Luke's Gospel to follow up the genealogical line beyond Abraham to Adam and God, 60 as to present the Lord both as the Son of man and at the same time the Son of Gcd, and for the same reason, to trace the actual lineage of Jesus, and con- sequently that of his mother Mary ; while Matthew in this respect also represented the theocratic and legal point of view. Proofs and parallel passages : — Jesus, Luke i. 31. Christ, Lev. iv. 5, 16, etc. ; in the New Testa- ment everywhere. Jesus Christ, John xx. 31, and in many other places. Son of David, Ps. exxxii. 11 ; Isa. xi. 1 ; Acts xiii. 23 ; Jer. xxiii. 5 ; Rom. i. 3 ; Matt. XV. 22, xxi. 9, xxii. 42. Abraham, Gen. xii. 3, * [For another and a remarkably ingenious expl.ination of the two genealogies, we refer the reader to Lord Arthur C. Ilervey's article, " Genealofry of Jesus Christ," in Smith's Diet, of the Bible, i. p. 666. This is not the place to enter into details of his theory: suffice it to say, that, accordinfr to Lord Hervey, hot7i. the genealogies (in Matthew and Luke) are those of Jose2)h. The genealogy of St. Matthew is "Joseph's genealocy as legal successor to the throne of David ; i. e., it exhibits the successive heirs of the kingdom, coding with Christ as Josepli's reputed son. St. Luke's is Joseph's private genealogy, exhibiting his real birth, as David's son, and thus showing why he was heir to Solomon's crown." Lord Hervey further suggests, "that Salathiel, of the house of Nathan, became heir to David's throne on the failure of Solomon's line in Jechonias, and that as such he and his descendants were transferred, as 'sons of Jeconiah," to the royal geneaUigical table, accordiig to the principle of the Jewish law, laid down Num. xxvii. 8-11." On the same principle, the other divergences of the two genealogies are explained, till we reach Matthan, who had two son^, Jacob a7id lleli. The elder of tliese, J.ici.h. whose daushi-r Mary was mother of the Lord, dying without male issi\-, the suc- cession to the throne of David now devolved on Joseph, the son of Ilcli.— The Edinb. Teasslatop. 1 xxii. ]S; 2 Sam. vii. 12; Gal. iii. 16, etc., etc. Isaac, (ien. xxi. 2, 3 ; Horn. ix. 7, 9. Jacob, Gen. xxv. 26. Judah, Gen. xxix. 35, xlix. 10; Heb. vii. 14. Pharez and Zarah, Gen. xxxviii. 29, 30. Hezron {Esrorii), 1 Chron. ii. 4, 5. Aram or Ram, Ruth iv. 19 (Uezron's first-bom son omitted, 1 Chron. ii. 9). Awinadab, 1 Chron. ii. 10. Naaslion, Ex. vi. 23. Sabnon, 1 Chron. ii. 11; Ruth iv. 20. Rahab, Josh. ii. 1, vi. 23, 24. pjoaz, Obed, Ruth iv. 15, 17. Obed, Jesse, Ruth iv. 22; 1 Chron. ii. 12; 1 Sam. XX. 27; 1 Kings xii. 16. Jesse, JJavid, 1 Chron. ii. 15. Solomon, 2 Sam. xii. 24. Roboam, Rehoboam, 1 Kings xi. 43. Abia, Asa, 1 Kings xv. 2, 8. Josajihat, 2 Chron. xvi. and xvii. Joram, 2 Kings viii. 16; 2 Chron. xxi. 1. Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, 2 Kings viii. 24; xi. 2, xii. 21; 1 Chron. iii. 11. Ozias (or Azariah), 2 Kings xiv. 21. Jo- atham, 2 Kings xv. 7 ; 2 Chron. xxvi. 23. Ahaz, 2 Kings XV. 38 ; 2 Chron. xxvii. 9. Ezckias {Hcze- kiah), 2 Kings xvi. 20 ; 2 Chron. xxviii. 27. Manas- ses, 2 Kings xx. 21. Amon, 2 Kings xxi. 18. Jo- sias, 2 Kings xxi. 24. Jechonias, Jehoiakim, 2 Kings xxiii. 35. The Babylonish captivity (2 Kings xxv; 2 Chrou. xxxvi.). " e'lrt notat tcinpus non stricte tantum scd cum latitudinc,^'' just as Jechonias and his brothers were not born at one and the same time. On three different occasions, within a short period, portions of the people were carried away, — first, during the reign of Jehoiakim, then under that of Jehoiachin, and, lastly, under Zedekiah. But the Evangelist speaks of the three events as of one, be- cause the captivity began under the first of these princes, was extended under the second, and com- pleted under the third. — Salathiel, (Pedaiah), Zoro- babel, 1 Chron. iii, 18, 19. Abiud (Hananiah), 1 Chron. iii. 19. Abiud, Eliukivi, etc., Jewish tra- dition (Temple registers). DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. Even as original sin has tainted all mankind from the womb, so, and much more, has our race participated in the riches of Divine grace. Hence, in the history of the world, the hereditary curse and the hereditary blessing have always appeared side by side — in Cain and Abel, in Ham and Shern, in the case of the heathen world and of Abraham. Not only has the curse had a blessing for its counterpart, but on each successive occasion the blessing has widened and increased. The blessing of Shem sur- passed that of Japheth ; the blessing of Judah, that of his brethren ; and the blessing of David, that of all Judah and Israel beside. This contrast of blessing and curse led to th.at between the religion of faith and heathenism. Not that the hereditary blessing of Abraham remained wholly unimpaired by the curse that flowed from Adam's guilt. Hence it was neces- sary that Christ should die on the cross, though the covenant-blessing centered in Him. Still, this in- fluence of transmitted sin could not destroy either the blessing of personal faith or the hereditary bless- ing of Abraham ; and now that all promises have been fulfilled in Christ, the curse of original sin is, in the case of believers, not only removed, bnt trans- formed into blessing. 2. Abraham was told, " In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." It was not said, " In thy oral tradition," or "In thy written records." According to the notions of many, the New Testa- ment should have begun witji a list of the books of the Old Testament. Instead of this, however, it be- gins with a genealogical tree. Through Abraham's CHAP. 1-lY. 51 faith the blessing had descended in his seed as an heirloom. Antipa;dobaptists overlook this mystery, otherwise they would see more meaning in the ad- mission of infants into the visible Church. 3. Down to David, Joseph's line of descent was the same as that of Mary. It then diverged into two branches. While, however, the royal line terminated in the pious carpenter, Joseph, the line of Nathan, who, though one of David's sons, never ascended the throne, was selected to comprehend the chosen mother of the Lord. In general, the greatest num- ber of the humiliations of the royal house occurred in Joseph's line. In it the godless kings appear in contrast to the pious. Doubtless, it was so ordered that the affliction and obscurity of the house of David should serve to restore its spiritual glory. 4. Even among the ancestors of Jesus, the bless- ing and the promised salvation was transmitted through the righteousness which is by faith, as dis- tinguished from legal righteousness. This appears not only from the lives of Abraham and David, the fiithers of the faithful, and from the pious sovereigns among their descendants, but also from the ances- tresses of Jesus, Thamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Batbsheba, specially mentioned by the Evangelist. 5. A sacred pedigree — which may be regarded as symbolizing the real import of noble descent and hereditary nobility, wliether Christian or national — conferred not personal holiness on the Jewish nion- archs. Spirituality was the attainment of the indi- vidual, not the quality of the race, and in every case the combined result of Divine grace and human free- dom. Still less could we suppose that the sacredness of the pedigree ultimately manifested itself in the advent of Christ Himself. Christ sprung from the fathers according to the flesh : this was His only connection with them through Mary. According to the Spirit, He was the Son of God, and, as such, the new and perfect manifestation of the Divine Being, the second Adam, the Lord from heaven. HOMILETICAL AND PEACTICAL. The genealogical table of Jesus, considered as the first Xew Testament testimony about Him. As a testimony, 1. to His human nature ; 2. to His he- reditary right ; 3. to His Divine character and mis- sion.— The genealogical tree of Jesus a kind of law and gospel for all other genealogical trees, from the lowliest to the highest. — The genealogy of increasing life compared with thatbf decreasing life. Gen. v. — Christ's human extraction viewed in the light of His Divine origin (John i.) : His human descent is based on the Divine, and serves to reveal it. — Contest be- tween the hereditary blessing of Abraham and the hereditary curse of his race. — The hereditary bless- ing of Abraham in its bearing upon the question of infant baptism. — The family — its import at all times in connection with the kingdom of heaven. — The pious family amidst the storms of the world and of time. 1. It may sink, but not perish.* 2. It endures, because it resists. 3. Its apparent extinction is its glorification. — The sacred birth of Christ and the second birth of man in their agreement and their diU'erence. — Jesus Christ the * [German : "Es kann sinken, aber nioht verxinken ; '''' it may go dnion, but not go out. Mr. Edersheim translates: "It may sink, but not utterly.'' The word-play in the next sentence : " Es besteht, well es widerHtehV might be ren- dered: -'It utands because it withstandx," comp. Eph. vi. 13.— P. S.] sum and substance of all religion. 1. Jesus, the man ; Christ, His Divine calling and (jualification. 2. Jesus, the Hebrew name specially intended for His own people ; Christ, the sacred name indicating His designation for the whole world. 3. Jesus, the one Redeemer ; Christ, the Mediator of the triune covenant. Or, 1. Jesus as the Christ ; 2. the Christ as Jesus. — Jesus Christ the Son of David. 1. Tlie Son of the shepherd of Bethlehem ; 2. the Son of the persecuted fugitive in the cave of Adullam ; 3. the Son of the warrior and conqueror, the prince of Zion. — Christ the Son of David. 1. In reference to His appearance in the flesh, the last scion of His race, dying on the cross. 2. In reference to His heavenly character, the Prince of the kings of the earth. Or, 1. The end of the Old Testa- ment kingdom; 2. the beginning and the head of the New Testament heavenly kingdom. — Jesus Christ the Son of Abraham. 1. The Finisher of faith; 2. the Fulfiller of the promise. — Jesus the antitype of Abraham in his relation to the world. Abraham, in nascent faith, must go out from the world ; Christ, in the fulness of the blessing of faith, enters into it. — Jesus, the Son of Abraham, the seal of God's covenant-truth. — Jesus Christ, as the Son of Abraham, the great witness of God's covenant- faithfulness. 1. In Him was fully revealed the prom- ise which had been given to Abraham. 2. In Him was this promise gloriously fulfilled. 3. In Him it was renewed and glorified. — Christ the Son of Abra- ham and of David, or the spiritual transfiguration both of the pilgrim's tent and of the throne. — Christ the Son of Abraham and of David, or the Finisher of faith : 1. of faith in the promise ; 2. of faith in sovereign grace. —How the advent of Christ was pre- paring throughout the whole course of antiquity: 1. By means of the house of David; 2 by means of the race of Abraham ; 3. by the whole course of events in the world. — The root out of a dry ground. — Known to, and fixed by, the Lord is every hour and event in His kingdom. — The vicissitude of glory and obscurity in the history of the kingdom of God. Christ appeared, not in the days of Israel's power and glory, but in the days of their humiliation. — The share which the royal line of Solomon had in giving birth to Christ. I. How infinitely it receded behind the lineage of Mary ; 2. yet how at the same time it symbolizes the protection extended by the State to the Church. — The Lord's humiliation and exaltation prefigured in His genealogical tree. — In His ances- tors Jesus has lived through the whole extent of the world's previous history. — The history of the ances- tors of Jesus shows that the life of each successive individual was preserved as by a miracle. — Jesus the sacred heir of the ancient world. 1. As heir of the blessing. He is the Prophet of the world. 2. As heir of the sufferings entailed by the curse. He is its atoning High PricsFt. 3. As heir of the promise, He is its King. — Jesus Christ the end of the world, and the beginning of the world. — Jesus Christ the closing of the old, and the commencement of the new dis- pensation.— Abraham and Mary as the begmning and the end of the old covenant. — Jesus, the Son of Mary: I. the affinity; 2. the contrast. Braune : — Jesus Christ, the second Adam. — God's grace is con.stantly renewed through the line of gene- rations.— All sorts of men, kings, heroes, shepherds, mechanics, heathens, sinners, prophets, poets, sages are among the ancestors of Christ, and become poorer and obscurer as they approach Christ. THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. SECOND SECTION. JESUS, AS MIRACULOUSLY CONCEIVED BY IlIS MOTHER IN FAITH, OR IN THE MYSTERY OF HIS INCARNATION, IS NOT RECOGNIZED EVEN BY THE LEGITIMATE REPRESEN- TATIVE OF THE HOUSE OF DAVID (JOSEPH), TILL ATTESTED BY AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN. Chaptek I. 18-25 (Luke i. 26-33). CoNTRNTS :— The tragical situation of the two betrothed descendants of David at their first appearance in history. Mary, pregnant by the power of tlie Holy Ghost, misunderstood and doubted by her betrothed. Joseph's intention of pri- vately putting her away. The mother and child vindicated from dishonor by Divine intervention. Joseph's faith. Ancient prophecy. The name : Jesus. 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise : When ' as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy 19 Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a 20 public example, was minded to put her away [by divorce] privil)^ But while he thought on these things, behold, the [an] angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife : for that which is 21 conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou 22 shalt call His name Jesus : for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet^ 28 saying. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall 24 call His name Emmanuel, Avhich being interpreted is, God with us (Isa. vii.). Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took 25 unto him his wife : And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn ^ son : and he called His name Jesus. ' Ver. 18.— Lit. : "i^^or when," ^j/7j(rTei'&€iV77S 7ap. " Ver. 2.5.— [irpojTiiTOKOj', in ver. 25, is omitted in Codd. Sin. and Vat, in the old Egyptian versions, Hilar., Ambros., (xres.. Hieron., and in the critical editions of Lachmann, Tischcndorf, Tregelles, and Alford. Lange in his version retains It, and Meyer defends it. It may have been inserted from Luke ii. 7; but the omission may also be easily explained from superstitious veneration of the Blessed Virgin, as necessarily implying her perpetual virginity, which the term ''firstr born " seemed to disprove. — P. S.] SejyyuoTi'o-oi) ; that is, not to dismis,'^ Ler by a bill of divorce, which would have stigmatized her as an adulteress, but to dismiss her privately by a bill of divorce without assigning any reason for it. Thus her disgrace would at least not become matter of notoriety, although, of course, suspicion would attach to her ; at any rate, her child might still be regardeil as the son of Joseph. By this conduct he would un- questionably have taken upon himself a portion of her ignominy. He might be considered a hard- hearted man, who turned away a noble woman un- justly. These circumstances afford an insight into the inward struggle which both experienced. On the bill of divorce, comp. Deut. xxiv. 1-3 ; Matt. xix. 8. Ver. 20. The Angel of the Lord that appeared to him in a vision when sleeping, was the angel of the Lord in the peculiar and historical sense of that term — Ihe Angel of the Lord., Gen. xvi. '7, 9, and in other passages; or the Angel of the presence, Ex. xxxii. 34 ; xxxiii. 14 ; Isa. Ixiii. 9 ; or the Angel of the covenant., Mai. iii. 1. The angel Gabriel {hero of God)., who, according to Luke i., delivered the messages relating to the birth of Christ, was probably only a more definite manifestation of the Angel of the Lord (Dan. viii. 16; ix. 21). The angel of Christ's incarnation must, in this case, be carefully distinguished from later angelic apparitions. {See the author's Leben Jesu, ii. B. 1, 41.) EXE6ETI0AL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 18. The Evangelist commences his narrative at the period when Mary's pregnancy had become matter of certainty, about the time of her return from visiting Elisabeth. The reading y4vfi). Herod the Great was a son of Antipatcr, whom Caesar had appointed procurator of Judaea at the time he acknowledged Hyrcanus H., the Maccaba'an prince, as king. When a youth of fifteen, Herod was en- irusted by his father with the government of the province of Galilee (Joseph. Antiq. xiv. 9, 2). Sub- sequently, as "strategos" of Coclesyria, he defeated the Maccabaean prince Antigonus (son of Aristobu- lus), who had made an attempt to recover the sover- eignty of which Aristobulus had been deprived. The Roman triumvir Antony made Herod and his brother Phasael tetrarchs. Driven from his province by Antigonus, Herod repaired to Rome, where, through the favor of Antony, he was declared by the Roman Senate king of Judaea. But he was obliged to call in the help of Rome before he could make himself master of his new capital, Jerusalem. After the fall of Antony, he succeeded in securing the favor of Augustus. For his further history, comp. the article Herod in Winer's and other Bibl. Encycl., and Josephus. — Herod was destined to sustain a most ominous part in Jewish history. At his acces- sion, he founded the Iduraa?an dynasty on the ruins of the Asmonsean or Maccabrean race. (Comp. the genealogical tables of the Asmonaean house and of the Herodian, in von Ruumer's Falestina, p. 331.) The glorious race of the Ifaccabees had fallen through their fanatical presumption, and a servile deference to the ultra-legalist religious party, — -just as a similar ultra-ecclesiastical policy led to the ruin of various Byzantine dynasties, and in more modern times to that of the Stuarts in Great Britain, and of the Bourbons in Franco. The Idumfean dynasty, on the other handfkpursued a crafty secular policy, by which it succeeded in maintaining itself for a consider- able time, under the most difficult circumstances. This policy consisted in flattering the party of the Pharisees, by the building of the temple, and by other tokens of religious zeal ; while at the same time the favor of Rome w^as courted by servility, by concessions to heathenism, and by the introduction of Grecian customs. It is noteworthy that the same Herod who had already extinguished the priestly and royal house of the Maccabees by the murder of its last heirs, also attempted to destroy the true and eternal royalty of the house of David. But, strictly speaking, it was not with Herod that the outward sceptre first passed from the tribe of Judab to an alien family, as even the Maccaba?an dynasty be- longed to a different tribe, that of Levi. Hence, when the royal power was conferred on the Macca- bees in the person of Simon, it was with cm express reservation, of the rights of tJie Messiah (1 Mace. xiv. 41). On the other hand, the Idumaeans had, for more than a hundred years before that, been Jews, — rebelling as.iinst the Governmrnt. Some of them live by farming smiill patchps of the rocky country around the town, and from the fruit of the fip:, pomegranate, olive, and vine, which cover some of the neichboring: hills; others live by carvins events in the history of our Saviour on sea shells, and other curious trinkets, -which they sell to the pilgrims that visit Jerusalem during the Easter season. ... Its general appearance is like that of other towns in the East. — narrow, crooked streets, flat-roofed houses, mostly small, with fronts all walled up, save a small floor-door. It has no hotel or place of entertainment; the travellers usually lodge in the convent," etc. — P. S.] the Maccabee Hyrcanus having compelled them to submit to circumcision. The Ilerodian dynasty re- mained, however, Idumjean in spirit, — circumcised semi-pagan and barbarian, though outwardly civ- ilized. According to the statements of the Fathers (quoted by Winer, i. p. 481, note 5), the Ilerodiana were of purely heathen extraction, — their ancestors having been Philistines from Ascalon, who had been brought to Idumaa as prisoners of war. But while the Asmoneeans enjoyed the royal dignity with the express acknowledgment that the sceptre belonged to the " coming Prophet," Herod recognized no such expected Messiah ; or rather entertained only super- stitious fears about Him, and cherished the desire of effecting His destruction. In this respect Herod may be said to have removed the sceptre from Judah, although not in the primary sense of the prediction in Gen. xlix. 10 {see the author's Positive bogmatik, p. 668). Herod died in the fourth year before the com- mencement of our era, shortly before Easter (Joseph. Antiq. xvii. 9, 3). Accordingly, the birth of Christ must have taken place at least four years earlier than the usual date. See Wieseler, Chronol. Sgnopse, p, 50 ; and the author's Zeben Jesu, ii. p. 106. Wise men, lit. Ifagi, /jt-dyoi, ^"'5^ . — The name originally belonged to a high sacerdotal caste among the Persians and Medes, who formed the king's privy council, and cultivated astrology, medicine, and occult natural science. They are frequently men- tioned by ancient authors, such as Herodotus (i. 1 32), Diogenes Laertius (i. 1, 9), yElian, Porphyry, Cicero, and Pliny. During the time of the Chalda'an dynasty, there also existed an order of magi at the court of Babylon (Jer. xxxix. 3), of which Daniel was made the president (Dan. ii. 48). Subsequently the name was transferred to those Eastern philosophers in gen- eral who studied astrology, the interpretation of dreams, occult natural science, and the like. (See Winer's Jxeal- Worterbnch.) At the time of Christ, many natives of Syria and Arabia, as well as Greeks and Romans, professed to be adepts in the magical art, and employed it for gain or personal advance- ment, taking advantage of the curiosity and supersti- tion of their contemporaries. The names of Simou Magus, who drew down the rebuke of Peter, and of Elymas the sorcerer, who opposed Paul, will at once occur to the reader as familiar instances. The magi mentioned in the text belonged to the earlier class of Eastern sages, -whose researches were sincere and earnest. They are called wise men from the East, /xdyot hirh avaroXav. The expression, otto avar., may be joined with equal propriety to the noun preceding or to the verb following. The first construction, however, is preferable, giving to the expression, magi, its full import ; but the particular part of the East from which they came, cannot be determined. Jus- tin, Tertullian, and many others (see Meyer), fixed on Arabia; Chrysostom, Theophylact, and others on Persia ; while some have specified Parthia, Baby- lonia, and even Egjipt and Ethiopia. At all events, they were of Eastern origin ; and the Evangelist seems to imply that they came from Persia or Meso- potamia, the seat of the original magi. In attempt- ing to account for the manner in which they had become acquainted with the Jewish expectation of a Mes.^iah, some have laid too much stress on uncertain historical statements ; while, more recently, others have entirely disregarded the established historical CHAP. II. 1-12. 57 fact, that some such expectation was generally enter- tained at the time. Thus Suetonius mentions, in his Life of Vespasian (iv.), that throughout the East there was a general and settled belief, that about this period one would come from Judtea who should sub- due the world. Tacitus {Hist. v. 13) refers to a sim- ilar expectation. But probably these two historians derived their statements only i'rom a passage in Jo- sephus {De Bello Judaico, vi. 5, 4. See Gieseler, Kirchengeschichte, vol. i. p. 47). Josephus, in his usual cringing manner, perverted the Scripture prom- ise of a Messiah, applying it to Vespasian, who, from his campaign in Judiea or from the East, had gone to take possession of the empire of the world {see my Leben Jesu, vol. ii. p. 105). But, on the other hand, it is undeniable that the temple of Jerusalem was famed all over the East {sex Gieseler, vol. i. p. 46) ; that at that time the Jews had already spread over the known world ; and that they had gained converts among the most intellectual and earnest in- quirers of all countries. Such, for example, were the Greeks mentioned by John (xii. 20). Nor must we forget that the greatest part of the ten tribes of Israel had remained in Parthia, though their ideas and hopes concerning the Messiah were probably not so clear and well defined as those of their brethren in Palestine. (See The Nestorians, or llie Ten Tribes, by Asahel Grant, 1843.) From the circum- stance that three diftereut kinds of gifts were ofiered, the strange inference has been drawn, that three " wise men " presented them. Similarly, a purely fanciful interpretation of Ps. Ixxii. 10 ; Isa. xlix. Y ; Ix. 3, 10, led to the idea, especially since the fifth century, that the magi were ki7iffs. Even before that time, this view had been propounded by Tertul- lian {Adv. Marc. iii. 13). Chrysostom speaks of twelve magi, and Epiphanius increased their number to fifteen. The mediaeval Church blended the commemora- tion of the holy three kings {Gaspar, 3feli;Mor, and Balthasar, as they were called, although other names are also assigned them), with the festival of the Epiphany (6th Jan.). This feast, which was first instituted in the Eastern Church, commenced there the annual cycle of Christian festivals, and primarily bore reference to the baptism of Christ. As the Eastern Church adopted Christmas from the West, 80 the Western received the Epiphany from the East, by an interchange similar to that in regard to the use of organs and bells. The first trace of its celebration in the West occurs during the latter half of the fourth century (when, according to Ammianus Marcellinus, it was observed l^y the Emperor Julian at Vienne in 360). So early as the time of Augus- tine, it was celebrated in the West as Christ's first manifestation to the Gentiles, the precedent and warrant for it being derived from the adoration of the magi in the passage under consideration. Hence also its name — Festival of the three Kings. In pro- cess of time, three different events came to be con- nected with this festival : 1) The baptism of Christ; 2) Christ's first manifestation to the Gentiles ; 3) the first miracle at Cana, John ii. 11 . A fourth reference to the miraculous feeding of the 5000 persons was afterward added. Comp. the article Epiphanienfest in Herzog's Real-Encyclnpmdie ; also in Aschbach's Allg':m. Kirchenlexicon, and in Strauss's Kirchtn- jalir. The legends on this subject gave rise, as is well known, to a strange medley of ecclesiastical and popular usages. We have no authentic record of the number and the social position of these magi. There must, of course, have been more than one ; and they must have been persons of wealth and rank, who, in all probability, would travel with a considerable retinue, so that their arrival at Jerusalem must have pro- duced a sensation. That they were Gentiles and not Jews, appears from the whole tenor of the nar- rative ; from the pointed contrast to which the Evan- gelist manifestly intends to draw attention ; and especially from the question : " Where is the new- born King of the Jews ? " Accordingly, most com- mentators are agreed on this question. {See Meyer, p. 63.) Ver. 2. We have seen His star. — This cannot refer either to a comet (Origen and others), or a meteor, still less to an angelic apparition (Theophy- lact). Among the ancients, a comet was rarely con- sidered a good omen ; a meteor would blaze and burst ; while an angelic vision would disappear when its object was accomplished. We have no knowledge that an entirely new star made its appearance at that time, and again disappeared. Astrologers drew their inferences not so much from an individual star, as from a constellation of stars, although the import of the vision was gathered from the presence or posi- tion of one particular star in the constellation. {See Lange's Leben Jesu, vol. ii. p. 105.) " The famous astronomer Kepler {Be Jesu Christi vero anno iiata- litio, Francf. 1606 ; comp. Munter, Stern der Weisen, Kopenhagen, 1827) has shown, that in the year 747 from the building of Rome, a very remarkable three- fold conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the sign Pisces occurred ; and that in the spring of the fol- lowing year the planet Mars likewise appeared in this constellation. He regarded it as probable that an extraordinary star was conjoined with these three planets, as was the case in the year 1603. Kepler was of opinion that this conjunction formed the star of the magi. This view has been further explained and defended by Ideler in his Chronological Research- es. Wieseler mentions, that, according to the state- ment of Munter, the Chinese astronomical tables record the appearance of a new star at a time which coin- cides with the fourth year before the birth of Christ. All chronological statements relating to the birth of Christ lead, according to Wieseler's calculations, to the conclusion that Jesus was born in the year 750 from the building of Rome (four years earlier than the birth of Christ according to the usual chronology), and most probably in the month of February. The above-mentioned conjunction took place two years sooner, that is, in the year 747 and 748." The circumstance that Herod caused all the (male) children in Bethlehem, of two years old and under, to be put to death, is a strong argument in favor of the supposition, that the principal star in this constellation was that which directed the magi to their search. Gcrlach, in his Commentary, says : As Jesus adapted Himself to the fishermen by the miraculous draught of fishes ; to the sick, by the curing of their infirmities ; and to all His hearers, by parables relating to the circumstances around, and the affairs of ordinary life ; so did He draw these astronomers to Himself by condescending to their favorite science. If it be asked how Providence could employ such a deceptive art for the purpose of guiding the magi to the truth, we reply, that there is a vast difference between earlier and later astrology. Just as chemis- try sprung from alchemy, and even war gave rise to the Law of Nations, so ancient pagan astrology was 58 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. the parent of our inodoni science of astronomy. But the tendency of all true ficieiice is to pcJint tlic way to faith. A perception of tlio harmonious order oi' the firmament, and especially a knowledge of astron- om)', would direct devout minds to Uim who is the Centre of the spiritual solar system, to the creative Word, the Source of all order. Besides, it was not astrological inquiry which primarily determined the magi to undertake the journey to Bethlehem, but their belief in the Messiah promised to the Jews, of whom they had heard. They were men earnest in their deep longing, and believers according to the measure of preparing grace granted them. Hence their astrological knowledge was used only as the instru- ment of advancing and directing their faith. Thus Divine Providence might condescend even to their erroneous ideas, and cause the appearance of the con- stellation in the heavens to coincide with the convic- tion in their hearts, that the birth of the Messiah had then taken place ; more especially as their mistake implied at least the general truth that the whole starry world points to Christ, and that particular law of Providence, according to which great leading events in the kingdom of God are ushered in by sol- emn and striking occurrences, both terrestrial and celestial. Thus, all secular knowledge, however blended with error, serves to draw heavenly minds to Christ. Error is but the husk, truth is the kernel. Accordingly, the star which was a sign to these wise men, is to us a symbol that all nature — in particular, the starry heavens, and the whole compass of natural science — if properly understood, will, under Divine guidance, lead us to deeper and stronger faith. (Comp. Heubner, " Fraktische Erklarung des Ncuen Test.,'''' vol. i. p. 13.) The statement, that the star had ffuided the magi to Jerusalem, must be interpreted in accordance with the symbolical im- port of the passage. The magi, of course, availed themselves of the ordinary channels of information as to the road from the East to Jerusalem ; and they went to Jerusalem on the supposition that the capital of Judasa would naturally be the birth- place of the King of the Jews. The way from Jeru- salem to Bethlehem they learnt fiom local informa- tion, having been directed there by the scribes and by Herod. To them, however, the star still seemed to be the guide of their journey — more especially the same star which they had seen in the East when first it rose (for this must be the import of the sin- gular number, ev rfi avaroAfj, since the phrase, " in the £\ist" would require the Plural, and araroAT) evidently corresponds with rex^f 's)i now appeared in its zenith right overhead upon Bethlehem, where the shepherds had already made known the abode of the Messiah. To their believing hearts the star seemed to stand fixed, as heaven's own light, over the long desired, though obscure and humble residence. But it is remarkable how even their astrological inferen- ces were purged from error, and transformed into genuine faith. For, first, they found the new-born King of the Jews not at Jerusalem. Secondly, they found on the throne of Judah a worldly-minded old tyrant. Thirdly, they found the representatives of the sanctuary of Judah, and the holy city itself, indifferent and unbelieving. Fourthly, they were directed to the poor village of Bethlehem. Fifthly, in Bethlehem itself they were directed to a poor cot- tage. Lastly, they found, not a child of two years of age, but an infant recently born, surrounded by what betokened extreme poverty, under the care of a homeless couple, the head of which was a carpenter. All these stumbling-blocks had to be removed by tiie testimony of the Scriptures which they had heard, by the witness of the Spirit in their hearts, by the sublime spectacle of Mary and the holy child, and by the communications of the believing shepherds. Thus were the heathen and carnal elements in their astrological impressions effaced, and only what was true, remained. The star in tlie sky had guided them to the Sun of the spiritual firmament. Ver. 2. And are come to worship Him. — npoaKuveTf, to indicate veneration, homage, submis- sion, by prostration of the face to the ground : Gen. xix. 1 ; xlii. G, etc. ; Herodot. i. 134, etc. Here, as in many other places, the word is, however, to be taken as meaning adoration in the more general sense, as it evidently refers merely to religious, not to political homage. Ver. 3. {Herod) was troubled, and all Jeru- salem, with him, frapdxOv- — Both Herod and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were struck with sinful fear. With Herod, it may have been chiefly political fear of a supposed new claimant of the throne. At the same time, he must also have felt a dread, partly religious and partly moral, of the power of religion, and of the advent of One who should judge both the nation and the world, — an event which he would naturally connect with the coming of the Messiah. Nor were the inhabitants of Jerusalem merely alarmed from apprehension of the cruelty of Herod, but because, along with him, they anticipated a con- flict and a judgment of a spiritual character. Light- foot and Berthold suppose that they were merely afraid of the calamitous times which should precede the reign of Messiah, or of the dolores Ifessice, as they are termed. But this could form only one ele- ment in their general and undefined dismay. Jeru- salem does not go to Bethlehem, — this fact best explains the character of their fear. Gerlaeh reminds us of the circumstnnce that, " a short time before this, the Pharisees had predicted to a female relative of Herod, that her descendants would obtain the royal dignity, and that Herod and his house would be de- stroyed. In consequence of this prediction several of the Pharisees had been put to death. When such a tyrant was alarmed, his whole capital could not but be also alarmed." Ver. 4. (Herod) gathered together, etc.— This refers either to an extraordinary sitting of the Sanhe- drim— which is the usual opinion — or merely to a theological conference. The latter supposition seems to us the more probable, as the object of the meeting was merely a theological deliverance. It is rendered still more likely from the fact, that the third class of the members of the Sanhedrim, the elders, are not mentioned (for details, see Meyer, p. 65 ; and Winer and others, under the article Sijnednuin, or Sanhe- drhn). "The term apxi-^p^'^s comprehends not only the actual high priest for the time (6 apxiepivs, biTjri "rib^ Lev. xxi. 10), but those also who had previously held the office of high priest (for at this period it was often transferred at the caprice of the Romans : Joseph. Antiq. xv. 3), and, probably, even the heads of the twenty-four classes of priests (1 Chron. xxiv. 6 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi. 14 ; Joseph. Antiq. XX. 8, 8)." The scribes {ypai^fxareTs, C'^'IS'O) formed a separate class in the Sanhedrim, though only a portion of them were members of it. From the union of civil and spiritual government under the Old Testament theocracy, they were at one and the same time lawyers and theologians, — interpreters of the CHAP. II. 1-12. 59 law in this twofold sense. Hence Luke calls them t/ofMLKoi and voixoSiSaffKaKoi. Most of them belonged to the sect of the Pharisees {see the article ISchriftge- lehrte in Winer). In all probability, the scribes ori- ginated not merely from the practice of employing copyists of the law and public readers in the syna- gogues, but were intended as a kind of successors to the prophets, in a sense modified by the circumstan- ces of the time. The only point before the Sanhe- drim on the present occasion was to specify, on theo- logical grounds, the place where Christ should be born. No doubt, however, the scribes were aware of the reason why Herod wished to ascertain this point. Vers. 5 and 6. For thus it is written by the prophet : Micah v. 1. — The passage is freely quoted from the Septuagint. In the Hebrew text the prophet says : " But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, too small to be among the thousands of Judah C"^^^ i^'^'iiT^ "'E5X3 f^'^n") — [or, the central towns where the heads of thousands resided, i.e., subordinate di- visions of tribes] — out of thee shall come forth unto Me One who is to be ruler in Israel : whose going forth (origin) is from the first of time, from the days of eternity." The Sept. has : " And thou Bethle- hem, house of Ephratah, too small to be among the thousands (eV x'^"»<^'»') of Judah," etc. Matthew substitutes for Ephratah, " land of Judahy The expression probably means district, and is analogous to that of Ephraim, or twin-district. Ephratah was the District par excellence — the District of Judah. — The words, art not the least, seem to imply a ques- tion, as if it were said : " Art thou too small '? Out of thee shall come, etc. Not only art thou not too small to be one of the thousands (or central towns) in the tribe of Judah, but thou shalt be the birthplace of the King of all Israel — the King eternal." Though we have here among the princes for " among the thousa7ids" it must not be inferred that the Evange- list or his translator had mistaken the word ^=^5 1 a thousand (central town), for ~i*13^ , the chief of a thousand (as Meyer thinks, p. 66). In point of fact, the Evangelist here refers to a central town or thousand, only personifying it by the term " prince." Even the Rabbins admit that this passage applies to the Messiah. Indeed, the whole context, and the mysterious designation of the promised ruler, prove its Messianic reference ; but chiefly, the circumstance that the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem is distin- guished from the then reigning house of David. Rule, or rather feed, as in the margin — Troiixafel, the primitive idea of ruling a people. Homer : iroifxfves Kaiiv. It is clear, from this passage, that the scribes understood the words of Micah as refer- ring to the Messiah. So also did the Chaldee trans- lator. Subsequently, the Jews tried to destroy this testimony by applying the prediction to Hezekiah or Zerubabel. Ver. 7. Privily, \ddpa. — Quite characteristic of political suspicion. Herod evidently shared the mis- take of the magi, that the birth of the child coincided with the first appearance of the star, and that, conse- quently, the child was then in its second year. This error led to the slaughter of the children at Bethlehem. Ver. 9. And, lo, the star. — Bengel infers from this passage, without sufficient reason, " (oto itinere nan vidernnt stellam.''^ The only difference was, that the star was now in its zenith, and hence ap- peared to go before them. According to a common Eastern custom, they travelled by night (Ilasselquist, ''^ Reise nach Paldstina," p. 152). Front this cir- cumstance, however, we ai-e warranted in supposing that Herod received the magi at night, in order to question, and to give them such directions as would make them, uncon.sciously, spies, and subservient to his murderous purpose. Immediately on leaving the despot's palace, they set out on their journey. Ver. 11. Into the house. — This no more proves (as Meyer asserts) that Matthew represents Bethle- hem as Joseph's permanent place of residence, than ver. 1 shows that the magi did not arrive till long after the birth of the Saviour. In all probability the holy family removed, soon after the homage of the shepherds, from the stable (or the caravansery) to some shepherd's cottage. The event here alluded to undoubtedly occurred soon after the birth of Jesus, and before His presentation in the temple. Opened their treasures. — The bags or boxes containing their treasures. According to Oriental usage, offerings are presented when welcoming a distinguish- ed stranger, but especially on rendering homage to a sovereign. The (/oW indicates wealth ; the fravkln- cense and myrrh point to the East, more particularly to Arabia. Frankincense, a resin of bitter taste, but fragrant odor, was used chiefly in sacrifices and in the services of the temple. On the tree from which frankincense was derived in Arabia and India, comp. Winer. Myrrh, an aromatic of a similar kind, was produced from a shrub, which, indigenous in Arabia and Ethiopia, grows also in Palestine. Myrrh was employed for fumigation and for improving the taste of wine, but especially as an ingredient of a very precious ointment. For a fuller account of these productions, see Winer and other Encycl. — These gifts have been regarded as symbolical. Thus Theo- phylact : The gold to the King, the incense to the Lord, the myrrh to Him who was to taste of death (the great High Priest). Sunilarly Leo the Great. Fulgentius : Fer aurum C'hrinti regnum, per thus ejus poniificatus, per myrrham jaors significatur. Others give other explanations. Leo the Great and Juvencus suggest, that by these gifts the magi owned and did homage to both the divme and the human nature of Christ. Others have dwelt more on the practical utility of the gifts, as a provision for the holy family in their unpending flight mto Egypt. With this view we may, also, combine a symbolical interpretation of the threefold gift. Thus the myrrh, as precious ointment, may indicate the Prophet and the balm of Israel; the incense, the office of the High Priest ; the gold, the splendor of royalty. In expatiating, however, on supposed symbolical mean- ings, great care is required to avoid mere trifling. Ver. 12. And being warned of God, xpw- TtffOevres. — The Vulgate: response accepto. — The expression seems to imply a previous inquiry. Ben- gel: Sic optaraut, vel rogarant. Hence we infer that, even before being warned in -a dream, the for- mer trustfulness and simplicity of the magi — so characteristic of these inquirers — had given place to suspicion of Herod's intentions, from the contrast between the uncomfortable impression produced by the despotic king and the spiritual feelings awakened by the holy family. The word avex'^PVcay is also significant : they withdrew, escaped, by another way to their own country. Their direct way home would, in all probability, have led by Jerusalem, as the route would depend not so much on the direction in which their country lay, as on the road usually taken by travellers. General Remarks on the Historical CnAKACTER op THE Adoeation of THE Magi.— The idea (still, it would GO THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. seem, countenanced that the preceding narrative was no more than a legend, not only theologically untenable, but fcientifleally antiquat- ed. The deep significant and symbolical meaning is no argu- ment against the historical truth of this Gospel narrative, but rather an additional evidence of its reality. (See " Leben Jeitu" vol. i. p. 41.) At any rate, if this narrative be a legend, it cannot be supposed to have been of Jewish Chris- tian origin: it portrays Judaism in a most disadvantageous light compared with the Gentile world. It is remarkable that the Evangelist Luke, the companion of Paul, the Apos- tle of the Gentiles, introduces Jewish worthies as celebrat- ing the praises of the new-born Messiah ; while Matthew, whose Gospel was primarily intended for the use of Jewish converts, dwells upon the homage paid to the Saviour by Gentiles. This accounts for the circumstance, that in tlie Ebionite Hebrew Gospel, not only the first chapter, which records the miraculous birth, but also the second, was omit- ted. " Chalcidius, a Platonic philosopher and a heathen, but according to others a deacon of Carthage, also relates this narrative in his Commentar ad ThnveMm Pint. See Opera HiiypoJyii, ed. Fabric, xi. 325."— Heubner. The same writer (Heubner) refers to Hamann : ^^ Die Kreuzzugf. des Philnlogen" vol.'ii. p. 153; and to Lilienthal : ''Die gute Sache der gottUchen Offenharung," v. 271 and x. 598. DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. In the first chapter, the Evangehst points out the part which the Jewish people had in connection with the Messiah. Christ's genealogy, and His birth from the Virgin, show that salvation was of the Jews. The second chapter, which records the arrival of magi from the East, presents the interest of the Gen- tile world in Christ. The magi are, so to speak, the representatives of those pious Gentiles whose names are recorded in the Old Testament, — Melchisedec, Jethro, Ruth, Hiram, Job, Naaman, etc. To this class also belong, in a certain sense, Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus. The same thread continues to run through the New Testament history, where we meet with the three believing centurions and other pious Gentiles, and where the vision of a Gentile — the man of Macedonia — summons the Apostle to carry the Gospel into Europe, Acts xvi. 9. Thus the first chapter of our Gospel illustrates the hereditary bless- ing as contrasted with the hereditary curse ; while the second proves, that although the heathen were judicially given up to their own ways, there was among them in all ages a certain longing after, and knowledge of, the Saviour (Rom. i.). The Jewish hereditary blessing and the Gentile aspirations of nature together belong to what the Church calls the gratia prceveniens, or prevenient grace. Among those who enjoyed the hereditary blessing, prevenient grace was continued in genealogical succession. They were a chosen race. In the Gentile world, the hope of a Saviour was planted here and there in chosen individuals. Yet, these two classes of believers are not entirely distmct from each other. Even the Gentile world was favored with bright glimpses of Messianic tradition; while among the Jews, also, "prevenient grace," in its highest manifestations, was accorded to chosen individuals, in whom it led to personal faith. In both these respects the scho- lastic view of Augustine (not of the Church in gen- eral) lags far behind the scriptural record of the riches of grace and of faith, and needs modification. The manifestation of Christ among the Gentiles, or the Epiphany (i-KKpdveia) of Scripture, is infinitely more grand and full than the medieval festival of the Epiphany. Still, the latter was a solemn testimony to the wondrous efficacy of preparing grace, or the \6yos (TirepfxaTiKSs, to M'hom the ancient Greek Fa- thers (especially Justin Martyr and Clement of Alex- andria) have borne such ample testimony. The dark side of the picture m the first chapter consists mainly in the power of the heathen world, which, Uke a frightful storm, seems to pass over the genealogical tree of the Messiah. This is reversed in the second chapter, where the Gentile world pre- sents the bright, while unbelieving Israel forms the dark side of the picture. 2. Some of the statements contained in the sec- ond chapter seem, at first sight, to be stumbling- blocks to our faith : — Christ so remote, so hidden, so disowned, — Christ at first a child in ihe woik., a poor child, in a rural district at a distance from Jerusa- lem, in a lowly abode — a fugitive, an occasion of martyrdom, a Nazarene. On the other hand, we have here also an array of historical events which show Him to be the Christ ; such as the star, nature, science, and philosophy, — history, on its dark side and on its bright (Herod and the theological lore of the scribes), — Holy Scripture, prophecy, the giving up of His kindred, the significant dream by night, God's overruling providence, — all forming one glori- ous wreath of evidence. On the analogy presented by the humble church of Bethlehem, in Prague, where John Huss preached, and the insignificant church where Luther taught at Wittenberg, see Heubner, on Math. p. 14. 3. The star which the wise men saw must not be regarded as a fulfilment of Balaam's prophecy re- specting the Star that was to come out of Jacob (Num. xxiv. 17); for Christ Himself was that Star. The star seen by the wise men was, however, a sym- bol of the true Star, the Sun of Righteousness (Mal- achi). The arrival of those distinguished magi to do homage to the Messiali was clearly a beginning of the fulfilment of ancient prophecy, according to which the princes of the Gentiles were to come and present their homage to the Messiah (Ps. Ixxii. 10 ; Isa. Ix. 3, etc.). In a symbolical sense, they may therefore be appropriately called the three kings from the East. They were spiritual princes from the Gentile world, bearing testimony by their gifts to the dim yet real longing after a Prophet, Priest, and King, in those whom they represented. 4. In the design of Herod the old enmity of Edom against Jacob seems to reappear. We are involun- tarily reminded of that murderous purpose, " I will slay my brother Jacob" (Gen. xxvii. 41), which Esau relinquished in his own person, but bequeathed to his posterity (see the prophet Obadiah), and which attained its fulfilment in the progress of history. The same may be said of the blessing which Jacob bestowed upon Esau ; which also was most marked- ly fulfilled in the Iduma-an rule over Israel, except that the noble traits in the character of Esau — his honesty and uprightness — are no longer traceable in the cruel and cratty Idumtean dynasty. 5. The antagonism between the Maccabees and the Herodians belongs to the great tragic contrasts in the history of the kingdom of God. The most touehuig incident in this drama is the sad fate of Mariamne, the Asmonaean princess, whom Herod married, passionately loved, but sacrificed to his suspicions. Ruckert (the poet), in his Herod, well describes the Hellenizing and worldly spirit of this prince, who covered even Palestine with Greek names. The policy of these two dynasties may well serve as a beacon to the nations of Christendom. If the policy of the Maccabees was at a later period followed by the Byzantine court, that of the Herodi- ans is too well known in modern times as Macchia- Tellianism. 6. The contrast between the faith of the Gentiles CHAP. II. 1-12. 61 and the unliclicf of the Jews, here presented in its loading features, has been fully verified in the course of history. See Rom. ix.-xi. The Gospel of the Epiphany is also the Gospel of Missions to the Heathen. 7. Heaven and earth, as it were, move around the holy child as around their centre. But this cen- tre repels whatever is dark and evil by the same force with which it attracts every germ of what is noble and holy. 8. The higher and spiritual import attaching to the designation, "King of the Jews," appears even from the conduct of Herod. In his" mind, the ex- pression is evidently equivalent with Messiah, and connected with spiritual rather than with temporal functions ; otherwise the inquiry of the magi would have been treated as sedition. 9. For a time it was thought that the holy child had been put to death in Bethlehem, or else that He had forever quitted the scene and settled in Egypt. Next we find Him growing up in obscurity at Naza- reth. Thus Christ may be regarded as the Prince of outcast children, such as Ishmael, Moses, Cyrus, Romulus, etc. 10. On the spread of the knowledge of Christ among the Persians and Mohammedans, comp. Heub- ner, p. 17. IIOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. The salvation of the world in the form of a child — 1. concealed, and yet well known ; 2. a child hated and feared, yet longed for and loved ; 3. signally de- spised, and yet marvellously honored; 4. beset by extreme dangers, and yet kept in perfect safety. — The holy child viewed as the moving centre of the world in motion, — 1. setting everything in motion; 2. at- tracting all that is congenial ; 3. repelliag all that is .hostile. Christ had come to the wise men before they came to Him, — or the mysterious working of prevenient grace. — The threefold knowledge of Christ in the Gentile world: 1. Information by tradition; 2. a star in the sky ; 3. the influence of the Spirit in the heart. — On the Gentile world also a star, if no brighter light, shed its lustre. — The star of heaven and the star of earth. — In what sense are the wise men from the East to be regarded as really kings from the Gentile world? — In preaching to the heathen, let us bear in mind that there is a star in their firmament. — Let us go and meet the Gentiles. — Even the best among the heathen may serve as evi- dence of the spiritual destitution and need of the heathen world. — The clearest light among the heathen is but starlight. — Candid philosophy must lead to Christ. — Genuine science, if true to its aim, points to the centre of all knowledge. — Every depart- ment of knowledge a mere potsherd, unless complet- ed by faith. — Nature's testimony to Christ. 1. The various stages in nature tending upward to what is spiritual, or to Christ. 2. By the travailing and groaning in pain of all nature, she points forward to salvation in Christ. 3. Through the varied im- agery and symbols of nature, she points homeward to the spirit. — How everything replies to the inquiry: Where is He that has been born King of the Jews ? 1. Scripture. 2. The scribes. 3. Even the enemies of the King Himself. 4. The star m the sky. 5. The convictions of the heart. — Infinite importance of the question: Where is the new-born King of the Jews? 1. Its deep meaning. 