The Intfrn*tion*l

Commentary

Critic* l

A CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL

COMMENTARY
ON THE

GOSPEL ACCORDING
TO ST. JOHN
BT THE

Most Rev. and Right Hon.

J.

H.

BERNARD, D.D.

EDITED BY THE

Rev. A. H. McNeile, D.D.

(in

two volumes)

Vol.

NEW YORK

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS

1929

PREFACE
Dr. Bernard's many friends will be glad at last to have
Fortunately he had completed the
his Commentary.
manuscript of both volumes before his visible presence
was taken from us in August 1927, so that I have
been responsible only for seeing it through the Press.
Dr. L. C. Purser saw the proofs as far as Chapter XIX.,
but I have been through the whole, trying to gather up
the fragments that remained.

The

Indices have been

prepared by the Rev. R. M, Boyd, Rector of Shinrone

I would thank him gratefully for his help, but he needs

no thanks.
A. H,
Dublin, October 1938.

The Rights of Translation and of Reproduction are fosented

Printed In the United States of America

McNEILE.

CONTENTS
Abbreviations

xiii-clxxxviii

Introduction
Authorities for the Text

xiii-xvi

Dislocations of the Text

xvi-xxx
xxx-xxxiii

Structure of the Gospel

Non-Johannine Glosses
Evangelistic

Comments

The Apostle John the Beloved

Did not die by Martyrdom

xxxiv-xxxvii

Disciple

xxxvii-xlv

John the Apostle and John the Presbyter

Muratorian Fragment and Latin Prefaces

Apocalypse

lxviiilxxi

lxxi-btxviii

Early Citations

Not an

Jew

Allegorist

Ixxviii-Ixxxiii

lxxxiii-xc

"
Idea of " Witness

xc-xciii

xciii-xciv

Philo and the Fourth Gospel

Use made

Iv-lix

Ixiv-lxviii

of Argument as to Authorship

Evangelist a

xlv-lv

Ix-lxiv

Gospel and Johannine Epistles

Summary

xxxiii

xxxiii-xxxiv

xdv-cii

of the Synoptists

Chronology of Jn. and of the Synoptists

Words of Jesus in Jn, and in the Synoptists
The title "Son of Man"
.

Doctrine of Christ's Person

Doctrine of the Logos

ciicviii

cviii--cxxi

cxxii-cxxxiii

cxxxui-cxxxviii
cxxxviii-cxlvii

Authority of the Old Testament

cxlvii-clvi

Doctrines of Life and Judgment

clvi-cbdi

CONTENTS
Introduction

continued

The Kingdom

of

God and

P*es

the

New

Birth

Eucharistic Doctrine

The Johannine
Commentaries

Miracles
.

Notes on the Greek Text

The

tc

Index

II-

Authors and Writings

1-7 14

ABBREVIATIONS

"

as Jn., to
evangelist has been designated throughout
well as from
as
Zebedee
of
son
the
him
from
John
distinguish
to imply
John the Baptist. This abbreviation is not intended
presbyter, although
that he must be identified with John the
* but it is convenient
the editor regards this as highly probable;
for the writer of the
to have a brief designation which stands
few other
his personality.

The

General

IIL Greek Words

clxxvi-clxxxvi

clxxxvi-<;bfxxviii

Pericgpe de Adultera
I,

clxii-cbtvi

clxvi-clxxvi

723-726
*

727-732

733-740

Gospel, without prejudging

following:
abbreviations that have been adopted are the
j)

jy

ga

j)

CG

Hastings' Dictionary of ike Bible, 5 vols,

(i$98-i94>Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, 3 vols,,

2nd

ed, (1893).

Bastings' Dictionary of Christ

and

the

Gospels, 2 vols. (1906).

E. A* Abbott's Diatessariea, including

jjfat

and
Vocabulary
Johannine
his
Parts L-X.
Johannine Grammar
',

(1900-1915).

E B,

ERE
J.T.S,

Cheyne's Eneyclopadza Biblua, 4

vols.

Hastings' Encyclopedia of Religion

and Ethics, 12 vols, (1908-1921),
Journal of Theological Studies (1900-

19Z&),

Moulton-Milligan

Voc^ulary of the Greek Testament,

illustrated from the papyri, by J. H.
)*
MoultonandG. Milligan (1914Ttiis is being completed by Dr.

Milligan;
1

ee

it

p. lxviii.

is

indispensable.

INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER

THE TEXT
(i)
(ii)
(iii)

(i)

Authorities for the Text.

Dislocations of the Tea,
The Structure of the Gospel.

Authorities for the Text

Full accounts of the manuscript material available for the

text will be found in Gregory's Prolegomena (1894)3 in his
Textkritik (1902, 1909), and in von Soden's Die Schriften
des muen Testaments (1902), During the last twenty-five
years several additional manuscripts and versions of firsts
Only a few of the more
rate value have come to light.
important authorities for the Gospel, in whole or in part, are
named here, von Soden's notation being placed in brackets,
is ascribed being given
attempt has been made in these
volumes to print an apparatus crtticus. Teschendorf's (187 s)
constructed
is still the most useful, von Soden's (1913) being
on the basis of a new classification of textual authorities, which
has not commanded general acceptance. Westcott and Hort's
Notes on Select Readings (1884) are indispensable, although
their doctrine of the inferiority of the "Western Text '| is
now regarded as too strongly stated* A. Souter's brief critical
apparatus is valuable, and his table of MS. authorities admirably clear {Nov, Test Greece, Oxford).

and the century to which each MS.

in

Roman

numerals.

No

Papyri

The

earliest

extant remains

of Gospel manuscripts

in

Greek were written in Egypt on papyrus. Of these some of

the most interesting were found at Oxyrhynchus, and have been
published by Drs. Grenfell and Hunt. A few contain frag-

THE TEXT

XIV

[Oh.

merits of the Fourth Gospel, They are generally in the form of

a book or codex, and not in the form of rolls of papyrus. Most
of those mentioned here present a text similar to that of B

Pap* Oxyrh. 208 (von Soden, 02) and 1781 form fragments
of the same MS,, the oldest extant text of Jn. (seec. iii),
and are at the British Museum, They give in a mutilated
"
*"
form Jn, i 23 "41 I61 30 io11 35 This MS. was a codex,
.

See p. xxix.
Pap. Oxyrk. 1228, Glasgow,

(e 19).
Dispersed through
the libraries of Leningrad, Patmos, Rome, Vienna,
and British Museum, vi. Some pages are missing.

Edited by H, S. Cronin in Cambridge Texts and

Studies (1899),
*
Regius (e 56). Paris, viii. Cc. 15 s 20 21 1 **** are

Purpureus Petropoliianus

missing.

K&ridetki

i 5 *>-i6

"

material.

Uncials

Information as to most of these will be found in the text-

We

Vatieanus (8

1).

Rome,

Sinaiticus (S

2),

Leningrad,

Alexandrinus

Mphrami

( 4).

Cent,

British

iMj13

T
Tb

Muralt

(t 31).

W 4**-M

3*^4

T*

{< 35)*

Leningrad.

Museum,

v.

Cc.

e^-S"

Contains

cc.

*"43

Grseco -Sahidic. Convi.

few gaps. For a collation by
and Kenyon, cf. J.T.S* April 1900, p. 415 f.

Museum,

tains cc. 35-449 with a

Crum

See on 3" 4*.

Discovered in
Freer (e 014)- Washington, iv-vi.
Egypt in 1906, The Gospels are in the order Mt.,

Mk, Collation in The Washington MS,

of ike Four G&spe/s, by H. A, Sanders {1913).
Jn., Lit,,

76),

St.

Gall,

ix-x,

Graeco-Latin,

Secondary uncials are not specified here ; nor has reference

been made to two fragmentary palimpsest uncials of the fifth
century, at Leningrad and the British Museum respectively
(von Soden' s

* 1

and

* 3).

Cursives
the vast mass of minuscules, only a few need be men-

The following are notable: 33 (B 48), Paris, ix-x, perhaps

at many points; 38
the best of all the cursives, akin to
(e 168), Paris, xi; 157 (e 207), Rome, xii;
565 (f 93), Leningrad, ix-x; 700 (e 133), London, xi, ed. Hoskier (under the

BDL

numeration 604)cursives numbered 13, 69, 1*4, 230, 346, 543,

828, 983, 1689, 1709, are descended from a lost
Salmon directed Ferrar's attention to 13,
ancestor.

The twelve

British

(e

tioned.

iv.

iv,

vL

3 a-r5 fld 19* to end.

Sangalhnsis

Of

Paris,
v.
Palimpsest,
Contains
(S 3).
considerable fragments of Jn.
Camb ridge v-vi Graeco-Latin. Cc.
Bests (8 5)
i8 14^ao13 are missing in the Greek text, and the gap
upp
has been piled by a ninth-century scribe (D* ).
Borgianus (e 5). Rome, v. Graeco-Sahidic. Contains
'
cc. 628 w f-$P.
.

which have been

are missing.

at

Streeter, The Four Gospels*

Cf, d\%o/.T,S. Oct. 1915, April and July 1925Oxford and Leningrad, ix-x, Contains
(e
70),
cc.

There are many other papyrus fragments, some of early

date; the above are mentioned as specimens of the available

give brief references for those

books.
recently brought to light:

Discovered

and edited by

Review (July 1923) and

viii-ix.
Tiflis.
050).
in Russian territory,

Beermann & Gregory (Leipzig, 1913)- The text is

akin to that of fam. i&fam. i, and the cursives 2 8,
See Lake and Blake in Harvard TheoL
565s 700.

31

Pap. Oxyrk. 847, British Museum, iv, contains Jn. 2 11 aE

14 "31
.
Pap. Oocyrh. 1780, British Museum, iv, contains Jn. 8
*
"
Pap. Oxyrh. 1596, British Museum, iv, contains Jn, 6 8 12 17 as

(t

Koridethi,

This has a good text of

iii.

xv

of a single quire of some twenty-five sheets.

made up

Jn.

AUTHORITIES FOR THE TEXT

!"]

788, 826,

common

and Ferrar began a collation, which was comand published by T. K. Abbott in 1877. 1 The group
may be cited as fam, 1 3 See above on , and for the position
69, 124, 346;

pleted

>

of 7 Ea-8 11 in this group, see note on the Pericope,

Nos. 1, 118, 131, 209 are also akin to each other and to ,
and may be cited as /0m. 1 (see K. Lake, Cod* I and its Allies.
1902).

Ancient Versions

The Old Latin MSS.

etc.,

are cited under the letters a, b. t.f^ff^

Jerome's Vulgate being vg. The relative value of the
1 Cf also Rendel Harris, The Ferrar Group ( 1900)*
.

'

THE TEXT

XVI

|Oh.I.

DISLOCATIONS OF THE TEXT

i'u.]

African and European texts of the O.L.

is too intricate for

discussion here.
The Old Syriac version probably goes back to Tatian's
Datessaron y and in any case to saec. iii sub init.
have it in
two MSS.; Syr. sin. of ssec. iv discovered at Mt. Sinai in
1892, and Syr. cur, of sa^c* v, edited by Cureton in 1858, both
being accessible in Burkitt's indispensable Evangelion da
MtpharresH (1904), 1 The Peshitta or Syriac vuIgate is
of ssec. v.
The Coptic vss. have been fully edited in the Sahidic and
Bohairic texts by G. Horner (1901-1934). The Sahidic
generally follows wB, "but has a Western element.
The oldest MS. of Jn* in this version (saec. iv) was discovered in 1913 and edited by Sir H. Thompson in 1924. By
him it is called Qj and it is now in the Bible Society's House in
London, It is in codex form, made up of twenty-five sheets of
papyrus, folded together so as to make a single quire (cf, p* xiv
above).
It has a good text like KB, and omits the Pericopt de

We

adulters

The text printed in this volume is similar to that followed

by Westcott and Hort, and by Bemhard Weiss, although not
identical with either.
It is convenient to indicate here the
more important instances in which the reading that has been
adopted after due consideration of the evidence (of the manuscripts and of the context alike) differs from that accepted by
most recent critics. At i 41 192* 2017 readings have been suggested or adopted which have very little manuscript authority
(if any), but which must be judged on their own merits as
emendations.
Other weakly attested readings are accepted

at io M 11** 12s 17 11 1S 1
And at 9* 14*- 14 i6 M reasons have
been given for following the textus receptus rather than its
modem rivals. In each case, the variants have been examined
in the notes in he.
-

(11)

Dislocations of the Text

For haimonistic rearrangements of the text in

Syr, sin. t cf

Of such instances of dislocation of the text, perhaps the

strongest case can be made for the transposition of cc. 5 and 6.
The first modern critic to urge that the order of these chapters
1
should be interchanged was Canon J, P, Norris, and his
suggestion has been accepted by many scholars.
The words of 6l , "After these things (^era Sra) Jesus
went away to the other side of the sea of Galilee,'* are oddly
chosen if a journey from Jerusalem is in the author's mind,
which must be the case if the events of c, 6 are consecutive to
those of c. 5* To know which is the " other " side of the lake,
we must know the point of departure* In 6 s3 wlpav ri}e
Bakfanrrp means the eastern side, in 6^ the western side; just
as in Mk. 5 1 the same phrase means the eastern side, and in
U the western side. No doubt, for one who followed the
5
ordinary road from Jerusalem northward, the " other " side
would be either the northern or the eastern coast. But a
journey from Jerusalem through Samaria and Lower Galilee,
which extended either round the northern end of, or across,
the lake to the neighbourhood of Bethsaida Julias, would be
described very elliptically by the sentence, " He went away to
the other side of the sea." On the other hand* the phrase is
quite natural if we suppose Him to start from Capernaum, i,e,
Then all
if we treat c\ 6 as following immediately on c. 4.
The nobleman's son at Capernaum has been healed
is clear.
by Jesus (4**), who is in the neighbourhood, that is, near the
western shore of the lake ; and the next thing recorded is that
l*
after these things Jesus went away to the other side " (i.e,
tc
a
the north-eastern shore) of the lake, where, it is added,
the
signs
beheld
Him
because
they
followed
multitude
great
which He did on them that were sick," Among the more
M in Galilee, i.e.
noteworthy of these was the " second sign
the healing of the nobleman's son.
Again, the opening words of c, 7, " After these things Jesus
walked in Galilee, for He would not walk in Judsea, because
the Jews sought to kill Him," do not follow naturally upon c. 6.
The whole of c. 6 is occupied with Galilaean discourse and
"
miracle ; why, then, should the fact that He walked in Galilee
be emphasised at 7 1 ? And no hint has been given in c* 6
that " the Jews " were so indignant at His words that they
On the other hand, the words of 7 1 come
sought to kill Him.
naturally in succession to the narrative of c. 5 (but see below,
c

There are some passages in the Fourth Gospel which

present difficulties in their traditional context; and critical
opinion has, during the last half-century, been favourable, on
the whole, to the conclusion that, whether by accidental transposition of pages of the original, or by perverse editorial
revision, they have been removed from their proper position.
1

rvn

xxvi.

1 In the Journal
Norris added later
of Philology, 1871, p. 107,
tnat the suggestion had been made by a iourtcenth-gentury writer,
Ludoiphiis de Saxonia*

'

THE TEXT

xvm

[Oh,

I.

which contains the controversy of the Jews consequent

on the healing of the impotent man on the Sabbath, after
which it is expressly said that the Jews sought to kill Jesus
W A retirement from Jerusalem to Galilee was quite
(5 ).
natural then
but it was only for a short time, and He went
back to Jerusalem to resume His ministry there at the Feast
of Tabernacles (j"}. That no very long interval of time
elapsed between the controversies of c 7 and those of c* 5 is

p, xix),

We

cannot
allusion in 7*1 to the healing of
interpolate between these two points a long ministry in Galilee,
The narrative proceeds smoothly if we adopt the order, c. 4

shown by the

(Samaria and Galilee), c, 6 (Galilee), c, 5 (Jerusalem, a period

to which we must assign, as we shall see, 7****; see p. xix),
c 71 "* (a retirement to Galilee), c. yio-w-s*-** (another visit to
Jerusalem).
It should be added that, if the traditional order of oc. 4-7
be followed, there is a difficulty in identifying the Feast mentioned at 5 1 ; the Passover, Pentecost, Dedication, Tabernacles,
Purim, being advocated in turn by various expositors. But
It is
if we place c. 5 after c. 6, the identification is obvious.
4
the Feast of the Passover, which has been mentioned at 6 as

" at hand."
Of independent evidence for this transposition of cc. 5 and 6,
there is none that can be relied on.
Irenaeus, e g. a very early commentator on the Fourth
t

Gospel, regards the feast of 5 1 as the Passover, and does not

But, nevertheless, he takes cc, 5 and 6
mention the feast of G 4
in their traditional order, and places the Feeding of the Five
Thousand after the Healing of the Man at Bethesda (H&r.
-

11.

xxii, 3),

Origen, too, has a phrase which, if it stood by

favour the view that cc. 5 and 7 are consecutive.

itself,

would

When com-

menting on c. 4, he says (p. 250) that the feast of 5 1 was not

likely to be the Passover, because " shortly afterwards it is
stated " (per o\ty<t iiri$ipi.Ta.i) <m ty eyyus t} iofnij iw
'Iwfiow, 17 v&pHrmrYta (7 s). In other words, he says that 7*
comes "shortly after" 5 1 a quite reasonable statement if c. 6
,

precedes c, 5, but hardly defensible if c. 6, with its seventy-one

However, in the same comverses, separates c, 5 from c. 7.
mentary (pp. 268, 380), he clearly takes c. 5 as following on c. 4
in the traditional order,
in his
distribution
of Johannine material
Tatian's
Diatessaron is remarkable. He does not scruple to disturb
the Johannine order of incidents, as we have them in the
traditional text; and, in particular, he adopts the order cc, 6
4**""
He was probably led to this by internal evidence;
5 7-

DISLOCATION'S OF

1L]

THE TEXT

XIX

possible (although not likely) that he may be following

of texts or documents no longer accessible to us.
authority
the
In any case, the evidence of the Diatessaron provides a
corroboration, uale&t quantum, of the conclusion that cc. 5
and 6 are not now in their right order.

but

it is

n of the original text of Jn.

xviii).
If we remove^ the
*"
section 7 1 34 from its traditional position, and append it to
appropriate
c, 5, we shall find not only that its language is more
as the conclusion of c. 5, but that ?**- follows most naturally

second case of " dislocation

has already been mentioned (p.

upon 7 1*,
The allusion

to the yp*wum of Moses (5**) provokes the

1
question
does this one know ypappara" (7 *); i.e.
there is
But
interpretation.
with
their
the writings of the Law
nothing in 7" which suggests any such query, for nothing has
been said in 7 14 as to the learned nature of the teaching which
14
s5
Jesus is giving. The more natural sequel to 7 is 7 , where the
citizens of Jerusalem express surprise that such a teacher

"How

should be an object of suspicion to the rulers.

Again in 7 1* the question, Why seek ye to kill me ? " is very
abrupt, and is hardly consistent at this point with the favourBut it is
able reception from the people of which 7" tells.
U_M is a continuation of the conquite in place if the section 7
troversy of c, 5 one of the consequences was that the Jews had
15 -" are
sought to kill Jesus <s ia). Indeed, the themes of f
lfl
defends
J^us
and
at
"
throughout the same as in c. 5;
7
(

'

Himself, exactly as at 5* , by expkming that His doctrine was

not His own, but given Him by the Father, whose will He came
to do.

at 5" *S
about the untrustworthiness of those who seek only their own

Again

at 7 ie

He

reverts to

what has been said

At 7 M He turns against themselves their appeal to

Moses as the exponent of the Law, as He had done at 5**.
And at 7 M He makes a direct reference to the cure of the
impotent man at Bethesda (5*), which, because it was wrought
on a Sabbath day, was the beginning of their quarrel with
glory.

Him.

It is

very dirncult to interpret

13 if

we suppose

it

to

it is
refer to something which had happened months before
evidently present to the minds of His interlocutors, whose
feelings as aroused by it He describes in the present tense,
0av/iaer*
.
x^T < (7' ") And finally, the mention of
*'
just judgment " at 7** brings us back to 5".
1
from
It is possible that the transference of the section 7
j

>

THE TEXT

XX

[Oh.

I**-]

I.

true position was due to the mistake of a copyist, who took

the words " Is not this He whom they seek to kill ? " in 7" as
requiring ?lfl in the immediate context, forgetting that 5" 7 1
are both equally apposite.
But, however that may be, that a dislocation of the text is
here apparent has been accepted by Wendt, 1 Bacon, 3 Moffatt,*
Paul,* and many other critics.
its

We

proceed next to consider the difficulties presented by

the traditional order of cc. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17; and some reasons
will be given for the conclusion that the order adopted in this
"
commentary, viz. I31 8 15, 16, ij 31 "* 14, 17, more nearly represents the intention of the original writer.
It is plain that " Arise, let us go hence," at the end of c. 14
is awkward in this position, if the teachings of cc. 15, 16 follow
immediately. This suggests that cc, 15, 16 should precede
c. 14; and then 14*1 would be the last word of the discourse
delivered in the upper room, c. 1 7 (the high-priestly prayer) being
offered as the Lord with the Eleven stood up before they left
the house for Gethsemane. Again, " I will no longer talk
much with you *' {14 s0) is followed by two chapters of further
discourse, in the traditional order of the text, whereas it would
be a natural phrase, if the discourse were reaching its end, and
**
I4 3 31 were the final paragraph of farewell,
There are several sayings in c. 16 which suggest that it
should come before c. 14. Thus Jesus says (16s), "None
of you ask where I am going." But Peter asked this very
question (13 s*), and Thomas implied that he would like to
know the answer (14s), These queries more naturally come
after i6 B than before it.
Another point emerges on comparison of i6M with
Mk. 14s7 Both of these passages tell how Jesus warned the
Eleven that they would shortly be put to a severe test of
" All ye shall be made
faithfulness, in which they would fail*
to stumble : for it ia written, I will smite the shepherd, and the
sheep shall be scattered abroad " <Mk. 14"). " The hour is
come when ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and
shall leave me alone " (Jn. i6 sa).
Now Mk, places the confident
assurance of Peter, and the sad prediction of his denial, immediately after this.
should expect the same sequence in
Jn.; and we find it very nearly, if 13'i-w is placed after 16s3, for
the incident of Peter's boast and rebuke is narrated in i3 aG "38
**

We

Gospel according to SL John,

*Introd. toN.T., p. 554.

p. 85.

The Fourth

Gospel,, p, 499,

Bibbert Journal, April 190$.

DISLOCATIONS OF THE TEXT

xxi

Again, 14* seems to come more naturally after i&*r than

before these verses in which the disciples express bewilderlittle while and ye behold me
ment at the enigmatic saying, '
not," etc. The language of 1617 suggests that this saying was
new to the hearers, whereas It occurs with an explanation in
1
10
141* (cf. 1 3**). See also on 14 * for the priority of the verse 16 .
now turn to c. 15. The allegory of the Vine in the
traditional text begins abruptly, nor is there any sequence
with what precedes in the last verses of c. 14. But, as we have
shown elsewhere, 1 if we place c. 15 immediately after 13, the
point in the narrative at which the Eucharist was instituted,
we find a complete explanation of the sacramental thoughts
which appear
And there are other clues which point
15 1 "*,
to the sequence of i$ ir' with 13s0 .
Thus the unfruitful branch of 15* has an obvious allusion
to Judas, who has just gone away to his act of treachery, if
M directly. The words vfuSs ttafiapoi ttm of
c. 15 follows T3
15* become more forcible the nearer they are brought to
{/mls tta&apai ear*, aXX* ov^l Traw of 1^* u (where see note).
So also the nearer that i5 ia M can be brought to I3 18 ut
being the verses to which they respectively carry an allusion,
the easier are they to explain. Again, in our arrangement
of the text, is1*- 17 give the first statement of the duty of
Christians to love each other (which has been adumbrated
i3B45), but it is not described as a New Commandment (13^)
until it has been thoroughly explained what love implies. 3
Similarly, the teaching about prayer of 1414 shows an
advance on the teaching of is 1* 16 s3, in that at 141 * it is Jesus,
not the Father, who is described as the answerer of prayer.
See the note on 1414
It is not suggested here that we are to look for exact logical
sequence, such as would be appropriate in a philosophical
treatise, in the Last Discourses of Jesus as reported many
years after they were spoken. On the contrary, cc. 14-16 of
the Fourth Gospel abound in repetitions of the same thoughts
and phrases, held in the memory of an aged disciple, but not
necessarily put together in the order in which they were originally delivered.
Yet, where sequence can be detected, it is
worthy of notice.
The teaching about the Paraclete seems to fall into shape
more readily if we place cc. 15, 16 before c, 14. In 15 s8 i6 T
we have the irupQ.KXvjTas described as the Advocate of Christ,
confuting the hostility of the world and confounding its judgments. This is the primary meaning of 7rapaA7}ros (see on
s8
1
); and so far, the idea of the wapaKXyp-oi as the Helper or
1 See on
See, further, note on 15".
15 1 ; and cf. p. clxxiii, 1
>

'

We

THE TEXT

xxu

[Oh.

I,

Guide of Christian disciples has not appeared. Then, at i6ia

we pass to a new thought: the rrapattXifToz is to guide the
apostles into all truth about Christ, and is to reveal future
,

things to them. He is now the Paraclete of the Church, not

of Christ, Then, at 14", it is promised that He will abide
with the Church until the end of time, so that Christian disciples
may not be left 6ptj>avoCt or without a Friend* Finally, at 14s*,
we return to the idea that He will lead them to the truth, which
" teaching " them, and will always keep
is now described as
in their memory the words of Jesus Himself. At this point,
for the first time. He is explicitly identified with the " Holy
Spirit

" of God.

The only phrase 1 which would be favoured by

the traditional order of chapters rather than by the order cc. 15, 16, 14
1
This, it
is , " He shall give you another Paraclete," at 14 *.
may be thought, is more naturally said at the first mention of
the Paraclete than at a point in the discourse after He has

already been named three or four times. But (see note in loc)
this phrase is apposite here, and here only, because Jesus has
just been speaking of His own office as the Advocate with God
who secures an answer to the prayers of the faithful, although
He has not explicitly claimed the title nup&KkyTQs for Himself.
It may be added, in conclusion, that the consolations of
1
14 " * seem to come more appropriately towards the end, than
at the beginningj of the Farewell Discourse, The disciples
have been assured that the world will one day be proved to
have been wrong in its rejection of Jesus (15 26 1& 1*); they are
told, moreover, that they, themselves, will again " see " Jesus
after His departure (i6*) ? which will turn their grief into joy
(i628); they think that they understand this, although it is not
2
so (16 *), and are warned that they will fail in the impending
hour of trial (i6 M). This hurts them, and Peter asks why
they cannot follow Jesus to death even now (I3 37); but he is
again warned that he will fail at the pinch (13 s*)* Then, and
not until then, is explained to them the great assurance of life
after death in the heavenly places which Jesus will prepare
(I42). This is a consolatory promise of a quite different kind
from any of those given in cc. 15, 16, for it leads the thoughts
of the disciples beyond this earthly life.
On grounds such as these, I follow Spitta * and Mofratt 3 in
1 Westcott
{Introd. cxxxi) finds, indeed, a " progress " in the
teaching about the Paraclete, taking the chapters in the usual order
but he takes do account of the difference ratween tile Paraclete oi
Christ in 15 16' and the Paraclete of the Church in 16" 14"- te.
See also Bacon, Fourth Gospel, p+ 500.
See, for tie various hypotheses as to the place of
Moffatt, Inttoa, to Lit, ofN,T p. 556.

iiO

DISLOCATIONS OF THE TEXT

80
Wendt 1 and Paul *
supposing a dislocation of the text at 13
s5
complete
find the break at 13 , but w. 33 and 36 f. seem to be in
.

sequence.

'

Ba aa
provides another example
position of the verses, 3
,
probably due to a disturbance
interpretation,
of difficulties of
of the textual order.
As the verses 3 s1" 38 stand in the traditional text, it would seem
at first sight that they were intended to be a continuation of
the Baptist's " witness " to our Lord, contained in w. 27-30;
and many of the older commentators {e*g< Meyer, Alford) held
But most modern exegetes recognise
this to be the case.
1*" 2*,
we have an evangelistic comthat in this section, as in 3

The

mentary on what has preceded.

The

cc.

15,

16,

"

1 3
style of 3* * is

un-

mistakably that of Jn,, when writing in his own person. However, it does not bear any clear relation to what immediately
precedes in the traditional text Abbott {DiaL 2501 f,)
s3
endeavours, indeed, to interpret 3 of John Baptist; it is the
Baptist, he holds, that is said to have sealed his attestation
But, if so, the words in v, 32, rty fiaprvptav
that God is true.
ovtqv ov&cU A*i/i/Sav, must also be interpreted as Jn.'s
paraphrase of the Baptist's account of the ill success of Jesus*
mission. This is entirely inconsistent with the report of the
Baptist's disciples about Jesus , res e/j^omu irph ovtqv
(v. 26), which drew from their master a confident and joyful
assurance that Jesus was, indeed, the Coming One, the Christ

Himself (w. 37-30).

"
An examination of the section 3s1 86 shows, on the contrary,
that it is a continuation of Jn.'s commentary (w. 16-21) upon
the pronouncement of Jesus in w, 11-15, Thus v, 32, in both
its clauses, reproduces almost verbatim the words ascribed to
" He that
Jesus in v, 11; and v. 31 goes back to v. 12. V, 36*,
beiieveth on the Son hath eternal life/' has been said already
at v. 16; and the sombre warning to the unbeliever or disobedient at v. 36* has been given before, although less exil
He whom God hath sent " (v. 34) recalls
plicitly, at v. iS.
in w, 31-36 which naturally arises
no
saying
There is
v* 17.
out of the section w. 22-30, but everything in w, 31-36, on
the other hand, goes back to w. 11-21.
Hence, it suggests itself that w. 22-30 are out of place;
and this conclusion has been "reached by several scholars.
aa ao
to a position immediately
Lewis proposed to transfer 3

3
8

XXLlL

*
a

Gospel according to St. John, p. 104.

Hibberi Journal, April 1909.

THE TEXT

XXIV

DISLOCATIONS OF THE TEXT

[Oh. I.
1

and this has been approved by Moffatt, Lewis,

That 3* speaks of KaSapuriris
etc.
J, M, Thompson,* Garvie*
2 to suggest the
is thought to recall 2*, and the bridegroom of
ffi
tovtq
in a 18 followed
jjxra.
of
sequence
But
the
image of 3
s2 would be strange and not like the style of
by pr& Tavra in 3
special apJn, Nor can it be said that there would be any

following 2 1*,

3**-*
To place these verses
positeness in such a position of
*' signs *
before the Cleansing of the Temple and the subsequent
who
crowds
explain
the
to
difficult
at Jerusalem (2) makes it
flocked to the ministry of Jesus (*). For, according to this
arrangement of the text, Jesus has not been in Jerusalem at all,
and the miracle at Cana of Galilee is the only " sign " that has

attracted attention,
aa "* originally followed^
simpler explanation is that 3
8
instead of preceding, a "".* Everything then falls mtoptace.
3""**
ie~2L ai-w
""a,, IS
The evangelist's commentary or paraphrase,
aa-3
narrative
bethe
) of
continuous; and a new section <3
ginning with >A*ra Ttwra, as usual in Jn>, deals with the second
witness of the Baptist, and connects itself directly in the open-

ing verses of c, 4 with the journey to Samaria. It may be

2a_w and 1 B is as natural
added that the sequence between 3
4
1 a is unreal.
s6 and
as that between 3
4
'

could not be explained away by saying that He was a

18
madman. There is no connexion apparent between io and
*-*
1
The traditional text represents the allegory of the
io1

this

shepherd and the sheep following (after an undefined interval)

the condemnation of the Pharisees for refusing to recognise in
the cure of the blind man a confirmation of Jesus' claims ; and
then, abruptly, at w, 19-2 1> we turn back to the Pharisees still
In controversy about this very matter. The end of the story of
41
the blind man is in w. 19-31, and this naturally follows on 9 .
and
by
the
This controversy had gone on for some weeks,
time that we have,reached the end of it, a couple of months have
elapsed since the^east of Tabernacles, and so a new paragraph
2
begins by telling us that the Feast of Dedication (see on 10* )
determined
to
get
a
are
hostile
The
Jews
arrived.
had now
t(
Art thou the Christ? " (ioM),
plain answei>,to the question
and Jesus tells them that their unbelief is due to their not being
of His flock, assigning a moral cause for their want of faith as
He had done before (see on to26). If they were His sheep, they
would hear His voice and follow Him, and so would be safe
s7 "29
Then follows, quite naturally, the
).
in His keeping (10
and the sheep, introduced by a/*V
shepherd
the
of
allegory
theme already
dfJLTjv inasmuch as it takes up and enlarges the

suggested by

We
tion,

dislocation " may be found, if we

mistake not, in c + 10, the traditional order of verses being
difficult to interpret, and the order w- 19-29, w. i-rB, w, 30 ff.

Another example of

'

'

suggesting itself as preferable.*

1
First, as is pointed out in the note on io , the introductory
11
"
discourse on a
a
new
begin
to
employed
is
Verily verily
new topic in a manner without parallel in the rest of the Gospel
There is no connexion between the end of c. 9 and the beginning
of c. 10, which opens (as we 1 re it) with the allegory of the
shepherd and the sheep* This has nothing to do with the
controversy about the healing of the blind man, which occupies
On the other hand, it is plain that io18 "*1
the whole of c. 9.
41
after
naturally
comes
9 . The end of the long and tedious
argument about this miraculous cure was that the Pharisees
who were inquiring into the matter were not unanimous in the
conclusion they reached. Some said that Jesus was mad;
others that He really had restored the man's sight, and that
1 Introd, to N.T., p. 553 n.
* Expositor, viu, ix, 422,

this transposition, see

Disarrangements, etc., pp, 25-3 1 *

The Beloved Disciple, pp. ao, 84*

Cadoux, J.T*S July 19*9*

For

Moffatt has adopted this order in his

P- 3*7-

New Translation of the N.T.

XIV

w,

27-29,

believe, then, that

which was

lost

w.

1-18 are out of their true posi-

owing to some accident.

The

who

scribe

placed them immediately after 9^ noticed, no doubt that the

sequence of w. 29, 30 was intelligible, and it satisfied him. In
v* 2S Jesus had said that His sheep were safe in His hand, and
in v. 29 (even more strongly) that they were safe in the Father's
hand. " I and my Father are One " is a declaration which
would be quite in place here. But it is in even a more appropriate place if it follows (as we have argued it should follow)
v. iS: "I have authority to lay it down, and authority to take

This commandmenfcidid I receive from my Father,

Father are One." Itis this unity which explains the
seeming inconsistency of the assertion, " I lay it down of My" the Son can do nothing of
self," with the former statement,
1*)
1*
"
inconsistency which, as the
an
see
on
io
Himself (5 and
text stands, is not relieved by the assertion of unity with the
Father, which is essential to the argument.

it

again.

and

my

"

ft
dislocation" appears at 1241 50, a
sixth example of
naturally after 12 8**, the verses
more
in
comes
which
section

sewa
following i a
I2

[CkL

THE TEXT

XXVl

At v. 36* it is said that Jesus went away and " was hidden,"
the evangelist noting the incredulity of His hearers, in which he
finds a fulfilment of prophecy (w, 39-41), and adding that
nevertheless many of the niters were secretly believers, although
they were afraid to confess it (w. 42, 43). But then at v. 44*
the public and authoritative teaching of Jesus begins again,
the word lnpat being inconsistent with itepvfir} of v. 36*.
And, moreover, the topics of w. 3$, 36 are continued in w. 44 ff.
Thus the contrast between the believer who walks in the light
and the unbeliever whom darkness overtakes is carried on from
v. 35 to v, 46.
But in w. 3S> 3& ft h*5 not yet teen explained
what the Light is to which reference is made; to go back to
Sia is easv for a modern reader, but it would not be suggested
by anything in w. 35, 36. We get the explanation in v. $6 }
" / am come as a Light into the world/' etc., an explanation
which is not only natural, but necessary, if w, 35, 36 are to be
And then Jesus reverts
intelligible in their original context.
to the theme, frequent throughout the Gospel, that His claim
4l
of Himself," but because He is God's
for attention is not
messenger.
There is no change of scene between v, $6* and v, 44.
Vv. 35-36" and w. 44-50 form a continuous discourse, the
x
is summarised vv. 36 -43
argument, the evidence of Tatian's Diatessaron
For, whatever his reason may have been,
gives corroboration.
Tatian rearranges the text of Jn. 12. His order is, Jn. is 1*-"*,
"
*"
then verses from Mt.> Lk,, Jn 1 2*3 50, verses from Lk., Jn. ia 8 41 .
He differs from the conclusion which we have reached as to
w. 42, 43 ; but either he noticed that i2aab '41 could not stand
in the text in the position in which we find them, or {less
probably) he was following manuscripts which placed these
verses in the order that we have adopted as the true one. 3

effect of

To

which

this

Mention must be made here of a rearrangement of the

which has been adopted by many good critics,
but which is not followed in the present commentary.
In 1893 F. Spitta, 3 taking the view that 6 Apxtqrafc of 18 1*
must mean Caiaphas, and noticing the repetition of the
phrase Herpos ttuj Nat QtpfjLaa/6p.crQs in w. iS, 25% suggested
that, perhaps owing to the displacement of a leaf of papyrus,
text in c. 18

1
*

CI Wendt, i.e. p. 96, and Moffatt,

Ct Bacon, The Fourth Gospel, p,

* Gesch,

p. 556.
509, aaid Moflatt, lntrod.

l.c.

to the

d, Urchrisfenthupts,

1893, p. 158.

atxvii

w. 13-37 was in disorder, and that the original

sequence was w. 13, 19-249 14-18, 25 h2B 3 25 1 being a copyist's
This conjectural restoration of the text was thought
addition.
to be connrmed shortly afterwards by the discovery of the
the text of

Sinai Syriac codex, in which the verses are found in the order
F. Blass accepted this as
13, 34, 14, 15, 19-23, 16-18, 2s*-2&'
the true text, 1 stating that the traditional order of verses was
only a narrative "of blundering scribes." Later, G. G.
Findlay and Marfan adopted the order vv, 13* 14, 10-24*
15-18, 25^-28, which only differs from Spitta's in the place
assigned to v. 14, an unimportant variation.
It will be observed that while Spitta' s proposal and that of
MorTatt involve only a transposition of sections of nearly equal
length in Spitta's case w, 14-18 and 19-24, and in Moffatt's
case w. 15-18 and 19-34 the Sinai Syriac, besides transposing
the sections w. 16-18 and 19-2/3, also divorces v. 24 from its
It is in the highest
traditional place and inserts it after v. 13.
degree improbable that this double divergence of the normal
text from the Sinai Syriac can be the result of accident; something more, therefore, is involved in the traditional order than
2
In other
the mere displacement of a leaf of the exemplar,
text
of
Syr*
sin.
has been
presumption
that
the
there
is
a
words,
rearranged from harmonistic motives just as those of Spitta

and Moflatt have

been, 3

See also on

4*.

for these rearrangements is that

they present a more coherent story. In the case of Syr. sin.
the removal of v. 24 to a place after v. 13 enables us to get rid

The advantage claimed

Annas altogether t except for a short halt at his house. As

in Mt., everything is done by Caiaphas, who conducts the
67
preliminary examination of Jesus (so"" ), as well as presiding
of

at the formal meeting of the Sanhedrim (27 ). Again, the title

tipxttpevs is thus strictly reserved for Caiaphas, who was the
recognised high priest at the time, Annas having been deposed
from office previously. And the bringing together of the sections w. 15-18 and 25-27 is thought to be helpful in regard to
an understanding of the story of Peter's^ denials.
In the text as reconstructed by Spitta and Moffatt, Jesus
remains in the house of Annas for the preliminary crossexamination, after which (v, 24) He is sent to Caiaphas. But
Philology oftfa Gospels, 1898, p. 59.
that the
H. Turner (J.T.S,> Oct. igoo, p, 141) suggested
s
11
O.L. codex fi, from which the leaf between 18 and i8* f has been cut.
da
Mepharr.,
Ev.
might have supported Syr, sin. j but cL Burkitt
n. $i6conira>
Schmiedel
Gospel,
and
see
also
{E*B.
p. 164,
Cl Wendt, Fourth
1

C.

who takes the view adopted in this commentary that no

adjustment of the text ia necessary.
4580),

undLit*

DISLOCATIONS OF THE TEXT

l0

re-

THE TEXT

XJCV1U

[Oh.

I.

bring the narrative into harmony with ML, unless

that Caiaphas (although in the house of Annas)
conducts the inquiry of w. 19-23; and in that case v. 24 is
extraordinarily clumsy after v. 23.

DISLOCATIONS OF THE TEXT

**-]

XXIX

this does not

displacement.

we suppose

numbers in the original, because we cannot be sure what contractions were used.
But the following figures, derived from
our printed text, will give at any rate the comparative lengths of

It is argued in the notes on this chapter (see on 18 13 for a

brief summary- of the sequence of events) that two erroneous
assumptions underlie these rearrangements of text. First,
fy^ie/ttus, as a title, was not confined to the high priest at the
moment in office, but was used of ex high priests, such as
*
4*
Armas, as well (see on ? M
i8 u). In 18 15 23 Annas is the
d/^Kfwus, but Caiaphas was the apxi*ptv<; tow tvtavrov klpov.
And, secondly, we cannot get rid of 25 s, as is done by Syr.
sin., as well as by MofTatt, without removing a characteristic
note of Johannine style (see note in he!). Further, the
separation of the later denials of Peter from his first brings
out the interval of time (occupied by the cross-examination of
Jesus) which elapsed since Peter began to wait in the courtyard

the sections:

on

**).

These considerations, which are given more

fully in the
notes, show, I believe, that the traditional order of verses in
i8 l3-aa is more probably original than those which have been
proposed in substitution for it. It may be added that the
traditional order is followed by Tatian, who did not scruple

to transpose verses

wbere the sense seemed

to

demand it.

That a document may contain genuine, but misplaced,

is, as Moflatt has shown, a legitimate hypothesis;
and profane, as well as sacred, literature supplies illustrations. 1
But where manuscript evidence is wholly lacking, and internal
passages

evidence alone is available, hypotheses as to transposition of

sections are necessarily precarious, and ought to be accepted
only when the internal evidence is very strong.
method,
however, of obtaining objective corroboration of such hypotheses
has been adopted during recent years by several scholars, 8
which must not be ignored.
If we knew the number of lines of writing, or of letters,
in a single leaf {recto and verso) of a manuscript in codex form,
we should know the length of a section that would be involved
by the accidental displacement of a leaf. Let us count the
letters in the various sections in which we have found traces of

See Moffatt, Introd.

*See especially F.
Clark

fa

J.

N,T. p. 39.
Paul (Hibbert Journal, April 1909), A, C.
t

(Primitive Text of the Gospels and

{Expositor, vm. ix. 421 i. 191 5).

Thompson

Ads,

1914),

and

J.

M.

not possible to be certain as to the exact

I. c. 5 =
II. 7**- 2

3630

letters. 1

= 763 letters.
IIL i3 -i4 aL = 3120 letters,
IV. 3"-"- 730 letters.
V. io1 ie = i495 letters.
VI, 1 2*n>- = 598 letters.
5lt

(see

It is

Let us suppose that each leaf of two pages {recto and verso)
of our manuscript contained about 750 letters. This would not
be abnormal, and might happen in a variety of ways; e,g a
page of 34 lines, each of
letters, 2 would have 374 letters*
and thus the leaf would have 748 letters. The same result
would be reached if the writing were in double columns, and
each column were of 17 lines. Or, as Thompson suggested,
we might have an arrangement of 25 lines of 15 letters each
to a page, which would give us 750 letters to the leaf. 3
A leaf might carry from 700 to 1500 letters of our printed
t

Thus the oldest extant Greek MS. of Jn. is the

Oxyrhynchus Papyrus numbered 208 and i78r (see p. xiv),
which goes back to the end of the third century. This MS.
was in book form, consisting of a single quire of some 25
sheets, and it is demonstrable * from the fragments which
remain that each page contained about 710 letters, and each
text.

leaf 1420. On the other hand, the papyrus codex 17S0 (see
p, xiv) carried only about 700 letters a leaf. Both of these

provide examples of early Gospel manuscripts written on

papyrus, the leaves being fastened together so as to make
a codex. Scribes are conservative people, and it is probable
that the normal Gospel book was similar to this pattern in
century, whatever its size.
take, then, 750 letters for each leaf, and make no other
hypothesis, leaving as an open question the disposition of
the lines of the manuscript of Jn- under consideration. It
appears at once that %% IL and IV. occupy approximately

the

first

We

one leaf each; V, occupies almost exactly two leaves; L

1
If v, 4 were included, we should have 3795 letters*
Codex h is probably derived from a MS, having 11 letters to
the line (H. S. Cronin, J,T,S. t 1912* p. 563)
and the same may be
;

true of

(Qark, Primitive Text,

etc.,

p. 3),

Thompson also finds traces of a unit of 20S letters Clark, on the

other hand, attaches special significance to a unit ol 160 to 167 letters.
* See Oxyrhynchus Papyri, vol. u. (iSqs), and vol* xv. (1932).
*

THE TEXT

xxx

[Oh, I.

occupies nearly five leaves <75X5 = 375o> which is

number 11
excess of 3630, or only 45 letters less than 3795, the
which
is only
letters,
has
3120
III.
5*
included);

is
the verse
120 letters in excess of four regular leaves (750X4 = 3000);
would not quite fill a leaf, having only 598 letters, but
%
space that
the quotation marks in this section would take up
would normally be occupied by text, and moreover on the
would conclude Part IL of
hypothesis of dislocation, %
left
the Gospel, after which a blank space would naturally be
III.
Part
on
entering
before
These figures are remarkable. If the leaves on which the
a
Gospel was written became disarranged from any cause,
IV.,
V.,
in
II.,
produce
would
them
of

faulty rearrangement
almost exactly the displacements of text to which internal
evidence has pointed; and in L, IIL t VL, the figures would

PART

slightly in

rlf-M

ministry of John the Baptist, and the call of

first disciples of Jesus
Ministry at Cana of Galilee (the first (( sign ").
Cleansing of the Temple {Jerusalem Passover)
Discourse with Nicodemus on the New Birth
Evangelist's commentary thereon.
Ministry injudaa.
Samaria and the woman of Sychar.
Return to Galilee*
Healing of the nobleman's son.
Feeding of the Five Thousand,
Return to Capernaum,
Piscourses on the Bread of Life.
Perplexity of disciples, and the defection of many.
Only the Twelve stand fast.
the

31-12

,i*-n. si

VL

i^t

6 1-1*
BB-0Q

5W-71

1
what we should expect
stands quite apart from,
above
out
drawn
argument
The
and is independent of, the arguments based on internal evidence
and even if it fail to win acceptance, the conclusions as to the
their own
dislocations of the text in Jn. must be considered on

rlft-M

merits.

'

close to

(in)

The Gospel

PART
Cure of impotent

The Structure of the Gospel

falls into

three parts, preceded

by a Prologue

and followed by an Appendix.

Part I. (cc. i w-4M with c. 6) begins at Bethany beyond

Jordan, goes on to Galilee, thence to Jerusalem, and back to
Samaria and Galilee. It deals with the ministry of a little
more than one year,
,
Part II. <cc* s, 7, S-12) has to do with the Jerusalem ministry
of Jesus, and extends over a second year.
Part III. (cc. 13-20) is wholly concerned with the Passion

41
5 -" 7

MM
.

.
.

$**>

may

be exhibited as follows:

THE PROLOGUE

io1*-*

"

"
This (i 1 18) is primarily a Hymn on the Logos, interspersed
with explanatory comments by the evangelist.
i The unit of about 750 letters appears again in Ja.'s account of the
21*-"= 764 letters. Reasons have been
Cleansing of the Temple, viz,
eiven (on 2 11 ) for the opinion that this section is also out of place, but
we caiinot be sure that Jn. did not deliberately place the Cleansing
of the Temple at the beginning of Jesus ministry, and it has accordremove some
ingly been left in its traditional position. It would
14- " after 12", but new difficulties would arise.
difficulties to place a
1
question ri <nj>Aoe Scttvfcts ifaup; (3 *) would not he
E.g. the
suitable after the Raising of Laiaru3,
1

See p. cxzzviii.

Passover).

Retirement to Galilee,
Teaching of Jesus in the Temple (Jerusalem
hostility.

His appeal to the people

intervention of
Nicodemus.
His claim to be the Light of the World: in:

Cure of blind man: his confession of Christ:

condemnation of the Pharisees*
Consequent diversity of opinion about Jesus.
The Feast of the Dedication: Discourse about
the Jews' unbelief; other shepherds are false
guides.

io7

-18

IO80-4H
.1-57

Jem

(Jerusalem

Argument about Sabbath observance.

The relation of the Son to the Father,
The threefold witness to Jesus' claims.
Argument with the Jewish doctors*

dignation of the Pharisees.

and Resurrection.
at length, the structure

II

man

Feast of Tabernacles) arouses

hS7-W

More

The

VL

be

xm

STRUCTURE OF THE GOSPEL

giiL]

Jesus claims to be the Door of the sheep and the

Good Shepherd.
Jesus is accused of blasphemy, and retires
beyond Jordan,
The raising of Lazarus {Bethany} another
:

,1-11

1S*M

brief retirement.
The supper at Bethany t

The triumphal
inquirers*

entry to Jerusalem

the

Greek

THE TEXT

XXXI]

12 23-3l

[Oh,

I.

Announcement of His Passion: His agony

of
perplexity of the bystanders,
a last appeal to those who relast warning
jected Him.
Evangelist's commentary on Jewish unbelief as
foreordained in prophecy.
spirit

.*

12,44-60

12 46b-43

i3 1-S0

The Last Supper;

III

the Feet-washing j

its

spiritual

lesson.
r

-21-30

13***- 15,

16
\

I7 1-2S
l8 l-14

l8 aG-27

Son

19

19

Prayer,
Jesus arrested and brought to Annas.
Peter's first denial.

Examination before Annas; Jesus sent on to

Caiaphas.
Peter's second and third denials.
Jesus accused before Pilate; His first examination by Pilate, who fails to secure His release,
The scourging and mockery: Pilate fails again

I917-Z4
IQ 2B-W

His second examination by

The

who

a
third time to save Him, and pronounces
Pilate,

fails

sentence.
Crucifixion; the soldiers*

Three sayings of Jesus from the Cross.

The piercing of His side: His burial.
The sepulchre found empty.
Appearance of the Risen Lord to Mary Mag-

His

The

.
.
*

I. is mainly occupied with the Ministry of the first

which was largely in Galilee. Its happy progress is

recorded, but this ends with the defection of many disciples

(6"*).
Here is the first suggestion of failure.
Part II. tells of the Ministry at Jerusalem, the success of

which would be fundamental, and of the fierce opposition

which it provoked. Its climax is the final rejection of Jesus
by the Jews, upon which the evangelist comments in a few
sombre words (12 s* *"48).
Part III. narrates the Passion, which seemed the end, and
the Resurrection, which was really the victorious beginning.
The final words explain the purpose of the writing of the Gospel
which is now concluded (20s0 **).
The authentication at the end of the Appendix (21*** **)
has its own special significance. For the Appendix, see on 21^,
-

KON-JOHANNINE GLOSSES
generally recognised that the story of the adulterous
is not Johannine, and that it was interpolated
by scribes at an early date. This is discussed in the note on
the Pericope. There are three or four other passages which
suggest a hand other than that of Jn., and are probably due to
editorial revision* being added after the Gospel was finished,
perhaps before it was issued to the Church. Thus 41, a is a
passage which has been rewritten for the sake of clearness, but
the style is not that of Jn. So 623 is an explanatory nonJohannine gloss. The verse s4 is rejected by modem editors
from the text as insufficiently attested, but linguistic evidence
alone would mark it as non-Johannine.
11* is undoubtedly
an explanatory or parenthetical comment, but it is possible that
it is added by Jn., although there are non-Johannine
touches
of style cf 1 i . There is also some doubt about the comment
ie
at i2 , which reads as if it was not due to the original evangelist, but to some one who had the Synoptic, rather than the
Johannine, story in his mind at this point.
It

to save Jesus.

s ""

(i *).

Part

The Last

1 -7

*
.

l8 is-a*

Jesus foretells His betrayal: Judas departs.

The Last Discourses.

xxxut

The concluding sentences in each of these sections are

noteworthy, as indicating the careful planning of the narrative.
The last words of the Prologue are a summary of the theme
of the Gospel, viz, the Manifestation of the Father through His
year,

PART

STRUCTURE OF THE GOSPEL

I Hi.]

dalene.

is

woman

fr^-S 11)

__

20Ifi-gj

2O 30,

SI
*

appearance to the
commission,
first

disciples',

their

incredulity of Thomas dispelled at His

second appearance to them.
Colophon : scope and purpose of the Gospel,

APPENDIX
21

1-17

fi

Appearance of the Risen Christ by the Sea of

GalileB.

ai*"
21 tt.

SS

Prediction of Peter's martyrdom: a misunderstood saying about John.

Concluding notes of authentication.

EVANGELISTIC COMMENTS
the

These non-Johannine glosses must not be confused with

comments which Jn. makes, as he proceeds, on his narra-

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

X3Utiv

[Oh-

XL

and on the words which he records. These appear not

only in the body of the Gospel, but in the Prologue (cf. p. cxlvj
rive,

u)

7** is* 17*

At
an explanation of words of Jesus which he thinks
may be misunderstood, and at 6*1, ** he calls attention to a

see

on

i B ' ia

and in the Appendix

(ai 18).

Jn. offers

point that may be missed* He points out a misunderstanding

on the part of the Jews (7 ia & w ) and of the disciples (n ls). He
notes that certain words of the Jews correspond with what
Jesus had said about His death (iS 8*; cf. 4**), He ascribes
motives to Judas (12*) and to the rulers fi2 18). He gives
brief elucidations, such as could be needed only by those to
whom the details would be new (4* 671 j cf. 2 M 7 s),
He pauses
to note the irony of Caiaphas' unconscious prophecy (nn).
His general habit, however, is to pass over without comment
(see on i*5) anv obvious mistake or misapprehension as to the
Person of Christ, These mistakes his readers will correct for
themselves, while they need help in regard to obscure sayings.
The special interest of the concluding paragraph of Part II.
has already been noticed (p. xxxiii). Here the evangelist ends
the narrative of the ministry of Jesus at Jerusalem and His
rejection there, by quoting, as part of his own comment, several
verses from the O.T, which show how Jewish unbelief had
been foreordained in prophecy (la 8611 "*8).

CHAPTER

II

THE APOSTLE JOHN AND THE FOURTH GOSPEL

Apostle was the Beloved Disciple,
John the Apostle did not suffer Death by Martyrdom,
John the Apostle and John the Fresbyter.
:he Muratoiian Fragment and the Latin Prefaces on the Authorship of the Gospel.
The Gospel and the Johannine Epistles were written by John
the Presbyter.
The Apocalypse is not by John the Presbyter, but probably by
John the Apostle,
Summary at Argument as to Authorship,
Early Citations of the Fourth Gospel,
[ohn. tile

(vii)
(viii)

(1)

The

John the Apostle was the Beloved Disciple

notices of John by name are infrequent in the N.T.

He
was, apparently, the younger of the two sons of Zebedee, the
proprietor of a fishing-boat on the Lake of Galilee and a man

THE APOSTLE WAS THE BELOVED

J J.]

DISCIPLE

hot

of sufficient substance to employ servants (Mk, i 1** *), His

mother, Salome, was a sister of the Virgin Mary (see on 1 36
18
With his
a ), so that John was a maternal cousin of Jesus,
brother James, he obeyed the call of Jesus to follow Him as a
disciple (Mk. 1 "J and it is probable that he had been attracted
to His company at an even earlier period (see on Jn, r**).
;

earliest list of the Twelve (Mk. 3 1T ) James and John 1

given
the next place after Peter, but that is only due to the
are
order in which they appear in Peter's reminiscences* Peter,
James, and John are specially associated with Jesus three times
7
s
in the Synoptic narrative (Mk. $* 9* 14 *), these incidents
In the last week of His
disclosing their intimacy with Him.
ministry they are found, with Andrew, questioning Him
privately (Mk. 13 3).
John was rebuked for his uncompromising temper of exclusiveness (Mk. 9**, Lk, o 49), a story which agrees with the
report of Irenseus that John would not stay under the same roof
as the heretic Cerinthus (JIar. iii. 3, 4). Lk. (9s4) adds another
illustration of his intolerance, James and John being desirous
of invoking the Divine vengeance on those who would not
Finally, the two brothers
receive their Master hospitably.
aroused the indignation of the other apostles by asking that
when Messiah's kingdom was established they should be
given the two principal places of honour as His viziers (Mk.
ro*6 ; cf. Mt. 2020 , where it is their mother Salome that makes
the request). It is clear that they regarded themselves as in
no way inferior to Peter; nor is he represented as specially
aggrieved by their claim; nor, again, does Jesus in His reply
suggest that they were not entitled to the chief place among the
Twelve (cf. note on 13 s3). But He declares that earthly precedence is reversed in His Kingdom, only asking of James and
John if they are able to drink His cup and be baptized with
His baptism. They assure Him that they can, and He tells
them that so it shall be (Mk. 1038).
James is generally mentioned before John, but in Lk. 8 61
9*1 Acts I 18, the order is Peter, John, James. Lk* specially
associates Peter with John.
He notes (Lk. 22 s) that it was
Peter and John who were entrusted with the preparation for
the Last Supper.
In Acts 31 - u 413, Peter and John together
bear the brunt of Jewish hostility; and, again, these two are
selected by the apostles as delegates to confirm the Samaritans
(Acts 8 14). As early as the year 55, Paul mentions Peter and

In the

) adds that Jesus gave them the title pcnvyprrfv, which he

sons of thunder/' But no Aramaic word has been sugff&stedj corresponding to ftcapiipy& which could mean vtol jS/wrifo
and the title remains obscure (cf. D.C.G. i, **6).

Mk.

(3

interprets

IT

'*

XXXVI

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh.

IL

John, with James the Lord's brother, as the pillars of the Church
at Jerusalem (Gal. a 9). Peter is always represented as the
spokesman, but John snares with him the responsibilities which
leadership brings.
John is represented in Acts 413 as being, like Peter, dy/xtju/wtTos
Kcu E&wrq?.
That is, he was not learned in the lore of Rabbinical schools. To call him " illiterate and ignorant " would
be to exaggerate, but the words employed do not suggest that
he was a man of Learning or of literary gifts.
John the son of Zebedee is not mentioned by name in the
Fourth Gospel, and " the sons of Zebedee " collectively appear
only in the Appendix (21 2). Having regard to the important
position given to John by the Synoptists, it would be strange
if he were ignored by the Fourth Evangelist,
As has been
said above, he may be indicated at i M (where see note); and we
now inquire if any disciple is mentioned by Jn., without being
named, who is specially associated with Peter, as John is by

Luke.

JOHN DID NOT DIE BY MARTYRDOM

|UJ

XXXV11

arisen in regard to him (Acts 1 2 *) , so that if the Beloved Disciple

were not John the apostle, he must be either Thomas, Nathanael,
or one of the two innominati (see on 21* for the possibilities).
Now the constant tradition of the early Church was that
the name of the Beloved Disciple was John. Irenseus {H&r.
in. i, 1) and Polycrates (see p, 1. below) are explicit about this.
So are the second-century Acts of John (avaxelfifvov ipl art

&a

cmjfrj eS<x*Tot 89).

So is Qrigen (cf. Eusebius, H,B.
This is a point on which tradition could not have gone
vi. 25).
astray, and there is no other tradition. There can be no

reasonable doubt that the name of the Beloved Disciple was

John, and therefore Thomas and Nathanael are excluded. 1
If there was another John among the two innominati^ we
might claim him as the Beloved Disciple, but for this there is

no evidence.

The

only other mention of the Beloved Disciple in Jn, is at

is standing near the Cross in company with the
Virgin Mother, whom he received *fc ri ISta
to his lodging*"
This (see on 19 s7) is not inconsistent with his being the
" witness " to whom appeal is made in 19**, for ample time
had elapsed to permit of his return to the Cross. And when we
find at 2 84 that it is the Beloved Disciple who is designated as
" the disciple who bears witness of these things," it is difficult
to avoid the conclusion that the " witness " of 19^ is the same
person (cf. p. Ixix below). 3
ig 88,

where he

'

'

An unnamed

disciple is mentioned (1S1*) as having, in

with Peter, followed Jesus after His arrest j being

company
known to the high priest, he was admitted to the inner court,
while Peter had to stay outside. This might have been John
the son of Zebedeej but there is no real evidence that it was
one of the Twelve (see note on iS15).
In three passages, however, an unnamed friend of Peter

is

described as " the disciple whom Jesus loved," First, the

Beloved Disciple has a place next Jesus at the Last Supper, and
Peter beckons to him to discover the name of the traitor. This
must have been one of the Twelve x (see on 13*8), and so his
identification with John tihe son of Zebedee is suggested.
Secondly, Peter and "the other disciple whom Jesus
loved," run together to the sepulchre which Mary Magdalene
had reported to be empty (aoa '')- Thfi Beloved Disciple's
eagerness to be first at the tomb, his hesitation to enter it when
'*
it was reached, and his
belief" when he saw that it was
empty, are graphically described.
Thirdly, the two disciples whose fates are contrasted in
31 i*-aa are) a^ain, Peter and 6 /uhA^tt^ fr ^yan-a 6 'Itjo-ovs;
and the latter is, apparently, a fisherman, as we know John the
son of Zebedee to have been. The narrative of the Appendix
helps the identification in another way* The " Beloved
Disciple " must be one of the seven persons indicated in 21 s ,
and among these the sons of Zebedee are expressly included.
James is excluded, for the tradition of v. 23 could not have
1 Cf, contra, Sanday {Criticism
of Fourth Gospel, p, 98),
1/.T.5,, July 1916, p, 374).

and Swete

(11)

John the Apostle did not sxjffer Death by

Martyrdom
Accepting the identification of the Beloved Disciple with
the apostle John, the tradition of the early Church that John
lived to extreme old age, which is suggested in 2i aa (see note
in loc. and cf. p. xlvii f,), is consistent at every point.
This tradition has, however, been challenged; and some
^
critics have put forward the theory that John the apostle, the
son of Zebedee, died as a martyr early in his apostolic career,"

whom

So also is Lazarus, of
it 13 said three times that Jesus loved
H ). He waa suggested as possibly the beloved disciple
(Jn. II*- '
by W. K. Fleming, Guardian, t gth Dec. 1 goG, but he must be ruled out,
The theory that the Beloved Disciple is an ideal figure, and not
a man of flesh and blood, has been put forward by a few critics, e+g,
R6ville : " II apparait comme im fibre irreel , ,
fe disciple idal qui
est snr le sein du Christ, comnae le Christ est sur le sein do Dieu,"
quoted by Latimer- Jackson, The Problem of the Fourth Gospel, p. 155.
But to dismiss the vivid notices of the Beloved Disciple in this way ia a
desperate expedient of exegesis,

him

This view

is

favoured by Schwartz, WeUhausen, Schmiedel

p. 602), Bacon {Fourth Gospel, p. 133},

{E.B. 2509), MoSatt (Intfod.

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

sxxviii

[Oh,

H.

while a different person, viz. John the Beloved Disciple, lived

to be an old man, and died peacefully at Ephesua. In a seventhor eighth-century Epitome of the History of Philip of Side
(fL circa 450) the statement is found that " Papias in the second
book says that John the Divine and James his brother were
ninth-century writer, George the
killed by the Jews,"
Sinner, reproduces part of this, and claims the fact that both
of the sons of Zebedee met a violent death as a fulfilment of the
For this story there is ? however,
Lord's prediction, Mk. iow
no other authority than the epitomiser of Philip of Side, while,
since the second century, the Christian Church has always
accepted the statement of Irenaeus that John died a natural

death.

The problem as to the death of John the apostle is so

important in view of the inferences which have been drawn
from it, that the method adopted by the epitomiser of Philip
of Side, and also his trustworthiness, must be examined in
detail,

however tedious.

of extracts from ecclesiastical histories,1 one

here in question, are headed by the rubric: "
collection of different narratives, from the birth of our Lord
according to the flesh, beginning from the first book (Ajdyau) of
the ecclesiastical history of Eusebius." The collection falls
into seven sections, all of which borrow matter from Eusebius,
but in one or two instances make use of tradition not found in
that author's extant works. The sixth of these sections is
concerned with Papias, and is printed in full in Lightfoot's
Apostolic Father y p. 51S. Much of the collection is in
Eusebius; and it must be borne in mind that the Epitomiser
does not profess to quote Papias at first hand. He only
gives a summary (like a series of notes) of what he found in
Philip of Side, who may or may not have had direct access to
the writings of Papias. We shall describe him throughout as
the Epitomiser, leaving it an open question {as we must)
whether he correctly represents Philip of Side or not,

The

series

of which

is

Burkitt (Gospel History and Transmission, p, 252), Charles (Revelation,

It is rejected by Lightfoot [Essays on Superi. p. xlv), and others.

Drummond [Character ana Authorship, etc.,

[Forsch. vi. 147), Chapman (John *A* Presbyter, p. 9$),
Haraack (Chronol. i. 665 f.j, Loofe, Clemen, Armitage Robinson
1 have discussed the
(Historical Character of St, John's Gospel, p. 64),
problem at some length in Stttdta Sacra, p. 260 t
1 Printed from the Oxford Cod. Barocc. 142 by De Boor in Texts
und Untersuchungen, v. 2 (1886),
natural Religion, p. 21s),
p, 228),

Zalm

JOHN DID NOT DIE BY MARTYRDOM

S*]

XXXIX

Epitomiser begins; " Papias, bishop of Hierapolis,

hearer of John the Divine and a companion of
x
Polycarp, wrote five books (Adyovv) of Oracles of the Lord."
The description of Papias as aKOwrrrj<s 'Lwbvvov, HoXvadpirov
8i iraZpvs is in Eusebius (iii. 39. i)j who is avowedly quoting
from Irenaaus (v. 33. 4). The context in Iren&us (v. 30, 3)
is explicit as to John, whose hearer Papias was, being the
author of the Apocalypse. The title o fcoAoyo? cannot have
been in Papias, as it does not appear before the fourth century.
The Epitome proceeds: " Wherein [i.e. in Papias* work],
when giving a list of the apostles, after Peter and John, Philip
and Thomas and Matthew, he included among the disciples of
the Lord, Aristion and another John flmawip h-ipor), whom
a again is abbreviated from
also he called TrpeajSurepos," This
being omitted.
Andrew
and
James
Eusebius (iii. 39. 4),
The next sentence, beginning Jw was ofea-ftu, probably
does not reproduce statements of Papias, but is a comment of
" So
the Epitomiser, although Lightfoot takes it differently.
that some think that [this] John is the author of the two short
and catholic epistles, which are published in the name of John;
because the apx*iot [i.e. the early Church leaders] only accept
the first epistle. Some, too, have wrongly thought the Apocaa
Papias
lypse also to be his [i.e< John the presbyter's],"
himself would never have spoken of the apxatat as authorities
who passed judgment on the Johannine writings. The comment evidently comes from a later age, when questions of authorship and canonicity had arisen. It may be found in substance
The Epitomiser deprecates the idea
in Eusebius (iii. 25. 3)that the Apocalypse was not written by John the apostle*
Papias also goes wrong about
{) The Epitome proceeds
the Minenniunij and from him Irenaeus also." This also
comes from Eusebius (iii. 39. 12), who says in connexion with
The reference
it that Papias was a man of limited intelligence.
(a) The
who was a

' (

to Irenseus
(f)

is

to v. 33, 4, as before.
by the next sentence, viz, about the martyrdom
James, until the rest of the Epitome has been

We pass

of John and
examined.
(d) " The aforesaid Papias stated on the authority of the
daughters of Philip, that Barsabbas, who is also called Justus,
when challenged by the unbelievers, drank viper's poison in
This is
the name of Christ, and was preserved scathless."
reproduced from Eusebius (iii. 39, 9), Eusebius does not
1

by

The Papias memoranda

Dom

Chapman, John

in the Epitome have

the Presbyter, p. 05, with

clusion, that they are mainly derived

* See p. Hi for this passage.

been analysed also

whose general confrom Eusebius. I agree,

s

CI

p. liv.

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

xl

[Oh.

IL

1
(cf. [Mk.] 16 *), and he cites
this
for
story, but for
authority
Philip's daughters not as the
something similar to the next*
relates also other wonderful things, and parti(e)
cularly the story about the mother of Manaimus, who was raised
from the dead/' Eusebius (m\ 39. 9) notes that Papias had a
story about a resurrection from the dead, and it is no doubt
this to which the Epitomiser refers, giving, however, the
additional detail of the name of the resuscitated person,
" about those raised from the dead by
(J) The last note is:
Christ, that they lived until the time of Hadrian," The
Epitomiser does not say expressly that this comes from Papias,
although it is among the Papias memoranda. It may have
been added only because of its similarity to (e). In any case,
it was told by Quadratus in his Apology addressed to Hadrian
(Eusebius, iv. 3. 2) that some of those raised by Christ "survived
It is hardly doubtful that the Epitomiser
to our own times."
is here again borrowing from Eusebius.
give no
V/e observe, then, that the paragraphs a y b d, er
information about Papias or his writings that is not in Eusebius,
except in regard to the name Manaimus, which may be adetail
of independent tradition. If these memoranda were directly
taken from Papias' writings, it is hardly credible that Philip
of Side should have chosen exactly those points as notable
which had already been selected by Eusebius. In short, it is
doubtful that Philip of Side knew anything about Papias
1
except what he found in Eusebius.
now go back to the fragment of importance : (c) Hairiae

mention the nature of the poison

"He

We

&

rt

$vr4p*p

\6y&

Xfyci ort 'Iokiv^s o tfeoXoyos mil 'Iaxa>/3o$ 6

As in (a) the title 6 fleo^<>yos has been added by the

Epitomiser (or by Philip); it could not have been used fry
Papias. The statement then is that "John and James his
brother were killed by Jews." Now James the son of Zebedee
s
was not killed by Jews, but by Herod (Acts 12 ), and Christian
his
death,
upon the Jews,
guilt
of
never
laid
the
historians have
It is impossible to believe that Papias had any different tradition on the subject. Again, if Papias said that John the son of
Zebedee was killed by Jews, we should have expected that
in the Epitome incredulity would have been indicated. The
1 Philip's contemporaiy,
Socrates, says of him that he was a
laborious student who had amassed many books, but that his history
was useless, being both loose and inexact, especially in regard to
This agrees well with the
chronology (Socrates, Ecch Hist,, vii, 27).
mistakes and omissions that are to be observed in the fragments of
the Epitome {inchiding those about Papias) which have been printed
by De Boor. Either Philip or his epitomiser was a blunderer.

JOHN DID NOT DIE BY MARTYRDOM

u.]

xli

Epitomiser believed (see p. xxxix above) that John wrote the

Apocalypse, but this would have been impossible had John
Nevertheless,
suffered martyrdom at the hands of the Jews,
the Epitomiser adds no adverse comment upon the belief
with which he seems to credit Papias here, as he does in paragraph (). This statement, then, both in regard to John and
to James, provokes the suspicion that it is a misrepresentation
or corruption of what Papias said,
I have shown elsewhere 1 that the clue to the corruption
in Jerome's version of the Chronicle of Eusebius;
found
is
*'
Jacobus* frater domini quem omnes Justum appellabant a
Judaeis lapidibus opprimitur," If we compare this with the
Armenian version and also with the Greek history of Syncellus
which is based on Eusebius 3 we find that the Greek text of
b u&t\<f>Q? tov xvpwv
the Chronicle at this point was
*Ia.K(DJ$o$ a ovo/xacrflfts wro iraxTtov Sikwjs XiOok iro 'louSaftitv
Now the story of the martyrdom of James the
dvcupetrai.*
Just is reproduced in Eusebius' History in full from Hegesippus,
Josephus also being cited (u\ 23. 18, 20), both writers specially
emphasising the fact that he was killed by Jews. When
Eusebius comes to record this in his Chronicle he uses the very
words ascribed in our Epitome to Papias wro *Iou&uW
Avatpcirai.
The Epitomiser has used of the martyrdom of
James the Great a phrase which really belonged to the martyrdom of James the Just,
It is true that the Epitomiser expressly assigns his statement
to Papias, and appears to specify (for the only time in his record)
the actual book of the 'Eir/qo"s from which his memorandum is derived. It is in the second Xoyos, this term being used
by him, as in paragraph (a), for a volume or section of Papias'
work. But these sections were called /?iAta s not Aoyoi, by
Irenseus (v. 33. 4), as well as by Maximus Confessor * (seventh
cent,), who shows direct acquaintance with the *E|ijy^rs.
No doubt X^yos may be only a slip on the part of the Epitomiser
for the more accurate fjifiXiov* But it is suspicious* that
Xoyrs is the very term used by Eusebius (not by Papias) for the
divisions of his History, and the Epitomiser knew this (see
Is it not then probable that when the Epitomiser
p. xxxviii).
gives iv t Scvrtpy Aoyip as his reference, he is quoting from the
:

Studia Sacra, p. 271 f .

So it is restored in Migne's text

; cl also Schoene's edition of the

Chronicle, ii. p. 154.
* Cl lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, pp. 522, 523.
* Eusebius describes the Five Books of Papias as ffvyypifijtaTiL

(iii.

39. 1).

This was

first

pointed out by

W. Lockton

[Theology,

Aug, 1922,

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

xlii

[Oh.

H,

second Xoyos of Eusebius (whose third book he has been using

than from the second fafiXtw of Papias, which
there is no good evidence that he had ever seen ?* In other
words, the Epitomiser is going back to the story of the martyrdom of James the Just, told in Ens. ii. 23, as well as briefly
in Eus, hron s.a 61 in the words wro *lovBaCwv dym/jemu.
It may be that Papias said something about the martyrdom
of James the Just by the Jews, as Hegesippus did; but it is
doubtful that the Epitomiser has any more ultimate authority
than Eusebius, *IaKb>j3o b dSeA,0os avrov is in some way
corrupted from *Iok<oj3o^ a ABtXtfto^ tow avpiov. 'Itii&vvTjs 6
BtoXvyas is not an expression that Papias could have used*
It is not possible to discover with certainty how this double
blunder in the Epitome arose. Lightfoot a suggested that a
whole line had dropped out, the fates of John and James his
brother being contrasted in the original sentence. I made a
different suggestion in 190s, 8 viz, that the sentence in Eusebius'
Ckrarticle 6 dStXc^os rov Kvptov *laKuj@o;, had been corrupted

JOHN DID NOT DIE BY MARTYRDOM

5*-]

xliii

Also in the Calendar of Carthage (505 a,d,) we find

freely) rather

Dec. 26. S, Stephani primi martyris.

Dec, 37. S. lohannis Baptistae et Jacobi apostoli quern

Herodes

occidit.

Dec, 28. Sanctorum Infantum quos Herodes occidit.

by

scribes into

dS*A.cos

ttwav

ko.1

Tok<i>/}o?,

a bad Greek

sentence j but one which would suggest that both the sons of
Zebedee were intended. All that can, however, be said with
confidence is that the sentence as found in the Epitome is
corrupt, and that no historical inference can be drawn from a
corrupt sentence in a late epitome of the work of a careless and
blundering historian. To base upon De Boor's fragment an
argument for the martyrdom of John the son of Zebedee is, as
Harnack has said, an uncritical caprice." *
'

Another argument in support of the idea that John died a

martyr's death has been based on the evidence of ecclesiastical
calendars.
In a Syriac Martyrology (before 411

find the

Dec. 26. Stephen, chief martyr, etc.

Dec. 27. John and James, the apostles, at Jerusalem,
Dec. 28. At Rome, Paul and Peter, the chief of the
Lord's apostles.
r0

ftevriptp

X&w

is

also the phrase used

by George the Sinner

he is merely copying the Epitome of Philip of Side.

Supernatural Religion, p. 212. He is referring to tile passage in
George the Sinner, but the suggestion 13 applicable also to De Boor's
fragment.
a
* TkeoL Literatursettling, 1909, nr, JCf Studia Sacra, p. 273.
* Printed by Wright in the Journal of Sacred Literature for 1S66,
Cf, Studia Sacra, p. 27S.
fp.

xxxvili), but

martyr.
This argument misconceives the principle on which the
early Calendars were constructed* The Syriac Martyrology
may be compared with a passage in Aphrahat (t344) * l After
Christ was the faithful martyr Stephen whom the Jews stoned,
Simon also and Paul were perfect martyrs. And James and
John walked in the footsteps of their Master Christ." l It
will be noticed that it is not said explicitly here that James and
John suffered a martyr's death. Now the selection of Stephen,
Peter, James, John, Paul, as the great leaders whose memory
was celebrated after Christmas, is specially mentioned^ by
Gregory of Nyssa (circa 385) as customary. He explains *
that they were commemorated as " leaders of the apostolic
chorus " {ttjs dmHTToAtKTjs apponos <^ap^ot); and adds that
they, endured the combat with different kinds of martyrdom
Peter
rpQiHMs
hfaOX^rtxvr^t
fULprvptov
(Sto^idpois
Si Tot?
being crucified, James beheaded, and John's witness being
fulfilled, first in his trial when flung into the cauldron of boiling
oil, and secondly in his continual willingness to die for Christ.
The praise of the proto-martyr is followed, Gregory says, by a
for neither are martyrs without
commemoration of apostles,
apostles, nor are apostles separated from them/* The insertion of names in the Church Calendars did not depend on
their title of pdprvs in the restricted meaning of one who
And the same
suffered death for his Christian witness.
principle is enunciated by Gregory of Nazianzus about the same
time
his panegyric on St. Basil the Great. 8 He compares
Basil to the great men of the O.T, and N/I\ t mentioning in
order John the Baptist, "the zeal of Peter, the intensity of
the lofty utterance (jteyaXatfiaifov) of the sons of
Paul . *
'

'

A.D.)*we

entries:

1 kr

It is argued that, as John Baptist is commemorated in the

same Calendar on June 24, the entry S. lohannis Baptistae
here must be a mere mistake for S, lohannis Evangelislae
whose day is Dec- 27 in later Calendars of the West, And
the conclusion is drawn that, in the Syriac Martyrology and
in the Carthage Calendar alike, John is commemorated as a

'

De

Persecutions, 33

(cf.

