;y^ 
 
o -PTJ risrfiF.TON. N. J. 
 
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THE LUTHERAN COMMENTARY 
 
 A PLAIN EXPOSITION OF THE 
 
 i^olp J^crqjtuteief of tl^e i^etaj 'Zmammt 
 
 BV 
 
 SCHOLARS OF THE LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA 
 
 EDITED BY 
 
 HENRY EYSTER JACOBS 
 
 Vol. III. 
 
 mew forft 
 
 €l)e €|jn^tian ititeratiu:^ €o, 
 
 MDCCCXCV 
 
ANNOTATIONS 
 
 ox THE 
 
 <i5oi6fpel 3ilccorDmg to .^t. ^ath 
 
 JOHN A. w:haas. b.d. 
 
 €I)C Ci)rii0ftian Uttcrature Co, 
 
 MDCCCXCV 
 
COFVRIGHT, T895, 
 
 BY 
 
 TFiK CHRISTIAN LITERATURE CO. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The aim and scope of this volume is in part somewhat 
 more scientific and technical than announced in the gen- 
 eral plan. It was thought advisable to offer more to 
 scholars, since the practical import of the gospels will be 
 suflficiently treated in the other volumes. Nevertheless 
 the practical need was not overlooked. The matter in- 
 tended especially for pastors and students has therefore 
 been largely placed in footnotes ; and the general text 
 is such in most parts, that it can be readily and easily 
 understood by all readers. 
 
 The latest results of exegesis, as far as available, have 
 always been examined even though they were not every- 
 where adopted. In Biblical Archaeology, Geography, 
 Philology, and History, and in the exposition of some 
 few passages, as well as in the maintenance of the histor- 
 ical point of view there has been a real advance. But 
 the modern prevalent method is at fault in this, that con- 
 stantly looking for the traces of an imaginary original 
 source, it so interprets the individual gospel as to bring 
 it into discord if not disagreement with the others. There 
 is an atomism which disrupts the organism of the gos- 
 pels. What would be censurable according to the gen- 
 eral principles of interpretation, that are used not in the 
 Scriptures alone, is found again and again. Excellent 
 as modern exegesis is in the exact linguistic fixation 
 of the individual word and the true valuation of the 
 
 V 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 peculiarity of the language and expression of the several 
 authors, its great error is the treatment of the Harmony 
 of the gospels. This is generally rejected lightly and 
 summarily. Therefore the conception of unity possessed 
 by Augustine is in essence truer than that of Weiss. 
 
 Although the Harmony cannot be established by one 
 principle or through one method, an error of our early 
 Lutheran Harmonists, and must be carefully guarded, 
 nevertheless it is not so useless nor fanciful as modern 
 exegesis largely presupposes by its silence or assumes in 
 its confident tone. The abandonment is due not so 
 much to an actual disproval as to the critical and philo- 
 sophical position of many exegetes. 
 
 The idea of the connection of the Old with the New 
 Testament, and the use of some words of the Old Tes- 
 tament in a messianic sense, directly rather than typi- 
 cally, are not altogether along the line of thought, so 
 generally received, because with all its historicity, it is 
 destructive of the divine factor. The Old Testament 
 is the constant foundation of the truth of the New Tes- 
 tament ; and the right understanding of the development 
 of the kingdom of God demands a consideration of its 
 beginning and progress in the times of the Old Testa- 
 ment. But the Old Testament ought not to be regarded 
 as the source whence the Apostles derived the material 
 for their stories of the miraculous. It is no starting- 
 point for the formation of myths. This treatment, 
 arising from an a priori rejection of the supernatural, not 
 only undervalues the originality, uniqueness and more 
 than human power of Jesus, but also honors the his- 
 torical preparation more than the actual appearance 
 of Salvation. It is wrong even on its own historical 
 principles, for it must partly assume a cause of the 
 accounts of the miraculous more striking than its effect, 
 
PREFACE. vii 
 
 and partly describe an effect for which the cause does 
 not answer. 
 
 In the expression of the central thoughts and the prac- 
 tical deductions of many verses, the words of the Church 
 Fathers and of the Reformers together with some later 
 Christian thinkers, notably Starke and Stier, have been 
 frequently employed, not only for their individual value, 
 excellence and suggestiveness ; but also to stimulate the 
 study of the whole range of exegetical material and to 
 indicate the deep consensus of biblical exegesis of all 
 times in the Christian Church. The differences in minor 
 points will only serve to make this more apparent. 
 
 The text commented upon has not been uniformly 
 abbreviated, but printed in full in italics enclosed between 
 heavy-faced type. This was due to a misunderstanding, 
 which it was too late to correct. The desire to be brief 
 and concise has made this volume somewhat shorter, but, 
 it is hoped, none the less useful and acceptable. An 
 Appendix has been added on the question of the time of 
 the Last Supper, in which nothing new will be found ; 
 but the existing material has been thoroughly examined 
 and given fully in all its bearings. This was believed 
 to be not without value for all readers. 
 
 Acknowledgment must be made of the ready access 
 which has been granted me to the Library of the Union 
 Theological Seminary, through the kindness of its 
 Librarian, Mr. Gillett. 
 
 May the Head of the Church bless this humble en- 
 deavor to the stimulation of research among pastors and 
 students, to renewed interest and love in the divine 
 oracles by the people, and to the edification of all be- 
 lievers ! 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
 New York, October, 1895. 
 
INTRODUCTION.^ 
 
 I. Author. The second evangelist,^ John Mark, bears 
 in his name the indication of the divine grace,^ which 
 sent the Spirit as prime author, and of the pecuHar 
 human individuahty,* which, though borne by the Spirit, 
 shows itself. This name also points to the historical and 
 linguistic Hebrew foundation of the Christian religion, 
 and to the Roman power, which it so soon conquered. 
 And that the gospel might more readily be brought to 
 the Roman Christians, John Mark (Acts 12 : 25 ; 15 : 37), 
 
 1 In addition to the commentaries, cited in the exposition of Mark, the 
 following works have been used or consulted : The N. T. Introductions of 
 Credner, Guerike, Bleek (Mangold, 4th ed.), Kostlin, Holtzmann, Weiss, 
 Reuss (Hist, of Sacred Script, of N. T., Engl. Transl. of 5th ed., Boston, 1884), 
 Grau (Entwickelungsgesch. des N. T., Schrifttums), Nosgen (Introd. to 
 Gesch. der N. T. Offenb.), L. Schulze in Zockler's Handbuch, etc., West- 
 cott, Davidson, E. A. Abbott in Encyl. Brit., Ebrard's (Wissenschaftl. 
 Kritik der ev. Gesch. 3d ed.) Schaff's Ch. Hist., vol. I.; Giider on Mark and 
 Steitz on Papias in Herzog-PUtt Real-Encyl.; McClintock & Strong cS: 
 Smith's Bible Diet.; E. Hatch on Mark in Encyl. Brit.; Weiffenbach, Die 
 Papias-fragmente ; Zahn, Das Evangel des Petrus ; Zahn, Gesch. des N. T., 
 Kanons, I. and II.; Re.sch, Agrapha in Gebhardt & Harnack, Texte u. 
 Untersuchungen ; Farrar, Early Days of Christianity; Fischer, Beginnings 
 of Christianity. 
 
 2 It was conjectured by Spanheim that Mark also wrote the epistle to 
 the Hebrews, by Holtzmann that he composed the epistle of Jude, and by 
 Hitzig that he was the author of the Apocalypse. 
 
 ^ John, the Hebrew name, means, Jehovah is gracious, and is equivalent 
 to the German Gotthold. 
 
 * This is expressed in Mark, a common Latin name meaning " Mallet." 
 Cf. Morison, p. XV. 
 
 ix 
 
INriWD UC T/OM. 
 
 abandoned his original Jewish name John (Acts 13 : 5, 
 13), and used Mark alone/ in the same spirit of evangel- 
 ical freedom and wisdom that prompted a Saul to be- 
 come a Paul. Mark was the son ^ of a certain Mary of 
 Jerusalem, who offered her house as the meeting-place 
 and refuge of the Christians (Acts 12 : 12), and the 
 nephew of the Levite Barnabas (Acts 4 : 36 ; Col. 4 : 10).^ 
 On that memorable night, when eagerness led Mark to 
 follow Christ's captors (ch. 14 : 51), and he fled so sud- 
 denly, his heart may have been deeply impressed, which 
 made it possible for Peter, who enjoyed the solace of 
 the home of Mark after the delivery from prison (Acts 
 12 : 12), to convert him (i Peter 5 : 13).^ He was soon 
 taken on a missionary tour by Barnabas and Paul, but 
 discouraged in the difficulty of the work returned to 
 Jerusalem (Acts 13 : 13). For this reason Paul in his 
 firmness refused to take him again, although Barnabas 
 
 1 After Acts 15 : 39 John never occurs. From the change of names 
 Grotius, Calov, Schleiermacher, Kienlen, Krenkel, Cave and Patrizi argue, 
 that there were two Marks, one Petrme, the other Pauline. The former is 
 claimed as author of this gospel, and the latter as the Mark mentioned in 
 Acts, the companion of Paul. But this distinction is rejected by most 
 scholars. 
 
 - The name of the father, who was probably the " goodman " ofC. 14: 14, 
 is not known, although a late Coptic tradition calls him Aristobulus. 
 
 2 This relation to Barnabas would make Mark of priestly descent; and 
 tliere is a tradition (I'hilosophumena of Hippolytus, \TI. 30) that Mark 
 had cut off his thumb to avoid priestly service. Tregelles, Westcott, 
 Morison, suppose, however, that the epithet "stump-fingered" {koAd- 
 jiuddiiTv'/.oa) refers to poltroonery, because Mark deserted on the first mis- 
 sionary tour, and that this moral idea was in time physically misconstrued. 
 I'ut Zahn (II., p. 20) emphasizing the early occurrence of this tradition, 
 accepts it literally. 
 
 "• There seems no cogent reason to interpret " son " in a natural sense, 
 with Credner, Tholuck and .Schanz. On the children of Peter, see Mc- 
 Gifford's note on Eus. H. E. (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2d series, 
 Christ. Lit. Co., vol. 1. 162). 
 
IN TROD UC TION. xi 
 
 with the kindly feeling of an uncle wished to condone 
 the former fault. A contention and rupture took place 
 (Acts 15 : 39), which was later healed ; for Paul mentions 
 Mark as a fellow-worker in the kingdom of God and as a 
 comfort in his imprisonment (Col. 4:10; Phil. 24) ; and 
 asks Timothy (2 Tim. 4 : ii) to bring Mark to Rome, be- 
 cause he was " useful in ministering." This attachment 
 to Paul did not loosen the bonds of affection toward 
 Peter, whom Mark assisted at " Babylon," possibly 
 Rome (i Peter 5 : 13). According to later tradition ^ 
 Mark labored in Egypt and was the first bishop of Alex- 
 andria, where he died.^ From thence the Venetians, as 
 told in late legends, brought the body to Venice in A. d. 
 827. They have portrayed this at the entrance of San 
 Marco. The character of Mark is similar to that of his 
 spiritual father in the defects of hastiness and instability, 
 and also in the virtues of vigor and energy. 
 
 And upon Peter Mark also depended in his gospel, as 
 the universal testimony of the early church asserts. 
 Papias (first part of 2d century), the scholar of John the 
 Presbyter,^ relates how John told him that " Mark had 
 been an interpreter of Peter," which most probably 
 means, that through his gospel he interpreted Peter to 
 
 1 Eus. H. E. II. 16; Epiph. Haer. LI., 6; Jerome, de vir. ill. 8. 
 
 2 From Ens. II. 24, it follows that Mark died 62 A. D., a date which 
 Jerome adopts. But the earlier and trustworthier tradition of Irenaeus, 
 that Mark wrote his gospel after the death of Peter contradicts this. All 
 the accounts of Mark outside the N. T. are doubtful. 
 
 3 Eus. H. E. III. 39, criticises Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. V. t^t,, 4), who calls 
 Papias " a hearer of John," and cites the very words of Papias, in which 
 "John "and "the presbyter John " are mentioned. Unless Eus. was de- 
 ceived or forged, John the presbyter must be held to be another person 
 than the apostle, as is done by most scholars (Schaff; Ch. Hist. II. 697, 
 McGifford, Eus. p. 170), except Riggenbach, Zahn and Salmon, for whose 
 tirguments see Diet, of Christ. Biography, III., p. 398. 
 
xii INTRO D UC TION. 
 
 those who had not heard him.^ Justin Martyr (a. d. 
 100-120) calls the gospel of Mark, the Memoirs of Peter.^ 
 " Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also 
 hand down to us in writing what had been preached by 
 Peter," says Irenaeus ^ (a. d. 177-200). And Clement of 
 Alexandria* (a. u. 191-202) asserts that upon entreaty 
 of the people Mark wrote out the preaching of Peter. 
 In this he is corroborated by his contemporary, Tertul- 
 lian (a. d. 190-220), who states^ that the gospel of Mark 
 " may be ascribed to Peter, who§e interpreter Mark was." 
 The great Origen ^ traces Mark's work to Peter's sugges- 
 tion. Epiphanius'' (died 402) informs his readers, that 
 Mark " having become an attendant of the holy Peter in 
 Rome, had committed to him the task of setting forth the 
 gospel." And the credulous and inexact Jerome ^ (a. d. 
 346-420) holds the gospel to have been composed, " Peter 
 relating, and he (Mark) writing." This last form has 
 made the freer relation reported in the earliest testimony 
 
 1 This is the position of Zahn (I., 879), who proves that the idea of sec- 
 retary or dragoman is unhistorical, and therefore the wider sense of "inter- 
 preter," which is supported by many classical references, must be accepted. 
 " Interpreter " has been rendered secretary by Hug, Fritzsche, Thiersch, 
 Meyer, Holtzmann, Klostermann, Grau, Weiss, Keil, Schanz ; and " trans- 
 lating interpreter " by Kuinoel, Schleiermacher, Bleek, Schenkel, Renan, 
 Weiffenbach (cf. Papias-fragm., p. 37, sq.) That Mark translated the gos- 
 pel into Latin has been held by Baronius in the interest of the Vulgate. 
 An old Latin copy was supposed to have been found in Venice, but this 
 was a part of the Vulgate (Credner, p. 120). 
 
 ■^ Justin (Dial. 106) cannot mean Memoirs of Christ, as is evident from 
 the context ; nor does he refer to the apocryphal gospel of Peter (Harnack, 
 McCiifford), because the general character of the " apomnemoneumata " 
 (Zahn, L, p. 475) is contrary to this notion, and the word "Boanerges," 
 occurring only in Mark 3 : 17, immediately follows. 
 
 8 Adv. Hser. IIL i, i ; Eus. H. E. V. 8. 
 
 * Eus. VI. 14. 5 c. Marc. IV. 5. 
 
 « Com. on Matt. '• Adv. Haer. XLII. 
 
 8 Letters CXX. to Hedib. XI. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xiii 
 
 a mere mechanical dictation, and is not supported by 
 internal evidences. For, while there is an intimate cor- 
 respondence between the sermons of Peter in the Acts 
 and his epistles both in expression and words, ^ no such 
 agreement consists between the gospel of Mark and the 
 writings of Peter. But in its entirety it unfolds the very 
 features of Christ indicated in Acts 2 : 22 and 3 ; i6. Its 
 vivid, exact and minute representation^ can only be the 
 work of an eye-witness, who is Peter as shown in the 
 account of the selection of the first disciples (i : 16), the 
 visit at Peter's house (i : 29). the search of Peter for 
 Jesus (i : 35 sq), the approach of the friends of Jesus 
 (3 : 21), the very words spoken to the daughter of Jairus 
 (5 : 41), the invitation of Jesus to his disciples to rest 
 (6:31), the proposal of Peter at the transfiguration with 
 the addition " he wist not what to answer," the omis- 
 sion of Christ's honoring promise to Peter (8 : 28 with 
 Matt. 16 : 17), the suffering at Gethsemane (14 : 32 sq.), 
 and the cock crowing twice (14 : 30, 68, 72). 
 
 2. Sources of the Gospel. The preaching of Peter is 
 not the only source of Mark ; for John, the Presbyter, 
 according to Papias, said that Mark " thus wrote some 
 things as he remembered them." ^ But upon what other 
 information Mark relied, and what was its nature, this is 
 a question involving the Avhole relation and origin of the 
 first three gospels. And in this synoptic problem, so 
 difficult, so much discussed and so little solved, the 
 merest outline can be given, pointing in the direction of 
 what seem to be the most probable facts. 
 
 ^ Cf. e. g. I Peter 2 : 7 with Acts 4:11; i Peter 2 : 24 with Acts 5 : 30 ; 
 I Peter 4 : 5 with Acts 10 : 42. 
 
 2See, e. g., 2 : 23; 3 : 5, 34 ; 4 : 38 ; 6 : 3, 39; 7 : 24, 31 ; 8 : 22 ; 9 : 21-24. 
 
 3 For this interpretation see Zahn. I., p. 575, who agrees with Kloster- 
 mann, Meyer, Weiss, as against Weiffenbach fPapias-fragm., p. 63 sq.), 
 who emphasizes " thus." " As he remembered thus he wrote." 
 
xiv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Augustine ^ regarded Mark as the " footman and 
 epitomizer " of Matthew. This theory, but not with as 
 strong a depreciation of Mark, was again taken up by 
 Grotius and adopted by many modern scholars.^ But a 
 close comparison of Matthew and Mark, although re- 
 vealing that " one half of Mark is found in Matthew " 
 (Schaff),^ will nevertheless demonstrate the marked pe- 
 culiarity of the second gospel, which even in the parts 
 most like Matthew adds many original vivid touches. 
 In the sections from ch. 6 : 45 to 8 : 21, which are par- 
 allel to Matt. 14 : 22-16 : 12, there are many additions 
 and original details, as, e. g., " Bethsaida " (6 : 45), " he 
 would have passed them by " (6 : 48), " they were amazed 
 in themselves" (6 : 51), the \vhole of ver. 52, and 7 : 2, 4, 
 5, 8, 12, the fullness of 7 : 19 (cf. Matt. 15 : 16 sq.), the 
 sins mentioned 7 : 22, and the independent order of those 
 in ver. 21 (cf. Matt. 15 : 19), " Syrophenician " (7 : 26), the 
 explicitness of 7 : 30 compared with Matt. 15 : 28, the 
 beginning of 8 : i, "some of them are come from afar " 
 (8 : 3), " having eyes, see ye not ? and having ears, hear 
 ye not?" (8 : 18). Even in the chapters 13-15, which 
 are emphasized by those who advocate a partial reliance 
 of Mark on Matthew, Mark's arrangement of ch. 13 as 
 well as ver, 32 and the characteristic conclusion indicate 
 independence; in ch. 14, ver. 3, 5, 15, 31, and in ch. 15, 
 ver. 8, 21, 41, contain information not in Matthew. It is 
 also impossible to accept the use of Matthew by Mark 
 without including Luke, for Mark i : 21-28, 35-39 ; 
 
 1 DeCons. I.. II. 4- 
 
 2 Among those who hold either a total or at least partial dependence of 
 Mark on Matthew are Mill, Bengel, Wetstein, Griesbach, Owen, Hug, Hil- 
 genfeld, Bleek, Ebrard, Greswell, Keil, Klostermann, L. Schulze, and Nosgen. 
 
 3 For an excellent resume of the harmony and variation by numerical 
 estimate of the first three gospels according to their sections, verses and 
 words, see Schaff. Ch. Hist. I., p. 594 sq. 
 
INTROD UC TION. xv 
 
 12 : 41-44 are found only in Luke.^ A combination 
 would therefore be necessary, which would be a veri- 
 table patchwork. In a part where the third gospel 
 were followed (Mark 4 : 35—6:44) Matt. 13:54-58; 
 14 : 3-12 would be suddenly introduced, and Luke 5 : 39, 
 wanting in Matt., omitted. In the section including 
 Mark 9 : 38 sq., Luke 9 : 49, 50, would be introduced, 
 although the order of Matthew had been previously and 
 subsequently adhered to. Such a method is a modern 
 creation, the conception of imaginative critics.'-^ It finds 
 no support in Mark, for such passages where apparently 
 words of Matthew and Luke were artfully combined (as, 
 e- g-, I : 34, 42 ; 3^4, 5), lose their argumentative power 
 from the fact that there are many other verses, where 
 there is no dependence and the same redundancy, which 
 is a pecuharity of Mark (cf. i : 32 with 16:2; 2:11 with 
 2:9; 5 : 41 ; 4 : 39 with 6 : 51). In addition there are 
 the sections 4 : 26-29 ; 7 : 31-37 ; 8 • 22-26, not in 
 Matthew nor Luke ; 45 expressions nowhere else in the 
 N. T. ;^ the frequent mention of the retirement of Jesus 
 (i : 29, 35, 45 ; 3:7; (> '.^, etc.) ; the independent order 
 in the apostolic catalogue (3 : 14 sq.) ; the designation of 
 Christ as carpenter (6 : 3), the name of the blind beggar 
 at Jericho (10:46), and many other similar details, 
 which demonstrate the originality and independence of 
 Mark. 
 
 Another supposition is, that an original document, the 
 
 1 Clement of Alex. (Eus. H. E. VI. 14) seems to indicate the dependence 
 of Mark on the other synoptic gospels, by giving Mark the third place. 
 This is the position of Griesbach, Fritzsche, Theile, De Wette, Keim, 
 Bleek, Delitzsch. Salmon looks to Luke alone. But "only one third of 
 Mark is in Luke." (Schaff.) 
 
 2 Cf. the construction of C. Baur, as epitomized byMorison, p. XLI. 
 8 For the list, see Schaff, Comp. to the N. T., p. 51. 
 
xvi IN TROD UC TION. 
 
 so-called " Urmarkus," ^ forms the basis of the present 
 gospel of Mark. The historical justification of this view 
 is attempted from the words of John, the Presbyter, as 
 told by Papias, viz., " Mark, having become the interpreter 
 of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not indeed in 
 order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or 
 done by Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor fol- 
 lowed Him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, 
 who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but 
 with no intention of giving a connected account of the 
 Lord's oracles, so that Mark committed no error while 
 he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. 
 For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the 
 things, which he had heard, and not to state any of them 
 falsely." The accuracy of Mark is asserted, while the 
 order of the things said or done by Christ, i. e., the 
 chronological order,^ is denied. This, it is claimed, is 
 inconsistent with the gospel that we possess, which has a 
 chronological order. But the sequence of time is not the 
 principle of the arrangement of Mark. The first miracle, 
 which he reports (i : 40-44), belongs in point of time 
 after 3 : 19.^ The imprisonment of John (6:17 sq.) 
 occurred much earlier, and the manner in which Mark 
 reports it shows that temporal succession was not the 
 motive of his gospel. The section 3 : 20-30 ought to 
 follow I : 39. The plucking of the ears of corn by the 
 disciples (2 : 23 sq.) took place most probably after 6 : 56. 
 There is no insurmountable difficulty in applying the 
 
 1 This is advocated by Koppe, Lachmann, Weisse, Wilke, Schenkel, 
 Holtzmann, Weizsacker, Jahn, Meyer, Handmann, Resch, and others. 
 
 2 Such is essentially the exegesis of the " Papias-Fragment " by Zahn 
 (I p. 876), to be preferred to Weiffenbach (p. 44 sq.), who claims the absence 
 of all order from the " Urmarkus " and slights the force of " accurately." 
 
 8 Cf. Luthardt, Tabelle zur ev. Synopse. 
 
rNTRODVCTlON. xvii 
 
 words of John, the Presbyter, to Mark ; and therefore no 
 reason can be given why an unknown and non-existent 
 document, which the ingenuity of the critics has very 
 boldly, subjectively and arbitrarily reconstructed in many 
 varying and contradictory forms, should be assumed as 
 the basis of the present Mark. Still less reason is there 
 for claiming a partial dependence on the so-called 
 " Logia " (oracles) of Matthew.^ This theory of sources 
 is a modern fiction. Luke, who knows of many that 
 have taken in hand to draw up a narrative (i : l), passes 
 a criticism on these writers ; for the word " taken in 
 hand " {i-zyjiprjna'^) in its N. T. usage (Acts 9 : 29 ; 19 : 13) 
 refers to an undertaking that is a failure. Over against 
 these unnamed writers,'^ that are inexact, Luke has pro- 
 mised an accurate account, based upon what eye-witnesses 
 have " delivered " in oral tradition.^ 
 
 Our gospels are founded on oral tradition.^ This was 
 the manner of communicating the gospel-story, whether 
 " publicly and from house to house " (Acts 20 : 20), or in 
 private catechetical form (Acts 10 : 37 sq.).^ The expres- 
 sions which are used for instruction in the gospel are 
 such as " word," " testimony," " preaching," " speaking," 
 "tradition," "word of message," "message;"^ and its 
 
 1 The words of Papias about Matthew (Eus. H. E. III. 39) have not con- 
 vinced me of their inapplicability to the present Matthew, in so far as they 
 speak of " Logia," which does not refer to words alone (Weiffenbach, p. 77 
 sq.), but also to deeds (Zahn, I., p. 892). 
 
 2 The criticism of Luke does not apply to Mark (Joh. Weiss), but to the 
 many partial accounts with their germs of legends. Origen was the first to 
 see this import of the words of Luke (see Zahn, II., p. 625). 
 
 ^ Cf. Nosgen, N. T. Offenb. I., p. 34, 52. 
 
 * This is held by Herder, Gieseler, Credner, Lange, Ebrard, Thiersch, 
 Norton, Alford, Westcott, Godet, Keil. 
 
 5 Westcott, p. 181. 
 
 ^ See, e. g., Acts 8 : 4, 5 ; 9 : 20 ; 14 : 7 ; 19 : 13 ; Rom. i : 15; 
 I Cor. I : 19, 21 ; 2 Cor. i : 19; 10 : 16; 11 : 4; Gal. i : 8, 16, 23; 
 
xviil INTRODUCTION. 
 
 reception is characterized as " hearing," ^ while " reading" 
 is mostly used of the O. T.^ The influence of the custom 
 of Palestine was in favor of tradition. The sayings of 
 the elders and the various interpretations of the law were 
 thus preserved. " Commit nothing to ' writing ' " was 
 the accepted principle. The memory was schooled to 
 retain not merely facts, but long series of words in the 
 exactest manner. Thus also the gospel-story and the 
 words of Christ would be repeated again and again, and 
 soon obtain a stereotyped form, which was rigidly held. 
 Certain groups of stories would come to be told together, 
 which will often explain connections where chronology 
 is not the determining factor. The early Christian 
 literature shows quite a number^ of " Agrapha," un- 
 written sayings of the Lord (cf. John 21 : 25), which are 
 only possible on the supposition of oral tradition. This, 
 too, can explain the high estimate of tradition among 
 even the earliest Church-fathers, before its deformation 
 began. Polycarp (Ad. Phil. VII.) mentions "the word 
 which has been handed down." And Irenaeus, notwith- 
 standing his rejection of suspicious traditions, still admits 
 true oral accounts of the wonders and words of the Lord 
 in addition to the four gospels, which are most important 
 to him.^ With such oral sources the dependence of Mark 
 on the preaching of Peter fully accords. 
 
 3. Cliaractcristic features. The language a.rA style of 
 
 4 : 13; Eph. 6 : 19 ; i Thess. 2 : 2, 13 ; 2 Thess. 2:15; 3,6: Tit. 1:3; 
 Heb. 4 : 2. 
 
 1 See, e. g., Acts 17 : 20; Rom. 2 : 13; Eph. i : 13; i rhess. 2 : 13; k 
 Tim. 1:13; 2:2; James i : 22, 23, 25. 
 
 2 See, e. g., Matt. 12 : 3, 5 ; 21 : 16, 42 ; 24 : 15 ; Mark 2 : 25 ; 12 : 10, 26; 
 13 : 14; Luke 4 : 16; 6 : 3; 10 : 26; Acts 8 : 28, 30, 32 ; 13 : 27 : 15 : 21. 
 
 3Resch has undoubtedly overstated their number and signihcairce. oft&p 
 using various readings for distinct Logia. 
 * Zahn, I., p. 168. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 Mark are peculiar and characteristic. There is no clas- 
 sical elegance and flow, but the harmony of the Greek 
 language is disturbed by the roughness of the Hebrew. 
 The argumentative " for " ^ is very rare, while the Hebra- 
 istic "and " occurs constantly. Provincialism is combined 
 with a limited and repetitious vocabulary. Yet with all 
 this homeliness force and power are united, which appear 
 in the frequent redundancy,''* the crowding together of 
 participles,^ the strong negatives,* the contrast of oppos- 
 ites,^ the cognate accusative,^ as well as in such individual 
 expressions as "rent" (i : lo), " driveth forth" (i : 12), 
 " tearing him and crying " (i : 26), " foameth and 
 grindeth " (9: 18), and ''wailing greatly" (5 : 38). In 
 addition activity and life are everywhere apparent. The 
 word "straightway" occurs 42 times, and "began" is 
 often found." The imperfect^ and the historical present^ 
 constantly recur. The events are presented with pictu- 
 resque vividness. The very words spoken in Aramaic ^^ 
 are reported, and the direct speech ^^ is preferred to the 
 indirect. The exact time^^ and place ^^ are noted. Pic- 
 torial participles, such as " looking up," " looking on," 
 
 1 Cf. e.g. 7 : 28; 10 : 45. 
 
 22:21; 3:7; 4 : 14, 30 ; 5 : 42 ; 6:25; 7:8; 8 : 34, etc. 
 
 8 5 : 1 5, 25 ; 6 : 22, 54 ; 10:17; 1 2 : 28 ; 14 : 66, 67. 
 
 * I : 44 ; 2:2; 3 : 20 ; 7:12; 9:8; II : 14, etc. 
 
 * 2 : 27 ; 3 : 26, 29 ; 4 : 17, 33 ; 5 : 26, etc. 
 
 6 I : 16; 2 : 4; 3 : 28; 4 : 41 ; 7 : 7; 10: 38. 
 
 "e. g. I :45; 2 : 23; 4:1; 5 : 17 ; 6 : 2 ; 8 : 11, etc. 
 
 8 I : 13, 22, 30; 2 : 2, 13, 16; 3 : 2, I ; 5 : 24; 6 : 3, 13, 20 ; 10 : 13, etc. 
 
 ^ From the ninth chapter onward it is found more frequently than 
 "straightway'" in the whole gospel, e.g., 9:19, 35; 10: i, 16, 46, 55; 
 II : 2, 4, 15, 21, 33; 12 : 13, 14, 16, 18, 41, 43, etc. 
 
 10 3: 17; 5:41; 7 : 34; 14 : 36; 15: 34- 
 
 "4: 39; 5:8,9, 12; 6:9,23, 31; 7 : 5; 8 : 16; 9: II, 25; 14: 58, etc. 
 
 12 I : 35; 2: l; 4:35; 6: 2; 11 : i, II, 19; 15: 25; 16 : 2. 
 
 182:13; 5 = 20; 7: 31; 12:41; 13:3; 14:68; 15:39; 16:5. 
 
XX INTR OD tJC T/ON: 
 
 " looking around," " groaning," are employed as also the 
 affectionate diminutives.^ Simplicity and naturalness, 
 living power and striking force, freshness and fragrance 
 are the prominent features. 
 
 The great commotion of the people and their throng- 
 ing^ around Jesus, whom they seek even when he would 
 retire, are graphically represented; while the enmity^ of 
 the leaders of the Jews, particularly of the Jerusalemites, 
 and the non-receptivity of the people and even of the 
 disciples * are not forgotten. But the central figure, real 
 and living, is Jesus, shown in his true humanity, needing 
 sleep and repose (4 : 38 ; 6:31), subject to hunger (i i : 12), 
 moved by wonder (6 : 6), pity (6 : 34), grief (7 : 34 ; 8 : 
 12), and anger (3 : 5 ; 8 : 33 ; 10 : 14) ; and yet as the 
 mighty lion^ of Judah, with power over sickness (i : 23 ; 
 3 : I ; 6 : 56) and victorious strength over demons, the 
 servants of Satan, who dread him. (cf. e, g, i : 23, 26 ; 3 : 
 II; 5:15; 7 : 26, 29, 30, etc.). Miracles are ever wrought 
 by him, who is "the Son of God."^ The gospel of 
 Mark is the gospel of miracles, which are however not 
 overvalued (cf. 8:11 sq.). It is in itself an evidence 
 
 1 5 : 23, 39, 41 ; 7 : 27 ; 14 : 47. 
 
 2 I : 22, 27 ; 2 : 1 2 ; 3 : 10, 32 ; 4 : I, 41 ; 5 : 21 ; 6 : 2 etc. 
 
 3 See, e. g., 2 : 6; 3 : 6 ; 7 : I sq.; 8:11 sq.; 9 : 14 sq.; 12:1 sq., etc 
 * 4 : II, 40; 5 : 17, 40; 6 : 6, 52; 7 : 18; S : 17, 32, etc. 
 
 ^ It is this representation of Christ's power which makes the lion the 
 appropriate symbol of Mark. It was not always his symbol, for Irenaeus 
 (Adv. Haer. III., 11, 8), seeing in the first verse the coming down of the 
 prophetical spirit from on high, and speaking of " the winged aspect of the 
 gospel," ascribes the eagle to Mark. Later, however, the lion is applied to 
 Mark, for, says Victorinus (Com. on Apoc.) in him " is heard the voice of 
 the lion roaring in the desert." Through Jerome this symbol gained gen- 
 eral acceptance, though Augustine (De Cons. I. 6) assigns the man to Mark. 
 All of the symbolic attributes rest on the vision of Ezekiel (x : 15 sq.; 
 10 : I ; II : 22). See Schaff, Ch. Hist. I., p. 585. 
 
 ^ For the frequent occurrence of this name see i : i. 
 
tNTRODUCriON. Xxi 
 
 against those, who, while accepting its primacy, deny the 
 supernatural and attempt to reduce to a lifeless skeleton 
 the vigorous creation of heavenly power. 
 
 4. Integrity of the gospel. There is only one section 
 of Mark, about whose genuineness there is a reasonable 
 doubt, ch. 16: ver. 9-20; but this has been much dis- 
 cussed.^ It is wanting in the oldest manuscripts, the 
 Sinaitic and Vatican of the fourth century, and all the 
 more exact manuscripts known to Jerome and Eusebius, 
 who states that the gospel ended " they were afraid " 
 (16 : 8). In the Regius manuscript L of the seventh 
 century, several MSS. of the Ethiopic version, and the 
 best Coptic MSS., there is a shorter ending,^ which has 
 been substituted for the longer in the Codex Bobiensis(k) 
 of the Old Latin Version. This outward testimony of 
 the MSS. is apparently corroborated by the difference of 
 the style and language of this section from the rest of 
 Mark. There is no " straightway," nor any other fre- 
 quent characteristic expression of Mark. The words 
 "disbelieved" {r^-iarriaw^, ver. 11), "walked" {jzopsuoixivo^i 
 ver. 12), " manifested " (^sfaviuprndrj ver. 14), " seen 
 {deaaafxivoi; xQx. 14), " speak with new tongues" (ver. 17), 
 
 * It is rejected by Credner, Griesbach, Lachmann, Wieseler, Tischen- 
 dorff, V. Hofmann, Tregelles, Alford, Westcott & Hort, Reuss, Kloster- 
 mann, Keim, Holtzmann, Meyer, Weiss, Zahn, etc., and defended by 
 Simon, Mill, Bengal, Hug, Schleiermacher, De Wette, Strauss, Kostlin, 
 Bleek, Ohlshausen, Hilgenfeld, Lange, Ebrard, Keil, Schanz, Nosgen, 
 Scrivener, Burgon, Morison, Cook, etc. 
 
 - This ending is : " All things announced to them about Peter they told 
 briefly. After these things Jesus himself was manifest ; from the east to 
 the west he sent out through them the holy and incorruptible preaching of 
 the eternal salvation." The form and vocabulary of this conclusion show 
 its late date and spuriousness. See Zahn, II., p. 920 sq.; Westcott «& Hort, 
 II. Append., p. 30, 38, 44 sq. 
 
xxil INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " drink any deadly thing " (ver. i8), " first day of the 
 week" (ver. 9) {jzino-ri na{i{in-oo)'^ are found nowhere else 
 in Mark. The promise of ver. 7 is not told as fulfilled, 
 and in the account of the appearances there is an apparent 
 climax not natural to Mark. 
 
 But this testimony is outbalanced by opposite wit- 
 nesses. The disputed section, which is full of apostolic 
 elements and admitted by Zahn to have been known in 
 certain circles far earlier than the middle of the second 
 century, is found in most of the MSS., beginning with 
 the Alexandrine^ of the fifth century, and in most ancient 
 versions, the Itala (k excepted), the Vulgate, the Peshito, 
 the Curetonian Syriac, the Coptic, Gothic, the Ethiopic, 
 in the Greek and Syrian lectionaries. Irenaeus, much 
 earlier than Eusebius, knows it and quotes a part of the 
 igth verse (Adv. Haer. III., 10, 6), and Tatian includes 
 it in his " Diatessaron," the first harmony of the gospel 
 (in the second half of the second century). The ending 
 of ver. 8 is also a very improbable one. And the differ- 
 ence in language is partially explained in the case of 
 " speak with new tongues," " drink anything deadly," 
 " disbelieved " and " manifested," which are rare in the 
 N. T. (Luke 24 : 11, 41 ; John 21 : i), from the nature of 
 the matter related. What appears unsolved is largely out- 
 weighed by correspondences with the other parts of Mark 
 " The whole creation " (ver. 15) reminds of 13 : 19 "the 
 beginning jof creation ; " {-/-inztui) " lay hands on the 
 sick " (ver. 18) of " the sick " 6 : 13 {app<ii<y-zd) ; " Signs " 
 (ver. 17 <rr,ijlui) point to 13 : 22, and "word" (ver. 20 
 rrjv Xoyo-^^ to 2 : 2 ; 4 : 14, etc. And the " hardness " of 
 the disciples' hearts (ver. 14) is a peculiar feature of Mark 
 
 ^ In the enumeration of these peculiarities almost all scholars have 
 drawn on Credner, p. io6. 
 
 2 The others are C, D, X, T, A, 2 etc. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xxiii 
 
 found previously 6 : 52 and 8:17. There is then no 
 overwhehiiing argument against this part of Mark, which 
 may possibly have been added later, because Mark was 
 suddenly interrupted in a Neronian persecution.^ 
 
 5. Purpose and Plan. The opening of the gospel 
 shows its purpose to be the relating of the beginning ^ of 
 the glad tidings of the Messiah-king.^ His wonderful 
 work as still carried on through his disciples (16 : 20) is 
 to be unfolded in its inception. The gospel as a power 
 is to be traced to its beginning and source. Its prepara- 
 tory announcement was made by John, who called for 
 the repentance necessary to enter the kingdom to come, 
 and preached the " mightier one " (i : 2-8), who then 
 appeared, and, endowed by the Spirit, began to call the 
 first disciples and to proclaim the kingdom with mighty 
 word and wonderful deeds in every part of Galilee (i : 
 9-45). This soon .aroused the enmity of the leaders of 
 the people, who accuse Jesus of blasphemy, unholy walk, 
 disregard of sacred traditions, permissive and active 
 breaking of the sabbath ; but he, showing his healing 
 power, his call to sinners, the joyous newness of his 
 kingdom, the right of necessity and his lordship over the 
 sabbath, triumphs, though a dangerous hate is aroused. 
 (2 : 1-3 : 6). The knowledge what it would bring and 
 the changeableness of the multitude move the Lord to 
 select the Apostles as companions of his life that they 
 might be assistants in his work (3 : 7-19). They are to 
 be tried, for Christ is assailed by friends, enemies and 
 his own kin (3 : 20-35) ; and to learn their peculiar privi- 
 lege in having unfolded the mysteries of the kingdom 
 
 1 See Kail, Com., p. 145 sq. ; Morison, p. 463 sq.; Schaff, I., p. 643 sq. 
 Zahn, II., p. 911. 
 
 ^ Grau renders this " Urevangeliiim," wrongly inverting the order. 
 * See I : i. 
 
icxiv INTROD VC TlON. 
 
 hidden to the people (4 : 1-34). And by the wonderful 
 testimony of Jesus of his power over nature (4 : 33-41), 
 over Satan (5 c 1-19)) sickness and death (5 : 20-43), 
 which can be apprehended by faith, they are to be led 
 to believe in him, who is not to be refused because of 
 his humble earthly home (6 : 1-6). Taught thus the 
 twelve are sent on a trial missionary journey (6 : 7-13). 
 The first part of Mark ends here, and the introduction to 
 the second is the death of John the Baptist, which an- 
 nounces the end of him, whose herald John was. But 
 as Herod thinks John has arisen, there is a prophecy of 
 Christ's final victory (6 : 14-29). He now desires to lead 
 the disciples through the miracle of the feeding and the 
 stilling of the storm to the clearer consciousness how 
 salvation is conditioned by the dignity of his own person 
 (6 : 30-52). But not yet are they able to see this, 
 although in companionship with Jesus they are freed 
 from the externalism of Judaism and instructed in the 
 true law of purity (7 : 1-23). The borders of Israel are 
 crossed and Jesus, who with difificulty gains real followers 
 among the Jews, though many crowd about him, shows 
 how freely he gives salvation even to the Gentiles, if only 
 the right confession of faith be made (7 : 24-37). Then 
 the disciples aroused by a second miracle of feeding, and 
 warned against the contaminating influence of Pharisaism, 
 are, like blind men gradually receiving sight, brought to 
 see and confess the Christ, as distinct from all heralds 
 (8 : 1-29). But this confession is not yet for the people, 
 for it is not even fully understood by the disciples, who 
 cannot think of a suffering Messiah and self-denial as the 
 way to glory (8 : 30 — 9 : 31). Therefore but a select few 
 can see the revelation of the essential divine glorious Son- 
 ship of Christ, into the fruition of which he enters by way 
 of suffering, that a new time may come when his visible 
 
IN TROD UC TION. XXV 
 
 presence is not needed, but his present power is received 
 by the prayer of faith (9 : 2-29). This in the congrega- 
 tion, founded on the crucified and risen Son of man, 
 would bring the new law of greatness, the tolerant, non- 
 offending and self-preserving love (9 : 30-50). And the 
 new life was to show itself in the home, in the sanctity of 
 the marriage-bond, the proper estimate of children and 
 possessions (10 : 1-31). Then begins the way to suffer- 
 ing, which, to be inflicted by Jews and Gentiles and so 
 little understood even by the select disciples, is the deed 
 of ministering love that ransoms, and even now heals 
 (10 : 32-52). For a short moment the Messiahship is 
 recognized even at Jerusalem, but the Jews are unfruitful 
 and cursed, and their leaders again surround Christ with 
 wicked designs, which he overcomes though prophesying 
 his near end, in contemplation of which the prophecy 
 of the last things is given (10 : 32 — 13 : '}^'j'). The last 
 sufferings begin and are borne to their bitter end, and the 
 rescuing love of the God-man, though met by human self- 
 confident weakness, avaricious betrayal, fierce hatred, 
 vacillating injustice, cruel abuse and mockery, saves those 
 that are to be saved (14 : i — 15 : 47). Then arisen and 
 ascended the Lord and King of salvation sends out his 
 servants working through them in the word and confirm- 
 ing them by signs (16 : 1-20).-^ 
 
 6. Place and time of eoinposition. This gospel was, as 
 reported by Clement of Alexandria, most probably writ- 
 ten at Rome and for Roman readers, Storr alone conject- 
 ured that it was composed at Antioch. But it contains 
 Latin terms,^ mentions Roman measures and coins (12 : 
 15, 42), and watches (13 : 35) ; and describes a house in 
 Roman style (4 : 21). It speaks of a Roman pikeman 
 
 1 In this plan I have largely followed Klostermann, but with some changes. 
 * e. g. 'e(T;j;arwf e^av (5 :23),ro iKavov ■koiuv (15: 15). 
 
xxvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 (6 : 27), centurion (15 : 39), the Praetorium (15 : 16), and 
 adds a remark interesting to the friends of Rufus at Rome, 
 (15 : 21 cf. with Rom. 16 : 13). 
 
 Its composition could not have taken place after the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem (a. D. 70), because that catastrophe 
 is regarded as future in chap. 13. Nor could it have been 
 given to the church sooner than the death of Peter (be- 
 tween 64-69 A. D.), for Irenaeus (Adv. Haer. III., i, i) re- 
 lates that it was written after the death ^ of Peter and 
 Paul. And if Clement Alex. (Eus. VI., 14, 5 sq.) says 
 that Mark wrote while Peter was alive, who when he 
 " became cognizant of this he neither laid an interdict on 
 the undertaking nor urged its fulfilment," this does not 
 contradict Irenaeus, for the beginning of the undertaking, 
 not its completion and giving to the Church, is spoken 
 of. The probable date of Mark would therefore be about 
 68 or 69 A.D. 
 
 1 lj.fra (Ve t7]v tovtuv eSn^nv can only mean death not departure, (cf. 2 
 Pet. 1:15). See Zahn, note in I., p. S87. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 I. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 
 
 Ver. I. The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ is 
 not to be restricted to the prophecy^ concerning John 
 the Baptist (ver. 2) nor to his preparatory labor (ver. 4 sq.), 
 but it includes the appearance and all the consequent 
 work of Jesus while in the flesh. It is a characteristic 
 title of the whole gospel according to Mark, who depicts 
 the historical beginning of Christ's mighty works, which 
 are to continue (chap. 16 : 17 sq.). To announce these 
 is the purpose of the gospel which is the preaching of 
 the glad tidings of salvation, and not a written record.^ 
 (i : 15 ; 13 : 10 ; 14 : 9 ; Matt. 24: 14 ; Luke 4 : 18 sq.) It is 
 not the preaching by Christ, which would simply be 
 gospel (1:15, Luke 20 : i), or gospel of God (i : 14) if 
 the divine authorship were to be designated (i : 14; i 
 Thess. 2 : 2, 8 ; i Peter 4 : 17), but it is the gospel, whose 
 content 3 (cf. 8 : 35 ; 10 : 29) is Jesus Christ. This name 
 
 1 Thus Origen ag. Celsus, II. 4. 
 
 2 This usage of the word gospel prevailed down to the second century. 
 (Zahn, Geschichte des N. T. Canons, I., 842, 869, note.) An evidence of 
 this is also found in the superscriptions of the gospels. In Mark this 
 superscription was evayyeXiov K. M, except in K. B & F, which have only Kara. 
 Mdp/cov (accdg. to Mark). Late cursives read to Kara M. ayiov evay/. (the 
 holy gospel accdg. to Mark), and seem to point to a time, when the gospels 
 were already gathered into one volume. Keil. p. 16: Weiss, p. 11). On the 
 meaning of the superscriptions, cf. Zahn, I., 164 sq. 
 
 ^ Winer N. T. Grammar (7th ed.) p. 1S6; Cremer, Bibl. theol. Worter- 
 buch der N. T. Gracitat (7th ed.) p. 31. 
 
 I 
 
2 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. i. 
 
 of the Lord occurs in this combination in the gospels 
 only here and Matt, i : i, i8 ; John i : 17. By its use 
 Mark confesses Jesus to be the Christ (Matt. 16: 16; 
 John 20 : 31). Jesus is the personal name of the Lord, 
 but as it expresses His saviourhood (Matt, i : 21) it receives 
 an official signification in Acts 19 : 14 (the Jesus, to\> 
 Irj(Tom').'^ Christ (Messiah) is used primarily as the official 
 title of honor for the anointed of God; prophet (Isai. 
 61:1), high-priest (Lev. 4 : 3), king (i Sam. 2:10; 12:3; 
 16 : 6, etc. ; 2 Sam. i : 14 ; 19 : 21, etc. ; Ps. 2 : 2 ; 18 : 50; 
 20 : 6 ; 89 : 38, etc.). But it is also applied person- 
 ally to Jesus (9 : 41 ; Rom. 5 : 8 ; 6 : 4; 8 : 10; i Peter 
 I : 11,19, etc.). Mark shows pre-eminently the kingship of 
 the Christ, who is the son of God 2(i:ii; 3:11; 5:7; 
 9:7; 13 : 32 ; 14: 61). This title received in its mes- 
 sianic use in the O. T. (2 Sam. 7 : 12-14; Ps. 2 : 7) a 
 dignity, which made it more than human ; and in the ex- 
 pectation of the synagogue the son of God was infinitely 
 superior to all other servants of God.^ In the N. T. the 
 son of God as Messiah, is always the eternal, supermun- 
 dane son.^ The central idea of the divine Sonship of 
 Christ is that of likeness of image and identity of essence.^ 
 
 1 Possibly Jesus may originally have had this force in the combination 
 Christ Jesus (Rom. 3 : 24), although in most cases there is no trace of it 
 (Rom. 8:2; 15:1; i Cor. 4:15; Eph. i : i ; Phil. 3 : 3, etc.), Cremer, p. 
 
 947- 
 
 2 This name is wanting in N and therefore rejected by Tischendorf, 
 Wesct. &. Hort. Iren. (ag. Her. III. 11, 8), and frequently Origen omit it. 
 But it is found in all the other uncials and cursives, as well as in Iren. III., 
 10, 15 ; 16, 3 ; and occurs so often in Mark and is so characteristic, that it is 
 doubtless original. The article the (to'v) is not supported by N, B, D, L, 
 and is probably spurious. 
 
 3 Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (5th ed.) I., 173, sq. 
 * Cremer, p. 920. 
 
 ^ Nosgen, Gesch. der N. T. Offenb. I., 153, defines all sonship as likeness 
 of image and essence. In Christ likeness of essence is replaced by identity. 
 (John 10 : 30 ; cf. Matt. 11: 27 ; Lk. lO : 22.) 
 
I. 2.] CHAPTER I. 3 
 
 (Hebr. i : i, sq.) How glorious is the title of the gospel 
 of Mark ; in itself a message of gladness of the divine 
 Redeemer-King ! 
 
 2-8. Even as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, 
 
 Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, 
 
 Who shall prepare thy way ; 
 
 The voice of one crying in the wilderness, 
 
 Make ye ready the way of the Lord, 
 
 Make his paths straight ; 
 John came, who baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of 
 repentance unto remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the 
 country of Judaea, and all they of Jerusalem ; and they were baptized of him 
 in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. And John was clothed with 
 camel's hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did eat locusts 
 and wild honey. And he preached, saying, There cometh after me he that 
 is mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop 
 down and unloose. I baptized you with water ; but he shall baptize you 
 ^vith the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Ver. 2. As . . . written. As, referring to an implied 
 "thus" at the beginnirtg of the 4th verse, introduces the 
 only quotation from the O. T. used by Mark himself in 
 his gospel. His appeal to the O. T. prophecy, establishes 
 the truth of prophecy by its fulfilment, shows the provi- 
 dential preparation for the gospel, and exalts the writ- 
 ten record of the O. T. as the sure Word of God. In 
 this emphasis of the written Word Mark but follows 
 Christ's example. (7 : 6 ; 9 : 1 2 ; 1 1 : 1 7 ; 14 : 2 1 , 27 ; Matt. 
 4:4; 7:10.) The written word is cited as in Isaiah 
 . o . prophet,! but the first part (ver. 2) is a quotation 
 from Mai. 3:1, and only the latter half (ver. 3) is found 
 in Isaiah (40 : 3). These two prophets are cited under 
 the name of one, not because of a lapse of memory ,2 nor 
 
 1 This reading is sustained by N B, D, L, A., the Itala, Peshito, and the 
 principal fathers. The Rev. version " in the prophets " was an amendation 
 to escape a difficulty. 
 
 2 Thus with a polemical purpose Porphyry, and among modem commen- 
 tators from a critical bias, Griesbach, Bleek, Meyer, Weiss. 
 
4 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 2 
 
 because Isaiah was " more full and better known," (Ben- 
 GEL,) nor because Mark wishes to quote briefly, (Keil), but 
 to show the inward relationship of the prophets and to 
 exhibit the organic nature of prophecy. The prophet 
 whose book stood at the head is named, and a prophecy 
 from him, who occupies the last place, is introduced, to 
 include the whole range of prophecy from Isaiah to Mal- 
 achi, as it comes to be fulfilled. — Klostermann. Isaiah 
 has the melody, and Malachi adds the harmony. (Cf. 
 similar cases Matt. 21:5; Rom. 9 : 27.) The whole pas- 
 sage, which agrees closely with the Hebrew original, is 
 different in substituting " thy " for " my " before " face " 
 and "way." This accords with the time of fulfilment, 
 in which the Father speaks to the Son. Here the dif- 
 ference of persons is noted, while in Malachi the identity 
 of essence is brought out. This prophet announces in 
 God's name : Behold . . . messenger. As a remarkable 
 immediate act the Lord of Hosts (Mai. 2 : 16) makes 
 known the sending forth of His own peculiar messenger 
 to the Christ, as taking place before his face, which is 
 here a descriptive pleonasm for " before," and expresses 
 temporal precedence. It is to be the work of the mes- 
 senger to prepare thy way. The roads in the East are 
 mostly wretchedly constructed and not at all kept.^ 
 When, therefore, a king or noted personage comes a special 
 quartermaster must build a road.^ And the construction 
 
 1 Thomson (The Land and the Book, I. 65,) called the road par excel- 
 ence between Beirut and Sidon " a villainous path." 
 
 - But even such preparations or repair of former roads often leaves them 
 in bad condition. Thus Dr. Trumbull (.Studies in Oriental Social Life, p. 
 217) relates: At Hebron as our party entered the Holy Land from the des- 
 ert below, we were told that the Crown Prince of Austria was just before us, 
 and that the word had gone out from the Turkish authorities to prepare 
 his way in advance. At this our dragoman was delighted, as he was sure 
 we should find the roads in excellent condition all the way northward. 
 
I. 3, 4-] CHAPTER I. 5 
 
 of such a highway is a sign of royal greatness. But how 
 much greater is He for whom a spiritual way was to be 
 prepared, as was proclaimed by the, Ver. 3, voice . . . 
 wilderness. This voice is suddenly heard, calling with 
 great earnestness ; and it is " a voice " because the mes- 
 sage is to be everything, the messenger nothing. He is 
 merely the crier in the wilderness, which symbolized the 
 condition of Israel. Living in the land of promise they 
 had made it a spiritual wilderness of individual and 
 social religious desolation and corruption. In such a 
 state the crier, because of the immediate coming of the 
 Lord, should call : "Make . . . Lord." The people should 
 prepare themselves by removing the hills of pride and 
 self-righteousness, and filling up the hollows of sin in their 
 hearts by sincere repentance. Thus a way would be 
 made not for men to come to God, but for God to come 
 to men. It is the Lord's way, on which His kingship is 
 to appear. It was made by His command and to serve 
 His purpose in His gracious approach to men,^ who were 
 to make . . . straight, by laying aside all crookedness, 
 hypocrisy, and deceit (Luke 3 : 7). Thus there would be 
 a real plain (Is, 40 : 4). In accordance with this prophecy, 
 Ver. 4, John came. Corresponding to the expectancy 
 created by the prophecy John is introduced in the midst 
 of his labor, as he who baptized. Baptizing is mentioned 
 before preaching, not as in Matt. 28 : 19 for its initiatory 
 character ; but Mark loving to dwell upon activity, points 
 out the most characteristic work of John (i i : 30), which 
 
 Again and again he said gratefully : " This road has been prepared for a 
 prince. I wish there was always a prince before us." He evidently 
 thought that the road was better than usual ; but we did not see how it 
 could ever have been worse. 
 
 ^ Cf. Trumbull, Primitive Idea of " The Way " (Studies in Oriental Social 
 Life, p. 219 sq.) 
 
6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 4, 5. 
 
 was performed in the wilderness. This was the wilder- 
 ness of Judaea, which beginning at Jerusalem extends 
 southeast to the Dead Sea and is about fifteen miles 
 broad. It is a " frightful desert " — ROBINSON, " the hot- 
 test chasm in the world " — HUMBOLD, " a dreary waste of 
 rocky valleys ; in some parts stern and terrible — the rocks 
 cleft and shattered by earthquakes and convulsions into 
 rifts and gorges." — Geikie. In this desert John preached 1 
 . . . sins. This baptism, preached and administered, had 
 its O. T. prediction in Ez, 36 : 25; Zech. 13 : i. It went 
 beyond the symbolical purifications of the O. T. in its 
 condition of repentance, which it not only illustrated, but 
 required of those seeking baptism, and sealed in baptism. 
 This repentance, is not merely a change of mind, affecting 
 the whole personality, and the adoption of entirely new 
 motives, but it is fundamentally a change of attitude to- 
 ward God in the inwardness of man's nature by thorough 
 conversion. (Matt, 3:11; Luke 3:3; Acts 13 : 24; 
 Rom. 2:4:2 Cor. 7 : 10 ; 2 Tim. 2 : 25). Such repent- 
 ance receives in baptism remission of sins. It was a bap- 
 tism into remission, i. e. God's free forgiveness (Luke i : 
 "]"] \ 3:3, Acts 2 : 38). Forgiveness was not only sym- 
 bolized, nor regarded as a distant purpose, but it was really 
 imparted by baptism as means to the repentant heart. 
 But this baptism did not give the new life of the Christian 
 " baptism of regeneration," for it did not bestow the 
 Spirit. (Acts 19 : 2, sq. ; John 7 : 39 ; Acts 2 : 38 ; Tit. 
 3 : 5.) (See Excursus i, p. 29.) John's work was so 
 novel, that, Ver. 5, there . . . Jerusalem. "John came 
 not to men, but they had to go to him " — Klostermann, 
 and all, i. e. the great mass of the people, came not only 
 from the province of Judsea, but from the capital, to 
 
 1 Preaching (Kr/pvaauv) does not possess its usual N. T. signification of 
 heralding the gospel, because otherwise determined by it object. 
 
I. 6.] CHAPTER I. y 
 
 satisfy their curiosity. But many were won and baptized 
 . . . Jordan, which designates the location, and not the 
 mode of baptism. To this they were admitted, after 
 confessing their sins. The confession {i^ofioXoyou/isxit) was 
 an outspoken admission of transgressions (Acts 19 : 18 ; 
 James 5:16; i John i : g.).^ Such an open confession 
 before men, and especially before those called of God, is 
 salutory because of its humiliation and the consolation 
 received.^ Ver. 6. And . . . hair. He wore a rough 
 coat made of thick cloth woven from the coarse woolly 
 tufts on the hump of the camel.^ And the coat was girt 
 up with a IcatJicrn girdle, a plain strap of untanned 
 leather used by the poor, instead of the costly silk or 
 linen girdle (Jer. 13:1; Ezekiel 16 : 10), which was often 
 ornamented with gold or silver (Rev. 1:13; 15:6), and 
 possessed by the wealthy. This austere garb fitted to the 
 plain fare of John, locusts . . . honey. The former al- 
 lowed by the law as food (Lev. 11 : 21, 22) were eaten 
 raw. To-day they are sold in the bazaars cooked, fried 
 or scalded. Wild honey is found largely in the clefts and 
 fissures of the limestone rocks, but also in trees, and at 
 times even in the skulls of dead animals.^ This food 
 shows the ascetic life of John, which was a living sermon 
 reproving worldliness and calling to repentance. To the 
 announcement of this (Matt. 3 : 4-12: Luke 3 : 7-18), 
 described by Mark only in its striking action and not in 
 its leading words, John adds the heralding of Christ and his 
 relation towards Him, for, Ver. 7, he ... I, Although 
 
 ^ The synoptical gospels do not contain the deeper conception of sin as a 
 quality and condition, even in Matt. 12 : 31 sin {afiapria) means an act, cf 
 Mark. 3 : 28. 
 
 2 Cf. Luther's Sermon v. d. Beicht u. d. Sacrament (Erl. Ed. 11, p. 166 sq.). 
 Tischred. Erl. Ed. 59 : 78. Sermon v. Sacr. d. Leibs u. Bluls Christi (Erl. 
 Ed. 29 : 352.) ^ Geikie, N. T. Hours, I., p., 30S. 
 
 * Thomson, II., p. 362. Geikie, I., p. 336. 
 
8 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [i. 7-9. 
 
 not yet knowing as after Christ's baptism the majesty of 
 His person and therefore the secret of His might, John 
 still sees in Christ one of greater power in His preaching 
 and baptism, as well as in person. Of Him he says the 
 latchet . . . undo. Mark reports the confession of John 
 which most strikingly exhibits his deep humility ; for he 
 deems himself not only unworthy to "bear Christ's san- 
 dals " (Matt. 3 : 1 1), but even to stoop and unloose their 
 thongs, a most menial service. The dignity of the 
 " mightier" is so much greater than that of his greatest 
 herald (Luke 7 : 28), that the lowest service is too great an 
 honor. "Humility is the best adornment of a teacher (i 
 Peter 5 : 3)" — Starke. In such humility John says: 
 Ver. 8, I . . . water. The baptism, looked upon as 
 completed, is designated merely according to its outward 
 element. Its efificacy (ver. 4) is not mentioned, because 
 less than that of Christ, who would baptize with . . , 
 Ghost, This baptism, as is evident by the addition " fire " 
 (Matt. 3 : II ; Luke 3 : 16), refers primarily to the first 
 outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 2 : 2 sq.), but it also in- 
 cludes the ordinate coming of the Spirit in Christian 
 baptism (John 3 : 5). 
 
 9-1 1. And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of 
 f lalilee, and was baptized of John in the Jordan. And straightway coming 
 up out of the water, he saw the heavens rent asunder, and the .Spirit as a 
 dove descending upon him : and a voice came out of the heavens, Thou art 
 my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased. 
 
 Ver. 9. And . . . days, i. e. in the days of John's bap- 
 tizing and preaching, that Jesus . . . Galilee, His place 
 of abode, ^ which is beautifully situated on the lower slope 
 of rounded hills, that enclose a sequestered hollow, and 
 at a distance of about 14 miles from the sea of Galilee. 
 
 ^ For an excellent description of Nazareth, see Ninck, Auf biblischen 
 Pfaden, p. 176 sq. 
 
I. lo] CHAPTER I. g 
 
 And . . . John. The baptism of Jesus was not the ded- 
 ication to His work, but the entrance upon it, by fulfill- 
 ing righteousness (Matt. 3 : 15), in taking upon Himself 
 a baptism not needed,^ for the purpose of His identifica- 
 tion with sinful men and the fulfilling for them righteous- 
 ness, which they could not of themselves attain.^ 
 
 Ver. 10. Straightway 3 . . . asunder. From the Jordan 
 where Christ had stood to be baptized, not necessarily by 
 immersion,* He came out, and as Mark forcibly reports 
 the heavens were rent asunder,^ for He was here, through 
 whom heavenly blessings and messengers could descend 
 and men ascend (John 1:51). Upon Him came the 
 Spirit . • . descending. The dove was a fitting embodi- 
 ment for the Spirit, because of its purity (Song of Songs 
 6 : 9) and therefore its use in purifications (Lev. 14 : 22), 
 as well as its gentle, peaceful simplicity (Ps. 74 : 19; Matt. 
 10 : 16). But it is the dove in its descent, which the 
 Spirit employs, to symbolize the brooding warmth *^ in 
 the inception of redemption even as in creation (Gen. 
 I : 2). The dove of Noah has found its antitype, for 
 
 1 In the gospel of the Hebrews, Christ is said to have been invited by his 
 mother and brothers to come to the baptism of John, and to have answered: 
 " What have I sinned, tliat I should go and be baptized of him ? Unless, 
 perchai\ce, this very thing I have said is ignorance." The latter part shows 
 the heretical influence of the Nazarenes, as they begin to cast a doubt upon 
 Christ's sinlessness. Cf. Resch, Agrapha, p. 345 against Handmann, 
 Hebraerevangelium, p. 67 sq. 
 
 - Nosgen, p. 189 ; also in his Com. Matt. 3:11: Luther, sermon in House 
 postil for Epiphany, Erl. Ed. I. p. 142. 
 
 3 This word so characteristic of Mark is rendered uniformly in the Rev. 
 version. In the Auth. version it is translated in seven different ways, as 
 straightway, immediately, forthwith, as soon as, by and by, shortly, anon. 
 Cf. Schaff' s Companion to Greek and Engl, version, p. 359. 
 
 * Cf. Weidner, On Mark, p. 52. 
 
 '' Matt, and Luke have simply " opened." 
 
 fi Cf. Creuzer, Symbolik, as quoted by v. Hofmann, Weissag. u. Erfiill. II., 
 
 P-73- 
 
lO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. ii. 
 
 " therefore the dove also appears, not bearing an olive 
 branch, but pointing out to us our Deliverer from all 
 evils, and suggesting the gracious hopes." — ChrysoSTOM. 
 To accomplish this deliverance Jesus is anointed to His 
 messianic work by the Spirit (Isai. 6i : i), and " now He 
 begins rightly to be Christ." — LUTHER. And He is 
 further attested, for, Ver. 1 1, a voice . . . heavens. The 
 voice of the Father^ confirms the extraordinary witness 
 of the Spirit, and " we behold and see as it were in a 
 divine spectacle exhibited to us the notice of our God in 
 Trinity." — AUGUSTINE. This voice ^ is directed to John 
 and Christ, although Mark reports only its import for 
 Christ. To Him the Father said : " Thou . , . Son." 
 The Son is beloved, not merely as the obedient or chosen 
 one (Luke 9 : 35 ; Rom. 11 : 28), but as the only Son 
 (Jerem. 6 : 26 ; Am. 8 : 10).^ " He is the Beloved (Eph. 
 I : 6), through whom as the Son of His love (Col. 1:13) 
 the love of the Father is given to the whole human race 
 (John 3: 16; 17: 26)." — Starke. And in this Son 
 the Father is tuell pleased, not merely because of their 
 eternal relation, but because of the Son's obedience in 
 the work of redemption (Isai. 42 : 1,2; John 4 : 34 ; 
 Rom. 5 : 19). 
 
 12, 13. And straightway the spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness. 
 
 1 The heretical gospel of the Hebrews, reports a threefold voice, and has 
 the Spirit calling Christ his Son. And yet Handmann would have us be- 
 lieve that these inventions are the basis of the simple gospel story. Sancta 
 Simplicitas ! 
 
 ^ This voice could not have been inserted in the gospel as a Jewish 
 notion, as found in the Rabbinic " Bath-Qol," because the Bath-Qol came 
 after the Spirit ceased, is rarely an echo of the divine voice, and the occa- 
 sions on which it is used are often " shocking to common and moral sense." 
 Edersheim I., p. 285. 
 
 ^ Cf. the Septuag. Zech. 12 : 10; Judg. 11 : 34; Ps. 22 : 20, where 
 fiovoyevyg is used. Nosgen on Matt. 3 : 16; Cremer, p. 18. 
 
1.12,13-] CHAPTER I. II 
 
 And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan ; and he was with 
 the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. 
 
 Ver. 12. The . . . forth. The Spirit becomes a 
 mighty force impelHng the only-begotten Son above the 
 measure of other sons of God (Rom. 8:14); and the Son 
 willingly goes into the wilderness, which is, according to 
 the traditional supposition, the wild region near Jericho 
 round about Mount Quarantania.^ 
 
 Ver. 13. In this He remained forty days, like Moses and 
 Elijah, and the people of Israel. During this time He was 
 tempted of Satan again and again, by temptations not 
 mentioned by Matthew, and prior to the last three (Matt. 
 4 : i). The possibility of temptation is given in Christ's 
 human nature. Its necessity was that of His work both 
 for Himself, and for us as the second Adam. It was no 
 dream, phantasy or mental occurrence, but a real outward 
 event. Christ was really tempted, but was sinless (Hebr. 
 4 : 15) ; He could feel (sentire) the temptation, but could 
 not assent (consentire). " With a peccable human nature 
 He was impeccable ; not because He obeyed, but being 
 impeccable He so obeyed, because His human was in- 
 separably connected with His divine nature." — Eder- 
 SHEIM.2 
 
 And . . . beasts. This describes the utter lonely and 
 forsaken state of Christ, in which He was without all 
 human comfort. But angels . . . him. They who de- 
 sired to look into the deep mysteries of redemption (i 
 Peter 1:12) were sent to cheer and sustain their Lord 
 bodily and spiritually, and to be witnesses of His victory. 
 " Temptation preceded, that victory might follow. The 
 
 ^ Thomson, II., p. 450. 
 
 2 Cf. Ullmann's Sinlessness of Jesus (Engl. Trans.) p. 264 ; Frank, Chrl. 
 Wahr. II., p. 174; Nosgen I., p. 196; Nebe, Ev. Perikopen II., p. 86 sq. 
 
12 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 14. 
 
 angels ministered that the dignity of the victor might be 
 attested." — Jerome. 
 
 14, 15. Now after that John was delivered up, Jesus came into Galilee, 
 preaching the gospel of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the 
 kingdom of God is at hand : repent ye, and believe in the gospel. 
 
 Ver. 14. After ... up into the hands of Herod 
 Antipas (6:17 sq.), Jesus . . . Galilee, and began His 
 ministry there. His preaching was the . . . fulfilled. 
 
 The fuhiess of time (Gal. 4:4; Eph. i : 10), the proper 
 time divinely appointed and wrought out in the history 
 of Israel had come. This Christ, the fulfiller, but not 
 John, could announce ; and therefore when Christ 
 preaches (ver. 13), "The . . . hand," He takes up the 
 proclamation of John (Matt. 3 : 3), pronounces nearness 
 of the kingdom as presence. The kingdom is at hand in 
 the King. The kingdom of God, although made known 
 by O. T. prophecies (Isai. 2 : 1 1 ; Jer. 23 : 5 ; Ezek. 
 34 : 23 ; Micah 4) and typified in God's royal rule over 
 Israel to Israel's blessing and salvation (Exod. 15 : 19; 
 Deut. 7 : 6 sq. ; 33 : 5), is in its fulness a N. T. conception, 
 for that order of things in which. God's rule, i. e., the 
 assertion of His will, appears for the realization of His 
 plan of salvation. — Cremer. Its foundations are the 
 treasures (Matt. 13 : 44 sq.) and free gifts of salvation 
 (Matt. 22 : I sq. ; Luke 14 : 16 sci.) ; its life-principle is 
 the divine Word (Matt. 13 : 19 sq. ; Mark 4:13 sq.) ; its 
 character in this life mixed, owing to the Enemy (Matt. 
 
 13 : 24; Matt. 13 : 47) ; its nature inward and spiritual 
 (Luke 17 : 20; John 3:5; Rom. 14: 17), but not hidden, 
 for it comes into view (Matt. 11 : 12 ; 12 : 28 ; 13:11,19). 
 Its development ever continuing (Matt. 13:31; Mark 
 4 : 30 sq. ; Matt. 13 : 33) it is present (Matt. 4:17; 10 : 7 ; 
 Mark 12 : 34; Luke 1 1 : 8 sq.). But it is also future, and 
 
I. 15.] CHAPTER I. 13 
 
 its consummation comes at the end of this present 
 world (Matt. 6: 10; 25: 34; Mark; 14: 25; Acts 
 14 : 22 ; I Cor. 6 : 9, etc.).^ The condition of entrance 
 into this kingdom Christ announces with the words: 
 Ver. 15, " repent . . . gospel." The preaching of repent- 
 ance by John is confirmed by the use of the same term ; 
 and faith, which John had directed to the person of Jesus 
 (1:7; John I : 15, 19 sq., 29 sq.), is by Jesus Himself at 
 first centred upon His message. From this Christ in 
 proper time leads to His person. The faith required is 
 the trust, which is concentrated and fixed upon its ob- 
 ject.^ The double demand of Jesus includes the whole 
 saving truth, for " as in the first member Christ convicts 
 of sin, in the latter He consoles us and shows the remis- 
 sion of sins." — Apology of Augs. Conf. 
 
 16-20. And passing along by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and 
 Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea : for they were fishers. 
 And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make ye to become 
 fishers of men. And straightway they left the nets, and followed him. 
 And going on a little further, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John 
 his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets. And straightway 
 he called them : and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the 
 hired servants, and went after him. 
 
 Ver. 16. Passing , . . Galilee, in an incidental walk, 
 
 1 Cremer, p. 194; Nebe, I., p. 163 ; Schmid, Bibl. Theol des N. T. (5th ed.) 
 p. 115; Frank, Chrl. Wahrheit, II. 375 ; Nosgen, I. 2S0 sq. 342, 345 ; and es- 
 pecially Jul. Kostlin, Religion u. Reich Gottes, in which the idea of Ritsc'i', 
 that the kingdom of God is merely an ethical community, is thoroughly 
 refuted by a comparison of N. T. teaching. Cf : also Schnedermann, "Jesu 
 Verkiindigung und Lehre vom Reich Gottes," especially II,, yj sq., 77 sq. 
 
 2 Believe {■Kimtvuv) is used with h' (in, permanence) only here in the 
 gospels, and Eph. i : 13; Gal. 3 : 26; with iizi and the accus. Matt 27 : 
 42 expressing direction and rest upon ; and with «f showing direction to- 
 wards and into Mark 9 : 42 ; Matt. 18 : 6. See Keil ; Winer, N. T. Gram., 
 p. 213; Cremer, p. 766; Thayer, Lexicon, p. 184, 511. 
 
14 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. i6. 
 
 which had its deep purpose, Christ came to the shores of 
 the Sea of Galilee, also called Gennesaret (Luke 5 : i) and 
 Tiberias (John 6 : i) in the N. T. It is a pear-shaped 
 lake about 13 miles long and from 4 to 6 miles broad, 
 and broadest at the north end. Its depth is about 160 
 feet, and its level 600 feet below the sea. Its water, 
 which is somewhat salty, is filled with many species of 
 fish. The shores, in Christ's day, very fertile and populous, 
 recede at the plain of Gennesaret, Tiberias, and at the 
 outflow of the Jordan ; but mostly they are steep lime- 
 stone and basalt hills.^ At the shores of this sea Jesus 
 saw Simon, the son of Jonas, who is thus named until 
 3:16, and thereafter always Peter, except when rebuked 
 by the Lord in the Garden of Gethesemane (14 : 37). 
 By nature impulsive and fiery, in temperament sanguine, 
 Simon was enthusiastic, bold, straightforward, but at 
 times fearful.'^ With Simon Jesus found Andrew, Simon's 
 brother, who had originally called Simon to discipleship 
 (John I : 41), before the present call of Christ to apostle- 
 ship. Of the character of Andrew we have but two 
 glimpses (John 6 : 8; 12 : 22); he seems to have had 
 some of the forwardness of his brother, but less energy 
 and faith.^ These two brothers were casting a net, which 
 
 1 Smith's Bible Diet. ; Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 426 sq. ; Thomson, I., 
 
 541- 
 
 2 Beyond the testimony of the Acts and the Epistles of Peter, nothing is 
 known of his later labors. The tradition of his martyrdom (John 21 : 19), 
 is first mentioned by Clement of Rome (Ad. Cor. 5.), who does not how- 
 ever name the place. But this must have been Rome. (Ign. Ad. Rom. 4.) 
 That Peter was bishop in Rome rests only upon late and uncertain tradi- 
 tion. (First found in Jerome, de vir. ill. i.) Cf. Notes on Eusebius H. E. 
 by Dr. McGifford, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, 2d Series, Vol. I., pp. 
 115, 129, 132. 
 
 3 The traditions about Andrew, his labor in Scythia and his crucifixion, 
 are very contradictory. The traditions concerning the later labors of the 
 various apostles are supposed by Lipsius to be connected originally with that 
 
I. 17, 19.] CHAPTER I. 15 
 
 was neither the drag-net (Matt. 13 : 47, 48), nor the bag- 
 net (Luke 5 : 4 sq.), but the casting-net, " which, when 
 skillfully cast from over the shoulder by one standing on 
 the shore or in a boat, spreads out into a circle, as it falls 
 upon the water, and then sinking swiftly by the weight 
 of the leads attached to it, encloses whatever is below 
 it " (Trench, N. T. Synonyms).^ As the brothers 
 were thus at work, the call of Christ came. Ver. 17, 
 Come . , . me (cf. 2 Kings. 6 : 19), which asked them to for- 
 sake their present calling, and in following after Jesus to be 
 prepared for their higher calling, upon which they were 
 to enter later. They were to be Fishers of men (Jer. 
 16 : 16), and to catch human souls with the gospel-net 
 (Matt. 13 : 47). " It is God's manner to invite every one 
 to Himself, with a voice most comprehensible to each 
 one " (Chemnitz), and therefore fishers are called to gos- 
 pel-work under the name of their human work, which 
 would indicate to them at once the difificulties of their 
 new calling (Luke 5 : 5), as well as the need of divine 
 blessing (Luke 5 : 6), The men of " low degree " 
 are chosen to the noblest work (i Cor. i : 26 sq.). 
 Ver. 18. And . . . him. As sudden as their call had 
 been, they were prompt in self-denying obedience. 
 " Their heart was then such, that if they had much, yea 
 the whole world, they Would have left all. It is not to be 
 wondered at that they arose so quickly and followed Christ 
 without a prophecy and promise, but only that they 
 should be fishers of men ; but what does Christ's word 
 not effect, when it comes into the heart ? It is a living, 
 
 of their separation at Jerusalem. But " the efforts to derive from varying 
 traditions any trustworthy particulars as to the apostles themselves is almost 
 wholly vain." (Mcfiifford on Eusebius, p. 132.) 
 
 ' On the various modes of fishing, see Thomson, II., p. 79 sq. ; Geikie, I., 
 p. 220. 
 
l6 THE GOSPF.L OF ST. MARK. [i. 19, 20. 
 
 active, fiery word, it docs not return without profit and 
 blessing." — Luth?:r. After this, Ver. 19, Christ going 
 a little further saw James . . . Zebedee, one of the three 
 favored apostles, who was the proto-martyr among them, 
 being beheaded by Herod Agrippa, A. D. 44 (Acts 12 : 2))- 
 The epithet " the Elder " was added to distinguish him 
 from James the Little (Mark 15 : 40), James, the son of 
 Alphaeus (Mark 3 : 18) and James, the brother of the Lord, 
 surnamed "the Just" (Gal. i : 19). With James was 
 John his brother, the evangelist. A second pair of 
 brothers follow Christ. " Blessed are such brothers, 
 whose natural bond of brotherhood grace sanctifies and 
 confirms." ^ — Besser. These brothers were in . . . nets, 
 preparing to begin their work, when called. Some, as 
 James and John, are called in the preparation for their 
 earthly labor, others, as Simon and Andrew, when already 
 in the midst of work. Upon the invitation of Christ, 
 James and John, Ver. 20, left . . . servants. The fact 
 that Zebedee had hired servants, shows that his business 
 must have been more extensive than that of Simon and 
 Andrew, and may indicate that James and John were 
 men of some means, thus helping to explain John 19: 
 26, 27. They could with less sacrifice than the sons of 
 
 1 On the way to martydom, Clement relates in Hyptop., Bk. VII. (Eus. 
 H. E. II. 9), according to a tradition not improbable, " that the one who led 
 James to the j udgment seat, was moved, and confessed that he was himself a 
 Christian. They were both therefore led away together ; and on the way 
 he begged James to forgive him. And he, after considering a little said, 
 " Peace be with thee " and kissed him. And thus they were both beheaded 
 at the same time." Epiphanius, who probably confuses this James with the 
 brother of the Lord, says that he was unmarried and a Nazarite. Equally 
 untrue are the Latin legends of James' labors in .Spain and his burial in 
 Compostella. McGifford, Eus., p. in. 
 
 2 Besser reminds of the similar cases of Moses and Aaron, Basil and 
 Gregory of Nyssa. 
 
I. 2I.J CHAPTER I. ly 
 
 Jonas leave their work ; but in leaving their father they 
 left more (Matt. lO : 37). 
 
 21-28. And they go into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath 
 day he entered into the synagogue and taught. And they were astonished 
 at his teaching : for he taught them as having authority, and not as the 
 scribes. And straightway there was in their synagogue a man with an un- 
 clean spirit ; and he cried out, saying, what have we to do with thee, thou 
 Jesus of Nazareth .' art thou come to destroy us ? I know thee who thou 
 art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy 
 peace, and come out of him. And the unclean spirit, tearing him and cry- 
 ing with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch 
 that they questioned among themselves, saying. What is this ? a new teach- 
 ing ! with authority he commandeth even the unclean spirits, and they obey 
 him. And the report of him went out straightway everywhere into all the 
 region of Galilee round about. 
 
 This healing, although occurring after Christ's remark- 
 able sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4 : 31) is characteristically 
 selected by Mark to introduce Christ in His power. 
 
 Ver. 21. And they go. The "and" used almost al- 
 ways by Mark to introduce a new scene, does not imply 
 temporal connection unless indicated, but serves to bring 
 on the various pictures in quick succession. Thus Christ 
 is shown with His newly-called apostles entering into 
 Capernaum, Christ's own city (Matt. 9 : i), as the place 
 of His abode, and scene of some of His most remarkable 
 works. Its exact site is one of the unsettled questions 
 of Palestinian topography, for it has been so brought 
 down into the dust (Matt. 1 1 : 23). The Scriptural data, 
 that it was on the lake of Galilee (Matt. 4 : 13), a place of 
 custom (Mark 2 : 14), near Bethsaida and Chorazin (Matt. 
 II : 21), are not sufficient to determine the dispute. Most 
 scholars favor Tell Hum,^ two miles southwest of the en- 
 
 1 The supporters of Tell Hum are Dr. Wilson, Major Wilson, Thomson, 
 Stanley, Dixon, Ritter, Baedeker, Delitzsch, Plumptre, Schaff, Edersheim, 
 Farrar. Porter, Kiepert, Sepp, Geikie, after the lead of Robinson select 
 2 
 
i8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 22. 
 
 trance of the Jordan into the sea of Galilee. In Caper- 
 naum Christ and His disciples on the sabbath day, which 
 they kept as Israelites obedient to the law, entered into 
 the synagogue. If Tell Hum be the site of Capernaum 
 we have a slab of the lintel, which was over the entrance 
 to the synagogue, built by the centurion (Luke 7 : 5), and 
 on it is pictured a pot of manna (John 6:31 sq.). The 
 synagogue was probably built of marble, a rectangular 
 hall with pillared portico. Within at the south end, op- 
 posite the gallery reserved for the women at the north, 
 was the holy ark containing the rolls of the law and the 
 prophets, before which sat the rulers and elders. In the 
 centre was the platform (Bima) from which Christ taught 
 after the prayers were said and the selection from the 
 Pentateuch (Perashah, pericope) was read. Such teaching 
 was in accordance with the general privilege of an Israel- 
 ite.^ Ver. 22. And . . . authority. Christ's preaching 
 rested upon His mighty " I say unto you," upon the 
 authority of His person, which like glorious heavenly 
 sunshine broke forth through His meekness and lowli- 
 ness. ' Sweet and gentle as were His words, they were 
 mighty withal, thrusting home at the conscience, uncov- 
 ering sin in its deepest recesses and unfolding the great- 
 ness of the Father's love and mercy. It is not to be 
 wondered at, that men were astonished at such teaching, 
 the like of which they had never heard, for Christ taught 
 not as the scribes, who in their office as copyists of the 
 law had allowed exactness to become quibbling about 
 
 Khan Minyeh, about 3 miles south of Tell Hum and near the shore. Tris- 
 tram (Land of Israel, p. 442) supposed 'Ain Mudwarah to be the correct 
 site, but afterward abandoned it. See Smith's and Schaff' s Bible Diet., 
 Thomson, I., p. 542 sq., Edersheim, I., 365 sq., Ritter, Jordan, p. 335 sq., 
 Wilson, Lands of the Bible, IL, 139 sq. 
 
 1 Vitringa de Synag. Vet. IIL, i : 7 ; On the whole structure of a syna- 
 gogue, Edersheim, I., p. 433; Farrar, Life of Christ (rev. ed.), p. 1^7. 
 
T. 23. 24.] CHAPTER I. 19 
 
 the letter, and had degraded their instruction into dis- 
 cussions about subtle niceties and distinctions. They 
 ever sought for minute differences, and relied for every 
 statement upon some authoritative rabbinical interpreta- 
 tion. Thus their teaching was dead formalism, without 
 life and power.i Ver. 23. And . . . spirit. Even the 
 synagogue is not free of the unclean, for there is present 
 a man possessed with a demon, who is called an unclean 
 spirit ^ because of his unholy, wicked, Satanic nature. 
 (On demoniacal possession see EXCURSUS II. p. 31.) The 
 demon, Ver. 24 cried out, using the voice of the man 
 possessed, and saying ^ . . . thee. What is there to us 
 and thee ; why dost thou interfere ? " Thou hast thy 
 kingdom, leave us ours." — CHEMNITZ. The demon 
 speaks for the other demons, who " make common cause 
 with each other." — Bengel. The " very presence of 
 Christ was felt to be an interference." — MORRISON. 
 Him the demon at once addresses as Jesus of Nazareth*" 
 not by diabolical artifice, nor to despise Him (John 
 I : 46). It is simply Christ's human name, by which He 
 was ordinarily known. Continuing, the demon says : art 
 ... us ? It is better with Luther to make this an 
 affirmation, thou comcst to destroy us. There is no 
 
 ^ Edersheim, I., p. 94 sq. Farrar, p. 189. For a clear exposition of the 
 difference between Christ's teaching and that of one of the noblest scribes, 
 Hillel, see Delitzsch's monograph : " Jesus u. Hillel." 
 
 2 Mark uses unclean spirit almost as often (i : 23, 26, 27 ; 3 : 1 1, 30 ; 5:2, 
 8, 13; 6 : 7; 7 : 25) as demon (i : 33, 34, 39; 3 : 15, 22; 5 : 15, 18; 6: 
 13:7: 26; 29, 30; 16 : 9, 17. Matt, employs it only 10 : i ; 12 : 43 ; and 
 Luke less than demon (4 : 36 ; 6:18; 8 : 29 ; 9 : 42 ; 1 1 : 24). 
 
 3 The interjection (ea) "let us alone," found in the Auth. version is 
 wanting in X B, D, Itala, Peshito, etc., and was probably interpolated from 
 Luke. 4 : 34. 
 
 ^ Mark makes use of the adjective " Nazarene " {^aCapnroc) in 10 : 47 ; 
 14 : 67 ; 16 : 6, which occurs elsewhere in the gospels only Luke 4 : 34. 
 Matt, and John always use Nai^wpdiof. 
 
20 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [i. 25-27. 
 
 doubt with the demon, that Christ has come to give him 
 and his fellow-demons over to judgment and destruction 
 (i John 3:8); for he confesses tremblingly (James 2 : 19) 
 I . . . art, and adds to the human name the divine,^ 
 the Holy One of God. Christ is the Holy One (Luke 4 : 
 34; Ps. 16: 10; Acts 3 : 14) above the holy prophets 
 (Luke I : 70), priests (Ps. 106 : 16), apostles (Eph. 
 3 : 5), saints (Acts 9 : 13 ; Rom. i : 7), not as the one 
 especially and above measure (John 3 : 34) anointed 
 as Messiah by the Holy Spirit and sent into the world 
 as sanctified (John 10 : 36), but as the absolutely sinless 
 Son of God (Acts 4 : 27, 30).^ The holiness of Christ 
 is the greatest dread of the unclean spirit, because it 
 augurs the certainty of the defeat of sin and the power 
 of Satan. This Satanic spirit Christ (ver. 25) rebuked, for 
 " He would not that the truth should proceed from an 
 unclean mouth," — Atpianasius, by which Satan sought 
 to impress men that Christ was in league with him (Luke 
 11:15). Therefore Christ said, Ver. 25: " Hold . . . him." 
 Christ muzzles the demon like a beast (i Cor. 9:9; 
 I Tim. 5 : 18), and by His word of power ejects him. 
 Ver. 26. And . . . him, throwing about the man in con- 
 vulsions into the midst of the people (Luke 4 : 35), and 
 crying . . . voice, making a terrible outcry, came out of 
 him. Ver. 27. And . . . amazed (9: 15; 10:24; 14:33; 
 16 : 5). The astonishment, which had arisen during 
 Christ's teaching (ver. 22), now rose to such a height, 
 that those present begin in feverish excitement to discuss 
 with each other: " What ^ . . . him!" (Lsai. 34: 16). 
 
 1 Cf. Iren. ag. Her. IV. 6, 6. Terttdl. ag. Praxeas, 26. Augustine On 
 Baptism ag. Donatists, chap. 10; On John, Tract VII., 6. 
 
 2 Cf. Keii on this pas.sage as against Meyer & Weiss. 
 
 2 The reading, " A new teaching with authority," supported by N B, L, 
 33, etc, but unknown to the fathers, is to be preferred (v. 22). 
 
I. 28-31.] CHAPTER I. 21 
 
 Ver. 28. And the report of Christ went everywhere into 
 . . . about, i. e. into all the province of Galilee out from 
 and about Capernaum. 
 
 29-31. And straightway, when they were come out of the synagogue, 
 they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. 
 Now Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever ; and straightway they tell him 
 of her : and he came and took her by the hand, and raised her up ; and the 
 fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 
 
 Ver. 29. When 1 . . . synagogue. The succeeding 
 event is connected temporally with the previous account. 
 Christ and His disciples come . . . Andrew. Andrew, 
 who is not mentioned in this connection by Matthew, 
 originally lived with Simon who was probably the head 
 of the household, at Bethsaida (John i : 44) ; but after- 
 ward they removed to Capernaum. At their home they 
 may have found no festal meal, as was customary, on this 
 sabbath, for, Ver. 30, Simon's'^ . . . fever. This "burning 
 fever," which is still prevalent in the Galilean lake region, 
 was in all probability caused by the miasmic vapors, 
 arising from the marshy plains.^ Ver. 31. And straight- 
 way, when Jesus entered the house, the people of the 
 
 ^ The reading "they" is found in K, L, A, C, while "he" occurs in 
 B, D, 2. 
 
 2 The N. T. tells us nothing further of Simon's wife, than that she accom- 
 panied her husband on his missionary travels (i. Cor. 9 : 5). But an old 
 tradition, which there is no reason to doubt, reported by Clement Alex. 
 (Strom. VII. 11) and quoted by Eus. H. E. III. 30, relates this account of 
 her martyrdom : " They say, accordingly, that when the blessed Peter saw 
 his own wife led out to die, he rejoiced because of her summons and her re- 
 turn home, and called to her very encouragingly, and comfortingly, address- 
 ing her by name, and saying 'Oh, thou remember the Lord.' Such was the 
 marriage of the blessed, and their perfect disposition toward those dearest 
 to them." Canon Cook, who has used this account in his Com. on Mark, 
 calls it exceedingly beautiful and free from the monastic taint found in later 
 writers. 
 
 3 Thomson, I. 547. 
 
i2 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 32-34. 
 
 household run up and tell him, as the physician, from 
 whom they expect help. And He, before whose presence 
 all evil flees, took . . . hand (5 : 41), and by His simple 
 touch from which there went out power (5 : 30) gave her 
 strength, and raised her up to health, for the fever ^ left 
 her immediately. And . . . them. Christ came to 
 minister, and not to be ministered unto, but yet He 
 receives the loving service of those whom He helped. 
 To serve Him is the best use of health regained. This 
 use Simon's wife's mother made, in performing the first 
 deaconess-work for Christ and His disciples. 
 
 32-34. And at even, when the sun did set, they brought unto him all that 
 were sick, and them that were possessed with devils. And all the city was 
 gathered together at the door. And he healed many that were sick with 
 divers diseases, and cast out many devils ; and he suffered not the devils to 
 speak, because they knew him. 
 
 Ver. 32. At even, which Mark defines more accurately: 
 when . . . set, and therefore the sabbath ended, t/uy 
 brought unto Christ, who was still at Simon's house, the 
 sick and the demoniacs. Ver. 33. And . . . city, i. e. the 
 body of the people, was at the door. Ver. 34. Christ 
 healed divers diseases, for He was Lord over all sick- 
 nesses, which are distinguished from demoniacal posses- 
 sion, that was siii generis. The demons cast out were 
 not sufTered to speak (ver. 25) for they knew Him.^ 
 
 1 Edersheim (I. 486) shows very aptly how altogether different in "sub- 
 lime simplicity " the healing of Christ was from the magical methods 
 of the Jews, by referring to the remedy, which the Talmud prescribes for 
 the same disease, " of which the principal part is to tie a knife wholly of 
 iron by a braid of hair to a thornbush, and to repeat on successive days 
 Ex. III. 2, 3, then verse 4, and finally verse 5, after which the bush is to 
 be cut down, while a certain magical formula is pronounced." 
 
 2 The addition " to be Christ " rests upon the authority of B, C, G, L, M, 
 but it was probably inserted from Luke 4 : 41. 
 
1. 35-37.] CtiAPTEi^ 1. 2% 
 
 35-39. And in the morning, a great while before day, he l"OSe up and 
 went out, and departed into a desert place, and there prayed. And Simon 
 and they that were with him followed after him ; and they found him, and 
 say unto him, All are seeking thee. And he saith unto them, Let us go 
 elsewhere into the next town, that I may preach there also ; for to this end 
 came I forth. And he went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, 
 preaching and casting out devils. 
 
 Ver. 35. In the morning (Matt. 20 : i), is more closely 
 defined as a . . . day, when it was yet very nightly 
 i^v^'^ijya) and dark, long before dawn,^ Christ rose up (Ps. 
 57:8) and went out of the house unto a desert place, an 
 uninhabited barren region, that, undisturbed. He might 
 gain strength for new work and new victory. More than 
 once such retirement took place : and Mark, who por- 
 trays most strikingly the constant activity of Christ, men- 
 tions more frequently than any other evangelist these 
 times of withdrawal (i : 45 ; 3:7 sq. ; 6 : 6, 31, 32 ; 7 : 
 24 ; 8 : 27 ; 9 : 2 ; 1 1 : 1 1 ; 1 1 : 19). At this time Christ 
 prayed (6 : 47 ; Ps. 63 : i), and " made the desert place a 
 temple of God by His prayers." — Lange. His injunction 
 (Matt. 6 : 6) He confirms by His own life, which was one 
 of prayer (Matt. 26 : 36 ; Luke 5 : 16; 9 : 29; 22 : 32 ; 
 John 17:1 sq.). Ver. 36. And in the morning Simon 
 and they . . . him, i. e. Andrew, James, John, together 
 with the multitude (Luke 4 : 42) follozved after Christ ; 
 they sought, hunted, pursued with great earnestness, 
 until they, Ver. ^^J, found Him. Blessed are those that 
 seek Christ, for they shall find him (Matt. 7 : 7). As 
 they find Jesus they say : "All . . . thee." It was the 
 desire of most to find Christ, not for their souls, as the 
 preacher of the Word, but for their bodies as the Healer 
 of their diseases. Therefore, Ver. 38, he , . . them, His 
 
 ^ Wyclif renders this very quaintly: "in the morenynge ful erly." 
 