2. The eager interest attaching to it. 3. The glorious hope connected with it. — The glory of the King of the Jews. 1. He is the King of the Jews, or the Messiah ; 2. the King of all nations, or the Saviour of ths world ; 3. the King of kings and Lord of lords. — Jesus is still the King of tlie Jews, — a watchword for our missionary enterprise. — The King of the Jews is not to be found at Jerusalem, the city of the King. — The alarm of a tyrant spreads terror among his subjects. — Even in- quiry after Christ alarms an unbelieving world. — The hatred of the wicked must serve as testimony to the truth of the Gospel. — Herod consulting Scripture as if it had been a heathen oracle. — The value of lifeless orthodoxy, and the worthlessness of lifeless theologi ans. — Those who are near are often afar off, and those who are afar off near. — The callous and un- moved guides to Bethlehem. — Without the light of Scripture, all the stars in the sky will not suffice to clear away our darkness. — If we but truly know that Christ has come, we shall soon learn where He is to be found. — The Gentile magi and the Jewish scribes. 1. The former obtain, by their star, the Scriptures also; the latter lose, with the Scriptures, also the star. 2. The foi-mer become scribes (or learned in the Scriptures) in the best sense ; the latter magi, m the worst sense. — Jerusalem and Bethlehem, former- ly and now. — Bethlehem and Nazareth. — Inconsisten- cy in the character of Herod. 1. Belief in the letter of Scripture. 2. Unbelief in the spirit of Scripture. — The evil craft of Herod, and the pious simplicity of the magi. — Hypocrisy as the shadow of faith in the world. 1. It accompanies faith, as the shadow the substance. 2. It is a proof of the existence of faith, as the shadow is of the substance. 3. It van- ishes before faith, as the shadow Ijefore the sub- stance.— The devices of hypocrisy in their might and in their impotence. 1. They are mighty in the world. 2. They become powerless before the power of God. — Hypocrisy in its two most hideous forms : 1. As unprincipled religious policy; 2. as unprin- cipled political religiousness. — The road to Christ, and the decisive conflicts by the way: 1. It is always a long journey; 2. it always continues the grand question ; 3. it is always a path of severe self-denial; 4. always a path full of dangers ; 5. always a path aboundmg in obstacles ; 6. always the only path to the true goal. — Recompense of perseverance in the path to Christ — great joy. — The star always rests over the place where Christ is. — "yl?ifZ thei/ went into the housed 1. What is suggested to us by the house ? 2. What is suggested by those who enter- ed ? S. What is suggested by their entering ? — The homage of the wise men a sudden outburst of heart- felt blessed faith : 1. In their beholding Christ; 2. in their falling down and doing obeisance ; 3. in their cordial homage, indicated by the noblest gifts. — The homage of the wise men indicating the order and succession of beUeving experience. 1. We behold. 2. We fall down. 3. We present gifts.— The hom- age of the wise men a picture of genuine and matur- ed faith. 1. Vision issuing in humiliation and godly sorrow. 2. Adoration issuing in the joy of faith. 3. Perseverance of faith issuing in self-dedication and works of love. — The child with Mary, his mother ; but not Mary, the mother, with her child (Maryola- try). — The offerings of a grateful faith ; gold, frank- incense, and myrrh: 1. as the noblest, 2. the most varied, 3. the most significant gifts. — The oflering of a grateful hand, an expression of the dedication of the heart. — The earthly gifts of Cliristian gratitude reflecting the heavenly gift of the Lord. — We are to oft'er vmto the Lord that which we have. — Prophetic dreams in the history of the kingdom of God. — Bless- 62 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. ed faith, with its songs of the night. — The sleep of the i)ious more profitable than the vigils of godless craftiness. — The discoveries of faith are not meant for Herod nor for such as he. — The marvellous man- ner in which spiritual inquiry is directed from the native darkness of this world to the light of our eter- nal home. — God's guidance is always toward Christ. — If God guide ms, we shall always and certainly reach the goal. — The blessed return home. — Signifi- cance of Christ's first possession in connection with His first flight. It came, 1. at the right time ; 2. into the proper hands ; 3. for the right purpose. — The first property of the Church in its significance with reference to all Church property in the world : 1. It should be regarded as belonging to Christ; 2. it should be applied to the service of Christ ; and thus, 3. become a true blessing from Christ. — Divine providence most clearly manifesting itself in its care over the life of Christ. — Christianity universal in its nature and aim. It comprehends: 1. heaven and earth ; 2. nature and Scripture ; 3. the Gentiles and the Jews ; 4. the heart and the life ; 5. redemption and judgment. Heidmer : — Christ in the cradle was the terror of an unjust monarch on his throne. — The kings and governments of this world may well tremble, and feel themselves insecure, if they are hostile to Christ. — Christ is still both the hope of the pious, and the terror of the wicked, whose conscience everywhere apprehends an avenger, and is alarmed by every passing event. — The living Saviour always puts old Adam in terror, and threatens to drive him from his throne. — Inconsistencies in the character of Herod : Faith in the letter of Scripture, — resistance to God's decrees. — We have here an instance of persons who point out Christ to others, without going to Him themselves, — who teach others the way of salvation, without entering on it themselves. — The wicked em- ploy religion only as a means for their own ends, — The most blessed discovery of all is to have found Christ. — Edification to be derived from the history of the wise men. They were, 1. wise men — philos- ophers: Thus should all who are truly wise, etc. 2. Rich and noble : Thus should all the great of the earth, etc. 3. Strangers from a strange country: Thus we who are near to Christ, etc. 4. They saw Christ only as a child in His lowliness ; we, on the contrary, etc. 5. They followed a small star; but our Ught is, etc. 6. They had a long and arduous journey to accomplish ; but we scarce require to move a single step. — The glory shed on Jesus by the arrival of the wise men. — He who follows the feeble glimmerings of spiritual light, will receive di- vine guidance to perfect light. — True Occult Science. Literature : Two sermons on the Epiphany by St. Augustin and Gregory of Nazianzen, in Augusti : "Collection of Patristic Sermons," vol. i., p. 100. — Luther's " Sermon on the Gospel of the Three Kings" (the wise men). — Dispositions of Rambach, Reinhard, etc., in Schaller's "Homilet. Repert.," p. 48. — F. Mallet: The Wise Men of the EaM. A Christmas Gift. Bremen, 1852 (10 Meditations). [Trench : Christ the Desire of all Nations, or the Unconscious Prophecies of Heathendom. A Com- mentary on Matt. ii. 1-11. 4th ed., Cambridge, 1854.— P. S.] For Itissionary Festahles : Christ the desire and goal of all nations. — The star of the wise men. — Ahlfeld: The Gentiles, too, shall walk in the light of Christ. — Uhle : The first Gentiles, who sought the Lord. — Rudelbach: The glory of the manifestation of Christ. B. Chapter II. 13-23 (Luke ii. 40-52). {TJie Gospel for the Sunday after New Year or Day of Circumcision.) 13 And wlien they were departed, behold, the [an] angel of the Lord appeareth to Jo- seph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word : for Herod will seek the young 14 child to destroy him. When he arose, he took tlie young child and his mother by 15 night, and departed into Egypt, And was there until the death of Herod : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying. Out of Egypt have I 16 called my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of [by] the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children' that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof,^ from two years old and under, according to the time 17 which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was 18 spoken by Jeremy Hhe prophet, saying. In Rama was there a voice heard,* lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be 19 comforted, because they are not. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the 20 Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel : for they are dead which [who] sought 21 the young child's life. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and 22 came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus did reign [reigned] in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither : notwithstand- ing, [and] being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee : 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth : that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. 1 Ver. 16.— [Better: all the male children, -n-avra? tous TroTSar. Lange: alle Enaben.—'P. S.] 2 Ver. 16.— [/» all its borders, in all the neighborhood.] ^ Ver. 17.— [Jeremiah.] * Ver. 18.— [Proper order: A voice was heard in Ii. Comp. Jer. xxxi. 15. The best editionB omit dprjvo^ Kal, tamentation and. — P. 8.] CHAP. n. 13-23. 63 EXEGETICAL AND CItlTICAL. Vcr. 13. Behold, an angel of the Lord ap- peareth. — Though the wise men had withdrawn from the influence of Herod, the child was still in danger. It may be presumed that the wise men and the child's parents had conversed together about Herod, and that the magi had begun to entertain strong suspicions of his intentions. Probably Jo- seph and Mary were to some extent relieved when the wise men left the country without returning to Herod. Still, the anxious vigilance of Joseph con- tinued unabated ; and it may be regarded as an evi- dence of his devotedness, that he again received in- struction and direction by a vision in a dream. He did not hesitate for a moment, but immediately fled with the child and its mother. Vers. 14, 15. Egypt was the only possible place of refuge. It was situated near the southern frontier of JudiEa. Following this direction, the fugitives at once withdrew to a distance from Jerusalem. Fre- quented roads led through the desert into Egypt. There they would find a large and more liberal Jew- ish community under the protection of a civilized government. The supposition that this account was invented for the purpose of fulfilling the passage in Hosca xi. 1 (which, in the text, is quoted in accord- ance with the original Hebrew), is entirely incompat- ible with the scope and meaning of the narrative. Even supposing the story to be legendary, it would have ill accorded with the anxiety of Joseph and Mary about the child to represent them as undertak- ing a journey for the purpose of fulfilling a prophe- cy ; especially one which, in its literal sense, referred to the bringing of Israel out of Egypt (comp. Ex. iv. 22 ; Jer. xxxi. 9). The Septuagint translation has Tct TCKva avTov (of Israel). As, however, the flight and the return had really taken place, the Evangel- ist, whose attention was always directed to the fulfil- ment of prophecy, might very properly call attention to the fact, that even this prediction of Hosea had been fulfilled. And, in truth, viewed not as a verbal but as a typical prophecy, this prediction was fulfill- ed by the flight into Egypt. Israel of old was called out of Egypt as the son of God, inasmuch as Israel was identified with the Son of God. But now the Son of God Himself was called out of Egypt, who came out of Israel as the kernel from the husk. When the Lord called Israel out of Egypt, it was with special reference to His Son ; that is, in view of the high spiritual place which Israel was destined to occupy. In connection with this, it is also impor- tant to bear in mind the historical influence of Egypt on the world at large. Ancient Greek civihzation — nay, in a certain sense, the imperial power of Rome itself — sprung from Egypt ; in Egypt the science of Christian theology and Christian monasticism origin- ated ; from Egypt proceeded the last universal con- queror ; out of Egypt came the typical son of God to found the theocracy ; and thence also the true Son of God, to complete the theocracy. — According to tradition, Christ stayed at Matarea in Egypt, in the vicinity of LeontopoUs, where, at a later period, the Jewish temple of Onias stood. — See Schubert's Jieise in das Morcfenland, ii. p. 179. Ver. 16. That he was mocked, fvcnaixSri — outwitted, made a fool of. — The word is frequently so used in the Septuagint. " The expression is here employed from Herod's point of view." From two years old, a-nh SieroDy, SC. iraiSo'?. — From two years old down to the youngest male child on the breast. It follows that the star had been seen by the wise men for about two years before their ar- rival at Jerusal'im. The massacre of the children at Bethlehem has been regarded as a myth, chiefly be- cause Joscphus makes no menti'ii of it. Thus even Meyer doubts the historical truth of this narrative, since Joscphus always relates circumstantially all the cruelties perpetrated by Herod {Ardiq. xv. 7, 8, etc.). But that he recorded so many, scarcely implies that he meant to relate every instance of his cruelty. It is farther argued, that, if the massacre has " been a historical fact, it would, on account of the peculiar circumstances of the case, certainly have been men- tioned by the Jewish historian." We infer the op- posite. From the peculiarity of the occurrence, it would have iDcen impossible to mention it without furnishing a more direct testimony, either for or against the Christian faith, than Joscphus wished to bear. The supposition that the massacre was not openly and officially ordered, but secretly perpetrated by banditti in the employ of Herod (see Lehen Jesu, ii. p. 112), is not "gratuitous," but suggested by the text {\ddpa 7}Kpi^iiiae ; atroffTeiXas a.i/e7\ev). Not that we draw any inference from the confused ac- count in Macrobius * (see Meyer, p. 174); the Gos- pel narrative can, however, easily dispense with it. Vers. 17, 18. Then was fidfiUed, etc.— the prediction in Jer. xxxi. 1 5 is here quoted freely from the Septuagint. This is another fulfilment of a typ- ical, not of a Hteral, prophecy. The passage prima- rily refers to the deportation of the Jews to Babylon. Rachel, the ancestress of Benjamin, who was buried near Bethlehem, is introduced as issuing from her g-.ave to bewail the captivity of her children. The sound of her lamentations is carried northward be- yond Jerusalem, and heard at Rama — a fortress of Israel on the frontier toward Judah, where the cap- tives were collected. The meaning probably is, that the grief caused by this deportation, and the conse- quent lamentations of the female captives, was such as to reach even the heart of the ancestress of Ben- jamin (which here includes also Judah). As used by Jeremiah, it was, therefore, a figurative expression for the deep sorrow of the exiled mothers of Judah. But in the massacre of the infants of Bethlehem this earlier calamity was not only renewed, but its de- scription verified in the fullest and most tragic man- ner. Rachel's children are not merely led into exile ; they are destroyed, and that by one who called him- self King of Israel. Accordingly, Rachel is intro- duced as the representative of the mothers of Beth- lehem lamenting over their children (Chrysostom, Theophylact, and many others). The picture of Ra- chel herself issuing from the grave and raismg a lament, indicates that the greatest calamity had now befallen Judah. — The words Op-ni-'os Kai are wantmg in Codd. B.Z., etc., and in several translations. Ver. 20. They are dead who, etc. — In the vi- sion a scriptural expression is used, Ex. iv. 19, which must have been familiar to Joseph. On the horrible death of Herod, amid alternate designs of revenge and fits of despair, comp. Joseph. Antiq. xvii. 18, 1 ; 9, 3 ; i3w Christmas, because Christian martyrdom was regarded as a celestial birth, which is the consequence of Christ's terrestrial birth. Christ was born on earth that His saints miichl be born in heaven. — On the Holy Innocents compare the old poem of Prudentius: Salveie, jlorc martyium, and John Kehie's Christian Tear, p. 4T.— P. S.] 06 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. of the Messiah during the earlier period of His life, of His subsequent humiliation, and of His death at the conclusion of His earthly career. 8. In the life of children, as in that of mechanics and laborer.'!, the mind is taken up during the day with surrounding objects. Hence their inner life dur- ing the night is more widely awake and susceptible to dreams and visions. This is the basis for the prophetic dreams of Joseph in the Old Testament, and Joseph in the New. HOMILETICAL AND PEACTICAL. The homage which Christ receives is the ground of his persecution and sufferings ; but persecution and sufferings always lead to more abundant glory. — The wise of this world are unable to protect Jesus and His Church. For this purpose God employs His heavenly messengers, and His despised children on earth. — Divine Providence brought to nought all the designs of the wicked against the life of the holy child. — Children as under the protection of angels. — Warning angel-voices during the course of our life. — Obedience to the voice of the Spirit. — Joseph's awak- ening in the morning. A short time before, he had risen to vindicate the mother : he now rises to rescue the child with its mother. — How the whole day is blessed when commenced with faith and obedience. — Joseph the model of all foster-parents. — Sacrifices for the Lord are the noblest gain. — The holy flight of the Lord in its happy results. — The holy with- drawal of the Lord the emblem of every holy with- drawal: 1. of that of the Old Testament prophets; 2. of that of Christians ; 3. of the spiritual with- drawal from the world in the inner life. — Egj-pt, the land of tombs, the cradle of God's people. — The per- secuted Church of God ever at home with the Lord : 1. in flight ; 2. in the desert ; 3. in a strange land. — The Lord continues, while all who rise against Him perish. — The children of Bethlehem as types of Chris- tian martyi-dom. 1. They are, so to speak, the seal of the faith of Old Testament believers in the Mes- siah. 2. They confirm the fiiith of behevers in all tune coming. — Christ among the children of Bethle- hem. 1. They die for Him, in order to Uve for Him. 2. He lives for them, in order to die for them. — No expenditure of blood and tears can be too great for the rescue of Jesus : 1. because His life is the ran- som of the world ; 2. because His life transforms every sacrifice of blood and of tears into Hfe and blessedness. — The death of children is of deep im- port in God's sight. — Lamentation in the Church of God. a. The cry of Abel for vengeance ; b. Rachel's cry of sorrow ; c. Jesus' cry of love. — " They are dead which sought the young child's Ufe." Thus it was (1) formerly. Thus it is (2) still. Thus it will be (3) at the end of time. — Archelaus liis father's son. 1. Personal guilt ; 2. hereditary guilt ; 3. the judgment. — The savor of despotism banishes happi- ness from the land. — Christ the Nazarene : 1. as an inhabitant of the earth ; 2. as an inhabitant of Ju- daea ; 3. as an inhabitant of Galilee ; 4. as an mhab- itant of Nazareth ; 5. as the carpenter's son even in Nazareth. — The lowhness of Jesus prefigured His humiliation, but also His exaltation. — The obscurity of Christ, implying, 1. His ignominy : 2. His safety ; 3. His ornament. — Jesus the great teacher of humil- ity. The thirty years of Christ's obscurity the foun- dation of His three years' manifestation. — The inward unfolding of Christ had to be guarded from the in- fluences of a corrupt world, and of corrupt ecclesias- tical institutions. — Christ the Divine nursling under the fostering care, 1. of pious maternal love ; 2. of the anxious solicitude of God's hidden ones ; 3. of nature in all its beauty and grandeur. — Christians as Nazarenes in the train of the Nazarene. — Nazareth itself usually does not know the Nazarene. — The hea- venly youth of the Lord a mystery of the earth. — The glory of God in the lowliness of Christ. — The Joseph-dreams in the Old and the New Testament. Starke :* — Joy and suffering are at all times next- door neighbors. When faith is strengthened, trials generally ensue. The Lord knows how, at the right moment, to withdraw His own from danger, and how to anticipate the enemy. — God often wonderfully pro- tects his own by small means and humble instru- mentalities, as he protected Jesus through the instru- mentality of Joseph, a carpenter. — Whoever will love the infant Christ must be prepared to endure, for His sake, every sort of tribulation. — Jesus has sanctified even the afliictions of our childhood. — No sooner are we bom again from on high, than persecution arises against us. — Rejoice, ye who suffer with Christ. 1 Pet. iv. 13. — H thine own people will not bear thee, God will provide a place for thee even among stran- gers. Rev. xii. 4-6. — Tyrants must die, and thy suf- ferings will come to an end. Job v. 19. — What the enemies of the Church cannot accomplish by craft, they attempt to effect by force. — If we suffer with Christ, we shall also reign with Him. 2 Tim. ii. 11. Heubner: — Providence watches over the life of the elect. — Augustin : 0 parvuli beati, modo nati, nondum ientati, nondum luctatl, jam coronati. — The kingdom of light was from its very commencement assailed by the kingdom of darkness. — In times of suffering the disciples of Jesus have often been obliged to shelter their light in the retirement of secret asso- ciations, and in strange places of refuge. — Joseph an example of obedient trust in God amid signal dan- gers.— " Duties are ours, events are God's." (Cecil.) — Herod a warning picture of a hardened, hoary sm- ner. — Mary the model of suffering mothers. — What trials a pious mother may have to endure ! — The early death of pious children a token of Divine favor to- ward them. — The wickedness and violence of men are of short duration ; God will always gain the day against them. — Let us affectionately remember what protection our heavenly Father has accorded us from our youth upward. — The wonderful guidance of God experienced by the pious. — Schleiermacher^s Predig- ten (vol. iv.) : The narrative in the text a picture of sin, which ever attempts to arrest the progress of Christianity. — Wimrner : One Lord, one faith. The misery of those who harden themselves, as apparent, 1. in their anguish during Ufe ; 2. in the folly of all their measures ; 3. in their despair in death. — iJein- hard : On the deaUngs of God with our children. * [The Edinb. transl. uniformly has iS'trc^-f, following the first edition. But Dr. Lange, in the second ed., as also in all the other vols, of the Com., changed it into Starke. The ditference in spelling arises from an inconsistency of Starke himself, or his printer, in the various volumes of the Synopsis BibliothecoR ExegeticcB. His last mode of spelling, however, was Starke, which is also etymologically more correct.— P. 8.] CHAP. m. 1-12. 67 FOURTH SECTION. ON ENTERING UPON HIS MINISTRY, JESUS REMAINED STILL UNKNOWN, EVEN TO THOSE WHO HAD HUMBLED THEMSELVES AND PROFESSED PENITENCE IN ISRAEL. IN THE BAPTISM UNTO REPENTANCE, HE RECEIVED HIS SOLEMN CONSECRATION UNTO DEATH ; WHILE AT THE SAME TIME HE IS OWNED AND GLORIFIED BY THE FATHER AS HIS BELOVED SON, THE WHOLE BLESSED TRINITY SHEDDING THEIR LUSTRE AROUND HIM, AND HIS ADVENT BEING ANNOUNCED BY HIS SPECIAL MESSENGER JOHN. CuAPTER III. (Mark i. 1-11 ; Luke iii. 1-22 ; Jolin i. 19-34). Sttmmart :— This sectidn gives an account of John the Baptist as the forerunner of Jesus, and of his ministry, which com- menced by calling the people to repentance, and subjecting them to a general purification, preparatory to the advent of the Messiah. His ministry culminated in the baptism of Christ Himself, whom John recognized by miraculous tokens from heaven, and proclaimed on this occasion as the Messiah. The section is divided into two parts: John as forerun- ner of the Lord, and as preacher and baptist,— (1) in his relation to the people ; (2) in his relation to the Lord Himself, or the baptism and glorifying of Jesus. "We note the marked contrast between the baptism of Jesus and that of the Pharisees and Sadducees. A. Chapter IIL 1-12. 1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, And 3 saying, Eepent ye : for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias [Isaiah], saying, The voice of one crying in the 4 wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins ; and his 5 meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, 6 and aU the region round about [the] Jordan, And were baptized of [by] him in [the] 7 Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his ^ baptism, he said unto them, 0 generation of vipers, who hath warned you 8 to flee from the wrath to come ? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance : And 9 think not to say within yourselves. We have Abraham to [for] our- father : for I say unto 10 you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children rmto Abraham, And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees : therefore every tree which bringeth not 11 forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with [in] water unto repentance : but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes ^ I am not worthy to bear : he shall baptize you with [in] the Holy Ghost, and ivith fire : 12 "Whose fan is in his hand, and he wiU thoroughly purge his [threshing-] floor, and gather his wheat into the garner ; but he will burn up the chafi" with unquenchable fire. 1 Ver. 7.— [Lachmann and Tregelles omit avTou ; Tischendorf retains it.— P. S.] 2 Ver. 11. — [Literally : sandals, i. e. soles merely, of wood or leather, bound under 1 virodeo). But the C. V. is more generally intelligible and may be retained.— P. S.] feet; hence inroS-qnaTa from EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 1. In those days, nnn Q-'^*3 ,Ex.ii. 11, 23 ; Isa. xxxviii. 1. — This indefinite mode of mark- ing time always refers to a preceding date. Here the reference is to the residence of Jesus at Nazareth during the period of His obscurity; the contrast being all the more striking, when we bear in mind that during that season His inner life was maturing to the full glory of His theanthropic consciousness. (For other explanations of eV raTs vfiep. iK. comp. Meyer, p. 79.) From the naiTative of Luke we learn thai John the Baptist was about half a year older than Jesus. The dates between the commencement of Christ's ministry and that of His forerunner also correspond. It is not probable that either John or Jesus would have entered on their ministry before the completion of their thirtieth year. According to the law of Moses (Num. iv. 3, 47), the age of thirty was required for commencing the exercise of the priestly functions. The Levites (ch. viii. 24) could not enter on their duties before the age of twenty-five. Suljsequently, however, this was reduced to the age of twenty (1 Chron. xxiv. 24; 2 Chron. xxxi. 17). Although there was no law confining the exercise of the projjhet- ic office either to a particular age, or even to the male sex, it seems natural that persons who claimed pub- lic authority as prophets would wait till they had attained the canonical age for the priesthood. On the other hand, neither John nor Jesus could have been more than thirty when they entered on their ministry. According to this calculation, Jesus must have commenced His public career in the year 780 from the foundation of Rome (sec Leben Jem, vol. i. p. 161), and John a short time before. From Luke iii. 1, we infer that John began his ministry in the 08 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. fifteenth year of tlie rcij^ii of Tiberius. But Tiberius was associated in the empire two years before the deatli of Augustus, that is, about the year '765. Ac- cordiuj^ly, it is understood that Luke reckoned the reisn of Tiljcrius from that year. This makes John's uiiiiislry commence in 771). In the wilderness of Judah (Judg. i. 10 ; Josh. XV. 01). — It was also called JcsMraon^ 1 Sam. xxiii. 19 ; xxvi. 1,3. It con.-^isted of a rocky district in the eastern portion of the territory of the tribe of Judah, toward the Dead Sea. In this district the town of Eugedi, and other places mentioned in the Old Testament, were situated. Josh. xv. 02 ; Judg. i. 1(3. It terminated oh the northwest in the wilder- ness of Thekoa ; on the southeast in the wilderness of Engedi, the wilderness of Ziph, and the wilderness of Mara. Sec the corres]wnding art. in the Encycls. Tradition, however, attaches the designation of "the wilderness of John " not to the places where he ex- ercised his ministry, but to the district where from early youth he Uved in retirement (Luke i. 80). This wilderness was situated amid the mountains of Ju- daea, about two hours to the southwest of Bethle- hem. The term " wilderness " (13'7'9 , as distin- guished from n3"l5 , a steppe) was given to a dis- trict which was not regularly cultivated and inhabit- ed, but used for pasturage (from "^5"^ , to drive), be- ing generally without wood and defective in water, but not entirely destitute of vegetation. John the Baptist. — The Hebr. name 'jni'' , " the Lord graciously gave," * is akin to the Phcenician and Punic brn^Sn . John, the son of Zacharias tlie priest, and of Elizabeth (Luke i.), a near kins- man of Jesus, and only six months older than He (Luke i. 36), was bom, according to rabbinical tradi- tion, at Hebron, but according to modern expositors, at Jutta, in the tribe of Judah. From earliest child- hood he was of a thoughtful disposition, and lived in retirement in the wilderness (Luke i. 80) as a Naz- arite (ver. 1.5), agi-eeably to the Divine ordinance. Thcic the spiritual gifts with which he had been en- riched by tlie Holy Ghost, who had sanctified hmi from the womb, developed and took shape in con- formity with his high and holy calling to prepare the way for the Messiah. In his own person he embod- ied, so to speak, the Old Testament dispensation in ics legal bearing, just as the Virgin Mary embodied and represented the evangelical aspect of the Old Testament as set forth in Abraham and the prophets. John was the personification of Old Testament right- eousness according to the law ; Mary was the per- sonification of Old Testament faith in the promise, and of deep and earnest waiting for the promised salvation. Hence John appeared in Israel as the preacher of repentance, and the baptist, f He com- menced his public ministry in the wilderness of Judsa in the fifteenth year of the reign of the Emperor Tibe- rius, appearing in the garb, and foUowing the manner of life, of a Nazarite. Summoning the people to re- * [The German GotthoM, Gotiliel.] t IJohn represents also the prophetic or evangelical ele- ment of the Old Testament religion by pointing to " the Lamb of God which talceth away the sin of the world." He united the spirit of Moses and that of Isaiah, and stood near- est to Christ, who was the end of the law and the promise. Hence ho is called the greatest among those that are born of women, and yet, as still belonging to the preparatory dispen- sation of the Old Testament, less than the least in the king- dom of heaven (Matt. si. 11). The comparison is not one of personal merit, but of stand-point and official position.— pentance, he announced to them the near approach of the kingdom of heaven (the kingdom of the Mes- siah— Dan. xi. 44 ; vii. 13, 14). On the desert banks of Jordan, in the solitary district near Jericho, he began what, from its special Divine appointment, and the prophetic authority wi!h which it was adminis- tered, was really a new ordinance — the hupthni unto repentance, and admission into the kingdom of hea- ven, with a view to the roce])tJon of the coming Mes- siah. His baptism imj)lied that the whole people were unclean, and, in their present condition, unfit for the kingdom of heaven (according to Haggai ii. 14). So far as Israel was concerned, the rite origin- ated in the Levitical lustration appointed for the un- clean (Gen. XXXV. 2 ; Ex. xix. 10 ; Num. xix. 7 ; Ju- dith xii. 7 ; Joseph, cle hello Jud. ii. 8, 1 ; Wetstein hi Joe. ; Nork, Mythologischcs Wijrterhucli, Wasser- taufe, etc.). But it also bore analogy to the symbol- ical purifications, by water and otherwise, common among the various nations of the world, and to the baptism of Jewish proselytes,* viewing these cere- monies in the light of the predictions of the prophets (Ezek. xxxvi. 25 ; Isa. xliv. 3 ; Zech. xiii. 1). This baptism was administered by immersion, and not merely by sprinkUng. It denoted purification by, not only washing, but by submitting to sufferings akin to death. So far as is known, this rite was not accompanied by the usual sacrifices ; but the deepest spiritual part of the sacrificial service — the confession of sins — preceded the immersion. This confession of sins, however, was not made over the head of an animal, as in the Levitical sin-ofi'crings (Lev. xvi. 21 ; Num. v. 7), because the spiritual truth, that he who offered the sacrifice luust himself be the sacrifice, or offer up himself, was nearing its grand reahzation. In one respect, however, the baptism of John resem- bled the ' sacrificial services of the priests, as John administered the rite of submersion himself; where- as, in ordinary lustrations, the person to be baptized sprinkled himself whh the water of baptism. The immediate object of John's baptism was to prepare the people for the Messiah and the kingdom of hea- ven (Matt. iii. 11); its final and highest object, the manifestation of the Messiah to His people (John i. 31 ; see Lehen Jesu, ii. 452 ; iii. 49). The Lord's manifestation to John, and the public witness of the JBaptist to Jesus, as the Lamb of God that iaketh away the sins of the world, completed the pjrophetic tnission of John. This appears from the fact, that henceforth the rite of baptism and the most distinguished of John's disciples became connected with Jesus Him- self. Meanwhile John pursued his ministry even be- yond its goal, which had now been reached. His course was, m consequence, marked by some degree of hesitation, although his sole and earnest desire * This view was for a long time generally entertained (for example, by Selden, Lightfoot, Danz, Zieglfer, etc.); but has latterly been called in question hy Schneckenburger (" Das Alter der jud. Proselytentav.fe" Berl. 1S2S), by Meyer, and others, on the ground that "the earliest mention of baptism in the case of Jewish proselytes occurs in the Gemura Babyl. Jebamoth, 46, 2, while neither Philo, Jose- phus, nor the older Targums refer to such a rite. It seems to have originated after the destruction of the temple. Be- fore that, proselytes were admitted by circumcision and the offering of a sacrifice, which latter, like every other sacrifice, was preceded by a Levitical purification with water, which the proselyte administered to himself." Eut this very lus- tration wa8 the germ of the later baptism of proselytes, only that it formed an adjunct of circumcision, and not of the sac- rifice which was offered. After the destruction of the tem- ple, when sacrifices censed, the rite of baptism necessarily acquired much greater importance than formerly. CHAP. III. 1-12. 69 Btill was to prepare the way of the Lord, and to pro- mote His cause (John i. 36 ; iii. 23 ; Matt. xi. o). But the manifest contrast between tlie baptism of John and that of the disciples of Jesus, — between John's disciples and those of the Lord — between the rigid asceticism of the former, and the social, genial deportment of the latter, — suggested comparisons which, from the legal notions of the Jews, led to conclusions derogatory to the teaching of Christ, and, in the end, even to the rejection of both teachers. Besides, this contrast between the Old Testament type of righteousness and that of the New, subse- quently gave rise to odious dissensions, and at a \atcv period induced some of the disciples of John to alian- don Jesus, and form a sect, which still waited for the coming of the Messiah, or even acknowledged John as its Messiah (see Gieseler, KirchencfescJufhie i. 69). This result, however, the Baptist had not an- ticipated, when continuing the exercise of his minis- try. His sole and growing ami was to accelerate the triumph of Messiah's kingdom. Hence his denuncia- tions of wickedness became more and more vehe- ment. His denunciation of the adulterous connec- tion between Herod Antipas and his brother Philip's wife led to his imprisonment. Like his prototype at Horeb, he could not understand or fall in with the Divine arrangement of events. In order to liring about an immediate and full manifestation of judg- ment and vengeance, the Baptist now despatched his embassy to Jesus (Matt, xi.), to induce the Messiah at once to reveal His power. Sucli being his views and motives, the scene at Horeb was once more en- acted (1 Kings xix.). It was necessary that not only the contrast between the Old and the New Testa- ment, but the spiritual superiority of Jesus, should ]je fully exhibited. It was not in his intellectual dis- cernment, but through his feelhigs, that John erred in regard to Jesus : he was " oiFended " where, in analogous circumstances, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Mary, and Peter stumbled. With divine gentleness, Jesus corrected his mistake ; and this correction served at the same time as his vindication before the people. John is the greatest among the prophets of the Old Covenant ; but the least in the kingdom of heaven — in the New Covenant — is greater than he in all that is distinctive of the New Testament, espe- cially in clearness of faith and patience of suffering. Those who imagine that there is an inconsistency be- tween John's testimony, John i. 36, and his message, Matt. xi. 3, apparently forget that this testhnony was the utterance of his loftiest fahh, while his subse- quent embassy was that of his deepest temptation. Nor is there any ground for maintaining that the narrative of John and those of the synoptic Gospels differ in regard to the Baptist. That Christ consid- ered the cause of John as identiSed with His own, and the Baptist himself as His forerunner and ser- vant, appears from the fact, that He treated the ini- quitous execution of John, which Antipas was in- duced to order, as an act of hostihty against Himself and His kingdom (Matt. xiv. 13). For historical de- tails, comp. the article in the Encyclops. See Joseph. ArUiq. xviii. 5, 1 (also a monograph by Rohden, " Johannes der Tdufer^'' Lubeck, 1838). Ver. 2. The kingdom of heaven {of the hea- vens, riuv ovpafwu). — Viewing the kingdom of God in its entire historical extent and development, we mark in it two periods. In the first it appears in its typical form, as the Old Testament theocracy ; in the second, as the kingdom of heaven, ij ^aatXeia roiv oOpavaiv. The contrast between the new manifesta- tion, and the old form of the kingdom, had alrc^uly been specified by Daniel (ch. ii. and ch. vii.). The use of the jilural number in the original — the kinti- dam of the liMuienj^, which also occurs in the Lord's Prayer — may be explained by the conception of seven heavens (comp. 2 Cor. xii. 2 : " the third heaven "), Ijut especially by the fact, that the king- dom of God extends, in its various spheres, through- out infinity. The kingdom of heaven, as appears from the prophecies of Daniel, is the kingdom of the Messiah ; while the Lord's Prayer teaches us that it is the kingdom of God's Spirit, in which the will of man is made conformable to the will of God — a kingdom which comes from heaven, is heaven on earth, and ends in heaven. The expres- sion is only found in Matthew (and in the rabbinical ' writings) ; but the same idea pervades the whole New Testament, where it frequently recurs mider tlie des- ignation of /8ao-(A.6iaToD 0foD, or fiacriX. rnv Xpiarov, or sometimes simply " the kingdom." Matthew no doubt chose the expression "kingdom of luovnt,^'' in order to distinguish the Christian kingdom of God more fully from the Jewish theocracy. (Monograph : Fleck, De Regno Diimio, Lips. 1829.) The contrast between the common Jewish ex- pectations of the Messiah's kingdom (or the revela- tion of the Messiah with miraculous signs from hea- ven, resuscitation of the race of Abraham, war and victory over the Gentiles, subjugation of the Roman world to the Jews, a reign of a thousand years, etc.), and the kingdom of heaven in its true and spiritual manifestation, is already clearly indicated by the preaching of John. It lias sometimes been said that the repentance inculcated by John was merely that of the Old, not that of the New, Testament. But, even granting this, we must remember that John cherished the spiritual views of repentance pi-opound- ed by the prophets, and not the common legal no- tions of the Jews, and that he represented the Old Testament in its point of transition to the New. The Baptist evidently regarded repentance as a furavoelv — a change of mind. He was aware of the difference between mere outward and real repentance — between transient feelings and that deep change whicli mani- fests itself by corresponding fndts of righteousness. His idea of repentance exceeded the outward re(|uire- ments of the Slosaic law as much as his rite of im- mersion that of sprinkling. In his view, repentance implied an entire renunciation of the world — dying to the old, and consecration to a new life. Besides, it is important to bear in raind that the Baptist seems to have already, in some measure, realized the rejec- tion of the unworthy portion of the race of Abraham, and the calling of the Gentiles. But the great point of distinction lies in this, that the repentance which he enforced must have sprung from faith in the pre- dictions regarding the coming Messiah. Tlie circum- stance, that Josephus, in his notice of the Baptist {Antiq. xviii. 5, 2), omitted any allusion to John's testimony to the Messiah, is readily explained from his perfidious subserviency to Roman domination, which led him to '•enounce every hope dear to the Jewish heart and people. Ver. 3. For tliis is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, Isa. xl. 3.— The quotation is made by the EvangelisJ, and no: Ijy the Baptist. In this case, also, we have the fulfilment of a typical, not a verbal prophecy. In its pi'imary historical ap- plication, the passitgc (Isa. xl. 3, quoted from the Septuagint) contahis a summons to prepare the way of Jehovah, who v/as about to bring back His people 70 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. from exile. There is an allusion to the well-known Orientiil custom of preparing the way for pi-incos in their travels (Wetstein in loc). the summoning voice is that of a herald. The application of the passage by the Evangelist shows that, in his mind, the advent of Christ was that of Jehovah Himself, and the true deliverance of God's children from bon- dage ; and that he regarded John as the real herald of the Lord. Many expositors of the original passage join the expression, iv ry eprjfxco, with eToiixdaart ; but the Evangelist evidently connects it with ^ouvros, as John was actually in the wilderness. The sense would be the same in both cases, the object of the Evangelist being to give a symbolical import to the wilderness where the Baptist exercised his ministry. What Isaiah uttered as a typical prophecy, be- came a distinct prediction in Malachi (iii. 1), who re- garded the mission of the forerunner of the Lord as corresponding to that of Elijah, and hence assigned to him even the name of Elijah (iv. 5). It is not to be supposed that the prophet referred to two forerunners, — one heralding the Lord's coming to deliver His people, and merely resembling Elijah ; the other, Elijah himself, come to make preparation for the day when Messiah should return to judge the earth. The prophet evidently regarded the day of judgment and tlie day of deliverance as the same. Similarly, the angel Gabriel also referred to John's ministry as a fulfilment of the prophecy regarding Elijah : " He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Mai. iv. 6, comp. Luke i. 1*7). Lastly, Christ Himself blended the two predictions of Mala- chi, and applied them to the Baptist (Matt. xi. 10, comp. ver. 14 and ch. xvii. 11). Among Jewish theologians, different views obtained about the return of one of the old propliets preparatory to the coming of Messiah (Berthold, Christoloffie, p. 58). Yer. 4. The same John had his raiment, etc. — The expression implies that, as in the case of Eli- jah (2 Kings i. 8), the austere, ascetic appearance of the Baptist corresponded with the character of his preaching, being an emblem of renunciation of the world, and of repentance. (1.) His (peculiar and distinctive) dress was of camel's hair. Not of cam- el's skin, but of camel's hair, from which a coarse kind of cloth, used for clothing and for the covering of tents, was manufactured (see Meyer, p. 83). (2.) He had a leathern girdle. (3.) His food consisted of locusts, ctKpiSe!. "Several kinds of locusts were used for food, especially by the poorest of the peo- ple. Lev. xi. 22 ; comp. Plin. Hist. Natur. vi. 35 ; xi. 32, 35. This is still the case m the East, espe- cially among the lower classes. After throwing away the wings and legs, they cover the body with salt, and eat it either boiled or fried. (Niobuhr, '■ Reise,' i. p. 402, etc.) The older expositors, under the impression that locusts were unfit for eating, conjectured that the original reading must have been, not cifcpiSes, but iynpldis, cakes, or /capi5fs, shrimps, or something else. But these conjectures do not de- serve further consideration." See Meyer, p. 83. (4.) Wild honey was also part of his food. The question has been started, whether this honey was derived from trees or from bees ? The latter flowed in abun- dance from clefts of rocks in the wilderness; the former was a kind of honey which issued from fig- trees, palms, and other trees. Meyer adopts the view of Suidas, that it was honey from trees ; but surely it is needless to discuss whether the Baptist used one or both kinds of honey. Ver. 5. Then went out to him, etc. — That is, to the banks of Jordan, T^'^^H (Gen. xiii. 10, 11 ; 1 Kings vii. 47; 2 Chron. iv. 17), from lni to run or flow (as the German Rhcin from rinnen^. For a description of the scene, see Winer and other Ency- clops. and geographical works, especially Robinson ; comp. also a beautiful sketch of the quiet around the scene, in the Travels of Pastor Schulz of Miihlheim. Note particularly, that Jerusalem herself, the holy city, goes into the wilderness as a penitent, — the wilderness being considered, according to Old Testa- ment notions, as an unclean locality, the habitation of demons (Lev. xvi. 21). A prelude this of Christ going forth to Golgotha, and of Christians going "be- yond the camp," Ileb. xiii. 13. Hence also Jerusa- lem is first mentioned, though in strict historical suc- cession it would have been : the district about Jor- dan, JudiEa, Jerusalem. Ver. 6. And were baptized, immersed, in the Jordan, confessing their sins. — Immersion was the usual mode of baptism and the symbol of repent- ance. According to Meyer, repentance was symbol- ized by immersion, because every part of the body was purified. But, in that case, the whole body might have been washed without immersion. We must keep in view the idea of a symbolical descent into the grave, or the death of sin, although this view, as explained in Rom. vi., could not yet have been fully re- ahzed at the time (comp. Leben Jesu ii. 177. See also Ebrard, Wissensch. Kritik 257, who maintains that John fully understood the import of Christian bap- tism, and administered it accordingly). A full con- fession of sins accompanied the act of immersion. The compound i^ofj.okoyov/j.evoi denotes public con- fession. Hence it may perhaps be inferred that the confession was definite and specific, — the more so, as we might otherwise infer that a Jew would on such an occasion confess his special sins rather than his general sinfulness. The particular form of confession was, however, undoubtedly left to each individual. Ver. 7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, etc. — Circumstances now arose of a character to perplex the Baptist about the propriety of his administering baptism. When the Pharisees and Sadducees presented themselves, he might refuse to administer the sacred rite, for which their impenitence rendered them unfit ; while, on the other hand, a baptism of repentance seemed inapplicable in the case of the Lord Jesus. The Pharisees, Tahn. "pWTiS; according to Suidas, a(po)fHa/j.evoi, separated, disthictively- pious, from IIJ'^3, to separate or divide, — not from the Par- ticip. Act., " those who divide or make sharp distinc- tions " (teachers of the law), but from the passive or reflective foi-m, in the sense of "separating them- selves." They did not, however, constitute a sect, but a school or party, actuated by the most intense sectarianism. They were the living expression of outward, traditional, and legalistic Judaism ; and I their strict separation was in reference to Gentiles, Samaritans, publicans, and sinners. They prided ' themselves on the most rigid observance of those legal prohibitions and lustrations, prescribed in their traditions, which detracted so grievously from the I spirituality of the law, and perverted its object. On I their history, doctrines, and religious and political importance, see Josephus, Antiq. xiii. 5, 9 ; xiii. 10, 5, etc. Their true character can only be thoroughly gathered from the Gospels, from the narrative of our i Lord's sufferings, from the Acts of the Apostles, and CHAP. m. 1-12. 71 the history of Ebionism. Compare the article on the subject inWiner [and other Encyclops.], and also the author's Leben Jesu ii. 1, p. 15, the Gesch. (hs apos- tol. Zc'daliers, i. p. 296, [aud works on Jewish His- tory]. The Sadducees, 2a85ou(coTo: (derived, ac- cording to Epiphauius, Hceres. i. 14, airb ZiKaioav- tn)s, i. e. from p"'^^, but, accorduig to Jewish tradition, from a person called Zadok). — They were the party opposed to the Pharisees. On negative, antitraditional, foreign, and philosophical grounds, they rejected not only traditionalism, but also the in- spired writings, except the books of Moses ; aud de- nied, along with the authority of the prophets, all the deeper truths of revelation, such as the immortaUty of the soul, and the resurrection, and its higher manifestations, such as the apparitions of angels. On all these points comp. Winer [and other Ency- clops.], and the passages of Josephus relating to the Bubjcct, etc. The third school or religious party of the Jews at this period, the Essenes, constituted a regular and fully organized sect. Comp. regarding them, Joseph. De Bello Jud. ii. 8 ; Anl'iq. xiii. 5, 9 ; and Philo's dissertation : Quod omnis prohus liber. The Es- senes (a name derived from oatos^ or T^Of;, or better from SDX, to heal — hence the healers, Bepuirevral) did not 'submit to John's baptism. This is easily accounted for from the fact, that daily lustrations formed part of their ordinary religious observances. Hence they probably considered themselves as far beyond the baptism of John, which was only once administered, and, as a community, prepared to re- ceive the Messiah. Lastly, from their blending of Alexandrian philosophy with Jewish notions of legal purifications, then? views and expectations concerning the Messiah must have undergone considerable modi- fication. These three parties represented the three great deviations from the spirit and tendency of genuine Judaism. The Pharisees, like the Roman Catholics, exalted tradition into revelation, and superstitiously based their whole system on the principle of a right- eousness procured by external observances. The Sadducees limited revelation to the law of Moses, and degraded the Mosaic faith into a rationalistic morali- ty, a mere obedience of the law. The Essenes com- bined their Oriental and Alexandrian theosophy with revelation, excluded the idea of typical sacrifices, in- troduced duaUstic doctrines, and based on it an eso- teric righteousness pecuUar to the members of their religious order. The Essenes formed a distinct sect ; and, although the closest approximation in the syna- gogue to a deeper and more spiritual view of Juda- ism, and m some measure even anticipating the idea of a universal priesthood (as Ritschl has sho^vn), they also adopted a greater admixture of views entirely heathen than any other school. Hence the idea of any connection between them and Christ, or even John, cannot for a moment be entertained (a state- ment, however, which does not apply to the later followers of John). By their lifeless orthodoxy, the Pharisees perverted Judaism itself into a sect ; while the Sadducees formed an accommodating, negative, and sectarian party, who considered themselves, and acted chiefly as, a philosophic school. The authority of John as a prophet, which, ac- cording to this passage, seems at first to have been recognised by a large portion of the dominant par- ties, and which probably occasioned the embassy, or at least private deputation, from the Sanhedrim, re- ceived a serious blow when John commenced his de- nunciations. "^ The dislike thus engendered became strengthened and rooted when the scribes saw Him whom John announced as the Messiah of Israel, — one so entirely difi'erent from what they had expect- ed ; and lastly, when the Baptist promulgated views wholly opposed to those of the Pharisees on the question of divorce, and, consequently, fell a victim to the resentment of Herod and his wife. Accord- ingly, when afterwards challenged to give an opinion on the divine authority of John's bapt ism, the Phari- sees dechned to do so. Luke (\ii. 30) refers to this subsequent attitude of the Pharisees and scribes in reference to the baptism of John. It deserves notice, that Matthew does not repeat the article before "XaSSovK. ; " he includes them and the Pharisees in one and the same imworthy cate- gory." Ver. 1. When he sa-w them come sttI rh fidirrKTix a.— The meaning is not, against the baptism, as Olearius and some others would interpret the pas- sage. The contrary is to be inferred from what fol- lows : vho has tvarned you ? The expression does not, however, denote simply their coming /or ^/iejOMr- pose of being baptized. The Baptist regards them as unfit and improper candidates who presented them- selves for baptism only to strengthen their self-right- eous conceit. The suggestion of Meyer (p. 86), that, immediately on their arrival, they were deterred by John's denunciations from submitting to baptism, is equally unfounded. Such conduct would have placed them in open conflict with the Baptist ; a course which even prudence forbade. But the effect of these denunciations was to diminish, and ultimately to stop, the crowds, belonging to their party, which had flock- ed to the scene of John's ministrations This ex- planation removes the imagmary contradiction, which some have pretended to discover, between the narra- tive of Matthew and that of Luke, Schneckenburger in favor of Luke, de "VVette hi favor of Matthew. According to Luke iii. Y, these denunciations were addressed to the multitude (rots oxAots) ; according to Matthew, to the Pharisees and Sadducees. Their mterest in and sanction of the movement, no doubt, attracted crowds to the place of baptism. The pres- ence of a multitude thronging to submit to what, after all, was to them only an outward rite, ill accorded with the real aim of John, who was anxious not for a general profession, but for individual conversions. O generation (brood) of vipers. — r evvq/xa- ra e'x'Si/ajv denotes persons at once deceitful and maUcious. Isa. xiv. 29 ; fix. v. ; Ps. Iviii. 