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, voL

p. 401}.
*

See Migne, Part- Gr., xlvi. cols, 789, 7 2 5. 7 2 9Nicene and Post-Nicenc Fathers, vol. vii. p. 149W

Cf,

xiii.

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

xliv

[Oh,

JX

Zebedee, the frugality and simplicity of all the disomies,"

adding that he did not suffer Stephen's fate, although willing
to face it. Like Aphrahat, he mentions the five great leaders,
making it plain that the pre-eminence of Peter, Paul, James,
and John, which made them worthy of special commemoration,
did not rest on their martyrdom, for this is only mentioned in
the case of Stephen,
Thus the evidence for John's death by martyrdom, which
is derived from the evidence of Church Calendars, must be
dismissed, for Calendars included the names of great leaders,
whether they were " red " martyrs or no. 1

third, and minor, plea in support of the theory that John

the apostle died a martyr's death is based on a statement
quoted by Clement of Alexandria {Strom, iv. 9) from the
commentary of Heracleon on Irk. 12"-. Schrniedel observes
that Heracleon, while expressly mentioning Matthew, Philip,
Thomas, and Levi among many who did not suffer death by
martyrdom, does not mention John the apostle, who would
have been entitled to the first place had Heracleon known of his
peaceful end. 3 But this is to misunderstand Heracleon, who
1$ combating the extravagant claims sometimes made on
behalf of " confessors." We must distinguish, he says, those
who have been called to make public confession of their faith
before a magistrate from those who have only made their
Christian confession in peaceful ways of life. For instance,
we must place Matthew, Philip, Thomas, etc., in the latter
category. Heracleon does not claim these apostles as " conAnd he does not put John the apostle
fessors with the voice."
among them, because he inherited the general Christian tradition that John had made confession and had been exiled
Whether
to Patmos Bia t^v paprvpiav 'fyvov (Rev. i*).
Heracleon were right or wrong as to the fortunes of the apostles
whom he names is not to the point. But, on his view, it is
certain that he could not have excluded John from those who
bore pu&Itc witness to their faith. The example of John would
not have served his purpose on any view of the apostle's end,

submit that SchmiedePa argument based on Heracleon must

be set aside,
For a fuller discussion, I may refer to Studia Sacra, pp. 275 ff.
The argument has been accepted by Haxnack {Theol. Literatureeitung,
Kobhison (Hist. Character of St John's Gospel,
1909, P. 11). by J.
p, 69 t.V and others.
*E.B. 251 1,
1

*]

THE APOSTLE AND THE PRESBYTER

xlv

40 contains a prediction of
Lastly, the idea that Mk. io**a forgetfulness of the
upon
rests
violence
John's death by
context and a misunderstanding of the words employed.
at the time that Jesus was
(1) None of the apostles believed
going to die, and the affirmation of James and John that they

baptism did
could drink His cup and be baptized with His
for Him.
not contemplate death for themselves any more than
He knew this, and knew, too, that a prediction of violent death
could not have
for them both was a prediction which they
do not
understood.
(2) The present tenses mW, /fturrffrptUf
but
to that
for
Jesus,
future
the
still
in
what
was
to
point
(3) To
ministry of sorrow which had already begun for Him.
(i
drink the cup " is a familiar O.T. metaphor, often descriptive
s
75 , Isa. 51",
of accepting tribulation appointed by God (Ps.
a
necessarily
1
It always involves pauij but not
Jer. 25 *).
" to be overhere
means
jifcirnferAu
death.
violent
(4)
whelmed " as it were with a flood of calamity, the verb being
used thus Isa. 214 (LXX), Ps. 69* (Symmachus), and Ps. 9^>
For the image of an afflicted saint being overwhelmed with
end in death), cf.
tides of misfortune (which do not always
w 88 7 . (s) jfthrw/ia fitLTtTLtopai is a literal
Ps. 32* 42* 6o

fl

Greek rendering of an Aramaic expression meaning "lam

being overwhelmed," ia by the deep waters of God's
80
appointment (cf, Lk. iz ). (6) To suppose that
" baptism of blood
is an
jSmrnfo/Aot carries allusion to a
anachronism suggested by the patristic notion that death by
martyrdom was like baptism, in that it too brought remission
of sins. This idea is found nowhere in the N.T. {7) Origen,
*' baptism of
even while struggling to relate Mk. 10*** to a
and James
Patmos
to
banishment
regards
John's
blood/'

?W

execution by Herod as equally fulfilments of Christ's^ saying

that they would drink His cup and be baptized with His
* is that they
baptism,* (8) The plain meaning of Mk. 10*
should both endure tribulation and pain even as He was

enduring

itj

and

so

it

came

8
to pass.

John the Apostle and John the Presbyter

In the preceding section (11) of this chapter we have reached
(in)

the conclusion that the evidence alleged in favour of the martyrcontinue

dom of John the apostle by Jews is worthless.
to follow the tradition of the second century, that he died in
a
1
Comm. in Matt. torn. xvi 6.
See Field, Hexapla, in Joe.
* more fully in J*T*S
U Apr. 19^7*
I have treated Mk. io*-

We

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

xlvi

[Ch.

H.

The first
at Ephesus, where he was buried.
allusion to his long life is found in the Appendix to the Fourth
'
Gospel (Jn. 2i u u a passage which is harmonious with the
extreme old age

),

earliest tradition.

There is no doubt as to the belief of the second century,

which was followed by all Christendom, that John the apostle
was the author of the Fourth Gospel, at any rate in the sense
Papias, Irenaeus,
that his apostolic witness was behind it,
Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Hippolytus, Tertullian, and
and most of them
others are clear as to this, as we shall see
ascribed to John the apostle the authorship of the Apocalypse
and of the Johannine Epistles as well. We shall examine in
detail the evidence of Irenaaus, Polycrates, and Papias, as much
depends on the precise words which they use. We shall find
ourselves compelled by Papias to recognise the existence of
two Johns, both of whom lived at Ephesus at the end of the
;

century; although the literature of the second century,

outside Papias, betrays no knowledge of that.
The evidence of second-century writers cannot be interpreted until we have apprehended the meanings which they
Most of our
attach to the words apostle, presbyter^ disciple.

first

evidence as to this terminology must come from Irenaeus, a.s

little is extant of the writings of Papias and Poly crates, while
Justin has not much to tell about John.
A.

IREN.EUS

The term " apostles " stands primarily for the Twelve,
Paul also being an apostle (cf. Justin, Dial. Si, Irenaeus, Hmr.
As in Acts i aa 1 Cor, 91 the essential
iii. 13. i, iv. 21, 1).
l(
apostle " has *' seen the Lord," and can
condition is that an
Clement of Alextherefore give his testimony at first hand,
andria speaks of Barnabas as an AiroaTtAo ; (Strom* ii. 6),
,

while in another place (Strom, ii. 20) he calls him forooroXucd*,

as a companion of apostles, Tertullian distinguishes apostolici
from apostoli in the same way (de Pr&scr* 32, adv. Marc. iv. 2).
As in Acts 15*" ai, the distinction between fonwroAot and
irpccjffuTcpoi is clearly marked, the apostles being the original
leaders, while the presbyters were those who carried on their
work, Irenaeus uses the term irpeo-fivTcpot to designate those
who, whether officially or unofficially, had succeeded to the
Thus
position of leadership which the apostles held.
" quapropter eis qui in ecclesia sunt, presbyterisobaudire
" (iv, 26, 2);
oportet, Ms qui successionem habent ab apostolus
c

ol

Trpta-fivTipoi

qui Ioannem

runr

i.ir(Krr6Xtav

/iafl^rat

(v.

discipulum domini uiderunt "

5,

1);

presbyten
l

(v. 33. 3)

dicunt

IRENAEUS

i*i*-]

xlvii

presbyten apostolorum discipuli/ etc. (v. 36. a cf. D&monstr.

Again, the term Trpttrftvrcpos is sometimes used by
% 3).
Ireraeus of men of the third Christian generation: u quemadmodum audiui a quodam presbytero, qui audierat ab his qui
apostolos uiderant et ab his qui didicerant " (iv, 27. 1). That
is to say, presbyters are either disciples of apostles, or disciples
of their disciples ; they are the leaders of the Church in the
second and third generations. There is no example, in the
literature of the second century, of the equation -rrptaf&rtpai
;

forotrroAoi,

the Lord's disciples " is used sometimes, as it

in the widest sense. Those who leave all and follow
Jesus are thus described by Irenseus (iv. 8. 3), while the phrase
dhcipuli Christi is used more generally still (v, 22. 1), But
the term is also applied in a stricter sense to those who were
among the first disciples, a circle including, but wider than,
that of the Twelve, Thus Irenaeus in one place distinguishes
the "apostles" from the *' disciples of the Lord." Com-

The term

is

' E

still,

menting on Acts 4 Mf- he

airai
Kvpiov

<i

wat

(ih\

12.

Says, avrcu tftwval

5).

ri)s 4KK.\7fo-{as

$ tuval t&v jiaOrjr&y row

Among the company present on that
besides the Twelve, and *' the disciples of

LirotrrohM

ovtoa

occasion were others

the Lord " would have included those who were fiA&yjriu
although not of the inner circle* Some of these early disciples,
including some who had actually seen and heard Jesus in the
flesh, may well have outlived the original apostles;
and
11
Anstion and the presbyter John " are described by Papias
as ol tov Kvptav fia&Tjrai, some of the apostles being described
by him in the same way. To this passage from Papias we
shall return presently (p. Iii).
We must collect now what Irenaeus says about John {as
distinct from John the Baptist).
The title "the disciple of
the Lord n in the singular is applied by Irenseus to n& one but
John ; and he speaks a dozen times of * ' John the disciple of the
Lord." E,g, this is the designation of the author of the Prologue to the Gospel (i. 8, 5, ii, 2. 5, iii, 11. 1. 3), as of the author
of the Gospel itself (ii, 22. 3, iii. 16* 5), Jn. 2 M and 20s1 being
quoted. Irenseus is explicit about this (iii. 1. 1): 'IukEv^s 6
piftjr^s toS Kvptov a ko.1 4m to ot$0qs avrov dpaTrarur, km
o6ros ifcoWf to eitayyiXtoV} iv 'E^ecu tJ* *A<rias 8rrpt/W*
In this passage * John the disciple of the Lord " is he who
11
lay on His breast/* and *' gave out " the Gospel at Ephesus,
the verb i$$u>Kt being used rather than Zypatf/e* Irenseus
also mentions John the disciple of the Lord as the author of
Epp, L and II* (i. 16. 3, iii. 16. 5); and as the seer of the
l

See

p.

Hx

below,

APOSTLE JOHN AKD FOURTH GOSPEL

xlviii

[Oh.

H.

of
Apocalypse, the vision being seen towards the end
Papras
Donation's reign (iv. 30- 4> v. 26. i, 3> 3)- He cites
it in the
as his authority for a Chiliastic prophecy, introducing
words " the presbyters, who saw John the disciple of the Lord,
the Lord used to
relate that they had heard from him how
and
teach concerniiig those times and to say," etc. (v. 33, 3);
'Wwou
/act dKovortp^
Umrtws,
Bfe
*i
toviu
end,
the
at
adding
iTrtjuipwptt
UoXviUpirov Bi fTOtpos yvyovw, op^atM dnj/>, iyypd^as
Thus the habit of Irenaeus is to describe the
ktX. (v. 33, 4).
Beloved Disciple as " John, the disciple of the Lord," as if he
were pre-eminently entitled to that designation. He explicitly
names him as the author of Gospel, First and Second Epistle,
and Apocalypse,
.
Finally, for Irenteus,

John was an

apostle*

Having

cited

the language of the Prologue, which he ascribes to John, he

elpyKW
notes; on Be ov Trepi tw trvvyuav avrtw 6 dwoffroAos
(i.

9,

2).

MM,

v. 20. 6).

have already seen that apostle for Ireneeus (as for other
writers) means one of the Twelve, or some one of similar
Hence to call John the disciple of the
status, such as Paul.
Lord an " apostle " means that he is to be identified with John
the son of Zebedee. And Irenseus makes no attempt to disof Peter
He mentions the early preaching
tinguish two JohnsJJ
), and describes
and John (iii. 13. 3, "Petrus cum Iohanne
C(
The apostles whom
it as the teaching of apostoli (iii. 12.4).
'*
the Lord made witnesses of every action and every doctrine
(<
Peter and James and John " who were everywhere
included
present with Him (iii, 12, 15; cf. also iii. si. 3).
Irena&us became bishop of Lyons about 177 a.d., and his
his
great work on Heresies was written about 180. He tells in
Letter to Florinus (Eus. H,E. v. 20) that when a boy he had
often seen Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna (bom about 70 a.d.,
martyred in 155)* who had been a disciple of John, and who
to tell what he had heard from him and other apostles
used

xlix

about our Lord, Irenaeus was born about 130, and lived until
201 or thereabouts, having left Asia Minor for Rome and
1
It is difficult to suppose that he
the West not later than 155.
had misunderstood what Polycarp had been accustomed to
tell about John, or that Polycarp could have been mistaken
Irenseus tells the story
as to the career of John the apostle.
of John's horror of Cerinthus and his doctrine (iii. 3* 4) on
Polycarp's authority, although he does not say that he got it
He alleges in another place (iii. 1 1. 1) that
directly from him.
John's purpose in his Gospel (per euangelii annuntiationem)>
and especially in the Prologue, was to combat the heretical
teaching of Cerinthus,
Irenseus, then, only knows of one John at Ephesus, whom
he speaks of as John the Beloved Disciple and an apostle j he
regards him as the author of the Gospel and the Apocalypse,
as well as of Epp* I. IL

Again, mentioning a tradition handed on by John

**
all the presbyters who had interthe disciple of the Lord to
had
course " with him in Asia, he adds that these presbyters
the tradition not only from John, but from other apostles
So again: " the Church in Ephesus founded by
(iL S3. 5).
with them until the times of Trajan,
remaining
Paul, John
" (iii. 3* 4).
is a true witness of the tradition of the apostles
And, speaking of Polycarp's observance of Easter, Irena&us
"
adds that Polycarp followed the custom of John the disciple
"
of our Lord, and of other apostles with whom he had associated
v. 24* r6), explaining in another place that
(Eusebius,
John was one of those who had seen the Lord {Eus. H.E,

We

POLYCRATES

giii.]

B POLYCRATES
t

We

possess part of a letter written by Polycrates, bishop of

Ephesus, to Pope Victor, about 190 a.d. ? on the subject of the
observance of Easter- 3 Polycrates defends the Quartodeciman
practice, 3 not only as " in accordance with the Gospel," but
because it was the tradition of the Church in Asia Minor.
Accordingly, he begins by naming * ' the great lights " (jicyaXa
prot^cta) of that

daughters^ John,

Church,

viz.

Polycarp,

Philip

the apostle and his

Sagaris, Papeirius,

Thraseas,

1 See, for details, Lipsius in Did. Chrt Biogr.,

* Cf. Eusebius (H.E. iii. 31, v. 24),

Apparently

iii,

253 i

the Asian Quartodecimans celebrated Easter on

Kiaan 14 {the day of the Jewish Passover), irrespective of the day of
the week, while the Western Church had the celebration on the Sunday,
But the arguments by which
irrespective of the day of the month.
the Quartodecimans supported their practice are not very dear. If
it was because they celebrated, in particular, the Institution of the
Eucharist, and held that this was at a Passover meal, of which Jesus
partook, then they would seem to follow the Synoptic chronology
(see p. cvi).
If, however, the stress was laid on Jesus being Himself
the true Paschal Lamb, they relied on the Fourth Gospel. But the
probability is that what was intended hy all Christians on Easter Day
was to commemorate the Redemption of Christ generally, which
included the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection alike.
No conclusive argument for or against their reliance on the Fourth
Gospel can be built on their practice as to the day of the month. See
Stanton, The Gospels as Historical Documents, 1 pp. 1 73-1971 ior an
admirable account of the matter,
* Polycrates has been thought to have confused Philip the apostle
With Philip the evangelist, but of this there is neither evidence nor
probability.

&

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh, IX.

and Melito as eminent persons whose example should command

respect in the matter of Easter observance.
Philip's memory was revered at Hierapc-lis, "where he died
(cf. Acts of Philips %% 107, 139).
He is not called fAaprvs> nor
is there any early tradition that he died by violence (cf. Clem,

Alex. Strom,

iv. 9)*

Polycarp of Smyrna, Thraseas of Euraenta, and Sagaris

are briefly described in the same way, viz. {tt&reomw kcu
jMLprut, the two first being buried at Smyrna, and the lastnamed at Laodicea. On Papeirius the Blessed and Melito
of Sardis we need not delay. Melito had written a book
relating to Quartodecimanism.
Polycrates, however, has something more to say of John,
who is mentioned immediately after Philip: l 'W^ijf 6 liri
to <nyj&o$ rav Kvptov &vairt<rwv s Ss iycrqfhj l*.p*vs to ttetoXov sre^ofCKOS, KOI fk&pTVS KM SuSd<rKaAo5 0VTDS iv 'E^tfftp tteKOtpLIJTCU.
*

Like Irenaeus

Polycrates describes John by quoting

verbatim Jn. 13 viz. &,va.irtvwf rt to orgflos [tov *Itjcto5], thus
identifying him with the Beloved Disciple, He, as bishop of
Ephesus, is an even weightier authority than Irenzeus, when he
associates John's last years with that city.
By Polycrates John is called ^dprw.
have already
examined and set aside the idea that John the apostle came
to his death by martyrdom at the hands of the Jews in early
days (p* xxxviiif.).
But Polycrates cannot mean that John
the apostle was p&prvs in this sense, for, if that were so, he would
have had no connexion with the Church of Ephesus, and he
could not have been cited as one of the great lights of the
Church in Asia Minor. And if it be suggested that Polycrates
has here in mind some other John, it must be rejoined that no
one with that name is known to the tradition of the first or
second century (or even later) as having come to a violent end
at Ephesus because of his Christian profession.
Further, had Polycrates meant to describe the John to
whom he refers as having ended his life by martyrdom, the
fact that he was ttdprvs would have been mentioned last, after
his career as BiSotrKoXQs had been noted.
In the cases of
Polycarp and the rest, v<o?rG* ko.1 fudprvs is the description
of their Christian course. They were bishops before they were
martyrs, and to have written fidprnx ical ciruncojror would have
{iii.

1.

i),

We

POLYCRATES

%UL]

of John in later literature as a " martyr," the idea going back

9
But the famous person to whom Polyto Rev. i (see p. xliv).
crates refers, viz. the Beloved Disciple, is specially noted in the
Fourth Gospel for his puprvpta. " This is the disciple which
and we know
beareth witness {paprvpUv) of these things . .
that his witness is true " (Jn. 21**}. It was because of the
value of his ftapropla. that the recollections of John were regarded with such veneration, and were certified as authentic
by the Ephesian Church when the Fourth Gospel was first
He was the witness to whom solemn appeal is also
published.
made at Jn. 19*5 (cf, 3 Jn. 12), To the Ephesian Church,
where this Gospel was first put forth, John the Beloved Disciple,
as the final authority for the facts which it records, was preeminently pL&prvs after a fashion that no other Ephesian
Christian could ever be.
Polycrates also calls John of Ephesus SiSoo-wlW This
1
is a title which might fitly be used of any Christian teacher.
perhaps
significant
the
second-century
Acts
that
But it is
of
John have preserved this title as applied to John the apostle.*
In 37 Andronicus is made to say of him, trrrarav h StScuraXos
0fXg, totc iropvQ&p.tv (cf. also 73).
It does not appear that
any other apostle is described in the apocryphal Acta, or elsewhere, as 6 hiBda-KoXo^ i the Teacher, "par excellence?
Like Iremeus, Polycrates does not suggest that there were
two eminent Christian leaders called John in Ephesus at the
end of the first century. Had there been a second John of
such wide reputation that his name and position were known
and respected at Rome, we should have expected the bishop of
Ephesus to include him also among the " great lights," whom
he mentions in his letter to Pope Victor. It does not follow,
however, that Polycrates had never heard of a second John.
That might be true of Irenseus, but the traditions of the see of
Ephesus could not have been unknown to its bishop. All that
can be inferred from the language of Polycrates is thatj if
there were at Ephesus in the first century a John other than
John the Beloved Disciple> he was not adduced as an authority
on the Paschal controversy.
An argument based on silence is generally precarious,
In this instance, Polycrates does not mention at all the name of
Claudius ApolUnaris of Hierapolis, who took an active part
.

been both clumsy and ambiguous.

It is clear, then, that pAprvs as

applied to John of Ephesus

or "confessor" rather
have already referred to the description

by Polycrates must mean "witness

than " martyr." We
1
Not as a less important person than
to Asia Minor later than Philip,

'

1 Julicher
{Intvod. to N,T., p. 406) explains " Witness " and
" Teacher " as allusive respectively to the Apocalypse and the Epistles,
a
The fifth-century Ada Joanni$ f ascribed to Frochortis, give the
same title 6 StSdaKaXoi ^ur (p* 164 ed. Zahn cf. pp. l$%, 159).
* For the statement of Polycrates that the Beloved Disciple wore
the priestly frontlet, see Additional Note on Jn. i8 lfl
:

Philip,

but because he came

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

lii

[Oh.

H.

at Laodicea in supporting the Quartodeciman practice, about

the year 165, and wrote on the subject. It could not be argued
that Polycrates did not know of him, although it is not clear
why he does not name him as one of the "great lights " of
Asia. 1 Equally, we must not infer that he did not know of a

second John, whose existence, as we shall see, Papias had

mentioned (p. liii) half a century before.
So, too, Polycrates does not speak (at least in the extant
fragment) of John the Beloved Disciple as the actual writer
of the Fourth Gospel, It is remarkable that Polycrates does
not adduce as a notable honour to Asia Minor the fact that
the Fourth Gospel was produced there ; but, again, no
argument built on omissions of this kind can be conclusive.
To the fact, however, we shall return presently.

PAPIAS

Papias, who was bishop of Hierapoiis in Phrygia, was born

about a,d, 70, and died about 146, being thus of the generation
fragment of his XoyCmr KvpuucSiv
preceding Irenaeus.
ifyyqveta tells of the sources from which he gathered information as to Christian origins: " I shall not hesitate to add
whatever at any time I learnt well from the presbyters (mjpd
v irpttfivTipwv raXus c/ialW). ... If I met anywhere with
any one who had been a follower of the presbyters, I used

tw

Trpttrpvripitiv
to inquire a what the presbyters had told (Js
dvfKptvoy \ayovs)] (viz.) what Andrew or Peter said (cfrrcv),

or Philip or Thomas or James or John or Matthew, or any

other of the Lord's disciples ; and also what Aristion and the
presbyter John (o irprvrepo* 'ho&vvvp), the Lord's disciplesj say
For I did not expect to gain so much from books
{Xfyowrtv).
as from a living and abiding voice " 8 (Eus, H.E, iii, 39).
{a) The opening sentence claims for Papias that he had had
opportunity of learning directly from irpefrfUvTcpot, i.e. from
followers of the apostles. Papias was hardly of an age to begin
collecting information until the year 90 or 85 at earliest* The
only apostle alive at that time was John, and Papias might,
Iren&us
indeed, as a man of twenty, have heard him speak,
calls Papias 'lwaww KQtiaTJs (v. 33. 4), which means that
Irenseus believed him to have been a hearer of John the apostle
1

It

is

possible that Apollinaxis was alive at the time of writing,

cites the authority of those who had passed

and that Polycrates only

away

The

Syriac translation fed, Wright and M'Lean, 1898) has

" Neither did I compare/' which makeshavoc of the sense*
It was probably from traditions of this kind that the story of
the adulterous woman was derived.

PAPIAS

|UL]
(see p. xlviii).

liii

But Papias does not say so, as Euseblus {H.E.

point out, vpto-ftvTfpoi in the opening

Sentence does not stand for airotrroXot (and it never does so, see
p. xlvii above), but for those who were followers of the apostles.
Such men as these
Christians of the second generation.
Papias had naturally met and conversed with, although he was
ui. 39. 2) is careful to

probably younger than they,

{&) He proceeds to say that he had also seized every opportunity of making inquiry of their followers {i.e. Christians of
the third generation) as to anything they could report about
the sayings of apostles viz, Peter, John, and the rest. And (c)
Papias had sought to find out what sayings were ascribed to two
of the disciples of the Lord, still living at the time when he
made his inquiries, viz, Aristion and the presbyter John.
That is 3 Papias speaks of Aristion and the presbyter John
-,

as the last survivors of the presbyters who were successors

*
disciples of the
of the apostles, being indeed themselves
*
Of the outer circle of the original juafty, some of
Lord."
the younger people must have survived the original Twelve.
Themselves in time reckoned as presbyters, and being specially
'

respected in the next generation as those who had seen Jesus

in the flesh, some who were only boys at the Crucifixion, lived
on as younger contemporaries of the apostles. There would
be nothing surprising if one or two of these survived until
Papias had reached full manhood, and were able to tell
(although Papias only learnt from hearsay what they told)
of the sayings of some of the Twelve, e *g. of John the apostle.
Eusebius (iiL 39. 7) reports that " Papias says that he was
himself a hearer of Aristion and the presbyter John*" This
does not appear from the passage cited, and Eusebius seems to
have been uncertain about it, for he adds "At least (yow v) he
mentions them frequently by name, and gives their traditions
in his writings " (cf. iii. 39. 7, 14). That is a different matter,
and there is nothing to discredit it. Of the John who is mentioned first by Papias, along with Peter and the rest, Eusebius
says that Papias clearly identified him with the evangelist
and he adds later in the chapter (iii, 39, 17) that Papias had
11
used testimonies " from the first Epistle of John. 3
Eusebius is, in our view, right in holding that Papias distinguished the apostle John from "the presbyter John/*
:

Bacon, The Fourth Gospel, p. 112, would emend oJ tqv icvplov

here to ot ro^rtov pa,8vyra.L Larfeld {Die beiden Jokatt. Von
Ephesus) would read ol tow 'IcmLppou ^urfqraf. But the emendations
are unnecessary when the general usage of the phrase " the disciples
of the Lord " has been apprehended. See above, p. xlvii.
1 See
p, Ixxii,
1

fmOip-al

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

liv

[Gh, IT.

For the sayings of the first John, Papias apparently had to make
inquiry at a time when John had passed away ; but for the
sayings of the second John he was able to inquire while John
was yet alive. In both cases his informants were the followers
of the presbyters who had succeeded the apostles* It is implied
that the apostle John died before the presbyter John,
Probably
the former lived to a great age, as Irengeus implies (cf p. xlviii) ;
but that a yet younger disciple of Jesus, who may only have
been a child during his Master's public ministry, outlived the
aged apostle is in no way improbable.
Another passage from the ifyyrjucts of Papias, quoted by
Eusebius (H.E. iii. 39. 15) begins with the words k! twtq
irpwfivTepos A.ey* ktA.
Here the context in Eusebius shows
that o 7jy>ttr/3vrepa* is none other than John the presbyter, some
of whose traditions Papias had received. That is, the designation 6 vptvfivTfpm is treated as sufficiently identifying John the
presbyter, although his name is not given.
To this we shall
return (see p. Ixiii).
conclude that Papias knew of the presbyter John, as
distinguished from his older namesake, the apostle John. 1
,

We

D
No

writer for a hundred years after Papias seems to have

supported the tradition that more than one John had to be
reckoned with. Dionysius of Alexandria (250 a.d.) distinguished two Johns, but he reached this conclusion on critical
grounds, as a modern scholar would do* Observing that the
style of the Apocalypse differs from that of the Gospel and
Epistles,* he claimed the apostle John as the author only of
the latter, while the other John (whom he does not call the
vpttrfivrtpos) was held by him to be the seer of the Apocalypse .*
In confirmation of this he says that he had heard of two monuments at Ephesus, each bearing the name of John. Eusebius
takes up this idea from Dionysius, and mentions it 4 as corroborating the existence of two Johns which he had noted in the
work of Papias,
It will be convenient at this point to summarise what is
said about John by other writers before the time of Dionysius.
For none of them is there a Johannine problem.
Clement of Alexandria (rl, 190-200) does not mention a

MURATORIAN FRAGMENT

11*1

second John. As to the son of Zebedee, he is unambiguous.

apostle John, " when on the tyrant's death he returned to
Ephesus from the isle of Patmos, went away to the neighbouring
districts to appoint bishops to set in order whole churches and
to ordain " (Quis diues saluetur, 42). As to the composition
of the gospels, Eusebius preserves (H.E. vi. 14. 7) a tradition
recorded by Clement; "Last of all, John, perceiving that
the external facts ( {niyumira)- had been made plain in the
gospels, being urged by his friends and inspired by the Spirit,
composed a spiritual gospel" This he cites (Pad. L 6. 38)
as the " Gospel according to John/' and quotes as welt the
Apocalypse {Strom, vi. 13) and Epistle L (Strom, iv. 16) as
the work of John,
Origen (n. 210-250), who was Clement's pupil, says that
John the Beloved Disciple wrote both Gospel and Apocalypse
vi, 25, 9), and in another place ex(Comm. 438, Eus.
pressly ascribes the Apocalypse to John the son of Zebedee
(Cemm* 16). He notes (Eus, I.e.) that, while John wrote the
first Epistle, it is not universally admitted that he wrote the
second and third. He tells elsewhere that the emperor (probably Domitian) banished John to Patmos, 1
The Gnostic Acta lokannis (second century) in like manner
speak of John as an apostle and the brother of James ( 88),
also as the Beloved Disciple (g 89) ; these Acta tell of John's
residence at Ephesus ( 18), and use language which betrays
knowledge of the Fourth Gospel ( 97, 98)*
In the West, the tradition is the same. On the Chair of
Hippolytus (fl. 190-230) both the Gospel and Apocalypse are
ascribed to John, whom Hippolytus describes (ed. Lagarde,
pfS-qf^ Tv *vptov.
p. 17) as at once dwooroAos
Tertullian (c* 208) ascribes Gospel, the first Epistle, and the
Apocalypse to the apostle John (adv. Marc. iii. 14, iv. $ t v. 16),
and describes the churches of Asia (cf. Rev. 2, 3) as John's

The

HM*

alumnas

None

eechsias.
of these writers mentions

a second John, except

Papias.

The Muratorian Fragment and the Latin

Prefaces on the Authorship of the Gospel

(iv)

We have

seen that, with the important exception of Papias,

writer before 250 a.d. mentions the presbyter John
as a person distinct from the apostle John; and also that the
apostolic authorship of the Fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse was accepted without argument by Irenseus, Hippolytus,

no Christian
1 The
distinction lias often been challenged, e.g. by Zahn (Einleit^
217I), Salmon {Diet, Christ. Biogr., iii. 401J, Chapman [John the
Presbyter, p. 281}, and Lawlor {Iletmalhe-na, 1933, p. 205 f.).
1
CI p. Ixv below.
Eusebius, H.E, vdi, 2*.
ii,

H.E.

iii,

39, 6.

Iv

Comm.

in Matt, torn, xvi

6.

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

Ivi

[Oh.

Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen. The uriaiumity

of these writers shows how deep-rooted was the early tradition that the Fourth Gospel and the Apocalypse alike were
the work of the apostle John.
In the case of the Apocalypse
this was afterwards challenged on the ground of style by
Dionysius of Alexandria about the year 250 (see p. liv
above)*
But we have now to reckon with the fact that the early
traditions as to the way in which the Fourth Gospel was given
to the Church do not suggest that it was written by the unassisted pen of John the apostle, although he was reckoned
(and, as we hold, correctly) to be its author in the sense that
it rests upon his authority.
These traditions must be examined.

The famous Muratorian Fragment 1 on

the Canon of the

part of a book produced at Rome about the year
170,
perhaps written by Hippolytus. The fragment is in Latin'
but Lightfoot held that probably it had originally been written
in Greek. 3 It preserves a remarkable story about the composition of the Fourth Gospel, John, ex discipulis, wrote
the Fourth Gospel. At the instigation of his fellow-disciples
and bishops to write, he bade them fast with him for three
days, in order that they should relate to each other afterwards
whatever revelation they had received. It was revealed to
the apostle Andrew that, with the revision of all {recognoscenii-

N.T.

is

bus uniis) t John should describe

"

name.

all

things in his own

brings forward

What wonder is it that John

much emphasis in his epistles

with so
,," 1 Jn. i*
.
.
being then cited* " For so he professes that he was not only
a spectator (uisorem\ but also a hearer {auditorem), and moreover a writer {seriptor&m) of all the wonders of the Lord in
order*" Later on, the Fragment mentions among the canonical
epistles two of John {superscript* Johannis duas).
The author
also names the Apocalypses of John and Peter as received
by
him, although some were unwilling that they should be read
details

in church.
The circumstantial story about the composition of the
Fourth Gospel cannot be historically exact. That the apostle
Andrew (and apparently the other apostles as well) lived up
to the time when the Gospel was produced is inconsistent with
all the evidence on the subject.
But that others besides the
1

Printed in Routb, Reliq, Sacr., L 394, in Westcott, Canon

p. 523,
1

and elsewhere.

lightfoot, Clemsnt, U, 408,

ofNT

MONARCHIAN PREFACE

H.

lvtt

John were concerned in the publication of the Gospel

Ephesus is probable, and, as we shall see, is a tradition that

apostle
At

The sentence, u ut recognoscentibus

Iohannes suo nomine cuncta describeret," does not
elsewhere.

appears

cunctis
give the whole credit of authorship to John, whose name, neverThat John
theless, the Gospel bore from the time of its issue.
was not only visor and auditor> but actually scriptor, might be
taken to lay stress on his being the penman, as well as the
witness, of what is narrated. But, as we have urged in the note
on Jn. ar M , yp&ilm? in that passage does not necessarily mean

more than "

dictated to a scribe*"

Mention must next be made of the well-known Latin

Preface to the Vulgate text of Jn. 1 Here tradition again reproduces the belief that Jc&annes euangelista unus ex disripulis
dei wrote the Gospel in Asia after the Apocalypse had been
written in Patmos* and his death is thus described: " Hie est
Johannes qui sciens superuenisse diem recessus sui, conuocatis
discipulis suis in Epheso, per raulta signorum experimenta
promens Christum, descendens in defossum sepulturae locum
facta oratione positus est ad patres suos, tarn extraneus a dolore
11
This
mortis quam a corruptione carnis inuenitur alienus.
goes back to the second-century Acts of John, where it is told
at greater length ( m-115). The legend that John's body
did not taste corruption, but that the earth used to tremble over
his grave as if he were breathing, is mentioned by Augustine
{injn. 21) as held by some.
In this Preface {and the corresponding prefaces to the
Synoptic Gospels) Corssen 2 has found traces of Monarchianism.
The phrase dhcipulus dei for discipulus domini
on the virginity
is significant ; and special stress is laid
The Preface, as originally written, implies that
of John.
St, John's Gospel came next after St, Matthew's in the
accepted order of the books t\e. that the order was Mt, Jn.,
;

Lk,Mk.

"
u
Here, the expression conuocatis discipulis suis in Epheso
is to be noted, for although this is not directly connected by the
author with the composition of the Gospel, as is the similar
phrase in the Muratcrianum, both go back to some early
34
Corssen
tradition based on, or interpretative of, Jn, 21
quarter
of the
the
first
Monarchian
Prefaces
to
ascribes these
,

third century,
*

See Wordsworth-White, Nov. Test. Lat, p. 485.

See his essay in Texts un4 Untwsuchttngen, xvi. (1&96).

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

lviii

[Oh.

1L

More important than

the Monarchian Prefaces just menanother Latin Preface to Jn. f found in a tenth-century
Bible at Toledo, 1 which contains the following passage:
" The apostle John, whom the Lord Jesus loved most,
last of all wrote this Gospel, at the request of the bishops
of Asia, against Cerinthus and other heretics, and specially
against the new dogma of the Ebionites, who say that Christ
did not exist before He was born of Mary/' Another reason
is added for the writing of the Gospel, viz.) that the evangelist
wished to supply information, lacking in the Synoptic Gospels,
as to the first two years of the public ministry of Jesus.
This is found in substance in Jerome's de uirr. illustr. %
9,
but the Codex Toletanus gives the earlier form. The phrase
postulantibus
sits episcopis recalls the Muratorian tradition.
But the writer goes on: " This Gospel, it is manifest, was
written after the Apocalypse, and was given to the churches in
Asia by John while he was yet in the body {adkuc in corpore
constitute}-) as Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, a disciple of John
and dear to him, related in his Exoterua, at the end of the five
books, 8 viz., he who wrote this Gospel at John's dictation
tioned,

(Johanne subdictante)."
This paragraph is also found in a ninth-century Vatican
codex. 3 It was apparently translate^ from the Greek; e.g.
adhuc in corpore tonstituio is a rendering of In bt tu trutfwn
K*&vT4QTas as Lightfoot pointed out.
That it goes back
K
to an original of the third or fourth century is a reasonable
inference.
Burkitt holds that we have in the Toletan Preface
the earliest known form of the tradition that the Fourth Gospel
was dictated by the aged apostle to a disciple, 4
The idea that Papias was the disciple who wrote the Gospel
at John's dictation must be rejected, although it is found at a
much later date in a Greek Catena, in the form 'Wwqt
irmjyoptvirG to tvayytkiav t*S iavrov pa&Tfrfj TlWgi. 6
Corssen
suggested that there is some confusion between Papias and
Prochorus, as in the fifth-century Acta (quite distinct from
the second-century Gnostic Acta).
Prochorus, a disciple of
on

See

Words worth- White, U.

90 f
In Exotencis suis, id

ths Gospels, p,
*

p- 490,

and

cf.

Burkitt,

Two Lectures

in extremis quinque iibris. lightfoot

{Sttpernoi. Religion, p, 213) proposed to read exegeticis and externis,
and a similar emendation is given by Corssen {exeeeiicis, extraneis)
#-cp. 114.
ff

lix

John, claims that John dictated * the Gospel to him at Patmos

not long before his death at Ephesus, adding that fair parchment had to be obtained that a fair copy might be made {

is

TOLETAN PREFACE

l*J

est

Quoted by Words worth- White, Lc. p. 491,

L.c. p 94,
Cf, Corssen, Lc. p, 1 16, and Burkitt, Lc. p. 68,
+

No one accepts this as historical, whether it applies to

Papias (see p. lviii) or Prochorus. But we note once more trie
widely current tradition that the Gospel was not written by
John's own hand, but that it was dictated to a disciple. We
have already seen that the Mutatorianum has the curious
clause that the Gospel was ultimately to be produced in the
name of John {sua nomine}^ others apparently having had
some share in its production. Further, the expression of the
Toletan Preface that the Gospel datum est ecclesiis in Asia
recalls the careful phrase of Irenaeus, cSwc ro evayytAiov kv
8
The
*Etyr^, to which attention has already been drawn,
that
the
of
the
Preface,
like
Irenaeus,
was
satisfied
writer
ultimate author of the Gospel was John the apostle, the Beloved
Disciple; and he also, again like Irensus, regards Papias as a
hearer of John, while he exaggerates this by calling him a
carus discipulus (if indeed tie text is not corrupt). The
language of Irenaeus as to John's authorship of the Gospel,
while it is more definite than that of Poly crates, who will only
say that John was the /taprvs behind it (p. 1), suggests
something less than that John wrote it with his own hand, and
is entirely consistent with the view that a disciple had a share
In the writing of it out. The apostle John was ultimately
responsible for itj eeS<oKeTo cvayycAwi/: but it may have been
written by another's pen.
This last conclusion is supported, so far, by direct statements of Christian tradition and by some phrases of Polycrates
and Irenaeus, But, as we have seen (p, li), there are traces
in the Gospel itself of the writer as distinct from the person
whose testimony is behind the narrative, Jn. 19** and 21 2 *
(see notes in loc.) clearly distinguish the writer from the witness.
The language, in particular, of io,36 is emphatic as to this. The
evangelist appeals to the testimony of an eye-witness, and he
does not suggest at all that he himself saw the incident which
he describes.
are, then, in a position to examine the
Epistles and the Apocalypse with a view to determine, first,
if they are all written by the same hand; and secondly, if there
is any hint of the person whom Papias calls John the presbyter
having a share in the authorship of any of these books.

We

*A

frontispiece to Jn. in Cod, 1 (twelfth cent,} represents

dictating to Prbchoros he Deacon.

1
Zahn, Acta loannis, p. 154 i.
1 Cf,

p, xlvii.

John

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

(v)

The Gospel and the Johannine

[Gh.

H.

Epistles were

WRITTEN BY JOHN THE PRESBYTER

A.

THE FIRST EPISTLE

The Church has been accustomed

" general

1*1

THE FIRST EPISTLE

Ixi

(where see note). #* &p)$s does not refer here to the beginning
of the Incarnate Life or of the public ministry of Jesus (as at
W
Jn. I5 , where see note), but to the eternal and prehistoric
origins of that life (as at Jn, Su \ cf. 1 Jn. z 13 * w 3s ). Here, again,
efletwa/ietfla IS the
^<>ytw (Jn * j1 )*
we go back to iv px5
verb used (Jn. i 14) of actual bodily seeing, and i^aveptitBif is
the right word for the manifestation on earth of the Life of the
Word (see on Jn. i 4). " That which was in being eternally f
that which we have seen with our own eyes and touched with
our own hands of the Word of Life, the Life which was made
manifest in the flesh that we declare to you." l
In this preface, the writer of the Epistle, while he does not
offer any personal witness as to the historical incidents of the
ministry of Jesus, claims to have seen Him in the flesh, just
as the writer of the Prologue to the Gospel does: cfcwupcfa
rip $aav avrov (i u, where see note). The use of the first
person plur, for testimony to the broad facts of Christian
experience appears both in the Gospel (i 14 3U , where see note)
and in the Epistle (1 Jn, 4"); while in the body of the Epistle,
the personal relation of the writer to his correspondents is
shown by the frequent use of " I," as contrasted with " you."
The number of verbal coincidences between the Gospel and
Lists have been printed by Holtzmann,
Epistle is very large.
and also by R. Law, 2 and need not be reproduced here. The
similarity extends to grammar as well as to choice of words and
of phrases ; c. t e.g.j the elliptic use of aXk* lya (Jn. 9 1, 1 Jn. 3"),
the emphatic use of was 6 with a pres. part. (Jn. 3 1*, 1 Jn.
3*' * 1C), the collective use of irSv o (Jn. 6 s7 , 1 Jn. 5*).
frcivos
is used sometimes of Christ as the main subject of the sentence,
as it is in the Gospel (see on i 6). The constr, wterreattv tU
<see on i lfl), frequent in the Gospel, is found also in 1 Jn, 5 10 13,
There are, indeed, some differences, especially in the use of
particles,
oZv r so frequently expressing historical transition
in the Gospel (see on i 2a), does not appear in the Epistle, which
S*, which is found 213 times in the Gospel,
is not a narrative.
very often in dialogue, is only used 8 times in the Epistle. 3
But, on the whole, the linguistic similarities are far more
striking than the divergences.
The Epistle probably is a Little later in date than the Gospel,
the characteristic doctrines of which reappear occasionally in
a slightly modified form. In both books the spiritual presence

to describe i Jn. as

or " catholic " epistle, its appeal being applicable

It does not mention any individuals,
nor does it allude to any historical incident, except the supreme
event of the Incarnation. This epistle, however^ seems to have
been intended in the first instance for the edification of a group
of Christians or of Churches, with whom the writer was
associated so intimately that he could call them " my little
children." He speaks of himself as one who had been a
personal witness of the life of Jesus (i 1 *) ; and this, apart
from his long Christian experience, gave him a claim to write
with authority on the Christian life. He was one of those
whom the next generation described as a /t&frp-ifc tqv Kvpi&u.
This Epistle is so closely allied with the Fourth Gospel,
alike in its doctrine and its phraseology, that internal evidence
confirms the traditional belief that it is written by the same
hand that wrote the Gospel.*
The two works proceed from the same theological environment, and (omitting the narrative portions of the Gospel)
deal with the same themes. The doctrines of Eternal Life,
of the mutual indwelling of God and man, of Christian believers
as the children of God, begotten with a spiritual begetting,
of the Love of God and love of the brethren, of the Son of God
as come in the flesh, are specially characteristic of both books.
In both, Jesus is the " Saviour of the world" and the " Only
begotten Son " of God.
The opening sentences of i Jn. form a prologue to the
Epistle, similar in several respects to the prologue to the
Gospel, Thus we have in i Jn, i 1_B , 8 t}v for
&
t
*'

to all Christians alike.

ap^

8 euipa#caji*v roiy atfrSakfia?* fjpMVj o Ztho.<T(Lfit9a ml

at X*ip*s ^/uur lilni\&f>Tj&ayr Trepl tqv Aoyou tt}s $uSfr~ real vj ****}
ifaxveptAiur) KrXs^&ira,yyzk\.0ftev kcli vjjliv.
o Ai>yof rijs funk
dttfttoa/Acr,

equivalent to t( the Word who gives Life " or " the Word
has life in Himself " (see on 630 for parallel phrases).
This is exactly the conception of 6 Xdyos set out in Jn. i 4
is

who

1 Holtzmann and Pfteiderer do not accept this.

But the unity of
authorship is upheld by the majority of critics, e.g. JuliclLer, Wrede,
Harnack, B. A. Abbott, as well as by more conservative scholars,
Dionysius of Alexandria was the first to argue the matter* and the
reasons which he produced for the unity of authorship are still convincing (Ens, H.E. vii, 25).

1
1 For a trenchant criticism of Westcott's exegesis of 1
Jn, i , see
R. Law, The Tests of Life, pp. 43, 354.
1 L.c.
See also Brooke, The Bpp. of St. John (pp. ii ff.).
pp. 341 fL
8 CI Law, I.e.
and see
pp. 3462,, for some divergences 01 style
Moffatt, InfrwL, p. 590 i
;

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

Ixii

[Oh.

H,

of Christ with His people is taught, as in both Eternal Life is

1
In both, again,
at once a present reality and a future hope,
judgment is a present fact, as well as a Kptvw of the future

M * ). But
significance for Judaism (cf, Jn. 5
the
judgment
of
the future
on
the Epistle (4 ) lays more stress
than the Gospel does; to the writer in his later work it seems
4I
"
s
the last hour
as if Antichrist has come already (4 ), and that
In the Gospel (cf. 14^) as well as in the
is at hand (2"- *").
Epistle (a 28), the Parousia or Second Coming of the Lord is
which was

its
17

contemplated; but there is a difference of emphasis.

In the Epistle, the controversies with Judaism, with which
the narrative of the Gospel has much to do, have dropped out
of sight; and Gnosticism, only hinted at in the earlier work,
has come into full view as the most formidable opponent of the
Christian religion (1 Jn, 4*). The necessities of the case
prompt a fuller (although not a deeper) treatment of sin and
of the atoning and cleansing efficacy of the Passion of Christ
than is found in the Gospel. Cf 1 Jn. i 8-z E 3*** 4 with Jn.
i S* 16*. It is implied, but not asserted, in the Gospel (14")
that Jesus is the first Paraclete, the Spirit being "another"
whom He will send; but Jesus is explicitly described only in
1 Jn. 2 1 as our Paraclete or Advocate with God,
The doctrine of the mutual indwelling of God and man,
again, appears in a slightly different form in the Gospel and
in the Epistle, In the Gospel the disciple abides in Christ, and
Christ in him (6s6 1541); but in the Epistle he who has faith
"The
in Christ abides in God and God in him (4Wi ").
Gospel is Christocentric, the Epistle Theocentric." a In the
former Christ's own teaching about His Person is reproduced;
in the latter its practical significance for the children of God is
1

expounded*
We have elsewhere a called attention to the verbal citation by
Polycarp of 1 Jn. 4* * and to the statement of Eusebius that
Papias "used testimonies from this Epistle. ' * The evidence
1

its acceptance by Irenaeus, the Epistle to Diognetus, the

Epistle of the Churches of Lyons and Vienna, and Clement of
Alexandria, is as clear as is that for the Gospel.

of

B.

THE SECOND AND THIRD EPISTLES

The two

short letters, 2 Jn. and 3 Jn., which might each

have covered a single sheet of papyrus, are private letters of
exhortation; 3 Jn. being addressed to one Gaius, and 2 Jn.
either to a Christian lady of position or to a particular Church.
1

See

F.

p. clx.
Ixiii.

Cf,

*P.

Law,
ffiL

he. p. 355,

It-]

THE SECOND AND THIRD EPISTLES

lxiii

Origen mentions that they were not accepted by all, and

Eusebius says that some placed them among the avriXtyopcva
or controverted books but their occasional character may well
have prevented them from being ranked as Canonical Scripture,
in some quarters, when the idea of a Canon of the New Testament was being anxiously examined.
That they were written by the same hand that wrote the
^
First Epistle has been often disputed, both in ancient and
modern times. But the internal evidence which the three
Epistles present of a common author is strong.
Thus emphasis is laid on &kjjOfta (2 Jn. 1 a, 3 Jn> 12) and on " walking
m the truth " (2 Jn.* 3 Jn* *); on fydm} (2 Jn.*, 3 Jn.*), which
;

is the love of the brethren, after the ** new commandment "

of Christ (2 Jn.*, 3 Jn. s); on " abiding " in the teaching of
Chnst (a Jn. B cf. Jn. 8*1); on the joy of Christian disciples
being fulfilled (2 Jn, ia ; cf. 1 Jn. 1*); on the value of paprvpfa
12
(3 J1!- ); on the confessing that Jesus Christ came in the flesh,
as opposed to the doctrine of Antichrist (2 Jn. 7 , 1 Jn, a *);
4
on sin forbidding the vision of God (3 Jn. 11, 1 Jn. 3*5. These
are alt doctrines and precepts characteristically Johannine,
There are also in 2 and 3 Jn. turns of phrase which recall
both Gospel and Eirst Epistle. Cf. 2 Jn. 9 &t& r ovk
with
la
I Jn. 5" & tyw rbv vlov
oTSas
3 Jn.
% paprvpta. fyi^
&kq&ifc tori with Jn^ 21**: 3 Jn, 13 K al fywfr Se fmprvpovptv
with Jn, 15 27 ml vjmm Bk paprvptZrt.
Charles calls attention
to the use of pq with the participle, which is found in Jn. (n
times), 1 Jn. (8), a Jn. (2), 3 Jn. (i), although never in the
Apocalypse. 1
We hold that the cumulative evidence thus available from
the style and diction of two short letters sufficiently proves that
they are written by the same hand that wrote the Gospel and
the First Epistle.
We next observe that the writer of 2 and 3 Jn. describes
himself to his correspondents as S npevfivTcpo^ as if that were
a description of his personality which would identify him
without question. He is the Presbyter, although there were,
no doubt, many other presbyters in the Christian community.
Now, as we have already pointed out, irpta-fivrcpas is never
used (for 1 Pet, 5 1 is not really an exception) of one of the
Twelve. 3 And, further, 3 Jn. shows that a certain Diotrephes
had actually repudiated the writer's authority. This would
have been strange indeed if the writer had been recognised
;

See Charles, Revelation,

i,

See p, xlvii above.

xxxiv, for other minute points of

that the Gospel and all thiee Epistles

p.

grammar which support the view

are from the same hand,

cm

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

hiv

[Oh. II*

as one of the original apostles. But the writer has a distinctive

title* he is The Presbyter, 6 Trparj&Vrepo?, a title which is only
found elsewhere in its use by Papias as descriptive of " John

We

thus go back
the Presbyter, the disciple of the Lord."
for the authorship of 2 and 3 Jn. to the conclusion which Jerome
mentions 3 as held by some in his day, viz, that they were
written by John the presbyter,
C*

GENERAL CONCLUSION AS TO AUTHORSHIP OF

THE GOSPEL AND THE EPISTLES

The author of 2 and 3 Jn. is also the author of 1 Jn,; and

we have already observed that this longer Epistle was written
by one who claims to have been in the company of Jesus when
on

earth,

t\e*

that he heard

and saw and touched Him.*

This

corroborates our identification of *' the Presbyter *' of 2, 3 Jn.

with John the presbyter, who was a disciple of Jesus that is,
who belonged to the outer circles of disciples although not
one of the Twelve.*
Hence we conclude that, since as to style and diction and
theological standpoint, the Gospel is not to be distinguished
from the First Epistle, John the presbyter was the writer and
editor of the Fourth Gospel, although he derived his narrative
material from John the son of Zebedee. s John the presbyter,
in short, is the evangelist^ as distinct from John the apostle,
who was the witness to whose testimony the evangelist appeals
(i9 M 3 1*4). To the mind of the early Church at Ephesus, it
was the evidence for the words and deeds of Jesus' life and
death that was the important matter; and for this they had the
testimony of the last of the apostles. The language of Polycrates * and of Irenseus, 7 not to speak of the widespread tradition that the Gospel was not written by the apostle's own hand,
but was dictated to a disciple, is consonant with the conclusion
that has emerged from an examination of the style of the several
Johannine books*

(vi)

The Apocalypse

is hot by John the Presbyter,

BUT PROBABLY BY JOHN THE APOSTLE

An examination of the style and diction of the Fourth

Gospel shows that it is not from the same hand that wrote the

THE APOCALYPSE

1*1

lxv

Apocalypse, while it markedly resembles in these respects

the Johannine Episdes, and especially the First Epistle.
The vocabulary of Jn. is small. In the Johannine writings
only 990 words are used altogether, and in the Gospel only 919.
The Apocalyptist has an even scantier vocabulary of 866
words. Only 441 words are common to both writers ; s.e,
Jn. has 545 words not used by the Apocalyptist, while the
Apocalyptist has 425 not used by Jn.
Among Jn.'s 990 words , there are 84 exclusively Johannine,
f .#. not occurring elsewhere in the NT. ; 74 of these are found
in the Gospel only> viz. :
AyycXAetv, aAieuW, oAAa^dtfcVj aA&j, dytfpaiua, dirAeiv, flforAij/ia,
y\&xr<roKDfunf

ifWQpiov,
ftflxre/fr/e,

Saxputtv,

e/i^njcrai',
ftjJOfr

otatwOTJwu,

eyca/pia,

*Kvtvcivt

iAty/ia,

tvm>tiVj n*dpaTos, hrevfivrq?, hrij(piiv, ^Aos,

BpiftpiAt

Kctptcu,

Kijirovp6^t

K*pfitvrt(rTq?r

KtpftOf

jcAqpa, Koi/MfO'K, Ko\vpf$-q8pat KOfjufftTepoVj Kpt&ivofj Xcvrtov, AtVpa,

Xoyxt* ptvavvt
rtvtfcpoj,

/lerpifn/s,

wept&eitr&OLf

v&rmv

/u>n/,

aetyf

w6repayt

jTp&$1

oydpiov,

T-poftaTtxyj,

rpwratTrjs, -trp&rKWijTifc) Trpocr^dyujv, vripva^ Trrutr^a,

tricrproTrmta,

trvyxpTJir&ai,

txtAos, iopta, v^avTos,

TtrapTfilbc,

avtfeuripx*&&tUt

<frav6<s,

6^dptovt

irpofiaTtov,

^tW, <tk&os,
Ttrpdfi.ijvo^^

1
tfapaytXXtov, xftjAappos, ^oAt*^ i^w^wov*

The subject-matter of the Apocalypse naturally calls for a

vocabulary distinct from that of either the Gospel or the
Epistles; and reasons may be found for some obvious differences.
Thus the Apocalyse treats much of sorrow and warfare/
and accordingly it has iraa-^tv, iroktpos, vivBo^ Wopa^ which
on the other hand, Jn. has eWss x^9^ which
Jn. does not use
are not mentioned in Apoc, Again, the words tUwvj puirnqpivv,
vqvS} criyrj, <ro^ia, which the Apoc. uses, are studiously avoided
by Jn., probably because of their place in Gnostic doctrine,
and the same may be said of his avoidance of the mystical
numbers seven 3 and ten, both of which appear in the Apoc.
Perhaps Jn. avoids n-tWre (only hi 1 Jn. 5*, four times in Apoc)
for a similar reason, while he uses wurrtvtiv a hundred times
(see on i7).
yiwis is used by neither author.
Other divergences, however, are not susceptible of such
an explanation. The variety of use of dA^ftfo aXq$tv6s t 15
puzzling (see on i*) Jn, never uses ntroaroAos of the Twelve
(but see on 13 1 *), while the Apoc, never uses Jn.'s favourite title
2
/"t^ijnjs (see on a ).
So, too, Jn. avoids irpto-fivrtpas (except
;

* F, xlvii.
* De uirr. ilh 9.
* P. Ix.
Sec p. lii above.
" That in some way,
This is, substantially, the view of Hamack
John, the son of Zebedee, is behind the Fourth Gospel must he admitted, and hence out Gospel is to be considered as a Gospel of John
the presbyter, according to John the son of Zebedee " {Chtonol., L 077),
:

P. L

P. xlvii*

The words

rcfor, $kwpetv>

dy/fAta, Avrixp*fFros

xri/wrj*,

rtrt}, #Arpulohanniae Epistles,

Ep, f but nowhere else in

ftriW^wflat, IXcw/iis,

xpfop* are only found

MpouroicTfoos is found both in Gospel and

the N.T.
1
See p. Ixxxix.

m the
1

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

lxvi

[Oh. IX.

while the Apoc. has it a dozen times,

used in the Apoc, do not appear in
his
to find them
Jn,, although we might have expected
(for
report of the Gospel miracles. The Apoc. has dpefov
the
Christ), /irfru, iriipo, 4iw*> feuftfc while Jn. uses
a Jn, 1, 3 Jn.

fton/itr,

),

6avpa> rxvs, Kparos,

LvSpmitottrov^ ^etftmp.
irtTpws,
a/nris*
/Tfttov>
the Apocalyptist writes 'UpawraXyp, Jn. has 'Itpovokvpa.

*]

THE APOCALYPSE

hcvii

the reign of Domitian; so that we cannot reckon on any lone

interval between the issue of the two books, 1 The
differences
between the Greek of Gospel and Revelation are so marked
that we cannot account for them by the assumption that the
common author altered his style so fundamentally in a short

Synonyms

period.

Where

Reference must here be made to Dr. Burney's theory

that
the Fourth Gospel was of Aramaic origin, and that its
Greek
u only translation-Greek, betraying its Aramaic base at every
point,* Despite the established facts that behind
the Fourth
Gosoel there was a Jewish mind, and that an undertone
of
Semitic ways of thought and speech may be discerned
in its

on i").
With the use of prepositions, adverbs, and connecting
None
particles, Jn. is more at home than is the Apocalyptist
(see

of the following appears in Apoc*: wren (16 times in Jn,),

^t

W-

(45), /*&
Avri (i), <nfr (3), arpo (9); flfy (18), vw (30),
;-/, on the contrary, is four times as frequent in Apoc* as
To these may be added AAX (120 Jn., 13 Apoc), ydp
Jn,
on i ; in
(70 Jn., 17 Apoc.), and Jn.'s favourite <ftv {see

the Apoc. it occurs only 6 times and always as illative). On

the other hand, the prep, hr&mw with the gen. is only used
thrice by Jn.; but 34 times by the Apocalyptist, where it is
probably due to Semitic influence. The instrumental use of
all in
ev in the Apoc. is found 33 times, although hardly at
s5
on
however,
13
).
(see
Jn.
The proper names 'Ivprws and 'Wwj* are always anarthrous in Apoc. ; whereas the usage is different in Jn. (see on
Tne Apoc. never uses the possessive pronouns fjfifrcpos
x a. )_
{twice in Jn,), vpfapo* (3), <rfc (6), IStos (15), while tyd>, which
30
is used by Jn. forty times, appears only in Rev. a .
are the
diction
differences
in
More remarkable than any
differences in the constructions used by Jn* and the Apocalyptist.
The grammar of the Apocalypse has been thoroughly studied
1
Its Greek
Charles, who brings out its Hebraic character.
unique in its solecisms, and points to a certain awkwardness
in using the Greek language on the part of its author, who

by
is

thinks

m Hebrew or Aramaic throughout.

The Greek

of the

Apocalypse has none of the idiomatic subtleties which meet

a
us in the Fourth Gospel (see, e.g., note on 3*),
It was held by some critics in the nineteenth century that
the Apocalypse was written in the time of Nero; and thus a
period of perhaps twenty years intervened between it and the
Here, it was supposed* we may
issue of the Fourth Gospel,
find time for a fuller mastery of Greek style being acquired by
the author of the Apocalypse, before he wrote the Gospel.
However, the Neronic date of the Apocalypse is now abandoned
by most scholars, who have reverted to the traditional date in

Sec Charles, lUvdation, i pp. cxvii-dix.

For the argument of Dionysius of Alexandria as to difference 01
style, cf. Euseb. H>E. vii 25, and see p. lvi
1
1

language

(see further, p. lxxxi),

Burney's view has not been

generally accepted by scholars.

Many passages that have been
cited by him and others as Aramaic in form are
quite defensible
*** ?" SW I0
*?n HL; "Si e '*'>
See *teo the notes on
110.M
u IO* 12 Classical parallels
7
can be produced*
?
M
for the diction
if jo* 20 (see notes
4 8 9*. i 4
tn Uc)j which show that Jn'.s Greek in these
places is not the
Greek of a mere translator. At 3" io1*' ** it is true that a
precise Greek parallel cannot be cited, but even at
these points
an Aramaic origin is not suggested, nor can Jn.'s Greek be
challenged. Another difficulty in the way of accepting
Burney's
theory is the identity of style between the Gospel and
the First
Epistle. The latter is, admittedly, an original
Greek letter
and its author is not to be distinguished from the writer of
the

"

Fourth Gospel

(see p. lxi).

To

return to the Apocalypse, There are, indeed,

some
sirnOanties in language as in thought with the
Gospel.
Both authors, e.g., quote Zech, 12 10 with IfacfrT^w, which
_
is not the
rendering (see on Jn, 19*),
But this only
proves the common use of a prevalent translation
of the
Masoretic text, omro tferfinpmr in Rev. 1* does not
refer to
of the Lord's side, which is mentioned only by Jn
but to those who crucified Him, The phrase
rnpeb ri r Arfyw
or rypuv ray &roAds is frequent both in Tn. and
in Apoc
3S.W
ii
7
<cf. Rev.
aa^.s Ia
aiid fiee 0Q
n gM
f

LXX

wfmang

H ?!?' who was a supporter of the Neronic date, ackaowledeed

, I
* * OMwrtaable ^tervat of time between the two books,
K
JET?
identity of authorship cannot be maintained
.

(Apocalypse of St John,

we

The Aramaic Origin ofiU Fourth Gospel, by C, F, Burnev (igaa)

and Apocalypse to John the presbyter .{see

ascribes both Gospel

* LigMfoot, who urges the Aramaic flavour

of the Greek, toes so
tr as to say that there are " no classicisms "
in Jn. {Biblical Essays,

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

bcviii

[On. II-

where see
Cf. also o fcffe fa/M* (Rev. ) with Jn. 7",
"
applied
to Christ
is
overcome/'
to
note. The verb vikw,
{see
in the
both in Jn. and in Apoc, but nowhere else
idea, when they
same
the
express
writers
16**).
Both
on Tn.
few (Jn. i 29 ), or rb &pvw (Rev,
speak of Christ as 6 dpvb*
5* tajim).
The phrase tyS d/u introducing great utterances
Fourth Gospel,
of Christ is also used, in both Apoc. and the

NT.

same way, 1
.
Apart from verbal correspondences of this kind, trie
to that of the
Christoloey of Apoc. has marked resemblances
1
(Rev,
6
*), that He was
Christ
is
Judge
That
Gospel,
Fourth
knowledge of
pre-existent (Rev. i 3 ), and that He had divme
familiar to
men's hearts and thoughts (Rev, 2**) are thoughts
permanent
is
man
a
with
God
of
abiding
Jn. And that the
dogma (cf.
issue of Christ's work is a specially Johannine

in the

20

Rev

si' with Jn. 14**).

The

application of the mysterious

"the Word of God" to Christ in Rev. 19" prepares

Prologue
the reader for the more explicit Logos doctrine of the
title"

to the Gospel*

1
,

These similarities 3 cannot outweigh the differences wnicn

compel us to recognise that the Gospel and the Apocalypse
contact
proceed from different hands but they point to some
between the two writers. The simplest explanation is that
the
the writer of the Fourth Gospel had sat at the feet of
Apocalyptist as a disciple. If the Apocalypist was John the
writer
son of Zebedee (a view which seems to the present
conto be reasonable *), then from a new angle l(we reach the
" behind
the
witness
Zebedee
is
son
of
the
that
John
clusion
younger
the Fourth Gospel, which was, however, written by a
\

disciple of Christ.

(vij)

Summary of Argument as to Authorship

John the apostle was the Beloved Disciple (p. xxxvii).

did not suffer a martyr's death (p. xxxviii Q> but lived to
extreme old age in Ephesus (p. xlviii).
himself the
2. The tradition that John the apostle was
be rejected
must
Apocalypse
Gospel
and
both
of
writer
actual
1.

He

P. cxliL
See p. ocviii.
See Charles, Revelation, vol. i, p, xxiii, for other resemblances.
Charles'holds
* This is too large a question to be argued here,
that John the seer is a personage distinct not only from John the
the
presbyter but also from John the apostle, and his careful study of
authorship of the Apocalypse challenges scrutiny, Bnt much of his
argument depends on the hypothesis that John the apostle was put
This I am unable to accept
to death by the Jews at an early date.
for the reasons set out above (pp. xxxviii-adv).
1

ARGUMENT AS TO AUTHORSHIP

gviL]

Lxhc

because of the far-reaching difference of style between the two

books (p. lxv).
3, The theory that John the apostle was the sole author
of the Gospel is not established by its general recognition
centuries as " the Gospel
(p. lix) in the second and following
according to St. John," That may unhesitatingly be accepted,
in the sense that John was behind it, and that it represents
faithfully his picture of Jesus Christ, and reproduces His teachIt was this that the early Church deemed to be of iming.
portance, and not any literary problem as to the method! by
which the reminiscences of John the apostle came to be recorded. The reason why the Second Gospel was regarded
as authoritative was because it reproduced the witness of Peter,
and not because it was known to have been compiled by Mark.
The ground of its authority was belief in its apostolic origin, as
Papias tells us, 1 This it was which was claimed for the Fourth
Gospel by the elders of the Church at Ephesus (21**), where,
as Irenseus says

(p, xlvii), it

was

first

published,

and

this

it

was

which gave it authority. There could be no higher testimony

than that of John the Beloved Disciple* But that he wrote
it with his own hand is not asserted by the second-century
Fathers ; and the only traditions that remain as to the manner
of its composition (pp. Ivi ff.) reveal that John was not regarded
as the sole author by those who accepted his Gospel as
canonical,
4* Further, the internal evidence of the Gospel indicates
that the writer was a distinct person from the " witness " to
whom he appeals. The certificate of authentication in ai 2*
is written by the same person who wrote the Gospel as a whole,
No
for die style is identical with the style of Jn. throughout.
doubt it is the certificate not of the evangelist avowedly, but
of the elders of the Church; nevertheless it is written for them
by hint, and the writer is distinct from the Beloved Disciple
whose witness is certified as true. And the language of 19*
(where see note) is even more conclusive, as aistinguishing

between the evangelist and his authority,

We

shall see that the evangelist not only sometimes

5.
corrects the statements of the Synoptists (p. xcvai f), but that
he occasionally adopts the actual words used by Mk. and Lk.
that he ventures to correct anything told in
(p. xcvi f.).
die earlier Gospels, shows that he is relying on an authority
that cannot be gainsaid, Jn. depends on the Beloved Disciple,

Now

is careful to reproduce his corrections of the curreni

evangelical tradition.
On the other hand, he is thoroughly
familiar with the phrases in which Mk, and Lk, embody that

and

See Eusebius, H.E. m. 39. 15.

Ux

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

tradition,
his own.

and he does not scruple on occasion to make them

This is quite natural on the part of one who is telling
to the details of which he has not personal know*

a story as

[Oh.

U.

ledge, although Jn. was, in a sense, jiafli/TTjs toS nvptov (p. Hi),
He follows his authorities verbally, for such was the literary
habit of the time. But it is improbable that the aged apostle,
John the son of Zebedee, would have fallen back on the words
of others when he could have used words of his own. This is
specially improbable when we remember that John was not
slow to correct when necessary what Mk, and Lk. had recorded.
examination of the relation to the Synoptics of the Fourth
Gospel thus reveals the presence of two persons concerned
in the production of the latter, viz. the apostle who was an
original authority, and the evangelist who put the reminiscences
of his teacher into shape, 1
6. The actual writer (as distinct from the "witness")
of the Fourth Gospel is also the writer of the Johannine Epistles.
This is not only shown by identity of style (p. lxii f,), but is
confirmed by Church tradition.
7 The name of the writer cannot be given with as complete
confidence.
But, if the writer, like the Beloved Disciple, bad

An

name "John," a very common name among

the

may

Jews,

we

find here a plausible explanation for some confusion of

him in later times with his greater namesake. There is, indeed,
no likelihood that Irenaeus associates any John except John
the apostle with the Fourth Gospel (p, xlix) ; or that the Christian writers of the second and third centuries had any special

the name of the writer who compiled the

Gospel on the apostle's authority (p. kiv). But the fact
that master and disciple had the same name might readily
lead to a forgetfulness of the distinct personality of the lesser
curiosity as to

man,
8.

The Second and Third

Epistles attributed to

" John

,J

claim to be written by one who calls himself 6 Trpttrfivrepos

(p. Ixiii), which at once suggests John the presbyter of whom
Papias tells us (p. lii).
9. The writer of Epp. II, HI. was, however, also the
author of Ep, I. and of the Fourth Gospel (p. Ixiii) ; and
thus we reach the final inference that the Fourth Gospel was
written by John the presbyter from the reminiscences and the
teaching of John the apostle (p. lxiv).
No claim can be made for absolute certainty in the solution
of so intricate a problem as the authorship of the " Gospel
according to St, John." There are many links in the chain of
1 For
a criticism of this argument, first developed by Weiza&cker,
see Drummond, Character and A ittkorship, etc, t p. 398.

EARLY CITATIONS

JviiL]

bod

argument, and each must be tested separately.

In

this short

to bring out the main

examined in detail in the

nummary an attempt has been made

points at issue, which have been

preceding sections.
(vin)

The

Early Citations of the Fourth Gospel

date of the Episth of Barnabas

vs

Lightfoot

uncertain.

In any case it is
tentatively placed it between 70 and 79 a.d.
of too early a date to make it possible for Barnabas to have
19
14
661
3
quoted the Joharmine writings. In the notes on 2
we have suggested, however, that Barnabas may refer to
sayings of Jesus which were traditionally handed down, and
which were afterwards definitely ascribed to Him in the Fourth
Gospel. For other phrases of Barnabas which elucidate in
tome slight degree passages in Jn., see on 8 12 i6' a rg 28 ffl 2i ia - "-

Ignatius , bishop of Antwch^ suffered martyrdom between

the years no and 11S. His Epistles to the churches of Asia
Minor and of Rome are deeply impressed with the doctrine
of Jesus Christ as having come in the flesh (as opposed to the
prevalent Docetism) which is characteristic of the Fourth
Gospel (and the first Epistle), and also with the Pauline conception of the redemptive efficacy of the Passion* The idea
of canonical books of the N,T.> as distinct from the O.T\,
had not been formulated or accepted by the Church at the early
date when Ignatius wrote; and he never quotes directly or
avowedly from the Gospels or the Apostolic Epistles. 1 He
moved in the circles where the Joharmine presentation of
Christianity first found explicit expression; and this may
account, in part, for the remarkable likeness of his thought
and religious diction to the writings of Jn, It does not follow
that in the Ignatian Epistles there is any conscious literary
obligation to the Fourth Gospel, although this is possible.
But it is in accordance with all probabilities, that Ignatius
had read this famous book which had been produced with the
imprimatur of the Church at Ephesus a quarter of a century
before he wrote to the Christians of that place. He uses several
Johannine phrases after a fashion which is difficult to explain
if they are no more than reflexions of current Christian teaching.
1B
1
5
w 7* 829 io7 B - *>
See, e.g. f the notes on Jn. i
4 5 * o "here the Ignatian parallels
I? ai 20
13 a. in 13 s, so

,^w

are cited. 3
In the Antiochene Acts of
1 Cf.

Cf,

Martyrdom (end of

LigMfoot, Ignatius, i 403,

Bumey, Atamaic

Gospel, p.

359

Origin, pp.

153 #~

and for other references, Moffatt,

Dmmmoud,
Iittrod, t p,

fourth

Fourth
578

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

lxxil

[Ch*

IL

centuiy)j Ignatius is styled tm5 AirooToXflu *lwdwov tmfojnQS,

but there is no early evidence for this. 1 In his letter to the
EphesianSj Ignatius does not mention John, although (g ia) he
bids them be HavA<m vvfifLV&Tai Toi? fi.fJLaprvpjjfi4vov* But it must
be borne in mind that Ignatius was on his way to Rome,
to suffer martyrdom as Paul had suffered, and this gives special
point to his mention of Paul. He could not have cited John in
this context, for John died a peaceful death at Ephesus and
was not a martyr. In another place ( n) he recalls the fact
that the Ephesians were ever of one mind with the apostles,
i.e. not only Paul the founder of their
Church, but other
apostles as well \ and this is most simply explained as carrying
an allusion to John. Indeed, that a bishop who had visited
the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Philadelphia, and
Smyrna (as well as Polycarp himself) was not familiar with the
activities of the great John of Asia, is highly improbable.
Ignatius does not name John, nor does he mention his
writings ; but his circumstances could not have left him ignorant
of the personality of the man, while the phraseology of the
Ignatian Epistles betrays acquaintance with the teaching, and
probably with the text, of the Fourth Gospel.
Polycarp of Smyrna (boni about 70 a.d. and died a martyr's
death in 155 or 156) 2 was a disciple of John (see p. xlviii). There
is no chronological difficulty in this.
If, as is possible, John
lived until 100 aj>., although 9$ is more probable, then Polycarp
would have been thirty years old at the time of his death; he

may indeed

have been appointed bishop by John, as Tertullian

states {de Pr&scr. 32).

There is no reason to doubt that he
had some intercourse in his young days with the old apostle.
"
In his Epistle to the Pkilippians ( *j) 1 Jn. 4 s 4 is quoted almost

h^okay^ 'l^o-ow Xpicrrav h> trapKi 4X.yjXv$iuat

is no certain reminiscence of the
Fourth Gospel, although Lightfoot compares Jn. 15 18 with 12.
Christian Apocalypse, called The Rest of the Words of
Bantch, contains a clear reference to Jn. i (see note in lod).
If Rendel Harris is right in dating this Apocalypse about the
year 136 A.l>. t we have here one of the earliest of all extant
citations of the Fourth Gospel.
We have already examined (p. liv) the relation of Papias
(d. 146 a.d.) to John the presbyter and John the apostle; but
it should be noted here that Eusebius tells that Papias quoted
the First Johannine Epistle {H.E. in. xxxix. 17), and his
verbatim % &s &v

avTLXpuTros

firj

ecrriy.

There

fl

recognition of this as authoritative involves also the recognition of the Gospel.

1

See Lightfoot, Ignatius, ii, 477.

See, for these dates, Lightfoot, Ignatius*

i.

pp 647 fE.
t

EABLY CITATIONS

J viii.]

haul

Jfast'/ides, a Gnostic teacher of Alexandria, flourished in

the reign of Hadrian (*>. 117-138 a.d.; cf. Clem. Alex.
Strom, vii. 17). In an abstract of a work by Basilides, found
in Hippolytus (Ref. vii, 22), the words of Jn, 1* are quoted
"ThtSj says he, is what is called in the Gospels
verbally.

V to

Jj

<f>t?

to &Xy}6trm> 8 0urici ffarra av0p(Mrav kpx6p,vav cfe tov

There

leoa-fnoy"

is

later reference to Jn. a* (Ref.

vii.