24 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [i. 38, 39. 
 
 disciples, let . . . elsewhere.i The divine blessing is 
 not to be restricted to one city, but to be spread first 
 into the next tozuns, or village, cities (xw,ao7r<>/lc;9), of which 
 Galilee was very full. Josephus (Jew. Wars, III., 3, 2 ; 
 Life 45), exaggerating somewhat, mentions 204 cities and 
 villages, of which the least was said to contain 15,000 in- 
 habitants. The population in the thickly sown cities and 
 villages, was so dense owing to the richness of the soil.^ 
 In these places Jesus wished to preach, for He says: to 
 this . . . forth, not from Simon's house or Capernaum, 
 but from the Father, who sent me into the world (Luke 
 4 : 43 ; John 8 : 42 ; John 13:3; 16 : 27). Christ's first 
 work was to preach the gospel, and His deeds were to 
 call attention to and confirm the Word. The miracles of 
 Christ were to be but attestations of His truth. Ver. 39. 
 And . . . preaching. The order of the Greek original is 
 the better, " he went preaching into their synagogues," 
 because it emphasizes the preaching. This took place at 
 the appointed houses of worship (Matt. 4 : 23), except 
 where the multitudes came to Christ in the open. Not- 
 withstanding the enmity shown Christ in some of the 
 synagogues, He became no separatist. (Hebr. 10 : 25). 
 His preaching in the synagogues He confirmed by casting 
 . . . devils everywhere. " Where Christ's kingdom is to 
 be planted, the devil's kingdom must be destroyed "(2 
 Cor. 6 : 14, 15). — Starke, 
 
 40-45. And there cometh to him a leper, beseeching him, and kneeling 
 down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. 
 And being moved with compassion, he stretched forth his hand, and touched 
 him, and saith unto him, I will ; be thou made clean. And straightway the 
 leprosy departed from him, and he was made clean. And he strictly charged 
 
 1 This word has been replaced by Tischendorff on the authority of N, B, 
 C, L, 2,Z- 
 
 '^ Delitzsch, Jiidisches Handwerkerleben zur Zeit Jesu, p. 11. 
 
I. 4°-] CHAPTER /. 25 
 
 him, and straightway sent him out, and saith unto him. See Thou say no- 
 thing to any man : but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for 
 thy cleansing the things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto 
 them. But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to spread 
 abroad the matter insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into a 
 city, but was without in desert places : and they came to him from every 
 quarter. 
 
 This event is placed by Matthew after the Sermon on 
 the Mount. Mark and Luke give no chronological set- 
 ting, although the latter in the arrangement of his gospel 
 puts it before the Sermon on the Mount, and describes it 
 as having taken place in " one of the cities." (Luke 5:12). 
 Ver. 40. And . . . leper, who was probably affected with 
 that variety of leprosy, which is called the white (lepra 
 mosaica). It begins with small scabby postules, having 
 minute spots in the centre, which are somewhat depressed 
 (Lev. 13 : 34). The hairs near the scabs become white 
 (Lev. 13:3, 20, 25). The postules, as they spread (Lev. 
 13 : 8) generate inflammation (Lev. 13 : 10, 14). Theskin 
 becomes white and dry, the eyelids cramped Avhile the 
 eyes lose their brightness. All the senses lose their 
 power, and the extremities rot away. In its development 
 the disease becomes exceedingly loathsome. ^ It was re- 
 garded as a special plague of God (2 Kings 5 : 27), ex- 
 cluding for sanitary^ and ceremonial reasons from all men 
 (Lev. 13 : 43 ; Num. 5:1,2; 12 : 10, 14). It is a striking 
 picture of sin, in its small beginning, its constant develop- 
 ment, its uncleanness and hideousness, its incurableness 
 by men, its heredity and contagiousness, and in its terri- 
 
 ^ Winer, Reallexicon ; Smith, Bible Diet.; Trench, Miracles, p. 1G5 sq. 
 Robinson, Bibl. Researches, I. 359; Thomson II. 516 ; Geikie, p. 186; Nebe, 
 I.; p. 428. 
 
 2 Trench rejects the contagiousness of leprosy, arguing from the case of 
 Naaman. But Naaman's was probably a different variety. There can be 
 no doubt from the testimony of Scripture and the Ancients, that white 
 leprosy was contagious. 
 
26 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARA'. [r. 46, 41. 
 
 ble end, . . The leper came to Christ, breaking through 
 the crowds and not heeding the legal restrictions. Be- 
 seeching . . . down 1 to Him, the afflicted man renders 
 not only profound reverence toward a superior or " a man 
 of God," but he adores the Christ, saying . , . clean. In 
 great faith the leper ascribes to Christ the power and 
 never doubts about it, although he is not certain if it be 
 Christ's will to heal him. This uncertainty is no ques- 
 tioning of Christ's love ; nor does it arise from the con- 
 sciousness of special guilt; but it is rather the submissive 
 humility of faith, which knows, that everything good is 
 willed by Christ, but not all that is desired may be good. 
 If this desire be for heavenly, spiritual blessings there can 
 be no doubt, " for God's will is evident, that He will have 
 His glory and our salvation unhindered. But it is not 
 meant thus in temporal things. One can be poor, sick, 
 miserable, and despised, and yet be saved, — Who there- 
 fore prays for rescue and help, shall truly believe that 
 God can and will help ; but he should place his will in 
 God's will." — Luther. Thus the leper prays with true 
 wisdom, for " who believes rightly, prays rightly." — 
 Luther. Upon this prayer the Lord, Ver, 41, being . . . 
 hand. The deepest compassion is stirred up in the Lord 
 for the wretched sufferer, and " are not the pitying heart, 
 the healing hand and the mighty word of Jesus founda- 
 tions upon which one can be supported and rely ? " — Tiib. 
 Bible, Starke. The hand of Jesus touched the leper, for 
 Jesus is not afraid of impurity. Him the absolutely pure 
 nothing can defile (Tit. 1:15). His touch is healing. 
 "Jesus touched the leper to cleanse him in a twofold 
 sense, freeing him not only as the multitude heard, from 
 the visible leprosy by visible contact, but also from that 
 
 1 " Kneeling down to him " is properly retained, although wanting in B, 
 D, G, r. 
 
1. 42-44] CHAPTER L 27 
 
 Other leprosy, by His truly divine touch." — Origen. 
 After the touch Christ said I . • . clean. This is the 
 " prompt echo to the mature faith of the leper," coming 
 from Him who is God (2 Kings 5 : 7), and whose will is 
 deed. The humble " if thou wilt " combined with the 
 mighty " thou canst "moves Christ's deep love to His pow- 
 erful word : Be thou clean. What Christ commands, is 
 accomplished at once (Ps. 33 : 9). The leper does not be- 
 come clean as he goes, but, Ver. 42, Straightway ... de- 
 parted. It was an immediate and thorough cure. Christ 
 heals where other healers fail. Ver. 43. And . . . out. 
 Literally, " speaking to him sternly he drove him forth." 
 This sternness, as the following injunction shows, was nec- 
 essary because the healed man was in danger of " talking 
 too much of the grace of God, to his own and others' harm." 
 — Gerlach. Therefore Christ said, Ver. 44, See . . . 
 man, for thy and My sake. Christ wishes to avoid being 
 sought after as a mere worker of miracles (Mark 8 : 30 ; 
 Matt. 16 : 20: 17 : 9; Luke 9 : 21), not only because 
 of the wrong notion men would gain of Him, but also 
 from His humility. " Why, O sweet Lord, dost Thou 
 now say this: tell it to no one? On account of my 
 humility. He says, on account of my sweetness, that you 
 might be taught, when you have done anything good, 
 not to glory, not to seek praise, nor wish to be uselessly 
 placed before men."— Origen. The man made whole 
 is told : Go . . . priest.^ By this order Christ demon- 
 strates that He has not come to destroy the law. He 
 subjects Himself to its provisions, and gives honor to 
 whom it is due (Matt. 23 : 2, 3). To us He gives an 
 " example of love, because He, who had power, does not 
 wish to withhold from the priests, what was given and 
 
 1 Cyprian employs these words to prove the right of priestly authority. 
 Letters, LIV. 4 ; LXIV. 2. 
 
28 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 44, 45. 
 
 granted them by God, in order that we should permit 
 every one to remain in his rights, and take from no one, 
 what is due." — LUTHER. Further the man restored to 
 health is told : Offer . . . commanded. These offerings 
 (Lev. 14: I sq.) were at first two sparrows, of which one 
 was killed over a vessel with spring water, while the other 
 was dipped into this water and blood, together with a 
 small bunch of hyssop, a piece of cedar wood and some 
 crimson wool, which had been put under the tip of the 
 tail and the tops of the wings. The hand of the restored 
 leper was then sprinkled seven times and the bird let 
 loose. On the eighth day a second burnt-and-sin-offering 
 was brought (Lev. 14 : 9, 10, ii).^ It is significant that 
 Christ ascribes this ceremonial law not to some late 
 scribe, but to Moses himself (cf. also 7 : 10 ; 10 : 3 ; 12 : 
 19, 26). The sacrifice before the priests was to be a 
 testimony unto them ; for they were to receive knowl- 
 edge of Christ's power, that they might decide about 
 Him. Thus although preaching in Galilee Jesus sent 
 His testimony to Jerusalem, so that " the priests might 
 be rendered without excuse, if they did not receive 
 Christ's as the servant of God." — Calvin. Ver. 45. But 
 the Leper . . . abroad. Disobedient to Christ's injunc- 
 tion the leper everywhere proclaimed the account 
 of what Jesus had done, and He could . . . city, 
 for He was besieged on every side by masses, seek- 
 ing Him for their outward ailments or to satisfy their 
 curiosity. Then He remained without in desert places, 
 but the people came to these from . . . quarter, i. e. 
 every part of Palestine (Matt. 4 : 25), and Christ could 
 not keep concealed. 
 
 1 See Mc Clintock & Strong, Cyclopaedia, sub. Leprosy. 
 
EXCURSUS I. 29 
 
 EXCURSUS I. 
 
 The Baptism of John. The baptism of John, standing between the Old 
 and New Testament, occupies as to its effect and fruitage an intermediate 
 position. It contained more than the shadow (Col. 2 : 17) of legal purifica- 
 tions and circumcision, because it was "a baptism of repentance into remis- 
 sion of sins." Its condition weis repentance, for it was administered only 
 to those who had heard the preaching of repentance (Matt. 3 : 2) and had 
 confessed their sins (Matt. 3 : 6). In it repentance was also confirmed 
 (Matt. 3 : 11), for it was truly "a seal of repentance." (TertuUian). It 
 communicated as a means the forgiveness of sins (cf. Mark i ; 4, with Acts 
 
 2 : 38). But it was less than Christian baptism, for it was a baptism of 
 water (Mark i : 8) and not of the Spirit. It did not regenerate. Thus 
 John's baptism agrees with his whole position. He was less than the least 
 in the kingdom of God (Matt. 11 : 11) because he was not within. His 
 preaching had much legal earnestness and severity (Matt. 3 : 5 sq. ; Luke 3 : 
 7 sq.) and in his temptation about the Messiahship of Jesus (Matt. 11:3 
 sq.) the sterner aspect of the Christ andHisday had influenced John (cf. Isai. 
 40 : 5 ; Mai. 3:2; 4:6). But withal John was the greatest of those born 
 of women (Matt. 11 : 11) ; he was nearer to Christ than any other prophet, 
 and as the friend of the bridegroom rejoiced in the bridegroom's voice (John 
 
 3 : 29). He saw the light of which he bore witness (John i : 8) and applied 
 Isaiah's prophecy (Isai. 53 : 7) to Jesus, whose greatness and eternity he 
 clearly proclaimed (John i : 29). Knowing this place of John the Fathers 
 did not regard his baptism as equal to Christian baptism. TertuUian says : 
 " That baptism was divine indeed (yet in respect of command, not in respect 
 of efficacy too, in that we read that John was sctit by the Lord to perform 
 this duty) but human in its nature : for it conveyed nothing celestial, but it 
 fore-ministered to things celestial; being, to wit, appointed over repentance, 
 which is in man's power.— But if repentance is a thing human, its baptism 
 must necessarily be of the same nature ; else if it had been celestial, it would 
 have given both the Holy Spirit and the retnission of sins.'' (On Baptism, X.). 
 And this TertuUian, who in guarding John's baptism from over valuation 
 deprives it of all etificacy, maintains, because " he who prepares does not 
 himself perfect, but procures for another to perfect." Origen likewise in his 
 Com. on John holds, that " the baptism of regeneration came not by John, 
 but only with Jesus through his disciples." Augustine also (Enchir. 49) is 
 of the opinion, that " those who were baptized in the baptism of John, by 
 whom Christ was himself baptized, were not regenerated ; but they were 
 prepared through the ministry of His forerunner, who cried. Prepare ye the 
 
30 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. 
 
 way of the Lord, for Him in whom only they could be regenerated. For 
 His baptism is not with water only, as was that of John." But John's 
 baptism is more than this to Augustine, who (Ag. Donat. V. ii) says : "To 
 none of the prophets, to no one at all in Holy Scripture, do we read that it 
 was granted to baptize in the water of repentance for the remission of sins, as 
 it was granted to John." Chrysostom was not as near the truth, when he 
 affirmed (Horn. X. on Matt.), that John's baptism " had not remission, but 
 this gift pertained unto the baptism, that was given afterward. — John verily 
 preached a baptism of repentance {he saith not of retJiission)." But Cyril 
 (Cat. Lect. XX) has correctly summed up in a consistent manner what 
 Augustine had not fully declared, when, treating of Christian baptism, he 
 stated : " Let no one then suppose that baptism is merely the grace of re- 
 mission of sins, or further, that of adoption ; as John's was a baptism, con- 
 ferring only remission of sins?'' 
 
 Luther holds, that John's baptism did not purify, for John said : " I pu- 
 rify with water, ttot as though yon are ptirified by it, but through Him, who 
 comes after me, who will purify with the Holy Spirit." (Erl. Ed. 47 : 91). 
 With the prophets John points to Christ, saying : " I will take you as wit- 
 nesses, that I am not of the opinion, that my baptism saves ; but therefore I 
 baptize, that you should accept Christ." (Erl. Ed. 47 : 106). But Luther 
 has other utterances, which attribute to John's baptism the value of a real 
 purification almost equal to that of Christ. "They have believed that 
 John with his baptism purified. For he hangs yon with his baptism upon 
 Christ," (Erl. Ed. 47 : 44), which is "as well instituted and confirmed by 
 God as afterward the baptism of Christ." (Erl. Ed. 19 : 471.) "The bap- 
 tism of John is not far from the baptism of Christ. — Therefore there is no 
 other difference, but that they who received fohn^s baptism believed iti the 
 future Christ, but we believe on Him, who has come." (Erl. Ed. 19 : 487). 
 In this latter position, which ascribes even more than remission of sins to 
 John's baptism, Luther was the leader of the Lutheran dogmaticians of the 
 i6th century, who, from Chemnitz on, held, that the difference between 
 John's and Christian baptism was that of the " word, concerning Christ 
 coming and Christ exhibited," and that although the manner of publication 
 was different, yet " as to its substance it is the same and has the satne effect 
 on believers." This view became prevalent in a polemical interest against 
 the canon of the council of Trent on baptism, which declared : " If anyone 
 say that the baptism of John has the same power as that of Christ, let him 
 be anathema." Nevertheless other interpretations were not absolutely re- 
 jected, for Chemnitz, in his treatment of the various opinions on Acts. 19, 
 which he has reviewed, states : " there is not sufficient cause, why he who 
 embraces one opinion, should immediately by anathema condemn those who 
 think differently." (Cf. Chernnitz, Exam. Cone. Trid. Loc. II. Sec. i. Ger- 
 hard, Loci. XXI. Chap. IV. § 43 sq. Aeg. Hunnius, Artie, de Sacr. vet. and 
 
EXCURSUS /I. 31 
 
 nov. test.) Calvin also {Com. Matt. 3:11) would not have the baptism of 
 John to be distinguished from that of Christ. Among the modern Luthe- 
 ran theologians Philippi (Kirchl. Glaubenslehre V. 2 : 195) adheres to the 
 position of Chemnitz and Gerhard, giving a higher value to John's baptism 
 than Hengstenberg (Christ. III. i : 663), who attributes repentance and 
 faith in a weaker degree to John's baptism. Thomasius (Christi Person u. 
 Werk, III. 2 : 10 sq.) holds, that forgiveness of sins on condition of repent- 
 ance is imparted, an opinion which v. Hofmann defends (Schriftbew, II. 2 : 
 159.) Nosgen (N. T. Offenb. I. 139) attributes to this baptism a preparatory 
 character for the remission of sins, in as far as it " generates the negative 
 side of repentance, the godly sorrow and the desire for the full salvation." 
 Hbfling (Sacr. der Taufe, § 17 Anm. 27), Luthardt (Comp. § 71 : i), Frank 
 (Chrl. Wahr. II. 264) see in it only a .symbol. (Cf. also v. Zezschwitz, 
 Katech, I. 224; Nebe, Ev. Perik. I. 226 sq.) 
 
 EXCURSUS II. 
 
 Demoniacal Possession. The casting out of demons by Christ is fre- 
 quently and vividly pictured by Mark. He makes it his special object to 
 show Christ's victory over these Satanic powers in emphasizing a feature 
 of Christ's work reported by all synoptists, but rarely by St. John (John 
 7 : 20; 8 : 48, 49, 52 ; 10 : 20, 21), who "does not relate the prevailing over 
 Satan by power, but his moral vanquishment : he (John) portrays not the 
 struggle carried on in the periphery, but that which takes place in the cen- 
 tre." (Steinmeyer). Now the synoptists are not inserting individualistic 
 conceptions into Christ's miracles, when they represent him as casting out 
 demons, because not only in their descriptions but in Christ's own words 
 the demons are accepted as real powers. And if we impugn the veracity of 
 the evangelists in these reports of Christ's words, their trustworthiness as 
 witnesses of other statements becomes doubtful. If the synoptists were 
 deceived in these miracles, all miracles and consequently the whole N. T. 
 record becomes uncertain. It cannot then but be accepted, that Christ 
 treated the demonized as reported. And in such treatment we cannot at- 
 tribute to Christ unconscious acceptance of the superstitions of his day (cf. 
 Jewish Demonology, Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 
 Vol. II., Appen. XIII., p. 755 sq.,) because His manner of healing was 
 totally different from that of the exorcists, who performed temporary cures 
 (Matt. 12 : 27; Mark 9 : 38) by magic formulas ascribed to Solomon, by 
 incantations, fumigations, etc., (Jos., Jew. Wars, VII. 6,3; Antiq. VIII. 
 2, 5). Christ cured by the simple power of His divine word. In Him there 
 qan be no superstitious ignorance, for this would be inconsistent with the 
 
32 TfiE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. 
 
 whole gospel-picture of Jesus, who was the truth, and exhibited knowledge 
 far superior to His own and all times. Nor can it be held with Bleek, 
 (Synopt. Erklar. der ersten drei Evan. I. 219) that Christ accommodatedHim- 
 self to popular notions, and entered upon the idiosyncracy of those affected, 
 not only because such a supposition rests upon the misconception that the 
 insane are cured by acquiescing in their ideas, but also because it is not in 
 accordance with the truthfulness of Jesus, who gave his disciples power to 
 cast out demons (Matt. 10 : i, 8; Mark 16 : 17,) spoke to them about the 
 proper preparation for this work (Matt. 17:21; Mark 9 : 29), and in every 
 way regarded demoniacal possession as a fact and reality. (Luke 10 : 17 sq.) 
 The demons were real spirits (Matt. 8 : 16; Mark 9 : 20), unclean (Matt. 
 ID : I ; Mark I : 23, 26, 27, etc.), wicked (Luke 7 : 21), satanic (Luke 10 : 18), 
 not the souls of departed criminals (Jos. Jew. Wars, VII. 6, 3), nor the 
 giants born of " the sons of God " and the " daughters of men " (Gen. 6 : 2), 
 (Justin, Apol. II. 5; Tatian, ag. the Greeks, c. 16; Tertull. Apol. 22; Com- 
 modianus, Christ. Discipl. 3; Lactanius, Div. Inst. II. 15), but fallen 
 angels (Augustine, City of God, XIX. 9). As spirits they enter into the 
 spiritual nature of man, occupying his psychical powers, which is evident 
 from the synonymous use of " to have a demon " and " to be mad " (John. 
 10 : 20), and the general classical use of "demonized " and "insane." In 
 this insanity the demons are at times clairvoyant, recognizing Christ as the 
 Son of God (Matt. 8 : 29; Mark i : 24 ; 3 : 11 ; Luke 4 : 34), and Paul and 
 his companions as the servants of God (Acts 16 : 17), and they know what 
 doom awaits them (Matt. 8 : 29 ; Mark i : 24, 5:7; Luke 4 : 34, 8 : 28). 
 Into the very self-consciousness they intrude themselves and at intervals 
 unseat the ego (Mark 5 : 9). From their central location within "holding 
 the spirit in a state of siege " (Delitzsch), they are sheltered in the capaci- 
 ties of the soul, but not in the nervous system (Ebrard), nor on the border 
 between the soul and the nervous organism (Dehtzsch). From their citadel 
 they act upon the nervous system, which is so intimately connected with the 
 soul, by bringing on mania (Matt. 8 : 28 ; Mark 5:3; Luke 8 : 28 ; 9 : 39), 
 epilepsy (Mark 9:18; Matt. 17 : 1 5), lunacy (Matt. 17:1 5). They take pos- 
 session of speech (Matt. 8 : 29, 31 ; Mark i : 26 ; Luke 4 : 34 ; Acts 16 : 17), 
 and sometimes cause dumbness (Matt. 9:32; 12 : 22; Luke 11 : 14), 
 blindness (Matt. 12 : 22), and as "spirits of infirmity" bring on the perma- 
 nent loss of motory power (Luke 13 : 11). This possession (obsessio cdr- 
 poralis) is to be distinguished from the moral possession (obsessio spiritualis) 
 (John 13 : 2, 27), which is the result of special sin and takes place with the 
 freest volition of the one possessed. But in no case of casting out a 
 demon does Christ forgive sins, or is it anywhere intimated that because of 
 sin in general or for special sins (Luther, Erl. Ed. 11 : 132; 58 : 127), or 
 heathenish impurities these possessions came about. They are reported not 
 only as taking place in Galilee, although most frequent there, but also in 
 
EXCURSUS II. 
 
 Z2> 
 
 Judaea (Matt. lO: i,8; Mark 6: 13; Luke 10 : 17 ; Acts 10:38). Only 
 the New Testament reports such possession, for the case of King Saul (Jos. 
 Antiq. VI. 8, 2) is to be diagnosed as moral possession. It was but natural 
 that in the fulness of time when the Son of God appeared to destroy the 
 works of Satan, that Satan would make every endeavor to hinder Christ's 
 work, and in an extraordinary manner bring men under his yoke. In the 
 deliverance from Satanic power, and by relegating the demons to the place 
 of death, where they cannot exercise their abusive power (Matt. 8 : 29 ; 
 Luke 8 : 31), Christ proved himself to be " the man of God, who could re- 
 deem life from the power of the enemy of all life, and lock up this enemy in 
 his own domain, that of death" (v. Hofmann). This serves to explain 
 why demoniacal possession became rare after Christ's departure, in evidence 
 of which the testimony of the Fathers may be cited, who, while adding 
 many superstitious elements to demonology and ascribing to the demons 
 great influence over spirit and body, mention comparatively few cases of 
 real exorcism and show the complete cessation later. (Justin Martyr, 
 Apol. II. 6; c. Tryph. c. 30; Tertull. Apol. c. 23; Ad Scap. IV.; Origen 
 adv. Celsus I., 6; Minucius Felix, Octav. c. 27 ; Theophilusad Autol. II. 8 ; 
 Lactantius, Div. Inst. II. 16 ; IV. 27 ; V. 22 ; Cyprian, Epistles, LXXI V. 10 ; 
 Eusebius, Praep. Ev. III. 6; the pseudo Clementine Kecogn. and Homilies, 
 the Apocrypha; Martyrdom of Matt, the Apostle, Acts of the Holy Apos- 
 tle and Evangel. John. Cf. F'ffoulkes, in Smith and Wace Diet, of Chris- 
 tian Biography, I., p. 8iob sq. ; Zahn, Gesch. des N. T. Kanon I. 14, Note 
 2). Luther, whose "knowledge was literally world-wide," while attributing 
 all disorders of nature, all diseases, all accidents, in short almost every evil 
 to demons and Satan, and who is quite bound up in the superstitions of his 
 day in this particular (Kostlin, Luther's Theol. II. 312 sq.), mentions few 
 clear cases of bodily possession (cf. e. g. Erl. Ed. i : 279), which he distin- 
 guishes from " obsessio spiritualis " (Erl. Ed, 18:66; 59:315). The 
 former, according to him, shows itself in insanity (Erl. Ed. 60 : ro). But 
 the rarity of demoniacs after Christ's day does not prove that demoniacal 
 possession has entirely ceased (Mark 16 : 17). This it would be difiBcultto 
 maintain, especially since the experience of Johann Christoph Blumhardt 
 (see Meusel, Kirchl, Lexicon, I. 482). (On the whole subject, Nebe, Ev. 
 Perik. II. 131 sq., Ebrard in Herzog and Plitt Realencycl. III. 440; Eder- 
 sheim, I. 479 sq., 607; Delitzsch Bibl. Psychology (Engl. Transl.) 345 sq., 
 Keil's Handbuch der bibl. Archaologie, 567 ; Twesten, Dogmatik. II. 
 I, 374 ; Nosgen, N. T. Offenb. I. 248 sq. Trench Miracles, on Demoniacs 
 in the country of- the Gadarenes, p. 117 sq. Demon Possession and Allied 
 Themes, by J. L. Nevins, D. D., espec. Chap. XIV., p. 243 sq. For a modern 
 negative view, Hand-Commentar zum N. T., Vol I., by Holtzmann, p. "jt^. 
 3 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 I-I2. And when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it 
 was noised that he was in the house. And many were gathered together, 
 insomuch that there was no longer room for them, no, not even 
 al)out the door : and he spake the word unto tliem. And they come 
 bringing unto him a man sicli of the palsy, borne of four. And when 
 they could not come nigh unto him for the crowd, they uncovered the 
 roof where he was : and when they had broken it up, they let down the 
 bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay. And Jesus seeing their faith saith 
 unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins are forgiven. But there were cer- 
 tain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts. Why doth 
 this man thus speak .' he blasphemeth : who can forgive sins but one, even 
 God "i And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so rea- 
 soned within themselves, saith unto them, Why reason ye these things in 
 your hearts .'' Whether is easier to say to the sick of the palsy. Thy sins 
 are forgiven ; or to say. Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk .'' But that 
 ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins (he 
 saith to the sick of the palsy), I say unto thee. Arise, take up thy bed, and 
 go unto thy house. And he arose, and straightway took up the bed, and 
 went forth before them all ; insomuch that they were all amazed, and 
 glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion. 
 
 Christ's popularity soon arouses the envy of the Jewi.sh 
 leaders, who are inwardly angered at Him. Accusation 
 and attack follow, which, though answered in gentleness 
 by Christ, grow into enmity. The development of this 
 Mark depicts down to chap. 3 : 6 in a series of vivid 
 pictures. 
 
 Ver. I. And . . . Capernaum, His own city, which as 
 the place of His first great success (i : 32 sq.), was now to 
 become the city, where enmity first met Him ; after . . . 
 days, lit. through days, i. e., after a number of days inter- 
 
 34 
 
II. 2, 3-] CHAPTER //. 35 
 
 vened, it . . . noised, lit, it was heard, everywhere be- 
 cause reported throughout the city, that Jic was in the 
 house} He had gone into the house and was there ^ at 
 the home, which He occupied when at Capernaum, prob- 
 ably the house of Peter. Blessed the house, where Jesus 
 is at home (Luke 19 : 9). Ver. 2. Many . . . together, 
 in such multitude, so . . . door. If the house was that 
 of Peter, it could not have been a low, flat house like 
 these occupied by the poor,^ in the front room of which 
 Jesus was staying ; but one containing a courtyard and 
 similar to the dwellings of the middle class. The whole 
 courtyard was thronged to the place beyond the door in 
 the street. And Jesus spake . . . word, discoursing on 
 the kingdom (i : 15), proclaiming the Word of God (i 
 Pet. I : 23 ; 3:1; i Thess. 2 : 13), not in the upper 
 chamber,* but in the covered gallery, which surrounded 
 the courtyard. " Perhaps He was standing within the 
 entrance of the guest-chamber, while the scribes were 
 sitting within that apartment or beside Him in the gal- 
 lery." — Edersheim. As Christ was speaking there, Ver. 
 3, they came, i. e. four men bringing . . . palsy, by which 
 name various kinds of muscular and nervous diseases, that 
 deprive of sensation or motion, are designated. But most 
 cases described in the N. T. (Matt. 4 : 24 ; 12 : losq. ; 
 Luke 6:6; John 5 : 5 sq.), seem to have been apoplexy, 
 paralysis of the whole system. In a severe form the 
 limbs remain incurably rigid, and death occurs shortly 
 (Matt. 8 : 6).^ The paralytic, now brought to the true 
 physician, was borne . . . four, each one carrying one 
 
 1 The better reading is eta olkov accdg. to A, C, T, A, 11., etc. . 
 
 2 Cf. Winer, p. 415. 
 
 2 Thomson, II., p. 6, sq. Robinson, Morison, Keil, Holtzmann, Cook. 
 
 * Lightfoot, Meyer, Weiss, Lange, Trench. 
 
 6 Farrar, N. T. Hours, p. 185. Schaff, Bible Diet. sub. Palsy. 
 
36 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [i. 4. 
 
 corner of the pallet. Ver. 4. And 1 . . . crowd. The 
 
 impossibility of approach would not have been so great 
 had the people filled only a room of a small one-story 
 hut, rather than a courtyard, the passage to which was 
 completely blocked up. But ministering love, although 
 meeting with obstacles, is inventive, and with eagle-eye 
 detects a way to accomplish its desire ; for they . . . 
 was. If Christ stood upon the gallery, the dif^culty of 
 digging through a roof, paved with stones and having 
 hard beaten earth and rubble underneath, as well as the 
 danger to those below from the falling debris is avoided. 
 The gallery easily reached from above by an outside 
 approach to the roof could readily have its covering of 
 tiles, which rested upon light frame-work, unroofed ; and 
 in a short time an opening would be dug out.^ When 
 tJiey had broken up the roof as described, they let . . . 
 lay. The narrow couch, similar to a camp-bed, upon 
 which only one person could lie, was lowered not " merely 
 by stooping down and holding the corners of the couch," 
 — Thomson, but by means of cords. Thus love, born of 
 faith, triumphed. " Where there is love in the heart we 
 bear, we drag our neighbor until he is brought to 
 Christ." — MtJLLER. Greater service cannot be per- 
 formed for the sick, than to bring them to Christ with 
 the strong arms of loving prayer. Ver. 5. And . . . 
 faith, which " refers not merely to those who brought 
 
 1 The reading " to bring him unto him," is supported by B. L. 33. 
 
 2 This view adopted by Faber, Jahn, Kitto, Wordsworth, Webster, Wil- 
 kinson and Edersheim solves all difficulties most satisfactorily. Even if 
 we suppose with Robinson, that the covering of the roof was only earth, it 
 could still not be dug out without at least inconveniencing those below. 
 This objection is also fatal to the idea that it was an upper chamber. The 
 size of the family in Simon's house (1:29 sq.) and his social position 
 demand the kind of dwelling that has been presupposed in the above ex- 
 planation. 
 
II. 5-] CHAPTER II. 37 
 
 the man,^ but also to the man who was brought, "—Chry- 
 SOSTOM, because spiritual gifts are only given to per- 
 sonal faith. God may give bodily health or any out- 
 ward blessing on account of the faith of others, but re- 
 mission of sins cannot be obtained without our own 
 faith.'-^ In suffering himself to be brought and let 
 down through the roof the paralytic exhibited the 
 courage of faith ; and his bearers showed that " through 
 all things faith will penetrate." — Bengel. In view of 
 this faith, Jesus '^ . . . forgiven.-* The palsied man is 
 
 1 The faith is conceived as that of the carriers only by Cyprian, Ambrose, 
 Jerome, Luther, and Stier. 
 
 2 The question as to whether the faith of others has any direct effect 
 upon spiritual life, has an important bearing upon infant baptism. In this 
 connection it has been often treated by Luther, who in a sermon on Maun- 
 day Thursday, 1518, still held to the prevalent doctrine, that children were 
 brought in the faith of the Church, which the Lord would regard, as the 
 faith of the child was wanting, (Erl. Ed. 16:29). But in the Com. on 
 Gal. (1519) faith was attributed to the child, because of the divine word 
 spoken. (Op. Lat. 31 : 258). From this position Luther never again re- 
 ceded, but he combined it with the former; and thus in 1520 he main- 
 tained, that the congregation bringing the child in faith must be included, 
 for by the prayer of the Church offering and believing the child is changed 
 and renewed. (Babyl. Capt. Op. Lat. 36:71). This power of the faith of 
 the Church, Luther also affirmed against the errorists of Zwickau ; and he 
 has summed up and adjusted his view most consistently in the sermons of 
 the Church-postil for the third Sunday after Epiphany and the nineteenth 
 Sunday after Trinity (Erl. Ed. 11 : 65; 14 : 202 sq.), when he says: "this 
 we call the power of the faith of others ; not, that any one can be saved by 
 the same, but that through it, as through its intercession and help, one 
 may obtain of God a faith of one's own to be saved by it." The bearers of 
 the paralytic " in their faith asked Christ on behalf of the paralytic for 
 faith of his own. Thus the faith of others helps, that I may receive faith 
 of my own. Thus I baptize the child not in my faith or that of Christen- 
 dom, but my faith and that of Christendom brings the child, for the pur- 
 pose that God may give it a faith of its own." Cf. also Erl. Ed. 14 : 372 ; 
 59 : 25. 
 
 8 Thy cQv instead thee cot is found in B, D, G, L. 
 
 * The form uipiuf-ai found in A, C, D, L, and others, is Doric, perf. pass. 
 
38 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [ii. 5, 6. 
 
 cheered by the address of the Lord, who calls him 5on, 
 in order to encourage and sustain him (Matt. 9 : 22 ; 
 Mark 10 : 24). Christ exhibits His loving condescension, 
 in which He assures the sufferer, Thy . , . forgiven. 
 The forgiveness is an accomplished fact, now declared. 
 The sins were forgiven before God, the moment faith 
 began, but the paralytic is to possess the blessed con- 
 sciousness of this divine grace, which Christ seals by His 
 word. Thus Christ " first loosed the bonds of the real 
 and true palsy," which " was that of the soul by sins." 
 — Chrysostom. Although the paralytic was not sick 
 because of special transgressions (John 5 : 14), he had 
 learnt in his suffering the deep inward connection of sin 
 and sickness, and had applied it practically and person- 
 ally. He had searched his conscience and found much 
 wrong ; and the moment when his darkness of sin was 
 placed in the radiant light of Christ's holiness he felt his 
 sinfulness the more, and was unable to utter his petition 
 for help. But Christ gave the true help first, because it 
 was most desired, and because the soul is greater than 
 the body (Matt. 16 : 26) and its health salutary to bodily 
 well-being (James 5 : 14, 15). Now the paralytic was 
 blessed (Ps. 32 : i sq.), for " with the forgiveness received 
 the punishment has in reality been taken away, the 
 remaining suffering is no longer punishment to the recon- 
 ciled." — Stier. (Rom. 8 : i, 18). Christ's word was 
 not a savor of life to all, for, Ver. 6, there . . . there. 
 These punctilious copyists of the law, students and 
 observers of tradition, had come to find something against 
 Christ, and after His word began reasoning . . . hearts, 
 for they were afraid as yet to make charges, but inwardly 
 they condemned Christ, saying, Ver. 7, Why . . . speak ? 
 
 But a similar form avtuprai is Ionic. Cf. Kiihner's Ausfiihrl. Griech. Gram., 
 § 285, 4 ; Winer, p. 80. 
 
II. 7, 8.] CHAPTER II. 39 
 
 In a contemptuous manner they call Christ " this man," 
 and accuse Him : He blasphemeth. Blasphemy, speaking 
 evil of (i Cor. 4 : 13 ; Tit. 3 : 2), is supposed by the 
 scribes to have been committed and directed against God, 
 because Christ attributed to Himself a prerogative of 
 God ;i (Matt. 26 : 65 ; John 10 : 36) for Who . . . God ? 
 In ascribing to God alone this power the scribes were 
 correct (Isai. 43 : 25), for against Him mainly are all sins 
 directed (Ps. 51 : 4). And that Christ exercised this right 
 as God is clear, because He forgave not in God's name as 
 a prophet (2 Sam. 12 : 13), nor as a priest after a sacri- 
 fice. Even these functions did not belong to Christ in 
 the opinion of the scribes, much less the power to announce 
 forgiveness in His own authority. But that this inward 
 accusation of Christ rested upon a misapplication of 
 truth is at once proved, for, Ver. 8, straightway . . . 
 hearts? Jesus saw their thoughts, and thus demon- 
 strated His divinity, for before God alone the meditation 
 of our hearts are as apparent as visible deeds (i Sam. 16 : 
 7; I Chron. 28 : 9 ; 2 Chron. 6 : 30 ; Jer. 17 : 10, etc.). 
 Since Jesus knows what is in man, without being told 
 (John 2 : 25), His spirit is more than human. By His 
 own spirit, and not by the leading of the Holy Spirit, 
 He perceived, for His self-conscious inwardness is divine 
 intuitiveness. The scribes, who from previous deeds 
 should have known Christ, were thinking evil in their 
 hearts (Matt. 9 : 4), and therefore " did not see God 
 present." — AuGUSTINE. " Exposing to the Pharisees 
 what they silently thought in the inmost recesses of 
 their hearts. He showed Himself more than man ; and 
 by the same power, divine indeed, by which He saw the 
 secrets of hearts. He could also remit sins." — Gerhard. 
 
 ^ Blasphemy against God also takes place, when improper attributes are 
 given Ciod, or proper ones denied (P)enr!;el). 
 
40 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ii. 9. 10. 
 
 The accusers already convicted, are to be thoroughly 
 routed, and Christ says : Ver. 9, Whether . . . walk ? 
 Undoubtedly the scribes had reasoned, it is easy for 
 Jesus to assume divine power by forgiving sins, for this 
 power cannot be seen and tested ; it would be much more 
 difificult to heal by a word, and thus to authenticate His 
 authority. But in reality it is different, and Christ may 
 well ask which is easier to say. Either is equally hard ; 
 both presuppose the same divine might. He who has 
 the power of the one must possess the power of the 
 other. The one is conditioned by the other ; forgiving 
 of sins must show its effects in removing the results of 
 sin, although not immediately, and outward healing can 
 be no real blessing without a whole soul. To the eyes 
 that truly see, the effects of forgiveness of sins are no 
 more hidden, than the results of the word of bodily 
 healing. But the former Christ will demonstrate by 
 the latter, Ver. 10, that^ . . . sins. Jesus calls Himself 
 The Son of man. This was no name of Messianic 
 import among the Jews,^ for it sounded strange to them 
 (John 12 : 34). In it Christ takes up an O.T. term, which 
 designates man according to his lowliness, weakness and 
 suffering (Ps. 8:4; Job 25 : 4, 6 ; Ezek. 2:1; Dan. 8 : 
 17), and declares Himself fully man with the same humble 
 condition and suffering. But the definite article the, of this 
 title, which in the gospels is used only by Jesus,^ gives him 
 an unique position, not as the second Adam, but as the one 
 whose work it was to bear man's lowliness, although not 
 as " misunderstood Messiah." — Cremer. With this name 
 
 ^ This order of words, which places "on earth" emphatically before 
 " forgive sins " is attested by K, C, D, L, M. 
 
 ^ Against Schnedermann, Verkiind. u. Lehre vom Reich G., II. 206. 
 
 ^ " The Son of man " occurs about seventy-five times in the gospels j 
 and Acts 7 : 56, Rev. i : 13; 14 : 14. 
 
II. TO.] CHAPTER II. 41 
 
 not only Christ's poverty (Matt. 8 : 20 ; Luke 9 : 58), 
 bodily need (Matt. 11 : 19; Luke 7 : 34), suffering and 
 death (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 14:21; Luke 9 : 22 ; Matt. 
 17 : 12, 22; 26 : 2, etc.) are combined, but also glorious 
 divine attributes, as forgiving sins (Matt. 9:6; Luke 5 : 
 24), lordship over God's day (Matt. 12:8; Luke 6 : 5), 
 resurrection (Mark 9:9; Matt. 17: 9), and glorious 
 coming to judge the world (Mark 8 : 38 ; 13 : 26 ; Matt. 
 10 ; 23 ; 16 : 27; 19 : 28, etc.). Thus human lowliness 
 has been exalted by union with the divine nature in 
 Christ, and the prophecy of glory attached to " a son of 
 man " (Dan. 7 : 13), has been brought into agreement 
 with the prevalent O. T. conception by its fulfilment in 
 Jesus. Son of man reaches with its apex into the divine. 
 Christ is therefore " the Son of man because He is the Son 
 of God." — VON Hoffman.^ He has power on earth to 
 forgive sins. Because the son of God has become man, 
 the power of forgiveness has been brought to earth ; and 
 the objection of the scribes why one standing before them 
 inhuman form should forgive sins, is answered. This au- 
 thority upon earth was not temporary, for as the word of 
 the Son of man remained upon earth so also this power in- 
 herent in the word, which has been relegated to Christ's ser- 
 vants (Luke 10 : 16 ; Matt. 16 : 19 ; 18 : 18 ; John 20 : 22). 
 If any minister uses Christ's word and says : " Thy sins 
 are forgiven, then believe it as surely as if God Himself 
 had said it." — LUTHER. " Through such power, that we 
 men forgive or bind among ourselves, God's honor is not 
 taken, nor are we made gods, as the unskilled people 
 speak of it. For we have nothing more than the office. 
 
 1 See Nosgen I., p. 157 sq. ; Schmid, Bibl. Theol. des N. T. (5th ed.), p. 
 113 sq. ; Cremer, p. 909 sq. ; von Hofmann, Weisag. u. Erfiill. II., p .19 sq. ; 
 Franz Sieber, Anhang in Schnedermann, 11. 257 sq. Cf. also the subtle 
 argument of TertuU. ag. Marcion, IV., 4. 
 
42 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ii. ii, I2. 
 
 If you believe the word you have it ; if you do not be- 
 lieve you have nothing." — Luther. Because of such 
 faith Christ not only forgave the sins of the paralytic, but 
 also said, Ver, ii, Arise . . . house. The reality of for- 
 giveness is now proved to the objectors, for they witness 
 in the immediate effect of bodily health through Christ's 
 word, the evidence of the same immediate blessing to 
 the soul. This is likewise accomplished without appealing 
 to the Father. Ver. 12. And the paralytic arose . . . 
 all. The man arose at once, and bore his pallet, " the 
 sign of his sickness being now the sign of his cure." — 
 Trench. It was quickly rolled up,^ and a way being 
 made the man passed out. AH . . . fashion. The people 
 were not only amazed, but filled with fear (Matt. 9 : 8) 
 in the presence of such divine might. But fear soon 
 gave way to joy, in which they expressed their ex- 
 ultant praise to God for this marvellous power never be- 
 fore seen by men. " The inestimable blessing of forgive- 
 ness is well worth all praise and gratitude" (Ps. 103 : 3). 
 — Starke. 
 
 13-17. And he went forth again by the seaside; and all the multitude 
 resorted unto him, and he taught them. And as he passed by, he saw 
 Levi the son of Alphasus sitting at the place of toll, and he saith unto him. 
 Follow me. And he arose and followed him. And it came to pass, that 
 he was sitting at meat in his house, and many publicans and sinners sat 
 down with Jesus and his disciples : for there were many, and they followed 
 him. And the scribes of the Pharisees, when they saw that he was eatmg 
 with the sinners and publicans, said unto his disciples, He eateth and 
 drinketh with publicans and sinners. And when Jesus heard it, he saith 
 unto them. They that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that 
 are sick : I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. 
 
 Ver. 13. Jesus went . . . again from Capernaum to 
 the sea side, soon after the healing of the paralytic 
 
 '■ Possibly it was a simple, light mattress, such as is still the only bed of 
 mnnv in the East. 
 
II. 13, 14-] CHAPTER II. 43 
 
 to avoid the people (i : 45). But all . . . them, availing 
 himself of their avidity to see miracles by preaching the 
 word. Ver. 14. After this passing on he saw . . . 
 Alphasus, whose name became Matthew ^ (Matt. 9 : 9), 
 the " manly "^ (cf. Matt. 16: 18). His father was not 
 the Alphaeus whose son was James the Less (3 : 18), 
 otherwise Matthew and James would be named together 
 in the apostolic catalogues, like Andrew and Peter, James 
 and John. Of the work of Matthew beside his writing of 
 the gospel,^ we possess but uncertain information.^ His 
 character, as indicated by his name and position in the 
 list of the apostles beside Thomas ^ according to the prin- 
 ciple of contrast, seems to have been one of decision and 
 firmness.^ By Christ Levi was called, while sitting . . . 
 
 ^ Orig. ag. Cels. I. 62, says Levi (Lebes) "was not of the number of the 
 apostles," although in his introduction to Romans he identifies Levi with 
 Matthew. Heracleon, the Valentinian (Clem. Alex. Strom. IV. 9), distin- 
 guishes Matthew and Levi, as also Grotius, Ewald, Michaelis, Sieffert, 
 Nicholson ; but the synoptists permit no distinction. (Cf. Mt. 9 : 9 sq. ; 
 Lk. 5 : 27 sq.). 
 
 2 The best derivation of " Matthew " is from the rare singular Metim 
 (manly) (Grimm), although Noeldeke argues for Amatay (faithful man). 
 Holtzmann, p. 84. 
 
 3 That Matthew did not write the gospel, which bears his name either in 
 the Hebrew original (Papias, Euseb. IIL 39; Iren. ag. Her. IIL i : i ; 
 Eus. HL 24), or in the Greek redaction is one of the unproved assumptions 
 of modern critics. 
 
 * Such various countries as Ethiopia (Socr. H. E. i : 19), Persia, Mace- 
 donia, are claimed as the fields of Matthew's labor; but neither Origen 
 (Eus. HL i), nor Eusebius himself (HL 24), know of any such tradition, 
 which even the credulous Jerome did not accept (De vir. ill. 3). 
 
 ^ Some suppose that Thomas was a twin-brother of Matthew, because of 
 the epithet " Didymus " (twin). 
 
 s The ascetic character ascribed to Matthew by Clem. Alex. (Instr. IL 
 i), who says : " the apostle Matthew partook of seeds, nuts and vegetables 
 without meat" is unwarranted. The story of Matthew's martyrdom un- 
 known in early tradition (Clem. Alex. Strom. IV. 9) is due to the inven- 
 tions of the apocryphal " Acts and Martyrdom of Matthew." Much of the 
 
44 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ii. 14, 15. 
 
 toll. Sitting is the general attitude in Syria when at work. 
 The carpenters work sitting on the ground. The mer- 
 chants in their bazaars sit cross-legged upon their booths. 
 Thus Levi was probably sitting upon his toll-booth, ready 
 to collect customs upon the various goods that were 
 conveyed along the great road between Tyre and Jeru- 
 salem. He was not a general tax-collector (gabbai), but 
 an inferior official (mohkes).^ Upon Christ's call, Ver. 15, 
 he . . . him, " breaking himself at once away from all 
 worldly things, by his complete obedience he bare wit- 
 ness, that He who called him had chosen a good time." 
 — ChrysOSTOM. And " although the people, who have 
 to do with money, are hard to convert (Acts 8 : 20 ; Matt. 
 19 : 21), Jesus exhibits His power, and can accomplish it 
 with a single word." — OUESNEL, Starke. After his con- 
 version Levi made a great feast of rejoicing in his^ house 
 (Luke 5 : 29), and with Jesus there were reclining at the 
 table many . . . sinners. The joining of publicans with 
 sinners, people of ill-repute (Luke 7 : 39) known and 
 shunned as great sinners, shows in what estimation they 
 were held. They were called a criminal race, traitors of 
 their country, because they served the hated Gentile 
 rulers. Their testimony was to be rejected, their alms 
 were not to be received. Even though they forsook their 
 calling, the defilement of it was believed to adhere to 
 them always. With such men Jesus and his disciples, who 
 are here first mentioned as accompanying him, sat down. 
 
 wrong tradition attached to Mattliew has arisen from a confusion of Mat- 
 thew and Matthias. 
 
 ^ These officials were most hated. " I'he very word Mohkes seems in 
 its root-meaning associated with the idea of oppression and injustice. lie 
 was literally, as really, an oppressor." (Edersheim). 
 
 2 This is the correct interpretation of Mark, although Jesus has just be- 
 fore been designated "he." The word "Jesus" following corroborates 
 this view. 
 
II. i6, 17.] CHAPTER //. 45 
 
 And there tuere many of the disciples (Weiss, Nosgen), 
 and their number was no doubt increased from among 
 the pubUcans. That Jesus met with them offended, Vcr. 
 
 16, the , . . Pharisees,! the learned scholars of the Phari- 
 saic party. The Pharisees arose out of the earlier " Cha- 
 sidim " (pious ones) at the time of Jonathan, successor of 
 Judas Maccabbee, between 160 and 143 b. c. (Jos. Ant. 
 XIII. 5 : 9) and were the Puritan tendency within Juda- 
 ism. Two vows were taken by them, to be very exact in 
 rendering all religious dues and to observe most strictly 
 the Levitical laws of purity. They were conservative in 
 belief, but slaves of tradition. These Pharisees after the 
 previous defeat of the scribes (ver. 6), not venturing to 
 approach Jesus Himself, come to the disciples, as they 
 leave the feast, and say:^ He^ . . . sinners! This is an 
 utterance of great contempt for one, who claiming to be 
 a teacher (rabbi) would thus lower himself and eat with 
 the dregs of the population, and by his association with 
 them sanction their wickedness. Enmity puts on the 
 guise of godliness (Matt. 7 : 15 ; 2 Tim. 3 : 5). But, Ver. 
 
 17, when Jesus heard the accusation aimed at Him, He 
 said : They . . . sick. Christ answers with a " truism on 
 the physical side of things." — MORISON. The very 
 nature of His work as physician of the soul, and the actual 
 condition of men (sick in sin), necessitate His going to 
 them. He goes not to become as they are, but to make 
 them as He is. But He can help only those who know 
 their condition. " Would that you were aware of your 
 
 ^ These words, supported by N, B, D, L, 33, are to be preferred to " the 
 scribes and Pharisees." 
 
 ^ oTi is simply equal to a quotation mark, and has no interrogative im- 
 port (against Tischendorf), Winer, p. 457. 
 
 ^ "And drinketh," found in A, C, L, A, E, is wanting in N, B, D, but it 
 was probably omitted on account of Matt. 9:11 (Meyer). 
 
46 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [it. 17, 1 8. 
 
 sickness, that ye might seek a physician." — AUGUSTINE. 
 As physician, Christ says : I . . . sinners. The righteous 
 are those that are whole, the sinners the sick. Although 
 it is not stated whether there are such righteous men or 
 not (Weiss, Holtzmann), yet the fact of Christ's mission 
 to all makes it impossible. Christ knows no men, whom 
 he could call righteous.^ Therefore the Pharisees are 
 righteous in their own imagination. For them as they 
 are Christ has not come, because they will not see that 
 they are sinners. They " grudged sick men a physician, 
 and being more sick than those, they slew the physician." 
 — Augustine. " Christ calls to repentance, and not to 
 a profligate life ; would you enjoy him, prepare yourself 
 for repentance" (Joel 2 : 2, 13). — Osiander, Starke. 
 
 18-22. And John's disciples and the I'harisees were fasting : and they 
 come and say unto him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the 
 Pharisees fast, but thy disciples fast not .-' And Jesus said unto them, Can 
 the sons of the bride-chamber fast, while the Ijridegroom is with them .' as 
 long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the 
 days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and 
 then will they fast in that day. No man seweth a piece of undressed cloth 
 on an old garment: else that which should fill it up taketh from it, the new 
 from the old, and a worse rent is made. And no man putteth new wine 
 into old wine-skins : else the wine will burst the skins, and the wine perish- 
 eth, and the skins : but they put new wine into fresh wine-skins. 
 
 Ver. 18, John's disciples, who had not attached them- 
 selves to Jesus (John 1:35 sq,), possibly from a wrong 
 spirit of jealousy for John the Baptist, still adhered to 
 John's asceticism (Matt. 11 : 18). They and the Phari- 
 sees, who used them in their innocence to carry out hos- 
 tile plans against Jesus, were fasting. The meal at Levi's 
 house had taken place on one of the traditional weekly 
 fast-days (Monday or Thursday), which were sincerely 
 kept by John's disciples, but which the Pharisees used to 
 1 diKoiovc without the article confirms this interpretation. 
 
II. 19, 20.] CHAPTER //. 47 
 
 obtain, as they supposed, the merit of forgiveness of sins, 
 not because they mourned for sin (Is. 58:5), but because 
 they underwent an external minute ritual of self-mortifi- 
 cation. And they, representatives of John's disciples and 
 of the Pharisees came to question Jesus why His disciples 
 transgressed the accepted religious observance. Ver. 19. 
 Jesus . . , them? The sons of the bride-chamber \s2iCom- 
 mon^ oriental expression for the attendants of the bride- 
 groom, who accompany him on the way to the bride and 
 the bridal chamber,^ and in their gladness shout for joy. 
 Such groomsmen are the disciples of Christ, who is the 
 bridegroom, because in Him are fulfilled all the prophecies 
 of God's intimate union with His people (Ps. 45 ; Song 
 of Songs ; Isai. 54:1, 5,6; Hos. 2:19,20). This union 
 (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5 : 24 sq. ; Rev. 19 : 7 sq.) must be a 
 joyous one without fasting.^ Wherever Christ is, there is 
 joy. " Jesus, who before has called Himself physician, now 
 calls Himself bridegroom, by these names He reveals cer- 
 tain unspeakable mysteries." — Chrysostom. As long as 
 He is with the deciples they . . . fasj;, for the " truth of 
 outward fasting is inward mourning." — Stier. Ver. 20. 
 But . . . them, or rather shall have been torn away 
 ('ttTTa/?^^)^ by violent death. So early, while triumphant, 
 does Christ announce His death by more than human 
 foresight. When He is taken, then . . . day. Begin- 
 ning with the one sad day they shall fast, for " the day of 
 
 1 Trumbull, p. 242. 
 
 2 For an excellent account of weddings and wedding-customs in the East, 
 see Trumbull, p. 7 sq. 
 
 ^ The Messianic expectation of the Jews confirms this. Maimonides 
 says : " All fasting will cease in the days of the Messiah, and there shall be 
 no other days than good days, and days of joy, as is written, Zech.8 : 19." 
 
 * Morison sees in this word a " fine mystical meaning," and believes it 
 covertly to refer " to what began with the crucifixion and ended with the 
 ascension." 
 
48 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [11.20,21. 
 
 the bridegroom's removal is one, the days when he is re- 
 moved and absent are many."— Bengel. They shall 
 fast, for their souls are bowed down, and they bear the 
 fast-day divinely ordered, but not self-imposed. This 
 fasting will be more than mere external abstention from 
 food, a deep inward mourning. For outward fasting there 
 is no law in the new dispensation ; and although the 
 apostles and early Christians fasted (Acts 13:2; 14 : 23 ; 
 I. Cor. 7: 5, etc.), it was their voluntary deed and no yoke 
 laid upon them (Col. 2:16; Gal. 4:9;! Tim. 4 •: i sq.)^ 
 To illustrate the incongruity of the old with the new, 
 Christ says: Ver. 21. No man . . . made. A patch 
 of new, unfulled cloth will by shrinking, when exposed 
 to moisture, tear the old garment ; therefore no one 
 will patch the old with the new. The Lord employs this 
 parable not to justify the disciples of John in their adhe- 
 rence to fasting (Beyschlag, Weiss) ; but to prepare for the 
 force of the following illustration (ver. 22) He argues first 
 from the point of view of the old, and to those that ad- 
 here to it He brings home the impossibility of adopting a 
 single feature of the new without endangering what is 
 still useful of the old. " The completeness {izkripwiia^ takes 
 away from the garment, the new completeness from the 
 old garment." — LiGHTFOOT. An entire change is nec- 
 essary. The new cannot be a patch upon the old. As 
 the old cannot adopt a new custom, the new cannot use 
 old forms. Ver. 22. No man . . . wine=skins. Th.&iuinc- 
 skins are the skins of goats, which, after being steeped in 
 
 1 This is the position of the Lutheran church, which sees in fasting 
 "a good external discipline" for subduing the body (i Cor. 9 : 27), but 
 makes it neither legal nor meritorious. The assertion that " fasting avails 
 for the extinguishing and prevention of guilt" (Aquinas) is utterly rejected. 
 Cf. Augs. Conf. Art. XXVI.; XXVIII.; Apol. VIII. Smald. Art. III.; Small 
 Catech. IV.; Form of Cone. X. 
 
II. 22, 23-] CHAPTER II. 49 
 
 tannin with the hairs on and exposed to the sun, are care- 
 fully sewed up and pitched. In them all liquids are 
 carried in the East. Old skins could not bear the disten- 
 sion caused by the fermenting of the new wine. It re- 
 quired new strong skins. Thus the new gospel of Christ, 
 fittingly symbolized in its joyousness by wine (Ps. 104 : 
 15 ; Isai. 55:1,2), demands new forms in which religious 
 life expresses itself, because of the power of life (ferment) 
 and the spirit of freedom (wine) inherent in the gospel. 
 " The new spirit was to be embodied in wholly renovated 
 forms; the new freedom was to be untrammelled by ob- 
 solete and long meaningless limitations ; the spiritual 
 doctrine was to be sundered forever from the elaborate 
 externalism of cancelled ordinances." — Farrar. Every 
 syncretism is therefore dangerous and a failure.^ 
 
 23-28. And it came to pass, that he was going on the sabbath day 
 through the cornfields; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the 
 ears of com. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on 
 the sabbath day that which is not lawful ? And he said unto them. Did ye 
 never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungered, he, and 
 they that were with him ? How he entered into the house of God when 
 Abiathar was high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which it is not lawful 
 to eat save for the priests, and gave also to them that were with him ? And 
 he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 
 sabbath : so that the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath. 
 
 Ver. 23. On the sabbath=day, near the passover (Luke 
 6 : i), Jesus with His disciples was ^oing" along a road, 
 which passed between ripe cornfields. His 2 . . . corn.^ 
 
 1 Lange suggests the historical examples of Ebionitism and the Interims 
 of the period of the Reformation. 
 
 2 This second part of the sentence is not dependent upon " it came to 
 pass " ('eyevero). Winer, p. 578. 
 
 3 The interpretation referred to in the margin of the Rev. Vers., that the dis- 
 ciples made either a new way or followed an old path overgrown by corn 
 (Holtzmann) through or alongside of the field by pulling out the grain (Winer, 
 Meyer,Lange, Schenkel), rests upon the exact classical meaning of 6(5ov notElv, 
 
 4 
 
50 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ii. 24, 25. 
 
 As they passed they took some ears of corn from the 
 fields on either side. Ver. 24. When the Pharisees, who 
 probably stood incidentally at the place where Jesus passed 
 with His disciples, saw this, they said to Christ : Behold, 
 look what a terrible transgression is taking place ; why 
 do thy disciples on the . . . lawful. It was not unlaw- 
 ful to pluck and eat a few grains (Deut. 23 : 25), but 
 being done on the sabbath it involved according to rab- 
 binic law the double sin of plucking, which was regarded 
 equivalent to reaping, and rubbing in the hands,^ which 
 was considered to be a species of threshing.^ This trans- 
 gression of rabbinic statutes was held to be a greater sin 
 than breaking God's own law. Ver. 25. But Jesus said 
 Did . . . did. David, whose need broke the law (Lev. 24 : 
 9), is referred to not only because he is the great king 
 and the Messiah his son, but because his very case is vin- 
 dicated by Jewish tradition, on the principle that " dan- 
 ger to life superseded the sabbath-law." ^ In such dan- 
 ger David committed what otherwise was also unlawful ; 
 he, Ver. 26, entered . . . God, the holy place, and this he did 
 under the sanction of the high-priest. It happened when * 
 
 but overlooks its hellenistic usage, which is rather to be expected in the N. T. 
 According to this o^ov noulv is to make a journey (Judg. 17 : 8, Sept.). The 
 use oinraxvaQ (ears) and not blades likewise militates against the marginal 
 translation. Cf. Klostermann, Keil, Weiss, Nosgen. 
 
 1 This was done after plucking, and is still to be seen. Thomson (II. 
 510) relates : " I have often seen my muleteers, as we passed along the 
 wheat-fields, pluck off ears, rub them in their hands, and eat the grains un- 
 roasted, just as the apostles are said to have done." 
 
 2 Even treading upon the grass was thought to be threshing. P>ut the 
 casuistry of the scribes often relaxed this severity. Thus, if a person laid a 
 sheaf of wheat upon a spoon it could be removed, because the spoon might 
 be removed. See Edersheim, II. 56 sq.; Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. 206; Farrar, 
 266, 304, 418 sq., 669. 
 
 3 Edersheim, II. 57. 
 
 * The rendering " in the days," as far as the article " the " is concerned, is 
 
II. 26.] CHAPTER II. 51 
 
 . . . high=priest. The mention of Abiathar instead of 
 Ahimelech (i Sam. 21:1 sq.) is no error of memory (De 
 Wette, Bleek, Meyer, Weiss, Holtzmann, Keil), nor due 
 to the acceptance from tradition of the mistake in 2 
 Sam. 8:17; I Chron. 18 : 16; i Chron. 24 : 6 (Nosgen), 
 in which passages Ahimelech (Ahiah, i Sam. 14 : 3), is 
 called the son of Abiathar. That Abiathar was present 
 with his father (i Sam. 22 : 20) and a party of the act 
 (Wordsworth), would not entitle him to be called high- 
 priest ; nor can he legally have been high-priest con- 
 jointly with his father (Luther, Edersheim). The solu- 
 tion traditional since Victor of Antioch, which ascribes 
 to father and son both names according to the custom of 
 double names (Judg. 6 : 32 ; 2 Sam. 11 : 21), is still the 
 easiest.^ In Abiathar's presence, David did eat the 
 shewbread, the " loaves of the Face " (Lev. 24 : 5 sq.), 
 which were kept before God, one for each tribe, to re- 
 mind them that " what pertains to the life of Israel 
 comes from the presence of Jehovah." — Bahr.^ These 
 it was not . . . priests, who every sabbath partook of 
 the loaves of the past week in the sanctuary. (Lev. 24 : 
 9). But in his great emergency not only David ate of 
 them, but gave . . . them, who were in dire need. There- 
 fore Christ's disciples in their hunger might take the ears 
 of corn. " Love and necessity transcend every com- 
 mandment." — QuESNEL, Starke. Ver. 27. The . . . 
 
 supported by A, C, A, 22>< but outweighed by N, B, L, E, G, H, etc.; and it 
 is not as precise a translation of km as "when." 
 
 1 " Even this explanation is not without its difficulties ; but in all such ap- 
 parent discrepancies, whether they can be solved or not, it is well to remem- 
 ber Luther's words : " It is absurd to imitate the great boldness, which, 
 when difficulty occurs, immediately cries out, a manifest error has been 
 committed, and dares to amend the books of others without shame." (Op. 
 Lat. 3 : 71.) 
 
 a Ohler's O. T. Theol. (Am. ed.), p. 256. 
 
52 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ii. 27, 28. 
 
 man ; it was ordained of God for the bodily rest (Exod. 
 23 : 12) and spiritual advancement (Exod. 20 : 8) of man, 
 and as an anticipation of eternal rest (Hebr. 4 : 9). But 
 man . . . sabbath, 1 to be the slave of a day. Tlic day 
 has its purpose not in itself; it is only a means for mtUi's 
 highest good. " Since God has done everything for 
 man's sake, man should do everything for God's sake, 
 and have His glory as his aim." — Staukk. If even sinful 
 man is no slave of the sabbath, much less tlic Son of man, 
 for He not only " as God," — NOVATIAN, but as tJie man, 
 who has glorified human weakness (ver. 10), is, Ver. 28, 
 lord . . . sabbath. This sacred institution of God is also 
 under the lordship of the Son of man, who docs not desire 
 to abrogate it with its blessing (Matt. 5 : 17), but to re- 
 deem it from Jewish legalism, and renew it in its univer- 
 sal features, that it may be held in the freedom of the 
 Spirit, who working in the church has prepared the 
 " Lord's day." Thus Christ " prepared anew the sabbath, 
 without a literal commandment as in the Old Testa- 
 ment." ^ — Stier. " Believers are with Christ and through 
 Christ lords of the sabbath, that they may use it for 
 their own and their neighbor's necessities." — QuESNEL, 
 Starke. 
 
 1 For a similar but less expressive rabbinical saying, see Holtzmann, p. 
 91 ; Edersheim, II., p. 58. 
 
 2 This word of Christ is the germ of the apostolic words (Rom. 14 : 4, 5, 
 17; Col. 2 : 16, 17). With this N. T. doctrine the Lutheran Church agrees, 
 holding to the liberty as well as to the necessity of the Lord's day (Augs. 
 Conf. XXVIII. Large Cat. I. 3). Cf. also Luther's Sermon for 17th Sun- 
 day after Trinity, 1544 (Erl. Ed. 20, II. 220). Th. Zahn, Geschichte des Sonn- 
 tags, 1878. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 1-6. And he entered again into the synagogue ; and there was a man there 
 which had his hand withered. And they watched him, whether he would 
 heal him on the sabbath day ; that they might accuse him. And he saith 
 unto the man that had his hand withered, Stand forth. And he saith unto 
 them, Is it lawful on the sabbath day to do good or to do harm ? to save a 
 life, or to kill ? But they held their peace. And when he had looked 
 round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their 
 heart, he saith unto the man. Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it 
 forth : and his hand was restored. And the Pharisees went out, and 
 straightway with the Herodians took counsel against him, how they might 
 destroy him. 
 
 Ver. I. Jesus entered again on the following sabbath 
 (Luke 6 : 6) into the ^ synagogue in the town, where the 
 last conflict had taken place (2 : 23) ; and there '^ . . . 
 withered (i Kings 13 : 4). By some disease the right 
 hand of the man had become atrophied.^ " A withered 
 member of the body is a picture of death." — Canstein, 
 Starke. Ver. 2. And they, certain of the Pharisees 
 (ver. 6), who had probably placed the man in a prominent 
 position to ensnare Jesus, watched ^ Him, with close, 
 
 1 N, B, omit the article, but it is found in A, C, D, L, etc. 
 
 2 The description of this man by the gospel of the Hebrews as a stone- 
 mason, and his petition : " I am a stone-mason seeking for food by my 
 hands. I pray thee, Jesus, to restore to me my health, that I may not 
 basely beg food," far from being original (Handmann,p. 86), shows its apoc- 
 ryphal character in its prolix form, and in its Ebionitic tinge by strongly 
 motivating Christ's breaking of the sabbath law (Resch. p. 379). 
 
 ^ The exact form of Mark 'e^r/pafi/iEvyv proves, as Bengel suggested, that 
 it was no congenital defect. 
 
 * Better " kept watching " (TrapETr/pow) accdg. to N, D, C, L, etc. 
 
 53 
 
54 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iii. 3, 4. 
 
 eager observation and hostile purpose (Luke d'.J; 14:1; 
 Acts 9 : 24; Gal. 4 : 10), whether . . . him. His act on 
 this day, at this place, and before so many witnesses ^ 
 would offer a clear case to the spies, who " are very 
 urgent about ceremonies, but do not care about true 
 discipline and honorableness." — Osiander, Starke. 
 Ver. 3. But Jesus saith . . . forth. Having him arise 
 and come into the midst of the Pharisees, that they 
 might see him, Christ does His work openly, and ex- 
 hibits the mighty contrast between the wise directness of 
 the Light, and the invidious scheming of the children of 
 darkness (i John 2 : 11). "The Light itself has come, 
 it removes the shadows." — Augustine. This Light 
 says, Ver. 4: Is . . . kill? Christ appeals to the con- 
 science of the Pharisees by going back to the fundamental 
 law of the sabbath, whose force their traditional miscon- 
 structions could not totally obscure, for they admitted 
 that "the danger of life abolishes the sabbath." ^ ^_ 
 though no immediate danger threatened the man with 
 the withered hand, yet to heal was doing good. But not 
 doing good, when it was required, was doing evil (James 
 4 : 17); and not saving life now, when it could be done, 
 was this not finally to kill, and a transgression of God's 
 law? (Exod. 20: 13). The Pharisees must choose be- 
 tween God's law of love and their narrow limitations. It 
 is really a question not about the observance of a day, 
 but about saving or killing, i. e. about good or evil. But 
 . . . peace. The Pharisees do not wish to sanction 
 Christ's deed, therefore they do not assent to what their 
 conscience and God's law tells them to be right ; and 
 they fear to deny because they would be convicted of 
 
 1 Cf. Luther, Ann. on Matt., Walch, St. Louis, Ed. VII„p. 149. 
 
 2 On the minute discussions about healing on the sabbath and the 
 evasions, see Edersheim, II., p. 60. 
 
in. §.] CHAPTER Itl. 55 
 
 merciless unholiness. In their silence they give evidence 
 of their hypocrisy. Thus the wicked, who have set 
 themselves against Christ, utterly fail (Ps. 7:15 sq.) 
 Ver. 5. And . . . them, still waiting for an answer, but 
 only seeing their determined silence, He was filled with 
 anger, which was the holy, divine indignation of love, 
 because they shut themselves up against the truth. But 
 with His anger, Christ is grieved, and combines deepest 
 compassion with holiest indignation. " Divine zeal must 
 be united with love of compassion and sympathy, that 
 we are zealous against sin, but compassionate against the 
 sinner. The foe of sins is the friend of men " (i Cor. 5 : 
 3-5). — Majus, Starke, Christ, the best friend of His 
 enemies, is sad, because of the hardening . . . hearts, 
 by which they are rendering themselves obdurate to the 
 impressions of truth (2 Cor. 4 : 4), and subject to God's 
 judgment.^ Therefore Christ turns from them to the 
 man and says : Stretch . . . hand. Without touching 
 the man, and therefore not even transgressing the sab- 
 bath-law, Christ heals by the direct power of His word 
 (John 4 : 49 sq.). And the man in faith stretched forth 
 his hand, which was restored. In this restoration Jesus 
 acted " after the example, the gentleness, the mercy and 
 the prediction of the Creator." — Tertullian. " How 
 quickly can Christ change a great misfortune with a word 
 or sign " (Matt. 8 : 26). — Starke. But neither word nor 
 sign convinces the Pharisees, for, Ver. 6, they went out 
 with deeper hatred of Christ, whose compassion for them 
 had been in vain, and straightway repaired to the 
 
 1 Cf. the hardening of Pharaoh, in which the relation of divine judgment 
 to individual choice is shown. Ten passages refer to Pharaoh's decision, 
 and ten to God's action ; and, except in Ex. 4:21; 7:3, where the announce- 
 ment of divine judgment is made to Moses, hardening is always first traced 
 to the will of Pharaoh. 
 
56 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iii. 6-8. 
 
 Herodians, who were probably a political party favorable 
 to Herodian rule, not because it saved from absolute de- 
 pendence on Rome, but rather because it represented 
 the mighty, victorious Roman rule.^ With these unpa- 
 triotic, time-serving men of the world, the Pharisees took 
 counsel against Christ, how . . . him. The pious Puri- 
 tans invoke the aid of the civil power to do away with 
 the hated Jesus. " If the enemies of God can no longer 
 answer from the Bible, they fight with the iron bible ; 
 then Herod and Pilate become friends." — Canstein, 
 Starke. 
 
 7-12. And Jesus with his disciples withdrew to the sea: and a great 
 multitude from Galilee followed: and from Judaea, and from Jerusalem, 
 and from Idumsea, and beyond Jordan, and about Tyre and Sidon, a great 
 multitude, heanng what great things he did, came unto him. And he spake 
 to his disciples, that a little boat should wait on Ijim because of the crowd, 
 lest they should throng him : for he had healed many ; insomuch that as 
 many as had plagues pressed upon him that they might touch him. And 
 the unclean spirits, whensoever they beheld him, fell down before him, and 
 cried, saying. Thou art the Son of God. And he charged them much that 
 they should not make him known. 
 
 Ver. 7. From the unknown inland town of Galilee, Jesus 
 . . , withdrew to find rest at the sea, but a great multi- 
 tude followed not only from Galilee, but also from Judaea, 
 and, Ver. 8, Jerusalem ; and from Idumaea, the province 
 called by Josephus Amaleketis (Ant. II. i, 2) including 
 the south of Palestine and extending southeast ; the 
 country of the Edomites, which had been conquered and 
 subjected to Jewish Law by John Hyrcanus ; the original 
 home of the Herodian family. People also came from 
 beyond Jordan, out of Peraea, which Josephus describes 
 (Wars III. 3, 3) as bounded on the west by the Jordan, 
 on the east b}^ Philadelphia, on the north by Pella, and 
 on the south by the castle of Machcerus. As the crowds 
 ' Cf. Nebe, III. 419. 
 
III. 9-13.] CHAPTER TIL 5^ 
 
 were approaching from the west and the extreme south- 
 east, a contingent arrived from about Tyre and Sidon, 
 the northwestern confines, all desirous to see the great 
 things of which they heard. " The report of Christ does 
 not save, but it must direct and lead to Christ " (Rom. 
 10 : 13-17). — Starke. So many came to Christ, that 
 He desired, Ver. 9, that . . . him, which His disciples 
 were to hold in constant readiness ; for, Ver. 10, as . . . 
 plagues, i. e. diseases (5 : 29, 34 ; Luke 7:21), in which 
 the consciousness was present " that they were strokes 
 {jj.d(7Tiya<i) or blows inflicted by God," — TRENCH, pressed 
 upon Him, actually fell upon Him (i:r£7r£'-r£jv, Luke 15 : 20; 
 Acts 10 : 44, etc.) in their eagerness to toucJi Him, be- 
 lieving this to be necessary, " Divine Love makes no 
 distinction, but does good even to those who come im- 
 petuously and at an unsuitable time" (Luke ii : 8). — 
 QUESNEL, Starke. Before this strong Love the demons, 
 Ver. II, fell down (5 : 33) in terror and acknowledged the 
 Son of God (i : i), who, Ver. 12, charged them sharply 
 not . . o known (i : 25). 
 
 13-19. And he goeth up into the mountain, and calleth unto him whom 
 he himself would ; and they went unto him. And he appointed twelve, that 
 they might be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach, 
 and to have authority to cast out devils : and Simon he surnamed Peter ; 
 and James the so7i of Zebedee, and John the brother of James ; and them 
 he surnamed Boanerges, which is, Sons of thunder: and Andrew, and 
 Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of 
 Alphaeus, and Thaddasus, and Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, 
 which also betrayed him. 
 
 Ver. 13. From the seashore Christ goeth up into the 
 mountain, probably a well-known height near Caper- 
 naum/ and calleth . . . would, according to His author- 
 
 1 The traditional site is Tell Ilattin, the Mount of Beatitudes. See Rob- 
 inson, Bibl. Researches in Palestine, III., p. 240. 
 
58 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iii. 14-1:7. 
 
 ity as God's apostle (Hebr. 3:1), choosing His sub- 
 apostles (John 17 : 18). This " He willed, from the will 
 of the Father." — Bengel. His calling was mediate and 
 yet immediate, but altogether without human inter- 
 ference. Ver. 14. And . . . twelve, ^ to correspond 
 to the twelve tribes of Israel, to whom they were at 
 first sent (Matt. 10 : 6). They were to be with him, 
 as His constant and special attendants, without the ex- 
 clusion however of the other disciples (Luke 10 : i), that 
 they might learn of Him. " Who would be thorough in 
 the work of the Lord, must first be with Christ to be 
 instructed, sanctified and prepared by Him." — Tubingen 
 Bible, Starke. After the twelve had been well- 
 schooled Christ would send . . . devils. The work of 
 Christ, whose important and first part was preaching (i : 
 39), was to be thus spread and perpetuated. This 
 clearly defines the activity of the apostles, whom the two 
 words " send " and " authority " describe as authorized 
 messengers.''^ Their names were, Ver. 16, Simon (1:16) 
 surnamed Peter (Matt. 16 : 18); Ver. 17, and James ( i iiq) 
 and John (i : 19), them . . . Boanerges.^ . . . thunder, 
 
 1 The addition " whom he named apostles {K,B, C, A) does not occur in A. 
 D. L., etc., and is probably inserted from Luke 6 : 13. The word " apostle " 
 used frequently by Luke (6 : 13 ; 9 : 10 ; 1 1 : 49 ; 17:5; 22:14; 24 : 10), 
 is found only in Mark 6 : 30 and Matt. 10 : 2. 
 
 2 For proof see Cremer, p. 863; Nosgen L, p. 310; Holtzmann, p. 97. 
 The supposition, that the apostolate was derived from the Hebrew Shaluach, 
 is historically untenable, and would include the notion, that the apostles 
 were congregational delegates, while their " mission is a descending delega- 
 tion in relation to Christ's mission by the Father." (Nosgen.) 
 
 3 This is the Aramaic form of B'ne-R'gosh. While it may be impossible 
 that Sheva has become oa (Weiss) in the Aramaic (Nosgen, Com. 209), yet 
 the indication that B'ne was sometimes pronounced Bone (Edersheim L 514) 
 can form the hnk between the Hebrew and the Greek transliteration of the 
 Aramaic. R'gosh need not be amended R'goz (Kautzsch), for it receives in 
 Aramaic the meaning, noise, rushing, raging. The substitution of Jerome 
 
in. 17, 18.] CHAPTER Til. 5^ 
 
 not because of their mighty preaching (Greg., Naz., 
 Luther), nor because of the occurrence, Luke 9 : 54, but 
 rather for their fiery, zealous temperament, of which that 
 event and Mark 9 : 38 is an evidence. The truth of this 
 name, which is no reproach, is likewise seen in i John 
 2 : 22 ; 3:8; 2 John 7 sq., and in the seven letters of 
 the Apocalypse.^ Ver. 1 8. Christ further appoints Andrew 
 (i : 16), and Philip of Bethsaida, who seems to have been of 
 a realistic turn of mind (John 14:8), but cautious and timid 
 (John 12 : 21) ;2 and Bartholomew, Nathaniel of Cana,^ 
 the former name being his patronymic (son of Tolmai), 
 who was of quick judgment, but guileless in spirit, and 
 earnestly prayerful (John i : 47 sq.) ;* and Matthew (2 : 
 14), and Thomas, inclined to despondency (John 11 : 16) 
 and doubt (John 14:5; 20 : 25) ; ° and James, the son of 
 
 followed by Luther (Bnehargem) is a translation into Hebrew. 
 Cf. Delitzsch's Hebrew N. T.; Morison, p. 76; Thayer, p. 103. 
 
 1 The tradition of John's leaving the bath-house, in which Cerinthus was 
 (Iren. ag. Her. IH. 3, 4 ; Eus. H. E. HI. 28 ; IV. 14), and his search for the 
 young convert, who had become a robber (Clem. Alex. Quis Dives salv. 
 XLH.) confirm the fitness of Christ's appellation, which should correct the 
 prevalent impression, that the meditative apostle of love had no active zeal- 
 ousness. 
 
 2 The tradition of Philip's labor and death together with his daughters at 
 Hierapolis (Eus. HI. 31 ; V. 24), probably rests upon a confusion with 
 Philip, the Evangelist, an error which Polycrates and Clement Alex, had 
 introduced. (McGifford's Eus. p. 162.) 
 
 3 Augustine (On John, I. 17), whom Chrysostom and Gregory the Great 
 followed, claims that Nathaniel was no apostle. 
 
 * Bartholomew preached in India (Eus. V. 10 ; Jerome, De vir. ill. 36), a 
 tradition, which seems more probable than Lipsius' suggestion of Sindia. 
 (McGifford, Eus. p. 225.) The later traditions of Bartholomew's martyrdom 
 are unreliable. 
 
 5 The identification of Thomas with Judas (Thaddaeus) (Eus. 1. 13 ; Acts 
 of Thomas, where he is called Judas Thomas) probably arose from a mis- 
 taken tradition of Edessa ; and cannot be used to correct the list of the 
 gospels. The jugglery of Resch (Agr. 424), by which James, the son of 
 Alphasus, and Judas are made twins, whose common name was Thomas 
 
6o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [in. 19. 20. 
 
 Alphaeus, who is not to be identified with James, the 
 Little, the son of Clopas and Mary, and made a cousin 
 of Christ^ and Thaddaus (the son of the bosom), also 
 called Lebbaius (full-hearted) (Matt. 10 : 3), and Jude of 
 James (Luke 6 : 16; Acts i : 13); and Simon the Cana- 
 n£ean,2 or zealot, from an unknown Canaan (not Cana ; 
 Luther), who belonged originally to the anti-Roman, 
 fanatical, revolutionary party of the zealots, founded by 
 Judas, the Gaulonite (Acts 5 : 37) (Jos., Wars, IV., 3 sq.). 
 Ver. 19. And finally Judas Iscariot (the man of the city 
 of Kerioth (Josh. 15 : 25), the only apostle from Judaea, 
 \.\\& ]&yN par excellence, who betrayed Christ. With this 
 description Judas is always characterized to his own 
 eternal shame and the constant warning of all disciples. 
 In his betrayal he is a type of the Jewish people. For 
 the motives of his act see 14 : 10. In this catalogue of 
 the apostles Mark agrees with all (Matt. 10 : 2 sq. ; Luke 
 6 ; 14; Acts I : 13) in placing Peter first, Philip fifth; 
 and Bartholomew and Judas Iscariot in the sixtli and 
 last place respectively (except Acts i : 13). The prin- 
 ciple of prominence rather than relationship seems to 
 underlie the classification of Mark. 
 
 (Didymus, twin), completely violates the gospel record. Parthia was said to 
 be the field of the labor of Thomas, as well as of Thaddaeus and Simon, the 
 Cananaean. 
 
 ' This is the opinion of most scholars at present, and seems to accord 
 best with the parallelism of John 19 : 25, while avoiding the possible but not 
 probable identity of Clopas with Alphaeus. (Cf. John 19 : 25; Mark 15 : 40, 
 41; Luke 24:10.) (Schaff, Ch. Hist. I., p. 272; McGifford, Eus., p. 99; 
 (ieikie, N. T. Hours, p. 269.) 
 
 2 Kovavaloq (B, D, C, L), as against the amended Kavavhria of N, which 
 seems to bring out more clearly Kanano (zealot) (Weiss, Das Markusev. u. 
 seine syn. Parall., p. 121), although Kavavuloq is also equivalent to zealot 
 accdg. to some. (Stellhorn, Worterbuch zum griech. N. T., p. 73; Thayer, 
 p. 324; Robinson's Harm. (rev. ed.) p. 217.) 
 
III. 20, 21.] CHAPTER in. 6i 
 
 20-30. And he cometh into a house. And the multitude cometh together 
 again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. And when his friends 
 heard it, they went out to lay hold on him : for they said, He is beside him- 
 self. And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beel- 
 zebub, and. By the prince of the devils casteth he out the devils. And he 
 called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast 
 out Satan .'' And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom can- 
 not stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house will not be 
 able to stand. And if Satan hath risen up against himself, and is divided, 
 he cannot stand, but hath an end. But no one can enter into the house of 
 the strong niau, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man ; 
 and then he will spoil his house. Verily I say unto you. All their sins shall 
 be forgiven unto the sons of men, and their blasphemies wherewith soever 
 they shall blaspheme : but whosoever shall blaspheme against the Holy 
 Spirit hath never forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin : because they 
 said. He hath an unclean spirit. 
 
 Ver. 20. Christ after working in Galilee (i : 39) 
 cometh . . . house, i. e. " Jesus comes home " (nach 
 Hause, Luther) to Capernaum to Simon's house (2 : i) ; 
 Ver. 20, and the multitude (ver. 7, 8) gathers, so that 
 they, Jesus and His apostles, could . . . bread, because 
 the thronging mass pressed in ; much less find leisure to 
 speak of the kingdom. " Preachers should be slaves of 
 souls ; and even forget the necessity of life if the harvest 
 is great and a good opportunity is offered " (i Cor. 9 : 19 
 sq.),—QuESNEL, Starke. Ver. 21. When his friends, 
 lit. those from beside Him, not about Him (apostles, 
 Luther); His relatives (i Mac. 12 : 52), not His mother 
 and brethren (Meyer, Weiss, Holtzmann),i heard of 
 His untiring work, they went out from their home, pos- 
 sibly Nazareth, to . . . him, by force seize Him and 
 restrain Him from wearing Himself out ; for they said 
 {zXtyov), i. e. were of the opinion : He . . . himself. 
 These relatives could account in no other way for the 
 extraordinary power and work of Jesus, than by holding 
 Him to be carried beyond Himself by ungoverned ecstasy 
 1 Cf. Keil, p. 44. 
 
62 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [in. 22, 23. 
 
 {iHo-zTi cf. 2 : 12; 2 Cor. 5 : 13), that bordered on insan- 
 ity. They measure Him by " the cold moderation, which 
 the world loves so well." — Braune, Lange. But divine 
 work must be done zealously, and can suffer no human 
 relationship to interfere. Ver. 22, While Christ's kins- 
 men are with Him, the scribes arrive, which . . . Jeru- 
 salem, deputed no doubt by the Sanhedrim to find a cause 
 against the popular teacher not of their schools. They 
 said, afterthehealingof a blind and dumb demoniac (Matt. 
 12 : 22 sq.), He hath Beelzebub,^ which denotes Satan, not 
 as fly-lord (2 Kings i : 2), nor by a witticism of the Jews as 
 filth-lord, but as " lord of the house " (Z'vul), which is his 
 kingdom (Matt. 12 : 28). — Meyer, Volkmar.^ He, ac- 
 cording to the scribes, dwells in Christ, and by, lit. in i. e. 
 in the power of the . . . devils. By this terrible charge 
 the scribes seek to destroy the effect of Christ's healing of 
 the demoniacs, the reality of which they cannot deny. 
 Three times was this same charge repeated (Matt. 9 : 34 ; 
 John 8 : 48 ; 10 : 20). " It is terrible that the world as- 
 cribes what is from God to Satan, and thus makes God 
 Satan." — Starke. Ver. 23. Upon this accusation Christ 
 called . . . parables, which in short gnomic form (Matt. 
 7:17; Luke 4 : 23 ; 6 : 39) were first used by Christ in 
 defence (Mark 2 : 19; Luke 4 : 23), and afterward as de- 
 tailed descriptions were his constant mode of instructing 
 the people (4 : 34) to reveal and conceal (4 : 11) the truth 
 of the Kingdom in pictures of actual life and real pro- 
 cesses of nature. In the use of the parable, which Christ 
 first developed,' and which is "■ His peculiar form of in- 
 
 1 The best reading is Beelzebul (Baal-Z'vul). 
 
 2 Klostermann, (p. 77) like Lange interprets "lord of the possessed," de- 
 riving Beelzebub from the SyriacBaal Ssebero. Holtzmann (p. 134) appeal- 
 ing to Eph. 2 : 2 regards the air as the dominion of Beelzebub, and follows 
 Jahn. For an excellent resume see Nebe, II. 159. 
 
 ^ Nosgen, I., p. 256. 
 
III. 24-26.] CHAPTER in. ()T^ 
 
 struction, in which no one else has equalled him," — 
 HOLTZMANN, He witnesses to the inward analogy of nat- 
 ure and religion ; and adopts a form, which is infinitely 
 above the fictitious fable, as well as the poetic allegory 
 and metaphor, in its reality, truthfulness, instructive and 
 convincing power.^ The truth, that Christ would now 
 illustrate is, How , . . Satan? This would be the great- 
 est inconsistency, for "wolf does not eat wolf, and Satan 
 does not cast out Satan " (Tiib. Bible, Starke). And, 
 Ver. 24, If . . . stand. With this truism and not by 
 a word of Scripture Jesus shows the unreasonableness 
 of the attack of the scribes even according to common 
 sense. " It is necessary that we should mark closely, that 
 Christ says that Satan has a kingdom, a very harmonious 
 kingdom, which keeps well together." — LuTHER. The 
 unity of this kingdom, whose king (Job 18: 14; Jude : 
 8, 9; Rev. 2 : 10; 9 : 11) is the god of this world (2 Cor. 
 4 : 4), consists in the constant opposition to God's king- 
 dom.* In a kingdom there are houses (Judg. 18 : 14), 
 Ver. 25, and . . . stand. This second parable is no 
 meaningless parallel, but referring to the parts of the king- 
 dom (von Hofmann), depicts more minutely the disunion 
 as within the individual groups of families, and suggests 
 the organization of Satan's kingdom into principalities 
 and powers (Rom, 8 : 38 ; Eph. 6 : 12). These powers 
 Christ conquers by casting out their subjects (demons). 
 For if Satan is in Christ, then, Ver. 26, Satan . . . himself 
 in all his power to subdue himself in his ministering ser\'- 
 ants ; and is divided in his kingdom asking against sub- 
 
 ' On the parables, see Trench, Introd. to Parables, p. 7 sq. ; Nebe, I. 447 
 sq. ; Nosgen, I. 343 sq. ; Holtzmann, p. 88 ; and in a popular form, Taylor, 
 " The Parables of our Saviour," p. i sq. 
 
 ^ Are not moral statistics, when properly balanced, also an evidence of a 
 kingdom of evil, with its laws of development ? 
 
 3 'kfiepLoQjj belongs to the previous clause. 
 
64 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [hi. 27, 28. 
 
 jects, and also in his own house, family, as lord against 
 vassals. If this be so, he . . . end ; he cannot retain his 
 power over men, and his influence is at an end. But such 
 self-defeat is inconsistent with Satan, and manifestly ab- 
 surd. From this rediictio ad absurdnni Christ passes to 
 the explanation of his power over demons, saying, Ver. 
 27, more than this, no . . . house. The entrance into 
 Satan's stronghold has been effected by healing the 
 possessed ; but these healings could not have been ac- 
 complished had the breaking in of Christ not been suc- 
 ceeded by binding Satan (Rev. 20 : 2) who had bound 
 men (Luke 13 : 16). Christ came to spoil {o'.ap-diyat), i.e. 
 thoroughly plunder Satan's stolen goods, human souls; 
 and then finally he zvoiild spoil his house also by completely 
 overthrowing it. Satan, the strong one, in constant, de- 
 cided, consistent, wicked purpose, and in higher power as 
 a spirit, is to be feared, (i Pet. 5:8; Rev. 12:3). But 
 Christ, the mightier (1:7) has bound him ; and therefore 
 He alone can evict Satan from the heart. But even He is 
 powerless, where men absolutely harden themselves. This 
 the scribes are beginning to do, and to them Jesus there- 
 fore says: Ver. 28, Verily . . . you, which is an expression 
 of great earnestness, frequently used in the gospels, and 
 always reduplicated in John, to introduce an important 
 word. (Mark 8:12:9:1; 10 : 15, etc.) All . . . 
 men. Unto the sojis of men, as weak beings (cf. 2 : 10), 
 inclined to sin (Gen. 8:21) forgiveness is promised as an 
 absolute certainty, under " the presupposition of repent- 
 ance," — HOLTZMANN, for all sins. These words are em- 
 phatically prefixed to show that the whole range of sins 
 are included, even the blasphemies . . . blaspheme 1 
 
 1 eocroc (N, B, D, E, G) is a favorite word of (Mark 2 : 19; 3:8; 5 : 19; 
 9 : 13, etc.). 
 
111.29.] CHAPTER III. 65 
 
 (2 : 17). The great sins of open blasphemy against God 
 and Christ, as Son of man (Matt. 12 : 32) will find pardon, 
 for God's grace is far above the sins of men. (Rom. 
 5 : 20.) But one sin is not forgiven. Ver. 29. Whoso- 
 ever . . . sin. This unpardonable sin, whose binding 
 guilt, tvo/o9(i Cor. II : 27 ; Jas. 2 : 10) is eternal {aiwAw^^} 
 endless in all future, began on the part of the scribes in 
 imputing to Christ an unclean spirit (ver. 30), by which 
 utterance they wilfully and consciously rejected the pre- 
 venient illumination of the Spirit, after whose coming 
 their sin would be completed (John 16 : 8 sq.). The sin 
 unto death (i John 5 : i6\ which presupposes the clear 
 inner conviction by the Spirit, is a special, conscious 
 denial and attack of the truth with a distinct blasphemy, 
 and cannot be identified with the wilful relapse of the re- 
 generated, which is an unpardonable condition, that may 
 lead to the act of the sin against the Holy Spirit (Heb. 
 6:4; 10 : 26). The unpardonableness is due to the ab- 
 solute rejection of God's saving presence.^ If a person 
 
 ^ Cf Cremer, p. 99. 
 
 2 This sin attributed by the Didache (XII. 7) to false prophets, by Iren- 
 aeus to the Moil tanists (III. ii), by Tertullian to Hymenaeus and Alex- 
 ander (De pud. XIII.), by Cyril to Manes (Cat. Lect. VII. 25), is supposed 
 by Origen (De Prin. I. 3, 2), to attest the "exceeding majesty of the Holy 
 Spirit," while Theognostus of Alex. (Frag. Hyp. III. in Athan. De Decret. 
 Nic. Syn. XXV.), correctly ascribes the unpardonableness to " having tasted 
 the heavenly gift" (Heb. 6:4), Augustine (Civ. Dei XXI. 24; Ep. 
 CLXXXV. II, 48 ; Serm. XXL), followed by Chrysostom (Horn, on Matt. 
 XLI. 5), holds it to be persistent impenitence (impoenitentia finalis), a view 
 adopted by v. CEttingen, Meyer, Ritschl, Keil, Schaff. Luther (Siinde wid. 
 d. Heil. G. 1529; Erl. Ed. 23 : 70 sq. ; 64 : 192), believes it to be "battling 
 against truth recognized " (imp ugnatio veritatis agnitae), and despising of 
 the gospel and its work ; but he also enumerates five other sins, spiritual 
 pride, stiff-neckedness, despair, envy of the brethren because of grace, final 
 impenitence (Walch, .St. Louis Ed. VII. 174). The Luth. Dogmaticians 
 (Schmid, Engl. Transl. p. 276), analyze this sin into the elements, (i) denial 
 of truth, (2) hostile attack, (3) voluntary and atrocious blasphemy ; but Heb. 
 
 5 
 
66 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ill. 31. 
 
 has committed this sin, " he is no longer in Satan's power 
 and deception, but has himself become a voluntary and 
 conscious Satan." — STARKE. 
 
 3i~35- '^'^^ there come his mother and his brethren ; and, standing with- 
 out, they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about 
 him; and they say unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without 
 seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and 
 my brethren ? And looking round on them which sat round about him, he 
 saith. Behold, my mother and my brethren ! For whosoever shall do the 
 will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother. 
 
 Ver. 31. And shortly, his mother, Mary, desiring 
 as in Cana (John 2 : 3) to show her motherly prerogative, 
 and forgetful of Christ's word in the temple (Luke 2 : 49), 
 arrives with his brethren (6 : 3), the sons born to her 
 after her first-born (Luke 2 : J)} These standing with= 
 out the house where Jesus was, sent . . . him ; his 
 mother, from true anxiety, fearing the enmity of the 
 leaders of Israel, and troubled by the apparent over-exer- 
 
 6 : 4, is not sufficiently distinguished from Matt. 12 : 31. Harless (Ethics, 
 Engl. Trans. 6. Ed. p. 290), conceives of it as, "obduracy against a prepar- 
 atory knowledge." Cf. Stier, Reden, Jesu, II. 38 sq.; Cremer, p. 52; 
 Nosgen, Com. p. 75 ; Martensen's Ethics (3 Ed. German) II. p. 147 sq. ; Frank, 
 Chrl. Sittlichkeit, I., p. 277 sq. ; Herm. Schmidt in Herz. Realencyl. 
 XV. 41 ; the monograph of L. Lemme, 1883. 
 