5. The ex- pression would convey to an Israelite the idea of re- presentatives of pernicious doctrines and principles, — instruments of the kingdom of darkness. Such were preeminently doomed to punishment. Gon. iii. ; Matt. xiii. 41 ; 2 Thess. ii., etc. — Who hath warned you ? — An indication of his distrust of the sincerity of their ostensible motives. It could only have been by a special miracle that you would have been direct- ed hither by the Spirit of God.— To flee.— To flee, and thus to escape from, '(0 nnS. The infin. Aorist denotes their being already ostensibly in the act of fleeing. — From the wrath to come, anh t r) s tj.e\\ova-ios opyris . — The wrath, or the holy penal justice of God, is here identified with punishment it- self. Rom. i. 18; Eph. ii. 3. Ver. 8. Bring forth, therefore. — Olv, a conclu- sion relating partly to the charge brought against TUE (JOSFEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. them, and partly to their profession of repentance. Fruits. — I'roper, suitable fruits. Conip. Matt. vii. 17 if, also with special reference to the Pharisees. Such good fruit as could not be produced without an entire change in the fruit-tree itself. Ver. 9. And think not — do not imagine you might say 'within yourselves, — i. e., think ; "iaba ipX, to say in one's heart : Ps. iv. 5 ; x. 6 •, xiv. i ; Matt. ix. 21 ; Luke iii. 8 ; yii. 49. — We have Abraham for our father ; — /. c, we sluill be saved, because, as descendants of Abraham, we are nicm- bcis of the theocracy, and partakers of the promise given to our father. This view is clearly propounded in later rabbinical writings. See Meyer, p. 87. Com- pare John viii. 39 ; Rom. ix. As to the genuine chil- dren of Abraham, see Rom. iv. — God is able. — God's ahnighty power and liberty are not limited by hereditary right. He may reject them as spurious children of Abraham ; and, on the other hand, He is able to create out of the stones in the wilderness genuine children of Abraham by faith, i. e., to trans- form uncultivated portions of the human race, — un- doubtedly a reference to the calling of the Gentiles. Ver. 10. And now also the axe is laid, etc. — The preceding sentence only implied that the punish- ment of the spurious descendants of Abraham was possible ; that now under consideration asserts that it was not only possible, but near, — nay, that it had already begun. Hence the tise of the present tense. Now already the axe lies at the root of the tree, ready for its work of destruction. The statement implies that they are unfruitful trees, or trees of a bad kind (ch. vii. 19). The punishment will equally de- scend on all ; . every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, etc. This evidently refers to the exclusion of the unbelieving Jews from the kingdom of Messiah. Ver. 11. I indeed baptize you in (eV) water (immersing you in iho element of water) unto repen- tance.— The Baptist thus declares that he is not the judge, and, at the same time, that by his baptism of water he does not secure their salvation, but merely calls them to repentance. Lastly, he teaches them that his was merely a symbolical and temporary mission as the forerunner, to prepare for the higher mission of the Messiah. He that cometh after me (imme- diately following me), = the Messiah. The Bap- tist here describes his personal relation to the Mes- siah : I am not worthy to bear iiis sandals, to carry them and to take them away — in Mark and Luke, to tie on and to unloose. Among the Jews, Greeks, and Romans, this was the function of the meanest slaves. (See Wetstein, Rosenmiiller, Jahn.) — He proceeds to point out the relation of his bap- tism to that of Christ. He shall baptize, or im- merse, you in the Holy Ghost and in fire. — He will either entirely immerse you in the Holy Ghost as penitents, or, if impenitent. He will overwhelm you with the fire of judgment (and at last with hell-fire). This interpretation of the expression "Jire" has been pro- pounded by many of the Fathers (some of whom, however, referred it to the fire of purgatory) ; and among modern expositors, by Kuinoel, Schott, Nean- der [de Wette, Meyer]. But some commentators — among them Erasmus [Chrys., Calv., Beng., O.lshaus., Ebrard, Ewald, Alford, Wordsworth] — apply the ex- pression to the kindling, sanctifying fire of the Holy Ghost. The warning tone of the passage, and the ex- pression unquenchable fire, in ver. 12, are against this interpretation.* In some Codd. the words Kal * [Not necessarily so. It is harsh to separate " the Holy Spirit " and "fire," as referring to opposite classes of persons, TTvpi are omitted, probably from the en-oneous suppo- sition that they were e(|uivalent to Holy Ghost. Ver. 12. Whose fan. — Here we have another fig- ure of judgment, showing, even in a more striking manner than the preceding, the necessity and pro- priety of such judgment. The theocracy is the hus- bandry of God. But if the wise husbandman removes from his garden all such trees as merely encumber the ground, much more will he in harvest-time sepa- rate on the threshing-floor the wheat from the chaff, and deal with each according to the rules of husban- dry. But the theocracy, or the kingdom of God, is with great propriety represented as God's special field, of which both the sowing and the harvest are His (Matt. xiii. 3). The fan in His hand, or the in- strument for the separating or purging, is the word, or the preaching of the Gospel. — ^Threshing-floor, aKoiv, '("iJ — a circular space, beaten down or paved, on the fami. The com was either trodden by oxen [or horses], or crushed by means of a threshing, sledge drawn by oxen [or horses]. Robinson, ii. 306. The threshing-floor denotes Messiah's sphere of ac- tion (Ewald), — the holy land in an ideal rather than a material and literal sense (Meyer) ; not mankind (Baumgai'ten-Crusius), or the Jewish people (de Wette). The extent of this threshing-floor necessa- rily increases from century to century. The starting- point was the land of Judfea ; the farthest verge is the earth's remotest boundary, — being then ground beaten for threshing, and no longer a field which requires to be sowed. The purging of the threshing-floor is eflect- ed by separating the wheat and the chaff of the sheaves collected on it. He will ^laKaQapi^nv, i.e., thoroughly purge. — The Wheat. — True and pen- itent believers, the precious, pure produce of God's husbandry. — The gamer, a tt o 6 V; k 77 , the granary ; usually dry, subterranean vaults. An emblem, first, of the kingdom of heaven on earth ; and, secondly, of the heavenly inheritance. — The chaff. — In the widest sense, whatever is crushed, cut small. Here it means the whole refuse of God's husbandry: First, the agencies applied to bring out the wheat ; and, secondly, the persons whose hearts have clung to these agencies alone, and who, l^y their vain, formal services, have themselves become chaff. Whatever is to be assigned to the fire, the judgment-fire (Mai. iv. 1), hell-fire (Matt. xxv. 41), is chaff. Chaff was used for fuel. — The expression, unquenchable fire (see Isa. Ixvi. 24), points beyond the figure to the reality, although it denotes, in the first place, the vio- lent, uncontrollable blaze of a straw fire. When the fiery judgment begins, it continues without interrup- tion, till the unquenchable fire of Gehenna is kindled. DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. The almost simultaneous appearance of two such personages as John and Jesus indicated that this was a unique period of extraordinary commotion in the history of the world. John the Baptist was the personal embodiment of the Old, Christ that of the New, Testament ; and as John was the forerun- ner of Christ, it follows that the Old Testament was the forerunner of Christ in respect of the inward and spiritual obedience and righteousness which it de- manded. This spiritual legaUsm John represented, just as the Virgin was the representative of the pro- when they are clearly united in i',""^) and by the copulative Kai (not the disjunctive i;, aut). Moreover this prophecy was litiTally fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples in tongues of fire, Acta ii. 3.-P. S.] CHAP. m. 1-12. 73 phetic hope and the evangelical aspirations of the Old Testament. Hence, Mary brings the Lord to the people; John brings the people to the Lord. But both were merely the means for introducing the New Testament and the Lord : He Himself is the new and perfect revelation of the divine, theanthrop- ic, and redeeming life. — The contrast between John, the rigid preacher of repentance, and Jesus, the gen- tle preacher of the kingdom of heaven, had already been typified among the ancient prophets by the similar contrast between EUjah and Elisha. Elijah, for the most part, performed miracles of vengeance and judgment, pointmg forward to the final catastro- phe, the fiery judgment, and the end of the world. Hence he was appropriately snatched from the world in a fiery chariot. On the other hand, Elisha per- foiTned, for the most part, miracles of mercy and de- liverance, thus preparing the way for the Messianic prophets. This contrast in the typical missions of Ehjah and Elisha was itself an emblem, which had its entire fulfilment in the great contrast between Old and New Testament times, as exhibited in the twofold advent of the Baptist and of Christ. 2. The Old Testament contains the most varied references to the New, by its promises, its law, its types, and its prophecies. Its most striking refer- ence, however, is that with which it closed, present- ing as it did, in the person of the Baptist, the most faithful embodiment of the old dispensation. Thus the relation of the Baptist to Christ was that of the Old Testament itself to the Saviour. The grand mis- sion of John was the baptism unto repentance. Its elements and commencement existed in the Old, Tes- tament ; but the ordinance itself can only be under- stood if viewed as a new act of Divine revelation, a Divine mission, a prophetic creation. Its real im- port appears from the declaration that the whole people of Israel were utterly unclean. Once of old they walked over the dried bed of Jordan : now they must be immersed in the current of Jordan in their old state, in order to come out of it thoroughly renewed. But this declaration of the Baptist implied also the idea, that mere legal lustrations were incapa- ble of purifying the people, — a truth which was also conveyed to their minds by the solemnities of the great day of atonement (Lev. xvi.). Lastly, all this indicated that the baptism unto repentance was it- self only a symbol, being an outward expression of the fact, that legal institutions were incapable of de- livering the Jewish nation from sin. Accordingly, the baptism of John was at the same time a baptism unto repentance and in preparation for the coming of the Messiah, and its last and highest aim Avas to point the people to the person of the Messiah. 3. That John appeared in the wilderness as a preacher of repentance, and there administered his rite of purification, is another evidence of the great change which the views of Israel were about to un- dergo. According to Old Testament ideas, the camp would be considered clean, and the wilderness un- clean (Lev. xvi.). This, however, is now reversed ; and Jerusalem must go forth to the wilderness, there to seek her purification. Typically, this contrast points forward to Golgotha, to the accursed place without the city, and to the Church of Christ dis- owned and excommunicated by the synagogue. But it also points backward to the voice of him who cried in the wilderness. Isa. xl. 3 (comp. John i. 23). Again, the wilderness is a symbol of the nation it- self, or at least of the state of the Jews at the tune. In that wilderness the prophet can find no path for the advent of the Lord. Hence a way has now to be prepared for Him by repentance ; and this forms the burden of his message. Such was the grand mission of John : his work and commission was mainly, if not exclusively, to call to repentance. Besides the sj-mbolic character attaching from its nature to a wilderness, the sojourn of John in the desert pointed to those deeper experiences, resulting from contem- plation, retirement, and constant prayer, which marked the spiritual development of genuine Judaism even at an earlier period (Moses, Elijah, John, Christ, the Anchorites). 4. The expression, " Repent ye," is not equivalent with " Do penance." * The original means. Change your minds, your mode of thinking and of viewing things, — not in order that the kingdom of heaven may come, but heca.use it is coming or approaching (for the kingdom of heaven is at hand). Tliis change of mind could only spring from a sense of the free mercy of God in manifesting the kingdom of heaven, and from the revelation of Christ in His grace and truth. Nor can it ever be otherwise ; for without repentance, change of mind, conversion, re- generation (John iii.), it is unpossible to enter the kingdom of heaven. 5. We have already indicated the pecuHar mean- ing attaching to the expression, kingdom of God, as distinguished from the kingdom of heaven. The former is the general conception and includes the entire kingdom of God, in every sense and bearing. Thus the theocracy was the kingdom of God in its typical and Old Testament form ; while the kingdom of Christ is the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God in its reality, or the real theocracy. Viewed as a whole, the kingdom of God is the higher mani- festation of the universal supremacy and rule of God in nature and in history, and the preparation for the kingdom of glory (kingdom of power, kingdom of grace, kingdom of glory). In direct contrast to the kingdom of grace is that of darkness. It appears along with the kingdom of grace, and keeps pace with it ; and, though appearing to conquer, ultimate- ly is always conquered. At last, when the kingdom of God shall have been perfected, it will also have reached its full and final development, and be ripe for the self-annihilation which awaits it. Then shall it also appear that all along it had been entirely sub- ject to the kingdom of omnipotence, and subservient to the advancement of the kingdom of glory. In New Testament times, the Christian Church and the Christian State may be regarded as the twofold man- ifestation of the kingdom of God ; which, however, must not be confounded with the essence of the king- dom of God. Lastly, the kingdom of God is the kingdom of heaven, both in respect of its origin and its goal, its essence and its manifestation, its King and its people, its law and its citizenship — the royal dominion of God in the souls of beUevers, through Christ and his Holy Spirit. 6. We may view the asceticism and austerity of John under a twofold aspect. On the one hand, it marks him out as a perfect Nazaritc. The institu- tion of Nazarites, with its various prohibitions, was from the first intended as something sunilar to, nay, * ["Z>o penance,^'' is the Roman Catholic version, made at Eheims, A. D. 15!i2. It follows closely here, iis elsewhere, the Latin Vulgate which renders the Greek iXiravoiiTi, Matt. iii. 2, etc. : Poenitentiam ugete. This difference of translation affects materially the whole conception of repent- ance. Luther translates: "■ Thut Buase;" but there is a difference between B>ms6, repentance, a.n(\. B'us8ung,pen- ance.—V. S.] 74 THE GOSl'EL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. as a higher completion of, the legal priesthood (Leben Jesu, i. 63 ; apost. Zeitaller, ii. 303 and 398 *). Hence the circumstance, that both John and the Apostle James were Nazarites, may be regarded as forming an appropriate transition from the Old Tes- tament priesthood to that of the Spirit under the New Testament, just as the synagogue was a tran- sition fiom the temple to the church. In other words, the Nazarites were the connecting Unk be- tween the Old and New Testament priests, just as the synagogue was between the temple, the church, and the washing with water, between circum- cision and baptism, and the breaking of bread and the cup of thanksgiving, between the passover and the Lord's Supper. It was necessary that John should occupy the position of a Nazarite in order to pronounce sentence of impurity, not only upon the Jewish people, but upon their priesthood. Nor was his profession merely symbolical, implying a symbol- ical renunciation of the world. He actually renounced the pomp, the luxury, and the pursuits of his age and nation, and appeared before his eotemporaries free to utter his solemn denunciations against Pharisees and Sadducees, against the rulers of the synagogue and the rulers of the people. v. It is most important to note the contrast be- tween the grounds on which John was unwilling to baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees, and those on which he shrunk from baptizing the Lord. In his judgment, the former did not come up to the law of the Old Testament, while Jesus went far beyond the Old Testament. The Pharisees were unfit for bap- tism ; baptism was unfit for the Lord Jesus. The rulers of his people appear in the presence of the Baptist as " children," or rather as a race degenerate, and alien to true Judaism ; while before Christ the Baptist lowly bends as the humblest servant in pres- ence of the most glorious Lord. How different, then, the picture here presented of the spirit of the Old Testament from that drawn by some, who would identify the religion of the Old Covenant with Phari- saical Judaism ! 8. The circumstance, that the Baptist is here in- troduced as denouncing sinners, sufficiently accounts for the diiference between his delineation of the ad- vent of Christ as the Judge, in the passage before us, and his description of Christ as the suffering Saviour m His address to His disciples, John i. Besides, throughout the Old Testament, and indeed through- out Scripture, judgment and salvation are closely connected ; and it has been too much the practice of scholastic theologians to sever and disjoin these two ideas. Further, the picture presented to the mind of the Baptist was evidently that of the advent of Christ, in all its phases to its final manifestation, commencing with the first, and including the second appearance of the Saviour. The judgment of separa- tion, which was to be completed at His second ad- vent, commenced at the first. The " fruits meet unto repentance," which the Baptist required, were evi- dence of a genuine religious and moral renovation and regeneration, which implied the opposite of mere externalism and feigned repentance. 9. The baptism of wate-r, and the baptism ofjlre, — the one administered by John, the other by Christ ; the one bearing reference to the advent of the Mes- siah, the other, to the Messiah Himself, who had al- ready appeared ; the one, imto repentance in the sense of renoimcing aud dying unto the world, the * [The original substitutes hero a (— ) for a (,). I looked at the work, quoted and rectified the reference. — P. S.] Other, unto repentance in the sense of the death and resurrection of Christ; the one, with water, which can only purify externally (legally and symbolically), the other, with the Holy Ghost, whose fire purifies internally, aud purges away all dross ; the one, to a forgiveness of sins which as yet was only matter of hope, and was to be really obtained in -the baptism of the Spirit ; the other, as the seal of actual forgive- ness of sins. The baptism of John contained only the germ of a sacrament in the peace of hope which it conveyed, and the conditional assurance of a future baptism of the Spirit or reception into the kingdom of the Messiah ; while Christ's baptism of the Spirit finds its appropriate expression in the sacrament of Christian Baptism as the sign and seal of the inward baptism of the Spirit. It is indeed true that the baptism of the Saviour by John constitutes both the origin and the basis of Christian baptism ; but it were to detract from the full meaning of that sacra- ment to assimilate it with the baptism of John, in- stead of viewing the latter as gradually advancing from the baptism of disciples to the baptism of Christ. Christian baptism, on the other hand, in the seme proportion in which it degenerates in the church, relapses into the baptism of John, i. e., it approaches to the character of mere water-baptism. But what- ever way we regard it, this great difference remains, that while the disciples of John still waited for the formation of the Church, we behold it m all its beauty, and with aU its blessings of forgiveness and of peace. In other words, in the one case, the full idea of baptism, in its objective import as a sacra- ment, is reahzed, — the only requirement being, that he who receives the ordinance receive it in spirit and in faith ; while, in the other, the objective aspect of baptism — or the Church — was still awanting. Hence the baptism of John might be repeated ; not so Chris- tian baptism. The baptism of John was not com- plete : in it the full idea of the rite was not exhaust- ed ; * while we, who are baptized into the death of Christ, can fully enter into its meaning. 10. The transcendent majesty of the Lord ap- pears, as He stands side by side with the Baptist, the greatest among them born of women under the Old Covenant. But the greatness of John consisted mainly in his almost unexampled humility, which from the first led him to designate his work which shook Israel to its centre as merely preparatory, and to subordinate himself at once to Him who was far greater than he. 11. The baptism of fire — in the sense of its puri- fying efficacy — had been already predicted by Mala- chi (in. 3). Hence we conclude that the baptism of John must have conveyed at least some of the effects of this purifying fire. In another respect, also, there is a close connection between John and Malachi, as the denunciations of the Baptist were only a further development and application of the great truths pro- pounded by the prophet about the insufficiency of the old theocracy; and just as Malachi pointed to the Baptist, so the Baptist pomts to Christ. Although the awakening produced by John, as every legal awakening, was not of a lasting character, its effects were permanent in the hearts of the elect, and more * [Dr. Lange : "Die Tavfe des Johannes ging noch nicht in die voUe 7'ie/i ; " — a play on words with reference to the ety- mology of y'aufe from teu/en, tiefen, i. e., to phmge into the deep, to submerge. With the same reference Dr. Lange calls Christian b.iptism "die absolute Vertiefung,''' which 13 equivalent in meaning to the apostle's figure of burial with Christ : '• Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death." Eom. vi. 4.— P. S.l CHAP. III. 1-12. 75 especially among his own disciples. This was suffi- cient— the Lord found a soil ready and prepared. 12. The most marvellous evidence of the spiritual power wielded by John was, that he induced the self- righteous and hypocritical professors of his age to submit to a baptism unto repentance, and that in such numbers, that it became a kind of agreeable fashion to go into the wilderness to be baptized (John V. 35). nOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. John and Christ ; or the Founder of the New Covenant accredited by the lust prophet of the Old Covenant. — John a connecting Unk between Malachi and Christ. — Old Testament prophecy pointing to Christ in the Baptist. — The baptism of John in its import, 1. as a token from God ; 2. as conchidmg the Old Dispensation ; 8. as a prophecy of the baptism of Christ. — As the renunciation of the world initiated by the Baptist only reached its completion in the death of Christ on the cross, so the baptism of John in that of Christ. — Baptism implies a descent into the depths,* 1. of self-knowledge ; 2. of repentance; 3. of renunciation of the world ; 4. of self-surrender to the grace of the Lord. — The call of the Old and New Testaments, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand : 1. The agreement between John and Christ in this call ; 2. the difference in their meaning and application ; 3. the call of John fully understood and completed in that of Christ. — The eternal basis and fundamental idea of all preaching — repentance and faith. — Baptism and preaching always go to- gether.— John the prototyj^e of preachers of repent- ance, as the voice of one crying in the wilderness : 1. The whole man, in all his saying and doing, a voice i 2. only a voice ; 3. a voice crying ; 4. a voice sounding through the wilderness, and awakening it. — Consistency of practice and teaching as giving point to our preaching — which is the voice of the Spirit in the world. Prepare ye the way of the Lord. 1. How it sounds: a. It soimds from every direc- tion ; 6. in every place ; c. at every hour ; d. for every heart. 2. What the voice requires : a. A way for the Lord ; b. to prepare the way for the Lord ; c. to prepare it in the wilderness. — The way of the Lord is prepared by making a plain path. 1. The heart which was Ufted up must be abased by repentance. 2. The heart that was abased must be Ufted up by faith. 3. The heart which was wavering must have a straight path marked out by spiritual decision of life. — The outward renunciation of the world by the Baptist an emblem of that inward renunciation which every one has solemnly vowed in baptism. — Spiritual life is that state in which we freely renounce all things. — Wonderful eifect upon the world of a be- lieving renunciation of the world. — When judgment is at hand, our safety Ues in being ready to part with all things. — Times of awakening are times of bud- ding. 1. Their presence marks a spring-time from on high ; 2. the blossoms must decay ; 3. many blos- soms are empty and fruitless ; but, 4. some lasting fruit also remains. — The baptism of John the last festive hour of the Old Covenant. — Legal repentance must be followed up by evangelical repentance ; i. e., sorrow for sin, caused by fear, must be followed by sorrow for sin, caused by love. — Genuine confession of sin marking spiritual decision and action. — Genu- ine confession of sin the foundation of every con- fession of faith. — Christ submitted to the baptism of • ["Die Tau/e geht mit una in die Ke/e."— Comp. the preceding note.— P. S.] John, although even Pharisees and Sadducees had received the rite. — The Pharisees and the Sadducees applying for baptism, or professing penitence. 1, Both parties were equally hypocritical. 2. They differed in the peculiar form of their hypocrisy. 3. They were equally overwhelmed by the judgment which descends on all hypocrites. — The self-right- eousness of reUgious formalism always produces a generation of vipers hypocritically conforming to its demands: 1. A low and unimpressiblc generation; 2. a cunning ; 3. a malicious and dangerous, genera- tion.— The genuineness of our repentance must be proved by good fruits. — Our spiritual state must be brought to the test of everyday duty, or, Christian virtue must imply and perfect natural virtue. — There are in every age those who appeal to their descent from Abraham. Such appeal has, 1. always the same meaning ; is, 2. different in different ages ; and yet, 3. m every age equally vain and pernicious. — " God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham ;" or, the creative power of free grace : 1. It can create children of Abraham from the stones of the wilderness (the hard hearts of the heathen), — for a stone has manifestly no Ufe. 2. Such a change may be expected rather than in those who hypocritically profess to be Abraham's children ; for empty profession simulates life. — The Lord as Judge, under the figure of a husbandman: 1. among His trees ; 2. on His threshmg-floor. — " Tlie axe is laid to the root of the trees ;" 1. Its meaning : judgment has already commenced ; there is no time to be lost. 2. Its apphcation : be changed into good trees ; bring forth fruits of righteousness ; there is still time for it. — The majesty of Christ, as manifest in the contrast between John and Christ. — The baptism of water and the baptism of the Spirit ; the baptism of the Spirit and the baptism of fire. — The baptism of the Spirit is itself a baptism of fire. — The grand final harvest in history ; or, judgment and salvation. 1. The fan on the threshing-floor; or, the word of God separating the two classes. 2. The gathering of the wheat into the kingdom of love ; or, the com- plete salvation of God's people. 3. The chaff in un- quenchable fire ; or, the judgment of hypocrites. — The burning chaff, or the judgment : 1. As consuming all those outward fonns, whether secular or spiritual, which had served as the vehicle of life ; 2. as fiery torments of mere professors of religion, who sought for life in those forms alone, — a. throughout the course of history, — b. at the end of the world. — All empty profession as continually self-destroying and self-consuming — a hell : 1. an emblem of hell ; 2. that which really constitutes hell ; 3. the final object of hell. — The judgment of the world is at the same time the completion of the kingdom of God and of His children. Starke : — The sum and substance of all Divine teaching is, repentance and faith. — He that would enter into the kingdom of heaven must, with heart and soul, forsake the kingdom of the world. — Wher- ever Christ goes with His Gospel, He finds nothing but a wilderness. — The law must rouse the conscience and open the door for the Gospel. — Teachers of re- ligion must neither be flatterers, nor self-seekers, nor servants of men. — A Christian is satisfied with such provision as he can get. Let a minister be con- tent even though he be placed in a wilderness. — Worldly men tremble, indeed, in view of judgment and of wrath ; but although they dissemble and humble themselves, they are not sincere in Christ. — It is quite possible to combme a holy zeal with 76 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. genuine love. — Preachers should be acquainted with the prejudices of men. — We become Christians, not by birth, but by regeneration. — Outward communion with tlie (,'liurcli will only ensure heavier judgment to those who enjoy it without becoming true believers. — The less merit a minister claims for himself in the work of his Master, the more success- ful will he be. — Holiness and humiUty advance at equal pace. — A preacher must know both how to allure and how to arouse his hearers. Gerlach: — The tree which is unfit for bearing good fruit is fit at last for firewood. The man who will not be a monument of saving grace shall show forth the justice and holiness of God. Heubner : — To become a preacher in the wilder- ness, requires moral heroism. — The doors of the heart must be thrown wide open if the King of glory is to enter in. — The confession of sinners (of sins) is of incalculable value. — " Generation of vipers :" there is frequently much of the serpent ahout the human heart, both in its malice and inclination to- wards faleehood and deception. — The plainness and unsparing severity of John is far preferable to weak gentleness ; the former rouses and excites juj ' appre- hension, while the latter lulls asleep : iid cau.-.s false security. — The false confidence of the Jews and their ancestors a warning to all. — National pride. — Only that which is good and pure can be admitted into the kingdom of Christ : all that is impure will be cast out. B. Chapter IH. IS-IT. {Second Pericope on Sunday after the Feast of Circumcision or New Year.) Contents. — He who baptizes with the Spirit, and with fire, humbles Himself to submit to the baptism of water, adminis- tered to a sinful community. From this communion with sinners the Father exalts Him into communion with the blessed Trinity. The Baptist points Him out to the people as the Messiah promised to the fathers. 13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to [the] Jordan unto John, to be baptized of [by] 14 him. But John forbade him, saying, 1 have need to be baptized of [by] thee, and 15 comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to he so'^ now: for 16 thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of [from] the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, 17 and lighting [coming] upon him : And, lo, a voice from heaven, saying, Tliis is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 1 Ver. 15. — [The words to de «o,are unnecessary. Sufer it now, is sufficient for &p.arLKui eifSei dxrel irepiaTepdv). — The expression cannot lie meant as symbolical simply of the manner in whicli the Spirit descended — rapid (Fritzsche), quiet (Ncander), pure (Olshausen), creative (Baumgarten-Crusius). Meyer very appropriately calls attention to the parallel passage in Luke ; nor must we lose sight of the import of the term ei^f. The Gospel of the Hebrews, as quoted by Epiph. xxx. 13, correctly interprets the phrase as implying that he saw the Holy Spirit of God descending in the form (or rather in the vision- ary form, eifSei) of a dove. It was not a real dove ; but, to his vision, it appeared as the form of a dove descending. A symbol this of perfect gentleness, purity, fulness of life, and of the power of communi- cating it. Ver. 1*7. And lo a voice. — Comp. Luke v. 12 ; xix. 20 ; Acts viii. 21 ; Rev. iv. 1 ; vi. 2 ; vii. 9. Along with the Holy Spirit, the Father and the Son also now manifest themselves. The term Son is apphed to the Messiah (Ps. ii. V ; Isa. xlii. 1), not merely in reference to His official character, but more especially to His Divine nature. There is evi- dently an allusion here to the miraculous origin of Christ by the Holy Ghost (Matt. i. 20 ; Luke i. 35). The expression, 6 a.ya-K7]r6s,\s, neither equivalent to our " most beloved " (in the superlative degree), nor to " only one" but means " only beloved " or beloved in a unique sense. — 'Ev & evSoKiia-a, In whom I am well pleased. — The verb is put in the Aorist to denote the eternal act of loving con- templation with which the Father regards the Son. There is a rhythmical connection between this event, the testimony to the Son heard in the tem- ple, and, lastly, the voice from heaven heard on the Mount of Transfigui-ation. Nor must we omit noticing the pecuUar demonstrative form of the ex- pression, in Matthew, " This is My beloved Son," not, '■'■Thou art My Son:" implying, 1. that this voice was specially designed as a revelation to John ; 2. that it was granted to him for the purpose of his mission, which was to introduce Jesus as the Mes- siah to the people. In the Gospels of Mark and Luke, there is a more particular reference to Jesus Himself as the source and spring of the vision, " Thou art 3Iy beloved Son ;" while John lays spe- cial stress upon the part which the Baptist sustamed in the vision. Oenkrai. Notes on the "Whole Section.— The ob- jections raised by modern criticism against the /mtori- cal character of this narrative fall to the ground the mo- ment we acknowledge the supernatural element in tho life of our Saviour. "We cannot even admit with Meyer, that there Is a real difference between tho account as given 78 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTDEW. by John and the other Evangelists ; far less can -we agree with him in reducing the fact in the case to the vision of a dove. The fact, that this was a vision, does not exclude tlie objective reality of this miraculous event; on the contrary, it is in perfect accordance with it. The question, whetlu-r before that time the dove wiis regarded as a symbol of the Holy Spirit, is one of considerable interest. Among the Sy- rians, the dove was held sacred, as the symbol of the frwcti- fving power of nature (Oreuzer, Symbolik, ii. SO). This throws fresh light upon the expression in Gen. i. 2, that " the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters : " the Talmud has it, that He moved over it like a dove. But the symbol is not farther carried out in the Old Testament, thougli there is much significance in the dove of Noah's ark, and the dove in the Song of Solomon. Our Lord also alludes to it in Matt. x. 16. Taking a general survey of these em- blems, we gather the impression, that the symbol of a dove referred more particularly to the Church, as indeed the Holy Spirit manifests Himself, and, so to speak, assumes shape in the Church. On the Talmudical and rabbinical interpreta- tions of this symbol, comp. Meyer, p. 98. According to Str.iuss, the statement of the Evangelist, that " Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost," cannot be reconciled with the narrative in the text, that at His baptism He was baptized with the Holy Ghost. Critics of his school have attempted to connect this baptism with the Holy Ghost, with the view of some of the Gnostics (Cerinthus, Basilides, Valentinns, etc.). that the man Jesus received at His baptism the heavenly Logos. But all these assertions ignore the truth of the human development of our Lord. At His hirtk. He was filled and actuated by the Holy Spirit, so far as His talent and disposition was con- cerned. This implied His perfect sinlessness. But at His baptism, He attained t\ie fall consciousness of His nature and mission as the God-Man and Saviour. From that moment He became the organ of the Holy Spirit, not mere- ly so far as He was personally concerned, but also as fully realizing His mediatorial character and work, and its relation to the salvation of mankind. He now received the Holy Ghost in His capacity as founder of the spiritual community about to be instituted. But this fulness of the Spirit re- mained still concealed under the form of a servant, and in the lowliness of His walk and work. It was only after the work had been finished and accepted, that the "Spirit was poured out in all His fulness upon His believing people ; and the dove, which had erst descended into His heart, now issued forth to move and to brood over the waters of the nations of the earth. In the passive baptism of Jesus (that by John), we have the first glimmer of a distinct revelation of the mystery of the J/ulij Trinity. It brightens into full glory at the active baptism of Jesus, or the institution of Holy Baptism in Matt, ssviii., which is in the n.ame of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. — The connection between the two events is manifest. DOCTPJNAL AND ETHIC.\X. 1. Jesus Cometh from Galilee to the lower Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. From this we draw the following inferences : 1. The influence of the bap- tism of John had extended over the whole people of Israel. 2. Jesus came under the direct and irresistible impulse of the Holy Spirit. This was His first act after attaining manhood, since the time when, at twelve years of age, He manifested Himself in the temple, and agam retired to the obscurity of Nazareth. Yet this act, so enigmatic to many of our modern theolo- gians, was performed without any doubt or hesitation on the part of our Lord. The Divine call had reached Him, that He, the Holy One, should, according to the demands of the law, submit to the judgment of sin- ners. And this constituted, so to speak, the conse- cration for His work, to which He submitted, in an- ticipation both of the sufierings and the glory which were to come. 2. John was surprised when he saw Jesus coming to be baptized. The Baptist, no doubt, knew the prophecies which his parents had uttered concerning Jesus ; proba))ly, he was even personally acquainted with Him. Add to this the impression produced by the appearance of Jesus Himself But all this was not sufficient to warrant him in presenting Jesus as the Messiah to the people : He had yet to await a dis- tinct revelation to that effect. But it was more than sufficient to make him feel that baptism for purifica- tion was entirely inapplicable to the Lord, viewing Him in His personal character and dignity. Hence he could not but shrink, for the moment, from the tremendous consequences of his baptism ; aU the more, that in the presence of Jesus he felt more deep- ly than ever his own unworthincss and sinfulness : hence his refusal and his confession : " I have need to be baptized of Thcc." But Jesus judged other- wise. The inference from the baptism of John was none other than that from the law itself, which agam only reflected the sacred and solemn object of His incarnation and life. There is a Imforical connection between the Holy One and His sinful brethren ; there- fore must he suffer with and for them. Thus the baptism of John was not only applicable to Jesus, but attained its real meaning and object only by the bap- tism of Jesus. Thus it became the symbol of His con- secration unto death, for the salvation of the world. Hence the exclamation of John, after the baptism of Jesus, " Behold the Lamb of God I " It seems as if, in this controversy between Jesus and John, the Old and the New Testament had, for the time being, changed sides. John appears almost the representative of the liberty of the New, Christ that of the legal rigor of the Old Testament. " Thus the rods of Old Testament and of New Testament righteousness are here joined into a cross {Leben Jesu, ii. 1, p. 17Y). But the connection and unity between the two dispensations appears in this intertwining of its ultimate links. — Jesus conquers in this contest. More than ever before does the Ijaptist now humble himself, under a sense of the deep responsibility of his office. The Lord also humbles Himself under the law, to which he now formally becomes obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil. ii.). 3. This is the only instance in which there is neither confession of sin on the part of Him who is baptized, nor reproof and exhortation on the part of the Baptist. The baptismal address comes from hea- ven itself; but the blessings of the baptism descend upon all mankind. Heaven once again opened at the baptism of Jesus — primarily for Him, and, through Him, for all mankind. The blessing which flowed from this baptism — the prophetic import of which attained its fulfilment in the death on the cross — ap- peared at the close of Christ's mission on earth, iu the institution of holy baptism for His people, with the gracious blessing of the Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost — attaching to it. For this purpose did the Father reveal Himself on this occasion ; for this purpose did Jesus obtain without measure the anointing of the Spirit ; for this purpose did He as the Son throw open the portals of heaven, and offer himself by the Holy Ghost to the Father, for the sal- vation of the world. 4. The germs of the doctrine of the Trinity which occur in the Old Testament, are taken up in the com- mencement of the Gospel history, where the miracu- lous conception of Jesus through the Holy Ghost is announced (Matt. i. ; Luke i.). This mystery is more clearly brought out in the narrative of Christ's bap- tism, and is more fully developed in the progress of the Gospel history. This shows that what is called the Trinity of revelation depends on the Trinity of essence. For the relation Ijetween the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as here revealed, is preeminently that of nature or essence (ontological) ; wliile afterwards, in Matt, xxviii. 19, it appears more especially as a rela- tion of manifestation or of revelation. 5. The glorification of Jesus by the voice from CHAP. in. 13-1 7. 79 heaven, heard at his baptism, may be regarded as the second stage iu the miraculous events attending His life, by which he was gradually and increasingly man- ifested as the absolute Wonder, and hence as the Wonderful or Wonder-worker. The first of these heavenly attestations was His miraculous birth, and with it the star and the angels' hjTnn. Then fol- lowed the manifestation of Jesus at His baptism, when, instead of the voice of angels, that from hea- ven is heard, and which, from its utterance, we re- cognize as the voice of the Father. Instead of the star standing over Bethlehem, we have now the vis- ion of a dove descending upon the Lord. This glo- rious manifestation becomes still brighter at the trans- figuration of Jesus on the Mount. Here also the voice of the Father descends in the cloud upon the Mount — it is heard close by ; while the fulness of the Spirit resting on Jesus shines forth in His personal appearance, as He stands transfigured before His disciples. Once more is the same voice heard : this time in the Temple, and in the midst of His people ; and although it only conveys to Him personally the assurance that the name of the Father shall be glori- fied in Him, it appears to his followers to be the voice of an angel, to the people — the sound of thunder. This is the third occasion on which the voice from neayen is heard. Lastly, on the Mount of OUves He is carried upward to the Father in a cloud of glory, and by the power of the Spirit. The various stages of this direct attestation from heaven may thus be marked : — 1. The miraculous origin of Christ from heaven ; 2. the consecration, among His chosen ones, for His appearance in the form of a servant upon earth ; 3. the prelude of the transformation of His earthly appearance as a servant, celebrated among His disciples ; 4. the same as celebrated among the people ; 5.- the resurrection-glory, and the final trans- figuration, HOMILETICAL AND PEACTICAL. The mighty impulse of the Spirit leading Christ to Jordan. This appears from the circumstance, 1. that He came from a great distance ; 2. that He came alone ; 3. that He came fully decided on the course before Him. — Christ resolved on submittmg to bap- tism.— Jesus does not shrink from the same baptis- mal bath which the " generation of vipers " had re- ceived.— The various humiliations to which Jesus submitted during His youthful course : 1. from Beth- lehem to Egypt ; 2. from the temple to Nazareth ; 3. from His sacred retirement to the baptism of sin- ners.— How the Lord owned the Divine institution of baptism. — How He honored the sacred office. — The twofold difficulty of John's work : 1. He was obliged to baptize the Pharisees and Sadducees ; 2. he had to baptize the Lord. — John hunself required the grace of the Lord. — How the Baptist confessed that he stood in need of the baptism of Jesus. — How the holy office entrusted to ministers must tend to humble those who are in earnest, but how it also elevates them. — The greatness of John as appearing most fully in his humihty. — He who was baptized greater than he who baptized. — " Suffer it to be so now." The infinite import of the word now ; 1. A summing up of eternity in time, and of time in " to- day," and of " to-day " in the moment which claims our decision ; 2. an enigma propounded by the past and solved by the future ; 3. an altar on which our obedience is claimed, and a blessing promised ; 4. a passing phase of earth, which may be transformed into a revelation of heaven. — " Suffer it to be so now : 1. Suffer it at last to be so ; 2. suffer it quickly to be so ; 3. suffer it to be so for a moment ; 4. suffbr it to be so once for all. — The baptism of Jesus the fulfilment of all righteousness, 1. so far as the mis- sion of John was concerned; 2. so far as the de- mands of the law were concerne 1 ; 3. so far as the dealings of God with men, according to the funda- mental principles of His administration, were con- cerned.— Import of the fact that the Holy One sub- mitted to the baptism of sinners : 1. Sinners must be immersed in the waters of judgment. 2. The Sinless One is immersed along with them, in order to give them courage for the judgment. 3. He must be im- mersed for them to change that judgment, so far as they are concerned, into salvation. — The glory of the Lord in this great act of His humiliation. — The man- ifestation of the Messiah. — The manifestation of the Messiah in the glorious light of the Trinity. — " Out of the water" a watchword of life. 1. The earth out of water ; 2. Noah and his race out of the water ; 3. Moses and his people out of the water ; 4. Christ and His Church out of the water. — Heaven opened on the occasion of baptism. 1. Heaven is opened, a. for all the blessings which come down from above ; b. for all the prayers which ascend from below. 2. It is opened over hun who is baptized : a. over the Lord Himself; b. over all who are baptized in His name. — Heaven opened : the heart of the Father opened. — " The Spirit of God descending like a dove : " 1. In His purity like a dove ; hence He finds at first only one resting-place — the head and heart of Jesus, 2. In His gentleness like a dove ; hence addressing Himself to man. 3. In His harmlessness like the dove ; hence conquering the wicked one. 4. In His love as the dove ; hence imparting Ufe to the Church. — The voice from heaven in the manifestation of Christ, and its echo in the justification of the sinner. — How the three tokens accompanying the baptism of Christ are spiritually repeated in every baptism. 1. Heaven is opened to the child which is now placed by the side of the Son. 2. The dovehke mind of the Holy Spirit is imparted by the Son to the child. 3. In the testi- mony to the Son the child hears the testimony of sonship, and of the Father's good pleasure. — The baptism of Jesus as the seahng of His name. — The baptism of Jesus the manifestation of His humiliation and exaltation : 1. As His first actual and personal humiliation and exaltation ; 2. as throwing light upon the humiliation and exaltation of His childhood ; 3. as the token of His future humiliation and exaltation ; 4. as the act deciding the future humiliation and ex- altation of His whole Ufe. — Jesus undertaking His work in full consciousness of what awaited Him, and being attested by the Father and the Holy Ghost. — The blessedness springing from certitude of the Di- vine call. Starke : — God has in His wisdom fixed for every one of us the proper time when we are to come forth. — However highly placed a man may be, he should pay all becomiqg reverence to the Divine institution of the word and sacraments. — Humility a jjrecious gem. — Christ has consecrated the washing of regenera- tion.— Let us be careful to know what " becometh us " at every time. — Heaven, which was closed by the first Adam, is opened again over the Second. — To us also lias heaven again been opened by Christ, the Lord from heaven. Gossner : — As soon as the sinner opens his heart to God m repentance, God opens the heavens and owns hkn as His child. 80 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. FIFTH SECTION. JESUS RENOUNCING THE WORLD, AND COMMENCING HIS CONQUEST OF IT. WHILE PRE- PARING FOR THE PUBLIC DISCHARGE OF HIS OFFICE, HE HAS TO ENCOUNTER THE THREEFOLD TEMPTATION OF SATAN, CORRESPONDING TO THE THREEFOLD FORM IN WHICH A WORLDLY-MINDED PEOPLE HAVE SHAPED TO THEMSELVES THEIR HOPES OF THE MESSIAH. THUS JESUS IS CONSTRAINED TO CONCEAL HIS DIGNITY FROM THE PEOPLE, AND TO COMMENCE HIS WORK IN THE DESPISED DISTRICT OF GALILEE. BUT GOD GLORIFIES HIM IN THE HOMAGE PAID TO HIM BY HIS DIS- CIPLES AND THE PEOPLE. Ohaptee IV. (Mark i. 12-20; Luke iv. 1-13; v. 1-11; John i. 19-28; iv. 43-46). Contents : — The threefold temptation of Christ by Satan through the secular notions of the Jews concerning the Messiah, and His threefold victory over the Tempter. A. Chapter IV. 1-11. (The Gospel for Invocavit^ or First Sunday in Lent.) 1 Then was Jesus led up of [by] * the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of 2 [by] ' the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was after- 3 ward a hungered.* And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son 4 of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of 5 the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him 6 on a [the] ' pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down : for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee : and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time* thou dash thy foot against 7 a stone. Jesus said unto him. It is written again,^ Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy 8 God. Again, tbe devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth 9 him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them ; And saith unto him, All 10 these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Je- sus unto him. Get thee hence, Satan : for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 1 1 God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. » Ver. 1.— [-By is more expressive of vvi as distinct from iic.} ' Ver. 2.— [Brit. cd. : an hungered. Better in modern and usual English : ITe afterward hungered, or zcas hungry.'] s Ver. 5.— [Gr. rh nrepvyiov. See Com.] "« Ver. 6.— [Lest haply, jU^Trore.] » Ver. 7— [Again it is w., ■KaXiv yeypairrai.] EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. On the LiTKRATTjEE of the History of the Temptation, comp. Danz, p. 993, and Supplement, p. 109; Winer, i. 556, Supplement, p. T9; Hase, Leben Jesu, §55. On the history itself, comp. Ullmann on the Siiilessness of Jemis ; Alex. Schweizer, Ueber die Dignitdt dea Religionsstifters, in the "■'Tlieol. Stud. u. Kritiken;' vii. 564. For other works, comp. Meyer's " Commentary," p. 100. See also especially Kiinemann, Ueber die Versuchungngesohichte in "Eudel- bach's Zeitachriff' for 1S50; and Laufs in the ''■Stud. u. Kritiken'' for 1853, p. 355. We have no rii;ht, with Ewald and Meyer, to infer from the m.vsl'Ti lus character of the history before us, and from the cleiniiiil ami circumstantial manner in which it is relat- ed, thai :],■■ arciiunt given by Matthew (and by Luke) is a later oiiilitir.hmc-nt of the more simple and older tradition recordod in the Gospel by M.ark. Evidently, Mark fur- nishes only a general summary of the event, which requires to be supplemented by the details furnished by Matthew and Luke. Ver. 1. Thsn -ro-as Jesus. — ^To't e, i. e., after the Spirit had descended upon Him. The first operation of the Holy Spirit, when the Lord had attained to the full consciousness of His character as the God- Man, and of His work as the Redeemer, was, not to lead Him into that world which He was to save, but to drive Him out of it into the wilderness. No doubt the primary object of this was to afford an opportu- nity for blessed rest and joy, in the consciousness of His character and mission. But, secondly, the Sa- viour had now to consider the difficult question, how to reveal Himself to His people, without confoi-ming to their spurious, secularized views and hopes con- ceniing the Messiah. It was this counterfeit of the true Messiah among Israel which, so to speak, re- pelled Him, and drove Him into the wilderness. The third motive for His going into the wilderness lay in the fact, that the i-eign of Satan was the cause of all the misery in the world. Hence Christ had to commence His work by conqueriug Satan ; and this He did for the whole world, when He met and CHAP. IV. 1-11. 81 overcame him in the personal contest here de- Bcribed. He was led up, av-hx^ '?> — *• ^-i ^''^"^ *^® ^'^^' ert banks of the river to the wilderness of Judisa properly so called. Tradition has given to this wil- derness the name of Quarantania (wilderness of Jeri- cho, Josh. xvi. 1). Comp. Robinson II. 65'i [i. 567] ; Schubert iii. 73 ; v. Raumcr, p. 47. " From Joppa, on the Mediterranean, the road leads by Ramhih for about seven hours through the beautiful plain of Sharon. Other six hours' journey over the calcare- ous and desert mountain tract of Judah brings you to Jerusalem. The road is exceedingly dilfieult, going alternately up and down hill. From Jerusa- lem the mountain tract extends for other five h.r.'