27).

quoting here the work of Basilides himself, 1

as distinct from books written by members of his school,
B
the citation of i seems to prove not only Basilides use of Jn.,
acceptance
of it as among " the Gospels" generally
his
but
recognised. This may be a too bold inference, but the attention paid to the Fourth Gospel by Gnostic teachers of the middle
of the second century shows that at an early date, certainly
before 150 a.d,, it was reckoned by them to be a Christian
If Hippolytus

is

book of

The

special significance.
earliest

commentary upon the Fourth Gospel, of which

we have any considerable remains, was

Heradeotty who wrote towards the end of

that of the Gnostic

the second century. 8
His endeavour was to find support for the doctrinal system of
Valentinus, as he understood it, in the Fourth Gospel, which
he regarded as authoritative Scripture* In his extant fragments the name of the author of the Gospel does not expressly
appear; but it is implied in the comment of Heracleon on
Jn. i 1*, which he says proceeds not from the Baptist but from
the Disciple {ovk otto toi) ftfLirrttrrov SlX)l airo rov fia&tjrov)** This
is plainly meant to distinguish words of John the Baptist from
that of the Disciple who had the same name,
Moreover, the Fourth Gospel was accepted and used by
some, at least, of the Valentinian heretics against whom
It is even
Irenaeus directed his polemic {H&r* iii, 11. 7).
probable that Valentinus himself recognised its authority,
as is indicated by Tertullian when he contrasts Valentinus with
Mardon, as one who did not, like Marcion, mutilate the Gospels,
but used the '* entire instrument." * The acceptance of the
Fourth Gospel by many Gnostics as well as Catholics creates
a strong presumption that it had been given to the public as
an authoritative work at a time before controversy had arisen
between Christian heretic and Christian orthodox. And this
pushes the date back to a period before the time of Basilides.
This was held

by Lightfoot

Essays, p. 108)
Westoott
Gospel, p. 82) ;
regarded it as probable {Fourth Gospel, p. 331)*
1
See. for the extant Fragments of Heradeon, A, E, Brooke, in
Cambridge Texts and Studies (1891).
1
Cf. Brooke, i.e. p. 55* " Si Valentinus integro instrumento uti uidetur " {de Pratscr. 38),
*

{Cotnm. p.

fctvii)

(Bihi.

Ezra Abbot (Fourth

Dmmmond

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOUKTH GOSPEL

htxiv

[Oh.

IL

There is nothing, then, extraordinary in the fact that Basilides

quoted the Fourth Gospel, as the simplest interpretation of
the words of Hippolytus assures us that he did.
Of other Gnostic writings produced not later than 150 a.d.
the fragmentary Gospel of Peter and the Acts of John disclose
clear traces of the Johannine tradition.
Pseudo-Peter (g 5) suggests iS* (see note) he agrees (g 2)
^
with Jn. as to the relation of the Crucifixion to the first day of
unleavened bread (19*1); he refers to the nails by which the
hands of Jesus, the feet not being mentioned, were fastened
to the Cross (g 6; cf. 20*); he tells (g 4) of the trurifragium,
in a confused manner (cf. 19"); and the end of the fragment
reports the departure of some disciples, after the Passover
solemnities were over, to the Sea of Galilee for fishing, apparently being about to introduce the narrative of Jn. 21.
These joints of the apocryphal writer are not derived from the
Synoptists,
See also on 19 s8 >* **>*
The latter part of the Acts offohn tells of John as reclining
on the Lord's breast, when at a meal (g 89; cf. 13^). In these
Acts ( 97) the Crucifixion is on Friday at the sixth hour
{cf, 19"), and allusion is made to the piercing of the Lord's
Side ( 97 Xo^ous VTjffxro/ww kqX na\d}tOL<t and IOI trvytvra
t
;

cf.

19

s4

and note

thereon).

claims to be both
*A/i^v 0805

<rot

,Ltt

In the Gnostic

Door and Way\

irapoStTfl

Gospel is distorted, but that

Acts is certain.

it

(see

on

hymn

( 95), Christ

Bvpa, tl/xC trotKaovovri

i<^ r46
).

p.*.

Tne Fourth

was known to the writer of these

It is true that some persons in the second century rejected

the Fourth Gospel as authoritative. Irenseus mentions some
who would not accept the promise of the Paraclete, and so
il
do not admit that form [of the Spirit], which is according
to John's Gospel " (Zfar, iii. n. 9),
Epiphanius in his account
of heretical systems (probably based in a confused way upon
Hippolytus) mentions people to whom he gives the nickname
of Aiogi, because they rejected the Logos doctrine of John
;
M they receive neither the Gospel of
John nor the Apocalypse,"
which they ascribed to the heretic Cerinthus.* Whether these
persons were few or many, they held (according to Epiphanius)
that the Fourth Gospel was of the first century, as Cerinthus
was a contemporary of John. 8 It is probable from what
Epiphanius adds, that they are to be identified with the
impugners of the Fourth Gospel mentioned by Irenseus.
We are not, however, concerned here with the history of the
N.T. Canon, but only with the time of the appearance of the
1

Gardner- Smith, J.T,S, April 1926,

* See above,
a, 3,

Cf. contra

Hat.

li.

p. 256.
p. xlix.

EARLY CITATIONS

f-vUL]

Ixxv

* l
according to St* John " ; and this cannot be placed
Gospel
4t a later date than the end of the first century*
Justin Martyr wrote his Apologies and Dialogue with
Trypho about 145-150 a.d. He mentions John the apostle
certain man
once, and then as the seer of the Apocalypse
among us (rap Vf"V)> by name John, one of the apostles of
Christ, prophesied in a revelation (a-n-QKaXfyfi) which was
jnade to him," etc., alluding to Rev. 20*" (Dial. 81; cf. Dial.
1
45), This Dialogue, according to Eusebius, is the record of
held
controversy
by
with
Trypho
Justin
at Ephesus ; 1
a
places Justin at Ephesus soon after the Barcochba revolt, or
about the year 136, When writing then of John the apostle
as Top* iffwt he is writing of one who was at Ephesus forty
years before, and of whose influence and personality he must
have been fully informed.
It is noteworthy that Justin does not speak of John the
apostle as the writer of the Gospel, only the Apocalypse being
specially mentioned as his work.
This may be taken in
connexion with the carefully chosen language used by Irenaeus,
when speaking of the relation of John to the Fourth Gospel
and its publication at Ephesus.* It is possible that Justin was
aware of the tradition which associated another personality
with that of John the apostle in the composition of the Gospel.
However that may be, Justin's doctrinal system is dependent
as a whole upon the Fourth Gospel, and especially on the
Prologue, He was undoubtedly familiar with its general
teaching. ^ His books being apologetic (for Roman use) and
controversial (with the Jews) rather than exegetical or hortatory,
:

"A

we

could not expect him to cite verbatim and as authoritative

the books of the N.T., after the fashion of Irenaeus in the next
generation. None the less, the traces of his acquaintance
with the text of the Fourth Gospel are apparent. 3
conclusive passage is ApoL 61. Justin is explaining
how converts are "new made through Christ." They are
brought where there is water; and <q after the same fashion
of regeneration (avayeynjo-f<i>s) with which we ourselves were
regenerated, they are regenerated," for in the name of Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, u they receive the washing of water
(to iv 1-41 ffSort tot< XavTpQv votovvnu); for Christ said, Except
ye be regenerated (avarytvvtfSvfrt), ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven. It is plain that it is impossible for those who
were born once for all to enter into their mothers' wombs,"
Here we have an almost verbal reproduction of Jn, 3*** (see

H.E*

The

iv. 18. 6.

Cf. p. xtvii,

details are discussed at length in

Gosf/et, pp,

25-48

(ed. i88o)

Ezra Abbot's The Fourth

APOSTLE JOHN AND FOURTH GOSPEL

lxxvi

Again, in Dial. 88, q&k

[Oh. JJ,

Xpioros* dAAo
j3o wtTos comes directly from Jn.
and not from the
<tnt>vyj
Synoptists * (see note in lot.). The allusion in Dial, 69 to
Christ's cure of those blind from birth (* ycwi}?), and the
lame and deaf, presupposes 91 (where see note). Attempts
to get rid of these allusions to the Fourth Gospel are unreasonable.
See also notes on Jn. 4 14 iz49 i6 ls 18 37 ig18 M 20"-

note in loc).

*lpl

i 23

where other parallels from Justin are given. With 1 Jn. 3 1

may be compared Dial. 123.
Justin, then, used the Fourth Gospel a little before 150 A, D.
and at one point {Apol. 61) quotes it as authoritative for a
saying of Jesus*
The " Diatessaron " of Taiian sufficiently shows the coequal authority of Jn. with that of the Synoptists, when his

Harmony was composed,

and had been

Tatian was born, about 110 A,n,,

in intimate relationship with Justin at Rome.

His acceptance of the Fourth Gospel would, almost by itself,

suggest that Justin took the same view of its importance and
its

authority.

The Shepherd of Hermas was written at Rome about 140

A,D. T or perhaps at an earlier date.* The allegorist's allusions
to Scripture are few, as might be expected from the nature of his
book. He speaks {Sim. ix. 12. 5) of baptism as a condition of
entrance into the kingdom of God, a doctrine which recalls
(where see note). His allusion to Christ as the Gate *
Jn.
(7 Trvkiji Sim* ix. 1 2) 7 through which those who are to be saved
enter into the kingdom of God, is reminiscent of the teaching
of Jn. io He speaks of the law {rbv v6por) which Christ
received from the Father {Sim. v. 6. 3); this is Johannine in its
thought (cf. io1*). The phrase 6 jevpws AXt^vos
ttovtI pvjjiart
Kal ovSkv vap* airQ ifrwho? {Aland, iii. 1) is verbally similar to
These are suggestions of the prevalence of Johan1 Jn. a".
nine teaching at Rome in the middle of the second century;
but no more definite proof is forthcoming of the acquaintance
of Hennas with the text of the Fourth Gospel.
The Epistle to Diognetus is dated about 150 a,d. by
Lighrfbot* In x. 2, 3 he speaks of God's love for men (6 yap
$tbs tovs avdptinrovs ^ydfr7fvi) adding that to them He sent
His Only begotten Son {a.7r<rrt\< rov viov avrav Toy fiovoyevfj),
and then suggesting that their love for Him who thus loved
1 Cf.
See Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, p. 294,
p. c.
*The doctrine of Christ as the Gate ft s-tfX?i) appears also in Clem.
Rom. 48, a document which is contemporary with Jn., but is independent of the Johannine writings,
* It breaks of in c. id, and cc. it, 12 are by a different,
probably
a later, hand, Cf. Lightfoot Apostolic Fathers, p. 488; and see on
18
s
iG 17

fl

them

will

ZjflL 3 M ,

be the

issue.

Not only

btxvii

the thoughts but the words

In vi. 3 the thought

Jn. 4*- ** are reproduced here.
not of the world, andthjt
world,
but
the
are
in
Christians
that
from Jn. 17 * .
therefore the world hates them, is an echo
is not writing for Christians or for
Epistle
of
the
writer
The
1

quotes expressly from

Jews, but for heathen, so that he never
But that he is acquainted with the
or N.T.
cttfier
Johannine writings is hardly doubtful. See on 16^.
document, purporting to report conversations of the
Bpistula AposRisen Jesus with His disciples, and entitled
and Etniopic
Coptic
from
edited
been
ieloTUin? has recently
written in Asia
versions by Schmidt, who holds that it was
tone, and
Minor about 160-170 a.d. It is anti-Docetic in
being named
attaches much weight to the Fourth Gospel, John
(very confusedly) enumerated.
first when the apostles are
at Cana is
There are several allusions to Jn.; e.g. the Miracle
there is a curious note
mentioned (c. 5 [16]); at c TI
which Peter
about the test offered to Thomas (Jn. ao- "), with
"
commandand Andrew are associated] in c- iS (39) the new
3* is mentioned;
c. 39 (40) Jn. 30
"
in
and
ment of Jn. 13
For other Johannine reminiscences cf.
is quoted precisely.
The Fourth Gospel was very familiar to the author

OX

cc. 33, 39of this imaginative

work.

to be indebted for some of its phrases

notes in lot.). This would be very
(see
17
interesting
if the early date once ascribed to this

The Didache seems

to Jn

ia

6a

11

important
manual could be taken as established. But I am not P^eP ared
the Didache
to make this assumption or to claim that
was composed in its present form earlier than the third
century,*

For the use of the Fourth Gospel, or at any

characteristic phraseology,
Solomon, see p. cxlvi below.

..

rate ot its

by the second-century Odes of

the Twelve Patriarchs P**! ei* some

1
1S '
see on 1* 3 * 4
the
But Christian interpolations abound in the Testaments,
26 (the most striking parahel)
and
is
base of which is Jewish,
1*
may be one of these. Charles would treat the language of
3 but this is hardly probable
Testaments
the
upon
;
as dependent
We cannot safely assume that the Teste.(see note in Uc).

The Testaments of

parallels to

EARLY CITATIONS

gviiL]

Johannine language ;

Untersuchungen,
Epistula Apostolorum, ed. C. Schmidt (Text* und

see C. ^Mp The

For the problems presented by the Didache, Barnabas,
ttermas,
Doctrine of the Twelve Afostles. and J. A. Robinson,
and the Didache (especially pp, 93-95),
btxxv.
See Charles, Testaments of thv Twelve Pairtarchs, p.
.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

lxxviii

[Gh. HI.

form were in existence before the time

of Origen.
The use made of the Fourth Gospel by Christian -writers
before 175 x enables us, therefore, to fix the time of its appearance within narrow limits. It is hardly earlier than, 90 A.D.,
and cannot be later than 125. Probably the year 95 is the
nearest approximation to its date that can be made.
rnents in their present

CHAPTER
(i)

(lii)

(iv)

The Evangelist was a Jew.

The Literary Method oi the Evangelist
The Idea of "Witness " is prominent
Philo and the Fourth GospeL

(1)

not that of Allegory,

is made elsewhere * to Burney's explanation of

the style of the Fourth Gospel, viz* that it was translated into

This explanation has not

commanded the general assent of scholars; but that there is

an undertone of Semitic ways of thought and speech behind
the Gospel can hardly be gainsaid. The evangelist, in our
view, is dependent for many of his facts upon the aged disciple,
John the son of Zehedee, who was a Jew of Palestine, and whose
native speech

however

was Aramaic.

It is natural that the record,

carefully edited, of such a disciple's reininiscences,

should bear traces of his nationality* More than this } however,

can be said. We observe the Semitic undertone, not only in
the narrative, but in the evangelist's comments upon it. The
'
style, e.g., of such passages* as 3 M_aa B1 M or 12 a*b "4< is unmistakably Semitic; and, speaking generally, one cannot dis~
tinguish, by any features of internal evidence, those parts of
the Gospel narrative which plainly rest upon the report of an
eye-witness, and those which may be referred to the evangelist,
whom we identify with the writer of the Johannine epistles,*
The evangelist prefers to string together independent
sentences by the use of " and," rather than to use subordinate
-

See p. Ixxii f. for notices of Jn. in Christian hooka written between

tho time of Irenaeus, whose testimony

P. Ixvii,

P, xjdii,

"A

produced.
It has been thought by some that there is a tendency in the
Fourth Gospel to reproduce O.T. testimonia in a form recalling
version.
If the actual
the Hebrew text rather than the
author were a Jew of Palestine* this is perhaps what we might
expectj and at certain points Jn, seems to give a free rendering
of the Hebrew; see, e.g., the notes on r 28 6^ i* w- * 13^, On
(as distinct from the Hebrew) is
the other hand, the
behind the citations at 2 17 is 88 17" 19s*, The quotation at 19*7 is
probably derived from some current version other than the
LXX. No inference can be drawn from the form of the O.T.
s
s8 M
The evidence,
.
text cited 6*1 7" 8" ioM is 18 M 15 * 19
that
the
evangelist was more
taken as a whole, hardly proves
familiar with the Hebrew O.T. than be was with the LXX;
although a knowledge of the Hebrew as well as of the
seems to be behind the Gospel quotations.*
The tendency of Jn* to reproduce Aramaic names of persons
and places, and to interpret them for Greek readers, has often
been remarked, e.g. Messiah (Jn, being the only evangelist

LXX

Reference

original.

That is, he likes the form of writing which the gramdisuses.

giarians csMparataxi s. This is not unknown in Greek, but one
accustomed to listen to conversations in Aramaic would be
more likely to employ parataxis than a Greek writer ignorant
of Aramaic or Hebrew. This appears in the Prologue and in
^M-ai ^0 which reference has already been made), as well as in
1
The Oriental trick of repetition
Jn.'s reports of a discourse.
of what has been said before, generally in a slightly altered
form, is very common in the Fourth Gospel (see on 3"). It is
because of these frequent repetitions of the same doctrinal
statement that the style of Jn, has been described as " monogood illustration of repetitions in an Oriental
tonous,"
"
report of a conversation is found at i61$ w, where it will be
little
while
and
.
noticed that the thrice-repeated 3
again a little while " adds to the vividness of the impression
fl

is

The Evangelist was a Jew

Greek from an Aramaic

lxzix

III

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EVANGELIST

(ft)

A JEW

|tj

is explicit

and 4toad
* P. lie

LXX

'

LXX

who gives this Hebrew or Aramaic title, i41 4s5), Kephas (i 42),
Thomas (zou 21 s); the title Rabbi (i 38), Rabboni (201*);
Golgotha {i^7); Gabbatha, only at 19"; Sethcsda qt Bethzatha^
only at 5*; Siioam (a7). But too much may be made of this.
Mk. (is*3) interprets Golgotha, as Jn. does, and even cites
Aramaic sentences (Mk. 5 11 15 s4). Mk. also uses both the titles

Rabbi and Rabboni

*&g.

{9*

etc.,

10").

Mt,

Ldghtfoot, Biblical Essays, p. 136

f.

(i

a)

interprets the

and Burney, Aramaic

14 1
a
It is possible that many of Jn.'s O.T. citations are taken from a
volume of Testimonia compiled in Greek for Christian use.
Origin,

etc., p. 1

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

Ixxsc

Hebrew ImmanueL

Even Lk.

gives the Greek

[Gh.

HI

meaning

of

the names Barnabas and Elymas in Acts 4M igt although

he does not interpret Aramaic names in his Gospel. All that
we can say is that Jn, relies on Palestinian tradition, or on
a Palestinian Jew (if he had not been himself in PalestinCj
quite possible) for his native names, and he finds
Mk, F Mt, and Lk. do on occasion) to interpret
them for Greek readers. But we must not infer that his
knowledge of Aramaic went very far, or that he was a native
speaker.
Jn,'s familiarity with the topography of Jerusalem is,
however, more noteworthy. The Synoptists know of Bethany,
the Temple, the Praetorium of Pilate, and the place Golgotha
with its sinister interpretation. Jn., however, has more
intimate knowledge of the Holy City than the Synoptists
display.
He is aware how far from Jerusalem is the village
of Bethany (n 1*); he knows not only the Temple, but Solomon's Porch (ioaa); not only the Praetorium, but Gabhaiha

which
it

is

convenient (as

or the Pavement (1913); he does not mention Geth&cmane by

name, but he knows its situation
beyond the brook Kidron^
where was a garden " (see on i8*)j he alone mentions the Pool
of Siloam, and knows why it was called Siloam (see on g7);
also the Pool of Betkesda or Btth%atka^ of which he (quite
unnecessarily) says that it had five porches and was hti rfj
The Synoptists do not tell of the visits
vpofiaTtKjj (see on 5*).
to Jerusalem at which the men were healed at Bethesda and
Siloam, so that they have no necessity to use these placenames. But in his account of the Passion Jn.'s knowledge of
the various localities at Jerusalem appears to be more detailed
than that of Lk, or even of Mk.
c

Jn. gives geographical notes with equal confidence;

when

he has need to mention places outside Judaea, "Cana of

Galilee " (2 1 ai 3); " iEnon near to Salim " (3**); " Bethany
beyond Jordan " (Jn. being specially careful to distinguish it
from the other Bethany, which he knows: see on i 28); " the
city called Ephraim, ' in the country near the wilderness
(ii m)j are obscure places, which, however, have been identified
to a reasonable degree of probability.
But that their situation
should have been expressly indicated by Jn. shows that he is
not depending upon vague general knowledge, such as an
occasional pilgrim or tourist might pick up. It is interesting
that his one site as to which it is not easy to speak with confidence is Sychar, which he says was near the traditional Well of
Jacob (see on 4.*), The indication of the Sea of Galilee as
" of Tiberias " is probably due to an editor other than Jn.
(see on 6 1 21 1),
1

A JEW

MO

hxxi

These topographical allusions, taken together, point to

the reliance of the evangelist on evidence given him at first
hand and incidentally in conversation, unless we might suppose
that he himself had personal knowledge of the places to which
he refers. The latter explanation is inevitable for those who
hold that the evangelist was, himself, John the son of Zebedee \
but the allusions in question are sufficiently explained if vre
take the view that John the apostle is the "witness" behind
the evangelist's record, 1 but not the actual writer of the Fourth
Gospel,
The frequent explanatory allusions of the evangelist to the
manners and customs of " the Jews " have been supposed by
some to indicate that he was not himself a Jew. " He speaks
as if they and their usages belonged to another race from himThe '* feasts of
self," is the comment of Matthew Arnold."
ir
4 1
" (2*), "the
the Jews
(6 5 f), "the purifying of the Jews
'*
n
s1
chief priests of the Jews
(19 ), " the custom of the Jews
42
(19*0), "the Preparation of the Jews " (19 ), are thus designated. But Paul did not separate himself from his own people
M);
when he wrote of "the Jews " (1 Thess- 2 1*"" 2 Cor.
nor does the evangelist when he thus invites the attention of
his Greek readers to Jewish observances unfamiliar to them.
Indeed, Jn, shows an intimate knowledge of these matters.
He alludes several times to the Jewish regulations about
ceremonial purification (3^ n*5 iS28 io31), upon which the
Pharisees laid much stress (Mk. 7*). He gives details^ as to
40
spices being used at burials, not found in the Synoptists (19 ).
8
*).
His use of the word rerapraios is significant (see on
Again, he knows the time of year at which the Jews celebrated
the feast of the Dedication, which was not one of the great
obligatory festivals of Judaism (io to). The strongest proof,
however, that a Jew is behind the Fourth Gospel, whether as
" witness " or as author, is the familiarity which it displays
with Jewish doctrine current in the first century, as well as
with Rabbinical methods of argument.
The universal claim which the evangelist makes for the

gospel of Jesus is preceded by what is for him fundamental,

1
This thesis is continually
viz. that Jesus is the Messiah (20* ).
present, while we might antecedently have expected that it
would be kept in the background by one who had reached the
1 Cf. p. brix.

Lord Charnwood's comment is more

" In style and mind he is an intense Tew. His very
anger with his own race is tiat of a Jew. No Gentile* Enough, he might
dislike Jews, would have shown it in the same way he would have
felt, e.g., no interest in shifting more blame on to the Jewish Sanhedrim
*

God and

penetrating

the Bible, p 142.

off the shoulders of Pilate "

{According to

St.

John,

p.

52 ).

Ixxxii

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

[Oh.

m.

doctrine of Jesus as the Logos of God- Yet

the Christ was for Jn,, as it was for Paul, the
essential germ of the fuller belief that He was the Saviour of
the world. Jn, was well acquainted with Jewish popular
lfl
***)?
beliefs as to the form of the Messianic expectation (i
He knew that it was expected that Messiah would be a worker
of miracles, for the Jews expected this of any Divine messenger
m 2 as ^s ^17 c f z Cor. i M) ; and that the miracles would be of
(2
1
85
1
Again, 7 s7
specially convincing character {7* io ; cf. G *).
alludes to the current idea that Messiah, when He appeared,
would emerge suddenly from obscurity. The note on ia M
shows that the eternal reign of Messiah was not unfamiliar to
Jewish thought. The Messiah was expected to have prophetic
powers {1** 4s** *), Little is known of the Samaritans doctrine
as to Messiah, but Jn is aware that they looked for Him (4s6)*
He recalls also not only their feud with the Jews (which was
doubtless well known) but their veneration for their special
sanctuary on Mount Gerizim (4^.
The evangelist moves with ease in his reports of the controversies about Sabbath observance, and the emphasis placed
upon it by the Pharisees (5 10 9^). He knows not only that it
was much debated at Jerusalem, but also that the casuistry of
s11
So, too, he is
the Rabbinical schools had dealt with it (7 ).
aware of the contempt of the native Jew for the Jew of the
Dispersion (7^); he knows the accepted Jewish doctrine that
no human being can ascend to heaven (31*); he gives the
Jewish title " the prince of this world " to the Evil One (12 s1
u
14 s0 i6 )j he knows of the Rabbinical superstition as to the
merit gained by searching the Scriptures for fantastic arguments (5**) j and he makes allusion to the visiting of the father's
sins upon his children (9*).*
He knows that in Rabbinical
arguments a claim to originality would damage the case of
him who put it forward (7 1 *) and he knows the Rabbinical
rules about evidence, and the inconsequence of bearing witness
about oneself (5 n , 81*), Finally, the polemic described in
cc 5, 7, 8, 9 is thoroughly characteristic of Jewish controversies
and quite unlike a Greek dispute. The argument placed in
the mouth of our Lord at 10s1 , depending as it does on nice
verbal points, is of special interest in this connexion, 8

more profound
that Jesus

is

NOT AN ALLEGOIUST

!*]

bratiii

These considerations, it is submitted, show that not only

the witness from whom the evangelist derived much of his
material, but the evangelist himself, had special knowledge of
Palestine during the ministry of Jesus.

(u)

The Literary Method of the Evangelist

is

NOT THAT OF ALLEGORY

Cf. p. cxlviii.

See Sanday, Criticism of the Fourth Gospel, p. 135.

Rabbinical parallels to the Fourth Gospel
have been collected by Schlatter (Die Sprache und Heimat des vierten
EvangeUsUn), who specially quotes Midrashim of the second century*
"Most remarkable, " wrote the Rabbinical scholar Dr. Abrahams,
" has been the cumulative strength of the arguments adduced by
Jewish writers favourable to the authenticity of the discourses in the
1

Many Talmadic and

view of the Fourth Gospel which has many advocates

H

that
the book's method and form are prevailingly allegorical
its truth depends not on the actual accuracy
.
of the symbolising appearances, but on the truth of the ideas
and experiences thus symbolised." 1 Such a sentence raises
is

viz. Did Jn. intend to write

history ? This question takes precedence of any inquiry
into the historical trustworthiness of his Gospel,
must come
to some conclusion, in the first place, as to what he meant
to do.
His Gospel is a "spiritual" gospel (as Clement of
Alexandria called it); no one challenges its spiritual value.
He wrote to convince his readers that *' Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God " (20*1). In the endeavour to do this, did he permit himself to bring out spiritual lessons by portraying scenes
which he knew were not historical ? Is not spiritual truth, for
him, more important than historical truth ? And, therefore,
is riot the allegorical method of interpretation the key to the
secrets of the Fourth Gospel ?
Before these questions can be answered, we must have a
*
clear conception of what is meant by the
allegorical method,"
and we must distinguish between allegorical interpretation
and teaching by parable.

a question of grave importance,

We

In

many

literatures attempts

have been made

to allegorise

the statements of a notable book, i.e. to find a hidden meaning

in incidents which were originally set down as having actually
taken place, or in conversations which were narrated as historical.
Thus the Stoics allegorised Homer, in the interests of
Greek religion, to vindicate the character of the gods. Sometimes, again, allegorical interpretations were placed upon
sacred books, not because what was narrated was believed
to be unhistoricalj but because the interpreters found in a
book divinely inspired a spiritual meaning underlying the literal

Fourth Gospel, especially in relation to the circumstances tinder which

they are reported to have been spoken '* (Cambridge Biblical Essays,
p. 181).
1

Von Hugel in Ency. BfH.

xv, p. 455 (in hia article on tfce Gospel),

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

Ixxxiv

[Ch.

1H.

narrative.
To seek for the spiritual meaning of history is an
exercise with special attractiveness for men who believe that
history is controlled by Divine Providence.
Thus, when Paul says that the story of Abraham, Sarah,
and Hagar contains an u allegory" (Gal, 4 M), he does not
suggest that it was not a true historical record of what had

happened in the olden time; he means that the history sym"

bolised a spiritual lesson (cf, also 1 Cor. io1 11). In like
manner, Philo sought a spiritual meaning behind the narratives

many of which, however, he rejected the literal

treated the O.T. as the allegorising Greeks treated
Homer. Philo is, in truth, the father of the allegorical interpretation of the O/T.j which occupied so large a place in
patristic exegesis, and which has always appealed to those
who feel the charm of poetry. The incidents^ names, and even
the numbers of the Jewish Scriptures had for him a mystical
significance, in which their true value resided, and by which
their divine inspiration was most readily established.
Because
the (XT. was divine, it was natural to seek a deeper meaning
in its every phrase than was apparent to a superficial reader,
The Christian fathers inherited this Jewish tradition of the
allegorical interpretation of the O.T., but it was first applied
to the N.T. by the Gnostics, with whose doctrine of a secret
of the O.T., of
truth.

He

it was congruous*
The aged Simeon taking Jesus in
arms and giving thanks was a type of the Demiurge who
on the arrival of the Saviour gave thanks. 1 That Jesus was

NOT AN ALLEGORIST

l0

lxxxv

But occasionally, although not often* the corporeal

meaning is lacking, and this applies to the N.T. as

spiritual?-

or

literal

u Non solum in ueten testamento occidens

well as to the O.T.
litem deprehenditur : est et in nouo testamento litera quae
occidat eum, qui non spiritualiter, quae dicuntur, aduerterit." a
This applies primarily to the interpretation of precepts, e.g.
" salute no man by the way," but it may also be applied
IJc. 10*,
Even the Gospels, Origen says, do not contain
to incidents.
everywhere a pure history, but have things interwoven accordto the literal sense, which yet did not happen. 3 He only
gives one example, viz. the story of our Lord's Temptation,
which (he points out) could not literally be true, for you could
not see all the kingdoms of the earth from one mountain in
Thus Origen leaves it open to an interpreter not only
Judsea.
to find a spiritual meaning beneath the letter of a Gospel story,
but also to reject the literal meaning* if it is manifestly absurd
or impossible* But it is plain that he would only have admitted this plea in rare cases, 4 such as the story of the Temptation where the language used is figurative; like all his contemporaries he would have repudiated the suggestion that the
miracle stories are only parables of edification, although they
are pregnant with spiritual truths (see on 2^9.

mg

gnosis
his

twelve years old

when He

discoursed with the doctors in the

temple was an indication of the Duodecad of the jEons,* And
the healing of the woman afflicted with an issue of blood for
twelve years in like manner typified the healing of the twelfth
iEon. 3 These allegorisings of the Synoptic Gospels are denounced as blasphemous by Irenseus, and Tertulhan afterwards took the same line. But in the next generation the
allegorical interpretation of the N.T. was adopted by teachers
of influence such as Clement of Alexandria and Ongen; and
it has ever since been favoured by Christian expositors of high
repute, from Cyril of Alexandria and Augustine down to our
own time- Most of those, however, who have found a mystical
meaning in Gospel incidents or Gospel conversations have been
firmly persuaded, nevertheless, that these incidents and conversations were historical.
They allegorised history, but they
did not challenge its literal truth,
Origen went a little further than this. He explains that,
as man consists of body, soul, and spirit, so there are generally
three senses in Scripture, the corporeal^ the moral\ and the
1

Irenaeus*

Har*

1.

viiL 4.

Iren

L&

1.

iU 2.

' lien,

J.

ft

1. iii.

3*

It is now to be observed that none of the early masters of

the allegorical method, whether Jewish or Christian, invented
an incident or e&nstructed a number, in order to teach a spiritual
lesson.
Just because they deemed the Scriptures to he divinely
Inspired, they were sure that they must be edifying in every
phrase; and if the plain meaning of the words was not edifying,
they sought edification beneath the surface. Indeed, the
Gnostics always looked for a meaning that was not plain or
obvious* But none of these allegorical interpreters composed
fictitious narratives for the purpose of moral or spiritual instruction.
That is a quite legitimate method of teaching, as
it is a method of extraordinary power.
The Fables of ^Esop
were, frankly, constructed to convey moral lessons. Our Lord
fave to this method the sanction of His own authority, for He
abitually taught by parables, * earthly stories with a heavenly
meaning "\ and His example has been followed by Christian
teachers in every age, from the Shepherd of Hermas in the
q

n.
Horn, in Levit .vii. $.
rdpr? fopa-rav rijv ItFToplar tQp TrparwjxHTfAfrwv xar& tA
ntfMu-Hfe ty&rrw, pif yeytvyftfrtw (de pnnc. iv. 16},
1

de prine.

* aboi

iv

rotfrup

*Ctde princ,

iv. 19.

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

lxxxvi

[Oh-

HL

second century to the Pilgrim's Progress in the seventeenth.

But the allegorical interpreter and the author of parables follow
distinct paths, and are not to be confused, the one with the
otherIt is one thing to spiritualise history; it is quite another to
put forth as history a narrative which is not based on fact,
Neither Philo nor any of the Alexandrines adopted the latter
course \ i.e. they never wrote books of which the Literal meaning
was not the intended meaning. The allegorists would have
been the first to admit that a spiritual sense, underlying the
literal sense, was not claimed by them for their own writings.
Neither Philo, nor Clement, nor Origen, were writers of

parables*
Nor did the Gnostics compose books in the form of parable.
For them the highest knowledge of spiritual things was not
for the vulgar; it was only to the elect that the true yro- was
accessible, ^ Accordingly, they applied the method of allegorical
interpretation to the N/T,, in order to draw out the deeper
meaning (as they supposed) of the Gospels, They also rewrote some N.T. narratives in the interests of Gnostic doctrincj
a notable example of this being the Gospel of Peter, which tells
the story of the Passion from the Docetic point of view. Other
Gnostic books are filled with alleged revelations to the ApostIes s
or to the Virgin Mary, these revelations, of course, supporting
Gnostic tenets. But their books are not written in the form of
history which requires to be spiritualised before its purport
can be determined.

th&

seen that the phrase " allegorical method "

requires careful definition.
Many writers of the apostolic
and sub-apostolic age were drawn to *' allegorise " the narratives of the O.T., and some to apply a like operation to the
NT. But that is not to say that they themselves wrote in the
form of parable, viz. that their own writings have an inner
meaning which is not apparent on the surface.
Thus the Fourth Evangelist saw a Christian meaning in
O.T, sayings and customs (e.g. 13 1* 19 s1 **); in that sense, he
was an allegorist as Paul was. But it does not follow that his
Gospel was intended by him to be treated as the Gnostics
treated the O.T. t viz. that its literal meaning should be discarded, and its spiritual teaching alone remembered. Indeed,
the significance of Jn. to his contemporaries was that he was
steadily opposed to Gnosticism of every type.
He insists that
Jesus Christ came in the flesh (1 Jn. 4 s); it is the very spirit
of antichrist to explain this away or to spiritualise it* That

have

now

Word

became flesh

is

his starting-point.

Ixxxvii

He

lays special

on the true humanity of Jesus (e.g. 4e n w io28 M). His

purpose and his method alike are wholly inconsistent with the
view that his narrative is a congeries of parables. So little
inclination has he for the parabolic method, that he is the only
evangelist who reports no parables of Christ. Whether we
accept Jn/s Gospel as historically trustworthy or no, it was
written that his readers might accept as facts, and not only
1
as symbols the incidents which he records,
Stress

Those who find symbol rather than fact in the Fourth Gospel
have called special attention to the numbers which occur in
the course of the narrative ; and what has been said above
about the allegorical method in general may fitly be illustrated
by one or two examples of the way in which it has been applied
to Scripture numbers, both by Jews and Christians*
Philo finds esoteric meanings in the statement (Gen. 5 s3)
that Enoch's age was 365 years; just as he finds in Gen. 68 >
which gives the average age of patriarchal man as 120 years,
" a divine and sacred number," * The Christian fathers take
the same line. Barnabas { 9) finds in the number of Abraham's
1
servants, viz, 318 (Gen, 14 * 17), a prophecy of the Crucifixion.

So does Clement of Alexandria (Strom* vi. 11), who proceeds

same passage to take over from Philo the idea that
120 in Gen. 6 3 is a mystery, explaining that 1+2+3+
15 = 120, while 15 is a specially significant number, because

in the

the

We

NOT AN ALLEGORIST

HJ

moon at
The

15

days

is full.

later fathers inherited this doctrine of the mystical

value of numbers, and some of them applied it to the Fourth

Gospel, The 153 fishes of Jn, si 11 provide scope for much
ingenious speculation. Thus Augustine (Enarr. in Ps., xlix,
17^153* while 17 is formed
9) tells us that 1+S+3+ by adding the two sacred numbers, 10 for the Law and 7 for
the Spirit. It is no more likely that Jn, intended this, than
that the author of Gem 63 intended the like comment to be made
upon his text. See, for other examples, on i*3 2 30 19 s3 .
Numerical coincidences such as these are supposed by their
discoverers to reveal the significance of Johannine numbers,
which are believed to have an esoteric meaning. It remains,
however, for some one to show that books were really written
Can any parallel be produced to support the
in this way,
theory that the numbers in Jn. (38, 46, 153, etc.) were con1
See below, p. xc, on the value attached to " witness " by Jn,
1 Qttcpsf. in
Gen* i. 83 t
.

Ixxxviii

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

[Ch,

HX

structed by him to provoke his readers, in pursuit of the true

" The idea," said Hatch,
gnosis, to discover what he meant ?
" that ancient literature consists of riddles which it is the
business of modem literature to solve has passed for ever away." 1
The idea still survives, and in unexpected quarters, but it is
certainly not applicable to the Fourth Gospel, in which not
gnosis but pistis is the supreme aim of the writer. The true
inheritors of Gnostic methods of interpretation are the commentators -who find in the " Gospel according to St. John " a
hidden purpose and an esoteric meaning. Jn. was not an
allegorist; that role has been assumed by his critics, who teach
that his Gospel is written in the form of a parable, of which the
literal meaning was not meant by him to be the true meaning.

E
Something must be added about the alleged adoption by
Jn, of a sevenfold arrangement in his work.
The number seven appears in religious or mystical literature
in many parts of the world, 2 as well as in folk-lore.
Its significance may go back to the periods of seven days which correspond to the moon's phases, for it is thus that the choice of a
week as a definite unit of time probably originated. In the
O.T., besides the use of seven as expressing an exact number
a use which is inevitable in all narrative, it sometimes indicates
merely a round number {e.g. sevenfold vengeance, Gen. 4 1*
Ps. 7918, or sevenfold restitution, Prov. 6 ), and it occasionally
serves to indicate completeness {e*g, the seven nations of
Deut. 7 1 or the seven withes of Judg. 167), and specially as
a feature of ceremonial or ritual observance {e,g. seven bowings
to the earth, Gen. 33 s , or the blowing of seven trumpets round
the walls of Jericho, Josh. 64 or Balaam's seven altars, Num.
S31 or the seven beasts of each kind for a sin-offering, a Chr.
29 21). Seven is a number that is common in stories {eg.
the seven cattle of Pharaoh's dream, Gen, 41*, or the woman
who married seven husbands, Mk. I2 210). It appears in
Apocalyptic {e.g. the seven weeks of Dan. 9, or the seven
mountains in the Book of Enoch), as the Hebdomad, or seven
planetary powers, plays a part in Gnostic systems. Some have
thought that the sevenfold repetition of the Name of Yahweh
in Ps, 92 is deliberately devised by the poet so as to make it
suitable as a " Psalm for the Sabbath day."
Similar uses of the number seven are found in Christian
The mediaeval
literature, early and late, sacred and secular.
idea of seven deadly sins may go back to Prov. 6 lft, or to that of

Hibbert Letter** for 1888, p. 84.

Cf.

E.B. 3436.

NOT AN ALLEGORIST

IJ

xxxt*

28
by seven evil spirits (Lk. S
That there are
).
seven gifts of the Spirit goes back to the LXX, which has added
a a seventh, no doubt with
the idea of
<ho the six gifts of Is.
seven as a mystical number. The Seven Sleepers of Ephesus
fllustrate Christian folk-lore.
The number of deacons was fixed at seven (Acts 6E 2i e) J
There is not much in
.and this may have been deliberate.
Lk. which calls attention to this number; but he, with Mt,
the command to forgive seven times (Lk.
reproduces from
m
*7*), and the parable of the seven evil spirits (Lk. ii ).
Both Mt. and Lk. follow Mk.'s story of the woman with seven
husbands. Mt., however, shows a partiality for sevenfold
grouping. He has seven parables in c. 13, and the seven woes
are gathered in c* 23, This indicates deliberate arrangement,
such as does not appear in Mk. f Lk. Mt, follows Mk. in
telling of the feeding of the four thousand with seven loaves
<Mk. 8s).
In the Apocalypse, the tendency of the seer to dwell on the
number seven is inherited from previous apocalyptic literature,
and is unmistakable, hrrd occurring over fifty times.
Here is a marked contrast to the Fourth Gospel, where
enra does not occur at all, and l/3So,uas only once (4**).
It
has been thought by some that Jn. avoids
deliberately,1
because of its abuse in Gnostic literature. That may be the
case*
But it has also been suggested a that the arrangement of
the Gospel betrays a deliberate sevenfold grouping, although
it is skilfully concealed.
shall examine presently (p. xci)
the sevenfold witness to Jesus which may be discovered in the
Gospel ; but it is not clear that these forms of paprvpia are
meant to be, significantly, seven in number, neither more nor
less.
And similar difficulties beset other attempts to find an
intentional sevenfold arrangement.
The sevenfold repetition, in c. 6 (see on 6as) or in the Farewell
Discourses, of solemn refrains (see on i$ n) is striking when it is
discovered, but it is not clear that the number seven is intended
thus to convey any special meaning, or that it was present to
the writer's mind.
Exegetes have often commented on the
seven Similitudes by which Jesus describes Himself in the
26
Fourth Gospel, begmning with iy& eyu (6 s5 812 io7 15 1 24^). But with these must be associated iyto rifu h paprvp&v
rtpl tfiavrov (8 18), which brings the number of these Divine
ft

^possession

We

u n

Pronouncements up to

eight, 8

Or, again, the number of the '* seven signs" of Jesus

which are recorded in the Fourth Gospel has been sometimes
1

See p. lxv,
1 See p. cxviii.

Cf.

Abbott, Diat. 3625.

6.

CHARACTEKISTICS OF EVANGELIST

xc

[Oh.

HI.

thought to imply deliberate arrangement. But, as we have

shown on another page, 1 the wonderful works called <rqpcta by
Jn. are only five in number, although a sixth might be included

To Jn, the incident of the Storm on the

not a <ny/tietov at all (see on 617ft ).
Indeed, if Jn, attached mystical importance to the number
seven, and dealt in allegory r as some suppose, we should have
expected him to select for record the story in which the multitudes were miraculously fed with seven loaves and seven
basketsful of fragments remained over, rather than that in
which the loaves are but five (fi*). Both of the miracles of
feeding are recorded by Mk. (o* S lf-), whose Gospel was
known to, and used by, Jn. a If he were an allegorist, the seven
loaves would have presented a mystical meaning) which the
five loaves do not offer*
The conclusion seems to be that Jn. did not set any special
value on the number seven; it is not prominent in Jn. as in
Mt. The intentional presence of the number seven in the
narrative and the structure of the Fourth Gospel is not proved.
He does not deal in allegory, but in facts.
The view that is taken in this commentary on the Fourth
Gospel is that, primarily, the evangelist intended to present
narratives of fact, of the truth of which he himself was fully
persuaded. He is not only a historian, but he is an interpreter
of history, as is shown not only by his comments on hi3 narrative
as he proceeds, 8 but also by his selection and arrangement of
his materials so as to persuade his readers most effectively
of his main thesis (20 30), That he is insistent upon the importance of "witnesSj" iinprvpta, in relation to matters of
fact, must next be shown to be part of his historical method.
by way of inference.

Lake

is

THE IDEA OF "WITNESS"

giii.]

xci

earliest days of the Church's life, when

terms of allegiance to the Church s Master were still unformulated, and when the disciples in the first flush of enthusiasm
and devotion had hardly asked themselves what was the intellectual basis of the faith in which they had found strength.
The clear definitions of Christian theology had not yet been
elicited by the growth of error and of misunderstanding which
had to be repressed. But by the end of the first century in
intellectual centres such as the Greek cities of Asia Minor,
it became imperative that the false gnosis should be expelled
by the true, and that the faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of
God, should be justified to thinking men. 1 On what evidence
did this wonderful faith rest itself? So men asked, and an
answer had to be given. It is natural that the Gospel which
originated under such conditions should lay emphasis on the
*' witnesses " to which the early preachers and
Jesus Himself
had appealed. The author is conscious, as he writes, that the
facts which he narrates will be scrutinised by keen critics,
and that his interpretation of them may be challenged,
1. He begins, then, as the Synoptists did, with the witness of
John the Baptist^ upon which he lingers, however, longer than
they.
The Forerunner came ets jmprujotar (i T 3** 5 M). He
bore witness that He who was coming was the Pre-existent
One (i 16), while he himself was only the herald (i lw ; cf,

was not written in the

s8

When

intelligent belief.

Jesus came, John bore witness that he saw the

descending upon Him (i 82), and that this was the appointed token that He was the Son of God (i*4).
a. Of other human witnesses^ who may be summoned to
give their testimony, Jn. mentions
{a) The Samaritan woman, whose witness did not go
further than her own limited experience would justify, and
was therefore all the more impressive ttJs ywaiKos ^apTvpov<rrj<i
W
0Ti "EXiriv fiat Travrct a tTroltftra (4 )() Similar to the Samaritan woman's witness is that of
the blind man whose sight was restored (g 15 *-), although the
word paprvpta, does not occur in this story,
(f) The multitude who had seen the raising of Lazarus
bore witness to the fact e/iopnJ/wt 6 fyXos (*a 17).
(d) The Twelve, whose authority rested on the intimacy
of personal companionship) vptis &e fiaprvpttre an &V* &px*fc
U
/ier* ipQv lore (ij?**); c f* a ls 3

another, and a more far-reaching reason for

the prevalence of the idea of fiaprvpCa in Jn.
It is due to
the circumstances in which the Fourth Gospel was produced,
and to the purpose of the evangelist in writing it. 4 The book
1 P, clxxvii.
a Cf.
* See on r".
* P. xxxiv*
p. xcvi.

1 So in the Pauline Epp. it is not until we reach the latest phase of

his teaching that we come upon the assertion if futfrrvplu, a&ri? tort?
Generally, in Paul, the verb ftaprvpelir beats the
AkvtQfy {Tit, 1").
sense of painful testifying, rather than of bringing forward evidence
to prove something that is in dispute,

(in)

The Idea of

" Witness "

is

Prominent

The narrative of the Fourth Evangelist is, to a considerable

extent, a narrative of controversy.
He relates more fully than
the Synoptists the story of the hostility with which the claims
of Jesus were greeted at Jerusalem; and he recalls the
** evidences " (as a modern
writer would call them) or the
" witness " to which Jesus pointed as justifying and explaining His claims* " Witness " is a necessary correlative of

But there

3 ).
Spirit

is

CHARACTERISTICS OF EVANGELIST

JtCU

[Ob,

HL

eye-witness of the Passion, i.e, the Beloved Disciple*

Jn, depends for his facts o eaipa^ai? ptfutprvprjutv
s5
(19 , where see note); whose testimony was regarded as unimpeachable by those who published the Gospel oiSa/iev on
s4
3.h.rj$vjs avrov if fMLprvpia kariv (21
)Testament
Scriptures to Christ
The
witness
of
the
Old
3imtivai oatv <xl ftaprupowat i-cpt fyov
is appealed to as explicit
(e)

on

The

whom

(5

Jesus did are His witness to, Zpyv.

M ; cf. lo*5).
/te dWaraAtfev (s
" to do;
"
Him
by
His
Father
given
These
works
were
5.
and Jesus speaks of the witness of the Father to His claims
32 S 18
3?
).
Tri/jaffas ft* vaTTjp, uerfvos fMfutpTvpqKW Trtpl lp.vv (5
cf. 5
;
Such self-witness
6. The witness of Jesus to Himself,
ai
in the case of man does not, indeed, carry conviction (s );
origin
the
Person
giving
it
is
conscious
of
His
it is only when
in the bosom of Deity that it can fitly be brought forward
X&V ^yai jiapTvpta wept tpavnw, dAijflij? ivrtv q paprvpta juov, otl
Such an One alone, when
otSa iroOtv %\6ov ml ttov {nrdyw (8 14).
speaking of the secrets of the spiritual world, could say o vt
>

deliverance. Thus the historical witness yields place to the

moral; the " witness of God " is greater than the '* witness of
The " witness of God " is that God gave
(1 Jn, f).
eternal life to us in Christ (1 Jn, 5 11 ; cf. Jn. 17 3), of which we
are assured not on historical grounds only, but also on those
of present spiritual experience 6 u-tcn-cu^r ti? ror vlbv tov 0*oB
avTW (1 Jn. 5 10).
Ij^rt Tqv fiv-pTvpiav

man"

The works which

ptaprvpu

urtpl

etju o p.apTvp5>v Trept ^.avrmS,

%yti>

with the serene confidence of

Divinity (81 *).

witness of the Spirit. When the

Christ has been withdrawn, 80 that
men can no longer be drawn to Him by His own witness, by
the compelling attraction of a Divine Personality incarnate hi
human nature, then o irapa.K\T}Tos , to irreE/ia rijs &kvj&*tav
7.

Lastly,

we nave the

visible presence of the

s
ixetvot paprvpi)<rcnrcpt ip.6v (15 *;

There

is,

8E

cf Acts $ ).
profitable so to regard it, a
It
seven/old witness in the Fourth. Gospel,

therefore, if

presentation of a

it

is

wonidi, however, be easy so to co-ordinate the various passages

in which the idea of poprupta emerges that the number might

be reduced or enlarged ; and it is precarious and may be misleading to lay stress in this connexion on the number 7. 1
In the First Johannine Epistle the " witness " is explicitly
set out as threefold {1 Jn. 57 '-), that of the Spirit, the Water, and
the Blood; i.e primarily (1) the Descent of the Spirit upon
Jesus at His baptism (cf* Jn. i 83), (2) His visible baptism with
water, (3) His Passion and Death; and secondarily (1) the
internal witness of the Spirit which is perpetually testifying of
Jesus, (a) the baptism by which believers are incorporated in
Him, a and (3) the Atonement of His Cross in which they find
t

(iv)

Philo akd the Fourth Gospel

cpov art o irar^p

2
tov avpnvov fp^ojutvos o cwpaxtv ko.1 ijicoucrev tovtq paprvpet (s* )u the
Jt is for this reason also that the witness of Christ to
Truth" (1S 37) is of unique significance. Only He could say

XClll

s*).

4.

RELATION TO PHILO

SKI

See p Ixkxlk abqve,

Cf, 3 U ' 5*

Philo of Alexandria

(b.

20 B.C., d. 49 A.D

set himself to

Hebraism and Hellenism, and to that end his aim

throughout his voluminous writings was to expound the spiritual
and philosophical meaning latent in the O.T. literature. His
influence was far-reaching among Alexandrian Jews, and the
teaching at Ephesus of the learned Alexandrian Apollos
(Acts i8 M) was probably not carried on without occasional
reference to Philo and his theological speculations. In any
reconcile

case,

we should

expect to find

among educated

people at

Ephesus some acquaintance with Philo '3 doctrine of the

as well as with his interpretations of

ioyos,

Hebrew

Scripture.
comparison of the thoughts of Philo with those of the
Fourth Gospel shows that in many instances Philo provides
useful illustrations of Johannine doctrine, which might be
expected a priori in so far as both writers deal with similar
But that there is any literary dependence of the Fourth
topics.
Gospel upon the earlier writer has not been fully proved,
although there is no reason to doubt that Jn, might have used
the language of Philo on occasion when it suited his purpose.
Thus the doctrine that genuine worship must be of the
spirit appears in Philo, as well as in Jn. 4^ (see note).
The
mystical saying that the Son cannot do anything except what
He sees the Father doing recalls Pbilo's language about the
wywpvTciTos ih<5* who imitates the ways of the Father (see on
Philo contrasts the aya$&s -jrmp4 v with a mere herd, in
5).

fashion that is sirnilar to io11 (where see note). So, too,

Philo distinguishes the ^lXol of God from His BovAo* (see

on

i5 u)p

the

manna

Even more noteworthy

is Philo's comparison of
Logos, which is the heavenly, inM aB), And the doctrine
corruptible food of the soul (see on 6
of 1 Jn. a 15, tq If any man love the world, the love of the Father
is not in Him," is remarkably like the following: dju^xatw
intrviraLpxciv ttjv irpos K&trfiov dydmfv rfj wpos rov &thv dyairy, a?

to the Divine

These are close and remarkable Philonic

parallels,

and

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

XC1V

[Oh* IV-

they suggest that Jn. was acquainted with Philo's works.

Some will regard them as establishing a real literary dependence
of the Fourth Gospel upon. Philo, but this cannot be regarded
large number of illustrative passages from Philo
as certain.
have been cited in the notes, but they can be used only as
See on
illustrations not as sources which the evangelist uses.
G. 0. 1. 39. 60. 61 -14. U ,10. 42 *tt glS. 33 TJ Bl j^* jj3. IC 3- . M
X
For Philo's doctrine of the Aoyos, see below, p. cxl.

CHAPTER
THE FOURTH GOSPEL IN

ITS

IV
RELATION TO THE

SYNOPTICS
(i)
(ii>
(iii)

(i)

The Use made by Jn. of the Synoptists,

The Chronology of Jn. and of the Synoptists,
The Words of Jesus in Jn. and in the Synoptists,

The Use made

by Jn. of the Synoptists.

points the Fourth Gospel reproduces a more primitive tradition of the Ministry of Jesus than is to be found in the
Synoptists* Jn.'s word for the chosen followers of Jesus is
paiforrai, which doubtless goes back to the earliest neriod; he
1
8
His account
does not use the term apostles (see on a 13 *)
the
inner and outer
of the way in which <hsciples, both of

At some

used to address Jesus, has every mark of historical

truth (see on I s8 41). Again, Jn.'s allusions to the Baptism of
Jesus (see on i 83) seem to go back to a more primitive (and
probably a better authenticated) tradition than those followed
in the Synoptic Gospels j and the same may be said of his
1* 1
narrative of the Storm on the Lake (see on 6 *). These are
behind
authority
much that
illustrations of the contemporary
" Gospel according
is recorded in the Fourth Gospel; it is the
to St. John," relying in many instances on the reminiscences
of the Beloved Disciple,
That the Fourth Gospel was written at a time when the
general Synoptic tradition was familiar to Christians does not
need proof. To the evangelist, the writer of the book, the
outline of the Gospel story was already well known, and he
assumes previous knowledge of it on the part of his readers.
" The Twelve " are mentioned without any previous indication
that twelve companions had been specially chosen by Jesus
(6**; cf* 61 *).
It is for him a sufficient account of Andrew to
circles,

USE MADE OF SYNOPTISTS

ij

XCV

say that he was the brother of Peter (r40), of whom everybody

knew. Every one knew, again, of the fact that John the
Baptist had been imprisoned; it is alluded to only as marking
the time of his ministry near Salim, viz. before his imprisonment (3 M). Jn, does not attempt to tell over again the story
that has already been told to Christian disciples from the
beginning. He omits much that is present in the Marcan
tradition, e.g. the Transfiguration;

or that was found in that

source of Mk,, Lk,, ML, now generally described as
e.g* the Temptation, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's
?!,
rayer.
In Part I. of the Gospel, at any rate, the scene of

common

which is largely laid in Galilee, we might expect to meet with

publicans^ lepers, and demoniacs, or to read of the preaching of
repentance or forgiveness^ as in the Synoptic Gospels. But
Jn, introduces none of these people and neither of these topics
however, ao**).
Jn, does not avoid the Synoptic stories altogether.
He
has, e.g., the Cleansing of the Temple 1 (* lw-) the Healing of
the Nobleman's Son (4*^), the Feeding of the Five Thousand
lt
(6 ), the Storm on the Lake (6 lfi(-), while he treats these and
(cf.,

Yet

other incidents in his

AH

own manner*

And since the time of Eusebius,

at any rate, it has been recognised that Jn. knew the general
story which we now have in the Synoptists.
Eusebius, 3 indeed,
accepts a tradition of his day that Jn, wrote his Gospel in order
that he might supply what was lacking in the earlier narratives,
especially in regard to the beginnings of the ministry of Jesus,
this is self-evident.

This does not give us the only or main purpose of the composition of the Fourth Gospel; but that Jn. wrote with a
knowledge of what had previously been written about the
Life of Jesus is, a priori probable.
\
We have now to ask, Had Jn. ever seen the Synoptic Gospels
^
in their present form ?
Is there any trace of his having used
Mk., Lk,, or Mt. ? Does he reproduce phrases which are
found in any of the earlier Gospels ? Such questions may be
approached quite dispassionately. The study of the Synoptic
problem, which has now been continued for a century, has
resulted in a general acceptance of the conclusion that both
Lk. and Mt, used Mk, in addition to a source now lost, which is
commonlv described as Q. The words of Mk. were adopted
in many mstancesboth by Lk. and by Mt., sometimes without
change and sometimes with corrections, which in the judgment
of the later evangelists improved the style or made for accuracy.
.

* Here Jn. seems to have amplified

tive free notes in toe).
Cf. also t>, xxx.

*H.E.

ffi.

24, 7,

and altered the Marcan narra-

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

XCV1

[Oh. IV.

the evangelist, not John the Beloved

It
Disciple) may have used the Synoptists in like manner.
would have been quite consistent with the literary habits of
prethe time if he occasionally borrowed a sentence from his
if we find
decessors. There will, then, be nothing to surprise
evangelin Jn, not only traditions which he shared with earlier
of his day, but also traces
ists, as well as with the whole Church
phrases
of the actual incorporation in his text of descriptive
It is possible that Jn. (*>,

from the Synoptic Gospels, or from their sources.

at this point that the
It will be convenient to state briefly
1
conclusions which have been adopted in this commentary
most
that
Mk,;
uses
certainly
()
are (a) that Jn, almost
probably he uses Lk., or perhaps we should say uses Q; and
Mt. at all, or was
(c) that there is no good evidence that he used
aware of the Matthaean tradition as distinct from that of Mk.
17
similarity
(see nevertheless 6* 16* 20 for passages with some
" Gospel according
It is, indeed, possible that the
to Mt.).
" is in its present form the latest of the four
to St. Matthew
canonical Gospels ; but upon this I do not enter here.
A.

COMPARISON OF

WITH MK.

JN.

The most remarkable agreements in language between

and Mk. occur in the narratives of the Anointing at Bethany
1 "8
These narratives, and also that of Lk.
, Mk. 14**).
(Jn. is
Ba "49
and examined in the Additional
, have been compared
7
Note on Jn, is 1 "*. Here we note only the verbal coincidences:
i.

Jn.

Mk.
Jn. 12*: fivpov vdpBov ffun-tKrfc TroXiirt)L>v reproduces
14 3 fivpov vapSou -jrurriK^ TroXvreAovy, the word irarrift^f
being both uncommon and obscure.
6
Jn. I2 &tk TLTOVTO TO flVpOV OPK hrpd$V} TptOlcOOW SqVOpW
xal i&afc} Trrwxots; reproduces Mk,^ 14* ^ovvaro yap
tovto to pvpov trpaOijvtu iiravw fyvapimv Tptatfo*' *ai

ctyc? avrvjpt Xva tts rijv

fiov -rriprprff

avro recalls

Mk.

^pApav tov crra^uurpov

I46 S ^er* avnp>* *
-

TrpotXaftiv ftvpLvcu to vwfta. fiov <is tov arraufnao'pav*

8
lp ol
Jr. is : rois vtwxovi yap irar * *X r ***& www*',

ou TrcivTore 2x reproduces
7rn0X^ s *hiT t*^ iavrSiv .
.

Mk.
.

14' irtbroT* yap rot*

ip* 3* oft iravrort. *X* Te*

These verbal coincidences are so close that they cannot

1 The literature is vast.
See Abbott, KB, ii, s.v. " Gospels/* and
for evidence from vocabulary, Diat. 1 665-1 8 74 ; Bacon, The Fourth
Stanton, The Gospels as Historical Documents,
Gospel, p. 366 f.
;
and recently Streeter's admirable study in The Four
iii. p. aiif
Gospels, ch. sriv.
;

XCVU

reasonably be explained by reference to a common oral tradition

being the source of the story in Jn. as in Mk. And the care
with which Jn, has amplified and corrected in the course of
his narrative certain statements of Mk, (see notes on Jn, is 1 **)
shows that where he follows Mk. verbally, he does so deliberately.
See below*
second example of the reproduction of Mk'.s words
2.
by Jn, appears in the story of the cure of the impotent man
at Bethesda.

The command eycipe Spot/ rbv Kpd0f3ar6v <rov nai iKpvtrwnt

s
9
(Jn. 5 ) is repeated from Mk. a iyapau ml &pov tov *p4ft3aror
<rou Kat vcpiirdTtt*
So, too, the result ev0us iy event $ynp 6
1
k0panros, teat fipw Tor *p*f3ftaTov avrov Kal srcpiCTarCL (Jn,
5 )
recalls Mk. 3 1* rjyipdy teal v&v* &pas rbv Kpafiffarov i$T}\6w
fyrpoa-Stv w&vrtuv.
doubt the narratives describe two quite dis-

No

tinct incidents; although,

on the other hand,

it

may be contended

that the words urging the paralytic of Mk. and the impotent
man of Jn. to make a special effort would probably be similar
in both instances.
Yet, as Streeter points out, 1 Jesus must
be supposed to have spoken in Aramaic, and that the Greek
version of what He said in one case should be so close to an
independent version of what He said in the other (both

including the vulgar

word

which

is not used in the

there is also a close
verbal similarity (see on f) in the reports of the man going
off immediately carrying his pallet.
It is more likely that Jn.
here avails himself of words used by Mk. in describing a somewhat similar scene than that these verbal coincidences should
be accidental. This, be it observed, is not an instance of Jn.'s
correction of Mk,, but of his use of Mk.'s vocabulary.

parallels

Mt.

9,

Lk.

Kpdftfiarov,
5) is unlikely.

The Johannine

3,

7
Jn. is

KNOWLEDGE OF MARK

lU

stories

And

of the Feeding

of the

Five

Thousand and of the Storm on the Lake (6 1 "31) recall the words
used in Mk. 6 30 *2 at some points. The detail duwoo-tW
oyjvaptuiv aprot, which does not appear in Mt*, Lk., is verbally
^

identical in Jn. 67, Mk. 6 W ; the verb &v**tirrtiv used in

3
Jn. 6 10, is also used in Mk. 6* 40, but not in Mt., Lk. ; the ^apro?
of Jn, 6 W is reproduced from Mk. 6s* (so Mt. 141*), but is not
in Lk.; the pronouncement iyw pt,
fafkitrBe (Jn. 6 s0
is

identical with

Mk. 6"

(followed
the Lake.

py
by Mt.

14**).

Lk. does

tell of the Storm on

These verbal similarities
between Jn. and Mk, are the more remarkable by reason of
the tendency in Jn\s narrative to correct Mk/s report at other

not

points.

Thus the sacramental suggestiveness of Jesus lifting up His

eyes to heaven and breaking the bread in blessing (Mk* 6W
,
1 The Four Gospels*
p. 398.
ft

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

xcvui

[oh.rv.

Mt 1418, Lk, 91B) does not appear in Jn, (see on 6 U), and the
omission is probably deliberate. So, too, Jn. avoids the word
40
And he retells
wkripwfin (see on 6 1*) which Mk. has at 6
the Marcan story of the Storm on the Lake in such a way thai
he removes any suggestion of the miraculous walking on the*
sea (see on 6 1*), while he retains some of Mk/s words.
That Jn, knew these Marcan narratives, but adopted their
phraseology only after scrutiny and correction, seems to be
the most probable explanation.
4, In regard to the order in which the incidents at the
Last Supper are narrated, there is remarkable agreement
between Jn. and Mk., as contrasted with the divergent order
suggested by Lk, This is discussed in the note on 134
It
does not follow that Jn. is using the text of Mk. in c. i$ f but
that both adopt the same order of events recommends it as
most probably historical.
5, Peter's three denials of his Master are described in Jn.,
having happened while he was waiting In the
as in
+S as
courtyard of the high priest while the preliminary examination
of Jesus was proceeding; and both Jn, (1818 ffi) and Mk.
(I4**-*7) mention twice that Peter was warming himself
($tpixatv6jji<v<^) during his parley with the slaves and the
police.
Perhaps Jn. here follows Mk., while he departs from
the Marcan story in other particulars (see on 13*8 18 1*- M tT),
When the first examination of Jesus by Pilate has taken place,
the question ftovkcatic oflv diroXvcroi vpZv tov ftaa-tXta rw lou&uiw ;
is recorded by Jn, (183*) in words almost identical with those
of Mk. 15*, but not of Mt., Lk. There is thus a probability
that Jn, lS goes back at some points to Mk. 14, 15; but this is
not certain.
6* The account of the mock coronation of Jesus by Pilate's
soldiers and of His investment with a purple robe (Jn. 19 s)
is similar in several phrases to the Synoptic narratives, and
suggests Mt. 2 7 28 ** and Lk. 2311 as well as Mk, 15 17
But
having regard to the differences as well as the agreements it
is not proved that Jn. is conscious either of Mt. or of Lk, at
this point, while it is probable that he is using the text of Mk,
.

Mk

on Jn. 19*),
The passage is*7 shows

(see for details

7.

and

'*

KNOWLEDGE OF LUKE

HO

XC1X

M
adoption by Jn. of words ascribed to the Risen Lord in Mt. *8 ,
they
were
probably
derived
from
the
lost
conclusion
of
where
Mlc, Jn. here is aware of, but corrects, the Marcan tradition.
B.

COMPARISON WITH LK,

1. A comparison of Jn. 12* (see Additional Note on the

Anointing at Bethany) with Lk. 7 ffi shows that Jn., for whatever
reason, tells the story of the anointing at Bethany in terms of

the Lucan narrative. The words i$lftaev rats $ptlv aurifc toEs
roSas avrtn), which are common to both narratives, disclose
not only a traditional, but a literary, gelation between them.
That Jn. is using words which he derived either from Lk.
(the source of Lk.'s narrative), is difficult
directly, or from
1
to gainsay.
s. The prediction by Jesus of Peter's denial and of the
cock -crowing in Jn. 13 38 is verbally very close to Lk. as 34 ,
while it is conspicuously different from Mk, 14^, But the
prefatory apty d/iijv indicates that Jn. knew the text of Mk.
here (while he corrects it) as well as the text of Lk. See on 13**.

3. Jn. 19** bt T^t

Tt&tifibrQS recalls

KijTrtp fivrjfjLttov

Lk, 23s*

Kotv6v cv
t

<ji

oificjrw avStic ijv

iv furjfiaTi Xaevr( oZ owe %v ovSets o&ircu

That the tomb had not been used before

Kfft/i*>'Of.

is

not

told by Mk., nor by Mt,, who, however, adds the word Kaivov
to Mk.'s statement.
The verbal similarity between Lk. and
Jn. suggests that Jn. is here using Lk., substituting ovbtTtut for
mo (see on 19*1 20 ),
4. Jn. agrees more nearly with Lk, than with Mk., Mt,, in
his account of the Resurrection, both evangelists recording
appearances of the Risen Lord in Jerusalem (see on 20 1), The

mention] e,g., of two angels at the tomb (so18) is another form

of Lk.'s tradition (Lk, 34*). In two other instances (Jn.
fro"' u * fl0) Jn.'s language recalls two passages in Lk.'s text
(Lk. 24ia **), which are treated by Hort as "Western noninterpolations," and as inserted by scribes in Lk. from Jn. 2
It is not certain that Hort's view can be pressed] and it may be
that Jn. is here correcting and adapting Lucan texts (see on
206 18). The relation between Jn. 1247 and the Western text
of Lk. q65 is not easy to explain, but here, again, Jn. may be
J

'

traces of the language of

Mk.,

in a less degree of Lk. (see notes in Av). It would be rash

to conclude that Jn. is here reproducing, consciously or unconsciously, phrases from the earlier Gospels; for he seems to be
following an independent tradition as to the words which the
Synoptists ascribe to Jesus at Gethsemane.
But the verbal
similarities are striking,
8. The verse 2017 (see note in foe.) seems to indicate the

correcting Lk.
4
For the relation between Jn. and Lk., see Hamack's brief study
of their vocabulary {Luke the Physician, p. 224 f.L
He holds it
possible, but not certain, that Jb. used Lk.
Cf. also Gaussen, J.T.S.,
July 1008, for words and ideas common to both,
"The addition to the text (in kBCL) of Mt. 27** is undoubtedly
derived from Jn, ig M (where see note).

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

[Oh- IV.

THE BAPTIST

1]

Mk.

passages, we conclude that, although

Jn. does not use Lk, as frequently as he uses Mk., he was
nevertheless acquainted with the Third Gospel as well as with

From a survey of these

JN,

AND

Mt.

Cf. Acts 13

Jn, places them in a somewhat different context, which may

represent a more accurate tradition than that of Mk. (see on
14*1),
In any case, that this brief command is reproduced in
the same terms by both evangelists is not sufficient to establish
a literary dependence of Jn. upon Mk. at this point.

THE BAPTIST IN

JN.

AND

IN

THE SYNOPTISTS

The Fourth Gospel, like that of Mk., begins with the preliminary ministry of John the Baptist, as ordained in the Divine
counsels to prepare for the greater ministry that was to follow.
Jn/s account of the Baptist's proclamation of Jesus, which he
represents as explicit and unqualified, is marked by vivid
details derived apparently from a contemporary witness; while
at the same time the language used reproduces phrases already
familiar from the Synoptic narratives.
"
(<z) Jn. describes the Baptist as a man " sent from God
s
This is implied in the quotation of Mai, 3 1 in
(i9 ; cf. 3 *).
Mk. i a and Q (Mt. 10, Lk, 7"). Mk. i a was probably
present to the writer of Jn, i*j or we may say that Mai, 3 1 was
a familiar text from its presence in Christian tesHmonia.
3
(b) To the Baptist is applied Is. 40 by Mk., Mt,, Lk,, but
23 represents him
as claiming the prophecy for one of
Jn. i

himself.
(e)

Jn/s proclamation of the Coming One is found in

terms in Jn,, Mk., Mt., Lk.

similar, but not identical,

Jn.

16,

TrptoTQ?

oiri<r<o jiov ip%6p,EVQ<;

pov

ijLTrpa&$v puov yeyovev,

27
O GTTl&ftt flQV ipx6fJ.VQ$ ot OVK
Jn, I
axrov tw f/uwrfc tov faroftypaTW,
!

cTrt

ijv.
3

*J/jU cyftl tti*9 IVO. XlttTO)

rwv

s5

iroStoK

8k a itrxypoTtpos

iw

rbv ipdvrn

IN

Several sayings of Jesus recorded by the Synoptists, whether

derived from the Marcan tradition or from Q, also appear in
It is probable that many of His
Jn. in a different context.
sayings were repeated by Him more than once. See notes on
In none of these cases, however, is the
i2 M I3 1*- M I5 20 BI
form of expression in Jn. identical with that in Mk (J Lk., or Mt. f
while the matter of the precept or aphorism or warning remains
1
the same.
It is possible that iyttpttFfe $.ywp.*v of 14* was
appear.
But
same
words
taken from Mk. 14**, where the

D.

I*: lp)(tTai 6 ttrxypQTCpQS pov onttrw fiov^ ov ova tip*

Ikovos Kv\jia% Xverat rbv IpAvra twv v7ro8ij/taT<iR avroi).
11
6 Sc wra pav spxppcvo? icr^upoTt/ws pov icntvt
3

Lk. 3 1*: Ip^rax

SAYINGS IN DIFFEREKT CONTEXTS IN

THE SYNOPTISTS

ci

the Second,
C.

IN JN,

pov av ouk /u ueavos Xwrat

t

hvohiqpjar^v avrov.

ep^CTCLi

ptr

lju.1

ov ovk ttfu &iqs to V7r6&rjp.a

kvpat.

clear that Jn. i 16 (see note) puts into fresh words the
gynoptic phrase 6 ttr^v/aorepos pov, which is also found in
Justin {Tryph. 49, 88), Jn. has agios for the Synoptic beards,
It

is

7
the adj, used in Acts i3 M (see note on Jn, i* ).
the
unloose
Mk. is alone in adding ttvfa^ stooping dawn to
thong of the sandal. Mt, has the different image of carrying
s7
the sandals 01 shoes (see on Jn. 1 ), but it is remarkable that
Justin {Trypk. 49, 88) also has pa<rrd<rat for Avow. Jn.
Also
characteristically adds iyw for emphasis before oftof.
tva \vo-ta is the constr. with fra which he favours rather than
kvvai (see on Jn. i7). He agrees with Mk., Lk. in the constr.

but afros

0C

is

auTov*

When

these variations are examined, it becomes doubtful

whether it can be claimed that Jn, here follows Mk. rather
than Lk, Perhaps the true inference is that Jn. and Mk* are
following Q at this point, as was suggested by Salmon,*
(d) Jn, differs from the Synoptists in some details as to
the Baptism of Jesus e.g, he omits any mention of the heavens
28
being opened, or of the Voice from heaven (see on iz ). In
particular, the sight of the dove descending on Jesus at His
baptism is, for Jn,, no spiritual vision seen only by Jesus
(cf, Mk, i 10), but was perceived by the Baptist with his bodily
eyes (see on i*2), and was acclaimed by him as a Divine sign
that Jesus was the expected Messiah, This was the beginning
and the foundation of that witness " of the Baptist on which
41 8
stress is laid throughout the Gospel (cf. io ).
;

'

'

(e) Neither in Mk. nor Lk, is it expressly stated that the

Baptist recognised Jesus as the Messiah, when He presented
14
Himself for baptism, although this is indicated in Mt. 3
And the clearness of the Baptist's perception that Jesus was
the Coming One, as indicated by Jn. (i 8*- as 3B), has been thought
by some to be inconsistent with the Synoptic presentation of
John's ministry, and in particular with John's hesitation as to
the Messiahship of Jesus at a later stage> which was described
.

in Q (Mt. ii 31 -, Lk, 7 1 *).

Such hesitation is, however, not
incompatible with a previous outburst of enthusiastic conAnd,
viction, as every student of psychology will recognise.
1

Human

Element in the Gospels, p.

52.

* Cf, p.

xd

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

Cll

apart from such considerations, the Synoptic tradition of the

discomfiture of the ecclesiastical authorities by the simple
"
question, " The baptism of John, was it from heaven ?
(Mk. ii", Lk. ao^j Mt. 2i tt) proves decisively that the Baptist
had definitely proclaimed Jesus as the Expected One, " Why
then did ye not believe him ? " There would have been no
force in this retort, if it had not been common knowledge that
the witness of the Baptist to the Divine authority of Jesus had

been express. 1 It is exactly this which Jn, i 381 implies, as

also Mt. 3 14 although it is not stated explicitly in Mk, i or
Lk. 3. The announcement of the Baptist's conviction in the
startling words, " Behold the Lamb of God/' probably marks
a later rendering of the Christian doctrine of Redemption (see
oni*); but for the fact that the Baptist recognised in Jesus
the expected Christ, the Synoptists are (implicitly) witnesses
as well as Jn.
-

(u)

The Chronology of

Jn.

and of the Synoptists

The Fourth Gospel seems to have been constructed on a

rough chronological plan more precise than appears in the
Jn. does not attempt to tell the Life of Jesus in
his readers about this (21**),
He only
describes selected incidents perhaps because they have a special
bearing on his chosen thesis (2031); perhaps too because of
these he is able to write with special authority, or can correct
what has been written by earlier evangelists.
There is no such thing as a chronological scheme, properly
speaking, in the Synoptic Gospels, although Lk- (i 1) recognises
the value of orderly presentation of facts (cf. also Lk, 31 *).
But
Jn, likes to tell of things in historical sequence*
His report
of the opening week of the public ministry of Jesus distinguishes five distinct days at least on which something happened
(cf. i w *** a 1 , and see on i 19).
"The morrow " (6 I2 1S), "six
" four days " (ii 17), " not
days " (la 1), " two days " (4^
),
many days " (a 12), " after eight days " (20 s8) exhibit not only
his anxiety to mark the sequence of events, but the confidence
with which he indicates their order. Jn* is especially careful
to mention the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem for the national
feasts 1 and his statements on this head, which are characteristic of the Fourth Gospel, must be examined both in regard to
their precision and their intrinsic probability,
1* The three great festivals of the Jews were Passover,
Synoptists.
full;

and he warns

CHRONOLOGY OF

[Oh, IV,

fl

Pentecost, and Tabernacles. All male Jews above the age of

twelve years were under obligation to attend these at Jerusalem;
1
See, for this. J, O. F* Murray m Expository Times, Dec. 19*5.