 1 This view, exegetically the best, because adopting the most obvious 
 meaning of a6zl<^6c, agreeing with the use of aveipioa, accounting for Matt. 
 I : 18, 25 (^'■before they came together;" "knew her not ^?7/ she had a 
 son,") and confirmed by Mary's constant appearance with her sons (Matt. 
 12 : 46; 13 : 55; John 2 : 12), has been stigmatized with the heretical name 
 " Helvidian," although held by Tertullian. It is the prevalent opinion of 
 modern exegetes, as Stier, Wieseler, Meyer, Weiss, Nebe, Farrar, Schaff, 
 etc. That the brothers were sons of Joseph by a former marriage, is advo- 
 cated by Clem. Alex., Grig., Eus., Greg, of Nys., Epiph., Cyril, Lightfoot. 
 Plumptre. Morison, etc. The opinion of Jerome and Augustine, that the 
 brothers were cousins, children of Alphaeus (Clopas) and Mary, the sister 
 of the mother of Jesus, finds favor with Luther, Calvin, Mill, Ohlshausen, 
 Schnekenburger, Nosgen. Cf. Nebe, I., p. 245 sq. ; Schaff, Ch. Hist. I., p. 
 272 sq. 
 
HI. 32-35.] CHAPTER III. 67 
 
 tion of Jesus ; but His brethren from envious unbelief 
 (John 7 : 5). Ver. 32. And before the multitude . . . 
 him (2 : 14) in the courtyard, they, who repeated the call, 
 say .^ . . thee. To some this was a welcome interrup- 
 tion, and others may have " been laying a snare for Jesus, 
 to see whether He would prefer flesh and blood to His 
 spiritual task."— JEROME, Ver. 34, 35. Therefore looking 
 . . . him, on the good hearers and especially His apostles, 
 he . . . mother. Those, who fulfilled the ivill of God in 
 believing on Christ (John 6 : 40) and living holily (Matt. 
 7:21; 5 : 48), Christ claims as His true relatives. This 
 made Mary His mother indeed, for " what the Lord magni- 
 fied in her was, that she did the will of the Father, not 
 that flesh gave birth to flesh." — AUGUSTlXE. By real, 
 spiritual aflfinity every one in whom Christ is born can be 
 a Mary (Stier) ; and all who are united with Him by 
 heavenly love He is not ashamed to call brethren and 
 sisters (Heb. 2 : 12). But no one can be His father, but 
 the Father, from whom all this spiritual relationship 
 proceeds. And " he who doeth the will of God to the 
 end makes an eternal covenant with God as his father 
 (Deut. 7 : 9 sq.) with Jesus Christ as his brother, with the 
 angels and all the blessed as his sisters (Matt. 23 : 8), with 
 the heavenly Jerusalem as his mother (Gal. 4 : 26)." — 
 QuESNEL, Starke. 
 
 1 The words " thy sisters " have been wrongly inserted by some MSS. 
 They do not occur in K, B, C, G, K, etc. 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 1-9. And again he began to teach by the seaside. And there is gathered 
 unto him a very great multitude, so that he entered into a boat, and sat in 
 the sea ; and all the multitude were by the sea on the land. And he taught 
 them many things in parables, and said unto them in his teaching, Hearken ; 
 Behold, the sower went forth to sow : and it came to pass, as he sowed, 
 some seed ieW by the wayside, and the birds came and devoured it. And 
 other fell on the rocky growid, where it had not much earth ; and straight- 
 way it sprang up, because it had no deepness of earth : and when the sun 
 was risen, it was scorched ; and because it had no root, it withered away. 
 And other fell among the thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, 
 yielded no fruit. And other fell into the good ground, and yielded fruit, 
 growing up and increasing ; and brought forth, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and 
 a hundredfold. And he said. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. 
 
 Ver. I. Again, after being with the twelve (3 : 13) 
 and the disciples in a house (3 : 20), Christ began . . . 
 sea=side, where there. 1 . . multitude (3 : 7), so that He 
 madea<5'^rt'/'(3 : 9) His pulpit, and sat . . . sea (Ps. 77: 19; 
 95 : 5), discoursing to the masses upon the shore. " Jesus 
 makes the little ship His pulpit ; if we do not diligently 
 hear and obey He departs with His little ship and pulpit 
 (Acts 13 : 46)." — Cramer, Starke. Ver. 2. From it He 
 taught^ . . . parables (3 : 23), the first of which He began 
 with the word, Ver. 3, Hearken, and concluded with the in- 
 junction to hear (ver. 9). " Preachers should often encour- 
 age their hearers to a diligent and proper hearing of the 
 Word " (2 Tim. 4 : 2).— Majus, Starke. That the atten- 
 tion to the Word be still more aroused Christ adds : Be= 
 
 * The present cvvayeTat. is the best reading. (K, B, C, L, A, etc). 
 2 The expression nn?2.a occurs 15 times in Mark. 
 
 68 
 
IV. 4-7] CHAPTER IV. 69 
 
 hold, possibly pointing to some sower at work on the dis- 
 tant hills, whom He characterizes as the sower from his 
 special vocation. The . . , forth from his village ^ to the 
 open ground, not to do the preparatory work of clearing 
 the field, but to sow? Ver. 4. As . . . way-side {izafta 
 rr}yr;5ov) which was not the road bounding the field (Weiss, 
 Edersheim), but rather a trodden pathway running 
 through the midst of it," — STANLEY, which, although it 
 had been ploughed up, was again made by frequent 
 passers seeking a short-cut. And the birds, who after the 
 winter were eager to pick up the first seeds of spring, came, 
 making the time of sowing their harvest, and devoured 
 quickly what was not trodden down. Ver. 5. Other . . . 
 ground, not upon earth mingled with stones, but upon a 
 thin coating of mould, which covered a large surface of 
 rock.^ This seed sprang up, and was apparently not wasted 
 like the seed that fell upon the wayside ; but its early 
 appearance and sudden growth was deceptive. It lasted 
 only for a time, because it had no deepness of earth : 
 Ver. 6, and . . . away. Its roots having soon exhausted 
 the moisture of the scant layer of ground, could not fur- 
 nish the additional refreshment from the depth to counter- 
 act the increasing heat of the sun, which was necessary to 
 ripen the grain. Therefore the sun, the source of life, 
 became to this seed the source of death.* Ver. 7. And 
 . . . thorns, which before the seed-time had probably 
 been burnt, but not dug up with their roots. And the 
 
 ^Thomson, I., p. 1 15. 
 
 2 " According to the Jewish authorities there was a twofold sowing, as the 
 seed was either cast by the hand, or by means of cattle. In the latter case, 
 a sack with holes was filled with corn, and laid on the back of the animal, so 
 that as it moved onwards, the seed was thickly scattered." Edersheim, I. 
 p. 586. 
 
 8 This was the view of Origen (I)e Prin. III. i : 14.) 
 
 * For interesting illustrations from the classics see Nebe 11. 41. 
 
70 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iv. 7, 9. 
 
 thorns greiv up by their native power more quickly and 
 strongly than the good seed, from which they took the 
 nourishment of the soil and the light of the sun ; and 
 they choked it, and it yielded no ir\x\t. The unfruitful- 
 ness was in this case due neither to hard nor shallow 
 but to impure ground. Ver. 8. Others '^fe/l into the good 
 ground. These seeds fell into ground that was free from 
 the imperfections of the three other kinds of soil. It was 
 neither hardened, shallow nor impure, but soft, deep, pure 
 and rich. These seeds yielded /r?n't,grozaing up and in^ 
 creasing.2 The corn-stalks (Matt. 13 : 26; James 5 : 18), 
 designated broadly as/7'uit, which in the classics " means 
 generally that which grows in the field," — Mever, are 
 called groiving, in contrast with the seed by the wayside, 
 and increasing to distinguish them from the seeds upon 
 the rocky and thorny ground. The seeds in the good 
 ground brought forth thirty/old, and sixty/old, and a 
 hundredfold. The yield, in no case small, increased in 
 proportion to the fertility of the soil up to a hundredfold, 
 which is not unheard of in the East (Gen. 26 : 12),^ especi- 
 ally on the fertile shores of Lake Gennesaret.* Ver. 9. 
 And finally Christ said, Who , . . hear. This injunction 
 is used to call attention to what has preceded^ (ver. 23 ; 
 Luke 8:8; 14 : 35). It emphazises the responsibility of 
 hearing and the danger of neglecting to hear with the 
 " ear of a diviner kind," — Origen, the inward })erception 
 
 1 oKka (n, B, C, L, 33, etc.) is to be preferred to aXko which, conforms to 
 the previous verses. 
 
 ^ These participles (avafiaivovra Kolav^avufieva) (A, C,) rather tlum (s, 15,) 
 ought to be connected with " fruit " and not " others," (ag. Klostermann, 
 Weiss, Morison, Riddle). Cf. Keil, p. 48. 
 
 ^ Thomson, I., p. 117. 
 
 * Robison, III., p. 285. 
 
 ^ This usage invalidates Trumbull's illustration of the royal crier (p. 237), 
 because he calls out before his message. 
 
IV. lo, II.] CHAPTER IV. yi 
 
 of the heart. But too often " Him, who made the ear, 
 man will not hear." — GOSSNER, Lange. 
 
 I0-20. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve 
 asked of him the parables. And he said unto them, Unto you is given the 
 mystery of the kingdom of God : but unto them that are without, all things 
 are done in parables ; that seeing they may see, and not perceive ; and hear- 
 ing they may hear, and not understand ; lest haply they should turn again, 
 and it should be forgiven them. And he saith unto them, Know ye not 
 this parable 1 and how shall ye know all the parables 1 The sower soweth 
 the word. And these are they by the wayside, where the word is sown ; 
 and when they have heard, straightway cometh Satan, and taketh away the 
 word which hath been sown in them. And these in like manner are they 
 that are sown upon the TOc\iy places, who, when they have heard the word, 
 straightway receive it with joy ; and they have no root in themselves, but 
 endure for a while ; then, when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of 
 the word, straightway they stumble. And others are they that are sown 
 among the thorns ; these are they that have heard the word, and the cares 
 of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things 
 entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful. And those are 
 they that were sown upon the good ground ; such as hear the word, and 
 accept it, and bear fruit, thirtyfold, and sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. 
 
 • Ver. lo. And . . . alone, the crowds having gone for 
 a time, they . . . him, the wider circle of disciples 
 with . , . parables.^ Their inquiry was turned not 
 only to the reason of parabolic teaching (Matt. 13 : 10), 
 but also to the unfolding of the parables, with a 
 special desire for the proper understanding of the 
 parable of the sower, so important for them, who 
 are later to do the work of sowers. And Christ said, 
 Ver. II, Unto . . . God. The disciples that ask re- 
 ceive the gift of the truth, " as a grace bestowed from 
 above," — Chrysostom ; because they have open ears, 
 and then approach Him, in whom are all the treasures of 
 wisdom. " The spirit gives it to you, that you not only 
 see and hear but know with your heart and believe." — 
 
 ^ The plural is supported by N, B, C, L, A, etc. 
 
72 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [iv. ii, 12. 
 
 Luther. Their faith shall possess tlic mystery of the 
 kingdom of God, which is the knowledge of the saving 
 truth not revealed before, named thus not because of its 
 obscurity, but for its secrecy ^ (Rom. 16:25; ^ Cor. 
 4:1; Eph. I : 9). Its content is comprehensively 
 designated " the kingdom of God " (i : 15);^ and it is kept 
 from the people. Unto t/tein that are zvitJwiit, all things 
 are done in parables. They receive the instruction that 
 conceals (3 : 23), not because of an unjust discrimination 
 of Jesus, who reserved the truth for an exclusive circle, 
 acting among Jews as a Jew would against Gentiles, or 
 instituting an esoteric doctrine after the manner of heathen 
 religions. But they have excluded themselves by hear- 
 ing and not inquiring.^ From this careless obduracy it 
 arose, Ver. 12, that . . . them. This judgment of Christ 
 himself (ag. Jiilicher, Holtzmann) is the confirmation of 
 Is. 6 : 9, which is quoted with the change of the prece- 
 dence of "seeing" before "hearing" owing the appear- 
 ance of the Word. It is shown to be the purpose of God 
 to completely fulfil what was then threatened and to 
 harden finally His people, so that in their seeing they may 
 physically see but not spiritually perceive, and outwardly 
 hear but not inwardly understand. This takes place in 
 the teaching of the parables, which are a savor of death 
 to the non-receptivC* Mark sees in actual occurrence 
 
 1 Cremer, p. 626. J. H. Foster, The word " Mystery " in the N. T., in 
 The Thinker, Vol. VITI. 5, p. 408. 
 
 - The genitive is objective and not possessive (Schnedermann). 
 
 3 .Schnedermann distinguishing between " Verkiindigung " (announce- 
 ment) and " Lehre " (doctrine) of the kingdom, and seeing in the former 
 the preparatory heralding of the coming kingdom, whose truths the latter 
 was to unfold, holds that the non-acceptance of the invitatory announce- 
 ment was the cause of the self-exclusion that followed. 
 
 * Jiilicher (Die Gleichnisreden Jesu, 1S88, p. 146), although ascribing 
 these severe words only to the disciples, must still admit to the detriment 
 
IV. 13, 14-] CHAPTER IV. 73 
 
 what Matthew portrays as a result. " Because the ears, 
 which they have, they neither have nor use ; therefore as 
 Christ knows, He speaks, that their inability is judged as 
 unwiUingness." — Stier.^ Because of this unwiUingness, in 
 which they are afraid that they might be converted and re- 
 ceive forgiveness, God withholds every opportunity, "leav- 
 ing them in the darkness, which they have chosen for 
 themselves." — IREN^US. But the disciples have chosen 
 the light, therefore Christ saith unto them, Ver. 13, 
 Know . . . parables? "2 Recurring to their question 
 (ver. 10) Christ answers with a question, not merely to 
 deepen the consciousness of their ignorance, but to 
 arouse them to inquire about all tJic parables, which they 
 would hear. But tJiis parable of the sower must be 
 unfolded first because of its fundamental character, which 
 would enable them to trace the lessons of other parables 
 more readily. " The longer man retains and studies any 
 one divine truth, the more manifest it becomes, and itself 
 bringsall others to light." — Gerlach, Lange. Therefore 
 Christ begins a detailed explanation and says, Ver, 14, 
 The . . . word. The sower, as in the parable (ver. 3), is 
 introduced first not to lead most briefly to the "word," 
 but to place prominently before the disciples as their 
 example the divine sower in His activity. He as the 
 eternal Word is the author of " tJie zuord'' (2 : 2), which 
 is to be implanted in the hearts (James i : 21), that by it 
 
 of liis position according to the clear import of this passage : " It is true 
 that the parable has exercised a judgment of hardening. Who did not com- 
 prehend the doctrine of the kingdom, of the love of God, of the earnestness 
 of sin even in this form, upon him it (the parable) had executed the 
 judgment of hardening, because he was executing it upon himself." 
 
 ^ Reden Jesu II. 80 sq. ; Nebe, II., p. 49 sq. ; Schnedermann, note p. 150. 
 
 ^ Meyer and Weiss are correct in combining these questions. Thus the 
 article " the " is better accounted for, and the apparent censure of the 
 disciples, which is evidently impossible (ver. 11), is avoided. 
 
74 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iv. 15, 16. 
 
 as the power of God (Rom. 1:16) men may be begotten 
 again (i Pet. i : 23). This it accomplishes because it is 
 the Creator's word (Col. i : 16), far superior in its hfe- 
 giving power to the word of the Old Testament, which is 
 but the preparatory snow and rain (Is. 55 : 10.). " The 
 law brings no fruit, as little as human inventions." — 
 Luther. Ver. 15. And these, pointing forward, 
 are . . . sown. This concise statement, picturesquely 
 characterizing the people according to the condition of 
 their hearts, at once brings into prominence the main 
 lesson to be learnt, that the character of the hearers is 
 the condition of the fruitfulness of the word. The way- 
 side people are not such, " that persecute the Word and 
 do not hear, but such that hear and are pupils, that are 
 called Christians and wish to live among the Christian 
 community," — LUTHER ; but when . . . them.i Upon 
 the heart the word falls, but not into it, because of its 
 obduracy, caused by the constant passing of worldly and 
 sinful thoughts. The word not immediately received is 
 straightivay taken by Satan, who sends out his birds, ^ 
 the little and apparently innocent thoughts and cares. 
 " Men are troubled if anything is stolen from them ; but 
 the most unhappy theft for their souls is when Satan 
 takes away the word of God." — Starke. Ver. 16. And 
 in like manner of interpretative application it is with 
 those, that . . . places, (ver. 5), i. e. in such with whom the 
 seed has fallen upon rocky ground. The inexact form is 
 due to the prominence given the persons, who are iden- 
 tified with the seed sown,^ (see Matt. 13 : 38). When . . . 
 
 ^ ev (s, C, L, A) is to be preferred to /(f (B) as more consistent with 
 the whole description. 
 
 ^ Birds are appropriate symbols of Satan (Eph. 2 : 2). 
 
 2 Farrar (p. 229) well says : " It is a part of the divine boldness of Christ's 
 teaching, and the manner in which it transcends in its splendid paradox all 
 
IV. 17-19] CHAPTER IV. 75 
 
 word Satan does not take it, but straightway . . . Joy, 
 not with the deep inward gladness which will sacrifice 
 everything for the gospel (Matt. 1 3 : 44), but with the quick 
 flash of an aroused superficial feeling, that lacks earnest 
 purpose. But this reception is of no avail, for, Ver. 17, 
 they . . . themselves. The word is not deeply rooted 
 in themselves, in their conscience (i Tim. 3 : 9), but in 
 the shallow covering of changeable sensations. Therefore 
 they endure only for a while, as long as the hot summer- 
 time of tribulation, the pressure of the enemies of the 
 word, or persecution, the more violent pursuit into which 
 the pressure has developed, does not arise. But in this 
 heat, as necessary for the growth of the Christian (Acts 
 14 : 22 ; Rom. 5:3;! Pet. 4 ; 12) as the sun for the 
 seed, t/uy stumble, and become "scandalized." Persecu- 
 tion entraps them, and " anon they fall." — Tyndale. 
 " Not the beginning should be inquired after in a 
 Christian, but the end ; to begin is the part of many, to 
 arrive at the end belongs to few." — JEROME. Ver. 18. 
 And others . . . thorns (ver. 7) come not to ripeness, 
 although not stumbling in tribulation, because gradually 
 there enter in the, Ver. 19, cares of the world, which divide 
 the hearts of men (Matt. 6 : 25) in their struggles for wealth, 
 in the possession of which they learn the deceitfulness of 
 riches ; for they do not free from care and bestow what 
 they promised, but are a snare (i Tim. 6:9, 10); often 
 leading to the lusts of other things (i John 2 : 16), the 
 desire after all kinds of worldly engagements, pleasures, 
 and possessions, which are as deceitful as riches and 
 brings cares upon cares. " As the thorns are unfruitful, 
 so these things ; as thorns tear those that handle them, 
 so do these passsions." — Chrysostom, They choke 
 
 ordinary modes of explanation, that in His explanation of the parable, the 
 seed when once sown is identified with him who receives it." 
 
76 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iv. 20, 21. 
 
 (ver. 7), the word and it becoinetJi unfruitful. Thus they, 
 who seemed most hopeful and whose sanctification had 
 begun, do not reach maturity, for the roots of the old 
 nature were not removed, Ver. 20. But those sown . . . 
 ground, prepared by prevenient grace that was not 
 rejected, accept the word firmly and keep it patiently, and 
 bear , . . hundredfold. The difference in fruitfulness is 
 due to the variety of God's gifts and to the degree of 
 man's faithful use of them. But all, that are good ground, 
 bring fruit to eternal life, therefore " those who bear 
 more fruit should not despise others and become proud." — 
 Majus, Starke. 
 
 21-25. And he said unto them, Is the lamp brought to be put under the 
 bushel, or under the bed, aiid not to be put on the stand ? For there is 
 nothing hid, save that it should be manifested ; neither was anything vci2i6.e. 
 secret, but that it should come to light. If any man hath ears to hear, let 
 him hear. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what 
 measure ye mete it shall be measured unto you : and more shall be given 
 unto you. For he that hath, to him shall be given : and he that hath not, 
 from him shall be taken away even that which he hath. 
 
 Ver. 21. Jesus said to His disciples : Is .1. . bushel, the 
 Roman measure about equivalent to our peck and prob- 
 ably used for the Hebrew household measure, seah ; or 
 under tlic bed, the couch used to recline upon at meals 
 and also employed as a bed ; and not to be put on the 
 stand ?^ This illustration, which Christ also employed to 
 
 1 "The lamps of Palestine are, to-day, no doubt, just what they were 
 two thousand years ago ; small clay toys, holding two or three spoonsful of 
 oil ; a hole at one end for the rag which serves for a wick, and a teacup- 
 like handle at the other, to let it be carried about." (Geikie, N. T. Hours, 
 
 P- 356) 
 
 2 Canon Cook is scarcely correct in holding this to be a description of 
 the common houses with their single room, containing the flour-bin, lamp- 
 holder and bed. A house of the better class, where Roman customs had 
 obtained, is pictured, as shown by the fiochov^ KAivf/v, and the stand not 
 found in ordinary houses. 
 
IV. 22-25-] CHAPTER IV. -j-j 
 
 suggest to His disciples their duty as light-bearers (Matt, 5 : 
 15), and to enjoin the brightness of the spiritual eye (Luke 
 1 1 : 33), is here meant to enforce the duty of communicat- 
 ing the truth of the Light (John 1 : 9 ; 9 : 5). Ver. 22. 
 For . . . light. From the preceding parable of the 
 light the general principle is deduced, that truth is to be 
 revealed in due time, and its secrecy to be made public. 
 Therefore it is Christ's purpose to hide truth only tem- 
 porarily in the parables, and to conceal even from His dis- 
 ciples some doctrines, that they cannot at once under- 
 stand (John 13 : 7; 16 : 12); but finally the light is to 
 appear (i Cor. 2 : 7 sq.). " Do not suppose that what I 
 now commit to you in secret, I would have concealed for- 
 ever ; the light is kindled by me in you, that by your 
 ministry it may disperse the darkness of the whole world." 
 — Erasmus. And again, Ver. 24: Ta\<.& heed {i Cor. 16: 
 10; Eph. 5:15) what ye hear (Luke 8 : 18). This 
 warning adds to the previous injunction to hear well 
 (ver. 23) the obligation of the matter heard : for, with 
 . . . you (Matt. 7:2; Luke 6 : 38). According to your 
 standard of attention and earnestness in the reception 
 and use of the word, you shall receive a new measure of 
 truth : and . . . you. God's gift from His abundant 
 grace will be beyond the exact measure of retribution. 
 " We may do what we will, there is no comparison be- 
 tween what we do for God, and what God does for us." — 
 QUESNEL, Starke. Ver. 25. It is His law that : He . . . 
 hath (Matt. 13 : 12; 25:29; Luke 8:18; 19:26). 
 This truth, constantly exemplified in every sphere of life, 
 is applied to show, that faithful hearing and learning of 
 the word, will increase the capacity to receive and digest, 
 and therefore enable God to give more ; while neglect will 
 weaken the receptive power, stop growth and bring about 
 decrease. " A faithful diligent soul has a great treasure, 
 
78 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iv. 26, 27. 
 
 its wealth enters into eternity ; but an idle soul becomes 
 daily poorer, until finally all is lost." — QUESNEL, Starke. 
 
 26-29. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast 
 seed upon the earth; and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed 
 should spring up and grow, he knoweth not how. The earth beareth fruit 
 of herself; first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear. But 
 when the fruit is ripe, straightway he putteth forth the sickle, because the 
 harvest is come. 
 
 Ver. 26. And, not long after the first parable, Christ 
 said : So , . . earth, 1 The man is not the " son of 
 man," but a disciple,^ sowing the word of the kingdom. Ver. 
 27. It is as if this man should . . . day. The sleep is no 
 carnal security, but the necessary rest succeeded by rising 
 and the work of the day. The night proceeds not be- 
 cause it first followed the sowing of the seed, — MORISON, 
 but because human activity can do nothing, while " the 
 fruitful bosom of night," — Stier, is maturing the seed. 
 Although the day intimates work 'and care, yet all labor 
 is in vain except God give the increase (Ps. 127 : 2 ; 
 1 Cor. 3 : 6, 7). But while man cannot make the seed 
 grow, it springs . . . how. By its inward power of life 
 the seed sprouts and grows into a stalk with its spike, 
 but man does not understand this mysterious process. 
 *' All sprouting, growing, budding in the kingdom of 
 
 1 The assumption of Ewald, Strauss, reasserted by Weiss, that this par- 
 able is that of the tares changed by Mark, rests with Weiss upon the idea, 
 that Mark cannot have a " Logion " not found in the older source (Com. p. 
 77; Markusev. u. seine syn. Parall., p. 158). Volkmar, Holtzman find in 
 the parable of the tares an allegory of this parable. Both positions are 
 untenable, if the plain distinct features of the two parables are not obscured 
 by an unfair criticism of pre-supposition. Cf. Keil, p. 57- 
 
 2 This appears inconsistent with v. 29, but Christ cannot be the man as 
 v. 29 proves. The human activity of sowing is to be characterized, and this 
 individual, subordinate feature dare not be pressed, for " omne simile 
 claudicat." Thus Stier, Morison, as against Ohlshausen, Trench, Keil. 
 
IV. 28, 29-] CHAPTER IV. 79 
 
 nature and grace is open only before God, because it 
 is His work." — Stier. This should exclude all anxious 
 probing into the growth of the spiritual life, and lead to 
 trust in God's powers, for " though the seed of the Word 
 be concealed and choked for a time, Christ enjoins pious 
 teachers to be of good courage, and not to allow their 
 alacrity to be slackened through distrust." — Calvix. 
 For,i Ver. 28, The . . . herself. The growth is spon- 
 taneous {abzoixdrri, Acts 12 : lo) ^ owing to the fertility 
 given the earth by God (Gen. i : 11), and excludes human 
 influence. Thus in the tilled land of human hearts, the 
 power of divine grace causes the fruitfulness ; therefore 
 although we are " God's fellow-workers " (i Cor. 3 : 9) in 
 the ministry, we must remain humble. But still the 
 growth not caused by man can be seen by him. There 
 appears first the blade, then the ear, then the full eorn in 
 the ear. In the first stage there is no difference between 
 the blade and ordinary grass.^ The " young babes in 
 Christ" are "carnal" (i Cor. 3: i). But the "little 
 children " become " young men " when the ear appears, 
 and as it fills up with precious wheat they are " fathers" 
 (i John 2 : 12, 13). Growth is progressive, and therefore 
 perfection is not to be expected at the beginning, but 
 God will give it increasingly (i Thess. 5 : 23). Finally, 
 Ver. 29, when . . . ripe,* when all the work that does 
 not require man's help is accomplished by the soil and 
 weather, and the fruit " delivers itself up," then straight- 
 
 1 The Rev. version has properly omitted " for " according to A, B, C, 
 etc. 
 
 2 Winer, p. 464 ; Thayer, p. 85. 
 
 8 xopTov generally means grass (6:39; John 6 : 10; i Pet. i : 24 ; etc.). 
 
 * This free rendering of TrapaSol is better than " alloweth " (Lange, 
 Meyer), which rests only upon classical usage, because it comes nearer to 
 the reflexive sense of -rrapaSoi, Keil, p. 55; Morison, p. 108; Winer, p, 
 251. 
 
86 THE GOSPEL OJ- S E. MARK. fi v. 29-31. 
 
 way . . . come. The ripened corn requires immediate 
 attention, and the sickle is sent not at the end of time, 
 (Meyer, Trench, Keil), for a human harvest is meant 
 (Matt. 9 : 37, 38 ; John 4 : 35, 36), which is the ingathering 
 of souls after faithful preaching. " Where God's word is 
 rightly sown and accepted, it never remains without fruits 
 of faith and godliness." — Starke. The central truth of 
 this parable, the gradual, independent development of 
 God's kingdom, was to serve as a corrective against the 
 Jewish expectation of a sudden revelation of a great king- 
 dom of worldly power. 
 
 30-32. And he said, How shall we liken the kingdom of God ? or in 
 what parable shall we set it forth ? It is like a grain of mustard seed, 
 which, when it is sown upon the earth, though it be less than all the seeds 
 that are upon the earth, yet when it is sown, groweth up, and becometh 
 greater than all the herbs, and putteth out great branches ; so that the 
 birds of the heaven can lodge under the shadow thereof. 
 
 Ver. 30. And Christ said : How . . . forth ? The 
 Saviour in condescension takes His disciples with Him in 
 His search for an appropriate similitude, and by His double 
 question arouses their eagerness and attention. After the 
 picture of the slow development of the kingdom, that of 
 its great extent follows to furnish a glimpse of its glori- 
 ousness. Ver. 31. It . . . seed, the ordinary black mus- 
 tard, which when sown is less than all the seeds. The 
 mustard seed was often employed by the Jews for its 
 minuteness as a picture of the very small. ^ This seed of 
 the kingdom, Ver, 32, ivhen it is sozvn and dies in its 
 king (John 12 : 24), groweth . . , branches. It is a fact 
 
 1 Geikie, p. 359. Edersheim (I. p., 593) says it was used to "indicate the 
 smallest amount, such as the least drop of blood, the least defilement, or 
 the smallest remnant of sunglow in the sky." This minuteness alone and 
 not the medicinal virtue (Trench) of the mustard seed is the basis of com- 
 parison. 
 
IV. 32-34] CHAPTER IV. 8i 
 
 still observed by travellers in the East, that among all 
 garden-shrubs the mustard becomes the greatest.^ Even 
 . . . thereof (Ezek. 17 : 23). Birds seek it not for food, 
 but for shadow. The kingdom of God beginning in little 
 Palestine with Jesus despised by the despised Jews, has 
 grown to be a goodly tree, sheltering the nations. " By 
 the little grain Christ bestows salvation on all humanity 
 abundantly." — Clem, Alex. "The church has grown, 
 the nations have believed, the princes of the earth have 
 been conquered in the name of Christ." — AUGUSTINE. 
 
 33-34. And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as 
 they were able to hear it : and without a parable spake he not unto them : 
 but privately to his own disciples he expounded all things. 
 
 Ver. 33. With . . . parables (cf. Matt. 13) Christ 
 spake the word to the people as ... it. In no other 
 form were they able to receive it (ver. 12), nor could they 
 bear more than a certain amount even of parabolic teach- 
 ing. Ver. 34. Without . . . them. This was hence- 
 forth His exclusive mode of instructing the people limited 
 not only to that time. — Weiss. But privately to his own 2 
 disciples, to the closer circle of the twelve, all tJiings were 
 expounded, that they might tell it to others (ver. 21 sq.). 
 " The mystery of the Lord is among those that fear Him " 
 (Ps. 25 : 4). — Starke. 
 
 35-41. And on that day, when even was come, he saith unto them, Let 
 us go over unto the other side. And leaving the multitude, they take him 
 with them, even as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. 
 And there ariseth a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, 
 insomuch that the boat was now filling. And he himself was in the stern, 
 asleep on the cushion : and they awake him, and say unto him. Master, 
 carest thou not that we perish ? And he awoke, and rebuked the wind, 
 and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was 
 
 1 Tristram, Nat. Hist, of the Bible, p. 472; Thomson II., p. 100. 
 - The word " own " is supported by K, B, C, L, A. 
 
 6 
 
82 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iv. 35-37. 
 
 a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful ? have ye not 
 yet faith ? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, Who 
 then is this that even the wind and the sea obey him ? 
 
 Ver. 35. And . . . day, on which he had taught the 
 l):irables, wlieii even was come, the time so well remembered 
 ijy Peter, Jesus saith unto them, to the twelve : ^ Let . . . 
 side, to the retirement offered by the eastern shore in its 
 sohtude.2 Ver. 36. Leaving . . . boat. The disciples, 
 who arrange everything, depart with Jesus, without His 
 leaving the boat to dismiss the people^ (Keil, Weiss). 
 And . . . him. A small fleet of boats cither of such, 
 who to hear Jesus had entered boats and now accom- 
 panied Him some distance, returning as they saw the storm 
 coming (Weiss), or of people from Peraea (3 : 8), who 
 were on their homeward journey (suggestion of Keil). 
 Ver. 37. And . . . storm, with terrible gusts of wind 
 that drove everything before them, and with black clouds, 
 that poured down floods of rain.* Such sudden storms 
 are not infrequent in the sea of Galilee.^ But so violent 
 was this storm, that the waves . . . filling. The small 
 fishing vessel was soon filled with water from the waves 
 that broke over it, and the efforts of the disciples in bailing 
 out the water seemed in vain. Ver. 38. Meantime Jesus 
 
 1 Even though Matthew may have been called later (Luthardt, Synopt. 
 Tabelle, but not Robinson), yet the larger number of the twelve were with 
 Jesus. Grotius, Bleek, Meyer hold that more disciples are meant, while 
 Nebe and Weiss include the twelve only. 
 
 2 Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 379. 
 
 3 Lange, Trench, Meyer, Morison, interpret, without making further pre- 
 parations for the journey. 
 
 * This is the meaning of ^.alla^ (Trench. Syn, p. 277 ; Thayer, p. 368). 
 
 5 Thomson, II., p. 33, says that these storms are due to the cold winds 
 of the Lebanon, which having swept down the ranges of the Hermon, rush 
 through the ravine of the Peraean hills that converge to the head of the 
 lake, and act like immense funnels, and then strike the heated tropical air 
 of the sea of Galilee, situated about six hundred feet below the sea-level. 
 
IV- 3^' 39] CHAPTER IV. 83 
 
 himself . . . cushion.i In the extreme end of the 
 stern there was a small low bench, where the steersman 
 could sit if desired. Upon this bench the captain could 
 rest when on quarter-deck, which was the place gener- 
 ally reserved for passengers of distinction. Here Jesus 
 was asleep in the peaceful slumber of His unclouded con- 
 science, ^ notwithstanding the storm and commotion of 
 the disciples. Tired by the work of the day Christ paid 
 tribute to the necessity of human nature. " He who 
 never sleeps, sleeps ; He who governs heaven and earth, 
 sleeps." — Origen. But the disciples aiuake him, for their 
 faith deserts them as the danger increases ; and not as- 
 sured of the impossibility of the boat sinking that bore 
 such a Saviour, they say : "Master . . . perish?" This 
 exclamation full of unbelief as it is, still shows some faith, 
 because the disciples approach Jesus. " Belief and un- 
 belief are in wild commotion." — Nebe. Ver. 39. And 
 Jesus aivoke and " abandons His sleep for their sake, and 
 concerns Himself about their trouble, as though it were 
 His, and of free love helps them, wdthout their merit." 
 —Luther. He rebuked . . . still. In His dignity 
 and majesty Christ arose, rebuked the wind as He did 
 disease (Luke. 4 : 39), and muzzled the sea as He did 
 a demoniac (i : 25). Herein He proved Himself the Lord 
 of nature^ and mighty God by His direct command (Job 
 
 1 7rpoff/c£^d/.aov may also mean a cushion to sit upon. (Stellhorn.) There- 
 fore this cushion might have been " the steersman's wooden seat covered 
 with leather." (Farrar.) 
 
 -Christ's sleep was "the reverse of Jonah." (Trench). Jerome sees in 
 Jonah's sleep a type of Christ's rest, but Jonah's presence brings danger, 
 Christ's betokens deliverance. 
 
 ^ Athanasius (Letters XXIX.) says : "The Lord who rebuked it (the sea) 
 was not a creature but rather its Creator, since a creature is not obedient 
 to another creature. For although the Red Sea was divided before by 
 Moses, yet it was not Moses who did it, for it came to pass, not because he 
 
84 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [iv. 40, 41. 
 
 39 : II; Ps. 65 : 7 ; 89 : 9), and prefigures the final tri- 
 umph of His own over the powers of nature because of 
 His presence.^ " Christ is a mighty Lord, all that He wills 
 He does in heaven and upon earth, in the sea and in 
 the deep." — CRAMER, Starke. And. . . calm. "Tlic. 
 surge was straightway at an end, and not a trace o'" 
 disturbance remained." — Chrvsostom. The calm blue- 
 lake slumbered again in placid sweetness. " A great 
 storm followed by a great calm ; so it is ever with God's 
 consolations after trial." — Canstein, Lange. But now^ 
 Jesus said to His disciples, Ver. 40, Why . . . faith? 
 The storm of their hearts caused by unbelief is rebuked, 
 and their abandonment of faith, that brought on fear, is 
 censured. " Fearing is human, namely for fallen man in 
 sin and fear of death ; but the faith in God shall expel 
 this fear," — Stier. Ver. 41. And . . . exceedingly 
 not from a disturbed heart, but in the calmness of a 
 mighty awe before Christ's majesty. It is but natural 
 for man to fear, whenever divine glory and power 
 are revealed^ (Luke. 3 : 10 ; 24 : 5). And the twelve 
 said . . . him? They who previously called Christ only 
 " Master," now do not know what name to give Him, 
 that will correspond to His great miracle. Almost ap- 
 proaching to the confession of His divinity, they do not 
 
 spake, but because God commanded. And if the sun stood still in Gibeon, 
 and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, yet this was the work, not of the son 
 of Nun, but of the Lord, who heard his prayer." Cf. also Luther, Erl. Ed. 
 
 I, 1S7. 
 
 1 It is this presence of Christ, which justifies the figurative adaptation of 
 the miracle to the Church. See Tertull. On Bapt. 12; Luther, Erl. YA. 
 
 II, 77 sq. 
 
 2 Matthew mentions the fact that Christ spoke to the twelve before 
 rebuking the storm. 
 
 3 How trivial is the conjecture of Weiss, that the disciples feared, be- 
 cause Christ was displeased. 
 
IV. 41-1 CHAPTER IV. ^5 
 
 ask like the people (i : 27), "What is this? " but Who then, 
 what personality is He, that even the wind and sea obey 
 him. Not only demons are cast out by Him, but nature 
 itself bows in immediate submission. "This is a stupend- 
 ous miracle, one of those which test whether we indeed 
 believe in the credibility of the miraculous or not ; one 
 of those miracles of power which cannot, like many of 
 the miracles of healing, be explained away by existing 
 laws." — Farrar. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 1-20. And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of 
 the Gerasenes. And when he was come out of the boat, straightway there 
 met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwell- 
 ing in the tombs : and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a 
 chain ; because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and 
 the chains had been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces : 
 and no man had strength to tame him. And always, night and day, in the 
 tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with 
 stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him ; 
 and crying out with a loud voice, he saith, What have I to do with thee, 
 Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God.' I adjure thee by God, torment 
 me not. For he said unto him. Come forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the 
 man. And he asked him. What is thy name ? And he saith unto him, 
 My name is Legion ; for we are many. And he besought him much that 
 he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there 
 on the mountain side a great herd of swine feeding. And they besought 
 him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And he 
 gave them leave. And the unclean spirits came out, and entered into the 
 swine : and the herd rushed down the steep into the sea, in number about 
 two thousand ; and they were choked in the sea. And they that fed them 
 fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they came to see 
 what it was that had come to pass. And they come to Jesus, and behold 
 him that was possessed with devils sitting, clothed and in his right mind, 
 even him that had the legion : and they were afraid. And they that saw it 
 declared unto them how it befell him that was possessed vnth devils, and 
 concerning the swine. And they began to beseech him to depart from their 
 borders. And as he was entering into the boat, he that had been possessed 
 with devils besought him that he might be with him. And he suffered him 
 not, but saith unto him, Go to thy house unto thy friends, and tell them 
 how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how he had mercy on 
 thee. And he went his way, and began to publish in Decapolis how great 
 things Jesus had done for him : and all men did marvel. 
 
 Ver. I. They, Jesus and the twelve, came to the east 
 
 86 
 
V. 1-3.] CHAPTER V. 87 
 
 side . . . Gerasenes/ which is not the region about the 
 well-known Gerasa, on the eastern boundary of Peraea 
 (Jos. Wars, III. 3, 3; IV. 9, 18), near Arabia (Origen), 
 but the tract about Kersa, whose ruins have been discov- 
 ered directly on the eastern shore of the sea of Galilee.^ 
 Ver. 2. And ivhen Jesus was . » * tombs, which are still 
 to be seen in the immense mountain that rises directly 
 above Kersa, a man 3 . . . spirit (i : 24; EXCURSUS II., p. 
 31), Ver. 3, who . . . tombs, not merely because they 
 offered excellent shelter, nor because the unclean spirits 
 preferred tombs as unclean places (Matt. 23 : 27 ; Luke 
 1 1 : 44), nor for the reason that Satan has power of death 
 (Hebr. 2 : 14} ; but the demons " acting on the existing 
 consciousness, would lead the man, in accordance with 
 his preconceived notions,* to select such places." — EdeR- 
 SHEIM. No man . . . chain, for his strength in his 
 demoniac rage was so great (cf. Acts 19 : 16). Ver. 4. 
 
 1 This reading of K, B, D, is now generally preferred to " Gadarenes" of 
 A, C, which is probably the correct word in Mt. 8 : 28. " Ciergasenes " is 
 due to the correction of Origen, who changed " Gadarenes " with a proper 
 understanding of the locality but wrongly repudiated " Gerasa." It does 
 not seem probable that Gen. 10 : 16; Ueut. 7:1; Josh. 24 : 11, influenced 
 the selection of " Gergasenes." Cf. Weiss, p. 171; Holtzmann, p. 151; 
 Morison, p. 115; Robinson, p. 220. 
 
 ■^ This discovery of Thomson (II., p. 34 sq.) has been almost universally 
 accepted. It offers the clearest explanation of the gospel-record. Cf. 
 Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 465; Porter, Syria and Palestine, p. 431 ; Far- 
 rar, p. 236. 
 
 3 While Matthew (8 : 28) mentions two demoniacs, Mark and Luke speak 
 of but one, who was " of superior notability and repute, and whose case 
 was particularly lamented by that district, and for whose deliverance there 
 was special anxiety." (Augustine, De. Cons. II., xxiv., 56.) Cf. also 
 Robinson, p. 221. 
 
 ■* Jewish superstition held that demons sought lonely places and tombs 
 (Edersheim, Ap. XIII., II., p. 760). The latter were preferred, because 
 demons were held to be the spirits of departed wicked men. (Jos. Wars, 
 VII. 6, 3.) 
 
88 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 4-7. 
 
 He . . . fetters, i. e. shackles upon his feet to prevent 
 escape, and chains, not necessarily manacles (Holtz- 
 mann) ; the . . . fetters, which may have been stout cords 
 (Keil), were broken in pieces, lit. rubbed together, until 
 they gave way ; and . . . him, for he even endangered 
 the life of men (Matt. 8 : 28). Ver. 5. And . . . crying 
 out, with fierce unearthly shouts, and cutting Jiimsclf ivith 
 stones. So terrible was the influence of the demons, that 
 the afflicted man was constantly led to injure himself, a 
 symptom of ordinary mania.^ " As the devil raged 
 mightily at the time of Christ's first coming, so also will 
 he at the time of Christ's second coming, knowing that 
 his time is short" (Rev. 12:12). — CRAMER, Lange. 
 Ver. 6. When the demoniac saw Jesus from afar on the 
 heights he ran to the shore, and worshipped him ; for 
 the demons knowing Christ's power hoped against hope 
 to escape present judgment by cringing worship. "All 
 the kingdom of Satan is kept in check and under the 
 government of Christ." — Calvin. But noticing inwardly 
 Christ's determination they would not brook interference, 
 and compel the man to say, Ver. 6: What . , . (i : 24) 
 God ? This unwilling confession of Christ's divinity is all 
 the more glorious, because God is called the Most High 
 (Gen. 14 : 18 ; Num. 24 : 16 ; Deut. 32 : 8 ; 2 Sam. 22 : 14; 
 Ps. 57 : 2 ; 78: 17; Dan. 4: 17) as the one Lord of Heaven 
 and carth.'-^ " Who denies that Jesus is the Son of God 
 1; worse thin the devil." — Majus, StarkE. In his par- 
 
 1 Trench, p. 130; Morison, p. 117. 
 
 2 " Most High God " (feoi) tov vijilaTov) the Kl Elyon of the O. T. First 
 used in patriarchal times it is an evidence of monotheism rising out of a 
 former polytheisrrt. Revelation finding a point of contact in this move- 
 ment unveiled fully and clearly to Abraham the unity of the Almighty. 
 (Delitzsch, Lectures on O. T. Theology, L A. Par. i. Note i.) Oehler, 
 O. T. Theology (Engl. Transl. Am. Ed.), p. 89. 
 
V. 7-9-] CHAPTER V. ^9 
 
 oxysm one demon appeals from the Son to the Father, 
 and as if intending to compel Christ through God says, 
 I . . . not.i This spokesman of the demons would beg 
 off not merely the casting out, but the beginning of the 
 final judgment (Luke 8:31); for Satan and his ministers 
 are afraid of God's decision. This fear led to the peti- 
 tion and adjuration, which the knowledge of the demons 
 must have known to be unavailing. Ver. 8. For Christ 
 then said, addressing the speaking demon, Come . . . 
 spirit,^ but He did not at once enforce His command, be- 
 cause the demons in their violent egress might have 
 destroyed the man. In considerate wisdom Jesus there- 
 fore, Ver. 9, asked . . . name? so that by the recalling 
 of his name, the man might be reminded of liis self-con- 
 sciousness, that had been almost lost.^ And the disciples 
 also are to receive clear evidence of the greatness of 
 Satanic power. The man saith, fly . . . many. The 
 plurality of the demons at once deprive tlie man of the 
 " my," in which the individuality is beginning to awake. 
 They call themselves Legion with a Jewish appellation 
 for a great multitude, but they were not 6000, the num- 
 ber contained in a Roman legion. It was no hallucina- 
 tion of an insane man, when the demons said, ive are 
 many. In large numbers they had seated themselves in 
 the various capacities of the soul. " How many a man is 
 spiritually possessed of more than one devil ; as many 
 ruling sins as there are, so many evil spirits." — Lange. 
 The many find their unity of purpose in their leader, 
 
 1 upKL^u with double accusative (Acts 19 : 13 ; i Thess. 5 : 27) is derived 
 from the Sept. 
 
 ■^ The nominative of address here possesses its original harshness. 
 Winer, p. 182. 
 
 ^ Trench refers to the fact mentioned by Schubert, that in somnambulism 
 the calling of the name mostly awakens the sleep-walker. 
 
90 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARlC. [v. 10-13. 
 
 who besought Christ much, Ver. 10, that . , . country, 
 not because they ruled in heathendom (Hilgenfeld), nor 
 because there were mountains and tombs there (Keil), but 
 because they desired to find another dwelHng-place to 
 prevent their being sent into the abyss. Ver. 11. Now, 
 continues Mark with a descriptive diversion to aid vivid 
 representation, there . . . mountain=side, the fertile 
 slope near Wady Semak,i a . , . swine, unclean animals 
 (Lev. II : 7). Ver. 12. And they (demons) . , . them. 
 In Christ's presence the demons cannot even enter swine. 
 " The devil's legion would not have had power over the 
 herd of swine, unless they had got it from God." — Ter- 
 TULLIAN. Their desire, prompted by the nearness of the 
 swine, finds its explanation in the relation between Satan- 
 ism and bestiality. In the swine they hope to remain 
 temporarily ,2 but they are deceiving themselves. There- 
 fore Jesus, Ver. 13, gave them leave, to punish the Jew- 
 ish proprietors at the same time for their accommodation 
 to their Gentile surroundings. And the unclean spirits 
 coming upon the swine, the herd impelled by a furious 
 power in wild panic rushed ^ . . . the sea,* for " the lake 
 is so near the base of the mountain that the swine rush- 
 ing madly down could not stop, but would be hurried 
 into the water and drowned." — THOMSON. And thus the 
 
 1 Morison, p. 121. 
 
 2 It is impossible to suppose, that tlie demons knowing that the destruc- 
 tion of the swine would cause Christ's departure, desired it to hinder the 
 work of Christ. This knowledge would include the cognition of their 
 destruction, which they sought to avoid. 
 
 3 Jerome (Life of St. Hilarion, 23), supposes that the vast number of 
 swine corresponds to the " Legion," which he wrongly estimates at two 
 thousand. 
 
 * Gregory Nazianzen (Orat. on Bapt. XXXV.), comparing the sea to 
 the water of baptism, says of Satan : " He lights on baptized souls, whose 
 sins the font has washed away. He fears the water; he is choked with the 
 cleansing, as the Legion were in the sea." 
 
V. r4-i9.] CHAPTER V. 9I 
 
 demons meet the doom they wished to avoid, and the 
 demoniac sees the powers that held him destroyed. 
 " The devil is heard in his wish, but for his damnation." 
 — Augustine. Ver. 14. And they . . . them, the 
 swineherds, seeing what had happened, fled in every direc- 
 tion, and some told it in the city, Kersa, others in tJie coun= 
 try, in the nearest farms, probably to the owners of the 
 swine. The report spreads rapidly. Where God will 
 have His works announced. He quickly finds messengers. 
 And they, that had heard, came . . . pass. The message 
 is so marvellous, that they must see for themselves. " To 
 come and see the wonders of God is necessary and profit- 
 able " (Ps.46:8). — Starke. Ver. 15. And they /;^7/t'/^ 
 the demoniac sitting instead of raving about, clothed, al- 
 though before he would suffer no clothes (Luke 8 : 27), 
 and in his right mind, without a trace of possession. And 
 they zvcre afraid, " because the majesty of God shone 
 brightly in Christ." — Calvin, Ver. 16. And when the 
 swineherds tliat saiv it declared how all had happened, 
 the people, Ver. 17, began . , . borders. Christ's holy 
 power was not agreeable to these material men, " who 
 were more concerned that Christ had given the swine to 
 the devils, then that He had freed a man from the devil." 
 — Luther. "Their prayer was heard (Ps. 78 : 29-31); 
 for God sometimes hears His enemies in anger, even as 
 He refuses to hear His friends in love" (2 Cor. 12:8, 9). 
 — Trench. Ver. 18. And as Christ was enter iiig the 
 boat the healed demoniac besought . , . him, not be- 
 cause he feared that new demons would come in Christ's 
 absence (Theophylact, Maldonatus), but from the sincere 
 attachment of faith and gratitude. " The converted soul 
 longs to be with Christ." — LanCxE. Ver. 19. But Christ 
 suffered him not, that it might not appear that He had 
 sold His mercy, and desired this man as His servant 
 
^2 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 19, 20. 
 
 (Luther), but . . . thee. The man, who was fitted for 
 and needed such active evangeHstic work, is sent to his 
 own house (John 4:53) and friends, to declare the great- 
 ness of God's mercy as shown in His hcahng. " God 
 uses every one as His wisdom sees will best subserve the 
 interests of His kingdom." — Canstein, Lange. Ver. 20. 
 And the man not only told his own house, but began 
 . . . Decapolis (Matt. 4 : 25 ; Mark 7:31), the region of 
 the ten cities, all of which except Scythopolis were east 
 of the Jordan, and east and southeast of the lake of 
 Galilee. Pliny gives as the names of the other cities 
 Hippos, Gadara, Pella, Philadelphia, Gerasa, Dion, Cana- 
 tha, Damascus, Paphana. Josephus excludes Damascus, 
 while Ptolemy includes Capitolias. Reland has demon- 
 strated that Abila belonged to Decapolis. The last two 
 names in the list of Pliny are therefore to be changed 
 into Abila and Capitolias.^ Even the people who had 
 sent Christ away hear again Jiozv great things Jesus had 
 done. " God sends preachers for a season even to the un- 
 grateful." — OsiANDER. And . . . marvel. They could 
 not help being astonished, and though some remained 
 simply surprised, yet to others " wonder may have been 
 the first step to faith in Christ." — Starke, " In the 
 person of one man Christ has exhibited to us proof of 
 His grace, which is extended to all mankind. Though 
 we are not tortured by the devil, yet he holds us as his 
 slaves, till the Son of God delivers us from his tyranny. 
 Naked, torn and disfigured, we wander about, till He 
 restores us to soundness of mind. It remains that, in 
 magnifying His grace, we testify our gratitude." — Calvin. 
 
 21-24. ^^"tl when Jesus had crossed over again in the boat unto the 
 other side, a great multitude was gathered unto him : and lie was by the 
 
 1 J. L. Porter in Smith's Bible Diet. sub. Decapolis ; Nebe, III., p. 229. 
 
V. 21, 22.] CHAPTER V. 93 
 
 sea. And there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by 
 name ; and seeing him, he falleth at his feet, and beseecheth him much, 
 saying, My httle daughter is at the point of death : I pray thee, that thou 
 come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be made whole and live. 
 And he went with him; and a great multitude followed him, and they 
 thronged him. 
 
 Ver. 21. And . . . side, the western shore, and had 
 healed the paralytic, had called Levi and been at the feast 
 (2 : I sq.),i a great multitude {^:i : J \ 4 : i) was gathered 
 
 unto him {IrCaurtr^ upon whom their desire was directed : 
 and he 2 . . . Ver. 22, synagogue at Capernaum, who, also 
 called shepherds,^ elders,* generally elected a chief, who 
 received the specific name " Archisynagogus," here attri- 
 buted to all. It was their duty to preside over and preserve 
 order at services (Luke 13 : 14; Acts 13 : 15), to distribute 
 alms, keep the buildings in repair, and even to punish by 
 expulsion from the synagogue, by scourging and at times 
 by death (Matt. 10 : 17 : 23 : 34 ; Acts 22 : 19 ; John 9 : 
 22 ; 16 : 2).^ This ruler was Jairus, a well-known O. T. 
 name (Numb. 32 : 41 ; Josh. 13 : 30: Judg. 10 : 3 ; Est. 
 2 : 5), meaning " he will make bright " ^ (cf. also Jos. 
 
 1 It is clear from all the synoptic gospels, that the feast must be con- 
 nected with Levi's call. (Luthardt's Tabelle zur evang. Synopse as ag. 
 Riddle in Robinson's Harmony, who separates the feast from the call.) 
 
 - It is here, therefore, and not in the house, where the feast was held 
 (Meyer, Robinson), that Jairus approached Jesus (Keil, p. 63; Nebe, III., 
 
 P- 434- 
 
 8 PatasTm (-oi^fyff). 
 
 * Z'KenIm (irpEdjivrtpoi). Sometimes the name M'hunlm (Tvpoearure^) is 
 
 used. 
 
 6 Vitringa, De Syn. Vet. III. 17, p. 582 sq. ; Schurer, Gesch. des Volkes 
 Israel im Zeitaler Jesu Xti. II., p. 364; Winer's Reallexikon sub synagogue; 
 Edersheim, I., p. 438 ; Nebe, III., p. 435- 
 
 6 'Idfipof is doubtless the transliteration of Vair with Aleph, and not from 
 an imaginary YaTr with Ayin (he will awaken), upon which together with the 
 coincidence of the age of the daughter of Jairus with the years of suffering of 
 the woman having an issue of blood, Strauss, Volkmar, Keim, Holtzmann, 
 
94 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 23, 24. 
 
 Antiq. V. 7, 6 ; Wars, VI. i, 8). Ver. 23. Seeing Jesus, 
 he falleth at His feet. Although a man of high station 
 he bows down before the Saviour Hke men of low degree. 
 " The cross teaches iis to listen to the word and become 
 liumble." — Hedinger, Starke. He beseecheth Jesus 
 niHcJi with the constantly repeated prayer, My little 1 
 daughter (7 : 27), a word of great tenderness for his 
 only child (Luke 8 : 42), is . . . death,^ in her last mo- 
 ments: I pray thee,^ . . . live. In this request supersti- 
 tion is mixed with faith, as shown in the desire to have 
 Jesus present bodily, that He might lay on His hands, 
 which act was to Jairus not only symbolical of transfer- 
 ence of power,* but thought of in a magical manner.^ 
 The word, of which it was but the visible medium (8 : 23 
 sq. ; 10 : 16; Luke 13 : 12 sq.), was overlooked. But still 
 Jairus holds Jesus to be " the true Messiah sent by God 
 to help in such cases and perplexities, when no man can 
 help, to free from the anxiety of death and the power of 
 Satan, yea, to bring forth and give life out of death." — 
 Luther. Because of this faith, Ver. 24, Jesus went ivitJi 
 him, silently, to try and to strengthen his faith, for "God 
 
 build their supposition of the mythical character of these miracles (cf. 
 Weiss, Com., p. 89; Markusev, etc., p. 184). 
 1 dvydrpiov is one of Mark's favorite diminutives (5 : 41 ; 7 : 27 ; 8 : 7 ; 
 
 14 : 47). 
 
 - Eff^'^TCjg eje/, a Latinism for in extremis est. 
 
 ^ This insertion is demanded by "wa, which is not dependent upon 
 nap^Kokcv (Keil), but has an imperative force (Holtzmann), and is expressive 
 of a wish (Nosgen). Winer, p. 315. 
 
 ■♦ The laying on of hands means giving what is our own to another, 
 whether it be good or evil (Gen. 48 : 14; Lev. 4 : 15; 24 : 14); Nebe, III., 
 p. 231. 
 
 ^ To prevent this magical misinterpretation Christ used the laying on of 
 hands rarely (6:5; 8 : 23 ; 10 : 16; Luke 4 : 40; 13 : 13). It has risen 
 again in that idea of ordination, which overstraining (i Tim. 4 : 14) holds to 
 a real transference of official dignity. 
 
V. 25, 26.J CHAPTER V. 95 
 
 does not reject the weak in faith " (Isai. 42 : 3). — OsiAN- 
 DER, Starke. And . . . followed, and thronged (Tyn- 
 dale), pressed close about Jesus. 
 
 25-34. And a woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, and 
 had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she 
 had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, having heard the 
 things concerning Jesus, came in the crowd behind, and touched his gar- 
 ment. For she said, If I touch but his garments, I shall be made whole. 
 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up ; and she felt in 
 her body that she was healed of her plague. And straightway Jesus, per- 
 ceiving in himself that the power proceeding from him had gone forth, 
 turned him about in the crowd, and said, Who touched my garments ? 
 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, 
 and sayest thou, Who touched me ? And he looked round about to see 
 her that had done this thing. But the woman fearing and trembling, 
 knowing what had been done to her. came and fell down before him, and 
 told him all the truth. And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath 
 made thee whole ; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. 
 
 Ver. 25. A woman . . . blood, probably a chronic con- 
 dition of hemorrhage for the long period of twelve years. 
 " God has His own times and seasons ; He delays and yet 
 helps." — QUESNEL, Lange. Ver. 26. And . . . physi= 
 cians. The state of medicine was very rude then,^ but 
 even modern science and excellent physicians at times 
 aggravate instead of curing disease. " Medicines are not 
 to be despised, but God does not always see fit to prosper 
 them." — Cramer, Lange. And . . . worse. All her 
 means were given to restore bodily health, but every cure 
 increased the ailment.^ " Men are not ready to do for the 
 
 1 The Talmud mentions eleven remedies for this flux, of which about five 
 are astringents and tonics, and the rest merely superstitious practices 
 (Edersheim, I. 620). Mischna (Kidduschim, 4, 14) says : " The best of 
 physicians deserves hell, and the most respectable of them is a brother of 
 impious Amalek." See, also, the fierce gloss to this, Geikie, p. 193. 
 
 - This condition has been allegorically applied to heathendom, while the 
 daughter of Jairus is supposed to represent Judaism. (Luther, Erl. Ed. 14, 
 
 331) 
 
gS THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [v. 2-]-z(). 
 
 healing of the soul, what they do for the cure of the body ; 
 many a one would not give for salvation what he expends 
 upon his life and health." — QUESNEL, Starke. Ver. 27. 
 Having . . . Jesus, His wonderful cures and great power, 
 came . . . garment, rather " the border of his garment " 
 (Matt. 9 : 20), the Talith (cloak) with its fringes.^ The 
 secrecy of her approach was prompted by womanly deli- 
 cacy, that would not permit her to speak of her disease 
 before so many. Her position as a woman over against 
 a Rabbi would also deter her. In addition " she was 
 ashamed, accounting herself unclean," — Chrysostom, 
 (Lev. 15 : 25); and was humble withal. " She considers 
 herself unworthy, that she should speak with Him or look 
 upon Him ; for she knows, that she has deserved nothing, 
 and has never done anything for the Lord."^ — LUTHER. 
 But faith urges her on, Ver. 28. For . . . whole. Her 
 faith, like that of Jairus, contained an element of error. 
 She supposed that external touch, but not of the holy 
 fringes (Trench), was necessary to obtain the power of 
 Jesus, which was conceived of physically as dwelling in 
 the body of Christ, and not conditioned by His knowledge 
 and will. 2 The truth of her faith was the confidence, 
 " that in this man there must be divine, almighty force 
 and power." — LuTHER. Ver. 29. And ... up ; in its 
 very source, and she felt with joy that she was Jicalcd of 
 her plague (3 : 10). " Faith is stronger than all earthly 
 medicines," and "who touches Jesus rightly in faith will 
 be cured if not in body, certainly in the soul" (3 John 
 2). — Starke. Ver. 30. But Jesus . . . forth. Within 
 
 1 For an interesting detailed account of the probable dress of Jesus, see 
 Edersheim, I. 620 sq. 
 
 - Grotius has best expressed her error by saying, that like the philoso- 
 phers she held that God does all things by nature, not l)y will {Detim agere 
 omnia (fvcti o'v jSovAr/aet). 
 
V. 30-34-] CHAPTER V. 97 
 
 His soul, and therefore with absolute certainty, Jesus knew 
 what the woman had done, for it had not occurred with- 
 out His assent. " God does not need eyes to see, nor need 
 He feel corporeally, but has in Himself the knowledge of 
 all things." — Ambrose. No blessings received are hidden 
 from the Lord. He turned . . , garments ? ^ that the 
 miracle might become evident and the woman led to con- 
 fess not for His own glory, but to " exhibit her faith to all, 
 and to provoke the rest also to emulation." — Chrysos- 
 TOM. The disciples think Christ's question unreasonable, 
 not understanding how He could ask in the, Ver. 31, mul= 
 titude throjigiiig Wim, Who touched me? They are not 
 able to distinguish between the pressure of the crowd and 
 the believing touch of an individual, as Christ can. He 
 knows that " flesh presses, but faith touches." — AUGUS- 
 TINE. '' Thus also in the church many approach Christ, 
 receive the word of salvation with their outward ears, eat 
 and drink with their mouths the sacrament of His very 
 body and blood, yet receive no efificacy from it, and do 
 not feel that flow of their sins stopping and drying up. 
 Whence is this ? Because they lack true faith, which 
 alone from this fountain drinks grace upon grace." 
 — Chemnitz. After His reply (Luke 8 : 46) Christ, Ver. 
 32, looked . , . thing, that by her confession she might 
 be assured, " lest being pricked by her conscience, as hav- 
 ing stolen the gift, she should abide in agony." — Chry- 
 SOSTOM. Ver. 33. But the zuoinan caught by Christ's 
 searching glance, /r (7;'///^^ (7;/c/tremblingbefore the majesty 
 of His omniscience, came . . . truth. Thus Christ led ^/' 
 her to receive the full blessing of faith, by a confession 
 unto salvation. (Rom. 10 : 10). Ver. 34. He . . . Daugh= 
 ter, a word of condescending love (2 : 5\ thy , . . whole 
 
 1 Augustine attempts to explain the "seeming ignorance "' of Christ by 
 bold allegorizing. (Ag. Lying, 27.) 
 
 7 
 
g8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [v. 34. 
 
 (Luke 7 : 50; 17 : 19 ; 18 : 42). It was not her faith as 
 a moral quality, independent of Christ and of the reliance 
 upon His power/ that had saved her ; but trust as the 
 ' receptive organ for His power. But Christ ascribes every- 
 thing to her faith, the beginning of which marked the 
 completion of her cure. " This He does to show us, how 
 great a pleasure He has, if you hope everything good of 
 Him, and seek help of Him." — LUTHER. This faith 
 brings peace (Rom. 5 : i). ^o\n^Q2iQ,Q and be 7//crc/r whole, 
 The peace of God (Phil. 4 : 7) is to be the constant accom- 
 paniment of health bodily and spiritual.^ 
 
 35~43- While he yet spake, they come from the ruler of the synagogue's 
 house, saying, Thy daughter is dead : why troublest thou the Master any 
 further ? But Jesus, not heeding the word spoken, saith unto the ruler of 
 the synagogue, Fear not, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow 
 with him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And 
 they come to the house of the ruler of the synagogue ; and he beholdeth a 
 tumult, and many weeping and wailing greatly. And when he was entered 
 in, he saith unto them, Why make ye a tumult, and weep .^ the child is not 
 dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But he, having put 
 
 1 Grass (Das Verhalten zu Jesus nach den Herrnworten, 1895) is correct 
 in appreciating the inceptive element in the faith of those whom Jesus 
 healed as "trust in Jesus as the worker of miracles." This beginning of 
 faith, with its temporal and local color, is not, however, the core of faith. 
 It only prepared for trust in the divine-human personality of Jesus. 
 
 2 This woman, mentioned in the apocryphal gospel of Nicodemus (ch. 7), 
 was supposed by Pseudo-Ambrose to be Martha, the sister of Lazarus. 
 Eusebius (H. E. VII. 18) tells, that she had erected a statue to Christ at 
 Cjesarea Phihppi. It represented her " as kneeling before Him, with her 
 hands stretched out, as if praying." A " strange plant," that grew about 
 this monument, was said to heal all diseases. Sozomen and Philostorgius 
 report that Julian destroyed this image. This tradition probably arose 
 from the mistaken ascription to Jesus of a statue raised for an emperor. 
 The word " Saviour " or " God " may have been used to designate the apo- 
 theosized emperor in an inscription of which the rest had become illegible. 
 (Gieseler.) v. Ammon's supposition that the statue represented a person 
 praying to her genius does not seem probable. (McGifford's Euseb., p. 304 ; 
 J^ebe, III., p. 442.) 
 
V. 35-37] CHAPTER V. 
 
 99 
 
 them all forth, taketh the father of the child and her mother and them 
 that were with him, and goeth in where the child was. And taking the 
 child by the hand, he saith unto her, Talitha cumi ; which is, being inter- 
 preted. Damsel, I say unto thee, Arise. And straightway the damsel 
 rose up, and walked ; for she was twelve years old. And they were 
 amazed straightway with a great amazement. And he charged them much 
 that no man should know this : and he commanded that sovuthing should 
 be given her to eat. 
 
 Ver. 35. While Christ yet spake, and continued by His 
 delay to try the faith of agonized Jairus, that patience 
 might grow and the lesson of one miracle prepare for 
 the next, messengers come . . . dead. This sudden an- 
 nouncement is to inform Jairus of the impossibility of 
 any help. Why . . . further ?i His way would be in 
 vain, for thy daughter is beyond the reach of His power. 
 "Reason despairs when it sees death (John 11 : 21, 32, 
 39, 40." — Hedinger, Starke. Ver. 36. But Jesus, 
 whose " will it was that her death should be believed, 
 that her resurrection might not be suspected," — 
 Chrysostom, not . . . spoken, i. e. not overhearing 
 it (Ewald, Meyer, Klostermann), but hearing it inci- 
 dentally (Weiss, Kcil, Nosgen), saitJi to Jairus: Fear 
 . . . believe. Let not the hopeless message cause de- 
 spairing dread, only have faith. Fear and distrust will 
 shut out help. The greater the fear, the less will be the 
 possibility of faith. Jesus is anxious " that faith should 
 hold on ; He takes care, that where it is about to become 
 weak, it does not cease." — LuTHER. If faith remain it 
 shall receive abundant blessing, for never can it " be more 
 extensive than the boundless power of God." — Calvin. 
 Ver. 37. And Jesus suffered . . . John. The miracle 
 which Christ would do is to be hid from the people be- 
 
 1 GKvWziG (Luke 7 : 6), originally meaning " to flay," has the secondary 
 signification of " vexing, wearying," at times with reference to a journey. 
 And no doubt it has this meaning here. " Why dost thou weary the 
 master with this tedious way ? " (Trench.) 
 
lOO THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [v. 39-39. 
 
 cause of their unworthiness, and from the other disciples 
 in their unpreparedncss. The first prophetical evidence 
 of Christ's resurrection-power is to be made known only 
 to the chosen three, " the election within the election," — 
 Clement Alex., to prepare them to become more com- 
 petent witnesses of the greatest glory (9 : 2 sq.) and the 
 deepest humiliation (14 : 33) of their Lord while upon 
 earth. " Let us learn of Christ to entrust only to a few 
 elect the works of God that are to be done, that they 
 may not be hindered." — OUESNEL, Starke. Ver. 38. 
 And they come to the house, before which and within which 
 there was a tumult, and many zvecpitig and %u ailing 
 greatly. The noise was that of the professional female 
 mourners, together with the flute-players (Matt. 9 : 23), 
 of which in accordance with the rank of J aims there was 
 a large number. These mourners, also found among the 
 Greeks and Romans, were introduced in Israel at an early 
 period (Jer. 9 : 17). The mourning was to excite grief and 
 to express wild hopeless despair, and was sometimes 
 more than a business-like ostentation.^ The death-cries 
 are peculiar, indescribably plaintive, quavering, shrill, 
 wild, weird sounds.^ " To show sorrow over our dead is 
 Christian, to howl and cry is heathenish." — Starke. Ver. 
 39. When Christ entered in with Jairus and the three dis- 
 ciples (Luke 8 : 51)^ He reproved the mourners for mourn- 
 ing where there was no cause ; for the . . . sleepeth. 
 That death is a sleep was not only known to the O. T. 
 saints (2 Sam. 7:12; Job 3:13; Dan. 12:2), but even 
 
 1 Thomson, L, p. 144. 
 
 2 No two observers have described the death-cry alike. It is impossible 
 to give an adequate idea of it in words. Trumbull, p. 148 sq. 
 
 •^ Meyer is wrong in finding a contradiction between the account of Luke 
 and Mark in the separation of the disciples. Luke's words: "he suffered 
 not any man to enter," refer to the crowd at the house, while Mark speaks 
 of the multitude at the lake and the disciples. 
 
V. 39. 4o] CHAPTER V. loi 
 
 the Greeks and Romans had a presentiment of the rela- 
 tion of sleep and death. ^ No one, however, before Christ 
 applied this thought personally and demonstrated it by 
 direct authority practically. Therefore to speak of those 
 that die in Him as " they that have fallen asleep " (i. Cor. 
 7 : 39; II : 30; 15 : 6; i. Thess. 4 : 14) is no poetry but 
 absolute truth. Death is sleep because it is followed by 
 awakening.2 " This wisdom no philosopher could attain, 
 though they have infinitely many opinions." — LUTHER. 
 " Death is a sleep, a journey to peace, a gain, a laying 
 aside of the earthly tabernacle." — CRAMER, Starke. 
 Ver. 40. And the people supposing bodily death to be 
 real death laughed . . . scorn. Their derision, proving 
 the superficiality of their mourning, arose from unbelief 
 (Gen. 18 ; 12), for the world does not believe in resurrec- 
 tion as it sees only death everywhere. " God's wisdom 
 is so exalted, that reason holds it to be pure folly, and 
 all the world the dear Lord Jesus a fool." — LUTHER. 
 But this mocking laughter was " an additional confirma- 
 tion of the miracle, that those persons entertained no 
 doubt whatever as to the maiden's death." — Calvix. 
 Christ, having . . , forth, because their boisterous pres- 
 ence was not to disturb the awful mystery, for " God's 
 wonderous works require devout and attentive witnesses," 
 — Hedinger, Starke ; he . . . mother with the three 
 disciples in ivJicre the child was, into an inner chamber. 
 "The house was now solitary and still. Two souls believ- 
 
 ^ They are called " brothers "and " twin-brothers "by Homer (Iliad, XIV. 
 231 ; XVI. 672), and Hesiod (Theog. I. 758). Virgil (Aen. IV. 244) says 
 that the same rod of Mercury which sends sleep closes the eyes in death. 
 Similar figures are found in Plutarch, Seneca, Galenus. Cf. Schubert, Ge- 
 schichte der Seele (4th ed.) II. p. 353. 
 
 2 " Sleeping is only the relative, death the absolute, antithesis to waking; 
 dying is a falling asleep, but of such nature that it transcends the bounds 
 of nature." — Delitzsch. 
 
I02 THE GOSPEL OF ST. AfARK. [v- 41-43- 
 
 ing and hoping stand like funeral tapers beside the couch 
 of the dead maiden — the father and mother. The church 
 is represented in the three chiefs of its apostles." — 
 Trench. Ver. 41. And . . . hand, and as prince of life 
 touching death's prey, he simply saith Talitha cumi,i 
 words that Mark relates as Peter told them in the 
 Aramaic, that Christ spoke ; which . . . Arise. With 
 short command and without the struggle of an Elijah and 
 Elisha (i Kings 17 : 17 sq. ; 2 Kings 4 : 18 sq.) Jesus 
 speaks to the dead as to the living (Luke. 7 : 14; John 
 II : 43), bidding them to arise (2:11; 3 : 3). " To God 
 everything must live, to us everything is dead." — Luther. 
 Ver. 42. And . . . rose up as in the morning, and walked, 
 which proves the reality of her resurrection. She could 
 walk, being no child (Traj^r'w, v. 41) ; for . , . old. Among 
 the Jews a woman came of age at twelve years and one 
 day.^ And they, the parents, were amazed with a great 
 amazement (2 : 12), for this was Christ's first raising of a 
 dead person. Ver. 43. And . . . this, that He might not 
 be sought as raiser of the dead, and that the maiden 
 might not to her own harm become an object of curiosity 
 and admiration (i : 44 ; 7 : 36 ; 8 : 26). Finally Christ 
 commanded . . . eat, not only " lest the resurrection 
 should still be thought a deception," — JEROME (Luke 
 24 : 41), but also to strengthen the maiden. In His true 
 humanity Jesus well knew the necessity of the body, and 
 could understand how refreshing food would be to the 
 keen appetite of the maiden. " Even the child's mother 
 was not so motherly as Jesus." — MORISON. The new 
 life given by Jesus requires nourishment. 
 
 1 KumI is Kum in N, B, C, L, M, 2, 33. This is not due to the acciden- 
 tal dropping of I, for KumT occurs in later Aramaic. It is used in the Tal- 
 mud (Shabb. 1 10 b.). where a woman saffering from bloody flux is addressed. 
 (Edersheim, I., p. 631.) 2 Edersheim, I., p. 618. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 1-6. And he went out from thence ; and he cometh into his own coun- 
 try; and his disciples follow him. And when the sabbath was come, he 
 began to teach in the s3Tiagogue : and many hearing him were astonished, 
 saying, Whence hath this man these things ? and, What is the wisdom that 
 is given unto this man, and w/iat mean such mighty works wrought by his 
 hands ? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, 
 and Joses, and Judas, and Simon ? and are not his sisters here with us ? 
 And they were offended in him. And Jesus said unto them, A prophet is 
 not without honor, save in his own country, and among his own kin, and in 
 his own house. And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid 
 his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled be- 
 cause of their unbelief. 
 
 And he went round about the villages teaching. 
 
 Ver. I. Jesus went . . , thence, i. e. from Capernaum 
 (Lange, Cook), but not necessarily the house of Jairus 
 (Fritzsche, Meyer, Weiss), and cometh . . . country, or 
 rather city,^ by which Mark, differing from Matthew (9 : i), 
 designates Nazareth, as the city of His youth. This was 
 His second visit, ^ and his disciples folloived him (5 : 37). 
 Ver. 2. And after having Hngered a few days possibly with 
 oneof his sisters (ver. 3), when . . . many . . . things? 3 
 Contemptuously they ask whence Jesus, who had not been 
 
 1 Tvarpig means native city in later Greek(Jos. Ant. 10, 7, 3). 
 
 2 Schleiermacher, Ohlshausen, Weiss, Volkmar, Iloltzmann, Luthard 
 accept but one visit of Christ in Nazareth, identifying Luke 4 : 16 with 
 Matt. 13:54; Mark 6:1. But cf. Stier, 3, p. 51 ; Robinson, p. 213; 
 Cook, p. 235. 
 
 ' The article " the " (B, L) with "many "marks " the multitude as distin- 
 guished from few." (Keil.) 
 
 103 
 
I04 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 2, 3. 
 
 in any rabbinical school,^ had learnt such marvellous truth 
 (i : 22). What . . . man? While the Nazarencs cannot 
 gainsay Christ's superior knowledge, they question about it 
 enviously, implying, from contempt of His person, that its 
 character must suffer from its source. " It is common 
 enough for those who would defeat the force of a sermon 
 to criticise the preachers " (Acts 17 : 18). — Starke. 
 SucJl mighty 'wor\<.s, powers,^ wrought by his hands? It 
 cannot be by His power ! " Surely He has to do with the 
 devil." — Luther. Ver. 3. Is . . . carpenter? 3 Jesus 
 had, assisting His father,* learnt the trade of the carpenter; 
 for every Jew, even though a rabbi, had to do manual 
 labor.^ Thus Paul was a tent-maker (Acts 18 : 3), worked 
 (i Thess. 2:9; 2 Thess. 3 : 8) and enjoined honest work 
 (Eph. 4:28; I Thess. 4: 11). But the trade of the 
 carpenter seems to have belonged to those, which were 
 in ill-repute for dishonesty.^ When therefore the Naza- 
 
 ^ Holtzmann conjectures that Jesus had possibly not even passed through 
 the ordinary schools. (Cf. Schiirer, II. 353.) 
 
 2 Trench well defines this designation of the miracles as " outcomings of 
 that mighty power of God, which was inherent in Christ Himself that great 
 power of God." (N. T. Syn., p. 344.) It is also used, Mark $ : 30 ; 6 : 14 ; 
 9: 39; Matt. 7 : 22; Euke 10 : 13. The other words for miracles are 
 "signs," indicative of their divine instructive purpose (Mark 16: 17, 20); 
 "wonders " (13 : 22), a word never standing alone and describing the miracle 
 from its effect; and the Johannine favorite " works " (John 6 : 28 ; 7:21; 
 10 : 25, etc.) 
 
 ^ This original word was soon conformed to Matt. 13 : 55. (Origen ag. Cel- 
 sus VI., 36.) 
 
 * Not in the miraculous manner related in the apocryphal Gosjjel of the 
 Infancy, Chap. XXV. 
 
 ^ For the high estimate of labor see in the Talmud, Aboth, i ; 10 ; Neda- 
 rim, 49b. ; Kidduschim, 82b. In the sixty-three Talmudic tractates there 
 is no commendation of trading and speculation, but many a passage against 
 them, while manual labor is universally praised. See Delitzsch, Jiidisches 
 Handwerkerleben zur Zeit Jesu, p. 23 sq. 
 
 ^ That carpenters were distrusted is evident from the rule laid down at 
 the end of " Baba Kamma," " What the carpenter removes with the plane 
 
VI. 3.] CHAPTER VL 105 
 
 renes called Jesus carpenter, it was not merely contempt 
 for his unschooled past but also a sneer at his mean oc- 
 cupation. This was, as it still is, very primitive in tools 
 and work.i gy working Christ sanctified labor ; He " was 
 making ploughs and yokes, by which he taught the 
 symbols of righteousness and an active life."— JUSTiN 
 Martyr. Is He not the son of nary2 . . . James (Acts 
 12 : 17; 21 : 18; I Cor. 15 : 7; Gal. i : 19; 2 19, 12), 
 who was one of the bishops ^ at Jerusalem soon after 40 
 A. D. (Acts 15), and surnamed ''the Just" for his great 
 piety (Hegesippus, Memoirs, V. ; Eus. 11. 23, 4 sq.).* He 
 probably wrote the epistle of James.^ The other brothers, 
 (3 : 32), Joses, Judas and Simon, are unknown, like the 
 sisters, who were probably married, and lived in Nazareth 
 {here ivith ns), while Mary and the brothers dwelt in 
 Capernaum. And . , . him. His humble youth, home 
 and work was a stumbling-block, and they rejected His 
 heavenly power. " The beggarly village pride of the Naz- 
 is his, what with the axe belongs to the owner ; if he work in the owner's 
 house even the shavings are the owner's." (Delitzsch, as above, p. 42.) 
 This estimate, no doubt actuated the contemptible "carpenter-king" 
 (Tertull. Answer to the Jews, X.), and called forth the sneer of Celsus. 
 (Orig. ag. Celsus, VL, 36.) 
 
 1 Cf. Geikie, p. 9, 155, 209, 437. 
 
 2 This designation of Christ was probably due to the fact that Mary was 
 a widow, for the Nazarenes would not have called Christ by a name, which 
 marked His supernatural birth, even if they had known it. 
 
 3 In the second century James is spoken of as the only bishop, because 
 the developed episcopacy of that time is wrongly attributed to the primi- 
 tive church. (Clement Alex. Hypot. VI. Eus. II. i, 3; McGifford, p. 104.) 
 
 " Hegesippus ascribes an ascetic and essenic character to James, who 
 was rather an earnest Jewish-Christian with a legalistic tendency. He suf- 
 fered martyrdom about 61 A. D. by being first stoned and then beaten on 
 the head by the club of a fuller. (Jos. Ant. XX. 9, i ; Clement, Hypot. 
 VII.; Orig. I. 47 ; Eus. II. i, 4; H- 23.) 
 
 s Nosgen (II. 47 sq.) argues that James, the son of Alphaeus is the 
 author of the epistle ; but compare Weiss, Einleitung, p. 388 sq. 
 
lo6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 4-6. 
 
 arenes cannot at all comprehend the humility of the Great 
 One." — Stier, Christ's humiliation is an oiTence to the 
 natural man. Ver. 4. Jesus said, citing a common prov- 
 erb applicable to Himself, A prophet, one who having 
 been granted a view of God's mysteries is their authorized 
 proclaimer,^ is . . . country, i. e. native city (ver. i), and 
 . . . kin (3 : 21), and . . . house (3 : 32). Christ, tJic 
 prophet (Deut. 18: 15), suffers the common lot of all 
 prophets, even from those that are near, nearer, and 
 nearest. " It is not proper to despise those, whom we 
 have known from their youth, for God can have given 
 gifts that we have not seen previously." — OsiANDER, 
 Starke. Ver. 5. And Christ could . . . work, except 
 healing a few sick folk, not because of any inability of His 
 own, but from the utter perverseness of the Nazarenes, 
 who would have abused His grace. According to the 
 small measure of the faith of the /czu He helped, but " the 
 door was shut on the Saviour by the people's impiety." 
 — Calvin. Ver. 6. And he . . . unbelief. As Christ 
 marvels at the greatness of the faith of the Gentile cen- 
 turion (Matt. 8 : 10), He likewise marvels at the unreason- 
 ableness of the unbelief of the Nazarenes, who in this 
 particular are a type of all Jews. Faith and unbelief stir 
 up the amazement of Jesus. 
 
 7-13. And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth 
 by two and two ; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits; and 
 he charged them that they should take nothing for t/ieir journey, save a 
 staff only ; no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse ; but io go shod 
 with sandals ; and, said he, put not on two coats. And he said unto them, 
 Wheresoever ye enter into a house, there abide till ye depart thence. And 
 whatsoever place shall not receive you, and they hear you not, as ye go 
 forth thence, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony unto 
 them. And they went out, and preached that »ien should repent. And 
 
 1 Cremer, p. 292. nfjucpi/r?/^- is the equivalent of Navi, on which see Ohler, 
 O. T. Theology, p. 363. 
 
VI. 7-9-] CHAPTER VI. toy 
 
 they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and 
 healed them. 
 
 Ver. 7. Jesus ^^^^«/^i-^v/<^/<?r//-; the twelve by two and 
 two, not singly that they might sustain each other, and not 
 in threes because the laborers were few (Matt. 9 : 37). In 
 missionary work isolation is to be avoided for the sake of 
 the messengers, and overcrowding because of the greatness 
 of the field. Deputed with authority (3:15) Christ, Ver. 8, 
 charged . . . journey. Without any preparation of pro. 
 visions or clothing they were to depart, relying on what 
 they would receive. " Ministers of the Word are worthy 
 of their hire and bread."— Hedinger, Starke. They 
 might take a staff, which they had, but they were not to 
 provide one; ^ but no bread, no wallet, the leathern bag 
 of shepherds (i Sam. 17 : 40) or peasants used to carry 
 provisions ; ^ no money, i. e. copper money, not even 
 the smallest coins ^ in their purse, the pocket of their 
 girdle (Aphundah). Ver. 9. They were to go . . , 
 sandals, having the ordinary coarse sandals of skin or 
 palm-bark,* but no additional pair; and said He, put . . . 
 coats, " inner garments" (Chaluq), which " lay close to 
 the body and had no other opening than that round 
 the neck and for the arms. To possess only one such 
 coat was a mark of poverty."— Edersheim. But " the 
 servants of the gospel obtain, while they supremely re. 
 gard the end, all the other equipments and resources." — 
 Lange. Ver. 10. Wheresoever, . .thence. The house, 
 
 1 This is the readiest solution of the apparent contradiction with Matt. 
 10 : 10. That "staff" has various meanings (Augustine, De Cons. XXX. 
 71 sq. ; Calvin), and that the staff prohibited was one for defence, not for 
 travel (Bleek, Cook), is not indicated. Cf. Robinson, p. 221. 
 
 ■2 Thomson, I., p. 532. 
 
 3 " Even to-day the farmer sets out on excursions quite as extensive with- 
 out a para in his purse." (Thomson, I., p. 533.) 
 
 * Morison, p. 146; Farrar, p. 211. 
 
io8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 10-13. 
 
 whose hospitality ^ was first extended to them, should 
 remain their home, however humble it was. An easily 
 satisfied and contented disposition should mark Christ's 
 messengers. Ver. 1 1 . Whatsoever place (region) . . . 
 you, and the people hear . . . them. The testimony 
 given by the symbolical act of shaking off the dust from 
 the sandals was the breaking off of communion with those 
 doomed to judgment (Luke. 10 : 11 ; Acts 18 : 6) by per- 
 mitting nothing 2 banned to cleave even to the feet. 
 " No crime is more offensive to God, than contempt of 
 His word." — CyVLVIN. Ver. 12. And the disciples went 
 out and prcacJu'd repentance (i : 15). Ver. 13. Casting 
 out devils they anointed . . . them (James 5 : 14). The 
 oil, frequently used as medicine (Isai. 1:6; Luke 10 : 
 34) by the ancients,^ was the natural medium of the 
 divine curative power through the word, like the spittle 
 employed by Jesus (7:33; 8 : 23 ; John 9:6); but it 
 was no necessary channel of the divine healing power 
 (Acts 3:7; 9 : 34), nor did it impart spiritual grace.* 
 
 14-29. And king Ilerod hearcl///t';-tf(?/,- for his name had become known: 
 and he said, John the liaptist is risen from the dead, and therefore do these 
 powers work in him. But others said, It is Elijah. And others said, // is 
 a propliet, eiioi as one of the prophets. But Herod, when he heard thereof, 
 said, John whom I beheaded, he is risen. P'or Herod himself had sent forth 
 and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, 
 his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her. For John said unto 
 Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife. And Herodias 
 set herself against him, and desired to kill him ; and she could not ; for 
 Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous man and a holy, and 
 
 1 Cf. Trumbull, in the Chapter on Hospitality in the East, p. 73 sq. 
 
 2 '< Anything that clave to a person was metaphorically called dust." 
 (Edersheim.) 
 
 3 Celsus (De Med. 2, 14, 17 ; 3, 6, 9, etc.); Jos. (Ant. XVIL, 6, 5); 
 Horace II., Satires, i, 7. 
 
 "• Tertullian (Ad. Scap. IV.) attributes to it only a bodily effect, but cf. 
 Cyprian, Ep. LXIX. 2. 
 
VI. 14, IS] CHAPTER VI. 109 
 
 kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was much perplexed ; and he 
 heard him gladly- And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on 
 his birthday made a supper to his lords, and the high captains, and the chief 
 men of Galilee ; and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and 
 danced, she pleased Herod and them that sat at meat with him ; and the 
 king said unto the damsel. Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give 
 it thee. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will 
 give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom. And she went out, and said 
 unto her mother. What shall I ask ? And she said, The head of John the 
 Baptist. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king, and asked 
 saying, I will that thou forthwith give me in a charger the head of John the 
 Baptist. And the king was exceeding sorry ; but for the sake of his oaths, 
 and of them that sat at meat, he would not reject her. And straightway 
 the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head : 
 and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a 
 charger, and gave it the damsel ; and the damsel gave it to her mother. 
 And when his disciples heard thereof ,\\\q^ Cdsn^ and took up his corpse, and 
 laid it in a tomb. 
 
 Ver. 14. ^«^ king Herod heard of Christ. This was 
 Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great and Malthace 
 the Syrian, the tetrarch ruHng GaHlee and Peraea until 
 after Christ's ascension. Moved by his wife he went to 
 Rome to seek the exclusive kingship, but was deposed by 
 Caligula and banished to Lyons, where he died A. D. 39. 
 He was ambitious, fond of pleasure and debauchery, cun- 
 ning, superstitious and changeable. Hei said, . . . dead, 
 which he maintained against other opinions (ver. 15, 16), fet- 
 tered by a ghostly dread and evil forebodings in his con- 
 science, that could not shake off the apparent evidence. 
 Therefore do these powers tvork in him. Herod supposes 
 that, owing to his wonderful return, John, who previously 
 performed no miracles, has brought miraculous power 
 from the unseen world. The carnal despot, Avho had not 
 heeded the warning of the Word, becomes the slave of 
 superstitious spiritualism. Ver. 15. But . . . Elijah. Many 
 of the people did not receive Christ as Messiah because of 
 1 According to N, A, C, L, A. 
 
no THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 15-20. 
 
 His lack of outward glory, but held Him to be the special 
 forerunner, Elijah, whom by a misinterpretation of Mai. 
 4 : 5 they expected to return personally. And others, not 
 valuing Christ as highly, said . . . prophets, an ordinary 
 prophet like those of old. " The judgments of this world 
 are always out of square, when they deal with spiritual 
 things."— Hedinger, Lange. Ver. 17. Herod . . . 
 prison, Machaerus nine miles east of the northern end of 
 the Dead Sea, for the . . . her. Herod Antipas while at 
 Rome (Jos. Antiq. XVHL, 5, i) the guest of his brother 
 Philip, son of Herod the Great and Marianne, but not the 
 ruler of Trachonitis, stole the heart of Herodias, his niece, 
 daughter of Aristobulus, and abandoned his own faithful 
 wife, the daughter of Aretas, king of Arabia, who for this 
 cause made war upon Antipas and defeated him. Ver. 
 18. John . . . lawful (Lev. 18 : 16) ... wife. John was 
 as fearless before the tetrarch as before common soldiers 
 (Luke 3 : 14), and truly faithful to his king.^ " Whoever 
 is in the ministry must not value his life, but do justice 
 to his office, and without dread correct all that is offensive." 
 Luther. Ver. 19. ^;/<^ because of John's truthful- 
 ness Herodias, who had inherited her grandfather's un- 
 scrupulous cruelty, set . . . him. Her revengeful spirit 
 sought the death of him, who dared to disturb her sinful 
 indulgence. " They that are something special in office, 
 money or property, suppose that because they do what 
 pleases them, other people, especially preachers, should 
 say what pleases them." — LUTHER. But Herodias could 
 not obtain her wish ; Ver. 20, for Herod feared John, 
 partly because the people held him to be a prophet 
 (Matt. 14 : 5),^ but especially knowing that he was a 
 
 1 Eesser mentions the similar case of Frederick of Devon, nephew of 
 Boniface, who censured the Emperor Louis for having his half-sister as wife. 
 
 2 With this partial motive, related by Matthew, the account of Josephus 
 
VI. 20-22.] CHAPTER VI. m 
 
 righteous man (Matt, i : 19), therefore acceptable to God, 
 and a holy, a prophet of God (i : 24). The wicked ruler 
 fears his subject, who has such unimpeachable righteous- 
 ness in his holy office. " Piety is still revered by the 
 wildest children of the world." — Hedinger, Starke. 
 And wJien he heard him having called him from prison at 
 times to have him preach, he was nmch perplexed ; 1 his 
 worse and better self were in conflict, the one urging to 
 revenge, the other under the impression of John's preach- 
 ing reasserting itself. But still Herod heard him gladly, 
 charmed by John's character and earnest eloquence, but 
 he never decided for the truth (Acts 26 : 28). Ver. 21. 
 And when . . . come for Herodias, the N. T. Jezebel, to 
 vent her long-harbored hate, she grasped at it (ver. 24). 
 Herod o}i his birthday, the celebration of which the Jews 
 generally disapproved of,^ made a supper to his lords, the 
 highest civil officials, and the high captains, the high mili- 
 tary commanders of a thousand men, a)id the chief men of 
 Galilee, the most distinguished men of the district, but 
 not in Herod's service ; Ver. 22, the^ daughter <?/ Herodias, 
 Salome, who was born before Herodias left her first 
 husband, and afterward married Philip, the tetrarch, came 
 in and danced one of the voluptuous eastern dances, 
 like an ordinary dancing-girl,* for " the unchaste Hero- 
 dias had moulded her daughter to her own manner." — 
 Calvin. This pleased . . . him, because it was skil- 
 ful and gratified their depraved sensual taste already 
 
 (Ant. XVIII. 5, 2) agrees, which describes the resultant of the common 
 opinion upon Herod as jealousy of John in his popularity and fear of an in- 
 surrection. 
 
 1 This is the better reading, supported by X, B, L. 
 
 2 Lightfoot, Exercit. on Matt. 14:6. 
 
 3 Weiss holds " his " of H, B, D, L, to be a mechanical repetition from the 
 previous verse. 
 
 * Thomson, II., p. 345 sq. 
 
112 THE GOSPI-L OF ST. MARK. [vi. 22-26. 
 
 inflamed by drink. " The festivities of the world are the 
 best appointed tables of sin." — OUESNEL, Lange. And 
 . . . damsel . . . thee.^ Herod in his drunken gener- 
 osity makes a most extravagant promise as a reward 
 for the gratification so unexpectedly provided, Ver. 
 23. And lie sware that he would give her what she 
 desired unto the half of his kingdom. Attempting to 
 equal the royal munificence of Ahasuerus (Est. 5 : 3, 6), 
 Herod in his revelrous braggadocio binds himself 
 carelessly with an oath, that causes great evil. For 
 the maiden, upon her mother's instruction (ver. 24), 
 Ver. 25, came . . . haste, as if about to receive a 
 joyous gift and said with unhesitating boldness : I 
 will tJiat tJioH fortJnoith give vie in a charger,^ a large 
 platter, the head of John the Baptist. Her words and her 
 eager demand are the echo of the short decisive answer 
 of her mother (ver. 24), who will have no delay, that the 
 king might not retract in his regard for John (ver. 20), 
 whose head was to be actually presented that there should 
 be no error, and that Herodias could gratify her long- 
 pent-up vindictiveness. Ver. 26. And the king was ex- 
 ceedingly sorry for John's sake, but for . . . her The 
 rash oath is wrongly kept in a mistaken constraint of 
 royal honor, which Herod would not compromise because 
 of those that were present ; and thus murder is added to 
 careless swearing, for sin leads to sin. " The oath is sin- 
 ful and therefore null, when it cannot be carried out 
 except with sin and injustice." — QuESNEL, Starke. Ver. 
 
 1 Holtzmann, who arbitrarily fixes the birth of Salome from the recorded 
 birth of her father and mother, claims that she must have been at least 
 twenty years old and probably a widow ; but see for the contrary Jos. (Ant. 
 XVIII. 5, 4), where Salome's wedding is mentioned subsequent to the 
 marriage of Herodias, which is said to have taken place shortly after Sa- 
 lome's birth. 
 