.r:' eastward, when it descends into the valley of Jordan by Jericho. At this eastern slope of the chain is the steep mountain called Quarantania., where, ac- cording to tradition, the temptation of Christ took place. The name is derived from the Lord's fasting for forty days. According to Hasselquist, the moun- tain is high and conical, and most dangerous of ascent. A deep precipice descends at the side of it. On the summit are the ruins of an ancient Greek monastery, perhaps that built by the Empress Hele- na. All along the mountain are caves and holes, which formerly were tenanted by hermits; at the base a brook springs, — according to tradition, the same wliich Ehsha healed (2 Kings ii. 19-22)." For further particulars, comp. v. Raumer, as above, Note 78. The district is better explored in the direction from the Mount of Olives. " The wilderness of Jeri- cho, extending between that town and the Mount of Ohves, or rather Bethany, is a district full of precipi- tous rocks and deep hollows (comp. Joseph. Aniiq. X. 8, 2). The scene presents the appearance of a most desolate wilderness, especiaUy after passing the Caravansary which now laears the name of the Khan of the Samaritan (comp. Luke x. 30), about two hours from Jerusalem: comp. Mauudrell, Journei/, p. 109. From this wilderness the road descends, after a further journey of two hours, down a precipi- tous height into the plain of Jericho. At the north- em boundary of this plain rises a steep, calcareous mountain, very difficult of ascent, which bears the name of Quarantania, because, according to tradition, Jesus passed forty days fasting in one of the many caves on its side. The northern portion of this desert was connected with the wilderness of Bethany, Josh, xviii. 12." Winer, art. "irii-ste," No. 4. — As the wilderness of Quarantania lies close by the banks of Jordan, there is no sufiicient reason to doubt the correctness of this tradition. The wildness of this . desert, as indicated ui the expression of Mark : " He was with the wild beasts," points to the same con- clusion. Of (by) the Spirit.— The context shows that the Holy Spirit is here meant. The idea that it referred to the personal spii-it of Christ, or to a state of ecsta- sy (Paulus), could only have been broached from de- fective theological views. The expression oa^rixdv implies, indeed, an extraordinary state of mind on the part of the Lord, indicating a wonderful impulse, but not a miraculous transportation (which is not meant even in Acts viii. 39, or in 2 Kings ii. " 3)— a ^1 pa idea still more clearly expressed in the parallel pas- sage in Mark i. 12. Meyer aptly remarks: "The two opposite principles, vrrh rou TruivfxaTos and uirh rov SiaffoKov, arc evidently here placed in pragmatic correspondence or juxtaposition. Besides, the whole circumstances of this history, occurruig immediately after the descent of the Spirit upon Jesus, show that the Evangelist intended to relate the victory of Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, over the devil (comp. Luke iv. 1, 2). This consideration alone is sufficient to re- fute the arbitrary invention of Olshausen, that, dur- ing the forty days in the wilderness, Jesus had been forsaken by the Spirit." To be tempted of (by) the devil ; TretpaaSfi- V a I. — Such was the final oVyect. The Holy Spirit led Him purposely to this contest with Satan. In this conflict He was to be tempted by the devil, to show whether or not, in the exercise of His free determina- tion. He would prove Himself, and continue, the or- gan of the Holy Spirit in opposition to that satanic principle, or spirit of the world, by whicli the hopes of Israel concerning the Messiah had been perverted, so as to become even matter of temptation to Him. The basis and commencement of the work of salva- tion was necessarily a personal contest and victory of the Saviour over the principle of evil, as manifest- ed in the corruption of the world. For further re- marks on the tremendous coUision between these an- tagonistic principles, comp. the author's ^'■Lebeu Jesu" ii. 1, p. 205. — Aid^oKos, from Sm/SaAAa-, to throw over, carry across, to slander, accuse, calumni- ate ; hence Sid^oAus, the slanderer in general, and also, in the most particular sense (Job i. ; Rev. xii. 10), the accuser. In the Old Testament he is called Satan, "I'-ifl (Job i. 6-12). The term means, adversary in general, adversary in war (1 Kings v. 4 — in the Hebr. text, v. 18; xi. 14); and with the article,. "|dan, the adversary or enemy kut' ii^ox^'iv: the prince of the fallen spirits (Gen. iii. ;. 2 Cor. xi. 3 ; Rev. XX. 2 ; John viii. 44, etc.). As the cause and origin of the fall of man, Satan is the prince of the kmgdom of darkness, which has sprung up and developed on earth in opposiiiou to the theocracy ; the seducer of man to their destruc- tion,, and hence the principal enemy of Jesus (Matt, xiii. 28). Comp. works on Dogmatics (among others my Positive Dogmatik, p. 559 sqq.) on the question whether the devil should be regarded as a. person, or merely as the symbol of what is called the principle of evil (as if what is evil could have a real, and not what merely appears to be a principle). Ver. 2. And when He had fasted forty days. — Besides the mythical theory, wliich we at once set aside, there ai'e four different viev.-s entertained by commentators in connection with this event. First, as regards Christ's fasting, some refer it only to the want of Iiis common nourishment (RosenmuUer, Kuinoel, Kuhn, etc.) ; while most interpreters imder- stand it as meaning absolute and entire abstinence from food (comp. Luke iv. 2 ; Deut. ix. 9). Secondly., as regards the duration, seme critics regard the " forty days " as a sacred number, and hence as de- noting an indefinite period of time (Kostcr, Heriue- berg, Neander); while most commentators take it literally. In favor of the literal view, we refer to the circumstance that Jloses and Elijah fasted for forty days (Ex. xxxiv. 28, and 1 Kings xix. 8), in both which instances we have' a record of supernatural and miraculous events. Besides, the addition of the clause, ^' forty nights,''^ and the remark in Luke iv. 2, " He did cat nothing," show that both the time and the act are not meant figuratively. Still the expres- sion must not be understood as implying a legal and absolute fast of forty days. Similarly, Jesus said of John that he came "neither eating nor drinking," although we know that his nourishment consisted of 82 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. locusts and wild honey. The feature which charac- terized this solemn fast, and distinguished it from every similar event, was, that the Saviour was wholly absorbed by spiritual realities ; a state which, although never fully attained by any person, yet, even in the modified degree reached by ordinary men, renders them, for a considerable period, independent of the common necessaries of life. The fast of Jesus form- ed a striking contrast to the worldly-mindeducss of the Jews (a that of Moses and of Elijah had been) ; it was a higher expression of the feelings and of the fasting of the Baptist ; and at last, when, after the lapse of forty days. He was an hungered [or hungry], it became the occasion for the grand as- sault of the tempter. Comp. our remarks on the freedom of some men from common wants under extraordinary circumstances in the "Zeben Jesu" ii. 1, p. 212 ; Heubuer, p. 34. Ver. 3. And the tempter came to Him. — The participle ire ipd(i>i !> is here used as a substantive, as characteristic of the person. It is one of the chief characteristics of Satan that he is the tempter. First, the tempter in the guise of a friend, then the accuser and open enemy. Various views are entertained as to the manner in which the tempter approached the Lord, or, in other words, as to the mode of this tempt- ation. We may reduce the different explanations to five classes. The temptation has been regarded, 1. as an external occurrence ; 2. as a supernatural in- ternal occurrence, or a vision ; 3. as an inward ethi- cal transaction, or a psychological occurrence ; 4. as a parable ; 5. as a myth. — Again, viewing it as an objective or external occurrence, it has been regarded, (a) as real, in the sense of having been a literal ap- parition of Satan in the form of a man or an angel. This is the view of many orthodox commentators. But against this, we set the fact, that under no other circumstances, and at no other period, Satan had ever assumed human form ; and also, that there are other circumstances in this narrative which cannot be taken in their Uteral sense, — such as, that Satan took the Lord to the holy city, or that he placed Him on a high mountain, from which all the kingdoms of this world and their glory could be seen. It has been argued, (b) that what the Evangelist here de- scribes as a real objective occurrence, must be traced to earhest tradition, which invested the sjTnbolical idea of a contest between Messiah and Satan in this mythical form (Strauss) ; or else, that the misunder- standing must be ascribed to the Evangehsts them- selves, who viewed and recorded as something exter- nal what in reality was an inward transaction, and either told them in the form of a parable, or else was only intended as a parable (Schleiermacher). To this view, in a somewhat modified shape, we shall again advert in the sequel. Meantime suffice it to say, that the idea of a myth must be at once discard- ed, whatever we may say of the other suggestions advanced. Or, (c) it has been maintained that an external occurrence is here described in symboUcal language, and that the tempter was an ordinary man. " This," says Meyer, " is the case with the absurd suggestion of some interpreters, who substitute for the devil an ordinary personage, such as a member of the Sanhedrim, or a priest, who had come to f;uos- tion and to gain over Jesus, or to lay a snare for Him." (V. der Hardt, Venturini, Moller, Rosenmiil- ler, Kuinoel, Feilmoser ; see also Bengel, who thinks that Satan had a.])pea.red "sub :ii'hc/nate ypa^MTews quia rh yeypawTai ei icr opponilur.") Hovrever, the suggestion that the devil employed some member of the Sanhedrim as his special instrument — which, of course, Rationalists would repudiate [but which is evidently the meaning of the orthodox and pious Bengel — P. S.] — can scarcely be characterized either as rationalistic or as absurd. We know, for exam- ple, that Satan did employ Judas as his special in- strument (John xiii. 27), and that " this devil " came out against the Lord as His enemy (John xiv. 30). Still, this view does not quite agree with the sj-mbol- ical elements contained in the narrative before us. — According to the second interpretation above men- tioned, the whole occurrence was merely a vision. In that case, it may be regarded, (a) as a vision called forth by the devil (Origen, Cyprian, Theodoras of Mopsuestia on Luke iv. 1, Olshausen, and latterly again Heubner, p. 39). Against this we urge, that the devil could not have possessed the power of pre- senting to the Lord in a vision, either his own appa- rition, or the pictures of these temptations. (6) As called forth by God Himself (Farmer, Enquiry, etc., London, 1761), — a view which would render this oc- currence wholly mysterious and unintelhgible ; or (c) as called forth by natural causes (Clcricus, Paulas, Gratz, and many other commentators), — not a his- torical event, but a psychological and ecstatic state of mind ; or lastly, {d) a " significant morning dream " (Meyer [not the commentator, H. A. W., so often quoted in this work, see below] in the " Studien u. Eritiken" for 1831, p. 319 sqq.). But it is sufficient to reply that decisive ethical conflicts do not take place in the form of dreams. — According to the third view above mentioned, this narrative must be con- sidered as an inward ethical transaction or conflict: (a) A conflict which took place in the imagmation of Christ (Eichhorn, Dereser, Weisse, etc.). Against this view it has been urged, that such an inward con- flict, arising from a felt sense of the allurements of evil, could not be reconciled with the sinlessness of Jesus. (6) An inward conflict excited by the devil (Krabbe) ; but we are at a loss to know the medium through which the enemy assailed Christ, (c) An inward transaction to which the disciples gave an ob- jective form, as if it had been an external event (re- jection of the false conceptions concerning the Mes- siah— Ulhnann) ; but if we dismiss the idea that they consciously and purposely clothed the event in a sym- bolical form, we are shut up to the mythical theory. {d) A fragmentary, symboHcal representation of trans- actions in the iimer life of Jesus (Neander). But this were to spiritualize away and to weaken a great historical fact. — According to the fourth view above mentioned, we are to regard this narrative as a para- ble, not so much of what Jesus Himself had experi- enced, but of what His disciples should keep in view and guard against (J. E. Chr. Schmidt, Schleierma- cher, Usteri, Alex. Schweizer, Baumgarten-Crusius). But de Wette rightly objects, that in that case the whole meaning of a temptation woiild be lost— and, let us add, of tlie temptation Ko.r ^^uxv"- (Against this parabohc view, comp. also Hasert, in the '■'■Stud, u. Krity for 1830.) — Lastly, according to the fifth view above proposed, we must regard this narrative as a pure myth (Strauss, de Wette, Gfrorer, Meyer). Thus Meyer boldly asserts, that " nothing is left but to conclude that what the Evangelists considered and described as an actual event, was merely an ideal event, or a myth." * In reply, we simply remark * [H. A. W. Meyer .id Matt. iv. p. 109, pronounces the Temptation an ideal history, i. e. a mi/th, which arose among the Jewish Christians from the anti-diabolical idea of the Messiah, hut which already St. John silently excluded from CHAP. IV. 1-11. that modern theology has happily overcome the mythical theory. The only thing mythical, in our opinion, is the view entertained by some divines, by which the sacred history, so full of sjnnbolical signifi- cance and religious life, is transformed into a purely external transaction. — The main objection to the v.a- rious explanations which we have just sketched, is that they proceed on the old scholastic plan of jire- dicating an absolute alternative (a mode of interpre- tation which has frequently obstructed the right in- terpretation of Scripture), and that they do not suffi- ciently appreciate the various moral agencies brought into play, and their mutual influence. Nothing ap- pears to ys more natural, than that immediately after the baptism, in which Christ entered upon His work as Saviour of the world, He should have encountered and entered upon a spiritual conflict with the spuri- ous ideas which the men of His age entertained about the Messiah. The influence of these perverted views concerning the Messiah upon His own mind, would necessarily give rise to an assault and temptation of Satan. In truth, Satan had thus perverted the hope of Israel concerning the Messiah, for the very pur- pose of turning aside the Messiah Himself. Thus far, then, the narrative presents an inward transac- tion indeed ; but, at the same time, also a real and actual transaction between Christ on the one hand, and the popular expectations and the kingdom of Sa- tan on the other. But what had at first been an in- ward transaction, concluded with an outward event, which in some respects is mysterious. Satan really employed, it seems to us, some of the chief priests and scribes as his instruments to tempt Christ to un- dertake the part of such a worldly Messiah as the Jews at the time expected. (Comp. the owlao} /xov here and Matt. xvi. 23.) The whole history of this temptation — both in its inward and outward fjhases — Jesus afterward communicated to His disciples in the form of a real narrative, clothed in sjTnbolical language. The difference between this and a mere myth lies in the simple fact, that it really took place, partly as an inward, and partly as an outward trans- action; and in the circumstance that speaker and hearers employed and listened to the symbolical lan- guage in which the narrative was partly clothed, in the full consciousness that it was such. The various interpretations to which we have above adverted ig- nore several important circumstances ; such as, that, in accordance with his mission, it was the duf;/ of John to point out the Messiah to His people, and, of course, more especially to the representatives of the people ; that, at the very time when Jesus was in the neighborhood, a deputation from the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem had arrived to inquire whether he was the Messiah; that John returned, and must have re- turned, a truthful reply ; and lastly, that this depu- tation could not but take some notice of the direc- tions which the Baptist had given them. Besides, we must remember that, at the commencement of Christ's work, it was not merely some kind of temp- t Sia a-runarns ®iou ^j'/^rjTai b &v6pu>-os. In the Gospel of Matthew v.-e have tV instead of eirl — in, or by, every word (not thing) that proceedetii out of the mouth of God shall man live. According to Olshausen, the Saviour intended to point out an autitliesis between earthly and heavenly food. De Wette suggests the following exphmation : " If ordinary means of nour- islunent fail, the Lord will employ extraordinary means to preserve us alive by His creative Word." But these extraordinary means — the manna — are here generalized as " everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord," and applied in a symbol- ical sense, to indicate that man is not absolutely de- pendent upon any kind of external nourishment, and tliat his real life is sustained by the word of God. Hence the meaning of Christ's reply is this : If even man is not absolutely dependent upon the bread that perisheth, — if he does not live upon bread only, but rather upon the word of God, — how much more must this be true of the Son of God, whose life flows from the Father, and not from the bread of earth, and who accordingly depends for the preservation of His earthly Ufe, not on any arbitrary interference, nor on .«atauic device or agency, but on the Father ? But the Son of God has condescended to become man, .and a=? such is willing to share the wants and sufter- ings of humanity. In conclusion, the difference be- tween the idea of miracles as laid down in the Bible, and that entertained by the tempter — or even by some modern theologians — deserves notice. Vers. 5-7. Second temptation. — In the Gospel of Luke this is mentioned as the third temptation. This divergence arises not from any historical inaccuracy, but from the symbolical view which each of the Evan- gelists connected with these assaults. The symboli- cj,l element which appeared in the first temptation, " Command that these stones be made bread," comes out more distinctly in the present instance. We trace it, first, in the significant expression, Tro.pa\a/j.^dve i anT liv, he takes Him by force with him, or takes Him to himself as a companion (in his journey) ; and, sec- ondly, in the term ih ttw h.'^io.v itaKiv, "^"ipT^ ^•^'S_ (Is. xlviii. 2; Neh. xi. 1), to denote Jerusalem, — so called on account of the temple. (To this day the Arabs call Jerusalem the place of the Sanctuary, or the Holy City.) The devil is here represented as liaving free access to the most sacred places, and as familiar with them : He setteth Him (i'o- t 77 o- 1 v) — not by force, for such he cannot exercise ; besides, he had not yet dropt the mask and shown himself the evil one. He appears as wearing a religious garb, as one who had authority in the temple, and setteth Jesus as his guest in a spot which commanded the most extensive view. The supposition of Jerome, that Jesus was carried thither through the air, is purely fantastic ;* equally unsatisfactory is the sug- gestion of Olshausen, that He was in a state of men- tal transport. • It is quite possible that Jesus had at the time gone for a day to Jerusalem, and that tliis * Connected with this view are other similar notions for- merly entertained, such as, that the wilderness was that of Arabia, — the. mountain, Mount Sinai, or Mount Tabor, or ilount Nebo; that Jesus was in a state of lowest humilia- tion, and passive in the hands of Satnn, who earned him away through the air, etc. Comp. Starke. circumstance may have foi-med the external basis for this temptation. Be this as it may, the fact that Sa- tan set Jesus on the (not a) pinnacle [literally : the wing] of the temple (rb -impvyiov tov Upov), im- phed the suggestion that He sliould by Satanic means become the priest-king of that temple. It is true, the expression rov Upnv here used, was applied to tiie whole set of buildings connected v>'ith the temple, v/hile the word uaos referred to the principal building of the temple. But the more general expression of course included the temple itself, to which, besides, the word tmpvyiov specially points. Nor is there anything inconsistent in the account of Josephus, that the roof of the temple was covered itarh. Koputf-iiv with pointed rods to protect it from being occupied by birds, as the Kopvf-q of the temple was probably only the most holy place. Nor can the great sacred- ness of the locality be urged as an argument, since the special object in view was to place Jesus in the most sacred locality. The real difficulty of taking the statement, that the Lord was set upon a pinnacle of the temple, in its literal meaning, lies in this, that Christ was neither priest nor Levite, and that the idea of setting Him publicly in such a place is en- tirely incompatible with a secret conflict between Christ and Satan. On the same ground we must dis- miss the notion, that the devil set bun on any other prominent place of the temple. Some commentators have supposed that this " pinnacle " belonged to an out-building of the temple, such as the hall of Solo- mon on the east side (Joseph. Antig. xx. 9, 7), or the a-Tiia PaatKiKv on the south side (ibid. xv. 11, 5), both of tl'.em rismg along a frightful precipice. Kui- noel, Meyer, and others suppose that the scene must have occurred at the south side of the temple, from the description which Josephus gives of its dizzy height. But this would necessitate the strange sup- position, that the Evangelist represented the tempter as proposing to the Lord a descent, either into the poor valley of Kidron, or into that of the Cheesema- kers. If the narrative is taken literally, the object must have been rather to work some ostentatious miracle for the proud city of Jerusalem itself. In this respect, also, the temptation had its double meaning, the main point lying ia the suggestion that Jesus should yield to Satan, place Himself at the head of the priesthood, and in that character be presented to the people. With this object, and in this sense, Jesus was set on the pinnacle of the tem- ple, and probably somehow or somewhere in the temple itself. The spiritual attitude which He was to assume is the main point. As Jesus had turned aside the first suggestion of the tempter by the word of God, the enemy support- ed his second assault. If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down, by a quotation from Ps. xci. 11, 12, "For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways : they shaH bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." This passage seemed all the better suited for the purpose in view, since in its primary apphcation it referred not exclusively to the Messiah. The plain inference was, that if such a promise had been granted to aU pious men, it must apply all the more forcibly to the Mes- siah. But the apphcation of this promise was evi- dently false, as the expression, in all thy ways, was not equivalent to the ways of thine own choosing. Indeed, the tempter wholly omitted this clause when adducing the passage. Jesus replied to this quota- tion— which in its original form was a poetical de- CHAP. IV. 1-11. 85 scription of the promised help, and now was grossly misinterpreted in its literal application — by referring to a passage in the law : Ye shall not tempt Jeho- vah your God, ver. '7. Dent. vi. 16. In tlie present instance, Christ addressed it to Satan personally, Thou, instead of Ye, — a change all the more ap- propriate, that every tempting of God on the part of man is directly caused ly the enemy of souls. Ud- \iv does not mean " on the other hand " (Erasmus Liud others), but again (Meyer, Engl. C. Ver.). Ben- gel : Scriptura per Scripturam intcrpretanda — more especially a poetical phrase by the precise statements of the law. This reply to Satan is already an attack upon him, since he is here characterized as temptmg the Lord. Vers. 8-10. TJdrd iemptaiion.—" The high mountain (ver. S) from which all the kingdoms of the world could be seen, must not be looked for upon any of our maps ; it neither refers to the Mount of Olives, nor does k6ie dubio pro eo, ac turn opus erat, sc. allato cibo [un- doubtedly, by doing that which was then necessary, namely, )3y bringing Him food]. Comp. the feeding of Elijah by an angel, 1 Kings xix. 5." Thus Pisca- tor, Wolf, and many others, — among them, Meyer. Others understand the expression as denoting super- natural Divine support (Maldonatus, Kuinoel, 01s- hausen, Kuhn, Ammon, Ebrard). It deserves notice, that most critics who at present defend the view that the text imphes a miraculous supply of food by the ministry of angels, characterize the whole narrative as a mere myth. When Jesus had undergone these temptations, He returned from the wilderness into the company of men. Hence any such miraculous supply of food for the body by angels would have been unnecessary. In our view of the passage, the Lord having conquered Satan, and established His glorious supremacy, not only over man, but also over the spiritual world, now entered into converse with ministering angels (John i. 51), realizing in the su- pernatural and heavenly support which He now en- joyed, in the fullest sense. His own declaration, that man lives not by bread alone. DOCTEINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. The narrative before us establishes, in our opinion, two facts — that Jesus could be tempted, or the possibility of His falling ; and again, that He was tempted, yet viithout sin. This threefold victory of His sinless soul marks another stage in the Gospel history. Before that, the God-man had, in the free exercise of His will, risen to full and joyous con- sciousness of His character and mission ; now this consciousness became a settled divine-human mind or disposition over against all temptations and allure- ments of the world. From His first and decisive con- flict with evil, which ever and again tempted Him during the three years of his earthly ministry. He came forth victorious to rear His kingdom on a spir- itual and eternal foundation. 2. Solemn celebration in the wilderness of His full attainment to consciousness of His character and vocation, victory over the temptations of Satan, and maturing of the plan for His work — such are the three great phases in the preceding narrative, none of which can be separated from the other. The first of these three phases was that of solemn celebration. Bearing in mind that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Spirit, we infer that He went up in the full and deep consciousness of His vocation as the God-man. Heaven had been opened over Him, the wings of the blessed Spirit had been upon and around Him. He had the testimony of His Sonship, and of the delight of the Father in Him. In the blessed enjoyment of these glorious realities, forty days passed without His feeling the common wants of humanity. But Jesus did not shut up within His own breast this His " being equal with God," as if it had been robbery (Phil, ii.), — least of all when He had just submitted to that baptism, in which, while humbling Himself to become the companion in sor- row of sinners. He had also attained the full con- sciousness of His theanthropy. Hence the solemn inward feast celebrated in the wilderness served as preparation for His Work : the fulness of the Spirit, the fulness of love, the fulness of fife within His soul — all summoned Hun to be the DeUverer of His peo- ple and the Saviour of the world, even as the Fatlier had called Him by His baptism and by the Holy Ghost ; and in the depth of His sympathy with hu- manity, He heard not only His own people but a fallen world entreating deliverance. But this very cry of the world contained a shrill discord which constituted His temptation. With in- finite longing Israel waited for the advent of Messiah. But this glorious hope had become fearfully distorted in the false theology of the synagogue, m the ideas current among the people, in the hierarchical ten- dencies of the age, and in the general vanity of this world. Hence, while this longing for salvation in the inmost heart of humanity was a loud call for Jesus to reveal Himself to the world as the long- expected Redeemer, He was repelled by the false and unspiritual picture of the Messiah who was the ob- ject of the carnal hopes of Israel. The Holy One recognized in these perversions the agency of Satan. Thus far there could be neither doubt nor tempta- tion. But that which in itself was evil had assumed a human form ; it had been embodied m human rep- resentations, ideas, and aspirations ; and in this its human form it made its appeal to His sympathies. This spurious and unholy Messianic expectation ap- peai'ed most closely intertwined with the loftiest as- pirations and the hoUest hopes of humanity. It was CHAP. IV. 1-11. 87 this seeming combination of two very dififerent ele- ments which might give rise to doubt and diCRculty. The Saviour must now discern the spuriousness of this combination ; and, to separate its heterogeneous elements, He had to overcome the temptation arising from the fanatical sympathies of Hi-^ people and of the world. This constituted His triuptatiou. Its point lay in the attractions of human sym;3athy, al- lurement, and entreaty ; as also, in the apparent con- nection between what was perverse and what was holy. In His conflict with this temptation, it assumed a threefold form. In the first assault, the Prophet, in all the pride and self-sufficiency of a Magician, stands before His mind's eye ; in the second, the High Pricftf, in all the pride and self-sufficiency of hierarchical pomp ; and in the last, the Kinff, in all the pride and self-sufficiency of secular policy and power. All these pictures are presented in their most attractive features, as painted in the bright anticipa- tions of an expectant world, as drawn with all the cunning of Satan, and as reflecting in a distorted form His own person and vocation. But He has overcome the threefold inward assault upon His soul (comp. the Gospel of Luke) — and the cravings of hunger indicate the weai-incss consequent upon this tremendous conflict. The victory which He has achieved in inward conflict, must now also appear in actual and historical incidents, and the outward temptations of Satan succeed His inward struggle. This threefold historical victory of the Lord over the tempter also marks the grand scheme on which His work as the Saviour of the world was to be car- ried on. In opposition to the false principle of the world, He clearly reaUzed the truth ; in oppo- sition to the spurious plans of Messiah's kingdom cherished by the world, He chose what was spir- itual ; in opposition to the uilse ideas entertained about the work of salvation. He manifested Himself as the true Prophet, Priest, and King. To reject the spurious plans of the synagogue, was at the same time to adopt the true scheme of His mission. Mod- ern [German evangelical] theology commenced with a more full appreciation of the human nature [and sinless perfection] of Jesus, and first spoke of His plan or design. Thus Remhard has written a work on the Plan of Jesus ; UUmann has rejected the idea of any such scheme, but Neander has vindicated its higher bearing. If by the expression, " plan," or " scheme," we mean that the Saviour was distinctly conscious of the principle, the development, the means and the goal of His work, the Lord had un- doubtedly a matured " plan." But it was the lead- ing characteristic of this plan, that it rejected and eliminated all that was merely external, every secu- lar calculation ; and that, in unfolding its own glori- ous proportions and spiritual phages, it proved mauily a negation of all the chiliastic schemes of the syna- gogue. One of its principal features consisted in this, that while these spurious pictures of the Mes- siah presented a Saviour who was such in name and appearance only, Jesus would manifest the character and the works of the true Messiah, and that He would avoid even he designation of Messiah, until by His working He had redeemed and purified its idea, which had been so fatally perverted (comp. the " Lebeii Jesu" ii. 1, p. 231). Then Jesus chose the path of sufliering instead of that of joy ; humil- iation unto obedience, instead of glory by self-exalt- ation. Hence, when at the close of His course the accuser tempted Him to despair, amidst the sorrows and under the burden of a guilty world, the Re- deemer once more conquered, and entered upon the path of glory. Indeed, the most difficult part of His work was accomplished at the outset of His mission, when, in the power ofthc Spirit, He overcame Satan and the satanic temptation, connected with the spu- rious messianic expectations. He conquered Satan as the tempter m all the temptations of worldly al- lurement. Thus was the kingdom of darkness shaken in its inmost principle. This threefold victory un- folded and appeared in His ministry upon earth ; and His triumph over the temptations of allurement, or over the tempter, in the strictest sense of the term, formed the prelude to His victory over the tempta- tions of sorrow and sufiering, or over the accuser, which awaited Him at the close of Ilis course. Thus the history of Christ's temptation is of in- finite import. The destruction of the foundations on which rested the kingdom of darkness, and the structure of the basis on which the salvation of man was reared, are connected with the mystery of those solitary conflicts which had been fought and gained before He entered on the discharge of His pubUc ministry. 3. The following contrasts are significant for christology. The first Adam in paradise, Christ in the wilderness. — Moses (Ex. xxxiv. 28 ; Deut. ix. 9, 18) and Elijah (1 Kings xix. 8) in the wilderness, Christ in the wilderness. — The fasting of John, the fasting of Christ. — The magic of the world, the pro- phetic office of Christ. — The hierarchy of the world, the priesthood of Christ. — The political despotism of the world, and the kingdom of Christ. — Essenism and Christ. — Pharisaism and Christ. — Sadduceism and Christ. — Chiliastic tradition and perversion of Scripture by Satan; the word of God, and ever only the word of God, as adduced by Christ. — Christ in the wilderness tempted by the allurements of the world. — Christ in the garden tempted by the sorrow and burden of the woii;!. — The tempter at the com- mencement of the public ministry of Jesus ; the ac- cuser at the close of it. — The offers of Satan, and the triumph of Christ am! its results. 4. The symbolical import of the number 40 lies in this, that it contains multiples of ten and four : — ten is the perfect number for life, law, and freedom; four is the number for the full circle of the world. During these forty days, Christ, by the free act of his will, 7-eaUy overcame the world and the spirit of the world, even as Moses had done typically.* 5. As it was fitting that Christ should commence His work by conquering Satan, so also was it m keeping with the tendency of evil to overturn the kingdom of God first of all in its Founder — and that by means of pretended but false friendship. 6. By His victory over the tempter, Christ has for ever separated His kingdom from the demoniac principles, plans, and manifestations of Jewish and carnal Christian chiliasm. 7. The first consequence of Christ's threefold re- nunciation of the world in His victory over Satan, was, that He betook himself to GaUlee. * [Here the Edinb. trsl., misled by a strange error of tho first edition of the oriijlnal, substitutes twice the number seven for ten, the work of God io\- life, law &nd freedom-, world and time {Weltzeit) tor orb or circle of the world ( Weltkreis), etc., and thus obscures or perverts the sense of the passaee completely. Dr. Lance anticipated the correc- tion of the later editions of M.att. in the preface to the first edition of his Com. on Mark.— P. S.] 88 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. nOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. Seasons of great quickening and joy are gene- rally followed by great temptations. 1. This ap- pears from the history of Abraham, of David, of Pe- ter, and of the Lord. 2. The reason of this is, that the Lord would lead His own to perfection from stage to stage. — Christ's festive season a fast, and Hirist's fasting a festive season. — From His festive c.'lebration as the Son of God, Jesus as the Son of man enters immediately into conflict, in order to prove the truth of the testimony concerning His Di- vme Sonship. — The temptation of Christ, a manifes- tation by historical facts of the choice and decision of which His baptism was tlie sacramental sign. — By his threefold temptation and victory, Christ manifests Himself as the victorious Messiah, or the Christ of God: 1. as the infallible Prophet; 2. as the faithful High Priest; 3. as the Supreme King.— The decisive conflict between the fulness of the Spirit in Christ and the appearance of spirituality in Satan. — The Holy Ghost leads the Lord to this decisive conflict with the devil. — Christ attacking human cor- ruption at its root by conquering Satan. — The vic- tory of Christ the preservation of Cliristians. — The threefold temptation and the threefold victory of the Lord. — How and in what manner our trials may be- come temptations of Satan. — Every temptation of ■ Satan is, to the child of God, in reality a trial of faith. — What constitutes temptation is, that through the influence of the enemy we misunderstand and misinterpret the trial of our faith. — Temptation as- sails us through earthly instrumentality : more espe- cially, L through our wants; 2. through spiritual de- lusions ; 3. through worldly prospects and hopes. — How victory over one may become the occa-sion of another temptation. — How our first victory opens the prospect of the triumphs to follow. — Our temp- tations are numbered. — By the word of God, Christ triumphs even over the chiliastic traditions connected with the word of God. — Christ ever and again con- quers by the word of God: 1. by His first quotation, over fiilse doctrine ; 2. by His second quotation, over a false interpretation of Scripture ; 3. by His third quotation, over false and assumed authority. — The power of this saying: " It is wriiien." The first tcmptuiion. Christ has undergone for us the temptation of human want and sufibving. — Let not the contrast between our spiritual high es- tate and our outward circumstances become a snare to us. — According both to the Old and the New Testa- ment, temptation commences with doubt.— The tempt- er in the form of an angel of light. — Temptation to distrustfulness. — Magic and miracles. — The magician and the prophet. — Miraculous sustenance and magi- cal sustenance* are two different things. — The magi- cal manna [das Zauberbrod] which the world pre- pares for itself in its wilderness. 1. Its origin: {a) by wicked devices; (6) by wicked works. 2. Its apparent character : (a) boundless wealth ; (b) bound- less enjoyment. 3. Its real character; (a) guilt; (6) bankruptcy.! 4. Its final consequences: (a) poverty and want of the inner man ; (b) poverty and want of the outer man. — He who would selfishly seek to con- * {^'WanderhroduxiA.Zau'btr'bvod^''^ — literally: wonder- hread .and miKjlc. bread. The sense is plain enough. But the term admits of a wide application. Not only magicians, sorcerers and soothsayers, but all those who live of dishon- est gain and humbug, may be said to eat Zauberbrod.— V. S.] t [Hclmld ; SohiUd6n,—\ii(i\-j.\\y : guilt ; debts. The Edb. trsl. has difficulties, which is too general.— P. S.] vert Stone into bread, will in reality convert even bread into stone. — Satnn watches for the distress of man, to make it an occasion for transfonning him into a beast of prey and a wicked spirit. — Such is the high calling of man, that he lives not by bread only. — Whoso depends on the mouth of God, his mouth shall not want food. — The judgment of Satan and that of Christ eonceniing man, in his want and distress. Satan in effect says : Man is a wretched being, suffering hunger ; Christ says : So far as the real life of man is concerned, ho is infinitely exalted above the mere animal cravings of hunger. — Christ would rather suffer hunger with man, than commit sin with supernatural spirits. — Trust in (iod ensures victory over the wants of the world. — The empty phrase of Satan rebutted by the simple word of Christ. — The bread of earth becomes transformed by the bread of heaven. — Christ has also conquered spurious anchoresism and asceticism. 7^he second temptation. The holiest things may be perverted to become the most vile temptation: 1, A stay in the holy city. 2. The prospect from the pinnacle of the temple. 3. The promise contained in an inspired psalm. — The victory of the Lord over religious fanaticism. — Destruction of the temple of spurious enthusiasm. — Victory of the great High Priest over the priestcraft of the world. — Christ and the show-miracles of the hierarchy. — The pomp of the temple, and worship in the spirit. — The giddy height on the pinnacle of the temple and the holy calm of the Lord. — Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God ; for, 1. to tempt God is to impute evil to God Him- self, since it is an attempt to drag Him into the ways of our own choosing ; 2. to tempt God is to suffer oneself to be tempted by the evil one ; 3. hence, to tempt God were to attempt rendering the Spirit of light subservient to the spirit of darkness. — To tempt God is to involve oneself in contradictions ; for it implies, L faith without obedience; 2. prayer without self-surrender ; 3. action without warrant from on high ; 4. success without comfort or assur- ance.— Even the dictates of common sense may serve as a warning against fanaticism. — Where a way is already prepared, we are not warranted in attempt- ing to make dangerous experiments for ourselves. — Pride goes before a fall. — The temple-stair itself a sermon. — Fanaticism mistakes excitement for spir- itual emotion. — Fanaticism and priestly pretensions spring from one and the same religious delusion. — Christ vanquishes the fanatical pride of the priest- hood by calm reverence for the Godhead. The third temptation. Christ vanquishes the se- cular spirit of the world: 1. in its pomp; 2. in its pretensions ; 3. in its cunning and deceit. — The kingdom of Christ as contrasted with those of the world. — When Satan offers to give away the world in exchange for an act of humble adoration, he shows himself to be, 1. a har ; 2. a deceiver ; 3. a maligner of God and man. — The attractions of power, and the desire of exercising it absolutely and indiscriminately, are the two greatest temptations. — Satan has only the right of claiming as his own the worldliness of the world: 1. its vain show ; 2. its guilt; 3. its de- spair.— Despotism and spurious worldly cunning, and their dark background. — When wickedness shows itself undisguised, we ought to designate it by its proper name. — Christians must meet every spu- rious claim to authority over their consciences, by an appeal to the word of Him jvho wields rightful author- ity over the conscience. — Daring usurpers will at last be met and confounded by the royal dignity and CHAP. rV. 12-1 7. 89 authority which belongs even to the humblest be- liever.— By serving God, Christ vanquishes the sin- ful service of the creature. — " Ilim only shalt thou serve." — Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. — The ministry of angels after the assault of tlie dev- il.— Christ the Prince of angels, by his victory over the prince of the kingdom of darkness. — The greater the conflict, the more glorious the victory. — In all temptations Christ is our victory. Starke: — We must prepare in retirement for im- portant pubUc undertakings. — God often permits His dear children to be visited by the mo-st grievous temptations. — Sohtude a training-school of the Holy Spirit. — Solitude is frequently the occasion of tempt- ation.— In our temptations, let us ever distinguish between what comes from God and what from Satan. — Such a High Priest became us who was tempted in all things, Heb. iv. 15. — Frequent conflicts ren- der the Christian strong. — They fit ministers for their work. — Or alio, mediiatio, tentatio fac'mnt theo- logum. — We may readily recognise the bird of hell by its song. — Fasting as perverted by tlie Papacy, etc. — Moderation and temperance a continuous fast- ing.— Christ hungered because He partook of our in- firmities.— Christ can have compassion on us when we suflfer from hunger or thirst. — The devil adapts his temptations to the nature and circumstances of man. — If the devil ventured to approach the Son of God, how can the most advanced among us expect to be secure from his assaults V — Outward prosperity is not an evidence of sonshlp. — The word of God our ?a-mory. — Even the devil cannot set aside the Scrip- tures.*— All depends on the blessing which the Lord gives. — Outward means cannot sustain us, but God by outward means. — God is a supply which never falls or leaves unsatisfied. — If Satan does not suc- ceed In one way, he will try another. — In his own way, the devil Is learned In the Scriptures. — To per- vert Scripture Is to follow in the wake of the devil. — Satan fell by his pride and arrogance, and now seeks to ruin others In the same manuer. — To ex- pose oneself to danger, except In the way of our call- ing, from necessity, or with the direct warrant of the word. Is presumption. — Satan encompasses the fall of carnal men by showing them even a small portion of this world. — Satan promises his servants what he * [Comp. Shakspeare, Merohant of Venice, Act I., Scene 3, wliere Antonio says to Bassanio : " The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. An evil soul, producing holv witness, IB lite a villain with a smiling cheek ; A goodly apple rotten at the heart ; O, what a goodly outside falsehood hath I "—P. S.] himself does not possess, nay, what God has in Christ already promised and given to His own. — It Is not right to hear blasphemy without reproving It. — He who would prevent us from serving God, and per- suade us to serve the world, Is Satan so far as we are concerned. — There Is a " hitherto and no fur- ther" In every temptation. — Every honest conflict win certainly be followed by victory. — Christ has triumphed for us. Gerlach :- — The word of God is our armor against Satan. — Christ takes as His shield the law of God : Thou shalt ! He was made under the law (Gal. iv. 4). Heubner : — If solitude has its advantages, it has also its great dangers. — Satan appears here In his true character : he arrogates to himself what belongs to God alone — dominion over the soul ; In sliort, he claims to be God. — The man who In his alms Is actu- ated by ambition and love of power, is thereby ren- dered unfit for the service of God ; yet how many theologians are Impelled by such motives! — The temptation of Christ; 1. wherein It consisted, and how It was resisted (three stages, three victories) ; 2. its consequences : Jesus proving Himself to be the Holy One ; Jesus our model in similar conflicts ; Jesus our refuge and strength. — How temptations followed Christ throughout His course. — The Impo- tence of all temptations In the case of Christ. — Com- parison between the temptation of Christ and that of Adam. — Marheineke: — How closely good and evil border upon each other in our human nature !— ■ Harms : — The conflict between good and evil. This conflict is threefold; 1. A conflict between doubt and trustfulness ; 2. a conflict between presumption and modesty ; 3. the conflict between the lust of the world and the love of God. — Schleiermacher : — The temptation of the Lord viewed with reference to our state and position In this world. — Bachmann : — The temptation of Jesus the Son of God in the wilder- ness. It was a temptation, 1. to doubt the word of God ; 2. to presume upon the word of God ; 3. to reject the word of God. — Greiliny : — The three pas- sions by which men are commonly tempted to sin (covetousness, pride, ambition). — Rcinhard : — The decisive periods which commonly occur in the life of every man. — Ahlfeld: — The conflict of Chris- tians with the tempter: 1. His attack; 2. their defence; 3. the victory. — (Comp. also Three Ser- mons on the History of the Temptation by J. P. Lange, Barmen, 1836. Bruckner: The History of the Temptation of our Lord. Four Meditations. Leipzig, 1857.) B. Chapter IV. 12-lY. Contents:— First appearance of Jesus as the light of the world amidst the darkness of the land of Galilee. 12 Now, when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, [dehvered up,*] he de- 13 parted into Gahlee''; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is 14 upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim^: Tliat it might be ful- 15 filled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of NephthaUm, hy the way of the sea, beyond [the] Jordan, Galilee of the 16 Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great hght; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 90 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 17 From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand, ' Ver. 12.— [irapfSJ^Tj, Lange: uherliefert. AVicl., Tynd., Cranm., Geneva: was taken; the Bishop's Bible (and the Horn. C;itb. Vers, of Rheiins) correctly: delivered up, with the inarsinal explanation: ^'■that is, cast into prison," which the Auth. Vers, received into the text, while it put the translation into the margin, influenced perhaps (as Dr. Conant sug- gests) by Bcza's vcr.sion: tradUum esse in custodiam, and his note: id est, in carcerem conjectum esse. — P. S.] '■' Vor. \i. — Galilee proper in the narrower sense of the term. 3 Ver. 13.— [Or: Zehulun and Naphtuli, after the Hebrew spelling, which is followed by the Auth. Vers, in the Old Test. See the Hebrew concordances.— P. S.J EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 12. Now, when Jesus had heard. — The Evangelist passes over a number of intervening events, viz. : 1. the return of Jesus to Galilee (John i. 41, etc.); 2. the marriage in Cana, the journej' to Capernaum in company with His relatives and disci- ples, and that to Jerusalem to the passover (John ii.) ; 3. the stay of Jesus at Jerusalem and in the land of Judaja previous to the imprisonment of John (John iii.); 4. the return of Jesus by way of Sama- ria, and His stay there (John iv. 1-42). — The event recorded in the text took place at the time referred to in John iv. 43-46. In the passage before us, Mat- thew briefly alludes to the stay of Jesus at Nazareth, — the same which is mentioned Luke iv. 14 sqq., — but dilates on it more fully in ch. xiii. 53. We account for this transposition from the peculiar structure of the Gospel, — the object of the Evangelist being to group events so as to present a continuous narra- tive. The actual succession of events is more accu- rately indicated in the Gospel by Luke, although it also contains no mention of the first passover which Jesus attended at Jerusalem, nor of His stay in Ju- daea and Samaria. From the narrative of Luke we learn that Jesus was even at that time rejected by the people of Nazareth, and that he then uttered the saying, that " a prophet had no honor in his own country." But, according to John, Jesus spoke these words when returnmg from Jerusalem to Gali- lee through Samaria. Commentators have felt a dif- ficulty in explaining the circumstance, that (accord- ing to John) Jesus should have been saying that " a prophet had no honor in his own country," at the very time when He was on His journey to Galilee. It might seem that such a statement would rather imply His departure from Galilee. But the diffi- culty is removed by recalling to mind the precise geographical arrangements of the country. In John iv. 43, the Evangelist uses the word Gahlee not in the general sense, but as a man familiar with the district would apply the term— a circumstance which may be regarded as an indirect evidence of the truth- fulness of his narrative. What he calls Galilee is not the province in question as contradistmguished from Judasa, but the district of Upper (xalilee in op- position to Lower Gahlee, in which Nazareth was situate. The boundary-line between Upper and Lower Galilee ran due east and west between Naza- reth and Cana. In John iv. 43, 44, the Evangehst makes only a passing allusion to the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth, and dwells in preference on the fact, that the Saviour was gladly received by the in- habitants of Galilee proper. From what we have said, it will be clear that the accounts of Matthew and John are not inconsistent, as Meyer imagines ; although that commentator is right in maintaining, against Wieseler, that the passage in the text does not refer to the journey to Galilee recorded in John vi. 1. Finally, we gather from the account in Mat- thew that the imprisonment of John by Antipas took place some time after the celebration of the first pas- sover which Jesus attended, and after His stay in Judaea. That John was delivered up, {i. e. into pris- on).— The ground on which the Baptist was impris- oned is afterwards recorded, on the occasion of his execution (xiv. 4). Fritzsche supposes that the impris- onment of John induced Jesus to appear in Galilee, lest the people of that country should be deprived of spiritual support ; while Meyer regards this event as a motive for His retirement to that province, since " the more remote district of Galilee, although under the rule of Ilerod Antipas, would naturally attract less attention, and thus afford shelter." But although Capernaum lay in Upper Galilee, yet, from its proximity to Tiberias — the residence of Herod — and the intercourse between these two places, both situate on the Lake of Galilee, anything which oc- curred in Capernaum would much more readily attract attention than what took place in Nazareth, which lay out of the way among the mountains. Be- sides, it was at this very time that Jesus commenced His pubhc ministry, and called disciples around Him. The connection between the imprisonment of John and the appearance of Jesus in " Galilee of the Gen- tiles," as well as the cessation of the preparatory baptism which the disciples of Jesus had for a time admmistered (John iv. 1, 2,) may readily be other- wise explained. The imprisonment of John, and the tame acquiescence of the country in this act, had put an end to the hope of preparing the people for the kingdom of Messiah by Levitical purifications, or legal purity. Now that the attempt at outward purity had been thus rudely stopped, Jesus might, in the consciousness of His own inward and eternal purity, all the more readily commence His work in Gahlee of the Gentiles, amidst publicans and sin- ners, by gathering around Him a circle of disciples. Ver. 13. He came and dwelt in Capernaum. — Kacpapvaovfi, D^TO nCS, meaning, according to Hesychius, Origen, and Jerome, vicus consolationia, but according to others (Winer, Meyer), the village of Nahum. The town lay on the borders of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtah, on the western shore of the Lake of Gennesareth, probably near where the Jordan entered that lake. It was a thriving commercial place, on the road from Damascus to the Mediterranean. Capernaum was inhabited both by Jews and Gentiles ; in Jewish writings it is charac- terized as the residence of heretics and free-thinkers (von Ammon, " Leben Jcsu," p. 359). The contrast between Capernaum, where Jesus dwelt, and Tibe- rias, the residence of Antipas — a city which the Lord uniformly avoided, but which, after the destruction of Jerusalem, became one of the holy places of the Jews,* — is striking. But the prediction of Christ in * [The rise of Tiberias, as a Jewish city, is, however, of much later date. For an account of the circumstances con» ntcted with its final "Levitical purification,'' see Eders- heim's Hist, of the Jewish ^ration, p. 488.