JN.

cm

would have been out of keeping with a reputation for

piety for any one to absent himself. There was no similar
obligation to be present at the Feast of the Dedication or the
feast of Furim, although even at these Jews were accustomed
According to Jn,, Jesus
to assemble from all quarters.
followed the national custom as to the attendance at feasts*
ajirf it

of which the following are mentioned:

1
This was held
(i) The Passover of the year 27 (a *).
at the beginning of the sacred year, about the time
of the spring equinox, on 14th Nisam
1
(2) The Passover of the year 28 (s ), which is mentioned
earlier
passage (6*). (See
hand
in
the
near
at
as
above, p. xvii, on the transposition of cc. 5 and 6),
same year, i.e.
(3) The Feast of Tabernacles of the
28 a.d, (7 s). This was the most important of all the
national festivals, and began on 15 Tishri (about the
month of October). Jn, takes special note of what
aff
Jesus said on the last day of this feast (7 ), as well as
14
during the middle of the celebration (7 )
same year, i.e, 25
(4) The Feast of Dedication of the
Chislev (December, 28 a.d,)* This was attended by
2a
Jesus (see io ).
The
Passover
of the year 29 a,d*, at the time of the
(5)
Passion (ti k 12 1).
These records, if the order of the traditional text is trustworthy, prove that the public ministry of Jesus extended over
at least two years, and there is nothing intrinsically improbable
in this. But it has been thought by some that so long a period
of ministry is inconsistent with the report of the Synoptists,
who tell only of one Passover, and from whose records the
prima facie inference would be that Jesus was crucified at

the Passover season which followed His baptism. This would

involve that the public ministry of Jesus lasted for one year
only.
I have suggested elsewhere the possibility that the Cleansing
of the Temple is misplaced in the ordinary text of Jn. (see on
2i3. 23 g.y
if we CQuld take it in connexion with the last visit
of Jesus to Jerusalem, as the Synoptists do, then the Johannine
narrative does not involve a longer ministry than something
more than one year, viz. the whole year described in Part II*,
and as many months as are necessary for the incidents of
Part I. 1 There would, in that case, be no chronological inconsistency between the Synoptists and an original text of
1M somewhere after 12 1*. Eutj taking
Jn., which placed c, 2
-

This

is

the period expressly assigned to the ministry by Origcn

CIV

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

[Oh. IV.

the text of Jn. as we have printed it, the ministry of Jesus lasted
for more than two years, which is not suggested by the Synoptists, who do not mention explicitly the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem for the purpose of keeping the national feasts.
In connexion with this omission in the Synoptic narratives,
we must bear in mind their character and structure. None of
them professes to give a complete account of the public
ministry.
Mk., which is the oldest of them, is a record of the
Galilsean ministry only, until the last scenes.
Mt, and Lk.
are based partly on this, and partly on a collection of discourses
of Jesus, which contained also a few notable incidents. None
of them aims at telling the story in complete detail or in exact
sequence. It is unreasonable to assert that events undescribed
by them could not have happened. Positive evidence is

always more weighty than a mere argumeniutn e

siUttife,

and

hence, unless the Synoptic accounts definitely contradict what

Jn, tells about the visits of Jesus to Jerusalem for the feasts,
the latter must be allowed to stand. No such contradiction

can be alleged.
According to Lk. (a 41), it was the habit of the family at
Nazareth to go up to Jerusalem " every year " for the Passover,
as all pious Jews were accustomed to do. We cannot doubt
that, during the thirty years of preparation for His work, Jesus
did the same. It is difficult to believe that, even if His public
ministry lasted but for one year. He would have abstained
from going up to Jerusalem in that year for Pentecost, or for
die Feast of Tabernacles, which was the greatest of the religious celebrations.
Such an attitude would have shocked the
piety of His disciples, and would naturally have provoked
the charge of carelessness in observation of the Law,
Yet
there is no hint anywhere that it was one of the counts in His
indictment by the priests, that He neglected to attend the
national festivals. His opponents were quick to point to the
freedom with which He treated the laws about the Sabbath;
it would have been an additional breach of law and
tradition*
which the people would have viewed with grave suspicion,
could He have been accused of disregarding the obligation to
attend the Feast of Tabernacles. That the Synoptists make
no mention of such an accusation indicates that none such
was made thut ifc^ is probable, therefore, that it could not
have been made with truth and hence that their narratives
are not inconsistent with visits to Jerusalem paid by Jesus
during the period of which they treat. But if one such visit be

admitted, there is nothing to prevent the acceptance of several,

such as Jn. records, and hence of the extension of the public
rninistry of Jesus over a longer period than one year.

CHRONOLOGY OF

!]

JN*

cv

Moreover, when we remember what Jesus conceived His

mission to be, even if we limit ourselves to what the Synoptists
tell of Him, it is difficult to suppose that He made no effort to
appeal in person to Jerusalem, the home of the national religion
and the central seat of its authority, until the last week of His
Unless Jerusalem were approached, His mission
life on earth.
45 the Messiah of the Jews would be incompletely fulfilled.
It is, on the other hand, entirely in agreement with what we
ihould have expected from One who claimed to be the Fulfiller
of the Law (Mt. 5"), that He should, again and again, have
endeavoured to gain the allegiance of the citizens of Jerusalem,
1
as is indicated in the report of Jn,
evidence
is supplied by the Synoptists
One positive piece of
themselves in corroboration of this conclusion. The source
c&Hed Q, from which both the First and the Third Gospels
have taken large part of their material, places in the mouth of
Jesus a lament over the obduracy of Jerusalem, in the face of
" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem ,
,
frequent appeals,
how often
would I have gathered thy children together . . and ye
T - Mt. 23 s7 , Lk. 13 s*).
would not " (at* v^ A
Mt. and Lk
do not agree as to the occasion on which these words were
spoken; but, whenever spoken, they point back to previous
They are not suffiministries of exhortation and warning.
ciently explained by a reference to mere aspirations such as
Jesus may have felt on visits to Jerusalem before His public
ministry had begun a they seem to imply definite appeals
which were rejected by those to whom they were addressed.
And of these the Johannine record provides adequate illustra"
tion, Jn. i2 34 3fl 44 50 corresponding to the lament preserved
.

inQ.
Further evidence of former Jerusalem ministries may be
in such passages as Lk. iq90 '- 22 ef-, which show that
Jesus, on the occasion of His last visit, was already known to
persons dwelling in or near the capital. The owners of the
ass, riding on which He made His triumphal entry, did not
demur when the animal was borrowed ; 6 ktj/mos qurov xptiav
t^ct was sufficient excuse.
And the master of the house
where the Last Supper was eaten received Jesus as a welcome
guest.
Yet, as Drummond urges, 3 these acquaintanceships
or friendships may have been formed during earlier visits to
Jerusalem which were not associated with any public teaching,

found

1 The mention of the Temple in Mt. 4* Lk. 4* suggests

an agony of
Temptation occasioned by a, visit to Jerusalem.
1
This is the explanation of Drummond, Character ow? Authorship

of the Fourth Gospel, p. 45.

'Loc.cit.

'

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

CV1

[Oh. IV.

would be precarious to build an edifice of theory upon

But the use in the passages cited (from Lk,) of the
titles h Kvpio* and 4 StSda-KaXos suggests that these Jewish
acquaintances of Jesus were accustomed to speak of Him thus,
and such a designation marks the relation of a master to his
disciples (see on I3 ia).
They were not mere acquaintances and
well-wishers; they were among those who recognised that
He claimed at least to be a Rabbi and an authoritative Teacher.
And this brings us round again to the conclusion that this
claim had been made by Him before at Jerusalem as well as in

and

it

them.

Thus

the Johannine account of several ministerial

visits to Jerusalem on the part of Jesus is corroborated by
several Synoptic touches.
And this confirms the view that the
length of the ministry of Jesus is more accurately indicated
by Jn. than by the Synoptists.
2, The discrepancy between Jn. and the Synoptists as
to the actual date of the Last Supper and consequently of the
Crucifixion has been the subject of much discussion. The
Synoptists treat the Last Supper as the Paschal Feast. Jn,,
on the other hand, does not represent it as a Paschal meal,
holding that the Passover was celebrated on the day after the
Supper, and that Jesus died on the cross at the time that the
Galilee.

Paschal lambs were being killed.

The account of Jn, is without ambiguity. At the Supper
some present thought that Judas departed in order to buy
some things for the Feast, which had therefore not yet been
celebrated (13 s9), The eating of the Passover was still to
come when, on the morning after the Supper, the priests
refused to enter the PrEetorium lest they should contract ceremonial defilement (iS 28). When Jesus died on the cross, the
soldiers did not break His legs, the O.T. precept that the bones
of the Paschal Lamb should not be broken being thus fulfilled,
in the view of Jn. (19 38).
Paul, it is to be observed, took the
same view of the death of Jesus as that of the true Paschal Lamb
{1 Cor, s7t *), this being the earliest tradition on the subject
that is extant. 1 See also on 1914 31 - 4a
When we speak of the Synoptic tradition about the date,
we must remember that it ultimately rests on Mk., from whom
Mt, and Lk. take the framework of their narratives of the
Passion, As Burkitt points out, in regard to this matter, we
'

1 So Justin regards the Paschal Lamb as a <rfyttiW of Christ

{Tryph. 40) ; and Irenaeus is explicit as to the Crucifixion being on the
" in eadem ipsa, quae ante tantum
actual day of the Passover
temporis a Moyse praedicata est, passus est domiaus adimplens pascha
Earlier still, Ffcetidb-Peter follows the Johannine tradifiv. 10. 1),
tion (Gospel of Peter, 5 3)*
See above, p, xlix, on the Quartodeciman
:

'

practice.

CHRONOLOGY OF

S^J

JN.

Cvii

are not dealing with a consensus of three independent authori1

There is no doubt that Lk. <22 1S) and Mt. (2610) follow
ties,
Mk, (I4 1*), when they all say of the preparations for the Last
Supper, " they made ready the Passover" Mk. i4ia introduces this by recording, " On the first day of unleavened bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover," the disciples asked Jesus
where were they to prepare for the Feast. That they came into
Jerusalem from Bethany for the supper is quite consistent with
a regulation that the Passover was to be eaten in the city area
5
but this is no proof. Nor is the fact that they
(c. Deut* 1 a )
sang a hymn (Mk. 14^) after supper any proof that this was
the Paschal Hallel. Indeed, there are some difficulties in the
Synoptic narratives as they stand- According to Mk. 14 s ,
the Sanhedrim had decided not to arrest Jesus during the
Paschal Feast, and yet they actually did so (Mk. i44a). The
carrying of arms during the Feast was, at any rate, unlawful,
although perhaps the disciples would not have refrained from
this in the circumstances (Lk. 22^, Mk. 14"; see on Jn, 18 10).
To hold a formal trial before the high priest on the Feast day
would, again, be unlawful (Mk. 14s3 ). And the purchase of a
linen cloth (Mk. 15**), and the preparation of spices and ointments (Lk, 23s*) during such a Festival, would be strange, if
not forbidden. Finally, the language of Lk, 2 15 (even though
Lk. regards the Supper as the Passover Feast) implies that,
although Jesus eagerly desired to celebrate one more Passover
with His disciples, yet in fact He did not do so.
These considerations indicate that the Johannine tradition
as to the occasion of the Last Supper and the day of the Crucifixion is preferable to that of the Synoptists^ who are not
consistent with themselves. That the Johannine reckoning
seems to have been adopted in the second century by the
Quartodecimans is a further consideration. 3
The attempts which have been made to harmonise the two
divergent traditions by identifying the Last Supper with the
Chagigah or the Kiddusch* or by amending the text of Mt*
26 1' 4 with Chwolson, are not convincing. It emerges from
the discussion that Jn/s chronology must not be treated as
inferior to that of the earlier Gospels; and that as to the
date of the Crucifixion he is more probably right than they.
So also as to the hour of the Crucifixion, placed by Jn. at
;

J.T.S.. April 1916, p. 292, a valuable article; cf. also J.T.S.,

p. 569.
Sfte ti 3clLx fibove
See
H, Box, J.T.S., 1903, p. 357; and cf. Burkitt. J,T>S. t
1916, p. 294.
4 See references in Moflatt, Inirod, to
N,T p. 545,

ni9o8,

cvm

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

noon, which

is

more probable than Mk.'s &pa

[Oh. TV.
rptrv}

(see

on

Jn. 19").

Reasons have been given in the notes on a 13 w (see also

xxx)
for preferring, on the contrary, the Marcan tradition
p.
that the Cleansing of the Temple took place during the last
week of our Lord's ministry at Jerusalem, to accepting the early
date assigned to it in the traditional text of Jn. It may be
added that Tatian in his Diatzssaron removes both the Cleansing
of the Temple and the Nicodemus incident from the beginning
of the ministry of Jesus. Tatian adopts the following order of
events and discourses : the Parable of the Pounds, the Cleansing
of the Temple, the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican, the
Cursing of the Fig Tree, the Conversation with Nicodemus,
the Discovery that the fig tree has withered away. He does
not place these events in the last week of the ministry of Jesus
(for he puts the Triumphal Entry a good deal later), but he
treats them as happening at Jerusalem on His last visit but one
-

to that city,
3, In connexion with Jn.'s notes of time, his use of the
expressions /it Tovro and fxrra ravm should be noticed,
pera toSto, which is not found in the Synoptists, appears
7 n
iq38), and always implies that
four times in Jn. (2"
only a short interval of time has elapsed.
/ier& Tafira is not so precise; it is used at 51* 137 ig w as
equivalent to ** subsequently " or " afterwards," L
It is used in an even looser way in the Apocalypse (Rev, 41
s 181
1
1
) to introduce a new vision, and in the Fourth
7 1
Gospel to introduce a new section of the narrative (3** 6 1 5 1 7 1
2 1 1), the idea of causal or immediate sequence not being present
at all. It would seem that in 3 M 1 5 1 7 1 pera. ravra merely
indicates the beginning of a new set of reminiscences of the
aged *' witness " behind the Gospel, which were taken down
from his dictation by the evangelist who subsequently put
In these passages /acto, tuvto, is not
the whole in shape.
strictly chronological.

fl

(in)

The Words of Jesus

in Jn*

and

in

the

Synoptists

The contrast between the words of Jesus as found in the

Synoptists and in the Fourth Gospel respectively has been
observed even by superficial readers. Differences in the various
books might have been anticipated. Perhaps the first collection
It is used thus in Lk. 5 " 1o * [MfcJ 16", Rev. g l \ not appearing
(as at Lk, 13 4 17s 16* Acts 13 18 1 ) it
or Mfc. ; in the
generally connotes strict sequence.
1

in

Mk

LXX

StfM

THE WORDS OF JESUS

cix

of Jesus' sayings was that included in the documentary source

behind all the Gospels which critics designate as Q, This
doubtless contained some stories of what Jesus did, but it
was mainly concerned with what He said, especially with the
parables, which were 30 characteristic of His method of teaching,
and the terse, pointed epigrams which arrested the attention of
Then we have the Marcan Gospel, reall who heard Him,
presenting in the main the Galilean tradition of the Ministry*
said by Papias and Irenaeus to depend on the recollections of
peter,* Mt. and Lk. use both of these sources, with others.
Jn. was later in date than Q or Mk. or Lk-j all of which sources
he had probably read, but he depends mainly, for his facts, on
the reminiscences of the apostle John* then in his old age. It
is not the purpose of Jn. to retell the story of the Ministry, as
it was told by Mk, and Lk, but to tell it from a new point of
view. The story of Jesus is being misunderstood and in
some ways perverted by Gnostic Christians* Jn, not only
relies for his new narrative on the sole survivor of the apostles,
but he selects for special record such facts and sayings as seem
to him to need restatement, or which have hitherto remained
unwritten. The authority for his facts is not mere vague
tradition, but the " witness " of the Beloved Disciple himself.
The purpose of the Fourth Gospel is not to set down all that
the writer has learnt about his theme; but to tell what may
persuade Christian disciples of the truth of his great thesis
that Jesus is the Son of God, in whose Name they, believing,
may find life (20 s1). Jn. is not only an historian he is an interpreter of history. And, moreover he himself was one of the
first disciples, although not of the inner circle ;
he had heard
Jesus speak, and he knew how He was accustomed to speak,
when in controversy with Jewish opponents, no less than in His
discourse with simple people.
In books, then, which came into being under such different
conditions, we should expect differences in the several reports
of the discourses of Jesus, Further, we need not be surprised
if there are also differences of arrangement and of style, corresponding to the temperament, education, design, and authority
of the several writers. We are presented, moreover, with discourses, now expository, now argumentative; now exoteric
for the public, now esoteric for the most intimate disciples of
the Speaker; now addressed to Galilsean peasants, now to the
Rabbis of Jerusalem, That there is a wide difference between
the sayings collected in either version of the Sermon on the
Mount (Mt. and Lk,) and the subtle arguments of Jn. 5, 8, 9,
and again the sacred farewells of cc. 14, 15, 16, is obvious. But
1 Eus. H,E< ill
CI p, xlvii
39. >5i v, 8, a.
:

c*

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

[Oh. IV,

such differences were not apparent, we should have to conclude that some of the reports were unduly coloured.
We pass on to some comparisons in detail of the Synoptic
reports and those in Jn. of the sayings of Jesus; and we
find that some of the similarities are quite as striking as the
if

differences*
i. Naturally t all accounts record the authority with which
Jesus spoke, It astonished the people in the synagogue at
Capernaum (Mk. i aa 6 s), as it astonished the Sanhedrim
police at Jerusalem who had been so overawed that they did
not arrest Him (Jn, 7**). It was the same tone as that which
He used to Pilate (Jn. i8 aT).
2, "Brief and concise," says Justin Martyr, "were His
sayings, for He was no sophist." x Justin is referring to those
terse, short sentences of which the Synoptic Gospels are full;
other examples of which have been preserved in non-canonical
sayings, some cited by the early Fathers, others only discovered
in papyrus collections in our own time. It should be remembered that these telling aphorisms are exactly the kind of saying
that would become traditional at once, would pass from mouth
to mouth, and would be incorporated in a document such as Q.
Paradoxes have been called the " burrs " of literature, because
they " stick "; and one of our Lord's methods was to teach by
paradoxes, Mk, a 17 w 4s6 io88 are examples of sayings which
provoke the attention and so make men think. Of such sayings
Jn, mentions some which the Synoptists also have, e.g. Jn.
20
In addition, he has
j a*8 (the most famous of all) and 13
preserved some which are not found elsewhere, e.gt " My
meat is to do the will of Him that sent me " (Jn, 4**) ; " Work
not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which
abideth unto eternal life" (627); and " Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends "
These are all addressed to inquirers and
(I5 1*); cf also 12*4
disciples, and are of a type with which the Synoptic Gospels
have made us already familiar. So, too, the beautiful illustration of the woman in travail (16 s1) recalls the manner of
the speech of Jesus in the Synoptists.
3. It is common both to the Synoptic and to the Johannine
tradition that while Jesus spoke in parable or mystery to outM
siders (Mk. 4 , Jn. io ) He was accustomed to explain His
meaning more fully to His disciples (Mk. 4s4 7", Jn, 16 s5 - M),
Yet even they did not quite understand His words (Mk. o 8a ,
28
Jn. I6 ); always there was a certain aloofness in His bearing,
and despite His tender affection for His near friends they were
4
afraid of questioning Him too far (Mk. 9s4 10", Jn. s ). This
-

fl

Apol.

i.

14,

THE WORDS OF JESUS

!]

CXI

becomes even more apparent in the post-Resurrection narrabut

tives,

it

is

present throughout the ministry in

its

early

stages.
4.

feature of the discourses of Jesus in Part

I,

of the

Fourth Gospel must now be examined, because it discloses a

similarity to some of His speeches in the Synoptists which
has often been overlooked. Some critics have rightly called
attention to the form in which the discourses in cc, 3, 4, 6 are
schematism." A saying
cast, and which has been called their
of deep import is uttered by Jesus ; His hearers misunderstand
and then He repeats the
it, after a fashion that seems stupid
saying in a slightly different form before He explains it and
draws out its lesson. At least six instances of this may be
' l

noticed in Jn.
(a) Jesus says, " Except a man be born from above, he
cannot see the Kingdom of God " (3*); Nicodemus asks,
1
*
How can a man be born when he is old ? ' (3*) ; and then Jesus
repeats the saying in the form
Except a man be born of
[water and] the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of
God " ($), explaining it further in w. 6, 7, 8. Nicodemus does
not understand all at once (3*).
() Jesus tells the Woman of Samaria that if she had asked
Him, He would have given her "living water" (41C). The
woman is puzzled. How could He provide spring water,
when there is no other well but the old well of Jacob, and He
has no bucket to draw with (411 ia) ? Jesus repeats that He
can give " water " which shall become in the heart of the
recipient a well of water springing up unto eternal life (413 14).
The woman does not understand all at once (4^,
(<c) Jesus says to His attendant disciples* " I have meat to
eat that ye know not " (4 s *), They think that He speaks of
ordinary food (4 s3). He explains that His meat is to do the
Father's will (4^).
(d) Jesus says to the multitudes who had been fed, " Work
not for the meat which perisheth, but for the meat which
abideth unto eternal life " (6 27). They think He is referring
to manna, and they ask Him to produce it (6 31, **). Jesus tells
them that He is Himself the Bread of Life (<?"), and explains
that those who come to Him shall never hunger (w. 36-40).
The hearers are not satisfied (6** 1).
(e) Jesus says again, *' I am the Bread which came down
from heaven " (641). The inquirers ask how could that be,
since they know His father and mother (642)
He explains
again, and repeats,
the Bread of Life/'
" The Bread
tf) Jesus utters another, even harder, saying,
which I will give is
Flesh " (651 ), The puzzled questioners
'

'

'

'

"lam

My

"

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

CXll

[Ch.

IV+

How can this man give us His Flesh to eat? " (6Ba).
says
again, " Except you eat the Flesh of the Son of
Jesus
Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you " (65a) ? and
then He expands and explains. Upon this many would-be
disciples leave Him (6*).
Thus the Discourses of Jesus, with Nicodemus about the
New Birth (3 3 "14), with the woman of Samaria about the Living
"
Water (4 10 15), "with the disciples about the spiritual nourish^
ment which sustains Him (4 ta, ut') ) together with the three
connected, but distinct, sections of the Discourse about the
Bread of Life (6*7-40 41_M *' ***>*#), all follow similar paths. But
these similarities do not by any means prove that the discourses
are constructed thus by the evangelist, without any historical
tradition behind them, 1
It is a remarkable circumstance that discourses such as
those in cc. 3, 4, 6 do not occur anywhere in Part II. of the
Gospel* Cc. 5, 7-12 are full of the discourses of Jesus, but
Jn- does not report them on the lines of those which have been
cited, viz. Saying of Jesus ; Misunderstanding of it ; Saying
repeated, expanded) and explained. If the method or plan of
the discourses indicated in Part I. is entirely the invention of
the evangelist, adopted monotonously to bring out the nature
of the teaching which he ascribes to Jesus, how is it that no
trace of this method is found in Part II, ?
The fact is that the discourses in Part I, of the Fourth
Gospel are not reported as polemical arguments ; they were
addressed to sincere inquirers and well-wishers who were seekhave already seen (p. xxxiii) that Part I,
ing disripteship.
is a record of the early welcome which the teaching of Jesus
received, mainly in Galilee, but also in a lesser degree in
Jerusalem. That is, it deals with situations similar to those
described in the Synoptic Gospels, and specially in Mk. And,
accordingly, the method which Jesus used in teaching as set
out in Part I. of Jn. is indicated also in the Synoptic narratives.
It is the method of paradox (to arrest the attention of the
hearer), followed (after the hearer has shown himself puzzled
and therefore curious) by an explanation. In this, it resembles
the method of teaching by parables.
~
Thus at Mk. 7ie aa ) Jesus puzzles the disciples by saying:
44
Nothing from without the man, going into him, can defile
him j but the things which proceed out of the man are those
1
that can defile him." The disciples see that this is a " parable/
ask,

"

We

1 For this view see Julicher, Introd.,

p, 392 ; and for an evea more
extravagant inf erence cf Loisy (on jn. 3 a who says that the NicoJ
demus discourse was constructed at first * cc-mme po&ne didactique
but la regeneration spmtuelle que procure le Fils.
"

THE WORDS OF JESUS

JUL]

CX1H

but they do not understand, Jesus then repeats the saying

and.explains ft. Again, at Mk. S 16 "30 Jesus says to His disciples,
" Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees." The disciples are
dull enough to think He is speaking about some kind of bread.
He explains with a rebuke what He means, and repeats His
precept again (cf. Ml i6 u). This is similar to the method by
which Nicodemus was taught.
In short, the plan on which the teaching of Jesus to inquirers and disciples was fashioned, according to the Synoptists,
recalls at several points the discourses addressed to such hearers
according to the Johannine report of them in Part I, of the
Fourth Gospel. The parallels to Jesus' method of argument
with hostile critics in the last week of His public ministry as
recorded by the Synoptists are found, on the other hand, in
Part II. of Jn.
5. The form of the polemic against Jewish objectors in
Part II, of the Fourth Gospel has disconcerted some readers
as savouring of Rabbinical subtlety, 1 rather than of what
is thought to be evangelical simplicity.
In particular, the
Rabbinical arguments at Jn, j
S" io M (where see notes)
do not appeal directly to a modem mind as very convincing or
on a lofty plane of thought. But if Jn. i^ f be only an argu-*
mentum ad hominem^ the same might be said of the puzzling
query,
The baptism of John, was it from heaven or from
men ? " (Mk. 11*9. Neither argument did more than exhibit
the inconsistency of the Pharisees, and this is not the highest
type of reasoning as we understand it. Or, again, the argument
in Mk. 3^* which begins, " How can Satan cast out Satan? "
is rather satire than close reasoning.
"It is not logically
convincing, since Satan might very well sacrifice some of his
Subordinates for the sake of a greater victory, and it reaches a
conclusion which is true from premises, those of the scribes,
which are false or shaky." a The truth is, that the polemic
which Jn. records in cc. 7, 8, 10 is not dissimilar from the kind of
argument which is represented by Mk. as being used against

'

'

similar

opponents,

viz.

the

scribes

and

Pharisees,

Such

opponents had to be met with their own methods of argument,

and this is brought out by the Synoptists as well as by Jn.,
although they are so much less familiar with the story of the
rejection of Jesus at Jerusalem than he is.
The kind of argument against the Pharisees reproduced in Part II. of the Gospel
is not recorded by Jn. with the view of convincing Greek
readers.
It is included by the evangelist to bring out the
profundity of the thoughts of Jesus, who even while He had
to dispute with the Rabbis as to the validity of His claims knew
1

See p. lxxsii above.

A. Menzies, The Earliest Gospel, p. ioi,

"

RELATION TO THE SVNOPTISTS

cxiv

nothing could really be set against the tremendous

11
that beareth witness of Myself
pronouncement,
16 1
with
the
faithfulness
above,
(S ),
And, as has been noticed
which these controversies have been recorded 3 Is illustrated by the very feature which the modem mind is apt to
in
repudiate.
It is not to be overlooked, moreover, that
these reports the commentary of the evangelist cannot always
be distinguished from the sayings of Jesus which he has set
down. 3
that

"IamHe

6.

The

Discourses of Farewell

38
(cc. 15, 16, 13**14)

stand

comparable with any other sayings

in the Gospels. They are not like the parables or sermons to
the multitudes which the Synoptists preserve; nor do they
recall the arguments by which (either in the Synoptists or in
They
Jn.) Jesus strove with those who rejected His claims.
were for his faithful and sorrowing friends, and spoke of
them in particular and their future needs and duties. " I go
7 28
is behind every word (i6
13 3* 14 s), There are precepts
of life, both practical, "bear fruit' (I5 2 8 1G) and mystical^
"Abide in me" (15 410), for to observe this last is to be enabled to obey the other. There are warnings (15 18 26 i6'- 3 )
consolations (14*' *?); counsels
promises (i5 Mt 161* 14s*)
and assurances of love (t5 u w " 13 s*- *). These sayings are
unique, because as the circumstances were unique, the Speaker
And this is also true of the Last Prayer (see on 171).
is unique.
alone,

and are not

strictly

fi -

'

We cannot expect

to find literary parallels to utterances such

are not the invention of good disciples, even
though they were men of high spiritual genius. The record
of these sacred words is a record of faithful memories, quickened,
we need not hesitate to say, by the Divine Spirit, whose help
had been promised (so the evangelist tells) for this very

as these.

They

purpose (14 s*).

We

have, indeed, no title to invoke miraculous intervention

in such guidance of the evangelist's pen, if that would imply
that every syllable of the Master's last words has been inThe evangelist sat at the feet, as he made
fallibly preserved
his record, of the last survivor of the men who heard Jesus speak
on the eve of His Passion. The aged apostle had been pondering these words all through his long life. Hardly did he
remember al/t but he remembered without any misunderstanding the purport, and very likely, in some instances, the actual
words that had been used. The evangelist takes them down
from the lips of the old saint, possibly not all at once, but
on more than one occasion. Their original language was
Aramaic, but they must be translated into Greek, for this is
>

Cf. p. xcii

P. liiiii.

See p, cxvi.

THE WORDS OF JESUS

iiL]

[Oh. IV,

to

be a Greek gospel

And,

besides,

an

CJEV

evangelist has his

own methods of literary workmanship.

The wonderful record, e.g., in Mt of the Sermon on the
Mount is not quite the same as that in Lk., while it contains
more- But no one supposes that what we call the " Sermon
on the Mount " was a discourse that could be delivered in
^

thirty minutes, in which time Mt. 5, 6, 7 could be read aloud,

or that the vast volume of teaching in these chapters, packed
with counsel, epigram, illustration, was ever included in any

one discourse. These teachings of Mt. 5-7 are certainly

authentic; no one doubts that they express, with complete
lucidity, the message of Jesus to those whom He addressed as
well as to succeeding generations* But we must recognise
that the record has been put into shape, and that it is not the
less precious because it has been arranged with such rare
skill.

_No doubt the record in Jn. 14, 15, 16 is not put into shape,
were, with the same freedom as that employed in Mt.
5,
In the
Sermon on the Mount ** the author is putting
6, 7.
materials together which he has gathered from more sources
than one. For the Last Discourses the evangelist has only
one authentic source of information, and that has doubtless
been followed closely and reverently. At one point, indeed
*
(ie 16 00), we seem to have an example of that method of teaching
by paradox and repetition, which as we have seen (p. cxi) was a
favourite method of the Master when dealing with His disciples.
Again, these discourses recall those terse, illuminating, compelling phrases, which the Synoptists teach us were characteristic of the way in which Jesus spoke.
Not to recall
as

it

'

(seep, ex), 15 1* or 16 s1 , is there anything in literature more

arresting than, ** In my Father *s house are many mansions "
1
(14 ) ? No saying about the future life is more familian And
this brings out one of the most remarkable features of
Jn,

These are among the most difficult passages of the

Every phrase challenges an explanation. They contain teachings of such profundity that he who attempts to
explain them must feel that he has essayed too hard a task.
Yet no chapter in the Bible is more greatly beloved by simple
Christian folk than Jn. 14; as no text in the Bible has brought
more consolation than,
Let not your heart be troubled
.
if it were not so, I would have told you "; although, at the
same time, its exact meaning is exceedingly obscure (see note
on I41 3). That is, the Last Discourses of the Fourth Gospel
appeal to all men, and not merely to the philosopher or the
theologian.
The directness and universality of their appeal
14, 15, 16,

N.T.

are not easy to reconcile with the view that they proceed, in

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

CXV1

[Ch, IV.

the last resort, from any speaker other than the Son of Man
Himself*
The style of Jn. is, nevertheless, impressed on cc. 14-16,
It is Jn.'s
as on the other discourses in the Fourth Gospel.
habit to repeat words and thoughts again and again ; and it
is probable that this was the habit of Jesus Himself, which the
evangelist has caught from listening to the reminiscences of
the old apostle. It is not always easy to disentangle Jn.'s
commentary from his report of the Lord's words; e.g. in
^so -a commentary and quotation are intermingled 1 (see note
in &*.) The most striking example of an evangelical commentary, elucidating and enforcing the teaching of Jesus, is
18
16
show how
in 3 1Ml ^-^ (see on 3 ). The verses preceding 3
naturally the report of the words of Jesus slips into free paraphrase (see on 3 U); but nearly all exegetes recognise that
from v, 16 onward the evangelist is speaking in his own
*

person.

Now

the method of teaching by iteration, by going back

upon a word, by recalling a thought already expressed that it
may be put in a new setting, is clearly apparent in cc* 14-16,
The key-words abide (151- * ' * 10), dear fruit (15*- ** 16), love
u.u.) friends (is13 14 1^, hate (is w - ****), recur
{ I5
again and again in c. 15, The solemn refrain, " These things
have I spoken unto you," appears seven times in cc 14-16
There is no
(see on 15 11 ; and cf. the refrain in {,...).
fl -

the use of such refrains is a literary

of the evangelist's (although it might be so), rather
than a reminiscence of our Lord's habit of speech, than to
"
suppose that He was not accustomed to say, ** Verily, verily

more reason to suppose that

artifice

(see

on

i sl).

The view of the Last Discourses which has been adopted

in this Commentary is, accordingly, that wjiile the evangelist
has left his mark upon the report of them, by arranging the
sentences, by shortening them, by bringing together counsels
which may have been repeated more than once, by using the
Greek phrases and constructions with which he himself is

Cf. 1 Cor, 15**,

comment.

where Paul combines a quotation with

his

own

AM

CXVll

(v. 3) ; cyi) hf vipiqXoU *T*cr?j(ra (v. 4) ; ya> <fc T*p4ptv&QS

itirtwa. k\&$qv$ /aov (v* 1 6); cy&i us cLpLirekos fiXa<TTq<ratra \aptv
(v. 17).
(ii)

which

We
is

have next to consider the combination ty< tlpi,

specially frequent in Jn t

ey& dpi often appears, of course, in the Greek Bible,

followed by a proper name or by a descriptive clause or word.
Thus Peter says 4y<i> d/u o> f^-* (Acts io n). Jesus says
after His Resurrection t8er tos x^pow koX tous mSbb /aov, 5ti
iy& d/u afiros, "that it is I myself" (Lk r 24*"). lym dpi
is often used in deliberate affirmations as to the speaker's
personality.
Thus we have yw dpn IwcttJ^ (Gen. 45 s), cytu dpi
Taftprfk (Lk, i IB), and eyw tUt 'Iwofr ov <rv &* (Acts q6 22*
26 u).
But we have to reckon with a more distinctive use of this
introductory phrase. In the O.T. tyn dpt is often the style
of Deity, and its impressiveness is unmistakable.
few
instances may be cited from the LXX, in each case Yahweh
being the Speaker

specially familiar, the Teaching is not that of a pupil, however

spiritually gifted, but that of the Master Himself, whose last
words had been preserved in the memory of the Beloved
Disciple, the last of the apostles.
7. A special feature of the way in which Jn, reports the
words of Jesus outside the Last Discourses is the use of the
phrase iytst efyu, by which Jesus in the Fourth Gospel frequently
introduces His august claims* There is nothing quite similar

"I

to this in the Synoptists, and the Johannine use of ly&, cyu dpi,
must now be examined in detail,
(i) The frequency
with which the personal pronouns
Jyw, qpsU, trv3 Vs occur in Jn, is a marked feature of his
Thus eyw is found 134 times in Jn., as against 29
style.
occurrences in Mt., 17 in Mk., and 23 in Lk. In large measure
this is due to the emphasis which in the Fourth Gospel Jesus
lays upon His claims and His personality, although the pronoun often appears when no such reason can be assigned. 1
Thus we have eyw * *x m V pnprvpCay pw rov Iwayou ($**);
iy& araonjff^ avrw iv Ttf ltr$T% -QjJLtpq. (6**) vyia Ttfhtfu r^v tjntxxpr
povt tva vdktv Ad^i) avnjv (io1 *) eyw <&$ tts tov Kfarp.av eAtjWa
(ia46), etc.
In these and the like instances the use of ty<*
adds dignity and impressiveness to the sentence, just as it
does in the hymn on Wisdom in Ecchis* 24, where Wisdom
makes her majestic claims: cyw faro <rro/iaro$ Styurrov cfqXdvy

THE PHRASE

iiL]

cyw /u u *os erou (Gen, I7*)

iyia yap /u Kvptos
&cos crov o toi/Afyos ere (Ex. 15*^).
(rwrqpia <fou lym dpi (Ps. 35^),
iXzijfAw ey& dp,i (jer. 3ia).
eos iyyifybv iyta ujjli (Jer. 23 s3)*
iyia ydp dpi Kvpws 6 dyanw StKaio&vvijv (Isa. 61 s).
1

close

Burney held that the personal pronouns in Jn. often "represent

translation of an Aramaic original in which the pronoun

was expressed with the

Cf. p. lxvii.

participle "

[Aramaic Origin,

etc,,

p.

81),

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

Cxviu

In all these passages iyw tip* is the rendering of

while in the specially emphatic passages
eyia clpn,

lytit eifit

o vapaaaXiav

iyw

eycS cc/a

o IfoXeu^ur ts

efyxt,

JK

(Isa, S* 1 *)*

<r

tffa/u'ac <rou (Isa.

the doubled lym ci/u is the rendering of the doubled 'oss.

find this style in the Apocalypse, where it rests on the
O.T.* Thus the Divine words iyw dpi to "AA^a rat to *n
(Rev. i* 21* 2 2 15) go back to y& cos irpiros, ttal c
tTrt^V , a ty *m** (I53- 4 l4)? or * *y** *V u ^p^tos * ft * *y *fy
s tov otwvo (Isa. 48 11), or some such passage. Moreover,
words like these or like Isa. 44 ^y w/w^ros, *u eyo> ^u* ravT
are placed in the mouth of the Risen Christ in Rev. i 17 , via.

We

'

shall

in Rev. 3

know

the

ori eyca eifu o

10

back

to Jer.

reins

and the

heart.

tya

Son of God

clfm

17

i7

where

declares that all the churches

it is

finally in

tcapStas,

Yahweh who

fl

a pre-Christiaji

pta juu to yivo* AaftiS, I

which goes

searches the

E&ft?

*EytS cfyu

aongp 6 Aa^wpffS,

eijiii if

5prov tits froifc C^ 36)T^ <f>*D^ TOU KCHXjUQU (8 13).

Cifti ^ &vpa
vpafiariav (iO7).
efyu o ira^t* o KaXftS (io11).
Iy4i dfu yj dvaoracri? Ki 17 <tnj (ll*).

tlfu'Oaipvs o naXovpxvoi vfitap

"I<rvi r} K.a.\avfierr} SpO&QS*

(iS

(14

).

With

these

we may compare iym

The

LXX

translators of certain books of the O.T. render *it

jui 6 ftapTvpwv

(to distinguish it from *jk) with curious pedantry

when a verb follows. Thus Jephthah is made to

(Judg. n r

mpX ipavrov

by yd

tlftt,

say 4y&

CI

rot

p, Ixviii.

even

eifu

B
cl Judg. n- Ruth 4*. 2 Sam.
).
this eccentricity does not concern us in the present discussion.
Thackeray, J>T,S., Jan. 1907, p. 273,)

Jlriaprfr

Isis inscription,

eytfi elfit

given by Plutarch:

ytyovm aat ov *at c<to}j.vqv

WipAot ovflcfe ttu ^ftjtos dsreKoXui/if^.

Trav to

koX Toy kphv

This is of the first century A.d.

In a Mithraic liturgy * we come on:
cyu yap

*tf*t

...

6 vlo$

cyca tlfiL fULX ap4tV

e.g.

an<^ again

dicoiCTOTitf ^tot iratrcL

)*

frwj

the

and Asia Minor,

1
]j

is

literature current

iw

T7 aATjfliyiJ

{also

Instances of like phraseology are not infrequent in the magical

during the first three centuries in Egypt

fifXl

c^t,re^ *

wapct ywtti^t Sees pcaAowfimj, ktX.

tyw dpi

#J/u

v *^S *<u ^ dA^ctci i

Kpovov Qvy&njp Trpw/UvTarTf

And, in like manner, in an Egyptian magical payprus

quoted by Deissrnami) we find:

17

q rvpomos mwrns %pptxs

eyti et/u

yni

which, although not a citation of any single O.T. passage,

1
depends on the prophetic teaching, e.g. Isa.
6o*.
It is, then, clear that the cyti u/u of these sentences from the
Apocalypse is a reflexion of the manner of speech appropriate
to God in the (XT., and being placed in the mouth of Jesus
involves His Divinity, which the author thus claims for Him
We now approach the Similitudes by which Jesus describes
Himself in the Fourth Gospel;

ey<J ^li

which was graven about

inscription,

Isis

200 A.D., containing these lines:

Rev. aa w Jesus says:

y<i tlp.t

cxix

the author of the Gospel has cast

it can hardly be doubted that
the words of Jesus into this particular form. Its force would
at once be appreciated by any one familiar with the
version of the O.T. It is further to be observed that this style
would also have been familiar to Greeks who knew the phrase1
Deissmann quotes
ology of the Egyptian mystery religions.

More familiar

iy&
lyw
iyw
tya

AM

Gty,

cpawaiv y<0pow koX

And

This is clearly the style of Deity, of which we have already

had examples from the 0,T. and from the Apocalypse; and

'Eyw

Again

s8

"

LXX

43")*
1

iyta eifu a Trp&tr&s teal o Zo-^aTOSj ttal

THE PHRASE

[Oh. IV.

o&k

But
(See

yAwo'tfa

...

Art

dpi Heprau. 6

lyifi

It appears some(iii) There is yet another use of iyw tlpi.

times without any predicate, although the predicate may be
Thus, in answer to the question,
clear from the context.
"Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" Jesus says
fl2
(cf, Lk. 22), meaning, " Yes, I
ytu elpx, according to Mk. i4
1

string of sentences beginning $y&

elju is

put into the mouth

the dragon in Acta Thoma,

*
*

32.
p. 1 34 f -

* De Iside c $> P- $5*

Light from ike East,
Dieterich, Eine Mithrasliturgie, pp< 6, 8.
Dcissmann, Bible Studies, p. 328 (from a. Lyons papyrus).
>

of

>

RELATION TO THE SYNOPTISTS

cxx

am

[<Hl IV.

the Christ."

So, at Jn, 4**, iya dpi & AaA&v vot may mean,
I that speak to you am the Christ " (but see
note in Ioc+)
Or, again, the blind beggar of Jn, 9* admits his
identity by saying simply tyi dftt, "I am he of whom you
have been speaking," It is probable that a similar explanation is to be given of Jn. iS 6, where Jesus says to those who are
seeking Him, cy dpi. Yet another explanation is possible
here, for the sequel, "they went backward and fell to the
ground," might suggest that they recognised in the words
eyw (ifja not merely an admission of identity, but a claim of
mystery which inspired them with dread. See, however,
note on i8*.
An examination of the passages in the
where cyw
dfu is used absolutely, shows that in general it is the rendering
of RirpJK, which is literally (( I (am) He/' and that this
in like

manner, "
t

LXX

Hebrew phrase appears

to occur only when

Instances of this usage in the
are;

LXX

Deut. 32*;
Isa.
Isa.

43
46

10
:
,

ISerc EB-e Sri

Tifft

ty&

God is the Speaker. 1

dp^

owyrt in iyw tlptt

ly& e^u,

wrr^I (am) He,

(ivj Such considerations prepare us for the remarkable
phrase trplv 'Afipaap yevctrAu y dpi which Jn. (8**) places
In c, 8 we have had ly dpi three
1 the mouth of Christ,
times before, but twice with a predicate expressed or under1
4
8
stood (S *- *) In S* -* , however, and again at 13", we have
fwa dpi used absolutely; and we must conclude that, in these
passages at any rate (whatever may be thought of the Synoptic
passages that have been cited above) f eycS ttpi is the rendering
of the Divine proclamation mrrw, which the prophets ascribe

to

Yahweh,
This way of speech,

elliptical and mysterious, was due,

to unwillingness to repeat the Sacred Name, the
Tetragrammaton, which was revealed to Moses at the Bush,
In Ex. *14 the Name of God is declared to be rrrw i^ nviw ey<i

perhaps,

ttal ftot A.v

KaTayijpa.injTt cyiu dux-

& &v as the

t

d &v>

affirmaappeared, is to do

tion that it was Jesus the Master who had

violence to the Greek language.
So Abbott
in

6 M as a

which

rendering of the

regards

tyui

dpi

Hebrew WHT^K / (aw) He

the comforting assurance, several times repeated

in
the prophets, of a Divine Deliverer. This is possible, but does
not seem necessary.
have dpi used for vdp&pt in Jn. 7 M (see
note there), and clumsy Greek as eyw dpi for "I am present "
may seem, it cannot be ruled out as certainly wrong (cf. 9*),
more plausible case may be made for this mystical use of
dpi in Mk. jf, Lk. 21 8.
Here Jesus foretells that false
Christs will arise saying iy&tlpi. The parallel place, Mt. 24*,
XpurraV, which is obviously the meaning; but
has cyci dpi
neither Mk. nor Lk. supply
Xptemfc,
There is no predicate
is

We

MA

1
#y& ttfu translates *jq {'without n\n) hi Isa. 47s , Zeph. 2" whete
the careless city says in arrogance, " I am, and there is none else
beside me/' winch is almost an assumption of the style of Deity

LXX

has

it

that

is,

His

Name

is

rrrw or

Moses was to say to the Israelites that tiyik had sent

"Qvi Est misit me ad uos." But the English versions

him
would mislead,
:

such proclamations being usually followed by the assertion of

the Unity of God, viz., * And there is none other beside Me. J)
It has been suggested that y*5 dpi is used in this way in
the narrative of the Storm on the Lake.
Both the Marcan and
Johannine versions make Jesus say tytu dju py $o$ivQt
(Mk. 6 Mt. 14", Jn. 6 30). And it is argued that to render
lyw dpi by " It is I," and treat the words as a simple

CXXl

for iy<* f** in the M&rcan and Lucan passages, and it seems
probable, therefore, that the original tradition was that Jesus
said that the claim of the false Christs would be the claim

tipt

u>* yqptp's

THE PHRASE "I AM"

|UL]

if it were supposed that ey dpi in the sentence

&v (Ex. 3 1*) explained for us the cyw dpi of Jn* 8W
14
&v, and is not
tyw dpi in Ex, 3 is followed by the predicate
used absolutely. To get an illustration of this absolute use,
we must go to the prophetic rvi *jk Ego ipse (Isa, 46*), which,

eycu ec/it o

studied avoidance of the Name revealed in Ex, 31*

suggests its mystery and awe. Probably that Name did not
connote self-existence (which is a later metaphysical conception)
so much as ckangefossness and so uniqueness of being, " He
that is."
(v) In the attribution to Jesus of the solemn introduction
of His claims by the phrase iyu dpi., which, as we have seen,
is suggestive of Deity in some of its various constructions, Jn*
may possibly be reproducing actual words of Jesus, comparable
s
But it is also
to those cited in Mk. 13 (see p. cxx above).
possible that such utterances as *ym dpi dracrrwm *t 1^ {wif
have been cast into this special form by the evangelist, it
being a form whose significance would be instantly appreciated by his readers, whether Jewish or Greek.

by

its

CHRISTOLOGY

CXX11

[cm. V.

(iii)

The Title " Son of Man J> in the Synoptiats and in Jn.
The Doctrine of Christ's Person in the Synoptlsts, Paul, and Jn.
The Doctrine ol the Logos and the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel.
(i)

The Title " Son of Man "

and

The

in

the Synoptists

in Jn.

*'
the Son of Man " as a designation of Jesus is found
N.T. outside the Gospels only at Acts 7 s8 1 It is never
employed by Paul, nor was it adopted by Christian miters of
the sub-apostolic age. In the Gospels it occurs about eighty
times, and always (for Jn. 12 s * is not an exception) in the words

title

in the

of Jesus as a designation of Himself. It is never used of Him

by the evangelists, when reporting His deeds or His words.
That Jesus should have made a practice of speaking of
Himself in the third person is very remarkable,* and it is not
3
less remarkable that no one seems to have thought it curious.

But that He did so speak, describing Himself either as " the

Son of Man " or less frequently as " the Son," is attested by
all four Gospels, and by the several strata of narrative which
modern scholarship has detected as underlying the evangelical
A table drawn up by Dr, Armitage Robinson *
records.
conveniently exhibits the distribution of the title in the Synoptic
Gospels, and shows that it appears (1) in Mk., (2) in the document which critics call Q, (3) in the matter peculiar to Lk. 3
So deeply rooted is this
(4) in the matter peculiar to
title in the traditional report of the words of Jesus, that in two
passages at least it has been inserted by the later evangelists
where it is absent from their Marcan source. Thus Mk. 3 ffl ,
" All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men," becomes
" Whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of Man, it
12 w , Lk, iz M , the sense of the
shall be forgiven him," at
saying being materially affected. And again the momentous
question, " Who do men say that lam?" {Mk. S*7 Lk. o 1*),
assumes at Mt. 1613 the form, " Who do men say that the Son
of Man is ? " or (according to some MSS,), " Who do men

ML

Mt

Cf,

Hegesippus, in Eus. H.E. iL 23. 13.

Cf. Abbott.

JDffljS, zggS (six,).

however, Jn, 12".
The Study of the Gospels, p. 50 1

Cf.,
*

Cxxm

"

CHRISTOLOGY
(i)

THE SON OF MAN

Such editorial alterations

0gy that I, the Son of Man, am ?
presuppose a fixed tradition that Jesus habitually spoke of
Himself as " the Son of Man."

CHAPTER V
fiij

i*-]

A further

inference may be derived from Mt. 161*. The

reported the question of Jesus in the form,
*
say that I, the Son of Man, am ? " or the like,
Could not have thought that *' the Son of Man " was a recognised title for " the Christ." Had he thought so, his report
of the Confession of Peter and its context would be unintelligible.
For it would represent Jesus as announcing that He was the
Christ in the question which asked His disciples to say who
He was; and also as solemnly blessing Peter for a confession
which only repeated what he had been told already* According
"
to the Matthean tradition, then, the title " the Son of Man
to
necessarily
convey
as used by Jesus of Himself did not
His hearers His claim to be the Messiah. It was not a
customary or familiar designation of the Messiah in the first

evangelist who
4
Who do men

Century.

The Synoptic narratives represent the Confession of Peter

'(Mk. S 4 * and parallels) as marking a critical point in the training of the Twelve. They had been accustomed to the title " the
Son of Man " on the lips of Jesus before this point, but they
had not understood hitherto that He who called Himself the
Son of Man was the Christ, Henceforward this method of
self-designation may have connoted for them the claim of
Jesus to be the promised Deliverer of the Jewish race, but in
the earlier days of their association with Him it could not have
Nor would it at any stage of His
carried this meaning.
ministry have conveyed to His hearers, who were not among
the chosen Twelve, that He claimed to be Messiah.
Two instances of the prevailing ignorance that the title
had any Messianic significance appear in the Fourth Gospel.
At Jn. o3* (according to the true text), Jesus asks the blind
man who had been cured, " Dost thou believe on the Son of
Man ? " The answer is one of complete bewilderment, viz.,
" Who Is He that I should believe on Him ? " He had not
been a listener to the teaching of Jesus, and so he was not
aware that He designated Himself " the Son of Man " and it
h also clear that he did not recognise the Son of Man " as a
Messianic title* At Jn, is 3* we have another illustration of
the same ignorance.
The multitude at Jerusalem had heard
Jesus saying, " The Son of Man must be lifted up "; like the
blind man, they did not know that He spoke of Himself when
;

'

CHRISTOLOGY

CXX1V

[Oh, V,

spoke of " the Son of Man." He had been speaking of

the judgment which was impending, and they had been wondering if He was going to assert Himself as Messiah, But, on the
contrary, He began to speak of " the Son of Man. * Who might
this be ?
This was not a Messianic title known to them (see

He

'

on

84
).

C
Before examining more closely the significance which Jesus
Himself attached to the title " Son of Man," some farther
instances may be cited from the Gospels of its use by Him as
a designation of Himself, where there is no suggestion of His
Messiahship,

Four instances occur in the non-Marcan document (behind

Mt. and Lfc.) generally known as Q. Jesus, when addressing
the crowds, contrasts Himself with the austerely living Baptist

and drinking " (Mt. n 1*,

Also, addressing the crowds, He said that as Jonah
Lk.
was a sign to the Ninevites, so shall " the Son of Man be to this
as

" the Son of Man who came

M
7 ).

eating

80
Addressing a scribe, He
generation" (Mt. 12*, Lk.
).
explained that, while the birds and beasts had homes, "the
Son of Man hath not where to lay His head " (Mt. 8*, Lk. 9 s*).
And while Mt, J s report of a beatitude in the Sermon on the
Mount is, "Blessed are ye when men shall reproach-you , .
"
and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake
"
*ne parallel place,
Blessed . .
shall
(Mt. 5 )t Lk- has
m
cast out your name as evil for the Son of Man's sake " (Lk. 6 ).
.

is there any hint of a Messianic

of Man" is simply His description of
Himself, In the last-mentioned passage (Lk. 6 aa) it may be due
to an editor; but in the other three it would seem to have been
actually employed by. Jesus, and there is no hint that those to
whom it was addressed did not understand that it was thus
that He spoke of Himself.
Two further instances, in which Lk. alone has the phrase,
may be due to editorial revision, but they illustrate at all events
" Betrayest thou the Son of Man with a
the Lucan tradition.
"
you betray me with a kiss?
kiss?" (Lk. 224S), *>.,
"
And, ** The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost
10 is a sentence addressed to Zacchseus which the other
(Lk. 19 )
evangelists have not preserved.
We come next to the earliest occurrences of the phrase in
the Marcan tradition. In Mk, a*** v we find the words, " The
Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath;
so that the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath," The
principle here set forth is that man is not to be the slave of an

In none of these passages

claim.

"The Son

"Do

THE SON OF MAN

J*J

cxxv

ordinance instituted for his benefit, and the stress of the reply
would seem to reside in the word #tan ? even in the phrase " the
Son of Man." Some have thought that " the Son of Man "
jn this passage is an Aramaism for man in general, and that
k parallel usage may be found in Ps. 8* 144 s Jesus is vindicating against the Pharisees not His own freedom only, but the
jjareedom of the disciples, and incidentally of every man, in regard to the Rabbinical rules as to Sabbath observance, and so
He says that " man is lord of the Sabbath." If this were the
Only occurrence on His lips of the phrase " the Son of Man/'
such an explanation might suffice, although the thesis that
" man J) (if by that is meant " every man tf) is free to observe
only such rules of Sabbath rest as he may frame for himself, would
go beyond anything ascribed elsewhere on the subject to Jesus.
And, in fact, Mt. and Lk. when reporting this incident give
quite a different turn to the argument by omitting the words 3
" The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath " (cf. Mt. 12 s, Lk. 6s). It is because of the dignity
of the " Son of Man " and His superiority to ordinary men
and apparently He alone
that, according to Mt. and Lk,, He
may claim to be above Sabbath regulations. "
greater
than the temple is here " (Mt. 12*). Cf, Ja 5", " My Father
.

worketh hitherto, and I work," The argument there, as in

Mt, and Lk., is not that every man is free to keep the Sabbath
just as he pleases, but rather that Jesus, because of His unique
relation to God, who gave the Sabbath, may be fitly regarded as
its Lord.
We conclude, then, that even in Mk, 2** the title
" the Son of Man " implies something more than " man in
general " or "the son of man " of the Psalter. Undoubtedly
the emphasis is on the word tnan but it rests also on the uniqueness of Him who was in such special relation to humanity
that He could, and did, call Himself " The Son of Man."
It is not to be supposed that the Pharisees who rebuked Him
for allowing His disciples to break the Sabbath (Mk. a M)
attached any very precise significance to this tide which
He assumed. They must have seen that by its use He
y

meant

to designate Himself, but they did not regard it as

Messianic, or they would immediately have accused Him of

blasphemy.

Something similar may be said of the phrase as it appears

2 10 (Mt. g a Lk. $ 2i).
Here Jesus healed the paralytic
as an indication of His far-reaching power, " that ye may know
that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins," it
being admitted by every one that God has this power. Here,
again, is no affirmation of His Messiahship.
But at the
same time the sentence suggests a certain mysteriousness of
in

Mk

[Ou Y.

CHRISTQDOGY

CXXV1

did not say that man in general has the power

personality.
had it. 1
tn forgive
fnrffiv* sins,
si hut
onlv that He the Son of
but only
to

He

Man

must now ask, however, if there is any trace in pre" the Son of Man " as a title of
Christian times of the use of
that Jesus chose it as a selfpossible
be
Messiah, and if it
designation because it included the Messianic prerogatives.
In the Psalter "the son of man" is a poetical way of
s
4
s
designating man in general (Ps. 8 144 ; cf. Job 2$ 35 );
and throughout Ezekiel the Divine Voice addresses the prophet
"
similar use of this pleonasm for " man
as " son of man."

We

appears at Dan,

1
7 *,

a passage which deeply

affected

Jewish

li

I saw in the night visions, and,

speculation as to the future
behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto
a son of man (is vios avflpunrov), and He came even to the
Ancient of Days, ... and there was given Him dominion . . .
and a kingdom." 3 This passage lies behind the vision recorded in 2 Esd, 13 (about 80 a.d.), where one conies out of
the sea "as it were the likeness of a man," who " flew with
the clouds of heaven," and who is plainly regarded by the
3
The Messianic interpretation of Dan. 7 1* is
seer as Messiah,
also found in a Rabbinical saying of the third century a,d*
the
There is, however, no trace in the O.T. of the title
Son of Man " being used as descriptive of Messiah, the earliest
instance of this usage being found in the Book of Enoch, and
for the most part in that part of the book which is entitled the
Similitudes of Enochs and which is judged by Dr, Charles to
have been composed about 80 B.C. The first passage in
Enoch which need be cited is based on Dan. 7 18 . It runs as
follows (xlvL 1-5) : "I saw One who had a head of days, and
His head was white like wool, and with Him was another being
and
whose countenance had the appearance of a man .
I asked the angel concerning that son of man who He was,
etc*
And he answered, * This is the son of man who hath
:

'

sources.
*

righteousness

cxxvii

because the Lord of spirits hath chosen

son of man will
put down the kings
from their thrones/ " etc. There follows an account of this
ton of man {it will be noted that the phrase is not yet used as
a title) executing judgment at the Great Assize, Next follows
1 passage at xlviii. 2 "At that hour, that son of man was
named in the presence of the Lord of spirits, and His name
before the head of days *
.
He will be a staff to the
righteous
all who dwell on earth will bow before Him
.
and will bless the Lord of spirits. And for this reason has
He been chosen and hidden before Him before the creation
of the world and for evermore." Then the days of affliction
of the kings of the earth are mentioned, and it is said of them,
" They have denied the Lord of spirits and His Anointed, '
a sentence which identifies the son of man, who has been the
subject of the preceding chapters, with Messiah,
These passages do not seem to exhibit the phrase " the
son of man " used as a title. We get nearer to such a usage
" There was great joy among them, and they
Ixix, 26, 37
blessed and glorified + .
because the name of the son of
man " {i,e, the son of man who has been mentioned already)
" was revealed unto them. And He sat on the throne of His
glory, and the sum of judgment was committed to Him, the
son of man, and He caused the sinners
to be destroyed

Him

and

this

from off the face of the earth/' At lxix. zg we have: "The

son of man has appeared and sits on the throne of His glory,
and all evil will pass away before His face, but the word of
the son of man will be strong before the Lord of spirits."
Here we approach, but do not actually reach, the usage of the
phrase " the son of man " as a title of Messiah, It does not
apoear that it ever became a popular or well-established title,
while it is certain that, as it is used in Enoch, it goes back to
Dan. 7 ia
.

''With the Pauline phrases b f^xarof 'Arfp or 3 SevrtpoT Artfpwro?

the Son of Man " may he compared, but there
1 Cor. 15"- "), the title
L no evidence of any literary relation between them*
" One lite a son of man " is probably meant by the author to he a
personification of Israel (see Daniel in lac).
* See
Creed, J.T.S., Jan. 1925, p. 131, who holds that Dan, 7"
J. M.
does not sufficiently account for the picture of the Son of Man in the
later Jewish Apocalypses, and suggests that the conception of the
Heavenly Man entered Judaism from without, perhaps from Persian
See Driver, Daniel, p. 108 ; and Dalman, Words of Jesus (Eng. Tr.},

P- 245-

THE SON OF MAN

L]

When, with this in our minds , we examine afresh the passages

in the Gospels in which Jesus calls Himself " the Son of Man/
the significant fact emerges that a majority of these passages

relate to the Advent of Jesus in glory and triumph as the

judge of nations and of individuals, an Advent which is to be
catastrophic and unexpected. These eschatological passages
occur in all the strata of the evangelical record. We begin
with some which belong to the Marcan tradition:

Mk.

i 4*.b*:

the

"The

Christ,

the

high priest asked Him, Art Thou

Son of the Blessed ? And Jesus

CHRISTOLOGY

CXXVHI

[Oh. V.

said, I am; and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting

at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds
of heaven " (Mt. 26**, Lk. 2s!69).
The high priest,
who denounced this reply as blasphemous, seems to
have detected the allusion to Dan. 7 1 * (and perhaps
1
At
also to Ps.
), but this is not quite certain.

no

any rate, Jesus had openly claimed to be Messiah,

and had also declared that as the Son of Man He
would come again in the clouds to the confusion of
His accusers. 1
Mk. S88 " Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of
my words , , the Son of Man also shall be ashamed
of him, when He cometh in the glory of His Father
s
with the holy angels " (Lk. 9 M
cf. also Lk. 12 ).
In the corresponding place Mt, has: "The Son of
Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and then shall He render unto every man
according to his deeds. . . . There be some of them
that stand here which shall in no wise taste of death,
"
till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom
(Mt. 16**' &)*
Mk. I3*-"; "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" (Mt 24, Lk. 21*7), This is preceded hi
Mt. by the words, " Then shall appear the sign of the
Son of Man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes
of the earth mourn," the report of Mt. thus carrying
an allusion not only to Dan, 7 13 but also to Zech. I2W
(cf. Rev, i7 for a similar combination).
:

Some

have thought that underlying Mt, 24 is a fragJewish Apocalypse, but however that may be,
there are four occurrences of the title " the Son of Man " in
the non-Marcan material (Q) common to Mt. 24 and Lk, 12 and
critics

ment of a

lost

17, as follows:

Mt. 24s7 Lk. 17*: " As the Hghtning ... so shall be

the coming of the Son of Man."
,

See

No mention

p. CXS3X.

made

an Dan, 7** of angels accompanying the

descent from heaven of " one like unto a son of man " : but this
additional feature of His Advent is mentioned by Justin (as well as
in the Gospels). Cf. Ttyph, 31 : Cn vlhs ybp Mp&irov 4r&u re$e\Qr
tKefaeraty <E* day^X ifvjjrwrty Ay^iXur ifOp afay duptKPavjrfptoy*
(Cf. also
t

Apoli,

52,)

THE SON OF MAM

SiO

cxxii

Mt. 24 s7 Lk. 17*: " As were the days of Noah, so shall

be the coming of the Son of Man."
Mt. 24 M Lk. 17 s0 u So shall it be in the day that the
Son of Man is revealed," with a reference to the days
of Lot in Lk, which is omitted in Mt,
Mt. 24", Lk. i2w " In an hour that ye think not the
Son of Man cometh."
,

It is probable that
is also the source of Lk, 17", " The
days will come when ye shall desire to see one of the days of
the Son of Man and ye shall not see it," although the saying
Is not found in Mt.
Other occurrences of the title in similar contexts which
axe found only in Lk. are
18*: " When the Son of
cometh, shall He find
faith on the earth ? "j and
M
Lk. 3i : ** Watch . > that ye may prevail to escape
all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand

Man

Lk.

before the

Son of Man."

Occurrences of the

title

in similar eschatological contexts

which are found only in Mt, are

Mt. io M

'*

Ye

shall not

have gone through the

cities of
come.*'
Mt. 13*7 '*1 : " He that soweth the good seed is the Son
of Man. . . . The Son of Man shall send forth His
angels, and they shall gather out of His Kingdom all
things that cause stumbling/' etc.
B1 M
" When the Son of Man shall come in His
25
glory, and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit on
die throne of His glory (cf, Mt. ig 28), and before
Him shall be gathered all the nations and He shall
separate them one from another. . . ." This representation of the Son of Man as judge goes beyond
what is said in Dan. y 13 3 but it appears in Enoch Ixix,
26, which has been cited above.
:

Israel until the

Mt

Son of

Man be

It must now be observed that, like the Synoptists, Jn. asso" with eschatological doctrine.
ciates the title "the Son of
Thus at 5 W we have, " He gave
authority to execute

Man

Him

below.
is

judgment, because He is the Son of Man." This is closely

parallel to Mt. 25 M
Again, in i SI the mysterious words, " Ye shall see the heaven
opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of Man," cannot be explained of any temporal
.

CHRISTOLOGY

cxxx

[Ch. V,

experience which Nathanael was to enjoy. They must refer

to some vision of the Last Things l (see note in foe).
In 3 ia " No man has ascended into heaven, save He who
descended from heaven, viz. the Son of Man," primarily refers
to the Incarnation, but it also recalls Dan. 7 ia as well as die
Book of Enoch (see note in loe.).
In 6 M, " What if ye shall see the Son of Man ascending
where He was before ? " the doctrine of the pie-existence of
the apocalyptic " Son of Man " is again suggested, as in
,

Knock*
In these passages of the Fourth Gospel, the title "the
Son of Man *' is used with that suggestion of its reference to
a wonderful, heavenly Being, which we have already seen is
frequent in the Synoptists.
There are two other passages in Jn, 6 where the title is
used, which are not so explicit in their eschatological suggestion, but which should be noted as indicating that for Jn,,
as for the Synoptists, " the Son of Man " always points to the
uniqueness and mystery of the personality of Jesus as One
whose home is in heaven, Jn. 6 W , " The meat which endures
unto eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you," is expressed even more powerfully at Jn. 6", " Except ye eat the
rlesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life
in you." The narrative here implies that the hearers of Jesus
understood that by " the Son of Man " He meant Himself.
" How can this one give us his flesh to eat? " (6**).
No
Messianic doctrine is implied or suggested in these passages.
But '* the Son of Man " is the solemn title which is used of
One Who has descended from heaven (6s*) that He mav rive
J 6
life to the world (cf, 651)

CXJTXl

M the Son of Man,"

who had come down from heaven. He took
over the phrase from Jewish Apocalyptic, hut He enlarged its
meaning. It is a title which, properly understood, includes all
that "Christ" connotes ; but, unlike the title "the Messiah/'
it does not suggest Jewish particularism.
In the only place
where He suggested a form of confession as a test of faith,
it is not, " Dost thou believe in the Son of God ? " (for that was
a recognised synonym for Messiah), but, " Dost thou believe
in the Son of Man? " (Jn, o35). Nothing short of this would
satisfy Him,
And it is an irony of history, that since the first
century His most familiar designation by His disciples has
been Christy and the religion which He founded has been
called Christianity, rather than the religion of Humanity, the
religion of the Son of Man.
The Gospel has been preached
with a Jewish accent, ever since the disciples of Jesus were first
called " Christians " at Antioch. 1

While, then, the actual title " the Son of Man " may have
been suggested by Jewish Apocalyptic, on the lips of Jesus it
was used in an enlarged and more spiritual significance.
Another feature of its use by Him must now be noted. It is
the title which He specially employed, when He was foretelling to His disciples the Passion as the inevitable and predestined issue of His public ministry* Such forecasts, it
may be observed, 8 do not appear in the non-Marcan document
behind Mt. and Lk, (Q)- but they are found both in Mk. and
Jn., with a similar employment of the title " the Son of Man*"
InMk, these forecasts do not begin until after the Confession
of Peter that Jesus was the Christ, which marked a turningpoint in the education of the apostles.

The

passages that have been cited, while they do not

suggest that "the Son of Man" was a Messianic title in
common use, seem to show that Jesus used it of Himself with
the implication that in Him was the fulfilment of the vision of
Dan. 7 13 2 He was conscious of an infinite superiority to the
sons of men among whom His Kingdom was to be established.
He did not call Himself the " Christ," although He did not
deny, when pressed, that He was the Christ (Jn, M $& S 38 io35
).
4
He preferred to use a greater and a more far-reaching designation of Himself.
He was not only the Deliverer of the Jewish
people.
He was the Deliverer of humanity at large, being

Mk.

The use

of the title at Acts 7". which describes the vision of the

is similar to this,
* Cf. p. cxxxiii below.

dying Stephen,

831

"He began to teach them that the

must

suffer

killed,

and

Lk. 92a

Mk. 9 M

THE SON OF MAN

Si]

cf.

many

things and be rejected

after three days

Lk.

"The Son

of

Man

is

after three days

if* Lk,

9**).

He

up into the
and when He
again " (Mt.

delivered

shall kill

is killed,

The majority of

again " (Mt. i6 n

*4*).

hands of men, and they

}

rise

Son of Man
and be

Him

shall rise

patristic interpreters (e.g. Justin, Tryph. 100)

the Son of Man " an allusion to His descent on the
human side and it may lie that early theologians avoided the use of
the title, because they dreaded the suggestion of human fatherhood
in the case of Jesus.
4
This is pointed out by J. A. Robinson, t.c p, 52

found

in

title "

the

CHRISTOLOGY

CXXXlt

[Oh, V.

io*1 : "The Son of Man shall be delivered unto

the chief priests and the scribes, .
and they shall
kill Him, and after three days He shall rise again

Mfc.

(Mt

so1*, Uk.

IS**).

In these three passages the prediction of the Resurrection

associated with that of the Passion and it is probable that
the comment of Mk. g**, "They understood not the saying/*
has special reference to this (cf, Mk, o lfl). The announcement
of the Passion disconcerted (Mk. 8M) and grieved (Mt. 17^)
the Twelve \ but they did not believe that it was to be taken
is

literally. 1

Next we have:
,

" The Son of Man came not to be ministered

:
unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom
J
for many ' (Mt. 20s8).
Mk, 1441 " The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands
of sinners " (Mt, 26**).
Mt. 26 s : u The Son of Man is delivered up to be crucified " (the title 13 not given in the parallels Mk. 141
,
Lk. 22 1).

Mk. io46

And, finally, two Marcan passages speak of the Passion of

the Son of Man as the subject of CXT. prophecy, while this is
not said (in these contexts) of the Resurrection, viz*

Mk. gia

"

How

written of the Son of Man that

He should suffer many things and be set at nought ? "
Mk. 14*1; " 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 " (Mt, 26^ Lk. 32*^.

The

title

" Son of

the Passion in

Jn t>

Mk*

is

associated with predictions of

*:
"As Moses lifted up the serpent , . . so must
the Son of Man be lifted up/* i.e. on the Cross (see
note in foe).

Jn. 3

"When ye shall have lifted up the Son of Man,

then shall ye know that I am He "; cf* also 12**,

(11)

Jn.

" The hour

is

come

that the

be glorified " (see note in loc).

Jn. 13

s1
:

"

Now

glorified in

The Doctrine

is

the

Son of

Man

Son of Man should

In the Synoptic Gospels the acceptance of Jesus by His

Messiah was not the immediate consequence
of discipleship. As they_ associated with Him, observed His
deeds, and listened to His words, they gradually realised that
He was a very wonderful Person, whom they could not completely understand (Mk. 441 6 a 7 s*).
Some of those whom He
cured of mental disorders seem to have acclaimed Him as the
Son of God, that is, as Messiah, at an early stage in His
ministry (Mk. 3ia 5*); but the conviction of this was not
reached all at once by the chosen Twelve, The confession,
1

See Gciild in D.C.G.

ii.

664.

" Suffering and death for the actual

possessor of the Messianic dignity are, in fact, unimaginable, according
to the testimony of "the prophets. . . 4 But the one like unto a son
of man
of Dan. 7 1B has still to receive the sovereignty.
It was
possible that be should also be one who had undergone suffering and
1

Dalman,

Cf.

I.e.

p,

265

'

glorified,

and God

is

Him,"

death."

In these passages Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of

Man who was destined to suffer and die* There is nothing in
*

or Christ's Person in the

Synoptists, Paul, and Jn.

disciples as the

Jn. 8**;

i2 as

CXXXU1

the vision of Dan, J w to suggest this ; but, on the other hand,

there is nothing to preclude the combination x of the vision of
One who was to come in glory with the vision of the suffering
Servant of Yahweh as it is depicted in Deutero- Isaiah. And
this combination seems to have been present to the mind of
In calling Himself the Son of Man, die primary
Jesus.
thought is that of a heavenly messenger whose kingdom is set
up on earth, but He foresaw that He could not achieve His
full purposes except through Death,
And this, as He said
in passages already cited (Mk* oia 14s1), was "written" of
Him; i.e. the Passion was foreshadowed in O.T. prophecy,
and most conspicuously in Isa. $3. The conception, then, of
the " Son of Man/' as it presents itself in the Gospels, is
widely different from the popular conception of Messiah* 3
It was not a recognised title of Messiah, and was not interpreted as such ; rather was it always enigmatic to those who
heard it applied by Jesus to Himself. For Him it connoted
u Messiah " meant, and
all that
more, for it did not narrow
His mission to men of one race only. It represented Him as
the future Judge of men, and as their present Deliverer, whose
Kingdom must be established through suffering, and whose gift
of life was only to become available through His Death* 8

is it

Man "

as in

CHRIST IN THE SYNOPTISTS

JHJ

See p. iiv.

The literature on the subject of this titleoflesus is very large.

See
especially DaJman. Words of Jesus (Eng, Tt. 1902)
Drummond
J.T,S> (April and July igoi) ; J. Aimitage Robinson, Study of the
Gospels (1902) ; and the articles by Driver in Hastings' DM. t and by
G, P. Gould in Hastings' D.C.G. with the references there given.

CHRISTOLOGY

cxxnv

Tkmt art the Christ (Mk. S 80), marks a crisis in their training,
when a new vision of the meaning of Jesus' ministry came to
them. Further, the Synoptic narratives represent Jesus as
dissuading the onlookers from making known His miraculous
doings (Mk, 3 ia S*3 f 86), although they did not altogether reIn the Q tradition, there
frain from talking about them (?").
is a hint that Jesus was not always so reticent in this matter.
When John the Baptist sent anxiously to inquire whether
Jesus was really the Messiah, He directed the messengers
W
to report His wonderful works as His credentials (Lk, 7 ,
Mt. 1 4) with an allusion to the Messianic forecast of Isa, 35^
The meaning of this could not have been misinterpreted, so
that He departed here at any rate from His practice of reticence
At the last His claim is
and reserve. Cf, also Mk, o* 1
j

explicit

and final (Mk.

14**).

Now

in the Fourth Gospel, the impression left is somewhat

different.
It is true that in this Gospel, as in the Synoptists,
Jesus prefers to speak of Himself as the Son of Man an
unfamiliar and ill-understood titlerather than as the Christ
a*
The Jews accuse Him of being ambiguous as to
g 29 o35).
(5
His claim to Messiahship (io34), and only once does He exBut
plicitly affirm it in the early stages of His ministry (4**)Jn. does not describe the gradual development of the disciples'
acceptance of Him as the Christ. Jn. does> indeed, relate
Peter's confession as marking a turning-point in the ministry
But he makes Andrew
of Jesus (6M), just as the Synoptists do.
and Philip recognise Jesus as the Christ almost immediately
41 *&).
He does not tell
after they came into His company (i
this expressly of Peter, but his story suggests it (i 4a).
Nathanael
at his first introduction to Jesus greets Him as " King of
Israel," that is, as Messiah in the sense of the political deliverer
who was expected (i 48). John the Baptist's cry, " Beholdj
the Lamb of God," probably represents a form of words which
are a later paraphrase of what was said (see on i 38) ; but that
the Baptist recognised Jesus as the Messiah from the moment
of His baptism (although he hesitated about this later) is
s8
1
clear not only in Jn. (1 ), but also in Mt.
The truth is that it is not the purpose of the Fourth EvanFor him, the
gelist to describe the Training of the Twelve,
important matter is to bring out the impression which was left

last of His Person,

Nathanael in i49 has not
got as far as Peter in 6W, still less as far as Thomas in 20**
but Jn. does not dwell upon this, and he may have antedated
the complete conviction of Jesus as Messiah, which he ascribes
to Andrew and the rest in c. 1 * What is of supreme import1
* See note on i* 1
Ci p. ci.

upon them at

CHRIST IN THE SYNOPTISTS

B*iO

[Oh. V.

cxvxv

expound the true conclusion which the original

and which he desires all future disciples to
accept, viz. that " Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,"
This conception of the purpose of Jn, in his Gospel marks
a difference of standpoint between the earlier evangelists and
the last, Jn. is anxious to prove the truth of Jesus as the Son
of God to a generation which had not seen Jesus in the flesh,
and at a time when He had been the Object of Christian worship
for more than half a century.
Christian reflexion and Christian
experience had reached a doctrine of Christ's Person which had
not been clearly thought out by Christians in the first enthusiasms of devotion to their Master, The Synoptists draw a
picture of Jesus as viewed by His contemporaries; the Fourth
Gospel is a profound study of that picture, bringing into
full view what may not have been clearly discerned at the
ance for Jn.

is

to

disciples reached,

first.

It used to be argued in the middle of the nineteenth century

that the Christology of Jn. is so markedly different from that of
the Synoptists, that if we wish to get " back to Jesus " we shall
do well to confine ourselves to the Marcan picture of Him, as
more primitive and less sophisticated than the Johannine
narrative,
closer inspection of the narratives has failed to
recommend such counsels. The distance of time between the
publication of the Marcan Gospel and that of the Johannine
Gospel cannot exceed thirty years a time all too short for
the development of any fundamental change in the picture of
Jesus as accepted by Christian disciples.
The claims made for Jesus in Mk. transcend any claims
that could be made for a mere human being of genius and
magnetic personality.
have seen that the claim to Messiahship, made for Jesus and by Himself, in the Marcan narrative,
while only gradually understood and accepted by the Twelve,
reaches very far. The Jesus of Mk, claimed the power of
forgiving sins (Mk, a liS); Jn. does not mention that, while he
implies it in the terms of the Commission to the apostles, of
which he alone tells (J n 2q25)* The Jesus of Mk. claimed to
be the final judge of mankind (Mk. 14**); the doctrine of
Christ as judge in Jn. (see 12*' and p. clviii) hardly goes beyond
this.
Indeed, the only hint of any limitation of the powers of
Jesus in Mk. is in reference to His vUion, when on earth, of
the time of the Last Judgment what such limitation involves
may be asked of the exegete of Jn, 14* as justly as in the case
of Mk. 13 83 , Or, again, the sacramental efficacy of Jesus'
Death is not more definitely stated in Jn, o^3 than in Mk. 14**,
to alfAtx fjLov rfjs Suz&tJktjs to ^k^vito/acvov vrrkp iroXXwy.
do not cite the uncorroborated testimony oif Mt. in this

We

We

CHRISTOLOGY

CXXXfl

[Gh. V.