 2 "Charger" is derived from the French " charger " and Old English 
 "charge," to load. It is that on which anything is laid. 
 
VI. 27-29] CHAPTER VI. 113 
 
 27. The king . . . guard 1 . . . his head to Salome, who 
 presented it to her mother. " The Lord, in whose sight the 
 death of His saints is precious, did not prevent this shame- 
 ful death, that the fidehty of his witness might shine the 
 brighter, who would rather lay his head upon the king's 
 platter than sit at the king's table with a silenced mouth." 
 — Besser. Ver. 29. When John's disciples . . . tomb. 
 Fearlessly they confess their teacher by this loving 
 service, and give him an honorable burial.^ Even after 
 death God will have the man honored, that honors him. 
 
 30-44. And the apostles gather themselves together unto Jesus ; and they 
 told him all things, whatsoever they had done, and whatsoever they had 
 taught. And he saith unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert 
 place, and rest awhile. For there were many coming and going, and they 
 had no leisure so much as to eat. And they went away in the boat to a 
 desert place apart. And the people saw them going, and rfiany knew them, 
 and they ran there together on foot from all the cities and outwent them. 
 And he came forth and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on 
 them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd : and he began to 
 teach them many things. And when the day was now far spent, his disciples 
 came unto him, and said. The place is desert, and the day is now far .spent : 
 send them away, that they may go into the country and villages round about, 
 and buy themselves somewhat to eat. But he answered and said unto them. 
 Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him. Shall we go and buy two 
 hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat ? And he saith unto 
 them. How many loaves have ye >. go and see. And when they knew, they 
 say. Five, and two fishes. And he commanded them that all should sit 
 down by companies upon the green grass. And they sat down in ranks, by 
 hundreds, and by fifties. And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, 
 and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake the loaves; and he gave 
 to the disciples to set before them ; and the two fishes divided he among 
 them all. And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up broken 
 pieces, twelve basketfuls, and also of the fishes. And they that ate the 
 loaves were five thousand men. 
 
 1 (jT7eKov?.dTup from the Latin, speculator, spy, watchman, and finally body- 
 guard, sometimes as executioner, in which latter sense it is used in the Tal- 
 mud. (Shabb. loSa.) 
 
 2 According to an old tradition John was buried in Samaria beside Elijah 
 and Obadiah, but this cannot be verified. 
 
114 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 30-34. 
 
 Ver. 30. And the apostles (3 : 14), called thus by Mark 
 only here, gathered unto Jesus on the western shore of the 
 sea of Galilee, reporting about their mission (ver. 7 sq.), 
 which was not without success, as the honorable title 
 " apostle " proves. " We should thus wait on our minis- 
 try that we may joyously give account to Christ, the 
 chief shepherd. — OsiANDER, Starke. Ver. 31. He 
 saith, Come apart, lit. privately (9 : 28 ; 13:3; Matt. 
 24 : 3 ; Luke 9 : 10), into a desert place, the uninhabited 
 table-land on the eastern shore, and rest a while (i : 35). 
 Faithful labor deserves rest, but in Christ's vineyard it 
 dare only be for a short time. Such rest the disciples 
 could not find where they were, /(?r //^^r^e^'^r^ many com= 
 ing and going. The people on their passover journey to 
 Jerusalem (John 6 : 4) came and went from Jesus in great 
 crowds. Ver. 32. Jesus and the twelve went . . . 
 desert near the eastern Bethsaida (Luke 9 : 10).^ Ver. 33. 
 And , . , knew (them 2)^ i. e. understood that they were 
 withdrawing; tJiey (the multitude) ran together on foot 
 front all the cities, wherever those that had seen Jesus 
 depart spread the news on their journey by land around 
 the lake, and all outwent Jesus. In their eager haste 
 they easily travelled the twenty miles in less than the five 
 hours it would take the boat (Cook). " Who is earnest 
 about going to Christ will let no way and expense rue 
 him." — Hedinger, Starke. Ver. 34, When Jesus 
 came forth from the boat, and saw the multitude he had 
 . . . shepherd. They were spiritually astray and fam- 
 ished (Matt. 9 : 36 ; Jer. 50 : 6 ; Ezek. 34 : 5, 6 ; Zech. 
 10 : 2, 3) because their shepherds not only were ignorant 
 
 1 Jos. Ant. XVIII. 2, I. 
 
 2 " Them," avrovg and not avrov (E, F, G, etc.), although found in K, A, 
 K, L, M, etc., is wanting in B, D, and seems to be an attempt to interpret 
 the misunderstood " knew. " (Cf. Weiss, p. 226 ; Keil, p. 74.) 
 
VI. 34-38- J CHAPTER VI. 115 
 
 of the true pasture (Ps. 23:2) but also fed themselves (Ezek. 
 34 : 2, 3). Therefore the good Shepherd, who came to 
 seek and save the lost, is deeply moved, and began to teach 
 them many things and heal (Matt. 14 : 14 ; Luke 9 : 11). 
 The relaxation, which Christ and the twelve need, is given 
 up in ministering to the people, whom Jesus taught all 
 day. " The preaching of the Word should never be too 
 long, the more the better " (Acts 20 : 7). — Starke. 
 Ver. 35. When . . . came in anxious care asking Jesus 
 to dismiss the people, that they might go and buy food 
 in the nearest villages (ver. ^6). Ver. 37. But He aii- 
 sivered} Give ye them to eat. With this injunction 
 Jesus tries their faith. It ought to have reminded them 
 of 2 Kings 4 : 42, 43, and in view of their greater master 
 produced a trustful petition to Him. But they say, 
 Shall ive go and buy two hundred pennyworth, a large 
 sum^ which we do not even possess, of bread, barley- 
 cakes, which were considered mean food,^ and give tJiem 
 to eat? Impossibilities hem in the disciples. In their 
 doubting question they say, that not even enough of the 
 coarsest fare can be bought for so large a sum. " They 
 can calculate well, but they will not believe and see what a 
 master they have in Christ." — Luther. Ver. 38. He saith, 
 . . . see. Christ orders them to see what provisions can 
 
 1 In connection with the words of Matthew (14 : 16), " they have no need to 
 go away," which preceded the command, Augustine, to harmonize this ac- 
 count with John 6 : 6, well says t " We are to suppose that after these words 
 the Lord looked at the multitude and spake to Philip in the terms which 
 John records " (De Cons. II. 46). Cf. also Nebe, II., p. 190. 
 
 2 The penny is the Roman denarius, about equal to 16 cents, and the or- 
 dinary day wage (Matt. 20 : 2). Two hundred pennies includes " the idea 
 of a large amount " (Lightfoot). 
 
 '^ In the Talmud (Pesach. 3, 2) Rabbi Jochanan is reported to have said, 
 Barley is good, whereupon he received the answer, Tell that to horses and 
 asses (i Kings 4 : 28). Nebe II., p. 194; Edersheini, I., p. 681. 
 
Ii6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 38-41. 
 
 be found amon^ them. These He will use and bless, 
 knowing, " I will divide and multiply otherwise than 
 you." — Stier. And wJicn the disciples knew, havinc^ 
 found a lad (John 6 : 9), they say, Five; and two fist^es. 
 These dried or pickled were generally eaten with bread. ^ 
 So small were the supplies, that the disciples might 
 despair. But " although the place be a desert, yet He 
 that feeds the world is here." — CllRVSOST(3M. Vcr. 39. 
 He . . . down, reclining upon their left fore-arm, in com= 
 panics upon the green grass. The tall grass of early 
 spring would, when turned down, form excellent couches 
 for the people, who were to be arranged in groups. 
 Christ ever adheres to the heavenly law of order (i Cor. 
 14 : 33). Ver. 40. And they sat down in believing 
 obedience and expectation, the new life of nature itself 
 being prophetic, in ranks, lit. in flower-beds, to which 
 they could aptly be compared in their bright variously- 
 colored garments among the green grass. They sat by 
 hundreds, and by fifties, i. e. not in respective parties of 
 100 and 50 (Fritzsche, Meyer, Keil, Weiss), but thus that 
 if viewed from end to end, in rank, there were hundred, 
 but if seen laterally, in file, there were fifty (Morison). 
 Ver. 41. Jesus taking the bread and fish, looking up to 
 heaven to the Giver of every good and perfect gift (James 
 I : 17), blessed 2 God that He might bless the food, and 
 in Jewish manner brake the bread. " Christ has taught 
 us by His example, that we cannot partake of our food 
 with holiness and purity, unless we express our gratitude 
 to God, from whom it comes to us" (i Tim. 4 : 5). — 
 
 1 Edersheim (I., p. 682) says they were eaten like sardines, the pickled 
 herrings of Holland and Germany, and the caviar of Russia. 
 
 2 Possibly Jesus used the well-known Jewish table-prayer : " Blessed art 
 Thou, Jehovah our God, King of the world. Who causest bread to come 
 forth from the earth." 
 
VI. 41-44] CHAPTER VI. 117 
 
 Calvin. Jesus gave . . , them. While Christ was 
 breaking and giving, the bread increased under His 
 hands (Origen, Augustine, Jerome, Luther), but not as 
 the disciples were distributing (Hilary, Ambrose, Calvin). 
 Likewise the two fishes zvcrc divided among thcui all.^ 
 Christ was as well the Lord of the sea. This miracle, 
 although analogous to the power by which God " every day 
 out of a few seeds raises up on earth immense harvests," — 
 Augustine,^ far transcends every natural process, not 
 only in rapidity of multiplication but chiefly in the 
 lifeless material in which it was wrought. It is a bodily 
 type of the Lord's Supper. Ver. 42. They . . . filled. 
 From smallest means Christ satisfied abundantly (Ps. 
 145 : 16). " We should learn to be pious and follow 
 God's Word earnestly, believing that God will take care 
 that we obtain food and clothing." — LuTHER. Ver. 43. 
 And they took . . . basketfuls of the common wicker- 
 baskets called in Jewish writings Kephiphah (Edersheim), 
 and also of the fishes. God's gifts are never exhausted, 
 and yet He allows no waste. Ver. 44. They that ate 
 were five thousand men, without women and children.^ 
 
 45-52. And straightway he constrained his disciples to enter into the 
 boat, and to go before him unto the other side to Bethsaida, while he him- 
 self sendeth the multitude away. And after he had taken leave of them, he 
 departed into the mountain to pray. And when even was come, the boat 
 was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land. And seeing them 
 distressed in rowing, for the wind was contrary unto them, about the 
 fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking on the sea ; and 
 he would have passed by them : but they, when they saw him walking on 
 
 1 Clem. Alex. (Strom. VI. 11) denies that the fish increased. 
 
 2 In the 24th Tract, on John, Augustine again uses the comparison with 
 natural growth, which has been much abused. (Trench, p. 21 r ; Nebe, II., 
 p. 204 sq.) 
 
 3 For the allegorical interpretation of this miracle, see Luther, Erl. Ed. 
 II, p. 139. 
 
Ii8 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 45-48. 
 
 the sea, supposed that it was an apparition, and cried out : for they all saw 
 him, and were troubled. But he straightway spake with them, and saith 
 unto them, Be of good cheer : it is I ; be not afraid. And he went up unto 
 them into the boat ; and the wind ceased : and they were sore amazed in 
 themselves ; for they understood not concerning the loaves, but their heart 
 was hardened. 
 
 Ver. 45. Jesus constrained Jiis disciples to enter the 
 boat to prevent their being carried away by the wrong 
 messianic enthusiasm of the people (John 6 : 15). They 
 were to go before to Bethsaidai (fish-town), near Caper- 
 naum, the town of Peter, Andrew and Philip (John i : 
 44), possibly the modern Ain Tabigah,^ where " there is 
 a slight bay, with abundant vegetation growing to the 
 water's edge." — Geikie. Christ dismissing the multitude, 
 Ver. 46, departed . . . mountain, the wild height at the 
 slope of which He had been, to pray (i : 35), probably for 
 His disciples, as before He had set them an example (ver. 
 41). But Christ's prayer was also a necessity of His truly 
 human nature. He sought communion with the Father 
 (Luke 6 : 12), implored His aid (Mark 7 : 34 ; John ii : 
 42), and petitioned for deliverance (Mark 14 : 35) in un- 
 swerving faith (Heb. 12:2). Ver. 47. And , . . come, 
 the second evening from twilight to utter darkness, the 
 boat . . . land. Jesus was not in the boat as in a former 
 storm (4:35 sq.), but left the twelve to learn their weak- 
 ness. But He kept them in His care. Ver. 48. Seeing 
 . . , contrary They labored in vain against a north- 
 western hurricane. Christ allows them to struggle all 
 night to arouse their faith, while looking upon them not 
 
 1 Klostermann connects " to Bethsaida " with the dismissal of the multi- 
 tude, accepting only an eastern Bethsaida. Lange, Thomson, Iloltzmann, 
 Riddle, Furrer, argue for one Bethsaida. But it is more than probable that 
 there was a western one (Matt. 11:21; Luke 10 : 13). Cf. Keil, p. 89. 
 
 2 Robinson, Later Researches, p. 358 ; Porter, Syria, p. 405 ; Geikie, 
 
 P- 135- 
 
VI. 48-SI-] CHAPTER VI. I19 
 
 as an idle spectator but in praying hope, ready to help. 
 Jesus sees us when we think Him far off. About the 
 fourth watch of the night, the morning watch ^ between 
 3 and 6 o'clock, he cometh . . . sea. The raging sea be- 
 comes a path (Ps. TJ : 19) as He treadeth upon the waves 
 (Job 9 : 8) in the power of His divine (Prov. 30 : 4) and 
 human (Ps. 8 : 6) sonship. His love, which generally 
 found it necessary to restrain His extraordinary power, 
 now needs it. He . . . them, walking not toward them 
 but alongside as though to escape them, that they might 
 call Him (cf. Luke 24 : 29). This is hardest to bear in 
 trials that Jesus apparently passes by. Ver. 49. The 
 disciples supposed . . . troubled. " The sight troubles 
 them no less than the storm " (Chrysostom), because of 
 their superstitious fear that it was a messenger of death. 
 'This is the fault of our sin, that will not permit us to 
 recognize His presence, but considers Him to be an ap- 
 parition, yea, Satan. He appears otherwise than we think 
 and keeps silence. In trial we hold that God is not God, 
 but a terrible apparition, that will devour us in our troubles." 
 
 Luther. Ver. 50. But Christ said Be of good cheer 
 
 (Act. 23 : 11) ... be not afraid. (Gen. 15 : i ; 26 : 24 ; 
 Matt. 28 : 5 ; Luke 2 : 10; Rev. 1:17)- Thus the Lord 
 reassures His disciples as they are brought face to face 
 with His glory, exhibiting His " I " in grace. " That the 
 majesty and miraculous presence of ' it is I' may not 
 frighten, He surrounds it on both sides with a comforting 
 assurance." — Stier. Ver. 51. And after Peter's petition, 
 attempt and rescue (Matt. 14 : 28 sq.) he . . . boat 2 . . . 
 
 1 The " watches " are evidently the Roman, of which there were four in 
 the twelve hours of the night. The Jews generally had three watches, in- 
 cluding nine hours, but later they adopted the Roman computation. 
 
 2 The boat has often been compared to the Church tossed upon the 
 waves of the world, but ever rescued by her Lord. 
 
120 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vi. 51-53. 
 
 ceased. The storm becomes a calm (Ps. 107 : 29) before 
 Christ. " Where Jesus is, there is peace." — Tiib. Bible, 
 Starke. Ver. 52. The disciples zvere sore amazed in 
 themselves. Beyond themselves with wonder in their 
 souls, they first kept silence, then confessed (Matt. 14 : 
 33). This confession was the clearing up of the amaze- 
 ment in which they understood not concerning the loaves. 
 The lesson of this miracle had been lost on them ; their 
 heart, the very centre of their personal life,^ was hard= 
 ened. They were in a condition of non-receptivity for 
 the mystery of Christ's divine power. This was not due 
 to conscious obstinacy (3 : 5), but natural blindness. It is 
 " a warning to us respecting the corruption of our under- 
 standing, that we may seek from the Lord new eyes." 
 — Calvin. 
 
 53-56. And when they had crossed over, they came to the land unto 
 Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. And when they were come out of 
 the boat, straightway the people knew him, and ran round about that 
 whole region, and began to carry about on their beds those that were sick, 
 where they heard he was. And wheresoever he entered, into villages, or 
 into cities, or into the country, they laid the sick in the market-places, and 
 besought him that they might touch if it were but the border of his gar- 
 ment : and as many as touched him were made whole. 
 
 Ver. 53. They . . . land 2 . . . Gennesaret, the fertile cres- 
 cent-shaped plain, mentioned only here and Matt. 14 : 34, 
 northwest of the sea, about four miles long and one mile 
 deep (i : 38). In this region all knew Christ (3 : 7), and, Ver. 
 55 ran . . sick (2 : 4), where they heard he was. The 
 afflicted were brought to Jesus where He could be found, 
 
 1 Cremer, p. 495; Delitzsch, Bibl. Psychol. IV. par. 12; Ohler, O. T. 
 Theol., p. 152. 
 
 2 " To the land," omitted by A, D, M, seems original and corresponds 
 with the meaning of >?/v, as distinguished from the sea. Before Ciennc- 
 saret;i:(jpav would be necessary. 
 
VI. s6.J CHAPTER Vi. I2i 
 
 and if He had departed from one place the carriers of the 
 sick followed until they found Him. Ver. 56. Whereso= 
 ever . . . places, the open centres through which Christ 
 had to pass, and besought . . . touched in faith like the 
 woman with the issue of blood (5 : 2"]^ were healed. 
 Notwithstanding the superstitious element in their faith, 
 Christ " that He may not quench the smoking flax (Isai. 
 42 : 3) accommodated Himself to their ignorance. The 
 weakness of those who, not knowing that Christ is God, 
 desired to make a nearer approach to Him, was endured 
 for a time." — Calvin. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 1-23. And there are gathered together unto him the Pharisees, and cer- 
 tain of the scribes, which had come from Jerusalem, and had seen that 
 some of his disciples ate their bread witli defiled, that is, unwashen, hands. 
 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands diligently, 
 eat not, holding the tradition of the elders ; and when they come from the 
 marketplace, except they wash themselves, they eat not : and many other 
 things there be, which they have received to hold, washings of cups, and 
 pots, and brazen vessels. And the Pharisees and the scribes ask him. Why 
 walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their 
 bread with defiled hands ? And he said unto them. Well did Isaiah 
 prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 
 
 This people honoreth me with their lips, 
 
 But their heart is far from me. 
 
 But in vain do they worship me. 
 
 Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. 
 Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. 
 And he said unto them, Full well do ye reject the commandment of God, 
 that ye may keep your tradition. For Moses said. Honor thy father and 
 thy mother ; and. He that speaketh evil of father or mother, let him die 
 the death : but ye say. If a man shall say to his father or his mother, That 
 wherewith thou mightest have been profited by me is Corban, that is to 
 say. Given to God ; ye no longer suffer him to do aught for his father or 
 his mother ; making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye 
 have delivered : and many such like things ye do. And he called to him 
 the multitude again, and said unto them. Hear me all of you and under- 
 stand : there is nothing from without the man, that going into him can de- 
 file him : but the things which proceed out of the man are those that defile 
 the man. And when he was entered into the house from the multitude, 
 his disciples asked of him the parable. And he saith unto them. Are ye so 
 without understanding also ? Perceive ye not, that whatsoever from with- 
 out goeth into the man, it cannot defile him ; because it goeth not into his 
 heart, but into his belly, and goeth out into the draught ? This he said, 
 making all meats clean. And he said. That which proceedeth out of the 
 man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, 
 evil thoughts proceed, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetings, 
 122 
 
VII. 1-3-] CHAPTER VIT. 123 
 
 wickednesses, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, railing, pride, foolishness: 
 all these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man. 
 
 Ver. I. And during Christ's circuit in Galilee, there 
 are gathered together with determined purpose the Phar- 
 isees (2 : 16) and certain of the scribes (2 : 6), zv/iich had 
 con\& from Jerusalem (3 : 22). A special deputation of 
 Jerusalem scribes, the most authoritative conservators of 
 tradition, are sent to assist the Galilean Pharisees in find- 
 ing testimony to accuse and condemn Christ. " As Christ 
 and His disciples had their spies, even thus the pious are 
 not without their detractors." — Majus, Starke. Ver. 2. , 
 And the Galilean Pharisees had seen} that some of his dis- 
 ciples on their missionary tour (6 : 7 sq.) ate . . . hands. 
 Mark explains "defiled"^ (common, Rom. 14: 14) by 
 ceremonially unwashed, and continues to relate to his 
 Gentile readers the Jewish custom of ceremonial washings. 
 Ver. 3. The Pharisees most especially, but also all . . . 
 diligently ,3 i. e. lit. with the fist with which the hollow 
 of the hand was rubbed, when the water was poured on * 
 
 1 This new sentence is left unfinished because of the parenthetical inter- 
 polation of ver. 3 and 4. 
 
 2 The Hebrew term is Tame (Delitzsch), and the later Rabbinic word 
 Choe. 
 
 3 nvy/xy (A, B, L, N, etc.) rather than TvvKvd, of X, Peshito, Itala and 
 Vulgate, "crebro," which rests upon an emendation. 
 
 * The translation " diligently " is derived from the Peshito, which em- 
 ploys the same word here, as in Luke 15:8, for tirifteTuj^. The energy of 
 the fist rubbing would serve to explain this, which is, however, not found 
 elsewhere. The marginal interpretation " up to the elbow," first used by 
 Theophylact, conceives of T^vy/xTj as a measure of length. Lightfoot 
 rendered " to the wrist," like Bengel and Edersheim, who supports it from 
 Rabbinic usage, as Scaliger had Theophylact's rendering. It seems best 
 to retain the literal meaning, which is not inconsistent with Rabbinic cus- 
 tom (Edersheim, II., p. 11), rather than the weakly supported "diligently," 
 the questionable " up to the elljow," and the linguistically untenable " up to 
 the wrist." 
 
i24 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 3, 4. 
 
 (Beza, Grotius, Calov. Fritzsche, Bleek, De Wette, Meyer, 
 Klostermann, Weiss, Kail, Nosgen), eat not} holding the 
 tradition of the elders. The honorable name " elders " 
 was applied in Christ's time especially to Hillel and 
 Schammai, who had agreed on eighteen points concern- 
 ing purification, which came to be universally accepted, 
 and, as they had been solemnly re-enacted by the schools 
 of the two elders, could not be modified. These laws, 
 the omission of which was said to bring poverty,^ or tem- 
 poral destruction,^ to make bread filth,* and excommuni- 
 cated,^ were put into force ^ shortly before Christ. They 
 -were placed above the Scriptures because they were oral 
 ordinances of the scribes." These men of tradition,^ so 
 scrupulous of " cleanness without, within were full of 
 stains." — AUGUSTINE. Ver. 4. Coming from the mar- 
 ket-place, exeept they wash themselves,^ not by bathing 
 (Meyer), but by an effusion or sprinkling (cf. Num. 8:7; 
 19 : 13, etc. ; Ezek. 36 : 25 ; Hebr. 9:13; 10 : 22), to be- 
 come clean from the defilement contracted by contact 
 (Lev. 15 : 1 1) in the market-place. In like manner there 
 are many other laws about ivasJiings of wooden ^^ cups and 
 
 1 It is related of Rabbi Akiba, that when in prison and furnished with 
 only enough water to preserve life, he preferred to die rather than eat 
 without ceremonial ablutions. Buxtorf, Syn. Jud., p. 236; Stier, II. 154; 
 Farrar, p. 313. 
 
 2 Shabb. 62b. 3 sota, 4b. * Seta, 4b. 
 ^ Eduy. V. 6; Ber. 19a. ^ Edersheim, II., p. 9 sq. 
 
 ■^ Jer. Chag. 76d; Jer. Ber. 3b; Sanh. XI. 3; Erub. 31b; Edersheim, 
 II., p. 15. Cf. also Jos. Antiq. XIII. 10, 6. 
 
 * For the similarity of the Romish doctrine of tradition to the Jewish, see 
 Chemnitz, Examen Cone. Trid., Praef. Sect. III. 
 
 ^ The pavriffuvrni. of N, B, is an interpretative substitution for the orig- 
 inal (3aKTirTG)VTni of A, D, F. 11, etc. 
 
 ^^ None of the vessels could be earthen, as these, when defiled, were to be 
 broken (Lev. 15 : 12). The Talmudic tractate Kelim gives details. On all 
 purifications, see Schiirer, II. 401 sq. 
 
vii. 5-8.] CHAPTER VII. 125 
 
 pots, which latter, containing about a pint, were the 
 Roman sextarii, sixths, being the sixth part of a con- 
 gius; and brazen vessels, lit. coppers, large copper cal- 
 drons, and reclining couches} which had been defiled by 
 ceremonially unclean persons. Ver. 5. The Pharisees 
 and the scribes ask Jesus, Why . . . elders (ver. 3), these 
 holy precepts, but eat like Gentiles with defiled hands ? 
 A charge of irreverent transgression of religious law and 
 custom is preferred. " With hypocrites the opinion and 
 doctrine of men is esteemed more highly than God's 
 word."— Majus, Starke. Ver. 6. Jesus answered. 
 Well . . . hypocrites, who in apparent zeal for God 
 knowingly bind men by human tradition, that is contra- 
 dictory to divine law ; as it is zvritten (i : 2). Isai. 29 : 13, 
 which is cited according to the Septuagint, and there- 
 fore includes the words " in vain " not in the Hebrew 
 original, describes in the condition of the Israel of Heze- 
 kiah's time a constant state, greatly aggravated in Christ's 
 day, for which judgment comes. This people Jionoreth vie 
 merely with their lips, bnt their heart is far from me. 
 Their service is empty heartless profession and observ- 
 ance. Ver. 7. In vain . . . teaching not divine truth as 
 their doctrines, but hnman precepts. Their worship is 
 useless, since it is not according to divine revelation, but 
 human invention. Ver. 8. Ye . . . men,2 said Jesus, 
 and continued with holy irony, Full well (beautifully) 
 . . . tradition. The abandonment of divine law (ver. 8) 
 has become conscious rejection, that only j<3//r tradition 
 
 1 " Couches," although wanting in Ki B, L, A, is to be retained, for its 
 omission is more probable than its addition. These couches, as well as the 
 " coppers," show that fiaTrTifffiovg cannot mean immersions. 
 
 2 For the profane notions of God entertained in Jewish tradition, which 
 portrays him weiring the Tallith, the phylactery, studying the Mishna, and 
 in other still grosser anthropomorphisms, see Edersheim, II., p. 15 sq. 
 
126 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 10-12. 
 
 may be maintained. You only pretend to serve God, 
 but follow your own will-worship (Col. 2 : 23). " This is 
 the greatest evil before God, to transgress God's com- 
 mandment for the precepts of men, for it means putting 
 God below men." — Luther. Christ proves His charge. 
 Ver. 10. Moses said, the mediator of the divine law ac- 
 knowledged by Jesus (i : 44) and His enemies, Honor 
 . . - mother (Exod. 20 : 12; Deut. 5 : 16). This com- 
 mandment, cited according to the Septuagint, has the 
 threat Ex. 21 : 17 (Lev. 20 : 9; Deut. 27 : 16) added, to 
 show that an evil word against parents was deserving 
 of death. The selection of the fourth commandment, 
 with its severe threat rather than its gracious promise 
 (Eph. 6 : 2), was prompted by the special injury it had 
 received in tradition, which made void its fundamental 
 importance, for it contains " the germs of all fear of 
 God and love of the neighbor, all piety and morality in 
 church and state." — Stier. Ver. 11, 12. Against it ye say 
 . . . mother. Christ mentions a real case,^ for if any one 
 would simply say " Corban " ^ (gift) which the R. V. renders 
 " given to God," that over which it was pronounced was 
 absolutely banned and considered as already on the altar ; 
 and although no actual gift was ever made the vow^ was 
 constantly binding against the parents, even when in need. 
 Thus it encouraged selfishly disobedient wickedness 
 against God and parents. Therefore the Pharisees, Ver. 
 
 1 Nedarim IX. i ; VIII. 7, in which the very formula here used occurs : 
 Korban Sheatah Neheneh LI. Edersheim, II., p. 21. 
 
 2 Jos. Ant. IV. 44; Wars, II. 9, 4; C. Ap. I. 22. 
 
 3 Although there are individual passages in the Talmud (Ab. III. 13; 
 Nedar, 9a; 22a), which do not encourage promiscuous vowing, they are 
 overbalanced by others, which were put into practice. Cf. Edersheim, II., 
 p. 19 sq. The monastic vows of the Romish church have the same tend- 
 ency of causing disobedience to the parents, as this was so clearly seen and 
 
VII. i3-iS.] CHAPTER VII. 127 
 
 13, were . . . God (Prov. 20 : 20 ; 28 : 24; 30 : 17) not 
 only in this, but in many such like things. They were 
 then the transgressors and not the disciples. Thus Christ 
 revealed the hypocrisy of these hypocrites. Ver. 14. 
 And he called to Jiini the iniiltitiide (6 : 56) again, which 
 had respectfully withdrawn when the scribes came, and 
 said, Hear me all of yon and understand. So important 
 is the truth, that Christ will announce, that every one is 
 called to hear (4 : 3), and inquire after the meaning, con- 
 cealed as it shall be (4 : 12). Ver. 15. There . . . man.i 
 With Hebrew fulness of form Jesus unfolds the deeper 
 significance of the Levitical law of defilement (Lev. 1 1 : 39 
 sq. ; 12 ; 13), distinguishing between the unclean meats, 
 which do not actually defile but only by symbolical legal 
 enactment, and the real bodily defilement caused by what 
 proceeds from man in birth, leprosy, death and decompo- 
 sition. This is to teach that spiritual and moral defile- 
 ment have their source within man. " It is as though He 
 would say : Keep silence about going in I That which 
 proceeds from the man is the whole impurity. If that 
 which proceeds forth were pure, what entered in would 
 not defile." — LUTHER. Ver. 17. WJien Christ entered 
 the house in which He was staying at that place (6 : 10) to 
 escape the multitude, the disciples, Peter being the spokes- 
 man (Matt. 15 : 15), asked ^////w Mr parable, which rests 
 upon the double sense, the Levitical and moral, of enter- 
 ing and proceeding, clean and unclean. Ver. 18. Christ 
 saith . . . also? (cf. 6: 52). Jesus is astonished that 
 even His disciples, after the previous teaching and inter- 
 pretation of parables (4 : 13), are to such degree unskilled 
 
 well expressed by Luther's father, in his citation of the fourth command- 
 ment. See J. Kostlin, Martin Luther, u. s. w. I. p. 84. 
 
 1 Ver. 16 (4 : 9) is properly omitted according to N, B, L, A. The word 
 "parable" (ver. 17) may have caused its introduction. 
 
128 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 19-21. 
 
 in seeing the obvious meaning of His parable. The cause 
 is the chnging to the outward (8 : 14 sq.), yet " the gentle 
 teacher is not angered in accommodating Himself to the 
 hardness of the hearing of His disciples." — Besser. He 
 said, Perceive, Ver 19, clean ?i All meats are really indif- 
 ferent, as they enter the belly (Rom. 16 : 18), which with 
 the meats is corruptible ( I Cor. 6 : 13). The laws of meats 
 are therefore to pass away (Acts 10 : 14, 15), and while 
 considerate love will bear the weak (Rom. 14 : 13 sq.) who 
 still adhere to distinctions of meats, it is under no restric- 
 tions of these human precepts (Col. 2 : 22), which will be- 
 come doctrines of demons (i Tim. 4 : i sq.). The heart 
 (6 : 52) is the living, eternal centre, for whose sake even 
 the Levitical laws had been given. And therefore " an 
 eating or non-eating had first to proceed from the heart." 
 Stier. God can never be worshipped by meats ; who 
 does this " is merely as one, who has his belly for his lord." 
 — NOVATIAN. What is eaten receives purification in a 
 natural way, coming into the draught,^ which as the place 
 of refuse symbolizes the process preceding. Ver. 20. 
 That . . . man, the natural man, dcfiletJi. Sin is the real 
 defilement coming from our unclean Adamitic nature 
 (Ps. 14 : 3). Ver. 21. For . . . heart (Prov. 6 : 14; Jer. 
 17:9) proceed evil thoughts,^ inward reasonings of sin 
 (Gen. 6:5; 8:21; Ps. 56 : 5 ; Rom. i : 21), the first- 
 
 1 KadaplCuv (X, A, B, E, F) used by Origen is an anacolouthic nomina- 
 tive (Weiss, Winer, p. 532), and the whole clause is appositional (Winer, p. 
 624). This is more natural than the view of Chrysostom (Mom. LI. on 
 Matt.) adopted by the revisers, that it is a parenthetical statement of Mark ; 
 for Mark nowhere uses such a form. — Stier, 2, p. 167. 
 
 2 a(j)E(^f)ui>a, a " barbarous term " (Suidas) for a^orfof (2 Kings 10 : 27), 
 has a Rabbinic equivalent " Aphidra." 
 
 ^ 6m?Lnyi(Tfi6c in the 'N. T. even without /t««(5f has generally the signification 
 of objectionable reasonings. The adjective, for whose exact meaning see 
 Trench, Syn. p. 315, increases the force- Cremer, p. 575. 
 
VII. 22.] CHAPTER VII. 129 
 
 fruits of the heart, and the germs of the other sins ; for= 
 nications 1 (i Cor. 7:2); Ver. 22, thefts (Jer. 48 : 27), 
 murders (Gal. 5:21; Rev. 9 : 21), adulteries (Jer. 13 : 27), 
 covetings,2 the desires after more, not only of money, but 
 of every creature, that is beyond the individual. They arc 
 preceded as here by sins of impurity i Cor. 5:11; Eph. 
 5:3, 5 ; Col. 3 : 5, and followed as in Rom. i : 29 by 
 wickednesses, which, found again in the plural only Acts 
 3 : 26, denote the wicked deeds strongly determined by 
 the will directed toward evil,^ and delighting in it (Luke 
 II : 39; I Cor. 5:8; Eph. 6 : 12). With this term the 
 six plurals, which have marked the many desires and acts* 
 in which each peculiar sin has manifested itself, give way 
 to six singulars, which emphasize the unity or habit of 
 sin. Deceit (Rom. i : 29), cunning craftiness ; lascivious= 
 ness (2 Cor. 12:21; Gal. 5 : 19 ; Eph. 4 : 19),^ unbridled 
 sensuality ; an evil eye (Prov. 23 : 6; Matt. 20 : 15), fre- 
 quently used in the East ^ for the envious look, which be- 
 tokens the jealous heart ; railing (blasphemy) (Eph. 4: 31 ; 
 Col. 3 : 8; I Tim. 6 : 4), the slander of men, not blas- 
 phemy of God (3 : 28); pride (Ps. 31 : 20), used only here 
 as a noun in the N. T.,'^ is the self-conscious spirit, that 
 
 1 The Authorized Version has "adulteries" first, but the order of the 
 Rev. Version is preferable accdg. to N, A, B, L, A, 2. 
 
 2 See Trench, N. T. Syn. p. 8i. 
 
 3 Cremer, p. Sio. * Winer, p. 176. 
 
 5 aoelyEia (probably from a privative and oelyu^ 6elyu, please) translated 
 "wantonness," Rom. 13:13; 2 Pet. 2 : 18 originally meant lawless inso- 
 lence, but later the meaning lasciviousness obtained. 
 
 s Thomson, I., p. 219. P'redrick Thomas Elworthy in " The Evil Eye " 
 (1895) '^^^ shown that many superstitions were connected with the evil eye, 
 and has traced them almost to prehistoric times. Christ, however, has put 
 into a well-worn word true moral significance, giving both " evil "' and 
 " eye " no superstitious value, but actual lasting worth (Matt. 6:22, 23). 
 
 "^ The adjectival form occurs Luke i : 51 ; Rom. i : 30; 2 Tim, 3:2; 
 James 4:6;! Pet. 5 : 5. 
 
 9 
 
130 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 22-24. 
 
 lifts itself above others, ^ (Uebermuth) ; foolishness (2 Cor, 
 II : I, 17, 21), the godless folly (Ps. 14 : i ; Rom. i : 22, 
 28, 31), placed last, "because it makes all the rest more 
 incurable." — Bengel. There is no principle of order, as 
 with Matthew (15 : 19) who follows the decalogue, but 
 the many sinful fruits of the heart, that defile, are enum- 
 erated in their multiplicity and variety .^ " All the evil in 
 the human heart cannot be sufficiently related, pitied and 
 mourned for." — Starke. 
 
 24-30. And from thence he arose, and went away into the borders of 
 Tyre and Sidon. And he entered into a house, and would have no man 
 know it: and he could not be hid. But straightway a woman, whose little 
 daughter had an unclean spirit, having heard of him came and fell down at 
 his feet. Now the woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by race. And 
 she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter, 
 And he said unto her, Let the children first be filled : for it is not meet to 
 take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs. But she answered and 
 saith unto him. Yea, Lord : even the dogs under the table eat of the chil- 
 dren's crumbs. And he said unto her. For this saying go thy way ; the 
 devil is gone out of thy daughter. And she went away unto her house, and 
 found the child laid upon the bed, and the devil gone out. 
 
 Ver. 24. From thence, the region near the sea of Gali- 
 lee (6 : 56), Christ arose (cf. Gen. 31:13; i Sam. 23 : 16 ; 
 Jonah I : 3), left, and went . . . Sidon.^ He entered the 
 district of these Gentile trading cities, not to convert the 
 Gentiles (Matt. 15 : 24), but "like a private individual," — 
 Calvin, to find temporary rest and refuge from Jewish 
 enmity (Luke 4 : 24 sq.). And Jie entered a house, prob- 
 
 1 Trench, Syn., p. loi. 
 
 ' These words of Christ are the source of the Apostolic catalogues of sin 
 (Gal. 5 : 19; Rom. i : 21), on which Ruskin aptly remarks : " There is evi- 
 dently an intense feeling of the universality of sin ; and in order to express 
 it, the Apostle hurries his words confusedly together, little caring about 
 their order, as knowing all the vices to be indissolubly connected one with 
 another." 
 
 3 Sidon, which only D, L, A, among the uncials omit, is to be retained. 
 
VII. 24-26.] CHAPTER VII. 131 
 
 ably of some Israelite living there, whom He had healed 
 (3 : 8), and zuoiild have no man know it, seeking seclusion 
 (3 : 20 ; 4 : 35 ; 6 : 31) : atid he could not be hid, for His 
 name and fame were too great. " A servant of the 
 gospel must desire to remain hid, but without injury 
 and neglect of what he owes his neighbor." — OUESNEL, 
 Starke. Ver. 25. Straightway . . . daughter (5 : 23) 
 . . . spirit (i :23; EXCURSUS, H. p. 31), . . . him placed 
 her hoping confidence on Him. " This report of God 
 is a true gospel and word of grace. Out of it arose faith 
 in this woman" (Rom. 10 : 17). — LuTHER. Trial ripened 
 her faith. She came and followed Christ, " and made 
 herself shameless by a goodly shamelessness." — Chrysos- 
 TOM, Not disturbed by His apparent unwillingness 
 (Matt. 15 : 23), she finally entered the house after Him, 
 andi&W dozvn at his feet (5 : 33). Her constant faith and 
 clinging hope impelled her to implore Christ more eagerly 
 and humbly, although He had not heard her ; for she, 
 Ver. 26, was a Greek, a Gentile in religion and no Jew 
 (Rom. I : 16 ; Matt. 15 : 24) ; a Syrophenician by race. 
 The addition '' by race " shows, that the later mere 
 geographical distinction of Syrophenicia from Libopheni- 
 cia in Africa (Strabo, 17, 3 ; Juv. Sat. VHI. 59)1 is not 
 intended ; but the original ethnic character of the woman 
 is to be marked. She belongs to the accursed stock, 
 which Israel ought to have destroyed but did not (Deut. 
 7:2; Judg. 2 : 2, 3). Her nationahty is against her. 
 " She is not of Abraham's seed, and has no right to ask 
 anything." — LUTHER. But without a promise she 
 throws herself solely upon grace, and brings honor upon 
 her dishonored people. She besoiiglit Jesus again. Ver. 
 27. And . . dogs. Christ "vouchsafes no answer, but 
 
 1 Sir G. Rawlinson in Smith's Bible Diet, maintains the geographical 
 sense, as do most commentators. 
 
132 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 27, 28. 
 
 smites the woman more sharply." — Chrysostom. He 
 asserts that He is sent to give the bread of hfc first^ 
 (Rom. I : 16) to Israel (Rom. 9 : 4), the children of the 
 kingdom (Matt. 8 : 12). Therefore it is not meet (Rom. 
 14 : 21 ; I Cor. 7:1; Col. 4 : 18), becoming and proper, 
 to rob the children for the sake of the dogs, lit. little 
 dogs. The Gentiles were called dogs to designate them 
 as wild, lawless, unclean. But the diminutive " little 
 dogs " is a beautiful modification of Christ, and turns the 
 despised dogs of the street ^ into the little table dogs ^ of 
 the home, which have some claim. Harsh as the Lord's 
 words are, placing the Gentiles below the slaves and 
 largely excluding them, they nevertheless offer hope. 
 " All parts are stronger in no than ycs^ and yet there is 
 more yes in them than no : indeed pure yes is in them, 
 but deeply and secretly, and it appears but no." — LUTHER. 
 Ver. 28. The woman ajiszvere^i, Yea, Lord; it is as you 
 say : but even . . . crumbs. The woman naturally 
 quick, witty, and spiritually firm in faith, ceaseless in 
 prayer, and truly humble, accepts Christ's position, but 
 draws a wonderful conclusion from it. She " catches 
 Christ in His own words." — LUTHER. In believing 
 humble obedience she claims no place at the table with 
 the children nor demands their bread, but simply asks 
 for the crumbs, that will fall, so that even the dogs are 
 filled from the abundant table of the great Lorel. "What 
 a mighty power is faith ; it takes Christ at His word, 
 
 1 Weiss is wrong in affirming that Mark has removed the asperity of the 
 original account as reported by Matthew. The distinction of time in Mark 
 excludes present help, and is the harder by showing a future gift not now 
 to be had. Matthew also has the tender term, " httle dogs." 
 
 2 Job 30 : I ; I Sam. 24 : 14; Prov. 26 : ii ; 2 Peter 2 : 22. See Wood, 
 Bible Animals, p. 40. 
 
 3 That these dogs are table dogs is proved by ver. 28. The Kvvt^ Tpa-iri] 
 l^f/eg occur in Homer, Odys. 17, 309; Iliad, 22 : 69; 23, 173. 
 
VII. 29-ji.] CHAPTER VII. 133 
 
 when He is most angry, and makes comfortable dialectic 
 of His hard words." — LUTHER. Ver. 29. Christ said, 
 after praising her great faith (Matt. 15 : 28), For . . . 
 daughter. The strong assurance of faith and humble 
 confession received the desired blessing. " What by 
 continual crying she obtained not, she received by hum- 
 ble confession." — AuGUSTlNE. Ver. 30. And . . . bed, 
 not raving but quietly resting, and the devil gone out. 
 Faith becomes sight for this woman. She and the cen- 
 turion (Matt. 8 : 10) are the two believing Gentiles of the 
 gospels, whose faith puts to shame the children of Israel. 
 The woman's faith is however superior, not merely in its 
 struggling prayer, greater than Jacob's (Gen. 32 : 25 sq.), 
 and surmounting the greatest hindrance not from without 
 (2 : 4), nor of men (10 : 48), but from Christ Himself ; 
 but chiefly in its deep humility. 
 
 31-37. And again he went out from the borders of Tyre, and came 
 through Sidon unto the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the borders of 
 Decapolis. And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an im- 
 pediment in his speech ; and they beseech him to lay his hand upon him. 
 And he took him aside from the multitude privately, and put his fingers 
 into his ears, and he spat, and touched his tongue; and looking up to 
 heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened. 
 And his ears were opened, and the bond of his tongue was loosed, and he 
 spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man : but the 
 more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it. 
 And they were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all 
 things well : he maketh even the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak. 
 
 Ver. 31. Jesus zvcnt ant from the borders of Tyre to 
 avoid the people crowding about Him to be healed ; and 
 since it is too soon to return to Galilee, eavie through 
 Sidon, the ancient (Gen. 10: 19; Josh. 11 : 8; Judg. 
 I : 31), wealthy merchant city of Phenicia, on the plain 
 between the Lebanon and the Mediterranean, originally 
 more powerful than Tyre, the old rock-city, which was 
 
134 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 31-33. 
 
 most prosperous in Christ's day.^ Thence, possibly keep- 
 ing along the base of the Lebanon on the road toward 
 Damascus, Christ turned southward, approaching the sea 
 of Galilee on the east, and from the north entered the 
 borders of Dccapolis (5 : 20), through which He passed. 
 Ver. 32. Some people in the " love that bears another's 
 care," — LUTHER, bring . . . speech.2 Burdened with an 
 organic defect (ver. 35) this man could not speak rightly, 
 but was not absolutely dumb. TJicy beseech Christ to lay 
 his hand upon him (5 : 23). But Jesus cannot heal thus ; 
 He must awaken personal faith in the man, most afflicted 
 in being deprived of hearing, the noblest sense ^ for re- 
 ceiving the mysteries of the kingdom. " Most people 
 can both hear and speak, but how common is spiritual 
 deafness and dumbness." — Zeisius, Lange. Ver. 33. 
 Christ took him aside (8 : 23). The process of heal- 
 ing, which is so circumstantial and visible because thus 
 only could Jesus treat with the man, begins with taking 
 the deaf one privately, not that the people might not 
 
 1 Thomson, I., p. 127 sq.; 143 sq.; 154-157; 159; 161. For Tyre espec, 
 p. 260 sq. 
 
 2 fioyilaloq, which together with qayd6og is used in the Sept. for Ilem, 
 dumb (Isai. 35 : 6; Ps. 38 : 13), also expresses "slow of tongue" (Exod. 
 4:11, Theodotion, Aquila, Symmachus), and is equivalent to [SarTapi^eiv, 
 stutter, wherefore the Peshito has Pakn. The meaning adopted by the 
 Revisers is also confirmed by " spoke right " (ver. 25). 
 
 3 Nebe (III. 232) quotes this excellent account of Steinmeyer (die Wun- 
 der, p. 119) : " All honor to the eye, but the ear is more important. The 
 superiority of the latter over the former is settled even in the domain of the 
 natural senses. The eye can be closed, if it is so willed ; it is so con- 
 structed that it may be shut ; in sleep it closes of itself. The ear on the 
 contrary can be shut up only by mechanical, unnatural force ; even in sleep 
 it is open, and, therefore, the ever-present medium of chasing away sleep. 
 But it is still more evident, that spiritual apperception is mediated rather by 
 the ear than the eye. To the hearing the gospel is addressed. Blessed are 
 they that hear the Word! Where there is no hearing, there is no salva- 
 tion ; for faith comes by hearing." 
 
vii. 22, 34-] CHAPTER VII. 135 
 
 crowd (Bleek), nor be moved to new demands (Lange, 
 Weiss), but that the man seeing but Jesus might concen- 
 trate his whole attention upon Him. (Stier, Keil, Nebe, 
 Nosgen, Cook.) " How graciously does the Lord descend 
 to the peculiar necessity of each one, and does exceeding 
 abundantly above all that we ask and pray."- — StiER. 
 Spiritual cure demands isolation with Jesus. He tJiriist 
 his fingers into his ears, to show that He knew the source 
 of the evil, which had to be removed first. Speech would 
 not help, if hearing was wanting. The finger (Luke 
 1 1 : 20) of Jesus would pierce the obstacle of the ear. And 
 . . . tongue. Christ did not spit upon the deaf man's 
 tongue (Meyer), but wetting His finger moistened the 
 tongue as He did the eyes of the blind (8 : 23 ; John 
 9 : 6). This was no mere external sign of an invisible efifi- 
 cacy (Grotius), pointing to the truth that what proceeds 
 from the mouth of Jesus His word can heal; but the 
 spittle through the word ^ to be uttered was the bearer 
 of the power (6 : 1 3). " Two things belong to a Christian, 
 that his ears be opened and his tongue loosened." — 
 Luther. Ver. 34. Jesus looking 7ip to heaven (Matt. 
 14 : 19; John II : 41) to show the dumb man that the 
 Father must assist (John 5:17) and to encourage him to 
 pray ; and praying Himself (6 : 46) Jie sighed in sadness of 
 spirit (8 : 12; John ii : 33) over the Avretched condition 
 of this man, which, like death (John ii : 38), represented 
 the natural condition of men. " It is a common sighing 
 over all tongues and ears, yea, over all hearts, bodies and 
 souls of men from Adam even unto the last." — LUTHER. 
 
 1 If Nebe objects to the spittle being tlie medium, and emphasizes the 
 word alone, he is as wrong as Ohlshausen, Meyer, Weiss, Keil, who under- 
 value the word. It is true here as in the sacrament, "Verbum accedit ad 
 elementum et fit sacramentum." 
 
136 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vii. 35-37. 
 
 Then Christ saith : Ephphatha 1 . . . opened. He that 
 calls the things that are not as though they were (Rom. 
 4 : 17), opens the ear by this word (cf. ver. 33). " Who 
 is mightier than the Lord, who can do with His word, 
 what no one can effect."— Starke. Ver. 35. And his 
 ears, lit. his hearings, the closed passages, were . . . 
 loosened, which is no figurative term (Weiss, Keil), but 
 tells the actual healing of the tongue-tied man (Nebe). 
 The third feature of this miracle was, Jic spake plain, at 
 once, and was not compelled to learn slowly. " They 
 who are healed by Christ and endued by his Spirit, 
 should speak rightly to God's pleasure." — Starke. Ver. 
 36. Jesus charged the people not to tell (5 : 43), desiring 
 to be hid ; but ... it. The people, whose hearing has 
 not been opened, have not learnt obedience. They sin, 
 and " unaccustomed to the doctrine of Christ are carried 
 away by an immoderate zeal, when it is not called for." 
 — Calvin. Ver. 37. They . . . astonished. Suddenly 
 as some of these people had before (5 : 19) rejected Jesus, 
 others are now carried beyond themselves in wonder of 
 His work, and confess, He hatli done all things well. The 
 complete healing of the deaf man is a sign of the accom- 
 ])lishment of all things unto salvation by Christ. The 
 hyperbolic language of the excited people has become 
 sober truth in Jesus the great re-creator (Gen. i : 31). 
 He . . . speak. His finished act shows itself in the 
 present condition of the healed man, which praises Him. 
 What Satan has destroyed, Christ has restored forever. 
 
 1 t(p(j)dOd is the Aramaic Imperat. Ethpael of Patach used passively. In 
 the transliteration of Elhpatah the Dagesh eniphat. in Tau becomes 0. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 i-io. In those days, when there was again a great multitude, and they had 
 nothing to eat, he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, I have 
 compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three 
 days, and have nothing to eat : and if I send them away fasting to their 
 home, they will faint in the way ; and some of them are come from far. 
 And his disciples answered him. Whence shall one be able to fill these men 
 with bread here in a desert place ? And he asked them. How many loaves 
 have ye ? And they said. Seven. And he commanded the multitude to sit 
 down on the ground : and he took the seven loaves, and having given 
 thanks, he brake, and gave to his disciples, to set before them ; and they 
 set them before the multitude. And they had a few small fishes : and hav- 
 ing blessed them, he commanded to set these also before them. And they 
 did eat, and were filled : and they took up, of broken pieces that remained 
 over, seven baskets. And they were about four thousand : and he sent 
 them away. And straightway he entered into the boat with his disciples, 
 and came into the parts of Dalmanutha. 
 
 Ver. I. /// tJiosc days, while Jesus was passing through 
 Decapolis (7 : 31), tJicre was agaiii^ a great multitiidc, 
 that " doubtless had done nothing else than followed the 
 word and desired to hear it." — LuTHER. When the 
 people had nothing to eat Jesus said to His disciples, Ver. 
 2, 1 have compassion (i : 41 ; 6 : 34; 9 : 22) because they 
 continue with me now three days, and Jiair nothing to eat ; 
 Ver. 3, and ?/"/ dismiss them, they zuill faint in the way ; 
 and some of them are come from far. As in the former feed- 
 ing ^ (6:31 sq.). Christ was moved by the bodily need of 
 
 1 This is the reading of N, B, D, G, L. etc., and is to be preferred to 
 Tzafni67.'kov (A, E, F, H, etc.). 
 
 ■^ Although this miracle is considered as identical with the feeding of the 
 five thousand by Schleiermacher, Credner, Fritzsche, Strauss, DeWette 
 
138 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [viii. 4-7. 
 
 the people, who do not forget Christ on account of 
 bread as many to-day (Stier.) He sees more clearly the 
 great difficulties, the long stay (3 days) that exhausted 
 the supplies, the desert place, the great distance that some 
 have come. All this " He is concerned about, before they 
 think of asking Him." — LUTHER. He takes counsel with, 
 Ver. 4, ]iis disciples, who, not remembering the former 
 lesson (6 : 52), ask. Whence . . . place? They show no 
 greater confidence than formerly (ag. Nebe), but are just as 
 helpless and disregard Christ's power. They possess a 
 short memory of the heart for divine benefits, and have 
 not the faith, that " argues from the past to the future 
 and truly derives confidence from God's former dealings 
 of faithfulness and love" (i Sam, 17 : 34 sq. ; 2 Chron. 
 16 : 7). — Trench. " If our counsels were to be considered, 
 God would never do a work that would befit Him as God, 
 therefore it is better that He does everything without our 
 counsel." — Luther. The Lord asks the disciples about 
 the means present (ver. 5), and after all are seated in 
 order (ver. 6), blesses bread and fish (ver. 6, 7), which 
 
 Hase, Neander, Ewald, Volkmar, Beyschlag, Wendt, Weiss, Iloltzmann, 
 and others; it is clearly distinct, as maintained by Augustine, Chrysostom, 
 Jerome, Luther, Calvin, Grotius, Calov, Bengel, Paulas, v. Ammon, Ohls- 
 hausen, Lange, Ebrard, Stier, Klostermann, Keil, Nebe, Meyer, Nosgen, 
 The locality of this miracle is further south on the eastern shore. The 
 time is toward fall, for the people cannot sit on the grass (6 : 39), but on 
 the bare ground (ver. 6). The stay of the people is three days, while in the 
 other miracle but one day (6 : 35). The means are greater, seven loaves 
 and a few fish, instead of five loaves and two fish (6 : 41). The mtfuher 0/ 
 persons is less, four thousand, and not five thousand (6 : 44). The broken 
 pieces fill only seven baskets, which have a different name. These last three 
 particulars are clearly contrasted in ver. 19, 20. Thejisli are here blessed 
 separately (ver. 7). The symbolism of the numbers (Augustine, Sermon 
 XLV. ; Edersheim, II., p. 64) is distinct, 5 and 12 pointing to the five 
 books of the law and the twelve tribes ; 4 and 7, the world-number and the 
 holy number, indicating a Gentile audience to be sanctified. See, also 
 Augustine, De Cons. II. 50, par. 105; Nebe, III., p. 135. 
 
VIII. 8-1 1.] CHAPTER VIII. I39 
 
 multiply in his hands (6 : 41) ; and there remain of broken 
 pieces, Ver. 8, seven baskets, ^ large wicker baskets, that 
 might hold a man (Acts 9:25), which the disciples had 
 taken because of the long journey. The whole ^ miracle 
 teaches " the less you think of the earthly, the more 
 Christ thinks of it and cares for it." — MULLER. After 
 Jesus dismissed the people, Ver. 10, he . . . Dalmanutha, 
 which, although otherwise unknown, must have been on 
 the western shore,^ possibly at Ain-el Barideh, but prob- 
 ably near the modern Minje (Magadan Matt. 15 : 39) ^ at 
 the northern end of the plain of Gennesaret.^ 
 
 TI-13. And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, 
 seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. And he sighed deeply in 
 his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek a sign ? verily I say 
 unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation, and he left 
 them, and again entering into the boat departed to the other side. 
 
 Ver. II. The Pharisees, with the Sadducees (Matt. 16 : 
 i) came forth from their homes (Meyer, Keil, Holtzmann, 
 Nosgen), and began to question, dispute, with Jesus prob- 
 ably about His messianic claim, and in order not to yield 
 to the truth, demand a sign from heaven, tempting Jiim. 
 They are not satisfied with the strong evidence of the 
 miracles, that had been performed, but seek some signal 
 
 1 c<pvpiSa^ as distinguished from KO^ivovg. 
 
 2 On a fuller exposition, see 6 : 35 sq.; Nebe, III., p. 135 sq.; Luther Eri. 
 Ed. 2 : 457 sq.; 13 : 197 sq.; 206 sq. 
 
 3 Robinson (Res. III., p. 514, 530) places it on the eastern side, identify- 
 ing with it the modern village Dehemija. Thus also Volkmar, Weiss. 
 Thomson points to Dalhamia {II., p. 60). 
 
 * Magacan (K, B), and not Magdala, must not be identified with Dal- 
 manutha, as by Augustine, De Cons. II. 51, par. 106. 
 
 s Cf. Tristram, Land of Israel, p. 425 ; Holtzmann, Com., p. 184; Eders- 
 heim, II., p. 68. On the whole subject the monograph of M. Schultze, 
 "Dalmanutha. Geographisch-linguist. Untersuchung z. Marc. 8:10 u. 
 Matth. 15 : 39" (18S4.) 
 
140 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [viii. 11-13. 
 
 manifestation from heaven, like the manna of Moses, the 
 standing still of the sun in Gibea, thunder and rain as 
 ordered by Samuel and Elijah, as testimonials of the mes- 
 sianic time (Joel 2 : 30). In this request they act as 
 true Pharisees,^ but in spiteful spirit, tempting him. It 
 is their purpose to incite Jesus to attempt a sign, in which 
 they expect Him to fail. In this temptation they are 
 tools of the great Tempter. Ver. 12. And Christ sighed 
 , . . spirit (2 : 8). In the inwardness of His self Jesus is 
 moved by holiest indignation at their perversity, and with 
 pitying grief at their self-injurious blindness, and saith, 
 . . . sign ? (6 : 2). It was characteristic of the Jewish 
 generation, not as contemporaries, but as one in spirit,^ 
 while denying the real wonders of Jesus in unbelieving 
 hypocrisy to seek signs (i Cor. i : 22). " They do not 
 estimate His (Jesus) signs ; God should do as they wish 
 or not be God." — LUTHEK. Therefore Christ says, verily 
 . . . (3 ; 28),^^ There . . . generation. This absolute refusal, 
 not contradicting Matt. 12 : 39,^ confirmed by an oath, was 
 due to their wicked unbelief. Therefore in just severity 
 Christ, Ver. 13, left tJicvi, and departed to the eastern side. 
 
 1 When teaching was disputed, and to substantiate Messianic prophecies 
 the Pharisees asked for heavenly signs (Edersheim, II., p. 69). 
 
 2 This ethical meaning of ysrla is frequent in the N. T. From the 
 association with the Jews it has received a bad sense (Matt. 11 : 16- 
 12 : 39, 41, 42 ; 17:17; Mark S : 38 ; 9 : 19 ; Luke 9 : 41 ; 11 : 29, 30, 32 ; 
 16 : 8; 17 : 25, etc.). Cf. Nebe, III., p. 16S. 
 
 3 In the literal rendering, "if there shall be a sign given," the if {:'i cor- 
 responds to the Hebrew Tm and marks a denying oath (Ilebr. 3 : 11 ; 4: 3), 
 there being an aposiopesis of the apodosis (Winer, p. 500). 
 
 * Neither Meyer, who claims that Mark omitted the real point, nor 
 Weiss, who holds that this word, originally in a different connection, is not 
 altogether appropriate, is correct. Christ refused the specific sign from 
 heaven, and then added the peculiar Messianic sign of Jonah, which Mark, 
 to emphasize the force of the denial, has omitted. Even the sign vouch- 
 safed according to Mattliew was a virtual refusal. (Cf. Augustine, De 
 Cons. II. 51, par. 106.) 
 
VI 1 1 . 1 4, 1 5-] CHA P TER VIII. 1 4 y 
 
 14-21. And they forgot to take bread ; and they had not in the boat 
 with them more than one loaf. And he charged them, saying, Take heed' 
 beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod. And thev 
 reasoned one with another, saying, We have no bread. And Jesus per- 
 ceiving it saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread ? do 
 ye not yet perceive, neither understand.^ have ye your heart hardened? 
 Having eyes, see ye not.' and having ears, hear ye not.' and do ye noi 
 remember ? When I brake the five loaves among the five thousand, how 
 many baskets full of broken pieces took ye up? They say unto him, 
 Twelve. And when the seven among the four thousand, how many basket- 
 fuls of broken pieces took ye up > And they say unto him, Seven. And 
 he said unto them, Uo ye not yet understand.' 
 
 Ver. 14. In their hasty departure the disciples forgot to 
 take bread ; and as Peter the eye-witness well remembers, 
 they had but one loaf. " The forgetfulness becomes an 
 occasion of new instruction ; therefore even the faults of 
 believers must serve for their good " (Rom. 8 : 28). — QUES- 
 NEL, Starke. Ver. 15. And Jesus charged them (5 : 43 ; 
 7 : 36 ; 9 : 9) earnestly with a double command, Take heed 
 (see ye), beware (look away), because of the leaven 
 which, forbidden in the sacrifice of thanksgiving (Lev. 2 : 
 4; cf. Amos 4 : 5) and at Passover (Ex. 12 : 15), is always, 
 except Matt. 13 : 33, Luke 13 :20, 21, representative of 
 hidden and permeating evil.^ (i Cor. 5 : 6, 7, 8 ; Gal. 
 5 : 9). This leaven of tJie Pharisees \\2iS pious hypocrisy 
 (Luke 12 : i),and oiHerod'^ and his party worldly hypoc- 
 risy. Opposite as Pharisees and Herodians were, the 
 former being the orthodox nationalists, the latter the 
 
 1 It occurs in the same sense in Rabbinic literature (Ber. 17a; Rosh ha 
 Shanah, 4a). Stier, H. 1S8; Edersheim, H., p. 70). 
 
 2 The Sadducees (Matt. 16 : 6) are omitted by Mark, not because Herod 
 was a Sadducee, but for the reason that the Herodians, although a political 
 party, represent the Sadducean tendency of liberalism and were often 
 joined with the Pharisees against Christ (3:6; Matt. 22 : 16). Mark has 
 adopted the stronger term in the antithesis, Christ having joined " Sad- 
 ducees " with " Herod." 
 
142 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [viii. 16-18. 
 
 broad servants of Rome, they are one in the evil spirit of 
 opposition against Christ, and show, " unbelieving hypoc- 
 risy and hypocritical unbelief in their inmost unity, as it 
 must betray itself in the inimical communion against God's 
 truth in Christ." — Stier. Against this power of hypoc- 
 risy, so dangerous to truth and so seductive, the dis- 
 ciples, and in them, all believers are warned. Vcr. 16. 
 TJicy reasoned one with anotJicr, saying, ^ We have 2 no 
 bread. The twelve suppose that Christ used their lack of 
 bread to warn them against eating any bread made by 
 Pharisees and Sadducees, or being at table with them. 
 This would necessitate their leaving the world.^ They 
 are so bound up in the outward that they do not see the 
 spiritual. The weaker the faith, the greater is the 
 care of bodily things. Ver. 17. Jesus pereeiving their 
 reasoning said, Why . . . yet (i Cor. 3:2; Hebr. 
 12:4) perceive, do you after all your opportunities 
 not notice with your heart (John 12 : 40) the applica- 
 tion of my words, neither understand by reflection their 
 meaning? have ye your heart hardened? (6: 52) has 
 it become so impervious to spiritual suggestions ? 
 Ver. 18. Having eyes, or better, ye have eyes and see 
 not, ears and hear not. You possess spiritual re- 
 ceptive organs, which you do not use. Do ye not 
 remember ? The memory of former help should have 
 led them to look beyond the external. Therefore 
 
 1 "ktyovTEq (x, B, D) is opposed by A, C, L, N, and was probably supplied 
 from Matthew. The following on serves the same purpose. 
 
 2 e;^;o//f:v is to be retained against kxoveiv of B. It is found in A, C, L, 
 N, etc. 
 
 ^ The interpretation of Klostermann, Weiss, that the disciples thought 
 that Jesus would have them guard against leaven, possibly poisoned, which 
 the Pharisees might attempt to smuggle into their midst ; and the supposi- 
 tion of Edersheim, that they supposed they should seek a sign, are both 
 strained and fanciful. 
 
VIII. 19-22.] CHAPTER VIII. 143 
 
 Christ questions them (ver. 19, 20^) about the broken 
 pieces left after the two miracles of feeding, and finally 
 asks, Ver. 21, Do ye . . . understand? Recalling the 
 miracle do ye still cling to the bread.'' Then they under- 
 stood (Matt. 16: 12). Although " they have been very 
 forgetful of the favor, which they have but lately re- 
 ceived," — Calvin, and Christ must rebuke them strongly, 
 He does so in " great mildness." — Chrysostom. " What 
 patience He has with the ignorance of the apostles, and 
 with their weakness of faith. He does not go and leave 
 them as the Pharisees ; but He bears and corrects their 
 folly in the most pleasant manner and must explain Him- 
 self over against them, as against children, with clearest 
 words about what He has said, and accommodate Himself 
 to their capacity. And they do not reject the love, the 
 confidence and honor toward Him, but as upright disciples 
 suffer the chastisement of their master gladly and are 
 thereby bettered." — LUTHER. 
 
 22-26. And they come unto Bethsaida. And they bring to him a blind 
 man, and beseech him to touch him. And he took hold of the blind man 
 by the hand, and brought him out of the village ; and when he had spit on 
 his eyes, and laid his hands upon him, he asked him, Seest thou aught ? 
 And he looked up, and said, I see men ; for I behold them as trees, walk- 
 ing. Then again he laid his hands upon his eyes ; and he looked sted- 
 fastly, and was restored, and saw all things clearly. And he sent him away 
 to his home, saying, Do not even enter into the village. 
 
 Ver. 22. And they, Jesus and His disciples, come unto 
 Bethsaida on the northeastern coast of the lake (Grotius, 
 Griesbach, Meyer, Klostermann, Lange, Keil, Nosgen), 
 which was greatly improved by Philip the tetrarch and called 
 Julias in honor of the daughter of the Emperor Augustus. 
 The people (7 : 32) bring unto him a blind man, who had 
 
 1 For the two Greek words for "basket" referred to in the margin 
 of the Rev, Version, see note to ver. 8. 
 
144 ^-^^ GOSPEL OF S7\ MARK. [vtii. 23-25 
 
 become blind by disease, and bcscccJi Christ to touch Jiiui^ 
 with a magical idea of the power proceeding from Jesus 
 (5 : 23, 27). Human weakness would ever prescribe to 
 Christ, but He knows the true way. Ver. 23. He . . . 
 village to be alone with him (7: 33). "To the blind 
 man receiving sight the view of heaven and divine works 
 in nature would be more joyful than that of human works 
 in the village." — Bengel. WIioi he had spit ^ on his eyes, 
 which had "a sacramental import," — CoOK, (6 : 56; 7 : 
 33), and laid his hand upon him (5 : 23) lie asked, 5eest 
 thou aught ? 2 This question, making the saliva and touch 
 healing by the word, is directed toward calling forth the 
 effort of the man, who, Ver. 24, looked . . . walking. 
 Remembering before his blindness how men looked, this 
 man recognizes them ; but his vision is still so unschooled, 
 that they seem in height as trees while their motion 
 proves them men.^ " The eyes of the understanding, 
 that have been opened, do not see all truths at once, but 
 in the beginning we must bear with weakness" (2 Cor 4 : 
 6). — Hedinger, Starke. Ver. 25. Then again Jesus 
 laid his hands upon Ids eyes. " He laid on His hands that 
 He might show that His flesh was the instrument through 
 
 1 The story of Tacitus (Hist. 4:81), adopted by Suetonius and Dio 
 Cassius, that Vespasian, upon request, healed a blind man by his spittle, is 
 used by Holtzmann to discredit Christ's miracle. But Holtzmann forgets to 
 state that the physicians previously pronounced the man not incurable, and 
 accepts, without criticism, an account told with an evident purpose to 
 exalt the emperor. He does not notice the probable collusion of the phy- 
 sicians. (Cf. Morison, p. 219.) 
 
 2 The "if" (si) introduces a direct question, therefore the Rev. Vers, is 
 preferable to the indirect rendering of the Auth. Ver. (Winer, p. 509). 
 
 •■^ That blind men when couched first see unclearly and are especially mis- 
 taken as to distance and magnitude is proved by the well-known case of 
 Chesselden, as well as later ones. (See Berkley, Principles of Human 
 Knowledge, ed. by \)\. Krauth, p. 323.) But Mark has not rt-latud il'i^ to 
 show his knowledge of physiology. (Bauer.) 
 
VIII. J5. 26.] CHAPTER VIII. 145 
 
 which and with which He, the eternal Word, performed 
 all works of vivification," — CHEMNITZ. The blind man 
 then looked steadfastly through the apparent veil, luas 
 restored (3 : 5) and saw all things clearly, lit. glistening 
 in the distance.^ This progressive healing, found only in 
 Mark, who alone has reported the parable of progressive 
 growth (4 : 26 sq.), is told not so much to exhibit the 
 full liberty of Christ in His method of procedure (Calvin), 
 but to show the loving kindness of the Lord, who con- 
 descends to the weakness of the faith of the blind man, 
 and leads him gradually to sight and faith. It is sym- 
 bolical of the progress of the disciples from blindness 
 (ver. 21) to true, distinct vision (ver. 29). "Knowledge 
 in spiritual things is gradual." — Starke. Ver. 26. Christ 
 sent the man to his home in another village, saying, Do^ 
 not even enter the village of Bethsaida through which you 
 were led, for rumor will injure your soul (i : 44 ; 7 : 36 ; 
 9 : 30). Christ desires of those, whom He helps, that 
 they should in solitude consider His gracious love. 
 
 27-9 : I. And Jesus went forth, and his disciples, into the villages of Cae- 
 sarea Philippi : and in the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Who 
 do men say that I am ? And they told him, saying, John the Baptist : and 
 others, Elijah ; but others, One of the prophets. And he asked them. But 
 who say ye that I am ? Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the 
 Christ. And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. And 
 he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and 
 be rejected by the elders, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, 
 and after three days rise again. And he spake the saying openly. And 
 Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But he turning about, and see- 
 ing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and saith. Get thee behind me, Satan : for 
 
 1 TTj7.avyuQ (A, B, D) and not (hi'/avyur (C, L), which emphasizes rather the 
 distinctness (S^/nq) than the distance, (rfjle, afar.) 
 
 - The words " nor tell it to any in the town " (Auth. V.), which follow, 
 and have given such difficulty to some interpreters, are justly omitted accdg. 
 to N, B, L. They contain an e.xplanatory gloss. 
 10 
 
146 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARA'. [viii. 27-29. 
 
 thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men. And he called 
 unto him the multitude with his disciples, and said unto them, If any man 
 would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and fol- 
 low me. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it ; and whosoever 
 shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's shall save it. For what doth 
 it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life ? For what 
 should a man give in exchange for his life? For whosoever shall be 
 ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, 
 the Son of man also shall be ashamed of him, when he cometh in the glory 
 of his Father with the holy angels. And he said unto them. Verily I say 
 unto you, There be some here of them that stand f>y, which shall in no wise 
 taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God come with power. 
 
 Ver, 27. From Bethsaida Jesus . . . Philippi, which, 
 called Philippi to distinguish it from the Caesarea 
 of Palestine (Strabo's Tower), received its name from 
 the tetrarch Philip, who changed the original Paiwas, 
 an appellation due to a cave dedicated to Pan, to 
 Caesarea in honor of the emperor (Jos. Antiq. XVIII. 
 2, I ; Wars, II. 9, i). It belonged to Syria, and was 
 situated in a quiet well-watered mountain-gap, near 
 the source of the Jordan, among the southern spurs of 
 Mt. Hermon, about 120 miles north of Jerusalem. Its 
 population was largely Gentile. Later its old name 
 revived as Banias.^ Not into this city but its surround- 
 ing villages Jesus came, In the . . . am? "Thede.sign 
 of Christ was to confirm His disciples fully in the true 
 faith, that they might not be tossed about amidst various 
 reports." — Calvin. Ver. 28. And they to/d him, saying, 
 some following the opinion of Herod (6 : 16), John the 
 Baptist; others Elijah (6 : 15); but others, one of the 
 prophets (6: 15). All these various opinions honor Christ, 
 but not fully. Ver. 29. Therefore he ... am ? This 
 question was the aim of the former. By it, those who 
 have been with Him and know His words and works are 
 
 1 Holtzmann, p. 190; Robinson, Res. III., p. 360; Lat. Res., p. 404; Por- 
 ter, Damascus, I., p. 317 ; Thomson, I., p. 343 sq. ; Tristram, Land of Is' ael, 
 p. 585 sq. 
 
VIII. 29-31.] CHAPTER VIII. 147 
 
 to " be led to a sublimer notion, and not to fall into the 
 same low view as the multitude." — ChrysoSTOM. And 
 Peter, " the ever-fervent, the leader of the apostolic choir," 
 — CHRYSOSTOM (i : 29), saith . . . Christ (i : i). In 
 this confession, which concluded with the acknowledg- 
 ment of divine Sonship (Matt. 16 : 16), all former con- 
 fessions (John I : 49 ; Matt. 14 : 33 ; John 6 : 69) are 
 summed up most fully and clearly in the proclamation of 
 the Messiahship of Jesus and His divine-human person- 
 ality. Even the short form of Mark includes this in the 
 light of O, T. prophecy. " In these words the whole 
 Apostle's creed is included." — LUTHER. " Here the one 
 true Catholic faith is originally confessed, and because we 
 heartily hold the same faith, we are indeed the right 
 Catholics." — CHEMNITZ. Ver. 30. And 1 . . . him, be- 
 cause the false messianic expectations in Israel would 
 be attached to Him. " Truths have their time in which 
 they are to be discovered ; at times silence is better than 
 speaking." — OUESNEL, Starke. Ver. 31. Jesus began 
 to teach His disciples, that " His kingdom is not temporal 
 or earthly," — LUTHER, for the Son of man (2 : 10) must 
 suffer many things. The sufferings of Christ in their 
 variety and greatness were necessary because prophesied 
 (Luke 24 : 46), for the perfection of Jesus (Hebr. 2 : 10) 
 and for the deliverance of men (Is. 53 : 4 ; Matt. 8 : 17). 
 He had also to be rejected (Ps. 118 : 22 ; Mark 12 : 10) by 
 the elders of the Sanhedrim, who were the non-clericals, 
 probably chosen for their standing and political influence. 
 These with the chief=priests, the men of high-priestly 
 
 ^ The omission of the praise of Peter (Matt. 16 : 17 sq.), while proving 
 that it was not absolutely essential (Beza), cannot be accounted for on the 
 ground of its having no "independent meaning " (selbstandige Bedeutung) 
 (Weiss) here ; but it is due rather to the character of the readers (Meyer, 
 Keil) and Peter's humility. 
 
148 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [vm. 31. 
 
 families, and scribes (2 : 6), the ofificial interpreters of law 
 and tradition, were the constituents of the national 
 religious assembly of the Seventy.^ These leaders 
 would necessarily reject Christ, as He sees, for His 
 truthful opposition to their error and hypocrisy. He 
 would also be killed by this enmity,^ but for the 
 salvation of men (Rom. 5 : 6; 2 Cor. 5:15; Hebr. 9 : 12); 
 and after three days 3 rise again (16 : 6). The rising, nec- 
 essary according to Scriptures (i Cor. 15 14), was to be 
 the proof of the acceptance of Christ's atoning death and 
 His inherent life-power (Roin. 4 : 25 ; John 14 : 19). 
 While John mentions the early consciousness of Jesus 
 about His sufferings (John 2 : 19, 22 ; 3 : 14, 15 ; 6 : 51, 
 etc.), the synoptical gospels, beside the figurative indica- 
 tion (Luke 12, 49, 50), mention four distinct announce- 
 ments, of which this is the first. (2) 9 : 30; (3) 10 : 33 ; (4) 
 Matt. 26 : 2.^ There is a progress in these announce- 
 ments, beginning with this declaration of the necessity of 
 suffering. In 9 : 31 the action of the enemies is indicted 
 as going beyond the circle of the Jews (" delivered up 
 into the hands of men "), preparing for the third declara- 
 tion (10 : 33), which introduces the Gentiles and describes 
 the details of the suffering most fully. Everywhere the 
 resurrection is attached. Therefore " the glory of Christ's 
 
 1 Holtzmann, p. 48; Edersheim, I., p. 93, 96, 263. "Sanhedrim" in 
 Smith's & Schaff's Bible Diet. ; Nebe, Leidensgeschichte, I., p. 11. 
 
 ■^ Schnedermann (II. 137) fixes upon Christ's opposition to the Jewish 
 Sabbath-laws as the cause of His crucifixion. But the real cause was the 
 bitter enmity of a detected and censured hypocrisy, which sought apparent 
 and real transgressions of the traditional law, not of the Sabbath alone, and 
 finally found blasphemy as the condemning charge. 
 
 3 This characteristic expression of Mark is not in contradiction with "on 
 the third day " and the actual facts ; for the three days are not reckoned 
 with mathematical exactitude, but spoken of with popular latitude, which 
 counts part of a day as a day. 
 
 * Schmid's N. T. Theol., p. 215; Nosgen, I., p. 395. 
 
VIII. 32, 33-] CHAPTER VIII. 14^ 
 
 resurrection should be always exhibited in connection 
 with the ignominy of His death." — Calvin. Ver. 32. 
 And he . . . openly, not in a parable (2 : 20 ; Matt. 12 : 
 40), but with " great boldness " (2 Cor. 3 : 12) to prepare 
 His disciples. And Peter took him aside, and began to 
 rebuke him (cf. Matt. 16 : 22). Peter is sorely scandal- 
 ized." — Luther. It is not only adverse to his thoughts, 
 that He whom he has a little while before confessed as 
 God should die as if but a man (Augustine), but he sees 
 in this death a failure of the Kingdom, and would there- 
 fore restrain Jesus. But Peter's intentions, pious as they 
 seemed, were utterly wrong. " If reason undertakes to 
 judge God's mysteries it will always err and fail " (i Cor. 
 2:12 sq.).— QuESNEL, Starke. Ver. 33. But Christ 
 turning abont away from Peter, and seeing his disciples, in 
 their presence and hearing, rebuked Peter, who " while he 
 rebukes merits rebuke,"— Bengel, which is administered, 
 that no other disciple may ever venture to dictate to 
 Christ, if His way be different from their thoughts. 
 Christ saith, . . . Satan, In this severe rebuke Peter is 
 not called Satan.i but behind Peter's words is the Adver- 
 sary, who urges the same abandonment of suffering as in 
 the former temptation (cf. Matt. 4 : 10), but in a different 
 mode. He uses Peter's flesh and blood (Eph. 6 : 12) to 
 dissuade Jesus from being obedient, who as a man was 
 not without dread of His suffering (Luke 12 : 50; Mark 
 14 : 36). " This unsinful feeling Satan touches to move 
 the obedient servant of God to a sinful will." — Besser. 
 Christ repels him, and then says to Peter: for . . . men. 
 
 ^ Augustine refers " Satan " to Peter, because he goes before rather than 
 follows (Ps. XXXV. 5; LVI. 6; On John, Tract. XXVII. 8; Enchir. C. 
 loi ; Ag. Faustus VIII. 2 ; XXVI. 8). Thus also Chrysostom, Horn. LIV. 
 6 on Matt. ; Luther, Walch, VII. 297 ; Calvin, Harm, of Matt. Mark, Luke. 
 II., p. 302. 
 
150 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [Viii. 33, 34. 
 
 Thy thoughts are not, as in thy confession, of the Father 
 (Matt. 16 : 17), but human.^ And these human ideas 
 against the cross, natural and innocent as they seem, are 
 opposed to God's plan and agreeable to Satan. " The 
 human is often the profane." — Stier. " This rebuke 
 was not lost on Peter, for, after his correction and full 
 preparation, he preached even to his own death the truth 
 of the death of Christ." — AUGUSTINE. Ver. 34. And 
 Jesus called unto him the imtltit7idc, that had gathered 
 even in that Gentile region, with his disciples, and said, 
 turning from His cross to that of His followers, and 
 " openly indicating and presupposing His own cross 
 in theirs," — Stier, If . . . cross. The free desire to 
 follow Christ necessitates the denial of the old, sinful 
 " I " : otherwise Christ is denied. After Him each one 
 is to bear his cross, which, as shameful as it is painful, is 
 not every suffering, but that borne willingly for Christ's 
 sake. It dare not be self-imposed, but must be divinely 
 ordered. Every one has his cross. Christ " does not 
 teach that we should carry the cross He bore. For every 
 one a cross is prepared, i. e. after the measure of the 
 strength of every one (for we cannot suffer the same 
 things, because we are not alike in faith and power of 
 the Spirit)." — LUTHER. But without cross, no Christian. 
 " None can be reckoned to be the disciples of Christ 
 unless they are true imitators of Him, and are willing to 
 pursue the same course." — Calvin. Ver, 35.2 For . . . 
 save it. The life^ of man, derived from the life-giving 
 
 1 Augustine, Ps. LVI. 14 ; Luther, Walch, VII. 299. 
 
 ^ This saying is uttered again three times : Matt. 10 : 39; Luke 17 : 33 ; 
 John 12 : 25. (Maclcar.) 
 
 8 The original meaning of '^vxh (nephesh) is life in its specialization in the 
 individual, particularly man. It involves " the conception of a person living, 
 but not self-living. It marks the person of a man, but not man as a per- 
 
vin. 35-37.] CHAPTER VII/. 15 1 
 
 spirit (Gen. 2 : 7), which as the divine principle was to 
 assert itself in man, has through sin become divorced 
 from the spirit (Gen, 6 : 3), and enslaved by the body. 
 To save this life, thus sinfully determined, by avoiding 
 the cross, is to lose true life eternally. To surrender 
 this life for Christ's sake and the gospel's — in the pro- 
 clamation and life of which the suffering for Christ's sake 
 is to be endured as it is the message of Him — would save 
 the real life, which Christ as the vivifying spirit imparts 
 (i Cor. 15 : 45). " Let him that is afraid of losing only 
 think what he shall find." — Canstein, Starke. Ver. 
 36. For . . . lite? What advantage is it to gain the 
 world, if it were possible, with its fulness of wealth, power, 
 pleasure, and thereby forfeit true eternal life? ''Why 
 does man seek so much the drops of peace, or the little 
 parts of the world, if the whole world full of goods would 
 conduce to eternal condemnation?" — LUTHER. Ver. 37. 
 For . . . life? As infinite as is the value of true life, so 
 impossible is it for man to give anything as price of ex- 
 change for his life (Ps. 49 : 7). This can only be done by 
 the divine Son of man (10 : 45). If He be rejected there 
 is no price. " A lost soul cannot be redeemed again, but 
 the certain law remains, that in hell there is no redemp- 
 tion except through Me. But those are lost without Me, 
 not for My sake ; therefore they have not the ransom, 
 i. e. Me, and thus they are lost eternally without hope." 
 — Luther. Ver. 38. For . . . me, the suffering son of 
 
 son." (Delitzsch.) From this idea " soul " has been derived. (Cf. R. v.- 
 Raumer concg. " Geist u. Seele " in Delitzsch's Bibl. Psychol., p. 145.) The 
 translation " life " is, however, preferable here and in the next verse, for while 
 it does not express the idea of individuation included in i/'i'-T'A it approaches 
 nearer to its wideness than "soul." Cf. Ohler, O. T. Theol., p. 149; Hof- 
 mann, Weiss, u. ErfiilL, I. 17 sq. ; Delitzsch, Bibl. Psychol. (2 ed.), p. 96 sq. ; 
 119 sq. ; 233 sq. ; 25S sq. ; 281 sq. ; Cremer, p. 949, and in Herzog-l^litt, 
 Realencyc. V. i sq. 
 
152 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [viii. 38.-ix. t 
 
 man, and . . . generation (ver. 1 2). This refers primarily 
 to the Jews, adulterous in breaking the spiritual marriage 
 between Jehovah and themselves (Isai. 54 : 5 ; Jer. 3 : 14; 
 31 : 32 ; Hos. 2 : 2 ; 3 : i ; 9:1), and in consequence sinful 
 in every way. Who cannot even bear the reproach of 
 Christ from such a generation, whose mockings are really 
 an honor, of him the . . . cometh to judgment in the 
 glory of his Father (John 17:5; Hebr. i : 3), the bright 
 effulgence of divine essence imparted by the Father to 
 the only-begotten Son (i : 11);^ with his holy angels 
 (Matt. 24 : 31 ; 2 Thess. i : 7), the glorious, heavenly serv- 
 ants, mighty in strength (Ps. 103 : 20). What folly to 
 be ashamed of the humble Christ and to lose the partic- 
 ipation in His glory! Chap. 9 : i,^ Christ said: Verily 
 . . . power. As a pledge of the final coming with glory 
 a near approach within the life-time of some disciples is 
 announced. This revelation of the Kingdom with power 
 took place in the destruction of Jerusalem, which is the 
 first stage of the final judgment preparatory to the con- 
 summation of the Kingdom (ch. 13). Such a beginning 
 of the second Advent would prove that Christ was sitting 
 at the right hand of God, in glory and power. 
 
 ^ On 66^a see Cramer, p. 312. 
 
 2 The connection of this verse with the ninth chapter by Hugo a St. 
 Caro is evidently wrong (Matt. 16 : 27, 2S). Possibly it was due to the 
 interpretation of Origen, Hilary, Jerome, Theophylact, Leo the Great, 
 which refers these words to the Transfiguration, 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 2-8. And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and 
 John, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart by themselves : 
 and he was transfigured before them : and his garments became glistering, 
 exceeding white ; so as no fuller on earth can whiten them. And there 
 appeared unto them Elijah with Moses : and they were talking with Jesus. 
 And Peter answereth and saith to Jesu.s, Rabbi, it is good for us to be here: 
 and let us make three tabernacles ; one for thee, and one for Moses, and 
 one for Elijah. For he wist not what to answer; for they became sore 
 afraid. And there came a cloud overshadowing them : and there came a 
 voice out of the cloud, This is my beloved Son: hear ye him. And sud- 
 denly looking round about, they saw no one any more, save Jesus only 
 with themselves. 
 
 Ver. 2. y^;/^ after six days, the exact time since the 
 announcement of His sufferings (8 : 31), designated by- 
 Luke (9 : 28) in a general way as eight days,i Jesus . . . 
 John, to show them the glory, that had previously (5 : 37) 
 made Him master of death, and would be His as victor 
 after His humiliation (14 : 33), that their faith might be 
 confirmed ; and bringctJi tJicm tip into a high mountain, 
 which was not Tabor,^ but the high peak of Mount Her- 
 
 1 Thus Lightfoot, Fritzsche, Godet, and Nebe harmonize rather than in 
 the manner accepted since Augustine, who supposes that Matthew and 
 Mark " regarded simply the intermediate days." He is followed by Jerome, 
 Chrysostom, Luther, Calvin, Erasmus, and most of the later commentators. 
 (Cf. Augustine, De Cons. II. C. LVI. 113; Luther, Walch, VII., p. 321b.) 
 
 2 The traditional view, accepting Mt. Tabor in Galilee about six miles 
 south-east of Nazareth, which is found in Origen, Jerome, and Cyril of 
 Jerusalem, is untenable because of the existence of a city on the top of 
 Tabor. Robinson (Res. III. 222 sq.), after the lead of Lightfoot and 
 Roland, has thoroughly disproved the traditional view, and his position is 
 adopted by almost all modern exegetes. 
 
154 7'^^ GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 2, 3. 
 
 nion,^ whose solitude was best fitted for prayer (Luke 
 9 : 28), and which in its grandeur best corresponds to the 
 revelation to be made of Christ. He , . . them. In 
 view of the elect three Jesus was changed from the form 
 of servant (Phil. 2 : 7) to the form of God (Phil. 2 : 6). 
 This was not due to God's special appearance (Exod. 34: 
 29), but was made possible by Christ's inherent divine life 
 and essence, whose glory shone out from Him as majesty 
 (2 Pet. I : 16), predicting His future eternal glory, which 
 was His in past eternity (John 12 : 16; 17: 5, 22, 24). 
 The actualization of the transfiguration was however not 
 the independent deed of Christ, but a gift of the Father 
 granted upon prayer (Luke 9 : 28). It was no myth (2 
 Pet. I : 16), but a real occurrence, proving that Christ as 
 light (John I : 7) and life (John 14 : 6) would not be con- 
 quered by death, but as life-giving spirit (i Cor. 15 : 45) 
 would permeate even the mortal body, and bring about 
 the resurrection and transfiguration of believers (2 Cor. 
 3 : 18; Matt. 13 : 43 ; Phil. 3 : 21)? " It was something 
 wonderful that Christ was transfigured in the mortal body, 
 still subject to suffering, and has shown the glory of 
 immortality while yet in mortality." — LUTHER. Ver. 3. 
 His . . . glistering,^ exceeding white ; so as no fuller on 
 earth can ivhiten them. The glory rested not only upon 
 the countenance (Matt. 17:2; Luke 9 : 29) of Jesus, but 
 came forth from His whole body, whose brightness made 
 the garments so wondrously light and white as to sur- 
 
 1 The low spur Panium, suggested by Hasaeus, Lightfoot, Kuinoel, 
 Thomson, is exchided by the explicit mention of the ascent and 
 height. Therefore, the Hermon itself is the most probable spot, as 
 claimed by Pauhis, Michaelis, Ammon, Porter, Cook, Nebe, Ebers, Guthe. 
 
 2 Cf. especially v. Hofmann, Schriftbeweis, 2, i, 518; Nosgen, I., p. 
 423 sq. 
 
 3 Glistering is an old form for glistening. (See Spenser's Hymn of Heav- 
 enly Beauty, ver. 17.) 
 
IX. 4-] CHAPTER IX. 155 
 
 pass the greatest skill of the fuller.^ With light was 
 Jesus divinely clad (Ps. 104 : 2 ; Hab. 3 : 4), whose 
 heavenly glory is incomparable to the greatest human 
 beauty and art. Ver. 4. And . . . floses. This appear- 
 ance of Elijah and Moses was no spiritual vision ^ or 
 dream (Luke 9 : 32), but a real visible fact. The disciples 
 knew the O. T. saints, either because Jesus addressed them 
 as such (Nosgen), or more probably by "extraordinary 
 revelation." — Calvin. Elijah, mentioned first because 
 most prominent in the Jewish messianic expectations, 
 appeared with Moses. The latter as the law-giver and 
 " moulder " (Tertullian), the former as the " reformer " 
 (Tertullian) of the theocracy by the institution of 
 prophecy, testify to Jesus as the representatives of law 
 and prophecy, not only by their past activity but by their 
 miraculous end (2 Kings. 2 : 11 ; Deut. 34 : 6; Jude 9), 
 which pointed to the future completion of their work in 
 a real antitype.^ They, proving " that the dead are not 
 dead," — Luther, were talking wit Ji Jesus of His decease 
 
 1 This comparison of Mark testifies to the ability of the fullers, who, 
 having their fields (2 Kings 18 : 17 ; Isai. T •■ 2)\ 36 : 2) outside of the city 
 because their trade was considered unclean, used lye, natron (Prov. 
 25:20; Jer. 2:22), and soap (Mai. 3:2), possibly the juice of some 
 plant. They not only prepared new cloth, but washed clothing. Because 
 they were brought into relation with women their occupation was not 
 highly valued. (Cf. Delitzsch, Jiid. Handwerkerleben zur Zeit Jesu, p. 41 ; 
 Geikie, p. 203.) 
 
 2 Tertullian (ag. Marcion, IV. 22) is the father of the modem visionary 
 theorists of mental visions. 
 
 ^ The position of Nosgen (I. 428), that the appearance of Moses and 
 Elijah was to assure Jesus of the pleasure of God and of all true members of 
 the kingdom in His work, and to confirm Him against Jewish enmity, which 
 appealed to these witnesses, imparts a defensive tinge to the transfigura- 
 tion, after the manner of Chrysostom (Horn, on Matt. LVI. 3). It is, how- 
 ever, unwarranted by the text, and imported from the conversation (ver. 
 II sq.), which was caused by the appearance of Elijah, but is not offered as 
 an explanation of it. 
 
156 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 5-7. 
 
 (Luke 9 : 31), in which with the resurrection following 
 law and prophecy were fulfilled (Luke 24 : 44). Ver. 5. 
 And Peter, impulsive as ever, said to Jesus, when he saw- 
 Elijah and Moses about departing (Luke 9 : 33), Rabbi, 
 Master, Teacher, the highest Jewish title of honor aiul 
 authority 1 (Matt. 23 : 7, 8), it is good for vs to be here ; 
 for you and us it is advantageous (9 : 42, 43 ; 14 : 21 ; 1 
 Cor. 7 : 26) to be in such a place and in such company ; 
 let us make three tabernacles, booths of boughs as those 
 of the feast of Tabernacles. Peter thinks it better to 
 remain here in glory, than to descend into suffering, and 
 would build dwellings for Elijah, " who brought down 
 fire on the mountain, and Moses who entered into the 
 thick darkness and talked with God." — Chrysostom. 
 But while thus attempting to save Jesus from suffering, 
 and desirous of a kingdom of glory without a cross, Peter 
 dishonors Christ by honoring Elijah and Moses equally. 
 But, Ver. 6, he wist 2 . . . afraid. The great fear com- 
 mon to all moved Peter to speak so foolishly and propose 
 earthly homes for heavenly beings. Ver. 7. And there 
 . . . them. God answers Peter by sending His own 
 tabernacle to Moses and Elijah. It was the bright (Matt. 
 17 : 5) cloud of His gracious presence (Exod. 16: 10; 
 24 : 18 ; 40 : 34 ; I Kings 8 : 10, 11) full of glorious 
 majesty, and by its effulgent intensity " dark with excess of 
 light," — Milton (i Tim. 6: i6). The disciples " were not 
 yet prepared for beholding the brightness of the heavenly 
 glory. For, when the Lord gave tokens of His presence, 
 He employed, at the same time, some coverings to restrain 
 the arrogance of the human mind." — Calvin. And . . . 
 voice (i : ii ; John 12 : 28) . , . him. These words, ut- 
 
 1 Cf. Edersheim, II., p. 381, 407 sq. 
 
 ■■^ Wist (knew) is the preterite of the Anglo-Saxon verb witan (German, 
 wissen). 
 
IX. 7-9-] CHAPTER IX. 157 
 
 tered at Christ's baptism before His temptation, are 
 repeated to attest His divine Sonship and the Father's 
 pleasure (Matt. 17: 5) in the greater obedience, soon to 
 be manifested in His sufferings (Hebr. 5 : 8). The psahns, 
 prophets and the law are cited (Ps. 2:7; Isai. 42 : i : 
 Deut. 18 : 15) to show that Moses and the Prophets are 
 heard when Christ is listened to, whom the disciples are 
 therefore bidden to hear. He is " the only Teacher, that 
 on His mouth alone it may depend."— Calvin. Ver. 8. 
 And . . . themselves. When the three recovered from 
 the dread of the voice (Matt. 17 : 6, cf. Exod. 20 : 19; 
 Hab. 3 : 2, 16 ; Hebr. 12 : 19), and looked up and around 
 from the ground on which they had been prostrate on 
 their faces (Matt. 17 : 6; cf. Exod. 3 : 6; i Kings 19 : 
 13) they saw Jesus alone. He remains after the shadows 
 of the O. T. (Col. 2:17) have disappeared. " We must 
 only hold to Christ for He is all, and in all " (Col. 3:11). 
 — Starke. 
 