— The Edinb. Te.] CHAP. IV. 12-17. 91 regard to Capernaum, once so highly favored, has been most signally and literally fulfilled (Matt. xi. 23). At this moment every trace of the site of Capernaum has disappeared. Wilson and others re- gard the ruins of Tell Hum (i. e. Nahura) as the an- cient site of Capernaum. As the town is not men- tioned in the Old Testament, it seems probable that it was built after the return from the Babylonish ex- ile. Josephus ( Vita, '72) calls the town Ka(papvw/j.-n. In another place {De JBello Jud. iii. 10, 8) he assigns the name of Kac^a/^vaoiy/i to a fountain in Galilee. According to Robinson, this fountain is the modern ''Aln et Tin, by the Lake of Gcnnesareth, near the Khan Minyeh, which he regards as the site of an- cient Capernaum. But this opinion is not generally entertained. Comp. the art. Capernaum in the Bibl. Encycls. Vers. 14 and 15. That it might be fulfilled.— In this mstance we have the fulfilment of a verbal prophecy, the passages in Isa. viii. 22 ; ix. 1, 2, be- ing strictly Messianic in their primary meaning, al- though the prophet seems also to have had in view the oppression of the Assyrians, under which at that time Northern Palestine groaned. But, as in every other similar instance, the event recorded in ver. 13 did not take place simply on account of this predic- tion, but on independent grounds. The passage is cited freely from the original Hebrew : " At the first (in ancient times) He brought to shame the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali ; but afterward (in later times) He brought to honor the (despised) way of the sea, beyond Jordan, the circuit (Galilee) of the Gentiles. The people that walked in darlmess have seen a great Ught ; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the hght shined." In the quotation as given by Matthew, the despised district is even more pointedly indicated as the land of Zabulon and the land of Nephthalim, the •way of the sea (the road by the sea, or the great road of the traffic of the world), the beyond Jordan, (even) Galilee of the Gentiles. In our opinion, the kiea of Galilee was not so important a highway for the traffic of the ancient world as to give to the district around the designation of " the way of the sea," more especially as the three expressions in the text are not intended to designate three different ob- jects, but one and the same thing viewed under dif- ferent aspects. In the first clause, Galilee is desig- nated as profane, being the way of the sea for all the world ; in the second clause, as extending north- ward beyond the sources of Jordan, the holy river ; finally, in the third clause, as being really a heathen district, largely inhabited by Gentiles. But the ex- pression 77), without the article, may be regarded as the nommative. Before o^hv eaAacro-Tjjwe must again supply the 77) of the former clause, — toward the sea, or the way of the sea. The absolute accu- sative 65^1' is a Hebraistic form like Tp'^ , and equiv- alent to the Latin versus (comp. Meyer, p. 111). The expression iripav rod ' lopS dvov cannot in this instance mean Peraea, or the country east of Jordan. A reference to that district would be here quite out of place, as the name " Galilee of the Gentiles " is intended again to designate the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. The territory of Naphtali extended nortnward beyond the source of the Jordan ; and from a theocratic point of view, this, and not Peraea, would constitute the irfpav r. 'I., although that ex- pression was commonly applied to Peraea. Besides, Peraea was not the first scene of Christ's ministry. Meyer, indeed, maintains that the Evangelist over- looked the historical meanmg of the passage in Isaiah, which was only Messianic in a theocratic and political sense, referring to the deliverance of North- ern Galilee from the oppression of the Assyrians, But this commentator forgets that Isa. ix. 1 sqq. is a strictly Messianic prediction, although it rests, of course, on the historical basis of the age of the pro- phet. Ver. 16. The people -which sat in dark- ness.— Apposition to the preceding designation of the locality which was to be illuminated by the light of the Messiah. The darkness of the country is explained by the sad spiritual state of the people. In view of the spiritual condition of the people at the time, the Evangelist modifies the distinction made by Isaiah between those that loalk in darkness, who see a great light, and those that dwell or sit in the land of the shadow of death. In the passage as quoted by Matthew, the state of matters has appa- rently become worse than in the days of Isaiah, and even those who formerly " walked " are now repre- sented as " sitting " in darkness. But the grada- tion of the original is retained ; and we have still the contrast between those who sit in darkness and see a great hght, and those who sit in the region and shadow of death, and only become aware of the light because it has sprung up for therq. In the Hebrew their passiveness is even more strongly ex- pressed— Sn"''?? "^5^ ' ^P'^^^ ^^*<^'^ liglit hath shined. " Ka0ii)/i€i/oy'sedendi verbum aptum notandae sohtu- dini inerti," — (the verb to sit aptly denotes a sluggish sohtude). — Bengel. S/cia davdrov, ni5Dbs , tenebrm mortis. On the darkness of Sheol, comp. Job x. 21, etc. Ver. 17. From that time Jesus began. — Mat- thew calls attention to the circumstance, that with the settlement of Jesus at Capernaum, in Upper GaUlee, a new period in His public ministry began. The Kripva-aeiv of the kingdom of heaven in the strict- est sense now commenced, and for this pui-pose He set apart some of His disciples to be His Apostles. The call. Repent, ixiravoelre, has now a higher meaning than when first uttered by John the Bap- tist (ch. iii. 2), and a more full manifestation of His miraculous power proves that the kingdom of heaven is really at hand. Although He does not designate Himself to the people as the Messiah, yet the kingdom of Messiah was appearing. From the manifestation of that kingdom now vouchsafed, the people are to recognise the Prince of Peace m His true and New Testament character. (The assertion of Strauss, that Jesus had not regarded Himself at first as the Messiah, requires no special answer ; the suggestion, that Christ gradually changed His origi- nal plan, has been discarded even by the writer who proposed it.) DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. As John carried on his public ministry at the extreme boundary of the Holy Land, in the wilder- ness, so Jesus also appeared first at another extreme limit of the country, in Upper Galilee. Capernaum became His earthly residence. This choice had a twofold advantage. For while He thereby gave a practical denial to the carnal Messianic hopes and expectations of the people of Judaea, He also oc- cupied a field most suitable for His own pecuhar activity. There He found the greatest suscepti- bihty for the kingdom, and readiness to receive Him, especially among those retired worshippers of Jeho- 92 THE GOSrEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. vah who lived by the Lake of Galilee, and particu- larly among the disciples of John, whom He had already attracted around Him. This residence of the Saviour in GaUlce had been predicted, and was a signal fulfilment of the great Messianic prophecy of Isaiah. Lastly, His abode among the fishennen of Gahlee was in complete harmony with what His baptism and the victory over the tempter implied ; being, in truth, a perfect renunciatiou of the world in reference to its carnal views concerning the the- ocracy and the Messiah. 2. But we may also regard this as a manifesta- tion of His Spirit and of His Gospel. Just as He commenced His destruction of the kingdom of dark- ness, by conquering the power of Satan in his chief temptations, so He commenced the building up of the kingdom of heaven among the most despised portion of His people, the most needy and the most destitute of the means which the synagogue provided for cultivating spiritual life. It was among these that the Saviour first publicly and unreservjedly pro- claimed the kingdom of heaven. HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. Complete renunciation of the world on the part of the Lord is followed by His full proclamation of the kingdom of heaven. — When the kingdom of heaven arrives, the symbolical administration of priests is at an end. — When the work of John ceases, that of Christ begins. — The kingdom of God will never want messengers of God who stand in the gap. — If one prophet is imprisoned, a greater one will be sent in his place. If they burn the goose, a swan will arise from its ashes.* — Jesus a stranger both at * [This sentence: " Verbrennen sie die Gans, so kommt der Schwan^" which Dr. Edersheim omitted, is an allusion to an apocryphal prophecy ascribed to the reformer Hus, who was burnt at the stake for heresy, July 6, 1415, by order of the Council of Constance, and is said to have uttered, in his last hour, the words: " To-day you roast a goose,"— oX- luding to his name which is the Bohemian word for goose — " Mit from mine ashes will arise a svjan" — the armorial device of Luther — '■'■whom you will not be able to destroy.''' This prediction occurs first in the Latin works of Luther (Altenburg ed., vol. v., p. 599, etc.), and seems to have arisen in the age of the Reformation from certain vague and gen- eral sayings of Hus concerning the ultimate triumph of his doctrines (comp. Gieseler, Kirchengeschichte, vol. ii., Part IV., p. 417 eq.). The sentence has assumed a somewhat proverbial significance, although very rarely used.— P. S.] Nazareth, where His youthful years were spent, and at Capernaum, where He appeared after attaining to manhood. — Obscurity of that which is holy in its own home, showing : 1. The corruption of the world ; 2. the spiritual glory of the heavenly Hfc. — The light of salvation rising upon dark places: 1. Upon the earth, in opposition to the external heavens ; 2. ujjon Galilee, in opposition to the land of Judtea; 3. upon the Gentile world, in opposition to tho Jews ; 4. upon the despised Germanic rac*^, in 0;i;.osition to the ancient Romanic Church.— The land of the shadow of death: 1. The home of sinners; 2. the heart of the sinner. — The difference between those who see a great light, and those upon whom a great hght rises. 1. The former look upwards, the latter look downwards. 2. The former descry the star of salvation, the latter only the light which it sheds. — From that time Jesus began. The ancient the- ocratic institutions of Israel may be said to have been abrogated when John was cast into prison. — The call to repentance, from the commencement to the end of the world, 1. always the same in substance; 2. always different in form. — The kingdom of heaven is as closely at hand as Christ is. — The call : Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 1. It con- tains two things : («) the kingdom of heaven is at hand ; (6) therefore repent. 2. It may be summed up in the expression, " kingdom of heaven ;" for, («) repentance is only the gate to the kingdom of heaven ; (6) the kingdom of heaven h the grand ob- ject and goal of repentance. — In His humiUation, Christ has manifested His exaltation. 1. Rejected on earth. He opened up His kingdom of heaven. 2. Obscure and unknown by man. He revealed the spiritual world in aU its blessedness. 3. Renounc- ing all, He bestows every blessing. Starke : — Let us show holy obedience in being ready to change our habitation when the Lord calls. -—Many live under the full blaze of the Gospel as if they sfill sat in the shadow of death. — When the world silences one honored servant of the Lord, God raises up others ; the Church shall never be left des- titute of them. — Repentance without faith is no re- pentance (and faith without repentance is no faith). — Agreement subsisting between all pure teachers of the Church (John and Jesus). Heuhner : — It is God's method to cause light to arise from humble and despised places. — Jesus would not be far distant even from the Gentiles. O. Chapter IV. 18-22. {^The Oospel for St. Andrew's Bay.) Contents:— In His obscurity and retirement from the world, which He had renounced, the Saviour commences the con- quest of the world by calling four fishermen by the Sea of Galilee. 18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, 19 and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he 20 said unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straight- 21 way left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a [the] ^ ship with Zebedee 22 their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him. > Ver. 21. — [eV tw irAoi'a Kheims: in a ship.— 2. S.) ' Tynd., Cranm., and the Bishop's Bible correctly: in the ship; Wicl.. Gen., Auth. V., and CHAP. IV. 18-22. EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 18. By the Sea of Galilee. — Lake Gcn- nesaret, AiVvjj revvi]a-ap(T, Luke v. 1 (also rewrjadp, FfwriaapTTts, Gcucsara, n"|i3 D^); V OdKaaara ttjs TiPfpidoos, John xxi. 1 ; r; da\. tT;? TakiXaias, Matt. XV. 29, etc. The lake, which is formed by the river Jordan, is about six hours, or 150 stadia long, and about half as broad [twelve or fourteen miles long, six or seven miles in breadth, and 105 feet deep. — r. S.]. The water is salubrious, fresh, and clear; it contains abundance of fish ; the banks are pictur- esque, although at present bare; toward the west they are intersected by calcareous mountains, — to- ward the east the lake is bounded by high mountains (800 to 1,000 feet high), partly of chalk and partly of basalt formation. It is of an oval form, being a deep depression in an upland country (according to Schubert, its level is 535 feet below the Mediterra- nean).* Besides these remarkable natural features, the contrast between the present desolation of its shores and their flourishing state at the time of Je- sus, when covered with cities and inhabited by a busy throng, — above all, the solemn remembra:uce of theLord'slabors, render it a most striking object. On the difference between the accounts of Schubert and of Robinson in regard to the beauty of the lake, comp. Winer, art. Genezareth. Recent travellers have furnished ample details of the district (comp. Josephus, De Bdlo Jud. iii. 10, 7). Simon called Peter. — The designation Peter is given by way of historical anticipation. Simon, con- tracted from Simeon, I'iS'^lIf (liearing, favorable hearing). On the name Peier, comp. ch. xvi. 18. Andrew. — A purely Greek name (see Winer mb verba) ; which, however, also occurred among the Jews at a latea period. Andrew and John were the earliest disciples of Jesus, — the first who joined the Saviour, following the direction of John the Baptist, whose disciples they had been (John i. 39). It is uncertain whether Andrew was the elder brother of Peter. His home was at Bethsaida (John i. 44). For further particulars about this disciple, see ch. x. Casting a net into the sea. — The circumstance that they were just about to commence their daily labor, is mentioned for the purpose of bringing out the significancy of their mstantly following Christ. The same remark applies to the narrative of the call- ing of the sons of Zebedee when preparing their nets. Ver. 19. Pollow me. — Meyer has again repeat- ed the old objection, so frequently refuted, that this passage is incompatible with John i. 37, and with Luke V. 4. But John only refers to the first sum- moning of disciples, while here we have an account of their express call to follow the Lord, in the sense of becoming His servants and messengers. In Luke V. 4 we have the details of a scene connected with this calling. Wieseler rightly distinguishes, 1. be- tween their preUminary call, implying discipleship in general and adoption of His cause, but without any special obligation, John i. 35 sqq. ; 2. their selection as continuous and regular followers of the Lord, Matt. iv. 18 sqq. (also Luke v. 4) ; and 3. the choice of twelve to be Apostles, Matt. x. 2-4. These stages may also be arranged as follows: 1. Reception as * [Accordins to Lieut. Symonds it is 32'?, according to Lieut. Lynch 653 feet below the level of the Mediterranean. ^'e« the various Biblic. Dictionaries. — P. S.] disciples in the most general sense (catechumens) ; 2. selection for service, by continuous following of the Lord (Evangelists) ; 3. selection to be tlie repre- sentatives of the Lord, with bestowal of the power to work miracles (Apostles). The latter distinction was, however, bestowed upon the Apostles with cer- tain conditions and hmitations, until after the out- pouring of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost (Acts ii. 4). I will make you fishers of men. — The mean- ing evidently is, that by devotion, [)rudcncc, and per- severance, they were to gain soids for the kingdom of Christ from the sea of the world. Thus the im- agery employed by the Saviour connects their former with their new vocation, — their secular employment serving as emblem of their spiritual calling. On the other hand, the words indicate the infinite superiori- ty of the work to which they were now called. Ver. 21. James the son of Zebedee. — From this passage it has rightly been inferred, that James was the elder brother of John. The sons of Zebedee, too, immediately relinquished their former occupa- tion at the moment when they were about to resume it with fresh ardor. Another feature in their spirit- ual history is, that along with their nets, they are called to leave their father also. The narrative seems to imply that Zebedee gave his consent. DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. " The sea is the emblem of the world. The number four is the symboHc number of the world." The first step in the conquest of the world was taken when Jesus summoned these four Apostles to become fishers of men to all the world. Christ's spiritual renunciation of the world forms the commencement of its spiritual conquest. Thia conquest is accomplished by the power of the king- dom of heaven, and for the kingdom of heaven of which Jesus has become the king by His renuncia- tion of the world. Among these four disciples, Pe- ter may be regarded as representing the foundation of the new church ; James the elder (as James the younger at a later date) the government and preser- vation of the same. Upon Andrew it devolved to prepare the way of the Gospel, and its extension throughout the world ; wlide John sounded the in- most depths of spiritual realities. In striking con- trast with the practice sanctioned by corrupt tradi- tionalism, the Lord chose as His instruments pious though unlearned fishermen, and not Rabbins. These humble men had, indeed, also their prejudices, which required to be overcome, but in vastly diflerent measure from the learned of that age. It is there- fore an entire mistake on the part of some older di- vines, to speak of the want of proper quaUfication and preparation in the disciples. 2. Luther: — "If the Gospel required the poten- tates of this world for its planting and preservation, God would not have committed it to fishermen." HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL. Christ's retirement by the Sea of GMilee the inauguration of the kingdom of heaven. — The com- mencement of the new era. — The Lord's walking His most glorious work. — The irresistible power of the call of Jesus in the hearts of the elect. 1. As inherent in the call itself. It is the irresistible power, (a) of the Redeemer, the God-Man ; {b) of the Holy Spuit setting us free ; (c) of blessed love ; (d) 94 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. of supreme power guiding and directing us. 2. As springing from spiritual influence on the heart of the disciples : (a) The Father drawing them, (b) by the word of prophecy ; (c) by their first converse with the Lord. — Only the call of the Lord can confer the ministerial office. — Faithfulness in a lower sphere is the condition and preparation for a higher. — The call of the Lord, Follow me, 1. an invitation to full communion with Him ; 2. a demand of perfect self-renunciation for His sake ; 3. an announcement of a new sphere of activity under Him ; 4. a promise of rich reward from Him. — The call of Jesus to fol- low Him, 1. a call to faith; 2. a call to labor; 3. a call to suffering and cross-beai-ing ; 4. a call to our blessed home. — How the Lord transforms our earth- ly calling into an emblem of our heavenly. — The work of apostleship under the simile of the art of fishing. 1. We must know the lake; 2. we must know how to allure ; 3. we must be able patiently to wait ; 4. we must be ready to hazard our lives ; 5. we must cast out the net in confidence ; 6. we must expect a draught. — The Divine character of the Church of Christ, as manifest in this, that it was founded by unlearned fishermen and publicans. — Christ manifesting Himself as the heavenly Master, in the selection of His first Apostles. — He who would follow the Lord, must be ready to leave all things, — The four Apostles, brethren after the flesh, and brethren in the kingdom of God. 1. A token how true brotherly feeling leads to the Lord ; 2. how the highest brotherhood is that in the Lord ; 3. how heavenly brotherhood sheds a halo around earthly relationship. — The four friends by the Lake of Galilee, or the blessing of true friendship. 1. It leads to seeking the Lord ; 2. it springs from finding the Lord. — How the sovereignty of Christ over the world appears by His making four fishermen from the Sea of Gahlee princes in the kingdom of God. — If we are to win others for the Lord, we ourselves must have been first won by Him. — The ideal per- fectness of every art and vocation in Christ. — That which Christ teaches He also works in us. — The calling of the Apostles the commencement of a new creation. Starke: — Jesus still chooses teachers for His work, nay. He has chosen them from all eternity. — Let none fancy that he can succeed by himself; even Christ chose assistants. — A minister must be called of God. — We must first follow Jesus ourselves be- fore bringing others to Him. — Let us not only call each other brethren, but prove ourselves such. — He who would enter upon the ministry in the spirit of the Apostles, must be ready to renounce every human tie. Heuhner : — If Christ asks much. He also prom- ises much. — The Apostles are our ensample how to follow Christ. D. Chapter IV. 28-25. Contents:— Jesus passing through Galilee like an ordinary Eatbi, but manifesting Himself as the Saviour of all nations. 23 And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel ^ of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease, 24 among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria : and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy ; 25 and he healed them. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and /rom Decapohs, and/rom Jerusalem, and /rom Judea, and/rom beyond Jordan. ' Ver. 23.— [Lange liljewise translates; Bas Erangelivm. I cannot agree with Dr. Conant and others who think that where evayyeMov occurs in its original literal sense, it should always be translated ffood news, or glad tidings, and that gospel should be retained only where the Greek has taken a later tropical sense. This change is unnecessary; for gospel (God's spell, or good s^jell = good news) is the old Saxon equivalent for the Gr. evayyiMov, and so universally under- stood.' The E. V. always translates the noun ihayyiKiov gospel {in 77 passages), but renders the verb evayyehi^nv sometimes to preach the gospel, sometimes to bring or to declare glad tidings. Comp. Luke i. 19 ; ii. 10 ; Acts xiii. 32 ; Kom. X. 15; 1 Thess. iii. 6.— P. S.] the Jordan and the Lake of Tiberias, and on the south by Samaria, where in the west the brook Ki- shon, and farther east a line drawn from Mount Ta- bor to Scythopolis, and the promontory of Carmel, formed its boundary. Originally the name ^"^-pyfl (Josh. XX. V, xxi. 32) was confined to the circuit of Upper Galilee ; afterward the province was divided into Upper and Lower Galilee. The former was a mountainous country, the latter partly level. Upper Galilee extended from Beersheba to the village of Baca, and from the village of TheUa, near Jordan, to Meroth. According to Strabo, it was partly inhabit- ed by Gentiles (by Phcenicians, Syrians, Arabs ; ao cording to Joseph., Vita, xii., also by Greeks) ; hence the name, Galilee of the Gentiles. The district is EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 23. And Jesus went about all Galilee. — The term probably implies only Upper Galilee. The passage may, however, be regarded as giving a sum- mary or general view of Christ's activity throughout Galilee. This activity formed part of His work in the various districts of Palestine, since Matthew also specially notes His labors in Persea and Judasa. Gal- ilee, in the more general sense of the term, formed the northernmost part of Palestine, being ten geo- graphical miles long and four to five geographical miles broad, and bounded on the west by the sea and Phoenicia, on the north by Ccelesyria, on the east by CHAP. IV. 23-25. 95 alpine, and of the chalk formation. Its mountains do not rise to any considerable height ; the valleys are very romantic. GaUlee was a most fertile coun- try, equally adapted for agriculture and pasturage, besides having the lake within its district. Hence the large number of its inhabitants (Joseph., De Bello Jud. iii. 3, 1). It contained 404 towns and villages. The people of Galilee were brave, indus- trious, and intelligent ; although the inhabitants of Judaea proper looked down upon them on account of their contact with the heathen and their uncouth dialect. For further particulars, comp. Winer [Kit- to, W. Smith], and the works on the Holy Land. Teaching in their synagogues. — The general sketch of Christ's sphere of activity is followed by a description of its peculiar mode. Conforming to Jewish custom, He appeared as a travelling Rabbi in the various synagogues of Galilee. The awayu- ■)^ (from (rvuiyw, the congregation), in the Sept. for ni^ and blip. The name embodied the idea that each synagogue represented the congregation of Israel as a whole, just as we designate each particu- lar Christian community a church, in the sense of its embodying and representing the whole Church. After the Babylonish exile, the solemn gathermg in the temple, which could only be enjoyed on special occasions, and not without dlflQculty, led to the estab- lishment of synagogues, accessible in every place and to all, which may be regarded as the revival — with- out the admixture of former errors — of the ancient monotheistic or orthodox worship of the "high places," and which unconsciously served as the pro- totype for the arrangement and form of the Church under the New Testament. According to Jewish tradition, the institution of synagogues dates from a very early period (comp. the art. in Winer's [W. Smith, vol. iii., 1396 sqq., and other] Bibl. Encycls., and especially Vitringa, De Synagoga vetere, 1696). The statement is correct, in so far as it implies that a provision ior religious communion and edification must have existed even previous to the temple. " During the Babylonish exile, when the Jews were shut out from the Holy Land and from the appoint- ed sanctuary, the want of places for religious meet- ings, in which the worship of God, without sacri- fices, could be celebrated, must have been painfully felt. Thus synagogues may have originated at that ominous period. When the Jews returned from Babylon, synagogues were planted throughout the country for the purpose of affording opportunities for publicly reading the law, independently of the regu- lar sacrificial services of the temple (Neh. viii. 1, etc.). At the time of Jesus there was at least one synagogue in every moderately sized town of Pales- tine (such as Nazareth, Capernaum, etc.), and in the cities of Syria, Asia Minor, and Greece, in which Jews resided (Acts ix. 2 sqq.). Larger towns pos- sessed several synagogues ; and it is said that there were no fewer than 460, or even 480, of them in Jerusalem itself." — Winer. A kindred Lastitution were the -rrpoaevxai, or places where prayer was wont to be made — oratories, commonly situate in the im- mediate vicinity of some river, for the sake of lustra- tions (Acts xvi. 13)'; while synagogues were general- ly built in some elevated situation (in allusion to the position of the temple). The synagogue may be re- garded as forming in every respect the germ of our local Christian churches. 1. Their foundation: by communities, or by private individuals. 2. Character : sanctuaries. 8. Time of meeting : on the Sabbath, on feast days ; afterward also on the second and fifth days of the week. 4. Arrangement : seats, separation of sexes. 5. Mode of worship : prayer, reading of por- tions of Scripture (the Law, the Prophets, and other Old Testament books — Parashotli, Haphtharoth, Me- gilloth) by a priest or elder ; expo.-ition of the section read, and address ; Uberty of putting questions, of ex- pressing opinions, and of "dehvering addresses (the pro- phetic element) ; at the close, the priestly blessing and prayer of the congregation. 6. Ofiicials of the synagogue : the president, or chief ruler {apxoov rrjs (Twayuyn's, apx^crwaycoyoi) ; the elders {irpea^vrtpoi, TToi.uez/es), who administered the affairs of the syna- gogue ; then the servant or messenger of the con- gregation {legaius ecclesice), who acted as precentor, clerk, and messenger; and the officer, or uTrTjperrjy [the attendant or minister who handed the volume to the reader and returned it to its place, Luke iv. 20] ; with the addition, probably, of ofiicials to col- led; the alms. 7. Furniture : seats, pulpit or desk, and bookcase. 8. Discipline: greater and lesser excommimication, and bodily punishments. Every Jewish town possessed its Sanhedrim, which was subordinate to the great Sanhedrim in Jerusalem. These Sanhedrims were no doubt attached to the va- rious synagogues (comp. Winer, sub Synedrium). Thus, in the providence of God, the synagogue was destined to form a transition from the symbolical worship of the Old, to the worship in spirit and in truth of the New, Testament. Hence the circum- stance, that the Lord and His Apostles made use of the arrangements of the s}Tiagogue, must be regard- ed not only as an act of legal obedience, but also of inissionary foresight. From various passages we infer that at first Jesus was regarded by His disciples as a Rabbi (Mark ix. 5 ; John i. 38, etc.). But in their minds this title implied acknowledgment of His claims as prophet and Messiah, and it gradually gave place to full re- cognition of Jesus as the Son of God (Matt. xvi. 16). The people also regarded the Lord at first as a Rabbi (Mark x. 51 ; John xx. 16), although the leading men in Jerusalem were not willing to accede to Him that designation (John vii. 15). The title Habbi ("^nn , vir amplissimus) was the honorary designation given to Jewish teachers of the law and scribes {Magister, Doctor). At the time of Christ, there was no formal graduation, as at a later period ; although several characteristics served to distmguish the regular order of scribes. These were, 1. adherence to a certaia school, and to scholastic traditions; 2. a pecuhar method of explaming the law and interpreting the Scriptures ; 3. connection with the hierarchy and the orthodoxy of the time (Pharisaism), although a number of the scribes belonged to the sect of the Sadducees ; 4. the commencement of a regular organ- ization of the order. Some of the Rabbins were mem- bers or assessors of the Sanhedrim ; others presided over schools ; while yet others were employed as le- gal advisers, etc. The Rabbins were regarded by the people as successors of the ancient prophets, with certain modifications adapting their oflice to the wants of the time. Accoi'dingly, Ezra already bears the title of "'£0. When the Lord Jesus therefore appeared as a Rabbi, without having previously pass- ed through a regular scholastic training. He only asserted the ancient right and title of a prophet. And preaching the gospel of the kingdom. — Here it is more definitely called the Gonpd of the kingdom of heaven ; i. e., the Gospel which consti- 96 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. tuted the kingdom of lieaven, and which increasingly manifested itself as the (jospel concerning Christ, the Lord of the kingdom of heaven, and concerning rccon- cihation through Him for the kingdom of heaven. — Ei'O77e'A.(0f. Tlie meaning of the term in classical Greek is, primarily, reward for good tidinyn ; and, secondarily, the good tidings themselves ; in the New Testament, it is used simply for good tidings. The announcement, that the kingdom of Messiah was at hand, made throughout the synagogues of Galilee, was of such deep and decisive importance as to re- quire some confirmation of the prophetic character of Him who declared it. Hence Jesus jiroved by His miracles that He was able to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease ; thereby confirming His word. But the ultimate aim of these miracles was the manifestation of Jesus Himself, and of the kingdom of heaven, whereby the kingdom of darkness was vanquished. Ver. 24. His fame went tliroughotit all Syria. — On the one hand, throughout Palestine ; and, on the other, beyond its limits to Phreuicia and Syria proper. Probably His fame spread along the road frequented by caravans, which led Irom Damascus to the Mediterranean by the Sea of Galilee. And they brought unto Him all sick peo- ple.— The passage must, of course, be taken in a re- stricted sense : as far as faith in His miraculous power extended, they brought such sufierers to Him. That were taken with divers diseases and torments. — The latter tei-m, though refenmg to a distinct class of suffering, is still a general expression. Three peculiar kinds of disease are specially mention- ed : viz., those which were possessed with dev- ils {dononiacs, Sai,uoi'i(6,u€voi), lunatics (epileptics, ceKTiuia^uixevoi), and those that had the palsy {^nervous disorders, ■jrapaKvTiKoi). Formerly, com- mentators were wont to regard the demoniacs as per- sons whose bodies were possessed by the devil, or by devils, but who labored under no physical ailment. Rationalistic interpreters, on the other hand, applied these expressions to bodily or mental diseases exclu- sively, as to mania, epilepsy, melancholy, etc., which — according to their statement — popular ignorance and prejudice regarded as a possession by devils. Of late, however, sounder views have obtained ; and we have learned to recognize both elements in these unfortunate persons, viz., demoniac influences, and excitements produced by unclean spirits, along with bodily or mental derangements (see the author's Le- ben Jesu, ii. 1, p. 285). Meyer (note to p. 115) dis- poses rather summarily of this view, and repeats the old rationalistic theory.* The diiference between * [Meyer's view is thus stated by liim : " Besessene warcn characterisiiche naturliche KranJce—Manie, Fallanckt, Melancholie, Zustdnde der Contractheit, iemporure Stummheit u. dergl. — deren Leiden man hei sehcinhar physischer Gesundheit nicJit im abnormen Organigmus Oder ill naturlichen Storungen des physischen I/abitux, sondern in teufelischer Besessenheit begrundet glaubta.^'' He urges, among four reasons against the old orthodox view, mainly the entire silence of St. John, which he re- t'ards the more significant, as John lays special stress on the destruction oi'the works of the devil by Christ. But this silence concerning the healing of demoniacs mnst be accounted for on the same ground as the omission of other and more important facts in the Gospel of John, such as the parabolic discourses of tJhrist, the institution of bap- tism, and the Lord's Supper, etc. This silence is rather the silence of approval of what was already generally known and read in the churches when he wrote his Gospel. Aside from doctrinal considerations connected with the personal exist- ence of Satan and his supernatural agents, Meyer's and 'do Wette's view is even e.\egetically untenable", unless we choose to involve Christ in a popular error, or to rellect on the three classes consists in this, that the demoniacs were subject to disease through the influence of un- clean spirits, the hmatics through that of the sidereal bodies (change of the njoon, etc.), the palsied through tliat of atmos)jheric changes. The common charac- teristic of all these afflictions was, that their victims were under the absolute control of some outward influence, whether spiritual, psychical, or physical. They were, so to speak, the representatives of those more obscure and refined psychical and physical suf- ferings and dissonances which have been introduced in the psychical and external world by the moral power of darkness. (For a list of books on Pastoral Medi- cine or Cure of Souls, see Ueubncr, p. 43.) Ver. 25. And there followed Kim great multitudes. — Even at this stage of His ministry, multitudes had gathered, who externally followed the Lord. These v/ere drawn in the first instance from Galilee itself, and swelled by others coming from Decapolis, and even from Jerusalem, from the land of Judeaa, and from beyond Jordan, i. e., Perpca. Decapoiis, or the Ten Cities, chiefly in- habited by Gentile settlers : see Phnius, Hist. Nat. 16, and the Encyclops. According to Ritter, the De- capolis was founded principally by veterans from the army of Alexander (hence one of the towns was call- ed Pella, from the city of that name in Macedonia). The expression, Peraea, refers probably to the north- ern part of that province. On the division of Perasa into three distinct districts, comp. von Raumer, Pal- estine, p. 205. DOCTEINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. Note the contrast between Jesus going from place to place, and the Baptist remaining stationary. It seems to represent the moving and kindly charac- ter of the Gospel, as embodied in a personal form. 2. From the conduct of Jesus, we infer that He recognized the use and place of the synagogue in the arrangement of Divine Providence. The Apostles also observed the same line of conduct.* 3. The Lord now proclaimed everywhere the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven. The announce- ment, that a new spiritual order of things was at hand, was everywhere received as a message of com- ing salvation. But the Lord also proclaimed at the same time the fundamental laws and promises of the kingdom of heaven, as appears from the Sermon on the Mount. By the numerous miracles which Jesus now wrought. He proved that the kingdom of heaven was really at hand ; that its character was spiritual ; that it was a kingdom of regeneration ; and that this new spiritual life consisted in a heavenly influence and a Divine power, which restored not only the dis- eased and departed life, but also the dead and dis- eased heart. Thus it also clearly appeared that the kingdom of heaven was indissolubly connected with the person of Jesus. By His miracles, He revealed Himself in His glory as the centre of the kingdom of heaven. On miracles, comp. below, ch. viii. His veracity, which is not to be thought of for a single mo- ment. For the haiixovi^Sn^voi. are dearly and repeatedly distinguished in the Gospels from ordinary physical diseases, and represented as persons who are epiritually afflicted and possessed or interpenetrated as it were by a double con- sciousness and a double will, the one being foreign to tht^m and taking forcible possession of their physical frame for a time. Christ moreover addresses the evil spirits as distinct from the persons possessed by them; and these spirits pass out from one person into another, or even into a herd of swine. Comp. also, on the general subject, the remarks of Dr. Trench, On the Miracles, "p. 160, and Dr. Altbrd on Matt. viii. 32 (4th ed, vol. i. p. 79 sq.).— P. S.] CHAP. V. 1-16. 97 4. Like John, Jesus produced by His preaching a general impression upon the people, but in a higher measure. John remained stationary, Jesus went about ; John announced the wrath to come, Jesus brought to light the hfe-giving power of the Gospel ; John displayed only one miracle, that of self-renunci- ation and the moral greatness of a true prophet as exhibited in his own history ; he did no wonders ; while it appeared as the inmost and distinguishing characteristic of Christ's life to work miracles of heal- ing, of deliverance, of comfort, and of salvation. — To John the people flocked in numbers, again to return to their homes ; while of those who betook themselves to Jesus, many remained to follow Him whithersoever He went. 5. In measure as the kingdom of heaven shall appear in the Church, the same Divine power — the same power of faith, of love and of hfe, and the same heavenly courage which ascends to heaven and de- scends from it, to diffuse that which is heavenly, will also manifest itself. HOMILETICAL AND PEACTICAL. Christ went about doing good to all. — 1. He went about in the omnipotence of His love. 2. He did good to all in the omnipotence of His love. — The labors of ministers should extend to all withhi the sphere of their activity. — Galilee, or the circuit of the Gentiles, becomes the chcuit of the new life. — In preaching the Gospel, we should follow up God's preparatory agencies and dispensations. — Evangehsts should en- deavor to find proper starting-points for their work. — The teaching of Jesus in its fulness. It is, 1. a preaching (an appeal to the heart, announcing some- thing new) ; 2. it is Gospel ; 3. it is the Gospel of the kingdom ; 4. it conveys salvation. — Defects to be avoided in the Church : 1. It is sad when teaching ceases to be preaching ; 2. more sad when preaching ceases to be teaching ; 3. most sad when preaching ceases to be the Gospel of the kingdom ; 4. not less sad when destitute of the pov.'cr of life. — In oifr days also, demonstration of the truth of the Gospel which we preach is indispensable. — The practical demon- stration of the truth of the Gospel should be as fol- lows : 1. Our preachmg should always bear the un- press of the love of Christ, of the Holy Spirit, and of power. 2. It should always be adapted to the wants of the age. — The secret of Christ's power of helping His people lay in their spiritual boldness : 1. Based on spiritual humility ; 2. springing from spirit- ual faith ; 3. manifestmg itself in spiritual love ; 4. evidenced by spiritual life. — Spiritual cowardice opens the door to the enemy. — Jesus still removes every manner of sickness and disease. — The fame of Jesus prepares the way for the word of Jesus. — The Sa- viour from sin is also the Saviour from evil. — He healed all that came unto Him. — In trouble and ne- cessity we learn to know our Deliverer. — The king- dom of Christ commencing amidst poverty and mis- ery. The relation between those who follow the won- der-worker, and those who follow the Crucified One. — Conversion the evidence of true awakening. — Jesus gathers His people. 1. How ? 2. For what pur- pose? Starke: — Christ extends His kingdom by the Gospel, not with carnal weapons. — It is a small thing for Him who gives us eternal life to restore our bod- ily life. — AU Christ's miracles are blessings. Heuhner : — These cures of Jesus are important ; as being so many blessings and deUverances of wretch- ed and needy persons ; as revelations of His goodness and love ; as evidence of His divine mission ; as pointing to the spiritual deliverance which He wrought PART SECOND. Christ manifesting Himself in outward obscm-ity as the true Saviour, by His "works ; and proving Himself the promised Prophet, Priest, and King, in His contin- ual conflict ^7ith the spurious notions entertained by the Jews concerning the Mes- siah (ch. v.-x\'i, 12). FIRST SECTION. CHRIST MANIFESTING HIMSELF AS THE PROPHET. A. AS TEACHER OF THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, CH. V.-VH. Structure of the Sermon on the Mourd. — The grand fundamental idea of the Sermon on the Mount is to present the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven in its relation to that of the Old Testament theoc- racy. This idea is arranged in three parts. Part first, which comprises the Sermon on the Mount in the narrower sense, presents the nature and character of the righteousness of the kingdom of God, from the commencement of spiritual life to its completion. Ch. v. 1-16. — At the close of this sectiou, 7 98 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. the contrast between this righteousness and that of Jewish traditionalism is brought out in its fullest manifestation (to suifer persecution for Christ's sake). Tliis induces the Lord to explain, in Part 2, the relation between the righteousness of the kingdom of licaven (in doctrine and life) and that of the Jewish theocracy.' The former is the genuine fullihnent of the Old Testament theocracy (of the Law and the Prophets), in opposition to that false development of Jewish traditionahsm, which only pre- served the letter of the law and the prophets. Ch. v. lY-vii. 6. — As the first section contained a de- scription of the elevation of (he blessed to their final reward in heaven, although their course seems to the world one of continual humiliation ; so the second section exhibits the i-ighteousness of the Piiari- sees in its real character and results, to the judgment which shall finally sweep it away (beneath " dogs and swine "), although to the world it seems to rise to the greatest height of exaltation. Lastly, Christ shows in the third and practical section, how to avoid the false and choose the right way ; indicating, at the same time, the mode and manner of genuine spiritual life (ch. vii. 7-27). The concluding verses (vers. 28 and 29) record the impression produced by this sermon of Jesus. LiTERATiTEE :— Comp. Tholuck, Comment, on the Serm.on on the Mount, 4th ed.. 1856 [transl. into End. by E. Lundin Brown, Kdinb. and Pliilad., 1860] ; Klinff, Die Berqpredigt Ohrinti, Marburg, 1841 ; Arndt, Die Bergpredigt Jem Christi, Magdeb., 1837 and 1838; Braune, Die Bergpredigt umeres Ilerrn Jesu Ohristi, 2d ed., Altenburg, 1855.— For the older literature of tlie subject, see Winor, Danz, and Heubner. The Sermon on the Mount in the narrower sense. The law of the Spirit. The fundamental laws of the kingdom of heaven as fundamental promises and beatitudes of the Gospel. Gradual progress upward to perfectness in righteousness, or, what is the same, in Christ. Chapter V. 1-16. (^Vers. 1-12, the Gospel for the l^th Sunday after Trinity.) And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain ; and when he was set [had sat down], his disciples came unto [to] him : And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.' Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness : for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful : for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart : for they shall see God. Blessed are the peace- 10 makers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are per- 1 1 secuted for righteousness' sake : for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against 12 you falsely,^ for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward 13 in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which [who] were before you. Ye are the salt of the earth : but if the salt have lost its savour, wherewith shall it be salted ? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of 14 men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under a [the] ^ bushel, but on a candlestick; 16 and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which [who] is in heaven. ' Ver. 5. — The transposition of the second and third beatitudes in Lachmann's and Tischendorf s editions is not suflS- ciently sustained by the testimony of Uod. D., the Vulgate, etc., and is at war with the logical order of the beatitudes. ^ Ver. 11. — Falsely, ^^evSofjiffoi, is poorly supported, and superfluous on account of the words : for My saJce. [The evidence against i^ewSoMfO' is hardly sufficient to justify its removal from the text. The Vatican codex (as given by Buttmann) and other weighty MSS. and ancient versions have it, and Alford, Wordsworth, and Tregelles retain it, but Trcgelles marks it as doubtful. As to the connection, ^evZ6ii.evoi. belongs to stiTuai, or all the three preceding verbs, but not to iirtKiV fJJ.OV. — P. S.] ' Ver. 15.— [The definite article here indicates the fimiliar household measure.— P. S.] central-point of Christ's ministry in Galilee. It was de- livered during the first year of His public career, some time between the winter of 781 and the spring of 782 A. U. " The activity of John by the banks of Jor- dan probably continued till toward the winter of the EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. General Remarks on the Sermon on the Mount. -The Sermon on the Mount may be regarded as the CHAP. V. 1-16. 99 year 781. While lie baptized in Galilee, Christ la- bored in Judoea. About the time that John was im- prisoned in Galilee, tlie Sanliedrim of Jerusalem be- gan to view witli dislike the growing authority of Jesus. On this account. He left Judfpa, and retired to GaUlce. In the spring of the year 782, John was still in prison. At that time he sent the well-known embassy to Christ. From Matt. xi. 1, 2, we gather that this inquiry was made at the close of the first journey of Clirist through Galilee ; hence before His attending the least of Purim, which is related in the Gospel of John (ch. v.). Soon afterward the execu- tion of John took place, probably between Purim and Easter of the year 782 " {see my Leben Jesu, ii. ] , p. 162). I 'V\' e mark three stages in the journey of Jesus through Galilee. The first comprises the journey of Christ through the mountainous district of Upper Galilee. This is alluded to in general terms by Mat- thew in ch. iv. 23. The calling of the first four Apostles, together with tlie miraculous draught of fishes, Luke v. 1, and the sermon of the Lord by the Lake of Galilee, preceding that miracle, formed the commencement of this journey. Its close is marked by the Sermon on tlie Mount. On His second jour- ney, the Lord passed beyond the bounds of Galilee proper into Upper Pera;a. This tour commenced with His second sermon by the Lake of Galilee, on which occasion the Lord probably uttered the greater part of the parables concerning the kingdom of God. Other three Apostles were now added to the former. That journey closed with the expulsion of the Lord from Gadara, and some conflicts between Jesus and the Pharisees, and a few of the disciples of John (Matt. ix.). During His third tour, the Lord passed through the towns on the Lake of Galilee to Lower Galilee, and toward Samaria and Judsea. The num- ber of the assistants and followers of Jesus was now increased from seven to twelve, who are set apart as His Apostles. The four companions of His first journey, and the seven who attended Him during the second, had only been His followers ; but others are now added to their number. They are set apart to be His Apostles ; and the Lord sends them before Him, — as yet, however, with Umited powers, and for a definite purpose. The narrative of this journey commences with the calling of the Apostles, and with the instructions given to them. While the Apostles precede the Lord, holy women gather around and minister unto Him (Luke viii. 1-3). The towns of Magdala, in the southern part of the west- em shore of the lake, and Nain, between the south- em side of Mount Tabor and the Lower Hermon, are mentioned as special points touched during this jour- ney. Its goal — as appears from the sending of the twelve Apostles — was Jerusalem, where, according to John v., Jesus attended the feast of Purim. This journey, wliich was intended to terminate in Judaea, was interrupted by two events — the resolution of the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem to compass the death of Jesus (John vii. 1), and the execution of John tlie Baptist (Matt. xiv. 12 ; Mark vi. 30 ; Luke ix. 10). A close review of this tour shows that Jesus un- dertook three public journeys to Jerusalem in order to awake the attention of His people, and to lead them to decide for the truth (John ii. 13 ; v. ; xii. 9) It is important to understand the relation be- tween the Sermon on the Mount as given by Matthew and the account of it in Luke vi. 1 2 sqq. According to Augustine {De consensu evanj. ii. 19), Andr. Osiander, Biisching, Hess, Storr, Gratz, and others, the two sermons were delivered at differ- ent times. But most modern interpreters are agreed that they are only two different accounts of one and the same sermon of Jes\is. Calvin, Schneckeubur- ger, and Olsliauson hold that the account in Matthew is the less authentic of the two ; while Tholuek, Eb- rard, and Meyer (p. 1(38), think that Luke derived his narrative from Matthew. Lastly, according to Strauss, neither of the two accounts is strictly au- thentic. In our opinion, they should be regarded as two different sermons delivered in close succession, — the one on the summit of a mountain in Galilee, the other, on a lower ridge of the same mountain ; the one, addressed only to His disciples ; the other, to all the people who had followed Him. Still, so far as their fundamental ideas and real subject-matter arc concerned, the two sermons are identical, differ- ing only in form and adaptation, — that reported by Matthew being addressed to the disciples, and hence esoteric in its form ; while that given by Luke is ex- oteric, being addressed to the people. The funda- mental idea of both is evidently the same — the ex- altation of the humble and the humiUation of the proud. This idea is couched so as to correspond to the description of the Jewish year of jubilee, and expressed in the form of beatitudes. But the differ- ent aspects under which this fundamental truth is presented, show that originally two sermons had been delivered by the Lord ; for, 1. the number of the be- atitudes is not the same in the two sermons, and the beatitudes themselves are differently couched ; 2. in the Gospel by Luke, there is always a woe to corre- spond to each of the beatitudes. This contrast ap- pears, indeed, also in that portion of the sermon, as reported by Matthew, which treats of the righteous- ness of the Pharisees and its consequences, but in a form quite different from that in Luke. Add to this, 3. the difference in the account of the locaUty and the audience. According to Matthew, Jesus delivered the sermon on the top of a mountain, and sitting ; while Luke relates that He came down and stood in the plain or on a plateau, to preach to the people. According to Matthew, " seeing the multitudes," He retired among His disciples ; while Luke records that He came down with His disciples, and stood among the multitude in order to address them. " Thus we have evidently two different discourses on the same subject, and containing the same elements ; and, be- fore we adopt any hypothesis which would represent the one as inferior to the other, we should first endea- vor to study them more closely, and to understand the peculiar characteristics of the two Gospels. Viewed in that light, these discourses bear each a distinctive character. The Sermon on the Mount, strictly so called, is a discourse which Christ could not, at the time, have addressed to the people generally. This remark specially applies to His description of the Pharisees and scribes, and of their righteousness, and to His exposition of the contrast between His own teaching and theirs. Manifestly, Jesus could not have addressed in this manner the Jewish people gen- erally, without thereby needlessly exposing His own followers. Nor were the people prepared to under- stand or receive such doctrine. And even though we were to assume that the Evangelist had introduced into this discourse some things said on other occa- sions, yet this sermon is so thoroughly connected in its structure, that it is impossible to ascribe its com- position, so far as its leading features are concerned, to the Evangelist himself." (Leben Jesu, ii. 2, p. 369.) Manifestly, this discourse is esoteric — an exposition 100 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. of the fundamental doctrines of the kingdom of hea- ven in their ri.'lation to the teacliing of the Old Testa- ment, and to the ordhiances and practices of a spuri- ous traditionalism, which could only have been in- tended for the disciples. Hence the choice of the lo- cality, the retirement from the multitude, and the gath- ering of the disciples around Him. The Evangelist, indeed, records at the close, " that the people were astonished at His doctrine ; " but this apparent inac- curacy— on our supposition — only confirms the view that, after His descent from the mountain, the Lord addressed to the people generally the discourse com- municated by Luke. The latter is just what we would have expected in the circumstances — a popular and lively address, short, and illustrated by similes. This exoteric form agrees with the context as mentioned by Luke, who records that Jesus delivered this ad- dress standing among the people, though His eye would, no doubt, chiefly rest in blessing upon the disciples. Tlio time w/ien tlicRe two discourses were delivered. — From some events recorded by Luke before his account of the Sermon on the Mount (ch. vi. 1, etc.), it might appear to have liecn deUvcred at a later period. But this aj)parent inaccuracy must have been occasioned by considerations connected with the structure of his Gospel. The context shows that both Evangehsts record it qs having taken place at the same tune. Both in Lnke and in Matthew the history of the centurion of Capernaum immediately follows the Sermon on tlie Mount. Manifestly, then, the two discourses were delivered during the same jouj-uey of Jesus through Galilee. Similarly, the circumstances mentioned by Luke prove that the discourse reported by him followed immediately upon that reported by Matthew. According to Matthcv/, Jesus left the multi- tude, and retired with His disciples to the top of the Diountam ; while Luke relates that He again descend- ed from the mountain, with His disciples, " into the plain " (fVl rijitov TTe^ivov), among the waiting multi- tude. If to this we add the manifest internal connec- tion between the two discourses, we obtain a very distinct view of the subject. On the top of the moun- tain Jesus addressed to His disciples the discourse about the kingdom of heaven in an esoteric form : while unmediately afterward He repeated it in an ex- oteric form, in the midst of the people, on a plateau of the same mountain. The locality, or the mountain. — According to Latin tradition, the Mount of Beatitudes was what is now called the " Horns of Hattin.,''^ between Mount Tabor and Tiberias. Robmson gives the following description of this mountain (ii. p. 3V0) : " The road passes down to Hattin on the west of the Tell; as we approached, we turned off from the path toward the right, m. order to ascend the Eastern Horn. — As seen on this side, the Tell or mountain is merely a low ridge, some thirty or forty feet in height, and not ten minutes in length from i ast to west. At its east- ern end is an elevated point or horn, perhaps sixty feet above the plain ; and, at the western end, another not so high ; these give to the ridge, at a distance, the appearance of a saddle, and are called Kurun Hattin, ' Horns of Hattin.' But the singularity of this ridge is, that, on reaching the top, you find that it lies along the very border of the great southern plain, where this latter sinks off at once by a precip- itous offset, to the lower plain of Hattin, from which the northern side of the Tell rises very steeply, not much less than 400 feet The summit of the Eastern Horn is a little circular plain ; and the top of the lower ridge hdviecn the two horns is also flat- tened to a plain. The whole mountain is of lime- stone."