THE PAULINE CHRIST

IH-]

a primitive touch which

seldom found in Paul,
In the four great Epistles (Rom., 1 and 2 Cor,, GaL), Paul
has many phrases which recall Johannine teaching. Jesus is
s
not only ** the Son " (1 Cor, 15 *), which is common to all the
17
but
is God's "own Son," o ftta?
(see
on
evangelists
Jn. 3 ),
M ; cf. Jn. 5"), That God " sent His Son"
rife (Rom. 8
(Rom* 8 s , Gal. 41) is a conception common to all the Gospels,
but cf* Jn, 3" in particular. For the phrase tIkvo. 6eov (Rom*
gp. m. sij e jn- jre
For pa^ Christ is rt n-anw (Rom. 9s) ;
1
irarrwv
l<rriv
(Jn, 3 )*
cf. hravat
x*Ptv * s a characteristic term
in Paulj it is only used in the Prologue to the Gospel by Jn.,.
but Paul means particularly by " grace " what Jn. means
when he writes, " God so loved the world " (see note on i 14).
The Pauline contrast between "law" and "grace" (Rom.

connexion, for his Gospel in its present form may be even later
than Jn. 1 But, besides ML, there is another "source"
behind Mt, and Lk*, viz. the document now called Q, In this
(Mt. io**, Lk. 12s *) ? the public acceptance or denial of Jesus
as Master will determine the judgment of the Last Assize;
And (not
Jn. id* does not make a more tremendous claim.
to cite other passages) there is nothing in Jn. which presents
a more exalted view of Jesus than the saying; "All things
have been delivered unto me of my Father; and no one
knoweth who the Son is, save the Father; and who the Father
wifleth to
is, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son
n (Mt. u*7 , Lk. io 2*). Now Q may be older than
reveal Him
Mk,, as it is certainly older than Mt, and Lk. Yet here it
offers a Christology which is as profound as that of Jn,, and
which is expressed in phrases that might readily be mistaken

to use the personal designation Jesus,

for those of the Fourth Gospel itself.

There is a difference between

the

Christology of

the

but it is not the difference between a

merely human Jesus and a Divine Christ. What is implicit in
the earlier Gospels has become explicit in Jn.j the clearer
statement has been evoked by the lapse of time, by the growth
of false gnosis, and by the intellectual needs of a Greek-speaking
society which sought to justify its faith.
This is not the place to examine in detail the Christology
of Paul, but it is important to observe how rapidly he reached
that exalted conception of our Lord which is so prominent in
The Epistles to the Romans, Corinthian s,, and
his letters.
Galatians are all earlier in date than the earliest date which we
can ascribe to Mk,; for they were written before the year 58
of our era, or about a quarter of a century after his conversion.
That is to say, the letters in which he indicated his view of
Christ are earlier than any other extant Christian document.
The primitive gospel, ** Jesus is the Christ/' soon reaches
the formula, "Jesus is Lord," and the title " Lord " includes
for Paul the Divinity of his Master. This becomes so fundamental for his conception of Jesus, that while he continues
always, as a Jew, to linger on the phrase '* the Christ," he
Synoptists

and of

Jn

uses the title ** Christ " frequently as a personal name (Rom.

10 M Col, ! **).
As early as 1 Cor. i" he
,
f 6* 810, Phil, i
a personal name comparable to 'AiroAtafc or
X/jtoro?
as
treats
Ki^Ss. This usage is never found in the Gospels, for the
s
41
passages Mk, 9 , Lk, 33 , Mt. 26*, where Xpwrfe is found
article,
nevertheless treat X^hotos as a
without the definite
Paul often uses the full designation li/cro&s Xptoros
title.
without any suggestion of Messianic office, Jn,'s habit* is
J
1
See not$ on ^ x
See p. xcvi above,
-

cxxxvu

he shares with Mk., but which

is

W &*> M , Gal. 5*) is, again, explicitly enunciated in the Prologue (see on i 17). Jn. does not use Paul's word rnVrw in the
Gospel,* but the emphasis laid on " believing " is a prime
7
Finally, Paul's
feature of Johannine doctrine (see on i ).
" Christ in me " (Horn, 8 2 Cor. 13s , Gal* 2^ and " I in
*J
(Rom. 16 7 , 2 Cor. 5", Gal. il 3) are conjoined as
Christ
Paul's tv Xptar^ is not less mystical
inseparable in Jn, 15*- 6
than anything in Jn. descriptive of the Christian life (see on
.

Jn.

14 15" i7 8 *).

Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians belong to a

period in Paul's career. 3 We should expect to find
resemblances in Jn. to their Christology, associated as they
are by name with Churches in that portion of Asia Minor
where Jn/s literary activity was put forth. These Epistles
specially illustrate the doctrine of the Prologue of the Gospel
1
as to the Person of Christ, His Pre-existence (Jn. i ) is laid
*r
down, " He is before all things (Col. i 17). He is the Creative
Word (Jn. i 3), and, as Jn. says, *' That which has come into
being was, in Him, life " (i 4), so in Col. r 17 we have, " In Him
3
pop^y
The Pauline
all things hold together or cohere."
1 4
tfeou vmLpxw (Phil. 2*) is the doctrine of Jn. i , even as ov*
Afywa.yp.hv ijyjjo-aro to e*Vat tiro. 0e$ IS brought Out at Jn.

The

later

tt

ia
The teaching

of Jn, i 16 as to Christ's TrXypvfia. which His

1
disciples share is anticipated in Col. i *, " It was the good
* Cf. p. lxv.

We take them as Pauline

than those already cited.
1 See on
Jn, 1*.
* Cf.

also Jn, i

the Father,

but in any case they are

for the 8da

later in date

which the pwoytv^s receives from

"

CHRISTOLOGY

CXXXVUl

[Oh- V.

pleasure [of the Father] that in Him should all the irAqpwpa
dwell " (cf, Eph, 4 1*). Again, " la Him dwelleth all the
TrKrjf*fi}fxa of the Godhead."
a-ioftartK^ (CoL 2 D) brings us very
near to the cardinal thesis, " the Word was made flesh
14

And with this, both in Paul and Jn., is combined the

(Jn. i ).
doctrine of the invisibility of God.
God is adparos, and Christ
is His itKutVy the irfKtworoKos irtHnjt KT<rft>s (Col. I 1 *) j cf. Jnu I 1* :
*
No man hath seen God . but the poFoycnjc, who is God
.
.
hath declared Him."
These are more than verbal coincidences, lliey show that
hardly anything is missing from the doctrine of Christ as set
out in the Prologue (except the actual term Aoyos), which is
not implicit in the Epistles to the Colossians, Ephesians,
PhiKppians. Much that is enunciated in the Prologue was
not a new discovery of the writer; it had been familiar to the
Churches of Asia Minor for some time before it was put into
the words which were thenceforth accepted by Christendom as
the supreme philosophical statement and charter of its deepest
(

faith, 1

(in)

The Doctrine of the Logos and the Prologue

to the Fourth Gospel

THE LOGOS

*]

CXXX1X

but to express the writer's conviction that Jesus the

was Himself the Divine Logos.
The influences which contributed to the formulation for
the first time in the Prologue of the Christian Doctrine of
Jesus,

Christ

Word

were, no doubt, various.

TTie Hebrew Scriptures have much about the Divine Voice
creation, the Creative Word (see on I s),
In the Targums,
or paraphrases of the Old Testament, the action of Yahweh
is constantly described as His " Word " (srwo), the term
Mtmra being sometimes used as of a Person. Thus the
Targum of Onkelos on Gen. aS 21 says that Jacob's covenant
was that " the Word of Yahweh should be his God." This
kind of quasi-personification extends to the Psalms, and particularly to the Book of Proverbs, where personal qualities are
repeatedly ascribed to Wisdom (nnprt) j cf, Prov. 3 13t 4**' 7*,
the

1.

the most remarkable passage being Prov. 8 2s

"Yahweh
possessed me in the beginning of His way, before His works
of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or
ever the earth was." This is poetry, not metaphysical prose ;
but it treats Wisdom as the expression of God, co-eternal with
Him, This quasi-personification of Wisdom is continued in
the teaching of the son of Sirach, Ecclus, 24 s which has much
about Creative Wisdom, actually claiming for her, * I came
forth from the mouth of the Most High,"
3. When we turn from Palestine to Alexandria, from Hebrew
sapiential literature to that which was written in Greek, we
find this creative wisdom identified with the Divine Adyo*,
Hebraism and Hellenism thus coming into contact, God is
n-cura iv X.6yu> trov (Wisd, 91)*
addressed as g iroitjo-a.?
The Aoyos is the universal healer (Wisd. 16^. This Almighty
AtS is said to have leaped down from heaven, as a warrior,
bringing God's commandment as a sharp sword
.
"it
touched the heaven, but stood upon the earth " (Wisd* I8 16 ").
This last pronouncement suggests the personification of the
\6yos who came to earth, but so much is not consciously present
to the writer's thought- The language of the Book of Wisdom
betrays Stoic influence at several points, 1 but with the Stoics
Aoyoe was not personal*
3. The doctrine of the Aoyos in Philo's writings has been
frequently examined; and here it can receive only a brief
notice.
have already called attention to some striking
verbal parallels between Philo and the Fourth Gospel, 2 and
such may be traced also in what Philo says about the Adyosj
1
Cf. Rendel Harris, " Stoic Origins of St. John's Gospel " {Bulletin
of John Rylands Library, Jan. 1922),
1
P. xciii above.
:

The

Gospel is that Jesus is the Revealer of

God (i 18), its practical aim being given at the end (ao*1). The
Prologue, however, is more than a mere preface, for it offers
a philosophical explanation of the thesis. Jesus is the Revealer of God, because He is the Logos of God. This is a
proposition which does not appear at all in the body of the
Gospel, any more than the theological words and phrases,
thesis of the

tr\yptepa t vicrptvvv, fMvoytvy? 0eds, thai

efc

tov kgAttov, *frftei<r0ai %

which are found in the Prologue. Not only does Jesus never
claim the title " Logos " for Himself, but Jn. never applies
to

Him in the

evangelical narrative.
The Prologue is undoubtedly by the same Hand that wrote
the Gospel, but it is written from a different point of view,
entirely consistent with the Gospel but not derived from the
history which the Gospel narrates,
Jn. prefixes a short Preface
to his hortatory First Epistle, and there again he introduces
the conception of Jesus as the Logos (1 Jn, i 1 ; cf. p. lxi),
while he does not in this later passage elucidate his meaning.
But the Prologue is, as I have said, more than a Preface. It is
a summary restatement of the Christian gospel from the philosophical side; and was probably written after the narrative
was completed, 3 not now to record or summarise the words of
1 See
1 cf
p. cxiiii.
p. cxliv.
it

'

We

CHRISTOLOGY

cxl

[Gh, V.

but the differences in the underlying thoughts as to this are

manifest, and far-reaching. Some of these must now be

summarised

The doctrine of the Personality of the Logos is vague

and especially so when he comes to the association
of the Logos with Creation (see on i 8). Thus Philo has the
(a)

in Philo,

expressions Spyavav Be \6yov &tov, &V 01J KftrtixKevarrOrj (de Cherub*

35)' T* f * v Spatmyptov 6 t&v q\w vov<: (de tnund* opif. 3);
when God was fashioning the world (art eKoa-fitnrX.afrTtL),
He used the Word as a tool (^pr^a/Aevos Spyavv toi/tuj, de
tnigr, Abr. 1): Philo speaks of the creative power {jtM-tpurf)
y
according to which the Creator made the world with a word
(Affytp rbv kSq-jaov tSij^uou/jyijcrs, de prof. 18),
In other passages
the Aoyos is tlxwv @qv (of* Col. I 15) x
eltt&v &eavf fiV ov vvfLiras a
nappes Si7/i.coupy*iTo (de monarch, u\ 5; cf, de confus. ling, ao
and 28, where he Speaks of tw slkovol ovtqv, tqv Upwrarov \6yov). 2
The earliest Christian writers * take up the Jewish thought
of the Creative Word from a different standpoint, while they
employ language similar to that of Philo. To Jn, the Word
is a personal Divine Agent who co-operated with the Creator
in the work of Creation, even Jesus Christ, the Son of the
eternal Father.
Paul does not use the term \6yo^s but his
language about the work of Christ in creation is almost identical
with that of the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel. Cf. *h xvpios
*Iiji7oG5 X/KOT05, Si* oB rh irdvttt (1 Cor* 8 s);
irdvra fi** tturou
ji

KTt(rrat (Col. I 19)j

a
(Heb,
,

cf.

Like Philo, and

i )>

oy sat cW^ffev roie aiwvac

like Jn., these writers employ

also

St*

the
the

preposition Su to describe the mediating work of

Word (or the Son) in Creation; but in ascribing Divine
personality to this mediating Agent, they agree with each
other and with Jn fJ while they differ from Philo. Paul and Jn.
do not borrow from Philo, nor are they directly dependent on
his speculations; but they and Philo represent two different
streams of thought, the common origin of which was the
Jewish doctrine of the Memra or Divine Word. 4
(b) The pre-existence of the Logos is not explicit in Philo,
whereas it is emphatically declared in the opening words of the
Prologue to the Gospel Philo applies, indeed, the epithet
TrpmfjvTaTos to the Xoyo more than once {de confus. ling,
28, quod del. pet. 22); but such a phrase does not imply
eternal pre-existence.
See on i 1 .

(c)

The Johannine

doctrine

and Light, which appears

Life
1

See p, cxli n
Cf, for a full discussion,

connexion between
Logos teaching of the

of the
in the

See Lightfoot on

Drummond, Philo Jud&us,

Col. 1".

n\ 1S5 ff.
Cf. p. exxxia;.

THE LOGOS

|UL]

cxli

1
(1*; cf. also 8 *), does not appear in Philo, although
speculation
which would, one supposes,
suggests
a
line
of
it
have been congenial to him.
(d) Most significant of all differences between Jn. and
Philo j is that Jn.'s philosophy rests avowedly on the doctrine
of the Incarnation (see on 1"), while this is absolutely pre" There are," he says,
cluded by the principles of Philo.
* 4
three kinds of life: one which is wjoos 0*6v t another po?
yti'ta-iv, and a third which is a mixture of both.
But the
Iwrj Trpos &eov has not descended to us (icar*^ irpbs qpa?)i nor
has it come as far as the necessities of the body " (Quts rer.
diz\ h&r* 9).
4, In addition to these various philosophies, with which
the Christian doctrine of the Logos has been associated by
scholars, attention has been directed of recent years to the
Mandaean and Hermetic literature, as possible homes of the
Logos idea. Many parallels to Johannine phraseology have
been collected from the writings of Lidzbarski, Reitzenstein
and others by Walter Bauer in the last edition of his commentary on the Fourth Gospel. Some of these are striking,
"I am a Word,
especially those from the Mandaean Liturgies
a Son of Words"; "the Word of Life"; "the Light of
"
Life " ; "the First Light, the Life, which was out of the Life \
" the worlds do not know thy Names, nor understand thy
Light." x There is, however, no evidence that Mandaean
teachings had any influence on Christian philosophy in its
beginnings. Christian or Jewish belief may have affected the
development of Mandaeiam, but Mandseism was not a source
from which Christian doctrine derived any of its features. 9
Probably, as in other cases, the parallels that have been cited
are only verbal.
To build up community or similarity of
doctrine upon coincidences of language between two writers
and when the Johannine doctrine of the
is highly precarious
Logos is compared with that of Philo or the Stoics or the
Sapiential Books, or even that of the Mandsean Liturgies, this
should always be borne in mind. s

Prologue

Bauer, pp. 8-13.

For the Mandsean doctrines and their growth, see "W. Brandt, in
EMM. viii. p. 380 L
A passage may be cited from Plato to illustrate this xal d% xal
ri\os vepl toG rnvrbs vvv flffij rip Xfryw fynur tf>jfi.cv Px eiv * Ovrfri ybp xal
1

lTEpi^w, clxwit rod roii}Tou> fleit al<Tffi}Tt>s t fLfyunas K<xi Afmrros dXht#T6s re jral TeXtiiTftTM *yiiyovev, eh ottpavbs SSe tiovoyeptji (&f {Timiz-us,
To find here any relation to the johannine doctrine
44,81113 fin.)of the fLovvyerfo 0T
& Pauline thought of Christ as the etad? of God,

would be very perverse

startling.

but the coincidences in language are almost

CHRISTOLOGY

cxlii

[Oh* V.

that the doctrine of a Divine \yos

was widely distributed in the first century. The Hebrew
Targums or paraphrases of the ancient scriptures; the Wisdom
literature of Judaism/ both in Palestine and Alexandria; the
speculations of Philo; the philosophy of Heraclitus, and that
of the later Stoics, all use the idea of the Logos to explain the
may be sure that the
mysterious relation of God to man.
Logos of God was as familiar a topic in the educated circles
of Asia Minor as the doctrine of Evolution is in Europe or
America at the present day, and was discussed not only by the
It is

now apparent

We

learned but by half-instructed votaries of many religions.

Christian disciples, Docetic and Ebionite no_ less than
simple, unspeculative followers of Jesus, were conscious of the
wonder of His life. It was inevitable that the Pauline teaching
z
of the Epistles to the Colossians and Ephesians should quicken
Eternal God.
the
deep thoughts as to the relation of Jesus to
The Epistle to the Hebrews uses language about the "Word
of God " (Heb, 4ia) which naturally provoked questionings
as to the relation of this energising and heart-searching Logos
to the great High Priest Himself. An earlier writer, the Seer
"
of the Apocalypse, actually gives the title " the Word of God
18
probably
having
host>
Christian
of
the
the
Leader
to
(Rev* 19 )
the conception of the Logos as a Warrior (Wisd, 18") in his
mindr Jn. must have been not only conversant in some degree
with the philosophical speculations of Ephesus as to the Divine
Logos, and with such teaching as that of Heb, 4", but above
3
all with the application of the title "the Word of God/ by
8
Such
the author of the Apocalypse, whose disciple he was.
a phrase in the Apocalypse did not solve problems, but it
must have suggested a remarkable problem to the followers
of Jesus in the next generation, who asked what it meant*
To call Jesus the \6yos of God without further explanation
might well suggest that Docetic theory of His Person which
it is one of the purposes of the Fourth Gospel to dispel as
4
wholly irreconcilable with His earthly life.
Jn.'s chief aim was to show (it was his deepest conviction)
But the philosophers,
that Jesus is the Revealer of God.
whether Hebrew or Greek, whether they took Logos as meaning
speech or as meaning reason^ had for centuries been occupied
with the idea that the Divine Word is the Revealer, and had
See an i 14 for a parallel to Jb.'s Logos doctrine in Enoch jclii* 1 on
tlie Divine Wisdom.
* Cf p. cxxxvii
Cf. t>, lxvilL
See on $ u for a simpler use of the phrase, * the
1

Logos ofGod."
*

See on *"-

THE LOGOS

lil.]

cxliii

not found it possible thus completely to bridge the gulf between

God and man. How can we reconcile

One and the Many, the Infinite and

Spirit

and Matter

the

the Finite ? It was

left for Christian philosophy to proclaim that the only solution
of these problems, which metaphysics had failed to solve,
was historical* And the first statement of this is in the
Prologue to the Fourth Gospel, b A^yos o-Apf fyeVero. The
philosophers had said that the Word is the Revealer of God,
That is true, for Jesus is the Word,
Whether any one before Jn. had said explicitly, <( The Word
became flesh/' we do not know; nor can we say that this express
and fundamental proposition was present to his mind when he
penned the narrative of the Fourth Gospel. It may have been
so, but it nowhere appears explicitly except in the Prologue,
as has been pointed out already. 1 When Loisy wrote,
La
theologie de Tincarnation est la clef du livre tout entier, et
Qu'elle le domine depuis la premiere ligne jusqu'i la derniete," a
he was not accurate if he meant that the Logos doctrine of the
Prologue dominated the entire Gospel. On the contrary, the
Prologue is the recommendation of the Gospel to those who
have approached it through metaphysics rather than through
history; but the evangelist never allows his metaphysics to
control his history.* He appeals to no "witness" to corroborate the doctrine of the Word which he sets out in the
Prologue, while the appeal to " witnesses," Divine and human,
appears in every part of the evangelical narrative.* He puts
it forth as the philosophical solution of the great
problem,
"
can God reveal Himself to man ? " a solution latent
in the Wisdom literature of the Hebrews, although not perceived by the philosophers of Greece. This is Jn/s great
contribution to Christian philosophy, that Jesus is the Word
but nowhere, as Hamack has pointed out, does he deduce any
formula from it It was for later ages to do this, and to treat
the Johannine presentation in the Prologue of the Word who
became fleshy as the secure basis for far-reaching thoughts and
hopes as to the destiny of man. " He became what we are
that He might make us what He is/' is the saying of Irenseus, 5
not of Jn.
For Jn. it is sufficient to preach as gospel that " God so
loved the world that He sent His Son "; he does not put forward
'

'

How

P. cxxxviii.

* La Quatri&me Ev&tgite, p. g8
important article on the " Prologue " in Zeitschr* f
TMAot. and Kitche. 1893. No. -\.
^
*Cf.p. xc>
*Adv Har. v. Prel, "Qui propter immenaatn snam dilectionem
actus est quod suraua nos, uti dps peificeret esse quod est ipse*"

* Cf.

Hamack s
r

[Oh. V.

CHRISTOLOGY

cxliv

the tremendous paradox, " trie Word became flesh/' as the

gospel which he has received, although it supplies for him as
he ponders it the rationale of the revelation of God in Jesus
Christ.
In the Sapiential Books of the O.T., the praises of Wisdom
are several times put into poetry or rhythmic form; Prov. 8

7*

a familiar example. The hymn on Sophia in Wisd.

points back to that of Prov. 8, and the traces of its use in
Heb. i 8 4" are apparent. Yet another Wisdom hymn, Ecclus*
248 -ra takes up some thoughts from the two earlier hymns,
14 (cf. Ecclus.
and may have influenced the language of Jn. 1*
^e. . i*)
it j Sj then, not without precedent if it be found that
2
the doctrine of lie Logos in the Prologue to Jn., like the doctrine
of Sophia in the Sapiential Books, should have been put into the
form of an Ode or Hymn t the profundity of the subject being
The following arrangebetter suited to poetry than to prose.
ment of the Logos Hymn embodied in the Prologue is here

is

offered for examination:

THE LOGOS HYMN

Aoyos ^v vpoi top 8eovt

teal
Kctt

0cos

3. TTttvTn St
teal

i)v

b Aoyof.

a&TQv tyevtroj

yiapls afiroB iyevtro ofiSc lv.

THE PROLOGUE

giiL]
18.

SF

cxlv

ov&elf cuyiajcci' ituttotc'

/utovoyv)j?, $*os,

&v

efc

TOf koXttov tov

ffffTpqs,

The hymn is a philosophical rationale of the main thesis

of the Gospel. It begins with the proclamation of the Word
as Pre-existent and Divine (w, i, 2). Then appear the (XT.
thoughts of the Word as creative of all (v. 3), life-giving (v. 4),
But the whole universe (v. 10), including
light-giving (v, 5).
mtfi (v. 11), was unconscious of His omnipresent energy.
Bfc became Incarnate, not as a momentary Epiphany of
tie Divine, but as an abiding and visible exhibition of the
Divine Glory, even as the Son exhibits the Father (v. 14),
Thus does the Word as Incarnate reveal the Invisible God
(v. 18).

as to the witness of John the

coming Light (w, 6-9), and His pre-existence
by the
(v. 15), are added. We have also two exegetical comments
evangelist,1 at w. 12, 13, to correct the idea which v. 11 might
convey, that no one received or recognised the Word when He
came; and again at w. 16, 17, to illustrate the " grace and

Two

parenthetical notes

Baptist, to the

truth " of v. 14.

.
The great theme of a Divine Revealer of God is implicu
the
rest
in the first and last stanzas of the hymn (w, i 3 18),
being concerned with the method of the revelation.
The Hebraic style of the hymn is plain* The repetition in
the second line of a couplet of what has been said already in
the elucidation of the meaning of the
the first line (w, 3, 5)
first line by the emphatic word being repeated in the next
(w. 4, s s 11, r4), which provides an illustration of what has
s
been called "climactic parallelism" (cf. Ps. 29* 93 ); t^e
threefold repetition in the first three lines of v. 14, all of which
t

4* S ycyovtV iv avrtp fyayj rfvy

taxi % fpjq fjv to tpuji twv av&pvnruiv,
5. al to

Kai q

ijjQs iv 177 (TKOTta tftalvti,

mama

10. hf T5 KQQ-fMp

avro ov

KturiXa-flcv*

TJV,

Kdi 6 Kooytoe auroy ou* lyvw.

involve the bodily visibility of the Logos sufficiently show

that the model is not Greek but Hebrew poetry.
It will be noticed that the hymn moves in abstract regions
of thought. The historical namesJohn, Moses, Jesus Christ
*re no part of it they are added in the explanatory^ notes of
:

11. tt?Ta ?&a ^Atfcv,

sal <k ZSiot avrbv

ofi

vapi\afiay.

the evangelist. Nevertheless, v. 14 states an historical fact,

and points to an event in time; but the history is told sub
specie c&ternitatis*

14, rat o Aoyos a-ap eyorro,

Sofay s ^opoyevovs

fl-a,pa

irar/we,

The treatment of the Prologue as embodying a hymn on the

Logos has been suggested more than once in recent years.
An analysis of it from this point of view was published by
C. Cryer in 19a!. 3 In 1922 C. F, Bumey treated the Prologue
1
This 13 in the manner of Jn. cf. p. xxxiv.
*

Expository Times, July 19a i, p.

44*>*

CHRISTOLOGY

cstvi

[Ch,V.

hymn (with comments) originally composed In Aramaic T

and Rendel Harris suggested that it was based on a Hymn
to Sophia, although he did not work out the details of any
as a

rhythmic arrangement. He developed the parallels between

the Prologue and the Sapiential literature of the O.T., comparing also some Stoic phrases. 3
The arrangement of the stanzas which is printed above
is not identical with those adopted by Burney or Cryer, an
important difference being that the hymn proper does not em-

body argument

(cf. vv. i2 3 13, 16, 17) or contain the Personal

of Jesus Christ. It is a Logos hymn of a triumphant
philosophy, directly Hebrew in origin, but reflecting the phrases
which had become familiar in Greek- speaking society* In the
Christian literature of the first two centuries a good many
traces of rhythm and verse arrangement may be found in impassioned passages of prose.* Eusebius {H.E* v. 28, 5) cites a
writer who remarks on the number of Christian Psalms and
Odes which from the beginning {6.v ^/>XTJ S) sung of Christ as
the Word (rhv Aoyoy ?ov $fov tov XpurroV vftvovtrt tftoAoyowr*?).
Such a collection of Christian hymns were those known as
the Odes of Solomon^ which present so many points of contact
with the Johannine writings, and especially with the Prologue
to the Gospel, that they demand mention at this point.
The Odes of Solomon were first published from the Syriac by
Rendel Harris in 1909. 4 He regarded them as of first-century
date, and to this Harnack gave his adhesion.
I have given
reasons elsewhere 5 for regarding this date as too early, and
for treating them as Christian hymns composed about 160 or
170 A.D,
These beautiful hymns are composed in cryptic fashion,
and they contain no avowed verbal quotations either from the
O.T, or the N,T* But the doctrine of the Logos is repeatedly
dwelt on, in a way which recalls Johannine teaching. The
Word is the Thought (errata) of God (Odes xvi, 20, xxviii.
18, xli. 10); this Thought is Life (ix, 3) and Light (xii, 7),
Light dawned from the Word that was beforetime in Him "
(xlL 15), so that the pre-existence of the Word is recognised
He is the Agent of Creation, for " the worlds
(cf. xvi. 19).

Name

'

'

Aramaic Origin, etc., p. 41,

" Athena Sophia and the Logos
July 1922).
22).

See also

Prologue (1917).
1 See the article "

Hymnes "

Library,

iJ

John Rylands
The Origin of the

(Bulletin of

Rendel Harris,

in Cabiol's Diet d'archSol. chr&Unns,

vL 2839.
His filial edition appeared in 1930 (Manchester University Press)
Cambridge, Texts and Studies, " The Odes of Solomon " (1913)
sJsq Theology, Nov. 1920,
*

cf,

THE PROLOGUE

giiLj

cxlvii

were made by His [God's] Word and by the Thought of His

heart " (xvi* 20)- The Incarnation of the Word is expressed
?l
by saying " the dwelling-place of the Word is man (xii. 11
" His
cf, xxii. 13); and God continually abides with man, for
Word is with us in all our way " (xli. 1 1) Were these sublime
phrases as early as the first century, we should have to treat
the Odes not only as arising in an environment like that which
was the birthplace of the Fourth Gospel, but as being actually
one of the sources from which its distinctive doctrines were
derived* This, however, cannot be maintained. The Odes,
nevertheless, provide a welcome illustration of that mystical
aspect of Christian teaching which has sometimes been
erroneously ascribed to Hellenic rather than to Hebrew in;

They catch the very tone of Jn., 1 and show how deeprooted in Christian devotion was the Johannine doctrine of the
Word, within seventy years of the publication of the Fourth
Gospel.
fluences.

CHAPTER

VI

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF THE FOURTH GOSPEL

1
(iv)

The
The
The
The
The
(r)

Authority of the O.T.

Johannine Doctrines of Life and Judgment*
Kingdom of God and the New Birth.
Eticharistic Doctrine of Jn.
Johannine Miracles.

Thb Authority of the

O.T.

The

Old Testament was, for a. Jew, the fount of authority,

Fourth Gospel it is frequently quoted to establish a
fact, or to clinch an argument, or to illustrate something that
has been said.
Thus the people by the lake-side (681) quote Ex. i6M to
confirm their statement that their fathers had been given bread
from heaven. The O.T. was their book of national history.
(i)

and

in the

Jesus

is

represented in Jn, as appealing to the

Law

(Deut.

With r Jn. 4**

Logos doctrine.
we may compare, " I should not have known how to love the Lord if He
had not loved me " (Ode iii. 3). la the note on 17* below, I have cited
another parallel from Ode xxxi. 4, 5. See also notes on t* 1 5 13 6"
2, n 3:^ The Odist dwells continually an the great Johannine
themes- Love, Knowledge, Truth, Faith, Joy, Light ; he never
mentions sin, repentance, or forgiveness (cf, p, xcv).
^-This is not only true of their

CxlvUi

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh. VI.

iq") and to the Psalms (Fs. 82*) in support of His arguments

with the Jews (81T and iow). The Synoptic narrative agrees
3fl
with this representation of His mode of argument (Mk. I2
and parallels Mt. 4*- * n =Lk, 4*- * 12). Paul appealed to the
10
O.T. in the same fashion, as every Rabbi did (Rom. 3 , 1 Cor.
15" Gal. 3" etc.).
Again, the Fourth Gospel represents Jesus as illustrating
His teaching by the citation of Scripture passages; e.g. He
quotes Isa. 5413 at 64B, and His quotation (7 s8 ), " Out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water/' seems to be illustrative
rather than argumentative. There are many instances in the
Pauline Epistles of this use of the O.T, (e.g. Rom, 4*); and the
Synoptists ascribe it to Jesus just as Jn. does (Mt. 913 2i w * * a,
etc,).
So far there is no difficulty in the report of the Fourth
Gospel as to the use said to have been made of the O.T* by
Jesus and His hearers*
(ii) The Jews, however^ did not only hold that the O.T. was
authoritative; they held that it pointed forward to Messiah,
and to His Kingdom which was one day to be established among
them. It was a prophetic volume, and for them prophecy
included prediction. They believed that the actual words of
the O.T. were intended by God to have a future as well as a
;

present application.
Thus Jn. represents the people 1 as expecting that Messiah
would come one day, because the prophets had so predicted;
and expecting Him to be born at Bethlehem (7 42 ; cf. Mt. 2 5),
of the seed of David; to vindicate Himself by wonderful
works (6 1 *- 80) because the Scriptures of the prophets had assured
them that so it would be; and to "abide for ever" (ia 34)
because so it had been indicated in "the law." The Synoptists
do not give any details as to the nature of the Messianic
expectation, but they are clear that Messiah was looked for,
by the priests (Mk. 14 s1) j by pious folk such as Simeon,
Anna, the two at Emmaus (Lk, 2 as 36 24 21 ); by John the
a
Baptist, who expected Messiah to work miracles {Mt.
,
Lk. 7 2c0; and by the people generally (Lk, 3 1S), The hope
that- the Messianic prophecies would one day be fulfilled was in
every pious Jewish heart, and Jn/s report that this expectation
was vivid is borne out by all the other evidence we have,
(iii) The evangelists, Jn. as well as the Synoptists, were convinced that this expectation had been satisfied, for they believed
that in Jesus the Messiah had been found. The purpose of
Jn, in writing his gospel was that his readers might believe
if
11
that " Jesus is the Christ
(20 ); and he is quite assured that
He applies,
Jsaiah (is*1) as well as Zechariah spoke of Jesus.
-

1 Cf.
p* TtttJi

AUTHORITY OF THE

Ii]

O.T.

cxlix

Zech. i3 ld to the piercing of the Lord's side on the Cross

Jn. tells of John the Baptist applying to himself the
27
8
Srophecy of the Forerunner (i* ; cf. Mk. 1*, Lk. 3*; cf. j ,
s
It, 3 ), and accepting unhesitatingly Jesus as the Messiah
{!*" M)j and he ascribes the same belief to other disciples
*5 4fl 6",
etc.).
Martha makes the same confession
(i*1 *
(n 27). The disciples are represented as applying Messianic
Scriptures to Jesus both before (2 17) and after His Resure.g.,

(19*

).

rection (2 aa I3 lfi).

The author

of Hebrews finds Jesus as the Christ frequently

and in the Law; and in one passage

1
s
(t* 2 * 5 io*) in the Psalms
at least Paul elaborates an

argument (Eph 4s) which depends

t

for its force upon a mystical and forward reference to Jesus

in Ps. 68 18 ,
Indeed, that Jesus is the Messiah of O.T. prophecy is the

earliest gospel sermons (Acts 2 M M 3s0 5", etc.).

Jn. agrees with the Synoptists in representing Jesus as
accepting this position, and as claiming therefore to be the
subject of O.T, prophecy. The difference is 1 that Jn. puts the
recognition by His disciples of Jesus as the Messiah (i 60),
and His acceptance of their homage, earlier than the Synoptists
formally do (Mk, S 29); but it is not to be overlooked that
Lk. (4") represents Him as conscious of His Messiahship at a
date prior to the call of Peter and James and John by the
lake-side.
Jn. also puts into His mouth the plain affirmation
to the Woman of Samaria that He was the Christ (4 2 *). At a
later stage the Synoptists tell that He said the same thing to
the high priest (Mk. 14**; cf. Lk. 22OT , Mt, 26 s *), which is not
told explicitly by Jn., who does not go into full details about
this examination by Caiaphas (18 24 ; but cf. io7).
There can be
no doubt that, according to Jn, and the Synoptists alike, it was
implied in Jesus' claim and explicitly asserted once and again
" Moses wrote of me,"
that He was the Messiah of the O.T,
and the Scriptures
bear witness of me " (s 3*' w) are words
that Jn. places in His mouth,
(v) Hence we are not surprised to come upon the expression
"
that in Jesus and His ministry *' the Scripture was fulfilled
[hrk-riput&r})*
It does not seem to say more than, as we have
seen, was accepted ex ammo by all His early disciples. Yet
the expression is not found in Paul or in Hebrews or in the
Apocalypse or in the Johannine or Petrine Epistles. The idea
of the
fulfilment " of the Scriptures in Jesus appears but
once in Mk., four times in Lk, and the Acts (as well as twice
with the verb reketv instead of rAqpoCp), six times in Jn. (and
once with ttAeiv) > and twelve times in Mt. It occurs once in

burden of the

(iv)

'

Cf, p. cxxxLv.

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

Cl

James

[Oh. VI.

but with no Messianic reference, being applied

to the fulfilment of Gen. 1 J6 in the later promise of Gen. sa 1*'*.
These passages from the Gospels must presently be examined
separately, but it is plain from their distribution that the idea
of the " fulfilment " of a particular Scripture as an incident of
Christ's Ministry and Passion is more conspicuous in the later
writings of the N.T. than in the earlier. Whatever the dates
of Jn. and Mt may be, they are later, in their present form,
than the Epistles of Paul or than Mk. and Lk. ; and it is in
these later Gospels that the phrase becomes frequent* either
in the form " the Scripture was fulfilled/ or " in order that
the Scripture might be fulfilled-"
This way of speaking of the
fulfilment " of Scripture
does not appear at all in the sub -apostolic age, although the
belief was universal in Christian circles that the O T. rites
and prophecies pointed onward to Christ. Barnabas, for
instance, who is full of " types/* and who finds Christ in the
most unlikely places in the O.T. (see 9, where he finds in the
(2**),

number of Abraham's

servants a forecast of the Cross of Jesus),

never speaks of the x-Aijpwo-is or " fulfilment " of a Scripture*
The same is true of Justin Martyr, Nor is the formula of
citation ** then was fulfilled ,J a formula which Irenseus used,
except when (as in ffar, iii. 9, 2) he reproduced it from the
Gospels (Mt. i 8*). The only instances of grAq/ww being
used of Scripture in his writings are in Betr. iii. 10. 4, where he
says that the angels proclaimed the promise made to David
as a promise fulfilled (. wdtrxcv-cv . . , TrtTr\r}pu>firtfT)v
vayyt\urii>v?ai) f and perhaps in >em. $&
where he writes
t
that "This" {i.e. Amos 9") "our Lord Jesus Christ truly
fulfilled."
But in neither of these passages is the formula of
citation " then was fulfilled " used by Irenseus.
The earliest
appearance of the phrase, subsequent to the First and Fourth
Gospels, is in Hegesippus, who wrote about 160-180 a.d. In a
passage where Hegesippus (quoted by Eusebius, ff,E, ii. 23. 15)
is describing the martyrdom of James the Just by the Jews, he
.

adds, *i CT-Xiypwrar

rijv ypaajiifv

Trfv

iv tcu "Rtraia ytypafifi4vT}v

Apmp*v tqv Siaatov (Isa. 3 10 ; cf. Wisd. a")'

The passage he quotes has not any such reference, but Hegesippus
has been attracted by the word SiWos, and so he ventures
to say that the Jews "fulfilled" this Scripture. 1 In every
t
Christian age it has been a fault of piety, when searching the
O.T., to mistake verbal coincidence with fact for a veritable
fulfilment of prophetic words.

Barnabas (| 6) applies the words to Christ's Passion and Cyprian

quotes Wisd, 2 1 *- to illustrate a general thesis, " Quod ipse sit iustus,
quem Iudaeioccisuriessent (Test.iL 14).
1

"'

AUTHORITY OF THE

|t]

OX

cli

should be added that this formula of citation is not used

16 17 by the authors of any
)
(except when reproducing Mt. a
It is not found in them
Gospels.
of the earlier Apocryphal
a work of the
until we come to Evangelium Pstudo-Maith^
here is probably to be
fifth or sixth century; and its presence
explained by the fact that this apocryphal writer aims at
1
imitating the manner of the canonical Matthew.
"
phrase
then
was fulfilled
the
The probable reason that
the Scripture " is frequent in Jn. and Mt, t but does not appear
again until Hegesippus, and then rarely until post-Nicene
times, is that the phrase was peculiarly Jewish. Jn. and Mt.
In the
are full of Hebraisms, and Hegesippus was a Jew.
6
O.T. " to fulfil" is used of a petition (Ps. ao ) or a Divine
3
promise (1 Kings 8 15), but rarely of a prophecy (1 Kings a *,
7
s1 Dan. a 33
the
word
seems
that
It
1
Esd.
i^
).
,
2 Chr, 36 ,
came into use in the Rabbinical schools after the O.T.
.

It

canon had been closed. "To fulfil that which was said"
and "then was fulfilled" are formulae of citation that are
occasionally found in Jewish writings (so Backer, Exeg. tetm.
i.

171).
It has often

Apostolic
been thought that there existed
days a Jewish collection of O.T. passages held to be predictive
of Messiah. 3 If this were the case, it would be natural that it
should be utilised by the writers of the Gospels, at any rate of
3
the later Gospels, Mt. and Jn. Allen has suggested that the
quotations in Mt. introduced by a formula are derived from a
written source of this kind, and not directly from the canonical
Old Testament* The same might be true of the quotations in
but the existence of such a collection of testimonia in
Jn,
the first century has not yet, as it seems to the present writer,
;

been established.

To return to the phrase " the Scripture was fulfilled," as

appears in the Gospels* It always has reference to a particular verse of the O.T. (h ypn$y}> the words of which fit the
incident that the evangelist has recorded. There are two
1
notable instances in Mt. The evangelist finds (Mt, 2 *)
Innocents;
Massacre
of
the
in Jer. 31" words prophetic of the
and again (Mt. 27 s ) he says that in the buying of the Potter's
it

1XM3 apocryphon says "then was fulfilled" of Hab. 3*, Isa, 1*

(the Nativity), of Ps. 148' (the dragons adoring Jesus), of Isa. n
l
(a Legend of the Plight into Egypt), of Isa, ig (the prostration of the
s (the wisdom of the Child Jesus).
It is curious
idols), and of Fs. 65
l
cited as ttstintvnie
, which aie
that it does not cite Jer, 31" or Hos.
in the canonical Matthew,
1 See, Jn particular, Rendel Harris, Testimonia, who holds that the
existence of such a collection oi Messianic prophecies has teen proved.

W,

C. Allen, St.

MaUhew,

p. brii.

clii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

Field with the blood

money "was

spoken by Jeremiah " (Zech.

n *;
1

fulfilled that

cf. Jer. 32*'-).

[Oh.

VL

which was
In both of

we

are dealing only with the comment of the

is probable that he was misled by verbal
coincidences, just as Hegesippus was when he quoted Isa.
10
of the martyrdom of James the Just (see p. cl). Having
3
regard to the historical contexts both of Jer. 31 15 and of Zech.
ia
(Jer. 32"), ^ cannot be maintained that they are more
than vaguely descriptive or suggestive of incidents in the
these cases
evangelist,

and

it

Gospel history.
case of Lk. 4*1 is different.
Here the evangelist tells
that Jesus read aloud in the synagogue the passage Isa. 61 1 - 3,
and that He began His comment upon it by saying, " To-day
hath this Scripture been fulfilled in your ears." There is no
improbability in this, and it is entirely in agreement with the
claim which, as we have seen, Jesus made repeatedly for Himself, that He was the subject of O.T. prophecy.
(vi) We come next to a more difficult conception, yet one
which is logically connected with the belief in prophecy as understood by a Jew. Jn. represents Jesus as saying " the Scripture
cannot be broken/' ov 6-vvaxiu Xvffijvat 17 ypa^ij (10s6)- This is
not said in reference to the fulfilment of prophecy, but parenthetically as an assertion of the permanent authority of O.T.
words* But where prophecy was in view, it was held that
the prediction once made carried with it the assurance of its
accomplishment. The more strictly the verbal inspiration
of the sacred books was taught by the Rabbinical schools,
the more deeply would it be felt that the punctilious fulfilment
of the Messianic predictions was fore-ordained of God. This
was believed by every pious Jew, and the belief emerges distinctly in the Fourth Gospel, the evangelist ascribing this
conviction to Jesus Himself.
may recall here some Synoptic
passages which show that the belief that " the Scripture cannot
be broken" was shared by Mt., Mk., and Lk. (especially by
Lk.), and that all three speak of it as having the authority
of their Master.
{a) At Mk. io*2 (cf Mt. 2016) Jesus predicts His condemnation and death at Jerusalem, rh. piXXovTa aur<[! irvjxfiaLvetv,
31
or, as Lk. (18 ) more explicitly puts it, '* all the things that
are written by the prophets shall be accomplished (rtkw&yrcrat)
unto the Son of Man/*
{b) According to Mk, 14*1, Mt. 26 s*, Jesus said at the Last
Supper, " The Son of Man goeth, even as it is written of Him/'
or as Lk, has it, * as it hath been determined," jcarci to apuratvur
{Lk. 22*2). C f. also Lk, 21",
(c) Lk. (2a 37) alone records that Jesus said after the Last

The

We

AUTHORITY OF THE
Supper tovtq

0,T,

cliii

Kat

to yeypafiyAvov Bel TtXttr&fjvat iv /io to

fitra

12
ivd/Aaw tkayttrBy (Isa. S3 ).
(d) Lk (24**) represents Jesus as asking the disciples on
the way to Emmaus, oi^i tavra eSa iraBetv rov Hpurrov; and

then interpreting the Messianic prophecies to them.

(e) So again, according to Lk. 34**, Jesus said to the company in the Upper Room, irXigparfqwu *ra to y*ypap.pva,
tv
it

t$ v6fM$ MwcrtW ml tots TrpaifiyTaus Kat t^aA/itus srcpt ifxov

was necessary that all that had been written should be
:

fulfilled
In like

that

it

manner Luke ascribes to Peter (Acts i ) the saying

was necessary that the Scripture about Judas should be
lfl

fulfilled.

This conception, then, of the inevitabhness of the

fulfil-

ment of O.T. prophecies is ascribed by all the evangelists to

Jesus, but it comes out most frequently in Lk. and Jn., the
Fourth Evangelist generally expressing

it,

as

we

shall

see

presently, in another way,*

(vii)

We have now to consider the meaning of the expression,

common

in Mt. and Jn., that certain things happened in

order that the Scripture might be fulfilled.
similar expression is found two or three times in the O.T.
" Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest . . that
he mightfulfil the word of the Lord which He spake concerning
has here Trk-rjpwB^vat
the house of Eli " (1 Kings 2 s7). The

LXX

that in this passage we need not

suppose Solomon's motive to be that he might fulfil 1 Sam.
a1"-, but that the writer only means that the event corresponded with what had been predicted. In like manner it has
been suggested that in some passages where Zva irAijpuflj} ^
ypa^ij is found in the Gospels, we need not give Tw a telic
force.
It may be used loosely on occasion with *\ypio$f as it
is certainly used loosely, without telic force, in other contexts
26
{e.g.
5**, fi , 9, in all of which cases the other Synoptists
discard Mark's tva; cf. Jcu 1 s7 11 s0 etc.). But thus to evacuate
to

prjfta

Kv/kW

Mk

It

may be

lm of its telic force in the phrase tva irAij/mtfp 17 ypa$q t however

agreeable to our modern ideas of the Bible, is to do violence
to the contexts, and to fail in appreciation of the Jewish doctrine
of prophecy.
(vni) When the Chronicler places the rise of Cyrus " after
the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah had been
accomplished " (pcra to TrXijpta^vat pvffia Kvp(ov f 2 Chron.
36**), he means more than that the event corresponded with
What had been predicted. He means that the event was
overruled by God with a view to the fulfilment of His own
1

For the use

of for in Ja, see

on 3",

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

cliv

eternal purpose,

[Oh. VI*

which had been proclaimed by Jeremiah the

prophet*

Both Mt. and Jn, express themselves in the same way. Mt.
uses the phrase tva irAijp^p, or ottujs irkrfptaOjjj eight times of a
testimonium quoted from the O.T., viz.: i as (Isa. 7 14), 2 1*
a3 {"
1
He shall be called a Nazarene/ : the source
(Hos.
), 2
of which is uncertain), 4 14 (Isa, 91 ), 8 17 (Isa. $^) 12" (Isa,
2
4
This was his doctrine,
43 lf') i3M (Ps, 7S ), 21 (Zech, 9*).
that the words of the prophets, quite apart from their context,
had a forward Messianic reference, and that the incidents
of the ministry of Jesus were divinely overruled, in order that
the prophecies might be fulfilled. And in one remarkable
passage, where he is following Mk. t Mt. places this doctrine
Mark (14**; cf. Mt, 26) reports that
in the mouth of Jesus.
Jesus said at His betrayal that the mariner of His violent arrest
was tva irkvjpui&Sxriv ai ypatjxu. No special " Scripture " is
quoted, and it may be that only the general trend of O.T,
prophecy about Messiah and His sufferings was in the mind of
the Speaker, or in that of the evangelist who reported His
words. Yet that the evangelist believed Jesus to have said
in order that the Scriptures might
that an incident took place,

'

'

'

be

fuliilied," is significant*

We

now come to the use in Jn. of this phrase* It occurs

four times in a comment by the evangelist upon something
which he has recorded, and he attributes the use of it to Jesus
three times.
a7
*) that the people did not believe on
{a) Jn. says (i2
His
signs, tva a \6ya$ 'Hcraiou tou trpa<fn^Tov
despite
Jesus,
1
"Lord, who hath believed our
TrkrjpwBfj, quoting Isa, 53
The same prophecy is quoted in Rom, io1 *, a
report ? " etc.
similar interpretation being given to it, except that Paul does
not use the formula tva. irXtfputOy.
Jn. makes it clear that tva here has a telic force, for he
proceeds 6t tqvtq ouk igSiWi'TO ircorttjeij', on ird\tv eth-cp H.tratas
quoting Isa. 610, " He hath blinded their eyes," etc. This
testimonium from the O.T. is also cited by Mt, {13") in the
(t
unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah," words
form
which Mt. ascribes to Jesus Himself*
The other instances in which Jn. comments thus on a
recorded incident occur in the narrative of the Passion.
M the parting of Jesus' garments among the
(b) In Jn. ig
soldiers is said to have been f
ypwfavf ttAihku0t}, the words
t
They parted my garments among
of Ps. 22 1* being cited,
them and upon my vesture did they cast lots.'* The Synoptists
ntion the parting of the garments, but do not expressly
quote Scripture for it. See note in he*
-

-ff

AUTHORITY OF THE

*]

O.T.

Civ

In Jn, roM the saying of Jesus on the cross, "I thirst,"

is recorded, and Jn. adds that it was said tva TsktiwSfj 7
M in his mind. The Synoptists
ypa.<J3-q, presumably having Ps. 6g
record
this
word
from
the
cross.
See note in loc*
do not
(e)

"These things came to pass, tva 17 ypa-^if

of &*&* shall not be broken " (Ex. 12**;
rXqpv&St
20
cf. Ps. 34 )j Jesus being the true Paschal Lamb*
It is noteworthy that Jn, twice comments on recorded words
of Jesus in the same way that is, he speaks of them as if they
were inevitable of fulfilment, like words of Scripture* In
(t
Jesus answered ... If ye seek me, let
r8a -* we read:
these go their way, that the word might be fulfilled (tva wX.
6 \oyos) which He spake> Of those whom Thou hast given me
I lost not one " (referring back to J7 13); and again, iS 91 **:
" the Jews said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any
man to death that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled (tva
A'Ayo? tov l^crou wA,), which He spake, signifying by what
manner of death He should die
(referring back to i2 BE).
For Jn., the words of his Master were possessed of authority
and inspired by foreknowledge; the event necessarily corresponded to what Jesus had said.
(be) In two or three passages Jn* seems to go beyond a statement of his own belief as to the inevitableness of the fulfilment
of O.T. prophecy; for he has been thought to ascribe the same
opinion to Jesus Himself.
In i3 w we have: l( I know whom I have chosen: but that
the Scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth my bread lifteth
up his heel against me" (Ps. 41 9 ); and again in i? 12 : U I
guarded them, and not one of them perished, but the son of
perdition ; that the Scripture might be fulfilled/' allusion
probably being made to the same passage, Ps. 41 9 (but cf.
Ps. 109s Acts i 1*). These phrases, as they stand, suggest
that Jesus taught not only that the treachery of Judas was a
u fulfilment " of Scripture, but that its progress was overruled
in its incidents, so that *' the Scripture might be fulfilled,"
It may be so, but this is not necessarily the true interpretation,
for in both passages the recalling of O.T. prophecy may be but
an editorial addition or a comment of the evangelist after his
{d) Jn,

s*,

<A b&ne

'

habit. 1

manner, tva ir\ijpu>0g o Xoyos in 15 s (where see

be added to the report of the Lord's words by Jn.,
who found it apposite to cite ipAtnja-av px Swptdv from Ps. 35 1*
or Ps. 69*. In any case, in this particular passage, some doubt
must rest upon the accuracy of the report, which makes Jesus
speak of t( their Law," as if to separate Himself from Judaism.
1
See p. xxxiv, and also the notes in loc.

In

note)

like

may

clvi

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Ch, VI.

Otherwise we have to suppose that Jesus taught that the cause *

less hatred with which He was rejected had been fore-ordained
in words of the Psalmist which had to be fulfilled.
(n)

Judgment
In Jewish thought the conception of a Day of Judgment
when the future destiny of men shall be determined does not
appear until after the Exile. One of the earliest allusions to
(f
Many of them that sleep in the dust
this is in Dan. ia a B
of the earth shall awake, some to eternal life and some to shame
and eternal contempt," a passage which (although it does not
speak of a general resurrection) contemplates a separation of
men into the righteous and unrighteous, and so presupposes
judgment.
The growth of the idea is intimately connected with the
growth of the Messianic hope. Judgment is the prerogative
of kings, and so it was the office of the Messianic King.
A
throne shall be established in mercy, and one shall sit thereon
"
in truth, in the tent of David, judging and seeking judgment
*

'

The theocratic King of Ps. 72 1 executes

(Isa. i6*j cf. Isa. 32 1).
judgment in response to the petition,
Give the King Thy
judgments, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the King's
son "; or as the Targum has it, " Give the precepts of Thy
judgment to King Messiah." It is noteworthy that the vision
of Dan. 7 1B, which tells of One to come
with the clouds of
heaven like unto a son of man," does not ascribe the office of
judgment to this Coming One, but rather to the Ancient of
6ays, Who is the fount of all true judgment (c. Deut, i 1J).
However, when we come to the Book of Enoch, we find
the doctrine of world judgment clearly expressed, and the
office of judgment committed to the Son of Man. 1
The various
forms which the doctrine of judgment takes in this hook are
summarised by Charles on Enoch 45 s
The Elect One will sit
on the throne of His glory, 45*, 55*, 63 s e
being placed
thereon by the Lord of Spirits, 6i e 62 s
and His throne is
likewise the throne of the Head of Days, 47 s 51 3 ," a typical
He sat on the throne of His glory, and the
passage being
sum of judgment was committed unto Him, the Son of Man "
How far the eschatology of this book was prevalent in
(69").
Palestine in the first century we do not know precisely; but
(

' l

'

'

it

is

clear that the orthodox believed that the dead, or at

any rate the righteous dead, would rise again. The Book of
Ju&iJees {23 11) speaks of "the day of the Great Judgment/'
1

Cf, p. cxjcvii.

AND JUDGMENT

Civil

and the Apocalypse ofBaruch (50*' * 51 f.) tells of a resurrection

at the Advent of Messiah for the purpose of judgment* The
Second Book of Esdras belongs to the latter half of the first
century, and is tinged with Christian thought; but its testiis relevant here.
In 2 Esd. is 33 it is said of the wicked
"
Messiah
shall
set
alive in His judgment, and when
them
that
jje hath reproved them, He shall destroy them."
By Mk., Jesus is represented as saying of Himself
" Ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at tie right hand
of power, and coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mk.
r4w cf Mk. 13 s6 S 8*). The picture of Him as the Judge
at the Last Judgment 13 explicit in Mk 2^ f, His judgThese shall go away into eternal punishment being :

mony

The Johannine Doctrines of Life and

LIFE

I*]

'

but the righteous into eternal life," The office

ment
of Jud^e is assigned to Him by the apostolic preachers
" llns is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of
quick and dead " (Acts io42); and again: " God hath ap*

pointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by the man whom He hath ordained " (Acts i7 ai), Paul
has the same doctrine; he speaks of u the Day when God
shall judge the secrets of men by Jesua Christ" (Rom, a 18 ;
10
cf, a Cor. s ).
It is, therefore, highly probable that Jewish doctrine in the
first century conceived of Messiah as the Judge at the Last
Judgment; and it is certain that in Mt., in the Acts, and in
Paul it is taught that Jesus is to be that Judge. In claiming
to be the Messiah of Jewish hopes, He claimed, as it would
seem, to be the Judge of mankind at the Last Assize,
Thus the language in which Jesus spoke to His Jewish
disciples about the final judgment of mankind was the language
of Jewish Apocalyptic. The images and the figures which He
employed to bring home to His hearers the severity and certainty of the Divine judgments were not unfamiliar to them.
He always spoke to men in the language which they could best
understand; and, as the first disciples were Jews, He spoke to
them as a Jew would speak, conveying to them at the same
time deeper and more spiritual truths than any of which Jews
had dreamed. He was, in truth, the Messiah of their ancient
traditions.

In the first years of bewildered hope after His Ascension,

the expectation was strong in many hearts, as the Pauline
Epistles show, that the Son of Man would speedily come again
in judgment to vindicate the Divine righteousness, and to
fulfil the Divine purpose of the ages.
But time went on ; and,
as the first generation of Christian believers passed away, it
became evident that the Promise of the Lord's Coming, as

Clviii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Gh. YL.

they had understood it, was not certainly to be fulfilled all

The Temple was destroyed.
at once, Jerusalem had fallen.
The thought
Christianity was no longer a phase of Judaism,
of Jesus as the Messiah ceased to be the dominating thought
of those who called Him Master. He was Messiah, but He
was more. And it was the task of the last of the evangelists to
remind the Church how much there was in the teaching of
Jesus Himself as to the Judgment of Mankind, and the Coming
of His Kingdom, that had been neglected in the eager faith
of the little community which had so unerringly perceived in
the Risen Lord the Christ of their fathers*
Accordingly, we find in the Fourth Gospel, on the one hand,
and of the
phrases entirely in the manner, so to speak, of
Acts and of Paul, as to Messiah and Messiah's judgment at the
catholic
last; and, on the other hand, a wider and more
presentation of Jesus as the world's King and Saviour, whose
Kingdom is already established in some degree.
He
(a) To Jn., Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, just as
Indeed, Jn. is the only evangelist who
is to the Synoptists.
42
If J esus
4**)reproduces the Jewish title Messiah (i
not been Messiah, He could not have been the Light of the
World, of Jew as well as of Greek, To Jn., as to the Synoptists,
1
The words
Jesus was the Son of Man of Daniel's vision,
addressed to Nathanael (i*1) could not have been understood
by any one not a Jew: " Ye shall see the heaven opened, and
the angels ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
That recalls the vision of the Son of Man of the Synoptists
(Mk. i4M and parls.). Jn. is not mimindful of this aspect
of the teaching of Jesus, viz. that He proclaimed Himself as
the Jewish Messiah, of whose judgment the Jewish Apocalypses
bad spoken.
Further, Jn. is explicit in the announcement of a Great
Assize at last, when all men shall be judged by the Son of
Man. " The hour cometh in which all that are in the tombs
shall hear His voice, and shall come forth, they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have
29
done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment" (s )- For this
irapowta 3 cf. i Jn, 2 s8 it is a Christian privilege that "we
may have boldness in the Day^ of Judgment '' (i Jn. 417). That
this doctrine appears in J n. is only_ what we expect to find in
writings which go back to the reminiscences of a Jewish disciple.
fetters
(ff) But, for Jn., Christianity has broken its Jewish
once for all. The aged apostle remembers, as he looks back,
that there were teachings of Jesus which transcended all the
hopes and thoughts of Judaism, and these are now reproduced

Mt

"^

a.

p.

cxxx.

Cf p.
.

lxii.

LIFE

*]

AND JUDGMENT

clix

(through the medium of a disciple) for the instruction of the

Church, The rigid ecclesiastical polity of the Jews was a
thing of the past. And Jesus had said that it would not be
permanent; that the time was coming when neither Samaria
nor Jerusalem would be the spiritual home of the true worHe had spoken, too, of His flock as
thippers of God (4s1 *-).
embracing not only Jews but Gentiles (io 1*). Here were
master thoughts, denying any exclusive privilege to the Jew,
inconsistent or seemingly inconsistent with any millennial reign
of Messiah on Mount Sion. In fact, when the Fourth Gospel
waft being written, Christianity was being accepted by Greek
and Roman as well as Jew. And the catholicity of its appeal
U perceived by the evangelist to be agreeable to the mind of
Christ, as disclosed in sayings of His not yet recorded and only
imperfectly understood.

Moreover, it was becoming clear that the expectation of an

Advent of the Son of Man and of the establishment in its fulness of the Kingdom of God in the near future was a mistaken
expectation. There will, indeed, be a final consummation.
Jn. is the only evangelist who uses the expression "the Last
Day " (see on 6s9) he does not deny, rather he explicitly
declares, the doctrine of a Great Assize, while he does not
look for any immediate Advent of Christ in majesty, such
as the first generation of Christians had expected.
But the
;

outlook of the Last Discourses (cc. 14-16) is directed to the

future of the Church on earth rather than to any sudden and
glorious Coming of the Master from heaven (cf., however,
14*).

And

this surprised the Apostles

* (
:

Lord, what

is

come

to pass, that Thou wilt manifest Thyself to us, and not unto
the world? " (14 s2). They had been told, tl I will manifest
myself unto him that loveth me " (1431); this was an Advent
of Jesus to the faithful soul. But they were hardly content.
And Jn. reports that Christ gave no other answer to their

His Coming than the quiet promise, " If a

love me, he will keep my words
. .
and we will make
our abode with him " (14^).
Thus Jn. will not dwell on the prospect of the Final Judgment of the world as it had presented itself to Jewish minds.
He knows that it was involved in the teaching of Christ, and
fie says so in the Gospel, stating it with greater explicitness in
the First Epistle, 1 But there was another element in that
teaching which needed fresh emphasis. The judgment of
the individual is determined in the present by his own attitude
to Christ
"he that believeth not is judged already" (3 18,
where see note). This judgment is not arbitrary, but inevitable,
1 See
p. lxii
curiosity about

man

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

Clx

and

fCh* VI,

the issue of a moral necessity. In the sight of God, to

a thousand years are as one day, the predestined future
is as certain as the past, and it may he discerned in the present.
Die WHigeschichU ist das Weltgerichii "he that believeth
not is judged already,'* And so, on the other hand, -with the
"he comes not into judgment, but has
believer in Christ
M). Those who believe in Him
passed from death into life "
is

whom

(s
M cf 1 1B), and
will * 'raise them
shall be safe at the last (i i
8
40
*In virtue of the Life which they share with
up " (6
, etc).
Him, they will be sharers of the Resurrection unto eternal life,

third doctrine

than the Synoptists

He

which Jn expounds with greater fulness

the doctrine of life here and hereafter.
t

is

In the Synoptists, indeed, the teaching of Jesus is explicit

as to a future life and a resurrection to judgment both of
righteous and unrighteous, while at the same time He points
out that the conditions of this future existence are necessarily
dissimilar to those of our bodily life here (Mk. i2 36f').
In Jn.
the thought emerges that the fwip aEuytaf of the future may
begin in the present. It is already possessed by him who
believes in Jesus fo 18 l *- w 640 47) or in the Father who sent
Him (5 M), It is both a present possession and a hope of the
This is the reason why Jn. can speak of judgment
future.
being already determined; it begins here and is fulfilled here-

after, as life also

is.

be observed, however, that this doctrine of ]

aiwi'tofi is not peculiar to Jn., but is also found in the Synoptists, although it is by them expressed in a different way, in
terms of the Jewish concept of the Kingdom of God to which
the Synoptic references are so frequent. In Jn,, "eternal
life," the life of the citizenship of the " Kingdom of God/' is
that on which a man enters after he has been born &n>$w (3s),
The Kingdom of God, according to the Synoptist presentation,
is at once present and future.
It is future, if we contemplate
its complete fulfilment (e.g. Mt. S ia 13** 25 s*, Mk. q47, Lk.
13^
and pray " Thy Kingdom come " (Mt. 6^). But, in another
*
sense, it is present now.
The IKongdom of God is within you "
s1
20
8
cf.
Lk,
(Lk, 17 ;
6
*).
And to enter into it one must
become like a little child (Mt. i8 a, Mk, 101*, Lk. i817), a condition which should be compared with Jn. 3 s .
To enter into
It is to

'

Kingdom

of God and to enter into life are, indeed, treated

as identical expressions (Mk, 9*- 47).
It thus appears
that the spiritual doctrine of *>) aicAwo* of which Jn, is so
full, is implicit in the Synoptic Gospels, which speak of the
the

by Mk,

Kingdom

of

God coming and

eternal life as both future

come, just as in Jn.

and already

present,1

1 See, further,
p. clxii.

we read

of

LIFE

8*]

AND JUDGMENT

clxi

Hence there is no inconsistency, as has sometimes been

suggested, between the two sides of the Johannine teaching
that belie veth on me hath eternal
about eternal life.
life," and "I will raise him up at the last day," express the
same doctrine, viz. that whether in this world or in the world
to come, life > that is, the spiritual life, which is " life indeed,"
This is the perpetual theme of the
is found in Christ alone.
Fourth Gospel.
In Christ is life (i 4). This He has in Himself as God has
38
He has the words of eternal life (S 88). His words are
(g ).
M
Hfe (6 ). To know Him is eternal life (17*). He is the Life
He gives the living water which continually and etern(14*),
ally vivifies the energies of the spirit (414 7 s*),
He came that
His flock might have life (10* ), He is the Bread of Life <6W>,
the Bread which sustains life. The Bread which He gives is
His Flesh, given for the life of the world (6 61 ), Without this
no one has life (6 M); but he that eats of it abides in Christ
4
s
They who follow Him have the light of life
(6 * 1 cf. 15 ),
(8* 1),
That is the secret of eternal life in this present stage of
26
being.
(See further on
.)
So, too, is it after death, Christ quickens the dead, as the
Father does, 5
ofis 84kti ax>jroi*t (5").
Those who keep
His word shall not taste of death (851). He is not only the
Life ; He is at once " the Resurrection and the Life " (n 45).
Those to whom He gives eternal life never perish ; no one
plucks them out of His hand (to28).
Others will perish (3 18) ; those who are rebellious shall not
li
pee life, but God's wrath rests upon them (ffi,
If ye will
not believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins " (&**).

"He

uw

11

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch and is

withered] and they gather them and cast them into the fire,
and they are burned " (15s).
Such is the doctrine of Judgment and of Life expounded
in the Fourth Gospel. The evangelist is at once Hebraist
and Hellenist, He wrote
that ye may believe that Jesus
is the Messiah, the Son of God " (a Jewish belief, for Greeks
and pagans had no thought of Messiah), and also * 4 that
believing ye may have life in His Name," a universal
message which it is of supreme consequence to all men to
'

apprehend.

There are, then, in Jn. these two contrasted views of the

future life, one pointing back to Hebraism, the other more akin
to Hellenism, but both accepted by the evangelist.
To rule
out either as foreign to his thought is not scientific criticism.
Thus Wendt x has been followed by some scholars in his view
1 St.

John's Gospel,

p. 136,

dxii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh.

VL

that the phrase $ itrxarq Vf^P * s an interpolation added by

an editor in 6 80 *- ** w n*4 1248 ; his reason apparently being
that the doctrine of a " last day " or " day of judgment " is
inconsistent with the spiritual doctrine of eternal life which Jn.
unfolds. But there is nothing in the style of these verses to
suggest that they are not Johannine. If we extrude from the
text of a book every phrase which does not seem to us to be
congenial to the argument, we may indeed reduce the residuum
to a consistent whole, but it does not follow that we are doing
justice to the author's opinions or that we have got nearer to
may think it strange that
what he originally set down.
a Hellenist should be a Hebraist In certain regions of thought*
But the writer of the Fourth Gospel was both.
-

We

(in)

The Kingdom of God and the New Birth

The Kingdom

of God, coming and come,

is

a principal

Many
topic in the Synoptic reports of the teaching of Jesus.
of His parables are concerned with the explanation of its
In a sense, it is a present reality {Lk, if"), but
significance.
it is more frequently named in the Synoptic Gospels as an
ideal to be realised in the future (Mt. 61", Mk, o/, etc.), the
signs of its approach not being always apparent (Lk, 17* ).1
phrases, "the Kingdom of Heaven/' "the Kingdom of
" were not unfamifiar to the Jews, of whom some looked
for a political and social Utopia, a happy future for their race
and nation; while others, more spiritually minded, understood
that righteousness rather than prosperity was the ideal of a
community over whom Yahweh was King. Of this Kingdom
Jesus taught that no one could become a citizen without a
spiritual change, without turning away from material things,
and approaching God with the simplicity and single-heartedness
io1*, Lk. i8X7)- It is this last
of a little child (Mt. 18*,
conception that is expounded with startling emphasis in the
discourse of Jesus with Nicodemus: ** Except a man be born
from above; he cannot see the Kingdom of God " (Jn. 33).
The idea of rebirth is not peculiar to Christianity. The
Brahman, the spiritual aristocrat of India, is " twice born."
In the Novella of Justinian (lxxviii.) it is asserted of a manumitted slave that he has to -rigs x-aAiyv'rias hiKaiov. Wetstein,
who quotes this, quotes also the saying of Apuleius that
the day of a convert's initiation is his birthday. The idea,
indeed, is frequent in the Mystery religions which had a
vogue at the end of the first century* Mithraism may have
been affected by Christian phraseology, but in any case the

The

God

Mk

g lit]

KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE NEW BIRTH

ctxiii

expression used of one who has been initiated, renatus in

1
mternum, is noteworthy.
examining Jn. 3 s , is the language
to
the
point,
when
More
used in Rabbinical writings of Gentile proselytes who have
"
man's father only brought him into
accepted Judaism,
this world; his teacher, who taught him wisdom^ brings him
a
Wetstein quotes: " The
into the life of the world to come."

who is proselytised is like a child newly bom, because

he must break away from his former teachers and principles,
3
The germ of this metaas well as from the ties of kinship. "
phor, which is a very natural one, appears in such passages as
Ps, 87* ; and it may have been familiar to the Rabbis of the
first century, although the Talmud, as we have it, being of
The narralater date, does not prove this to demonstration.
10
tive of the discourse with Nicodemus (3 ) seems to represent
Jesus as expressing surprise that he, a master of Israel, should
not be acquainted with the doctrine of rebirth, but this is not
See notes on $* 10 .
quite certain.
In any case, Nicodemus, as one of the Sanhedrim, must
have been familiar with the phrase "the Kingdom of God,'*
which he and his fellows were accustomed to interpret in terms
stranger

of the Messianic expectation of future prosperity and peace.

It was for the future, rather than the present; and its ideals
were political and social rather than spiritual, although spiritual
But he was hardly
ideals were not wholly absent from it.
prepared to be told that he was not following the path
which led to the Kingdom, and that without a complete
change of attitude he could not enter it. He must become
like a child before its Heavenly Father \ he must be " bom
again."
This phrase, however, is expanded in v. 5, where it takes
the form u born (or begotten) of water and the Spirit." This
has generally been interpreted of baptism, and the interpreta-

See above, p. clx.

tion

demands careful analysis.

must first be observed that

the representation of baptism

mid it, perhaps, in
infrequent in the N.T
begotten again
1 Pet, i 3 M , where Christians are described as
J
not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible *; and it appears
Paul generin the' phrase Xovrpoy ffaXtyyo'firia* (Tit. 3*).
burial
ally speaks of baptism, not as a new birth, but
with Christ " in the baptismal waters followed by a rising
It

as a

new birth is

We

'

'

asa"

1 This
phrase, which refers to the taurohotium, appears first in the
fourth century (C.I.L. vi 510).
% Miskna Snreahus, iv, nG. quoted by Schiirer, HtiL of Jewish
f
People, i. 317 (Eng. Tr,).

Yebamoth

6a.

clxiv

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

s

again therefrom (Rom, 6

[Ch.

VL

a *), 1
1

But, at the same time,

, CoL
a man in Christ is " a new creation " (2 Car 5 17),
and this thought is not far from that of the " regeneration "
of the Christian believer, and the image of baptism as a new
for Paul

JUL]

KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE NEW BIRTH

dxv

Jesus was not yet glorified." But John's baptism could hardly
have been described as " being born of water and the Spirit"
It is true that Ezekiel (36s5) speaks of the new spirit that comes
by sprinkling (cf Ps. 51 s 7 Zech. 13 1); but Jn. expressly
distinguishes the baptism of John which was iv u&m only
from that of Jesus which was to be iv
ayty (i 33). At
a later date it was reported that John's adherents did not know
of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19 s). If Jesus in the words of Jn. 3*
recommended to Nicodemus that he should submit himself to
baptism by John, He ascribed a spiritual efficacy to that
baptism which was unknown to John's own adherents.
It is difficult to resist the inference that the words l( v&aros
were not part of the original Saying of Jesus which is reproduced by Jn., but that the form which the Saying takes in 3s
is due to the evangelist (or to a later editor) who is expressing
it in the language of the next generation, and with an application wider than, and difFering from, that which it bore when
addressed to Nicodemus. That Jesus enforced upon Nicedermis the necessity for a spiritual change, for " regeneration/'
is, indeed, highly probable ; but that as the road to this He
should have recommended the baptism of John, and above all
that He should have described this as " being born of water
and of the Spirit," is improbable.
What has happened here is that Jn. has taken a great Saying
of Jesus (v. 3), addressed, it may be, to Nicodemus in the first
instance, and that he has restated it in v. 5, in terms of the
doctrine of Christian baptism which was beginning to take
shape at the end of the first century. The Saying of Jesus,
it can hardly be doubted, laid stress on the spiritual change
which candidates for the Kingdom of Heaven must undergo
they must be born 3vu8*y (v. 3); and it was natural in early
days of persecution and trial that the critical moment should
be identified with the moment of baptism, when the new convert deliberately professed faith in Jesus as the Son of God,
and accepted the resulting obligations and perils.
have to reckon, of course, with the doctrine of baptism
as applicable to adult proselytes. When it became customary
(as it did at an early date) to baptize infants, the doctrine underwent necessary modifications. In the beginningj conversion
the change of mind and heart consequent on a conviction of
the unique claims of Jesuswas indistinguishable from regeneration, the new birth into a world of larger and freer
opportunity.
But once the practice of baptizing infants was
adopted, as agreeable to the mind of Christ, it became obvious
that the initial regeneration was not a conversion, in any intelligible sense, for an infant has no settled purpose or habit
'

birth.

At any
and third

image is used in the literature of the second

more frequently than any other, to illustrate baptism.
In the note on 3s passages are quoted from
"2 Clement" (about 140 a.d,) and Hermas, which treat 3s as
having a baptismal reference. So Justin says: We bring the
catechumens " where there is water, and after the same manner
rate, this

centuries,

of regeneration as we also were regenerated ourselves, they are

regenerated "; and he proceeds to cite 3* (loosely, after his
wont). a Christ, he says in another place,
was made the
beginning of a new race which is regenerated by Him through
water and faith and wood, which contains the Mystery of the
Cross." 3 Both Hippolytus 4 and Irenaeus 5 speak of the
" laver of regeneration"; and Irenaeus more than once describes baptism as "the power of regeneration unto God." 8
Clement of Alexandria in like manner uses the verb " to be
regenerated" as equivalent to "to be baptized." 7
Hence, although the doctrine of baptism as a new birth
is not prominent in the N.T., it was probably recognised by
the end of the first century, as it certainly was in the second
century; and if we are to take Jn. 3* as accurately reporting a
saying of Jesus, He gave to the image the seal of His authority.
There are, however, grave difficulties in the way of this,
the usual, interpretation of the passage. That Jesus is the
Author of the terse and pregnant aphorism, " Except a man
be begotten from above (mw0w) he cannot see the Kingdom of
God " (Jn. 3a), need not be doubted; it is, as we have seen, but
a picturesque and arresting statement of the Synoptic saying,
" Except ye become as little children, ye cannot enter the
Kingdom of Heaven " (Mt 1S 8). But if, in His discourse with
Nicodemus, He explained "being begotten from above"
(v. 3) as " being begotten of water and the Spirit " (v, 5), and
this, latter phrase is to be understood of baptism, it can only be
John's baptism 8 which was indicated, for Christian baptism
was not yet instituted as an initiatory rite. As Jn. observes
(7 where see note), "the Spirit was not yet given because
(

'

1
1 have discussed the symbolism of baptism more fully in Stadia
Sacra, p. 51
* Apol. i. 61.
TrypK 138.
4

*
Theoph. io.
Har* v. 15. 3,
Pad.
ctA, . 1.
*Htsr. iii. 17- r
vi. sub init
Pharisees did not accept John's baptism {Lk, 7 80 ).

The

w^an

We

dxvi

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Ch. TTL

of mind or mental outlook which needs to be changed; and

thus the term conversion was reserved for that subsequent
awakening of a spiritual sense and of a turning to God, which
may be either sudden or gradual, according to the life-history
of the individual concerned. The neglect of these elementary
considerations has been mischievous in keeping alive controversies about baptismal regeneration which have sometimes
been only disputes about words.
At v. 1 6 the discourse with Nicodemus passes into an
exposition of the doctrine of eternal life, which is apparently
The topic is,
(see on v. 16) due to the evangelist himself.
however, not a new one. It is the same topic as that of the
"Kingdom of God" with which the discourse opens; but
the evangelist expounds it after his own manner and in language
which may appeal to Greek no less than to Jew. " Eternal
life " is the desire of all mankind; and the spiritual movement
which is requisite if the desire is to be satisfied is an act of
faith in Jesus as the Son of God.
This is the perpetual theme
of the Fourth Gospel.

(rv)

The Eucharistic Doctrine of

Jn.