 9-13. And as they were coining down from the mountain, he charged 
 them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, save when 
 the Son of man should have risen again from the dead. And they kept the 
 saying, questioning among themselves what the rising again from the dead 
 should mean. And they asked him, saying, The scribes say that Elijah 
 must first come. And he said unto them, Elijah indeed cometh first, and 
 restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of man, that he 
 should suffer many things and be set at naught ? But I say unto you, that 
 Elijah is come, and they have also done unto him whatsoever they listed, 
 even as it is written of him. 
 
 Ver. 9. As they descended Christ charged them i-j : 
 36) . . . the dead. Only after the resurrection could 
 the transfiguration be announced, because the other dis- 
 ciples as well as the people would be aroused to false 
 hopes of a glorious outward kingdom and be scandalized 
 by Christ's sufferings, if they believed the message, which 
 they might doubt. " The glory of the resurrection would 
 
158 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 10-12. 
 
 render the previous glory more credible." — Bengel. 
 Ver. 10. The three kept (Luke 2 : 51) within their hearts 
 the saying, Christ's injunction ; but were questioning 
 . . . mean. Their dispute is not about the general re- 
 surrection, but about Christ's. Although told shortly 
 before (8 : 32) they could not comprehend how Jesus 
 could rise, because they do not see how the Christ just 
 transfigured could die. And further, Ver. 11, they 1 . . . 
 come. Probably recalling Christ's earlier assertion that 
 John the Baptist was the Elijah that was to come (Matt. 
 II : 14), the disciples are now in doubt remembering 
 John's death and having seen Elijah (ver. 4). Are not, 
 they reason, the scribes then correct in holding to the 
 bodily re-appearance of Elijah''^ before the day of the 
 Lord (Messiah) as stated Mai. 4 : 5, 6? But now Jesus 
 has come before Elijah has appeared; has then this mes- 
 sianic sign been rightly fulfilled ? Can John be said to 
 have effected what is foretold Mai. 4:6? Jesus answered, 
 Ver. 12, Elijah , . . things. Christ confirms the posi- 
 tion of the scribes as far as the coming first ^ of Elijah 
 according to the Scriptures is concerned, and speaks of 
 his preparatory (Luke i : 17) restorative work (Mai. 4 : 6) 
 in its universality of God's intention (John i : 7), which 
 
 1 The marginal reading, following Beza, Grotius, De Wette, Lachmann, 
 Meyer, Keil, Holtzmann, is tl. But otl, " recitative," is more in accord with 
 Mark and more tenable in N. T. Greek (Winer, p. 167, 457)- It is accepted 
 by Bleek, Ewald, Klostcrmann, ^Vciss, Nosgen. 
 
 ■^ Lightfoot, Ilor. Hebr. on Matt. 17 : 10, 11 ; Edersheim, II. App. VIII., 
 p. 706, " Rabbinic Traditions about Elijah, the Forerunner of the Messiah." 
 
 ^ Justin Martyr admits to Trypho (C. XLIX.) the appearance of Elijah 
 before the second Advent. This is also taught by Tertullian (De Anima, 
 35; De Resurr. Carnis, 22), Origen (Com. on Matt, and John), Jerome (on 
 Matt. II : 15), Augustine (De Civ. Dei, 20 : 29; St. John, Tract. IV., 5, 6), 
 Chrysostom (Horn. LVII. on Matt.).— Luther (Walch, VII., 328 sq.) and 
 Calvin dispute it. There is certainly no proof for it in the words of 
 Christ, however Malachi may be interpreted. 
 
IX. 12, 13.] CHAPTER IX. 159 
 
 Israel's sin hindered (Luke 7 : 30). A complete restitution 
 of all things is not taught (cf. Acts 3:21). The apparent 
 contradiction of John's work and death with this promise, 
 Christ solves with the question, and how . . . Son of man 
 (2 : 10) . . . nau::;ht? If the O. T. shows a Messiah suf- 
 fering (espec. Ps. 22 ; Isia. 53) ^ and^^-^ at naught, counted 
 as nothing (Isai. 53 : 3), who shall restore (Isai. 61 : i sq.), 
 dare the sufferings of the precursor be used to discredit 
 his labor? Ver. 13. But . . . come. John, although 
 not Elijah (John i : 21), was the Elijah of the N. T., like 
 unto him of old in dress (2 Kings, i : 8) in fiery, earnest 
 spirit, in penetrating power and reformatory work (Luke 
 I : 17). Unto him they, the Jews, have also done ivhatso^ 
 ever they listed (desired, German, Lust). They heeded 
 not his words nor liberated him from Herod, but secretly 
 concurred through their leaders in his death, even as it is 
 written, i Kings 19 : i sq., which typifies John's end. 
 What was done to John was a prophecy of what would 
 be done to the Son of man. " Be not astonished that 
 the servants of Christ are badly treated, for it is clearly 
 told in the Scriptures " (Matt. 10: 17 sq.).— QUESNEL, 
 Starke. 
 
 14-29. And when they came to the disciples, they saw a great multitude 
 about them, and scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the 
 multitude, when they saw him, were greatly amazed, and running to him 
 saluted him. And he asked them, What question ye with them ? And one 
 of the multitude answered him. Master, I brought unto thee my son, which 
 hath a dumb spirit ; and wheresoever it taketh him, it dasheth him down : 
 and he foameth, and grindeth his teeth, and pineth away : and I spake to 
 thy disciples that they should cast it out ; and they were not able. And he 
 answered them and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with 
 you ? how long shall I bear with you .' bring him unto me. And they 
 brought him unto him : and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare 
 him grievously ; and he fell on the ground and wallowed foaming. And lie 
 
 1 Ohler's O. T. Theol., p. 531 sq. 
 
i6o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 14-19. 
 
 asked his father, How long time is it since this hath come unto him ? And 
 he said, From a child. And oft-times it hath cast him both into the fire 
 and into the waters, to destroy him : but if thou canst do anything, have 
 compassion on us and help us. And Jesus said unto him. If thou canst ! 
 All things are possible to him that believeth. Straightway the father of the 
 child cried out, and said, I believe ; help thou mine unbelief. And when 
 Jesus saw that a multitude came running together, he rebuked the unclean 
 spirit, saying unto him. Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, come 
 out of him, and enter no more into him. And having cried out, and torn 
 iiim much, he came out: and the child became as one dead; insomuch, 
 that the more part said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and 
 raised him up ; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his 
 disciples asked him privately, sayings We could not cast it out. And he 
 said unto them, This kind can come out by nothing, save by prayer. 
 
 Ver. 14. And xvJicn they, Jesus and the three disciples, 
 came to the others, they . . . them. The scribes used 
 the helplessness of the disciples to impugn their Master. 
 Therefore when, Ver. 15, the multitude saza Jiini, they 
 ivcre greatly amazed, not because His face still shone 
 (Exod. 34 : 29), but because He came so unexpectedly to 
 prove His power when the scribes had conquered. The 
 crowd running to him saluted him with eager, grateful 
 delight. Upon His authoritative question in defence of 
 His disciples, Ver. 17, one . . . spirit, not a demon caus- 
 ing dumbness, but one not speaking through the pos- 
 sessed (on Demoniacs, see EXCURSUS H., p. 31). This 
 spirit, Ver. 18, zvheresoevo' it taketh hi?n, at whatever 
 place it comes upon him, dasheth him down, throws him 
 into convulsions; and he, the boy, foameth at the mouth, 
 grindeth his teeth, and as a result of these attacks, pineth 
 away, wastes away (4 : 6 ; 1 1 : 2 1 ). I spake to thy disciples 
 to cast it out ; a)id they were not able. The help I seek 
 they could not give. Ver. 19. And Jesus answered, O 
 faithless, unbelieving (John 20 : 27; i Cor. 7 : \2)ge)iera- 
 tion (8 : 12, 38). Christ is filled with deep sadness and 
 holy indignation because of this generation, in which 
 
IX. 19-24.] CHAPTER IX. 161 
 
 Deut. 32 : 5, 20 is fulfilled anew. His complaint is 
 against all, the scribes in their perverse unbelief, the 
 father in his doubt, and the undecided disciples, who have 
 dishonored His name. He asks, how long shall I be with 
 yoii until you believe, and bear with you ? bring Jiini unto 
 me. With this command end words, which reveal Jesus 
 again in the pain and long-suffering of His divine mercy, 
 and the patience of His human love. Ver. 20. As the 
 people brought the lad, the demon, zvJieu he sazv Jesus, 
 convulsed the boy, and he , . . foaming. " In propor- 
 tion as the grace of Christ is seen nearer at hand, and 
 acts more powerfully, the fury of Satan is the more highly 
 excited." — Calvin. Jesus, to elicit faith, Ver. 21, asked 
 the father how long his son was thus, and, Ver. 22, he 
 said. From a child. This shows that the possession was 
 not due to special sin (cf. John 9 : 2). The father again 
 describing the terrible malady, how the demon casts his 
 child into fire and water to kill it, asks, almost despairing 
 and remembering the failure of the disciples, but . . . us. 
 In deepest fatherly sympathy the man identifies himself 
 with his son, and asks for deliverance from their common 
 torture ; but he doubts Christ's power, and does not pos- 
 sess the confidence of the leper (i : 40). Ver. 23. Jesus 
 said unto Jiini, If thou canst.i Thou hast said " if thou 
 canst," if thou canst ; the possibility is not on my side, 
 but thine. All . . . believeth (Matt. 17 : 20: Luke 17 : 
 6). The believer will obtain everything that is to his 
 real benefit. The measure of faith is the measure of bless- 
 ings. " By faith man is lord of all things." — LUTIIEK. 
 Ver. 24. Straightway . . . said 2 . . . belief. Upon 
 the word of promise the father's faith struggles into ex- 
 istence, but it is still so weak that the incipient believer 
 
 ^ " Believe " is riglitly omitted according to N, B, C, L, A, etc. 
 2 " With tears " is wanting in K, A, B, C, L, A. 
 II 
 
i62 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 24-29. 
 
 recognizes it to be but unbelief in comparison with what 
 Christ demands, and prays for deliverance from it. As 
 much as faith lacks, unbelief rules. But a soul " destitute 
 of faith, yet terrified at scepticism " would not pray thus, 
 for only in faith is unbelief recognized and felt as an evil. 
 " As our faith is never perfect, we are all partly unbe- 
 lievers." — Calvin. Ver. 25. Jesus, prevented from 
 developing the father's faith by the multitude that came 
 running together, rebuked (i : 25) the demon, calling him 
 also deaf, because this with his silence ^ (ver. 17) char- 
 acterized him. But Christ made even the deaf demon to 
 hear, saying, I . • . him. The cure shall be immediate 
 and lasting. The demon, who had come from time to 
 time (ver, 18, 22), shall never return (Matt. 12 : 45). But 
 he came out, Ver. 26, causing such convulsions, that the 
 lad appeared and was by most called dead. Ver. 27. But 
 . . . hand (5 : 41 ; Dan. 10:9, 10; Rev. i : 17), and raised 
 him up. The touch of Jesus is life-giving. Ver. 28. When 
 Jesus zvas come into the house, where He was staying, his 
 . . . saying 2 . . . out. They cannot understand Avhy, 
 when acting on Christ's order (6 : 7) and in reliance upon 
 their previous experience (6 : 13), they should fail. Ver. 
 29. Christ censuring their little faith (Matt. 17 : 20) said, 
 This kind, this sort of demons, for there is a gradation 
 among demons (Eph. 6 : 12), come . . . prayer.^ Prayer 
 alone, not as an exercise but as a result of faith, will help. 
 Who truly prays believes, and believing prayer will show 
 its power (i i : 23, 24; John 15 : 7). " The faith that has 
 a sharp taste will arouse the spirit of prayer." — LUTHER. 
 
 1 The crying out, which Luke (9 : 39) mentions, is that of the boy as the 
 demon comes upon him, and does not contradict Mark's account of the de- 
 mon as not speaking. 
 
 2 oTi is again recitative and not interrogative. See v. 11. 
 
 8 " And fasting " omitted by j<, B, is very probably a later additioii. 
 
IX. 30-34-] CHAPTER IX. 163 
 
 30-32. And they went forth from thence, and passed through Galilee ; 
 and he would not that any man should know it. For he taught his dis- 
 ciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered up into the hands 
 of men, and they shall kill him ; and when he is killed, after three days he 
 shall rise again. But they understood not the saying, and were afraid to 
 ask him. 
 
 Ver. 30. Jesus passed through Galilee ; and he zvould 
 not that any man should know it, that He might be alone 
 to teach His disciples, Ver. 31, how the hands of tx\QV\ 
 would abuse the Son of man (2 : 10 ; 8:31 sq.) Ver. 32. 
 But the disciples understood )iot (ver. 10) and were afraid to 
 ask, because they had a presentiment of some sad occur- 
 rence. But their Jewish idea of the kingdom prevented 
 them from comprehending the clear words of the Lord. 
 " A confused principle of piety, rather than a clear knowl- 
 edge of the truth, kept them attached to Christ, and pre- 
 vented them from leaving His school." — Calvin. 
 
 33-37- And they came to Capernaum : and when he was in the house he 
 asked them, What were ye reasoning in the way ? But they held their peace : 
 for they had disputed one with another in the way, who 7C'(7S the greatest. 
 And he sat down, and called the twelve ; and he saith unto them, If any 
 man would be first, he shall be last of all, and minister of all. And he took 
 a Uttle child, and set him in the midst of them : and taking him in his arms, 
 he said unto them, Whosoever shall receive one of such little children in 
 my name, receiveth me ; and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth not me, but 
 him that sent me. 
 
 Ver. 33. They . . . Capernaum (i : 21), and when 
 Jesus zc'as in the house of Peter (2:1) He inquired of their 
 disputings on the way. Ver. 34. But they first held their 
 |>eace (3 : 4) being ashamed, and then asked (Matt. 18:1) 
 about their debate, who luas the greatest. Moved by the 
 selection of the favored three, and impelled by Jewish 
 prejudices which made great distinctions of rank in the 
 messianic age,^ the twelve, led by the announcements 
 1 Edersheim, II., p. 116. 
 
1 64 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 34-37. 
 
 (8 : 32 ; 9 : 30) of Jesus to expect a near revelation of the 
 kingdom, disputed who of them would be greater than 
 the others. They did not in honor prefer one another 
 (Rom. 12 : 10). " Pride reigns in almost all conditions." 
 — QUESNEL, Lange. Ver. 35. Jesus sat down (2 : 14; 
 4:1) deliberately, to solemnly teach tJic tzvclvc (3 : 14), 
 whom He called to Himself, and saith . . . all. This 
 word, repeated later (Matt. 20 : 26 ; 23 : 1 1 ; Luke 22 : 
 26), announces as the principle of the kingdom, that the 
 lowest place of service is the highest rank. But the last 
 place shall not be sought to attain the first (Luke 14 : 10), 
 but to serve all (John 13:4 sq.). " Li this kingdom 
 we are not to become great, but to become small." — 
 Luther. Ver. 36. And lie took a little child, ^rohahXy 
 a son of Peter,^ and . . . midst to be seen by all (cf. 3 : 
 3) as a living lesson of childlike humility: «;/c/ taking 
 him into his arms, to show his hearty reception by loving 
 embrace (Luther : herzete), said, Ver. 37. Whosoever 
 . . . children, humble, simple and helpless, in my name, 
 upon the authority (13 : 6; Matt. 7 : 22), power (Luke 
 10: 17) and faith in My name (John 14: 14; 16: 23), 
 receiveth me (Matt. 25 : 40) : and ... me (Matt. 10: 
 40; John 13 : 20). The ready acceptance of all children, 
 literal and spiritual, which is possible only by humble 
 (ver. 35), faith, is the receiving through Christ of the 
 Father, whose authorative representative He is (cf. John 
 5 : 23, 24, 30). To receive the weakest and humblest for 
 Christ's sake, is the entertainment of God Almighty. 
 
 38-50. John said unto him, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy 
 name: and we forbade him, because he followed not us. PJut Jesus said, 
 Forbid him not : for there is no man which shall do a mighty work in my 
 
 1 An untrustworthy tradition of the 9th century claims this honor for Si. 
 Ignatius, because he calls himself ftfofopog, which was construed passively 
 instead of actively (Cook, On Matt. 18 : 2). 
 
IX. 3S. 39.] CHAPTER IX. 165 
 
 name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me. For he that is not against 
 us is for us. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink, because 
 ye are Christ's, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. 
 And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to 
 stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, and he were cast into the sea. And if thy hand cause thee to stumble, 
 cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life maimed, rather than having 
 thy two hands to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. And if thy foot 
 cause thee to stumble, cut it off: it is good for thee to enter into life halt 
 rather than having thy two feet to be cast into hell. And if thine eye cause 
 thee to stumble, cast it out : it is good for thee to enter into the kingdom 
 of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell ; 
 where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. For every one 
 shall be salted with fire. Salt is good : but if the salt have lost its saltness, 
 wherewith will ye season it ? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace one 
 with another. 
 
 Ver. 38. John, thinking about the authority of the 
 name of Christ, relates a case in which he holds this name 
 to have been abused. He said, Master (ver. 5), • • • not 
 us. This man, whom the disciples saw, was no Jewish 
 exorcist (Matt. 12 : 27), nor had he the covetous aim of 
 Simon (Acts 8:18 sq.) and the impure motives of the 
 sons of Sceva (Acts 19 : 13 sq.) ; but the name of Jesus, 
 so widely known, was used by him as a real power to 
 perform miracles, although he was no direct follower of 
 Jesus and the disciples. Because he was not in their out- 
 ward communion they forbade him after the spirit of 
 Joshua (Num. 11 : 28). Ver. 39. But . . . of me. 
 Christ, having in the highest degree the mind of Moses 
 (Num. II : 29) and inspiring Paul to the same spirit (Phil. 
 I : 18), affirms that whosoever performs such deeds must 
 have experience enough of His power to be unable to change 
 so quickly as to blaspheme His name (cf. i Cor. 12:3). 
 Although His name may be used to perform mighty 
 works without faith (Matt. 7 : 22), yet the exorcist that 
 John tells of probably had a germ of faith, that might 
 
i66 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [ix. 39-43. 
 
 develop and was not to be disturbed by intolerant zcal- 
 ousness for visible communion with the disciples. But 
 while Christ does not forbid, He does not enjoin activity 
 outside of the pale of the church. The disciples are to 
 learn that " God has a marvellous method in the dispen- 
 sation of His graces and gifts, and we must not be ready 
 to reject what is not yet perfectly pure and flawless." 
 — Hedingih^, Starke. Ver. 40. For ... us. He 
 whose activity is not directed against our work really 
 works for us. This is no contradiction of Matt. 12 : 30, 
 where inactive neutrality is called decision against Jesus ; 
 for here the non-opposed activity, although without the 
 apostolic circle, is designated as decision for Him. Christ 
 " distinguishes between the worldly neutrality and the 
 neutrality of weakness." — AUGUSTINE. " He is with 
 Christ, who though he does not outwardly follow Christ, 
 yet is not against His doctrine, like Nicodemus, Joseph 
 of Arimithea and other secret disciples of Jesus Christ." 
 — .Starke. This word of Christ absolutely repudiates 
 the position, that beyond a certain communion there is 
 no salvation.^ Ver. 41. For . . . reward (Matt. 10 : 
 42). Not only great activity, but also the least service 
 rendered a disciple for Christ's sake, shall receive its ap- 
 propriate reward from God. The value of this last act 
 shows how highly the inclination toward Christ by work- 
 ing in His name is appreciated. The smallest favor done 
 for Christ's sake is often a sign of incipient faith. To 
 hinder this deserves as great punishment, as the least 
 act of love deserves reward. Ver. 42. And . . . 
 ones, children literally and spiritually, tJiat believe on nie"^ 
 
 1 Augustine (On Baptism, ag. the Donatists, Bk. VII., C. 39, 77) well says : 
 " But there may be something Catholic outside the Catholic Church, just 
 as the name of Christ could exist outside the congregation of Christ, in 
 which name he who did not follow with the disciples was casting out devils." 
 
 - " On me," omitted by N, A, is supported by A, B, L, 2. 
 
IX. 42-47] CHAPTER IX. 167 
 
 (i : 15) to stumble (4 : 17; 6 : 3), be entrapped away 
 from faith, it . . . sea. This punishment of having not 
 an ordinary millstone turned by hand (Matt. 24 : 41 ; Luke 
 17 : 35), but the immense stone moved by an ass hanged 
 about the neck ^ and to be drowned, was not only a 
 Roman, ^ but also a Greek, Syrian and Phenician custom. 
 It was considered one of the severest modes of punish- 
 ment. Such terrible earthly punishment is preferable to 
 being a spiritual rock of offence to the least of the be- 
 lievers and receiving divine punishment. Therefore we 
 should, by self-renunciation, avoid offending others, and 
 becoming a stumbling stone to ourselves. Ver. 43. And 
 . . . off Matt. 5 : 30). The hand, the foot (ver. 45), 
 the eye (ver. 47), the first as the member of activity, the 
 second of our walk, the third of guidance to direct work 
 and walk and through which temptation enters most 
 readily (Gen. 3:6; Matt. 6 : 23) and lust shines out 
 (Matt. 5 : 28 ; I John 2 : 16), are to be cut off, i. e. " tamed 
 through the Spirit, that they do not what sin will have." — 
 Luther. They are not to be instruments of unrighteous- 
 ness (Rom. 6 : 13). It is %ooA for thee to cuter life eiQvndX 
 maimed, halt (ver. 45), with one eye (ver. 47), having 
 had these members as offending and sinful become inactive 
 with their lusts, rather than having them unrestrained in 
 sin, and go into hell (Gehenna). Gehenna is derived from 
 the valley of Hinnom, also called Topheth (2 Kings 23 : 
 10; Isai. 30 : 33), which, situated south of Mount Zion 
 (Josh. 18 : 16), is a gloomy ravine enclosed by bleak hills. 
 Ll^sed during the reign of Ahaz and Manasseh for the 
 idolatry of Molech and Chemosh, to appease whom the 
 
 ^ Although the Talmud (Kidd, 29b) contains this expression, it is as a 
 figure for insurmountable difficulties. Edersheim, II., p. 120. 
 
 - The Romans inflicted it upon some of the leaders of the insurrection 
 under Judas of Galilee. 
 
i68 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [IX. 47-49 
 
 Israelites cast their children into the red-hot arms of a 
 huge brazen statue (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chron. 28 : 3 ; Jcr. 
 7:31), it was profaned by Josiah (2 Kings 23 : 10 sq.) to 
 stop the abomination of such idolatry by scattering 
 human bones and other corrupting matter. It became 
 the place of burial (Jer. 7 : 32), and finally the common 
 cesspool,^ and was regarded with detestation. Thus it 
 arose to be the expression for the final place of torment, 
 which Christ further calls unquenchable fire,'-^ taking up 
 the word of John the Baptist (Matt. 3:12) and confirm- 
 ing the eternity of punishment and its character. Ver. 
 48. Where . . . quenched. Isaiah's expression (66 : 
 24) is adopted by Christ as His. With it He affirms, by 
 the picture of the worm, the inner decay of the dead 
 (Job 17 : 14 ; 21 : 26 : Isai. 14 : 1 1), and by the fire to de- 
 stroy outwardly the wicked and idolaters (Isai. 1:31; 
 27 : 4 ; 47 : 14), the endless pains of conscience of the eter- 
 nally dead and the unceasing action of the holiness of God 
 (fire) (Isai. 10 : 17; Rev. 14: ii;20: 10) against them. 
 The fire is not quenched, because the worm dies not. It 
 is the unchanging perversity which necessitates endless 
 punishment. How can any dare to doubt hell and its 
 damnation, after Christ has so plainly asserted it. Ver. 49. 
 For . . . fire^ . , . salt. Whoever would escape un- 
 quenchable fire, must now be salted, receive the preserva- 
 tive result of the fire oi self-renunciation (ver. 43 sq.) and 
 divinely sent tribulation (i Pet. 4:12; Hebi. 12:6 sq.). 
 Thus he will be an acceptable ofTering(Isai. 66 : 20; Mai. 
 
 1 Plumptre, Thomson, II., 494 sq. ; Porter, Syria, p. 92. 
 
 2 The omission of v. 44 and 46 is upon the authority of K, B, C, L, A, etc. 
 * " And every sacrifice," etc., referred to in the margin by the Revisers, 
 
 is wanting in N, B, L, A, and eleven cursives, and is found in A, C, U, etc., 
 and the majority of uncials. As it presents a real difficulty, it is more prob- 
 able that it was original. 
 
IX. 49. 5°-] CHAPTER IX. 169 
 
 I : II ; Rom. 12 : i) and received after the type of the 
 O. T. sacrifice, both meat-offering (Lev. 2 : 13) and burnt- 
 offering (Ez. 43 : 23, 24), because he is purified and made 
 incorruptible by salt, which is parallel with fire. For 
 " fire is salt and salt is fire." — STILLING. Both penetrate 
 and separate the corruptible, and preserve what is sound, 
 Ver. 50. Salt ... it? 5^r// pictures not, as Matt. 5 : 13, 
 the disciples in their power of preserving the decaying 
 world, but the spirit, which makes them such salt. This 
 is the inward spirit of grace, that works self-sacrifice and 
 sanctification, and is good, life-preserving and saving. But 
 if the Christian has lost this spirit, he is as useless as salt 
 without saltness, ^ fit to be cast out (Matt. 5 : 13). There- 
 fore Christ adds, Have salt in yo2ir selves, and be at peace 
 one ivith another (i Thess. 5 : 13). The possession of salt 
 in the heart, the right spirit of grace, will season words 
 and deeds (Eph. 4 : 29 ; Col. 4 : 6), and must lead to peace 
 and not emulation as to rank (ver. 34), honor, or any other 
 matter among Christians. The salt keeps humble and 
 peaceful. " As the salt is not to salt the salt, but what 
 is unsalted, thus the life-power of the children of God 
 should not be wasted in contention among themselves, 
 but be applied to give life to the world."— Ohlshausen. 
 
 1 Thomson (II. 42 sq.) tells of a merchant, who, having stored up salt in 
 houses with earthen floors, found his salt near the ground entirely spoilt. 
 It was literally thrown into the street and trodden under foot. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 I-I2. And he arose from thence, and cometh into the borders of Judaea 
 and beyond Jordan : and multitudes come together unto him again ; and, 
 as he was wont, he taught them again. And there came unto him Phari- 
 sees, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife ? tempting 
 him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command 
 you ? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to 
 put her away. But Jesus said unto them, For your hardness of heart he 
 wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of the creation, 
 Male and female made he them. For this cause shall a man leave his father 
 and mother, and shall cleave to his wife ; and the twain shall become one 
 flesh : so that they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God 
 hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house the dis- 
 ciples asked him again of this matter. And he saith unto them, Whoso- 
 ever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against 
 her : and if she herself shall put away her husband, and marry another, she 
 committeth adultery. 
 
 Ver. I. C\\x\'~X arose from thence, Capernaum (9 : 33), 
 and coinctli into the borders of Jiidcsa, on His way toward 
 Jerusalem (ver. 32). This is the first Judaean journey 
 reported by the Synoptists, although they presuppose 
 others (Matt. 23 : 37 ; Luke 13 : 34). Entering from the 
 south, He visited also the borders of beyond Jordan, i. c. 
 Peraea (3 : 8).^ And mnltitndes, that gathered (3 : 7, 8), 
 were no longer shunned as in Galilee (9 : 30), but taught. 
 Ver. 2. And . . . wife?^ This question was one much. 
 
 1 This interpretation of Klostermann and Weiss is not generally accepted. 
 Most commentators, e. g. Ewald, Meyer, Lange, Keil, Nosgen, Morison, 
 Cook, etc., regard " and beyond Jordan " as designating the way of approach. 
 
 2 The addition of Matthew (19 : 3) "for every cause " defines the point of 
 discussion more closely ; but Mark's general statement is not contradictory. 
 
 170 
 
X. 2-4-] CHAPTER X. 17 i 
 
 disputed in the Rabbinic schools. The stricter school of 
 Schammai permitted divorce only for unchastity, while 
 the laxer school of Hillel allowed a man to send away his 
 wife for almost any reason, ^ both starting from Deut. 24 : i 
 (" unseemly thing," lit. matter of nakedness).^ Scham- 
 mai was more in the right than Hillel, who used an 
 exegetical possibility to the detriment of morality.^ In 
 this matter the Pharisees sought Christ, tempting him ; 
 that declaring Himself for Schammai He might fall into 
 disfavor with the majority of the people in their loose 
 practice, or taking Hillel's side He might be declared lax, 
 and in contradiction with His own former utterances 
 (Matt. 5 : 32 ; Luke 16 : 17, 18), that were more severe 
 than Schammai. Ver. 3. Wq ansivered. What did Moses *^ 
 command you? and approved of no school, but appealed 
 to the Scriptures, leading back beyond the mooted ques- 
 tion (Matt. 19 : 4 sq.). But the Pharisees in opposition 
 revert again to Deut. 24 : i, saying, Ver. 4, floses . . . 
 away. They claim the legal right of divorce, if properly 
 
 1 In Gift. 90a, the tractate on divorce, the spoihng of a dinner is given 
 as a sufficient ground of divorce. Rabbi Akiba taught that a man might 
 divorce his wife if he saw a more attractive woman. Although many of the 
 better Rabbis discouraged such ideas, the objectionable advice of the liberals 
 obtained. (Edersheim, II., p. 332 sq.) 
 
 2 Errath Dabar. 
 
 3 See Farrar, p. 444, who has well summed up Stier's remarks. 
 
 "» Mark reports Christ as arguing from the Mosaic to the paradisaic law, 
 and not conversely as Matt. But neither Matt. (Stier, Meyer, Baur, Hol- 
 sten) nor Mark (Bleek, Lange, Volkmar, Weiss, Holtzmann) has the 
 original order exclusively ; nor is Mark determined by the character of his 
 readers. (Kiel.) The accounts of the two witnesses can be combined, if 
 V. 3 of Mark is placed before Matt. 19 : 4 : " Have ye not read, etc.," and the 
 assertion Mark v. 4 before the question Matt. v. 7, and v. 6 sq. of Mark 
 after v. 8 of Matt. Christ's double question is then followed by an answer 
 and objecting question of the Pharisees, which Christ meets, and closes up 
 his thought, in the circular manner so frequently found in John, by reassert- 
 ing strongly his second question. (Cf. Augustine, De Cons. II. LXII. 122.) 
 
172 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 5-8. 
 
 done by a written bill of divorce, \\\\\c\\ could not be given 
 suddenly in anger but only after endorsement by a Rabbi. 
 Ver. 5. But . . . commandment. The law to which 
 you appeal, supposing that a Mosaic enactment cannot 
 be sinful, has simply permitted existing conditions, as 
 c. g. blood-revenge (Deut. 19 : i sq.), restricting them as 
 ni'ich as possible. Such permission was necessary for 
 ]'o::r hardness of heart, to which the Law (Exod. 32 : 9; 
 33 : 3 ; Deut. 9 : 6, 27 ; 10 : 16) testifies and which the 
 prophets confirm (Jer. 9 : 26 ; Ezek. 3 : 7). Sin makes 
 certain concessions necessary in law to avoid greater 
 evils ; but sufferance does not mean divine approval. 
 This Jesus shows by appealing to God's original law. 
 Ver. 6. ^Vit from tJic beginning of creation (2 Pet. 3 : 4), 
 Male and Female made he t\\Qm. Christ, to explain the 
 later law of Moses, begins with the divine order of 
 creation, as reported by Moses in his historic foundation- 
 chapters, and cites Gen. i : 27b according to the Septu- 
 agint. The creation of the woman has not yet been 
 told, but in Adam she had been potentially made. The 
 duality, so necessary as complement and counterpart, 
 began in unity. Ver. 7. For . . . cleave (be glued — 
 Fetter) to his wife. Ver. 8. And . . . flesh. The words 
 of Adam (Gen. 2 : 24) are adopted by Christ, because 
 they prophetically spoke the divine mind on the close- 
 ness of the marriage-bond, which transcends in its 
 demand the filial relation and finds its foundation in 
 the unity of two, male and female, and not more (Mai. 
 2 : 14 sq.), in oneness of flesh. Two persons are one 
 person within the limits of the bodily-sexual life (r Cor. 
 6 : 16, 17 ; 7:4; Eph. 5 : 28 sq.). " Have they become 
 one flesh, they cannot be divided." — LUTIIER. Ver. 9. 
 What . . . asunder. God's joining together of male and 
 
 1 This clause omitted in N, B, is found in A, C, D, L, N. 
 
X. 9-12.] CHAPTER X. 173 
 
 female in the creation of Adam ^ furnishes the constant 
 sanction of marriage. Because the union is God's, man 
 should not in violation of divine purpose separate. 
 Therefore divorce is not originally lawful (ver. 2). Ver. 10. 
 And, as Mark reports more accurately, ii . . . matter of 
 divorce and subsequent marriage. Ver. 11,12. And . . . 
 adultery. This principle for the Church of the N. T. 
 does not exclude the exception Matt. 19:9. It makes 
 of an unauthorized second marriage an act of adultery 
 against the forsaken part, and places the woman in an 
 equal position, against the custom of the Jews, which 
 permitted only the husband to dissolve the marriage- 
 bond (Jos. Antiq. XVI. 7, 10). Marriage, a type of 
 Christ's relation to the Church (Eph. 5 : 32), should have 
 the same permanence. 
 
 2 
 
 1 Cf. von Hofmann, Weissag., Mann u. Weib, p. 65 sq. 
 
 2 I Cor. 7 : 15 is no relaxation of this word of Christ. It is an exception 
 caused by sin like Deut. 24 : i ; and " Christ gives the cause to seek, the 
 apostle to suffer divorce." (Gerhard.) The inspired apostoUc permis- 
 sion, together with the declaration of Christ, justify the Luth. Church in 
 holding that, "unjust is the tradition which forbids an innocent person to 
 marry after divorce" (Sm. Art. App., p. 351, 78), while firmly maintaining 
 with Luther (Erl. Ed. 51 : 47) that there should be no divorce for difference 
 of faith. (Form. Con. C. XII., Epit. 531, 19; Sol. Decl. 669, 24.) The 
 position of Luther, who restricted divorce to the two causes, adultery and 
 malicious desertion, which are scripturally sanctioned, obtained at first in 
 the Luth. Church. (Sermon vom ehl. Stand (1519) Erl. Ed. 16:4934.; 
 Ausleg. des 7 Kap. des i Cor, Br. (1523) 51 : 36 sq. ; Walch, VIII. 1056 sq.; 
 Ein Predigt vom Ehestand (1525) 17 : ii6sq. ; Letter to the council and 
 ministers at Domitsch (Aug. 1525) 53 : 326; De Wette, III. 22; Von Ehe- 
 sachen (1530) 23 : 144 sq. ; Ausleg. von Matt. 5 : 31 (1532) 43 '■ 120, Walch, 
 VII. 452; Pred. iiber Matt. 19 : 1-19. (1537) 44 = 131 sq. ; Walch, VII. 961 
 sq.). The laxer view of Melanchthon, which included cruelty, gained accept- 
 ance after the close of the 17th century. — Cf. Chemnitz Exam. (Ed. Preuss, 
 p. 496 sq.; Gerhard, Loci (Ed. Preuss) VII. 369, espec. Sec. III. i, p. 571 
 sq. ; Harless, Die Ehescheidungsfrage ; Ethics, p. 441 sq. ; Martensen, Ethics, 
 III. 5osq. ; Frank, Chrl. Sittl. II. 400 sq. ; Richter, Kirchenrecht, p. 635; 
 Walther, Amer. Pastoraltheol. (3d ed.) 242 sq. 
 
174 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 13-15. 
 
 13-16. And they brought unto him little children, that he should touch 
 them : and the disciples rebuked them. But when Jesus saw it, he was 
 moved with indignation, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to 
 come unto me ; forbid them not : for of such is the kingdom of God. 
 Verily, I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of Ciod as 
 a little child, he shall in no wise enter therein. And he took them in his 
 arms, and blessed them, laying his hands upon them. 
 
 Ver. 13. And, while Jesu.s was still in the house (ver. 
 10), they, fathers and mothers, brought unto him littl: 
 children and infants (Luke 18 : 15), that . . . them, by 
 laying on hands (Matt. 19 : 13), so that the children migiit 
 receive of His blessed power. Children are unblessed 
 without Jesus. And . . . them, not only because they 
 did not wish to be disturbed in their conversation with 
 Jesus, but also because they thought it inconsistent with 
 the dignity of Christ. Ver. 14. But . . . indignation, 1 
 because His disciples so little knew His mind, and so 
 soon forgot the previous instruction (9 : 36 ; Matt. 18 : 3). 
 He said . . . not. With this double antithetic com- 
 mand, that sharply rebukes the disciples, Christ grants 
 approach " to those who are not yet of age to know how 
 much they need His grace." — Calvin. For (?/such, little 
 children and those like them in true simplicity, humility, 
 and helplessness, is the kingdom of God (i : 15), not by 
 natural possession (John 3 : 3, 5) but by non-obstructive 
 receptivity for redeeming grace. Ver. 15. Verily (3 : 28) 
 . . . therein. Child-nature is the proper state for obtain- 
 ing the kingdom, and even adults who enter must become 
 as children in spirit (Matt. 18:3). " If Christ will not 
 save any one, except he become a child, how much more 
 does He save those who are children before." — LUTHER. 
 Therefore, Ver. 16, lie took tJicin in his arms (9 : 36), 
 blessed them individually, laying his hands upon them, 
 
 1 This severe word {jiyavaKTrjcev) is nowhere else attributed to Jesus. 
 
X. i6, 17.] CHAPTER X. 175 
 
 which was the channel of His words of blessing (5 : 23). 
 This was a real invoked (Matt. 19 : 13) blessing, not de- 
 pendent upon nor commensurate with the understanding 
 of the children. It was not instituted as a rite, but forms 
 the spiritual, although not historic, foundation of infant- 
 baptism, and is its justification.^ " Infants are renewed 
 by the Spirit of God, according to the capacity of their 
 age, till that power which was concealed within them 
 grows by degrees, and becomes fully manifest at the 
 proper time." — Calvin. 
 
 17-22. And as he was going forth into the way, there ran one to him, 
 and kneeled to him, and asked him. Good Master, what shall I do that I 
 may inherit eternal life ? And Jesus said unto him. Why callest thou me 
 good ? none is good save one, even God. Thou knowest the command- 
 ments. Do not kill. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not bear false 
 witness. Do not defraud, Honour thy father and mother. And he said unto 
 him, Master, all these things have I observed from my youth. And Jesus 
 looking upon him loved him, and said unto him. One thing thou lackest : 
 go sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have 
 treasure in heaven : and come, follow me. But his countenance fell at the 
 saying, and he went away sorrowful : for he was one that had great pos- 
 sessions. 
 
 Ver. 17. And as ]&s\x'?, tvas going forth \nto\.\\&^B.y, 
 out of the house (ver. 10), on the road of journey, there 
 ran eagerly to him a young man (Matt. 19 : 22), the 
 ruler of a local synagogue (Luke 18 : 18), who kneeled 
 in reverence for Christ (cf. 3:11; 5=6), and asked . . . 
 life? The ruler addresses Jesus as good, not in compli- 
 ment or flattery, but in truth, because he believes the 
 high attribute of goodness attainable by man. There- 
 fore he asks what good thing (Matt. 19 : 16) he must do 
 to gain eternal life. This was a question often asked of 
 rabbis ; and it combines with the memory of the king- 
 dorn as an allotted gift (inherit), the pharasaic notion of 
 
 1 Cf. Luther, Walch, VII. 983 sq. 
 
176 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 17, 18. 
 
 obtaining by a special meritorious act life eternal, wliich 
 conception was known more clearly only to the later 
 Jews (Dan. 12 : 2 ; Ecclus. 2 : 23 ; 15 : 3),^ although life 
 as the highest and best of all possessions was always 
 emphasized (Deut. 34 : 4, 7 ; Ps. 27 : 13 ; 34 : 12 ; Pro v. 
 6 : 23 ; 8 : 35). This life eternal, as the absolute anti- 
 thesis to death, receives its highest fulfilment and bless- 
 ing with the coming of salvation in Christ (Rom. 6 : 23 ; 
 Col. 3:4:2 Tim. I : 10), and therefore is not only a 
 future one as the Synoptists ^ show (Matt. 19: 16; Mark 
 10 : 30; Luke 10 : 25 ; 18 : 18), but a present one as 
 confirmed by John (3 : 13, 16; 5 : 39, 40; 17 : 3) and 
 Paul (2 Cor. 2 : 16; 4:11; Phil. 2 : 16). The question 
 after life eternal is a blessed one if asked not in work- 
 righteousness, but in reliance upon divine grace in Jesus. 
 Ver. 18. Hesaid to the ruler, Why . . . good^ . . . God. 
 Christ refuses to be called good, not because He was not 
 thus, nor to suggest a development necessary for Himself, 
 nor to contrast His perfect human consciousness with God, 
 nor to lead to the confession of His divinity. Good is 
 repudiated as connected with " Master," * because applied 
 
 1 Delitzsch (Lect. on O. T. Theol. Tar. 27 Hades) says that the O. T. 
 apocrypha show that "the religious consciousness, from premises which 
 revelation offers, gradually drew the conclusion, that man trusting upon 
 God attained through death, what could not be reached without death, 
 namely, the perfect life in communion with God. But only the N. T. fact 
 of redemption offers certainty and puts an end to the wavering." Cf. also 
 Ohler, O. T. Theol., p. 169, 174, 514, 551, 559. 
 
 '- The synoptists, while not applying the term life eternal to the present, 
 know of the present blessedness of this life as is shown by the blessings of 
 the Sermon of the Mount. See Nosgen, I., p. 283. 
 
 3 Matt. 19 : 17, " Why askest thou me concerning that which is good .'" 
 must be inserted after the question of Mark. 
 
 * Stier (II. 325) notes that this is different from John 10 : 11, "I am the 
 good shepherd," which is to be interpreted by the sense of "good " in this 
 passage. 
 
X. 8i-2o.] CHAPTER X. 177 
 
 SO superficially to sinful man. God alone is good, because 
 He alone has the full inner harmonious perfection. Man 
 even at the best can receive goodness but imperfectly. 
 " The Saviour will not suffer this word 'good,' because 
 the Pharisee does not direct it toward God." — Luther. 
 To his good-will (Rom, 7:12) Christ refers, when He 
 says, Ver. 19, Thou . . . commandments, for whose 
 observation life is promised (Lev. 18:5; Deut. 30 : 19). 
 In holding up the required standard of the law, without 
 any rabbinic tradition, Christ establishes no righteousness 
 of the law (Rom. 10 : 5), but only vindicates its suflfi- 
 ciency, if kept. " What God hath commanded must be 
 better than all commandments of men, even though they 
 were the most beautiful." — LUTHER. The second table 
 is cited, because it could more readily bring to the con- 
 sciousness of the self-righteous man (cf. Luke 18 : 11,12) 
 his defect of love (Matt. 19 : 19), that would prove a 
 want of piety. The commandments are mentioned in 
 order from the fifth to the tenth, which is combined with 
 the ninth after the manner of Lev. 19 : 13 ; Deut. 24 : 14 ; 
 Mai. 3 : 5, because with the rich young man coveting 
 would take the form of withholding what was due and 
 defrauding (i Cor. 6 : J, 8 ; i Tim. 6:5; James 5 : 4). 
 The fourth commandment is the last because the funda- 
 mental one (7 : 10), and apt to be regarded by the young 
 ruler as no. longer applicable to himself. Thus Christ 
 departs from the recognized order of the commandments 
 not in arbitrary freedom, but in wise pastoral application 
 to the young man, who, Ver. 20, said . . . youth. The 
 young ruler in his atomistic (these things) self-righteous- 
 ness answers at once, asserting especially in answer to the 
 fourth commandment his complete observance since 
 earliest youth (2 Tim. 3:15). He was truthful, but con- 
 founds blamelessness " touching the righteousness, which 
 
 12 
 
178 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 21, 22. 
 
 is in the law " (Phil. 3 : 6), with true goodness and love. 
 Ver. 21, And . . . him. Despite blind self-righteous- 
 ness the young man had an eager, earnest longing for the 
 spiritual. For this he received Christ's love of apprecia- 
 tion, and for his blindness the love of compassion. 
 Therefore Christ said, One . . . lackest (Luke 10 : 42), 
 but in it shall thy whole love be tested : go . . . 
 heaven, glory and honor before God (Matt. 6 : 2), and 
 recompense from the believing poor (Luke 16 : 9): and 
 . . . follow me. This urgent invitation to discipleship 
 was the motive for the preceding command, which 
 demands no supererogatory work nor sanctions commun- 
 ism, but sought to deliver the young man from the love 
 of riches by their complete surrender, the only help in 
 this individual case. Riches must not hinder salvation 
 (l Tim. 6 : 17). They affected this in the young ruler, 
 for, Ver. 22, his . . . fell, became gloomy, and . . . 
 sorrowful, " Through the overpowering love of what 
 was valueless, he lost the possession of what was of great- 
 est price." — Augustine. 
 
 23-31. And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How 
 hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God ! And 
 the disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and 
 saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to 
 enter into the kingdom of God ! It is easier for a camel to go through a 
 needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And 
 they were astonished exceedingly, saying unto him. Then who can be saved ? 
 Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with 
 God: for all things are possible witli God. Peter began to say unto hnn, 
 Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee. Jesus said. Verily I say unto 
 you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or mother, 
 or father, or children, or lands, for my sake, and for the gospel's sake, but 
 he shall receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses, r.nd brethren, and 
 sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions ; and in the 
 world to come eternal life. But many that are first shall be last ; and the 
 last first. 
 
 Ver. 23. Jesus . . . about on His disciples, and saitl] 
 
X. 23-27.] CHAPTER X. 179 
 
 . . . God, in its eternal consummation (i : 15). Ver. 24. 
 When the disciples . . . amazed at the great danger of 
 riches, Jesus - • . again, addressing them in affectionate 
 solicitude, Children (2:5; 5 : 34 ; John 13 : 33), and con- 
 firms the danger of having riches to be the trusting ^ in 
 them (Ps. 52 : 7 ; 62 : 10; Prov. 1 1 : 28 ; Matt. 6 : 21 ; 
 I Tim. 6 : 17). As so many do this, Ver. 25, It . . . 
 God. With a proverbial^ expression, which is not to be 
 weakened by reading cable {xatukov^ for camel {y.aii-jlirJ^ and 
 by supposing the needle's eye to be a narrow gate, Jesus 
 asserts the impossibility of the rich (cf. Isai. 53 : 9) being 
 saved. Ver. 26, The disciples were . . . saved ? In 
 greatest astonishment the disciples, who know how all 
 men both rich and poor seek possessions (i Tim. 6 : 9) 
 and notice some desire in their own hearts, ask, who, if it 
 be so impossible, can be saved. " Salvation is not to be 
 taken as such an easy and small matter, for then we will 
 not be concerned about it. What we hold difificult, we 
 seek earnestly " (Phil. 2 : 12). — Canstein, Starke. Ver. 
 27. Jesus . . . God. Christ now speaks as a " pleasant, 
 faithful teacher," — LUTHER, and "after men have been 
 bowed down teaches them to rely on the grace of God 
 alone." — Calvin. Men cannot free themselves from the 
 dangerous power of riches, but God, who can accomplish 
 all things not inconsistent with His holiness, wisdom, and 
 love, grants the prevenient and preserving grace, impart- 
 ing to all-powerful faith (9 : 23) its inward strength (Col. 
 2:12; I Peter i : 5). The greatest comfort to us weak, 
 sinful men is that God is greater than our heart (i John 
 3 : 20). Ver. 28. Then Peter, forgetting what God had 
 
 1 " For them that trust in riches," wanting in N, B, \, is to be retained 
 accdg. to A, C, D, N. (Keil, p. 109.) 
 
 2 Cf. a similar proverb about the elephant in the Talmud, Ber. 55b, and 
 in the Koran, Sur. 7 : 38. 
 
l8o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 28-31. 
 
 done for the twelve, in self-complacency compares their 
 denial with the rich young man.(ver. 22), and says, Lo . . . 
 followed thee. The disciples had truly forsaken all they 
 had (i : 20) for Christ, but Peter recounts it in a spirit of 
 boastfulness and asks for the reward (Matt. 19 : 27). What 
 was all in comparison with Christ ? " All which ? C 
 blessed Peter, the rod, the net, the boat ? the craft ? 
 These things dost thou tell me of as all." — Chrysostom. 
 Ver. 29. Verily ... no man (cf. Tim. 4:8). . . house, 
 the dear ones of the family, or . . . gospel's (8 : 35), Ver. 
 30, but . . . hundredfold, the completest ^ recompense, 
 now . . houses of friends that receive him, spiritual 
 brethren . . . sisters (i Tim. 5:1,2), mothers in Christ 
 to care for him (Rom. 16 : 13), but no fathers, for there is 
 but one spiritual father (i Cor. 4 : 15), and children, as 
 many as he begets by the gospel (1 Cor. 4 : 15), and lands 
 through the common possessions of believers (Acts 2 : 44 ; 
 4 : 32). Thus, though poor, the believers possess all 
 things (2 Cor. 6 : 10) and all are theirs (i Cor. 3 : 22), 
 with persecutions, which are added as a special bless- 
 ing (Matt. 5 : 10; Rom. 5:3:2 Cor. 12 : 10; Phil, i : 29 ; 
 2 Thess. 1:4:2 Tim. 3:11: i Peter i :6;3: 14: 4: 12; 
 Hebr. 12 : 6) ; and . . . come, the glorious future age in 
 which the messianic reign is complete (i Peter 4 : 11 : 
 Hebr. i : 8 ; 9 : 26 : Rev. i : 6, 8 : 4:9, 10, etc.), eternal 
 life (ver. 17), " the all-embracing unity, consummation, ful- 
 ness, and depth of all-compensating retribution." — Lange. 
 " How faithful is God ! and how richly He rewards the 
 duty that we owe Him without all recompense " (Hebr. 
 11:6). — Hedinger, Starke. Ver. 31. But, adds 
 Christ, many . . . first (Luke 13 : 30). This word of 
 warning, which the parable of the laborers in the vine- 
 
 ^ Ten, the number of perfection, ten times. 
 
X. 3 1 -34-] CHAPTER X. l8i 
 
 yard (Matt. 20 : i sq.) unfolds, is directed against the 
 wrong spirit of seeking reward, by which those first in 
 this life in honor, work, gifts, self-denial, shall be last in 
 eternity ; while the last here, who have relied upon grace, 
 shall be first. Grace is the law of God's kingdom, and 
 even reward is of grace (cf. Luke 17 : 10). 
 
 32-34. And they were in the way, going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus was 
 going before them : and they were amazed ; and they that followed were 
 afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them the things 
 that were to happen unto him, saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem ;^ and 
 the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes; 
 and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gen- 
 tiles ; and they shall mock him, and shall spit upon him, and shall scourge 
 him, and shall kill him ; and after three days he shall rise again. 
 
 Ver. 32. In the way (ver. 17) leading to Jerusalem, 
 Jesus . . . going before the disciples with bold and calm 
 resolve ; and they, the twelve, were amazed (ver. 24) at 
 the calm majesty with which their Lord proceeded toward 
 the city, where they knew great enmity awaited Him ; 
 and they that followed, other disciples, were afraid, in 
 dread of things to come. " What a scene, Jesus walking 
 in lonely majesty toward death, and behind Him in awful 
 reverence and mingled anticipations of dread and hope," 
 — Farrar, His disciples. And he . . . twelve closely to 
 Himself, and began to tell of His sufferings (8 : 31), their 
 place. His deliverance by betrayal to the chief priests 
 (14 : 10), who would deliver Him to the Gentiles (15 : i sq.), 
 the mocking (15 : 20), spitting (15 : 19), scourging (15 : 15), 
 ending with death by crucifixion (Matt. 20 : 19) and 
 resurrection. " He came to His passion, and wiUing it, 
 not in ignorance nor by constraint." — Chrysostom. 
 
 35-45. And there come near unto him James and John, the sons of 
 Zebedee, saying unto him, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us 
 whatsoever we shall ask of thee. And he said unto them, What would ye 
 
l82 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 35-37. 
 
 that I should do for you ? And they said unto him, Grant unto us that 
 we may sit, one on thy right hand, and one on thy left hand, in thy glory. 
 But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink 
 the cup that I drink ? or to be baptized with the baptism that I am bap- 
 tized with ? And they said unto him, We are able. And Jesus said unto 
 them, The cup that I drink ye shall drink ; and with the baptism that I am 
 baptized withal shall ye be baptized ; but to sit on my right hand or on 7ny 
 left hand is not mine to give : but it is for them for whom it hath been pre- 
 pared. And when the ten heard it, they began to be moved with indigna- 
 tion concerning James and John. And Jesus called them to him, and 
 saith unto them, Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the 
 Gentiles lord it over them ; and their great ones exercise authority over 
 them. But it is not so among you ; but whosoever would become great 
 among you, shall be your minister ; and whosoever would be first among 
 you, shall be servant of all. For verily the Son of man came not to be 
 ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. 
 
 Ver. 35. There . . . John (i : 19), who, through their 
 mother^ (Matt. 20 : 20), to whose desire they acquiesce 
 against their better knowledge (9 : 35 ; 10 : 31), ask for 
 the promise to have a favor granted before announcing 
 it. Ver. 36. But Jesus said . . . you? not because He is 
 ignorant of their thoughts (2 : 8), but that in speaking 
 them out they may be laid open to themselves and all, to 
 be corrected. Ver. 37. TJicy said', Grant . . . glory. 
 This high aspiration of the sons of Zebedee, showing 
 their character (3 : 17), was prompted by the promise 
 Matt. 19 : 28, and their peculiar election (5 : 37 ; 9 : 2). 
 The petition for places next to Christ in honor and power, 
 while indicating faith in His glorious kingly rule, is full 
 of self-seeking pride and desires glory, though Christ has 
 just spoken (ver. 34) of suffering. " The flesh always 
 desires to become glorious before it is crucified, to be- 
 come exalted sooner than it is humbled." — LUTHER. 
 
 1 Mark's omission of the mother is no contradiction, for, " who acts 
 through another person, acts through himself." (Cf. Matt. 8 : 5 and Luke 
 7:3; John 3 : 22 and 4 : i.) Robinson, Harm, 219; Tertull. on Bapt. C. 
 XI. ; Augustine, De Cons. II. LXIV. 124. 
 
X. 38-4I-] CHAPTER X. 183 
 
 Ver. 38. But . . . seek. You are ignorant of what your 
 request includes for you. *' They sought the exaltation, 
 but they did not see the step."— AUGUSTINE. There- 
 fore Christ says, Are . . . that I drink? The cup, desig- 
 nating here the inner experience of suffering willingly re- 
 ceived, is in its full sense for Christ not the partaking 
 (Ps. 16 : 5) of the cup of rejection (Ps. 75 : 8 ; Ezek. 
 23 : 31 ; Rev. 14 : 10), although it is the taking of "the 
 cup of fury and staggering" (Ps. 60 : 3 ; Isai. 51 : 17) 
 as punishment (Jer. 49 : 12) in tasting God's wrath even 
 unto death (14 : 36), which Christ underwent vicariously 
 (Isai. 53 : 5 ; 2 Cor. 5:21) changing the cup of fury into 
 the "cup of salvation" (Ps. 116 : 13). To the cup 
 is added the baptism, which, looking to the suffering as 
 endured (Luke 12 : 50), expresses it under the picture of 
 the floods that go over the soul (Ps. 42 : 7 ; 69 : 2 ; 
 124 : 41). In these Christ died and arose (Rom. 6 : 4). 
 These James and John promise to undergo, saying, Ver. 
 39, We . . . able, hastily like Peter (John 13 : 37). 
 Christ, recognizing their willing (14 : 38) love, foretells 
 that they shall suffer with Him, which James experienced 
 first and John last. All that are Christ's must drink His 
 cup (2 Cor. 4:10; Gal. 6:17: i Pet. 4:13) before com- 
 ing to His glory (Rom. 8 : 17). Ver. 40. But . . . pre- 
 pared. Not even the Son can by His own preference or 
 of Himself alone (John 8 : 28) give special glory (i Cor. 
 15 : 41) above that of all saints (2 Tim. 2 : ii, 12 ; i John 
 3:2; Rev. 3:21), but the Father (Matt. 20 : 23), according 
 to whose appointment the Son gives the kingdom (Luke 
 22 : 29), and to whom the Son is finally subjected (i Cor. 
 15 : 28) has prepared it (Matt. 25 : 34) in His eternal 
 purpose. Ver, 41. When . . . indignation (ver. 14) be- 
 cause of equal ambition and jealousy (9 : 34). " There 
 was not one of them who would willingly yield to others, 
 
i84 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x. 42-45. 
 
 but each one secretly cherished within himself the ex- 
 pectation of the primacy." — Calvin. Ver. 42. There- 
 fore y<'.y;/j' called tJieni to Hivi (9 : 35) and &2iWcy . . . ac- 
 counted/ recognized, to rule . . . them. The disciples 
 are bidden to recall how in the worldly kingdoms those 
 received as rulers and called great overrule (Acts 19 : 16 ; 
 I Peter 5 : 3) the will and interests of their subjects accord- 
 ing to their arbitrary sovereignty. The ruling ambition is 
 characteristic of all Gentile kingdoms. Ver. 43. But . ..^ 
 you. The kingdom of Christ has a different law of great- 
 ness. Whosoever . . . Ver. z|4, , . . 311(9:35). Great- 
 ness in Christ's kingdom consists in service, the primacy 
 in being a bondservant (i Cor. 9 : 19). Under the one Lord 
 and Master (John 13 : 13), the head of the Church (Eph. 
 I : 22 ; Col. I : 18), even the spiritual power to be exercised 
 through the word (Matt. 16 : 19 ; 18 : 18 ; 2 Cor 10 : 8 ; 
 13 : 10) is no lordship over faith and life (2 Cor. i : 24 ; 
 I Peter 5 : 3). Those who have rule (i Cor. 12 : 28 ; Hebr. 
 13 : 17) as shepherds (Acts 20 ; 28) are to use their of^ce 
 for service (2 Cor. 4:5; Phil, i : i) : " My ofifice is only 
 a service, which I should perform freely for all." — 
 Luther. Ver. 45. For . . . the Son of man (2: 10) . . . 
 minister. The king himself was a servant who, as proph- 
 esied (Isai. 43 : 24, 25), came not for rule and judgment 
 (John 3 : 17) but as a "deacon" of all (Luke 22 : 27 ; 
 John 13:1 sq.). His highest service was to give . . . 
 many. The giving of life by the Son of man was ntit 
 only an example of love (John 10 : 12, 18; 15 : 13) for 
 men (i John 3 : 16), but especially a price of redemption 
 freeing from punishment (Exod. 21 : 30 ; Numb. 31 : 30; 
 Prov. 1 1 : 8 ; 2 1 : 1 8) and the atoning sacrifice (Lev. 17: 1 1 ; 
 Ps. 49 : 7, 8; Isai. 53 : 10, 12; Mark 14 : 24; Rom. 
 
 ^ For this sense of ^dko'vvtzc, see Luke 22 : 24 ; Gal. 2 : 6, 9. Winer, 
 p. 613. 
 
X. 45. 46.] CHAPTER X. 185 
 
 3:25; I Cor. 1 1 : 24, 25). Redeeming from sin (14 : 24 ; 2 
 Cor. 5 : 19; Tit. 2 : 14 ; I Pet. 2 : 24), death (Hebr. 5 : 7, 
 8) and Satan (Hebr. 2 : 14), its value was not only that of 
 the man Christ Jesus (i Tim. 2 : 6), in obedience (Rom. 
 5 : 19; Heb. 9 : 14) shedding His blood (Eph. i : 7 ; i 
 Peter i : 19), but it was the blood of God (Acts 20 : 28 ; i 
 John I : 7) offered in the form of a servant (Phil. 2 : 7). 
 It was a ransom primarily as an equivalent/ and then a 
 substitution for the many, the sinful mass of men (Rom. 
 5 : 15, 19). "The death of Christ is the complete atone- 
 ment of the world (Rom. 5 : 10 ; i John 2 : 2)."— 
 Starke. 
 
 46-52. And they come to Jericho : and as he went out from Jericho, with 
 his disciples and a great multitude, the son of Timaeus, Bartimaeus, a blind 
 beggar, was sitting by the way side. And when he heard that it was Jesus 
 of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, have 
 mercy on me. And many rebuked him, that he should hold his peace : but 
 he cried out the more a great deal, Thou son of TJavid, have mercy on me. 
 And Jesus stood still, and said. Call ye him. And they call the blind man, 
 saying unto him. Be of good cheer : rise, he calleth thee. And he, casting 
 away his garment, sprang up, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered 
 him, and said, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee ? And the blind 
 man said unto him, Rabboni, that I may receive my sight. And Jesus said 
 unto hi.m. Go thy way , thy faith hath made thee whole. And straightway 
 he received his sight, and followed him in the way. 
 
 Ver. 46. They . . . Jericho, which, about six hours 
 from Jeru.salem, lay southeast of the ancient Jericho of 
 the Canaanites in the valley of the Jordan. It was a 
 garrison city, a beautiful wealthy resort amid palm-groves 
 and balsam gardens, of mildest climate even in winter, 
 " the Eden of Palestine, the very fairyland of the old 
 world."— Edersheim.2 As Christ went . . . multitude, 
 
 1 avr\ does not express vicariousness, but it implies it. Luthardt, Comp. 
 (7th ed.) 219; Frank, Charl. Wahr. II. 181. 
 
 2 II. 394 ; Thomson II. 439 sq. ; Porter, Syria, 184. 
 
i86 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK'. [x. 46, 47. 
 
 who, on the passover journey to Jerusalem, banded to- 
 gether for common protection (Luke 10 : 30), the son of 
 Timaeus, whose common Aramaic name was Bartimaeus, 
 a patronymic Hke Bartholom.ew (3 : 18), and who was 
 later well known as a disciple (ver. 52), but then a blind ^ 
 beggar . , . way. Ver. 47.2 When . . . Nazareth, the 
 name told him by the people (i : 24), he . , . me (Matt. 
 9 : 27 ; 15 : 22). With the plea for help in bodily dis- 
 tress Bartimaeus connects the believing confession, that 
 the day of sight for the blind (Isai. 29 : 18; 35 : 5) has 
 now come in the son of David. This was the prominent 
 Jewish name for the Messiah and the basis of all their 
 expectations, starting from prophecies like 2 Sam. 7:12, 
 13; Isai. 7 : 13 sq. ; Ezek. 34: 23 sq. Jesus was the 
 son of David by actual descent on Mary's side^ and 
 
 1 For the frequency of blindness in the East, see Geikie, p. 187. 
 
 2 There is a harmonistic difficulty here. Matthew (20 : 30) mentions two 
 blind men, Mark and Luke {18 : 35) but one. Matthew and Mark speak of 
 the healing when Christ leaves Jericho, Luke as he enters. It is not 
 necessary with most modern scholars to ascribe an error to one of the evan- 
 gelists, although the explanation of Augustine, Lightfoot, Osiander, which 
 claims three different healings, is not tenable. The discrepancy in number 
 cannot be solved only by Le Clare's principle : " Who names more, em- 
 braces fewer; who recounts fewer does not deny more." It must be com- 
 bined with the apparent contradiction of place, which is not explained by 
 changing "drew nigh " (Luke), to " be near" (Grotius, Robinson), nor by 
 accepting two Jerichos (Macknight), but rather by supposing with Bengel, 
 that one man called on Christ as He entered, and finding another in the 
 city, they were both healed as Christ left. Luke mentions the man met 
 first, and without specializing the place of healing tells of it. Mark men- 
 tions the more prominent, and together with Mattthew, who is fullest, is 
 exact as to place. August. De Cons. II. LXV. 125, 126; Trench, Mir. 339; 
 Robinson, 221, 235. 
 
 8 von Hoffmann (Erfiill. 34 sq.) traces the Davidic descent of Jesus to 
 Joseph alone ; and Delitzsch (Mess. Weiss, p. 62) points to the fact that in 
 Jewish law descent came through the father, but he admits the possibility 
 of the Davidic origin of Mary. This admission, together with the necessary 
 virgin-birth (Isai. 7 : 14) of Christ, which must not be obscured by human 
 
X. 48-52-] CHAPTER X. 187 
 
 through Joseph by adoption. Ver. 48. Not hindered by 
 the people, who wrongly rebuke him, Bartimaeus prays 
 more urgently. Ver. 49. And Jesus . . . still, had the 
 blind man called, who, as Mark describes graphically, 
 Ver. 50, cast away his garment (abbas), outer cloak, 
 sprang up, came to /csus, upon whose question he an- 
 swered, Ver. 51. Rabboni 1 (John 20: 16), the highest 
 title of respect, that . . , sight, lit. look up. " The 
 most blessed desire of men is, that God may enlighten 
 them to eternal life (Eph. i : 18)." — Starke. Ver. 52. 
 Jesus . . . whole (5 : 28 ; 6 : 56). This word was im- 
 mediately fulfilled, and Bartimaeus became a disciple. 
 " Faith is counted of such high dignity that salvation is 
 ascribed to it, although the work of God." — LUTHER. 
 
 law, and also Luke i : 32 ; Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4 : 4, vindicate the direct 
 Davidic blood of Jesus. Ndsgen, I. 99. 
 
 1 pa/3/3owei, whose suffix has lost its personal force as it became a 
 title, is a superlative of honor for "master" (Rab, Rabbi, Rabboni). It 
 was a common term, possibly a Galilean provincialism. (Kautzsrh.) Cf. 
 Kail, p. 113. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 i-io. And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and 
 Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth two of his disciples, andsaith 
 unto them, Go your way into the village that is over against you : and 
 straightway as ye enter into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon no man 
 ever yet sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any one say unto you, 
 Why do ye this ? say ye. The Lord hath need of him ; and straightway he 
 will send him back hither. And they went away, and found a colt tied at 
 the door without in the open street ; and they loose him. And certain of 
 them that stood there said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt ? And 
 they said unto them even as Jesus had said: and they let them go. And 
 they bring the colt unto Jesus, and cast on him their garments ; and he sat 
 upon him. And many spread their garments upon the way; and others 
 branches, which they had cut from the fields. And they that went before, 
 and they that followed, cried, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the 
 name of the Lord : Blessed is the kingdom that cometh, t//e kiiigJo7n of 
 our father David ; Hosanna in the highest. 
 
 Ver. \. And, having spent the sabbath at Bethany 
 and being at a festal meal outside of the village (Nebe), 
 at the house of Simon the leper, where Mary anointed 
 Jesus (14 : 3 sq. ; Matt. 26 : 6 ; John 12 : i, 3), they . . . 
 Bethphage 1 . . . Bethany. In the enumeration of these 
 villages, which are named as the point of starting 
 (Bethany) and the place where the preparations for the 
 entry began (Bethphage), the order, reverse to their actual 
 position on the journey, is determined by their nearness 
 to Jerusalem. Bethphage (house of figs), which is no 
 tlistrict,^ but a small village near Jerusalem, not men- 
 
 1 D, the Itala, and Origen omit " Bethphage," but it is well attested by 
 theMSS. 
 ^ This is claimed by Lightfoot and Caspari (Leben Jesu, p. 162). 
 188 
 
XI. 1, J. I CHAPTER XL l8g 
 
 tioned elsewhere in the Scriptures and unknown to-day, 
 was known to the writers of the Tahnud, to Origen, Euse- 
 bius, and Jerome. East ^ of it lay Bethany (ver. i ; John 
 II : i8), the modern El-Azariyeh,^ about two miles (15 
 stadia, John ii : 18) from Jerusalem on the road to 
 Jericho, and on the southeastern slope of the mount of 
 Olives. This mountain, also called Olivet (Acts i : 12), 
 had many olive-groves on its sides. Elevated 3,000 feet 
 above the sea-level, and 2,000 feet above the temple- 
 mount, it is a ridge with four peaks distant five stadia (two- 
 thirds of a mile) from Jerusalem (Jos. Ant. XX. 8, 6) on its 
 eastern side, from which it is separated by the brook and 
 valley of Kidron (Jos. Jew. Wars, V. 2, i)? It is men- 
 tioned by the O. T. prophets as the place of the coming 
 of the Lord in glory and to judgment (Ezek. 43 : i sq. ; 
 Zech. 14 : 4). Where the Lord comes to judge, He ap- 
 pears first in mercy. Near Bethphage he sendeth . . . 
 disciples, Peter and John (cf. 14 : 13 and Luke 22 : 8), 
 with the command, Ver. 2, Go . . . you, some unknown 
 place,* straightway . . . him. In this order, which 
 with the following directions shows the divine prescience 
 and lordship of Christ, the disciples are commanded to 
 bring the colt of an ass,° which, because it was never 
 before used, was suitable for the sacred act contemplated 
 (Numb. 19 : 2 ; Deut. 21 : 3; i Sam. 6 : 7; 2 Sam. 6 : 3). 
 The ass, frequent in the East, was originally an animal 
 
 1 Robinson (Res. II. 103) places Bethany west of Bethphage, contrary to 
 uniform ancient tradition. 
 
 - Thomson, II. 599; Schaff, Bible Lands, 276. 
 
 3 Robinson, I. 34S sq. ; Thomson, II. 464 sq.; 599 sq. 
 
 * Neither Bethany (Origen, Weiss, Holtzmann) nor Bethphage (Kuinoel, 
 Fritzsche, Bleek, Klostermann, Meyer, v. Hofmann, Nebe, Morison, Keil, 
 Nosgen) is clearly indicated. 
 
 s Mark mentions the foal alone, because it was used. (Cf. Matt. 
 21 : 2.) 
 
I90 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xi. j-J-l. 
 
 of honor in Israel (Judg. 5 : lO; lo : 4; 2 Sam. 17 : 23 ; 
 19 : 26) ; but after the Jews came in contact with other 
 people it lost this position. Its use by Jesus in fulfill- 
 ing Zech. 9 : 9 pointed to His lowliness, poverty and 
 peacefulness. He, to further assure His disciples, adds, 
 Ver. 3, And . . . send ^ him back 2 hither. The demand 
 of the Lord, a word which designates Christ's superior 
 power (5 : 19 ; 10 : 51 ; Matt. 7:21; 8 : 2, 6, 8, etc.) as 
 the Messiah (i : 3), is united with a human promise of 
 immediate return. As in the use of the colt sacredness 
 and lowliness are seen, thus in these words divinity and 
 humanity appear. The disciples, Ver. 4, ivcnt away, and 
 as Peter well remembers, found . . . door without, the 
 entrance to the inner court, in . . . open street, i. e. the 
 road which ran round about the house. Ver. 5. And 
 certain , . . stood there, probably servants of the 
 owner of the colt, at first hinder and then permit, as 
 soon as the disciples speak what the Lord told them. 
 Their believing obedience is rewarded, and they learn the 
 power of the word of the Lord. Ver. 7. And . . . 
 garments, the outward cloaks, serving their Master with 
 their own in thoughtful love and reverencing honor ; 
 and he sat . . . him. Jesus approaches Jerusalem as 
 king in obedience to the divine word (Zech. 9 : 9), and 
 not in mistaken enthusiasm. He openly declares His 
 kingship and its character by His appearance (ver. 2). 
 Ver. 8. And many of the people, thronging toward 
 Jerusalem for the passover, are attracted by the action of 
 the larger band of disciples (Luke 19 : 36), imitate it and 
 spread . . . way. This was a sign of enthusiastic rev- 
 erence (2 Kings 9 : 13), that laid offerings at the feet 
 of Jesus. Its source as with the disciples was God's 
 
 1 The present is preferable accdg. to K, A, B, C, D, A. 
 
 2 " Again " is found in N, B, C, D. 
 
XI. 9. 'o.] CHAPTER XL 191 
 
 Spirit, who used the people as babes to perfect the 
 praise of the Son (Matt. 21 : 16). Others of the multi- 
 tude spread branches, lit. leafage, palm-branches (John 
 12 : 13), and still others approached with leaves, twigs, 
 etc., twisted together, ivhich they had cut from the fields. 
 Thus they showed their homage of Christ as a royal 
 victor,! to whom they would give their hearts. Ver. 9. 
 And . . . cried, as the disciples had begun (Luke I9:37)> 
 Hosanna. (Give salvation indeed!) This acclamation 
 and prayer for salvation, taken from Ps. 118:25, was 
 used at the feast of tabernacles, when the altar of burnt- 
 offering was joyously surrounded, especially on the 
 seventh day. It was this joyousness and the messianic 
 hope attached to the 11 8th Psalm which formed the 
 starting-point of the triumphant cry : Blessed . . . Lord 
 (Ps. 118 : 26). The Messiah fulfils the commission of 
 Jehovah as His messenger (Hebr. 3 : i) and revealer 
 (John 12 -.45). Ver. 10. Blessed . . . David. Li the 
 son of David (10 : 48) has come the realization of the 
 promise given to David of an eternal kingdom (2 Sam. 
 7 : 16: Jer. 33 : 17) with its glory and power. Hosanna 
 highest. May the prayer of salvation be heard in 
 the highest heaven (Luke 2 : 14)- This joyous accept- 
 ance of their king by Israel, so soon followed by rejection, 
 will be the greeting of re-acceptance (Matt. 23 : 39). 
 Meantime it is the confession of the Israel of the N. T. 
 of their king in whose presence there is joy and salva- 
 tion. 
 
 II. And he entered into Jerusalem, into the temple : and when he had 
 looked round about upon all things, it being now eventide, he went out 
 unto Bethany with the twelve. 
 
 Ver. II. Entering Jerusalem Jesus went at once into 
 
 1 It is this well-known meaning of strewing branches rather than the wav 
 in- of the branches at the feast of tabernacles which is here intended. 
 
192 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xi. 11-13. 
 
 . . . temple, His Father's house (Luke 2 : 49) ; and 
 when . , . things, not with the astonishment of a stranger, 
 but with the eyes of the holy judge noticing the pro- 
 fanation of the temple (ver. 15), it being now eventide 
 . . . Bethany. This He did every evening (ver. 19) until 
 Thursday for the sake of rest and safety. 
 
 i2-r4. And on the morrow, when they were come out from Bethany, he 
 hungered. And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he 
 might find anything thereon : and when he came to it, he found nothing 
 but leaves ; for it was not the season of figs. And he answered and said 
 unto it. No man eat fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And his 
 disciples heard it. 
 
 Ver. 12. On the morrow, Monday of passion-week, 
 ivhoi they zvere come out from Bethany (ver. 1 1) Christ 
 hungered. This real want of Jesus, in which He took 
 upon Himself and sanctified our infirmity (Hebr. 4 : 15), 
 was also a figure of His spiritual desire after good works 
 in Israel,^ and offered the opportunity of the following 
 miracle to teach the disciples. Ver. 13. Seeing a fig 
 tree, of which there were many on this road,^ afar off,. 
 standing on some rocky eminence in the fields, having 
 leaves, a full promising foliage, he came . . . thereon, 
 for the leaves of the fig tree, which are later than the 
 fruit-buds, seemed to point to fruit. And . . , leaves. 
 In this Christ was not actually deceived, because He 
 judged from His Galilean experience, which taught Him 
 the later appearance of figs ; nor did He mislead others. 
 His act was a parable. Such " symbolic act is done as real, 
 as professing to mean something ; and yet, although not 
 meaning the thing which it professes to mean, is no de- 
 ception, since it means something infinitely higher and 
 
 1 Cf. the similar double sense of " I thirst " (John 19 : 28). 
 
 2 Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 422; Geikie, p. 212. 
 
<l. 13.] CHAPTER XI. 193 
 
 deeper, of which the lower action is a type, and in which 
 the lower is lost, transfigured and transformed by the 
 higher, whereof of it is made the vehicle." — TRENCH.* 
 " Jesus seeks fruit upon the tree, of which He knew that 
 it had no fruit, because He asks fruit of the man, whom 
 He knows as unfruitful." — AUGUSTINE. For such instruc- 
 tion this tree was especially fitted, for . . . figs. While in 
 general the fig-season, which began at the end of June,^ 
 had not yet come, this one tree augured an extraordinary 
 advancement,^ and promised that the fruit-buds had be- 
 come the early figs (bokkoroth), which were much desired 
 (Isai. 28 : 4; Jer. 24 : 2 ; Hos. 9 : 10 ; Nah. 3 : 12).* And 
 even had they not appeared, some figs of last year 
 (kermuses)^ should have remained. But the tree was 
 altogether barren.^ It was a picture of Israel, of whose 
 unfruitfulness as testified by the prophets (Ezek. 17: 24; 
 Hos. 9 : 10 ; Joel i : 7) Christ had previously spoken 
 (Luke 13:6 sq.), and to which He again referred Luke 
 23 : 31. By its many leaves of profession Israel 
 promised what it did not have. Its sin was not being 
 
 1 Miracles p. 344 sq. Augustine often discussed this difficulty and 
 solved it. Ennar. Ev. II. 51 ; Serm. XXVI. 7; XXXIX. 3 sq.; XLVIII. 3. 
 Cf. also Morison, p. 309. 
 
 ■^ Sometimes the first crop was earlier. It was followed by a second crop 
 in August and a third in September, of which some figs hung on all winter. 
 Therefore Jos. (Wars, III. 10, S) says that ripe fruit was found ten months 
 (April and May being the exceptions) in good localities. 
 
 3 Thomson (I. 538) tells of a large green-colored fig ripening early, which 
 he plucked in May on Mt. Lebanon, 150 miles north of Jerusalem, where 
 trees are nearly a month later. 
 
 * The Mishnah (Shebh. IV. 7) and Talmud (Jer. Shebh. 35b) state that 
 unripe fruit was eaten as soon as it received a red color. Edersheim, II., 
 
 P- 375- 
 
 * Keil argues for these alone, while Farrar rightly includes the bokkoroth. 
 " The abnormity of the tree was not the great foliage (Ebrard, Wichel- 
 
 haus, Meyer, Klosterm.inn, Weiss), but the lack of fruit with such foliage. 
 Farrar. p. 119; Trench, p. 347 ; Morison, p. 310. 
 
 13 
 
194 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xi. 14, 15. 
 
 barren but being false.^ Therefore Christ cursed it in its 
 type, saying, Ver. 14, No . . . ever. The blighting of 
 the tree, the symboHcal counterpart to the ratification of 
 the Levitical priesthood by the budding of the rod of 
 Aaron in one night (Numb. 17:8), was the cursing of 
 Israel which should have been a blessing (Gen. 12:2) 
 and a light (Isai. 60 : i). This it would henceforth cease 
 to be ; and even in its final conversion when it would 
 live again (Rom. 11 : 15) after divine ingrafting (Rom. 
 II : 23 sq.), it would have no occasion of giving fruit to 
 men, because of the immediate coming of the last day 
 (13 : 28, 29). And his disciples heard it, with deep 
 attention, and remembered it as a constant warning 
 against hypocritical profession. 
 
 15-18. And they come to Jerusalem : and he entered into the temple 
 and began to cast out them that sold and them that bought in the temple, 
 and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them 
 that sold the doves ; and he would not suffer that any man should carry a 
 vessel through the temple. And he taught, and said unto them, Is it not 
 written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations ? but 
 ye have made it a den of robbers. And the chief priests and the scribes 
 heard it, and sought how they might destroy him : for they feared him, for 
 all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. 
 
 Ver. 15. Coming to Jerusalem Jesus entered the 
 temple^ and . . temple. The outer court of the Gen- 
 tiles had for the convenience of the people been changed 
 into a mart for the buying of sacrificial animals, oil, 
 
 1 As a further commentary on this miracle Trench refers to the epistle to 
 the Romans, espec. 2 : 3, 17, 27 ; 10 : 3, 4 ; 11:7, 10. 
 
 2 This cleansing of the temple, not a third repetition (Starke), is placed 
 by Matthew on the previous day. In this he is not more exact than 
 Mark (Aug. De Cons. II. LXVIII. 131, Calvin), but the latter is more 
 definite, connecting what is temporally and really connected. (Luthardt, 
 Keil.) It was a second act not to be confounded with the same deed at 
 the beginning of the ministry of Christ. (John 2 : 13 sq.) Aug. De Cons. 
 II. LXVII. 129; Robinson, p. 212. 
 
XI. 15-17] CHAPTER XL 195 
 
 incense and other things needed in the sacrifices. With 
 trade the haggUng spirit of the East had entered. Jesus 
 overthrew . . . money-changers, who, in changing 
 Roman and foreign coins into the half-shekel of the 
 temple, with which alone purchases for temple-purposes 
 could be made, the temple-tax paid and free-will offer- 
 ings given, went beyond the permitted percentage.^ He 
 also overthrew the seats . . . the doves, which, necessary 
 for purification and the sacrifices of the poor (Lev. 
 5:7; 12:6; 14 : 22 ; 15 : 14; Numb. 6 : 10), were sold 
 beyond their value. The priests, who, as suggested by 
 ver. 18, were probably financially interested,^ would in 
 their examination refuse animals bought beyond the 
 temple precincts. A further abuse Christ stopped. Ver. 
 16. He . . . temple. The bazaar-like court had been 
 made a common thoroughfare, which the people used in 
 their daily errands of business. This, too, Christ caused 
 to cease in holy zeal (John 2:17) for God's house. His 
 forcible acts are a constant example to His servants to 
 rid the church of profaning abuses without regard of 
 men. Ver. 17. Christ taught . . . robbers. With a 
 reference to Isai. 56 : 7, cited according to the Septua- 
 gint, Christ justifies His purification of the temple. 
 The promise of Isaiah, to which the Lord imparts the 
 character of a command, shows how the obligation of 
 all nations to make the temple a house of prayer rests 
 the more strongly upon Israel, which has now made the 
 very court of prayer for other nations a den of robbers^ 
 
 1 Edersheim, I., p. 367 sq. 
 
 2 Edersheim I., p. 371 sq. Luther (Walch, VII. 1062 sq.) holds that the 
 greed of the priests had added offerings not scripturally sanctioned. Cf. 
 also Calvin, III. 12. 
 
 3 " Robbers " and not " thieves " is the proper translation. (Cf. Matt. 
 21 : 13; 26 : 55; 2 Cor. 12 : 20.) Trench, Syn., p. 157. Luther's rendering 
 " Mordergrube " is a just inference from Jer. 7:11. Stier, 2, p. 385. 
 
196 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xr. 17-20. 
 
 as intimated by Jer. 7:11 (Sept.). The holy place has 
 become a cave of brigands by the dishonest robbery 
 of unjust trade. How terrible the desecration which 
 turns the house of prayer and salvation into the house of 
 destruction ! " There God's honor was stolen and robbed, 
 and the souls of men killed." — LUTHER. Ver. 18. And 
 . . , scribes (10 : 33), the leaders of the Sanhedrim 
 heard of Christ's deed, and sought . . . destroy him, 
 and carry out their long-cherished decision (John 5 : 16; 
 7 : 32 ; 10 : 31 ; 1 1 : 45 sq.), which was strengthened by 
 Christ's recent act. But as yet they could not, for . . . 
 teaching (i : 22, 27 ; 4 : 2). The leaders at Jerusalem 
 saw and feared the superior authority of Jesus over the 
 people by His teaching. The impossibility of taking 
 Him now by violence was clear to them (14 : i, 2 ; Matt. 
 26 : 5). " The wicked would always injure the pious, 
 but they cannot always, for God is their protection." — 
 Starke. 
 
 19. And every evening he went forth out of the city. 
 
 Ver. 19. See ver. 1 1. 
 
 20-25. And as they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree 
 withered away from the roots. And Peter calUng to remembrance saith 
 unto him, Rabbi, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered 
 away. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. Verily 
 I say unto you. Whosoever shall say unto this mountain. Be thou taken up 
 and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe 
 that what he saith cometh to pass ; he shall have it. Therefore I say unto 
 you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have 
 received them, and ye shall have them. And whensoever ye stand praying, 
 forgive, if ye have aught agamst anyone; that your Father also which is in 
 heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 
 
 Ver. 20. As the disciples passed by on Tuesday 
 morning, they S2iv the fig tree (ver. 1 3), that had begun 
 
XI. 20-24.] CHAPTER XI. 197 
 
 to wither the previous day (Matt. 21 : 19), withered away 
 from the roots. The sudden judgment, which Christ had 
 miraculously performed on a tree and not on man, upon 
 whom only miracles of grace were then bestowed, had 
 progressed to its completion. " Because the tree would 
 not bear fruit, its leaves also died." — GERHARD. Ver. 21. 
 And . . . away. Peter expresses the astonishment of 
 all at the wonderful effectiveness of Christ's curse. "The 
 cursing of sinners can make the pious fearful." — CaN- 
 STEIN, Starke. Ver. 22. Jesus answering unfolded the 
 power of the curse as the result of His faith, and said, 
 Have . . . God. After the example of their Master, the 
 Captain of faith (Hebr. 12:2), the disciples are bidden to 
 direct their trust toward no creature but toward God.^ 
 Such faith which leads to faith in Christ (John 14 : i) is 
 power over creation. Nothing is mightier and more in- 
 vincible than faith. Ver. 23. Verily . . . you (3 : 28) 
 . . . heart, be inwardly divided by a conflict between 
 trust and distrust (James i : 6), but ... it. This word, 
 uttered previously Matt. 17 : 20, uses the Mount of 
 Olives and the Mediterranean Sea in graphic picturesque- 
 ness to assert that faith will succeed against hindrances 
 almost insurmountable ^ (cf. Isai. 40 : 4). Because it 
 holds the Almighty it can perform His miracles. But 
 " Christ does not give a loose rein to the wishes of men, 
 that they should desire anything at their pleasure." — 
 Calvin. Consequently he adds, Ver. 24, Therefore . . , 
 them in God's will (Isai. 65 : 24), and ye shall have them 
 (Job 22 : 27; Ps. 145 : 19; Matt. 7 : 7 sq. ; i John 3 : 22; 
 5 : 14, 15 ; James 5:15). As Christ received His power 
 
 1 Qeov is objective genitive as in Acts 3 ; i6; Gal. 2 : 20. 
 
 ^ Besser (Vol. X., p. 617), upon the basis of Zech. 4 : 11 ; Ps. 46 : 3 ; Dan. 
 7:3; Rev. 18 : 21, interprets the mountain as the Roman power in distinc- 
 tion from the fig tree, the Jewish people. 
 
igS THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [Xl. 24, 25. 
 
 during prayer (John 11 : 41, 44), thus our command of 
 faith must be prayerful ; for prayer offered in Christ's 
 name (John 14 : 13) will receive everything, although 
 sometimes differently and at other times than it desires 
 (Acts 12 : 15 ; 2 Cor. 12:8 sq.), according to God's higher 
 purpose (Eph. 3 : 20). " Prayer is the language of faith, 
 and faith is the soul of prayer." — Rambach. Ver. 25. 
 And . . . stand praying (Luke 18 : 11, 13) . . . tres- 
 passes ^ (Matt. 6 : 14, 15). The prayer of faith dare not 
 be used to curse any one (Luke 9 : 54 sq.), as Christ has 
 done with the fig tree, but it must be offered after having 
 freely forgiven all that have offended us (i Tim. 2 : 8). 
 Then the Father, a term which even in the O. T. (Deut. 
 32 : 6 ; Isai. 63 : 16 ; Jer. 3 : 19, etc.) denotes not the 
 natural but the covenant relation, and in the N. T. marks 
 the adoption through Christ (Matt 5 : 16, 45, 48; 6 : i, 4, 
 6, 8, etc. ; 7:11,21; Luke 6 : 36; 12 : 30), as yoxxr father, 
 whose fatherhood over you is different in kind from His 
 relation to Christ (John 20 : 17) ; a father, which . . . 
 heaven (Matt. 6 : 9), and therefore has heavenly power, 
 finding you in the proper condition for receiving His for- 
 giveness, as shown by your forgiving, will forgive you 
 your trespasses, the oversteppings of the law with their 
 consequent results, for which there is no reasonable 
 excuse.^ " We must have a brotherly heart toward our 
 neighbor, if God is to have a fatherly heart toward us." — 
 Starke. 
 
 27-33. ^"^ '^'^^y come again to Jerusalem : and as he was walking in 
 the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the 
 elders; and they said unto him, By what authority doest thou these 
 things ? or who gave thee this authority to do these things ? And Jesus 
 
 1 Ver. 26 is wanting in K, B, L, A, and was probably inserted from Matt. 
 
 6:15. 
 
 2 Cramer, p. 778. 
 
XI. 27-31.] CHAPTER XI. 199 
 
 said unto them, I will ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will 
 tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, was it 
 from heaven, or from men .'' answer me. And they reasoned with them- 
 selves, saying. If we shall say. From heaven; he will say. Why then did ye 
 not believe him ? But should we say, From men — they feared the people : 
 for all verUy held John to be a prophet. And they answered Jesus and say, 
 We know not. And Jesus saith unto them. Neither tell I you by what 
 authority I do these things. 
 
 Ver. 27, Christ when again in Jerusalem, ivalking and 
 teaching (Matt. 21 : 25) in the temple, is approached by 
 the chief priests, scribes aiid ciders (8 : 31), who said, 
 Ver. 28, By . . . things? This question about Christ's 
 authority, to which is added the further question as to 
 His commission, was asked in memory of the recent 
 purification of the temple (ver. 15). Although these 
 representatives of the Sanhedrim had a right to ask 
 Christ, they did so hoping to compel Christ to a reply, 
 which might be charged against Him as revolutionary or 
 blasphemous (14 : 63, 64 ; Luke 23 : i, 2) to His destruc- 
 tion (ver. 18). Ver. 29. Jesus . . . things. With direct 
 power Christ proves His authority, making the inquisitors 
 the questioned. He asks about, Ver. 30, the baptism of 
 John, . . . men? The baptism of John, as his charac- 
 teristic work (1:4; Acts I : 22 ; 10 : 37 ; 13 : 25), about 
 which the scribes had themselves formerly asked (John 
 I : 25), was referred to primarily because Christ knew 
 that it would ward off His enemies, but also because its 
 answer would lead to Christ and establish His authority. 
 Ver. 31. And the scribes reasoned , . . him? It was 
 not the desire of these men to seek the truth, but to en- 
 trap Jesus. But now Christ has caught them, and they 
 see clearly that the acknowledgment of John's baptism 
 as divine would bring upon them the charge of unbelief. 
 Although they must now know themselves to be unbe- 
 lieving, they would not have it appear before the people. 
 
200 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xi. 32-33. 
 
 They will not say, Ver. 32, From . . . prophet. John 
 was not only a prophet, but more than a prophet (Luke 
 7 : 26, 28). The high regard in which the people hold 
 John keeps the scribes from calling his work only human. 
 Men-servants as they are, they slavishly dread the dis- 
 pleasure of the people. Ver. 33. And they . . . know 
 not. They, who pride themselves with their knowledge, 
 would rather in hypocrisy appear ignorant, because "they 
 feel the truth to be opposed to their wicked desires." — 
 Calvin. " Miserable case, when the men of lieht use 
 their knowledge of the truth to oppose that truth." — 
 QUESNEL, Lange. Jesussaith, . . . things. The truth 
 is not given them, because they have shown that they 
 would wilfully reject it. Nor has the time come for the 
 testimony of Christ, which would be used to kill Him. 
 He does not answer, because a lie cannot demand an 
 answer. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 I-I2. And he began to speak unto them in parables. A man planted a 
 vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a pit for the winepress, and 
 built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. 
 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might 
 receive from the husbandmen of the fruits of the vineyard. And they 
 took him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent 
 unto them another servant ; and him they wounded in the head, and 
 handled shamefully. And he sent another; and him they killed; and 
 many others ; beating some, and killing some. He had yet one, a beloved 
 son : he sent him last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But 
 those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us 
 kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him, and killed 
 him, and cast him forth out of the vmeyard. What therefore will the lord 
 of the vineyard do ? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will 
 give the vineyard unto others. Have ye not read even this scripture : 
 
 The stone which the builders rejected, 
 
 The same was made the head of the comer: 
 
 This was from the Lord, 
 
 And it is marvellous in our eyes .■* 
 And they sought to lay hold on him ; and they feared the multitude ; for 
 they perceived that he spake the parable against them : and they left him, 
 and went away. 
 
 Ver. I. And Christ began now in Jerusalem as form- 
 erly in Galilee (4 : 11, 33) to speak . . , them, the repre- 
 sentatives of the Sanhedrim (11 : 27 sq.), in the hearing 
 of the people (Luke 20 : 9) in parables (3 : 23), like those 
 of the two sons (Matt. 21 : 28 sq.) and the marriage of 
 the king's son (Matt. 22 : i sq.), of which Mark relates 
 the central and severest one. A man . . . vineyard. 
 Jesus, in using an illustration from life,^ adopts the O. T. 
 
 ^ Geikie, p. 171, 366. 
 
 201 
 
202 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xii. i. 
 
 image of the vineyard so frequently applied to God's 
 people (Deut. 32 : 32 ; Ps. 80 : 8 sq. ; Isai. 27 : 2 sq. ; 
 Jer. 2 : 21 ; Ezek. 15:1; 19 : 10; Hos. 10 : i) with a 
 special reference to Isai. 5 : 1-7. The vineyard is a fit 
 symbol of God's kingdom, because the vine represents 
 the inward power of the king (Gen. 49 : 11 ; John 15:1) 
 and the spreading of the kingdom (Ps. 80 : 9 ; cf. Mark 
 
 4 : 30), and the whole vineyard receives divine care,^ for 
 which large returns are reasonably to be expected (Song 
 of Songs, 8:11, 12). Planted by God Himself (Exod. 
 15 : 17; Ps. 44 : 2; Isai. 60 : 21 ; 61 : 3) under Moses 
 and Joshua (Deut. 32 : 12), he set ... it. As the owner 
 of a vineyard would build an enclosure of loose stone 
 (Numb. 22 : 24; Prov. 24 : 31 ; Isai. 5 : 5), to keep out 
 jackals, foxes (Song of Songs, 2:15; Neh. 4 : 3) and 
 wild boars (Ps. 80 : 13), thus God separated Israel by 
 their land^ and law from all people (Numb. 23 : 9 ; Isai. 
 27 : 3 ; Zech. 2:5; Eph. 2 : 14). He digged . . wine- 
 press. The pit, a lower trough (yekeb), which is here 
 used for the whole press, was excavated out of rock or 
 earth and laid with masonry. Into this smaller lake 
 (lacus, the Roman name) the juice flowed through a spout 
 from the upper press (gath) (Neh. 13:5; Isai. 63 : 2 ; 
 Lam. I : 15), in which the grapes had been placed, and 
 were trodden out by the feet of persons amid singing and 
 rejoicing (Judg. 9 : 27 ; Isai. 16 : 10; Jer. 25 : 30). He 
 built a tower, which was a temporary booth (Job 
 27 : 18) or cottage (Isai. 1:8; 24 : 20), where the keepers 
 watched and the workmen lived during the vintage (Isai. 
 
 5 : 2). The tower and pit are only picturesque details, 
 
 1 Augustine, Serm. XXXVII. i. 
 
 ^ Palestine, central as it was, was hedged in on the west by the Mediter- 
 ranean Sea, on the north by Libanus and Anti-Libanus, on the east by the 
 river Jordan, and on the south by the wilderness of Idumaea. 
 