— The situation and the appearance of this mountain agree well with the supposition that it was the Mount of Beatitudes. It lay in a southwesterly direction, about seven miles from Capernaum. We can well conceive that, when, on His return from the journey tlirough Galilee, Jesus reached this point, lie partly dismissed tlie multitudes who had followed Him. The description of the top of the mountain, and of " the plain," agrees with the requirements of ' the case. Robinson has indeed shown that no weighty grounds can be urged in favor of this tradition (li. p. 371). It is found only in the Latin Church, and is first mentioned in the 13th century by Brocardus [about A. I). 1283] ; while this tradition is apparent- ly contradicted by another, which designates the same mountain as the spot where Christ fed the five thou- sand with the five loaves. Still, no valid ground can be urged against it. A striking historical illus- tration, by way of contrast, is connected with the Homs of Hattin, assmuing that ridge to be the Mount of Beatitudes. On the spot where Jesus had de- scribed the kingdom of heaven, and pronounced the meek and the peacemakers blessed, the most bloody battles have been fought ! {See C. v. Raumer, p. 37.) On the 5th of July, 1187, the celebrated battle of Hattin took place, in which the last remnant of the Crusa- ders was destroyed on the height of Tell Hattin, after the army had been beaten by Sultan Saladin in the valley. Again, on the plain of Jezrcel, Bonaparte defeated, in 1799, with 3000 men, an army of 25,000 Turks. — From the frequent repetition of the expres- sion, Jesus went up into a moiuitain, eis rh 6pos, Gfrorer and Bruno Bauer have inferred that the mountain was merely mythical, and that it always referred to one and the same locality. But m all these narratives, the term " mountain " is used in contradistinction to the places where the people -were encamped {Leben Jesu, ii. 2, p. 670). Ebrard {Krit- ik, etc., p. 349) suggests that the expression is suffi- ciently explained by the circumstance, that through- out Palestine there was no plain from which moun- tains rose, but that the country was an extended plain intersected by valleys. But this is only par- tially true, as there are considerable mountain-tops in tlic country ; although the configuration of Pales- tine may partly have given rise to such a general mode of expression as " to c/o up into a moimtain.''^ Occasion of this address. — Accordmg to Wiesc- ler (Chronologische Si/nopse, p. 205), the year from the autumn 779 to that of 780 had been a sabbatical year. Thus the remembrance of the jubilee was still fresh in the minds of the people. For, although the peculiar ordinances coimected with the jubilee were no longer observed even at the time of the prophets, the symboUcal import of the institution must still have been cherished by the people. The passage from Isaiah Ixi., which Jesus had shortly before read in the synagogue at Nazareth (Luke iv. 14, etc.), re- ferred to the year of grace of the Lord. The sym- bolical idea of this institution which had pervaded the song of Mary, was fully unfolded and developed in the Sermon on the Mount. (Leben Jesu, ii. 2, p. 571.) Relation between tlie Sermon on the Mount as reported by Matthew, and the parallel passages in Luke and Mark. — This relation is explained, 1. by the difference between the two discourses ; 2. by the circumstance that Luke records in other passages the admonitions which were specially addressed to the 1 disciples. This remark applies more especially to CHAP. V. 1-16. 101 the Lord's Prayer, Luke xi. 1-4 ; to the admonition to prayer, vers. 9-13 ; to the simile in vers. 84-30 ; and to the warning against excessive care for the things of this Ufo, Luke xii. 22-31. Still, it is possi- ble that some of the statements in the first Sermon on the Mount, which recur in the other Gospels, may have been repeated on other occasions : for example, Mark ix. 50 ; Luke xii. 34 ; xiii. 24; xvi. 13, 17, 18. Others, again, may have been introduced by the Evangehst in another context: for example, Luke xii. 58. Ver. 1. And seeing the multitudes, iS^v 5 6, K. T. A. — This is evidently meant to account lov the delivery of the Sermon on the Jlount. Jesus fre- quently saw multitudes around Him, but here a pe- culiar emphasis is laid on that circumstance. The question then arises, whether the crowding of the multitude around had induced Him to deliver the Ser- mon on the llount in their presence, and that with all which it contains concerning the scribes and Pharisees ; or whether, on the contrary, it had induced Him to explain these truths in a confidential manner to His disciples alone. We adopt the latter view, which is supported by the analogy of Mark iii. 12, 13 ; Luke vi. 12, 13 ; John vi. 23, comp. with ver. 15. His disciples. — It is evident that at that period Jesus had already made a separation between His disciples and the people. But Matthew distinguishes between this and the later choice of the twelve Apos- tles, ch. X. 1. The expression implies that a larger circle of friends and assistants had gathered around Jesus, among whom the twelve occupied a prominent place. Ver. 2. And He opened His mouth. — The phrase h-voi-y^iv rh (TTo'^a, PiQ nrS ^ is, in the first place, oriental and pictorial ; secondarily, it indicates an important element, that of confidential and solemn communication: Job iii. 1 ; Dan. x. 16. This ap- plies especially to the moment when the Incarnate Word opened His mouth to enunciate the eternal principles of the New Covenant. We note here the contrast, as between Sinai and the Mount of Beati- tudes, the law and the Gospel, so also between the speaking of God during the Old Testament, accom- panied as it then was by thunder and lightning, and Jesus " opening His mouth " under the New Testa- ment. Vers. 3-16. The Sermon on the Mount, in the nar- rower sense (vers. 3-16) comprises the seven beati- tudes, and their appUcation to the disciples of Jesus imder the twofold smiile of the salt of the earth, and the light of the world ; the latter being again ar- ranged under two similes — that of the city on the hill, and that of the candlestick. The seven admonitions are rightly characterized as so many beatitudes. From this we mfer, above all, the evangelical character of this discourse of Jesus, since, 1. He designates each stage in the development of the spiritual life a beati- tude, because it imparts beatitude. The blessedness which Himself at the first imparts, is succeeded by beincf blessed, even unto perfect beatitude in glory. 2. ■ Since, on that account. He does not prescribe any course of action conformable to the law or to His teaching, but a life conformable to the law, as a man- ifestation of His teaching. 3. He presents the great outlines of New Testament righteousness as consist- ing in self-knowledge, felt want, suffering, emptiness, or susceptibility, wluch the Lord will meet out of the heavenly fulness of His own kingdom. 4. He pre- sents the blessings of the kingdom of heaven in their perfectness as spiritual in their character, and as the property of the beatified. 5. In the succession of these beatitudes He marks the development of the new life from its commencement to its completion. Luther : " This is indeed a fair, sweet, and pleasant commencement of His preaching and teaching. For He docs not come in like Moses, or like a teacher of the law, with commands, threats, and terrors, but in the most kindly manner, with attractions, and al- lurements, and most sweet promises." The old ar- rangement into seven beatitudes is perfectly correct. The seventh beatitude, " Blessed are the peacemakers^'' marks the climax : " They shall be called the children of God.'''' In the eighth beatitude, the other seven are only summed up under the idea of the righteous- ness of the kingdom of heaven in its relation to those who persecute it ; while the ninth is a description of the eighth, with reference to the relation in which these righteous persons stand to Christ. The seven beatitudes, therefore, describe the blessedness of the righteousness of God, as it appears in the last in- stance, on the one hand, in being persecuted for righteousness' sake, and on the other, for Christ's sake. This also casts a new fight upon each of the seven beatitudes : they are a conflict with false right- eousness for true righteousness' sake : they are for Christ's sake, and they are a conflict for His sake. The seven beatitudes form an ascending line, in which the new life is traced from stage to stage, from its commencement to its completion. At the basis we have poverty in spirit, the grand final re- sult of the Old Testament discipline. But, in study- ing this ascending line of Christian righteousness or virtue, which rests on the basis of spiritual poverty, we must not lose sight of the parallels which they contain. Manifestly, each of the beatitudes ex- presses a new (religious) relationship toward God, and, side by side with it, a new (moral) relationship toward the v/orld. This will appear more clearly from the following table : — The poor in spirit. Thev that mourn. The meek. They which do hunger and thirst after righteousness. The merciful. The pure in heart. The peacemakers. Blessed are ye, the disciples, if ye are such. Thus shall ye be : — (a) The salt of the earth. (6) The light of the world. 1. A city set on an hiU. 2. A candle put on a candlestick. Ver. 3. Blessed, Ma^apiot, ''"!^'<, Ps. i. 1. I mence with "m (vers. 3-10), we gather what blessed- — " From the explanatory sentences, which com- | uess Jesus has in view — that of the kingdom of 102 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. Messiah." Again, Jesus declares those blessed v/hom the men of the woild would hold to bo most unhappy IW designates by that term circumstaucus which, to those looking mcnely at the outside, would appear far from enviable, and traits of character I'unning directly contrary to the carnal views and the legal righteousness of the Jews. Hence these sentences are so many jwradoses. " Although these statements of Christ run tlirectly counter to the car- nal prejudices of His contemporaries, His utterances contain nothing that was cither entirely new or un- known, since all these beatitudes are based upon passages of the Old Testament (Isa. Ivii. 15; Ixi. 1-3; Ps. xxxiv. 11-19; xxxvii. 11; Ixxiii. 1; 1 Sam. ii. 5; Ps. li. 19; Eccles. vii. 4, etc.)." 0. von Gerlaeh. It is worthy of notice, that, like the be- atitudes of Jesus, that in Ps. i. both presupj^oses a corresponding state of mind, and admonishes believ- ers to cherish and seek such a spiritual disposition. The poor in spirit, oi tttcoxo' to? irvev- ixar i . — The dative is here used to designate them more particularly : in their spirit, or iu reference to their spirit, or spiritual life ; those who feel themselves spiritually poor, and hence reaUze their deep and in- expressible want of the Spirit, and long for the leli- gion of the Spirit. (The opposite of this in Rev. iii. 17.) Ilencc the expression does not imply poverty of spirit in reference to man, far less intellectual poverty (as Fritzsche thinks). The idea, that it re- fers to external poverty, voluntarily chosen, or to a vow of voluntary poverty, as some of the older Ro- man Catholic commentators imagine (Maldonatus, Cornelius h. Lap.), deserves no further notice. The addition, t w ttv tv ixar i, forms a primary and es- sential characteristic of Christianity. Although wanting in the corresponding passage in Luke, the expression refers there also to spiritual poverty. Kcistlin fancies that the omission in Luke is due to Ebionite leanings; while Matthew purposely added the words, " in spirit," to mark the difference. But this hypothesis is only an attempt to carry out the theory of Baur, that the fii'st Christians had been Ebionites. It is indeed true that the expression bears special reference to the poor and needy of the Old Testament theocracy (Isa. Ixi. 1 ; Ixvi. 2). But those Ebionites were not poor in the sense of their entertaining carnal expectations of the Messiah, but in that of spiritual longing for true righteousness. This feeling of spiritual poverty, which appeared at the time of the prophets, had now attained full ma- turity. It had been '■'■fulfilled;" and hence coin- cided with the fxiTavoia in its origin, as this grace unfolds in the two succeeding beatitudes, and forms the germ of the Ta-rreivocppoaiivT). The full meaning of the expression is brought out in the following re- mark of Tholuck :-" To translate accurately, we must render the term by egeni and mendici, for this is the meaning of TTTw^oJ) while TrtVrjr corresponds to the Latin pauper T On the humility cherished by Gen- tile sages, especially on that of Socrates, comp. Heubner, p. 50. Ver. 4. They that moiim, ol Trevdodyre^, Isa. Ixi. 2. — We must not apply the term (with Chry- soBtom and most of the older interpreters) to deep mourning on account of sin, nor yet to sadness and soiTOw iu general. This state of mind is explained by the poverty in spirit from which it springs, and tends toward hungering and thirsting after righte- ousness. From the first, the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven was the great object aimed after, —even in poverty of spirit, much more in mourning. But as yet this object has not been clearly realized by the consciousness. Hence it implies spiritual mourn- ing, divine sorrow, in opposition to the sorrow of the world (2 Cor. vii. 10). This mourning in God (by His Spirit), after God (His blessings), and for God (His glory), includes not only mourning on account of sin, but also on account of its consequences; more particularly, is it the expression of a state of mind when the world, with its possessions and pleas- ures, is no longer capable of satisfying, gladdening, or comforting. Those who thus mourn are to be comforted — of course, in the same sense in which they mourn ; but their consolation is to be abso- lute (see Rom. viii. 18 ; 2 Cor. iv. 17 ; John xiv. 3). This comfort necessarily implies the forgiveness of sins ; it also includes the promise that their godly sorrow shall, in every respect, be removed by the kingdom of heaven, which is promised to the poor in spirit. Ver. 5. The meek. — Ps. xxxvii. 11, according to the Septuagint : ol Se -irpafh KA-qpoyo/x'fiiTovffi yriv. They who suffer in love, or love in patience ; they who, in the strength of love, boldly yet meekly, meekly yet boldly, bear injustice, and thereby con- quer. In this beatitude, the promise of the Holy Land (the enemies being drive nout) is a symbol of the kingdom of heaven; still, outward possession, and that in all its fulness, is also referred to in the expression : the land, the earth. Ver. 6. Hunger and thirst after righteous- ness.— A figurative mode of indicating a desire so intense as to be painful. Wetstein. (The substan- tive is here in the accusative, tV oiKaioawT^v, though commonly in the genitive.) AiKaioavy-q, with the ar- ticle, the only genuine righteousness, the righteous- ness of the kingdom of heaven; but, above all, righteousness not as a work of our own, but as a gift, — a fact not of the outer, but of the inner life. Hence the expression refers neither to the Christian religion (Kuinoel) nor to uprigldness, the restora- tion of wihch was, according to Meyer, the grand object of Christ. Righteousness is correspondence to the law ; the righteousness of the kingdom of hea- ven, that to the law of the Spirit. They shall be filled, i. e., with righteousness. — This promise applies neither exclusively to justifica- tion by faith, nor to final acquittal in judgment ; but includes both justification, sanctification, and final acquittal, — all of which, indeed, are inseparably con- nected with justification. Ver. 7. The merciful, according to the stand- ard of the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven. De Wette appUes this in the first place to the members of the theocracy, who,victorious over the Gentiles, should not execute vengeance upon them. The idea is correct, if taken in a higher and a spiritual sense. They are the meek, who, having formerly been on the defensive, have now taken the offensive. The meek bear the in- justice of the world ; the merciful bravely address themselves to the wants of the world. They shall ob- tain mercy, as being the objects of mercy. As mourn- ing, they are delivered from the sorrows of life ; as longing after righteousness, from the guilt of Ufe ; and now as the merciful, from all the misery of life. But this is only the negative element ; the positive ap- pears in the gradation: they shall be comforted, they shall be satisfied, they shall obtain mercy, be inwardly renewed and restored. And all this, in accordance with the grand fundamental principle of the kingdom of God. See Matt. vii. 2. Ver. 8. The pure in heart, oi KadapoX Tfi Kap- CHAP. V. 1- 103 5 ia. — This must refer to righteousness as the ruling principle of the heai-t and inner life. Purity of heart consists in that steady direction of the soul toward the divine life which excludes every other object from the homage of the heart. Hence " inward moral integrity " is not sufficient ; ir;'i}spectivG of the fact, that such integrity bears refere.'ce to an exter- nal moral standard. Our Lord, however, does not require absolute purity; else He would have said: Thei/ behold God. The term refers to a life pure in the inmost tendency and direction of the heart, be- cause it is entirely set upon what is eternally and absolutely pure. Hence it applies to walking in the Spirit, or to a life of sanctification, or to being born of God (1 John iii. 9). When thus the inmost heart is pure, its outgoings in life will also be pure. The inner life will ever manifest itself more and more clearly as " seeing God." They shall see God. — The expression does not refer merely to an internal knowledge of God (ac- cording to Gregory of Nyssa, Theophylact, Tholuck, etc.), nor (according to de Wette) to direct spiritual communion with God here and hereafter, — far less to Messianic beatitude generally (Kuinoel and others), under the Oriental figure of a man beholding his king, or appearing before him. These ideas are, however, included in the final and perfect seemg of God. But, on the other hand, we cannot agree with Meyer, that it refei's to the beatific vision of saints, when in the resurrection body they shall behold the glory of God in the kingdom of His Son (Rev. xxii. 4). For it is evident that in aU these seven promises no interval of space or time intervenes between the longing and the satisfaction. This vision of God commences when the eye of the soul opens, or when spiritual vision begins in the regenerate heart (Eph. i. 18): it is perfected when in eternity we shall see Him face to face (1 Cor. xiii. 12 ; 1 John iii. 2). Ver. 9. The peacemakers, ol (Ipriv oir o toi . — The peacemakers of the true theocracy, not merely the peaceful, dpriviicai, James iii. lY. It denotes the exertions made by the pure heart on behalf of the kingdom of heaven, alluding more particularly to the messengers of peace under tlie New Testament, — not with reference to their official capacity, but to the power and truth of the word which they bear (Col. i. 20 ; Prov. xii. 20). The promise which imme- diately follows, corresponds with their exalted posi- tion as here indicated. They shall be called the sons of God (in the full theocratic sense, as children of age, vioi, and not merely re/cva). — The terra is not simply equiva- lent to such expressions as vlodeaia and KAripoi/uuia, in Rom. viii. 17, and Gal. iv. 5-7 (Meyer), nor to being beloved of God (Kuinoel), nor to being like imto God (Paulus) ; but indicates that, by their fel- lowship with the Son, and their dependence upon Him, they enjoy the exalted rank of full-grown children of God. They are the children of God as the messengers of Christ, the instruments of His kingdom, and the organs of the Holy Ghost. The terra sons may have been used, because the only be- gotten Son had not yet fully revealed Himself in that character ; after which they appear as His friends, His representatives, His messengers, and His organs. Their dignity and glory in the kingdom of heaven — viewed spii'itually — constitutes the promise given to them. Hence " KKrjBr^a-ovTat, not crunt (Kuinoel), but what they really are, is here expressly recognised by the 7iame given to them." — Meyer. Ver. 10. They which are persecuted, BfSiuiy- 1^4 vol. — Here the conflict between the new spiritual theocracy and its old degenerate form is introduced, forming a transition from the ideal representation of the disciples to the circumstances in which they were actually placed, and which are specially referred to in the following verse. — Ey righteousness is not merely meant here the grace alluded to in ver. 6 ; it rather comprises the substance of all the seven be- atitudes,— i. e., righteousness not merely in its grand manifestation, but also in its first origin and final completion, tnore especially in the form in which it appears in the peacemakers, exciting the resistance of the world (see Matt. x. ; 1 Pet. iii. 14.) Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. — The same expression as in ver. 3. Nor, indeed, could the kingdom of heaven be here different from what it was at the outset; only the manner of its possession and enjoyment is now other than it had been. To the poor in spirit the kingdom of heaven consists, in the first place, in their being comforted ; while those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake will, ac- cording to ver. 12, partake of that great reward in heaven itself which is promised to all who suffer for the sake of Christ. In ver. 3, we have the kingdom of heaven with all that it imphes, — here, with all that it imparts ; there' as objectively set before us, — here, as our own personal and actual possession. Ver. 1 1. Blessed are ye when men shall re- vile you, etc., for my sake.— Tlds is the special application of what the Lord had above declared, or the interpretation of the language used in ver. 10. The disciples are those who are blessed ; righteous- ness is personiiied in tlie Lord. Yet there is this difference : the Lord is so unconditionally ; the dis- ciples conditionally, viz., in as far as they prove themselves disciples. We are not inclmed, with Beza, to limit the expressions, " revile and perse- cute," to outward sufferings by the civil magistrate. The expression iv^K^ v i fj.uv refers to all the three verbs, and the word \\) evBo txevoi is accord- ingly supcrtluous. By pointing to the great reward in heaven, the Lord sets the fact more clearly than ever before His hearers, that the kingdom of Messiah is not of this world, and that perfectness will only be attained there, while here we are to prepare for it by suffer- ing and witness-bearing on behalf of Christ. Ver. 12. For so persecuted they the proph- ets.— The example of the prophets was intended to show the disciples that this struggle between them and carnal Judaism was not of recent date, but had been carried on even at the time of the prophets (Acts vi. 7). But it would also convince them that they stood on the same level with the seers of old, and that they were to continue and complete Divine revelation under the New Testament. Ver. 16. The liigh calling of the disciples had been announced in the beatitudes. The Lord now proceeds to show more fully bot!i its necessity and its glory. Viewing tueir calling, 1. in its spiritual and inward aspect, the disciples are the salt of the earth ; 2. viewed externalhj, and in their corporate capacity, they are the light of the world, viz., (a) a city set on a hill, as being the Church of God, and (6) candle on a candlestick, in their capacity as Apostles. These tv/o ideas, however, must not be viewed as exclusive of each other. Ver. 13. The salt of the earth.— A figure of the element of nourishment and preservation in the Idngdom of heaven, preventing corruption, preserv- ing nutriment, giving savor to it, and rendering it 104 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. hceltby. A similar U38 of the term " saft" occurs in many of the proverbs and symbols of the ancients. — The idea, that the term salt is here used to indi- cate an indispensable commodity (Fritzsche), is far too vague ; nor does it exclusively refer to the use of salt in sacrifices, — the expression implying that they were the salt of the whole earth. — The term " eartJV is figurative, denoting, not mankind gener- ally, but society as tlien existing, both in the the- ocracy and the Gentile world, — being the definite form which the world had assumed (Ps. xciii. ; John iii. 12; Rev. xiii. 11). The disciples were destined, as the salt of the ancient theocratic world, to arrest the corruption which had commenced, and to impart a fresh and lasting savor. But if the salt have lost its savor, /jLcvpav- drj. — In Mark ix. 50, avaAoi/ yfirjrai. Gomp. with this the following extract from Maundrell's Journey to Palestine : " In the salt-valley, about four hours from Aleppo, there is a declivity of about twelve feet, caused by the continual removal of salt. I broke off a piece where the ground was exposed to the rain, the sun, and the air ; and found that, while it glittered and contained particles of salt, it had wholly lost its pecuUar savor. But the portions within, which were in juxtaposition to the rock, still retained the savor of salt." Comp. also Winer sub Salz [and other Biblical Encyclops]. Salt whicli is quite pure cannot lose its savor, but only if it have any foreign admixture. The same remark applies to our spiritual life. Viewed in itself, it remains pure salt; but in its human form, and with the ad- raixtui'e of human elements, it may lose its savor. At the same time the Lord here speaks hypotheti- cally : if the salt have lost its savor. The point of comparison hi the figure lies in the idea : salt which has lost its savor cannot be salted again, nor a cor- rupted evangelist be evangelized anew. Jansen: no?i datur sal sails. (Comp., however, 2 Pet. ii. 21 ; Heb. vi. 4.) For the salt is the thing to be salted [as the Com. E. Vers, correctly translates : " wherewith shall it be salted ? "], comp. the following ets ovUv, etc., and not the food, as Luthei-'s version would make it : " Womit soil man salzen ? " (" Wherewith shall men salt ? ") An apostate from the faith has, so far as he is concerned, made void the saving power of sal- vation ; nor is there another and higher substitute for the spiritual office of the ministry, if once it have become degenerate. There remains, then, only the judgment. Salt which has lost its savor is only fit to be cast out, and trodden under foot of men. tliose who are hence- forth to carry on and continue the history of the world, will tread it under foot as they pass on their way. According to Theophj'Iact, it refers to exclu- sion from the office of teacher ; according to Chry- sostom, to greatest contempt ; according to Luther, to rejection by Christ. Ver. 14. Ye are the light of the world. — Comp. John ix. 5. In all these descriptions of the disciples, the Lord presupposes that His Spirit and His righteousness have become the principle of their life. Tliey are the light of the world, as deriving their light from Him who is the true light of the world (Eph. iii. 9 ; Phil. ii. 15), just as they are the sons of God in Him who is the eternal Son of God. — Thus He awakens in them the knowledge of His own dignity by a sense of their destmy. A city set on a hill.— It is generally supposed that Jesus had at the time the town of Sated in view, which lies on the top of a hill. But Robin- son has shown [iii. p. 425] that this supposition is, to say the least, improbable, since it is doubtful whether Safcd then already existed. Ver. 15. Under a bushel. — The common meas- ure used in houses, holding about a peck. " In the East, the practice is to place a candle on the floor, and to cover it with a measure used for corn, when it is desired to keep it burning and yet to prevent its effects for a time " (?). — Tholuck. Just as the can- dlestick is the means of diffusing the light, so the bushel that of confining it ; or, realizing the full idea of an upturned bushel, confining it within very nar- row limits. The same relation exists between the limited measure of officialism, of intellect, of asceti- cism, of traditionalism in life or teaching, and the infinite fulness of light issuing from living Christian- ity. The candle on the candlestick.^^ — The min- istry should not conceal the light of knowledge, but hold it up, so that its brightness may be diflfused as widely as possible throughout the apartment. Ver. 16. Your light. — This proves that the light by which they become candlesticks is not their own, but given from above. It is this light which is to shine before all men ; in other words, they are openly and boldly to come forwai-d with the mes- sage of the New Testament, in accordance with their vocation as disciples. That they may see your good works. — From the wording of the passage, we infer, that by the good works something different is meant from the Ught mentioned above. We regard them as the special graces and manifestations of the disciples (such as miracles, the creation of a new life, the fruits of regeneration), which must be viewed in the light of Christianity, and may serve as a practical commentary on the word. Glorify your Father. — A most glorious pros- pect is here opened up to those who are reviled and persecuted. A lively representation this, also, of the conviction wrought in men, and of the blessed certi- tude resultmg from the conduct of the disciples. Men shall glorify the Father of the Christians ; and hence, also, adopt their faith and their acknowledg- ment of God in Christ, and thus become blessed. But all the glory is to be the Lord's. DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. In the Sermon on the Mount, the whole doc- trine of Christ is exhibited in the first stage of its development, as afterward it is expounded in a some- what analogous manner in the Epistle of James. Wo have here the new Christian life as the eternal law of the Spirit, or else the old law in its Christian trans- formation as a new life. If it is said that the Lord here exhibited the law, or Old Testament right- eousness, in all its fulness, we add, that this fulness of the law removed the legal character of the law. The spirit of the law transforms the outward letter into something internal, into a power of life and vital principle ; it substitutes one reality in place of many ordinances ; and instead of the series of ten commandments (and ten is the number of the world, * [Dr. Conant substitutes lamp on the lamp stand, since the C. V. may make a false imi)ression ; the candlestick being necessary to this use of the candle, whether hid under a ves- sel or not. "The lamp {Kvxi'os), being low, was placed on a siijiport (Kvxy'^a) sufficiently high to give light through, the room; and this latter would be equally necessary to th« caudle with its candlestick, as we use the terms."— P. B.] CHAP. V. 1-16. 105 while seven is that of the sanctuary), a succession of seven stages of sacred and spiritual development of the new Hfe. The former contrast between the de- mands of God and the performances of man — be- tween the Judge and the guilty sinner — becomes now that of blessing and receiving, between a gracious Father and merciful Saviour, and the humble believ- er. In short, righteousness in all its fulness consists in this, that Christ Himself is all righteousness, and that His righteousness is imparted to man through the grand medium of reception, viz., poverty in spirit. As the passage under consideration describes the kingdom of heaven in its principles, power, and graces, so Matt. x. details its organization, which marks the second stage in the development of the teaching of Christ. 2. The contrast between the Old and the New Covenant is here strikingly brought out, — («) In its representations and outward manifestation : Moses and Christ. — Mount Sinai in the rocky wilderness, and the Mount of Beatitudes in the midst of a popu- lous district in the Holy Land. — Moses alone, con- cealed from view by the clouds of an awful thunder- stoi-m ; Christ surrounded by His disciples, and sit- ting among them. — Mount Sinai, with bounds set about it, and the people at a distance ; the Mount of Beatitudes encompassed by multitudes. — In the one case, the people fleeing from the mountain ; in the other, crowding toward its summit, and waiting on its ridge, (b) In its essential characteristics : Moses received the law from Jehovah by the ministry of angels, while in a state of ecstasy ; but Christ brought it forth from the depths of His theanthropic heart, in full and calm consciousness. — The law of Moses written upon tablets of stone, the word of Christ on the hearts of His disciples. — In the one case, thunder and lightnings ; in the other, only beatitudes. — In the one case, successive demands, each isolated, and each taking away all hope of life ; in the other, suc- cessive blessings, connected together and creative, almost like the six days of creation. — In the one case, the first tables of the law broken in pieces by Moses, in his wrath at the apostasy of the people, and other tables substituted with sacrificial injunctions, stricter than the former ; in the other case, the first sermon delivered on the Mount, and at its second deUvery, adapted to the wants and the weaknesses of the peo- ple.— In the one case, everything from without, in the objective form of outward commandments ; in the other, everything committed to the heart — every- thing from within, wafted, so to speak, in the Ufe- giving breezes of the holy mountain. — In the one case, the ancient Gospel-promise transformed into law ; in the other, even the law with its demands — such as poverty of spirit, etc. — transformed into Gos- pel.— In the one case, the theocracy founded in the shadows of the letter ; in the other, the kingdom of heaven in the reahty and life of the Spirit, (c) In its results : Sinai was adapted to a particular era, to a particular nation, and for a definite educational purpose.* But the word of Christ equally appUes to * We note here, how Sir Humphry Davy and Coccejus independently arrive at the same conclusion: "The usages and ceremonies which Moses instituted, appear to have been superadded to its Sj'iritual worship, for the purpose of adapting th.at religion to a ceitain elimate, and to the pecu- liar Slate of the Jewi.sh people. They served rather as the pari) of that religion, than as forming an essential part of it." We should rather say, that tliey were the legal and symbol- ical form of that religion, — a form in which even the moral law was clothed. all times and to all peoples, being the guide to salva- tion.— The law terrifies the people, and makes them flee ; the Sermon on the Mount addresses itself to their hearts, and draws them to the Lord. 3. There is an obvious connection between the Mount of Beatitudes and the other holy mountains. The first beatitude (that of the poor in spirit) brings us to Sinai ; the second and third (the mourning, and the meek) point to Moriah and Zion ; the fourth and fifth (those who hunger and thirst after righteous- ness, and the merciful) direct to Golgotha, in its two- fold import (as the Mount of the Curse and that of ReconciUation) ; while the sixth and seventh re- mind us of Gethsemane and the Mount of OUves, and of Bethany and the Mount of Olives, or also of Mount Tabor. 4. It were a great mistake to place the seven be- atitudes of the Sermon on the Mount in the same category with the ten commandments of the law. This were not to enrich, but to make them all the poorer. Their fulness consists in this, that each of these beatitudes comprises all the ten commandments, only from a higher and more comprehensive point of view, as summed up in the law of the Spirit. Even the first quality of poverty in spirit comprises Mount Sinai, with all its commandments, inasmuch as this state of feeling is the aim, the object, the spiritual efiect, and the substance of the entire legislation; and hence, also, the germ of the whole new life. It is impossible to feel poor in spirit, without at the same time longing for the riches of the Spirit of God, or of the kingdom of heaven. Hence we draw the following inferences as to the succession of the beat- itudes: (1) Each new stage contains again the first stage in a new form. (2) Each new stage preserves all the former stages. (3) In the last, they are summed up and presented under the form of life which has attained its perfection. For, first, it is evident that the seven beatitudes are in reality only one beatitude. Secondly, the seven graces or spiritual states consti- tute one grand direction in reference to God and to our neighbor, even the direction of the heart unto truth. Lastly, the seven promises are not seven dis- tinct elements, but seven successive forms under which the kingdom of heaven is presented. Under the first form, the kingdom of heaven itself is pre- sented, but mainly objectively ; while in the last form it reappears, but this time mainly subjectively, as finally possessed by the saints. 5. The following contrasts exhibit the relation between the apparent descent, and the actual ascent of souls, as presented in the seven beatitudes. (1) To be poor in spirit, and — To possess the kingdom of heaven, as the object set before us, or as possession of the heart. -To be comforted without measure. •To obtain the dominion of the earth by spiritual tri- umphs. -To be satisfied in the high- est sense, and absolutely (to obtain food and drink). (2) To mourn without mea- sure, (3) Meekly to bear injustice upon earth, (4) To hunger and thirst in spirit "after righteous- ness (to bear the judg- ment of God), (5) In the service of mercy, to devote our life to the wants of the world, (G) Purity of heart: absolute renunciation of the world, death of our own will, (7) To bo peacemakers. To be sent and crist into every burning controver- -To rest in the bosom of in- finite mercy. -To behold God. Absolute possession of all in this vis- ion of God. Blessed enjoy- ment of this vision. -The glory and beauty of the sons of God, or of thoso who are princes in His eter- 106 TUE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. sy of the world. To de- iiiil kingdom. The vehicles Bcend as mediators to llio oJtlio ble.ssiiig whicli coin- very gates of hell, etli from God. Transform- ed into the image of the Son of God. Generally : To siilfer for righteousness' —Actual inward possession sake, of tho kingdom of heaven. To sutler for Christ's sake, — A new world : tho eternal inheritance, the great re- ward in heaven. 6. The paradox exhibited iu these contrasting statements, which probably comes out most distinct- ly in tho first beatitude, indicates the relationship be- tween Christianity and the world, and the judgment of the world generally. Christianity itself is that " foolishness of God " which is wiser than the wis- dom of this world, and that truth of God which sweeps away the delusive appearances of the world (comp. 1 Cor. 1. 17, etc.). 7. It is evident that the seven stages here de- scribed may be arranged under twice three stages, based upon poverty in spirit, and indicating a three- fold relationship toward God and toward the world : 1, religious and moral relationship to God : mourn- ing, hungering, and thirsting; purity of heart; 2, moral and rehgious relationship toward the world : meekness, mercy, peacemaking. But besides, it is important to notice how each of these stages is al- ways the result of that which precedes it. Thus pov- erty in spirit leads to mourning ; mourning renders meek ; meelaiess obtains a view of eternal righteous- ness; hungering and thirsting after this righteous- ness renders infinitely merciful and compassionate ; mercy surrenders everything, renounces all, and thus becomes purity of heart, which surrenders all, and devotes all. Purity of heart is the disposition requi- site for the Divine commission of bringing peace into the world. The peacemakers necessarily suffer for righteousness' sake (Isa. lii. 7) ; and in measure as they apprehend the kingdom of love in its essential features, will they see and understand that all is but suffering for Christ's sake. This progress from poverty in spirit to the high- est stage of peacemaking and suffering for Christ's sake, is the effect of Divine grace acting upon and influencing the soul which is humbled under a sense of spiritual poverty. Accordingly, the first effect of beholding the kingdom of heaven, is to mourn. — Similarly, to be really comforted, leads to meekness. — The consciousness of special victory achieved by bearing wrong, issues in hungering and thirsting after righteousness. — Those who are satisfied are merciful, etc. 8. The Sermon on the Mount, which embodies the spiritual principles of the kingdom of heaven in all its bearings and aspects, may be compared with other forms of religious and moral legislation. In the passage succeeding it, a comparison is instituted between this new form of the eternal law and the law of Moses and the traditions of the Pharisees. Not that the Sermon on the Mount is a rectification, but a harmo- nious development, the continuation and appHcation, of the law of God under the Old Covenant ; while the contrast with traditionaUsm is strongly and markedly brought out. (On the relation between the Sermon on the Mount and the sayings of heathen sages, comp. Tholuck's Commentarii. On the false applica- tion of the Sermon on the Mount to civic and polit- ical relationship, by Quakers and other sectaries, comp. Stier's Discourses of Jesus.) nOMILETlCAL AND PRACTICAL. Glorious accomplishment of the prediction of Moses : " A Prophet like unto me," etc. ; Deut. xviii. If). — Mount Sinai, and the obscure, unknown Mount of Beatitudes. — The sacred mountains. — Import of the expression : " He went up into a mountain." * — The law of the letter spiritually explained, and the law of the Spirit expressed in the letter. — Outward and inward tradition : Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Caiaphas and Christ. — The first and the second Sermon on the Mount, or the disciples and the people. — The place whence Christ taught, a symbol of Christian teaching: 1. A stone on the summit (let our doctrine be simple) ; 2. the summit of a mountain (let our doctrine be exalted) ; 3. a place of prayer (let it be holy, derived from hea- ven) ; 4. a place of pilgrimage (let it be from life, and for life). — "iTe opened His mouth: " this the comple- tion of revelation.f — The Old Covenant with its ten commandments ; the New with its seven beatitudes. — The law given by Moses : grace and truth appear- ed by Jesus Christ. — The one beatitude of Christians unfolding into seven beatitudes. — " Blessed are : " we must be blessed in order to become blessed. — Neces- sity of a state of grace in the kingdom of God. 1. Such a state is the condition of further attainments. 2. It precedes all gracious action. — The seven beati- tudes marking deepening humiliation. — The seven beatitudes marking (/rowing exaltation. — Correspon- dence of this humihation and exaltation. — '^Blessed are the poor in spirit : for,'''' etc. (Similarly each of the other beatitudes by itself furnishing a theme for pre- cious meditation.) — The kingdom of heaven in its grand outlines : comfort, gain, satisfaction, enjoyment of mercy, vision of God, adoption into the family of God. — Or again, the kingdom of peace and of joy ; of love and of meekness ; of righteousness ; of mer- cy ; of blessed knowledge ; of heavenly peacemaking and of glory. — Poverty in spirit the fruit of the law (of the Old Covenant), and the germ of the Gospel (of the New Covenant). — The crowning glory of the law is poverty in spirit. — The triumph of the law consists in that iu makes poor ; that of the Gospel, in that it makes rich. — A well-marked and definite state consists in a definite and well-marked tendency of mind and heart : poverty in spirit is longing for the entire kingdom of heaven. — A view of the king- dom of heaven in its nearness leads to mourning. — He who has been comforted by a manifestation of the kingdom of heaven, becomes meek. — Victory over men and the earth leads to hungering and thirst- ing after the righteousness of God. — If we have been satisfied in the house of God, we shall learn to be merciful. — He who reposes on eternal mercy may well surrender all, and be pure in heart. — One glimpse of this vision of God converts man into a messenger * [Chr. Wordsworth, in Matt. v. 1 : " Christ had four places of spiritual retirement from the bustle of the world — all, in a certain sense, exemplary: 1. "^V" ^P'lMo;', for fasting and temptation, conflict with Satan. 2. r'b upo^, for prayer, teaching, miraculous feeding, transfiguration, finally ascen- sion. 3. rh -nXoiov (type of the Church), for teaching and miracles. 4. The garden of Gethsemane, agony."— P. S.] t [Dr. Wordsworth, quoting from the fathers on avoi^as Tb arofxa avrov : "He who before had opened the mouth of Moses and all tho Prophets, now opens His own mouth, — He who had taught tho world by them concerning Himself, now teaches in His own Person — God with us, and He de- livers in the Sermon on the Mount a perfect code of Chris- tian Duty."— P. 8.] CHAP. V. 1-16. 107 of peace. 1. He has seen the peace of the Spirit, and carries it to other spirits ; 2. he has seen the peace of the blessed, and brings it to men ; o. he has seen the peace of nature, and introduces it into soci- ety.— The children of God, the image of the Son of God. — The rigliteousness of the kingdom of heaven springing from a sevenfold sense of unrighteousness : poverty, mourning, etc. — To suffer for righteousness' sake, is to suffer for Christ's sake, and vke versa. — Holy sutlering the most glorious doing: 1. As the crown and seal of every deed of faith ; 2. as the vic- tory over temptation to evil-doing ; 3. as the victory over the evil deeds of men ; 4. as a testimony to the deed of God. — " Faheli/" or "/or 3/)/ sake." — It is only if we really suffer for His sake that the Lord charges Himself with it. — Blessed are they which are persecuted for Christ's sake. — Even revilers contrib- ute to our blessedness. — Christians as companions of the prophets, 1. in their sufferings ; 2. in their bless- edness.— The persecutions of the world designed to prepare believers for being the salt of the eartli and the Ught of the world. — The disciples of the Lord, the salt of the earth, the light of the world. — The disciples are to be the sail of the earth, 1. by con- suming death, 2. by preventing corruption, 8. by pro- moting life. — If the salt have lost its savor, nothing can remedy the evil ; so also with a dead profession, and a dead ministry. — Salt that has lost its savor is cast on the great road of life, as exemplified, 1. by heathen antiquity, 2. by theocratic Judaism, 3. by mediaeval traditionalism. — The disciples of the Lord the light of the world through the great light of hea- ven.— Only in the light of the Lord can we diffuse light.— The Church of God a citij set on a hill.— The candle of the ministry in the house of God. — The candle is not to be put under the bushel, but on a candlestick : (a) Not under the bushel of the letter merely, or of officialism, or of our limited understand- ing, or of our narrow sympathies ; but (b) on the can- dlestick of a sound confession, of ecclesiastical order, of spiritual liberty, and of a Christian life. — The stake of martyrs the lofty candlestick of the Church. — Let your light shine, 1. to enlighten men, 2. to throw light on Christian works, 3. to glorify the Father of lights (James i.). — Our Father in heaven is glorified by poverty in spirit, 1. because He bestows it; 2. be- cause it leads to Him ; 3. because in Him it obtains the kingdom of heaven. Starke : — Christ will give us also a mouth and wisdom, Luke xxi. 15. — A preacher must open bis moutli without fear or liesitation ; confess the truth without being afraid ; nor spare any one, whoever he be, Isa. Iviii. 1. — The larger the audience, and the more anxious it is, the more gladly should the preacher open his mouth. — It ouglit to be the great concern of man to obtain eternal life, Phil. ii. 12. — By pride have we fallen from the kingdom of God, and by humility must we again enter it, James iv. 16. — God bestows all in return for all, or rather, in re- turn for nothing. — The greater our faith, the deeper our humility. — The more wretched a man is in his own eyes, the more exalted and acceptable is he in the sight of God. — Sufferings borne for the sake of God, and tears shed for our own sins and for those of our neighbors (Ps. cxis. 136) are the well-spring of true comfort, Isa. Ixi. 3. — The comfort of man only increases our sorrow. Job xvi. 2 ; but Divine consolation makes the lieart joyous and assured, Ps. xciv. 19. — Meekness builds up, while hot and rash zeal pulls down. — The ungodly have no title to their possessions in this world, and death shall at last de- prive them of all, Ps. xlix. 18. — Luther: Where real hunger and earnestness are awanting, fair ap- pearances will lead to no result. — True hunger seeks for that which affords nourishment and satisfaction. — Whoever showeth mercy shall obtain fresh mercy from God. — You forgive a small error, but God will forgive all your sins. But woe to the unmerciful, James ii. 13 ; Matt. xxv. 42 ; Luke xvi. 25. — By na- ture no man is pure in heart, Jer. xvii. 9 ; Gen. viii. 21 ; Prov. xx. 9: God creates it in us, Ps. Ii. 12. — Without hoUness no man can see the Lord, Heb. xii. 14. — Happy he who, having been born blind, ob- tains his sight; but more blessed by far the man who, being born spiritually blind, is enabled to see God, Rev. iii. 1*7, 18. — Those who love to quarrel, to dispute, and to make strife, are the chil- dren of the devil. — It is a sigTi that we ai-e the chil- dren of God, if we love peace and advance it. — Not only what we do, but what we suffer, is a fruit of faith, Heb. xi. 33, 36. — Behevers are hated, reviled, and persecuted on account of the things for which they should be loved and blessed, John x. 32. — Persecution for righteousness' sake has a great reward. — The more painful to flesh and blood the preaching of the cross, the more readily should it be received, Luke ix. 44. — Luther: What comfort that the Son of God Himself calls us blessed, let whoever may speak ill of us! 1 Cor. iv. 3-5. — Christians, and especially ministers, must submit to reviling and persecution: this has always been the lot of the Church ; nor is it a good sign when a servant of God is without it. Gal. vi. 12. — The Church is preserved despite the fury of Satan. — Let persecutors rage, since Christ offers us such blessed comfort. — He who in his inmost heart re- joices not in the cross of Christ, is not worthy of Him, James i. 2. — To be reviled and persecuted by the world for conscience' sake, is to be commended and crowned. Rev. ii. 10. — By suffering we enter into communion with the prophets and the Lord Je- sus Himself — The inheritance of the saints is m heaven. — Teachers are not only to have salt in them- selves, but also to make right use of their salt, so as to apply neither too much nor too little of the pun- gent, 1 Tim. iv. 16. — When the children and ser- vants of God remain stedfast under persecutions, they prove themselves good salt; but If they give way, the salt has lost its savor. — While attemptnig to avoid persecution, we sliall all the more expose ourselves to it. — Believers should be united, that the world may recognize a visible Church, Heb. x. 29. — The eyes of all are set upon religious men, especially upon those who are teachers, and placed over a church : if they act in accordance with their profes- sion, many are edified ; if otherwise, the scandal is all the greater, 2 Cor. vi. 3. — Every Christian must be anxious to bring others to the hght and knowl- edge of the truth, Luke xxii. 32. — A candle does not put itself upon a candlestick, neither does a min- ister take upon himself the sacred office, Eph. iv. 11. — He who hides the grace of sanetification, shall lose it. — Blessed the household over which even one beheving soul sheds its light. — Faith alone leads to truly good works. — Faith does not stop to inquire whether it is necessary to do good works : it is its nature to manifest itself in good works. — The grand object of good works is the glory of God, 1 Cor. x. 31. lAsco : — In the kingdom of Christ, possession of the world is attained, not by might, but by meek- ness.