The author of the Fourth Gospel gives no explicit account

of the institution of the Lord's Supper, That he knew of
it is certain, for at the earliest date to which the Gospel can be
assigned the Eucharist was an established Christian rite (i Cor.
ioWf-, Acts a48 207) whose significance was fully realised.
Jn. tells of the Last Supper (c, 13), but he does not identify
it with the Paschal Feast as the Synoptists do, placing it on
He has in this particular departed
the eve of the Passover,
from the Synoptic tradition, which, seemingly, he wishes to
correct. 1
For Jn. the Passover Victim was Jesus on the Cross,
and it may be that his omission to record the institution of the
Lord's Supper is due to his desire to avoid the suggestion that
the Eucharist is the Christian Passover; just as, unlike the
Synoptists, he avoids sacramental language {see on 6 11) in his
account of the Feeding of the Five Thousand, which took place
shortly before a Passover celebration.

We

next observe that the discourse which, in Jn.'s narrathe Feeding of the Five Thousand is reminiscent
1

See p. cvi

IN JN,

clxvii

of sacramental language, more particularly towards

its close;

and this must be examined in some detail.

That some words were spoken at Capernaum (tf 3*- **- )
Which told of the heavenly Bread as superior to the loaves
provided for the hungry multitude is not difficult of credence.
But that the whole discourse, as it is found in 6 s8 "58 belongs to
,

this occasion is

w,

improbable
*

It falls into three sections,

w.

4 1 -S T J vv. 5i -58, The first section tells of the

Bread from heaven which God gives to those who believe in
Jesus, and it announces that Jesus is, Himself, the Bread of
Life.
The second section is introduced by objections raised
bv "the Jews/' and speaks further of Jesus as the Bread of
Life, but does not say explicitly that this Bread is the gift of
the Father, The objectors seem to be Galilseans (v. 42),
although they are called " Jews/* the term that is used throughout the Gospel for the opponents of Jesus, In the third section
the terminology is changed, and not only the terminology but
For Jesus speaks now, not of Himself
the doctrine as well
as the heavenly Bread continually given by the Father to
believers, but of the Bread which He is, Himself to give them
in the future (S^o-o., v. 51),
This gift is described as His flesh
and His blood, which He will give for the life of the world,
and which when appropriated by the believer will be the source
and the guarantee of eternal life.
26-40,

The three sections of this discourse are bound together by

and he represents them as forming a whole. The refrain
il
I will raise him up at the last day " occurs in all three sections
(w, 39, 40, 44, 54). The same is true of the expression, " who
(or which) came down from heaven/' which occurs seven

Jn

t,

times

(vv. $$, 38, 41, 42, 50, 51, 58).

manna

And

the reference to the

answered in v. 49 and again

in v, 58. There is a general unity of theme, the doctrine
expounded from beginning to end being the main Johannine
doctrine, viz. that the only way to life is belief in Jesus, a
belief which involves continuous <c feeding " on Him, i.e. the
in the wilderness (v. 31)

refreshment and invigoration of

with the Son of Man.

is

man by

perpetual

communion

The discourse as a whole, and especially its third section,

couched in Eucharistic language. Jn.'s doctrine of *' feeding^ on Christ is, indeed, a spiritual and mystical doctrine*
but it is not doubtful that he means, in w, 51^-58, to suggest
that at any rate one mode of thus "feeding " on Christ is
through the sacrament of the Holy Communion. To speak
of eating Christ's flesh and drinking His blood is a metaphor
is

tive, follows

THE EUCHARIST

ii0

clxriii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh. VL.

1
intensely realistic and quite extraordinary, going far beyond
in
the verses which
bread
heavenly
the teaching about the
precede. Perhaps the emphasis laid here upon the "flesh"
and " blood " of Christ is in polemical reference to the Docet3
But, in any case, the
isra which Jn. always had in view.
language is Eucharistic and was recognised as such, so soon
as the Fourth Gospel began to be read. Two or three

may be

cited here in proof of this.

Eucharistic language of Ignatius (about no a.d.) is
clearly influenced by Jn* 6.
Kat ff/ia
(a) aprov (kov B&w t o hrnv <rap rov XpicrroC
Here we
$4\tii to alfut avrov, o mv Ayamj axft&aprQS {Rom. vii.).
W
have the aprtre $*oQ of Jn, 6s3 identified with the <p of Jn. 6 ,
go
back
to
blood
drinking
of
Christ's
about
the
and the words
Despite his realism, Ignatius is a mystic
the same source.
like Jn. (cf. also TralL viii, Fhilad, L); and his doctrine of
the Eucharist is like Jn/s in this, that he does not state it so
as to exclude other methods of approach to God.
(5) In Philad. iv. 3 the reference to the Eucharist is ex(rxouSacrctre qvv ftia efy^apUTTfrp yjy^txOat' fila. yap trap$ ToB
plicit,
Kvpiov T}}Ltov 'Iijtrav Xjodorov, Koi %v vorrjpiov eis Jfrawir tdv ac/Aarov
The point to be noted is the use of <rdp for the Body
avToS,
of Christ in the Eucharist, as in Jn. 6 t a phraseology not found
elsewhere in the New Testament.
(t) The same inference may be drawn from Smyrn* vL,
where Ignatius says that the Docetae *;(oprTtn. koX vpovevxrjs
A.irij(QVTUi Sitt to p,Yf o/*oXoyc Trjy tvyapiarlav cr <LpK a. tlvat tou
*r5/w vjpwv *Irj<rov X/jkttov, a passage as startling in its realism

witnesses

The

i.

as Jn.

6.

He says
Justin (about 145 a,d.) uses similar language.
{ApoL i. 66) that as the Word was made flesh, and as Jesus
had both flesh and blood for our salvation, so also the Euchar2,

we are taught, the a-dpi and aljua of Christ, The

again, to Jn. 651 54
That Ignatius and Justin should have applied the language
of Jn. 6*" to the Eucharist is not surprising, for this has been
done in every Christian age. But inasmuch as they provide
the earliest patristic allusions to Jn. 6, their testimony is especi(t
eating
ally apposite, as indicating the obvious interpretation of
the flesh and drinking the blood " of Christ*
food

istic

reference

is,

is,

1*' Lf
1 In Ezek.
there is mention of eating the flesh and drinking
39
but this refers to the slaughter and destruction of
the blood of men
enemies.
1
So Ignatius [Smyrn.
Cf. Pfleiderer, Prim, Christianity, iv. 38 f.
vi) uses the argument that the Eucharist implies the reality of Christ's
;

flesh.

This

is

the interpretation adopted in the Prayer of

Humble Access

THE EUCHARIST

|i*J

IN JN,

clxix

It will be observed that the promise of eternal life which

attached in w. 54, $S, to the eating of the flesh and drinking
Xf the blood of Christ, did not deter the second-century Fathers
from giving this passage a Eucharistic reference. For Ignatius
the Eucharist was a means of union with Christ, and so of
strong passage is
sharing in His Passion and Resurrection,
Mph. xx era aprov teXSuvres o iarnv ^appumov aSavatria^ dirtSoros
Irenaeus
rov pUf ^iroBaviiv a\ka t^v iv 'Itjotiv Xpiorcp ca mura?.
(I?&r. iv. 18. 5, v. 2) even argues that our fleshly bodies must
inherit eternal life because they partake of the Eucharistic food.
The date of the Didache is uncertain, 1 but if it were of the
second century, then the language of the Post- Communion
" Thou didst bestow upon
prayer would be noteworthy here
US irvVfiiaTiK7fV rpotfaijv Kctt irarov koi %,<ar}V aix&vtmr"
3, Both the Old Syriac (about 200 a,d.) and the Peshitta
Syriac (about 450 a.d.) render &dp in the seven places where
it occurs in Jn, 6 (w. 51-56, 63) by the Syriac word pagar,
which is the rendering of o-u/xa in the Synoptic accounts of the
That is, the Syriac version
Institution of the Lord's Supper.
(t
The bread which I will give is my Body,
of Jn. 65111 runs:
for the life of the world," which at once suggests Lk, 22^:
toSttJ rrt to o-cfyitL fiov [to ^irtp vpJtiV hthopxvov] or 1 Cor. II** :
to oStfia to vffcp vftSiv.
As early, then, as 200 A.D*
Tourd fjiov
the Syriac Church translated Jn, 6 in such a way as to make a
Eucharistic reference explicit and unmistakable.
To this trans-

as

we shall come back presently.

"
Thus a Eucharistic reference in Jn. b 5113 5* is not to be evaded.
This does not mean that a non-sacramental explanation might
not be placed by a Christian reader upon the mystical phraselation

ology of the passage. No one would deny that there may be

ways of " eating the flesh and drinking the blood " of Christ
in a spiritual manner which do not involve sacramental feeding*
But the language is sacramental, and was so understood
throughout the second century.

If we accept literally the Johannine statement that the

words of Jn. 6Blb_M were addressed to Jews in the synagogue of
Capernaum, after the Feeding of the Five Thousand, then the
further statement that they were treated by the hearers as
incredible and as a " hard saying " (v. Go) follows as of course.
It could not have been otherwise.
Even those who had
in the Anglican Liturgy, where it
munion of 1548.
1

a.

p. Ictvii.

is

derived from the Order of Com-

choc

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

been

disciples of Jesus
allegiance.

[Ch.

would naturally be shaken in

VL

their

14
It is true that in Jn. (see on 3 ) the prediction of Jesus that
death would be the end of His ministry is placed at an earlier
period than in the Synoptists, and therefore such a prediction
at this point is consistent with the Johannine narrative as a
whole* But it is specially perplexing to find a prediction
li
the Jews," who were outside the circle of His
addressed to
immediate followers, to the effect that He would give His flesh
for the world's life.
This can hardly be historical. And,
again, the language in which this momentous announcement
It would thus appear
is couched is definitely sacramental.
that Jesus took this opportunity, before the Eucharist was
instituted, of making prophetic reference to it as a means of
grace and as the appointed way of communion with Him.
This has been held by many expositors, but it is very difficult
to accept, having regard to the audience and the occasion of
the discourse.
The conclusion which seems to emerge is that the discourse
of Jn. S26-58 , either in whole or in part, is placed out of its
historical context.
We have seen that, at any rate, w, 5i b-s8
the
words spoken by Jesus at the institution
are reminiscent of
of the Eucharist on the eve of His Passion. Very little is told
by the Synoptists of what was said by Him on that occasion,
and it may well be that, as in other cases, the Fourth Gospel
here supplies what is not to be found in the narratives of its
predecessors.
An examination of the word <rdpj as represented in Syriac, provides, as we shall see, reason for accepting
511
as the Johannine version of the actual words used at the
Jn. G
institution of the Lord's Supper.

THE EUCHARIST

Siv.]

IN JN.

cbcri

Docetism of the age. 1 And so the word tr&fUL, which is common

to the Synoptic and the Pauline narratives of the institution
of the Eucharist, does not occur in Jn. 6.
In the
erdp and <jw/*a are both used to render the
Hebrew iba, a word which is nearly always behind o-dp$ and

LXX

more frequently than any other word behind <r5>fia. And if the
Aramaic form of nipa were the word used by Jesus when He
17
said " This is my Body,
it might be rendered <ru/ta or trdp
according to the idiosyncrasy of the translator.
There is, however, another Aramaic word which may
have been that actually used at the institution of the Lord's
Supper, viz. the Aramaic form of the Hebrew 13 B,
In the
0,T. "OS is rendered only three times by owpa, and then always

W
in the sense of dead body {Gen. 15 11, 2 Kings 19s5, Isa.
J7 );
but by the first century of our era it is quite possible that it
may have been used to denote a living body. As we have
already seen, the Syriac versions of Jn. 6 always give pagar
as their translation of trdp ; viz. the same word as they use in
rendering "This is my Body/'
And this Syriac pagar in
Jn. 6 may well be a reversion to the actual word used by Jesus
at the institution of the Eucharist,
In any case, whether the original

word used

at the Last

Supper was the Aramaic npn=Hebr. ife^ or the Aramaic form

of TjBj it is clear that it might have been rendered by a-upa or
by trdfi according to the habit of the translator. 2

E
Let us ask the question,
Is the Aramaic word behind vdp
in Jn. 6611* the same as the Aramaic word behind </*a in Mk,
14**, Lk. 2a 18 ?"
The general distinction between <r*p and o-ty*a in the
N.T. is no more than this, that vStfia is the organised <rap the
bodily nature regarded as an organic whole. In Eph. 2 lfi the
erapf of Christ is mentioned where we should expect rr&pm,
probably because trS^a is used in v, 16 of His mystical body.
In Col. I sa we find the expression to o-fyiu rijs trapes ctvroi),
both words being employed to describe the body of Christ*
fll
Jn. avoids the word o-uyia, using it only (see on 2 ) of a dead
body; and prefers <rap (cf, i 14), probably because he wishes
to emphasise the fact of the Incarnation, as against the nascent
'

'

That the memory of the Aramaic word actually used by

Jesus should not have been preserved may be thought surprising, but it is not more surprising than the variety of the
forms which the Greek version of the words of institution
has assumed. 8

The words following the blessing of the bread are as follows

in the various reports:
(1)

(2)

In Mk.; " Take j this is my Body."

In Mt. (I Take, eat ; this is my Body."
:

^Thus, in the Apostles' Creed, the earlier versions have "resurrection of the flesh,' which afterwards became " resurrection of the
body" no doctrinal difference being intended,
Abbott {Diat 1326 ft,} holds that tb a&{x& pav in the words of
institution is to be interpreted as " myself "
but this does not
adequately represent tr&fi*.
See, for textual discussion of these passages, Sandfly in D,B. il
;

63G f.

Clxxii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

(3)
(4)

(5)

[Ch. VI.

In the Western text of Lk, " This is my Body."

In the later and fuller text of Lk,: " This is my
Body, which is given for (Wp) you j this do

remembrance of me*"
" This is my Body, which is for (uircp)
In Paul
you this do in remembrance of me."
" The bread which I will give is my Body
In Jn.
:

has it), for (vvep) the life of the

world."
This (bread) is
It may be taken as certain that the words
my Body " were used; and also that, either in connexion with
the Bread or the Cup, it was said by Jesus that what was given
was t( on behalf of" men. Thus Mk,, Mt,, Lk., connect the
words to inr^p iroWwv (or vptav) iK)(uvv6fievov with the giving
of the Cup, while Paul and the longer text of Lk, have also
vwlp vfib&v of the o-S/u* which is given; the allusion to the
impending sacrifice on the Cross being obvious. We have
the same in Jn., who reports that Jesus said, "The bread
which I .will give is my Body, for the life of the world."
The universal efficacy of Christ's sacrifice is a favourite
doctrine of Jn. In i*9 the Baptist points to Jesus as taking
away rvpr fyxaprutv rot) kot^lou* In i Jn. 2 a he is not content with stating that Christ is a propitiation (Uacr/10?) for
(vtpt) our sins, but he adds, "and not for ours only,"
dAAA real n-epi oA.au toB koo^lou. So in his account of the
eucharistic words he goes beyond the -fin-cp vfuav of Lk,
and Paul, and even beyond the vvtp ttc>AX&v of Mk,; the
content of these sacred words to him was vvkp itjs tow Koo-pov
(30 the Syriac

clxxii i

So far, we have had under review the eucharistic language

But an examination of i5 1_ia also discloses
in c. 6 only.
allusions to the Eucharist,
It is argued elsewhere 1 that cc. 15* 16 are out of place in
the traditional texts of the Fourth Gospel, and that c, 15 should
follow immediately after 13 s*. Judas has left the Upper Room,
and it appears that this is the point in the narrative (see on 134 )
at which we must suppose the Eucharist to have been instituted.* Now there are only two passages in which Jesus
is said to have mentioned the vine> although in two or three
parables He spoke of vineyards. The first is Mk. 14s6 (see the
parallels Mt, s6** t Lk. 22 1S)
"I will no more drink of the
fruit of the vine (to yivvrjfta tijs apireXvv) until that day when I
drink it new with you in the kingdom of God." The words
are full of difficulty, but they mean at least that Jesus announced
to His disciples His approaching death: He would never
drink wine again on earth with them. But for " wine " the
unexpected and unusual paraphrase " fruit of the vine * or
'*
juice of the vine " is used, the thoughts of the hearers being
directed to the source from which the wine on the table was
It is remarkable that the discourse which for other
derived.
the
reasons we have placed at this point should begin " I
True Vine," and should proceed to develop the lesson that the
life of the branches is dependent on their sharing the life of the
:

am

Vine.

The

idea that the Eucharistic rite

was

instituted as

memorial, s rifv i/js^v ava/injenv, is peculiar in the N\T to

Paul and the longer text of Lk, It does not appear in
Mk,, Mt., or the Western text of Lk., nor do we find
The earliest appearance of this belief outside
it in Jn.
the N,T. seems to be in Justin, who quotes {ApoL L 66)
t

irocctrc <fe ryp &vdp,vr}a-iv /iou, tovto i&rt to crw/ia fiov

t
apparently from Lk. 22 1*
Cf. also Justin, Tryfh. 41, 70.
We have to bear in mind throughout the examination of
sacramental passages in Jn., that (like Mk.) he gives no
hint of the Pauline and Lucan doctrine that the Eucharist
was instituted as a memorial?- It is, for him, a means of
spiritual " feeding " on Christ, the assimilation of His
humanity.

rovro

1 This must be taken in connexion

with the (act that he probably knew the text of Lk, (p. xcix), as well as the Pauline Epistles

{p, exxxvii).

eucharistic

wine

is

described by Clement of Alexandria

apvikov

toC AajEtfS (Quit diues saluetury 29);

and one of the eucharistic thanksgivings in the Didache ( 9) is
Ei5vpicrT0VjfXV o"W * inrcp ttj? aytas djnreAov AajSiS tqv ikuSos
Origen, too,
cratr, ijs (yvi^paras ij^lip Sul *Irjtrov tov iratSof trot,
uses the words "before we are inebriated with the blood of
the true vinet which rises up from the root of David," 3
These passages only show that the idea of Jesus as the Vine
But in another
was associated with eucharistic thoughts.
passage (on Ps. io4ls) Origen brings together the two verses
Mk. I426 and Jn, 15 1 , when he is speaking again (in allusion
to Ps. 23*) of the spiritual inebriation of the eucharistic Cup,
to ytwrffia 1779 aA.ij0nTjs A-fi-jriXov fxt&v&KQv its Kp&Tttrrop * (see also

as to

The

IN JN.

(6)

THE EUCHARIST

!*]

aljia rfj?

p. clxxv below).

We have seen that the language of the latter part of c. 6,

while definitely sacramentalj does not exclude the possibility
of a spiritual feeding on Christ by the faithful soul. It is
i P,

xx.

Tatian places the institution after

Lommatzsch, xi z$&,

* Ibid,

xi 456.

13**.

"

clxxiv

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Gh.

VL

equally true that the allegory of the Vine and the branches
-which are sustained by its life permeating and quickening
them, does not refer, (and was never taken to refer) solely to
the Eucharist; but that it was suggested in the first instance
by the words of institution seems probable, nevertheless.
As we have already pointed out, there is no trace in Jn. of that
aspect of the Eucharist in which it is a- Memorial, efc fotfpinp-u'.
He reproduces "This is my Body " at 6 6\ and proceeeds to lay
He
stress on the necessity for the Christian of feeding on it.
"
speaks in like manner and in the same sentence of " drinking
"
"
of Christ , (6**), and records words of Jesus
the
Blood
signifying that without such " eating " and " drinking
the Christian disciple has no "life in himself." The wine
represents the Blood of Christ and^ of this all His disciples
are to drink, thus assimilating His Life* Now this is the same
teaching as in is1*-- Jesus is the Vine, through which and
from which the wine of life flows, and this wine must be assimilated by the branches of the vine, or they will die.
Just as Jesus claimed to be 6 opra? o akif&tvov (6^), so He
claims (15 1) to be ^ fynnXat ^ SXufitvrf, He is the Real Bread
(as contrasted with the earthly bread which typified it), and
so He is the Real Vine (as contrasted with the vine of whose
In c. 6,
juice x the disciples had partaken at the Last Supper),
the immediate consequence of the disciple's feeding on this
Bread and drinking this Wine is, "he abideth in me and I
in him " (G58), And so too in 15*, this mutual abiding is the
'*
He that abideth
secret of the branch's life and fertilityin me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit, for
apart from me you can do nothing " (is6)- This doctrine of
the mutual indwelling of Christ and the believer, " that we may
dwell in Him and He in us," B is found in the Fourth Gospel
only at 15* and 6 6B (where see note), which is an indication
that in both passages it is to be interpreted in the same way.
"
Again, the teaching of is 1 8 leads up to the doctrine of
(ay^mj)
which Christian disciples should have
the mutual love
for each other, and to the New Commandment (15** 13**).
This springs out of the thought that they are all alike branches
u juice " is assimilated by
of the True Vine, whose mystical
There is no trace of this idea of the unity of communicant
all.
disciples , or of their mutual levet in c 6, where stress is laid rather
on their faith (w. 3$, 40, 47), and on the gift of life which they
^

33

1*,
a

Note that wine is repeatedly called the blood of the grape (E>eut.
Ecdus. 39 s* 5" 1 Mace- 6**)*
No emphasis seems to have been laid on thi3 indwelling in most

of the early Liturgies ; it appeats, however, in the Liturgy of the

Syrian Jacobites [see Biightman, Eastern Liturgies, p. 106).

THE EUCHARIST

I**-]

IN JN.

clxxv

receive in eating the Heavenly Bread (v. 51). The Flesh and
Blood of Christ are both indeed the subject of w. 53-57; but
the teaching of w, 33-58 is mainly occupied with drawing out
the meaning and the power of that Bread which is His Flesh,
as distinct from the Wine which is His Blood.

Here must be cited some additional passages from Ignatius,

whose eucharistic doctrine resembles that of Jn. very closely,
both in the apparent crudeness of the language in which it is
expressed {he prefers, like Jn., to use the word <ra.pt instead of
fffyta) and in the fact that he does not confine the promised
blessings to those who actually receive the eucharistic elements.
Both are mystics, with a profound and awful sense of the

mystery of the Eucharist

In Trail. 8, Ignatius describes the bread and wine as

representing, respectively, faith and love:
ret, Ivtlv
arkpi tov KvptoVf teal iv dya^p,
*<rrtv olpo. %)o'qv Xpttrrov,
** Faith
is the flesh, the substance of the Christian life; love
is the blood, the energy coursing through its veins and arteries "
(Iightfoot).
It will be observed that Ignatius, at any rate
in foe, associates faith with the Bread (as in Jn. S), while he
associates 6.ydvvj with the Wine (as in Jn, 15).
So he says
a^ain {Rom. 7): &prav &*o$ 0&m S ivrtv <rhp tov XpujToG
KOt vofia 0t\w to alpa avrovs 5 Ivtiv aydirrj a<0apros.
It is
therefore no passing idea but a settled thought with Ignatius
that the Blood of Christ is Zeve.
Once more, when speaking
of the unity of the eucharistic feast, he says that as there is
fua <rap of the Lord, so there is also tv worypiov efc h/aunv toS
at/*aro? avrov {PhiL 4), which Lightfoot renders il so that all

may be one by

partaking of His

own

blood,"

All this

is

very

like the doctrine of Jn. 15 1 -", in its association of

and common

life

mutual love
with the sacrament of Christ's Blood, once

the eucharistic reference is perceived ; although Ignatius does

not allude directly to Jn, 15.
Origen, 1 however, brings the similitude " I am the Bread
of Life " into direct comparison with u I am the True Vine,"

He says, after his curious manner, that to understand the latter

similitude, you must go back to Ps. io4 ls , where it is said that
while bread strengthens man's heart, wine gladdens it (a/wo*
vrnp{fa t oWr c^pocVee). And elsewhere he pursues the same
idea, identifying the inebriating Cup of Ps,
23s with the
eucharistic chalice, and adding, " This drink is the fruit of
the True Vine, who said, / am the True Vine* Origen's
identifications are often fantastic, but the passages that have
1

In Ipann.

Comm.

l*3ii,

it

on

33.

in Matt, 85 (Lommatzsch, iv. 416). Cf. Cyprian, Epist,

the association oi the " True Vine " with the Cup.

clxxvi

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

now been
is

not a

cited

show that the

[Oh, VI,

1
eucharistic reference of Jn. 15

modem fancy.

THE JOHANNINE MIRACLES

I*]

clxxvii

33
the cures which appear so prominently in Mk. (cf. Mk. i
17
tt
a
cf- G7).
That
disorder of the brain is due to
7
9
j
5
3
demoniac possession was believed by the Jews of the first
century generally, and Jn. mentions such a belief (7 20 8 4af lo50*-),
but he does not imply, as the Synoptists do, that Jesus believed
Nor does he adduce any cure of mental disturbance by
it.
the word of Jesus as a proof of His supernatural power. Jn.
does not exaggerate the supernatural element in the works of
Jesus, while he sometimes refuses to assert its presence where
the Synoptists fasten on it as of deepest moment.
'

(v)

The Johankine Miracles

The Fourth Evangelist teaches explicitly that Jesus ex11

hibited in His works the Divine glory (cf. s ), which had been
His from eternity (i7 &); and not only so, but also that Jesus
Himself claimed that His works bore witness to His august
M io85 rs M). Jn.does not suggest that
origin and mission (5
the faith which is evoked by miracle is of the highest type
8
(cf. a* ); and in one place he represents Jesus as deprecating
an appeal to " signs and wonders " fo48), which is in corre1
spondence with the Marcan tradition (cf, Mk. S *).^ But
"
"
truly
witnessing
to
as
signs
nevertheless Jn. lays stress on

Jn,

Dnly six of the wonderful Epya of Jesus are described by

three in Galilee, and then three in Jerusalem and Bethany

-^-as follows
i.
ii.

the claims of Jesus.

hi.

century was that the doing

ordinary human being could

The common opinion of the

of wonderful works, such as an
not do, showed that the wonder-worker had been sent by God,
whose help he had (3 s). Jn. shared this opinion, and he likes
to call the works of Jesus His trrffiaa, as significant of His
superhuman personality (2 11 4** 6 l* 12", etc.). There were
many such signs (a 38 3" 6a 7*1 ii*? 12 s7), but Jn* has selected
only a few for detailed record, choosing such as, to his mind,
show in a special manner that Jesus was the Son of God (20s1 ).
Jn. uncompromisingly attributes to Jesus the power of
working miracles, but he omits many which the Synoptists
describe, some being so remarkable that the omission is surprising; and in one or two instances he seems deliberately to.
alter a Synoptic story so that it no longer implies miracle.
Thus Jn. says nothing of Jesus stilling the storm by a word of
authority, which Mk. narrates as an extraordinary instance of
3*"41
Jesus* control of inanimate nature (cf. Mk, 4
), even more
it
turning
of water into
as
would
seem,
than
the
convincing,
wine at Cana. Jn, does not tell of Peter walking on the sea
s8
and his story of the great draught of fishes 1
(cf. Mt. 14 );
seems to give a version of that incident which is wholly devoid
So too (see note on 6 n)> Jn.
of a miraculous element (ai w, )
story
of
"walking
Jesus
on the sea" in such
retells Mk.'s
a manner as to correct it, by omitting any suggestion of miracle.
There is a further omission by Jn. in his report of the miracles
of Jesus which is in striking contrast with the Synoptic records*
Jn. tells nothing of any cure by Jesus of demoniacs, such as
1 Jn. does not call it a cy/atar.
first

iv.

v.
vi.

Of

these,

4**

614 ra 38).

The
The
The
The
The
The

i., ii.,

turning water into wine (2 1-11).

*"
healing of the nobleman's son fo4 54).
feeding of the five thousand (6* _1S),
healing of the impotent man (s 2 **).
"
healing of the blind man (91 7).
1-4
*).
raising of Lazarus (ii

hi.,

The

and vi. are explicitly called <nfyicTa (cf. a 11

allusion in <)1B marks v. also as a (nffttlov;

while iv. is not thus spoken of at all, although it may be

included in the fcya to which Jesus alludes at 5*8 .1
In each of these six cases the evangelist describes the
Jesus
triffuwv as arising out of the circumstances of the case.
does not deliberately set Himself to perform any wonderful
work the occasion for which has not been suggested by human
need. All of these miracles may be regarded as signs of pity 7
as well as of power; with the single exception of the first. As
described by Jn>, the magnitude of the miracle at Cana seems
to be quite disproportionate to its immediate purpose, viz.
that of relieving some awkwardness at a village wedding.
It
can hardly be called a " sign " of the infinite compassion of
It was
Jesus, as the other Johannine miracles may be called.
such a sign of His $6a. t that it stabilised the faith of disciples
(a 11); but Jn. says no more about it.

It has been suggested by some scholars * that the signs

of Jesus which are described by Jn. wer chosen by him so
1

The incident of Jesus walking by the sea

by Jn. \ see on 6 l7 ' sl
Cf. E. F. Scott, The Fourth Gospel, p. *.

ttyufiw

is

not, a* course, called

clxxviii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Gh* VI.

as to bring out the force of some special discourse or saying of

Jesus with which they are associated. That is possible in
some instances, to which we shall return; but it cannot be said
of Nos. i., h\, or iv. The sign at Cana is a sign of nothing
except the $6a which Jesus exhibited in this display of His
power (a 11), nor is any word of Jesus associated with its lesson
(see on a 9 ).
So, too, the healing of the nobleman's son,
although an indication of the compassion of Jesus as well as
of His power, is not associated by Jn. with any commendation
by Jesus of the man's faith, such as concludes the similar story
in Lit. 7*- Jn. does not hint in his narrative (4M "H) at anything
more than an exhibition of power. Nor, again, does the healing
of the impotent man at Bethesda (5*"") clearly lead up to
any discourse disclosing the spiritual meaning of his cure.
It excited immediately a dispute about Sabbath observance,
the formal breach of which suggested to the Pharisees the
charge of impiety. Jesus answers them by claiming to be in
"
the same relation to the Sabbath that God is
Father
:

My

worketh hitherto, and I work" (5 17), In other words, He

compares His own beneficent activity on a Sabbath day to that
of God, who is always and every day exerting His omnipotence
for the benefit of mankind.
And the rest of c. 5 draws out
the relation of the Son to the Father, But no stress is laid
on the miraculous character of the healing (if, indeed, that
was its nature), and the discourses of c, 5 do not discuss this
at

of the man born blind, on the other hand, leads

up, although by a circuitous route, to a saying of Jesus. The
story begins, like that in c. 5, with a charge of Sabbath-breaking fo18)* and the Pharisees, having failed to disprove the
alleged cure, reiterate the charge that the healer must be a
sinnerThe long and elaborate disputation of 9 13 "*1 may have
been related in order to exhibit to the reader how blind the
Pharisees really were; and at qot a single sentence of Jesus
suggests that the miracle symbolised the mission of Him who
came to impart the faculty of spiritual vision to those who were
spiritually blind.
The story, in short, may have been inserted
at this point to illustrate the claim of Jesus to be the Light of
the World (8 1*). But that is not to be taken as the evangelist's
sole purpose in narrating it.
He wishes also to impress upon
the reader that the hatred with which Jesus inspired the Pharisees had its roots in His refusal to accept the Sabbatical Law

as a final statement of the will of God.

The feeding of the five thousand is closely connected by
Jn. with a long discourse on the Bread of Life (S18 "5^ . The.
miracle is treated as leading up to the discourse at Capernaum,

clxxix

although this association presents serious exegetical difficulties. 1

The miraculous feeding is not treated by Jn. as sacramental
{see on 6 U ), while the eucharistic reference of 6 5lmB& is unmistakable. This part of the discourse suggests the institution
of the Eucharist (S nf-) more definitely than it recalls the feeding
of the Ov& thousand. The discourse is probably placed by
Jn, out of its historical setting, but its position as following
the ojjfjxjov (614) of the miraculous feeding has, no doubt,
been deliberately chosen by the evangelist.
Lastly, it is to be observed that no formal discourse is
associated with the raising of Lazarus, which, nevertheless,
is also called a vif/Utav (12 1*).
This, as is usual with Jn,,
means a sign of Divine power {cf, ir* *) rather than of Divine
compassion, although the pity of Jesus for the sisters of Lazarus
has a prominent place in the story. The spiritual teaching
w " I am the
of the miracle is, no doubt, clearly expressed at
Resurrection and the Life." But it would be going beyond
the evidence to claim that such teaching suggested to Jn. the
story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead; nor is such a
literary method that of the Fourth Gospel.'

D
Something must now be said about the ,e miraculous "
element in the " signs " of Jesus, which Jn. reports in detail.

The

all.

The healing

THE JOHANNINE MIRACLES

*.]

healing of the impotent man at Bethesda

or a "sign" by Jn. (see on 7 s1 ).

a "miracle

is

not called

The man's

infirmity was chronic, having lasted thirty-eight years, like

that of the woman in Lk, 13 11 who " had a spirit of mfirmity
eighteen years"; although Jn. does not ascribe the man's
bodily condition to the influence of a " spirit," as Lk, does. 3
Probably Jn. thought the cure to be so extraordinary that
it could not have been effected by any means short of the exer-

of Divine power.

It was indeed one of the beneficent

but not all of these suggest " miracle."
And we are not compelled to suppose any miracle in the
incident of 5*"*. The cure has many parallels in the modern
treatment of some forms of nervous infirmity. Possunt quia
posse uidentur.
The healing of the nobleman's son (44fi " 5d) is called a <rrffiuf
by J^ (4 s4 ; cf. 4^), who regards it apparently as an instance
of telepathic healing, as is more expressly indicated in the

cise
41

works " of Jesus

s8

(5

),

story of Mt. 8Bf-, Lk.

(see on 448).
Telepathic
healings can hardly be ruled out as impossible by those who
parallel

See p. clxx.
See p. clxxvii.

See p. LxxevL

clrax

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh.

VL
5**3

recognise the extraordinary spiritual power of Jesus, even if

they do not accept His Divine claims. But it is generally
overlooked that Jn, does not say that Jesus spoke an effective
word of healing. All He is represented as saying is, "Thy
son liveth/' i.e. "he will recover." We may assume that
the symptoms had been described by the father, who believed
Jesus told him that his son would live.
his son to be dying.

There is no record of a miracle" here. Many a physician,

having heard detailed the course which a disease has taken,
would be able to predict either that it would end fatally, or
that the moment for anxiety had passed. Jn. would have
regarded such prescience as superhuman, and therefore a
"sign" of Divine knowledge; so would most Orientals at
the present day. But those who have experience of the
scientific diagnosis of disease would be slow to treat such
prescience as beyond human powers.
The cure of the man blind from birth is more difl&cult
1
to interpret.
Jn. represents it as a otj/uiov (o *)* an'^ as
37
after
effected
it
was
that
Yet
he
tells
(cf.
miraculous
).
the use of natural remedies such as those which were used at
a - 7 and
the time by practitioners of the healing art (see on 9
brought
have
been
The cure may not, indeed,
cf. Mk. 7 ").
* ;

about as simply as

this.

The

patient, after his cure, claimed

that the healer must have been more than an ordinary man
sa **), the point of the story being that the blindness was
(o
congenital (see on a18'-). The only case in the Synoptists
which seems to be a cure of blindness from birth is that of
Mk. 8aar*, and there the language used is not quite explicit.
We cannot be sure of what happened in the case described by
1
No one can assert with confidence that congenital
Jn.
blindness, whether complete or partial* could never be relieved
by the use of natural remedies; and it must be remembered
that the cure in Jn. o*" is not said to have been instantaneous.
The border line between possible and impossible is not easy to
-

define in such cases.

The story of the feeding of the five thousand is deep
rooted in the evangelical tradition, being found in all the
Gospels; in Mk. it is a " miracle," outside the ordinary course
1 Holtzmann {Life of Jesus, Eng. Tr
M p. 193} cites a case of cure
of " atrophy of the optic nerve of many years* standing/' resulting
when the Holy Coat of Treves was displayed in 1891, There were
ten other cures for which physicians of repute could find no medical
explanation, including those of arms and leg* impotent through
Holtzmann thinks that these cures were due to
rheumatism.
" suggestion " made by the spiritual authorities of the Roman
Catholic Church, who exhibited the relic aa efficacious to cure ; and
he cites them as possible parallels to some of the Gospel miracles

THE JOHANNINE MIRACLES

clxxxi

14
of nature, quite as much as in Jn. Jn, calls it a oTftutw (6 )
which suggested to the people that Jesus was a prophet, because
He was able to do such wonderful things. Nothing is said
expressly by Jn. of this " sign " being a manifestation of the
Divine &6&1 which was disclosed in the works of Jesus (cf, 2 n),
but that is substantially what is implied. No Gospel suggests
any doubt as to what happened, Jesus literally multiplied the
loaves, so that rive of them fed five thousand; and yet, after
the multitude had eaten, more bread was left (for the fragments
filled twelve baskets) than had originally been provided.
Many explanations have been offered of this extraordinary
incident with the motive of rendering it more credible; x but
no naturalistic hypothesis is completely satisfying. Strauss
urged that the tradition grew out of Old Testament stories
about miraculous meals (see note on 6 16). Others think that
the narrative of the feeding of the multitude arose out of the
institution of the Eucharist, which is thus placed at an early
period in the public rninistry of Jesus
but this is to rewrite
the narrative of the Last Supper (see further on 611), Others,
again, appeal to some hypnotic power of suggestion possessed
by Jesus, which enabled Him to persuade people that they had
teen what they had not seen. This will not commend itself
to any who find in Him the Divine attribute of truth as well
as that of nower,
He did not deceive men by illusory pretence.
Or by a trick which would impress the simple folk who came
to hear Him,
If, as we hold, the narratives of Jn. and Mk.
alike go back to those who were eye-witnesses of the scene, it
is not easy to dispose of the available evidence, scanty as it is,
by supposing this miracle story to rest on a mistaken tradition
of what really happened.
The story^ of the miracle at Cana is even more difficult to
believe, and it is not at all so well attested as the miraculous
feeding. It rests upon the Johannine tradition alone; and, as
has been observed above (p. clxxvii), the occasion for working
so stupendous a miracle was hardly adequate, as compared
with that which is apparent in the feeding of the multitude.
The latter was a work of kindly charity; the former only
relieved a little awkwardness at a village wedding.
The
miracle at Cana is described as a sign of power over inanimate
nature, in that water was literally turned into wine ; and the
only motive assigned by Jn. is that Jesus thus "manifested His
glory, and His disciples believed on Him " (2 11).
There is
nothing quite like this anywhere else in the Gospels, and in the
ripm or prodigy which Jesus is said to have performed we
;

1 See, for various hypotheses, Schweitzer, Quest

of the Historical
Jishs, pp. 41, 52, 60, 84, 326.

clxxrii

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh. VI.

can find no inner meaning, except in so far as it indicated

superhuman power.
Various ways of escape from the literal truth of the narrative
have been mentioned in the Additional Note on a 10 (see
also on a 9), but none of them carries complete conviction.
The most plausible of these is that suggested by Wendt
who thinks that the story grew up round some traditional
saying, such as that of keeping the good wine until the end.
indeed, that Jn. does not tell the story as if he
were telling it for the first time {see on 2 s) he tells it as a story
already in currency. But, nevertheless, its particularity of
detaD, its psychological interest, its reference to the setting
aside of the authority of Mary, its coherence, all indicate that
an actual incident lies behind 2 1 " 11 rather than that it has been
developed out of a single terse saying.
That there was a feast at Cana, and that Jesus unexpectedly
supplied the needs of a wedding party, is in no way unlikely.
That some of His disciples who were present (and it is probable
that John the son of Zebedee was one) discerned in His action
a sign of His superhuman power is expressly stated. But it
is not said that Jesus Himself claimed to do anything miraculous on the occasion, or that He acquiesced in any such
interpretation of His intervention.
His complete power over
nature can hardly be challenged by those who recognise His
personality as Divine, and believe that He afterwards rose
from the dead. But the question of His power over nature
and its limits does not arise for us here, unless we can be sure
that what some disciples (the other guests do not seem to
have been specially impressed) interpreted as miracle would
have been interpreted in the same way by ourselves had we
It is noticeable,

been there.
In regard to the raising of Lazarus, we must first examine
an alleged difficulty which does not present itself in the case
of the other Johannine miracles*
It is asked, How could Mk. be silent about so notable a
miracle, if he knew that it had taken place ? The argument
e sikntio is always precarious, and in this particular instance
it is especially so.
None of the Synoptists mentions the raising

of Lazarus, but they pay little attention to the development of

the ministry of Jesus at Jerusalem. On the other hand, from
c. 5 onward Jn, devotes himself to describing the increasing
hostility of the Pharisees to Jesus, and in Ins narrative the
climax of their opposition was reached when the Lazarus
miracle attracted the attention and inspired the enthusiasm of
many people at Jerusalem and its neighbourhood, 1 The point
1 Cf. Richmond, The Gospel
of the Rejection* p. 14U

THE JOHANNINE MIRACLES

clxxxiii

in the story, as told by Jn., is not, primarily, that the miracle

was a stupendous one, but that it did, in fact, hasten the final
decision of the Jewish authorities to secure the death of Jesus
M
The Synoptists tell nothing of the words or works
(ii ).
of Jesus which are reported in cc. 5, 7-1 a of the Fourth Gospel.
For some reason, this whole ministry and not merely the raising
of Lazarus is omitted in the narrative of Mk., upon which
Lk. and Mt. primarily depend, and which is the framework of
their Gospels.
No serious examination of Mk. can fail to observe the
fragmentary character of his Gospel. It consists of a number of
incidents and discourses, which, as is generally held, owe their
preservation to the reminiscences or the preaching of Peter,

There

is

no pretence that the Marcan Gospel

is

a complete

Now

Peter does not appear once in Part II. of

the Fourth Gospel (cc 5, 7-1 a). He is not represented as
having been present in Jerusalem or Bethany until the Last
Supper (13?), although it is probable that he was present at
the supper at Bethany of which Jn, tells 12^ (cf, Mk, 14*^)He appears to have come up to Jerusalem for the Passover.
More particularly, Peter is replaced by Thomas as the leader
and chief spokesman in the story of Lazarus, and there is no
reason to suppose that he was present on the occasion of the
dead man being raised, or for some little time afterwards (see
on ii lff). If he were not an eye-witness of what happened, it
is not surprising that he did not include the story among his
reminiscences.
He had been present when Jairus' daughter
was raised from the dead, and this was duly recorded by Mk,
87
There was no special
(S *), as one of Peter's experiences.
reason why a second miracle of revivification should be mentioned, if Peter did not see it; indeed, it would weaken the
credibility of any man's reminiscences if he included in them
an incident so extraordinary, of which he had not first-hand
narrative.

knowledge.

But more than this should he said about Mk/s omission to

note the miracle of the raising of Lazarus, in which he is followed
by Mt. and Lk, The Synoptic account of the triumphal entry of
Jesus into Jerusalemprovides no explanation of the extraordinary
enthusiasm with which He was received on this His last visit.
Up to c, 11, Mk. tells of no visit of Jesus to Jerusalem, How
then did it come to pass that the people of the dry treated His
entry as a royal progress ? "Many spread their garments upon
the way ,
they cried, Hosanna, Blessed is He that cometh
.
6
The only evangelist
in the name of the Lord " (Mk.
).
who gives a sufficient reason for this is Jn., who says explicitly
that it was the report of the raising of Lazarus at Bethany
.

fi

clxxxiv

DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF FOURTH GOSPEL

[Oh. VI.

which so excited the people that even the Pharisees had to

confess " the world is gone after Him." It is Jn.'s habit to
correct Mk, where he deems it necessary (see p. xcvii); and
at this point, by rectifying a serious omission in Mk., he makes
1
the story of the triumphal entry coherent for the first time.
We now come to the details of the miracle as told by Jn t
As
for miracle (whether rightly or wrongly) he held it to be.
compared with the Synoptic miracles of reviving the dead,
from one point of view it is much more surprising. For the
revivification of a corpse more than three days dead would be
more impressive than the raising up of a child only just dead
U
(Mk* s )> or of a young man brought out for burial (Lk* 7 ),
as that speedily follows death in the East. Indeed, in these
Synoptic stories the hypothesis that death had not actually
taken place before Jesus spoke the word which restored them,
Jesus said that the daughter of
is not formally excluded.
Jairus was not dead, although no one believed Him ; and
Instances are not lacking of persons being prepared for burial
who were really alive- Even those who reject all miracula
86
11
need find no difficulty in Mk, s or Lk. 7
There is a certain similarity in Jn.'s narrative of the raising
of Lazarus to these stories in Mk. and Lk. The revivification
8
was brought about in all cases by the voice of Jesus (ir* ).
Again, Jesus is made by Jn. to say that the sickness of Lazarus
was not unto death (n 4) and that His friend had fallen asleep
"
t(
I go that I may awake him out of sleep
(cf, Mk. $)\
u
suggested
has
often
been
that
(u , where see note). It
Lazarus was in a kind of death-like trance, which his sisters
had mistaken for death, 2 which persisted for three days in
the tomb, but which was dispelled when the tomb was opened,
and the loud voice of authority was heard. Martha, indeed,
89
said that the body was decoir posed (n ), but that is only what
she would expect on the fourth day after death, and there is no
hint in the narrative that she was right about it. Vv. 4*>4 2
would, on such a theory, represent the joy of Jesus in finding
.

was still alive.

no doubt that, even

that His friend

if this naturalistic explanation

represents the truth of the matter, the effect produced on the
spectators would be overwhelming. They would conclude
that one possessed of such powers in recalling a buried man to

There

is

1 CI Headlam, Miracles of the N.T>, p. wz6 r and Garvie,TAff Beloved

Disciple, p. 129 ; contra, Burkitt, The Gospel History and its Trans*
mission, p, 222, and MoSatt, Introduction to Lit. ofN*T* p. 539*
1
Renan held that the suprwed resuscitation was a fraud arranged
by the sisters, with the connivance of Jesus Himself {Vie de Jesus,
But this is now upheld by few critics, if by any ; and it is inc. 22).
consistent with all that we know of Jeans,
t

THE JOHANNINE MIRACLES

clxxxv

must be superhuman. Their report would draw to Jesus

adherents, and the enthusiasm with which His entry
into Jerusalem was received would be a natural consequence*
But the narrative of c. n, as it stands is not consistent
with such a theory, Jn.'s comments on the words of Jesus
(cf. v. 13) cannot always be regarded as final (see on 2 21) ; but
here at v, 14 he records that Jesus had said plainly, " Lazarus
The evangelist accepted this as a fact, and he depicts
is dead,"
the demeanour of Jesus throughout, not as that of one who
was serene in His consciousness that His friend was still living,
but as that of one who knew that Lazarus was dead, and who
proposed to use the supernormal forces which He possessed
to restore him to life in order that the disciples and the other
bystanders might " believe " (w. 15, 42), We cannot, indeed,
claim on any hypothesis that we have in c. 11 the exact words
which Jesus used in speaking about the death of Lazarus and
in His consolation of Martha. There is no trace of the story
having been written down until half a century or more after the
event; and if, as we hold, it represents an historical incident,
it depends on the memory of a very old man, who has all his life
pondered on it as the greatest of his Master's works of mercy,
and as a signal illustration of His words of mystery, " I am
the Resurrection and the Life " (v. 25),
It has been thought, indeed, that the whole story was built
up round this saying. But it cannot be treated as a mere
invention or as a parable constructed to convey spiritual truth,
like the parable of Dives and Lazarus, which has been regarded
by some critics as its germ. The literary method of Jn, is
quite different (cf. p, bcxxiii).
He means to narrate something
that really happened, and he has drawn a vivid picture. The
distinction, e.g., of the characters of Martha and Mary is
remarkably exposed (see on v. so). The description of the
agitation of Jesus (w, 34, 35) is not such as a romancer would
have ventured to set down. The Jews at v. 37, instead of
referring to the Synoptic raisings from the dead, as they would
certainly have been made^ to do by a writer of fiction, refer
life

many

instead to the recent healing of the blind man at Jerusalem

(see note in loc.)*
conclude, then, that the narrative of c.
describes
a remarkable incident in the ministry of Jesus. It may be
that the details are not reproduced by Jn. with such precision
as a modem historian would desiderate. In that case, there
is room for the hypothesis that Lazarus was raised from a
death-like trance by an extraordinary effort of will, and exercise of spiritual power, by Jesus.
Those who do not accept
" miracle " in any form may be inclined to adopt some such

We

"

COMMENTARIES

clxxxvi

[Oh- "TO.

hypothesis.
But that Jesus could literally recall the dead to
life is not impossible of credence by any one who believes
that He Himself
rose from the dead." The miracle of
Lazarus is on a different level from the recorded miracle at
Cana, where it is not the spiritual forces at the command of
'

Jesus that are in question, but the transformation of water

into wine by a mere fiat of His word, comparable to the Fiat
lux in the ancient story of Creation. But he is a bold dogmatist
who, in the present condition of our knowledge, will venture
to set precise limits to the exercise of spiritual force even by
ordinary human beings, still less when He who sets it in action
has all the potentialities of the spiritual world at His command.

CHAPTER

VII

COMMENTARIES

Of
is

commentaries on the Fourth Gospel, the earliest

by Herachonf of which only fragments, dealing mainly

patristic

that

with cc. ij 4, are extant. It illustrates the Gnostic applications

of the text. Origan's commentary a is strikingly original,
but, after his manner, is often fantastic; it is essential to the
student of the exegesis of the third century. Ckrysostom * is
eloquent and vigorous, but, full as his homilies are, I have
not found his exposition of much service. The Fathers were
generally better theologians than critics, and this is especially true of Chrysostom.
He does not reach the heights of
Augustine, who can pack a sermon into an epigram and who
has always been reckoned among the very greatest of commentators ; but even his commentaries are valuable rather for his
insight into great spiritual truths than for their precise exposiThe metrical paraphrase of the Fourth Gospel
tion of the text.
by Nonnus {circa 400 a.d.) is a remarkable feat, its Homeric
hexameters following the text closely enough, but it is not
instructive to the modern reader.
As a translation, Jerome's
Vulgate is in no need of praise, I have found the writings
of Ignatius^ Justin^ and Iren&us more valuable than any of the
set commentaries by the Fathers : Ignatius for his theological

MODERN COMMENTATORS

Ct-VU.]

ckxxvii

presuppositions, which are markedly like those of the Fourth

Evangelist, 1 Justin * and Iremeus for their use of the Gospel,
which is often of great value as bringing out the original

meaning.
I have made no attempt to collect or collate the views
3
of modern commentators, although I am very sensible of
During the last quarter of a
many
of
them.
to
obligations
century great commentaries on the Fourth Gospel, such as
those of Bruckner, Meyer, Westcott, Godet, of former genera4
Scholars have devoted themtions, have not been produced.
selves rather to the historical and critical problems of the
*l
Gospel according to St. John " than to the exposition in
I have given references in the Introduction
detail of the text.
and Notes to many essays and treatises on these problems,
published both in Europe and in America, which are full of
valuable and illuminating comment. It is needless to dwell
on the aids to Johannine study to be found in the learned
ParBiblical Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias of our time.
ticular mention should be made of E. A. Abbott's Johannine
Grammar, which is now as indispensable to the expositor for
its grammatical distinctions (sometimes too subtle) as Wetstein's great work is still indispensable for its classical parallels
to the language of the N.T.
The treatment of the historical and critical problems involved is very difficult. Perhaps we have not data for their
complete solution. But all such inquiries are subsidiary to
the exposition of the sacred text itself. This is at once more
difficult.
It is vastly more important
to learn what the evangelist meant to teach, and what was the
picture of our Lord that was present to his mind, than to know
whether the book was written by an apostle or by the pupil of
an apostle, important as this is in its place. Again, the expositor's task is specially difficult, if he tries to place himself
in the position of those who read the Gospel when it was first
published.
Its appeal to the twentieth century cannot be

important and more

unfolded until the lesser task has been in some measure accomplished, of setting forth its appeal to the second century.
Before we venture to appraise the permanent value of the
writer's teaching, we must first discover what he meant to
say. And this discovery is sometimes disconcerting, perhaps
because the author moves in spiritual regions of thought

See p, lxxiiibeat edition is that by A. E. Brooke (Cambridge University

Press, 2 vols., 1896}.
1 Chrysostom
's Homilies an St John are accessible in English in the
Oxford " Library of the Fathers.

The

See

p.

IxxL

See p. Ixxv.

A Ml list will be found in Moflatt's Infrod.

A recent commentary by Walter Bauer, Das Johannes Evangelium

to the

N.T

(Tubingen, 1925), is packed with scholarly comment, although

not on a large scale.

it is

cbcxxviii

COMMENTARIES

[Oh. VII.

too high for us, perhaps because his convictions are unwelcome to the scientific temper of our time.
The most
profound book of the New Testament can be truly interpreted,
as it was written, only by a disciple, by one who is willing to
learn.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

THE PROLOGUE

(I.

1-18)

'Ef apxS % v * Aoyos,

I,

The Prologue to the Gospel is in the form of a hymn,1 whose

theme is the Christian doctrine of the Logos, explanatory comments being added at various points. Speculations about the
Logos of God were current among Greek thinkers, and Jn. does
not stay to explain the term, which was in common use at the
time. But he sets out, simply and without argument, what he
believes the true doctrine to bej and he finds its origin in the
Jewish teaching about the Word of God rather than in the
theosophy of Greek Gnosticism. Its final justification is the
Life and Person of Jesus Christ.
Paul had declared that " a man in Christ is a new creation 7>
(nurq jcTwrts, 2 Cor. 5"). This thought is connected by Jn,
with the Jewish doctrine of the creative Word, and accorcfingly
he begins by stating his doctrine of the Logos in phrases which
recall the first chapter of Genesis*

The Divine
I. 1, iv Apxfl

Pre-existent

* kSy*s-

Word (w,

1, 3)

The book of Genesis opens with

But Jn.
4pXP &ro*i7cr*v o 0*o$ fof ov/>ovov koi ttjv yrjv*
begins his hymn on the creative Logos even farther back,
ficfore anything is said by him about creation, he proclaims
that the Logos was in being originally h apxjj V v* not "
This doctrine is
ifixS *y&ro (see for the distinction on 8*).
also found in the Apocalypse, In that book, Christ is also called
the Word of God (iq13), and He is represented (22 1*) as claiming
pre-existence " I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and
the last, the beginning and the end." Paul, who does not apply
;

VOL.

1,

CL

Introd., p. cxliv.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

Mat

5 fa ^

JOHN

ST,

THE CREATIVE WORD

LS-4.]

pLl

Aoyoe*

*'
Logos " to Christ, yet has the same doctrine of His
the title
17
pre-existence: " He is before all things " (Col. i ). With this
in
ascribed
to
Jesus
if.
words
cf, the
Pluto does not teach the pre-existence of the I-ogos (see
Introd., p. ad) ; but a close parallel to Jn.'s doctrine is the claim
tt/w tov atfivos
of Wisdom (tro^ia) in Prov. 8**, xvpios
fftptAWc /** ev fyxo, po wB t^v iflTF mmprat. Jn* never
employs the word o-o^a (or cra^or), while he uses Aayos of the
Personal Christ only here and at v. 14; but it is the Hebrew
doctrine of the Divine Word going forth (Xoyoj irpo<t>optK6s)
rather than the Greek doctrine of immanent Divine Reason
(kayos iySu0*Tos) which governs his thought of the relation
.

of the Son to the Father.

X0709 is apparently used of the Personal Christ at Heb. 4"
(this difficulty need not be examined here) ; as we hold it to be
vtpt rav Xoyov 17}$
*
.
in I Jn. i 1, S fy &tt pxV s d/crfKoa^iev
w
w5s (see for dw* apxfa on is below, and cf. Introd., p. bd) ;
ctwti npos rtva is not a classical
irpi* *4* Be6v.
Kal A X<5yos
constr., and the meaning of wpos here is not quite certain.
a 1
1
It is generally rendered apudy as at Mk. 6 9 * 14**, Lk. 9* ;
but Abbott (Diai. 2366) urges that tt/jos tw 0dv carries the
"
sense of " having regard to God/' " looking toward God
x
1*).
may
implied
in
a
be
1
sense
of
direction
This
Jn.
(cf. 5
a
irapdxkijTov *xpp.tv irpos tov xarcpa, but less probably in I Jn, l ,
T17V iutjv rrpr atwnov $ri5 ?v t/s tov Trartpa, which provides a
In Prov. 8, Wisdom
close parallel to the present passage.
says of her relation to God, ifjLwjr Trap* ovtw: and in like
manner at Jn. 17 5 Jesus speaks of His pre-incarnate glory as
being vapa voL It is improbable that Jn. meant to distinguish
.

3.

2*

otos $p lv apxjj xpoff rhv Btov.

3,

irarra &i avToG *y&ero,

Mai X uiP^ fcvrov dytWro ov&l

This verse

reiterates, after

ty,

a fashion which we

shall find
said already in v. 1, laying stress,
however, upon the fact that the relationship with Deity implied
in vpa* tov 6c6v was eternal; it, too, was " in the beginning."
That is to say, v. a is a summary statement of the three propositions laid down in v. i, all of which were true iv
dpxtf.
For the emphatic use of ofros, cf. i lfi 640 7 18 if.

Jn, to favour,

what has been

The Creative Word

(v,

3)

things severally, as distinct from b jatrpos,

the totality of the universe, v. 10) Si* afirou ly&tro, "all things
came into being (for creation is a becoming, as contrasted with
the essential being of the Word) through Him."
In the Hebrew story of creation, each successive stage is
introduced by " And God said " (Gen. 1*). The Psalmist
personifies in poetical fashion this creative word:
"By the
word of Yahweh were the heavens made " (Ps, 33'; cf, Ps. 147",
Taa. $s n).
In later Judaism, this doctrine was consolidated
into prose; cf., e.g., " Thou saidst, Let heaven and earth be
made, and Thy Word perfected the work " (2 Esd. 6W ; cf,
Wisd. 91). This was a Jewish belief which Philo developed in
his own way and with much variety of application, sometimes
inclining to the view that the Aoyos was a mere passive instrument employed by God, at other times, under Greek influence,
regarding it as the cosmic principle, the formative thought of
3. trAvra

(all

God.1

1
the meanings of irapa <ro( at 17 s and of wpos rbv $*6v at i
"
the Word was
cannot get a better rendering here than
.

We

with God."

The

imperfect yr

is

used in

all three clauses

of this verse,

and is expressive in each case of continuous timeless existence,

4t
the Word was God " (the constr,
Kal 0e&$ ^k o \6ycs,

being similar to 7rwv/*a o 0*os of 4M). fleos is the predicate,

and is anarthrous, as at Rom. 9*, o tsv itrl tt&vtwv 0S$. L reads
4 Ms, but this would identify the Logos with the totality of
t
divine existence, and would contradict the preceding clause.
This, the third clause of the majestic proclamation with
which the Gospel opens, asserts uncompromisingly the Divinity
of the Logos, His Pre-existence and Personality having been
w ao28, and Phil. 2*
first stated;
cf. io

8, *. Kol x*>pk nfrr&fl #ytfrero triSc iv.

This expresses
negatively what has been said positively in the previous line,
a common construction in Hebrew poetry (cf. Ps. i8 w m
s
39 ,
s
etc). Jn. uses this device several times {e,g. r M lft 6s0 1
3
,
Jn. i 21).
Apart from Him nothing came into being." The sentence excludes two false beliefs, both of which had currency,
especially in Gnostic circles: (a) that matter is eternal, and
0)
that angels or aeons had a share in the work of creation.
The interpretation of this passage during the first four
centuries implies a period or full-stop at lv whereas since
t
Chrysostom the sentence has been generally taken as ending
" apart from Him nothing came into being
"With 8 ytyovcv
that did come into being." S yiywtv, if we adopt the later
*iew of the constr., is redundant and adds nothing to the sense.
1 See Iatrod.,
p. cacl.
-

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

4.

& yiywar cv ofay

<&!

ST.

JOHN

[L 3-4.

this

5,

kind of emphatic explicitness

Hippolytus fy. Noetum^ 12),

Origen (in loann. 36, etc), Clem. Alex. (Pad. i. ir, Strom,
It is
vi. n) and, apparently, Tertullian (adv. Prax* 21),
Greek,
difficult to resist their witness to the construction of the
provided that the next sentence as read by them yields an
intelligible meaning.
Harris * defends the construction " without Him was not
anything made that was made," by citing a passage from the
Stoic Chrysippus which is alike redundant in form; Fate is
**
the Aoyos according to which all things that have been made
have been made, and all things that are being made are being
made, and all things that are to be made will he made."
cf.

THE WORD ISSUING

4-6-]

Irenaeus (H&r.

11. ii.

IN LIFE

AND LIGHT

fy9

is quite in accordance
with the style of Jn, It is also the case that Jn. favours br with
s8
a dative at the beginning of a sentence, e.g. xg* 1^ 16 ,
10 16p x* a so that to begin with iv avr in v. 4 would
2*
1 Jn.
4 i
3
be in his manner.
The early uncials, for the most part, have no punctuation,
while the later manuscripts generally put the point after ytyovcv.
But the evidence of MSS. as to punctuation depends upon the
interpretations of the text with which scribes were familiar,
and has no independent authority. In the present passage
1
the Old Syriac, Latin, and Sahidic versions, as well as the
Latin Vulgate, decidedly favour the placing of the point after
autem.
&, the OX, b putting this beyond doubt by inserting
" quod autem factum est, in eo uita est."
in the next clause
The interpretation which places the point after fr was
adopted by Catholics and Gnostics alike in the early centuries;

But

1.

4, in. viii. 3),

kg! to <ftws lv rp mtvrtq, ^atVci,

at ^ o-KVTta, avro ov KariXafiw.

4
see on 17*
The children of God are those who are quickened
by a spiritual begetting (see on v, 13). See also on 6 W
,

If iv avr

the true reading at 3 15 (where see note), we have

another instance there of
*bn$ being awkwardly placed in
the sentence.
is

Presumably because of this awkward position of iv av,

some Western authorities KD, many Old Latin texts, and the
Old Synac, replace %v by 4trr(v interpreting, as it seems, the
sentence to mean * that which has come into being in Him
is
life."
But this reading and rendering may safely be set aside
as due to misapprehension of the meaning,
peal
u?,
jfo Mfdim. The first movement of
J
ty ji
the Divine Word at the beginning was the creation
of Light
(Gen. i*)
This was the first manifestation of Life in the
KorfLos, and the Psalmist speaks of the Divine
Life and the
Divine Light in the same breath: " With Thee is the fountain
of hfe, and rn Thy light shall we see light " (P&. 36*). God is
Light (1 Jn. 1*) as well as Life, if indeed there is any ultimate
difference between these two forms of energy (see
on 8ia).
In this verse, Jn. does not dwell on the thought of the
Word's
;

Life as the Light of the koVmos, but passes at once to the

spiritual
creation; the Life of the Word was, at the beginning,
the Light
of mm. Cf. ia o^and see especially on 8 ia for the Hebrew
origins and development of this thought, which
reaches its
fullest expression in the majestic claim
4y6 euu r& AS* ro3

K&rpav

(SF*).

speaks of the sun as a TrapoZaypa of the Divine Word

i. 15);
but he does not, so far as I have noticed,
connect Hfe and light explicitly,
"PhSkt

The Word issuing

in Life

and Light (w.

(de sotnn.

4, 5)

yiywtv b nfa% frri} ty, " Tn*t which has come into
being was, in Him, Life," *.*. the life which was eternally in the
Word, when it goes forth, issues in created life, and this is true
both of (a) ite physical and (8) the spiritual world, (d) Jesus
5
s
Christ, the Son and the Word, is the Life (n* 14 ), the living
One (o jwi>, Rev. i 17); and it is through this Life of His that
aU created things hold together and cohere {rfc ir&vra cw aw}
(b) In the spiritual order, this is also
Col. i 17).
having
life in Himself (5**) gives life to whomSon
The
true.
M
soever he wishes (o&s $ika qnwtqUZ, s >- Cf- 3 J n 5"

0.

4* *

nr^w,

"^

Also the Peshitta see Burkitt, J.T.S* t April 1903, p, 436*

" Stoic Origins of St. John's Gospel/' in Bultetin of John Rylands
Library* Jan. 1922, quoting Stobaeus, Phys. 180.
1

t6 4>u? iv rg

ffKorf*

Taipei.

The guiding thought

is

the story of the creation of light, which dissipated

the
darkness of chaos. But this is a story which ever repeats
itself
the spiritual world; Jn, does not say " the Light
shone," but
the LighuAflm." In 1 Jn. 2* he applies the
thought directly
to the passing of spiritual darkness because
of the shining of
Christy the true light ft mart* wpdycrat. *}
*Aii0<v&f
still

^ <fk

no!

means
(Num.

^ mtoriB

afiT*

aft

ptaWXaJBeK.

KaraXappdvuy generally

"seize" or "apprehend," whether physically

Mk, 9 fjnj 8 4) or intellectually
(Acts 10*4 25"
etC
Thus
ma5r tmns]*te " the darkness apprewe
'
'
k j j it
hended
not, t\e. did not understand or appreciate it; and
so
to

"

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST-

JOHN

[16.

the vulg, has tene&rae earn non compTehtndetuntt the note of

tragedy being struck at once, which appears again, w. 10,
(where, however, the verb is TrapaXa^dvav) see on 3 1*.
But kotoA^3vv often means also to " overtake
1D
Moulton1 Thess. f);
(Gen. 3I 28 Ex. 15*, Ecclus.
,
Milligan illustrate from the papyri this use of the verb, viz. of
evil *' overtaking " one.
This is its meaning in the only other
place where it occurs in Jru, viz. 12 s6 , tva p% o-Korta
x
Origen (with other
KitraXaftfy " lest darkness overtake you."
Hftr&a/fcv
in
this sense here, extakes
Greek interpreters)
plaining that the thought is of darkness perpetually pursuing
a
The meanir.g " overtake in
light, and never overtaking it.
pursuit" readily passes into " overcome "; e.g. 2 Mace* 8 18 ,
where it is said that God is able " to overcome those who come
classiKCLraXafletv)
upon US " (tous IpxoiLGvotft itfi vtftSs

cal parallel

is

by Field from Herod.

cited

i.

87, fo &pa

ttovto.

oWa^O'ous St ovxen Ktorahafictv, i.e.

if
that they were unable to overcome the fire."
when he saw
That this is the meaning of the verb in the present verse is
supported by the fact that the thought of Christ's rejection does
not appear, and could not fitly appear, until after the statement
*
coming into the world" (w. 9, 10).
of His historical
have not yet come to this, and it is the spiritual interpretation of
the Creation narrative that is still in view. Thus in the Hvmn
tq
Night succeeds the Light,
of Wisdom (Wis* 7 s9) we have
iy
but evil does not overcome wisdom (<ro^a? Si qvk iWwtxi**
tfuoa).
The darkness did not overcome the light at the
beginning, and the light still shines* This is not the note of
tragedy, but the note of triumph. Good always conquers evil,
" The darkness did not overcome the light " (so R.V. marg^).
Philo's commentary on Gen, I s is in agreement with this
interpretation.
He says that to vqvjtqv <j>ias is the image of
This may be called
folos Atfyos, which is the image of God.
imvavytto, " universal brightness " (cf. 81 *),
On the first day
of creation this light dispelled the darkness
es-etSi)
$# jxer
iytvtTQ, amfras Si t^n-efttrTTj nut vTrtxftipTjtrtv,* t*e, '* darkness
yielded to it and retreated." Jn. applies this thought to Christ
as the Light of the world. There is never an eclipse of this
Sun,
C* J* Ball suggested * that behind ttariXn^v lies a confusion
ftbr dvftpa

ffjSevvwTtt to irvp,
.

We

&

of two Aramaic verbs,

*'

darken."
1
1

He

Vap^

"take, receive,"

See also the reading of MD at 611 and the note there.

In Ioann< 76 cf. also Brooke's edition, ii, 214.
de opif. mundi, 9.
;

1
*

and

J^apet

holds that, both here and at 1a 35, the original

Quoted by Bumey, Aramaic

Origin,

etc.,

p. 30,

I.

5-6.]

JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS NOT THE LIGHT

6. *EycvcTo

SyQpiairQS

curcoTaA/jci'DS

vapa *ov,

3fo/ta

7
avrw

Aramaic (which he finds behind the Greek) was jrtapK

" obscured it not," and that this was misread rrtop

tA,
*6,

"received it not." 1 This is ingenious, but, as we have seen,

aT*Aaw is good Greek for " overcome," so that there is no
need to suppose any corruption of the original text.

Explanatory Comment: John the Baptist was nat the Light

(vp. 6-9)

A feature of the style of Jn. is his habit of pausing to comment on words which he has recorded (cf. Introd., p. xxiv).
Here we have a parenthetical note to explain that the Light of
which the Logos hymn sings is not John the Baptist. It has
been suggested that this was inserted as necessary to combat
the pretensions of some Christians who exalted the Baptist
unduly (cf* Acts iS 20 ia 3f-) ; but see on v. 20 below*
For Jn,, as for Mk,, the " gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God " (Mk. i 1), began with the preaching of the Baptist, Jn*
does not stay to record stories of the Birth of Jesus, as Lk. and
Mt. do. He opens his Gospel with a mystical hymn about the
Logos, which reminds the reader that the true beginnings of the
wonderful life are lost in the timeless and eternal Life of God.
But in the Gospel Jn. is to describe the historical manifestation
of the Word, and this was prepared for, and introduced by, the
preaching of the Baptist, Upon this Jn, dwells more fully than
any other evangelist, probably because his informant, the aged
son of Zebedee, was himself one of the Baptist's disciples. For
the use made by Jn. of Mk., see Introd., pp. xevi, c ; and the
correspondences between Mk. 1 and Jn. 1 in regard to what
they tell about the Baptist and his sayings are remarkable*
Mk. i a introduces the Baptist by quoting Mai. $1 i " I send
my messenger before my face "; Jn. introduces him as a man
11
sent from God." Both Mk. i s and Jn. i aa apply to him the
prophecy of Isa. 403
Mk. i 7 gives two utterances of the
Baptist about Christ which reappear Jn. i 1*- ** w
Mk, j 6
and Jn, i w both report the emphasis laid by the Baptist on his
baptism being with water. And the allusions to the baptism of
Jesus in Jn, i S3 M are reminiscent of Mk. i 10, u
ll
6. iylv^ro ctytipuirof ktX.
There arose a man," etc).
(
There is no introductory particle connecting this with v, 5. It
i-5 a sentence quite distinct from the verse of the Logos Hymn
which goes before.
.

Ct

Ball's

F*
Burkitt in Theologyt July 1922, p, 49, for a criticism of
emendation.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

s
'Iuavq?'

ofcros

7.

$\&ev &

dl7rcraXu./vos irapi 0<oG.

j&a/n*vpuiv,

ya

The

Baptist
Cf, o1** M for

ST*

JOHN

fLaprvpqtrtf

made

[L 6-7*

mp\

tow

this claim for

a similar use of urapa

himself (3*7] cf. Mai, 31 .
^o^ and see on 6 4B
For the constr, cf, 31 and Rev. 6 B 911 .
ropa afir$ Wnjs,
Burney urges that this is a Semitic constr,, 1 and represents an
Aramaic or Hebrew UMPj but it is also good Greek, e<g>
Apitrro$tiv 6vofia vn? (Demosth. contra Zenoth, 11).
The spelling "Ittoi'tys is preferred to 'Iwfrwp by most modern
" It belongs
editors, being almost universally found in B.
to the series of Hellenised names which treat the an of the
Hebrew termination {loanan) as a variable inflection " (BlasSj
.

Gram,

11).*

Jn. is prone to distinguish carefully people who have the

same name, t.g. Judas (671 13* 14 s*), Mary (n a igF) t Joseph
(it)811); in this being more scrupulous than the Synoptists.
It
is, perhaps, worthy of note, therefore, that Jn. never writes
" John the Baptist," but always " John," as if there were no

who could be confused with him. On this has been

based an argument to prove that John the son of Zebedee is,
in some sense, the author (if not the actual scribe) of the Fourth
Gospel; for the one person to whom it would not occur to
distinguish John the Baptist from John the son of Zebedee
would be John the son of Zebedee himself- On the other hand,
the Synoptists only occasionally give the full description " John
the Baptist/' "John" being quite sufficient in most places
It would not be as necessary for an
where the name occurs
other John

>

evangelist writing for Christian readers at the end of the first

lt
century to say explicitly
John the Baptist," when introducing
the John who bore witness to Jesus at the beginning of His
ministry, as it was for Josephus when writing for Roman readers
t(
to distinguish him as
John who is called the Baptist " {AntL
xviii. v. 2).
7 qSto$

?j\0ei> efe juLpnipuxi'.

This was the characteristic
}
feature of the Baptist's mission, ** to bear witness
to the
who
Him
was
of
to
come.
The
Fourth
claims
Gospel is full of
the idea of " witness " (see Introd., p. xc), the words pvprvpta,
paprvptZv, being frequent in Jn., while they occur comparatively
seldom in the rest of the N\T, The cognate forms jxapnk,
fjLaprvptov, are, on the other hand, not found in Jn., although
they occur in the Apocalypse.
Zva with a finite verb, in a telic sense,
Ira jjiapTup^<rri.
where in classical Greek we should expect an infinitive, is a

(fxvTos,

AAA*

Aramaic Origin,

etc, p. 31.

C1 Westcott-Hort, Appx.

p. 59,

and E.B.

Zva irdvrvi viartvo-tocriv

Xvo, jjiaprvpr}^rvj ircpt

avrov.

8. ouk

g, %}v

to

fKtlvm to ifiGis
to dXij$ivov &

ijv

<>$

constr, in kwvij Greek, and is specially frequent in

Burney 2 held that this linguistic feature is due to the
Aramaic origin of Jn,, and that behind Zva is the particle 1 or
But the colloquial character of Jn.'s style provides a
*r.
sufficient explanation (cf. n BO and 1S 14).
John Baptist says (v. 33) that it was reTrcpi tou $wt6%*
vealed to him that Jesus was the Coming One.
fra mirres irurrtuvwriv hi oAtou ("that all might believe
through him," i.e, through, or by means of, the testimony of
John the Baptist). Ultimately the Baptist's mission would

Jn.

all men (ravr*?).

As the Divine
said to have come Suit Mwicrcus (v. 17), so there is a
sense in which Christian faith came Si* 'Iuavotr. Abbott
{Dial* 2302 f.) inclines to the view that avroG refers here to
Christ, ovro* throughout the Prologue being used for the
J
Word ; but Jn. never uses the expression TrMrreutiy <Sia Iij<)
(see on 3 15).
Jesus, for him, is the end and object of faith,
rather than tie medium through which it is reached (see

affect

Law

on

not Israel only, but

is

1
i *).

Jn. uses the verb irrrfv about 100 Limes, that iSj with
nine times the frequency with which it is used by the Synoptists,
although the noun ttiWs, common in the Synoptists, never
occurs in Jn., except at 1 Jn. 5*, B See further on v. 12.
Here moreve^ is used absolutely, the object of faith being
w
understood without being expressed; cf. i* 4 4a w s44 6M

i2 M

i4ig2rf'

a *-

8. itttlvoi is used substantially, whether as subject or

obliquely, with unusual frequency in Jn., the figures for its
occurrence is the four Gospels being (according to Burney f)
Mt. 4, Mk. 3, Lk. 4, Jn. 51. Jn. uses it often to express
emphasis, or to mark out clearly the person who is the main
18
1
11
subject of the sentence, as here. It is used of Christ, i 2* 5 ,
i

Jn, 2*38 7 - ,
qAk fy ttttivQ? to $ws.
.- cf.5 36 .
-

lfl

The

Baptist

was only

Xvx^^ the
.

This is an elliptical
4XX* Xm jiapTup^ffu irepi to5 4*rr4s.
3
W is 36 *
constr. of which somewhat similar examples occur 9 *3
J

Jn,

1
a *

(Abbott, Diat. 2106

Ci Abbott,

Aramaic Origin,

Pet

f.).

The meaning

is,

"but he

Diat. 2093, 2687.

etc., p. 70,

never occurs in the Apocalypse, while

See Introd., p. lxv.

contra, wurrcfatr

occurs 4 times.
2504.

fit

tou ^wtos.

common

'

JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS NOT THE LIGHT

7-8.]

Aramaic Origin,

etc., p.

83.

irfortr

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

JO

ST.

JOHN

18-9,

came that he might bear witness, etc. The repetition of the

whole phrase * fMpTvpufcrQ pi tqv ^uto? is thoroughly
Johannine.

Burney suggests

that here {as also at 5' 6 50 9s* 14^) ha. is

a mistranslation of an Aramaic relative* \ "who." The

rendering then is simple, " he was not the Light, but one who
was to bear witness of the Light"; but the correction is
unnecessary.

9.
t4 4&f jctX* The constr. of the sentence has been
taken in different ways, and the ambiguity was noticed as far
back as the time of Grigen. 8
(1) The Latin j Syriac, and Coptic versions take cpxopctw
with ttvSpttnrav. The Light enlightens every man who comes
into the world.
But if this were the meaning, {a) we should
expect irarTa tov cpxtyupoy rather than irnvra avtiponrQV ipxopwov;
(&) these words are wholly redundant, for they do not add
anything to "every man"; (c) the expression "coming
into the world " is not used elsewhere by Jn. 3 of a man being
born (16 s1 is no exception). This last consideration excludes
also the rendering " every man, as he comes into the world,"
apart from the fact that, although Wordsworth suggests it in
his Odet the idea of any special Divine enlightenment of infants
is not Scriptural.
(2) It is better to take ipxppmy with 0fo (so ILV.).
Jn.
several times uses the phrase
coming into the world " of the
1*
s8
s7
Advent of Christ (6 1 i 16 18 ) ; and elsewhere (#, ia) in
the Gospel Christ is spoken of as " light coming into the world,"
And if we render u the Light, which lighteth every man, was
coming into the world," the constr. of fy with the present
participle as used for the imperfect is one which appears
' (

frequently in Jn. (see on i 28 below), fy .