XII. 1-5-] CHAPTER XII. 203 
 
 and cannot be pressed in the application : ^ they show- 
 that God had done everything. " He left no means un- 
 tried for granting to His Church all necessary protec- 
 tion." — Calvin. He let it . , . husbandmen, vine- 
 dressers, who represent the leaders of Israel (Ezek. 
 34 : 2 ; Mai. 2:7); and went . . . country, " for a long 
 time " (Luke 20 : 9). This denotes the withdrawal of 
 God after the primal revelation at Sinai, that in His long- 
 suffering He might see how Israel would keep the law. 
 " He bore long with them, not always bringing the pun- 
 ishment close upon their sins." — Chrysostom. Ver. 2. 
 And . , . season, of vintage, he sent ... a servant, a 
 prophet or extraordinary messenger in distinction from 
 the husbandmen, the ordinary servants (Bengel), that . . . 
 vineyard, i. e. the householders' share as rent, symboliz- 
 ing the fruits of righteousness sought by God. The 
 more grace we receive, the more fruit is demanded. Ver. 
 3. And the husbandmen took the servant, beat Jiwi, and 
 sent Jihn C7npty aivay ; Ver. 4, another, perhaps more 
 eminent, tJicy wounded in the head^ and handled shame- 
 fully ; Ver. 5, another they killed. This was the climax 
 of the constantly increasing outrages upon successive ser- 
 vants. Many others, they treated thus, beating . . . 
 some. How true this description is, is proved by the 
 slaying of the prophets by Jezebel (i Kings 18 : 13), the 
 casting into prison of Micaiah (i Kings 22 : 24), the threat 
 against Elijah (i Kings 19 : 2), the stoning of Zechariah 
 (2 Chron. 24 : 21) and Jeremiah in Egypt, according to 
 tradition, which also mentions the sawing asunder of 
 Isaiah (cf. Hebr. 11 : 37, 38, and Jen 7 : 25, 26 ; 11 : 'J,'^\ 
 
 1 Luther (Walch, VIL 1095), ^^^ interpreted the pit as God's word, and 
 the tower as God's protection by men and angels. 
 
 "^ This is now almost universally accepted as the rendering of int^aTuauaav 
 after the Vulgate. (In capite vulnerant.) 
 
204 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xii. 6-10. 
 
 Zech. 1:4; Acts 7 : 52 ; i Thess. 2 : 15). Ver. 6. The 
 lord of the vineyard had . . . beloved son (i : i, n; 
 Hebr. i : 2), he sent . . . last, as the crowning effort of 
 his mercy, saying , . . my son (John 5 : 23), who as the 
 appearance of myself (John 14 : 9) is above all servants 
 in dignity (Hebr. 3 : 5, 6). With this word, which dare 
 not be used to contradict God's prescience, Christ paints 
 in human colors the great mercy and long-suffering of 
 God, But the greater His mercy, the more the enmity 
 of the husbandmen grew. Ver. 7. They said . . . heir. 
 Christ is heir of all things (Hebr. i : 2) as Son of Man 
 (Eph. I : 20 sq. ; Phil. 2 : 9 sq.). " The Lord Christ is 
 heir of all things not as God, but as man ; for as God He 
 is maker of all." — Theouoret. Let . . . ours. The 
 hating, envious brethren of the true Joseph (Gen. 37 : 19) 
 conspire against the Son to obtain absolute control over 
 the theocracy. " What God had founded they would 
 fain possess without God and against God." — TRENCH. 
 Ver. 8. They . . . vineyard, adding outrage to murder. 
 Christ died " without the gate" (John 19 : 17; Hebr. 13 : 
 12, 13), but the wicked husbandmen only fulfilled God's 
 purpose and defeated themselves (Acts 3 : 18 ; 4 : 27 sq.). 
 " That they might possess they killed Him ; and because 
 they killed Him they perished." — AUGUSTINE. This 
 Christ brings home to His hearers, asking, Ver. 9, What 
 ... do? Repeating the answer of some (Matt. 21 : 41), 
 Jesus tells of the destruction of Jerusalem and the giving 
 of the gospel to the Gentiles. Confirming His parable 
 by the Scriptures, He adds, Ver. 10, 11, Have . . . eyes? 
 From the psalm (118 : 22), which was applied to Him in 
 His entry into Jerusalem (11:9 sq.), Jesus convicts the 
 chief men of Israel as those unwise (i Cor. 3 : 10) build- 
 ers, who reject the precious corner-stone (Isai. 8 : 14; 
 28 : 16; Acts 4:11; Eph. 2 : 20; i Peter 2 : 6), the 
 
xiT. 11-14] CHAPTER X/l. 205 
 
 foundation of anew spiritual temple (Eph. 2:21; i Peter 
 2 : 4). But God, whose counsel will prevail, makes the 
 rejected one the great accepted one. This is the great 
 miracle. " Godsends His Only-begotten into the flesh to 
 sinners — highest grace ! The sinners crucify Him — terri- 
 ble sin ! And yet grace triumphs over sin, prepares from 
 it the salvation of the world." — Stier. Ver. 12. The 
 scribes sougJit to lay hold on Jesus, but feared . . . mul- 
 titude, who greatly reverenced Him. They knew that 
 the parable was against them : and they . . . away. 
 " The world despite its efforts cannot execute its malice 
 and wickedness sooner than God from hidden reasons 
 permits (Luke 22 : 53)." — Starke. 
 
 13-17. And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and of the 
 Herodians, that they might catch him in tallv. And when they were come, 
 they say unto him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest not for 
 any one : for thou regardest not the person of men, but of a truth teachest 
 the way of God : Is it lawful to give tribute unto Cjesar, or not ? Shall we 
 give, or shall we not give ? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said unto 
 them. Why tempt ye me ? bring me a penny, that I may see it- And they 
 brought it. And he saith unto them, Whose is this image and superscrip- 
 tion .' And they said unto him, Caesar's. And Jesus said unto them, 
 Render unto Cassar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things 
 that are God's. And they marvelled greatly at him. 
 
 Ver. 13. And the Pharisees after a private council 
 (Matt. 22 : 15) send as spies (Luke 20 : 20) certain . . . 
 Herodians (3:6)... talk. As they could do nothing 
 by violence (ver. 12), they seek to entrap Jesus by 
 stratagem. " Because they cannot suppress the gospel 
 with the fist and violence, they set themselves against it 
 with evil designs and poisonous tricks." — LUTHER. 
 Ver. 14. When . . . God. Not sincerely like Nicode- 
 mus (cf. John 3 : 2), but with designing flattery, which 
 was nevertheless an unconscious testimony to the truth, 
 thev address Christ as Haster. " Thou art a master and 
 
2o6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xii. 14, 15. 
 
 dost offer to teach every one and give answer ; therefore 
 Thou must not leave us without an answer, nor refuse 
 us. They act as though they were His dear disciples." 
 —Luther. They call Him true (John 14 : 6 ; Rev. 
 
 1 : 5), fearless, without regard of person (lit. countenance), 
 not showing favor to any one, even the highest in rule, 
 for which they use the old figure of the lifting up of the 
 face granted by a king to those prostrate before him 
 (i Kings 2 : 16, 17, 20; Ps. 72 : 2 ; Prov. 18:5; Mai. 
 
 2 : 9). His teaching of the way of Qod (i : 2) is acknowl- 
 edged as true. After this attempt to win the favor of 
 Christ they propose the crucial question. Is . . . give? 
 This was a great debate ever since Pompey (63 B. C), 
 after deciding the contention between Hyrcanus and Ari- 
 stobulus, began to tax the Jews (Jos. Antiq. XIX. 4, 4), 
 on whom Augustus, after the death of Herod, laid an 
 additional personal tax. The Pharisees, appealing to 
 Exod. 30: 13, held the view of the mass of the people, 
 that in Israel taxing was a divine prerogative, while the 
 Herodians stood for the claim of the Romans. If Jesus 
 decided for the Pharisees, the Herodians could accuse Him 
 as a revolutionist and His fate might be that of Judas the 
 Gaulonite (Acts 5 : 37 ; Jos. Antiq. XVIII. i, i ; XX. 5, 
 2) ; if He decided for the Herodians the people would re- 
 ject Him. The cunning plotters had thought, " if He says 
 we shall give tribute to the emperor, the Jews will take 
 Him. If He says, tribute shall not be given to the em- 
 peror, the Gentiles will take Him." — Luther. Ver. 15. 
 But he, knowing . . . hypocrisy (cf. 2 : 8), " because His 
 Spirit was a discerner of hearts," — Calvin, " showed Him- 
 self to be true, as they had said," — Bengel, when He said, 
 Why . . . penny (6 : 37), that I may see it. Ver. 16. 
 And . . . brought it. How authoritatively does Christ 
 treat those who came to ensnare Him, and how obediently 
 
XII. i6, 17.] CHAPrKK xir. 207 
 
 they bring from the money-changers (ii : 15) the penny 
 with which Christ would give them an ocular demonstra- 
 tion of the truth. He asks, Whose . . . superscription? 
 The coin which Christ had was not of the special coin- 
 age made for Judaea, in which palms, lilies, grapes, took 
 the place of the picture of the emperor, which the Jews 
 regarded as idolatrous ; but it was a regular silver penny 
 containing the beautiful head of wicked Tiberius, en- 
 circled by a laurel wreath and bound with the sacred fillet. 
 Underneath was his name. About this and the image 
 Christ asked the Pharisees, and they said . . . Caesar's. 
 The apparently simple question which the Pharisees an- 
 swer so readily ensnares them, the ensnarers. For it was 
 a principle, admitted even in the day of the Maccabees,^ 
 that the right of coinage involved the right of taxation. 
 Ver. 17. Jesus . . . God's. The Pharisees are reminded 
 that the actual rule of the emperor involves duties toward 
 him, which are, however, circumscribed by his sphere, a 
 truth that the Herodians are to take to heart and to give 
 God His dues in His special covenant relation, of which 
 the temple coins are an evidence. '' To the emperor thou 
 shalt give money, but thyself to God, for what remains 
 for God, if all belongs to the emperor." — Tertullian. 
 And the Pharisees are likewise to learn to " give to God 
 that which has the image and superscription of God, the 
 soul (Luke I5:8sq.)." — ERASMUS. Christ lays down a 
 principle, which maintains " a clear distinction between 
 spiritual and civil government," — Calvin, but also as- 
 serts a higher unity, for obedience to the powers that 
 be (Rom. 13:1 sq.) and to every human ordinance is 
 for the Lord's sake (i Peter 2 : 13).^ "God will 
 
 1 Later Judaism openly proclaimed this law, holding that Abigail pleaded 
 with David that Saul's coin was still in circulation. Edersheim, II. 385. 
 
 2 The Lutheran Church has ever held the duty of passive submission to 
 
2o8 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xii. i8. 
 
 have the heart, the body and the possessions are the 
 state's." — LUTHEK. 
 
 18-27. And there came unto him Sadducees, which say there is no re- 
 surrection ; and they asked him, saying. Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a 
 man's brother die, and leave a wife behind him, and leave no child, that his 
 brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. There 
 were seven brethren : and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed ; 
 and the second took her, and died, leaving no seed behind him ; and the 
 third likewise : and the seven left no seed. Last of all the woman also 
 died. In the resurrection whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven 
 had her to wife. Jesus said unto them. Is it not for this cause that ye err, 
 that ye know not the scriptures, nor the power of God ? For when they 
 shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage ; but 
 are as angels in heaven. But as touching the dead, that they are raised; 
 have ye not read in the book of ls\o&&s,\w the place concer7ii}ig\h.&V)\x'n\\, 
 how God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God 
 of Isaac, and the God of Jacob .'' He is not the God of the dead, but of the 
 living : ye do greatly err. 
 
 Ver. 18. And there cotne,vj\\.\\ the hope of bringing 
 Christ to ridicule, Sadduccees, . . . resurrection. The 
 
 Sadducees, originating at the time of Jonathan, the Mac- 
 cabee (160-143 B. C.) and representing the general reac- 
 tion of rationalism against the extreme Pharisaism, 
 doubted not only resurrection, but "denied the immortal- 
 ity of the soul, and the punishment and rewards of 
 
 the state, reserving only the right of conscience in religious belief. It is 
 equally distant from Romish hierarchical suppression of the state, and the 
 Reformed misapplication of the theocratic principle, as it appears typically 
 in the lives of Zwingle, Calvin and Knox. Luther has fully stated and 
 maintained, especially in the revolution of the peasants, the power and in- 
 dependence of the state. For his position, which is virtually that of the 
 Lutheran Church, see Gospel for the twenty-third Sunday after Trin., 
 Ilousepostil (Erl. Ed. 3 : 170). Churchpostil (14 : 295) ; An den chrl. Adel, 
 etc. (1520) {21 : 281 sq.) ; Eine Vermahnung sich zu hiiten vor Aufruhr 
 (1522) (22:43sq.) Von weltl. Obrigkeit (1523) (22 : 68sq.) ; Wider die himml. 
 Propheten (1524) (29: 146 sq.) ; Ob Kriegsleute auch selig sein konnen 
 (1526) {22 : 248 sq.); Krieg wider die Tiirken (1529) (31 : 35 .sq.) ; Verant- 
 wortungdes Aufruhrs(i533)(3i : 236 sq.) ; Ausleg. des72 Ps. (1540) (20 : 272 
 sq.); Op. Ex. Ps. CXXVII. 20 : 48. 
 
XII. 1 9-25-] CHAPTER XII. 209 
 
 Hades" (Jos. Wars, II. 8, 14). They demanded proof 
 from the clear letter of the Law, for the doctrine, which 
 was only a hope in the O. T. (10: 17) and had been fanci- 
 fully exaggerated by the Pharisees. From the Law they 
 start, saying, Ver. 19, Master, , , . seed. This law 
 (Deut, 25 : 5, 6), with the addition of the last clause from 
 Gen. 38:8 modified after Gen. 19:32, 34, was cited to 
 show the necessity of the case to be related. It is no 
 proof of an original remnant of polyandry (Morison), but 
 was given for the preservation of the families, because 
 they formed integral parts of the theocracy.^ Ver. 20. 
 There were seven brethren, who all had the same wife 
 and left no seed. Ver. 22, 23. Last . . . wife. This 
 case, which might have happened,^ and which is graphi- 
 cally spread out by the Sadducees, receives its force from 
 the assumption, also adopted by modern materialism, 
 that the conditions of the present life are necessary in 
 the hereafter, and therefore a future life is impossible. 
 Ver. 24. Jesus . . . God ? The error of the Sadducees 
 was due to their ignorance of Scripture as the product of 
 the Spirit (2 Peter i : 20, 21), whom they knew not. 
 Therefore they were ignorant of the power of God, which 
 Cometh with the Spirit (Luke 24 : 49 ; Acts i : 8 ; i Cor. 
 2 : 4), and by which He, who alone hath immortality (i 
 Tim. 6 : 16), maketh alive (Acts 26 : 8 ; Rom. 4 : 1 7 ; 8 : 1 1). 
 Beginning with the results of this power, Jesus says, 
 Ver. 25, For , . . heaven. When rising from the dead, 
 which is the privilege of those obtaining eternal life ^ 
 
 ' (jhler, O. T. Theol., p. 235. 
 
 - Although the Talmud (Yeb. 64b) laid down that if a woman had lost 
 two husbands she should not marry a third, yet in Jar. Yebam. 6b, there 
 is a story of a man who was induced to wed the twelve widows of his twelve 
 brothers. 
 
 3 The k before ve/cpwv shows this (Luke 20 : 35 ; Acts 4 : 12 : i Peter i : 3). 
 Cf. also i^avdaraaig (Phil. 3 : 11). 
 14 
 
2IO THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xii. 25-27. 
 
 (Dan. 12: 2), the present material relation ceases, because 
 the bodies are spiritual (i Cor, 6:13; i Cor. 15 : 39 sq.). 
 Men shall be like angels, not identical, but similar to 
 them, in glorious heavenly corporeity. With this last 
 assertion Jesus openly contradicts the Sadducees, who 
 denied the existence of angels and spirits (Acts 23: 8). 
 Then coming to the Scripture, He adds, Ver. 26, 27, Have 
 . . . Moses (Exod. 3 : 2, 3, 4), which you accept, in the 
 place . . . living. Referring in Jewish manner to the 
 title of the section cited, as " The Bush," ^ Christ uses a 
 very word of God to Moses. It is the fundamental 
 covenant promise, renewed to Moses at the time when 
 God revealed His unchangeable character in the name 
 Jehovah (Exod. 3 : 14), upon which Moses was to rely in 
 the establishment of the Israelitish commonwealth. Such 
 renewal if the patriarchs were dead would invalidate God's 
 eternal life, because as their God (Heb. 11 : 13 sq.), who 
 gave them what was His, He would be the God of them 
 that had been. And being a de'ad God, the covenant and 
 privileges of Israel would be void. God as God must be 
 the God of the living (Hab. i : 12). " Because God says, 
 he is a God of Abraham, Abraham must be something 
 and live." — LUTHER. Therefore ye do greatly err. With 
 this repeated warning (ver. 24), Jesus shows the Sadducees 
 the greatness and danger of their error, which was not 
 only of the head. Doubt of the resurrection is subversive 
 of all faith in God. 
 
 28-34. And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together 
 and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him. What command- 
 ment is the first of all ? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel ; The 
 
 1 Similarly 2 Sam. i : 17-27 was called "The Bow," Ezek. i : 15-28 " The 
 Chariot." Rom. 11 : 2 refers to the section " Elias." Maclear, p. 135. 
 Delitzsch, Paulus des Ap. Brief an die Rbmer, hebr. iibersetz. (Leipzig, 
 1870), p. 12, 
 
XII. 28, 29] CHAPTER X/f. 211 
 
 Lord our God, the Lord is one : and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with 
 all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy 
 strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 
 There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said 
 unto him, Of a truth, Master, thou hast well said that he is one ; and there 
 is none other but he : and to love him with all the heart, and with all the 
 understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as him- 
 self, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. And when 
 Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far 
 from the kingdom of God. And no man after that durst ask him any 
 question. 
 
 Ver. 28. And one of the seribes (2:6) came, sent by 
 the Pharisees to tempt Christ,^ and heard the Sadducees 
 disputing with Jesus, and knowing . . . them well (Ht. 
 
 beautifully), and having approved Christ, asked ... all ? 
 This was a much mooted question among the scribes, 
 who placed their own enactments about circumcision, 
 fringes, phylacteries, etc., above the Scriptures. The 
 total number of commandments was 613, the number of 
 letters in the Decalogue ; 248, as many as the members of 
 the body, were affirmative, and 365, the number of veins 
 and arteries and the days of the year, were negative. 
 Out of this maze, in which the Pharisees sought to en- 
 tangle Christ, the scribe honestly desired help. Ver, 29. 
 Jesus . . . one.2 Christ quotes Deut. 6 : 4,^ which, called 
 Shema from its initial word, was the beginning of the 
 
 1 Although Mark makes no mention of this, he does not contradict 
 Matthew. For the latter gives the public import of this interview, while the 
 former shows the inward spirit of the scribe, who in his innocence was used 
 as a tool. He was well disposed from the beginning, and not changed by 
 Christ's word. (Augustine, Chrysostom.) Stier, IL 466; Nebe, IIL 330. 
 
 - This rendering rather than that of the margin brings out the prominent 
 thought of Deut. 6 : 4. 
 
 3 Keil well says that the original text and the Septuagint are both heard. 
 In the commandment itself " with all thy mind " is added from the Sept. 
 to "heart, soul, strength " of the original. " Strength " is lax'ix instead of 
 dvvafuq of the Sept. 
 
212 THE GOSPEL OF Sr. MARK. [xii. 29-31. 
 
 morning and evening prayer of every Israelite, stood at 
 the head of the Jewish division of the commandments, 
 was contained in the phylactery, the small leather prayer- 
 box tied on the forehead, and was found in the Mezumah, 
 the little box with extracts of the law, which was nailed 
 to the door-posts. Its very use showed its fundamental 
 character.^ Therefore Christ began with it, because it is 
 the beginning and foundation of all law, and the basis of 
 its unity. Then, as on a former occasion (Luke 10 : 27), 
 He says, Ver. 30, Thou shalt love, with the free deep 
 love of reverence, as the direction of the will,^ the Lord 
 (Jehovah, the Unchangeable) as thy God, with (lit. out 
 of) all thy heart, the inmost part of thy nature (2:6; 
 
 3 : 5, etc.), with all thy soul 3 (8 : 35), the self-conscious 
 individuality, with all thy mind, the full moral reflection,* 
 and\^'\\.\\ all thy strength, which sums up the fulness of 
 love in its inward power. This commandment is " the 
 kernel of the law." — LuTHER. Ver. 31. The . . . neigh- 
 bor (Luke 10 : 30 sq.) as thyself. This second command- 
 ment, taken from Lev. 19 : 18, according to the Sept., is 
 no separate one. It rests upon the first, which must be 
 exemplified by it (Rom. 13:8 sq. ; Gal. 5 : 14 ; i John 
 
 4 : 7 sq.). Its measure is that of true self-love. '* Who- 
 soever serves his neighbor, serves not only his neighbor, 
 but God in heaven." — Luther. There . . . these. All 
 
 1 Delitzsch (Lect. on O. T. Theol. § ib) says this is " the fundamental 
 principle of the religion of Israel, which in this respect was without equal 
 in antiquity." He protests against the rendering of many modern scholars, 
 " Jehovah is a unique one," and defends " Jahve est unus." 
 
 2 The word is a)a-7]artq. See Cremer, p. 9 ; Trench, Syn., p. 41. 
 
 ^ Weiss argues from v. }^t^ that Mark uses " soul " and " heart " synony- 
 mously, but in truth the scribe's answer, like his apprehension, is not as full 
 and exact as that of Jesus. 
 
 * Luther's translation " Gemiith " adds an element of feeling, that ex- 
 presses the power but obscures the intellectual coloring of diavoia. 
 
XII. 32-35-] CHAPTER XJI. 213 
 
 commandments are great only as they rest on these, in 
 which " God does not look at what men can do, but at 
 what they ought to do ; since in this infirmity of the 
 flesh it is impossible that perfect love can obtain domin- 
 ion." — Calvin. Ver. 32. The scribe commends Jesus, 
 and repeats^ the commandment, adding, Ver. 33, it is 
 . . . sacrifices. This confession, a true echo of i Sam. 
 15:22; Ps. 5 1 : 1 5 sq. ; Hos. 6 : 6 ; Micah 6 : 6 sq., 
 rightly asserts the superiority of the moral law over all 
 ceremonial enactments. All ceremonies without love are 
 but a hypocritical cloak. Ver. 34. WJicn Jesus saw that 
 the scribe anszvered discreetly, with intelligent insight, 
 He said, . . . God. The scribe w^as almost a disciple, 
 but not quite (cf. Acts 26 : 28). " If thou art not far off, 
 enter ; better otherwise to have been far off." — Bengel. 
 In this effect of Christ upon the deputy of the Pharisees, 
 He had gained a victory. And . . . question. The wis- 
 dom and power of Jesus had overcome the daring of His 
 plotting enemies. 
 
 35-37. And Jesus answered and said, as he taught in the temple, How 
 say the scribes that the Christ is the son of David ? David himself said in 
 the Holy Spirit, 
 
 The Lord said unto my Lord, 
 
 Sit thou on my right hand. 
 
 Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet. 
 David himself calleth him Lord ; and whence is he his son .'' And the com- 
 mon people heard him gladly. 
 
 Ver. 35. Jesus, after having first asked (Matt. 22 : 42), 
 answered a number of Pharisees, who had probably 
 gathered to discuss further plans, as he taugJit in the 
 temple, where the previous words had been spoken from 
 
 ^"Understanding" {avveaiQ), which in Mark 12 : 33 takes the place of 
 "soul " (V'l'F/) of the original, is here put for "mind " (diavoia) of v. 30. It 
 marks the apprehensive power. See also note on " soul " v. 30. 
 
214 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xn. 35-37. 
 
 ver. I onward. How . . . son of David? (10 : 48). Jesus 
 does not deny His descent from David, but shows the 
 Pharisees how their constant messianic title does not 
 fully express the character of the Christ. " They saw 
 one part of what He was, they knew not the other." — 
 Augustine. Therefore Christ would lead them to a full 
 knowledge, which would be the complete answer to the 
 question about the greatest law. " You can never from 
 your w^hole heart, from your whole soul, from your whole 
 mind love God, unless you rightly understand Christ and 
 know who He is." — LUTHER. Ver. 36. David . . . 
 Spirit, through whom he spoke (2 Tim. 3 : 16; i Peter 
 I : II ; 2 Peter i : 21), The Lord . . . footstool 1 of thy 
 feet. This word of the i lOth Psalm, which w^as accepted 
 as messianic by Jews and is more frequently cited in the 
 N. T. than any other word of the O. T. (Acts 2 : 34, 35 ; 
 I Cor. 15 : 25 ; Hebr. i : 13 ; 5 : 6 ; 7 : 17, 21), was used 
 by Christ to prove His divinity rather than Ps. 45 : 7, 8 ; 
 Isai. 7 : 14; 9:6; Jer. 23 : 6; Micah 5 : 2, because it is 
 David who acknowledges the Messiah as Lord, whom 
 God seats at his right hand (cf. Dan. 7:13, 14), i. e. gives 
 ^qual power and majesty (Exod. 15 : 6; Ps. 17 : 7 ; 18 : 35 ; 
 20: 6; 60 : 5 ; 63 : 8; 98 : I ; Isai. 41 : 10; Lam. 2 : 3), until, 
 in the picture of a victorious king, His feet are on the 
 neck of the conquered enemies (Josh. 10 : 24; Ps. 8 : 6 ; 
 18 : 38 ; 45 : 5 ; 47 : 3)- After this announcement of the 
 victory of the divine Messiah, Jesus asks, Ver. 37, David 
 . . . son ? With this inferential question Jesus teaches 
 His divine and human nature. This is "the mystery 
 how He is David's son and David's Lord ; how one per- 
 son is both man and God ; how in the form of man He is 
 less than the Father, in the form of God equal with the 
 Father." — AUGUSTINE. And . . . gladly, in His won- 
 1 " Underneath " (iTro/tdru) is best attested by «, A, L, A. 
 
JCII. 38-41.] CHAPTER XII. 415 
 
 derful teaching of power, especially about the divine 
 dignity of the Messiah. The simple people have a better 
 desire for the truth than those wise in their own conceit 
 (Matt. 11:25; I Cor. i : 26, 27). 
 
 3S-40. And in his teaching he said, Beware of the scribes, which desire 
 to walk in long robes, and to havi salutations in the marketplaces, and chief 
 seats in the synagogues, and chief places at feasts : they which devour 
 widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayers ; these shall receive 
 greater condemnation. 
 
 Ver. 38. And in his teaching, reported fully Matt. 
 23, he said, . . . robes, the cloaks (tallith) with the 
 sacred fringes ; and . . . marketplaces (Matt. 23 : 7), 
 deferential greetings by their honorable title *' Rabbi," 
 Ver. 39, and . . . feasts (Matt. 23 : 6; Luke 14 : 7), the 
 highest position in the house of worship and in the 
 homes. The Lord rebukes them not " because they hold 
 such places, but because they love them." — AUGUSTINE. 
 Ver. 40. They - . . houses, by being supported by them 
 (cf. I Kings 17:9; 2 Kings 4:8; Luke 8 : 2 sq.), and in 
 the unjust administration of their property, while for a 
 pretence they make . . . prayers. They do not really 
 pray, but stand to be admired, making many words like 
 the heathen (Matt. 6:7; Luke 18 : ii sq.). These . . . 
 greater, more abundant (i Cor. 12 : 23) condemnation, 
 for their pride, rapacity, dead formality, and because of 
 their hypocrisy. God hates all pretence. 
 
 41-44. And he sat down over against the treasury, and beheld how 
 the multitude cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast 
 in much. And there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which 
 make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and said unto them, 
 Verily I say unto you. This poor widow cast in more than all they which 
 are casting into the treasury: for they all did cast in of their superfluity; 
 but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. 
 
 Ver. 41. Jesus sat down . . . the treasury. Prob- 
 
2l6 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xil. 41-44. 
 
 ably Jesus sat on one of the flight of steps rising from 
 the "court of women." In the colonnades surrounding 
 this stood thirteen trumpet-shaped chests (Shopharoth), 
 of which according to their inscriptions nine were for 
 temple-tax and sacrifice-tribute, and four for wood, in- 
 cense, temple-decorations, burnt-offerings and free-will 
 gifts. At one of the latter Christ beheld with spiritual 
 eyes, how of the multitude, many . . . cast in much 
 money, large handfuls of copper coins ; for the Jews were 
 so liberal that a law had to be enacted against giving too 
 much to the enormously wealthy temple-treasury. At 
 the time of Pompey it contained nearly $2,500,000 in 
 money alone. But still the eyes of the Lord that are 
 upon all offerings saw no sacrifice among the large gifts. 
 Ver. 42. And . . . mites (lepta), the smallest coins, 
 which . . . farthing (fourthling), the Roman quadrans, 
 J^ of an as, about 2 mills. Although in required gifts it 
 was not allowed to contribute less, yet in her free-will 
 offering the widow could have kept one mite, but she did 
 not. Ver, 43,44. Then Christ called . . . living, her whole 
 present means of subsistence. Poor as she was, she was 
 richer than Croesus and all Israel (Jerome). " How she 
 must have fixed her trust on God, and not have cared for 
 the morrow ; since she did to-day what to-day brought 
 with it." — Braune. 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 1-2. And as he went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto 
 him, Master, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! 
 And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these'great buildings ? there shall not 
 be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down. 
 
 Ver. I. As Christ went . . . temple, " paying, as it 
 were. His last adieu,"— Calvin, one . . . disciples prob- 
 ably Peter, saith . . . buildings ! Jesus, who had left 
 through the " Golden Gate," on the east side of the 
 temple, was asked to look upon the immense polished and 
 bevelled marble-blocks of the temple-wall, some of which 
 were 25 cubits ^ long, 8 cubits high and 12 cubits 
 broad (Jos. Antiq. XV. 11, 3), while others were 45 
 cubits in length, 5 in height and 6 in breadth 2 (Jos. 
 Wars, V. 6, 6). And how magnificent was the sculpture 
 and adornment of the temple with its buildings, clois- 
 ters, halls, terraces, etc.^ Its solidity and grandeur, 
 which filled the disciples with amazement, seemed to 
 prove its permanence. But, Ver. 2, Jesus . . . down. 
 As Jerusalem and the temple had once before been de- 
 stroyed (2 Kings 25 : 13) according to prophecy (Micah 
 3 : 12; Jer. 26 : 18), thus, as Christ had previously said 
 (Matt. 23 : 37 sq.), it would occur again, but more 
 
 ^ A cubit is equivalent to 18 inches. 
 
 2 Geikie (p. 33) says : " The stones used were of great size, a whole row 
 still seen on the south-east comer measuring nineteen feet, or even more, 
 in length, and four feet in height ; one of them, twenty-two feet above the 
 present surface, weighing, it is believed, over a hundred tons." 
 
 8 For an excellent description, see Farrar, p. 516; Geikie, p. 34 sq. 
 
 217 
 
2iS THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xni. M- 
 
 thoroughly. After 40 years the whole surroundings of 
 the temple were " so thoroughly levelled and dug up 
 that no one visiting the city would believe it had ever 
 been inhabited " (Jos. Wars, VII. i, i). Even Titus, 
 astonished at the great buildings, saw in his triumph 
 the hand of God (Jos. Wars, VI. 9, i). It was God, 
 who, breaking down what He had built (Jer. /15 14), 
 made this desolation (Ps. 46 : 8). 
 
 3-8. And as he sat on- the mount of Olives over against the temple, 
 Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when 
 shall these things be ? and what shall be the sign when these things are all 
 about to be accomplished ? And Jesus began to say unto them, Take heed 
 that no man lead you astray. Many shall come in my name, saying, I am 
 he ; and shall lead many astray. And when ye shall hear of wars and 
 rumors of wars, be not troubled : Ihese things must needs come to pass ; but 
 the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom 
 against kingdom : there shall be earthquakes in divers places ; there shall 
 be famines : these things are the beginning of travail. 
 
 Ver. 3, As Jesus sat . . . mount of Olives (11 : i) 
 over against the temple, Peter . . . Andrew (i : 29), 
 named according to their prominence (3 : 19) in the 
 early apostolic period, for James takes precedence of John, 
 asked privately, apart from the other disciples, Ver. 4, 
 Tell . . . accomplished ? The disciples, who connect 
 the coming of Christ and the end of the world with the 
 downfall of Jerusalem (Matt. 24 : 3), seek the time and 
 sign of the completion of all the last things. The 
 uniting of tliesc eschatological features, parallel to the 
 connection of Christ's first and second coming in the 
 prophets (Isai. 40 : 3 sq. ; 61 : i sq. ; Mai. 4 : 4 sq.), and 
 founded upon previous announcements of Jesus (9:1; 
 Matt. 10:15; I I : 22 ; 12 : 36, 41, 42), is wrong only as 
 it is temporal. Jesus Himself used the destruction of 
 Jerusalem, as an end typifying tJie end, and passes from 
 
XIII. 5-8-] CHAPTER XIII. 219 
 
 the former to the latter.^ God's judgments like His 
 mercies are one. Ver. 5. Jesus . . . astray. Christ 
 does not enter upon the question of time (ver. 4 and 32), 
 but begins with a warning, that occurs again ver. 9, 23 
 and 33. The whole import of this discourse is practical. 
 " The purpose of our asking after Christ's coming must 
 not be inquisitiveness, but the desire to remain steadfast 
 with Him until then." — Stier. Ver. 6. For Hany . . . 
 in (lit. on, relying on) my name . . astray (ver. 22). 
 This sign, presenting " an essential point of view for all 
 eschatology," — Lange, was as previously foretold (John 
 5 : 43) fulfilled among the Jews, who, as in the time of 
 exile they were led astray by false prophets (Jer. 14 : 13; 
 29:8, 9; Ezek. 13), shall again be deceived by false 
 Messiahs. Such were Theudas (Acts 5 : 36, 37 ; Jos. 
 Antiq. XX. 5, i) and others (Jos. Antiq. XX. 5, 2 ; 
 Wars, VI. 5, 2). But the disciples shall beware. Ver. 7. 
 When ye . . . wars close by, and rumours of wars in 
 the distance, be not troubled (lit. cry not out ; Matt. 
 24 : 6 ; 2 Thess. 2:2): these . , . pass, because of the 
 wickedness of the Jews ; but the end . . . yet. 
 Among the preliminary occurrences, that are pictures of 
 the final end, were the internal Jewish fights, the rising 
 against Nero, and on the border of the empire the war 
 with the Parthians, after 58 A. D. Ver. 8. Nation . . . 
 kingdom (cf. Isai. 19:2), The contentions of the Syrians 
 and Jews in the cities (Jos. Wars, H. 17, 10; 18 : i sq.), 
 
 ' This takes place at v. 24, although all the previous verses about Jeru- 
 salem's end await a re-fulfilment. It is not therefore true, as Luther says 
 that Matt, and Mark confuse the two ends, and do not keep the proper 
 order like Luke. They do not " cook it in one pap." Still less foundation 
 is there for finding two different original sources, which have been com- 
 bined in this account, as Wendt (Lehre Jesu, Gottingen, 1886, Erster Theil, 
 p. I sq.) arbitrarily does ; or for denying the connection of the fall of 
 Jerusalem with the Parousia (Erich Haupt.). 
 
i26 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiii. 8, 9. 
 
 and the rising of the emperor Otho against ViteHuswere 
 first fulfilments of these words, that await a fuller accom- 
 plishment. There . . . places. This happened in the 
 valley of the Jordan and Asia Minor, where in the time 
 of Tiberius twelve cities were thus visited, in Laodicea 
 (a. d. 61) and in Pompeii (a. d. 62). There . . . famines 
 and pestilence (Luke 21 : ii), like those threatened and 
 fulfilled of old (2 Chron. 20:9 ; Jer. 14:12; 21:7). Some 
 occurred under Claudius (Acts 1 1 : 28) and Nero. Be- 
 fore the " new earth " is born, famines shall also occur. 
 *' What God's goodness gave men for the use of life was 
 misused to their guilt, therefore God uses these things 
 for their punishment." — GREGORY THE Great. These 
 travail (Isai. 26 : 17; Jer. 22 : 23 ; Hos. 13 : 13). The 
 birth-woes of the destruction of Jerusalem, as the begin- 
 ning of a new period of the kingdom (9 : i), are a pro- 
 phecy of the travailing (Rom. 8 : 22 ; i Thess. 5 : 3), of 
 the final regeneration (Matt. 19 : 28). 
 
 9-13. But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to 
 councils ; and in synagogues shall ye be beaten ; and before governors and 
 kings shall ye stand for my sake, for a testimony unto them. And the gos- 
 pel must first be preached unto all the nations. And when they lead you 
 to judginent, and deliver you up, be not anxious beforehand what ye shall 
 speak ; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye ; for 
 it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. And brother shall deliver up 
 brother to death, and the father his child ; and children shall rise up 
 against parents, and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated 
 of all men for my name's sake : but he that endureth to the end, the same 
 shall be saved. 
 
 Ver. 9. Take heed, says Christ, repeating Matt. 
 10 : 17, 18 ; for . . . councils, sanhedrims, judicial as- 
 semblies, which soon took place (Acts 4:3; 5 : 18, 27; 
 23 : i); and into synagogues, where ye shall be beaten. 
 This punishment, carried out by the minister (Chazzan) 
 of the synagogue, was experienced by Paul (2 Cor. 
 
X 11 1. 9-1 1 •] CHA P TER XIH. 2 2 1 
 
 1 1 : 24). It was generally inflicted with leathern thongs, 
 the condemned lying on the ground (Exod.21 : 20; Lev. 
 19 : 20; Deut. 22 : 18; Prov. 10 : 13; 12 : 20). Before 
 governors (proconsuls, propraetors, procurators) and 
 kings . . . tCitimony of the gospel unto them. Paul 
 was accorded this privilege, for he stood before Felix and 
 Festus (Acts 24 : 10 sq. ; 25 : i sq.), and Agrippa (Acts 
 26 : I) and Nero (2 Tim. 4 : 16). Many Christians in the 
 persecutions stood before emperors. But they were not 
 to seek but only to suffer this. " As the snakes know by 
 nature that there is enmity between them and men, and 
 they therefore slyly beware of men, thus the saints of 
 God shall, wise as serpents, take heed of the men, whose 
 natural character is enmity against God." — Leyser. 
 Amid such persecutions, Ver. 10, the gospel must first, 
 before the end, be preached ... all the nations. The 
 apostles beginning at Jerusalem came unto " the utter- 
 most part of the earth " (Acts 1:8; Col. i : 6, 27) as 
 then known, to Italy, Illyricum and Spain (Rom. 15 : 19, 
 24, 28). This activity was the beginning of the mission- 
 ary activity of the Church, which must finally reach all 
 people, whether they hear or forbear (Ezek. 2 : 5) " That 
 is the character of the Church ; it blooms, when perse- 
 cuted ; it grows, when suppressed ; it prospers, when de- 
 spised ; it conquers, when it bleeds ; it stands, when it 
 seems to succumb." — HILARY. Ver. 11. ^//^f, Christ 
 continues, recalling Matt. 10: 19, 20; Luke 12 : 11, 12, 
 when they lead you under arrest and deliver you up 
 to Gentile tribunals, be not . . . Holy Ghost. This 
 promise, that God through His Spirit, as the Spirit of 
 glory (i Peter 4 : 14), would give the words (cf. Exod. 
 4 : 12) to those, whose whole work rested upon the Spirit 
 (John 15 : 26, 27), is applied only to compulsory appear- 
 ance before judges. Although the whole sufficiency of 
 
222 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiii. 12,13. 
 
 the servants of Christ is from God (2 Cor. 3 : 5), yet they 
 must ordinarily meditate and prepare (i Tim. 4: 13). Ver. 
 12. Brother . . . death (Matt. 10:21). The closest bonds 
 of consanguinity between brothers, parents and children 
 shall not prevent persecution against disciples, which 
 shall reach the terrible climax of children having their 
 own parents killed, an actual experience in the early per- 
 secution ^ and in those of the Reformation.^ Ver. 13. 
 And ye shall be hated . . . my name's sake (Matt. 
 10 : 22), although you are the best of men (cf. Acts 
 26 : 9). Wherever the name of Jesus is, there must be 
 hatred of the world (i John 3 : 13). But . . . saved 
 (Matt. 10:22). Endurance, "the queen of virtues," — 
 CllRYSOSTOM, the opposite to agreement with the world, 
 if it last unto the end (Rev. 2 : 10), assures of salvation 
 (Col. 2 : 6 sq. ; Hebr. 3 : 6, 14 ; 10 : 35 sq. ; 2 Pet. 3:17; 
 I John 2 : 24 sq.). Those " that die for the truth, live 
 with the truth."— Augustine. 
 
 14-23. But when ye see the abomination of desolation standing where he 
 ought not (let him that readeth understand), then let them that are in 
 Judaea flee unto the mountains: and let him that is on the housetop not 
 go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house : and let him that 
 is in the field not return back to take his cloke. But woe unto them that 
 are with child and to them that give suck in those days ! And pray ye that 
 it be not in the winter. P'or those days shall be tribulation, such as there 
 hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created 
 until now, and never shall be. And except the Lord had shortened the 
 days, no flesh would have been saved : but for the elect's sake, whom he 
 chose, he shortened the days. And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, 
 here is the Christ ; or, Lo, there ; believe it not : for there shall arise false 
 Christs and false prophets, and shall shew signs and wonders, that they 
 may lead astray, if possible, the elect. ' But take ye heed : behold, I have 
 told you ail things beforehand. 
 
 1 Tertullian, vScorpiace, X.; Luther, Walch, VII., 1291. 
 
 2 Petter tells of V^oodman, the Sussex martyr of Queen Mary's time, 
 who was " betrayed and taken by means of his own father and brother and 
 pther friends." 
 
XIII. 14-] CHAPTER Xin. 223 
 
 Ver. 14. But . . . not, in the holy place (Matt. 24 : 15). 
 The sign of the abomination, prophesied by Daniel 
 (9 : 27; II : 31 ; 12 : ii)/ is not the standing of the 
 image of an emperor ^ in the temple, nor primarily the 
 Roman armies with their ensigns,^ but the diseased^ con- 
 dition of all Israel, apparent in the profanation of the 
 temple (11 : 15 sq.), and the outrageous deeds of the 
 zealots there (Jos. Wars, IV. 3, 7, 12; 6, 3 ; VI. 2, i), 
 which caused the desolation by the Roman armies (Luke 
 21 : 20). Seeing such a condition (Let him . . . under- 
 stand). The disciples, to whom this injunction of Christ 
 is addressed, are attentively to search and understand 
 the prophecy, which Israel neglected. The great abom- 
 ination of sin must be studied from the divine word for 
 our salvation. Let . . . mountains. As Lot fled (Gen. 
 19 : 17), thus the disciples at the impending doom are 
 bidden to escape at once to the surrounding mountains. 
 In the common flight of the Jews (Jos. Wars, II. 9 : 16) 
 
 1 Keil is formally correct in claiming that Christ's words are taken only 
 from Dan. 11 : 31 ; 12 : 11, which is the position of Calvin; but Dan. 9 : 27 
 as the basis of the more detailed prophecy ought not be excluded. 
 
 '■^ That the abomination was such an image finds support in the passages 
 of Daniel, which were first fulfilled in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes 
 (i Mace. I : 54 ; 2 Mace. 6 : 2), and in the fact that " abomination " is in 
 the Sept. specially applied to idols (i Kings 11 : 5; 21 : 26; 2 Kings 
 16 : 3; 21 : 2). But as no such image is known to have "stood" in the 
 temple before the destruction of Jerusalem, for an attempt was stopped 
 (.Jos. Wars, II. 9, 2), the idolatrous abomination in its completion out- 
 wardly must refer to the Roman ensigns, to which sacrifices were offered 
 (Jos. Wars, VI. 6, i). It has never been settled by those exegetes, who 
 argue for the image, whose image it was. Jerome, Eusebius, Theodoret, 
 Theophylact, think of Tiberius, Luther of Caligula, Clemens Alex, of 
 Nero, and Chrysostom of Titus. 
 
 ^ Thus Origen, Chrysostom, Grotius, Bengel, Kuinoel, Ebrard, Lange, 
 Godet, Weiss, etc. 
 
 4 [idelvyfia means originally a foul thing causing a stench. (Cf. Luke 
 16: 15; Rev. 17 : 4. 55 21 : 27.) 
 
224 'I^^^E GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [x in. 15-19. 
 
 the Christians came to Pella,^ about 100 miles distant 
 in Peraea. Ver. 15. Let him . . , house. So sudden 
 would be the necessity of the flight, that those on the 
 house-tops resting must not, by the inside steps, enter 
 their house to take even the necessary clothing and pro- 
 vision, but hurry along the tops of the houses to the city 
 wall, using the outside steps of the houses (cf. 2 : 4) to 
 descend. Ver. 16. Let , . . cloak. Those at work in 
 the fields, without their outer garments as was usual, 
 should immediately betake themselves to the mountains 
 and leave behind the mantle so necessary as a covering. 
 When God's judgments come, we should not shrink 
 back (Luke 17 : 32), but take our life as prey (Jer. 45 : 5), 
 and in faith save our souls (Hebr. 10 : 39). Ver. 17. 
 But . . . days 12 In deepest compassion Jesus bewails 
 the helpless women, who cannot flee quickly, and to 
 whom the blessing of children would then be a curse 
 (Luke 23 : 29). Ver, 18. And pray . . . winter, for 
 then the ways would be hard to travel and the mount- 
 ains inhospitable. The prayer of believers can change 
 the season of the judgments in God's power, and there- 
 fore the Roman armies came in spring when the weather 
 was favorable for travelling. " How does the dear Lord 
 encourage us so affectionately, that we should pray for 
 the relief of His unavoidable judgments." — GERHARD. 
 Ver. 19. For . . . shall be, a prophecy for whose literal 
 fulfilment Jos. Wars, VL 9 : 3 vouches. In Jerusalem, 
 crowded at the Passover with about three million people, 
 pestilence arose and famine followed, during which men 
 killed themselves and sprang into the fire. In despair 
 
 ' Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 330. Eus. (H. E. III. 5, 3) followed by 
 Epiphanius (De pond, et mens. 15) tells of this flight. 
 
 - For the figurative interpretation of these words, see Augustine, Ps, 
 XCVI. 14. 
 
XIII. 19-23] CHAPTER XIII. 225 
 
 mothers sought food for their children ; and one mother 
 killed, roasted and ate her own child. Cruelty was ram- 
 pant, and frequent were the outbursts of violence in the 
 internal struggles of various factions. The Romans had 
 taken 97,000 captives, and during the whole siege 11,000,- 
 000 souls had perished. " Such terrible tribulation we 
 should look at closely and see industriously, what sin is, 
 which brings such suffering, that we may beware of it." — 
 Luther. Ver. 20. Except . . . days. If God had 
 not determined to shorten the time of tribulation for the 
 sake of the Christians, who in relation to the mass of the 
 Jews (flesh) were the elect remnant (Isai. 1:9; 10 : 22), 
 all Israel would have been eradicated. Titus, eager from 
 the first to make a quick siege, surrounded the city with 
 a wall, which he fortified with thirteen garrisons in three 
 days, and thus the city besieged by Nebuchadnezzar 
 sixteen months, was taken in five. The despised Chris- 
 tians were the cause of this mercy, which shall again 
 appear at the final end. " It conveys wonderful consola- 
 tion to the godly, that God will never allow His wrath to 
 proceed so far as not to provide for their safety." — CAL- 
 VIN. Ver. 21, 22. Then . . . there (cf. Matt. 24 : 26); 
 believe . . . elect. Many false Messiahs and prophets 
 arose in Judaea before the destruction of Jerusalem (Jos. 
 Wars, VI. 5, 4), who performed deceptive miracles^ (Jos. 
 Wars, II. 13, 4), especially an Egyptian (Jos. Wars, II. 
 13, 5).2 They might have deceived the elect, if this were 
 possible ; but it is impossible, because God holds them 
 (Matt. 16 : 18 ; I Cor. 10 : 13), and will do so in the lying 
 wonders of the last days (2 Thess. 2 ; Rev. 13), Ver. 23. 
 But . . . beforehand. The comprehensive prophecy of 
 
 ^ Tacitus (Ilist. 5 : 13) also mentions that the Jews were deceived by 
 signs. 
 
 '^ Eusebius (H. E. II. 21) connects this Egyptian with Acts 21 : 38. 
 15 
 
2 26 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiii. 24-26. 
 
 Christ was the guide of His disciples, whose watchfulness 
 was the condition of God's saving power. " Who will 
 not permit himself to be warned, but is nevertheless 
 deceived, is lost by his own fault." — STARKE. 
 
 24-27. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be dark- 
 ened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall be falling 
 from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken. And 
 then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and 
 glory. And then shall he send forth the angels, and shall gather together 
 his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the 
 uttermost part of heaven. 
 
 Ver. 24. In those days of the end of the world, after 
 . . . tribulation (ver. 19) of Jerusalem, which is propheti- 
 cally connected in God's manner (2 Peter 3 : 8) with the 
 end, the sun . . . darkened. The darkening, a figure of 
 great sorrow (Isai. 5 : 30 ; 13 : 10 ; Jer. 15:9; Ezek. 32 : 
 7, 8 ; Amos 8:9; Micah. 3 : 6), will be an actual physi- 
 cal one, and therefore the moon . . . light, and, Ver. 25, 
 the stars . . . heaven, i. e. sink behind the horizon. 
 The powers . . . heavens, moving and upholding the 
 universe, shall be shaken ; for as the prophets foretold 
 (Joel 2 : 30 ; Haggai 2 : 6, 21 ; Isai. 34 : 4) and the N. T. 
 confirms (Hebr. 12 : 26, 27; 2 Peter 3 : 10 sq. ; Rev. 
 6 : 12 ; 21 : 2), the regeneration of the world (ver. 8) occurs 
 in the advent of the eternal Light and Power, at whose 
 death the sun became dark. Ver. 26. Then . . . glory 
 (8 : 38 ; 14 : 62). He, who was once lowly, shall appear, 
 as prophesied (Dan. 7 : 13), in clouds, the chariots of God 
 (Ps. 104 : 3 ; Isai. 19 : i), even as He ascended (Acts i : 
 11). He comes to judgment (John 5 : 22, 27; Rev. i : 7) 
 with great power to recreate the world (Isai. 65 : 17; 
 66 : 22 ; Rev. 20 : 1 1 ; 21 : i), and with glory not of 
 grace (John i : 14) concealing His brightness, but in the 
 
XIII. 27, 28.] CHAPTER XIII. zz-j 
 
 fulness of eternal heavenly majesty (John 17 : 5). This 
 is his full revelation (i Cor. 1:7; Col. 3:412 Thess. 
 1:7; Tit. 2:13; I Peter i : 7 ; 4 : 13). Ver. 27. Then 
 . . . angels (8 : 38) to gather (Matt. 13 : 41) at first (i 
 Thess. 4 : 16, 17) his elect, whom they have always min- 
 istered to (Hebr. 1:13, 14), from the four winds, the 
 four main points of the compass, from . , . heaven, 
 i. e. those living, and those whose souls are in Paradise. 
 " That will be a great grandeur and glory, greater than 
 of all emperors and kings on earth. Then the whole air 
 will be full of elect angels and holy men, everywhere 
 surrounding the Lord in the clouds ; they shall be 
 brighter than the sun, and He, the Lord, and all saints 
 with Him, will pronounce judgment on the condemned." 
 — Luther. 
 
 28-37. Now from the fig tree learn her parable : when her branch is 
 now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer 
 is nigh ; even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye 
 that he is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation 
 shall not pass away, until all these things be accomplished. Heaven and 
 earth shall pass away : but my words shall not pass away. But of that day 
 or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the 
 Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not 
 when the time is. It is as when a man, sojourning in another country, 
 having left his house, and given authority to his servants, to each one his 
 work, commanded also the porter to watch. Watch therefore : for ye 
 know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at mid- 
 night, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find 
 you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. 
 
 Ver. 28. Now . . , nigh (Song of Songs 2 : 12, 13). 
 In this beautiful comparison Jesus not only offers His 
 disciples a most cheerful picture of promise and consola- 
 tion amid the tribulation of the last days,^ but foretells 
 
 ' Luther, Walch, VII. 1498. 
 
2 28 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xiii. 29-32. 
 
 the final conversion of Israel (11 : 14; Matt. 23 : 39; 
 Rom. 1 1 : 26) as a great sign of the end. " No man, 
 reason or wisdom on earth can speak and explain this, 
 that redemption and joy shall come, where only death 
 and destruction is seen." — Luther. Ver. 29. By this 
 sign ye know . . . these things (ver. 24-27) . . . doors 
 as judge (James 5 : 9), but bringing to you the kingdom 
 (Luke 21 : 31). Ver. 30. Verily . . . generation (8: 12) 
 of Israel, a type of all unregenerate, shall . . . accom- 
 plished. " Now we see with our own eyes the fulfilment 
 of His words." — AMBROSE. "Israel rejecting Me shall 
 remain until it calls Hosanna in truth ! The withered 
 fig tree shall stand, until it puts forth leaves." — Stier. 
 Ver. 31. Heaven . . . away. What is affirmed of the 
 word of God (Ps. 1 19 : 89, 96; Isai. 40 : 8) Christ claims 
 for His words, because He is divine. The earth and 
 heaven will be changed (Ps. 102 : 26, 27; Isai. 51 : 6 ; 
 2 Peter 3 : 7, 10), but the words of Jesus are firm and 
 eternal. " Heaven and earth, called into being out of 
 nothing, carry the possibility of not-being within them- 
 selves ; but Christ's words, descended from eternity, can 
 never cease to be." — HILARY. How certain then is a 
 salvation founded upon such words. Ver. 32. But 
 . . . heaven, although they know many things (cf. i 
 Peter i : 12), neither the 5on . . . Father. The Son, 
 although one with the Father (John 10 : 30), being the 
 eternal Word (John i : 7 sq.), that made and upholds 
 the world (Col. 1:17; Hebr. i : 3), who knows all things 
 (John 21 : 17), and is therefore not subordinate, has yet 
 in the form of the servant (Phil. 2 : 5 sq.), in which He 
 became poor and laid aside heavenly glory (2 Cor. 8:9; 
 John 17 : 5), limited His power by His love. He knew 
 not the hour, because it was not necessary for His work 
 
^'i'- 33-35-] CHAPTER XIII. 229 
 
 and for men.^ Ver. 33. Take . . . pray,^ With "en- 
 dure " these warnings are " the four moral keynotes of 
 the discourse of the Last Things." — Farrar. Ver. 34. 
 It is . . . watch. This comparative picture, which is 
 formally without an apodosis, teaches the duty of every 
 Christian to work for Christ in his place (cf. Matt. 
 20 : I sq.) under the guidance of those called as watch- 
 men (Isai. 21 : 6, 11, 12). As "bodily oversight and 
 watchfulness in a house are necessary, much more spiritual 
 watchfulness (i Peter 5 : 8)."— Starke. Ver. 35. Watch 
 . . . Cometh (Matt. 24 : 45), whether at even, shortly 
 after sunset in the first watch, at midnight, the end of 
 
 1 On this passage Augustine holds, that Christ always knew in the 
 Father (Serm. XLVII.), but He knew it not for "disclosure '" (On Ps. X. 15), 
 " because it was no part of His othce as our Master that through Him it 
 should become known tons" (On Ps. XXXVI. 16). He was ignorant 
 "as making others ignorant" (On Trin. C. 12, 23). Chrysostom believes 
 that Christ used this word to stop inquiry (Horn, on Matt. LXXVIL). 
 Athanasius, who cites it as abused by the Arians (Disc. HI. C. XXVI. 26), 
 says: " It is not the Word's deficiency, but of that human nature, whose 
 property it is to be ignorant " (Disc. III. C. XXVII. 43). In this posi- 
 tion he is followed by Gregory Naz. (4th Theol. Orat. XV.). Basil (Letters 
 CCXXXVI.) thinks, after comparing this passage with Matt., that it means : 
 " No man knoweth, neither the angels of God ; nor yet the Son would have 
 known unless the Father had known." (On further views of the Fathers, 
 see Gore, Bampton Lect. VI. 163, and p. 267, notes.) The view of Athan- 
 asius was adopted by Luther, who says (Walch, XII. 209) : "The humanity 
 of Christ has, just as another holy natural man, not always thought, spoken, 
 willed, remembered all things, as some make an almighty man of him, con- 
 fuse the two natures and their work unwisely." In like manner the other 
 older teachers of the Lutheran Church placed the limitation in the human 
 nature, which by " communicatio idiomatum " had the possession, but not 
 always the use of divine attributes. Modern Lutheran theologians, since 
 Thomasius (Christi Person u. Werk., 2. ed. 2, p. 156), with the exception 
 of Philippi (Kirchl. Glaubenslehre, 2. ed. IV. 2, p. 422), regard the self- 
 limitation one of divine love in the unity of the theanthropic person of 
 Christ. (I-uthardt, Compendium, 7th ed., p. 190; Frank, Chrl. Wahr. II. 
 
 P- 143) 
 
 2 " Pray " is wanting in B, D, although otherwise well attested. 
 
230 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiii. 36, 37. 
 
 the second watch, at cockcrowing (14 : 30), between mid- 
 night and morning, or in the morning, at the end of the 
 fourth watch (see 6 : 48). This warning for the special 
 porters was given, Ver. 36, lest the Lord coming find 
 them sleeping, which would entail punishment ^ (cf. Matt. 
 25 : I sq.). "The more uncertain the time of the coming 
 of the Lord is, the more care is demanded to watch 
 and be ready." — Starke. Ver. 37. And . . you, 
 apostles, types of all porters, I say unto all believers, 
 Watch. The last word emphasizes the condition of 
 Christians necessary at all times, in view of Christ's 
 coming. " Who desires to stand before the Lord and not 
 to be afraid of His advent, must watch constantly (Luke 
 21 : 36)." — Starke. 
 
 1 Edersheim says of the temple-guards on duty in the night : " Any 
 guard found asleep when on duty was beaten, or his garments were set on 
 fire — a punishment, as we know, actually awarded." 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 1-2. Now after two days was the feast ^the passover and the unleavened 
 bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take 
 him with subtilty, and kill him : for they said, Not during the feast, lest 
 haply there shall be a tumult of the people. 
 
 Ver. I. Now after two days, counting from Tuesday 
 evening, was the feast of the passover, which began on 
 the evening of the 14th of Nisan, and the unleavened 
 bread, which commenced on the 15th and lasted seven 
 days (Jos. Antiq. III. 10, 5). These festivals, originally 
 distinct (Exod. 12 : 14 sq. ; Lev. 23 : 5, 6 ; Numb. 28 : 16, 
 17), soon became one, and the name Passah, designating 
 God's passing over (Exod. 12 : 13), was applied to the 
 seven days of unleavened bread, that emphasized a relig- 
 ious custom (Deut. 16 : i ; 2 Chron. 35 : 16 sq.) ; and 
 conversely (Jos. Antiq. II. 15, i ; XI. 4, 8 ; Wars, V. 3, i). 
 The chief . . . take Jesus, as the Pharisees had long ago 
 (3 : 6) determined and incited the Sanhedrim (John 
 7 : 32, 45, 51 ; II : 53 ; 12 : 42). But they would do so 
 with subtilty, since force was impossible (11 : 18 ; 12 : I2). 
 Ver. 2. For . . , people, who are now enthused for Him 
 (i I : 8). These men fear " not the ills from God, neither 
 lest a pollution should arise to them from the season, but 
 in every case the ills from men." — Chrysostom. But 
 their counsel shall not prevail ; our passover (i Cor. 5 : 7) 
 must be slain on the feast, " that the ancient figure 
 might give place to the only sacrifice of eternal redemp- 
 tion." — Calvin. 
 
 231 
 
2^2 T//E GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 3. 
 
 3-9. And while he was in Bethany in tlie house of Simon the leper, as 
 he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster cruse of oint- 
 ment of spikenard very costly; and she brake the cruse, and poured it 
 over his head. But there were some that had indignation among them- 
 selves, saying, To what purpose hath this waste of the ointment been 
 made ? For this ointment might have been sold for above three hundred 
 pence, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her. But 
 Jesus said, Let her alone ; why trouble ye her .? she hath wrought a good 
 work on me. For ye have the poor always with you, and whensoever ye 
 will ye can do them good : but me ye have not always. She hath done 
 what she could : she hath anointed my body aforehand for the burying. 
 And verily I say unto you, Wheresoever the gospel shall be preached 
 throughout the whole world, that also which this woman hath done shall 
 be spoken of for a memorial of her. 
 
 Ver. 3. While, on the previous Sabbath, Jesus was in 
 Bethany (u : i) in the . . . Simon the leper (i : 40), 
 not a Pharisee (Luke 7 : 36), but a friend ^ of Lazarus, 
 healed by Jesus, to whom as he . . . meal, the festive 
 Sabbath dinner, there came a woman, Mary, the sister of 
 Martha (John 12 : 3),^ having . . . alabaster cruse, a 
 small sealed bottle made of alabaster,^ which contained 
 twelve ounces (John 12 : 3) of iiard genuine^ and very 
 
 1 Paulus and Hengstenberg would make Mary the wife of Simon, Bleek 
 and Lange his widow, and Ewald his daughter, Simon being deceased. 
 
 ^ This Mary is not to be identified with Mary Magdalene (Augustine, 
 Hengstenberg), who in turn is made the woman, "a sinner " (Luke 7 : 37), 
 so that there is but one unction (Clement Alex., Tertullian, Origen, Chry- 
 sostom); for this anointing is clearly different from that of Luke 7. But 
 no two unctions took place at Bethany, one six days before the passover 
 and the other two days (Jerome, Theophylact, Osiander, Lightfoot), but 
 only one is reported by Matt., Mark and John (Augustine, Luther, Cal- 
 vin, Gerhard, Bengel, Meyer, Keil, Godet, Nosgen, etc.). Nebe, Leid- 
 ensgeschichte, L 20 sq. 
 
 ^ This is, however, not absolutely necessary, for the name "alabaster," 
 originally applied to flasks from Alabastron, Egypt, and then to the white 
 stone of which they were made, was finally used for all vessels containing 
 perfume. Maclear, p. 152. 
 
 * The much disputed "7r/(Tr//cr/f " cannot refer to a place Piste (.Xugus- 
 tine), supposed to be mentioned by /Lschylus (Persas, \'. i) as a city of 
 
XIV. 3-6.] CHAPTER XIV. 233 
 
 costly. Nard, an aromatic plant (Song of Songs 1:12; 
 4:13, 14), of which the best-known species is the nardus 
 spicata, although found in Gaul, Syria and Assyria, is 
 especially at home in India. From its dried leaves with 
 a part of the root the ointment, which was very expensive, ^ 
 was prepared. Mary brake the cruse in its narrow neck, 
 and poured it lavishly over the ]icad of Jesus, and 
 anointed His feet (John 12:3). Him she honored in deep 
 love and reverence as high priest (Ps. 133 : 2) and king 
 (Song of Songs i : 12), although unwittingly. Ver. 4. 
 But there were some disciples (Matt. 26 : 8) incited by 
 Judas (John 12:4 sq.), who, indignant among them- 
 selves, said. To . . . made? Ver. 5. It . . . pence 
 (6 : 37), $48, an immense sum, and given . . . poor. 
 And they murmured strongly against her. The disci- 
 ples not knowing the purpose of Judas (John 12:6) were 
 influenced by his apparent interest for the poor, and 
 caught the infection of his malicious tongue. They con- 
 demn Mary, and call that anointment wasted, which is 
 given to God's great Anointed (Ps. 45 : 7). " Nothing 
 is wasted upon Christ. Miserable parsimony, if we refuse 
 Him anything." — Hedinger, Starke. Ver. 6. He 
 said. Let . . . me. The reproach against Mary and the 
 interference with her is reproved, because her deed pro- 
 ceeding from living faith (Rom. 14 : 23) is good. It was 
 also the result and representation of that thankfulness 
 for the love of Jesus by the retributive love (i John 4 : 19), 
 which is the " rich source and living seed of all other 
 
 Persia, because Persia is never mentioned as producing ointment. Nor can 
 it be liquid, for, though nard mixed with wine and water was used, ■KiaTMdq 
 never stands for ntaroQ. The best derivation supported by later Greek is 
 from TviGTig: therefore faithful, trustworthy, genuine and not pseudo-nard. 
 Nebe, Ldg. I., p. 33 sq ; Morison, p. 379 sq. 
 
 1 It is mentioned among the precious gifts sent to Cambyses by the 
 Ethiopians. 
 
234 ^^^' GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 7-10. 
 
 love acceptable before God." — Besser. Ver. 7. For 
 . . . you (cf. Prov. 22 : 2), and whensoever . . . good. 
 
 Many are the opportunities for charity, where there is a 
 desire to help. But . . . always, for I go to the Father 
 (John 14 : 12, 28) ; therefore do now what ye can. Ver. 
 8. She . . . she could totally and fully and anointed . . . 
 . . . for the burying. Her act was prophetically the last 
 service of love. Ver. 9. And . . . preached her deed 
 shall . . . memorial of her. Wherever the name of 
 Jesus is spoken of in the wide world Mary is remem- 
 bered as the first and best example of that love, which in 
 humility and with great self-sacrifice brings the costliest 
 gifts to the Saviour. Without such love the gospel 
 would not be spread. 
 
 lo-ii. And Judas Iscariot, he that was one of the twelve, went away 
 unto the chief priests, that he might deliver him unto them. And they, 
 when they heard it, were glad, and promised to give him money. And he 
 sought how he might conveniently deliver him unto tketn. 
 
 Ver. 10. And in contrast with the love of Mary Judas 
 Iscariot (3 : 19) that . . . the twelve, "of the first com- 
 pany of those selected as the best," — Chrysostom, went 
 . . . Christ. The motive of Judas was not revenge for 
 the correction at Bethany (Aquinas, Gerhard, Byn^eus), 
 nor the hope that Christ would thus be compelled to free 
 Himself and would then establish the desired earthly 
 messianic kingdom (Thiess, Paulus, Winer, Hase) ; nor 
 despair in Christ's Messiahship (Neander, Bleek, Ewald, 
 Schenkel, Keini, Holtzmann). But avarice, against which 
 he had heard many warnings (10 : 25 ; Matt. 6:19; 
 13 : 22 ; Luke 16 : 1 1 ; John 6 : 70), and into the service 
 of which he placed his energy, sagacity, and financial 
 ability (John 12:6), that Christ had seen in him, was 
 the root of evil (i Tim. 6 : 10). By this he opened his 
 
XIV. II, 12.] CHAPTER X/V. 235 
 
 heart to Satan 1 (Luke 22 : 3), and the presence of the 
 heavenly Goodness became a savor of death (2 Cor. 
 2 : 16) unto a terrible end (Matt. 27 : 3 sq. ; Acts i : 16 
 sq.).''^ Ver. 11. The priests ivhen t/uy heard t\\Q desire 
 of Judas were glad that they could attain their purpose 
 (ver. i) ; and as children of darkness rejoice in such 
 wickedness. They . . . money, which Judas bargained 
 for (Matt. 26 : 15). He received 30 pieces of silver (30 
 shekels=$i5), as prophesied Zech. 11 : 12. This sum, 
 equivalent to four months' wages, was the price of a slave 
 (Exod. 21 : 32). The servant (Phil. 2 : 7) is sold for a 
 servant's price. Judas sought . . . conveniently, with- 
 out arousing the people, and when Jesus was not among 
 friends at Bethany, deliver him. " The children of the 
 world are wiser than the children of light, but in wicked- 
 ness and evil plans." — Starke. 
 
 12-16. And on the first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed 
 the passover, his disciples say unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and 
 make ready that thou mayest eat the passover ? And he sendeth two of 
 his disciples, and saith unto them, Go into the city, and there shall meet 
 you a man bearing a pitcher of water : follow him ; and wheresoever he 
 shall enter in, say to the goodman of the house, The Master saith, Where 
 is my guest-chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? 
 And he will himself shew you a large upper room furnished a?td rea.dy : and 
 there make ready for us. And the disciples went forth, and came into the 
 city, and found as he had said unto them : and they made ready the pass- 
 
 over. 
 
 Ver. 12. On the first day ^/unleavened bread (ver. i\ 
 Thursday evening,^ when in the temple they sacrificed 
 
 1 The apocryphal Gospel of the Infancy (C. 35) has invented the fable 
 that Judas, when a boy, was healed by Jesus of a demon, who came out 
 " in the shape of a dog." 
 
 2 Nebe, Ldg. I., p. 59 sq. ; Geikie, p. 274 sq. ; Edersheim, II., p. 471 sq.; 
 Farrar, p. 526 sq. 
 
 3 The synoptists clearly state, that Jesus ate the passover at the regular 
 time, but John (13 : i ; 18:28; 19:14, 31) seems to contradict. That, 
 
236 run GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 13, 14. 
 
 . . . passover, which was at the going down of the sun 
 (Deut. 16 : 6), between the two evenings (Exod. 13:6; 
 Lev. 23:5; Numb. 9 : 3, 5),^ the . . . passover ? Perhaps 
 they supposed that Jesus would eat in the seclusion of 
 Bethany, which for religious purposes was reckoned a 
 part of Jerusalem. Ver. 13. He . . two, Peter and 
 John (Luke 22: 8\ and saith . . . him. The same pre- 
 science of Jesus that directed the disciples to the colt 
 ([I : 2) again gives minute orders, which begin with the 
 command to follow a slave bearing water (Deut, 29 : 1 1 ; 
 Josh. 9 : 21 ). Christ " chose to direct them by a miracle 
 that afterward their faith might remain firm." — Caiaix. 
 Ver. 14. They w^ere to say to the good man 2 . . . house,^ 
 
 which the slave entered. The Master saith, to thee a 
 disciple, Where . . . disciples ? Jesus in His modesty 
 asks for the guest-chamber (inn, Luke 2 : 7), where beasts 
 of burden were allowed, and shoes, staff, and garments 
 laid off. He that was born in an inn would hold His last 
 meal just as humbly. Only the inn (kataluma, khan) 
 must be His alone {my). No other company, as was 
 customary, is to be there ; for in the days of passover 
 general hospitality prevailed. Christ and His disciples 
 would form a proper company, which could not be less 
 than ten persons, nor more than that each could have a 
 
 however, John, whose words can and have been brought into agreement 
 with the synoptists, was of the same opinion is attested by Polycarp, wlio 
 ate the passover with John on tlie 14th of Nisan. (Robinson, Harm., 
 p. 243 sq. ; Schaff, Hist, of Christ, ch. I. 134.) Against this view, cf. Farrar, 
 Excursus X., p. 671 sq. See Appendix, p. 285 sq. 
 
 ^ For a description of such passover sacrifice among the Samaritans, see 
 Trumbull, p. 371 sq. 
 
 ■^ " Goodman " is a relic of olden time, in which the esteem towards the 
 head of the household was thus expressed (Morison). 
 
 '■^ This man was not Joseph of Arimathala, but the father of Mark (ver. 
 51). (Ewald, Lichtenstein, Edersheim.) 
 
XIV. 15-iNJ CHAPTER XIV. 237 
 
 small portion of the paschal lamb. The goodman, con- 
 tinued Christ, Ver, 15, will . . . room. This was the 
 best and most secluded room (2 Sam. 18: 33 ; Dan. 6: 10), 
 to which there was an outer entrance. It was often used 
 for prayer (2 Kings 23 : 12; Acts i : 13; 20:8), as sick- 
 room (i Kings 17 : 19) and death-chamber (Acts 9 : 37,39), 
 but also for honored guests (2 Kings 4 : 10). The dis- 
 ciples would find it furnished, the reclining couches with 
 tapestry set about the table, and ready, the lamps and 
 dishes placed, and all ceremonial requirements fulfilled. 
 It was thus; and the disciples, Ver. 16, made . . . pass= 
 over. The preparation included not only the final prep- 
 aration of the lamb, which, purchased on the tenth of 
 Nisan, had to be slain and made ready in the temple 
 about the time of the evening sacrifice,^ but also the ob- 
 taining of the unleavened cakes (Exod. 12 : 18), the bitter 
 herbs, the wine for the cups, which was mixed with 
 water. 
 
 17-21. And when it was evening he cometh with the twelve. And as 
 they sat and were eating, Jesus said. Verily I say unto you. One of you 
 shall betray me, even he that eateth with me. They began to be sorrowful, 
 and to say unto him one by one. Is it I ? And he said unto them, // is one 
 of the twelve, he that dippeth with me in the dish. For the Son of man 
 goeth, even as it is written of him : but woe unto that man through whom 
 the Son of man is betrayed ! good were it for that man if he had not been 
 born. 
 
 Ver. 17. When it xvas evening, the second evening 
 after the setting of the sun, Jesus cometk with the twelve. 
 Ver. 18. And as tJiey sat (lit. reclined) after the washing 
 of the feet (John 13:1 sq.), and v^^ere eating,^ y^^;^^^ be- 
 ginning as told John 13:13 sq., said, Verily . . . me. 
 
 1 See Edersheim, II. 487 sq. 
 
 2 They were now in the passover celebration at the third part, the setting 
 out of the bitter herbs, which is preceded by the " cup of consecration," and 
 the v.'ashing of hands, for which Jesus substituted the washing of feet. 
 
23S THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xrv. 18-21. 
 
 When Jesus utters this word He is not only conscious that 
 it is a prophecy (Ps. 41 : 9), but He seeks in great sadness 
 (John 13: 21) of love to warn the lost child, previously 
 warned (John 13 : 10). " The world would love betrayal 
 and despise the traitor. Christ despises betrayal and 
 seeks to save the traitor, whose soul He loves." — GER- 
 HARD. Ver. 19. The disciples began, ... Is it I? 
 Overwhelmed by surprise and sorrow they ask, surely it 
 is not I ; for they are at once conscious of their innocence 
 and fear their weakness. And Judas, the hypocrite, 
 follows and deceives them. Peter, not satisfied, beckons 
 to John (John I3:24sq.), who, reclining at the right of 
 Jesus, asks him. Ver. 20. Jesus said. It is . . . dish. 
 The sign is to be the dipping with Jesus into the dish, 
 which after a blessing is the fourth part of the passover 
 feast. Into this dish, containing the Chasoreth, the sauce 
 of vinegar, water, almonds, figs and spice, which symbol- 
 izes the fruits of the Holy Land as a gift after the 
 delivery from Egypt ; the bitter herbs, as lettuce, endive, 
 succory and horehound, representing Israel's bondage, 
 are dipped. This Judas does, and Christ gives him the 
 piece dipped in (John 13:26). But the effrontery of 
 Judas still deceives the rest. Ver. 21. Jesus says. The 
 Son of man (2 : 10) . . . written of him (cf. 8:31 ; Ps. 
 22; Isai. 53) . . born. The necessity of Christ's death, 
 which on His part is a free going in obedience to the 
 divine purpose, docs not abate the guilt of Judas. Not 
 because God foresaw the deed of Judas did he sin ; but 
 when God foresaw it. He foretold it. " Though God by 
 His righteous judgment appointed for the price of our 
 redemption the death of His son, yet nevertheless Judas 
 in betraying Christ brought upon himself righteous con- 
 demnation, because he was full of treachery and avarice. 
 In short, God's determination that He would save the 
 
XIV. 32.] cfurTER xrv. 239 
 
 redeemed, does not at all interfere with Judas being a 
 wicked traitor.'-CALVlN. But Christ in His love 
 desired, if such were possible, that Judas had never been 
 born "This is the last call of love, stronger than the 
 howling of hell, a love which accompanies the lost even 
 to the boundaries of misery, where it must leave them. 
 — Stier. 
 
 .... c And as they were eating, he took bread, and when he had blessed 
 he"brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take ye : this is my body. And 
 he took a cup. and when he had given thanks, he gave to them : and they 
 all drank of U. And he said unto them. This is my blood of the covenant, 
 which is shed for many. Verily I say unto you. I will no more drmk of the 
 fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new m the kmgdom of God. 
 
 Ver 22. As . . . eating, being now at the seventh 
 parti of "the passover, the taking of unleavened cakes, 
 breaking and distributing them after the blessmg : 
 - Blessed be thou, O Lord our God, Thou king of the 
 universe, who bringest forth fruit out of the earth (i 
 Cor. lo : i6), Jems, making the passover of fulfilment out 
 of the passover of promise, took bread, one cake, as there 
 was to be one gift to be given to the one body of 
 believers (i Cor. lO : 17V And when . . . blessed it, not 
 only as was generally the custom (6 : 41 ), but with special 
 grace, that it might be a true Eucharist, and "the germ 
 and beginning of a blcsnng of divine miraculous power 
 upon all communion-bread,"-STlER; He brake it, simply 
 to divide it (6 : 41), but not as a symbol.-^ " Figures and 
 
 1 Since the dipping into the Chasoreth. the Haggadah or "shewing 
 forth" (I Cor. II : 26), i. e. the telling about the delivery from Egypt ac- 
 cording to the law (Ex. 12 : 27 ; 13 : 8) ; and the filling of the second cup 
 and its drinking after the inquiry, " What mean ye ^ythis service? by a 
 child or proselyte ; and the singing of the first part of the Mallei (Ps. ir,. 
 114) had taken place. Maclear, p. 157- ,, .,, • „af 
 
 2 Gerhard compares this blessing with that of frmtfulness given at 
 
 creation. . ^ , , . • , /-„, 
 
 3 The apparent support of the symbolical meaning of breaking is I Cor. 
 
240 Tin. GOSPEL OF ST. MAh'A'. [xiv. 22-2^ 
 
 signs in the N.T. belong- to the C). T. among the Jews, and 
 who confesses that lie has the figure or sign of the N.T.,he 
 confesses that he does not yet possess the N. T., and has 
 retrograded, denied Christ and become a Jew." — LuTHER. 
 Then Christ gave it . . . them, whether into the hand 
 or mouth is not certain, and said, Take ye ; eat (Matt. 
 26 : 26) : this is my body. In this most wonderful eat- 
 ing, the mouth takes the bread as the communion (i Cor. 
 
 10 : 16) of the very body^ of Christ, which is not simply 
 flesh (John 6\ but flesh and blood, permeated by the 
 living spirit. It is the body about to be given into death 
 (Luke 22 : 19), but miraculously glorified, because it is the 
 body of the Godman. "Christ has not only given Him- 
 self to us as brother, friend, surety ; that was not enough 
 for His love. He gave Himself to us as meat." — Tauler. 
 Ver. 23. And, at the eighth part of the passover, the 
 " cup of blessing" (i Cor. 10 : 16), Jesus took a cup, and 
 having thanked, gave it to the disciples: and ... it, as 
 directed (Matt. 26 : 27) ; for all are to have personal par- 
 ticipation in the full power of Christ's life. All are given 
 the blood, in which is the life of the body (Lev. 17 : 1 1). 
 Ver. 24. And He said, This . . . covenant,''^ The cove- 
 nant of the O. T. (Exod. 24 : 8) instituted with blood of 
 oxen, for every covenant requires blood (Hebr. 9 : 18), is 
 
 11 : 24. But the best MSS. (X, A, B, C) omit "broken," and the Rev. Ver- 
 sion properly reads : " This is my body which is for you." Tlie breaking of 
 bread would be a very inapt picture. 
 
 1 For the impossibility of a figure in "is" or "body" see Krauth, Tlu 
 Conservative Reformation, etc., p. 608 sq. Grass (Verhalten zu Jesus, ett ., 
 p. 112) states as the clear result of uninfluenced exegesis: "The eating of 
 the bread is identical with the eating of His body, and the drinking of the 
 wine is identical with the drinking of His blood." 
 
 2 The reading of Luke, " the new covenant in my blood " (cf. also i Cor. 
 II: 25), is not contradictory. While emphasizing the newness of the covenant 
 more strongly, as Matt, and Mark its uniqueness {the covenant), it make-, 
 the cup equally with Matt, and Mark a carrier of the blood. 
 
XIV. 24-26.] CHAPTER XIV. 241 
 
 as a shadow (Col. 2 : 17; Hebr. 10 : i) now supplanted 
 by the covenant, which is the eternally new (Jer. 3 1 : 33, 34 ; 
 Hebr. 8 : 8, 13; 9 : 15) in Him that maketh all things new 
 (2 Cor. 5:17). His blood, as that of the blameless lamb 
 of God (John i : 29 ; i Peter i : 19; Hebr. 9 ; 14), shed 
 for the remission of sins (Matt. 26 : 28 ; Hebr. 9 : 20) for 
 many (10 : 45), the whole mass of men (i Tim. 2 : 6 ; 2 
 Cor. 5 : 14; Hebr. 2:9; i John 2 : 2), is, glorified like 
 the body (ver. 22), given in the Lord's supper. " In the 
 O. T. those that sacrificed could eat of the sacrifice, and 
 thereby became certain of the gracious acceptance of 
 their offering by God. Thus we partake of Christ's 
 sacrifice in the sacrificial meal of the new covenant for 
 the assurance that it has truly been accepted for us by 
 God, and that we are reconciled with Him. Here we re- 
 ceive the good thing, an established heart (Hebr. 13:9, 
 10), well comforted with the remission of sins." — LUTHER.^ 
 Then Christ said,^ Ver. 25, Verily I say . . . the king= 
 dom of God. Jesus will no more on earth drink of wine 
 making glad (Ps. 104 : 15), until the kingdom of God \Vi\\.s, 
 glorious consummation (i : 15; Matt. 13 : 36 sq. ; Luke 
 22 : 30) on the new earth (2 Peter 3 : 13 ; Rev. 21 : 5) will 
 be the supper of the lamb (Rev. 19 : 9). Then He will 
 partake of the glorified spiritual-bodily gifts of joy. 
 
 26. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out unto the mount of 
 Olives. 
 
 Ver. 26. After singing the rest of the Hallel (Ps. 
 1 1 5-1 18) Jesus and His disciples go to the Mount of Olives 
 (11: I). 
 
 1 For an excellent exposition of the Lord's Supper, see Besser, Leidensg., 
 p. 69 sq. 
 
 - In all probability Jesus repeated this word, which He had spoken at the 
 beginning, at the time of the " cup of consecration " (Luke 22 : 15 sq.), with 
 its prayer : " Blessed be Thou, Jehovah our God, Thou king of the universe, 
 who hast created the fruit of the vine." 
 16 
 
242 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 27-30. 
 
 27-31. And Jesus saith unto them, All ye .sliall be offended : for it is 
 written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered abroad. 
 Howbeit, after I am raised up, I will go before you into Galilee. But 
 Peter said unto him, Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. And 
 Jesus saith unto him, Verily I say unto thee, that thou to-day, even this 
 night, before the cock crow twice, shalt deny me thrice. But he spake ex- 
 ceeding vehemently, If I must die with thee, I will not deny thee. And in 
 like manner also said they all. 
 
 Ver. 27. Jesus . . , be offended I shall be a stum- 
 bling-block to you. " They saw Him handled as a child of 
 the devil, therefore they doubted whether He was the 
 Son of God ; they saw that He did not help Himself, 
 therefore they doubted whether He was the Saviour ; 
 they saw Him treated like the most rejected enthusiast, 
 therefore they doubted whether He was the truth; they 
 saw Him led to death, therefore they doubted whether 
 He was life." — Brenz. This was as foretold Zech. 
 13 : 7, I will smite . . . scattered abroad. The good 
 shepherd (John 10 : 4) over men (Ezek. 34 : 31) will be 
 smitten of God (Isai. 53 : 4), and His flock scattered 
 (ver. 50). But the helpless sheep are to know that " God 
 does not cease to recognize as His sheep those who are 
 driven out and scattered in every direction for a time." — 
 Calvin. Ver. 28. Howbeit . . . up (8: 31) through the 
 glory of the Father (Rom. 6:4; cf. also 7:4; 8 : 11), I 
 , . . Galilee (16 : 7; Matt. 28 : 7, 16 ; John 21:1 sq.), 
 as a shepherd to gather you the "little ones" (Zech. 
 13 : 7). "You will desert Me, but I will not desert you." 
 Stier. Ver. 29. But Peter ... I. The ardent con- 
 fessor (John 6 : 68) is honest, but in proud self-reliance, 
 lowering others, overestimates himself. The most 
 dangerous condition is presumptous self-confidence (i 
 Cor. 10 : 12). Ver. 30. But . . . cock crow twice 
 (13 : 35), . . . thrice. Mark most fully and clearly re- 
 ports this word with its climax. Before morning the rock 
 
XIV. 31. 32.] CHAPTER XIV. 243 
 
 shall have become a shaking reed (ver. dd sq.). Ver. 31. 
 But Peter spake exceeding vehemently with the full 
 resistance of his fiery nature, If I must die , . . they all, 
 
 not to be outdone by Peter's strong assertion. " Having 
 no reliance on the promise and neglecting prayer, they 
 advance with inconsiderate haste to boast of a constancy 
 which they did not possess." — Calvin. 
 
 32-42. And they come unto a place which was named Gethsemane : 
 and he saith unto his disciples, Sit ye here, while I pray. And he taketh 
 with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly amazed, and 
 sore troubled. And he saith unto them, My soul is exceedingly sorrowful 
 even unto death : abide ye here, and watch. And he went forward a little, 
 and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might 
 pass away from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible 
 unto thee ; remove this cup from me : howbeit not what I will, but what 
 thou wilt. And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto 
 Peter, Simon, slefepest thou .' couldst thou not watch one hour .' Watch 
 and pray, that ye enter not into temptation : the spirit indeed is willing, but 
 the flesh is weak. And again he went away, and prayed, saying the same 
 words. And again he came, and found them sleeping, for their eyes were 
 very heavy ; and they wist not what to answer him. And he cometh the 
 third time, and saith unto them. Sleep on now, and take your rest : it is 
 enough ; the hour is come ; behold, the Son of man is betrayed into the 
 hands of sinners. Arise, let us be going : behold, he that betrayeth me is 
 at hand. 
 
 Ver. 32. They . . . Gethsemane (oil-press), a garden 
 (John 18 : i) whither Jesus was wont to go (John 
 18 : 2), at the foot of Olivet. It probably contained 
 an oil-press, and has, since the fourth century, been 
 placed about a hundred yards east of the bridge across 
 the Kedron in a spot containing very old trees, which 
 cannot, however, go back to the time of Christ, since 
 Titus in the siege of Jerusalem cut down all the trees.^ 
 
 1 Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, p. 455 ; Wilson, Bible Lands, L. p. 481 ; 
 Nebe, Ldg. L, p. 231. Thomson (IL, p. 483) argues against the traditional 
 site. 
 
244 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xiv. 32-35. 
 
 " It was proper that in a garden the blood of the physi- 
 cian should be shed as medicine, because in a garden the 
 sickness of the sick originated." — AUGUSTINE. At the 
 entrance He said to his ... I pray. With this word, re- 
 calling Gen. 22 ; 5, Christ, though mentioning His purpose, 
 conceals the mystery of His obedient suffering from the 
 eight disciples, that were not yet able to bear it. Ver. 33. 
 He . . . and John (5:37; 9:2), . . . began actively to 
 suffer, and to be greatly amazed, lit. thoroughly terrified 
 and sore troubled, almost beyond Himself in sorrow. The 
 sadness of Jesus increasing to awful terror, " although 
 much too high for us, because the person that suffers is 
 too high and above all," — LUTHER, is in part revealed by 
 Him, when, Ver. 34, he . . . soul (8:35), . . . death. 
 The very depth of the individual life of Jesus with its 
 wonderfully delicate sensitiveness, as He is the Sinless 
 and Living One, is overwhelmed by a sorrow that hurries 
 Him almost to death. It is not a trembling because of 
 the bodily suffering to come, but the dread of the Holy 
 One before death (Heb. 5 : 7), as the wages of sin, with 
 its power of condemnation (Isai. 53:8). " Such sorrow 
 and terror is a proof that Christ is true man, for other- 
 wise such sorrow could not have held Him ; yet again it 
 is testimony that He is true God, because He endured 
 and conquered such sorrow. Upon His neck lay the sin 
 of the whole world, that such death, which He was to 
 suffer, was a death of sins, and a death of the wrath of 
 God." — Luther. To the three, Christ further said, 
 abide . . . watch. Ye cannot help Me, I must do My 
 work alone (Isai. 6t, : 3), but you can be near as witnesses 
 (l Peter 5 : i), that seeing you for whom I suffer I maybe 
 consoled. Ver. 35. And he went forward ^z/zV//r, further 
 into the centre of the garden about a stone's cast (Luke 
 22:41), and fell on the ground in deepest humiliation 
 
J^iv. 35-37.] CHAPTER XIV. ^4^ 
 
 (Ps. 22 : 6) and prayed with crying (cf. Ps. 18:6; 22 : 2 ; 
 69:13; 109:4) and tears (Heb. 5:7). "This word is 
 repeated so often in this account, as though the evange- 
 Hsts had agreed to give us no peace, until we notice this 
 praying of the Lord Jesus." — Rambach. Seeking free- 
 dom from this Jioiir of agony, Ver. 36, he . . . Abba, 
 Father, repeating the Aramaic (Abba) in Greek to testify 
 strongly His affection toward the Father, although under 
 His judgment. If we have the spirit of adoption and of 
 the Son, we can also cry thus (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4 : 6). 
 All . , . thee (10: 27) • . . cup (10: 38) of suffering and 
 judgment (Jer. 25 : 15) from me . . . wilt. The Son 
 would have the Father use His almighty power not to 
 break the eternal promise of salvation (Heb. 6 : 18), which 
 Christ Himself knows must be fulfilled (8 : 31), but to take 
 away what in His human nature He dreaded before (John 
 12 : 27), this terrible present agony. Yet even now, 
 learning obedience (Heb. 5 : 8), His meat is the Father's 
 will (John 4: 35) although it be tears (Ps. 42 : 3). " The 
 will of God must always be dearer to us than our own, 
 cost what it may to fulfil it (Heb. 10 : 36)."— QuESNEL, 
 Starke. Ver. 37. And Christ comcth and findeth the 
 three sleeping " for sorrow " (Luke 22 : 46), because they 
 did not pray. This was " an additional aggravation of 
 His sufferings, that even they forsook Him," — Calvin, 
 and had no word of consolation for Him (Ps. 69:20). 
 Therefore He saith especially unto Peter, who had made 
 so firm a promise (ver. 31), Simon (i : 29 ; 3 : 16), thou old 
 natural man, not a Peter (rock) now, sleepest . . . hour? 
 In work thou didst wake all night (Luke 5 : 5), with Me 
 thou canst not conquer thy weakness one hour? What 
 shall come in the other hours ? " If thou art not faithful 
 in the least, what, wilt thou be faithful in much ? " — 
 Rambach. And then addressing the others like Peter 
 
246 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 38-42. 
 
 (Matt. 26: 40), Jesus continued, Ver. 38, Watch and pray 
 (i Peter 5:8;! Thess. 5:6); ye, who would watch rightly, 
 must watch prayerfully with your heart (Song of Songs 
 5 : 2) and spirit (Isai. 26:9) ; and would ye pray properly 
 ye must watch, ///^/j/renter not and fall (i Tim. 6:9) in 
 temptation, which is so near (ver. 29 sq.). The spirit 
 indeed, the original divine life-power of God, as renewed 
 in believers,! is willing (Rom. 7: 18, 22), but the flesh, 
 the lower nature, which, sinfully determined, is directed 
 against the spirit ^ (Rom. 7:17,18,23; Gal. 5 : 17), is 
 weak in temptation and yields readily. This word, for 
 believers alone, is no excuse, but should sharpen watch- 
 fulness. Ver. 39. And . . . words (cf. Rom. 12: 12), 
 but more submissively (Matt. 26 : 42). Ver. 40. And 
 . . . heavy ; and, as Mark adds graphically, they wist 
 not . . answer him (9 : 6). They continue in their 
 weakness, but Christ's mercy does not cease (Isai. 
 42:3). Ver. 41. He . . . rest, while yet you may. 
 And after some time, He says, it is enough, the time for 
 sleep is past. The hour of darkness (Luke 22 : 53) is come. 
 Behold . . . the hands of sinners. The sinless one is 
 given over to those one with the traitor in wickedness, 
 Ver. 42. Arise . . . going toward the entrance of the 
 garden ; the traitor is at hand. Jesus has seen the lights, 
 and as a good shepherd will not desert the other disciples 
 in the coming danger. 
 
 43-50. And straightway, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the 
 twelve, and with him a multitude with swords and staves, from the chief 
 priests and the scribes and the elders. Now he that betrayed him had 
 given them a token, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he ; take him, 
 and lead him away safely. And when he was come, straightway he came 
 to him, and saith. Rabbi; and kissed him. And they laid hands on him, 
 and took him. But a certain one of them that stood by drew his sword, 
 
 1 Cremer, p. 787. * Cremer, p. 827. 
 
XIV. 43-47-1 CHAPTER XIV. 247 
 
 and smote the servant of the high priest, and struck off his ear. And 
 Jesus answered and said unto them, Are ye come out, as against a robber, 
 with swords and staves to seize me ? I was daily with you in the temple 
 teaching, and ye took me not : but this is done that the scriptures might be 
 fulfilled. And they all left him, and fled. 
 
 Ver. 43. Straightway, while Jesus yet spake what is 
 told ver. 42, conicth Judas (3 : 19 ; 14: io)> and witJi him 
 a multitude, a detachment of the Roman temple-cohort 
 (John 18 : 12), ivith szvords, and men of the Levitical 
 temple-guard and a motley crowd of servants of the priests 
 with staves, sent from the Sanhedrim (8:31; 11:27). 
 " Judas was called by Christ to lead the multitude of 
 nations to faith in Jesus to be saved by Him ; but behold, 
 he brings the multitude to destroy Christ, and receives 
 eternal condemnation." — Brenz. Ver. 44. He, having 
 given the armed band as a token that he would kiss 
 Christ, adds in his wicked eagerness, take hint, and lead him 
 away safely. Ver. 45 . And straightway he came to Jesus, 
 and saith reverently, Rabbi, and kissed him with many 
 kisses (Luke 7:45; 15:20, Acts 20:38). The kiss in 
 the East was not only a sign of friendship and love, given 
 when meeting or parting (Gen. .29 : 13 ; 33 : 4 ; Ruth 
 1:14; 2 Sam. 20 : 9), but also a token of reverence (i Sam. 
 10 : I ; I Kings 19:18; Ps. 2:12: 72 : 9 ; Isai. 49 : 23 ; 
 Micah 7: 17). Judas desires to deceive his Master with 
 this special show of reverence and love, feigning sorrow 
 that the enemies have come. But among all kisses of 
 enemies (Prov. 27:6), this, far more outrageous than that 
 of Joab (2 Sam. 20 : 9, 10), is the most terribly wicked. 
 Jesus suffers this too, and in love reproved Judas (Matt. 
 26 : 49). Ver. 46. Then the band laid hands on him 
 roughly, and took him (Ps. 22 : 16). Ver. 47. Butacertain 
 one, Peter (John 18 : 10), drew his sword (Luke 22: 38),and 
 . . . pet servant (Malchus, John 18: \o) of the high priest, 
 
248 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 47-51. 
 
 and struck off his right (Luke 22 t 50) ear. Peter, whose 
 name the early gospels do not mention in this connection, 
 to save him this additional disgrace (cf. ver. 66 sq), in his 
 good intention acted in a manner most dangerous for 
 Christ. " It is one of the most foolish things, agreeable 
 to Satan, to defend the gospel with the sword." — Luther.^ 
 The Christian's sword is spiritual (Eph. 6:17), Jesus, 
 after correcting Peter (Matt. 26 : 52 sq. ; John 18:11), said 
 to His captors, Ver. 48, A7'c yc come out as against a 
 robber, which I am not, though I permit Myself to be 
 taken. Ver. 49. I . , . temple (Luke 19:47) teaching 
 openly, and ye took me not (John 7:30,44; 8:20), al- 
 though you had every chance. But that you succeed 
 now is only ///<'?/ ///^'Scriptures . . , fulfilled (Isai. 53 : 12). 
 "The agreement of the prophetical predictions with the 
 sufferings of Jesus should assure us that He is the Saviour 
 of the world (Luke 24:46)." — Starke, Ver. 50. And 
 all the disciples left him and fled (ver. 27). Now they 
 abandoned all hope in Him as Messiah (Luke 24: 21.) 
 