— What the sun is to this world as the hght of 108 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. the cartli, that the disciples of Christ should be to nianlcind generally. Ga-lach : — The first four beatitudes apply to those who arc seeking ; the last, to those who know how to preserve what they have found. — The meek sliall inherit the earth. Possession of his inheritance commences, spiritually, immediately, since all things belong to believers, and all contributes to their salvation (1 Cor. iii. 21-23 ; Rom. viii. 28). But it also literally commences on earth, since tlie Church of God outlasts all the kingdoms of this world (Dan. vii. IV, 18), and is destined to become the most ex- tensive kingdom of this world. Lastly, it shall be fully accomplished, when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, and we shall appear with Him in glory. — The highest reward of love to God, is the love of God. — If salt is pungent, it is also savory ; if liglit penetrate and reveal, it also quickens and revives : similarly the servants whom the Lord has furnished for His own work. Heuhner : — If we would listen to the Saviour, we also must ascend with Him from what is earthly to what is heavenly. — On the manifestations of God witnessed in sacred mountains. — When Jesus opens His mouth let us open our hearts. — Luther on the passage : These are the three points which go to make a good preacher: He must come boldly for- ward; 2. he must open his mouth before all men, and say something worth hearing ; 3. he must know when and where to stop.* — Spiritual poverty. Pa. xxxiv. 19 ; 11. 19 ; Isa. xh. 1*7 ; liv. 6 ; Ivii. 25 ; Ixi. 1 ; Ixvi. 2. — Humility stands at the top of all the Beati- tudes.— Luther: It is the prerogative of God to make something out of nothing. — To be destitute of spiritual poverty, is to be destitute of all practical religion. — Auffustine, Enarr. in Fs. cxxxvi. : " multi flent fletu Babylouio, quia et gaudent gaudio Babylonio. Qui gaudent lucris et iient damnis, utrumquc do Baby- lonia est. riere debes sed recordandi* Sion." — Let us always bear in mind Rev. vii. 17, and xxi. 4: " God will wipe away all tears from their eyes." But how can we hope to enjoy this blessed privilege, if we have not actually shed tears on earth ? — Spiritual hungering and thirsting an evidence of spiritual health. — It is our highest honor to bear the cross of Christ. — "We shall be rendered perfect by enduring affliction. — The gradation here uidicated is absolute- ly necessary ; not one of the steps may safely be left out. — Vers. 12. (Pericopc.) The order of grace, or of beatitude: 1. It commences with repentance (vers. 3-5) ; 2. it rests on faith (ver. 6) ; 3. it requires con- tinual sanctificatiou (vers. 7-9) ; 4. it is evidenced by suffering (10-12). * [If I remember rightly, Luther once gave this homileti- cal advice (derived from the words: Jle opened His mmith) in a more pointed form than Heubner, viz. : TVitt frisch auf; thu '« 2Iaul auf; Iwr huld aufl i. e., "Get up bold- ly; open the mouth widely; be done quickly." — P. S.] n. The doctrine and righteousness of Christ the genuine development and fulfilment of the Old Testament, as being the true and absolute fulfilment of the law in contradistinction to spurious traditionahsm, or the ossification and perversion of the law exliibited in the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes, in respect both of their teaching and in their practice. Christ and Moses ; Christ and traditionalism. — Descent from the Mount of Divine Revelation to the arbitrary dispensations and ordinances of man. Ch.v. iT-ch. vii. 6. (Ch. V. 20-26, the Gospel for the 6th Sunday after Trmity.— Ch. vi. 24-34, the Gospel for the 15th Sunday after Trinity.) 1. Christ and the Law ; or, Christ the absolute fulfilment. Chapter V. 17-19. 17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to 18 destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or 19 one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever there- fore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven : but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. and custom — to be accustomed, to think, to imagine (to suppose according to custom). Hence the expres- sion here points to a legal prejudice: Do not sup- pose that I am come to destroy the law.* The connection between this and what precedes, is EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. Ver. 17. Think not, ^^ votJii6iJ.os (comp. also ch. vii. 12 ; xxii. 40), it must refer to the injunctions of the prophetic writings." But carnal Judaizers might regard the contrast between the life of Jesus and their fanciful and secularized views of what the lan- guage of the prophets conveyed, as destroying not only the law, but the prophets. To destroy, KaraKvaa i, — in the sense of ab- rogating, a revolutionary destruction of existmg in- stitutions. But to fulfil, a\Ao iT\rjp£cTa i. — The expres- sion is differently interpreted, as meaning: 1. actually to fulfil (Eisner, Woli; Bleek, and others); 2. to complete doctrlnally, = TeAeituirai, to interpret more fully, to perfect, i c, to bring out its spiritual mean- ing (Lightfoot, Hammond, etc.); 3. combining the two views : to make perfect as doctrine, and to ex- hibit perfectly in the life. In adopting the latter interpretation, we must keep in mind that this ir\vpai(7ii is not to be understood as implying that an imperfect revelation was to be completed, but that a preliminary and typical revelation was to be pre- sented in all its fulness, and completely realized by word and deed. [Dr. Wordsworth : " Christ fulfilled the law and the prophets by obedience, by accom- plishment of types, ceremonies, rites, and prophecies, and by explaining, spiritualizing, elevating, enlarg- ing, and perfecting the moral law, by writing it on the hea7-t, and by giving p-ace to obey it, as well as an example of obedience, by takmg away its curse ; and by the doctrine of free justification by faith in Himself, which the law prefigured and antici- pated, but could not give." Augustine : " Aide Christi adventimi \c\jubcbat, non juvabat ; post, etjubet et juvaty Maldonatus: " Abolet non dmolveiido sed absolvendo, non ddendo sed pcrjiciendo. — ^P. S.] Ver. 18. For verily, ajUT;;/ 7ap; "|t3X aK-qeSi y, — a solemn asseveration, used to introduce important announcements. In such cases, St. John * always repeated the word. Till heaven and earth shall pass away. — 1. In the sense of never: Calvin, Luther, Zwin- gle, etc., — heaven and earth being regarded as ever- lasting: Baruch iii. 32, comp. Luke xvi. 17. 2. To the end of the world: Paulus, Tholuck. The law shall last till a new order of things shall be introduced. Proof : According to the New Testament, heaven and earth are to pass away. The old and symbolical shape and arrangements of this world shall pass away sooner than the old symbolical law, just as the extremities of the body die before the centre, or the heart. But the law can only pass away in the letter by being accomplished in the spirit and in truth. View- ed as a shadow and type of things to come, the law disappears in Christ ; but as to its substance, it is part of the word of God, and as such it abideth for ever, even in heaven. The Iota refers to the smallest Hebrew letter i ; the tittle, K^paia, to a stOl smaller mark, by which similar-looking letters were distinguished, or else to the little dot inserted in the i. The meaning is, * [The Edinb. translator hern erroneously snbstitutt>s the Baptist for the Evangelist. Matthew, Mark, and Luke, in the discourses of the Saviour, uniformly (in more than 50 passases) use the single a/x-hv, while the Saviour, in the Gospel of John, always (in 24 p,Tss3ges) uses the double aixriv (a Hebrew (pizeuxis, or emphatic repetition of the same word, comp. ~XS ~xr). See John i. 61 (52); iii. 3, 5, 11 ; V. 19, 24, 25: vi. 26, 3l>,' 47, 53 ; viii. .34, 51, 58, etc! etc. The uniformity of this usage in the mouth of the Saviour, and the Saviour only, is significant. Tholuck, Olshausen, de "Wetle, and Meyer state the fact, but attempt no explana- tion. Bengel (Gnomon ad Joh. i. 51) accounts for it on the ground that the Saviour spoke in the name of the Father and in His own, and adds that at the time when the first three Gospels were written it was not yet se.isonablc to re- cord the double o.ix'i}i', and the argument for the Divinity of Christ implied in it. 1 venture to suggest that John, or rather Christ himself, desired to emphasize the fact that He was the absolute, the personal Truth, as He says, John xiv. 6, or the Amen, as He is called. Eev. iii. 14. For no one else in the N. T. ventures to use the phrase : Verily (not even once) I say unto you. — P. S.] no THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. that the most delicate and apparently smallest de- terminations and distinctions were to be preserved in tlie delicate and finer outlines of spiritual life. Till all be fulfilled. — Tims the law has a two- fold termination, a ncj;ative and a positive. Nega- tively, it terminates with the old world; positively, it is realized in the new and spiritual world, now in- augurated. Comp. Luke xvi. IV. Ver. 19. Whosoever therefore shall break, or iav olv Kixttj. — In the Conj. Aor., indicating what may take place at some future period (the pos- sible futurum exactum). The term used is Xvatj, not KaraXvari, since, according to the Divine arrange- ment, none could in the old woi'ld acliieve the koto- Xvaai. of the law. One of these least commandments ; referring to the iota and tittle. — The expression, least, does not apply to the pharisaical distinction between great and small commandments (according to Wet- stein), but to the difference made by the Lord Him- self, between tlie law generally and its iota and tittle. " Such a person is not entirely excluded from the kingdom, because his opposition is not one of prin- ciple, nor directed against the law itself, but only against its minutiae." — Meyer. DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL. 1. The hiimilihi and majesty of Christ in defining his relation to the "law. He declares at once his sub- ordination to the Old Testament, and his superiority over" it. 2. Christ destroys nothing but sin, which indeed destroys itself. All that is divine in this world, nay, even all that is truly human. He elevates and spirit- uahzes. Thus Christ is the absolute fulfilment of the Old Testament and of the old world — and that, both in His hfe and doctrine. " All that is transient — it is only a likeness, incomplete here — but reahty there." *-r-" Generally, and in every respect, I have come, not to destroy aught that is right or true : the object of My advent has been to preserve, to carry on, and to perfect every commencement, prepara- tion for, and expectancy of, the kingdom of God throughout humanity. Thus the Saviour lifts His eyes beyond Israel on the heathen world, for whose sake also He has come, and where his advent marks a fulfilment of spiritual aspirations, which, though dim, were already in existence, and only waited for their unfolding and accompUshment. He looks into the depths of humanity, as opened up before Him, and views all history in its highest import as tending toward, and as expectancy of. Himself." — Stier. ., 3. The fulfilment of the law and prophets is im- plied in the appearance of Jesus : it has been car- ried out in His life; it is still developing in His Church ; and will continue until it becomes perfectly manifest in the reappearing of Christ, or the mani- festation of the new order of things, of which He is the centre. 4. " There is a fulfilment of the law in its mere letter, which is really a transgression of the law, as expressed in that true saying: summum jus, summa injuria. On the other hand, there is a transgression of the letter of the law, which may be a fulfilment of * [Allusion to the mysterious conclii part of Goethe's Faust: ' of the second ' Alles VergaenglicheUtnuTein Gleichniss ; Pas Vnzulaengliche hier v:ird's JSreigmss ^ T>as Unbegreifiiche hier v:ird's gethan; Das ewig n'eiUiche zielit una hman."—P. S."| its spirit."— Tholuck (p. 148). We add, that there is a seeming destruction of the old, which, in reality, is its fulfilment; while its ."i/iMWoMS preservation im- phes real destruction. 5. The Lord here sets before us the contrast, not between entire opposition to the law and its perfect fulfilment, but between partial opposition and per- fect fulfilment. To attempt destroying the law en- tirely, were to be an enemy of the kingdom of lieaven, and hence beyond its pale. But even the attempt to destroy it partially in its least, but, at the same time, most deUcate injunctions, brings down the punishment of being called least in the kingdom of heaven. So far as it goes, every such destruction is a revolution, not a reform. " He shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven, because his spirit is least capacious, and because he finds it impossible to realize the life of the law without surrendering its special directions, and confining himself to a few abstract principles." — Leben Jesu, ii. 2, p. 593. 6. The order which Christ estabhshes, is that of doing and teaching, not the reverse. But this order of life becomes a disorder, where doing and teaching have a negative tendency. If, on the contrary, we do and teach the law in a proper spirit, we shall be the means by whicli Christ fulfils and accomplishes His regeneration and transformation of the world. Hence we shall also be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 7. In connection with this subject, we recall to mind the various antinomian tendencies ; not merely those in direct opposition to tlie law, but such, when, under the guise of obedience, the spirit of the law was contravened. The context shows that our Lord referred to the latter as well as to the former. For nothing is more revolutionary than rigid and tyran- nical traditionalism. 8. Jesus carefully guards Himself against the sus- picion that He was about violently to put an end to the Old Dispensation and the ancient theocratic order of things. The same line of argument was, at a later period, adopted by the Apostle Paul, when de- fending himself against a similar charge, Rom. hi. 31. When Paul speaks of the abrogation of the law, he always refers only to its temporary, transient, and traditional form (Eph. ii. 15; Col. ii. 14). In this sense the law must pass away, in order that its real nature as the law of the spirit may appear. — But it is important to remember, that in this passage the Lord passed over the aljolition of outward and tem- [lorary ordinances, while He laid emphasis upon the fulfilment of the law in the Gospel, and that not merely for the purpose of rebutting the antinomian expectations hitherto entertained, as if the revela- tion of the kingdom of heaven implied the destruc- tion of the law. We rather conceive that His argu- ment was mainly directed against the popular prej- udice, that He intended to detract from the charac- ter and obligations of the law. nOMILETICAL AND PEACTICAL. Even on His first appearance, Christ felt that He would be represented as a rebel and destroyer of the authority of the law. — Against such suspicions He sol- emnly protested. — Christ has guarded His Gospel and His Cliurch from the suspicion of revolutionary ten- i dencies.— The old error, which seeks to identify the re- ligion of the Spirit with rebelhon, as appearing, 1. I in the history of Christ ; 2. m that of His Church.— CHAP. V. 20-48. Ill Christ the fulfiUer of the law. — The law and the prophets. — The absolute fulfilment : 1. in His doc- trine; 2. in Ilis hfe; 3. in His history; 2 Cor. i. 20 ; Heb. xiii. 8. — Import of the name of Jehovah, Rev. i. 4. — Tlie law in its essence is eternal. — The law must be fulfilled in all its parts : 1. As spiritual requirement, which must be spiritually accomplished ; 2. as an emblem of the Spirit, which is to be real- ized by the Spirit; 3. as a promise of the Spirit, which the Spirit will fulfil. — Every sacred emblem has its corresponding reality in the kingdom of Christ. — Christ has fulfilled the law: 1. The moral law by His obedience; 2. the sacrificial law by His suflPeriugs ; 3. the civil or national law by His institutions. — Even the laws and emblems of our lives must become reaUty. — The law fulfilled by the manifestation of the spirit of the law, since the Spirit brings out, 1. the one grand principle of the law, instead of its many injunctions; 2. the life of the law in the individual ; 3. reveals the infinite depth of the law. — The law is transformed and glorified in its fulfilment. — A mere carnal ob- servance of the letter may in reality be an abroga- tion of the law. — To resist the spiritual unfolding of the law, is, under the guise of allegiance, to rebel against its authority. — The Gospel ju-esents the law in its spiritual aspect. — He who, by his interpreta- tions of the law, attempts to make the kingdom of heaven small, cannot himself be great in the king- dom of heaven. — Grandeur of free obedience. — Do- ing and teaching: such is the order of Christ. — The righteousness of Christ, and that of the Pharisees and scribes. Slarke : — The word of God abideth for ever, Luke xvi. 17. — There is no commandment of God too small to be obeyed, James ii. 10. Gerlach: — The law was essentially spiritual; but on account of the hardness of the Jewish heart, it was fenced in under the Old Testament by outward ordinances, which, for the time, prevented the full manifestation of its depth. Hence, in order to " ful- fil it," Christ broke through the barriers, and thus unfolded its true glory ; while the Pharisees contra- vened the spirit of the law by the observance of its letter, which in reaUty destroyed, instead of fulfil- ling it. 2. Relation between the Doctrine of Christ and the Law ; and between the latter and the Doctrine of the Pharisees and Scribes, or Jewish Traditionalism, as exhibited in five special instances, — showing tlie spurious in opposition to the genuine development of the Law, its narrowing by the letter, and its fulness in the spirit. Chapter V. 20-48. {Ch. V. 20-26, the Gospel for the Gih Sunday after Trinity.) 20 For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. 21 Ye have heard that it was said by [toj^ them of old time, Thou shalt not kill ; and 22 whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judguient : But I say unto [to] you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause [without cause] ^ shall be iu danger of tlie judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council : but [and] whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of 23 hell fire. Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy 24 brother hath aught against thee ; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy 25 way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him ; lest at any time the ad- versary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be 26 cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 Ye have heard that it was said by [to] them of old tirae,^ Thou shalt not commit 28 adultery : But I say imto [to] you. That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her 29 hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee [cause thee to offend], pluck it out, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be 30 cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee [cause thee to offend], cut it ojff, and cast it from thee : for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, 31 and not that thy whole body should be cast [depart, aTrikOrf] into hell. It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement: 32 But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving [save] for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery : and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adidtery. 112 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. 33 Again, ye have lieard tliat it hatli been said by [to] them of old time, Thou slialt 34 not forswear thyself [swear falsely], but shalt perform mito the Lord thine oaths: But 35 I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne: Nor by the earth ; for it is his footstool ; neither by Jerusalem ; for it is the city of the great 36 King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because tliou canst not make one hair 37 wliite or black. But let your communication [word, Aoyos] be. Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these coraeth of evil. 38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto }^ou, That ye resist not evil : but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right 40 cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take 41 away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel [impress] 42 thee to go a mile, go with him twain [two]. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. 43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate 44 thine enemy. But I say unto you. Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,* and pray for them which [who] despitefully use you, 45 and ^ persecute you ; That ye may be the children of your Father which [who] is in heaven : for he m.aketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain 46 on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have 47 ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others [tliat excels, ti Trepia-a-ov] ? do not even the publicans [the 48 heathen] ® so ? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which [who] is in heaven is perfect. J Yer. 21. — [To7y apx^'O'^j to the ancients, is the interpretation of the Greek fathers, the ancient versions, and all the English versions from Wiclif 's to the Genevan inol., and also that of Eheims. This is certainly much more natural than the rare and mostly questionable abkitire use of the dative case, which Beza, in his later editions, preferred, and which passed into the E. V. of 1611. Bensel {Gnomon in loc.) remarks: "Antitheton, ro&f«; unde patet, to7s apxaiois, itntiquis (patribus, tempore Mosis) non esse casu sexto: faciliorque est constructio : dictum est antiquis, id est, ad anti- quos, quam ab antiquis.'''' The word ippv^rj is always followed in the N. T. or the Septuagint by the substantive which denotes the person to tchom (not by whom) the words were spoken, comp. Eom. ix. 12, 26 ; Gal. iii. 16; Eev. vi. 11; ix. 4. Comp. also Com. — P. S.] - Ver. 22. — Eirt^, without cause, omitted by Cod. B., several minuscule MSS., translations, and fathers. [Lachmann and Tischendorf omit it, and Tregelles marks it as very doubtful. Alford retains it, and there is sufficient ancient authori- ty for it to justify its continuance in the popular translations.— P. S.] 3 Ver. 27.— [The critical authorities are against ro7s apx^iots of the text. rec. in this verse, and throw it out of the text. But Dr. Lange retains it in his transl. Comp. vers. 31, 38, and 43, where these words are likewise omitted.— P. S.] ■J Ver. 4-}.— [The clauses of the received text: "bless them that curse you, do rjood to them that hate you," are marked as doubtful by Uriesbach, and omitted in the modern critical editions; but they are genuine in the parallel passage, Luke vi. 27, 23. Hence Dr. Lange retains them here in his translation.— P. S.] 6 Ver. 44. The words: "ichich despitefully use you and \tuiv iirripfa^Si'Twv v/J-as Kai] are omitted by some authorities. [Lachmann, Tischendorf; Tregelles, and Alford omit them, and Meyer is disposed to regard them as an inter- polation from Luke vii. 28.— P. S.l 8 Yor. 47.— [Dr. Lange translates: die Ileiden, the heathen, following the reading: ol tbpiKoi (Vulgata: ethnici), which is better authenticated in ver. 47 than reXwyai, publicani. The latter seems to have been taken from ver. 46i where T^Koovai. is universally sustained. See Tischend., Lachm., Tregelles, and Alford ad loc.—V. S.] EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL. General Remarks on the lohole Section. — (1) Real abolition of the law under guise of rendering its in- junctions more rigid ; hedging in of the law in its spirituality and perfectness by the traditions of the scribes and Pharisees, resulting in perversion of doc- trine by converting the law into a series of outward and finite ordinances. First Instance: Abrogation of the law through observance of the letter, by the conversion of a mo- ral precept into a purely civil law, thus secularizmg it, and destroying its spirit — as shown in the tradi- tions connected with the commandment: "TJiou shall not kill." Second Instance : Abrogation of the law by weakening its force, and converting a Umited permission into an encouragement — as shown in the traditions connected with the commandment: '■'■Thou shalt 7ioi commit adultery." Third Instance: Abro- gation of the law by the perversion of a solemn assev- eration into a common mode of assurance, or into cursing — as exhibited in the injunctions connected vnth oaths. Fourth Instance: Abrogation of the law by the conversion of an ordinance of criminal law intended to put an end to private vengeance into a moral law, which, in reaUty, sanctioned vengeance — as shown in the law of retaliation. Fifth Instance : AboUtion of the law by sectarian interpretation and false inferences — as exhibited in connection with the great commandment : " TIiou- shalt love thy neigh- bor." (2) In opposition to these perversions, we have five instances of the fulfilment of the law by the teach- ing of Christ, "in each of which the law is traced back to the mind and heart, or to the moral and re- ligious life generally. In the first of the above in- stances, the law is traced back to the passion of anger ; in the second, to adulterous desires ; in the third, to the sinful want of reverence ; in the fourth, to yielding to the power of evil ; in the fifth, to sel- fishness and sectarianism, which are incompatible CHAP. V. 20-48. 113 with the requirements of universal love. In reference to the first of these instances, the Lord requireth from us brotherly feeling ; in reference to the second, He demandeth sanctity in the relationship between the sexes ; in reference to the third, calm assurance in the fear of God, so that our " yea be yea, and our nay nay ;" in reference to the fourth, meekness and mercy, which overcometh injuries; while in refer- ence to the fifth. He points out the infinitude of love. (3) In all these examples, Christ shows that, viewed as a principle, in its true import and bearmg, the law goes far beyond the mere letter, demanding not only a definite outward compliance, but reaching also the mind and heart. This boundless extent of the law in its application to the inner man is here presented in a definite form, and as special precepts ; which, however, must not be interpreted Uterally, but regarded as so many symbols designed to illustrate the spirituality and depth of the law. Thus the car- nal literalism and perversion of truth which appear in the rabbinical interpretation of " Thou shalt not kill," is met by a more literal yet infinitely deeper application of the commandment. The dull stupidity of their literalism is met, so to speak, bij a certain irony of lUerality. Similarly, the lustfulness which was legalized by the cunning perversion of the com- mandment, " Tliou shalt not commit adultery," is met by an uncompromising demand of the most complete self-denial. In opposition to the third perversion of the law, by which that -which was holy was thought- lessly and sinfully dragged down, we have here a ma- jestic prohibition uttered in the name of the highest authority. Instead of the spirit of strife, fostered by an abuse of the principle of retaliation, the Saviour inculcates readiness to surrender even our own rights ; while, lastly, the national pride and narrow sectarian- ism of the Pharisees were to give place to the influ- ences of a love so wide, as to break through all the narrow bounds of bigotry. Thus Jesus refutes the literaUsm of the scribes by literality ; and shows that even in its literal hUerpretation, the letter of the law was from the first only the symbol of its spirit. Yer. 20. Except your righteousness shall exceed, e^c, iav /u?j TTepia a-eua-r; . — The general idea, to be better, or to excel, does not exhaust the ex- pression, which implies to grow up beyond the right- eousness of the scribes — to exceed it. The antithesis lies in the statement, that the Pharisees have all their reward here, while the righteousness of the kingdom of heaven is not only lasting, but extends to the king- dom of glory. The word ZiKawauvr} does not merely refer to righteousness by faith, but in general to the righteousness of the kingdom of lieaven as a princi- ple, both in respect of doctrine and of life. The directions here given by the Lord are man- ifestly not intended by way of improvement upon the law (Maldonatus and others), but as expressing its true fulfilment in opposition to its destruction by the traditions of the Pharisees. At first sight, it might appear as if Christ were setting aside the letter of the Old Testament ; while in reality He only refutes the literaUsm of tradition, by which the true import of the law was perverted. Against every other abroga- tion of the law, the Lord protested on every occasion. Ver. 21. By them, or more correctly : To those of old, or to the ancients, to'ls apxa-ioi s. — Beza, Schottgen, [our authorized version], and others, ren- der, " by them of old." But this interpretation is ev- idently strained, nor does it bring out the antithesis in the words of our Lord, " But I say unto you." They of old, or the ancients, are evidently the old re- cipients of tradition, the Jewish synagogue, — not the Lawgiver himself. The reference to traditionalism in the word i pp tdi} is peculiarly apt. It were im- possible to fix upon any one who had first propound- ed these traditions ; they rather originated from the general spirit of interpretation common in the syn- agogue.* Thou shalt not kill, Ex. xx. 13.— To this the traditions of the scribes added, " Arid whosoever shall kill," etc. — a gloss which destroyed the spiritual and moral character of the law, and converted it into a rigid and merely external legal enactment. For, in the addition made by the scribes, the term kill man- ifestly referred only to actual murder ; thus implying that the law itself applied only to the outward act of murder. — Shall be in danger of the judgment : Kpiais, which, according to ver. 22, vras subject to the Sanhedrim. Every town had such a local court, the Council of Seven (consisting, accorduig to the rabbins, of twenty-three members), which had the power of pronouncing sentence upon crimes, and of inflictmg execution by the sword (Joseph. Ant. iv. 8, 14 ; Deut. xvi. 18). The Sanhedrim, or the Council of Seventy, alone had authority to pronounce sen- tence of stoning, or to adjudicate in cases of grievous heresy and of blasphemy. Ver. 22. The word (Iktj (omitted in Cod. B, and by some of the Fathers) is not of doubtful authority ; at any rate, it would have to be mentally suppUed, as the Scriptures do not condemn anger on proper occa- sions, or moral indignation (see Eph. iv. 20 ; the ex- ample of the Lord and His parables), f The passage not only condemns unjust anger, but also the want of love. — By the term brother, our Lord referred not merely to Jews, but to our neighbors generally. — Ra- ca. Variously interpreted as, 1. A mere interjection by way of reproach ; 2. Xp"'"} , empty head ! a common term of reproach at the tune. {See Buxtorf, Lex. Tahn. ; also Ewald, who derives it from the Aramajan N"p"i J and renders it 6?ac^^ile to God, and the moral purification of man is the great object of the worship of God: see Matt. ix. 13 (the imwrov must be con- nected with vTtayi). — In the ancient Church, it was customary for members of a family to ask each other's forgiveness before going to the table of the Lord. Ver. 25. Going to the judgment-seat. This may be regarded as supplementary to what preceded. Agree, show thyself agreeable, evv oiiv, ready for recon- ciliation, x(7ith thine adversary, or the opponent in thy cause, — applying to the legal accuser, not to the devil (Clement), nor to God (Augustine), nor to the conscience (Euthymius Zig.). It is a mistake to regard this as a mere prudential rule (Theophylact, Paulus) ; it embodies a principle of moral right in the form of a symbohc ordinance. Accordingly, the whole passage, as that about going to the temple, has a symboUcal meaning. The term prison, 1. It has bsen said, Whosoever shall put away Iiis wife, let hini give her a writing of divorcement. — Christ here lirst takes up the later perversions of the law about divorce, and re- turns to the ordinances given by Moses, which He then further explains and develops. " According to Deut. xxiv. 1, ~rT ri"i" — '^^"'^''.5 ' uncleanness,' 'matter of nakedness,' something abominable in a female — is admitted as a ground of divorce (Ewakl, Alferfkumer, p. 234). Rabbi Shammai and his scliool explained this as referring to adultery, while Hillel and his school appUed it to anything displeasing to a husband (comp. Joseph. Antiq. iv. 8, 23). Rosen- miiller, Sckol. on Deut. xxiv. 1, sqq. Rabl)i Akiba went even further, and permitted divorce in case a man should meet with a more pleasing v/oman ; see Wet- stein."— jleyer. The difference between the two schools consisted not merely in this, that while Sliammai lim- ited divorce to adultery, Hillel allowed it in a great variety of cases ; but that Shammai insisted on the necessity of a criminal and legal cause for divorce, vfhile Hillel left it to the inclination of the individ- ual. The terms employed by Moses implied at least the germ of those spiritual views concerning mar- riage which were the aim of the theocracy. But the teaching of Hillel destroyed that germ, and con- verted the law of Moses into a cloak for adulterous lust. As the Lord shows in another place, Moses allowed a bill of divorce in the case of moral aljerra- tions on the part of a wife, in order to limit the number of divorces. The Rabbins reversed the meaning of the law by saying Moses has command- ed, Matt. xix. 7. The practice of divorce was an ancient and traditional custom, which Moses hmited by insisting on a definite motive, and on a regular bill of divorce. Hence, ?»s h.u a-rruKvari (according to custom), SoToj airoffrdiTioi' (according to the new arrangement in Israel). Its object was not merely to serve " as evidence that the marriage had been legally dissolved, and that the woman was at lib- erty to marry another man " (Ewald), but to render divorce more difficult. Vcr. 32. Save for the cause of fornication. IT ap e KT h t \ 6y o V Tropffias . — This exceptional case is not mentioned in Mark x. ll,nor inLuke xvi. 18 ; but occurs again in Matt. xix. 9 {d fi-q enl Tropeiia), and must be supphed in the parallel passages, — the more so, as, according to Lev. xx. 18, adultery was to be punished with death. Calov, Meyer, and others, maintain that the mention of this one ground of divorce excludes every other ; while de Wette thinks that this one implies others also. But the question is not so simple as appears at first sight. We must distinguish between the legislation of the theocracy and that of the state which is intermediate between Moses and Christ ; and again, between these two and the spirit- ual law binding upon Christians, and derived from the word of Christ. Moses permitted a bill of di- vorce, not to weaken, but to protect the marriage re- lationship. Absolutely to forbid all divorce, would have amounted to a practical sanction of the then customary low views on the subject of marriage, and to a rejection of the spiritual principles connected with it. Hence Moses introduced the bill of divorce, which rendered separation difficult, by requiring an ade- quate cause for it, as in Deut. xxiv. 1. This arrange- ment was intended as a lever gradually to elevate the views of the people from the former customary laxity to the spiritual ideal ultimately aimed at. It was left to the gradual development of spiritual life in Israel more clearly to determine and to settle the only suf- ficient motive for divorce, at which Moses had darkly hinted. This Christ did when He exhibited the full ideal of the law, by the words Trape/cr^j \oyou irop- i-eiciv. But the practical difficulty which the State has to encounter in its legislation on this point, is tliat it cannot anticipate this interpretation of the Lord without raising the legal ordinances higher than the idea of marriage commonly entertained by the people. Still, this interpretatiou must always be the goal aimed at. Standing at that goal, our Lord does not refer to the recognition of an actual divorce, but to a positive divorce, when a man repudiates his wife. To make such a divorce, is certainly not allowed ex- cept for the sake of fornication. But it is another question, whether, if the divorce is actually accom- plished by the other party, we are warranted in re- garding and accepting it as accompHshed. To tlus question Paul gives an affirmative reply in 1 Cor. vii. 15. The only difficulty lies in the question, Under what circumstances other than fornication a divorce may be regarded as actually accompHshed by the se- ceding party ? In this respect, the explanations which ' our Lord adds, may be taken as a final directory. Cause th her to commit adultery — viz., by contracting another marriage. Strictly speaking, the actual adultery consists in, and dates from, the re-marriage of the woman who had been divorced. The following is the state of the case as laid down by the Lord. In the passage under consideration, we are told that he causeih her to commit adultery ; and in Matt, xix., that he wlio divorces a woman, and marrieth another, himself committeth adultery. In the former case, the husband who divorces his vnfo is morally the cause of her committing adul- tery, and in that respect even more culpable than she. Still, the stigma of adultery is only attached to marriage after divorce, or to fornication before di- vorce. This implies, that where the guilty or the divorcing party has not actually committed the act of adultery (as above defined), the other party is in Christian duty bound to wait in f\vith and patience. This is the intermediate stage, or separation a men^a et ihoro, which is the only kind of divorce allowed by the Roman Church : another species of legalism, by which the words of our Saviour are first converted into a literal ordinance, and next, the letter of the commandment — the napiKTls Aoyuv Tropviias — itself is annulled. The bad consequences of this arrange- ment are sufliciently notorious in the degeneracy of the marriage relation in Roman Catholic countries, especially in South Amei-ica. IIG THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. " Our Lonl," says ^leyer, " docs not refer to the case of adultery committed by the man, — there be- ing no occasion for it, since a woman, according to the law of Moses, could not divorce her husband. But the spirit of Christian ethics fully justifies and requires the application of the statement to the other case." However, it ought to be noted, that Christ speaks three different times of the siu of the wan, but never of the woman: (1) Whosoever lookctli on a woman, etc. ; (2) whosoever shall put away his wife, etc. ; (3) whosoever shall marry her who is divorced, etc. — Comp. Heubner, j). (58. Ver. 33. Thou shalt not forswear thyself, ouK ^TriopKVffeis {swear fulsehj): Ex. xxvii. ; Lev. xix. 12. — In this instance, also, the Lord first reverts to the law as given by Moses, showing its full and spiritual import, and then condemns the perversions of it introduced by traditionalism. Like divorce, the practice of taking an oath was an an- cient custom, which existed before the time of Moses. Considering it indispensable in civil causes, the legis- lator adopted it in his code (Ex. xxii. 11, comp. Heb. vi. 16), just as he admitted divorce. But as all license was restrained by the enactment concerning the bill of divorce, so all levity by the ordinances attacliing to an oath, viz. : (1) by the condemnation of a false oath, Ex. xx. 7; Lev. xix. 12; (2) by the injunction to regard vows as sacred, and to fulfil them, Num. xxx. 3 ; (3) by the direction to take an oath only in the name of the Lord, Deiit. vi. 13. Honce, when Christ ordains, Swrear not at aU, He enters fully into the spirit of this legislation, and fulfils this law, or carries it to its ideal. The internal agreement between the saying of the Lord and the law of Moses is evident. As, in the case of the law of divorce, Jesus had brought out the latent pro- hibition of Moses, by presenting it without the tem- porary and conditional permission attaching to it; so here also the same latent prohibition appears when the Saviour carries out the spirit of the fimit- ations introduced by Moses, which ultimately aimed at the complete abrogation of the oath. But the law of Moses was intended to bring out the spiritual nature of marriage, and not as absolute legislation on the subject. Similarly, his ordinances concerning oaths were not mtended to abrogate them complete- ly, but to bring out the ultimate idea of an oath — the yea, yea, nay, nay! — both as before God. In these instances, however, Christ aims not merely after a negative, but after a positive result, — in the present case, to introduce the oath in its spiritual aspect. Accordingly, He now shows the difference between it and the practice common among the Jews. This consists not merely in the fact, that what had been sanctioned for ju(icial procedure was now used in every-day life, but also in the introduc- tion of additional asseverations and of self-impreca- tions in the common mode of taking oaths, bfxoaai. These asseverations by heaven, by earth, etc. — this pledging as it were of things over which we have no control — are manifestly sinful. In a certain sense, they convert an oath into a curse. Hence, rendering the words of Christ according to their import, we might almost translate them : But I say unto you. Curse not, not at all ! Since the oath, in the proper sense of the term, had thus degenerated, and been ahnost completely perverted, it was to cease, but only in order to give place to what was implied in the true idea of the oath — the cahn and solemn at- testation : yea, yea ; nay, nay ; as in the presence of God. The relation in which the Christian State and the Christian citizen stand to this absolute spiritual law, is the same as we formerly noticed in reference to marriage. So far as our own personal conduct ia concerned, we are to adopt in the fullest sense the New Testament direction (James v. 12); it is the duty of the State to aim after realizing the ideal here set before it, while the Christian citizen is bound humbly to submit. (In this, and in similar respects, it is important to distinguish between the duty of bearing testimony and that of obedience. There is no inconsistency, for example, in the Christian min- ister, who as an evangelist is opposed to all war, and yet acts as an humble and efficient military chaplain.) This explanation Christ has sanctioned by llis example. Like the patriarchs of old (Gen. xxi. 23, 24; xxxi. 34; xlvii. 31), He acknowledged the lawfulness of the adjuration before the Sanhedrim (Matt. xxvi. 64). It is not an isolated error when certain sectarians — as the Anabaptists of the Refor- mation period, the Mennonites, and the Quakers — confound the duty of the individual Christian as such with that of the citizen ; the mistake goes far deeper. They deny in principle the moral and edu- cational character and object of the State, which is intended to be subservient to the kingdom of heaven and to promote it. From the example of Paul (Rom. ix. 1 ; 2 Cor. xi. 10) we gather how the spiritual na- ture of the oath appears, when the Christian appeals to his fellowship with God in support of the reality and certainty of his assertions. Viewed in this light, the oath of the Christian is based even on that of the Lord Himself (Isa. xlv. 23 ; Heb. vi. 13). God swears by Himself, i. e., He appeals to His absolute and personal certitude; and the Christian swears before God, when he solemnly attests his statement xmder a calm sense of the presence of, and of communion with, God. It is the duty of the State more and more to modify the oath in conformity to the spuit of the gospel, and to acknowledge a simple Christian assurance as equivalent to an oath. The Church cannot require an oath without obscuring the con- sciousness of standing before the Lord with all the solemn affirmations and vows of her members. Comp. on the different explanations Heubner, Com. p. 71 [and Tholuck, Bergpredigt, p. 258-275]. The scribes insisted on the obligatory character of vows, but distinguished between oaths which were binding and others which were not binding. Mai- monides : Si quis jurat per caelum, p)er tcrram, per solem, non est juramentum.. Comp. Matt, xxiii. 16 Similarly, Philo regarded oaths by heaven, by earth, etc., as not very important, and advised that they should be employed rather than a direct appeal to the Most High God. Ver. 34. Swear hot at all.— For the diffiarent interpretations of this prohibition, comp. Tholuck. — To swear not at all, if it be incompatible with due reverence toward God (Tholuck). — ^Not to swear lightly in ordinary life (Berlepsch), — not to swear after the manner and in the sense of the Jews (Matthiii). — Strict prohibition which is binding, so far as the kingdom of heaven is concerned, but not applying to our duty as citizens in the State (de Wette, Meyer). — Absolute prohibition binding at all times, and under all circumstances (the Quakers) Comp. also Winer, Heubner, Goschel {Der JSid), etc.* * [Wo add the explanations of the latest English and American commentators on Matthew. Dr. Ai.fokd (Epis- copalian), 4th Ensrl. ed. ad loc. : " In the words, Swear not at all, our Lord does not so much make a positive enact- ment by which all swearing is to individuals Ibrbiddcu, e. g. CHAP. V. 20^8. 117 Vers. 34-36. Neither by heaven, etc. — " These modes of swearing were eustomiiry at the time among the Jews. Comp. Philo, De spec. Icff. 7*76 ; Lightlbot ; Meuschen, Novum Testam. ex Talm. il- htstr. p. 58." — Meyer. [Dr. Thomson in his ex- cellent work, 77ie Land and the Book, vol. i., p. 284, says of the modern Orientals that they " are feaifully profane. Everybody curses and swears when in a passion. No people that I have ever known can compare with these Orientals for profuueness in the use of the names and attributes of God. . . . They swear by the head, by their life, by heaven, and by the temple, or, what is in its place, the church. The forms of cursing and swearing, however, are almost infinite, and fall on the pamed ear all day long."— P. S.] Ver. 3*7. But let your communication be, Yea, yea, Nay, nay. — Similar expressions in the Rabbins, "n "n and xb xis. Beza: Let your af- firmative communication be yea, your negative, nay. Grotius: Let your affirmation and negation be in accordance with fact. Meyer: The repetition in the formula indicates emphasis in the assurance. James V. 12: Let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay. Luther : A. yea that is yea. (The same as Grotius.) Undoubtedly, the intention is to combine decidedness of assurance with the certitude of the fact. But the positive import of the " yea, yea," is overlooked by those who imagine that the Lord concludes with a mere negative result. The true oath consists in the sunple asseveration, uttered in perfect consciousness on solemn occasions, and for the satisfaction of others (for that TvouUl be a mere technical Pharisaism wholly at vari- ance with the spirit of the Gospel, and inconsistent with tlie example of God Himself, Heb. vi. 13-17; vii. 21 ; of the Lord when on earth, whose aM.7V a/Lti)c \iyw vixiv was a solemn asseveration, and who at once respected the solemn adjura- tion of Caiaphas, ch. xxvi. 63, 64; of His Apostles, writing under the guidance of His Spirit, see Gal. i. 20; 2 Cor. i. 23; Rom. i. 9 ; Phil. i. 8, and especially 1 Cor. xv. 31 ; qflTis holy angels, Kev. x. 6), as declare to us, that the proper state of Christians is, to require no oaths ; that when to iroi>r)p6v is expelled from among them, every vai and ou wdl be as decisive as an oath, every promise as binding as a vow. We observe (<0 that these verses imply the unfitness of 'oows of every kind as rules of Christian action ; {b) that the greatest reg.ard ought to be had to the scruples of those, not only sects, but individuals, who object to taking an oath, and every facility given in a Christian state for their (?) ultim:.te entire abolition." -(Does their refer to scruples, or is it a mistake for its, i. e. the oath's?) — Dr. WoRDSwoRTn (Epis- copiilian) gives a similar interpretation, though not so fully, and quotes from St. Augustine : JSTon tim.es, von affecti>s, non appetas jmjwandum, which is hardly sufficient. He also remarks that the corresponding Hebrew verb J'S'iJ (from !?2'1) , seven, the holy number of the covenant) is used only in Niphal (i. e., to be made to swiar, or rather to seven one- self i. e.. to take an oath confirmed by seven victims offered as sacrifice to God, Gen. xxi. 28 sq.. or before seven wit- nesses), and in JTiphil (i. e., to cause to sweur, to bind by an oath); as much as to intimate that no one ought to swear except when compelled to do so.— Alb. Barnes (N. S. Pres- byterian) : -'Swear not at all. That is, in the manner which He proceeds to specify. Swear not in any of the common and profane ways customary at that time."— Dr. Jos. Addis. Alexander (O. S. Presbyterian): "Christ teaches that the Bin, where there is any, consists not in swearing falsely, which is a distinct offence punished both by God and man, nor in any particular form of oath, but in swearing at all without necessity or warrant."— Dr. D. D. Whedon (Metho- dist) ad loo.: "Neither in his prohibition of swearing nor of violence (3'<-42) is our Lord giving any law for the masis- trate or the governmental regulations, but for private con- duct. The officer of government has still a right to use force, and the magistrate to administer an oath. In fact, to forbid these things in private life secures that they may be done madstratively with better effect. None of the oaths which our Lord adduces as specimens are judicial oaths, but the ordinary profanities of the Orientalists.'"— P. S.] and under a sense of the presence of God, before Him, and in Him. Cometh of evil, he rov Trovi]pou. — 1. Eu- thym. Zig., 4k -rod 5ia/3(iAou. Similarly Clirysostom, Theophylact, Beza, Zwingle, Fritzsche, Meyer, and others. 2. From the -rrovnpuv, of evil, as a neuter. — • The two in so far agree, as Christ uniformly traces all ■Kou-r}p6v, or evil i\\ the world, to the irov-npos. The statement, however, is not to be interpreted as mean- mg, that the traditional mode of swearing is of the devil, but as implying that the kingdom of darkness has occasioned tiiis kind of asseverations ; and that actual evil also attaches to them, in as far as they in- dicate a want of reverence, a pledging of things which belong to God, and a kind of imprecation. Ver. 38. An eye for an eye, Ex. xxi. 24. — The right of retrilnition, jus talionis. A general princi- ple of law, presented here in the form of a proverb, and applied to a special case. This principle was undoubtedly introduced into the judicature, not to foster revenge (as de Wette imagines), but to sub- stitute law for private vengeance (Lev. xix. 18). We agree with Tholuck, that the Pharisees, in this instance, converted a principle of judicature into a rule of everyday hfe. But Meyer is likewise right in adding, that a Christian should not exact even judicial vengeance from his neighbor, as also appears from the word Kptdrivai, which follows. Vers. 39-42. But I say unto you, Resist not T w -K ovi]p a>. — Chrysostom and Theophylact refer this to the devil; Augustin and Calvin, to wrong; Tho- luck, to evil; de Wette and Meyer, to an evil person. The words oo-rtj y, k.t.K. xt acpes W'") K.T.K il fxr] eliTeyeyKTis fjfi.ai, K.T.A. ETTtA-oyos. 1. oTi (Tov fcrrtv t] ^affi Ae'ia, 2. ffov iartv t) Siyafiis. 3. aov etrrtv t} 5({|a. the Lord's Prayer. 1. Devotion to His name, to His kingdom, and to His will ; heaven, heaven and earth, earth : the place of His manifestation. 2. Accept- ance of His gifts in reference to the present, the pa^t, and the future. — We place in parallel columns the seven petitions and the seven beatitudes, to ex- hibit their internal agreement : — — Hallowed be Thy name (the name of God our riches, opening to us the kingdom of heaven). —Thy kingdom come (and with it comes heavenly comfort to ourliearts). —Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (meekness, the characteristic of heaven, the outstanding feature of the new earth). — Give us this day our daily bread (which above all includes the Bread of life, John vi.). — And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. — And lead us not into temptation (grant us victory in our hearts). — But deliver us from evil (gi-ant victory over the world). prayer. We may call it a formula, provided we re- member that its leading characteristic is to be free from iroXvXoyia and formality, and that in briefest form it bodies forth the deepest and the fullest thoughts and feelings. And as, in the present case, contents and form agree in this respect, the word oi/TCT refers equally to the rich vein of thought, and to the concise brevity of form in this prayer.* ' * [Among British and American commentators those belonging to the Presbyterian, Congregational, Methodist, Baptist, and other non-Episcopal denominations general- ly maintain that the Lord's Prayer was intended not a^ a formula to be literally and invariably used, although it is iindoubtedly very proper to use it within certain lim^its, but as a general pattern rather for all our prayers, private and public. See Henry, Barnes, Alexander, Owen, Jacobus, Whedon, Nast ad Matt. vi. 9. Episcopalian commentators differ like the Germans. Dr. Alford (a liberal Anglican) says: "It is very improbable that the prayer was regarded in the very earliest times as a set form delivered for liturgical use by our Lord. The variations of Tas a/xaprlai i)fJ.