Jp^o/icvov means
" was in the act of coming,"
Westcott, while retaining this meaning, endeavours to combine with it the conception of the Light having a permanent
existence (^v, the verb used in v. 1).
"There was the Light,
the true Light which lighteth every man; that Light was, and
yet more, that Light was coming into the world." This seems,
however, to attempt to get too much out of the words, and on our
view of the whole passage the meaning is simpler.
are still occupied with Jn.'s comment (w. fr-o) on what
the Logos Hymn has said about the Light (w, 4, $). The
Baptist was not the perfect Light, but he came to bear witness to
it;
and this perfect Light was then coming into the world.
Aramaic Origin, sic, pp. 33, 75,
in loam, (ed. Brooks, ii. 316).
J
It 33 found, however, several times in the Talmud
see Lightfoot
Hor. Hebr. in loc. ; and cf, Schlatter, Sprach* . Helmut. > m,w p, i&.
.

We

9.]

JOHN THE BAPTIST WAS NOT THE LIGHT

faafifci iravri aiBptoirov

II

ipxpptvov cb tov tfOa/MP.

When Jn. wrote the First Epistle he could say, " The true Light
already shineth " (1 Jn. a), but it was only coming at the time
when the Baptist 's mission began. Jesus had come into the world,
indeed; but He had not yet manifested Himself as the Light,
Christ is to ^t5s
&\vi8lvqvs not to be interi\rfit.Av.
preted as "the true Light" (although such a rendering is
convenient), for that suggests that all other lights are misleading,
which is not implied; cf. 5 M &kiflwfc is distinguished from
The opposite of oX^Owfe
oAqfrJt as the genuine from the true*
is not necessarily false, but it is imperfect, shadowy, or unsub" The oAt?0i}s fulfils the promise of his hps, but the
stantial,
Whatever that name
&Xrj$tvo$ the wider promise of his name.
imports, taken in its highest, deepest, widest sense, whatever
according to that he ought to be, ihat be is to the full " (Trench,
Synonyms ofJV.T.). Thus aAqfcvoe here is significant. Christ
lt
the true and only Light," but rather " the perfect
is not
Light," in whose radiance all other lights seem dim, the Sun
among the stars which catch their light from Him,
There are indeed a few passages where tiXtfiwfe cannot
thus &\rfiw&* at iq 35
be sharply distinguished from Atj ftj?
stands for the veracity of the witness, just as dfapAp does at 2t M .
Moreover, the fact that AXtjAJs and its cognates are not found in
the Apocalypse, while <EAij0wds occurs in it 10 times, might
suggest that the choice of the one adjective rather than the
other was only a point of style* In the same way, ^Wi^ is
used 7 times in Jn. for a iiar f but the word in the Apocalypse

is \j/*v&i]$.

Nevertheless the distinction between kr}$rjs and nXifiwos in

have ro ^fis rh qXtj6iv6v
Jn. is generally well marked.
s3
here (cf 1 Jn. a 8) ; ol AXvfitvot jrpo(rnvvrfTai t 4 ; & cfpros o
3
M 1 Jn, s w)i
(cf. 7
AXrflu** fafc, 17
AkqBnfo, 6W ; 6
1
ia
In all these
AkrjBivrj Kpttrt*, 8
17 a/ixeXos <Utj0uTJ, 15 .
;
fl
passages the meaning " genuine " or " ideal " will bear to he
pressed, as also in the only place where the word occurs in the
11
is the genuine riches.
Synoptists, for to akj}$tv6v of Lk. 16
Even at 4 s7 , where akvj&wos is applied to a proverb, something
more is implied than veraciousness (see note in k),
Less clearly, but still with some plausibility, can the distinctive sense of oXi}0lvo? be pressed in the Apocalypse, where
s
s
it is applied to God's ways (15 ), His judgments (16' 19 ), His
words (i9 21 s 22*), to Himself (6 10), and to Christ (3'*
19 11).
3
See further on 17
This verb does not occur again in Jn., but cf.
4utl[ci.

We

p6m

12

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

JOHN

ST.

[L

9.

* +utiIi iran4 Mpum* That the Servant of Yahweh

would be a 4| light to the Gentiles " as well as to the Jews
was the forecast of Deutero-Isaiah (42* 49"); but this passage
suggests a larger hope, for the Coming Light was to enlighten
It was this great conception upon which the
every man*
early Quakers fixed, urging that to every man sufficient light
was offered; and some of them called this passage "the

The Alexandrian

Quaker's text."

theologians, e.g. Clement,

had much to say about the active operation of the Pre-Incarnate

Word upon men's hearts; and it is interesting to observe that
they did not appeal to this text, which is in fact not relevant to
their thought, as

it

speaks only of the universal enlightenment

which was shed upon mankind after the Advent of Christ.

The term tt&rfLo* is used of the universe
ci$ rfr K&vpw.
by Plato (Gorg. 508) and Aristotle (de tnund* a), Plutarch
{Mot, 886 B) affirming that Pythagoras was the first to use
the word thus, the order of the material world suggesting
1
This idea of a totality of the natural order is thoroughly
it.
Greek, and is without early Hebrew counterpart, OTU not
being used in this meaning until the later days of Jewish

LXX

koV/ws appears in the sense of

In the
" ornament/' and occasionally to describe the ordered host of
" universe " until
the heavenly bodies, but it is not used for
w . Paul has
e>g.
Wisd.
books,
Hellenistic
we reach the later
koct/mtc 46 times, and the Synoptists 14 times ; but Jn. has it
100 times. Primarily, in the N.T. it is used of the material

literature."

universe as distinct from God (cf. 21^). But man is the chief
inhabitant of the world as we know it, and thus 00710? usually
in Jn. includes the world of moral agents as well as the sum of
physical forces. That is, it stands for mankind at large, as
13
61
well as for the earth which is man's habitation (6 *f ia )When, however, a term which was the product of Greek
philosophy began to be used in connexion with the ^ Hebrew
doctrine of God and man, it inevitably^ gathered to itself the
associations connected with Hebrew belief as to the Fall. To
the Stoic, the koV/aqs was perfect. This could not be held by a
Jew, Inasmuchj then, as the Fall introduced disorder into
31
that which in the beginning was " good " (Gen. i ), the term
with it
carries
koctjuos when used of the visible order frequently
a suggestion of imperfection, of evil, of estrangement from the
17
Divine- The kqq-jjlo? cannot receive the Spirit of Truth {14 );
14
1*
it hates His chosen {15
17 ); they are
it hates Christ (f);
1
forbidden to love it (1 Jn. 2 *). The world which is aloof from
Trench, Synonyms of N.T.
Dahnan, Words of Jesus, pp. ifoj

Kdt 6 K&trfins

71.

Si*

13

auToB eyevcro,

Ktu a Kotr/ios avroV *>vk Zyvw*

of hostility to God, and

God may easily pass into an attitude
3
the phrase " this world " (see on S *) calls special attention to
such enmity.
According to Philo {quod deus tmm. 6 and de mund 7), the
Kwrpaz is the father of time, God being the Father of the K007105
a picturesque expression which brings out his view that the
universe was created by God, who brought Cosmos out of
Chaos, while its genesis goes back beyond the beginning of
time.
striking parallel to this verse is found in the Testaments
cf the Twelve Patriarchs (Levi, c. 14); to #5? tov vofiov to
Charles, indeed
$o$h> fa vfuv tfc <f>wrt,u-jj.ov irdvros avOfunirav.
9
(note in Ue), holds that Jn. i is dosed on this passage; but
the date of the Greek versions of the^ Testaments is by no
means certain, and there is no sufficient evidence of their
1
existence in their present form before the time of Origen,
the
verse
in
the
Chrisallusions
to
unmistakable
There are
tian Apocalypse known as " The Rest of the Words of Baruch,"
where Jeremiah addresses God as to *&? to &kifiwbv to tjwrriCov
In the same section the writer calls Christ to $&s
fxt (ix. 3}.
tov alavwv mvn*vt o d<r/Srros Atrxiws (ix> 13)3 &nd speaks of
Him as ipyppcvov ffc rdr fc&rpor ri, to opas tSw Ikat&v (ix. 18).
;

See Introd.,

p. Ixxii.

citation of the verse by Basilides, as quoted by

Hippolytusj see Introd., p. Ixxiii.

For the

The Logos
10. Iv
existence,

rfl

KJapp

fjv.

Hymn

resumed {w,

fy, as in

w.

10, 11)

1-4, stands for

The Logos was immanent

contbuous

world before the

Incarnation, which has not yet been mentioned in the hymn,
although suggested in the evangelist's comment in v. 9.
I(
the
Kdi 6 jcoVjio? BV a*To5 lyivtm, repeated from v. 3,
world came into being through Him," the creative Logos being
personal all through the hymn.
4

icat
teal

itdff|ios

aMv

ofiic

cy>u.

kqx is continued, as in

in the

The

w.

paratactical

1, 4,

5.

At

constr.

this point

used adversatively, " and yet," the world not recognising

the Word although the Word was immanent in it.
This use of koI for moth (which Jn, never employs) is
jcoV is

1 Cf.

* Cf,

THE LOGOS HYMN RESUMED

x,-<9-j0]

Burkitt, J.T*S. t Oct. 190S

p. rxsdv.

Flummer, Comm. on

St.

Matthew,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

14

f fc

1 1,

ST.

JOHN

[1.

10-1L

1.

U-lfc]

COMMENT TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDING

ko1 01

iSto i&Atfo',

Fourth Gospel, e.g, 3 11 5** 6 7 M* ro 8*

tos& X ^3S
Bumey * claims this as a Semitic usage, but it
occurs in classical Greek; e.g. Thucyd* v. 6. 1, ^rayapta wpatrjfioXAcf.
koI qvk fTAe, and Eurip. Htfakl, 5^j opar c/a wrmp
characteristic of the

1 2.

wroi

tSioi

chafiov auxw,

avrov cm trapikafiov.

*Sqmcv outqIs f^owrtav t&cvo.

cou ywi-

^ao

>

fi afaiktff 17 tu^.
A K<Sffjjws afiW ofi* fy**.
Primarily, the reference is to the
world's ignorance of the Pre-Incamate Logos, immanent
continuously in nature and in man.
Pfleiderer points out the similarity of this language to what
Heraclitus says about the eternal Reason: rav &k \6yov toEST
$jv

wtpCflXeieTQS /Jporots ovofxaara, jrpouro-cjv, sat

coitqs altl dfuv<rot ytvovrcu dvBputirct

row Aoyov TwBe wtrttpQivw tokatrt,

i.e.

ytvojtiviav

"men

yap jravTaw Kara.

are without under-

standing of this Logos, although it is eternal, , , , although

everything happens in accordance with this Logos, men seem
J]
to be ignorant (of it). a Heraclitus was one of those whom
Justin accounted a Christian before his time, having lived
/MT& \6yavf and his writings were probably current in the
circles where the Fourth Gospel was written.
But although
Jn. used similar language to Heraclitus when writing of the
Word, his thought goes far beyond the impersonal Reason of
the Greek sage.
Even here, the meaning of "the world knew Him not"
cannot be confined to the Immanent Logos. Jn* several times
comes back to the phrase, applying it to the world's failure to
recognise the Incarnate Christ j e.g. q koo^uk .
,
ovk tyvw atrrov
1
i/U (16*),
Cf, 147 I7 M , 1 Cor, i
(1 Jn. 3 ); < iyvwvw
And in the next verse (v. 1 1) the Incarnate Word is clearly in
view, for the aorist $Aw expresses a definite point of time,
although the Incarnation of the Word is not explicitly asserted
until v, 14
saving about Wisdom very similar to the thought of this
il
verse is in Enoch xlii. 1 :
Wisdom found no place where she
might dwell ; then a dwelling-place was assigned to her in the
heavens. Wisdom came to make her dwelling among the
children of men and found no dwelling-place
then Wisdom
returned to her place and took her seat among the angels."
What the Jewish apocalyptist says of Wisdom, the Prologue of
the Fourth Gospel repeats of the Logos.
This (see on io*7) is literally '* He
11. is t4 tBio flXfleK.
came to His own home." And the following words, " His own

Him not,' would well describe His rejection by His own

and neighbours in Galilee, according to the saying that
a prophet has no honour in his own country (Mk. 64, Mt. 13s7
Lk. 4*; cf* Jn. 4**), But the thought of this verse is larger.
The world did not know Him, did not recognise Him for what
He was (v. 10). But when He came in the rlesh, He came
(pjBtr) to "the holy land " (2 Mace. 1*, Wisd. la 8), to the land
and the people which peculiarly belonged to Yahweh and were
His own (Ex. 19s Deut. 7 e). In coming to Palestine, rather
than to Greece, the Word of God came to His own home on
earth.
Israel were the chosen people; they formed, as it were,
an inner circle in the world of men they were, peculiarly, His
own." He was '* not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of
1

received
kinsfolk

'

Israel " (Mt. I5 M).

His own " intimate disciples did indeed
receive him (see 13 1 17*- n for ol ISiot), but the thought here
is of His own people, Israel,
The Fourth Gospel is the Gospel
li

of the Rejection \ and this appears thus early in the Prologue

(cf.3^54*).
not said that Israel did not " know " Him, as is said of
(v, 10) ; but Israel did not receive Him in welcome
3
(cf. 14 for this shade of meaning in i-apaXap/Faru),
Like the
Wicked Husbandmen in the parable {Mk, 12 1 , Mt ai 83, Lk.
20*), Israel knew the Heir and killed Him.
It is

the

" world "

>

Aramaic

to

avoid misunderstanding qfv, ri

(pv. 1a, 13)

iL

His own received Him not " might suggest that no

for what He was. Accordingly {cf. Introd*,
p. cxlv), the evangelist notes that there were some of whom this
could not be said*
foot Si Kr\*=but {M must be given its
full adversative force), at the same time, as many as received
Him (and this would include Jews as well as Greeks) were
endowed with the capacity and privilege of becoming children
t(
of God. For kafift&vtty used of
receiving " Christ, cf. 5"
IB,

Jew welcomed Him

Soot 8i IXajSoy tt&T&v, c&ukcv ft&Tots ktXThis is the first

appearance of a constr, which is very frequent in Jn,, viz, the
reinforcement of a casus pendens by a pronoun. It is a common,
if inelegant, form of anacoiuthon more often met with in
colloquial than in literary Greek. Jn. employs it 27 times
y

Origin,

See Hippal. Rf.

iv. 7,

Comment

etc.,

p. 66,

ix. 9-

cited

by

Pfleiderer, Primitive Christianity,

(as against 21 occurrences in all three Synoptists),

Burney
suggests that this is due to the Aramaic original which he

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

i6

ST.

JOHN

[I.

1&

finds behind Jn., the casus pendens being a favourite Semitic

idiom. 1
The Jews rejected Christ; but His message was addressed
He gave to " as many as received Him " the
to all mankind.

again
iou
s i9w- n
power.
The
rather
than
authority
it stands for
;
17
privilege and right of those who "receive" Christ, t\e. those
light to

become children of God.

Jf own* occurs

believe on His Name/' is that they may become

0w; but this (Jn. suggests) is not an inherent human capacity.
rt
The conception of the faithful as " children of God has
herself
conceived
of
Israel
thought.
its roots deep in Jewish
M
as in covenant with Yahweh (see on 3 ) J and the prophets speak
t(
Thy sons whom thou
(Hos.
i,
wife
2).
Yahweh's
of her as
hast borne to me" are words ascribed to Yahweh when
20
Thus the Jews were
addressing the nation (Ezek. ie ).
accustomed to think of themselves as peculiarly the children of
God (see on S*1). But the teaching of Jesus did not encourage
any such exclusive claim of Judaism. He taught the doctrine
of the Fatherhood of God as having a more catholic range.

who "

enter the kingdom of God is to become the child of God

and the possessor of eternal life (for all these phrases mean the
same thing; cf. &*), and the gate of the kingdom is the gate

To

of faith in Christ. This is the message of the Fourth Gospel

have here
{20*% and it is addressed to all who will hear it.
(in w. 1 2, 13) a summary of the teaching of c 3 about the New
Birth and Eternal life*
The phrase tckvo, 0w is not placed either by Synoptists
or by Jn. in the mouth of Jesus Himself: He is represented as
speaking of viol 0w (Mt, f); and this is also the title for
s
believers generally used by Paul (Gal. 3 *), who employs the
notion of adoption, as recognised by Roman law, to bring out
2
But t& fcov is
the relation of God to the faithful.
l
n
and
1
Jn. 3 '
thoroughly Johannine (cf,
5D, and the
phrase implies a community of life between God the Father
and His children, which is described in v. 13 as due to the fact
4i
begotten " of God (cf. 3"*). iwov is from the
that they are
"
to
beget."
,
tK
root
The " children of God " are all who " believe in the Name
of Christ. The idea of the Fatherhood of God as extending
to all mankind alikej heathen or Jewish, prior to belief in
W
Christ, is not explicit in the Gospels (cf. Acts X7 ) J however
the Love of
such
a
pronouncement
as
that
of
to
be
close it may
"
(I
God for the world at large fe1*). But for Jn., the children

We

lM

are those
1
1

who " believe."

Aramaic

Origin,

etc.,

p. 64.

Paul has rfow BeoQ at Rom. 8 U * M ,

-

Phil. 3 lB (from

Deut.

I.

13-13]

COMMENT TO AVOID MISUNDERSTANDING

to ovojwo auroi), 13* 0*

cr0aL) toIs Trurrewucriv tis

ojg

\J

c alp.drtav

iytwvjOqa-av.

The frequency of the

tois lrurrerfoumir els rb Srapa ol&tqu.
verb TrtvTcvew in Jn. has been already noted (i 7). Here we
have to mark the form iritrreuttv cfc
The phrase t( to
.

believe in Christ/' in

Him as

distinct

from believing His words

about Him, is, with one

or being convinced of certain facts

exception (Mt. 18 s), not found in the Synoptists; but in Jn.

we

find irvrrevtw

efe

God

35 times/ always referring to

or Christ, except efc r^v papTvptnv (1 Jn. 5 10), The phrase

n-umu'ccr efc to ovopa afoov occurs again 2 M, 3 18 (cf. I Jn. 5 1 *),
but not in the speeches of Jesus Himself.
In the O.T.
the "Name" of Yahweh is often used as equivalent to
His Character or Person, as He manifests Himself to men
1
(cf. 3 Sam. 7 * Isa. 1S 7 ; see on 5* below).
It is possible that
this usage of oVo/xa in the N.T. is an Aramaism.
We have
it several times in the expression fiwirri^ttv *U rh oVo/xa twos
1D
But, whether it is Aramaic or no, to believe
(cf. Mt. 28 ).*
tl
in *' the Name" of Jesus for Jn. is to believe
in Him"
as the Son of God and the Christ*
13. For ot
,
iy*vvf\QT\vav, the O.L. version in b gives qui
natus est, the verse being thus a reference to the Virgin Birth
of Christ. Irenseus (adv. Haer. in. xvii, 1 and xx. 2), and
possibly Justin (Tryph. 61 \ cf. ApoL i. 32, 63 and ii. 6), bear
witness to the existence of this (Western) reading. Tertullian
(de carne Christie 19) adopts it formally, adducing arguments
against the common text " who were born," which he says is
an invention of the Valentinians. In recent years the reference
of the verse to Christ, and the reading qui natus est, have been
approved by Reach (Aussercanoniscke Paralleltexte, iv. 57)
and by Blass (Philology of the Gospels^ p. 234). But the MS.
evidence is overwhelming for iyewy(h}(rav which moreover, as we
shall see, is in accordance with the characteristic teaching of Jn.
The children of God are " begotten " by Him by spiritual
generation, as contrasted with the ordinary process of physical
generation.
.

Note that

Tttrretioviftv is the present participle, and expresses the

of faith, not an isolated act of faith (see on 6"),
See,
further, for the unclassicai constr. vwrcfap *rfe, Abbott, Diat. 1470- 1
* 1 have discussed this expression in Studia Sacra, p. 66 1
similar use of the construction ek tA faoftd rtpo? occurs in papyri $ g.
ftr* *ts t-om /Soo-iWwr fao/ia is a "petition to the king's majesty/* the
name of the king being the essence of what he is as ruler. Cf. Delbsmann, Bible Studies, Eng. Tt. t 146 i, 196 f.

continual

life

* Cf. also

33*),

VOL,

Burney. Aramaic Origin,

I*

etc., p.

43*

;;,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

i8

ST*

JOHN

[I.

IS.

afiic | <u|Mfrw ktX.

It was a current doctrine in Greek
physiology that the human embryo is made from the seed of the
father, and the blood of the mother.
Thus Wisd. 7*, " In the
womb of a mother was I moulded into flesh in the time of ten
months, being compacted in blood (ira-yiis iv at/urn) of the
seed of man and pleasure that came with sleep." Cf. 4 Mace.
s0
1
13 and Philo {de opif, mundi^s)The plural alti&Tntv is unexpected, but Briickner quoted the
parallel aXXtav rpcufjtU &$ aipArwr (Eurip. Ion, 693).
Augustine
{Sertn. exxi. 4) explains ai/wiw, " mixtis sanguinibus, masculi et feminae, commixtione carnis masculi et feminae,"
which may be right \ but more probably the plural is used to
indicate drops of blood*
ofiSi Ik feX^jLOTos oapK^, " nor yet of the will of the flesh,"
fleAij^a is used once or twice in the
i.e. of sexual desire,
in the sense of defectafio, e.g. Isa, 6a* and Eccles. 12 1
Hippolytus (Ref. vi 9) has the phrase it al/wMw <u iwtBvpia?
oupKiiejjs, Ka&&Tr*p Kal ol Xiniroly ytyewrifiivos, which is apparently
a reminiscence of this verse, of which at any rate it gives the
meaning, identifying #&wta with hrtdvpla (cf. 1 Jn. 2).
The passage is also recalled by Justin {Tryph. 63), <is toS

LXX

THE INCARNATION

1.13-14.]
14.

kali

6 Arfyos <ra/> y&ero,

ymw&u

But usually in Jn,

the phrase " to be begotten

means "to be begotten," and

by God " is thoroughly Johannine.

Jn. does not shrink from drawing out the metaphor, e.g* ttSs
6 yryfvrrjfitvos ck tov titov AfULpriav ot rottt, 5rt tnrepfia afro? iv
avr& p&tt (1 Jn, 3d). God's crrrep^a is in the man, who is
thus (the phrase occurs in the next verse, 1 Jn. 3 1C) r&cvav
0*a An even closer parallel to w. 12, 13, is xas 6 vurrttmv
Sn *Iijo*ovs e<rrlv
Xpurros K tov 0oS ytyfvvrfrat (i Jn, 5 1 *),
where it is again said that those who believe in Christ are
" begotten of God." Cf also 1 Jn. a 2* 4? 5 1 * This mystical
language goes back to Ps. 2% where Yahweh says of the king
of His favour, ey crqpApw ytyhrvT}Ka tre. Indeed, to say that
believers are "begotten of God" is only to stretch a little
farther the metaphor involved in the words, "Our Father
which art in heaven, * See on v, 12.
The rendering of iyctwvj&rjtrav here by naii sunt in the
Latin versions cannot be taken to exclude the translation
" were begotten "; for in the several passages in 1 Jn. where
we have the phrase ytytj/vr}p.ivoq iK tov $tov (2** 3* 4' 5 1 * ie)
and where it must bear the meaning begotten by God " (see
*

'

cu/mitoc Orvrov ovk i$ 6y0ponruov frtrtpp&TQs ytyewTifthrov AA.* in

especially r

i.e.

19

Jn 3s), the Latin versions

+

ouSt 4k fcA^pa-ros drfpfc, " nor yet of the will of a man,"

a male t for so dnjp is always used in Jn,, as distinct from

The Incarnation

'

similarly

(v.

have natus.

14)

5v0punros.

The threefold negation emphasises the point that the

begetting " of the children of God has nothing to do with the
normal begetting of children,
4XX* k Oeou (God being the immediate cause of the new
spiritual life which begins in the believer).
The metaphor of
God as " begetting " children is strange to a modern ear, but it
is frequent in Jn.
Cf. also 1 Pet. i 3, o
yemjo-a$ qpa?
.
ew cAttx&i war, and see J. B, Mayor on Jas. i 18
The verb ytwav in the active voice generally means "to
beget/' and is used of the father, e.g. *Aj9/mfy* cynwiprc tw
3
IffotdK (Mt. i ),
Sometimes this is followed by in and the
mother's name, e.g. cyewrja-a. 1$ air^s Tw/Scav (Tobit I 9).
yewar is also, but rarely, used of the " bearing " of children
by a woman, e.g. pla pqnjp (yonj ij^tw StSu^ous {Acta
Philippiy xi 5)'
In Jn. the verb (with one exception, 1 Jn. 5 1) is only found
in the passive ycvvao-Qat.
Sometimes this means "to be born,"
s7
e.g, o* i6 ai 18 ; cf. Mafu'a* if ft iytvv^ 'tyroife (Mt. i).
*

'

See H.

J.

Cadbury

references are due.

{Expositor, Doc. 1924, p,

432 J, to

whom

these

14 not Xdyos ff4p| iyivvm. The repeated kcu introducing

the next three clauses should be noticed.
Here we have the climax of the Johannine doctrine of
Christ as the Word. That the Son of God became man is
unmistakably taught by Paul (Rom. i* 8 a, Gal, 4* Phil. 3'' 8)
He was " manifested in the flesh " (1 Tim. 3 XB), So, also a according to Heb, 2 14 t He partook of our flesh and blood. But the
contribution of Jn. to this exalted Christology is that he expressly identifies Christ with the "Word of God," vaguely
spoken of in the Wisdom literature of the Hebrews and also in
the teaching of Philo and his Greek predecessors. The Logos
of philosophy is, Jn. declares, the Jesus of history (cf. v. 11)
and this is now stated in terms which cannot be misunderstood.
That " the Word became flesh " must have seemed a paradox
to many of those who read the Prologue to the Fourth Gospel
when it was first made public j but the form of the proposition
is deliberate.
It would have been impossible for Philo (see
Introd.,

cxli).

The heresy
Jn. (while

it is

of Docetism was always present to the mind of

most plainly in view in the First Epistle) ; the

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

20

ST.

JOHN

[L 14.

idea of Christ as a mere phantasm, without human flesh and

"Every spirit
blood, was to him destructive of the Gospel.
"
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God
s
"
(i Jn, 4 )*
But it is the deceiver and the antichrist who con7
The lofty
fess not that He is come in the flesh " (2 Jn. ).
teaching of the Prologue identifies Jesus with the Word, and
the explicit declaration that the Word becameflesh was necessary
1
characteristic feature of the
to exclude Docetic teaching.
Fourth Gospel is its frequent insistence on the true humanity
28
of Jesus. He is represented as tired and thirsty (4?* ' ; cf. 19 ).
to
His emotion of spirit is expressed in His voice (see on ii ).
He wept (n*5). His spirit was troubled in the anticipation of
His Passion (12 s7 13 31)* And the emphasis laid by Jn. on His
" flesh" and "blood " (6s3), as well as on the '\ blood and
water " of the Crucifixion scene, shows that Jn. writes thus of
Cf. also 20317
At one point (8*) Jn, attributes to
set purpose.
Jesus the use of the word Zv&pwjros as applied to Himself.
6 koym trap$ cyercro.
Here o-apf signifies man's nature as
a whole, including his rational soul (cf. 1 Thess, 5*^). Thus
the rendering here in the Old Syriac (although not in the
"
Peshitta) of <nip( hypagar* sc. " the Word became a body
a rendering known to Ephraim 3 and Aphrahat * is inadequate
and might mislead* The Logos did not became " a man," but
He became " man " in the fullest sense; the Divine Person
assuming human nature in its completeness. To explain the
exact significance of hftvero in this sentence is beyond the
powers of any interpreter.
Vjiuv*
This sentence has generally in
no.! l<j*.i\w<ftv iv
modern times been understood to mean " and He pitched His
tent among us," or dwelt among us, ^fitv referring to those who
witnessed the public ministry of Jesus, and more particularly
to those who associated with Him in daily intercourse* fr
iJfitV, on this rendering, would be equivalent to apud nos or
inter nos f a use of lv with the dative which may be defended by
mopi7 or tent is a temporary habitation, and
io1? ir61 &?;Kcixr*v might thus indicate the sojourn on earth for a brief
season of the Eternal Word* In the N,T., however, the verb
does not connote temporary sojourning in any other place where
it is found*
Origen 6 and Chrysostom * understand the clause differently.

*
1

CI Introd., p. clxx.
C Biirkitt, Ephraim* s Quotations from
Of the Resurrection, 15.

Comm,

in laann. 20, 142, 303.

* Cf, Tntrod, p. clxix.

t
the Gospel, p. 50,

THE INCARNATION

1.14.]

For them, it is parallel to the preceding clause, " the Word

became flesh," and is another statement of the Incarnation. 1
The Word took humanity as His tabernacle^ Jiorrep 6 yaos B6*v
eT^< 0ov KwrwrKifvmhrav & a^r^ {Origen, he, 202).
This would
be in harmony with Paul's great phrase vaos Beov l&rt (1 Cor,
1
3 *), and gives its proper force to h> vtfUv. Cf. Ecclus. 24* iv
'IoKii/J naTOLtFicjvwrQv, as addressed to Wisdom.
In the N,T, the verb only occurs again Rev. 7 16 i2 ia 13* and
zi\ where it is said that in the New Jerusalem God o-Kipwei
fur oww. So the prophets had foretold, e,g> Kuracmp'wtrw f
(Zech, 3 10}j mjt<u 17 KarawrjvQio'ts fiov iv
Cf. Lev, 26 11 , Ezek. 43'.
Such language
to the thought of the VKyvy or tabernacle in the

fifsr^ <rovs Xfytt Kvptos

avrots (Ezek. 37").

goes back

where Yahweh dwelt with Israel. The

verb o-Kxpovv would always recall this to a Jew. Philo says
that the sacred tncqwi was a symbol of God's intention to send
down to earth from heaven the perfection of His Divine virtue
{Quis dt'v, Mar. 23),
The language of this verse recalls Ps. Ss9 - 10 :
desert (Ex.. 25*-*),

His salvation is nigh them that fear Him,

That glory (Soa) may dwell {Karaa-KipHtitraL) in our land
Mercy (Xw) and truth (dA^eta) have met together.
Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

The connexion of Soo and the verb vKqvovv will presently

be examined more closely.
ifaafrdpefta tS)* 8iay a^TOU.
QeatrOai is never used in the
N.T. of spiritual vision, while it is used 22 times of " seeing "
with the bodily eyes. Cf, x- w 436 & 11* 1 Jn. 4 1* " (6m
0ucU

vanroT

re$arat

In toe.

rffiflt

rtOfap.tOa

Srt

irarrip

ikvitrraXxtv toy wdv), and 1 Jn. I 1 - a 8 i^paKafiit' rots 6<l>9akp.aZ$

^/liw, 8 i$<no-dff&a ktA
Neither here nor at 1 Jn. i 1 is there
+

any question of a supersensuous, mystical perception of

spiritual facts, in both passages the claim being that the
author has " seen" with his eyes (the aorist points to a definite
moment in the historic past) the manifested glory of the
Incarnate Word.
The use of the first person plural when speaking of his
Christian experience is characteristic of Jn,, and runs all through
the First Epistle (cf, 1 Jn, i 1 3 s - l* 5"- . ). He speaks not
only for himself but for his fellow-believers (cf, 3 11); and in
this passage for such of these (whether living or departed) as
1
Burkht (Ev da Mepharreshi, ii. 307) favours this mode of render*
r

21

lag the Syriac,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

22

ST.

JOHN

had been eye-witnesses of the public ministry of Jesus.

[L 1*.
(Cf.

also 2 Pet. i 17 , and see Introd, p. be).

&6a, &>auir are favourite words with Jn. (although they
are not found in the Johannine Epistles). Certain shades of

meaning must be distinguished.

As in Greek authors generally, Soa often means no more
than "honour/ and 8odfciv means "to honour greatly"; e.g.
1

But Jn. uses these words sometimes with special reference

to that Sofa which belongs to God alone, e.g* 17* recalls the
glory of the Eternal Word, According to one interpretation
11
ir") stands
(see above) of io-Kvjrwrcv b> ifrur, Sdfa here (cf. 2
for the Divine glory exhibited in the earthly life of Jesus which
was perceived by those who companied with Him, and this
must in any case be part of the meaning of i&ctwdfAe&a rrjv
ooav afiroE, The crisis of this " glorification " in Jn. is the
Passion (7* I2 1 *- 83) consummated in the Risen Life {13*^).
See especially on

13'*.

We must, at this point, recall the later Jewish doctrine of the

Shekinah or

visible dwelling of

Yahweh with His

people.

The

word njpatf, "that which dwells," is appropriated in later

Judaism to the Divine presence. When in the O.T. Yahweh is
said to dwell in a place, the Targums, to avoid anthropomorphism, preferred to say that He " caused His Shttenah to
dwell," The SkeMnah was the form of His manifestation,
which was glorious but the glory is distinct from the Shehinah,
which is used as equivalent to the Divine Being Himself. Thus
the Targum of Isa, 6oa is: "In thee the Shekinah of Yahweh
shall dwell, and His glory shall be revealed upon thee." Again,
*
I will walk among you and be your God," becomes
Lev. 26 18 ,
u I will place the glory of my Shektnah among
in the Targum
you, and my Memra shall be with you," Or again, Isa, 61 ,
" I saw the Lord," becomes in the Targum " I saw the glory
of the Lord " (see on is41). 1
Now by bilingual Jews the representation of Shektnah by
crwjkTj was natural^ and when vrcrfvovy or Karaa-KJjyovy is used in
or the Apocalypse of the dwelling
the later books of the
of God with men, the allusion is generally to the doctrine of the
Shektnah (cf. Rev. 7 1*). Accordingly, iaK-qvua-iv iv vpiv at
l$*wraftf$a tj)f ho( av avrov also carries a probable allusion to
the glory of the Shektnah which was the manifestation on earth
of God Himself. 1
;

LXX

* Cf.

Marshall in D.B.,

s.v,

"Shekiaah "

Origin, eto. t pp. 35-371 Generally in the LXX, S6a

Is

and see Bniney, Aramaic

the rendering of

-fl3|

THE INCARNATION

1.11]

(as in Fb 83*.

86av s fLovoytvovs

23

irapa. irorpos,

Sd|ar &s fioTOyeTOtls iropi va.rp6$. The glory of the Word

described as " a glory as of the Only-begotten from the
Father." Neither Son nor Father has yet been mentioned,
and the sentence is a parenthesis explanatory of the Sofa of the
Word. We may connect /wi jrarpos either (a) with fiovoyevofc
or (3) with B6$av.
If (a) t>e adopted, then we have the parallels G48 7 s* 1 6*7 1 7*, in
all of which passages Jesus says of Himself that He is irapa. Bmv
or the like, a phrase which means more when applied to Him
thus than it means in i where John Baptist has been described
as aveoraXfUwK itapk Beau, or in 9 W - aa , where the Pharisees
say that Jesus was not vapa 0eo3. But puwoyemp jrapd would
be an unusual combination, especially in Jn,, who always has
ix ftou, not irapa $&, when he wishes to say "begotten of
God " \ (cf. 1 Jn. 2* 3 4* s * * **). It is true, indeed, that the
distinctions between trapo, <taro, and e* were being gradually
obliterated in the first century, and that we cannot always
distinguish vapd from & (see on 6*"), but the point is that Jn.
never USeS mtpd with ytwa&Oai.
(3) If we connect $6av with -n-apa srarpcfe, the meaning is
41
the glory such as the only Son receives from his Father.
" No image but the
Cf. ^'^for &6av Traph. row povov Btov.
relation of a fiovoyev^ to a father can express the twofold
character of the glory as at once derivative and on a level with
its source." a
The manifested glory of the Word was as it were
the glory of the Eternal Father shared with His only Son.
Cf. 8W HJTir 6 varyp juou 6 Boogjv juc, where see note.
The word ftavoywqs is generally used of an only child (e.g.
1
Judg, ii Tob. 3* G 10 14, Lk. 7" 8ia o88, Heb.
*), the
emphasis being on /tworather than on wijs.
Thus Plato
speaks of jtwoyevfc a&pavw; {Tim, 31); and Clement of Rome
(| 25) describes the legendary bird, the phamix^ as povQyaw, S. it is the only one of its kind, unique (cf. the
of Ps 25 1*). Some of the O.L. texts {a e y) render povaywtjs
here by unicus which is the original meaning, rather than by
unigenitus, which became the accepted Latin rendering so soon
as controversies arose about the Person and Nature of Christ,
An only child is specially dear to its parents; and ftovaywqs
17
is used to translate tit in Ps. az 20,*
where we should
35
is

fl

1 '

LXX

60 1)

but in Esth. I 1 6* it represents ifl, which is the word

commonly used in the Targums.
1
So the original Nicene Creed ran, yew^PTo. 4k tov T-arpfa fiovoyevT},
!sa-

Hort, Two Ztisseriations, p. 1 3. Cf. Phil. aa if ,uop-p$ 8eoQ inrtipxwv.

Justin {Tryph. 105) associates Fa. 22" with Jn. 1", using the

term

fiopoyevJp,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

24

irXijpijs

\dpiTQ5

KttX

ST.

JOHN

[1. 14.

Conversely Ayawifrfc is used for an only son,

810. 1 And in every place where Jn. has
ie lB w i
Jn. 4*,
,
3
povttyarfs (except perhaps in this verse), viz, i
we might substitute, as Kattenbusch has pointed out s Ayamfros
for it, without affecting the sense materially.*
At this point, however, the meaning is clear. The glory
of the Incarnate Word was such glory as the only Son of the
Eternal Father would derive from Him and so could exhibit
to the faithful.
expect ^yam^ros*

Gen. 32 a ;

cf.

Amos

If KaX l&c<arap.$a . . jrarpos

ir\^pT[ft x<fptT05 sal d\if|0ttas.
parenthetical, as we take it to be, then arXijpijs is in
apposition to Aoyos at the beginning of the verse, and the
construction is regular and simple. If the adj, irXvjpijs were
M Mt. 14* is*7 ,
always treated as declinable (as it is, e.g., Mk. 8
construction
of the
possible
Acts 6*), this would be the only
is

passage.
often treated as indeclinable by scribes,
the papyri;* and it is possible,
therefore y to take it in the present passage (the only place where
it occurs in Jn.) as in apposition either to Sdfav or to atrov or
reads
fLovoy&ow in the previous line* For irAifrn^ here
trk/jpiq, which apparently was meant by the scribe to be taken
with $a(av> Turner has shown 4 that Irenseus, Athanasius,
Chrysostom, and later Greek Fathers did not connect mXi^ng*
with 6 K6yo% but (generally) with Sofav, And the Curetonian
Syriac (Syr. sin. is deficient at this point) will not permit nX-ypn^
oAtypip,

however,

in the N.T., the

is

LXX, and

s
to be taken with \oyos.
On the contrary, Origen seems to favour the connexion
8
The OX. (followed by
of &-Ai$pijc with A0707 or /lovoymfc.
vulg.) has plenum in apposition with verbum; and internal
evidence seems to favour this construction, despite the authority
of most Greek Fathers. For to speak of the glory of Christ as
is not as intelligible as to
being "full of grace and truth
speak of Christ Himself being irXijpijs xapirof *al akvfictasy
8
cf* Acts 6 , Src^apoc m-Aiflpiys YapiTos ko.1 oWa/xctu?, and for this
constr. of TAifpijs as descriptive of a man's quality, see Acts
1

See J, A, Robinson, Eph*sian$ p. 229

* See 2>.CG &>v. " Only-Begotten "
and for a different line of
reasoning reaching the same conclusion, cf, Harris, Bulletin of John
Rylands Library, July 1922.
* See Hort, Select Readings, p. 34
Turner,
Blass, Grow., p. Si
J.T.S., i&qq, p. I3i f., and i9j p. 5&* for many examples,
* J.T.S 1S99, P. 123 f- 1900, p. 561.
Soe Bnrkitt, J.T>S., 1900, p. 562,
* See Origen* Comm, in Iwtnn., ed. Brooke, iL 219, 220.
t

GRACE AND TRUTH

I.14J
53. e

AA^flefas.

25

^w I1

Furtherj in v, 16 the Trkrjp&jia from which

Christians receive grace is that of Christ Himself, which shows
that rXypyt here refers to Him.
The problem is one of grammar rather than of exegesis,
for on any rendering grace and truth are specified as characteristic attributes of the Incarnate Word, or of His manifestation of Himself in the world. These two words x*p i* an^
dAi?0a must now be examined.
The characteristically Christian word x^P'* aoes rLt appear
in Jn. except at i u * 18 * ", in the Prologue, It is never placed
in the mouth of Jesus by any evangelist (except in the sense of
thanks, Lk. 6 aa * M 17 8), and is not used at all by Mk. or Mt. In
Lk. it is applied occasionally to the special favour of God to
individuals (i w 2W as) f as it is several times in the
{e.g
Gen. 6s). But its Christian use as grace is derived from Paul, 1
who habitually employs it to designate the condescending love
of God in redemption, as contrasted with the legalism of the
Mosaic economy (Rom* 5 s1 6 1* andfassim) ; and the influence of
Paul's terminology appears in Acts (e.g. 20s* to tvayyikunr
ls
So we have
t^s xap tT s tov $tov) f Heb. xo**, 1 Pet, i ? etc.
in
the
specially
Christian
sense
in
Barnabas, 5, and
X&pu
Ignatius {Magn* 8), and thenceforth in all Christian writers.
But Jn. never uses x4"f except here and w, 16, iy t and this
is an indication of the faithfulness with which the primitive
Christian phraseology is preserved in the Fourth Gospel. He
does not even speak of the grace of God, when he writes ^ydwtj<r<v
16
6 0eo? tov Koa-ftov fe ), although what Paul meant by xd.pt* is
behind his thought.
On the other hand, AAiJfleta is one of the keywords of the
Fourth Gospel The question of Pilate, "What is truth?"
It was the purpose of Christ's
(18 s8) has received its answer.
mission that He should "bear witness to the truth" (iS 37 ;
cf. 5 M).
The Word of the Father which He came to proclaim is
truth (17 8). He emphasises the truth of His pronouncements
7
46
to His disciples (16 ) and to the multitude (S ). He is " a man
that hath told you the truth " (840). Truth came through Him
1
17
(i ); He is *' full of truth " (i *); He is the Truth itself (14).
So He will send the Spirit of truth (i$ 2 * 14 17 cf. 1 Jn. 4* 5'), who
1B
Christ's disciples
is to guide the faithful into all the truth (1
)
"
will " know the truth, and the truth shall make them free
1
"
he that doeth the truth cometh to the light" (f ;
(&*);
cf, 1 Jn, 1*); and Christ's prayer for His chosen is that they

LXX

1
note on x4pk
J. A. Robinson (Ephesians, p. 224), in a valuable
does not think that Paul introduced tie word in its new sense to the
Christian vocabulary, but that he did much to develop its use,
especially in connexion with the extension of the Gospel to the Gentiles.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

26

ST,

JOHN

[X 14.

"sanctified in the truth" (17"- u). Every one that

s8
is of the truth hears His voice (18 ).
The word dAigtf occurs 25 times in the Gospel and 20
times in the Johannine Epp., while it is only found 7 times in the
Synoptists and not at all in the Apocalypse. The distribution
of oX^flijs and &krj8&s is similar, while that of \i/0w<fc (see on
v, 9) is somewhat different, as it is common in the Apocalypse.
These figures show that the idea of Truth is dominant with Jn., 1
and that the truth of Christ's teachings is one of his deepest
convictions.
He represents Christ as claiming to teach and to
be the Truth; and although the Synoptists do not dwell upon
it, yet this feature of Christ's claim appears in their account of
His controversy with the Pharisees at Jerusalem during the last
week of His public ministry (Mk. 12 14 , Mt, aa", Lk. 2021 ).
" We know," they said* " that thou art true, and teachest the
way of God in truth "; i.e. they began by a verbal recognition
of the claim that He had made for Himself, a claim directly
recorded by Jn. alone. While then, the emphasis laid in the
Fourth Gospel upon the truth of Christ's teaching is partly due
to the circumstances in which the book was produced, and the
desire of Jn. to assure his readers not only of the spiritual beauty
but also of the solid foundations of Christian doctrinej we need
not doubt that it gives a representation faithful to historical
fact, when it describes Jesus as Himself claiming to be the
Ambassador and Revealer of the Truth. In the Galilaean
discourses we should not expect to find this topic prominently
brought forward, and the Synoptists are mainly occupied with
Galilee,
But when they bring Jesus to the critical and intellectual society of Jerusalem, they indicate that His claims to
the possession of absolute truth had been noticed by those who
wished to disparage and controvert His teaching.
Various explanations have been offered of the combination
" grace and truth " as the two pre-eminent attributes of the
As we have seen, grace is what Jn, prefers to
Incarnate Logos
describe as love {God's love descending on men), and truth
brings light (cf, Ps. 43 s)); accordingly some exegetes refer
back to v. 4, where the Divine life issues in light, But even

may be

>

if

we

equate x&P t<s with

dydrnf,

we cannot equate

it

with wj

further Jn. does not represent iX^Bm as issuing from

Rather are xP l*
d\iJ0*ia co-ordinate.
X<*p.
The combination is found again in v. x7j where grace and
truths which came through Christ* are contrasted with the Zazv,
which was given through Moses. In the O.T. x*7"s and
d\ij0a are not explicitly combined, but IXeos and AXy&tia
occur often in combination as attributes of Yahweh (Ps. 4011
1 As it is with Paul (cf,
% Thesa, a").

and

^d

14r-15.]

PRE-MUNDANE EXISTENCE OF THE WORD 27

15. ItoavTj? jLapTvpci vtpt <rfr kcli xtupayw Xiywv OEtgs fjv
bv tlirav "O owitrto y.mt ipxppcvos IpzrpovBiv fAOV y4yava>t ort wpSrros

89"; cf. Ex, 34*), and in Ps. 61 7 as attributes of the Messianic

King, As we have seen above (p. 21), the meeting of tXeos
and dAqftun is associated in Ps. Sf* 10 with the dwelling
(*araovojjwai) in the Holy Land of the Divine S6a, And it
is to this passage in the Psalter, more than to any other passage
in the G.T., that the words and thoughts of Jn. i 14 are akin.
The idea of the Divine compassion (&s)> of which the O.T* is
full, is enlarged and enriched in the N,T by the idea of Divine
t

gTace

GeW)*

The Baptises witness

the

to the pre -mundane existence

Word

of

(v. 1$)

15. The verse is parenthetical, interpolating at this point

the Baptist's witness to the pre-existence of Christ, which has
been implied in v 14.
ILupTupti, the historic present.
What John said is, and
remains, a witness to the pre-mundane dignity of Christ.

" and he hath cried aloud "; his voice was

sounding when the Fourth Gospel was written. For
k/kv, see on 7 2a
x*D om, Xiywv after K&ipayty.
ofi-ros*
See on i a .
afl-ro? 1\v
tv Etirw, ** this was He of whom I spake }> \ cf.
8 OT to36 for the constr. tv ttirov. At v. 30 we have the more
usual vvtp o5 ttirov*
The awkwardness of the constr. is
responsible for variant readings,
<rw is read by a B*C*,
but this is impossible; tv dvov is found in s flbAB 3 DL, and
must be accepted despite the inferiority of its attestation, 8
gal K^KpayeK,

still

6k

etirw.

It

would seem from

all

four Gospels that the

Coming One " (o ^go/i***?) before he

had identified Him with Jesus, The terms of John's proclamation are repeated in v, 30, almost verbally, and must be placed
Baptist proclaimed

the

We

beside the Synoptic forms.

have seen on v. 6 above that the
correspondences between Jn, and Mk. as to the Baptist's witness are very close; 3 and it is clear that at this point fy-npwte*
uw y^tokv is intended by Jn* to express what Mk. (and also
Mt., Lk.) meant by ia-xvp6rtp6s fum (see also on v. 27), Thus
ijtorpotrBw does not indicate priority in time as at 3 s8 (that is
1

Cf.

compare

Augustine (de pecc. mer. ii. 31), who notes that when you
u with Ps. 85 10 you have to substitute gratia for
Jn. i
,

mi&ericordia.
1
See further, for the variants, Abbott, Dial, tyyja.
8 See
Introd,, p. ci.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

28
funt

fjv.

6.

in

ST.

avrw

Ik tov wXrjpwftaTtK

JOHN

qjiei?

[JL

vdWce

15-ie,

i\a.fjop.fi>,

xal \dfMV <brt ydpcror

koI

brought out in the next clause), but in dignity as at Gen, 48s0,

where it is said that Jacob made Ephraim fyvpQ&Btv tov
Mavounr^ t( He that comes after me has come-to-be before
me " (cf. 6** for a like use of yiyavc)
This is a Johannine addition to the
<Sn irpdr&s fiou fy.
Synoptic proclamation of the Baptist. It has been rendered
(d) To render Trp&ros pov as " my
in two different ways,
Chief," " my Superior," is defensible, and Abbott {Diet. 2665)
But " He
cites some authorities for a similar use of vpSyros.
was my Chief " would be a tame addition to the great saying,
" He that cometh after me is preferred before me." (3) The
r

usual interpretation treats irpwros as equivalent to wporcpos,

" He was before me," sc* in His pre-Incarnate life, although He
was bom into the world six months after the Baptist. The
verb fy favours this (cf. 8ffl and w 1, 2, 4, 10 above), n-pSros
18
fiov3 then, is parallel to -rrpSmur vp,Sv at 15 , in both cases npSiTos
meaning anterior. This use of a superlative for a comparative
may be supported by classical examples, e,g Xenophon,
Mem, 1. n. 46 Siwdraras cravrov rnvra yvBo) and we may
compare Justin, Apol. i. ia r where oh j&uriXtMuTuTor mu
*
dmaioraTov . , . ovBhra otBafitv means
than whom we know
no one more regal and just." On this rendering of npJtro?
**
because He was before me," Jn. ascribes to the Baptist a
knowledge of Christ's Pre-existence, which it is improbable
that he had realised. But it is quite in the manner of Jn. to
attribute to the Baptist that fuller understanding of Christ's
Person which was not appreciated even by the apostles until
after His Resurrection (see on v. 29).
'

CHRIST THE GIVER OF GRACE

16-17.]

<LVij0*ta

17. ort b vap/os Sta

oiefc *l q<Tcm
,

MariWws

29
e&frty,

ij

X^P W

Xpicrrov cyefcra.

wider than that of l8cet(rapA$a in v. 14, where the

of contemporary witnesses of the public ministry of
Jesus. It is, however, not only they who receive of His fulness,
but every true believer,
TrXypwfia 1 does not occur again in Jn., but is used in the
same way of the " fulness " of Christ at Eph. 418, Col. i u . The
thought of Eph, i M that the Church is His vX-qp^pa is a different
one; cf.also Rom. 1^. See p. cxsxvii,
*al xtfpw &rn x<jhtqs.
&vt does not appear again in
Jn. ; it is a preposition which was going out of use in the first
century,
Chrysostom understands the sentence to mean that Christians have received the higher x*W of Christ in exchange for
the x*W of the law, " for even the things of the law were of
grace," If this were the meaning intended, viz, that the lesser
favour were replaced by the greater, there is a parallel to the
thought in Philo, who says that God always limits His first
favours (tol* trp&Taz x&p&m)? and then bestows others in their
stead (d Was dvri iraXatoTcpwv, de post. Catnip 43). But the
S)int of v. 17 is that xpw did not come through the Mosaic
w, the word being explicitly confined to the grace of Christ
&d{3op.ct> is

thought

(see

is

on v.

14).

A better suggestion is that of J,

A. Robinson, 3 viz. that fati

implies correspondence rather than substitution here, and that
the idea is that the x&pi% which the Christian receives corresponds to the source of the y&pvz in Christ, 3
17. The paratactic construction (see p. Ixxix) is unmistakable; we should expect 6 rdjtos pkv
.
.
17 x*P L* S* Ka\ 17
.

Explanation of v. 14: Christ the Giver of grace

3n introduces w. 16,
planatory of v* 14, and v. 17 elucidating
here read by BC*DL $$, and must be
16.

An

(vv* 16, 17)

17, v. 16 being exv. 16 further.

<Ste is

preferred to the rec.

**U (AW@),which is probably due to scribes not understanding
that v. 15 is a parenthesis.
oTt
ton ir\ijfK%tvros cri-roC ktV
The Incarnate Word is
indeed " full " of grace and truth, for (on) out of His tc fulness " we have all received. Stephen is described (Acts 6*) as
irXriprfs ^dptros as well as his Master, although In a lesser

degree; but he was only one of many disciples of whom this

might be said,
%kI* mpTs iXctpofLCK, "we, all of us," ijjtiew being prefixed for emphasis,

'.*.

all

Christian disciples.

The

subject of

5\rfttia ktA.
In v. 16

the evangelist exults in the " grace for grace,"

the grace after grace, which all believers have received in
Christ. This is, indeed, in marked contrast with the spiritual
condition of those who were ** under the law," as Paul would
have expressed it, for it is pre-eminently through Christ that
" grace " comes into play. x4p ts * s never spoken of in the
as a privilege of the Jew, and the contrast between law
and grace is a master-thought of Paul (Rom. 4ta 614 - **, Gal. f),
*..

LXX

1
For rXifchTjua, see Ughtfoot, Cclossians, p. 253 f., and J. A,
Robinson, Ephesians, p, 255
1 Ephesians,
p. 223,
* The
of Zech, j* has the difficult phrase fobrrrra x&pws
X^ptra afrrijij but the resemblance to x&P tv &wl xfy"'*'* here seems to be

LXX

only verbal.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

30

1 8,

0cov

ST.

JOHN

[L 17-18*

ovficts iit>p*Kv irunr&rt*

JiOfOytVlJSj OSj

Here it is explicit; it had become a Christian commonplace by

the time that the Prologue came to be written, but Jn, never
returns to it in the body of his Gospel.
The contrast is between vo^os and x*P L<s* as * n Paul, but
Kal t) dXiJ^fLO. was added by Jn. after x<W tne two having
been combined in v. 14, The thought of the freedom which
truth brings appears again at 8sa s and &\*/j&tia. is very apposite
here.
Its addition to x*P ts * s Jn *' s contribution to Paul's
contrast of law and grace. It is not that the Mosaic law was
not true, as far as it went but that the truth of Christ emancipates the believer from the bondage of the law.
That the law was given through Moses is repeated 7 ie
Ba
{cf. 6 )j but the grace and ike truth {rj dA.ij0<La
cf. 14*) came
through Jesus Christ. Moses was only the mediator through
whom God gave the law; but Christ is Himself the source of
grace and truth.
The full historical name "Jesus Christ " appears here for
the first time in Jn,
It was not used by the contemporaries of
Jesus in His public ministry, and is only found in the Synoptists
i 1 Mt, i 1
It appears again Jn. 17 3 , and also 1 Jn, i B a 1 S3 4 a
m In the Acts it occurs a 38 3* 4 1* io36 i6 ur five times in3 the
$ t
Apocalypse, and often in Paul (see Introd., p. cxxxvi).
;

Mk

The Logos

Hymn concluded
God

The Logos

the Revealer of

fa. iS)

That God is invisible to the

was a fundamental principle of Judaism (Ex, 33 s0
Deut. 4ia). The Son of Sirach asks, rts lopantv o&tqv koI
B1
iKBiijyTjtrcTOLt. ; (Ecclus. 43 ), to which Jn, supplies the answer
^yijo-aro
at
the
here (cf,
end of the verse), Philo, as a good
Jew, has the same doctrine, God is &.6paxo^ {de post. Catnip 5),
even though Moses in a sense may be called fleoirrqs {de tnui*
mm. s), and the name " Israel " means uir uidens deum (see
on 1 s1 below). 1 (So/kltos is applied to God in like manner. Col,
1", 1 Tim, i" "
;
18. Qt&v oOBflis iupaKtv Trdirore,

bodily eye

The doctrine that God is invisible is not, indeed, peculiar to

Hebrew thought; cf. the verse from the Orphic literature
quoted by Clement Alex. {Strom,

v, 12)

qvB4
tltropaq, BvTjTfiiVi
1

THE LOGOS THE REVEALER OF GOD

LIS*]

TW

avrav

aiuro? &c ye irdvTQ,^

See Drammond's Philo Jud&us,

See Introd., p, cxxxviii.

opdrau

6 &V

E($

31

TOP k6\tTOV TOV IlftTpOS,

But we incline to a Hebrew origin

a Greek.

for the Prologue, rather than

Jn, is specially insistent on the doctrine that God is invisible.

Cf. s*7 outc tSos avrov Aupaxarc, and (a passage closely parallel
h Ew wapa TOV 6tav
to I 1*) 6**, ov)( ort tov iraTepa eatpaKev tis, f I
oSros cupaxcv tov Traripa.
See note on 147 , and cf. I Jn, 4 12 a0
In the Greek Bible irwir&r* always occurs with a negative.
30
s7
s5
33
Jn, has it again 5 6 8 , 1 Jn, 4"; cf. also Lk. ro
fioroyetf|g 6ei$.
This is the reading of KBC*L 33 (the best
of the cursives), Peshitta, Clem, Alex., Origen, EpiphaniuSj etc.,
while the rec. o povoytvip vl6s is found in all other uncials
(D is lacking from v. 16 to 3") and cursives, the Latin vss.
and Syr. cur. (Syr. sin. is lacking here) Chrysostom and the
Latin Fathers generally.
exhaustive examination of the
textual evidence was made by Hort, 1 and his conclusion that
the true reading is /Aovoyenjs 0eos has been generally accepted.
There can be no doubt that the evidence of MSS., versions,
,

'

An

and Fathers

is

overwhelmingly on

this side.

occurs again in Jn. only at i 14 3 W u , 1 Jn. 4*,

and in the last three instances in connexion with vtas, so that
the tendency of scribes would be to replace the more difficult
0tds here by the more familiar vlost as they have done ; while
there would be no temptation to replace vl6^ by 0s, /wvoymfc
05s * was an expression adopted by Arius and Eunomius as
freely as by the orthodox Catholics, so that its occurrence in
a Gospel text would hardly have been used for polemical
purposes by either party.
It is an expression unfamiliar to
the modern ear, and is therefore hard of acceptance by any to
whom the cadence "only begotten Son" seems inevitable.
However, it is probable although the patristic testimony does
not altogether favour this view that porowift is not to be
taken as an adjective qualifying 0fa, but tnat partycr^ fleds,
4 ftp ls rik fciXirok- tou Trarpds are three distinct designations of
Him who is the Exegete or Interpreter of the Father (cf.
Abbott, Diai, 1938),
That the Word is 0fe (not o B*6?) has already been stated
without qualification in v. 1, In v. 14 His glory is said to be
like the glory which a /xo^oyev^s receives from his father, which
prepares the way for giving Him the title of ^oroyo'ifc. This
title suggests that relation of Christ to God T as the Son to the
juovoytfvijs

Twq

Dissertations (1876), the

most valuable

of commentaries

gn

Jn. r".
ii.

9, 306.

is cited by Harris from the Orphic literature aa a

Persephone {Bulletin of John Rylands Library, July, 1922).

fLQvvoy&cta 6e&

title of

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

32

ST,

JOHN

[J- 18,

Father, which has not yet been mentioned, but which is prominent in the Fourth Gospel. And, finally (as is also suggested
by futvoyw^t see on v, 14 above), this relation is one of eternal
^s tov koXwov tov
love.
The Word may be described as o

We

translate, therefore
*'

God hath no man seen at any time:

The Only-Begotten, who is God, who
This

Father's bosom,
is He who revealed

dwells in the

God."

Jn. generally Begins such a sentence with

s2
is put first for special emphasis; cf. 3
18 r aa where similarly ouSet's is not put in the forefront.
6
3 TS
" The wife of one's bosom" is a phrase,
te t&f KiXiroK
ia
used in many languages, for " beloved wife." Cf- Num.
Deut. 1 3** The metaphor is even applied to friendship between
fabr o68et$

ovSets,
SS
I

jctX.

but here Omv

e.g. Cicero (ad Fam. Ep. xiv, 4. 3), " Cicero

meus quid aget ? iste uero sit in sinu semper et complexu meo,"
and Plutarch, Cato minor 33 Jin*, Tafttvtov AjA.ov, v

man and man;

Hence

&r <k tov koAhw

merpar expresses the intimate

;

neither in the Greek Bible nor in Greek literature generally

(Abbott, Diat. 27r2), the more usual constr. being tv t k6X.v^
(as at 13 23 , which does not, however, help us).
It is possible
that cfc is used here in the same sense as iv (cf. 1913), as it often
1
is in Mk.
on the Other hand, ffiv tls ray k&ttov tov varpos
recalls h A^yos fy *-pos rbv B*6v (v, 1), where Trpcfc may carry a
sense of direction (see note in loc^).
Ignatius has a phrase which may be reminiscent of v. 18,
viz. Ti7<roSv XpiffTPF tw &<f> Ivos TTttrpos TrpQ*k@6vT<jL kqI eh kva SvTfl
see on 13 s
recti xvpyov-vra (Magn. 7)
For i
us rov koXttov tov Trarpos, Harris a appositely quotes
to Heavenly Beauty 1
Spenser's

Hymn

" There

in His bosome Sapience doth sit,

the soueraine dearling of the Deitie "

where Spenser seemingly identifies the oo^ta of the Sapiential

Books of the O.T. with the Xdy of the NT.
See Turner, J.T.S., Oct. 1924, p. 14,
*Bitfktin of John Rylands Library, July 1922*

TO COMING ONE

33

JjceTyos l^ir/Yfraro.

imams H^y^oam. For UtZvos, see on v. 8 here it is very

"It is He who interpreted (the Father)." The
object of iy]yTj<raTQ is not stated, but it is not doubtful.
It was
God as Father that He who was "in the bosom of the Father "
revealed to men. The aorist indicates a particular period in
;

emphatic:

time, #, that of the life of Christ on earth.

ifify*r&u is used elsewhere in the NT* by Lk. alone (Lk.
34", Acts 10s is 12 - 2I 1*), and in the sense of "to rehearse/'
for the benefit of others, words or incidents of sacred significance. It is the verb technically used in Greek literature of
a declaration or exposition of Divine mysteries (see Wetstein
for many examples).
Thus, in Job a8 2 * it is said that God

" declared " (^yijcmTo) wisdom, which was otherwise hidden

from man; and the official interpreters of dreams in Gen.
41 8*

M are called cfyyvral.

Here we have the climax of the Prologue* The significance

of the doctrine of the Logos is expressed in two words, ekcivos
" It is He who interpreted the Father/' In v.
17
has been affirmed that "the truth came through Jesus

*fvyii<TQ,

relationship of love between the Son and the Father the Word
shares in the secrets of Deity* &v stands for eternal being
(cf 8s* and Rev- 1*) j It is the relation between Son and Father
prior to the Incarnation, that is in the writer's thought.
ere rhv fcoXvov, without a verb of motion^ occurs elsewhere

BAPTIST'S WITNESS AS

18-10]

it

and the highest form of truth is the knowledge of God.

declared with a precision which could only be exhibited by One whose dwelling was *' in the bosom of the
Father." ** What He hath seen and heard, of that He beareth
Christ,"

This

He

Cf. Mt. u Lk. io aa

words of the Prologue (v. r8) set out briefly the
theme of the Gospel which is to follow. It is the <ify^r or
Exhibition to the world of God in Christ. 1

witness "

The

(3**).

last

PART L

(L 19-IV. 54 and

The Baptises witness as

This

to the

VI.).

Coming One

(I,

19-38)

the beginning of the Gospel, as distinct from

the Prologue, and it opens, as Mk. does, with the witness of
John the Baptist, differing, however, from Mk. in that the
Baptism of Jesus is already over, reference being made to it
at w, 32, 33.
The indications of time in cc. 1, 2 are remarkable and
precise.
If the incident described w. 19-28 is dated Day i. t
then Day ii, (iravptw) is taken up with w. 29-34.
Again,
19.

is

VOL.

I.

See Introd., p. cxlv.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

34
ro,

avrw

ST.

JOHN

[I.

10*

paprrvpta, tqv *l*advov, ore affeoTtiXar irpoz

'UptxroXvpwv Upth ko.1 \tv<tras Tva tptarrjirtotrtv

avr6v

Kai aunj JurV ^

ot "IorSatot i$

Then, if
to v. 39,
Day iii, extends from v. 35
we read vptiit for Trp&rav {see note in loc^ at v. 41, the incident
Day v. extends from v. 43
of w. 40-42 belongs to Day iv.
(Itto&pwv) to the end of the chapter. ^ Nothing is told of
rj} i-pcr^) is the day of the
Day vi., but Day vii, (rg
Marriage at Cana (see further on 2 1). That is, the Gospel
opens with the detailed report of a momentous week.
kt\. " Now the witness of John is this . . ,"
xal fttfri]
ofn? being the predicate of identification, and rat referring
back to v. 7 or v. 15, where John's witness has been mentioned.
have now a threefold testimony of John, given on three
consecutive days (w. 19, 39, 35), the first being the announcement of the Coming One, the second the designation of Jesus as
He who was to come, and the third having as its consequence
the following of Jesus by two of John's disciples. The particularity of detail points to the story coming ultimately from
an eye-witness, probably from John the son of Zebedee, whose
reminiscences lie behind the Fourth Gospel (see on vv. 35, 40).
For the idea of paprvpU in Jn., cf. Introd., p. xci, and see on
(i-mvpiov)

ww

Mv

We

v. 7.

So BC* $$ but
add jrp. nMv after

3ti fariirntkav irp&s ftUT&v ol 'touBatoi ktX.

KOL&W

ora

TTpos avi-oK,

fatn* 13

John the Baptist was now carrying on his ministry, and

work had aroused intense interest (Lk. 3 15). It was natural
that the Sanhedrim (see on 7 s21) should send representatives to
inquire into his purpose and personal claims, John the Baptist's
father being a priest, his activities would be of special interest
his

whole priestly order. Accordingly the authorities at

Jerusalem sent t( priests and Levites," a combination that does
not occur again in the N.T, Levites are mentioned elsewhere
and Jn. does not employ the term
only at Lk. io M , Acts 48e
Uptvs again, although he often has apxuptw.
The use of this term in Jn. is remarkable.
ol *Pou8<uol.
Except in the phrase, " the King of the Jews/ the Synoptists
to the

B
a
only use the word 'louSeubs live times (Mt. 28**, Mk. i 7 ,
s
&1
while
it
occurs
than
times
in
When
more
Lk. 7 23 ),
70
Jn.
"
Jn. refers to the social or religious customs of " the Jews
a
M
9
1 6~ 4
19**- *), he does not exclude Galilseans,
{e.g. 2* u 4 5
7 1i
who were at one in religion and habits of life with the inhabitants
of Judaea. But he generally means by " the Jews," the people
of Judsea and particularly of Jerusalem, the scene of so large a
The Fourth Gospel is pre-eminently the
part of his narrative
>

BAPTIST'S WITNESS AS

1. 1ft]

$v

Tis ct;

TO COMING ONE

35

20. koi <hfLo\6yy<rtv koX ovk tJ/jjtJouto, k&\ wpv\6-

story of the rejection of Jesus by these " Jews," who were

deeply imbued with national sentiment, intensely conservative
in religious matters, bigoted and intolerant in their pride of
race (cf. 5 10). Their popular leaders were the Pharisees, and
we find from v. 24 that the commission of inquiry about John
the Baptist's doings had been sent by them. In v. 19 01 'Wato*
are not to be distinguished from ot *qpnrtuoi of v. 24. It is the

" Jews " and the " Pharisees " who are represented throughout
the Fourth Gospel as especially the opponents of Jesus and His
claims.

In one passage (641 "**), indeed, objectors who appear from

the context to have been Galileans are explicitly called "the
Jews/' perhaps because they represented the Jewish party of
hostility; but see note in loc.
In the present verse, there is no
doubt that ol 'louSatot are the leaders of religious thought in
Jerusalem.
*f

*icpmMjuw

The

Hebrew vh&TP

transliterated

is

ItpovaaXitP in the LXXj whence we have " Jerusalem." Tins

Srimitive form of the name is not found in Mt. (except 23 s7
),
Ik., or Jn. f while it is nearly always used by Lk and always
,
in
21*the Apocalypse (3"
of the New Jerusalem).
The Hellenised form 'ItpotjoXv/Aa came into vogue about
100 B,c, and is the form usually employed in the Books of the
Maccabees (cf. 3 Mace, f) and in Josephus. It is generally
treated as a neuter plural, but in Mt. a a and Tob.
144 it appears
as a feminine singular, perhaps bebg taken to represent " the
t

sacred Solvma."

This is the form Qlepotrokvpa, as

plural) which is always used in Jn*, as well as in Mt.
See further on a*8,

a neuter
and Mk.

tpttT^trufnp nfrroV, " that they should interrogate him."

They asked him, lb tl* d ; "Who are you?" not meaning
thereby to ask him his name or parentage, for that his father
was Zacharias the priest must have been well known to the
authorities.
But they meant to ask him who he claimed to be,
and he understood their meaning, for he disclaimed at once any

pretence of being the Christ.*

For the answer given by Jesus to the

see8 tt

it;
*

same

question. 2i

tA

Westoott-Hort do not adopt the rough breathing, "as due

to
association with Up6s" ;
but see MouJton-Mflligan, s.v

false

LcfHMr&Kujta.

"For the vagueness, and also the prevalence, of the expectation

the first century that a divinely appointed leader, popularly
called
Messiah, should appear, see G. F. Moore in The Beginnings oj
Ckhstiin

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

36

ST.

JOHN

[I,

19-41.

L 21-22]
farcKpffly

BAPTIST'S WITNESS AS

05,

22. iTirav ovv

av has been

used with extraordinary frequency in

Abbott,
Jn., his tendency being to lay stress on personality (cf.
Diat. 1726, 240a).
30, tm\ (&^oXoyijfft^ Kftl o3k T/p^ffaro not &^oXiyif|ff^ a good
example ofparataxis, or the habit of using co-ordinate sentences
conjoined by k<u, which is so marked a feature of Jn.'s style.
See above on v. 10.

The pronoun

to

trt!

is

The alternation of affirmative and negative statements, so as

make explicit what is meant, is also thoroughly Johannine;

cf* 1

Jn.

a*-

a7
.

See above on

v. 3.

not," cf, Josephus, Anti. vi.

SaoSXos SS )5ik*iv utfiokoyet kvu t^v S.fiapria.v ovk rfpvv.ro.
1G
3
4S 1
Jn. has A^oXoy& again 9** i2
Jn. 1* a* 4*
John the Baptist is bold and direct in his reply to them,
{
not
saying iyb dOk ipl A XpumS?, *y< being emphatic,
1
the Christ/ the form of his answer suggesting that they might
15
have to reckon -with the Christ, nevertheless. Lk. (3 ) tells
in like manner of John's disclaimer, which is mentioned again
s5
M
3 below (cf. also Acts 13 ).
So
iyk ovk ctjta'
33; rec. has ovk ttfd iy6
(C9). In c. 1, the Baptist's use of fyS is a feature of tie
narrative (w. 23, 26, 27, 30, 31, 33), his distinctive rninistry
being thus brought into clear view.
Jn. dwells with special emphasis on the acceptance by John
the Baptist of a ministry quite subordinate to that of Jesus
41
a& -80
Disciples of the Baptist had been found
(cf. 3
5 Wf io ).
Ephesus
(Acts icj*" 7 ) and there is some evidence that
by Paul at
by the end of the first century a Baptist community was pro-

With "confessed and denied

Vli. 4,

7am

KABOLW

there, whose members offered allegiance to their founder

rather than to Christ. As late as the middle of the third
century, the Clementine Recognitions mention such a sect
magistrum suum
explicitly: " ex. discipulis Johannis qui
1
The necesueluti Christum praedicarunt " (i. 54 and 60)
Baptist
in Ephesus
the
claims
made
for
such
of
refuting
sity
and its neighbourhood sufficiently explains the importance
which the Fourth Gospel attaches to John the Baptist's confession, "lain not the Christ."
The argumentative ri avv
31, Kal t\p&rr\<ra.v afaSv, Ti ofo j
quid ergo? appears in Rom. 615 7 .
The variants are puzzling. B has av ovv rt; which can
hardly be right; tfL om. otJ; C* 33 insert <rv before *HAire
with the Latin vss. have *H Acios et av. Perhaps
while

minent

ACTA

1 Cf.

Lightfoot, Cotossians, p. 401

nung Ttc

TO COMING ONE

tlj iva

awOKpurw

3;

&fi* v

tow

interpolated from the next clause ; it is not

omit it, with Tischendorf,

necessary for the sense.

accordingly.

We

*K\etas I ;
There was a general belief that Elijah would
return to earth to prepare the way of the Messiah. This was
11
founded on Mai. 4s
In
# 9
it is mentioned, as commonly
recognised, that * Elijah must first come " (cf. Mk. 6 15 $&
and parallels). His mission was to be the establishment of
order (Mk. g 12), as is also explained in the Mishna. 1 Justin
quotes (Tryph. 8) Jewish doctrine to the effect that Messiah
was to be hidden until pointed out and anointed by Elijah.
In a sense, John the Baptist was the Elijah of Jewish tx*
pectation, and so Jesus declared (Mt. it 1*; cf. Lk. i 1
*), but in
the sense in which the Jewish emissaries put the question, " Art
thou Elijah ? " the true answer was No; for, while the Baptist
fulfilled the preliminary ministry of which Malachi
had spoken,
he was not Elijah returned to earth in bodily form,*
A -irpo^TT)? et <nJ ; This was another alternative.
The Jews
held that not only Elijah, but others of the great prophets,
would return before Messiah's appearance. Cf. 2 Esd, 2 17
" For thy help will I send my servants Isaiah and Jeremiah,",
a passage which may be pre-Christian. One of the rumours
about Jesus during His Galilaean ministry was that He was
*
Jeremiah or one of the prophets " (ML 16"; cf. Mk. S*8).
See 9" below. But more specific than this expectation of the
return of one of the older prophets was the expectation of one
who was pre-eminently " the prophet," whose corning was
looked for on the ground of Deut. 18 16
This idea is not in the
Synoptists, but appears three times in Jn, (i 21 6 14 7* ). Christian exegesis from the beginning (Acts 2B 7") found the fulfil3
ment of Deut. 18 1* in the Christ; but pre-Christian, i.e. Jewish,
comment distinguished "the prophet like unto Moses " from
the Messiah, as is clear from the present passage and from
7*>; see on 6s1
To the question, lt Art thou the prophet? ri
the only answer was No, for the Jews were mistaken in distinguishing 6 Trpo^Jnjs a ipxpjjLcvos from the Christ, whose herald
John was.
,

Mk

3k

"And

ofr rtX.,
so they said to him, Who are
avv is a favourite connecting particle in the Fourth
seldom expressing logical sequence, but generally
historical transition only (as in Homer).
It occurs 195 times,
rfirtiK

"
Gospel,

you

Biujotht viii

156.

quoted by Schurer, Hist, of Jewish People,

Cf Headlam, Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ,

+

p. r66.

11,

ii

'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

38

irip\jra(Ttv

r t^

ST.

JOHN

[L 23-25,

23. tyn, *Eyu> 4ko^ pouras

Kuptoo, ttautin tlirev *H<raa?

^poY ri Keytts irept creavrov ;

^PH^

Efifl^oTe

irpo^^np*

24.

q/u&rqcm'

auiw

tV

&B&K

Kai dn-rA>i*i
al

etirav

^crav fo

tw *apnraiW.

25.

mm

afaip Tt ofo /}airricts E <ru ota t o

1
In a few passages Jn,
is used as cv$vs is used in Mk,
places it in the mouth of Jesus, indicating logical consequence,
M 12 s0 13 1* i6 2a It does not occur in 1 Jn. at all.
e.g. 6
The constr. is elliptical, as at 9s6, where
fra dirftcpurtp kt\.
oiniir/wns occurs again 19*.
see note,
a
3
28. I+tj, *Eyi> +vJ| ktX. The Synoptists (Mk. i ,
3 ,
Lk. 3*) apply the words of Isa. 403 to the Baptist and his
mission; but Jn, represents him as applying the text to himThe source
self a when answering the interrogation of the Jews.
of the citation, viz. the prophecy of Isaiah, is explicitly given
in all four Gospels,
The Synoptists quote from the LXX, but Jn, seems to
reproduce a citation made memoriter from the Hebrew. Instead of froc/iaon-rc Tqv v&ov KVpiovt he has tv$vva.T from the
has edfriac uroufrc*
second clause of Isa. 40s, where the
Theologians, both Eastern and Western, have noted the
contrast between tftuvtf and A*fyos. John " was the Voice, but
not the Word " (Ephraim, Epiphany Hymns, L o). So also
Augustine (strm. 293, 3): " Johannes uox ad tempus, Christus
uerbum in principio aeteinum." Cf. Qrigen, Comm* (ed.
Brooke, n. 233).
24. The rec, text (so NW) inserts ol before dircoraXfili/at,
" And certain had been sent from among the Pharisees/'
i.e.
distinct
from the questioners of v. 19. But oi is omitted
as
by tf*A # BC*L; and we must render "And thty" i.e. the
priests and Levites of v. 19," had be en sent from the Pharisees
And, in fact, v. 25 shows that the argument is carried on from

and

ML

LXX

'

v 21.