 51-52. And a certain young man followed with him, having a linen 
 cloth cast about him, over his naked body : and they lay hold on him ; but 
 he left the linen cloth, and fled naked. 
 
 Ver. 51. A . . . young man. This is now univer- 
 sally supposed to be Mark.^ Aroused by the armed band 
 of the captors of Jesus, he had followed from his father's 
 house (ver. 14), where Judas sought Jesus, who was sup- 
 posed still to be at the passover meal. Mark even now, 
 after the di.sciples had fled, followed with Jesus, because 
 
 1 Walch, VIII., p. 871 ; Erl. Ed. 2, p. 45 sq. 
 
 ^ .Since Ohlshausen this supposition has gained general acceptance 
 among all commentators. Epiphanius, relying upon the account of Hege- 
 sippus about the clothing of James the Just (Eus. H. E. II. 23), points to 
 the latter; Chrysostom, Ambrose, and Gregory the Great think of John; 
 Ewald suggests Paul, and Grotius a workman in Gethsemane. 
 
XIV. 52, S3-i CHAPTER XIV. 249 
 
 he desired to see what would happen. He had a linen 
 cloth, a fine ^ linen wrapper, cast . . . his naked body, 
 
 or rather over his inner tunic ; for to be clothed in this 
 alone was considered nakedness (i Sam. 19:24; Job 
 24 : 10 ; Isai. 20 : 2). Ver. 52. When the soldiers laid hold 
 of Mark, he left the linen cloth and fled \n his under-gar- 
 ment. This incident, long remembered by Mark, shows 
 the eagerness and boldness of his character, as well as the 
 instability of his youthful self-confidence. ^ 
 
 53-65/ And they led Jesus away to the high priest : and there come to 
 gather with him all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes. And 
 Peter had followed him afar off, even within, into the court of the high 
 priest; and he was sitting with the officers, and warming himself in the 
 light of the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council sought wit- 
 ness against Jesus to put him to death ; and found it not. For many bare 
 false witness against him, and their witness agreed not together. And 
 there stood up certain, and bare false witness against him, saying, We 
 heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in 
 three days I will build another made without hands. And not even so did 
 their witness agree together. And the high priest stood up in the midst, 
 and asked Jesus saying, Answerest thou nothing ? what is it which these 
 witness against thee ? But he held his peace, and answered nothing. 
 Again the high priest asked him, and saith unto him, Art thou the Christ, 
 the Son of the Blessed 1 And Jesus said, I am : and ye shall see the Son 
 of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with the clouds of 
 heaven. And the high priest rent his clothes, and saith. What further need 
 have we of witnesses ? Ye have heard the blasphemy : what think ye ? 
 And they all condemned him to be worthy of death. And some began to 
 spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, 
 Prophesy : and the officers received him with blows of their hands. 
 
 Ver. 53. They . . . priest, first to Annas for a pre- 
 liminary non-ofiicial questioning, then to Caiphas, his son- 
 in-law, the ruling high priest (John 18:13 sq.) ;^ and there 
 
 "^ aivdidv is used for precious, costly linen (Matt. 27 : 59; Mark 15 : 46; 
 Judg. 14 : 12). 
 
 ^ See Introduction, p.ix. 
 
 3 Both high priests, as Euthemius suggested, lived in different wings of 
 
250 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xiv. 54, 55. 
 
 come together the sanhedrists (ver. 43 ; 8:31), who had 
 previously been summoned to an extraordinary night- 
 session in the palace of Caiphas, and not in a temple- 
 chamber, the only legal place. Thus the judge of all the 
 world stands accused before the wicked. Ver. 54. And 
 Peter . . . off, partly in the self-reliant desire to keep 
 his word (ver. 31) against Christ's warning (cf. also John 
 13 : 36), partly from love. " That he followed was love ; 
 that he followed afar off arose from fear. Love draws 
 him, fear keeps him back." — GERHARD. But he came 
 even within, into the court of tJie high priest, through the 
 intervention of John (John 18:15), who was probably 
 known to the servants by his sale of fish (Luthardt). 
 Peter ivas sittiiig with the officers, the servants of the 
 high priest and the temple-guard (ver. 43), and warming 
 . . . fire, for the night was chilly.^ Peter's faith and love 
 were getting cold in this place of danger. Ver. 55. Now 
 . . . council,^ assembled in full number with the excep- 
 tion of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea (15 : 43), 
 sought . . . death. The very beginning of this trial was 
 illegal, because in capital accusations the accused had the 
 right of defence first ; ^ but Jesus had no such opportunity, 
 
 the same palace, that had a common courtyard. This will solve the 
 apparent contradiction between the synoptists and John as to the place of 
 Peter's denial. 
 
 ' Augustine (Tract, on John CXIII. 3) has expressed, what travellers 
 have since confirmed : " Though it was not winter it was cold : which is 
 sometimes wont to be the case even at the vernal equinox." 
 
 - The council could not have been a smaller tribunal, that of three 
 judges or of twenty-three, but it must have been the seventy-one, because 
 they alone had the power of pronouncing death. 
 
 2 Beside this regulation there were others for the conducting of trials. 
 The judges, appointed by and from the Sanhedrim, who sat in a semi- 
 circle, probably under a presiding judge (Nasi) and a vice-president, were to 
 have shorthand writers to take down tlie testimony. Each one of tlu- 
 mem1)ers of the council had his special place, and if one had spoken for the 
 
XIV. 56-61.] CHAPTER XIV. 251 
 
 for at once witnesses were sought who, without being 
 legally cautioned, were expected to tell what would be 
 sufficient to pronounce the judgment beforehand deter- 
 mined upon. The chief priests " wished to invest this 
 plot with the appearance of a court of justice." — Chry- 
 SOSTOM, But they found no true testimony. Ver. 56. 
 For . . together. Despite all attempts no case was 
 made out ; for the witnesses, of whom according to Deut. 
 17 : 6 at least two had to be accordant, did not agree (cf. 
 Ps. 55:9). *'As the sun gives its brightest rays when 
 breaking forth from behind clouds, thus the innocence of 
 Christ, when clouded by false testimonies, shines in its 
 brightest light." — GERHARD. Ver. 57, 58, 59. And . . . 
 together. Referring to Chri.st's word in the temple (John 
 2:19), which He applied to Himself, they would have it 
 spoken against the temple. But their report does not 
 coincide ; for not only do they change " Break ye " into 
 " I break," but one claims that Christ had asserted the 
 power (" I am able," Matt. 26 : 61), the other the purpose 
 (" I will ") of destroying ; and they add " with hands " 
 and "without hands." Ver. 60. And . . , thee? The 
 high priest rises in apparent indignation because Jesus, 
 who was expected to incriminate Himself by some un- 
 guarded or angry answer, does not reply to such accusa- 
 tions. " He insinuates that Christ is not free from blame, 
 because witnesses .speak against Him." — Calvin. Ver. 61. 
 ^//Z Jesus held . . . answered nothing, because an answer 
 
 panel he might not speak, against it. " Not guilty " might be pronounced 
 in the same day, but for "guilty " a day had to intervene. But in cases of 
 profanation it is at least doubtful if judgment was not rendered at once. 
 The voting began with the younger members, that they might not be in- 
 fluenced by the older. The hours of trial were after morning service, but 
 never in the night except to complete a case. On the Sabbath or festivals 
 or their eves no trial could take place. All these regulations were violated 
 m the trial of Jesus. (Edersheim, II., p. 555 sq. ; Nebe, Ldg. I., p. 324 sq.) 
 
-252 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 61, 62. 
 
 would be an acknowledgment of the charge, which had 
 not been sustained. Besides " His whole life and conduct 
 among the Jews was a better refutation than any answer 
 to the false testimony." — Origen. He desired to keep 
 silent and suffer (Ps, 38 : 13 ; Isai. 53 : 7). " When Jesus 
 did not answer, He kept silent as a lamb. When He 
 answered. He taught like a shepherd. He had to hold 
 His peace in His passion, who shall not keep silent in 
 judgment, for He had come to be judged, who shall come 
 to judge." — Augustine. Our silence of guilt before God 
 (Matt. 22: 12; Rom. 3: 19) has been borne by Jesus, 
 that we might say : " Who is he that shall condemn ? " 
 (Rom. 8:33). Again the high priest asked him, administer- 
 ing the oath (Matt. 26 : 63), Art . . . Blessed ? This 
 question was possibly suggested to the high priest by 
 the claim of Christ about building the temple (ver. 
 58), which according to Zech. 6: 12 was expected 
 of the Messiah. It was put with inward venom to 
 force an answer, but with great outward solemnity. 
 Christ is asked about His divine Sonship as Messiah, be- 
 cause thus, it is hoped, a case of blasphemy may be made 
 out against Him, who asserts to be the Son of the Blessed, 
 whose very name according to Rabbinic custom the high 
 priest fears to utter. " This pretended reverence for 
 God was intended to become a heavier charge against 
 Christ." — Calvin. Ver. 62. He, although knowing 
 what His answer must involve, because He is the truth 
 (John 14 : 6; 18 : 37) and no liar like His accusers (John 
 8 : 44), and in obedience to the powers that be (Rom. 
 13 : i), wicked as they are, said . . . right hand (12 : 36) 
 . . . heaven (13 : 26). With a triumphant announce- 
 ment Jesus tells how He the lowly one will begin (9 : i) 
 and continue to come in heavenly power in clouds of 
 judgment (Ps. 18 : 10 ; 97 : 2 ; 104 : 3; Dan. 7 : 13 ; 
 
XIV. 63-65.] CHAPTER XIV. 253 
 
 Rev. I : 7) until His final revelation. It is a call of 
 judgment to the wicked judges, when He says: "In 
 flesh and blood I will be eternal, Almighty God and rule 
 over all, until I come at the last day, to judge the quick 
 and the dead." — LUTHER. Ver. 63. And . . . clothes 
 from the neck downward, which, not allowed him in 
 mourning for the dead (Lev. 10 : 6 ; 21 : 10), was per- 
 mitted in cases of blasphemy, as a testimony against it 
 (2 Kings 18 : })'])}■ Of this he accuses Jesus by his 
 action and saith, Ver. 64, What . . . blasphemy (2:7): 
 what think ye? Without examining the truth of the 
 words of Jesus according to the test Deut. 18:21 sq., 
 the high priest sets aside all corroborative testimony, and 
 illegally pronounces judgment before the vote is taken 
 (see note on ver. 55). And all acquiescing in such in- 
 justice, condemn Christ worthy of death. The formal 
 question was : " What think ye, gentlemen, ' for life ' or 
 ' for death' ? " And they answered : " for death." 
 " The guilty escapes and the innocent is beaten ; the 
 ungodly abuses and the pious is condemned ; what the 
 wicked has deserved, the good suffers ; what the servant 
 contracted, the Lord pays ; what man was guilty of, God 
 endured ; the source of all life is found worthy of death." 
 — Gerhard. Ver. 65. And the priests leave their 
 seats in wild confusion, and some began to spit on Christ, 
 which was the greatest insult possible (Numb. 12 : 14 ; 
 Deut. 25 : 9 ; Isai. 50 : 6). It was however a fulfilment 
 of prophecy (10 : 34; Ps. 69 : 7 sq. ; Isai. 50 : 5 sq.). 
 " Bearing shame and spittle He washes cur face clean 
 and beautiful." — JEROME. And . . . Prophesy, who is 
 
 1 Rending of clothes, as a token of consternation, mourning, etc., was a 
 general custom among the Jews as among the Greeks and Romans (Gen. 
 37:34; 44 'is; Judg. 11:35; I Sam. 4:12; i Kings 21:27; Isai. 
 36 : 22, etc.). 
 
254 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xiv. 65, 66. 
 
 he that struck thee (Matt. 26 : 68). Thus contempt 
 was shown for Christ as a prophet, who, when blind- 
 folded, could not tell who smote Him. By the endur- 
 ance of all the blows Christ " has restored to us that 
 image which has been disfigured and almost effaced by 
 sin." — Calvin. And, when the councillors had finished, 
 the officers (ver. 54), the guards, received him with blows 
 of their hands. " What can be equal to this insolence ? 
 On that face, which the sea when it saw it had rever- 
 enced, from which the sun, when it beheld it on the cross, 
 turned away its rays, they did spit and struck it with the 
 palms of their hands." ^ — Chrysostom. " What did God 
 the heavenly Father? Could He keep silent? Could 
 He not have destroyed this band through fire from 
 heaven ? They would have deserved it. But the Father 
 would now rather see the obedience of His Son, than 
 reveal His majesty." — Brenz. 
 
 66-72. And as Peter was beneath in the court, there cometh one of the 
 maids of the high priest ; and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked 
 upon him, and saith, Thou also wast with the Nazarene, et>en Jesus. But 
 he denied, saying, I neither know, nor understand what thou sayest : and 
 he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. And the maid saw him, 
 and began again to say to them that stood by, This is oneoi them. But he 
 again denied it. And after a little while again they that stood by said to 
 Peter, Of a truth thou art one oi them; for thou art a Gahlasan. But he 
 began to curse, and to swear, I know not this man of whom ye speak. 
 And straightway the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind 
 the word, how that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou 
 shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept. 
 
 Ver. 66. And as Peter, while the Sanhedrim was in 
 session above, was beneath in the court (ver. 54), there 
 cometh to hear and talk about the news one of the maids 
 . . . high priest, the porteress (John 18 : 17), who had 
 admitted Peter. Ver. 6j. Seeing . . . himself, some- 
 1 See also Luther, Erl. Ed. 2, p. 61, 
 
XIV. 67-70.] CHAPTER XIV. 255 
 
 thing uneasy in his manner attracted her attention, and 
 she looked upon him with intent gaze, recognized him as 
 a stranger, remembers his admission (ver. 54) and saith, 
 Thou . . . this outcast Nazarene (John i : 46), Jcsns. 
 Children of God cannot remain hid among worldly people. 
 Ver. 68. B7it Peter denied his master (Luke 22 : 57) and his 
 discipleship (John 18:17), and said, I . . . sayest. The 
 strong Peter, conquered by a woman's accusation, claims 
 to be so loyal a Jew as not even to be able to know, nor, 
 think as he will, to understand such a charge. The fear 
 of endangering his life (cf. ver. 31) has prompted him 
 (cf. ver. 47). " The pillar of strength has at a single 
 breath of air trembled to its foundation. Where is now 
 all that boldness of the promise, and his overweening 
 confidence in himself beforehand?" — AuGUSTlNE. 
 Then Peter went out into the porch, the covered arch- 
 way leading to the gate, for he would escape from this 
 dangerous place. Aitd the cock crew. This was the 
 first warning that he had denied the Holy and Righteous 
 One (Acts 3 : 14). Ver. 69. And the maid saw him 
 slowly edging out, and began to say to them that stood by : 
 This is one ^/ those followers of Jesus, which was taken 
 up and repeated by others (Matt. 26 : 71 ; Luke 22 : 58). 
 And Peter returned and denied again with an oath 
 (Matt. 26 : 72). The noble confessor (John 6 : 68) fails 
 utterly. " We shall never cease to fall if the Lord do not 
 stretch out His hand to uphold us. When the vigor of 
 the grace of Christ was extinguished in Peter, whoever 
 might afterward meet him, and interrogate him about 
 Christ, he would have been ready to deny a hundred or 
 a thousand times." — Calvin. Ver. 70. After a little 
 while, about an hour (Luke 22 : 59), the servants around 
 the fire said . . . them (ver. 69) . . . Galilean. Since 
 the last denial Peter had probably mingled more boldly 
 
256 THE GOSPEL OE ST. MARK. [xi v. 71,72. 
 
 among the men, and to disarm all suspicion had spoken 
 freely. But in this recklessness his speech betrayed him 
 as a Galilean, who pronounced many letters differently.^ 
 To save himself, Ver. 71, Jic began to curse, a)id even 
 to swear, I know . . . you speak. Peter adopts the 
 cursing language of his company, and speaks in a despis- 
 ing manner of his Master. The denial of Christ leads 
 from sin to sin. But the goodness of the Lord will not 
 abandon Peter, for, Ver. 72, straightway . . . crew 
 (ver. 30, 68), and Jesus looked upon Peter (Luke 22 : 61). 
 A)id Peter called to mind tJie zvord of his Lord (ver. 30), 
 and when lie tJioiigJit thereon, went out (Matt. 26 : 75) and 
 wept bitterly (Matt. 26 : 75). The " tears which he shed 
 in secret testified before God and the angels that his 
 repentance was true." — Calvin. He had no remorse like 
 Judas (Matt. 27 : 3 sq.), but a sincere godly repentance 
 (2 Cor. 7 : 10), which found consolation in the promise 
 Luke 22 : 32. This consolation grew, though small at 
 first, until at Easter all terror was overcome. Peter, a 
 warning in his denial, is a rock for us in the assurance 
 that God forgives our sins. " If I could paint Peter, I 
 would write on every hair of his head, ' Remission of 
 sins,' because he is an example of this article of forgive- 
 ness of sins." — LUTHER.2 
 
 1 The Galilaeans could not distinguish s and y, K, j? and n. They con- 
 fused 2 and D. All gutturals were pronounced deeply and darkly. (Nebe, 
 Ldg. I., p. 369.) 
 
 2 Cf. also Walch, VIII., p. 886; Erl. Ed. 2, p. 68 sq. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 1-5. And straightway in the morning the chief priests with the elders 
 and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, 
 and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate. And Pilate asked 
 him. Art thou the King of the Jews ? And he answering saith unto him, 
 Thou sayest. And the chief priests accused him of many things. And 
 Pilate again asked him, saying, Answerest thou nothing? behold how many 
 things they accuse thee of. But Jesus no more answered anything ; inso- 
 much that Pilate marvelled. 
 
 Ver. I. Straightway in the morning the various classes 
 of the Sanhedrim (8 : 31), and the whole council held a 
 consultation, not to correct the illegality of the night- 
 trial (14 : 55), but to find an accusation to bring before 
 Pilate, that he, having the power of execution (John 
 18:31 sq.), might be compelled to put Jesus to death ; 
 for blasphemy (14 : 64) was no cause before him. They 
 bound Jesus, whose fetters had been taken off during the 
 trial, again ; and carried him away up Mount Zion to 
 the tower of Antonia, which is on the north side of the 
 temple area (Jos. Wars, I. 5, 4 ; 21, i ; V. 3, 8; Ant. XV. 
 1 1, 4).^ In the palace of the tower the Roman governor, 
 whose usual headquarters were at Caesarea (Acts 23 : 23), 
 remained during the festival to quell disturbances, which 
 so often arose (Jos. Wars, I. 4, 3 ; Ant. XVII. 9, 3 ; XX. 
 5, 3). To him they delivered up Jesus, who was thus re- 
 jected by His own people (Luke 17 : 25 ; John i : 10, 11), 
 
 ^ This, the position of Ewald. Lange, Kraft, Caspari, Godet, etc., is not 
 accepted by others, who claim that Pilate was in the palace of Herod, for 
 the description of which see Jos. Wars, I. 21, i ; V. 4, 4. 
 
 17 257 
 
258 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. i. 
 
 and delivered to the Gentiles (10 : 33 ; Luke 18 : 32) in 
 the person of Pilate. The first name of Pontius Pilate 
 seems to indicate that he was descended from the Roman 
 gens of the Pontii, who had come from the Samnites and 
 were known by C. Pontius Telesius, the great general. 
 The cognomen, Pilate, means " armed with a javelin." 
 Pilate was the fifth procurator of Judaea, appointed after 
 Valerius Gratus, by Tiberius (Jos. Ant. XVIII. 2, 2). 
 He was under the propraetor of Syria, whose frequent 
 absence gave him the full power of a " legatus." Attired 
 in military dress and attended by a guard (Matt. 27 : 27), 
 he had assessors in council (Acts 25 : 12) when sitting as 
 a judge upon the portable tribune (Bema), that was 
 erected on the tessellated pavement (Gabbatha. John 
 19 : 13) always found in Roman courts. In character, he 
 was cruel, unscrupulous, and regardless of the religious 
 privileges granted Israel, as shown by the killing of the 
 Galileans (Luke 13 : i, 2) ; by the bringing of the images 
 of the emperor to Jerusalem, which were only removed 
 because of the firmness of the Jews, who preferred death 
 to acquiescence (Jos. Wars, II. 9, 2; Ant. XVIII. 3, i) ; 
 by the using of the temple-money to build a canal, and 
 having the Jews, who resisted, killed most treacherously 
 and brutally (Jos. Wars, II. 9,4; Ant. XVIII. 3, 2). 
 The Samaritans also complained of his cruelty (Jos. Ant. 
 XVII. 4, 2). But when Pilate found these attempts un- 
 availing, he gave way to the Jews for the sake of his 
 safety and position, especially in the trial of Jesus, which 
 seemed of no vital importance to him. The sense of 
 justice in conflict with his own advantage caused his 
 vacillation ; but the selfish interests prevailed. Upon 
 complaint of Vitelius, propraetor of Syria, he was sum- 
 moned to Rome. He found Tiberius dead, was deposed 
 by Caius and banished to Vienne in Gaul, where he com- 
 
XV. 2-4.] CHAPTER XV. 259 
 
 mitted suicide (Eus. H. E. II. j)} Ver. 2. Pilate, after 
 he had gone out and heard the accusation of the Jews 
 (John 18 : 29 sq.), asked Jesus, Art thou the king . , . 
 Jews? The charges which the Sanhedrists brought were 
 not what they had ascertained by their examination 
 (14 : 53 sq.), but sedition, prohibition of the payment of 
 tribute-money (Luke 23 : 2), and assumption of the title 
 " King of the Jews " in a poHtical sense. But Pilate, see- 
 ing that all the charges were really contained in the last, 
 interrogates Jesus, who was altogether innocent (cf. 
 12 : 17 ; John 6 : 15), on the last point. It seems impos- 
 sible that this poor Jew, with nothing royal about him, 
 should be a king. But Jesus answering, made a good 
 confession (i Tim. 6 : 12) of the character of His kingdom 
 (John 18 : 33 sq.), and said, Thou sayest. Christ is " an 
 eternal, almighty king, God's Son, who delivers us from 
 the power of Satan, of sin and eternal death, not bodily 
 death, for here upon earth we must suffer and die, as 
 our King Himself has suffered and died. Who knows 
 this character of the King and of His kingdom, willingly 
 submits to the cross, for he knows, that though here 
 there must be suffering, there in eternity there shall be 
 joy and glory." — LuTHER. Ver. 3. And when Pilate 
 went out to tell the Sanhedrists that he found no fault in 
 Christ (Luke 23 : 4 ; John 18 : 38), the . . . things. The 
 priests, who know Pilate and their former power over 
 him (ver. i), claim that Jesus was "stirring up the peo- 
 ple " and " teaching falsely, beginning in Galilee " (Luke 
 -3 • 5)- Galilee is especially mentioned, because the 
 Galileans were noted for their seditious character. Ver. 4. 
 And Pilate again asked Jesus to answer to these charges. 
 
 1 A later tradition reports that Pilate lived on the mountain in Switzer- 
 land, which still bears his name, and committed suicide by casting himself 
 into Lake Lucerne. 
 
26o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 5, 6. 
 
 Ver, 5. But . . . thing, because Pilate knows how un- 
 proved these last accusations are, and the priests would 
 not listen to any answer. But this silence was also due 
 to Christ's suffering obedience (14 : 61), Pilate mar- 
 velled, for he knew how readily Jesus could refute the 
 charges made against Him. The wonderful patience, 
 meekness and calmness of Jesus impress the hardened 
 Roman sceptic. " Pilate does not know the divine 
 majesty of Christ, and yet marvels at His silence. How 
 much more is it proper for us, who believe in His eternal 
 Godhead, to marvel at His silence. His beatings and scourg- 
 ings, His shame and His cross." — Gerhard. 
 
 6-15. Now at the feast he used to release unto them one prisoner, whom 
 they asked of him. And there was one called Barabbas, lying bound with 
 them that had made insurrection, men who in the insurrection had com- 
 mitted murder. And the multitude went up and began to ask him to do as 
 he was wont to do unto them. And Pilate answered them, saying, Will ye 
 that I release unto you the King of the Jews .' For he perceived that for 
 envy the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred 
 up the multitude, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them. And 
 Pilate again answered and said unto them. What then shall I do unto him 
 whom ye call the King of the Jews .-' And they cried out again. Crucify 
 him. And Pilate said unto them, Why, what evil hath he done.' But 
 they cried out exceedingly. Crucify him. And Pilate, wishing to content 
 the multitude, released unto them Barabbas, and delivered Jesus, when 
 he had scourged him, to be crucified. 
 
 Ver. 6. Nozv at the feast, not at every feast, but only 
 at the passover (John 18 : 39), Pilate . . . prisoner, 7£V/c7« 
 
 tJicy asked of him. This custom was probably origin- 
 ally Jewish, and not imported from Rome in imitation of 
 the amnesty granted at the Lectistcrnia and Bacchanalia. 
 It represented the release of Israel from the bondage 
 of Egypt. Ver. 7. And . . . Barabbas 1 (son of a 
 
 1 Some minor MSS. and Origen make his name in Matt. Jesus Barabbas, 
 which was probably an error of a transcriber, although Fritzsche, Bleek, 
 De Wette, and Meyer see in the omission of " Jesus " a design. 
 
XV. 7-1 I] CHAPTER XV. 261 
 
 Rabbi),^ bound with them that had 7nade insurrection, 
 which was not that recorded Luke 13 : i or in Jos. Ant. 
 XVIII. 3, 2 (see ver. i), but one of the many later uprisings 
 in which Barabbas had . . murder. Rarabbas was no sim- 
 ple misguided zealot, who fought for the glory of Israel, 
 but he used the insurrection for his own purpose of robbery 
 (John 18 : 40). Ver. 8. And the multitude, who up to 
 this time had not been at the trial of Jesus, went up to 
 Pilate's palace (ver. i) and asked for their privilege 
 (ver. 6). Ver. 9. yi;/rt'/'?7rt'/r, whose attempt to transfer 
 the case of Jesus to Herod had failed (Luke 23 : 6 sq.), 
 now saw a favorable opportunity of avoiding a decision 
 against Jesus, by enlisting the people for Him. He said, 
 Will . . . Jews? Sly as was Pilate's purpose his method 
 was unfortunate. It did not give the people free choice 
 (ver. 6), and declared Jesus guilty de facto, a legal mis- 
 step, which involved all that Pilate was forced to. The 
 addition of the messianic title, spoken perhaps with a 
 sarcastic inflection, was also calculated to arouse not 
 sympathy but antipathy. Still Pilate attempted to 
 throw the decision on the people. Ver. 10. For . . . 
 delivered Jesus. Their envy, parallel to that of the 
 brothers of Joseph, was not only kindled by the superior 
 wisdom of Jesus, His powerful, truthful preaching, His 
 wonderful deeds and blameless righteousness, but above 
 all by His influence over the people (11 : 18; 12 : 37), 
 which injured their absolute rule. Ver. 11. But, while 
 Pilate was listening to the message from his wife (Matt. 
 27 : 19), the chief priests w'Qnt around among the multi- 
 tude and stirred them up to ask for Barabbas. They led 
 the blind astray (Deut. 27 : 18) to prefer a murderer 
 (Acts 3:13, 14) to the Righteous One. Ver. 12. And 
 
 1 Some interpret "son of a father," according to the gospel of the He- 
 brews, and refer either to John 8 : 44 or Matt. 23 : 9. 
 
262 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 12-15. 
 
 Pilate, in pity for Jesus, to whom he should have ren- 
 dered justice, again . . . Jews (ver. 9). And the people 
 more enraged by Pilate's imputation that they have 
 called Jesus Messiah, Ver. 13, cried . . . Crucify him. 
 In fulfilment of Ps. 69 : 26; Mark 12 : 8, they cast Jesus 
 from them (see also delivered, ver. i), counting Him un- 
 worthy of any punishment at their hands, and demand- 
 ing the most outrageous punishment that the despised 
 Gentiles can give. The cross that Barabbas had deserved 
 is for Jesus. "The Jews would sooner have asked for 
 the release of the devil himself, than they would have 
 released the Son of God. The nobler the treasure and 
 gift which God gives, the more inimical are the world 
 and the devil against such treasure and gift." — Luther. 
 Ver. 14. Pilate, although he might have known the 
 stubbornness of the Jews (see ver. i ; Jos. Ant. XVIII. 
 3, i), said . . . done ? With this appeal to the sense of 
 justice of the Jews, Pilate condemns himself for unjustly 
 retaining an innocent prisoner. But the innocence of 
 Jesus is again asserted, that we should learn its lesson, 
 " He is God's Son, holy and without sin ; therefore He 
 should be free from curse and death. We are sinners, 
 under the wrath of God ; therefore we should justly bear 
 death and condemnation. But God turns it about ; He 
 that has no sin must become a curse and bear the pun- 
 ishment of sin. Through Him we are in grace and chil- 
 dren of God." — Luther. But the Jews cried out ex= 
 ceedingly in wildest commotion like beasts thirsting for 
 blood. Crucify . . . Ver. 15, . . . multitude, offers sim- 
 ply to scourge Jesus (Luke 23 : 22), but the people are 
 not satisfied. Then Pilate dramatically attempted to 
 clear himself of guilt (Matt. 27 : 24 sq.), but released . . . 
 him. This scourging, that always preceded crucifixion, 
 was performed by the soldiers, since Pilate as procurator 
 
XV. 15-17] CHAPTER XV. 263 
 
 had no lictors. For it there was used a scourge of 
 leathern thongs, into which pieces of lead and small 
 sharp-pointed bones were plaited. The condemned had 
 to bare their breast and back, and were tied with their 
 hands to a low post ; and so severe was the scourging 
 among the Romans that death frequently followed. 
 Christ was wounded for our transgressions (Isai. 53 : 5). 
 " For me Christ is scourged, that He might redeem 
 me from the scourges of future wrath ; for me He is 
 wounded, that He might heal me." — Bernard. 
 
 16-20. And the soldiers led him away within the court which is the 
 Praetorium ; and they call together the whole band. And they clothe him 
 with purple, and plaiting a crown of thorns, they put it on him ; and they 
 began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews ! And they smote his head 
 with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped 
 him. And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the purple, 
 and put on him his garments. And they lead him out to crucify him. 
 
 Ver. 16. The soldiers led Jesus witJiin the court, which 
 served as the Praetorium, the guard-room (Phil, i : 13),^ 
 and they call together the whole band, not the whole 
 cohort, but a maniple, to have cruel sport with Jesus, 
 which Pilate wrongly permits. Ver. 17. They . , . pur- 
 ple,2 with some cast-off soldier's mantle as a satire upon 
 His kingship. The color is however typical of Christ's 
 work (Isai. 63 : i). " Christ is clothed with purple, which 
 He reddens with His blood, that He might obtain for us 
 the garment of righteousness." — GERHARD. They plait 
 a crown of thorns, which are brought from outside the 
 city, and//// // on him to show that the attainment of 
 His kingship is only thorns. But thorns, which the curse 
 of sin brought (Gen. 3 : 18), and which God selected as the 
 
 1 Weiss remarks aptly that Mark added Praetorium to offer his Roman 
 readers a comparison with the castra prastoriana of Rome. 
 
 2 Matt. {27 : 28) calls it "scarlet," for antiquity did not clearly distinguish 
 these colors. (Horace, Satires, VI. 100.) Nebe, Ldg. II., p. 115. 
 
204 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 17-20. 
 
 symbol of Israel to whom He still showed grace (Exod. 
 3 : 2), are now the crown of " the lily among thorns " 
 (Song of Songs 2 : 2). " Upon His head a crown of thorns 
 is imposed, because the sting of our sins, through whose 
 atonement His royal praise arises, is similar to the prick- 
 ing of dry thorns." — Augustine. Ver. i8. They began 
 to sahite Jiim, Hail, King of the Jews ! The messianic 
 name, which they heard, is used to mock Jesus and the 
 Jews, who had made themselves despicable by the rejec- 
 tion of their true king. Little did these Roman soldiers 
 dream that their empire would once bow before this king. 
 Ver. 19. They . . . reed, which they had previously 
 given Him as a sceptre (Matt. 27: 29), and thus by driving 
 the thorns into His head increased His pain. They spit 
 upon him (14:65), and bowing . . , him. Even this 
 mockery the Lord suffered. " There was no ignominy to 
 which He refused to submit for our salvation." — Cauvin. 
 Ver. 20. And after Pilate had once more tried to arouse 
 the sympathy of the Jews (John 19:4 sq.), they replaced 
 His garments, and lead him out 1 . . . him. The Jews 
 like the Romans had their executions outside of the 
 cities (Numb. 15 : 35 ; i Kings 21 : 13 ; Acts 7 : 58). Jesus, 
 the true sacrifice, had to suffer without the gate (Heb. 
 13:12). 
 
 21-32. And they compel one passing by, Simon of Cyrene, coming from 
 the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to go with tJievi, that he 
 might bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which 
 is, being interpreted, The place of a skull. And they offered him wine 
 mingled with myrrh : but he received it not. And they crucified him, and 
 part his garments among them, casting lots upon them, what each should 
 take. And it was the third hour, and they crucified him, And the super- 
 scription of his accusation was written over, the king of the jews. And 
 with him they crucified two robbers ; one on his right hand, and one on his 
 
 ^ Tradition has not only attempted to vouch for the exact road taken, 
 but it has also invented seven stations and presumed to count 1,220 steps. 
 
XV. 2\. 22.] CHAPTKN XV. 265 
 
 left. And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads, and 
 saying. Ha ! thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, 
 save thyself, and come down from the cross. In like manner also the chief 
 priests mocking Jiivi among themselves with the scribes said. He saved 
 others ; himself he cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Lsrael, now 
 come down from the cross, that we may see and believe. And they that 
 were crucified with him reproached him. 
 
 Ver. 21. And as Jesus in exhaustion succumbs under 
 the cross, the soldiers compel, impress into service ^ one 
 passing by, 5imon of Cyrene, a hellenistic Jew, born in 
 Cyrene, Africa, but now dwelling in the country near 
 Jerusalem, where the Jews of Cyrene had two synagogues 
 (cf. Acts 2 : 10 ; 6:9). He was converted by this sudden 
 ser\ice imposed on him, and became well known to the 
 Christians at Rome, through his sons Alexander 2 and 
 Rufus (Rom. 16: 13). To his constant honor he "is a pic- 
 ture of all Christians, for they must bear the cross after 
 the Lord here on earth." — LuTHER. Ver. 22. They 
 bring Jesus unto . . . skull. It received this name from 
 its rounded summit,^ and not because skulls lay around* 
 (Luther, Kuinoel, Ohlshausen, Tholuck). It was outside 
 but near Jerusalem (Heb. 13:12; John 19:20), on a 
 country road (Luke 23 : 26), in a garden (John 19 : 41). 
 Whether the traditional site on which the church of the 
 Sepulchre stands is the true spot cannot be determined.^ 
 
 1 This right of requisition was originally Persian, and was used to expedite 
 the delivery of royal messages. 
 
 - The identification of Alexander witli the Alexander mentioned Acts 
 19 : -i,2), or I Tim. i : 20, or 2 Tim. 4 : 14, is without foundation, like the sup- 
 position that Simon is Symeon, called Niger (Acts 13 : i). 
 
 3 This has become the most accepted interpretation since Calov. 
 
 * The fathers, Origen, Chrysostom, Athanasius, Epiphanius, Theophylact, 
 supposed that the first Adam was buried where the second Adam suffered. 
 
 ^ That the present church is on the same spot as that mentioned by Euse- 
 bius (Vita Const. IH. 26; cf. also Socr. H. E. I. 17 ; Sozomen, H. E. II. i) 
 seems clear, but not that the original church is in the right place. Nebe, 
 Ldg. II., p. 194. 
 
266 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 23, 24. 
 
 Ver. 23. And ... it not. This drink, which received 
 its stupefying quality from the myrrh, was given to those 
 to be executed, because of a Rabbinic gloss on Prov. 
 31:6. Jesus refuses it, because He wishes to remain 
 clearly conscious in the suffering still to be borne, and able 
 to utter the words yet to be spoken. Ver. 24. And . . . 
 him. The cross, which was the so-called crux immissa (f ),^ 
 was first erected,^ and then Jesus stepped on the projec- 
 tion (sedile), which was but a few feet above the ground,^ 
 stretched out His hands, which with the feet* were nailed 
 to the cross (Luke 24 : 39, 40). Crucifixion, extremely 
 painful,^ and the greatest shame, was borne by Christ in 
 His great obedience (Phil. 2 : 8) to take away the curse of 
 the law (Gal. 3:13). "Christ has broken the ban of 
 human disobedience, which began on wood; having be- 
 come obedient unto the death of the cross. He has healed 
 through the stretching out of His hands the sickness, 
 which through the extended hand of Adam came upon 
 us." — Iren^US. And, after Christ's first word (Luke 
 23 : 34), they part his garments, the outer cloak, turban, 
 girdle, sandals, casting lots . . . should take, as pro- 
 phesied Ps. 22 : 18 ; and then they cast lots for the tunic 
 without seam (John 19 : 23 sq.), which one received. It 
 
 ^ For full arguments, see Nebe, Ldg. II., p. 169 sq. 
 
 2 Although Friedlieb and Langen suppose that sometimes the criminal 
 was first fastened to the cross, which was then erected, there is no testimony 
 in antiquity for this mode. Nebe, Ldg. II., p. 197. 
 
 ^ The common conception of the crucified hanging very high is an error. 
 The crosses of the ancients were generally low. That it must have been 
 thus in the case of Jesus is proved by the sponge of vinegar being given to 
 him on a hyssop-reed (John 19 : 29). 
 
 * In the 18th century it was denied that the feet had been nailed. It was 
 supposed that they had been bound, and even Tholuck in the first edition 
 of his Commentary on John thought thus. But this positon has been al- 
 together abandoned. C'f. also C). Zoekler, Das Kreuz Christi (1875), p. 
 484 sq.; II. Fulda, Das Kreuz und die Kreuzigung (1878), p. 347 sq. 
 
 '• Schaeffer, Luth. Com. II., p. 372. 
 
XV. 25-29.] CHAPTER XV. 267 
 
 was customary for the executioners to receive the pos- 
 sessions of the criminals, but Jesus had only His clothes. 
 He " was poor in birth, poorer in life, poorest in death," 
 — Bernard, to enrich us (2 Cor. 8 : 9). " God determined 
 that His own Son should be stripped of His garments, 
 that we, clothed with righteousness, may appear in bold- 
 ness in company with the angels." — Calvin. Ver. 25. 
 And . . . hour, nine o'clock.^ Christ had six hours of 
 suffering before Him, but the Father had counted them. 
 Ver. 26. And the superscription of his accusation, which, 
 written on a gypsum tablet, that was generally carried 
 around the neck by the criminal on the way to execution 
 and then fastened to the cross, was The King of the Jews. 
 This superscription in Latin (Rex Judaeorum), Aramaic, 
 Greek (John 19: 20), was not removed by Pilate, though 
 desired by the Jews, who felt its reproach (John 19 : 21. 
 22). In this Pilate was unwittingly " a herald of Christ 
 in the same sense that Caiphas (John ii : 49) was a pro- 
 phet." — Calvin. Ver. 27. And ivithChnst they crucify 
 two robbers,^ who had possibly been companions of 
 Barabbas, one on his right hand, and one on his left^ ful- 
 filling Isai. 53 : 12. Christ is among the rejected, that 
 we might be among the accepted of God. Ver. 29. And 
 the Jews that passed by railed on him (cf. Ps. 22 : 6), 
 suppressing every human instinct in their malignant hate. 
 And wagging their heads, a sign of rejoicing, passionate 
 
 1 John 19 : 14 apparently contradicts this, but the sixth hour may be ac- 
 cording to the later Roman computation 6 o'clock. Augustine (Tract, on 
 John CXVII. i) thinks that Mark refers to the crucifying by the tongues. 
 (Cf. also Ps. LXIV. 5; De Cons. III. XIII. 40 sq.) Eusebius, The- 
 ophylact, correct John. (Cf. also Robinson, p. 261.) Many accept a tran- 
 scriber's error in John. Cf. Nebe, Ldg. II., p. 155 sq. 
 
 '•^ The apocryphal Acts of Pilate call them Testas and Dysmas. 
 
 8 Ver. 28 is wanting in K, A, B, C. D, X, and was probably inserted from 
 Luke 22 : 37. 
 
268 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 30-32. 
 
 insult (2 Kings 19 : 21 ; Isai. 37 : 22 ; Lam. 2:15; Ps. 
 44 : 14; 109 : 25), they say, Ha ! ^ in derision, thou that 
 destroyest . . . Ver. 30 . . . from the cross. What had 
 passed at the trial before the Sanhedrim (14 : 58) was told 
 to the people possibly by the false witnesses themselves, 
 and they call on Jesus to use His claimed power of build- 
 ing for His own rescue. They did not know that Christ 
 was even then laying the foundation of an eternal spiritual 
 temple (Eph. 2 : 20). Ver. 31. In like maimer the chief 
 priests, forgetting their position and dignity, mocking him 
 aiiioi/g thniisch'es zviih the sei'ibes, assured that they have 
 now triumphed, said . . . save. His miracles, as is now 
 evident, aie magical deceptions, otherwise He could help 
 Himself. But the very act of not-saving Himself was the 
 saving of the world (Heb. 2: 10, 14). Ver. 32. Let . . . 
 Israel, this self-constituted Messiah, now . . . believe. 
 These men, so little understanding their own scriptures 
 (cf. 8:31 ; Isai. 53:2), demand sight and a sign for faith 
 (John 4: 48). Even when the sign of resurrection was 
 given they believed not. They have insulted in Christ, 
 and His trust in God (Matt. 27:43), the Father Himself, 
 whom Christ by His obedience was glorifying (John 
 12 : 28). And . . . him, and one afterward blasphemed 
 Christ (Luke 23 : 39), while the other was converted by 
 the words and humble meekness of Jesus.^ " These cir- 
 cumstances carry great weight ; for they place before us 
 the extreme abasement of the Son of God, that we may 
 see more clearly how much our salvation cost Him, and 
 that, reflecting that we justly deserved all the punishments 
 which He endured, we may be more and more excited to 
 repentance." — Calvin. 
 
 ' ova is equivalent to the Latin Vah. 
 
 2 This, the position of Origen, Ambrose, Cyril, Jerome, Chrysostom, is 
 better than supposing that Mark has by enallage put the plural number for 
 
XV. ^i, 34.] CHAPTER XV. 269 
 
 33-41. And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the 
 whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with 
 a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani ? which is, being interpreted, My 
 God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me .'' And some of them that stood 
 by, when they heard it, said. Behold, he calleth Elijah. And one ran, and 
 filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed, and gave him to drink, 
 saying. Let be ; let us see whether Elijah cometh to take him down. And 
 Jesus uttered a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the 
 temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the cen- 
 turion, which stood by over against him, saw that he so gave up the ghost, 
 he said. Truly this man was the Son of God. And there were also women 
 beholding from afar : among whom 'Mere both Mary Magdalene, and Mary 
 the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome; who, when he was 
 in Galilee, followed him, and ministered unto him ; and many other women 
 which came up with him unto Jerusalem. 
 
 Ver. 33. And . . . hour, twelve o'clock noon, was 
 , . . hour, three o'clock. This darkness over all Pales- 
 tine, which could not have been caused by an eclipse, for 
 it was then full moon, was a miracle (Amos 8 : 9). The 
 very noon became night, as in the birth of Christ the 
 night was turned into day, to show that nature, so in- 
 timately bound up with man (Rom. 8 : 19 sq.), is still 
 more closely connected with the Son of Man (Ps. 8 : 6) 
 and the Creator and Lord of nature, who has previously 
 shown His power (4 : 36 sq.). The sun not only hid its 
 face from the wickedness of men, giving a sign of judg- 
 ment (Isai. 5 : 30; 13 : 10; Joel 2 : 10; Mark 13 : 24 ; 
 Rev. 6:12; 7 : 1 6 ; 9 : 2), but it signalled the going down 
 of the sun of righteousness. Ver. 34. At . . . voice, 
 which showed His agony and yet His strength, Eloi, EIoi,i 
 
 the singular. Augustine (De Cons. III. XVI. 53), Calvin, Beza, Kuinoel, 
 Ebrard, Stier, Keil. 
 
 1 e7.m, for which Matt, has r}7a, is the Aramaic form of Ell. It cannot be 
 translated as " My power," the rendering of the apocryphal gospel of Peter 
 (5), of which the Peshito shows a trace. This translation was heretical, in- 
 dicating the Valentinian speculation that the " Sophia " was now aban- 
 doned by the "light " (Iren. Ad. Haer I. 4, i ; 4, 5 ; 8, 2). Th. Zahn, Das 
 Ev. des Petrus (1893), P- 3° sq. 
 
270 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 34, 35. 
 
 lama 1 sabachthani,^ which . . . My God . . . forsaken 
 
 me? This fourth word^ of Jesus on the cross, the 
 first verse of the 22d Psalm, which Jesus did not pray 
 completely, marks the deepest point in the suffering of 
 the Godman, who cannot now call God Father as at the 
 beginning and conclusion of His seven words (Luke 
 23 : 34, 46), because He feels the utter forsakenness by 
 God, experiencing fully all such words as Ps. 18:4 sq. ; 
 40 : 12 ; 42 : 7 sq. ; 6g : i sq. ; 88 : 3 sq. ; 89 : 46, as He 
 stands for sinful men, who have forsaken God (Jer. 
 2 : 13). Nevertheless in His faith He remains in God, 
 whose greatest judgment of wrath He undergoes in death, 
 and calls Him His, even though God does not now show 
 Him the reason (John 5 : 20) of this abandonment, which 
 is so hard to bear for the Son, in constant communication 
 with the Father. This struggle is far more difficult than 
 that in Gethsemane (14 : 34 sq.). " Here begins the con- 
 test and the conquering of eternal hell and despair of 
 God. Here God contends with God. In the Garden 
 Christ had a God, who was gracious to Him, for no mis- 
 fortune is so great, we can bear it, where there is the 
 consolation that we still have a gracious God, may our 
 suffering be what it will. But here God was against 
 Him." — Luther. Ver. 35. And . . . Elijah. The cry 
 " Eli," which they understood and whose power they 
 
 ^ Matt, has ^i\ui. 
 
 2 Sabaktani is the Chaldaic, used by the Targum of Jonathan for the 
 original Hebrew Asartano, which Luther employed following the Vulgate. 
 
 ^ The first word (Luke 23 : 34), spoken immediately after the crucifixion, 
 was an intercession for the murderers ; the second {Luke 23 : 43), uttered 
 some time after the mocking of the Jews, was a promise of salvation to the 
 penitent robber; the third (John 19 : 26, 27), before the beginning of the 
 darkness, was a word of care of the son Jesus for His mother. The fourth 
 word was soon followed by the fifth (John 19 : 28), the word of thirst, the 
 sixth (John 19 : 30), the completion of the work, and the seventh (Luke 
 23 : 46), the commending of the soul to the Father. 
 
XV. 35-38] CHAPTER XV. 271 
 
 felt, was in derision interpreted as an appeal of the false 
 Messiah to Elijah, who was expected to come with the 
 Messiah (6 : 15 ; 9 : 11). They imply that because God 
 will not help Him, He puts His trust in man(Jer. 17 : 5). 
 This mockery was an intrigue of Satan, who " impelled 
 the wicked enemies of Christ basely to turn His prayer 
 into derision, intending by this stratagem to strip Him 
 of His chief armor." — Calvin. Ver. ■}^6. And after 
 Jesus had said " I thirst " (John 19 : 28), one of the 
 soldiers ran, and filling a sponge full of vinegar, the 
 sour wine-and-water (posca) of the soldiers, put it on a 
 reed of hyssop (John 19 : 29), and gave him to drink, 
 fulfilling Ps. 69 : 21. Then, though the Jews would 
 hinder him (Matt. 27 : 49), he says, Let be, permit me ; 
 this will not prevent Elijah's coming. Now let us see 
 tvhether Elijah comet h to take him dotvn. Ver. 37. 
 Jesus uttered in a loud voice the last two words (John 
 
 19 : 30 ; Luke 23 : 46) and gave up the ghost,i the prin- 
 ciple of life (cf. 2 : 8; 8 : 12) and breathed it out freely 
 (John 10: 18); for if He had not willed thus, death could 
 not have held Him (Acts 2 : 24). " Not against His will 
 did the Spirit leave the flesh of Jesus, but because He 
 wished, and when He wished, and how He wished." — 
 Augustine. Now life dies. Ver. 38. And the veil 
 . . . temple, the heavy costly curtain of purple and gold, 
 scarlet and hyacinth, inwrought with figures of cherubim, 
 
 20 feet long and 30 feet broad, which separated the 
 Most Holy from the Holy (Jos. Wars, V. 5, 4), was 
 . . . bottom. God, by opening the Holiest, shows that 
 the time of shadows is past, since the true high priest 
 has entered by His blood into the eternal Holiest (Hebr. 
 10 : 19). " The right sacrifice has been offered, and in 
 
 ^ The idea of breathing underlies ghost, Anglo-Saxon gast, Ger, Geist, 
 as it does spirit. 
 
272 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 39, 40 
 
 future there shall be an end of the law and the sacri- 
 fices of the law, which were but types of this sacrifice." 
 — Luther. There was also an earthquake (Matt. 27 : 5 i), 
 Ver. 39. And . . . centurion,! who, commanding the 
 twelve soldiers, four for each cross, stood over against 
 Jesus, and had closely watched His actions and words, 
 saw that He ^o'^ gave np the ghost, died with such power 
 and calmness, and amid such signs, he said, Truly . . . 
 God. He does not regard Jesus as some son of a god or 
 heathen demi-god, but trusting upon the word he had 
 heard (John 19 : 7), went beyond all the Jews, in con- 
 fessing Christ as the Sou of the God, becoming at once 
 monotheist and Christian. Together with the centurion 
 of Capernaum (Matt. 8) and Cornelius (Acts 10), he 
 forms the " triumvirate of believing Gentile soldiers." — 
 Maclear. Now Christ attracts all (John 12 : 32). Ver. 
 4c. And . . . off, for after the third word of Jesus 
 (John 19 : 27), when probably they were near the cross, 
 they had again to retire by order of the soldiers. 
 Among them were Hary Magdalene. Mary of the city 
 of Magdala (Migdal-el, Josh. 19 : 38), situated on the 
 south-east corner of the plain of Gennesaret, who is not 
 to be confused- with the woman, a sinner (Luke 7 : 37 ; 
 Mark 14 : 3), was a follower of Jesus, who had healed her 
 of seven demons (16 : 9 ; Luke 8 : 2). She was present 
 from the beginning of the crucifixion (John 19:25; cf. 
 also Mark 16 . i, 9). And so was Mary, the mother of 
 James, the Less, who was thus called for his stature to 
 distinguish him from James, the son of Zebedee, and 
 James, the son of Alphaeus (see 3 : 18). She was also 
 the mother of Joses, not the brother of Christ (3 : 31), and 
 
 1 Tradition has named him Longinus, and German commentators love to 
 think of him as a German, because a German legion was tiien in I'alestine. 
 
 2 " Cried out " is wanting in K, B, L. 
 
XV. 40-43] CHAPTER XV. 273 
 
 the wife of Clopas, who is not the same as Alphaeus (3 : 1 8). 
 And Salome, wife of Zebedee, mother of John and James, 
 sister of Mary, the mother of the Lord (John 19 : 25;, 
 Hkewise followed Jesus, although at first mistaking the 
 nature of His kingdom (Matt. 20 : 20 ; Mark 10 : 35). 
 When Jesus was in Galilee, these women, Ver. 41, min= 
 istered unto him of their means (Luke 8 : 3). But tJurc 
 were many other women, wliicJi came up witJi Jesus unto 
 Jerusalem on His last passover journey. These, especially 
 the closer circle, were "forerunners of the noble army of 
 Holy Women, who were, in the ages to come, throughout 
 the length and breadth of Christendom, to minister at 
 many a death-bed out of love for Him who died "the 
 Death." — Maclear. 
 
 42-47. And when even was now come, because it was the Preparation, 
 that is, the day before the sabbath, there came Joseph of Arimathaea, a 
 councillor of honourable estate, who also himself was looking for the king- 
 dom of God ; and he boldly went in unto Pilate, and asked for the body of 
 Jesus. And Pilate marvelled if he were already dead : and calling unto 
 him the centurion, he asked him whether he had been any while dead. 
 And when he learned it of the centurion, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 
 And he bought a linen cloth, and taking him down, wound him in the Unen 
 cloth, and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock ; and he 
 rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. And Mary Magdalene and 
 Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. 
 
 Ver. 42. When even o{ Friday tvas now come, because it 
 zuas the Preparation, i. e. as Mark explains the day before 
 the sabbath} which, always observed more strictly than 
 the festivals, was at this season an especially high-day 
 (John 19:31) that excluded all work to which burial was 
 reckoned ; therefore the burial of Jesus was now resolved 
 upon by, Ver. 43, Joseph of Arimathaea, the old city of 
 Rama in Benjamin (J udg. 4^ 5; ^9 • i3; Isai. 10 : 29 ; 
 
 1 Morison reminds of the German " Sonnabend." 
 
274 "^HE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xv. 43-46. 
 
 Matt. 2 : 18),^ possibly er-Ram, 5 miles north of Jeru- 
 salem. He was a councillor of the Sanhedrim, whose con- 
 demnation of Jesus he had not sanctioned (Luke 23 : 51), 
 and of honorable estate, high social position, and wealthy 
 (Matt. 27 : 57) ; who also . . . the kingdom of God. 
 Joseph, a secret disciple (John 19 : 38), like Nicodemus, 
 who assisted at the burial (John 19 : 39), was one of the 
 quiet band of expectants in Israel like Simeon and Anna 
 (Luke 2:25, 38). He boldly went into Pilate, regardless 
 of men and willing to brave every danger, and asked for 
 the body of Jesus. " As he exposed himself to the dislike 
 and hatred of the whole nation and to great dangers, 
 there can be no doubt that this singular courage arose 
 from a secret movement of the Spirit."— Calvin. Ver. 
 44. And Pilate vcvaLvy^Wedi z/ Jesus were already dead, 
 for the crucified sometimes lingered three days, and 
 scarcely ever died in less than 36 hours, wherefore the 
 Jewish law, more merciful that the Roman, ordered the 
 breaking of the legs (John 19 : 31). Ver. 45. Pilate called 
 'CciQ. centurion (ver. 39), was assured of Christ's death (John 
 19 : 33), diWA granted the corpse freely (cf. 2 Peter i : 3). 
 Ver. 46. yi;^</ Joseph bought a fine lijien cloth (14 : 51), 
 and taking the body down from the cross that still stood, 
 wound him in linen cloth, which was cut up in strips 
 (John 11:44; 19 •40; 20: 7), a small piece being reserved 
 as a napkin for the head (John 20 : 7). This was accom- 
 panied by embalmment, which the Jews adopted after 
 contact with Egypt (Gen. 50 : 2). Myrrh and aloes (John 
 19 : 39) were wrapped in with the cloths. And he laid 
 Jesus in a tomb hewn out of rock. Such tombs, still 
 found in the East, are caves, sometimes upright, some- 
 
 1 This is the position of Robinson, Bleek, Meyer, Ewald, Keim, Keil, in 
 "this most complicated and disputed problem of sacred topography." 
 (Stanley.) Nebe, Ldg. II., p. 415. 
 
XV. 46, 47] CHAPTER XV. 275 
 
 times horizontal, the latter having steps for entrance. 
 Within there are several chambers, one at times being 
 lower than the other, on whose side-walls there are niches, 
 about 7 feet long, into which the corpses are placed.^ 
 He rolled zxv immense (16 : 4) 3tone . . the door, the outer 
 entrance, while, Ver.47, Hary . . . laid. Jesus, to be made 
 like to His brethren (Hebr. 2 : 17), went the way of earth 
 (i Kings 2 : 2), as He foretold (Matt. 12 : 40), and as 
 faith now gladly confesses (i Cor. 15 -.4). "As Christ 
 did not die for Himself, but became flesh and dies for our 
 sake, thus He lies in the ground for our sake, and His 
 grave is our grave. But as He therefore has no grave. 
 He does not remain in death and the grave, thus shall we 
 through His resurrection be awakened at the last day and 
 live with Him in eternity." — LUTHER. 
 
 1 Robinson Res. I. 78 sq.; 2 : 175 sq. ; 3 : 317. Thompson, II., p. 151 sq. 
 
^ CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 1-8. And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the 
 mother of James, and Salome, bought spices, that they might come and 
 anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, they come to 
 the tomb when the sun was risen. And they were saying among them- 
 selves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the tomb? and 
 looking up, they see that the stone is rolled back : for it was exceeding 
 great. And entering into the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the 
 right side, arrayed in a white robe ; and they were amazed. And he saith 
 unto them. Be not amazed: ye seek Jesus, the Nazarene, which hath been 
 crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold, the place where they laid 
 him ! But go, tell his disciples and Peter, He goeth before you into Gali- 
 lee : there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And they went out, and 
 fled from the tomb; for trembling and astonishment had come upon them: 
 and they said nothing to any one ; for they were afraid. 
 
 Ver. I. When . . . past, Saturday evening that closed 
 the Sabbath having come, Mary . . . spices to com- 
 plete the embalmment so hastily performed on Friday 
 evening. Their ministering love cannot rest. Ver. 2. 
 And very early, before dawn (John 20 : 1), on o . . week.i 
 which was forever to become the Lord's day (Rev. i : 10), 
 they go out and covie to the tomb ( 1 5 : 46) as the sun is 
 rising. " After the sad Sabbath brightly shines the day, 
 which shall hold the primacy among the days ; the first 
 light glistens on it, and my Lord rises with triumph and 
 says : This is the day which the Lord hath made, let us 
 rejoice and be glad in it." — Jerome. Ver. 3. And the 
 
 1 /«(i Tcyv aafifiaTuv cannot be "an einem Sabbather " (Luther), because 
 aaj3j3dTLn> must here possess its derived meaning " week." See Stellhorn, 
 p. 124; Thayer, p. 566. 
 
 276 
 
XVI. 3-6.] CHAPTER XVI. if-j 
 
 women were . . . stone ^ (15 : 46) . . . tomb? Now 
 they remember the great hindrance, which in their eager 
 lovethey had forgotten. Ver. 4, But looking . . . great, 
 and therefore they could see it so far off. God, who in 
 His mercy had kept from them the thought of the stone 
 and guard (Matt. 27 : 62), removed their care before it 
 came(Isai. 65 : 24). Ver. 5. Entering . . . tomb (15:46) 
 ... a young man 2 . . . robe. Angels, present at the 
 birth of Jesus, dare not be wanting where heaven and 
 earth are united in the Risen One (John 1:51). They 
 appear as young men to represent the eternal youth of 
 the heavenly life now given in Christ, and sitting, because 
 this life is a rest for the people of God (Heb. 4: 9), and 
 on the right side, for God's right hand hath gotten the 
 victory (Ps. 118 : 16). Their robes are white, transfigured 
 by their heavenly glory (9 : 3), and symbols of victory and 
 glory (Rev. 6:11; 7:9, 13). And the women zvere 
 amazed at the emptiness of the tomb, and frightened by 
 the brightness of the heavenly messengers like the 
 shepherds at Bethlehem (Luke 2 : 9). But God, who has 
 first humbled them by this mystery, " instantly mitigates 
 their dread, that they may not sink under its oppressive 
 influence; and not only so, but by the sweetness of His 
 grace heals the wound which He had inflicted." — Calvin. 
 Ver. 6. For the angel speaking in short, quick sentences 
 of deepest, joyous emotion, saith Be . . . amazed (cf. 
 Luke 2:10). There is no cause for fear, only joy is to 
 be expected. Ye seek . . . the Nazarene, as a human 
 friend and human prophet, which . . . crucified. His 
 crucifixion leads you to seek Him among the dead, for 
 
 ^ The Rabbis called these stones Gulalim, which with the " rolling " indi- 
 cates that they must have been round like millstones. 
 
 2 Luke (24 : 4) mentions two angels, but Mark emphasizes only the prom- 
 inent spokesman. Cf. note on 10 : 46. 
 
278 THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xvi. 6-8. 
 
 you do not see the triumph of the cross. He is risen, 
 Jesus, raised up by the glory of the Father (Matt. 16:21 ; 
 17:23; 26: 32; John 2 : 22 ; Rom. 4 : 24), rises also in His 
 own power (Matt. 17:9; 20: 19; Mark 8 : 31 ; 9 : 9 ; lO: 34 ; 
 16:9; John 10:18; Rom. 14:9), and bringing to light 
 life and incorruption (2 Tim. 1:10), is the first fruits of 
 them that slept (i Cor. 15 : 20) and the proof and founda- 
 tion of our justification (Rom. 4 : 25). '* This is the great 
 joyous article of our faith, which alone makes Christians." 
 — Luther. He . . , him! Theempty tomb is a visible 
 proof of Christ's resurrection. " The place I will show 
 you where He lay, but He is no more here." " If Christ 
 is not here, a Christian must not be here." — LUTHER. 
 Ver. 7. But go, tell his disciples. Become messengers, 
 where men are silent, to the doubting eleven and speci- 
 ally to disconsolate Pc/rr (14: 72). Jesus goeth . . you 
 (14:28). Although Jesus appeared at Jerusalem, He did 
 not stay there to gather His scattered flock. This was done 
 in quiet Galilee, where He had found more faith than in 
 Jerusalem (John 21 : i ; i Cor. 15:6). Ver. 8. And . . . 
 them. Christ's promise of resurrection had been forgot- 
 ten, and now the announcement is so marvellous, that 
 they waver between faith and unbelief. The unbelief 
 that remains renders them so fearful. And ^/lej' said 
 nothing. Although later the women told the disciples 
 (Matt. 28 : 8), for the present fear rendered them silent. 
 " Untimely fear often hinders us in doing justice to our 
 ofiflce."— OsiANDER, Starke. 
 
 9-1 1. Now when he was risen early on the first day of the week, he ap- 
 peared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven devils. 
 She went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 
 And they, when they heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, 
 disbelieved. 
 
 Ver. 9.1 Now . . . devils d : 23 ; 5:9; Exc. H., p. 31). 
 
 * For the genuineness of v. 9-20, see Introduction, p. xix. 
 
XVI. 9, i3-i CHAPTER )CVI. 2Y9 
 
 Mary Magdalene, who had come with the other women 
 (ver. i), ran back before entering the tomb to tell Peter 
 and John that the tomb was empty. Then she returned 
 with these two disciples, who left again, while Mary 
 remained, and received the first manifestation of the risen 
 Lord (John 20: 12). Jesus appears first to a believing 
 woman. Ver. 10. She . . . him, the eleven and other 
 disciples, as tJicy mourned and wept (cf. Luke 24: 17) 
 hopelessly for their crucified master, as He had told them 
 (John 16:20). Even, Ver. ii, when . . . seen of Mary, 
 they disbelieved. " Their unbelief having deprived them 
 of sound understanding, they not only refuse the light of 
 truth, but reject it as an idle fancy (idle talk) as Luke 
 tells us." — Calvin. 
 
 12-13. And after these things he was manifested in another form unto 
 two of them, as they walked, on their way into the country. And they 
 went away and told it unto the rest : neither believed they them. 
 
 Ver. 12. And after these things, when Jesus had been 
 seen of the women (Matt. 28 : 9) and Peter (i Cor. 15:5), 
 he was manifested (ver, 14; John 21 : i, 14; Col. 3 : 4) 
 in another form, for His body although the same (Luke 
 24:39) was not subject to space and time (John 20: 19; 
 Luke 24 : 31 ; Acts i : 3), which is a prophecy of 
 our future (i Cor. 15:44; i John 3:2). He appeared 
 unto two, Cleopas and an unknown disciple, on their zvay 
 to the country, to Emmaus, distant about seven and a 
 half miles (Luke 24:13 sq.). Ver. 13. They went 
 away . . . they them. It seemed impossible that Christ 
 should manifest Himself at once to Peter and these two 
 disciples within so short a time (Luke 24 : 33). How 
 difficult is human unbelief to overcome. But the hesita- 
 tion of the disciples is a proof that the resurrection of 
 Jesus could not have been invented by them. 
 
28o THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. [xvi. 14, 15. 
 
 14-18. And afterward he was manifested unto the eleven themselves as 
 they sat at meat ; and he upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness 
 of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was 
 risen. And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gos- 
 pel to the whole creation. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; 
 but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned. And these signs shall follow 
 them that believe : in my name shall they cast out devils ; they shall speak 
 with new tongues ; they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly 
 thing, it shall in no wise hurt them ; they shall lay hands on the sick and 
 they shall recover. 
 
 Ver. 14. A7id aftcrzvard on the same day he . . . 
 meat (Luke 24:36; John 20: 19 sq.); and Jic upbraided 
 their unbelief (ver. 11, 13) and hardness of heart (6: 52 ; 
 8: 17), because . . . risen. They who are to be messen- 
 gers of faith must have faith, and therefore judgment 
 begins at the house of God (i Peter 4 : 17). Christ re- 
 proves their unbeHef that faith might follow ; He upbraids 
 their hardness of heart, that a fleshy heart full of love 
 may come." — JEROME. Ver. 15. And shortly before 
 His ascension He said . . . world (Matt. 28 : 19), for you 
 are to do greater works than I (John 14: 12), who was sent 
 bodily only to Israel (Matt. 1 5 : 24). The whole world is to 
 be your parish as apostles. " These are words of majesty, 
 which can properly be called majesty, that He commands 
 these poor beggars to go out and proclaim this new 
 preaching not to one city or country, but to all the world, 
 every principality and kingdom. This is such a strong, 
 mighty command, that no order of this kind has ever 
 gone out into the world, for every king's or emperor's de- 
 cree does not extend further than his country and people ; 
 but this command extends to all kings, lords, country and 
 people, great and small, young and old, learned, wise and 
 saints." — LUTHER. Preach . . . creation. The first 
 great work of the messengers is to bring the tidings of 
 God's love thus to all men, that even creation will begin 
 
XVI. i6, 17.] CHAPTER XVI. 281 
 
 to rejoice in the freedom of the children of God with 
 their hope (Rom. 8:18 sq.). But the gospel requires 
 faith (1:15), therefore, Ver. 16, He . , . saved. The 
 faith, not like that of the devils (James 2: 19), but firm 
 trust in Christ, is the receptive organ for the blessings of 
 baptism, which are washing away of sins (Acts 22 : 16 ; 
 Eph. 5 : 26), regeneration and renewal by the Spirit, who 
 is given in baptism (John 3:5; Tit. 3:5; Acts 2 : 38). 
 In its administration it brings salvation not only as the 
 foundation of our Christian life (Tit. 3 : 5), but as a con- 
 stant present possession (i Peter 3:21), and a future con- 
 summation (Mark 16: 16). This power of baptism, due 
 to the divine word (Eph. 5 : 26), is granted also to children 
 (10: 13 sq.).^ It is only an ordinate means, and " of no 
 profit without faith." — LUTHER. Therefore he . . . con- 
 demned. Only unbelief, which will not receive the gospel 
 and its initial ordinance (Matt. 28: 19), condemns. It is 
 not the omission but the contempt of the sacrament 
 which brings judgment. " The whole world is divided 
 into two parts, and separated by a great difference ; the 
 one to heaven, the other to hell ; that there shall be no 
 other judgment on the last day than according to this 
 preaching, who believed or Avho did not believe." — 
 Luther, Ver. 17. And these signs {6: 2) shall follow 
 them that believe, not only to strenghthen their own faith, 
 but to confirm their preaching to those that hear. In my 
 name (9 : 37) shall they east out devils (i : 23). This power, 
 exercised by the disciples during the lifetime of Jesus 
 (3:15; Luke 10: 17), was afterward used by Philip, the 
 deacon (Acts 8 : 7), and Paul (Acts 16: 18; 19:15), to 
 
 1 The faith of children is wrought by the word of God in baptism. See 
 note on 2 : 5, with which cf. Augustine, on Forg. & Bapt. I, XVII,; III, 
 III.; on the soul and its origin, II, CXII.; Ag. the letters of Pelagius, I, 
 CXXII. See also Krauth, Conserv. Reform., p. 576 sq. 
 
282 THE GOSPEL VE ST. MAA'K. [xvi. i;-!^. 
 
 show the power of Christ over Satan. T/uy shall speak 
 with new tongues, not only in various languages as at 
 Pentecost (Acts 2 : ii), but also in the peculiar ecstatic 
 words of the Spirit (Acts 10:46; 19:6; i Cor. 12 : 10; 
 14: 2 sq.), to exhibit the new truth and uniting power of 
 Christ. Ver. 18. They shall take up serpents without 
 being harmed, as Paul did at Malta (Acts 28: 5). If . . . 
 them, as tradition relates of John, who was given hem- 
 lock, but not poisoned. All the dangers of nature can be 
 overcome by the disciples, who shall . . . recover. This 
 w^as effected e.g. by Peter (Acts 3 : 7) and Paul (Acts 
 28 : 8; cf. also i Cor. 12 : 29; James 5 : 14, 15). These gifts 
 were not only for the early Church, but for all times when- 
 ever they are needed. " If I believe I can do it then it is 
 in my power, for faith gives me so much, that nothing is 
 impossible, if it be necessary. For Christ has not spoken 
 that they always vnist go and do thus, only that they 
 have power and cati do it." — LUTHER. 
 
 19-20. So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken unto them, was re- 
 ceived up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. And they 
 went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and 
 confirming the word by the signs that followed. Amen. 
 
 Ver. 19. The . , . spoken to His disciples during the 
 forty days and immediately before ascension such words 
 as are recorded Matt. 28 : 16 sq. ; Luke 24 : 44 sq. ; John 
 21:1 sq. ; Acts i : 7 sq., was received up into heaven. 
 This reception into glory (i Tim. 3:16) was also an act 
 of Christ Himself (John 6:62; 20:17; Eph. 4:8 sq.). 
 prefigured by the removal of Enoch (Gen. 5 : 24 ; Heb. 
 11:5) and the taking up of Elijah (2 Kings 2:11). It was 
 the entrance into the Holy of Holies (Heb. 4:14; 7 : 26 ; 
 10: 19) and the return to the Father (John 3:13; 6 : 62 ; 
 20: 17), and therefore the completion of the resurrection. 
 
XVI. 19. 20.] CHAPTER XVI. 283 
 
 But it is no local removal to heaven (Eph. 4 : 10). The God- 
 man entered the heavenly omnipresent state (Matt. 28 : 20). 
 " When He was on earth He was too distant from us, now 
 He is too near." — LUTHER. For He sat down . . . right 
 hand of God (12:36; 14:62). "Where God and God's 
 right hand is, there is Christ, the Son of Man." — LuTHER. 
 Having taken captivity captive (Eph. 4: 8) He is now in 
 glory and power as King, ever gaining victory (Ps. 1 10 : i) 
 until all things, even death, are subdued (Phil. 3:21; i 
 Cor. 15:26). In such rule He is the ever-living high 
 priest (Rom. 8 : 34 ; Heb. 4 : 14 ; 7 : 26 ; i John 2:1,2); 
 and the prophet, who speaks through His apostles. For, 
 Ver. 20, they went forth, after tarrying a time at Jeru- 
 salem (Luke 24 : 49 ; Acts i : 4) as ordered, and preached 
 everywhere. This was being fulfilled in the world as 
 then known even in the days of Paul (Col. i : 23). Later 
 tradition, though partly unreliable in details, seems cor- 
 rect when it relates how Thomas went to preach in Par- 
 thia, Andrew in Scythia, John in Asia, Peter in Pontus, 
 Galatia, Bithynia, Cappadocia and Asia Minor, Paul into 
 all countries from Jerusalem unto Illyria.^ The Lord 
 with His heavenly power (ver, 19) was working with them 
 (Rom. 15: 18; 2 Cor. 13:3) confirming the word by the 
 signs that followed iytr.iy sc\.). Amen. This conclusion, 
 though wanting in the best MSS., may be our confession 
 of the truth of this divine word, as recorded by Mark. 
 " Amen, Amen, yea, yea, it shall be so." — LuTHER. 
 
 ^ Origen as quoted by Eusebius, H. E. III. I. McGifford, p. 132. See 
 also notes on 3 : iS. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 WHEN DID CHRIST EAT THE LAST SUPPER? 
 
 At first sight this question seems one of minor impor- 
 tance. It apparently involves only a chronological dif- 
 ficulty, which comes to the surface when the statements 
 of the first three gospels are compared with the account 
 of John. But in fact it is not merely a date which is in- 
 volved ; for upon the determination of the time depends 
 the character of the Last Supper of Jesus with His dis- 
 ciples. As the chronological question is answered, this 
 solemn Supper is either the passover or not. And it is 
 not indifferent whether the Lord's Supper was instituted 
 in connection with the passover-meal or at some other 
 time : for the temporal conjunction of the passover with 
 the Lord's Supper is important, because the former is the 
 prophecy and type of the latter. The relation of both 
 and the position which Jesus took is not insignificant, be- 
 cause by it the whole relation of the Old and New Testa- 
 ment, and the bearing of the old covenant, as that of 
 promise, to the new covenant, as that of fulfilment, is in- 
 dicated. And this indication is of no small value, for it 
 is a very fundamental place which the passover held in 
 the religion of Israel, and it is a very central position 
 which the Lord's Supper occupies in our Christian faith, 
 
 since it rests upon the fundamental fact and truth of the 
 
 287 
 
288 APPENDIX. 
 
 atoning death of Jesus Christ. It is true, that mere tem- 
 poral connection or the want of it cannot destroy this re- 
 lation. Nevertheless the time is the framework for the 
 actual transfiguration of the old covenant into the new 
 by Jesus, the great renewer. But this consideration dare 
 not be used to influence the exegetical investigation, as 
 the typical relation of the passover-lamb and the time of 
 its sacrifice have been employed by some to fix the date of 
 Christ's death, or at least to confirm it. The bearing of 
 the time has only been shown to point out, that this 
 question lies deeper than it appears. Its discussion, that 
 has and must enter into minute details and particulars, is 
 no straining of gnats. 
 
 Equally necessary does this matter seem in the light of 
 the history of the Christian Church. A great contro- 
 versy of the second century, reaching with its results into 
 the third century and only determined finally in the 
 fourth, turns upon the date of the celebration of the 
 Lord's Supper. The exegetical question was not indeed 
 the cause of the controversy, but in the discussions the 
 apparently different chronological determinations of the 
 synoptists or John were used, and John was interpreted 
 by the synoptists or the synoptists by John. The his- 
 tory and development of the paschal controversy neces- 
 sitate therefore an entering upon this point. The con- 
 sideration and review of the discussions on the passovcr 
 as relating to Easter will also cast much light upon the 
 determination of this dilTficulty, and confirm by the testi- 
 mony of the early Church the exegetical position attained 
 independently. The understanding of the history of the 
 paschal controversy will strengthen the proper view. But 
 all this will be seen more fully in the sketch of the con- 
 troversy, which will appear further on (see p. 342). 
 
 In addition, the date of the Lord's Supper i., important 
 
APPENDIX. 289 
 
 because this matter is so largely discussed by modern 
 criticism, and used, though not always directly and with 
 an expressed and pronounced purpose, to show a dis- 
 agreement between the gospels. That which has been 
 characterized in the Preface as the fault of modern exe- 
 gesis will find a concrete proof here. Although to-day 
 this subject is not seen in the dimensions which it 
 assumed when the critical tendency of the Tubingen 
 negativists first employed it, it is still treated by some of 
 the most representative scholars and greatest exegetes in 
 a manner destructive of the harmony and organic unity 
 of the gospels. The spirit of this criticism appears in it ; 
 and sometimes scholars are affected by this tendency, 
 who would be expected to be free from and uninfluenced 
 by it. It is very necessary that all intelligent Christians 
 should know at least in some particulars this modern de- 
 structive current in theological thought. At present it is 
 most occupied with the Old Testament, but it is by no 
 means idle in the department of the interpretation of the 
 New Testament and in the question of the origin of the 
 gospels and the early history and development of the 
 Christian Church. The name of Harnack alone, who is 
 such an authority and power not only in the theology of 
 Germany, but is also largely influencing English and 
 American theologians, will sufifice to prove at once the 
 existence and to point out the danger of the present 
 trend of theological thought. Therefore it seems neces- 
 sary and timely to discuss this question of the time of 
 the Lord's Supper very fully. It is not merely for the 
 value of this series of commentaries, then, that this sub- 
 ject, discussed at least to some degree in all commentaries, 
 is treated at length, but especially for the suggestions 
 which it is able to offer. 
 
 In the treatment of this matter, the case involved 
 19 
 
290 APPENDIX. 
 
 will be stated and defined first. In the second place, 
 the theories which accept a contradiction between the 
 gospels will be discussed. After this various solutions 
 that have been attempted, while permitting the state- 
 ments of John and the synoptists to remain apparently 
 contradictoiy, will be examined. Then the agreement 
 advocated by some on the basis of John, and finally the 
 agreement sought upon the foundation of the synoptists, 
 will be considered. Under the last division, the objec- 
 tions apparently against the synoptists will be removed, 
 and the confirmatory testimony of the paschal contro- 
 versy, of the Church fathers and Luther, and of astro- 
 nomical calculations will be brought out. 
 
 I. — Statement and Definition on the Question. 
 
 The reason of this discussion will appear on the state- 
 ment of the case. If we possessed only the synoptical 
 gospels the whole subject would be very plain, even 
 though there are difficulties in their accounts. Matthew 
 (26 : 17) relates as the time, when the two disciples, Peter 
 and John, are bidden to prepare the "passover" as "the 
 first day of the unleavened bread." Mark, who at the 
 beginning of the fourteenth chapter says : " Now after 
 two days was the feast of thepassover and the unleavened 
 bread," afifirms in the twelfth verse that the time of the 
 Supper was "the first day of unleavened bread, when they 
 killed the passover." Luke emphasizes the idea of the 
 peculiar day as that of the first when the passover-lamb 
 had to be killed even more strongly, when he writes in 
 chapter twenty-two, verse seven : " And the day of the 
 unleavened bread came on which the passover must be 
 sacrificed." In these statements the distinction of " pass- 
 over " and " unleavened bread " by Mark does not point to 
 
APPENDIX. 291 
 
 two days of feasts which were originally distinct though not 
 separate. The passover did originally begin on the four- 
 teenth of Nisan, and the day of unleavened bread on the 
 fifteenth, the holy day of convocation, but in Christ's 
 day this distinction had long ceased. (See comment on 
 chapter 14, verse i, page 231 ; Smith's Bible Dictionary, 
 American Edition, III., p. 2347, note.) Thus all the syn- 
 optists think of the fourteenth of Nisan, the first month 
 of the Jewish ecclesiastical year beginning toward the end 
 of March (Lev. 23 : 5 ; Numb. 28 : 16). All else related 
 shows, as each evangelist says, that " they made ready the 
 passover." For with this intention a guest-chamber was 
 secured, as was customary with those who came from a 
 distance(Matt. 26 : 18; Mark 14 : 13 sq. ; Luke 22 : 8 sq.). 
 In this chamber the Lord sat doAvn with the twelve 
 apostles (Matt. 26 : 20 ; Mark 14 : 17 sq. ; Luke 22 : 14 
 sq.\ being the head of this family, which had the proper 
 number required for the celebration by Jewish law and 
 custom. (See comment on chapter 14, verse 14, p. 236.) 
 And Christ Himself said at the meal : " I have desired to 
 eat this passover with you before I suffer " (Luke 22 : 15). 
 In addition, the whole arrangement of the Supper, the 
 dipping into the dish (Matt. 26 : 23 ; Mark 14 : 20), the 
 passing of the first cup with the word about drinking of 
 the fruit of the vine anew in the consummation of the 
 kingdom of God (Luke 22 : 17), the taking of the "cup 
 of blessing" (Luke 22 : 20; i Cor. 10 : 16; ii : 25) 
 with a repetition of the word about drinking of the 
 fruit of the vine (Mark 14 : 25), and the conclusion by 
 singing the Hallel, Psalm 115 to 118 (Matt. 26 : 30 ; Mark 
 14 : 26), seem inexplicable on any other supposition than 
 that Jesus celebrated the passover. (See comments and 
 notes on pages 237, 239, 241.) If then the passover was 
 eaten by Christ with the twelve at the regular time on 
 
2g2 APPENDIX. 
 
 the fourteenth of Nisan, He was crucified on the fifteenth, 
 the holy day of convocation. Then He laid in the tomb 
 on the Sabbath-day, the sixteenth of Nisan, and arose on 
 the seventeenth. But if we had only John, we would be 
 led to conclude that Christ and His disciples ate the 
 Last Supper on the thirteenth of Nisan, the day before 
 the real and legal paschal meal. The Last Supper is ap- 
 parently spoken of as having been held " before the feast 
 of the passover " (John 13 : i). And when during the 
 Supper Jesus told Judas Iscariot : " That thou doest, do 
 quickly," the eleven apostles supposed that it was " be- 
 cause Judas had the bag, that Jesus said unto him. Buy 
 what things we have need of for the feast ; or that he 
 should give something to the poor" (John 13 : 27, 28, 
 29). In the early morning of the day, which followed the 
 evening of the Last Supper and the night of the capture 
 of Jesus, the members of the Sanhedrim will not enter the 
 Praetorium, the palace of the gentile Roman governor 
 Pilate, " that they might not be defiled, but eat the pass- 
 over " (John 18 : 28). And when Christ is still before 
 Pilate, just previous to His being led out to crucifixion, 
 the time is stated to have been " the Preparation of the 
 passover; and about the sixth hour" (John 19 : 14). 
 After the crucifixion the Jews are anxious, " because it 
 was the Preparation, that the bodies should not remain 
 on the cross upon the Sabbath (for the day of that sab- 
 bath was a high day)" (John 19 : 31). The chronology 
 of John, on the supposition that he places the Last Sup- 
 per on the thirteenth of Nisan, would then demand, that 
 the crucifixion took place on the fourteenth, the day on 
 which the passover-lamb was slain and eaten. Christ's 
 body would then have been in the grave on the fifteenth, 
 which was a high day or double sabbath, because the day 
 of convocation occurred on the weekly sabbath. The 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 *93 
 
 resurrection must consequently have taken place on the 
 sixteenth of Nisan. 
 
 The debate is therefore as to the day of the month, 
 and it is not about the day of the week. Both the syn- 
 optists and John place the Last Supper on Thursday 
 evening and the cruciiixion on Friday. But Westcott 
 (Introduction to the Study of the Gospels, page 341) 
 thinks that the question of the day of the week is a point 
 of inquiry. According to him, "long use and tradition 
 seem to have decided this already, but it may be ques- 
 tioned whether there are not grounds for doubting the 
 correctness of the common opinion," He, as later Seyf- 
 farth (see below, page 322), refers to Matt. 12 : 40, where 
 the Lord tells the Jews seeking a sign, that He will give 
 them " the sign of Jonah " in that " the Son of man shall 
 be three days and tJiree nights in the heart of the earth." 
 From the separate enumeration of the nights, which can- 
 not be " without any special force, or strictly speaking 
 inaccurate," it is concluded that the day of crucifixion 
 might have been another day than Friday, to whose ac- 
 ceptance the term " Preparation " interpreted in favor of 
 Friday has led. The period from Friday to Sunday, even 
 though the parts of a day be reckoned in full, Avould not 
 be three days and three nights. Only if Thursday had 
 been the day of the death of Christ would His prophecy 
 have been truly fulfilled. In favor of Thursday the expres- 
 sion Matt. 27 : 62 : " The next day that followed the day 
 of Preparation," seems to argue strongly. This circum- 
 locution is deemed inexplicable if applied to the Sabbath, 
 but to be readily understood if the first day of " unleav- 
 ened bread" (Matt. 26 : 17) is again referred to in this 
 manner, because " no characteristic term remained for it." 
 This first day could be " a great Sabbath " (John 19 : 31), 
 without being a weekly Sabbath. 
 
294 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 The whole Sabbatic period might extend from the fif- 
 teenth of Nisan to the dawn of the first day of the week. 
 The greater interval between the death and resurrection 
 of Jesus, than from Friday to Sunday, seems also to be 
 confirmed by such expressions as " after three days " (Mark 
 8 : 3 1 ; 9 : 31 ; 10 : 34), " in three days " {Iv Matt. 27 : 40 ; 
 Mark 15 : 29; John 2 : 19 (?) ; 5\o. Matt. 26 : 61 ; Mark 
 14 : 58), "the third day be raised up " (Matt. 16 : 21 ; 
 17 : 23; 20 : 19; Luke 9 : 22 ; 18 : 33 ; 24 : 7, 46), " it is 
 now the third day" (Luke 24 : 21). 
 
 But plausible as this position appears, its only support 
 is Matt. 12 : 40, which is interpreted regardless of the 
 Jewish custom of calling any part of the whole period 
 covering one night and one day " a night and a day." In 
 the Jerusalem Talmud, cited by Lightfoot, a day and a 
 night are an " onah," which is evidently the basis of 
 the term of St. Paul, " night-day " {vuxdiliitpov^ 2 Cor. 
 II : 25). In similar manner the " three days " are thus 
 used popularly, and the parts stand for the whole. This 
 is also apparent from the usage of this term in the Old 
 Testament (Gen. 40 : 13, 20; i Sam. 30 : 12, 13; 2 
 Chron. 10 : 5, 12; Hosea 6 : 2). The argument derived 
 from Matt. 27 : 62 rests upon the supposition that no 
 circumlocution could have been used for the Sabbath, and 
 it disregards the passover-season in reference to which the 
 Sabbath was to be designated. But the whole theory re- 
 ceives its death-blow from the clear statement Mark 
 1 5 : 42 : " it was the Preparation, the day before the 
 sabbath." Here the day of crucifixion is unequivocally 
 determined to be Friday, and " Preparation " is inter- 
 preted as " fore-sabbath," that is, Friday. Luke likewise 
 says (chapter 23 : 54): "It was the day of preparation 
 and the sabbath drew on," and in verse 56 he relates, that 
 the woman, who had come to anoint Jesus, " rested the 
 
APPENDIX. 295 
 
 sabbath-day according to the commandment." Nor is 
 John less distinct in this matter. In chapter 19, verse 31, 
 the day of crucifixion is unmistakably designated as 
 Friday, and only on this supposition is " high day " ex- 
 plicable. Westcott's explanation is altogether without 
 warrant or proof. It must therefore remain settled, that 
 the day of the Lord's Supper was Thursday evening. 
 There can be no reasonable doubt as to the day of the 
 week. The difficulty is only about the day of the month. 
 
 II. — The Theory of Contradiction. 
 
 This theory of contradiction is essentially a modern one. 
 And the question of the time of the Last Supper, which 
 has not been regarded as a real contradiction in former 
 times, has, to speak with Stier, " assumed a threatening 
 shape in modern criticism." The position of many in 
 this matter has been well voiced by Pressens6, when he 
 says : " Between the synoptists and the fourth gospel 
 there exists concerning this subject a contradiction, 
 which cannot be brought into agreement ; and on the 
 point, which of the two reports is objectively the 
 more correct, uncertainty must remain " (Jesus-Christ, 
 page 602). And strangely enough a scholar in other 
 respects as conservative and evangelical as Steinmeyer 
 has made a similar utterance in his history of the passion 
 of the Lord (1882, page 29, footnote). The source of 
 this position is to be found with Schleiennacher, who in 
 his regeneration of modern theology has introduced 
 much old rationalistic leaven, which in some form or 
 other is still working in the most various minds. But the 
 greatest impetus was given by Ferdinand Christian Baur, 
 the genius and founder of the Tubingen school. This 
 point of view must therefore be examined first. 
 
296 APPENDIX. 
 
 The Tubingen school in its representatives Baur, 
 Schwegler, Hilgenfeld, Strauss, Keim, Schenkel, Scholten, 
 followed by Renan and Samuel Davidson, so far prefer 
 the synoptists as to discredit John totally. In their 
 argument from the early custom of the observance of the 
 Lord's Supper in Asia, which rested upon the belief that 
 Christ ate the Jewish passover with His disciples on the 
 evening of the fourteenth of Nisan and died on the 
 fifteenth, they claim that this observance is incompatible 
 with the statement in John, which puts the death of 
 Jesus on the fourteenth of Nisan, to cause it to coincide 
 with the sacrifice of the paschal lamb in time and pur- 
 port. The fourth gospel is therefore a late invention of 
 the second half of the second century, and has a contro- 
 versial tendency. It was introduced in favor of a new 
 practice, and created sentiment against the old. One of 
 its central thoughts, according to Keim, is the idea of 
 the paschal lamb, as shown by John i : 29, and especially 
 chapter six, verse fifty-one. This whole position is not 
 disproved by a perversion of the actual practice, in claim- 
 ing that it placed the death of Jesus and not the pass- 
 over on the fourteenth of Nisan (Steitz, Weitzel, Wagen- 
 mann, Beyschlag), which will be seen to be untenable 
 from the statement of Apolinarius, given below (page 
 344). But the better way is to disprove the existence of 
 controversial tendency in the gospel of John. The idea 
 of the paschal lamb rests upon Isaiah, chapter fifty-three, 
 and is never stated as though a correction were to be 
 made. It is likewise not as important and central in the 
 fourth gospel as it is claimed. The typical relation of the 
 passover-lamb had not to be asserted as a new idea. 
 It existed and was commonly accepted in the second 
 century upon the foundation of such biblical state- 
 ments as are found in i Cor. 5 : 7 ; 1 1 : 24, 25 ; i Peter 
 
APPENDIX. 297 
 
 1:19, and frequently in the Apocalypse. No one who 
 reads John without prejudice can find in it any con- 
 troversial trend. And the very passages involved in the 
 paschal question are much too indefinite for such a pur- 
 pose. Whenever John finds it necessary to difTer from a 
 current view no such supposition of a quiet correction 
 can be accepted. This becomes evident from John 2:21 
 and 21:23, where John feels compelled to correct the 
 impression of words of Christ that had been misunder- 
 stood and misapplied. He would, therefore, in all prob- 
 ability have clearly marked a correction, if one was in- 
 tended to have been made in the statements of the time 
 of the Last Supper of Jesus. It is nowhere apparent that 
 the gospel of John intends to correct the synoptists, as 
 little as they correct and improve upon John. And had 
 John done so he would have been a very weak critic. 
 His words are less clear and definite than those of the 
 synoptists ; and von Hofmaim is correct when he asks : 
 " How can it be explained that John departs from the 
 synoptists without making this departure noticeable 
 otherwise than in an intermediate manner? In this way 
 he only makes us uncertain about that statement (i. e. of 
 the synoptists), instead of giving a certain knowledge of 
 the correct view in an unequivocal manner." But this 
 whole theory of ideal construction has been thoroughly 
 disproved. It is a mere phantasy of the brain ("ein 
 llirngespinst " — Beyschlag). At the present time it 
 would be unnecessary to call attention to it, did it not 
 appear sometimes where it was least expected in some 
 modified form and in a mild shape. Thus von Orelli, 
 positive and evangelical as he is, seems tainted by this 
 old Tubingen idea, when he asserts : " That meal of the 
 disciples in the night of suffering was an anticipated 
 passover, since the fourteenth of Nisan came only upon 
 
298 APPENDIX. 
 
 Friday, as is apparent from the gospel of John (19: 14), 
 which with consciousness (Bewusstsein) represents the 
 death of Christ as that of the true paschal lamb " (Herzog- 
 Plitt, Realencyklopadie, second edition, Vol. XI., page 
 268). Although John is not discredited, and the synop- 
 tists are read according to John, an opposite position to 
 that of the school of Baur, yet the assertion of the man- 
 ner of John's representation of Christ as the paschal 
 lamb reasserts the core of the Tubingen error and im- 
 parts a characteristic to John which invalidates von 
 Orelli's preference of John, and is subversive of it, if the 
 proper deduction would be made. The emphasis given 
 to the consciousness, with which John is supposed to 
 have portrayed Christ as the paschal lamb, classes John 
 among the writers of tendency (Tendenz-Verfasser), men 
 who are a peculiar product of the nineteenth century. 
 But by far more dangerous thanvon Orelli's single utter- 
 ance is the whole position of Pfleiderer, who is a respect- 
 able survival of the Tubingen school, and who has of late 
 in a number of publications exerted no small influence 
 upon English and American theologians. He ascribes a 
 " bold freedom" to John, and holds that John's pecuHar 
 " dogmatic idea caused a deviation." '* The foundation 
 of this deviation from the unanimous older tradition " 
 is said to consist in this, " that the evangelist wished to 
 put the Christian Lord's Supper out of all relation to the 
 Jewish passover ; therefore the meal of departure was not 
 to be a passover-meal, and therefore the institution of 
 the Lord's Supper at this occasion had to be suppressed " 
 (Urchristentum, page 725 sq.). It is a matter of surprise 
 to find that Pfleiderer is so well acquainted with the wish 
 and purpose of John, although there is no trace of such 
 purpose in the gospel, and no indication that John from 
 any tendency suppressed the institution of the Lord's 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 299 
 
 Supper. Pfleiderer has attributed to John the aim and 
 bias of his own mind. 
 
 The majority of modern scholars, who have a predilec- 
 tion, even though but slightly, for the negative side, have 
 changed from the Tubingen position, and accept John's 
 account to the detriment of the first three gospels. They 
 have returned to the view of Liicke, who followed 
 Schleiermacher. Liicke, in the second edition of his 
 commentary on John, asks the question " whether the 
 synoptical gospels are just as certainly derived from 
 immediate eye-witnesses as the gospel of John, and 
 whether they have been kept genuine as they Avere 
 handed down ? " The answer is virtually negative. It 
 is with some modifications the opinion of Neander, 
 Siefert, Usteri, Bretschneider, deWette, Theile, Hauff, 
 Steitz, J. Miiller, and in a mild form of Farrar. But the 
 three best known and latest advocates of this position are 
 Meyer, Bernhard Weiss,^ and Beyschlag. Before enter- 
 ing upon the consideration of their positions, two theo- 
 logians must be mentioned, who are scarcely at ease in 
 this company, but who have unfortunately chosen it on 
 this point. Delitzsch (in Ed. Riehm's Handworterbuch 
 des Biblischen Altertums, second edition, 1893, Vol. II., 
 page 1 160) in the discussion of the passah favors John's 
 apparent view altogether. And although a paschal 
 character is ascribed to the Last Supper, it is not consid- 
 ered to be the paschal meal. All the Rabbinic quota- 
 tions brought forward are against the synoptists ; and 
 no attempt or hint at reconciliation is made. The brev- 
 ity of the article and the small space allowed will scarcely 
 suffice to account for Delitzsch's complete silence on a 
 
 1 In this point Johannes Weiss agrees with his father and interprets 
 Luke in the interests of John. (.See 8th German edition of Meyer's Commen- 
 tary on Luke 22 ly, page 615.) 
 