&v ' Kol yap avrol d rh Qi\-r]ixa aou ojs fv oiipavco Kal inl {rrji) yr/s, and aAAa puaai rjfxas airb Tov TTovnpov, are wanting in the text of Luke. They are not found in B. and L., nor do they occur in the oldest of the Fathers — such as Origen, who expressly mentions the omission. But it does not follow that they are spurious in the prayer as given by Matthew. In all likehhood, Luke simply abbreviated the ac- count." Similarly, some read only wdrep in the opening address. — On the transposition of the second and third petitions in Tertullian, see Dr. Nitzsch in the '■^ Studkn und Kriiiken" for 1830, iv. 846. After Augustine and Luther, the nimiher of the petitions has been fixed at seven. But Chrysostom, and after him the Reformed Churches, enumerate only six. It cannot be denied that the petition, " De- liver us from evil,'''' expresses more than that, " Lead us not into temptation ;" and in this respect it may as a pnttern for the subject and order of our desires and pray- ers, and therefore as a euide for our practice." — There is truth here on both sides. This matchless grayer was undoubtedly given both as a form to be rightly, i. e., devoutly and reve- rently used on all proper occasions (comp. the A e 7 e t e in Luke xi. 2), and as a model for all other prayers. The for- mer abuse of the Lord's Prayer as an empty formula oft re- peated without devotion and profit in the Roman Church (hence Luther called it tbe greatest martyr), led some sec- tions of Protestantism to the opposite extreme of neglect of this shortest and richest, simplest and deepest of all prayers ever uttered by man or angel, the perfect model prayer which could only jirococd from the lips of the Son of God. Dr. Thom.as Scott has hit the right medium in the following note: "It may often be [better: it nndonhtecUy is] proper to use the very words, but it is not always necessary; for we do not find that the apostles thus used it: but we ought Blways to pray after the manner of It, that is, with that re- verence, humility, seriousness, confidence in God, zeal for His glory, love to mankind, submission, and moderation in temporal, and earnestness about spiritual things, which it in- culcates; avoiding vain repetitions, and using grave and be regarded as a separate petition. On the other hand, however, it must not lie overlooked, that the word a A A o connects the two parts of one and the same petition.* Besides, symbolically, we should expect to find the number six rather than seven — the former being expressive of mental labor, the latter of holy rest. Yiewcd as a sacred number, six is always followed by a seven, which sums up the whole ; just as in this case the six petitions are summed up in the doxology, or originally in the close of the sixth petition, or in the continuous inward prayer of be- lievers,— concerning which Luther rightly says, " The Christian prays a never-ending Lord's prayer." Yer. 9. Our Father, -war ep -o/xw v. — Although the spiritual experience of adoption sprung from the atoning death of Christ on the cross, it was from the first implied in Christ's message of reconciliation. — Who art in the heavens, iv to'ls ohp avals. The words show the infinite difference between this and every other human relationship of a similar kind : Our Father in heaven ; not a weak, helpless, earth- ly parent (comp. ch. vii. 11 ; Eph. iii. 15; iv. 6). The expression also indicates the place where tho glory of God dwelleth (Isa. Ixvi. 1 ; Acts vii. 55, 56, etc.), but without the limitations of the Old Testa- ment— not in heaven, but in the heavens. Finally, it is both a symbol of the contrast between the glory, the purity, the infinitude, and tbe unchangeableness of heaven and this world, and of the riches of God, and the source whence the kingdom of heaven de- scended upon earth. Thy name. — The expression refers neither to His Divine being, nor to His perfections ; as in that case the petition, " Hallowed be Thy name," would be un- intelligible. What is holy cannot be made holy. The " name of God " is the impress of His being upon the hmnan mind, the manifestation of His be- ing in the world ; hence nearly equivalent to religion as based upon Divine revelation. Comp. 1 Pet, iii. 15 : " Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts." Yer. 10. Thy kingdom. — The kingdom of hea- ven. As Christ announces and introduces the king- dom of heaven, so His people arc to pray for, and to anticipate it. The import of the expression, " king- dom of heaven," appears, 1. from its contrast to the symbolical kingdom of heaven under the 0, T, the- ocracy ; 2. from its contrast to the kingdom of dark- ness. Other explanations : The spread of Christian- ity (Kuinoel) ; the victorious development of the Christian Church (Tholuck). But these are only in- dividual phases ; the grand fact is the kingdom of heaven in its spiritual reahty, which includes both time and eternity, f As in heaven, — i. e., in absolute purity and per- fectness, as apparent in the obedience of the angels. comprehensive expressions." Comp. also tho remarks of Ad. Clarke, and Dr. D. Brown ad loc.—V. S.] * [Alford takes a similar view : " oAAa must not be taken as equivalent to tl 5e fj.rj, q. d. '■but if thou dost, deliver,'' etc. ; but is rather the opposition to the former clause, and forms in this sense but one petition with it,—' briiiff us not into convict with evil, Mt rather deliver (rid) us from it altogether.^ In another view, however, as expressing the deep desire of all Christian hearts to bo delivered from all evil . . . these words form a seventh and most affecting peti- tion, reaching far beyond the last." So also D. Brown ad loc.—V. S.] t [Alford: "'Tiiv kinodom' here is the fulness of the accomplishment of the kingdom of God, so often spoken of in prophetic Scripture-; and by implication all th.at process of events Which lead to that accomplishment. Meyer in ob- jecting to all ecclesiastical and spiritual meaning? of 'Thy kingdom,' forgets that the one for which he contends exclu- s'wcly, the Me-fsinnio kingdom,, Coca in fact include or im- ply them all."— P. S.] 12G THE GOSPEL ACCOKDING TO MATTHEW. Vcr. 11. Owe daily bread, — ti proi, like cnb ^ the requirements of daily life. — T hv iir t ovu lov occurs again in Luke xi. 3, but nowhere else. Ex- planations:— 1. The nourishment necessary for sub- sistence, olxria. So Origen and many others. " This explanation [says Meyer] has led to the inaccurate rendering, ' daily bread ' (the "Vulgate, Chrysostom, Luther, etc.)." Meyer objects that ohaia. does not mean subsistence, but being or existence. But surely the .subsistence of a man consists in the preservation of his human being. 2. Jerome and Zwingli : " Epiu- sion, hoc est supersubstantialem petamns, plus de ani- mce cibo, quam corporis solliciii." Of course it were a mistake to apply the passage, with Olshauscn and Bome of the Fathers, to spiritual nourishment exclu- sively, or even to the Eucharist. Manifestly, our Lord alludes to daily bread — only not to merely ma- terial bread, destined for tlie sensuous part of man alone. Man requires earthly bread ; the Christian, Christian bread, yet not supersensuous, but adapted to all the parts of his being, which implies, above all, heavenly and spiritual nourishment. 3. By some the word is identified with iiriovtra, dies crastinus — to-morrow's bread. So the Arabic aud Ethiopian ver- sions, Scaliger, Meyer, etc. (Jerome : in Evangelio, quod appellatur secundum Hebraos^ pro supersicbstan- tiali pane repcri mahar, "niQ ^ i. c., to-niorroiv's bread.) But this explanation agrees not with (ni.uf- poc, nor with the statement in vi. 34. — Explaining it as referring to bread suitable to our being, we- in- clude in the term the idea of what is required fdr our daily subsistence, corresponding to '■'pr\ V^rh (" food convenient for me "), in Prov. xxx. 8.* Ter. 1 2. Debts, o^eiKi)^ar a , — equivalent to TTapaTTTa'uaTa, regarding them either in the light of imputation, or of one's o^vn conscience. As wo forgive. — ' a s expresses neither tlie measure (Baumgarten-Crasius) nor the ground of fox-- giveness (nam, Fritsche, Meyer), but indicates the rela- tion to our feelings of conciiiation toward our neighbor ; the assurance of our own forgiveness being connect- ed with and regulated by our vow of readiness to for- give our neighbors. We feel assurance in Thy for- giveness, perceiving within ourselves a readiness to forgive others, which Thou hast implanted ; and we pray for forgiveness while vowing, under a sense of this gracious experience. Ver. 1 3. And lead us not into temptation. — A difficult passage : 1. Because God does not tempt man, James i. 13 ; 2. because man should not shrink from trial. Hence some have taken elcrcpfpetv, others 6 1 y , and Others vreipno-^oy, in an emphatic sense. But tlio " temptation " here spoken of is only a trial increased by the guilt which had formerly been con- fessed as a debt; and the prayer, ^^ Lead us not,'''' is simply a consequence of the petition for forgive- ness. Let us not experience in intense temptations the consequences of our guilt, etc. (comp. L. Jem, ii. 2, p. 615). The popular sense is, that God may pre- * [Alford takes iTriovcrios likewise in the sense: proper /or our sustenance, after the analogy of eTriyaf.ios, Jit for marriage, fiTLS6f)iTios,Jitfor the hanquet, and cunsiilers it equivalent to t« itriTri^eia too ffdifjLaTos in James ii. IG (rendered in Syriac transl. by the s.-vmc word). He also tliinks we may safely understand the expression spiritn.ally, of the bread of life, provided we keep in the foreground its primary physical meanine, and view the other as involved by implication in that. Tlie Andican Catech. understands the daily bread to mean "all things that be needful for our souls «nd bodies." On the different explanations, see espe- cially Tholuck, Meyer, and Conant.— P. S.] serve us from such temptations as might lead us into sin (ch. xxvi. 41 ; 1 Cor. vii. 5) ; or else that God would, with the temptation, give a way of escf^pe, 1 Cor. x. 13. But deliver us from evil, p vcr at r/juas. — The full sense of botli these petitions can only be understood if we bear in mind the literal meaning of (la-fpfpeiv and pv(,i.iai — to carry in, and to pull out. The expression, pulling out, or delivering, impUes bondage and inabiUty. — 'A nh rod -k ovtipov. Ex- planations: 1. (5 TTovTjpu'i, the Evil One, the Devil. So the older commentators, Erasmus, Beza, Kuinoel, Fritzsche, Meyer. 2. rh ■wovr]p/>v. So Augustine and Tholuck, after John xvii. 15 ; Rom. xii. 9 ; 2 Thess. iii. 3. 3. From evil, or misery. Luther. — \fhy Tcov1^p6v the power of darkness is meant, as manifested in the kingdom of darkness, it would include not only that kingdom itself, but also its author, and even its out- ward .ind temporal consequences. Such is undoubt- edly the meaning of the text. " The whole sphere and bearing of the Treipao-^ao!," Tholuck. For thine is the kingdom. — This doxology is traced back to 1 Chron. xxix. 11. — 2 Tim. iv. 18 may be regarded as containing the germ of this liturgical addition to the text, although, according to Stier, it only serves as an evidence of the genuineness of the passage in Matthew. The words show that the ful- ness of God, or His majesty, forms the basis, the soul, and the aim of the whole prayer. On the foun- dation of the kingdom of power, which rests in God's might and appears m His glory, the kingdom of grace is to be unfolded and perfected. [See Addenda."] Amen, "iliX certainly, truly. — This certainty is de- rived from the truth and faithfulness of God (n:!i?:N), Christ introduces His most solemn statements with this word ; and with it believers close their prayers, in sign and testimony that all human faithfulness and human certitude springs from the faithfulness of God. This word, Amen, has its great history in bib- lical theology, in the Divine services of the Church, and in the lives of believers. But at the close of the Lord's Prayer, " the Amen of every prayer antici- pates that of the world." (Stier.) Ver. 14. For if ye forgive men. Comp. Mark xi. 25. — An explanation of the fifth petition, specially important in this place, as showing that forgiveness and readiness to forgive were among the leading ideas in the Lord's Prayer. This was all the more necessary, as the Lord could not yet speak of the work of redemption which He was about to accom- plish. De Wette is right in observing, that the circum. stance of His not adverting to it, is itself an evidence of the authenticity of the Lord's Prayer. — Ta trapa.- irTu.'/j.aTa alnSiv, After Cod. D. and other witnesses, Tischendorf has omitted these words, though without sufficient reason. Ver. 16. When ye fast. — This refers primarily to voluntary or private fasting, Luke xviii. 12. But it equally appUes to the great annual public fast. Lev. xvi. 29. " By the law of Moses, the Jews were enjoined to fast on the Day of Atonement from one evening to the following (Lev. xvi. 29). Tradition prescribed similar fasts in autumn if the latter rains did not fall, or if the harvest was threatened {Taanith, p. iii. § 8). To these we have to add a number of extra- ordinary fasts. The Pharisees regarded the practice as meritorious, and fasted twice (Luke xviii. 12), or even four times, in the week, — makmg their appear- ance in the synagogue, negligently attired, pale and sad, in order to exhibit their superior ascetic sanctity CHAP. VI. 1-18. 127 before the people." Von Ammon. — It was the prac- tice to wear mourning-dresses when fasting. 2Kv9pco- iTol, Luke xxiv. 17; Gen. xl. '7.— Disfigure, atpafi- Ce 1 1; with ashes and dust, Isa. Ixi. 3. Here a figura- tive expression for the mournful gestures and the neg- lected appearance of the head and beard. — " There is a play upon the words, cKpayi^ovcri and cpavcicn. They make their faces miappearable, that they may appear unto men." So Meyer, who also suggests that the expression alludes to the covering of the face, as in 2 Sam. xv. SO ; Esther vi. 12. Ver. 17. Anoint thine head. — In the East, it was customary to anoint the head when going to a feast, in opposition to the deportment observed on fast days. Hence the advice must not be taken Uter- ally. Of course, the opposite dissimulation cannot have been enjoined. Our outward appearance when fasting is to betoken spiritual triumph and rest, which elevates above mere outward alistinence. Ver. 18. In secret. — 'Ev r(2 Kpvpalw [twice for the text rec, tV t^ Kpvwrtf.'] — So Lachmann and Tis- chendorf after B. D. The word does not again occur in the New Testament, but is several times found in the Septuagint. [This note belongs properly to the critical notes below the text. — P. S.] DOCTraNAL AND ETHICAL. 1. The one radical perversion of religious life consists in the desire to appear before men. Spirit- ual religion has, indeed, its outward and becoming expression, — chiefly, however, in the meek and de- vout worship of the Church, where the piety of indi- vidual believers is lost to outward view. The worship of the Church is, so to speak, the shadow in which the humility and meekness of the individual worship- per finds shelter and protection. Hence perversion of religious life first manifests itself in separatism of worship, which gradually in- trudes upon the worship of the Church, and ultimately perverts it. The consequences of this speedily appear in the three departments of practical piety. Thus, instead of charity toward our neighbors, we have re- Ugious self-righteousness on the one hand, and reli- gious idleness on the other — a show of kindness, and a corresponding spirit of mean dependence. Simi- larly, the worship of God assumes the form of length- ened prayers and tedious processions without devo- tion, while asceticism degenerates into hypocritical fasts and monastic extravagances. But if, in our re- ligion, we consciously and purposely aim after mere externalism and show, we enter upon a course of hypocrisy, setting up in our outward forms a coun- terfeit of what is sacred. The commencement of this fiilse religionism consists in painful service and out- ward works. Although a man may at that stage still set God before him, it is only in an external man- ner. In worshipping Him, he no longer has regard to the character and the love of God, because he realizes not that God has regard to his affections and state of heart. He is only anxious that God should have regard to his work, and his service, just as he has only regard to the v/ork of God and the reward of God ; and as he regards this reward as merely exter- nal, like his own work, he gi-adually comes to seek it among men. His externalism now leads him to merge his God in the opmion of men. Hence the outward show which marks the second stage of religious per- version. His great object now is to let his benefi- cence, his prayers, and his fasts appear as fully and as pompously as possible. From this spiritual oride and spiritual servility the transition is easy to the thiid stage, which is that of deception and imposition, when the hypocrite conceals his hardness of heart under the mask of beneficence, his coldness and dead- ness under that of singular devotion, and his love of the world and lustfulness, with the corresponding works of darkness, under that of asceticism. 2. A piety which primarily tends to externalism and show, is not only falsehood but folly. It may be compared to a root growing upward. The proper and genuine tendency of religion is inward, to secrecy — to that God who rules in the secret sanctuary of spiritual life. Hence also Christ urges in so strenu- ous terms the importance of this matter. Let bene- ficence remain a secret of our right hand — a shame- faced and holy affection — an act of genuine pity, from which we immediately pass without self-complacency. Let true prayer be concealed in our closet, and let us shut the door behind us. Let sincere fasting be concealed under the cheerful garb of holy festivity. This concealment is necessary, because true piety consists in full self-surrender to God, leading us to seek His, not ours ; and because we cherish the firm confidence, that the Lord will o^vn openly, by His leadings and by His blessings, in the domain of moral and of pubhc life, in the kingdom of heaven here, and yet niore hereafter, whatever is done in and for His name, and that He will in His own time and way attest both its reality and its value. Thus the root spreads deep in the earth where no human eye sees, in the assured hope that it shall spring all the high- er, and spread all the more richly, in measure as its life is hid beneath the ground. 3. In this instance also the Lord sets before His disciples a picture which reflected His own life. In the gracious dispensation of His benefits. He alike removed the occasion of laendicancy and avoided the pomp of spurious kindness. By His intercession, He restored the Ufe-tree of humanity, by restoring its root, and planting it in good soil, even in God. So also He fasted and renounced the world as the Bride- groom of the Church, — thereby and therein laying anew the foundation of true enjoyment and peace. HOMILETICAL AND PEACTICAL. Outward manifestations of piety, genuine and spurious: 1. Genuine, if springing from within, and an evidence of what is within : or if in them man seeks God, lives in God, and desires to glorify God ; 2. spurious, if in contrariety to the state of the heart, if carried on to the detriment of our kiner man, or leading to his ruin ; lastly, if man seek his oivn glory in divine things. — True and false outward mani- festations : 1. True, — the destiny of Adam ; false, — the fall. 2. True, — Christ's advent ; false, — the state of the world at the time. 3. Acknowledged by God as true, — the bride of Christ ; condemned as false in the final judgment, — the Baljylonish harlot. — How false appearances have rendered life hollow, and how they threaten to render hollow the life of the Church. — Spiritual vanity tending toward spiritual pride, and thus exposing men to greatest danger. But if we have sounded the depths of life, we will not become giddy on its heights. — Externalism in individual mem- bers of the Church may give rise to externahsm in the Church, or to carnal chiUasm : 1. Proof from history, — the Pharisees v/ere chiliasis, and yet they crucified the Lord of glory ; 2. from the nature of the thing, — when many are seized with the spirit of extemaUsm, they will be anxious to form a Church 128 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. pretending to outward perfectness, but which in re- ality is only a Church of outward appearance ; 3. from the diversity of this morbid externahsra in the Church : with some it manifests itself in works ; with others, in devotions ; with others, in pretended asceti- cism.— Make sure that you give yourself wholly to God, and in due time He will own you. — Take care of the root ; and the leaves, the blossoms, and the fruit will appear in due season. — In what way may art, with its fair appearance, be rendered subservient to Christian truth ? — Hypocrisy is religious play-act- ing.— Whatever we may have or want, let us eschew anything like religious comedy in the Church. — Who can dispense with false appearances i' 1. He who firmly trusts in the living Cod. 2. He who sincerely cleaves to the truth. 3. He who patiently waits for the day of the appearing of the Lord. — Let us exhibit before men, not our own righteousness, but the light which we have received from the Lord. — The three great virtues of hypocrites are only splendid vices. — The three great graces of saints are secrets with the Lord. — Piety seeking concealment in its principal outward manifestations : 1. The open hand; 2. the door of the closet shut ; 3. the countenance open, yet veiled. — The right hand in its wonderworking, or our beneficence i-estoring the poor. — Pure benefi- cence : pure poverty. — The door of the closet shut, yet open: 1. Open to God, closed to the world; 2. open to any one who would join us in prayer, closed to mere idle onlookers ; 3. open to the kingdom of heaven, closed to the kingdom of darkness. — True prayer will everywhere find a closet. — True fasting a joyous renunciation of the world. — The Father who sees in secret, and the open reward. — The reward which man takes to himself: 1. A theft; 2. a rob- bery ; 3. a self-deception. — The reward which God bestows : 1. a reward of grace ; 2. a reward of love ; 3. a spiritual reward ; 4. a reward of eternal life. — The progress of hypocrisy : 1. Service ofvjorkfi, when man loses sight of the character and the love of God whom he serves, and forgets or denies that the God whom he serves looks to the heart and affections of him who offers worship. 2. Mere outward service, where externahsm takes the place of real service, and yet even professed extemalism is rendered impossible by a show of service. 3. Service of sin, when devo- tion, becomes a he, which is speedily overtaken by judgment. — Progress of piety from concealment to open manifestation : 1. It is a secret between the Lord and the hearts of believers, hid from the eyes of the world. 2. The light which proceedeth from Him who is invisible, shines through the hearts of behevers into the world, and becomes manifest there. S. The divine life fully manifested iu the great day of revelation. The Lord's Prayer, as the prayer of Christian behevers. — The Lord's Prayer a precious jewel, which reflects the Ught of Christianity : 1. The teaching of the Gospel ; 2. the life of the Lord ; 3. His grace ; 4. the discipline of the Spirit of Christ ; 5. the power of the new life ; 6. the history of the kingdom of God. — The Lord's Prayer, as expressing our adoption and reconciUation : 1. There the promises of God and our requirements meet ; 2. there the ways of God and our ways meet ; 3. there the Amen of God responds to our Amen. — The sad state of Christendom, as ap- pearing in connection with the Lord's Prayer : 1. It was intended against vain repetitions, and has itself become a mere formula ;* 2. it was intended to obviate * [Hence Luther somewhere calls the Lord's Prayer "the greatest martyr."— P. S.] all discord, and has become the shibboleth of many a separation.* — The three portions of the Lord's Prayer : The address — the petitions — the conclusion. — " Our Father who art in heaven ; " or, the tnie in- ward posture of him who addresses God. — The Lord's Prayer viewed as an intercession. — The address, " Our Father," so simple, and yet so novel : 1. infi- nitely easy, and yet infinitely diflicult ; 2. natural, yet supernatural ; 3. humble, yet exalted ; 4. the com- mencement and the conclusion of all prayer. — Sur- render to God, as implying our acceptance of the kingdom of heaven: 1. The first three petitions ex- press, that while surrendering ourselves to God, we own and seek His kingdom ; 2. the last petitions, that while owning ami seeking His kingdom, we sur- render ourselves to Him. — The name of God consti- tutes the first object of our petitions ; 1. From its glory ; 2. from the dishonor which men cast upon it ; 3. from its sanctification. — The name of God includ- ing and opening up the whole kingdom of heaven. — If you would have the name of God hallowed in the world, see that you first hallow it in your own hearts. — Learn to know the name of God ; or, how readest thou ? how seekest thou ? how knowest thou ? what believest thou ? how stands it with thy learning and with thy teaching ? — " 77m/ kingdom come ; " 1. That the Old Testament, both in its law and in its types, may be fulfilled ; 2. that the kingdom of darkness may be destroyed ; 3. that the three-fold kingdom of grace, of power, and of glory may be manifested. — The petition, " Thy kingdom come," a missionary prayer. — A pi'ayer for the final reconcihation of State and Church iu the perfect kingdom of heaven. — Is both your ruling and your obeying in conformity with this fundamental principle ? — " Thy will be done,'" etc. : 1. Filialness of this petition : Thy will ; 2. humihty of tins petition : on earth ; 3. boldness of this petition : as in Jieaven. — Are your will and conduct regulated by this principle ? — The three first petitions viewed, 1. as the promise descending from heaven to earth — Thy name in heaven. Thy kingdom between heaven and earth. Thy will on earth : 2. as a sacrifice ascending from earth to heaven — the sur- render of our own name, of our own power, and of our own win. — As exhibiting, with increasing clearness and power, the union of heaven and earth : the rev- elation of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. — " G-lve us this day our daily breads Appar- ently one of the smallest, yet one of the greatest petitions. I. Smallness of the petition: 1. We ask what most men already possess ; 2. we ask it only for the small circle of those around our table ; 3. we ask only daily bread; 4. we ask it only for to-day. II. Greatness of the petition: 1. We ask that earthly bread should be converted into heavenly bread, or manna ; 2. we ask that He would feed all those who are ia want; 3. we ask that He would meet the daily requirements of a waiting world ; 4. v^e ask it to-day, and ever again, to-day. — The fourth petition as a vow, 1. of sonship; 2. of trustfulness; 3. of labor; 4. of * [Dr. Lange alludes here more particularly to the dif- ference between the German Lutherans, who pray: '•Vaier miser," '■'■Father our" (which is the ancient form and cor- responds to the Latin Pater noster), and the German Pve- formed, who pray "■Unser Vater," " Our Father," which is the modern German and was used by Luther himself in his German version of the Bible, Matt. vi. 9 ; Luke xl. 2. This difference, insignificant as it is, has often been exaggerated and been a cause of alienation of feeling and disturbance in devotion. So, also, the Lord's Supper, intended to be a sacred feast of love and union with Christ and His people, has in- nocently become the occasion of tlie most bitter theological strifes.— P. S.] CHAP. VI. 1-15 129 grcatitude ; 5. of kindness. — Prayer before meals in its wider sense : 1. A prayer of the husbandman ; 2. a prayer for our ordinary calling ; 3. a prayer for our daily work ; 4. a prayer in our distress ; 5. a prayer in ail our earthly wants. — This grace before meat in its more restricted sense. — Moderation and content- ment a fruit of trustfulness. — The prayer of content- ment.— True conteutmeut proceeding from a view of the hidden riches of God. — Hungering and thirsting after spiritual supplies will render us contented with our earthly supplies. — The prayer of penitence : " For- give us onr debts :'''' 1. It realizes sin, and reahzes it as a debt ; 2. it realizes the burden of sin as a debt resting on mankind generally ; 3. it realizes forgi\ g- ness as a free grace and a free gift. — How true ];c-k'!- tence appears in the prayer of faith. — Assurance of forgiveness calling forth the prayer, " Forgive us." — Forgiveness and readiness to foi'give cannot be sep- arated. Connection betv.-een the two : 1. Forgiveness makes us ready to forgive ; 2. readiness to forgive inspires us with courage to seek forgiveness ; 3. the spirit of forgiveness ever joins the two more closely together. — He who cannot forgive man, cannot find forgiveness with God : 1. Because he will not believe in forgiving love ; 2. because he will not act upon its directions. — In what sense is it true that he who for- gives shall be forgiven ? 1. His forgiving is not the ground, but the evidence of his forgiveness ; 2. his forgiving is an evidence that the forgiveness of God preserves hun ; 3. his forgivmg shows the truth of his testimony, that there is forgiveness. — He who strictly reckons with his fellow-men in outward matters, cannot have experienced the gift of free grace in his inner life. — Forgiveness and readiness to surrender all are inseparably connected. — " Lead us not into temptation.'''' — How our trials by God may become temptations to sin : 1. By the supervention of our own evil inclinations ; 2. of "the world, with its allurements ; 3. of the great tempter himself. — Every temptation is at the same time a judgment for the past and a danger for the future. — Even our neces- sary contact with a sinful world is a source of con- tinual temptation. — God tempteth no man (James i. 13), yet may He lead us into temptation : 1. Because He leads us, and temptation is in the way ; 2. because He tries us, and temptation supervenes ; 3. because He deals with us according to our faith, and tempta- tion exerts its power through our unbelief. — The dark cloud which rests upon our future : 1. Not want, but temptation ; 2. not the enmity of the world, but its temptation ; 3. not death, but again temptation. — Because we have, in our sinfulness, not trembled in anticipation of danger, we must, when pardoned, tremble afccr the danger is past. — A pardoned simier has only one fear left, which leads to genuine fear of God, but dcUvers from all other dread : 1. The fear of defiUng the white garment, of losing the ring, of being excluded from the man-iage feast. 2. This Teads to true fear of God : he recognizes God everywhere even in the midst of temptation ; he hides in pray- er under the shadow of the Almighty ; his love casts out fear. — The courage and boldness of Christ's sol- diers srprLngs from their fear of temptation, just as in battle the courage whicli defies death springs from a calm view of the danger incurred. — Perfect love cast- eth out fear. — ^'■Deliver us from evil!" — Along witli the anticipation of the last assault, the believer will also obtain anticipation of final deliverance. — Dehv- erancc in its threefold form : — at the commence- ment, in the middle, and at the end of our journey to heaven. — DeUver us from evil : 1. From sin here and hereafter ; 2. from evil here and hereafter. — The last petition the commencement of triumph. — The inter- cession of tlic three [or four] last petitions. — Our confidence m prayer derived from the assurance that God is able and willing to help us. — The climax of our prayer is praise : " Thine is the kingdom,''' etc. — The kingdom of God in its threefold form : the king- dom of nature, of grace, and of glory. — The three- fold manifestation of the poiuer of God : creation, re- demption (the resurrection of Christ), and final judg- ment and glory. — Threefold manifestation of the glory of God : 1. The image of God glorified ; 2. the Church of God glorified ; 3. the city of God glorified (God all in all). — " Amen,'" or calmness and assur- ance the fruit of prayer. — The Holy Spirit alone grants the li'ue Amen, in prophciic anticipation of the answer in peace. — The " Amen " as combining the promise of God and the vow of man. — Christ our Yea and Amen. — How in this prayer Christ, 1. Hallows the name of God ; 2. brings the kingdom of heaven ; 3. reveals and fulfils upon earth the will of heaven ; 4. appears as the manna from heaven ; 5. introduces pardon and peace ; 6. manifests Himself as the Shep- herd and Guardian of His people ; 7. as perfect Sav- iour and Deliverer ; and hence as the Burden of the new song of the redeemed. — Prayer an outgoing of faith, through Christ, to God. — Prayer, or personal converse with God, is holy love. — The right relation- ship of Christians toward their neighbors, toward God, and toward themselves. — To give — to give one- self, and to surrender* — is, in a spiritual sense, to lend, to receive, and to enjoy. Starke: — Jesus the Patron, the Advocate, and the Provider of the poor, John xsi. 5. — God loveth a cheerful giver, and His righteousness endureth for ever, 2 Cor. ix. 7, 9 ; Prov. xxii. 9. — It is proof of the folly of men, that they seek honor of each other, John .xii. 43 ; and not rather that they may find ac- ceptance with God, Ps. xxxi. 8. — Our best v,'orks be- come sin, if done only for the sake of appearance. — Our alms form part of our treasure ; he who does uot hide it, seems like one anxious to have it stolen, Mark xii. 42-44. — Pray without ceasing, 1 Thess. v. 17. — The prayer of the righteous availeth much, if it be earnest, Ps. cxiv. 18; Jnmcs v. 16; but that of the hypocrite availeth nothing, Luke xviii. 10, 14. — "We may everywhere find a place for prayer, 1 Tim. ii. 8 ; Jonah ii. 2, 3 ; but the prayer of the hj-pocrite is a lie wherever it be offered, Ps. 1. 16, 17. — Sinful intentions in the heart may destroy the most holy outward acts, Luke xviii. U), 14. — Prayer presup- poses solitude, at least of the heart, — the most se- cret place in the house of God which is within, where we should close the door behind us, even though it be in public prayer, or in the largest assembly, 2 Kings iv. 4 ; Ps. Ixxvii. 3. — Qucsnel: Prayer requires heart rather than tongue, sighing rather than words, faith rather than reason, Mark xi. 23. — Wiirtemherg Bible: Those brief ejaculatory prayorsf sent up to heaven in few words, and which may be uttered even while engaged in our daily labor, arc by far the rich- est and best, ch. xv. 25. — Quesnel: Prayer is not in- tended to inform (lod, but to set before man his misery, to humble his heart, to awaken his desires, to kindle his faith, to encourage his hope, to raise his soul toward heaven, and to remind him that his Father, his home, and his eternal mheritance are above, Phil. iii. 20, * [In German : Geien, Rlngehen, Aufgehen.—I t [Called by Luther ; Kurze Stusuffelietleiti.—] 130 THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW. The Lord's Prayer. — Quesnel: — A king who himself draws up the petition which is to be pre- sented, must surely take great pleasure in granting it, Isa. Ixv. 24 ; John xvi. 23. — It is not wrong for an unlettered Christian to make use of a form of prayer ; but it is well to accustom ourselves to bring our wants before God m our own words. — Our heav- enly Father alone is to be worshipped, and no crea- ture, ch. iv. 10. — Maj. Harm. : The kingdom of God comes from heaven to earth, in order that earth may become heaven. None of us can ascend from earth to heaven, unless the kingdom of God have first descended on us from heaven to earth, Luke vii. 20, 21. — Poor sinful man ! — we are, so to speak, afflict- ed with spiritual impotence, so that we cannot come to the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of God must come to us, John vi. 44. — The will of God can- not be done unless we are willing, so much as lieth in us, to deny the will of our flesh, of Satan, and of an evil world, Piom. xii. 21. — Our daily bread comes from God, and not by blind fortune, or by fate, Ho- sea ii. 8. — Let us be satisfied with what is absolutely necessary, and not ask God for more than that, 1 Tim. vi. 8 ; Prov. xxx. 8. — The ungodly receive their bread by the intercession of the saints. Gen. xli. 54. — The poor equally pray for the rich, and the rich for the poor. — If we are not ready to forgive, we only pray against ourselves, or invoke wrath and ven- geance, which God will execute upon us, even as we reserve vengeance against our nciglibor, Sirach xxviii. 14. — The life of the Christian a continual con- flict.— 3faj. Harm. : Our comfort under all tempta- tions is this, that God is with us, that He sets bounds, and will make all things work together for our salvation, 1 Cor. x. 13 ; 2 Tun. iv. 17. — We en- dure under temptation, not in our own strength, but in that of God, 1 Cor. x. 13 ; 2 Pet. ii. 9 ; Isa. xli. 10-14. — Quesnel: Ah! how many snares are there, how many liindrances to what is good, how many oc- casions to sin, how many enemies of salvation, how much sorrow and misery ! Ps. cvi. — Thou who temptest others to sin, who exposest thyself wan- tonly to temptation, or who in temptation fightest yet not with the armor of God, why wilt thou mock God by praying, " Lead us not into temptation ? " 1 Pet. V. C; Eph. vi. 11. — Canst thou be afraid of death, and yet pray, " Deliver us from evil ? " — He has already delivered us from evil. He does deliver us, and He will perfectly deliver us, 2 Tim. iv. 18 ; 2 Cor. i. 10. — The honor of God should be the first and the" last object of our prayers (Thy name, etc. ; for Thine is, etc.), Ps. Ixix. 31, cxv. 1. — Spiritual fasting consists in ceasing from evil, Isa. Iviii. 6, 7 ; and in temperance in all things, Luke xxi. 34. — The popish fasts are a constraint of conscience, a mock- ery, a hypocrisy, and a superstition, 1 Tim. iv. 3. — The more a sinner seeks to attract the attention of men, the further does God turn His compassion from him. Acts xii. 21, 23. — In order to be a sincere Christian, it is not necessary to hang our head like a bulrush, Isa. Iviii. 5. — The life of believers is hid with Christ in God ; but when Christ, who is their life, shall appear, they also shall appear with Him in glory, Col. iii. 3, 4; "2 Cor. vi. 9, 10.— Our good works, though done in secret, are not lost. Lisco : — True righteousness : It consists not in appearance, but in reality and truth ; its objects are not earthly, but heavenly ; it has respect to the judg- ment of God, not to that of man. " Reference " to God the sole motive of truly good works. Gcrlach: — A comparison of this passage with ch. V. 16 shows that in this instance also our Lord teaches by contrasts. He unmasks selfishness in all its forms, both when it conceals unbehef under the garb of humility and retirement, and when it exhib- its its fancied treasures to the view of men. It may be equally wrong in the sight of God to hide our good works (ver. 4) as to display them. — If you would have your most ardent desire accomplished, pray, " Thy will be done." — The object of fasting is to set us free from the power of the flesh and of the world ; but if we employ it to further our worldly views, it will only serve to increase the gulf between God and our souls. Braune : — The address, leather, is also found Isa. Ixiii. 16 : " Thou, 0 Lord, art our Father, our Re- deemer." This was a temporary anticipation of the higher life of the Spirit of Christ in the prophet (1 Pet. i. 11). The name, Father, awakens in us the sense of our relationsliip to God, the feeling of fiUal love and trust. We have received the spirit of adop- tion, Rom. viii. 1 5 ; Gal. iv. 6. Heubner : — Chrysostom : If you have not heard your own prayers, how can you expect that God shall hear them ? — The will of God is in the first place His will with reference to us, whicli we are to do. The petition therefore means : Take away our own will, and let Thy will be my rule. But, further, the will of God also implies His purposes concerning us. Hence the petition means : Give us such a mind as to be satisfied with whatever Thou sendcst, and never to murmur. — A Christian must learn also to have do- minion over his body. Literature. — Fr. Arndt [of Berlin] : Zehn Pre- (ligten iiber das Gebet des Herrn, 1836; Niemann: Zehn Predigten iiber das Vaier Unser, 1844. — [Also Tertullian : De oratione (who calls the Lord's Prayer : Breviarium evangelii) ; Cyprian : De ora- tione Dominica ; Augustine : De serrn. M. ii. 4-8 ; Serrn. 56-58 ; Origen : Xiipi ei'x'7^ ! Gregory of Nyssa: De oratione Dominica; Cyril of Jerusa- lem : Catech. xxiii. ; Bp. Anurewes (Anglican, who calls the Lord's Prayer " a compendium of faith ") : Works, Oxf., 1841 sqq., vol. v., 300-476); the ex- planations of this Pra)'er in the leading Catechisms of Luther, Calvin, Heidelberg, Westminster, of Trent, etc. ; Lohe (Germ. Luth.) : Sermons on the Lord's Prayer ; Wm. R. Williams (Baptist): LeC' tnres on the Lord's Prayer, New York, 1850. — P. S.] CHAP. VI. 19-34. 131 4. Spurious worldliness of the Pharisees in their righteousness ; or, the Pharisees' sharing of the cares of the heathen. Chapter VI. 19-34. {Vers. 24-34 the Pericope for the I5th Sunday after Trinity.) 19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt 20 [consume], and where thieves break through and steal : But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt [consumeth], and where 21 thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your^ treasure is, there will your 22 heart be also. The light of the body is the eye : if therefore thine eye be single, thy 23 whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that 24 darkness ! No man can serve two masters : for either he Avill hate the one, and love the other ; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God 25 and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no [anxious] thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink ; ^ nor yet for your body, what ye shall put 26 on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air : for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns ; yet your heav- 27 enly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you 28 by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature [age] ? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, 29 neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was 30 not arrayed like one of these. "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, 0 31 ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or. What 32 shall we drink? or. Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek :) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these 33 things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;* and all these 34 things shall be added unto [to] you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow : for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. ^yeT.2l.—Jiecepta: vnuv. [Lachmann, Tischendorf, Fritzsche, Meyer, and Alford give the preference to aov, thy treasure. — P. S.] - Vcr. 25.— Lachinarin if, following Cod. B., etc., ^ t( vriTjTe. The adais (the Vulgate and our authorized version render it rust, James v. 2, 3 ; Kuinoel and Baumgarten-Cru- sius refer it to a species of wonns ; . Casaubonus and others speak of a %v hia ouolu, hence ai)s ^pwaKovaa) ; a general expression, but points primarily to provi- sions, to accumulations of food and corn ; while the breaking through of thieves refers to the possession of gold and silver. The meaning seems to be, that everything which is passing away has its own princi- r)le of destruction, suited to its special nature, whe- ther vegetable, animal, or moral. In general, it ex- hibits the vanity of all earthly possessions, and the unsatisfactory character of the enjoyments which they yield. Irrespective of their use, these possessions are dead, exposed to the moth, to consumption, and to tliieves, — to the organs of physical and moral an- niliilation. It scarcely requires to be added, that the pltuv of these treasures, the ki?id of treasures, and the manner in which they are collected, are in this i Instance equally of the earth, earthy. Ver. 20. Treasures in heaven. — Our attention is iimt directed to the place where genuine treasures are to be found, viz., heaven, where God reveals Him- self, and where all is eternal. The kind of treasures is in nccordance with their place, or with heaven. Similarly, these treasures must be gathered in a hea- venly manner — by kindness, by spiritual fellowship with God, by self-denial; in short, by a surrender to our Father who is in heaven. It is therefore quite erro- neous (with Chrjsostona and others) to apply it to almsgiving, in the expectation of a heavenly reward. On the other hand, it may be necessary to remind those \v'ho, like Meyer, seem to regard the kingdom of heaven as something external and future, that this heavenly life begins upon earth by faith. — The hea- venly possessions are characterized according to their negative advantages, where no moth doth corrupt, etc. ; comp. 1 Pet. i. 4. — These words are also di- rected against the carnal anticipations of the Jews, especially of the Pharisees and scribes. Ver. 21. For where your treasure is. — Our treasure, or dearest possession, forms the ideal on which our affections are set, and in accorJance with wliich our feelings and desires assume shape. Hence, if our treasure is on earth, our heart will also be there, our inclinations and desires will be earthly ; and, since this is contrary to our heavenly destiny, the consequence must be eternal sorrow and shame. But if the heart has its treasure in heaven, its affec- tions will also be directed thither, and it will be trans- formed in accordance therewith. Ver. 22. The light of the body. — Connection. Not : in order to fulfil this duty, you must " preserve your inner light or reason (Chrysostom: 6 i'i,v<:) un- dimmed ; " but : ye must preserve your mental eye undivided in its gaze. The Lord evidently alludes here to the Pharisees, whose attention and afi'ections were divided between what was temporal and what was spiritual. Their state of mind is illustrated by the eye. The eye is the light of the body (lit from the light of the sun). Everything now depends on a right condition of the eye. It must be a-rrKov^, i. e., simple, in opposition to the irovyjpds, or bad, spoiled eye. If the contrai^t between a healtliy and a diseased eye were intended (in the sense of any ail- ment affecting it), it would have been otherwise ex- pressed. We conclude, therefore, that it refers to the contrast between proper sight and deceptive or double sight. " The word is never used to indicate healthy. Hence we might agree with Eisner and Olshausen iu explaining it as an eye which does not see double — double sight being a disease; and, with Quesnel, apply it as meaning, that it knows only one object of love — even God. But if we inquire what Hebrew word corresponded to the Greek term, we find that AquiJa and the Sept. translate ottAoDs for the Hebrew ~n, "i-i = oKoK^ripos, which lattei', like integer, is related to airXovs. Thus Theophylact ex- plains airKovs and novripos hy.vytrj^ and yoawbris." Tholuck. — But we object to any translation of definite and distinct into more general teims, in order thus to give them a meaning which is not warranted by the context. The desire of serving at the same time (iod and mammon may be characterised as a moral double sight, as an evil eye, which is rightly desig- nated by TToi/rjpAs, in direct contrast to an\ovs. But the eye is oTrAors, when it wholly, consciously, and calmly agrees with the state of the mind and heart, — when it is not wandering, and therefore not double-sighted nor untrue, and hence worse, than blind. On the other hand, the eye is evil if it lose its power of perceiving, or begins to wander and miss the object set before it. Then the whole body will be full of darkness, or enveloped iu night. But the darkening of the mind has more sad consequences than that of the body. Jf there/ore — a conclusio a minor i ad majus — the light that is in thee (the inward light) be darkness, etc. Ver. 23. The question as to the meaning of the light that is in thee, is of importance. Chry- sostom : o I'lni^. Cahln : Lumen vocal Christus ra- tionem, quantidaamque hominibus reliqua manct post lapsum AdcE. Beza, Chemnitz, Gerhard, Calov: " The eye which is enlightened by the word and Spirit of God."— Tholuck : That which is left of the Di\-ijie unage in man, after John viii. 47 ; xviii. 37 ; or, as Gerhard has it, lumen natrirce, the hght of na- ture.— Meyer : Reason, especially practical reason. — The capacity of the inner eye of reason to become the organ of knowledge is evidently here alluded to, although the expression has a more special meaning. It is not the inner eye itself, the vuvs, but the light o) the inner eye, or the Old Testament revelation so well known by the Pharisees and scribes, which ha'i, Ijy their carnal views, been perverted into error. — If tlie bodily eye is blind, the danger is less, because precaution will be used. The real peiil lies in tlie eye seeing falsely or double, because in that case tlij li'^bt of the sun' will only serve to blind, which ii CHAP. YI. 19-34. 133 worse than utter darkness. The same holds true of the inner eye when it converts the light of revela- tion into a blinding and misleading Ught. This was the case with the Pharisees and scribes. They would have had God and a carnal Messiah, — they would serve the Lord and mammon. As the organ of light, the eye of the body is, so to speak, our light ; oq^upying, so far as we are con- cerned, the place of the sun, and in that respect re- presentmg the whole body, as if the whole body were an eye. This makes it also the organ and symbol of the inner eye, or of reason, by which the light of the spiritual sun is communicated to the inner lite, and which, if healthy, converts the whole inner life into a capacity of spiritual perception. But just as when the external eye is not simple or double in its sight, the outward light only serves to dazzle, so also in reference to the inner eye and the light of revelation. How great is that darkness ! The history of Pharisaical Judaism has amply corroborated the truth of this statement. The inward eye is intended to be the eye of the heart. Eph. i. 18. The state of the heart and the state of the eye influence each other. If the heart is set on heavenly treasui-es, the eye must be directed toward the light. Comp. the biblical psychology of Beck, and DeUtzsch. Yer. 24. No man can serve two masters. — Double sight of the spiritual eye is both the cause and the consequence of duplicity in reference to the desires of the heart (James i. 8, ai'vp Siipvxos). But the Pharisees, in their false spirituality, reduced it to a system, and deemed themselves capable of combining the service of Heaven with their earthly incUnations. The Lord dispels in the text this delu- sion. It is plam that no man can at the same time truly serve two masters. One of the two services must necessarily be merely outward, or, what is worse, one of the masters must be hated or despised, — because true service presupposes love and attach- ment. Btit why two examples V Meyer : " He will either bate the one and love the other, or else hold to the one and despise the other." This commenta- tor correctly reminds us that, as in other places, so here, intadu and ayairuv must have their full mean- ing, and not be interpreted hy posthabere and prce- ferre, as de Wette and others propose. But then there must have been some special object for giving two instances. Perhaps the difference between them may lie in this, that the real master cannot be de- spised, but may be hated, since he must be respect- ed, and it is imposssible to get away from him. But if the real master is loved, the servant will hold to him and despise the usurper, who has no real claim, and from whose power it is possible and easy to with- draw. The application of this to spiritual life is plain. Man can have only one master, or only one highest good and principle of life. But if he choose the world as his highest good, and, along with the worship of the true God, attempt the service of an idol, he must decide for himself. First, however, let him clearly understand that he cannot at the same time serve two masters, and that, in attempting this double service, he can only be a traitor and a hypo- crite. And Mammon. — Probably mammon was origi- nally not the name of a mythological deity, but was gradually imported into mythology from common life, in a manner similar to that in which the term is still employed. Bretschneider : " M a u « v a j, Hebr. "|i^ -, fortasse significat id, cui confiditur, ttt Sept. ^jilTDN Isa. xxxiil. 6, Oi^aavpovs, Ps. xxxvii. 3, ttXovtov, reddiderunf, vel est, ut multi putanf, nomcn Idoli Si/- rorum et Panorum, i. q. Phitos Grcecorum.'''' Au- gustine remarks on this passage : " Congruit et pu- nicum nomen, nam lucmm punice Mammon dicitur." " Money, in opposition to God, is personified and re- garded as an idol, somewhat like Plutus, although it cannot be shown that such an idol was worshipped." — Olshausen. Luther : To have money and property is not sin- ful, provided it become not thy master, but remain thy servant and thou its master.* Yer. 25. Take no thought.f — Connection. Anx- iety, which is distrust of God, is the source of ava- rice. Accordingly, the following sins follow each other in regular genealogy : I . Anxious care, distrust of God, commencement of apostasy; 2. avarice, and service of mammon, along with spurious and merely external service of God ; 3. hypocrisy, and further development of external service into religious parade before men. — Again, anxious care itself sprmgs from evil inclination and vanity, from worldliness ( \V7tMt s/iall we eat, etc. '.'), — which marks the Deginning of apostasy from God. The word jitfpiuj/ac, to take thought, denotes not merely " anxious\:sf!& " (de Wette), which would be a tautology, but inordinate or solicitous concern or grief beyond our immediate wants, calling, or daily oceupa.tion ; hence it is in re- ality to weaken one's hands in prospect of the work before us, or the direct opposite of carefulness. From its nature, care extends ei's r^v a'dpiov, ver. 34. — By its soUcitude the heart becomes divided, which is hinted in the word /xepiui^ai' (Tholuck). — T f) ^vx^y in reference to the soul as the principle of physical life. — Is not the life more ? — He who has given the greater will also give the less. — Solicitude is entirely at fault ; Christ teaches us to reason, — God gave me life, which is the greater ; therefore also, etc. Yer. 26. The fowls of the air [hteraUy: the sky or heaven]. — ^''^t^n C\iv , which fly along the heavens, — /. c, appear separated from earth and its provisions, and yet fly so cheerily ; like the lilt/, * [The same ide.a is expressed by St. Jerome in loo.: " Non dixit (Dominus), qui habet, tVwihaa, sed qui servit divi- t!is; qui divitianim servus est cuxtodit ut nerviis; qui ser- vitutis excussit jH£!um, distribuit oas ut i/ominuii.'''' — P. S.] t [Mr; ij.ipiij.var a: Take, not thought, he not con- cerned about, care not for, be not solicitous, be not dis- tracted (from u.f:f)i^M).^ Enalish interpreters generally tako the word thought of the. Com. E. Vers, in the old English sense for solicitude. «?i»ito«s care (Bacon ami Sbakspeare; e. g., "Queen Catharine Parr died of thought'''). Hence Campbell and others translate: '-Be not atio-ioKS.'^ \a.y'\n% the stress wholly on the excexg of care or solicitude. Jos. Addis. Alexander, ad Mutt. vi. 25: "The idea of excess is hen; essential, so that ordinary thought or care is not ex- cluded." Alford: "The E. V., 'Take no thought,^ does not express the sense, but gives rather an exaggeration of the command, and thus makes it unreal and nugatory. In Luke xii. 29 we have iJ-h neTf<,ip.(i