306 APPENDIX. 
 
 possibility of agreement. This is to be lamented all the 
 more as the lexicon of Riehm is for educated Bible- 
 readers of every class. The influence of this last utter- 
 ance of Delitzsch's on this subject is inconsistent with 
 what was his personal position of faith. It is toward 
 the negative tendency and implies the rejection of the 
 synoptic account. In similar manner Prof. Otto Zockler, 
 in his article on Jesus Christ in Herzog-Plitt's Realency- 
 klopadie, second edition, Vol. VI., page 669, states : " It 
 will scarcely be possible to evade the admission of the 
 existence of this difference between the first three 
 evangelists and the fourth as actual, but at the same 
 time not to prefer the account of John as the one in- 
 wardly and outwardly best accredited." Various appar- 
 ent indications of the position of John in the synoptists 
 are regarded as reminiscences, but no solution of the 
 difficulty is really suggested or given. John is so pre- 
 ferred as to injure the synoptists, and Zockler's testimony 
 counts in the same direction as that of Delitzsch. 
 
 Meyer, in the discussion of John 18 : 28 (American 
 edition, 1884, page 486 sq.), after he has mentioned the 
 attempts at reconciling the statement of John with that 
 of the first three gospels, and has rejected them with 
 very brief and very insufficient arguments, asks on which 
 side historical accuracy is to be found. The choice is for 
 John " as the sole direct witness, whose gospel has been 
 preserved unaltered." The date of the Lord's Supper in 
 the synoptists is then opposed by arguments, which are 
 considered further on (page 338). Thereupon the cen- 
 tral point of the whole argumentation is presented, viz., 
 how the synoptic account arose. Here Meyer is as bold 
 a constructionist as the old Tubingen idealists. He says: 
 " The question hozv the correct relation of time in the syn- 
 optic tradition could be altered by a day, withdraws itself 
 
APPENDIX. 301 
 
 from any solution that is demonstrable from history. 
 Most naturally, however, the institution of the Lord's 
 Supper suggests the point of connection, both by the 
 references, which Jesus Himself in His discourses con- 
 nected therewith gave to the Supper in its bearing on the 
 passover meal, by the idea of which He was moved 
 (Luke 22 : 15), as also by the view of the Supper as the 
 antitypical passover meal, which view must necessarily 
 have been developed from the apostolic apprehension 
 of Christ as the Paschal Lamb (John 19: 36; i Cor. 
 5 : 7), so far as He in the Supper had given Himself to be 
 partaken of, Himself the perfected Passover Lamb, which 
 He, simply by His death, was on the point of becoming. 
 Thus the day of institution of the Supper became, in the 
 antitypical mode of regarding it, an ideal fourteenth 
 Nisan, and in the tradition, in virtue of the reflective 
 operation of the idea upon it, gradually became an actual 
 one, and consequently the preparation which was firmly 
 established as the day of death became, instead of the 
 preparation of the passover (fourteenth of Nisan), as John 
 has again fixed it, the preparation of the Sabbath. This 
 Sabbath, however, regarded, not as the first day of the 
 feast, as in John, consequently not as the fifteenth of Nisan, 
 but as the second day of the feast (sixteenth Nisan)." 
 
 This whole position attempts to read the mind of the 
 early Christian Church in a manner for which there is no 
 evidence. It begins with the assumption that the primi- 
 tive Church supposed that the Lord's Supper ought to 
 have been a passover-meal, because both are inwardly 
 related and the latter is the type of the former. What 
 was held to be proper became to be accepted as a fact, 
 and was then clandestinely introduced into the first three 
 gospels. How and when this occurred, and what was 
 the cause which transformed an imagination into actual 
 
302 APPENDIX. 
 
 reality, Meyer has failed to account for. What invention 
 was necessary to complete the synoptic account, what 
 unnatural editing to make the story one, from the ques- 
 tion of the disciples (Matt. 26 : 17) onward to every 
 detail of the meal ! It is the most preposterous assump- 
 tion, and strikes at the very root of the veracity of the 
 gospel. It makes the inconceivable actual, by an im- 
 aginary " reflective operation of the idea." This reflec- 
 tive power and operation is unexplained and inexplicable 
 from the records of the history of the Church in the 
 apostolic and sub-apostolic period. The supposition of 
 Meyer leads to the conclusion, that the synoptic gospels, 
 which by universal admission are the earlier ones, and 
 must therefore have been already living in the Church 
 and influencing every thought and activity when John's 
 gospel became public, were so corrupted in such a matter 
 of no small importance underthe very eyes of the Church. 
 The responsibility is in reality thrown back on the evan- 
 gelists themselves. Could they, one of whom was present, 
 and the others companions and direct scholars of the 
 apostles, have been so mistaken ? Have we reason to 
 look upon them as unprincipled forgers? Such an error 
 on their part invalidates not only the gospels, but it 
 overthrows all historical credibility, which relies upon 
 the testimony of eye-witnesses. All history cries out 
 against such construction. Logic and common sense 
 condemn it. 
 
 Weiss (Life of Christ, third edition, English translation, 
 1884, Vol. III., page 273 sq.) has essentially the same 
 position as Meyer, although he has not dared to speak so 
 authoritatively of what was in the mind of the primitive 
 Church. His arguments are largely the impossibility of 
 seeing a paschal meal reported in the synoptists, con- 
 nected with the other apparent proofs generally urged 
 
APPENDIX. 303 
 
 from Jewish law and custom against it. In the " Life of 
 Christ " there is ahnost an approach to reconcihation of 
 the two accounts. The Supper which has been asserted 
 to have been no passover-meal is given paschal character. 
 But it does not appear wherein this paschal character, 
 also held by Delitzsch (see above, page 299), consisted. 
 Much is made of the impossibility of slaying all lambs in 
 the temple on one evening, and an approximation is made 
 to a temporary view of Ebrard, which he abandoned 
 later. ^ He argues for two days as necessary for the cele- 
 bration of the paschal supper. The whole tendency of 
 Weiss's view is toward discrediting the account of the 
 first three gospels. Weiss has, however, most strongly 
 injured his theory, when he relates that the statement 
 Mark 14 : 12 has brought about the common and preva- 
 lent mode of looking at John from the point of view of 
 the synoptists. Over against this, the historical misstate- 
 ment, that the earliest harmonists preferred John, is out- 
 weighed. The position, which Weiss otherwise accords 
 to Mark, as an early source, must make a word found in 
 Mark of much greater value because of its greater anti- 
 quity. Weiss is therefore altogether inconsistent in this 
 
 1 Schaff in a footnote in the American edition of Lange's commentary 
 on Matthew, page 456, has summed up Ebrard's consecutive positions in 
 these words: "Ebrard held originally the other view, that Christ died on 
 the fourteenth of Nisan, and was rather suddenly converted to the opposite 
 side by Wieseler (Chronol. Synopse, Hamburg, 1843, pp. 333-390), but 
 then he again returned to his first view in consequence of the clear, calm, 
 and thorough investigation of Bleek (Beitrage zur Evangelienkritik, Berlin, 
 1846, pp. 107-146). Compare Ebrard : Das Evangelium Johannes, page 42 
 sqq., where he defends Wieseler's view, and his Wissenschaftliche Kritik 
 der evangelischen Geschichte, 2d edition, 1850, page 506 sqq., where he re- 
 turns to his first view with the honest confession : ' The plausible and acute 
 arguments of Wieseler have since been so thoroughly refuted by Bleek that 
 no false pride of consistency can prevent me from returning openly to my 
 original opinion as expressed in the first edition of this work.' " 
 
304 APPENDIX. 
 
 matter. His " Markusevangeliuni uiid seine synoptischen 
 Parallelen " in its whole tendency and character is the 
 opposite to the statements in the " Life of Christ." But 
 Weiss's modifications are refreshing in comparison with 
 the radicahsm of Meyer. 
 
 Beyschlag, on the contrary, is very outspoken. He 
 begins his treatment, in the " Life of Christ " (third 
 edition, 1893, Vol. L, p. 390 sq.), with the characteristic 
 words : " We pass by the many forced attempts to deny 
 the tangible contradiction between the synoptic and 
 Johanean account ; to wrongly interpret the synoptists 
 according to John or John according to the synoptists, 
 or to distinguish two last meals of Jesus at each of which 
 He said the same things about the betrayal of Judas and 
 the denial of Peter, etc. All those, who do not, in order 
 to maintain a preconceived notion of the authority of 
 the Bible, cause it under circumstances to say the op- 
 posite of what it says, are agreed as to this, that the con- 
 tradiction exists and that it is necessary to decide for one 
 or the other account." After the Tubingen theory is 
 disproved, Beyschlag mentions as three decisive argu- 
 ments against the synoptists, the existing Sabbath-laws, 
 the defilement that a trial would have brought upon the 
 members of the Sanhedrim, the impossibility of leaving 
 the passover-meal before morning. These arguments 
 will be touched upon later (see page 339). They are also 
 only incidental to Beyschlag's point of view, who has well 
 described his own true motive, when he speaks of " the 
 presupposition of the erroneousness " of the synoptical 
 relation. The synoptists "were not clearly conscious of 
 the confusion ; " and the " original evangelist " (Ure- 
 vangelist), who is Mark, is spoken of as coming " from 
 rural Galilee." "The fiist evangelist" (Matthew) is 
 claimed as belonging " to the Diaspora which was so 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 305 
 
 careless in ritual matters." In short, " if one or the other 
 had a doubt, whether such actions were legally allowed 
 at Easter, he was undoubtedly completely quieted in his 
 position as layman by the thought, that this profanation 
 of the passover-night and of the holy day agreed well 
 with the godlessness and the wicked spirit of the enemies 
 of Jesus." All this is one fabric of imagination. Where is 
 the proof that Mark was a Galilean ? Everything points 
 to his being a child of Jerusalem (see Introduction, page 
 ix sq.). What evidence can be brought to show that 
 Matthew was of the Diaspora ? Equally gratuitous is the 
 assumption that the synoptists were unacquainted with 
 the most well-known laws and passover-customs of Jeru- 
 salem, although they must at all events have been there 
 more than once. It cannot be proved that the Galilean 
 and Hellenistic Jews were so ignorant. This ignorance 
 would have been inexcusable even in Jewish laymen. 
 It is clearly impossible among a people constantly so 
 careful in all ceremonial laws and customs. The thought, 
 that the wickedness of the Jews broke all laws, is to a 
 certain extent true, and the accounts of John and the 
 synoptists show this. But that this view, which silenced 
 the conscience of the evangelists when noticing an error, 
 determined the account is a baseless invention and im- 
 parts to the truthful Galileans, moved by the Spirit of 
 truth, the seared conscience of modern critics, who, when 
 they have adopted one principle, follow it to its bitter end 
 against all contrary facts and all compunctions of con- 
 science. Beyschlag has in his last imputation involun- 
 tarily written the self-confession of modern negative criti- 
 cism. 
 
 All these attempts to find contradiction are not honest 
 treatments, but prejudiced constructions. The authors 
 
 are not as fair as Winer was, when he stated that " the 
 20 
 
3o6 APPENDIX. 
 
 differences between the gospels are to be recognized and 
 an explanation must be abandoned." It can with all 
 fairness be admitted that there are apparently quite some 
 difficulties, and the individual may confess with Alford, 
 " Of the solutions none satisfy me and I have none of my 
 own ; " and be led like Tholuck by a love of scientific 
 truth to say " that the union of the two accounts is en- 
 cumbered with very great difficulties." But the subject- 
 ivitism, which acts with such assurance and arbitrariness, 
 cannot be sufficiently deprecated. Questions hard to 
 solve may exist in minor points, which would not in- 
 validate the historical truth of a fact. In other his- 
 torical sources, which are contemporaneous, similar 
 reports are found of occurrences that apparently con- 
 tain a contradiction. But probably the reader not know- 
 ing an essential feature, which as being self-evident was 
 omitted in the original report, sees opposition where 
 the knowledge of the omitted detail would bring about 
 harmony. To acknowledge such discrepancies and even 
 contradictions, apparently altogether insoluble, in the 
 Bible does not detract from its historical and canonical 
 position. It only shows our inability for the time being 
 to determine the exact facts, and it does not neces- 
 sarily follow that the authors of the biblical books have 
 committed errors. But in this question of the time of 
 the paschal meal, involving the time of the death of 
 Jesus, there could not have been uncertainty in the first 
 Christian congregations. A change could only have 
 been due to a designed purpose, which is nowhere 
 evident. The whole early Church had no other opinion 
 than that both accounts agreed. In the paschal contro- 
 versy no party impugned the veracity of the account 
 opposite to their views. Only the interpretation of the 
 opponents was questioned, and their view was regarded 
 
APPENDIX. 307 
 
 as bringing the gospels into contradiction. Thus Apoli- 
 narius says against the observers of the fourteenth of 
 Nisan : " They interpret Matthew as favoring their view, 
 from which it appears that their view does not agree 
 with the Law, and that the gospels seem, according to 
 them, to be at variance." And in a later stage of the 
 discussion Polycrates stated in favor of those who kept 
 the fourteenth of Nisan : " All these observed the four- 
 teenth day of the passover according to the gospel." It 
 is only ignorance of the usage of the word " gospel," 
 at that time, to suppose that " gospel " meant but one 
 book, e. g. that of Matthew or John. Polycrates, who 
 wrote after Theophilus of Antioch had died, and Iranaeus 
 had written his great work, and Clement of Alexandria 
 was beginning to flourish, could not have invented a new 
 use of the word unless there were evidence. His use of 
 " gospel " must have agreed with that of his contem- 
 poraries, which applied " gospel " to the whole preach- 
 ing and account according to all evangelists (see Zahn, 
 Geschichte des N. T. Kanons, Vol. I., page 185, and note 
 on chapter i : i). Contradiction is no principle of the 
 primitive Church, but only an invention of a criticism, 
 which has grown up under anti-Christian philosophical 
 and historical presuppositions. 
 
 III. — Solutions Suggested. 
 
 The attempt has been made by many to permit the 
 words of the synoptists and John to remain in their 
 apparently contradictory force, and to arrive at a recon- 
 ciliation of both accounts by giving the preference and 
 determining power to neither. Some of these efforts, 
 which have not been few, and in the service of which 
 
3o8 APPENDIX. 
 
 much ingenuity and learning have been placed, will be 
 noticed and discussed. 
 
 (i.) One method is to leave the synoptists intact and 
 make the Last Supper the passover-meal, by placing the 
 Supper related by John (13:1 sq.) at an earlier time. 
 This seems to obviate the silence of John about the 
 institution of the Communion. It has been advocated 
 by Maldonatus on John 13:1, who in Matthew says of 
 the Last Supper: "Jesus ate the passover in Jewish 
 manner." Lightfoot has connected it with the feast at 
 the house of Simon the leper at Bethany, which he 
 wrongly puts two days before the passover (see chapter 
 14 : 3, page 232). The anointing of Jesus by Mary 
 (Matt. 26 : 6 ; Mark 14 : 3), that took place at the 
 meal in Simon's house, furnishes Lightfoot the oppor- 
 tunity for the remark : " While they (the disciples) are 
 grumbling at the anointing of His head. He does not 
 scruple to wash their feet." Bengel, who also maintains 
 this position in its fundamental features, deviates from 
 Lightfoot in supposing that the meal reported by John 
 was eaten on the evening before the passover-meal (see 
 on Matt. 26 : 17 and John 18 : 28). Kaiser in his 
 *' Chronologic und Harmonic der vier Evangelien," has 
 also adopted this explanation. According to it the claim 
 is made, that the description of the meal in John is not 
 that of a paschal supper ; and it is said to have taken place 
 before the feast (John 13 : i), for which Judas is ordered, 
 as the other disciples suppose, to buy provisions (John 
 13 : 29). Only in John 14 : 31, when Christ says: 
 " Arise, let us go hence," does He, it is maintained, 
 depart for Jerusalem. Besides, the washing of the feet 
 of the disciples by Jesus is thought to be incongruous 
 with the paschal meal, although it is not made clear in 
 what this incongruity consists. And Satan, whom John 
 
APPENDIX. ^09 
 
 (13 : 2) speaks of as coming to Judas, has according to 
 Luke 22 : 3 entered into Judas before the feast. But 
 the words of John do not regard the entering as a present 
 act, but as a past occurrence ; for Satan is spoken of as 
 " having already put it into (v^'j iiz[ih^/MTu<) the heart of 
 Judas " to betray Christ. And plausible as all the other 
 arguments appear, they are disproved b}' a comparison 
 of the synoptists and John. The setting of the meal in 
 John 13 : I sq. is the same as that which the synoptists 
 regard as the passover. The whole context argues for 
 identity. Luke in chapter 22 : 24 sq. reports a conten- 
 tion of the disciples, which is explanatory of the washing 
 of their feet by Jesus (John 13:1 sq.). And in con- 
 nection with this supper all four evangelists tell of the 
 announcement of the treachery of Judas by Jesus and 
 the dipping of the sop in the dish (Matt. 26 : 21 sq. ; 
 Mark 14 : 18 sq. ; Luke 22 : 21 sq. ; John 13:21 sq.), of 
 the foretelling of the denial of Peter (Matt. 26 : 31 
 sq. ; Mark 14 : 27 sq. ; Luke 22 : 31 sq. ; John 13 : 36 
 sq.), and the going out of Jesus and the eleven apostles 
 to the mount of Olives (Matt. 26 : 30 ; Mark 14 : 26 ; 
 Luke 22 : 39 ; John 18:1 sq.). In addition, this solution 
 does not at all touch the great difficulty connected with 
 the " Preparation of the passover" (John 19 : 14). 
 
 (2.) Another supposition is, that Jesus celebrated two 
 days. This double celebration is held to have been ne- 
 cessitated by various causes, or to have come about in 
 various ways. 
 
 {a^ Serno, who ascribes the deviation from the regular 
 passover observance to the Jews of the Diaspora, imagined 
 that the difference was brought about by an error in the 
 ocular observation of the moon. He supposed that in 
 some regions the moon might be seen on the first 
 appearance, and in others possibly obscured by clouds. 
 
3 TO APPENDIX. 
 
 Thus the first day of the passover came to be doubled 
 and the paschal meal could be eaten legally on either 
 day. So it may have happened, that for the Galileans 
 in Jerusalem that was the first day which for the in- 
 habitants of Jerusalem was the day before the feast. 
 The first error of this supposition is the identification of 
 Jesus and Mis disciples as Galileans with the Jews of the 
 Diaspora. The Galileans were never considered to belong 
 to those Jews who lived outside of Palestine. And 
 equally amiss is the notion that the determination of the 
 passover was left to the mere ocular observation of any 
 one and to the arbitrary will of the people. The author- 
 ities of the Sanhedrim at Jerusalem determined the first 
 day of the month of Nisan, and according to their ap- 
 pointment of this day all computation was made. After 
 the Sanhedrim had fixed the first day of the passover- 
 month upon reliable testimony of the observation of the 
 moon, it was announced by signals of fire all over the 
 country. And when it occurred that the Samaritans at 
 times deceived by similar signals of fire, it was enacted 
 that special messengers should be sent to every district 
 to make known the first of the important month of Nisan. 
 (Rosch hoschana, IV., i sq.) Thus there could be no 
 uncertainty on account of various computations of the 
 new moon. 
 
 {b.) It has also been supposed that Jesus adopted the 
 habit of the Sadducees, who are assumed to have eaten 
 the passover one day before the other Jews that followed 
 the pharisaic custom. This is virtually the position of 
 Stier, although ne does not name the Sadducees. One of 
 the earliest advocates of this notion was Carpzov. And L. 
 Capellus, Petronius, Iken and Kuinoel have so modified 
 this explanation as to identify the observance of Jesus 
 with the practice of the Jewish sect of the Karaites. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 3" 
 
 But the Karaites were much later than the time of Jesus. 
 They are a sect of Judaism founded by Anan ben David 
 about 761 after Christ. The only strength of the argu- 
 ment from the practice of the Karaites would lie in the 
 proof, that they had perpetuated an older observance of 
 the Sadducees. The doctrinal position of the Karaites 
 was indeed related to Sadduceeism; and owing to their 
 freer standpoint toward the Law, it was analogous to the 
 opinion of the Sadducees. Anan ben David, the founder 
 of the Karaites, also used Sadducean interpretations 
 very largely. But these were obtained from Talmudic 
 literature ; and there is no certain proof that the Karaites 
 arose directly from the Sadducees. In their rejection of 
 many legalistic observances the Karaites were also moved 
 by a totally different motive than the Sadducees. The 
 latter occupied a critical and doubting position over 
 against commandments of the Law and then traditional 
 Pharisaic enactments ; but the former rejected the 
 Rabbinism, which was pharisaically determined, because 
 of their earnest zealousness for the Old Testament. 
 They were different in spirit and attitude from the 
 Sadducees (see Ryssel in Herzog-Plitt Realencyklopadie, 
 second edition. Vol, 18, page 112 sq.). And even were it 
 possible to demonstrate the connection of the Karaites 
 with the Sadducees, it is altogether improbable that 
 Jesus would except their position. He was no liberalist, 
 and His attitude toward the Sadducees, as indicated 
 by the gospels (Matt., 16:6, 11, 12; 22 : 23 ; Mark 
 12 : 18: Luke 20 : 27), was certainly not one of approval. 
 If Christ had adopted the Sadducean practice, He would 
 have employed it on previous passover celebrations. But 
 such a departure from the prevalent observance would 
 undoubtedly have been noticed and used against Jesus 
 by the Pharisees. 
 
3^2 APPENDIX. 
 
 (c.) It has again been assumed, that it was customary to 
 keep two days, in order that those who had been pre- 
 vented on one day might celebrate on the next. But for 
 such cases in which, because of legal impurity or too 
 great a distance from Jerusalem, the Jews could not 
 keep passover, it was enjoined that it be observed on 
 the fourteenth day of the following month (Numb. 
 9 : 9-12). This so-called " second or little passover " was 
 never the day before or after the regular passover. 
 On it also the full and regular passover-ritual was not 
 observed. Leavened and unleavened bread might be 
 kept in the house ; the Hallel was not to be recited with 
 the eating of the paschal lamb, of which a portion might 
 be removed from the house ; and the Chagigah, or thank- 
 offering, was not allowed to be eaten with the lamb of 
 passover import (Mischna, Pesachim, IX. 3; Maimon- 
 ides, Hilchoth Korban Pesach, X. 15). All these enact- 
 ments disprove that two days were conjoined. In ad- 
 dition, the character of the little passover is totally dif- 
 ferent from the meal described in the synoptists. And 
 there is no proof that Jesus or His disciples were cere- 
 monially unclean at that time ; therefore no reason 
 remains why Jesus should not eat the regular passover- 
 meal. 
 
 (d.) Two days of the passover celebration are held to 
 be necessary by others, because the multitude of lambs 
 could not be slain on one day, between the hours of the 
 evening appointed for this purpose. Josephus (Jewish 
 Wars, VI. 9. 3) reports, that some years before the destruc- 
 tion of Jerusalem, upon the express order of the Roman 
 governor Cestus, who was to report to Nero the number 
 of Jews in Jerusalem at the passover-season, the number of 
 passover-lambs was counted and found to be 256,500. 
 Such a large number of lambs, it is claimed, could not 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 3'3 
 
 have been sacrificed from the ninth to the eleventh houi 
 (3-5 o'clock P. M.) by the priests. To accommodate them, 
 Ebrard therefore conjectured, the poorer Galileans ate 
 the passover a day sooner. But this opinion was soon 
 abandoned by Ebrard (see page 303, footnote). It has, 
 however, been taken up again by some later exegetes, 
 notably Weiss. But this supposition is disproved by the 
 express words of Mark (14 : 12), " the first day of un- 
 leavened bread when they killed the passover," and of 
 Luke (22 : 7), " and the day of unleavened bread came, on 
 which the passover vmst be sacrificed." Further, it rests 
 on the conception that the priests had to kill every pass- 
 over-lamb themselves. This was not so. After a three- 
 fold blast from the temple-trumpet, announcing the time 
 of sacrifice, each Israelite slew his own lamb in the temple, 
 as Philo (III. 146) relates. In two long rows stood the 
 officiating priests, of whom on the passover-day the 
 whole twenty-four courses were present, and as one priest 
 caught up the blood from the dying lamb in a golden 
 bowl, he handed it to his neighbor, who in return gave an 
 empty bowl. The blood was passed up to the great 
 altar, where it was thrown out in one jet at the base of 
 the altar. With such arrangement and with all the 
 priests present, all Israelites bringing a lamb could be ac- 
 commodated, especially if we suppose that one row of 
 priests passed up the full bowls and the other returned 
 those that were empty. There is therefore no necessity 
 for using the large number of lambs to be sacrificed, to 
 prove that the evenings of two days were required. Nor 
 is there the least historical evidence for this assumption, 
 which is too much magnified by many. 
 
 (3.) A third plan proposes to solve the discrepancy by 
 conjecturing that cither Jesus or the Jews had changed 
 the day of passover. 
 
314 APPENDIX. 
 
 (a.) Jesus is supposed to have anticipated the passover 
 for some cause or other. 
 
 (a.) One cause is held to have been His desire to be 
 slain at the time of the sacrifice of the passover-lamb, 
 and thus to bring the fulfilment into closest temporal con- 
 nection with the type. This is the position of Clement 
 of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, whose testimony will 
 be considered in connection with the patristic view (see 
 page 347). It has been reasserted by Erasmus, Calmet 
 and others, although with stronger arguments than those 
 of the Church Fathers. Nevertheless a dogmatic view is 
 the centre of the whole proof. And dogmatic reasons 
 ought not to decide this debate. Similar arguments 
 might be brought to demonstrate the necessity of having 
 the New Testament passover celebrated at the time of 
 the Old Testament observance (see page 287). Christ 
 also was too obedient to the Law to have inaugurated 
 such a change (Matt. 5 : 17). He only opposed the 
 contra-scriptural traditions of the Pharisees (see Mark 
 2 : I sq. ; 7 : i sq.). 
 
 (/5.) Another reason for Christ's anticipation is supposed 
 to be, the postponement on the part of the Jews, who, to 
 avoid two Sabbaths coming together, that of the pass- 
 over on the fourteenth of Nisan and that of the week on 
 the fifteenth, transferred the whole observance to the 
 fifteenth. This is the opinion of Calvin, who on Matt. 
 26: 17 says: " Now it is universally admitted, that, by 
 an ancient custom, when the passover and other festivals 
 happened on Friday, they were delayed till the following 
 day, because the people would have reckoned it hard to 
 abstain from work on two successive days. The Jews 
 maintained that this law was laid down immediately after 
 the return of the people from the Babylonish captivity, 
 and that it was done by a revelation from heaven, that 
 
APPENDIX. 31^ 
 
 they may not be thought to have made any change, of 
 their own accord, in the commandments of God. Now 
 if it was the custom, at that time, to join two festivals in 
 one (as the Jews themselves admit, and as their ancient 
 writings prove), it is a highly probable conjecture that 
 Christ, who celebrated the passover on the day before 
 the Sabbath, observed the day prescribed by the Law ; 
 for we know how careful He was not to depart from 
 a single iota of the Law. Having determined to be sub- 
 ject to the Law, that He might deliver us from its yoke, 
 He did not forget this subjection at His latest hour ; and 
 therefore He would rather have chosen to omit an out- 
 ward ceremony, than to transgress the ordinance which 
 God had appointed, and thus lay Himself open to the 
 slanders of wicked men. Even the Jews themselves un- 
 questionably will not deny that, whenever the Sabbath 
 immediately followed the passover, it was on one day, in- 
 stead of both, that they abstained from work, and that 
 this was enjoined by the Rabbis. Hence it follows that 
 Christ, in departing from the ordinary custom, attempted 
 nothing contrary to Law." The substance of this view 
 was held by the Reformers, both Lutheran and Reformed, 
 Luther, however, excepted (see page 351), and their 
 scholars. It has such names in its support as Beza, 
 Gerhard, Bucer, Calov and Deyling.^ Acceptance was 
 gained for it a long time largely through the influence of 
 Scaliger and Causabon. There is a difference among all 
 these, however, as to the day of the month, some hold- 
 ing that Christ ate His Last Supper on what was regarded 
 the thirteenth of Nisan, but what was really the four- 
 teenth. But there is no proof in history that such a 
 practice existed at that time, when Jesus celebrated the 
 passover. Nor is there any evidence that the Jews loved 
 1 It was also advocated by Philippi. 
 
3i6 APPENDIX. 
 
 work so much, that they objected to two consecutive 
 hoHdays. In this they were no exception to the common 
 human choice. Cocceius has shown, in a note to " San- 
 hedrim, I, 2 " of the Talmud, that the Rabbinic custom 
 was later. This is now universally adopted. The further 
 difficulty is, that it would have been impossible for Christ 
 and His disciples to have obtained the sacrifice of the pas- 
 chal lamb at a time not considered legal. Calvin's central 
 argument about Christ's subservience to the Law of itself 
 overthrows the whole theory of an anticipatory passover. 
 
 (;'.) Grotius has given another form to the suggestion 
 of the passover of anticipation. He believed that Christ 
 celebrated only a commemorative passover {-drrya ;m^;,.i,- 
 >eyr:x<i>), and not the actual sacrificial day {-dirya Ooatiitr.y 
 But such a distinction was of much later origin. It be- 
 came necessary after the destruction of the temple, and 
 to-day the Jewish passover is merely commemorative, 
 because no sacrifice can be made in the temple at Jeru- 
 salem. But even the passover of commemoration cannot 
 be proven to have been one of anticipation. It is cele- 
 brated on the actual day. 
 
 ('5.) Another expedient was proposed by Derenburg, 
 who thought that in the year of Christ's death the first 
 paschal day fell on a Sunday, therefore the lamb would 
 not be slain on the previous day; nor could it conveni- 
 ently have been sacrificed on Friday, the preparation for 
 the Sabbath. It was therefore slain on Thursday to be 
 eaten on Sunday, the fourteenth of Nisan ; and Jesus, 
 knowing that He would die before, anticipated the meal. 
 But two points are detrimental to this theory : the long 
 interval between the slaying and the eating of the lamb, 
 which is contrary to all Jewish custom; and the express 
 permission to slay the passover on Sunday given by the 
 Mischa (Pesach. VI. i ). Nor is there any proof that the 
 
APPENDIX. 317 
 
 Jews were eating the passover on the day of Christ's res- 
 urrection. The whole account in the four gospels leaves 
 no such impression. 
 
 (e.) The supposition that the Lord gave the directions 
 for the passover meal on the thirteenth of Nisan, which 
 were only to be carried out on the following evening, 
 the fourteenth, is a makeshift contradicted on every 
 side by the gospels. 
 
 {b^ It has been proposed in all earnestness by Eusebius 
 of Cnesarea, whose view Bishop Wordsworth has repeated 
 in modern times, that during the trial of Jesus the whole 
 celebration of the passover was postponed on that year. 
 But when Jesus was taken, of which there had been no 
 certainty previously, nor could there have been, es- 
 pecially since the Jews in former attempts to take Him 
 had failed, the passover celebration had already begun. 
 All the steps necessary to the postponement of the pass- 
 over would have been so difificult, that this is altogether 
 out of the question. 
 
 The more plausible presentation of this argument is, 
 that only the priests, when called to the trial of Jesus, had 
 not eaten of the passover. But against this is the time of 
 Christ's capture, and the statement of Mark (14: 53): 
 " And they led Jesus away to the high priest : and there 
 covie together with him all the chief priests and the elders 
 and the scribes." The word " come together " [(ru^tfiy/ryrai) 
 shows that they were just assembling, and that they had 
 not prexMously been gathered. Nor have we any proof 
 that they had not begun to eat the passover in their 
 homes, because they expected to be called to a meeting 
 for the trial of Jesus. Therefore Archdeacon Watkins 
 (Excursus F. on John in Ellicott's series of commentaries 
 on the New Testament) is more correct, when he sup- 
 poses that the priests and other Sanhedrists had been in- 
 
3i8 APPENDIX. 
 
 terrupted, and after they went back they ate, " turning the 
 supper into a breakfast." But this and all postponement 
 was clearly contrary to the acknowledged law (Lev. 
 23:5; Deut. 16 : 7), and the custom that " the paschais not 
 to be eaten but during the night, nor yet later than the 
 middle of the night " (Schbach. V. 8). The hate of the 
 Jews (Fairbairn) might have moved them to postpone 
 the evening of the passover; but this transferral would 
 not account for the whole difficulty, but would only solve 
 John 18: 28; and John 19: 14, which is equally to be 
 considered, is not at all cleared up. 
 
 (4.) A fourth general plan is to examine the exactness 
 of time, either as to its legal determination on the four- 
 teenth of Nisan, or as involved in the meaning of the 
 phrase, "between the two evenings," or as to the interval 
 between the death and resurrection of Jesus. 
 
 The advocates of this position are mostly of the last two 
 centuries, although in the early history of the Church, 
 even independent of the paschal controversy, there were 
 differences on the score of the dates. Clement of Alex- 
 andria in his" Stromata " (Miscellanies) (Book I., Chap- 
 ter XXI.) says : *' And treating of His (Christ's) pas- 
 sion, with very great accuracy, some say that it took 
 place in the sixteenth year of Tiberius, on the twenty-fifth 
 of Phamenoth (March) ; and others the twenty-fifth of 
 Pharmuthi (April), and others say that on the nineteenth 
 of Pharmuthi the Saviour suffered." 
 
 («.) The earliest representative of the attempt to unite 
 the thirteenth and fourteenth of Nisan by calling attention 
 to the fact, that the evening began the Jewish day, was 
 Frisch (1758). His view was refuted by Gabler, but again 
 maintained by Rauch (1832). His opinion, as summarized 
 by Tholuck, is this : '• The legal determination, by the 
 fourteenth of Nisan, means not the end of the day, but 
 
APPENDIX. 319 
 
 its beginning, consequently the evening of the thirteenth. 
 This is bej^ond dispute deducible from Josephus, Antiq. II. 
 14, 16, where we read that the Jews were obHged to select 
 a lamb on the tenth of Nisan, and to keep it until the 
 fourteenth and 'ivrtrairrj? r^? Te(7Gapsay.aidv/.drrj<i^ ' at the bc- 
 giningof the fourteenth ' to kill it. The day of the cruci- 
 fixion would consequently fall on the fourteenth of Nisan. 
 After it has been furthermore shown that in the strict 
 sense the passover lasted only seven days, from the first 
 day of the feast, the Trpd ioprr^g zoo itaa-^a^ John 13: i, is 
 interpreted, ' before the passover properly so-called ' 
 — which commenced, to wit, 24 hours later, on the fifteenth 
 of Nisan. It is shown further, that on this view, John 
 19: 14 and 31 allow of a very satisfactory explanation, 
 since then John 19 : 14, the ruxpan/.turj too T.d<7^/a is the day 
 before the passover proper, and in verse 31, that Sabbath 
 is called iJ-s^ydXri, (high, great), because \.\\(t Jirst day of the 
 festival fell upon it, which, just as much as the last, was 
 regarded a grand day. In chapter 19 : 28, however, there 
 remains no other resource than the supposition that rd 
 -d(Txa there is meant to designate not the paschal lamb, but 
 the unleavened bread, rd a!^u/j.a, which was eaten throughout 
 the festival proper." The strength of this theory are some 
 of the chronological statements in the Pentateuch. In 
 Numb. 33 : 3, the day of the departure of the Israelites 
 from Egypt is called " the morrow of the passover," which 
 seems to be in favor of Rauch's supposition, as also the 
 order in Exod. 12 : 22, that none shall go out "until the 
 morning." But in the first passage. Numb. 33 : 3, it is 
 said, that Israel went forth on the fifteenth of Nisan, and 
 if the departure in agreement with Exod. 12 : 30 followed 
 ihe same night, the passover must have been eaten on the 
 fourteenth. This is the clear interpretation of the Jews, 
 whose practice in the time of Christ, according to all 
 
320 APPENDIX. 
 
 testimony, was to celebrate the evening of the fourteenth 
 of Nisan, and not the evening of the thirteenth. And the 
 expression of Josephus cannot be used to denote the 
 daybreak of the fourteenth, that is, its beginning on the 
 evening of the thirteenth, because there is no comparison 
 with another time of the day, but only the date is to be 
 marked. Besides, " between the paschal meal, at which 
 already unleavened bread was used, and the day of which 
 was counted with the feast, between this and the first day 
 of the festival proper, a day having no connection with 
 the feast would be thrown in " (Tholuck). 
 
 ((^.) The expression " between the two evenings " (He- 
 brew : ben haarbaylm), about the precise meaning of which 
 there is dispute, has also been brought into requisition to 
 explain this matter. It occurs in reference to the passover 
 in Exod. 12:6; Lev. 23 : 5 ; Numb. 9:3, 5 ; and has 
 been employed in conjunction with the chronological 
 data in Exod. 12:18 and Lev. 23 : 6 by Wratislaw, 
 whom Alford quotes as stating: "that the time after 3 
 o'clock P. M. Thursday might be called by St. Mark ' the 
 first day of unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the 
 passover,' and by St. Luke ' the day of unleavened bread, 
 when the sacrifice must be killed,' it being killed after 
 the first and before the second evening on Friday, and 
 thus loosely speaking within the day, which commenced 
 at 3 o'clock, and strictly speaking within that which 
 commenced at sunset Thursday. Similarly any time after 
 three or sunset on Thursday might be ' Preparation.' " 
 The disciples according to this explanation made prepara- 
 tion on Thursday for Friday. In like manner Ellicott 
 regards the Lord's Last Supper as the paschal meal eaten 
 twenty-four hours before the Jews, but " within what was 
 popularly considered the limits of the festival." And 
 Westcott holds that " the question of the disciples was 
 
APPENDIX. 321 
 
 asked immediately upon the sunset of the thirteenth. The 
 Preparation is evidently contemplated as foreseen by the 
 owner of the house, and need not have occupied much 
 time. The evening of the Supper would thus be as St. 
 John represents it, the evening at the beginning of the 
 fourteenth. The same day after sunrise next morning is 
 rightly described as a Preparation-day, — ' the Preparation 
 of the Passover,' though the Preparation, in the strictest 
 sense of the term, was limited to the last three hours, from 
 'the ninth hour.'" Ingenuous as these explanations are, 
 they fail because they always presuppose a passover 
 sacrifice and meal of the disciples at another time than 
 that kept by the other Jews. In addition, this term "be- 
 tween the two evenings " is applied to the evening sacrifice 
 in Exod. 29 : 39, 41 ; Numb. 28 : 4, and in other con- 
 nections (Exod. 16: 12 ; 30 : 8), where it cannot be made 
 to include the time from the evening beginning the day 
 to the evening ending it. The interpretation of this 
 expression is also disputed. It is taken to mean from the 
 going down of the sun to its disappearance behind the 
 horizon by the Samaritans, Karaites, Aben Ezra, Michaelis, 
 Gesenius, Knobel, Keil and others. In support of this 
 view Deuteronomy 16:6, "at the going down of the sun," 
 is cited. But the Pharisees and Rabbis held that the first 
 evening began, when the sun declined (fka>j -pu)\a)^ and 
 that the second evening began with the setting of 
 the sun {pdXri oilna). This opinion is supported by Jose- 
 phus (Jewish Wars, VI. 9, 3), who says that the lambs 
 were slain between the ninth and the eleventh hour, that 
 is, from three to five o'clock ; and by the Mischna(Pesachim 
 V. I sq.), which fixes the beginning at 2.30, and Maimon- 
 ides, who says that the paschal lambs were slain after the 
 evening sacrifice. Jarchi and Kimchi believe the two 
 
 evenings to be immediately before and after sunset, from 
 21 
 
32 2 APPENDIX. 
 
 about five to seven o'clock (see Smith's Bible Dictionary, 
 Vol. III., page 2342, note ; McClintock and Strong's 
 Encyclopedia, Vol. VII., page 735 ; Kitto's Encyclopedia, 
 Vol. III., page 423, footnote). Whichever of these three 
 interpretations be adopted, in one point they all agree, 
 namely, in limiting the term " between the two evenings " 
 to a few hours of the same evening. But those who argue 
 from this expression generally make it extend to the fol- 
 lowing evening. Therefore there is no actual support for 
 their supposition. 
 
 (^.) Among the advocates of a longer interval between 
 the death and resurrection of Jesus to explain this dif- 
 ficulty are .Schnekenburger, who contrary to all statements 
 of the gospels holds that Jesus was crucified on Wednesday 
 and lay four days in the grave ; and Seyffarth, who was 
 well known to the older Lutherans of New York city. 
 He virtually maintained the same view as that of Westcott 
 described on page 293. According to him Christ died on 
 Thursday, the fourteenth of Nisan, and was in the grave 
 fully three days. The main argument is based upon astro- 
 nomical calculations of the eclipse of the sun at the death 
 of Jesus. He accepts as the years of the death of Jesus 
 the year 33 or 786 of the founding of Rome, like 
 Ebrard, Ewald and Renan. But most scholars con- 
 tend for the year 30 (Wieseler, Winer, Tischendorff, 
 Friedlieb, Greswell, Ellicott, Lange, Schaff, Caspari, 
 Pressense) ; and this is pretty generally accepted, 
 although Ideler and Zumpt adopt the year 29, Keim 35 
 and Hitzig 36. The astronomical determination is of 
 itself not sufficient, even though it were quite certain. 
 It can only serve as a corroborative proof, but not as the 
 establishing argument (see also, page 351). 
 
 Peculiar is the claim of Lutteroth, that the passover 
 began on the tenth of Nisan, the day of the selection of 
 
APPEXDIX. 
 
 Z^-Z 
 
 the paschal Iamb. On this day Jesus, as Lutteroth 
 supposes, was crucified, and arose between the thir- 
 teenth and fourteenth after being in the grave fully 
 three days and three nights. The first appearance of 
 Jesus to His disciples was then on the morning of the 
 fourteenth. To support this view rather forced exegesis 
 is necessary. Mark 14: 12, "the first day of unleavened 
 bread,when they killed the passover," may,says Lutteroth, 
 be applied to the tenth of Nisan, because this day opened 
 in general the passover-season. The relative "when" 
 (ore) is not to be referred to " day " but " unleavened 
 bread," the whole festival in connection with which the 
 lamb was sacrificed. Luke 22 : 7, " And the day of un- 
 leavened bread came, on which the passover must be 
 sacrificed," is said to contain no chronological statement 
 as in the parallel passages, but to mean that the day ap- 
 peared, when Jesus, the true paschal lamb, was to be 
 sacrificed. Matt. 28 : i is interpreted to apply to the 
 fourteenth of Nisan, the passover-day, which extends to 
 a second sabbath, the fifteenth. But what proof is there 
 that the fourteenth was a Sabbath-day ? The statement 
 of this strange exposition is at once its refutation. It is a 
 far-fetched construction, but not an honest explanation. 
 Most prominent in it appears what is characteristic of all 
 the attempts at solution thus far mentioned. Violence 
 is done to some direct word of the gospels, or some fact 
 of histor}'- has been overlooked, and the custom of those 
 times not properly considered. The interest of harmony 
 has produced an unnatural agreement. All such efforts 
 will not solve this difficulty, but only by reaction lead to 
 the acceptance of the theory of contradiction. A more 
 just mode of procedure is upon consideration of the state- 
 ments of the two conflicting sources, John and the synop- 
 tists, to attempt to bring one in its totality and pecu- 
 
32 4 APPENDIX. 
 
 liarity into agreement with the other. This will be tried, 
 first giving John the preference, and then the synop- 
 tists. 
 
 IV. — Agreement according to John. 
 
 This method, originally suggested by Apolinarius, has 
 found its modern representatives in Movers, Maier, Weitzcl, 
 Isenberg, Kahnis, Caspar!, Godet, Plummer and others. 
 Its clearest and on the whole best statement is that found 
 in Godet, whose arguments will be examined in their 
 exegetical bearing. The historical and other proofs Avill 
 be mentioned in the last division as objections to the 
 agreement on the basis of the synoptists (see page 338). 
 
 The sense of the passages in John is first determined, 
 beginning with 13 : i as the fundamental one. The 
 words, '■ before the feast of the passover," are meant to 
 refer to the evening before that on which the paschal 
 meal was held, that is, the evening from the thirteenth to 
 the fourteenth of Nisan. " Passover" is given the same 
 import as in chapter 12 : i, and applied to the meal, 
 although it is admitted that the whole fourteenth of 
 Nisan may be included. It is supported by a reference 
 to Numb. 33 : 3, where the fifteenth of Nisan is called 
 " the morrow after the passover." The supposition that 
 "before the passover" may apply to the short time and 
 the few moments before its inception is rejected; but no 
 clear proofs are given for this procedure. In John 
 18 : 28 the eating of the passover is accepted as the eating 
 of the meal in the narrow and specific sense in which this 
 expression occurs in the synoptists. The Old Testa- 
 ment proofs for a wider meaning (see below, page 332) 
 are not really weakened, nor is the usage of " eating " in 
 its wider application disproved ; nor " passover " in its 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 325 
 
 narrow signification established as consistent with the 
 general usage in John. 
 
 In consonance with these passages, thus interpreted, 
 John 19 : 14, " the preparation of the passover," is viewed, 
 as it is supposed that Greek readers might most readily 
 understand it, namely, to mean the preparatory day for 
 the first actual day of the passover, that is, the fifteenth 
 of Nisan. It is claimed that " Preparation " cannot have 
 its technical Jewish signification of Friday (see below, 
 page 335), because it would otherwise stand alone and not 
 be joined with " passover " ; for it is self-evident that only 
 the Friday of the passover-week is intended. But in 
 verse thirty-one " Preparation " is employed in its special 
 Jewish sense ; and the time of the death of Jesus is stated 
 to be the fourteenth of Nisan. The fifteenth is called a 
 " high day," because concurring with the weekly Sabbath. 
 Verse forty-two of the same nineteenth chapter is ex- 
 plained in the same manner. 
 
 With this position the synoptists are to be brought 
 into unison. And in endeavoring this, the direct pas- 
 sages are not approached first, but an incidental word is 
 made the real basis, and is then strengthened by the 
 interpretation of other expressions. Such a method is 
 liable to create suspicion at once ; and it is at the very 
 beginning an involuntary confession of weakness. 
 
 Matt. 26 : 18, " My time is at hand ; I keep the pass- 
 over at thy house with my disciples," is made the start- 
 ing point. It is supposed to imply haste, and therefore 
 to demand an anticipatory passover. But at such a view 
 no one would arrive, who did not read the presupposed 
 position of John into these words. Of themselves they do 
 not say what is claimed. The earlier commentators, who 
 favored this view, were wiser in interpreting " my time " 
 as the time for the passover-meal. But the impossibility 
 
32& APPENDIX. 
 
 of such a usage of this expression, which in the gospels, 
 especially John, always refers to Christ's death (John 
 7:6, 8), has led Godet and Reuss to abandon it. And 
 with this abandonment the main support of this passage 
 for the point of view of John is taken away. 
 
 Matt. 27 : 62, where the day on which the priests again 
 came to Pilate to demand a guard for the tomb of Jesus, 
 is called " the morrow, which is the day after the Prepara- 
 tion," is also claimed to be in favor of John. It is held 
 that this expression would be very strange to designate 
 the Sabbath ; for it would amount to calling it the day 
 after Friday. And such a name for a day as important 
 and marked as the Sabbath would be very unnatural and 
 improper, because nearly always when two days are 
 spoken of connectedly the less important and significant 
 is determined by and named after the greater and higher 
 day. This " morrow " therefore is peculiar only as the 
 day of the death of Jesus ; in itself it is an ordinary 
 week-day. But that there could have been no different 
 term for the Sabbath is an assumption, the more without 
 reason since the preceding Friday was no ordinary one. 
 It is not necessary then to put the scene related Matt. 
 26 : 18 sq. on Friday, and to imply covertly that the four- 
 teenth of Nisan is here meant by Matthew. The day 
 following the " Preparation " was not omitted to be called 
 Sabbath, because of the sabbatic character of Friday 
 (Wieseler). But in the omission of " sabbath " and the 
 special emphasis of Friday as the " Preparation," there 
 lies a reproach of the Jews, since they used Friday not 
 to prepare themselves for the stillness of the Sabbath, 
 which for them was no true day of rest, but to bring Jesus 
 to death. This Sabbath had been so violated by their 
 wickedness, that it could no longer be called a sabbath 
 (Lange, Keil, Nebe). 
 
APPEJ^DIX. 327 
 
 Mark 15:42, where "Preparation" is interpreted by 
 Mark himself as " the day before the sabbath," is so 
 weakened that " sabbath " in " fore-sabbath " {rrpoffdiSjSarov) 
 is applied to any day of sabbatic character. But Mark 
 writing to gentile readers at Rome explains" Preparation," 
 which, as proved by Judith 8 : 6, can only have the mean- 
 ing Friday. In addition, Luke in the same connection 
 (23 : 54), says : " the sabbath drew on," that is, it began to 
 be the evening of the Sabbath-day, which "dawns" with 
 its glory. Only by a very forced and unnatural reading 
 can Mark be construed to mean any day but Friday. 
 
 Matt. 26 : 17; Mark 14 : 12 ; Luke 22 ; 7, in which the 
 time is related when the disciplesasked about preparing the 
 passover, are certainly not indefinite. There is no pos- 
 sibility of applying them to the thirteenth of Nisan, the day 
 called" the day before Preparation " {-pmzoiiiaaia) by Clem- 
 ent of Alexandria. Nor can any reasons, like that of the 
 crowded condition of Jerusalem, be used to show the 
 desirability of the disciples making their arrangements 
 on the thirteenth of Nisan, as against the plain and clear 
 statement of the first three gospels. Matthew's report of 
 this day as the first day is confirmed by both Mark and 
 Luke as the customary day for the sacrificing of the 
 paschal lamb. There is an unmistakable identification. 
 And Luke further confirms this, when he states that " the 
 day of unleavened bread came, on which the passover 
 must be sacrificed." The word " came " (jiXOs) does not 
 and cannot mean what Chrysostom, Puschke and Ewald 
 desire. It is not equivalent to " be near " {^ri'^^ ^i'^)- 
 Joined by oe to what precedes, it denotes as aorist in this 
 connection, that the day of the festival had come and 
 begun. Whenever Luke uses the expression of the com- 
 ing of a day (rjiiipa kpyhat) it designates not the approach, 
 but the actual beginning of the day (compare Luke 
 
328 Appendix. 
 
 5:35; 23 : 29 ; Acts 2 : 20). The meaning of the chrono- 
 logical statements of the synoptists is evidently and 
 undoubtedly that the day of the Last Supper was the 
 fourteenth of Nisan ; and therefore any explanation 
 according to the supposed position of John for the thir- 
 teenth will treat them unjustly. With so much against 
 this supposition no force lies in citing customs, as that 
 of drawing water on the evening of the thirteenth of 
 Nisan, with which to bake the unleavened bread on the 
 fourteenth. This custom is held to be indicated when 
 the disciples are bidden to follow a man bearing a pitcher 
 (see chapter 14 : 13 sq.). And thus the Last Supper is 
 placed on the thirteenth of Nisan. But the order that 
 the water to be gotten on the thirteenth could not be 
 drawn until the first stars had appeared, makes it impos- 
 sible that this custom was the opportunity of Christ's 
 command. The time would have been too late for the 
 two disciples to obtain the sacrifice of the paschal lamb 
 and to make the other preparations after the stars had 
 arisen. The result of this whole examination will be a 
 non-sequitur . An agreement on the basis of the thir- 
 teenth of Nisan cannot be reached. Wherever it is 
 pressed the inevitable consequence is to impute to some 
 degree at least the correctness and veracity of the synop- 
 tists. And those who have begun with the purpose to 
 reach harmony are led to pronounce contradiction. Godet 
 unconsciously but well voices, what all advocates for the 
 supposed view of John ought honestly to confess on 
 their supposition, namely : " John wished (as often in his 
 book) to correct this misunderstanding (of the day of the 
 Last Supper) and to clear up the darkness of the synop- 
 tists (?), by which the misunderstanding could be 
 furthered." The shadow here cast upon the synoptists 
 is not that of our understanding, but that of their writing. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 329 
 
 Their work is criticised. The darkness is not that of 
 the depth of truth, which we behold as " in a mirror, 
 darkly," but it is an obscurity in a plain date, which the 
 evangelists could and ought easily have known. It helped 
 a misunderstanding and therefore furthered error. And 
 all this, the Spirit of truth, who led the writers of the 
 gospels, is tacitly assumed to have suffered. 
 
 V. — Agreement according to the Synoptists. 
 
 In the examination of this last possibility of bringing 
 John into accord with the synoptists, the passages Matt. 
 26 : 17, Mark 14 : 12, Luke 22 : 7, will be accepted, 
 as they most naturally seem, to point to the fourteenth 
 of Nisan, The attempt and failure to bring them into 
 consonance with John confirms their peculiarity. It is 
 also most widely recognized that by an unprejudiced ex- 
 egesis they can only refer to the fourteenth of Nisan. A 
 great majority of exegetes therefore favor this view. It 
 is advocated by Lightfoot, Bochart, Bynseus, Reland, 
 Schoettgen, Ohlshausen, Crusius, Hengstenberg, Tholuck, 
 Guericke, Robinson, Ebrard, Baumlein, Riggenbach, Nor- 
 ton, von Hofmann, Lichtenstein, Friedlieb, Langen, Lange, 
 Andrews, Osterzee, Kirchner, Rotermund, Wichelhaus, 
 Rope, von Gumbach, Luthardt, Keil, L. Schulze, Nosgen, 
 Nebe, T. Zahn, Plumptre, Morison, Schaff, Kendrick, 
 Riddle, and others. 
 
 The question remains as to how the various statements 
 of John will agree with the synoptists. This can only be 
 determined upon careful examination of each passage in 
 John pertaining to this matter. 
 
 (i.) John 13: I, beginning "Now before the feast of the 
 passover," has been claimed to point to the thirteenth of 
 Nisan. It must be first determined what is qualified by 
 
:i3^ APPENDIX. 
 
 the phrase " before the feast." Some take it to refer to 
 the action spoken of in verse four, and include the four 
 verses in one sentence. But such an intricate structure 
 would hardly accord with the style of John. And in the 
 early divisions of the gospels a new sentence began at 
 verse two. This is the acknowledged punctuation of the 
 best textual critics. Godet desires to maintain the gen- 
 eral application of the introductory words of John 13: i, 
 and ascribes to them the character of a prologue. But 
 of this there is no need. They can be connected with 
 " knowing " [zlbmi)^ and would then mean, " Jesus know- 
 ing before the festival that his hour had come," and refer 
 back to such statements as are found in John 12 : 23 ; 
 Matt. 17:9, 22 sq. ; 20 : 17 sq. But this connection 
 with " knowing" is very vague and indefinite, and, except 
 by Nebe, has been generally given up. Even if it be 
 retained it will thus have no bearing upon the passover 
 question. The best interpretation, adopted by Tholuck, 
 Luthardt, Meyer and others, is to have " before the feast " 
 qualify " he loved them unto the end." The meaning 
 then, with " loved " conceived of not " as an emotion, but 
 as an act " (Gerhard), is, that before the passover, in view 
 of His death, the love of Jesus was actively called forth 
 toward His disciples, and manifested itself in actual proof 
 unto His very end. Not only the washing of the feet of 
 the disciples but every evidence of love, as related to the 
 end of chapter seventeen, is included. Now if such an 
 act of love is meant, " before the feast " cannot refer back 
 a day or to any peculiar time, but it designates in general 
 the time immediately before the feast. The nearer 
 definition must be made by the connection, as " before " 
 in itself is not definite. It is merely relative, and no in- 
 ference ought to be drawn from it. John did not wish to 
 mark a definite time as he had done in chapter 12 : i. 
 
APPENDIX. 331 
 
 The word " feast " (iopr^g'J is really festival and is equiv- 
 alent to the Hebrew Chag. It does not mean a single 
 meal, but the whole celebration. Thus in Lev. 23 : 5, 
 6; Numb. 28:16, 17, the paschal supper is clearly- 
 distinguished from the Chag, the whole festival. This 
 really began on the fifteenth of Nisan. The evening be- 
 fore the fifteenth was the " Proeortion," the preparation 
 for the whole passover " feast." It was the festival-eve 
 (Vorfeier). With this the abrupt manner in which John 
 begins the second verse and speaks of " supper " agrees. 
 The statement '' during supper " (dsi-'^w ysvo,aivuu) would 
 be unclear, if it did not refer to the passover. Thus this 
 first passage implies no contradiction with the synoptists. 
 Even though the above explanation be not adopted, this 
 much is evident, that it cannot of itself overthrow the 
 synoptic position. In it there is no trace of any desire to 
 correct. 
 
 (2.) In John 13 : 29, after Judas Iscariot has been told 
 by Christ " That thou doest, do quickly," the disciples 
 suppose that he is to buy something for the feast or to 
 give some alms to the poor. But it is claimed that this 
 thought of the disciples was impossible on the fourteenth 
 of Nisan. What was there to buy if the passah had begun ? 
 But many things might have been required for the other 
 days of the festival. And this as the whole celebration 
 is indicated, as in verse one, by the word ioprr^v. If these 
 words of Jesus had been uttered on the thirteenth of Nisan, 
 it is not explicable why haste was demanded, for a whole 
 day was yet left. But on the evening of the fourteenth 
 they are natural ; and the eleven disciples may have 
 thought that Judas was to purchase what was necessary 
 for the thank-offering. Nor was it impossible to make 
 purchases on the evening of the fourteenth of Nisan 
 (see below, page 339). 
 
33* APPENDIX. 
 
 (3.) The passage, which is the strongest and at first sight 
 seems to be against the synoptists, is John -18 : 28, where 
 it is related that the priests did not enter the Praetorium, 
 that they might not be defiled, but that " they might eat 
 the passover " («//' ^m (payutai to -diT'/ay If " eat the 
 passover" means only to eat the passover-lamb, then 
 John places the crucifixion on the fourteenth and cou' 
 tradicts the synoptists. Now "eat the passover "has a 
 limited sense in which it refers to the paschal meal. It 
 is so used in 2 Chron. 30: 18, especially In the Sep- 
 tuagint, from which many New Testament expressions 
 arose. Besides, it is used five times in the synoptists 
 (Matt. 26:17; Mark 14:12, 14; Luke 22:11, 15), 
 and is always applied to the paschal meal. But in all 
 these passages the context restricts this expression, which 
 is not the case here in John. In addition, with so few 
 parallels the meaning cannot be absolutely fixed, espe- 
 cially since only one Old Testament passage is cited. 
 From the Old Testament where the root of the term lies 
 its determination must begin. It is also unfair to settle 
 John's usage from the synoptists, without searching 
 whether there is any indication in John of a different 
 application of either the word " eat " or " passover." To 
 arrive at the answer to this question we must begin, how- 
 ever, with the whole New Testament use, particularly of 
 the word " passover." This is not only used for 
 " the paschal lamb " as in Mark 14 : 12 ; Luke 22 : 7 ; 
 I Cor. 5 : 7, but also for " the passover-meal " in Matt. 
 26 : 18, 19; Luke 22 : 8, 13; Hebr. 11:28, and the five 
 passages cited above ; and finally for tJie wJiole festival, 
 comprising the seven days of unleavened bread (Luke 
 2:41, 43; 22 : I ; Matt. 26:2). This latter use is 
 found frequently in John. Six times out of the nine in 
 which " passover " is employed it has the broad meaning 
 
APPENDIX, 
 
 IZZ 
 
 (2 : 13, 23; 6 : 4; II : 55 ; 12 : I ; 13 : i). If now "pass- 
 over " be thus taken, " eat " is put in loose popular usage 
 for keeping the passover (compare Numb. 9 : 2, 6, etc.). 
 This expression occurs in reference to passover in 2 
 Chron. 30 : 22, which is literally " they did eat the 
 festival seven days." "Festival" (ha moed) is explained 
 by Bertheau and Keil as festive offerings (compare Exod. 
 23 : 1 5). The latter says that the term " keep the festival " 
 in formed after " eat the passover." That eating was so 
 understood is also evident from the Septuagint, which 
 renders vayokl-hl (TovsriXtfrav (fulfilled, kept). There is no 
 strong proof that this translation is due to a different 
 reading vajakellu, as Godet supposes. Vuydktlii is well 
 attested. But this whole explanation does not seem to fit 
 as well as it ought to the context in John. If the whole 
 festival were meant the fear of defilement on the part of 
 the priests would have been utterly senseless. A feast 
 and a meal is evidently in the mind of the priests, which 
 was to be held the same day. Therefore " passover " 
 {-d(Tya) must be taken not as applying to the passover, but 
 in a broader sense. It is then by metonymy used for 
 " paschal sacrifice," and designates the voluntary peace 
 and thank-offerings, offered during the whole passover- 
 season, and especially on the fifteenth of Nisan. This 
 offering of the fifteenth was later called the Chagigah. 
 The Old Testament knows of this wide use of " passover." 
 A suggestion is offered by the passage quoted above, 2 
 Chron. 30 : 22. There moed, festival, stands for the 
 offerings. And the previous verses fifteen, seventeen and 
 eighteen, which contain Pcsach (passover) in its limited 
 sense, prove nothing against the metonymy in verse 
 twenty-two. But direct evidence is found in Deut. 
 16 : 2 : " And thou shalt sacrifice the passover unto the 
 Lord thy God of the flock and herd." Here " passover " 
 
334 
 
 APFKNDIX. 
 
 (pesach) is applied to sheep and oxen (zon ubakar). Zon 
 ubakar denote no additional sacrifices to the pesach, for 
 they are in apposition with it. And the specific passover 
 sacrifice cannot be meant, because it is a Ce, a yearling of 
 the sheep and goats. Both Dillman and Keil, together 
 with the Rabbis, refer this verse, therefore, to the Cha- 
 gigah. And the Rabbis were certainly well acquainted 
 with the law. " Passover " occurs also in the plural 
 (pesachim) in the same broad sense, and includes flocks, 
 lambs, kids, small cattle, oxen, etc. (2 Chron. 35 : 7, 
 9). Similar to this usage of Pesach is that of Chag in 
 Psalm 1 18 : 27 : " Bind the feast (the festive offering) with 
 cords, etc." (Compare in addition Exod. 23 : 18; Mal- 
 achi 2 : 3.) It is then no uncommon usage by which 
 Pesach in Hebrew stands for various offerings. And if 
 it is claimed that the general meaning of sacrifice must 
 of necessity include the special sense from which it is 
 derived, the fact is overlooked that when words lose 
 their special signification in a broader application, this 
 cannot be used to designate the particular original mean- 
 ing, if even though it might be included. But when by 
 the figure of metonymy a part is denominated of the 
 general sacrifices, the other parts, under which " pass- 
 over" belongs, are necessarily excluded. The Talmud 
 confirms the use of Pesach for the thank-offering. In it 
 the question is asked : " What is Pesach ? " to which the 
 answer is returned, " The peace-offering of the passover, 
 that is Chagigah" (Rosh Hashana, V. i). Further con- 
 firmation is furnished by the fact, that the defilement, 
 which the priests contracted when entering the palace of 
 Pilate, belonged to those ceremonial impurities, which 
 lasted only for a day. If the " -rtdtrxa. " were the passover- 
 lamb, the defilement would have ceased by the evening 
 when the passover was to be eaten. It could have been 
 
APPENDIX. 335 
 
 washed away by the so-called " ablutions of a day " (see 
 Lev. 15:31 sq. ; 17 : 15 ; 22 : 6, 7; Numb. 19 : 7 sq. ; 
 Maimonides on Pesach, VI. i). Friedlieb is therefore 
 correct, when, on the supposition that the Jews feared 
 defilement as preventing them from eating the paschal 
 lamb, he states, that it is " surprising that the Jews should 
 have been afraid of rendering themselves unclean for the 
 passover — since the passover could not be kept till even- 
 ing, i. e. on the next day, and the uncleanness which they 
 dreaded did not, by the law, last till the next day." But 
 on the fifteenth, the Chagigah, which expressed joy, was 
 eaten. It is true that it was sometimes slain on the 
 fourteenth, and Maimonides says : " When they offer the 
 passover in the first month, they offer it with peace- 
 offerings on the fourteenth day, of the flock and herd, and 
 this is called the Chagigah, or feast-offering of the four- 
 teenth day. And of this it is said (Deut. 16 : 2) 
 that ' thou shalt sacrifice the passover to the Lord thy 
 God of the flock and herd.' " This, however, does not 
 disprove the eating on the fifteenth; for, according to 
 Lightfoot on John 18 : 28, the Chagigah was eaten on the 
 fourteenth only when the paschal lamb was not sufficient, 
 but the usual and regular time was the fifteenth (Pesach, 
 IV. 4; X. 3). And to this eating the words under dis- 
 cussion can readily apply, and then there is no disagree- 
 ment between John and the synoptists. 
 
 (4.) The next passage to be accounted for is John 
 19:14: " It was the Preparation of passover." The discus- 
 sion here turns upon the word " Preparation " {-apairy.tur^. 
 Does it refer to Friday in accordance with its usual Jew- 
 ish meaning and designate Friday of passover-week ? Or 
 is it applied to the passover in itself, and does it mean 
 the first day of the passover without reference to the Sab- 
 bath? von Hofmann attempts to avoid the whole difili- 
 
336 APPENDIX. 
 
 culty by changing the accepted punctuation. He sug- 
 gests the following : " And it was the Preparation. The 
 hour of the passover was about the sixth." This would 
 decide the question for Friday, but this punctuation is 
 unwarranted, for " of the passover " would hardly be 
 placed before " hour " were it to qualify the same. The 
 answer of von Hofmann is in general in the right direc- 
 tion ; it does not cause the conflict between the gospels, 
 which the acceptance of " Preparation " as the first day 
 of the passover brings about. In the New Testament 
 Paraskeue (Preparation) is found five times in addition 
 to this passage (Matt. 27 : 62 ; Mark 15 : 42: Luke 
 23 : 54 ; John 19 : 31, 42). Mark defines it especially as 
 fore-sabbath. Although it is not seen in the Old Testa- 
 ment, the general strict laws of Sabbath observance (Exod. 
 35 : 2, 3 ; 16: 22-27) would lead to it; and so it occurs 
 after the exile (Judith 8 : 6). In Greek the fore-sabbath 
 was always called Preparation ; and in this sense Jose- 
 phus uses it (Antiquities, XVI. 6, 2). This would there- 
 fore be a well-known term when John wrote. It has 
 also passed into Syriac for Friday. In Rabbinic language 
 it was Arub^ta, and designated the eve of the Sabbath 
 (ereb ha shabat). This expression is not the same as pass- 
 over-eve. There is no proof that at that time the " ereb 
 ha pesach" of the Talmudists existed (see page 342). It 
 points to a time when the temple had been destroyed, and 
 therefore the regular passover had ceased. In both Old 
 and New Testament usage that evening belonged to tlic 
 passover festival. And even if it be granted that it existed, 
 it could only have embraced a few hours before sunset. 
 But the Paraskeue includes the whole previous day. In 
 the two other passage in John (19 : 31, 42) it is used in 
 this sense, and means Friday. Against this view there 
 is no grammatical difficulty, for the genitive too izdrr^a 
 
APPENDIX. 337 
 
 can easily stand in a more " remote internal relation," 
 and mean the Preparation, Friday, of passover-vveek. 
 It would then be similar to saying " the Tuesday of Christ- 
 mas-week." A further support is given to this mode of 
 interpretation by the term " sabbath of passover " 
 (rt-a/?;3ar»i/ too r.d(Tya ; Ignatius Ep. to Philippians, 13) ; and 
 by " sabbath of the feast " ((ra/S/Jarwy rr,a ioprrjg ; Socrates, 
 Hist. Eccl. V. 22). While there is every evidence for this 
 use of Paraskeuc for Friday, there is not a trace of proof 
 that the festivals and peculiarly passover had any day of 
 preparation, or that the day before the festival received 
 this name. 
 
 (5.) John 19: 31, " for the day of that sabbath was a 
 high day," is supposed to be applicable only to the first 
 festival day of the passover, the fifteenth of Nisan, and 
 not to the second, the sixteenth. But any day in the 
 passover-week, whether the first or the second day, 
 might be great. Even the last day in a festival not so 
 important, that of Tabernacles, is called " the great day 
 of the feast " (John 7 : 37), although it is not more sacred 
 than the first (compare Lev. 23 : 33-36). But it was 
 considered great as the " holy day of convocation ; " for 
 the "calling of assemblies " (Isai. i : 13) is rendered by 
 the Septuagint " great day." Therefore the day of con- 
 vocation must have been held thus by the Seventy, who 
 knew the Jewish mind, and who expressed what un- 
 doubtedly still obtained in Christ's day. Therefore the 
 sixteenth day of Nisan would be great as the day of con- 
 vocation. In addition, it was the day on which the first- 
 fruits were presented with ceremonies in part above the 
 Sabbath regulations. From it the fifty days until Pente- 
 cost (Lev. 23; 15 sq.) were reckoned. All this is more 
 than sufficient to rpake it a great day, and there is no 
 necessity of claiming another day. 
 22 
 
338 APPENDIX. 
 
 All the passages thus far examined in John are in their 
 interpretation not torn out of the connection of John's 
 chronology. The supposition that they call for the same 
 date as thesynoptists agrees very well with the statement 
 John 12 : I, that Jesus came to Bethany six days before 
 the passover. This time fits in perfectly with the whole 
 structure of the synoptists, and the harmonists have 
 found no difficulty on this point. Thus, as Ebrard main- 
 tains, the total chronology of the synoptists and John are 
 not in conflict but agreement, 
 
 But against the fourteenth of Nisan, as the day of the 
 Last Supper, and consequently the fifteenth, as the day 
 of the crucifixion, a number of objections have been urged, 
 which are held to arise from the accounts of the actions 
 of Jesus and His disciples and the Jews reported in the 
 gospels, when they are compared with the Jewish laws 
 and customs of the passover. These objections centre 
 particularly on the fifteenth of Nisan. This as the first 
 day had high sabbatic character, and is therefore sub- 
 ject to the law of rest (Exod. 12 : 16 ; Numb. 28: 18). 
 But on the acceptance of the synoptic chronology we find 
 every kind of activity on that day. The various actions 
 which are supposed to have been impossible are these : 
 
 («.) In John 13 : 29 Judas is thought to have been sent 
 out to buy something for the feast. It is claimed, that 
 on the evening of the fourteenth this would have been 
 impossible. But this and all subsequent objections rest 
 fundamentally on the supposition, that the days of festi- 
 vals which had sabbatic character, like the first and last 
 passover-day, the day of Pentecost, the day of atonement, 
 were above the weekly Sabbath in sacredness. This, how- 
 ever, was not the Jewish idea. The weekly Sabbath was 
 prized above these days. For its transgression death was 
 the penalty (Numb. 15: 32), but for the breaking of 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 339 
 
 a festival only a beating was the punishment. The Sab- 
 bath-laws were enforced on strangers, but not the law 
 of festivals. On them a much greater freedom of action 
 was permitted. It is true that no servile work (Lev. 
 23 : 3 sq., 39 sq.) could be done, and the Talmudists 
 later called them " good days." But according to Exod. 
 12: 16 the preparation of food was allowed. And under 
 certain conditions, when a pledge was given, even the 
 purchase of certain necessary articles was permitted 
 (_Maimonides, Hilchoth, Yom tob, IV. 19 sq.). Maimonides 
 says: " All work needful about meat is lawful, as killing 
 of beasts and baking of bread, and kneading of dough 
 and the like. But such work as may be done on the 
 evening of a feast-day, they do not on a feast-day, as they 
 may not reap nor thrash, nor winnow, nor grind the corn, 
 or the like. Bathing and anointing are contained under 
 the general head of meat and drink and may be done on the 
 feast-day." Now this and other quotations from Rabbis 
 and the Talmud, although they are later than Christ's day, 
 are not to be rejected ; for the reason, that there is no 
 evidence that the stringency of the observation of festivals 
 relaxed. The whole line of development after Christ was 
 toward greater severity. Therefore there is a great prob-. 
 ability that the exceptions and allowances made are older. 
 [b^ The Lord and His disciples, it is said, would have 
 left the city contrary to the law (Exod. 12: 22) had they 
 gone out to the mount of Olives on the same night on 
 which they ate the passover. But it is questionable 
 whether this was a permanent command, or whether it 
 was not rather intended only for the first passover in 
 Egypt, like the having on of the shoes and the holding of 
 the staves in the hand. The later observation of the pass- 
 over was changed from the first in a number of particulars. 
 But even if this law had obtained, the departure on that 
 
340 APPENDIX. 
 
 night would have been no transgression, for at the pass- 
 over-season the city of Jerusalem was reckoned as extend- 
 ing as far as Bethany. And on the passover-night the gates 
 of the city were not closed. 
 
 (c.) The greatest hindrance is found by some in the ac- 
 tion of the priests in sending armed men and in holding 
 judgment on a day when it was forbidden. But bearing 
 arms was permitted in danger. From the time of the 
 Maccabees they were allowed at all times for self-defence. 
 This might have been the excuse of those Jews who went 
 out for the capture of Jesus. The arms on that occasion 
 were, however, not borne by the servants of the priests, 
 who had only staves, but by the Roman soldiers. As to 
 the holding of judgment, the Mishna (Sanhedr. IV. i) 
 expressly forbids the examination of a capital offender on 
 a night or day before a festival. But the Gemara has 
 modified this. It assigns a special meeting-place for Sab- 
 baths and feast-days. " On the sabbath and feast-days 
 they assembled themselves within the B'^chil, which is in 
 the lower wall, which surrounded the greater, in the vicin- 
 ity of the forecourt of the women." When a special 
 offender was caught, and particularly one who had not 
 obeyed the Sanhedrim, he was not punished at once, but 
 his punishment was reserved for the feast at which he 
 was taken to Jerusalem, that by his example all might be 
 warned. Thus the Mischna (Sanhedr. X. 4) states : " An 
 elder, who does not subject himself to the Sanhedrim, 
 shall be taken from the place where he lives to Jerusalem, 
 shall be kept there until one of the three feasts, and sluiU 
 be killed at the time of the feast, for the reason stated 
 Deut. 17: 13." Maimonides also reports this law 
 and adds : " as it is said * all the people shall hear and 
 fear.' " And Rabbi Akiba tells of the same enactment. 
 It is apparent how this law might easily be construed to 
 
APPENDIX. 341 
 
 cover the case of Jesus. But even though such com- 
 mandments had not existed, the Sanhedrists would in 
 their hate have condemned Jesus. They knew, hypocrites 
 as they were (Matt. 23 : i sq.), how to evade the laws 
 when desirable. They undoubtedly also believed by their 
 acts to serve God. And previously a festival had not re- 
 strained them from attempting to seize Christ. On the 
 last ^rtv// day of the festival of Tabernacles they had been 
 in session awaiting that Jesus would be brought before 
 them (John 7 : 32, 37, 44, 45). When Jesus was teach- 
 ing in the temple on the festival of dedication, they 
 "took up stones to stone him " (John 10: 22, 31). Their 
 very decision to put Jesus to death reveals the fact, that 
 the special season as such did not restrain them. They 
 only said : " not on the feast, lest a tumult arise among 
 the people " (Matt. 26 : 5 ; Mark 14 : 2). The fear of 
 the people deterred them and nothing else. And on the 
 day after crucifixion, which, by general admission was a 
 Sabbath, and a " great day," the Sanhedrim applied to 
 Pilate for a watch. And the priests themselves see that 
 the sepulchre is sealed and the watch properly placed 
 (Matt. 27 : 62 sq.). In view of all this, the objection that it 
 ought not have been done fails utterly. 
 
 (</.) The entering into Jerusalem of Simon, who came 
 from the country; the taking down of Jesus from the 
 cross, and His embalmment and burial, are also urged as 
 impossibilities on the fifteenth of Nisan. But Simon may 
 have been within the passover-limit of the city and have 
 been on the way to the temple. There is no certain 
 proof that he came from work. Embalming and burying 
 were permitted as appears from the words of Maimonides 
 quoted above (page 339). And the burial of Christ could 
 easily have been completed before the following great 
 Sabbath-day. 
 
34^ APPENDIX. 
 
 (r.) Old Jewish tradition is also cited against the fif- 
 teenth of Nisan as the day of the death of Jesus. In the 
 Gemara of Babylon, composed from old traditions about 
 the year 5 50, it is related : "Tradition reports, that on 
 the eve of passover (ereb ha pesach) Jesus was crucified 
 (hanged), and that after a court-crier had publicly pro- 
 claimed for forty days ; * that he shall be stoned, the man 
 who through his deception -has led the people astray. 
 Who has anything to say in his defence may come fore- 
 ward and speak.' But nothing was found in his defence. 
 Therefore he was hanged on the eve of passover " (com- 
 pare Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr. et Talm., page 490). Admit- 
 ting that this was an old tradition, the fictitious additions, 
 which Jewish hate dictated, make it uncertain. It is a 
 part of the many distortions of the Talmud about Jesus. 
 And Joel, a Jewish writer, referred to by Edersheim (Life 
 and Times of Jesus the Messiah, Vol. 11., page 481), claims, 
 that the original view expressed in Jewish writings was, 
 that Jesus was crucified on the first paschal day, and that 
 this was only at a later period modified to the " eve of 
 the pascha " (Sanhedr. 43a, 67a). 
 
 With these objections removed we can approach to 
 the testimony of Church history in favor of the four- 
 teenth of Nisan, as it appears in the paschal contro- 
 versy. This did not indeed arise from the apparent 
 discrepancies between the gospels, nor was its main inter- 
 est exegetical. The purpose was rather to attain uni- 
 formity of observance, while asserting the independence 
 of Christianity in fixing its festivals. Schaff has well 
 summed up the central issue, when he states (Church 
 History, Vol. II., page 212): "The gist of the paschal 
 controversy was, whether the Jewish paschal-day (be it a 
 Friday or not), or the Christian Sunday, should control 
 the idea and time of the entire festival. The Johanean 
 
practice of Asia represented here the spirit of adhesion to 
 historical precedent, and had the advantage of an immov- 
 able Easter, without being Judaizing in anything but the 
 observance of a fixed day of the month. The Roman 
 custom represented the principle of freedom and discre- 
 tionary change, and the independence of the Christian 
 festival system. Dogmatically stated, the difference 
 would be, that in the former case the chief stress was laid 
 on the Lord's death ; in the latter, on His resurrection." 
 But though this controversy, therefore, bears more indi- 
 rectly on our question, its main stages must be shown in 
 their historical connection, that it may appear that the 
 inferences drawn are just. The history of this matter is 
 not without its disputed points, and is in some respects 
 difficult to determine with absolute certainty, but it seems, 
 according to the most careful examination and the best 
 and least prejudiced scholars, to have been as follows : 
 
 First Stage. Between the years 150 and 155 Polycarp, 
 the bishop of Smyrna, visited Anicetus, the bishop of 
 Rome. In their conference they found, among other dif- 
 ferences between them, a disagreement as to the celebra- 
 tion of Easter. What occurred then has been preserved 
 to us in a letter of Irenseus to the bishop Victor of Rome 
 (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. V., Chap. XXIV. 16). In it Iren- 
 aeus says : " When the blessed Polycarp was at Rome in 
 the time of Anicetus, and they disagreed a little about 
 certain other things, they immediately made peace with 
 one another, not caring to quarrel over this matter (ob- 
 servance of Easter). For neither could Anicetus per- 
 suade Polycarp not to observe what he had always observed 
 with John the disciple of our Lord, and the other apostles 
 with whom he had associated ; neither could Polycarp per- 
 suade Anicetus to observe it, as he said that he ought to 
 follow the customs of the presbyters that had preceded 
 
344 APPEND/^. 
 
 him." Nevertheless both bishops communed together and 
 Anicetus " conceded the administration of the eucharist in 
 the church to Polycarp " and gave way in this celebration 
 to his view (see McGifford's Eusebius, Nicene and Post- 
 Nicene Fathers, second series, Vol. I., page 244, note 20). 
 Thus they parted in concord, " maintaining the peace of 
 the whole Church." 
 
 Second Stage. Some j^ears afterward, about 170, a con- 
 troversy broke out in Laodicea. About it Melito of 
 Sardis wrote two books (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. IV., Chap. 
 XXVI. 2) in favor of the fourteenth day of Nisan as is 
 evident from Polycrates citing him (Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 
 v.. Chap. XXIV. 5). But they are lost, as also the work 
 of Clement of Alexandria, with the exception of a frag- 
 ment. The chief source is Apolinarius, bishop of Hier- 
 apolis, who wrote : " There are some now who, from 
 ignorance, love to raise strife about these things, being 
 guilty in this of a pardonable offence ; for ignorance does 
 not so much deserve blame as need instruction. And 
 they say that on the fonrtccntJi of Nisan the Lord ate 
 the paschal lamb with His disciples, but that He Himself 
 suffered on the great day of un/eavoied bread [ffteenth of 
 Nisan) ; and they interpret Matthew as favoring their 
 view, from which it appears that their view does not 
 agree with the law, and that the gospels seem, according 
 to them, to be at variance. The fonrteentJi is the true 
 passover of the Lord, t/ie great sacrifice, the Son of God, in 
 the place of the lamb — who was lifted up upon the horns 
 of the unicorn — and who was buried on the day of the 
 passover." Apolinarius is here evidently an opponent 
 to the practice called " Quartodecimanian : " (fourteenth- 
 day). But is he, in protesting against what he considers 
 an error of exegesis and chronology, the representative 
 of the Asian Church ? It will scarcely be possible to hold 
 
APPENDIX. 345 
 
 this, in view of the statement of Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. V. 
 Chapt. XXIII. i) that : " the parishes of all Asia, as from 
 an older tradition, held that the fourteenth day of the 
 moon, on which the Jews were commanded to sacrifice 
 the lamb, should be observed as the feast of the Saviour's 
 passover." Apolinarius was then the one who differed, 
 and his introductory words must not deceive us. That 
 he lived in Hierapolis and that the controversy was in 
 Laodicea, is no difficulty, because Laodicea is so close to 
 Hierapolis. And the position of Apolinarius does not 
 prove his opinion to be the prevalent one. In the con- 
 stant intercourse between the congregations at that time, 
 it is not striking " that the representative of an Easter 
 practice not current in Asia became bishop of a congre- 
 gation there, gained some adherents for his view, and 
 when, like Apolinarius, he possessed literary activity, took 
 up the contention against the custom and view of those 
 surrounding him, not without every prospect of success " 
 (Zahn). There were in Rome also those that held the 
 fourteenth day contrary to Roman custom, like Blastus. 
 Therefore the *' Quartodecimans " (observers of the four- 
 teenth) could have been no Jewish party, as is likewise 
 evident from the manner in which Apolinarius treats them. 
 There is, too, no trace of various parties of Quar- 
 todecimans either in Irenaeus, Eusebius or Hippolytus, 
 although the latter (Haer. L. i sq.) speaks of various opin- 
 ions held by them. 
 
 TJiird Stage. The most vehement controversy arose 
 between 190 and 194. This distracted the whole Church, 
 and caused many councils and letters (Eusebius, Hist. 
 Eccl. v., Chap. XXIII. sq.), until finally in 325 the coun- 
 cil of Nicaea adopted the Roman practice. This matter 
 became so important, because the Roman bishop Victor 
 demanded in an overbearing- manner that the observance 
 
J 46 APPENDIX. 
 
 of the fourteenth of Nisan should cease. Against thif 
 Polycrates, bishop of Ephesus, remonstrated. His lettes 
 is very earnest and presents weighty arguments. It was, 
 as reported in part by Eusebius (Hist. Eccl. V., Chap. 
 XXIV. 1-7): "We observe tJie exact day ; neither add- 
 ing nor taking away. For in Asia also great lights have 
 fallen asleep, which shall rise again on the day of the 
 Lord's coming, when He shall come with glory from 
 heaven, and shall seek out all the saints. Among these 
 are Philip, one of the tivelve apostles, who fell asleep in 
 Hierapolis ; and his two aged virgin daughters, and 
 another daughter, who lived in the Holy Spirit and now 
 rests at Ephesus ; and, moreover, John, who was both a 
 witness and a teacher, who reclined upon the bosom of 
 the Lord, and being a priest, wore the sacerdotal plate. ^ 
 He fell asleep at Ephesus. And Polycarp in Smyrna, 
 who was a bishop and martyr ; and Thraseas, bishop and 
 martyr from Eumenia, who fell asleep in Smyrna. Why 
 need I mention the bishop and martyr Sagaris, who fell 
 asleep in Laodicea, or the blessed Papirius, or Melito, the 
 eunuch who lived altogether in the Holy Spirit, and who 
 lies in Sardis, awaiting the episcopate from heaven, when 
 he shall rise from the dead ? All these observed t\\Q foiw- 
 teentJi day of the passover accordiiig to the gospel, deviat- 
 ing in no respect, but following the rule of faith. And I 
 also, Polycrates, the least of you all, do according to the 
 tradition of my relatives, some of whom I have closely 
 followed. For seven of my relatives were bishops ; and 
 I am the eighth. And my people ahvays observed the 
 day when the people (i. e. Jews) put away the leaven (four- 
 
 1 This expression, according to Lightfoot, is either actual or figurative. 
 It may point to John as of pontifical race ; or it may be " the earliest 
 passage in any extant Christian writing where the sacerdotal view of the 
 Christian ministry is distinctly put forward." 
 
APPEISTDIX. 347 
 
 teenth of Nisan). I, therefore, brethren, who have Hved 
 sixty-five years in the Lord, and have met with the brethren 
 tJiroughout the world, and have gone through every Holy 
 Scripture, am not affrighted by terrifying words. For 
 those greater than I have said, ' We oiiglit to obey God 
 rather than man.' " But Victor, not answering nor heeding 
 these arguments, excommunicated the Asiatics. Then 
 Irenaeus, although agreeing with the Roman bishop, re- 
 proved him for his arrogance, called for peace, and re- 
 minded him that this had been kept by Anicetus, Pius, 
 Telesphorus and Xystus. 
 • Now from this whole controversy it is apparent : 
 
 (i.) That the oldest testimony, that of Polycarp, a 
 direct disciple of the apostle John, is derived from the 
 immediate observance not merely of the other disciples 
 but of John himself. If then John observed the four- 
 teenth of Nisan, how could he have meant the thirteenth 
 in his gospel ? 
 
 (2.) The Roman bishop Anicetus appeals only to the 
 tradition of the Roman bishops. And may not the enu- 
 meration of Irenaeus, when he writes to Victor, give an 
 indication of the time of the origin of the tradition? 
 The oldest bishop mentioned by Irenaeus is Xystus. 
 And though the tradition may have been older, was not 
 the whole Asiatic tradition, as admitted by Eusebius, and 
 as announced by Polycrates, for the fourteenth of Nisan ? 
 The tradition of Asia is also nearer the source and has 
 much clearer and better proof of the chain of succession 
 than the Roman practice. 
 
 The different opinions existing among the Church 
 Fathers are easily explained. Why some of them, like 
 Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Peter of Alexandria, 
 Origen, Hippolytus, Epiphanius, differed, is to be seen 
 already in the fragment of Apolinarius. At the close of 
 
34^ APPENDIX. 
 
 his words, he argues for the fourteenth of Nisan, as the 
 clay of the death of Christ. In this argument the relation 
 of Christ as the antitypical paschal lamb to the paschal 
 lamb slain on the fourteenth of Nisan is clearly the de- 
 termining point. The dogmatic factor outweighs the 
 other considerations. The word raff/a was commonly be- 
 lieved to be derived from naayu) (suffer). This derivation 
 is found first with Irenaeus, who (Against Heresies, IV. 
 lo) says : " Of the day of His passion, too, he (Moses) 
 was not ignorant ; but foretold Him, after a figurative 
 manner, by the name given to the passover ; and at that 
 very festival, which had been proclaimed such a long time 
 previously by Moses, did our Lord suffer, thus fulfilling 
 the passover." Thus also Tertullian (Against the Jews, 
 X.) writes : '' 'Y\^q. passover of the Lord, i. e. the passion of 
 Christy When in other places these same Fathers wrote 
 of this matter, where the dogmatic idea is not directly 
 present to their minds, they greatly favor the fifteenth of 
 Nisan as the day of the death of Jesus. Irenaeus says 
 incidentally (Against Heresies, II. XXII. 3) : " ' He came 
 to Bethany six days before the passover,' and going up 
 from Bethany to Jerusalem, He there ate the passover, 
 and suffered on the day folloivingy A similar remark is 
 made by Origen on Matt. 26 : 17. The "Constitu- 
 tions of the Holy Apostles," late as they are, certainly 
 express the idea arrived at most naturally and in the 
 Eastern mind, when, having spoken of Friday still ob- 
 served as a fast-day among the Christians, they state: 
 ' On their very feast-day they (i. e. the Jews) appre- 
 hended the Lord." The testimony of Justin Martyr, 
 earlier than all these, is clear and unmistakable. Al- 
 though in the "Dialogue with Trypho " (Chap. XL.) 
 "the lamb which God enjoined to be sacrificed as the 
 passover " is held to be " a type of Christ," this does not 
 
APPENDIX. 349 
 
 lead Justin to fix the date of the suffering and death of 
 Jesus; but he clearly says in Chapter CXI.: "And it is 
 w7-ittcn, that on the day of the passover you seized Him, 
 and that also during the passover you crucified Him." 
 There is no uncertainty here, for the time of seizure is 
 clearly put on the night of the first passover-day, or the 
 night before the fifteenth of Nisan. The statement that 
 Christ was crucified " during the passover " (^V ra) -anyji.)^ 
 in which " pascha," in distinction from its restricted use 
 in " the day of the passover," is used in its wider signifi- 
 cation, proves that the fourteenth of Nisan could not 
 have been meant. With the position of Justin Augus- 
 tine agrees. He argues against the derivation of " Pascha " 
 as a Greek word from " pascho, to suffer," and says "those 
 acquainted with both languages af^rm it to be a Hebrew 
 word " (Letters LV. i ; Tractate LV. on John). Hav- 
 ing given up this derivation, he does not permit the typi- 
 cal relation of the paschal lamb to Christ, which he asserts 
 (On the Spirit and Letter, Chap. XVL), to determine 
 him. Without discussing this whole question, he simply 
 accepts the Last Supper as being the paschal meal, as 
 well in the "Harmony of the Gospels" (H. LXXX. 
 157 sq.), as in the "Tractates on John" (see Tract. LV. 
 I ; CXX. i). Perhaps the expression that at the time 
 of the trial of Jesus " it was the commencement of the 
 days of unleavened bread " (Tract, on John CXIV. 2) 
 might indicate a difference, but it cannot overthrow the 
 whole position of Augustine. He was evidently not 
 wavering like Chrysostom, who in Homily LXXXL on 
 Matthew says : " By the first day of the feast of unleavened 
 bread he (Matthew) means the day before that feast ; but 
 they (i. e. the Jews) are accustomed always to reckon the 
 day from the evening, and he makes mention of this in 
 which in the evening the passover must be killed ; for on 
 
350 APPENDIX. 
 
 the fifth day of the week they came unto Him. And 
 this one (of the evangelists) calls the day before the feast 
 of unleavened bread, speaking of the time when they 
 came to Him, and another saith on this wise, ' Then 
 came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover 
 must be killed ; ' by the word ' came ' meaning this, it 
 was nigh, it was at the doors, making mention plainly of 
 that evening. For they began with the evening, where- 
 fore also each adds, when the passover was killed." Ob- 
 scure as these words in part are, they apparently place 
 the Last Supper at the time of the paschal meal. And in 
 Homily LXXXIV. of the same gospel Chrysostom seems 
 to confirm this by stating of the priests : " For neither 
 did they eat the passover, but watched for the other pur- 
 pose. For John, when he had said, that ' it was early,' 
 added, * they entered not into the judgment hall, lest 
 they should be defiled, but that they might eat the pass- 
 over !' " But in Homily LXXXni. 3 on John 18:28, 
 he gives the choice of two interpretations, and as Meyer 
 said, " wrote the programme for the whole of the later in- 
 vestigations," when it is stated : " Either he (John) calls 
 the whole feast ' the Passover,' or means, that they were 
 then keeping the passover, while He delivered it to His 
 followers one day sooner, reserving His own Sacrifice for 
 the Preparation-day, when also of old the passover was 
 celebrated." 
 
 It is clear that the early patristic evidence is in favor 
 of the fourteenth of Nisan, if it be properly considered. 
 The deviation was not due to the most careful exegesis 
 and the best tradition. The earliest and most trust- 
 worthy testimony concurs altogether with the conclusion 
 arrived at from exegesis alone. 
 
 In conjunction with this testimony the argument some- 
 times used against the fourteenth of Nisan from the use 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 351 
 
 of leavened bread in the Eucharist in the Eastern Church 
 must be considered. Although this use is earlier by far 
 than that of unleavened bread, yet its testimony is not 
 older than the paschal controversy. It may simply have 
 been used, as common bread was easier to obtain. The 
 matter was not pressed in a legalistic spirit. Theophy- 
 lact, the able theologian of the Eastern Church, although 
 adhering to leavened bread, stated that it was not due to 
 the original day of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Luther, without discussing this subject, evidently held 
 to the fourteenth of Nisan as the day of the Last Supper. 
 In the " Auslegung iiber etliche Capitel des anderen 
 Buches Mosi " (1524-1526), he states (Erlangen Edition 
 35, page 195): "Thus God has determined the festival 
 that it should begin in the evening of the fourteenth day, 
 that upon the fifteenth day of the first month might be 
 the right Easter-day. That is this law ; therefore it hap- 
 pened without doubt that the true, proper, beautiful and 
 gracious Iamb of Easter, our Lord Jesus Christ, on palm- 
 day rode into Jerusalem, preached four days in the tem- 
 ple, then ate the paschal lamb with His dear disciples ; 
 soon after He was taken captive in the garden at the 
 mount of Olives, mocked, spit upon, scourged, crowned 
 with thorns, condemned to death, crucified and killed, 
 and therefore properly sacrificed." Judging from the 
 initial sentence of Luther, he supposed that Christ had 
 died on the fifteenth, " the right Easter-day." And this 
 interpretation is confirmed by the whole subsequent 
 treatment of Luther. 
 
 In conclusion, the astronomical argument in favor of 
 the fourteenth of Nisan may be alluded to. It depends 
 upon the year of the death of Jesus. This is, according 
 to most scholars to-day, assigned to the year 30. Now, 
 Wurm and Oudermann, the astronomers, have shown. 
 
352 APPENDIX. 
 
 that in that year the Friday of the passover-week was the 
 fifteenth and not the fourteenth of Nisan. Wieseler uses 
 this date in his chronology. Caspari has sought to prove 
 that Wurm's calculations show that Friday was the four- 
 teenth. But Rotermund has answered Caspari. And 
 although there are intricacies in the Jewish calendar, 
 which are not sufficiently cleared up, this much is evi- 
 dent, that the trend of the best calculations is in favor of 
 Friday being the fifteenth day of Nisan, and therefore 
 the Last Supper on Thursday would have been the 
 paschal meal. The majority of scholars, that have con- 
 sidered this proof, admit this. And those taking the 
 opposite position either neglect the weight of this ar- 
 gument, or, like Godet, attempt to evade its force in con- 
 firmation of the exegetical position, which avoids contra- 
 diction and opposition of the gospels, and vindicates in 
 this particular, what is possible in so many others, the 
 verity of all the gospels, their agreement and organic 
 unity. 
 
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