The Pharisees (mentioned again 41 y45 8ia o1 ' it** ia M -**)

were the true representatives of the old Jewish spirit (see on
Strictly conservative;, they were intolerant of all
v.
19)innovation, whether of doctrine or ritual, and the baptizing
ministry of John aroused their suspicions. See on 7 s1
Hitherto, no hint has been given that
20. ri o3e pairrtcLs ;
.

1 Cf, Buridtt, Evangelion da-Mspharreshi, ii, 89, and Ahbott, XHat.

Jn.'s usage of o&> corresponds somewhat to the Hebrew
tS&3, 2640.
**
water consecutive*"
Justin reproduces (Tryph. 88) this peculiar feature of the Fourth
Gospel, and represents the Baptist as saying o&k elpt A X/hot<Sj, dXW
frip$t

ffowrrot

{w.

20,

23L

See Lightfaot, Biblical Essays, p. 139. and Bumey, Aramaic

Origin, etc, p. 114.

25-36.]

BAPTIST'S WITNESS AS

TO COMING ONE

39

Xpurrof o^Se "HActoc ouSi o trpo^-qrt^; 26. AircKpttiij avrots o

X^yuv *Eyu fiwirrtZfa iv wSoTt* juctro? vfjubv onjicei tv vfttt?

*\*ti&Wfi

It is
the ministry of John the herald was one of baptism.
assumed that all readers of the Gospel will know that. The
question,
are you baptizing?" is put to him by the
Pharisees of the deputation from Jerusalem, who were the
conservative guardians of orthodox practice.
The baptism of proselytes from heathenism was a recognised,
But why
if not a universal, practice in Jewry at this time.
should Jews be baptized ? And what authority had John to
Baptism, that is a symbolic rite of
exercise this ministry ?
purification, would indeed be a token of the approach of the
Messianic kingdom; " I will sprinkle clean water upon you,
and ye shall be clean " (Ezek. 56 s6) were prophetic words
1
But John had admitted that he was not
(cf. Zech. 13 ).
Messiah; he was not even Elijah or " the prophet " (v. 21),
His claim to be the Voice in the wilderness of Isa. 40s did not
satisfy the Pharisees as to his authority for exercising so novel
and irregular a ministry as that of baptizing Jews seemed to be.
36. The attitude of the Baptist to Jesus is explained more
clearly in w. 25-34 than it is in the Synoptists, whose source of
knowledge about him was tradition and not personal acquaintance. This is what we should expect if the ultimate author of
the Fourth Gospel were John the son of Zebedee, for he seems
to have been one of the Baptist's disciples (see on v. 35),
Jn,
does not narrate the Baptism of Jesus directly, but what he
tells is consistent with the Marcan story.
have, first, the Proclamation of the Coming One (Mk. i 7,
Mt, 3 11 , Lk. 3") , to which reference is made several times in this
chapter* But when the proclamation was first made, the
Baptist did not know (except in Mt/s account; see on v. 31)
that Jesus was the Predestined One for whose Advent he looked.
Both in the Synoptists and in Jn. is the contrast drawn out
between baptism <v vSan (which was all that John offered) and
baptism 4v wtv/um dytm (which was to be the work of the
Christ), When Jesus presented Himself for baptism, the
Baptist noticed a dove alighting on His head (v, 32); and as
he looked he became conscious that this was the sign of the
Spirit, and that Jesus was the expected One who should baptize
All this is now to be set out in detail.
iv Trvcvpart <yu.
In Jn. we nearly always
dhrcKptfr) atiTois o *\u&w]$ \tyt*y>
have the constr. afrtxpfthi xal cTttcv (see on v. 50 below), but
here and at ia 2 * dn-ocp. \tymv seems to be the true reading.
The Baptist had been asked, il Why do you baptize ? "

"Why

We

What authority have you P

(v. 2 5).

He gives no direct answer

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

40
ofiie

offiarc,

27. 6 nrurta

pv

cfrgrf/OTOf,

oS

ST.

Dure

JOHN

ctfti

tya?

[L 26.
Sfto? Tva

but before he speaks of Him whose herald he was, he admits

u with water.*' iyb PairrSu iv
that he did baptize, but only
Yes, 1 baptize> I administer a symffikm.
ey< is emphatic :
bolic rite of purification, of cleansing with water." The words
are in all the Synoptic accounts of the Proclamation, where the
contrast with the baptism with the Holy Spirit (v. 33) immediHere, at v. 26, lyh fiavTt&a
ately follows (Mk, 1* and parallels).
it> &$tm is only a reiteration of the claim for himself which he
was accustomed to make as he predicted the Coming of a
Greater One {see on v. 33),
p&ros fipuf. The rec, text (so N) inserts Be after /iw,
but om. wBC^LT* .
It is not required by the sense*
new
sentence begins with pcrot, in Johannine style without any
connecting particle. We should have expected hr play ^fijav,
but Jn, never uses this constr.; cf. i^pla-ov S3 t6v 'I^o-our, and
c

'

see

on

[8]

3 - *.

BLT b

AC AWN

and K has

e'cnf***

LXX

of passages shows that they are often used in Jn, without

any perceptible difference of meaning.
Both verbs are used of Christ's knowledge of the Father;
1
Ct R, Law, The Tests of Lift (p, 3G4), for ymhmwand ttSivtu.
list

COMING ONE

BAPTIST'S WITNESS AS TO

26-38.]

1.

\vo~w tivrov tov

Ifi&VTtL

to? wro&rj/iaTOS.

28.

Tara

Iv

41

Bi}0aytp

yivwrKio at 101* 17 s5, oTSa at 7 s* S55 ,

Both are used of the

world's knowledge (or ignorance) of God, or of that possessed
by the Jews ytv&na* at i 10 i? 33 * SM 16, 1 Jn, 3 1 6 ; oTSa at
7 8" jj-si Both are used of man's knowledge of God and
Christ : ytvaa-Ku at 147 - 17 s , 1 Jn. a*- ** 4*- 7 * * 5*, and ocS
at i n ' M 4^ 147.
Both are used of Christ's knowledge of men or
of ordinary facts, e,g yivMo at 2^ 5s 42 6 16 10 14, %1t and oTSa
at 6*^ S 87 1 s
The word used for the Father's knowledge of the
Son is yivuxTKw (101*), and not olda as we should have expected.
With this array of passages before us, we shall be slow to accept
conclusions which are based on any strict distinction in usage
between the two verbs.
S7- 4 AirtVw pou ^pxVev5 w*. This clause (see v. 15) is in
apposition to /*iVos v/*k ott/k ktA of the previous verse.
Through misunderstanding of this, variants have arisen. The
s
rec with
rA prefixes airck iartv (as if v. 27 began a new
sentence), and adds (with ) as ipwpoaOiv pov yeyov^ (from
v. 15)
but neither of these insertions is found in BC*LNT bW.
*B also omit 6 before oirtcra, but ins, ACk 3 NW; the omission
of the article is awkward, and is explicable from itacism,
-

ft

AC

read by

the rec. with

gives the more usual hrrrjKcv. But <mpcj " standeth
up " or " standeth fast," is more dramatic, and well attested,
pAn>s djt&r <mj*i. Apparently Jesus was actually present
on this occasion, which is subsequent to His Baptism, as appears
from the fact that the Baptist now knows Him for what He is,
although the questioners did not : tv fy * qi8bt, ipws
being emphatic Perhaps the Baptist's statement that the
Ctarmng One was even in their midst was treated as of no
serious importance ; there is no record, at any rate, of his being
further questioned as to what be meant, or to which person of the
company his words were applicable,
officiTf.
*St is a favourite verb with Jn.> occurring three
times as often in the Fourth Gospel as in the Synoptists. It
is not easy to distinguish it in meaning from ywuaKw (see
on i**), although Westcott (on Jn. a*4) has made a subtle analysis of the two verbs.
Probably we might say that yivwa-Kcw
generally stands for relative, acquired knowledge, gradually
perfected, while dfeW indicates a complete and absolute
knowledge of the object. The latter would be the natural verb
to express Divine knowledge (but cf. 17^), although it would
include also human certainty (see 3*). But it is doubtful if the
two verbs can be differentiated with any precision. 1 Both are
frequently used in the
to render in; \ and the following
ffr^Kci is

OUT.

For the Synoptic forms of the Baptist's proclamation, see

Introd.j p. c,
Mt.'s alteration of "loosen the thong of His
sandals "to " carry His sandals " (j3o<rratw for Aixrat) may
point back to the form in Q. Either duty was that of a slave;
and Wetstein (Mt. 3 11) cites a Rabbinical maxim (Ceiuboth
f. 90. 1) to the effect that a disciple might offer any service to
his teacher which a slave did for his master, except that of
unfastening his shoes, which was counted as a menial's duty.
fiio$ does not occur elsewhere in Jn. (cf. Lk. is 18), and the
constr. 10$ Iva,
is not found elsewhere in the N.T.
Jn.
never uses ixaro? (ovk tlpt Ixavos Zu *
is found again Mt, 8s
Lk. 7 9). Perhaps ai is the more appropriate adj, here (cf.
Acts 1 s5 where it is found in the citation of the Baptist's proclamation, instead of the Synoptic Uavos) but cf. 2 Cor. 2 16
%

wpos ravra rfc txavds ;

26. The situation of the place is uncertain, and the variety
of reading perplexes the topographical problem still more.
BT]0afLa is read by K*ABC*WN and must be accepted,
although a t( Bethany beyond Jordan *' is not mentioned elsewhere. The rec. reading BvfOapap^ was adopted by Origen on
geographical grounds (Comm* vL 40)* The Sinai Syriac has
Beth Abri, which Burkitt thinks must rest on local tradition
similar to that followed by Origen.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

42

ST,

JOHN

[I*

SB-29,

I. 2B.]

A^ytfi

29.

T#

&rmJ/Kor /?\rct rir

'IijtroiJr

kpxpfixvQv irpis

avrw,

BAPTIST'S DESIGNATION OF JESUS AS CHRIST

jw

43

"Ajiiros tou Gfeov o aXpiov Tipr afiaprtav tov KOtriiav.

jcal

with the article is introduced, or in a quotation

1 * w 6**),
or in the phrase fatxpifh} *Ii)* (see on r6*), or before
(4
There are a few other exceptions to the rule
a&v (see on 6 15).
tional phrase

Conder

Bethabara with the ford called 'Abarah,

N,E,
Jordan had many fords and ferries, and
the name Bethabara would suit any place near a ford, its root
being "oy ** to cross "; but it is in favour of Conder's identification that the name is not found elsewhere (cf, Betk-barah
Judg. 7 M). 'Abarah is barely 20 miles from Cana as the crow
flies, but would be about 40 miles by road, so that it would be a
possible site, if we take into account the time spent on the
journey (2 1), It is, however, too far from Jerusalem to suit
the Synoptic narrative (Mk. i B Mt. 3*), and the traditional site
is much farther south, near Jericho. 8
Brth-Nimrah) on the E, side of Jordan, N.E. of Jericho,
will meet all the conditions of the problem.
In Josh, 13 27 (B)
Beth-Nimrah becomes BaiOavafip&t and this form might be
corrupted either into Bethany or Bethabara. We incline to
accept this identification, which, made at the first by Sir George
Grove, was accepted by Sir Charles Wilson, 3 and favoured by
Cheyne.
Sttou -Jjk 'laidrqs {Jaim&w,
This coupling of a participle with
the verb el, where we should expect an imperfect (#Jajrrte)
denoting continued action, is common in Jn. We have the
Identified

of Beihshean, 1

1
phrase Jr *htidrvfs fiairrtwv repeated 3 s8 io*; cf, also 5
13 s8 . It is also found in the Synoptists {e.g. Lk. 5 1 *, Mt. 19 s8).
This may be an Aramaic constr., but it is also found in classical
Greek.
Abbott notes (ptat. 2171) that Sirov after the name of a
place (a constr. which appears again 12 1 i9 ia , and in Mk.,
occasionally) is not in accordance with classical usage.
Milligan cites from a second-century papyrus, etc Atftwjv oarov

Mt

Afifivtv

^pijCT-/twS,

an excellent parallel.

61 12**),
but where the article is missing before 1^. the
fag,
B is more prone to omit 6 before
text always calls for scrutiny,
lij. than the other great uncials.
(See Introd., p. lxvi,)

ipX^pcw '""pis OMr6t>, " coming towards him," According

Johanmne narrative, Jesus had been baptized already,
and probably the Temptation in the Wilderness had taken place.
It would be natural that He should come back to John's neighto the

bourhood, where many earnest inquirers were gathered* There

is no mention of any conversation between Him and John on this
occasion ; but John, as He passes, designates Him publicly as
the Christ.

"lB ktX.
14 7Bn
-afl.ss
. oa

This is a favourite word with Jn.; cf. i-*r

. ae. I2 w l6 l82i I94.B.u 3Ds7
The Apoca-

lyptist prefers Ihov,

&pv&s tou

The word

the Lamb provided by God (see on 6s3).

common in LXX, appears in N.T only

Qeoti t i.e.

dfiv6<: f
1 Pet, i 1*,

here, v. 36,
and Acts 8 aa (a quotation from Isa, S3 7),
in each instance being applied to Christ, and with a sacrificial

connotation.
On the other hand, the diminutive Apviav
w
(occurring occasionally in the LXX, e.g> Ps. 114'**, Jer,
50", but not as often as tl/Avos) is found in the N.T. only at si 10
and in the Apocalypse, where it is applied to Christ 29 times.
Although the distribution of a/wife and dpvlov is thus markedly
different, no distinction of meaning can be traced when they are
applied to Christ.
6 duvis tou few ktX.
have, first, to ask what the
evangelist understood by the unique title t( the Lamb of God,"
and what connotation it had for him,
*
(a) In Jer. 1 1* we have :
I was as a gentle lamb (dprfor)
led away to be slaughtered," the emphasis being on the innocence of the victim* and Isaiah's " as a lamb (a^vos) before her
J?
shearers is dumb
(Isa, s^7) conveys the same idea.
The two
passages are brought together by Origen, 1 and the point of the
comparison need not be missed. But the thought of the
gent/e^ess of a lamb is insufficient to explain the " Lamb of
God which takes away the sin of the world."
19
the Redemption of Christ is likened to that
() In 1 Pet, i
wrought on a lower plane by the sacrifice of a lamb without
blemish. The deliverance from Egypt is the type of deliverance from the bondage of sin, and so the blood of the Paschal

We
'

The Baptists

designation ofJesus as the Christ (w> 29-34)

39. rg htatipivv.
spiritual diary (see

Fourth Gospel

is

We now come

to the second day of this

of the characteristics of the
the precision with which the author gives

on

dates (see Introd., p.

0\itel tSk

v. 19).

One

cii),

The name

'Itjo-ouv.

article in Jn, (as in the

*hjtrov*

generally takes the

where an apposi-

Synoptists), except

^J-pfcfl. "Bethabara."
*

Eusebius, Onont,

See Smith's D.B* s.v. " BetfuNimrah ** ; ci also E.B.,

Bethany/* and see Rix, Tent and Testament, p. 175 t
t

s.v.

In loann. vi

53.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

44

ST,

JOHN

[I.

39.

typical of the blood of Christ. At the institution of

the Passover, indeed, the blood of the Paschal lamb was not
primarily piacular or redemptive; it was sprinkled on the doorl
pass over " the house
posts, that the destroying angel might
18
conception
of its redemptive
the
Nevertheless,
(Eae. I2 ).
efficacy prevailed in later Jewish thought; and Hort quotes
(on i Pet. i 18) an apposite Midrash on Ex, is 33 " With two
bloods were the Israelites delivered from Egypt, the blood of
the Paschal lamb and the blood of circumcision." The reference in i Pet. i 1 * then, relates to the Paschal lamb rather than
to the lamb of Isa. $.
In the Apocalypse, the application of &pv(ov to Christ has
primary reference to the idea of a lamb as a victim 1 (Rev.
* u)j whose death is an expiatory sacrifice, efficacious for all
7
S*'
mankind. And the association in Rev. 15 s of the " Song of
Moses " with the "Song of the Lamb" suggests that, as in
19
I Pet. i
the slain Lamb of the Apocalypse is compared with
the Paschal Iamb, rather than with the lamb of the daily sacrifice.
The comparison of Christ with the Paschal lamb appears also
in a document earlier than either 1 Peter or the Apocalypse,
viz. 1 Cor. 5', " Christ out Passover has been sacrificed for us."
And, inasmuch as this thought is conspicuouslypresent in the
Johannine narrative of the Passion (see on 19), it would be
legitimate to interpret "the Lamb of God" in the present
passage in the same way, and to find here the thought that *' the
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world/' is the
true Paschal Lamb, of whom the Passover victims of the past
had been a type.
(*:) It seems, however, that in the Johannine use of the title,
II
n
the Lamb of God, there is a reference to Isa. $$* T : ** Yahweh hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all ... as a lamb that
is led to the slaughter ... He opened not His mouth/'*
The passage is directly applied to Christ in Acts 8 W, and other
phrases from the same prophecy are treated as having a
Messianic reference in Mt. 8 17 , 1 Pet. a 28 **. Heb. 9s8
It is
certain that, soon after the Passion, Christian believers found
in Isa. 53 a forecast of the sufferings and the redemption of
Jesus Christ. And the author of the Fourth Gospel, writing
at the end of the first century, could not have been unaware
of this Christian interpretation of Hebrew prophecy, 8 which

lamb was

Secondarily, as Charles shows, the Apocalyptist conceives of the

as leader^ an idea prominent in Jewish apocalyptic, but not
present in the Fourth Gospel {Revelation, 1. cxiii).
Cyprian's Ttstimonw (ii. 15) for Jn. i w include both Ex. 12*'- and
1

Lamb

Isa.

53
Clement of Rome (g 16), writing in the same decade,
in full, applying it all to Christ*
*

cites Isa.

53

I.

39.]

BAPTIST'S DESIGNATION OF JESUS AS CHRIST

45

would be quite sufficient to explain the majestic title, "The

Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world." Indeed,
38
see on 19s0
Jn, treats Isa. 53 as a Messianic chapter at I2
use of the
understand
Jn/s
Such considerations help us to
But it is the Baptists use of the title that presents diffititle.
culty.
That he had been led to identify Jesus with Messiah
who was to come, whether by private converse with Him before
His baptism, or by the sign at the baptism which he believed
.

himself to have received (v. 33), is in accordance with all the

evidence that is available, 1 But that John the Baptist should
have spoken of the Christ as "the Lamb of God, that taketh
away the sin of the world," and have done so, not only before
His Passion, but before His public ministry had begun, requires
explanation.
The idea of a SufFering Messiah was not prevalent among
the Jews of the first century* (see on 12^). The apostles
never reconciled themselves to the idea that Jesus was to die
21
by violence (Mk. 9 8a and passim; cf. Lk. 24 ). Yet here we
find the Baptist represented as foreseeing from the beginning
that the climax of the ministry of Jesus would be death, and as
announcing this publicly by acclaiming Him as the true Lamb
of sacrifice, foreordained of God. It has been urged, in explanation, that the Baptist was the son of a priest, familiar with
He certainly thought of himself as
sacrificial ideas all his life.
the Forerunner of the Christ, and Jn. represents him as believing
8
He was,
that he was the herald of Isa. 40 (see on v. 23).
therefore, a student of the Isaianic prophecies which tell of the
ideal Servant of Yahweh, the chosen One in whom Yahweh
Later he was reassured, when in perplexity,
delights (Isa. 42 1 )
by learning that the mighty works of Jesus were such as had
fi
Lk. 7 2a ;
,
been predicted of this Servant of Yahweh (Mt
a a
42 T 61 1 ), And so what more natural than that
cf. Isa* 35
he should apply to Jesus the most striking of all the prophecies
about Yahweh's Servant, viz* Isa, 53 ? If he identified in his
thoughts this great prophetic ideal with the person of Jesus, it
would be explicable that he should call Jesus " the Lamb of
God, which taketh away the sin of the world."
tl
Lamb of God " has an
Dr. C. J. Ball 3 held that the title
even closer connexion with Isa, 53 than is indicated by the
word Ajuw in Isa, S3 6 The Hebrew word rAo Iamb " came in
u boy," "servant";
C(
child/'
its Aramaic form wbtt to mean
.

* l

and he suggested that what

1

See Introd., p.

Cf.

the Baptist really said in

ci,

also Justin, Tryph. 32 and Introd, p. cxaaciiL

* See Bumey, Aramaic Origin, etc., p. iaS.
1

Aramaic

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

46

ST.

JOHN

ft

was, " Behold the Servant of God, who takes away the sin of
the world," the Greek rendering In Jn. i 29 being an excusable
Ball urged further that 6 vioi rov &eov in
34 is a more correct rendering of the same Aramaic phrase,
in both cases the explicit reference being to the Trafr of Isa. 42 1
52 18 Acts 3 1S 4OT
The main difficulty in the way of all such explanations is
that there is no good evidence that the Messianic application
of Isa. $$ was current among the Jews in pre-Christian times.
As has been said above, it became current among Christians
immediately after the Passion of Christ; but it does not appear
that either the Jews or the early disciples during the earthly
ministry of Jesus conceived of Isa. 53 as foretelling a suffering
Christ. 1
It is, therefore, hard to believe that John the Baptist,
mistranslation.

39-31 ]

30.

0W5

BAPTIST'S DESIGNATION OF JESUS

itrrty

ifLirpQ(r@v

vinp ou y

pov y^yovvt

tln-ov

47

'On-Aru fiov cpxcrai dvjp os

31* tt&yia ovk fficiv

ort TrpSros p,ov ^v.

butoV) aAA.' ?va ^ayepwtfjr)

t$

"lerpaiflA, Stct

rovro r}\Bo9

eyii iv

vSart

v,

alone among the witnesses of the ministry of Jesus, and before

that ministry had begun, should have associated Him with the
central figure of Isa. 53 ; and that he should have so markedly
anticipated the conclusions reached by those who, after the
Passion, looking back upon the life and death of Jesus, found
them to fulfil the predictions of the Hebrew prophet.
To sum up. John Baptist believed Jesus to be the Christ
of Jewish expectation, and announced Him as such, probably
in the hearing of John, the son of Zebedee. Looking back,
the aged apostle in after years realised how momentous an
announcement this was, even more momentous than the Baptist
had understood. And when dictating his recollections of an
incident on which he had pondered long and deeply, it is intelligible that he should state the Baptist's cry, C1 Behold the
Christ," in terms which unfolded all that Jesus had come to
mean for himself. Jesus was "the Lamb of God, who takes
away the world's sin."
do not suppose that the speeches in
the Fourth Gospel were all spoken exactly as they are set down,
although they may have been in some instances. But here,
whether we attribute the form of the Baptist's announcement
to John the son of Zebedee, or to the scribe and editor of the
Gospel who put in order the old man's reminiscences, we must
recognise the probability that the Baptist's actual words were
simpler, and a less perfect expression of the Gospel of Redemption* Cf. Introd,, p. cii.
A cripw ity dfiapTw toS K&rpw.
In 1 Jn, 3? we have chcwd?
itfMivtptii&y} ura tos dpaprt'av app.
Here the " taking away " is
in the present tense, thefuturum instans (like paprvptt in v.
15).
b atptnv is He who takes away and is always taking away the

We

1
Burkitt, Christian Beginnings, p. 39p points out that the applica^
tion of Isa, 53 to the Passion was made by GrafA-speaking Christians
in the first instance,
Cf, Theology t July 1922, p. 50.

world's sin, a profound Christian conception, formulated first

in this verse, and reproduced with fidelity in the liturgical
*
Lamb of God, which takest away (not which took away once
for all at Calvary, although that also is true) the sins of the
world." For the Atonement is not only an event in time, but
an eternal process.
The sin of the world not sins in the plural, as at 1 Jn. 3*
is here contemplated.
Western liturgies have followed 1 Jn. 3s
rather than Jn, i 2* in pleading " Agnus Dei qui to\\U peccata
mundi, miserere nobis," But the sin of the world is a deeper
stain than the sins of individual men and women; and the
Fourth Evangelist j who views the mission of Jesus sub specie
aternttatiS) sees that it is the sin of the kw/ux (cf. v. 9), the
lawlessness and rebellion of all created being, that is the subject
of redemption- This includes, indeed, the sins of all men, but
it is the sin of the Kcftrpo?, which knew not Jesus (v. 10), that is
in view in this tremendous phrase.
^tpnv is used of taking away sin at 1 Sam. 15** 25* as at
B
1 Jn. 3 ; at Isa. 53* we have ofo-os ras d/mprfos ^cpct, the
image being of the bearing of another's sin.
80. This verse is almost verbally identical with v. 15, and
illustrates well Jn.'s habit of repeating a phrase which he regards
as specially significant after a short interval, in a slightly
'

different

form

(see

on 3

lfl

).

" This One," pointing to Jesus, is He of

whom I spake. The reference is not merely to .26, 27, but to
Jn.'s proclamation of the Coming of Jesus, before He began His
q{Jt<4s

itmv

ktX.

which is common to the Synoptists and Jn* (see on

and Introd., p, c).
The rec, text has aBnfc <m mpi o5 iyl* etW, with
tfAC'LNA; but K*BC*W give ui^p q5, "in whose behalf/*
ministry,
v. 15,

the Baptist always regarding himself as the herald of Jesus.

BlaSS points OUt that AryeiF Wp=Aeye t y -jrt.pt, " tO Speak
about," is common in classical Greek, and that
for mpt is
found in Paul {e.g. 2 Cor. 8**). But in Jn, (with whom it is a
favourite preposition) wWp always means " in behalf of."
Cf. 6sl ion- n*' - i3 OT 15 18 i7 ie 181 *, 1 Jn. 3 16
See
on i 16 for tv etirav, which seems to be the true text in that place,
dp^p is applied, as here, to Jesus, Acts a* a 17 81 ; see on i 18
above for its Johannine usage.
SI, ptdyk ouk j&r omt6v, repeated v. s3j ** even ^ did not
know Him " (cf. v. 26), sc* as the Messiah. That John the

Wp

48

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

32,

fiaTrrtfyw-

Kat

ijiapr6pv}<rcv 'IwavTjs

ST,

JOHN

[I.

31-33,

\iytav ari Tt&iapai to

Baptist knew Jesus in their early years is hardly doubtful, but

the statement here made is that he did not recognise Him
for what He was before His Baptism. The account in Mt.
14 **
is different, and represents John as unwilling to baptize
3
Jesus because he was aware of His Messiahship, Jn's narrative, here as at other points (see v. 32), is more primitive than
the Matthsean tradition.
Iva ^artpttftjj t$ "lirparfjX. John knew that his ministry^ was
one of preparation only; its ultimate purpose was that in its
exercise the Expected One should be made manifest.
,J
$avtp<nivt " to reveal,
is a late Greek word, occurring in
only at Jer. 33*. In the Synoptic Gospels it appears once
lfl li
only (Mk, 4 2
but is used in the Marcan Appendix (i6
)
of the (4 manifestation " of the Person of Jesus, as in Jn, (7*
The verb always indicates emergence from
2 1 1 ' 1A \ cf t Jn, i 3).
mysterious obscurity, and a sudden breaking forth into clear
light,
Cf, 2 n where it is used of the manifestation of the
glory of Jesus; and 3 s1 of the manifestation in Him of the
works of God. At 1 Tim, 3" it suggests Divine pre-existence,
and of this there may be a hint here (cf. v. 1$), as there certainly
s
1S in I Jn. 3 , etfetro? i^mvtptnQiq Iva ts a/iaprta? apyj>
t 'lopa^X. The * manifestation" for which the Baptist
looked was only to Israel. The exhortation of the brethren of
Jesus was, indeed, ^arcpGWov cFeovniv t$ noa-pm (7*), but even
there no more is suggested than a public manifestation to the
Jews. Jn. is fond of the term kdct/aos (see on v, 9), and the
thought that Jesus manifested Himself to the whole order of
created life is deep-rooted in his thought; but he does not suggest that the Baptist had any such wide vision.
This was the most conspicuous
$jX0or iyh iv torn paTrrituv.
feature of his ministry; cf. v. 26, and see further on v. 33,
32. John now explains how and when it was that he came
to recognise Jesus as the Christ.
papTtfpT|<rc'.
This testimony, as the aorist denotes, was
delivered at a definite moment j cf, contra fiaprvpu in v. 15.
The testimony is to the effect that John saw a dove or pigeon
alight on Jesus at His baptism. There is no hint that we are
to think of a spiritual vision; the verb 0t<r0ai (see on i w) is
always used in the N.T. of seeing with the bodily eyes. The
incident is related differently by Mk, (i 10), who implies (as does
Mt. 31*) that Jesus Himself saw the Spirit descending like a
dove, Lk. 3** does not say who saw it, but all agree that a
dove was seen, the words of Lk. ? ctutfiaTtntg tUtt, laying
emphasis on the objective and physical nature of the incident.

32.]

OF JESUS AS CHRIST 49

BAPTIST'S DESIGNATION

Hvrij/ia KQtTafiiitvQV

u>s

TrcptoTcpar c ovpavt&f *a* f/icipev ^ir

aurov.

All the evangelists, that is, agree in recording that a dove

alighted upon Jesus when presenting Himself for baptism.
The dove was regarded in Palestine as a sacred bird
Xenophon {Anab. 1. iv. 9) reports that it was not lawful in
Syria to hunt doves \ and this is suggested by TibuUus (i, 7. 17);

LXX

Quid referam ut

uolitet crebras intacta

per urbes

Alta Palaestino sancta columba Syro.

So Lucian explains that to the Syrians a dove is ta&u, and

that any one unwittingly touching a dove is counted unclean
Philo x comments on the great
\de Dea Syria t 54; cf. 14).
number of doves at Ascalon, and upon their tameness, due to
the circumstance that from ancient times the people were
not allowed to eat them, so that they were never caught (ap,
Euseb. Praep, Evangel, viii. 14. 64).*
Furthermore, the dove was regarded among the Semites
as a symbol of the Spirit. Of tfroivy rifc TpuyoVos, " the voice
of the turtle " {Cant, a 12), there is a Chaldee interpretation,
reported by Wetstein, " the Voice of the Spirit^ And by the
Jewish doctors the Spirit hovering over the primeval waters
(Gen. I s) was compared to a dove: "Spiritus Dei ferebatur
super aquas, sicut columba, quae fertur super pullos suos nee
tangitillos." 8

Hence we can understand why a dove alighting upon Jesus

should have been regarded as symbolic of a descent of the
Divine Spirit.* The words ascribed to the Baptist are explicit.
He saw the dove, and forthwith recognised it as the sign which
he had been expecting (v. 33),
For the expression Karapftt^Lr l otiparou, see on 3",
Some other divergences from the Synoptic accounts of the
Baptism should be observed. Jn. says nothing of the heavens
being opened (Mk. i 10 and parallels), or of the Voice from
heaven (see on 12 s8 below) ; and having regard to his knowledge
with whose account of the Baptist he has so much in
of

Mk/

In Quis tw.

div, har* % 35, Philo,

when

discoursing on Gen, xy. 9,

tot trcpio-Ttp&A of divine

interprets the turtle

dove and pigeon (rpvyfya

and human wisdom

respectively, the

ircpurrepd

standing for

human

wisdom, as being gentle (jjnepos) and fond of the haunts of men.

* Clement of Alexandria says that the Syrians venerate doves, as
the Eleans venerate Zeus {Proifept il 35}.
a Quoted by Wetstein on Mt. 3" from Chagiga, i$a.
4 Students of the fantastic science of Gematria have not failed to
note that the arithmetical vaLue of the letters in irfpurrepd is 801, the
same total as that represented by atd (Alpha and Omega). Cf Iren^us,
H&r L 14, 6, who gives this as a Gnostic fancy.
+

See Introd p.
(

VOL.

I*

c.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

JO

33. *dyi> ofa

flSetv

mjufnn

avrov, AAA*

JOHN

ST.
fie

[L 82-83,

/?currictY

t? iS&iTt,

L8S.] BAPTIST'S DESIGNATION OF JESUS AS CHRIST

Irfclvof
ijr

common,

(see

on

v. 6), it

Here, as in v. 31, the Johannine narrative appears

be more primitive than that of the Synoptists.
s6
This is, on
jtal ipwtr it? uWk {cf, for the constr. 3 ),
the other hand, a detail not found in the Synoptic narratives,
s
perhaps added here with a reminiscence of Isa. 11 , where it
is said of the Messianic King, tivairavu-tTcu or' avrbv Trvtv/ia rov
1
Jerome (on Isa, 11 s) quotes the following from the
fooS,
When the Lord was come up out of
Gospel of the Hebrews
the water, the whole fount of the Holy Spirit descended and
to

* (

My

Son, in all the prophets

said to Him
was I waiting for thee that thou shouldest come, and I might
For thou art my rest, thou art my first-begotten
rest in thee.
Son that reigneth for ever." This is a doctrinal combination
of the Synoptic and Johannine narratives, probably intended
to teach the permanence of the spiritual gift here vouchsafed
through Christ to mankind, 4
The form in which the Dove and the Voice from heaven
a
at the Baptism of Jesus are mentioned in the Odes of Solomon
"
the
The
fluttered
over
xxiv.
begins
Dove
Ode
curious.
is

upon Him, and

her head, and she sang over Him and

her voice was heard," w. in the Underworld, The singing or
cooing of the dove is as it were a Heavenly Voice ; and * * fluttering " recalls the verb used by Justin, <us Trtpurrtp&.v to aytov
The Yerb fcrLTrriJi'Eu is
9rveu/WL friTTijrai ttr* avrdv {Dial. 88).
also found, in reference to the Baptism of Christ, in the
Sibylline Oracles (vii. 67) and in Origen (c. Cels, i. 40, 41), and
its rendering volar e or devolare in Tertullian (adv. Vah 27) and in
Hilary (in Ps. liv. 7), showing that it had a place in some extracanonical record. This idea of the dove '* fluttering " is, as
we have seen, associated in Hebrew thought with, the idea of
11
a
the Spirit * * brooding " over the waters ; cf. Gen, i , Deut. 3a .
the
83. K&Y& K tP ei1 ofr^) repeated from v. 31. John
Baptist repeats, as an essential part of his witness, that he did
not recognise Jesus for what He was until the dove lit upon
Him; and he recognised Him then only because he had been
The Baptist is
divinely warned that there would be a sign.
not represented as saying that he knew that the sign would be
forthcoming in the case of a candidate for baptism,
Christ, because

He was

'

Irenes {Hat.

iii.

17.

1) associates Isa,

with the Baptism

of Jesus.

See Abbott, Biat. 712 fi., for speculations as to

the word rest and preferred abide.
8

* Cf. Intra!., p. cxlvi.

'E^* &v Av cSps to

itrrtv o

fiawTi&v

Evevpn KarafiaTvav

h> Upevfuxrt *Aynp+

xat fiivav
34* *&*

would seem that these omissions are

deliberate.

rested

eforey

jitot

aviw, otroi

why

Jn. avoided

& -niptyas pc.

Cf, v. 6.

John's mission to baptize was from

God.

and emphatic,

see on v* 8) juh ctirer kt\.

"
the word of Yahweh
came to them, and John, the last of them, makes the same claim,
" God said to me " ; of that he was assured.
if &v tv IS^s rd iwivpn Karap, ktX. Upon whomsoever
the Spirit descended and abode, He would be the minister of a
frcirfs (explicit

The Hebrew prophets had claimed that "

greater baptism than that of John. John had doubtless

(although this is not recorded) had many opportunities of
observing the intense spirituality of the early life of Jesus, and
his intercourse with Jesus previous to His baptism (according
to Mt> 3 14) had led John to see something of His unique personality.
But, as the story is told, the Baptist was not finally
assured of the Messiahship of Jesus until the dove rested upon
Him. He had not been told that the descent of me Spirit
would thus be indicated; but the sign was sufficient, and he

accepted

joyfully.

it

offris fforiK 6 ftairriw

iv

imJpaTL

Ayup.

For

ouros, cf. 1*,

and note

that fiavriCwv is a prophetic present (cf. aXpaty in v. 29).

The Spirit descended on Jesus, so that He might baptize
men therewith, and that the Spirit might rest on them as it
rested on Him, although not in the same plenitude (cf. 311).
Baptism as administered by
if iJWi
.
4c wed|Mm &yiy*
John was, according to the Synoptists, symbolical of purifica4
tion of the soul.
It was, according to Mk. i , paarrurfia
ptTavotas fc a<jwrtv npaprmv. There may be a hint at 3 W
of some association of John's ministry with the idea of purification, but there is no suggestion anywhere in the Fourth
Gospel that his baptism was one " of repentance with a view to
the remission of sins." It has been pointed out 1 that the
language of Josephus {Anil* xviii. 5. 2) about John's ministry
of baptism suggests that it was not addressed so much to penitents as to those who were dedicating themselves very specially
to an ascetic life of virtue.
That it was symbolical, at any rate,
of dedication, as well as of purification, is plain from the circumstance that Jesus submitted, at the beginning of His ministry,
to be baptized by John.
In all the Gospels the primary contrast between the ministry
of John and the ministry of Jesus is that the first was hf vSon,
the second iv irvevpaTi ayttu. Jn, makes the Baptist insist three
times (w* 26, 31, 33) that his baptism was only cfvSht* that
.

Jackson and Lake, The Beginnings of Christianity, L 103,

52

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[I.

33-34.

avrov
is, it

was only the symbol of a baptism

which he
used several

V wvcvfiart

could not minister. In the prophets water is

times as an image of the Spirit (cf. Isa 44 s , Ezek. 36^, and
note the verb in Joel a 28 , il I wi\l flour out my Spirit upon all
fr
flesh ). Jn. is fond of this image (cf. 4 14 7 M) ; and the contrast
of "water" and " spirit " in the Baptist's references to his
ministry of baptism is intended to convey that it was only
preparatory to, and symbolical of, a greater ministry that was
at hand.
Mt. 311 and Lk. 3lfl (but not Mk. 1* or Acts 1^ speak of the
ministry of Jesus as a baptizing " with the Holy Spirit and with
fire" But Jn. says nothing about a baptism with fire. Fire is
the symbol of judgment , and Jesus ** came not to judge the
world , but to save the world " (12 47 ; cf. o 88)* in the Johannine
presentation of His teaching.
94, icdy** ^fip<wta, icai ^.e^apTup^Ka.
John's testimony was
that of an eye-witness. He had seen the sign of the dove, and
he bears witness accordingly, the perfect pcjjmrrvpyjKa indicating that his testimony was continuous up to the time of
speaking, that Jesus was the Son of God.
In Jn., A ii&s toG OeoG is a recognised title of Messiah,
Nathanael (i49) and Martha (n 87) employing it as- the Baptist
does here. With this the Synoptists agree (Mk. 3 11 , Mt, 14 s9
3 6> 3 j Lit, 23^; the title had a definite meaning to Jewish
ears, and was applied in the sense of " Messiah." 1
In this
sense it had its roots in the O.T. cf,, e.g. t Ps, 2', where the theocratic king is Yahweh's Son, and Ps. So 87
The evidence for its
use in Apocalyptic literature is scanty, only one instance being
found in Enoch (cv, 2) of Messiah being called " my Son " cf.
s
2 Esd. 7 * 13*- - 14s .
Jn, is the only evangelist who represents Jesus as using this
title of Himself (5 s6 ioM 11*, where see notes).
In these
passages, if they stood alone, no higher meaning than
" Messiah " need be ascribed to it; but when they are taken
in connexion with the peculiar claims of sonship made by Jesus,
in the Synoptists as well as in Jn. (see on 3 1*), the phrase " the
Son of God " seems intended by Jn + to have a deeper significance
{cf- 3 W 5 s5 197 2081).
For 6 ulos here there is a Western reading, 6 Xticrds
{K* tf Syr. cur., probably supported by Pap. Oxy 208), Cf
;

Mt.27withLk. 23
*Cf. contra, Dalman, Words of Jesus, Eng. Tr. p p. 275; BurMtt
(Christian Beginnings, p. 25) regards " Son of God " 09 the most
primitive of the Chnstological titles.

THE FIRST DISCIPLES OF JESUS

80-36.]

fiuo,

36.

Ka.1

'Afirbs tov iov,

ififiktyas Tip *1tjq~qv TrcpnraravvTi Xcyci

37.

rate ifjtcawrav ol

The first

disciples

S3

ISc o

Bvo jia&TjTal avrov XaAourros

mu

ofJesus (w. 35-39)

35, t^ ^hraupt&K (cf. v. 29).

This is the third day of the
story (see on 1"), and the first day of the ministry of Jesus:
il
primae origines ecclesiae Christianae " (Bengel).
irdkw is a favourite word with Jn,, occurring over 40 times,
while it only occurs twice in Lk. (Mk. has it 27 times, and Mt.
17 times). Jn. uses it as a sort of resumptive conjunction where
a new section is introduced (e.g. 8 ia u io7 lft
etc.), the idea
-

m\

of repetition not being prominent in such cases.

irdXir eurrijiKi. 1
The next incident is that the Baptist was
standing awaiting Jesus, whom he had acclaimed on the
previous day.
On this occasion he had two of his own disciples
with him.
in tuv pafajiw auTou Suo.
For the constr. Sua Ik r&v
.
.,
see on i 40
A /urfqnj? is one who learns from, and associates
himself with, a respected teacher. The /.wAi?' of John the
Baptist are mentioned again 3 s* 41 (cf, Mk, a 18, Mt. 1 r B 14",
.

Lk. 7 ie 11 1).

See on 2 2
two disciples of the Baptist (cf. 3 s5 4*) was
(v. 40); the other is not named, and nothing more is
said about him.
But the Synoptic account of the call of the
first disciples of Jesus (Mk. i 19 , Mt. 41B) indicates that the first
pair, Andrew and Peter, were quickly followed by the second
pair, the sons of Zebedee.
These are never mentioned explicitly
in Jn,, except in ^i 1 , but it is natural to infer that the unnamed
disciple of v. 3$ was one of them, viz. either James or John;
and it would be in harmony with the reticence in regard to
himself displayed throughout by the eye-witness whose reminiscences lie behind the Fourth Gospel, that he should here
be referred to, i.e. that the unnamed disciple was John the son
of Zebedee (see on w, 19, 40), *
36. recti Jjiptatyas. The verb (only again in Jn, at v* 42)

One
Andrew

of these

an intent, earnest gazing; cf. Mk. 10*1 1467 ,

Jesus was not coming towards the Baptist (cf. v. 39) on this
occasion, but moving away* John again designates him as
" the Lamb of God " or the Christ, in the hearing of the two
disciples who were in his company,
signifies

1
This form (plpft. with sense oi impft). "was standing," occurs
again 7" 18*- 20", The MSS, vary between eion$* and itrHfitei, the
latter being always adopted by Westcott-Hort.
1

CI

Iutrod., p.

xxx vi.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

54

ST,

JOHN

[L 87-3S.

38. arpafaU 8* o 'I^ovs Ktu feawp&os

lijow,
JlKQXwfryrav
aura
avrais dKoAot^otaras \eyct avrurt Tt &rrirc; ol Sc <rav

"Papfttt

(S

Afymu

/M^cpjuifycu^ccvav

AtStiraaXt),

*raS

37. s*B place afiroO after pafrrrai, but ovtou comes

3 NrAW.
C*LTb 33, and even before ot Srfo in

pom*;

first

in

AC

The two disciples heard John's words, and heard them with
understanding and appreciation, for such (see on f) is the force
in Jn. of AEOviiv

followed by a

ftKoXoJfltjffow

them, or invited them to be His companions and disciples

Mk. i 1' and parallels); nor were they constrained to go
John s
after Him by anything that they had seen Him do.
One
striking and repeated designation of Him as the Expected
arrested their attention, and His own Personality did the rest.
14
38. <?TpiM|KiT % kt\. He turned round (cf, so ), for He
had heard their steps behind Him.
For eeotrd^jKTOs, always used of bodily vision, see on v. 14.
"What do you seek ? what are you"
He asks, ri
"
is, " Where are you staying ?
answer
?
Their
for
looking
for they desired an opportunity of private conversation with
Him. They had not yet reached the stage of discipleship
they wished to know a httle more about Him.
Abbott {DiaL a 649*$) finds an illustration of *i irmTej
in Philo (quod. deL pot, 8) who, commenting on irfe; of
Gen, 37 explains it as the utterance of the eAeyxos to the
Later on (c. 40) the e\eyx ' is identified
wandering soul.
with the Aoy-w. But the parallel is not close enough to prove
that Jn. is indebted to Philo for the use of so familiar a phrase
4
1B
as for ; Cf. 18 2o
The disciples address Jesus as Rabbi, a title which Jn.,
writing for Greek readers, at once interprets, S Xlycrai |8eFor similar interpretations of Aramaic
uMvtviwvoy, A&fatLak*.
lfl
a
7
i9 13 * ", *o*
or Hebrew words, cf, vv. 41, 4*. 4* S 9
they took
because
thus
addressed
have
Jesus
They may
Him for a Rabbi travelling alone, hut more likely they used
Rabbi as an ordinary title of respect. It was the title which the
Baptist's disciples were accustomed to use when addressing
13
that afterwards the
their master (3); and it appears from 13
either as Rabbi
Him
habitually
addressed
disciples of Jesus
(teacher) or as Mart (lord). The distinction is only this, that
u servant "
"
(cf.

hnZm

"

scholar," and to Mar is

the antithesis to Rabbi is
15
or " slave " (cf. I5 ); the terms being often used without any

THE FIRST

DISCIPLES OF JESUS

55

Either might be
clear sense of a difference between them.
el
Thus, in the Synoptic
Sir," without going wrong.
rendered
narratives of the Transfiguration, where Mk. (9") has Rabbi,
Lk. (9P 3 ) renders it by hnerrdTO^ and Mt. (17*) by tefiptt. So in
s8
the story about the storm on the lake, where Mk, (4 ) has
s4
SiSacrcaAf, Lk. (8 ) has iirurraTa, and Mt. (8**) has nvpu.

But while Kvpw may thus sometimes represent Rabbi, or be

ai
2i 1&) merely as the equivalent of the English
(as at ia
or Mart'. 1
Sir," it generally points to an original

used
* l

genitive.

Here
t *lij<rou, "and went after Jesus.
and
ministry
His
throughout
Him
follow
to
decision
was no
attach themselves to His Person, for the aorist only indicates
"
Jesus had not *' called
their action at one definite moment.
ical

LA]

^D

is interesting.
In the
early part of the Gospel the disciples are always represented as
saying Rabbi, while others, 3 such as the woman of Samaria
(4"), the nobleman ofCapernaum (4**), the sick man at Bethesda
8
(5*), the blind man after his cure (o ), Mary and Martha of
M and note there), say Kvpt**
Bethany (n 3 - S1 - * 7 8a , but cf.
The multitude who were fed with the five loaves first say Rabbi
(6**);
but, after they have heard the discourse about the
heavenly bread, say ku/h* (6s4). The first occasion on which a
disciple is represented as saying *nJ/> is at the conclusion of
"
*'
Lord, to whom shall we go ?
this discourse, when Peter says,
a8
again
the
disciples
at
11*,
used
by
but
have "PaPfiu
(6 ).
ia
xvpu at
and thenceforward Rabbi disappears from their
tt
i46, a * M 21 1*, etc.), the change
speech, and they say Lord (13*in address indicating a growing reverence. The title Rabbi
was not employed after the Resurrection of Jesus, who was
afterwards spoken of as Maran or 6 *upios (cf. 1 Cor. i6 ,
and see note on 4 1),
Thus Jn/s report as to the use of these titles by the disciples
Nothing of
is not only consistent, but is probably historical.
this kind can be traced in the Synoptists, who do not distinguish between StSaoTtfiXe and Kvpte. as modes of address,
both being in use, as they represent the facts, at all stages of
Indeed, Lk. (n 1)
the association of the Twelve with Jesus.
puts the phrase Kvpce Stfia^ov ij/ias into the mouth of
the disciples. In this regard, a more primitive tradition is
preserved in the Fourth Gospel.
The Aramaic Rabbi is not found in Lk., and in Mt. only
in the greeting of Judas to his Master (26^* **). Mk. has it in
45
the corresponding place (Mk. 14 ), and also places it twice

The Johannine usage of these terms

We

1
in Peter's mouth (Mk. 9s n*1). Rabboni is found in Mk, io*
With these exceptions, the Synoptists always translate
and do not reproduce the title itself.

See on the whole subject, Dalman, Words of Jesus t Eng. Tr.,

and Burkitt, Christian Beginnings, pp. 43 ffNicodemus, naturally, says Rabbi (3 1),

pp. 324-340,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

56
39.

Aey

afoot? "Ep^ca-flc

jifr, koX trap

avru

jfyjteivav

ST.

JOHN

%\&av ovv
ai fyeo-Bf,
ttjv ijfdpav ixtiwjV &pa

[I.

rai
rjv

38-30.

etSav ttoB

ws

Bexari?.

Lk. and Jn., both of whom wrote for Greek readers, thus
markedly as to the title Rabbi, Lk. never mentioning it,
while Jn, has it again and again, giving the Greek rendering
of it on its first occurrence. Probably the explanation is that
behind Jn* we have the report of one who spoke Aramaic, and
who was present at many of the scenes which he describes
while Lk, rests on documents and on information gained at
second hand. In the reminiscences of his first intercourse with
Jesus, as John the son of Zebedee dictated them, he employed
the term Rabbi, which he remembers that he used; and his
differ

interpreter, Jn., naturally translated it for the benefit of his

Greek readers, but preserved the original word.
and syrr.),
For fywfe (BC*LTb
39, *Epxrfc *d 3*a*e,

the rec. has

with

ffierc

AC*NA and

latt.

Lightfoot {Hor.

that " Come and see" is

a common formula of authoritative invitation in Talmudic
authors; but parallels are unnecessary to cite for so simple
a phrase, Cf. i 4* 1 i M tpypv ml SBe,
* L
Come and ye shall see." This is the method of discovery
which Jesus commended to the first inquirers, and it is still the

Hebr, in

loc.)

and Schlatter note

He is revealed. Not by dialectic or argument, although these have their place, is the soul's quest
satisfied.
For that there must be the personal following, the
" abiding " in His presence. Cf. 8S1 , and see on 6s5
4j\0ap Kai et&ar irou j^ei.
Observe the historic present
following " they saw " (cf. 214).
Accordingly, the two inquirers irap' clAtu cjicirai' t^c fyiipav
iKtwi\r, " abode with Jesus that day/' sc. that eventful day
method by which

on 114* for a like use of

Perhaps it was the Sabbath day (see on 2 1), The
Htttro?).
addition " it was about the tenth hour " is, no doubt, a personal
reminiscence. That is, it was ten hours after sunrise, or about
4 p.m., when the two disciples reached the place where Jesus

which the narrator

recalls

(see

was, lodging.
The evangelists uniformly follow the practice, common
throughout the Roman world, of counting the hours from
sunrise. Thus Josephus reports ( Vita 54) that it was a Jewish
custom to dine (dptcrroir<Hcur0ai) on the Sabbath day at the
sixth hour.
the tipurrov was the usual midday meal
* l
(c?tfop being supper) 7 so that
the sixth hour " means no&n t
i.e. the day began about 6 a.m.
The parable of the Discon*
tented Labourers shows this clearly (Mt, ao5 * *), So, in the
present passage, * the tenth hour " was about 4 p.m. There
t

Now

I.

89-41.]

40.

Hv

THE CALL OF PETER

Avopea$ o dSeA^os Si/ion'Of Utrpav

ixovtrat'Ttov Trapa 'luavau Kal

57
*Es

*k

^HoKov&fjirdvTwv avT^r

twv
41

Sijo

rSiv

eitpicrKti

were "twelve hours in the day" (n ), but as the day was

reckoned from sunrise to sunset, the length of an "hour "depended on the time of year. No doubt, the precision of reckoning habitual to people with watches and clocks is not to be
looked for among Orientals of the first century; but it is remarkable how prone Jn. is to note the time of day (cf. 4*' M
iS 28 19 14 2Q 1(r), and his exactitude suggests that he is reproducing the report of an observer of the events recorded, 1
fl

The

call of Peter

{w* 40-43)

40. *Ar5f&L9, Jn, alone tells that Andrew was a disciple

of the Baptist (v. 35), The Synoptic story of the call of Peter
and Andrew (Mk. r 18t and pads.) may be another version of
w. 40-42, but it probably narrates a more formal call to
apostleship which came later (see on v. 37, and Introd., p xxxv).
Andrew is introduced as il Simon Peter's brother/* being the
less famous of the two (cf. also 6* and Mk. i ia , Mt. 416 io a ,
Lk. 614); and, except at 12 s3, he is always associated with Peter.
Jn. assumes that every one will know who Simon Peter was,
a similar assumption being made by Lk., who mentions 41 the
house of Simon " and " Simon's wife's mother " (Lk, 4"),
before anything is told about Simon himself. See, further,
on 6s for the prominence of Andrew in the Fourth Gospel.
*t$ Ik top oifo ktX.
Jn, prefers to write tU 4k rather than
*Ts simpliciter when speaking of one of a number of persons
s
' iS2* so24). The Synoptists
(cf. 6* TO -
f> ii** 12 i 3
generally omit Ki as Jn. does on occasion (7 19 124),
twy dKoutnrrw irapA 'ludvou, s. V. 3$. The constr. trapS.
nros occurs again 6 W 7*1 S 86 * * 15*; it is quite classical.
41. The text is uncertain.
*LWrA give irpwro?. This
would mean that Andrew was the first to find his brother Peter;
implying that the unnamed disciple had also set out to find
his brother (l,e, } presumably, James, the elder son of Zebedee),
and that he did find him, but later. But if the sentence means
all this, it is very obscurely expressed.
irpurw, accepted by most modern editors, is supported
by fcrABT* /am, 13., and the vss, generally. This would mean
that Andrew found Peter first, before he did anything else, there
t

1 The idea {adopted

by Westcott) that Jn. follows a method of
counting the hours from midnight has been shown by W. M. Ramsay
(D.B., 475-479) to be untenable
cf. A. Wright, N,T. Problems.
pp, 147 ft.
;

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

S3

ST,

JOHN

[I.

41.

I.

THE CALL OF PETER

41-42.]

TW *IlJ(TQVV*

59

ovros vptai roy atX<fmv tw tfitov %tftti>va rat Xeyci at Eupij/cajucv

M<o_ <rcoii (o &rriF ji0tpjUijyei>Q/AVQr XpHrros), 42. ijyayev

O.VTOV

being no suggestion of John looking for any one> or of any other

disciple being found by either of them.
The emphasis on
I&top, " his own brother," would be consistent with this.
Whether we read ir/wo? or ir/wrw, a good deal of time
elapses between v. 39 and v. 43.
Andrew and the innominatus,
presumably, have a full and convincing conversation with
Jesus, staying with Him for the afternoon and night ; Andrew
goes out and finds Peter, who is brought back to Jesus, welcomed, and renamed Kephas. Modern editors (Alford is an
exception) try to find time for all this between 4 p.m. and the
next morning (hravptav, v. 43), although this is not stated. It
would be easier to understand the sequence of events if we
suppose " that day " (v, 39) to mean a full day of twenty-four
hours, from sunset to sunset, and allow two nights, instead of
one only, to intervene between ivavpmv of v. 3$ and h-avptav
of v. 43. This would be consistent either with ttp&tos or Trpwrov,
both being awkward on any hypothesis.
But there is another reading, irpwt, supported by the OX,
texts b y e, and (apparently) r, all of which have mane, 1 An
original TTpwrroNAieMfraN would readily be corrupted to TTptoton&AeAc|>oNj which leads to ttpwtontonaAcA<1>on. We conclude that irput is the true reading. Jn. uses this form (not
nrpuffe) again at iS88 20 1 ; and it gives an excellent sense here.
"He finds early in the morning his own brother Simon,"
having stayed the night at the lodging where Jesus was* Then
liratipMv in v. 43 stands for the day after the finding of Simon,
which occupies Day iv. of the spiritual diary covered by this
chapter (see on v. 29 above). This is certain if irpwl be accepted
as the true reading, and even if we read TrpEn-ov it is highly
probable.
cdrfKapcr t&k MtacriiiK This was (and is) the Great Discovery. Andrew speaks for his unnamed companion as well
as for himself: " We have found the Messiah,"

recorded until d68 **9 . The Synoptists suggest, as is probable

a priori^ that the disciples did not reach full conviction all at
once, but that it came to them gradually, the critical point
being Peter's confession (Mk. S29, Mt 16", Lk. 9**). Perhaps
we should regard the full assurance which Jn. ascribes
to Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael on their first meeting with
Jesus as antedated. It is, however, legitimate to treat their
utterances (w. 41, 45, 49) as the expressions of an enthusiasm
which became dulledj as the novelty of their intercourse with
Jesus passed away, and which did not become a reasoned
conviction until later. 1
42. The rec. has *Wa (with AB*rA) for the better supported
Tttwvw (nB*LW 33, etc). A similar variation appears at

tt>v

t6v

Mcjow.

The Aramaic

title

tvm

is

found

in the

N.T.

elsewhere only at 4*. See on v. 38 for the preservation of such

Aramaic forms in Jn., although not in the Synoptists, the Greek
interpretation being added.
Cf. Ps, 2 a Dan, offi * M
According to Jn,, the recognition of Jesus as the Christ
,

by Andrew, by Philip (v. 45), and by Nathanael (v, 49) was

swift and unhesitating; although it is noteworthy that nothing
of this kind is told of Peter, whose confession of faith is not
1
The Old Syriac does not reproduce here any word like vpSn-av or
rpuL

TTjCKte

iflfiktljras CllLTtf

d viofTcuavouj trv nXifi^rrQ

Ki/0&?

'ilJfTOW ttrtV

Sv

ft %LfMitV

(A ipprtvevtrat Herpes).

21 lfi-17

" having looked intently on him." This verb

36) been used of the Baptist's earnest look at
is used by the Synoptists of the piercing, scrutinising

pJ3\6Jras,

has already

st.

(v.

Jesus ; it
gaze of Jesus (Mt, 19 s8 , Mk. io 31, **, Lk. 2017), and of His
<4
" upon Peter after his denial.
l coking
M " 17 and Mt. 16 17) that
It is plain from this verse (cf. 2i
Simon was known as " Simon, son of John," to distinguish him
from others bearing the common personal name " Simon."
By the Synoptists he is generally called "Peter/ but often
simply
Simon " ; in the lists of the apostles it being added
Peter " (Mt. io*, Mk, 3 1 *, Lk. 6 14), this
that he was sumamed
addition being necessary to distinguish him from the other
apostle called Simon. Tht designation " Simon Peter " marks
a later date than " Simon " simply ; and it is noteworthy that
while in Jn. he is described as Stjuw Irfrpw 17 times (see
further on 1816), this double name appears in the Synoptists
only at Mt. 1 6" (a passage peculiar to Mt. and later than the
Marcan tradition) and at Lk, 5*. a
Jn states here that Jesus gave Simon the Aramaic name or
nickname of Kephas, which became Utrpos in Greek, when
He saw him for the first time, discerning his strong character
Mk. (3 1 *) rather suggests (although he does not
at a glance*
say expressly) that Simon was given the name of Peter when he
was selected as one of the Twelve, much as John and James
were called Boanerges or " sons of thunder." This is not
suggested, however, in the lists of the apostles in Lk. (614f-) and
1

'

'

'

'

1 Cf. Introd., p. exxxiv.

1 See
a full note on "

P. *52-

The Names of St Peter "

in Hart,

Peter,

60
43,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

Ty

ds

iiravptav

tvpi<rei &{X.iirvov*

Mt,

qtfcAijcrcv

i$tX$*iv

JOHN
ttjv

[L 48-43.

TaXiXaiar,

Kid Aeyct avrxp o TiprmJy A.Ko\a6Btt

rat

44. ^v

fioi.

Mt, has ^ifjanv 6 Xeyofitvas Herpes), It is obviously

appropriate that Mt. should call the apostle " Simon Peter"
(to*;

(i6 ie) when relating his great confession, and that Jesus,
addressing him on that occasion as " Simon, son of John,"
should have reminded him of the name Kephas\ vv el U(rpos
koX tTrl Tawy r werpy, oucoSo/iif ftov rijv iKK\t^riav
Jn, may
have ante-dated the giving of the new and significant name,
but there is no proof of this.
To j*ive a new name in the 0,T, history sometimes marked
the beginning of a new relation to God; e.g. Jacob was called
Israel (Gen 3 28), and Abram became Abraham (Gen. 175),
after a spiritual crisis (cf. also Isa. 62 s 65 1*).
When adult
converts from heathenism are baptized, they are given a new
name for a similar reason. But there is no evidence that it
is in Jn/s mind to suggest this when he recalls that Jesus called
Simon, KepHas, tl the rock man," x although such an inference
might be drawn from Mt, 1 ief if it stood alone. Jn.'s narrative
here is quite simple, and there is no subtlety in the telling.
See, however, on 6W
The Aramaic name Kephas (perhaps the same as Kaiaphas)
is familiar in Paul, who uses it to designate Simon always in
ia
aa
6
1 Cor. (i
3 9 if) and generally in Gal. (i 1* a- "* 14 but
7 B
cf. 2
It appears in no other Gospel but Jn., and the re).
tention of the Aramaic
is a touch that could hardly have
occurred to any one whose mother speech was not Aramaic
(see on w. 38, 41, and cf. p. Ixxix).
By the end of the first
century Simon was best known as TLirposr and he has been
t

'

KM

generally called by this

The

name

call of Philip

ever since.

and Nathanael (vv. 43-51)

I,

43-46.]

found Philip, who was a Galilean like Andrew and Peter,

and who was probably brought into touch with Him by their
means.
The rec. text adds 'Iijo-ovs after iJfleXi^rcv, omitting the

name after aurtS, but the

$0AipFcy

and

inserts

it

better reading
after avr$.

(XABW)

omits

it

after

Thus, we might suppose from the order of the words that

1

See Moffatt, Introd,, p. 524.

AND NATHANAEL

61

ck t) -ffdAcaw 'ApS/mou *ru Herpov.

tvpuTKft $iXnnro5 rbv Na&avavfk Kai Xcyei avrip *Ov lypmptv

45,

and tvpurKo, is not A l^crata, but Ilerpo?,

has been mentioned immediately before. Then we should
have the attractive sequence: Andrew finds Peter, Peter finds
Philip, Philip (in his turn) finds Nathanael (v. 45), all being
fellow-Galilaeans and friends. But if Hsrpw: is the subject of
cfyuncei, it must also be the subject of iJfltXqcrev.
44. Philip is said to be avb BiflmuhA, i.e. from Bethsaida
16
n ).
1
E. end of the Lake of Galilee (see on 6 U
Julias, at the
Bethsaida had been rebuilt by Philip, tetrarch of IturEea
(Lk. 3 1), as Josephus records (Antt. xviii. 2. 1); and it is possible that the apostle Philip was named after the ruler of the
the subject of ^dthprty

who

district*

After Bv&raTSa, Jn. adds Ik

tt]S

iroXeus 'A^pcou kol fl^Tpov,

The house of Andrew and Peter was not at Bethsaida, but at

Capernaum (Mk. i ai *), a town which Jn. mentions, a ia 4*
6 17 M M and of which he knew the situation precisely. The
1

'

discrepancy

is

unimportant.

Attempts have been made to distinguish in Jn. between

cbn, as indicating habitation, and in, birthplace (see Abbott,
Dial. 2289). If this could be sustained, we might say that
Philip was a native of Capernaum, whose home was at Bethsaida.

il 7", that Awa and c are used almost

But it appeals from 6 38 *
interchangeably, as they were beginning to be in Greek authors

generally.

Cf. Ps. 1401 ,

e<XoO

/*

av$ptairav vovypov
pwrat ft

airo dvSp&s a&tkov

Moulton-Milligan, s.v.
t^ jru^s of the inhabitants (not necessarily the natives) of a village* See further

where no distinction can be traced.

e*, quote from papyri the phrase 01 e*
11 1 .

This probably means no more, in this con(ioi.

than that Jesus asked for Philip's company on the journey

AjtoXoufet

text,

He

PHILIP

5c o **XTTflS otto BijfltratSa,

on

43. tJ ^Traiiptay, i.e. on Day v, of this eventful week (see

on v. 9), Jesus resolved to go forth into Galilee for geX0cLp
*t* t^ raXiXaLav cf. 4* j and note that Jesus is now on the
E. side of Jordan. Either as He was starting, or on the way.

THE CALL OF

into Galilee.

The same

call

was afterwards addressed

with a more exacting meaning

(cf.

Mk.

2 1*,

to others

Mt. Sffl 1921 and

,

especially Jn, 21**).

has been suggested that Philip is to be identified with the

who wished to bury his father before he obeyed the call
to follow (Mt. 8aa), but this is mere conjecture,
It

disciple

lt
a Hebrew name, t3fu, meaning
God
has given," the equivalent of the Greek Theodore. He was of
Cana of Galilee (21*), and it was perhaps there that Philip
found him, as Cana is the next place mentioned (2 1).

46* Nathanael

is

'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

62
Moroo^

bf

I*ktij0

top

t^

v6f.ua

koX at fl-po^^T^t
46. oi

ST*

JOHN

efyjijiea/tey,

[L 46-46.

'IijtrOVK

vlw

tqip

ut$ NaflawwjA *Ek

Nafaper Suwmu rt dya^ov cfrai; \.&ya afroi A $(A(mrof *Ep^ow
Kal ISe,
4J. cl&eir 'Iiycrous t&v Nu^aKa^A ^o/acfo^ Trpos avriv al
w?ro

Nafciper*

eTircir

Nathanael has been identified, e.g. by Kenan and Zahn,

with Bartholomew, because (1) in the Synoptic lists of the
apostles, Philip is associated with Bartholomew as he is here
with Nathanael, and (2) while the name Nathanael does not
occur in the Synoptists, Bartholomew (which is only a
patronymic, Bar Tholmat) is not found in Jn.
This group of disciples are represented as students of the
O.T. As Andrew says, We have found the Messiah " (v. 41),
so Philip says, ** We have found Him of whom Moses and the
c

prophets wrote," This is what was explained to the disciples

at Emmaus (Lk. 24"). The reference to " Moses " includes
at any rate Deut. iS 3*.
The Person in whom these prophecies were fulfilled is
described by Philip as " Jesus, a son of Joseph (not the son,
tov vlov of the rec. text being erroneous), the man from
Nazareth." It is certain that the author of the Fourth Gospel
did not regard Jesus as a " son of Joseph rt 7 for him Jesus was
povoytv^s 6*6$ (y, 18). But he does not stay to explain that
Philip's confession fell short of the truth, just as he does not
comment on the query, Is not this Jesus the son of Joseph ? JJ
4Z
(6 ).
Jn, is sure that his readers are of one mind with himself
as to the Divinity of Jesus, and that they will not misunderstand,
This characteristic of Jn.'s style has been called '* the irony of
St, John," l and it appears several times.
(Cf. 64S 7 to i8 a 19 1 *.)
" The man from Nazareth " (so Acts
t5w 4tt4 Naapr.
io*7) was the natural designation of Jesus by those who only
'

'

knew where He
still

lived (see

on

i8 E).

a descriptive phrase on the

lips

"Jesus of Nazareth"
of

many who

is

are assured

that He was fobs iK 8eov.

46. Nathanael's rejoinder has been taken by some to be a
meditative comment on what Philip has said rather than a
question, viz. "Some good might come out of Nazareth,"
But the order of the words is in favour of it being taken interrogatively, " Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"
Nazareth is not mentioned in the O.T., so that there was nothing
to connect the place with the prophecies of Messiah.
See on
jtt, 6a
But Nathanael's question has something of scorn in it,
as if Nazareth had a bad name; however, of this there is no
evidence* Nathanael was of Cana, and the rivalry between
neighbouring villages might account for his expression of
1 Salmon, Introd.
to N.T. t p. 280
cf. p, xxxiv above.
^

40-48.]

THE CALL OF PHILIP AND NATHANAEL

keytt irtpt avrov

63

IS* aXq&ios 'LrpaTjAciri^ iv 1$ S6\qs qvk eortv.

48. Acyct vt$ NaA&rcufX Uo&tv fie ywwirKCis; AirtKpiftrf "IijcroSs

xai <fot-ir aurw IIpo row ere EtXtmrOV <^<uvqcrcu ovtcl &to ttjv wkiJv

incredulity as to Nazareth being a prophet's home* That he

does not seem to have heard of Jesus before shows how retired
His life had been before He began His public ministry.
47. There is no suggestion that Jesus overheard Nathanael's
incredulous query. He speaks from His previous knowledge

of the man (v. 48).

T&c See on v. 29.
dXijftfa * repast t-nr)$ kr 8dta>s ouk
of Jacob's guile (S0A0*, Gen. 47 s6)

iariv.

Isaac complained

but that was before he

received the new name of Israel and had a vision of heavenly
things.
The Psalmist hails as blessed the man *'in whose
spirit there is no guile " (Ps. 32*); and of the ideal Servant of
;

Yahweh

* L

was declared,
neither was any guile found in his
(Isa, 53s).
Thus he who is truly an Israelite (cf.
Rom, 2 s*), representing Israel at its best, must be without guile,
and such a man Nathanael was declared by Jesus to be.
it

mouth "

U s8 M 8*1 , 1 Jn. 2*,

Jn, has <Ui?0fr again, 4" 6 7 *
"
48. v6$ev fit yuwuets; " Whence do you know, me ?
Nathanael had overheard the remark of Jesus, and expresses
wonder that He should have known anything about him.
ytrtaa-Ktiv is a favourite word with Jn., occurring about
twice as frequently as it does in the Synoptists, which is all the
more remarkable as Jn, never uses the noun yw3<rw (Lk i 77 1 i M f
and often in Paul). For the supposed distinction between
ctStVat and ywd>trKftvt see on v. 26
cf, 2***
iir^Kp, *hf.
tf insert 6 before 'Iijo-ow, but om. ABLWTAj
see on vv, 29, 50,
irp& tou tfe iXlttttoi' ^H]ffat.
<fnavetv is the word used in
Jn* for calling any one by his personal name or usual title:
;

cf.

io"iiia"i3i8

tV <tvkt\v etSw o* ** I saw thee under the fig tree."

not found with the ace. elsewhere in Jn. (see on vttokotw in
v. 50)*
Perhaps it indicates here that Nathanael had withdrawn
to the shelter of the fig tree, under which Jesus had seen him.
fiiri
tV viHtfji-. The fig tree is a very familiar object in
Palestine, where it was specially valued for the grateful shade
of its leaves. National tranquillity is often pictured bv the
image of every man sitting
under his vine and under his fig
13
tree " {1 Kings 4s5, MIc. 44 , 1 Mace.
When Jesus says to
).
wast
under the fig tree," i.e. probably
Nathanael, "When thou
the fig tree in the precincts of his own house, He alludes to some
incident of which the evangelist gives no explanation. WhatlttA

$*6

is

'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

64
tthov

eov,

tr,

AirtufjiOr} iivTw

49,

cri ffatrtXtv* tt

ST-

JOHN

[I.

48-49,

Na&tvaifA. 'Pa-fifie^ <ri t% o uios roC

$0. fanKpiBrf Irfwow ai ci-rer

tov 'hrpaijK

it was, the fact that Jesus should have known it impressed

Nathanael so much that he broke out into the confession, Thou
The power
art the Son of God, Thou art the King of Israel,"
which Jesus had of reading the secrets of men's hearts is alluded

ever

* (

* 4W

to again, 2 s*-

This episode has been compared * with the Story of the

prolonged meditation of Gautama under the Bodhi tree, where
he attained Buddha-hood, and thenceforward began to gather
But there is no real parallel. It was not Jesus,
disciples.
but His disciple Nathanael, who meditated under the fig tree,
nor is there any hint (as in the Buddha legend) that Jesus
received *' enlightenment " thus.
Cheyne % gets rid of the fig tree by the supposition that
there has been a misreading of an Aramaic original, the words
janno WWI, "when thou wast making supplication/* being
mistaken for

mxnn
nnn
"
T "

This

ruwi
r -

" when thou wast under the

-J

not convincing.
Other fanciful hypotheses about Nathanael are that the
incident indicated here is another version of the story of
Zacchseus in the sycamore tree (Abbott, Diai. 3375 f,); or that
in him we are to see a figure symbolical of Paul, an Israelite who
broke through the prejudices of his early training (sufficiently
answered by Moffatt, Inirod* to N*T., p. 565) ; or that we are to
equate him with the Beloved Disciple (cf. Introd,, p. xxxvii).
But the simplest interpretation is the best. Nathanael was a
real figure, and his call was vivid in the mind of the aged disciple
whose recollections are behind the Fourth Gospel.
49. 'Puppet,
See on v. 38.
ait et o oiAs tou 0edu,
Cf. Peter's <ru <T 6 cEyuw rov faov
(6*^), and Martha's o-u el 6 X/motos, h uio? tov $ov (ii*7); and
Nathanael sees in Jesus One who has
see below on v. 51.
displayed a wonderful knowledge of his past life (cf, 4 1*' **), and
so he identifies Him with the expected Messiah,
For the title
6 wo* tou &tavt see on v. 34 above.
J
l<rpifj\,
<j pwriXefa et tou
This, to us, is a lesser title
than o vtfc tov 0>v, but not so to Nathanael; see on 12 1*.
Nathanael has been nailed by Jesus as an " Israelite," a worthy
and representative son of Israel, and he replies out of the fulness
of his heart, " Thou art the King of Israel," and therefore
NathanaeTs King, Both Messianic titles, " Son of God " and
*'
King of Israel," have their roots in Ps. 2.
fig tree,"

is

*By

Seydel.

.fl.,

s>v.

See D.C.G.,

" Nathanael"

THE CALL OF PHILIP AND NATHANAEL

50.]

65

avr$ *Ort cfirOF trot ctl cZ$op <rc faroinzru ttJs trwrijSj ttiotw* ; p*iw
rmrrvy ttyfl*
51, tuu Ary arq> 'A/i^v Apyv Xeym vpXvt 5t/rco-0
GO. dircKp0i|

*hj,

In the
sai ctvcf.
is o avaicptfeis

Synoptists (except at
but in Jn. the
said," two co-ordinate
both constructions

Mk, 7^) the formula

erirei%

almost invariable use is " answered and

verbs being used (see on v. 26). In the
are found,

LXX

Burney {Aramaic Origin^ etc., p. 53) claims faettcpCfh) Tq.

a literal rendering of an Aramaic original, as it

*at ftn-sv as

in Theodotion's Daniel. The constr., however, is common

in the LXX, where the original is Hebrew (not Aramaic), e.g.
is

Sam. 14s8 ig

A more

2 Chron. 29 31 3415 Joel 2 1* (of Yahweh),

argument for an Aramaic original of Jn, is
,

plausible

found by Burney in the large number of asyndeton sentences.

This is a specially Aramaic (not a Hebrew) characteristic.
If, however, the narrative parts of the Gospel were dictated
(as we hold to be probable) by one to whom Aramaic was
his native language, we should expect to find them reproduced
sometimes in Greek with an Aramaic flavour.
'ItjffoiiB often
perhaps generally takes the def. art. in
but the phrase airfiipt&t} 'Iijo-oCs is common,
Jn. (see on v, 29)

e,g. 4 W S 1*-

M 9> 13'- w 1

s *-

etc.

The second on

introduces the words

In is " because," a favourite use
with Jn., and is here employed suspensivefy at the beginning
of the sentence, as again at 14" 15 10 16 s 2o M (and also in the
Sri etiroV

o-ot

The

actually said*

Apocalypse;

Stl ktX.

first

Abbott, Diai, ar?6).

found again in Jn. ; it is more emphatic than
foro of v. 48, and perhaps indicates concealment "under the
cover of the fig tree," But the variation wro t^v <n/Krjv . ,
uiroKaru tijs (tipkijs is thoroughly Johannine ; when repeating a
phrase, Jn. is apt to alter it slightly, either by a change in the
order of the words, or by using a different word.
Perhaps there is an allusion here to the
\mi\w tqu'tui' o^tj.
designation of Nathanael as dAqduK 'IffpaijWnjc (v. 47)* Jacob,
lt
Israel " was given, was pre-eminently
to whom the name of
a man of vision. The ancient (although erroneous) interpretation of his new name equated it with
rtfcH tt^N utr uidens
Deum, This etymology was adopted by Philo^ who, commenting on the story of Jacob at Peniel (Gen. 32), says (de somn. i.
21) "He compels him to wrestle, until He has imparted to him
irresistible strength, having changed his ears into eyes, and
called this newly modelled type, Israel\ i,e, one who sees**
cf.

timucdTu is not

(*Iirpa^A, Qp&vra)*
ii.

288.

Nathanael,

who

VOL. i.

is

" an

Israelite indeed,*'

must

also

be a man

66

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[I.

50-51,

of vision, and the vision which is promised him is greater even

than that which he has already recognised, viz. that Jesus is
" the King of Israel " (v. 49).
Despite the
51. koX \ly& afca, *ApV ijity X^yw &piv.
singular aurw, the plural v/iTy suggests that the words which
follow were addressed to others besides Nathanael. When
Jesus prefaces a saying addressed to an individual by this
solemn introduction. He is represented by Jn. as putting it in
s 5 - u ai 18
Further, although
)*
the form djuijv &mv Afyw trot (3
the promise is in the singular juct<i> Totn-ow <fyjj} the vision is
described as to be seen by more than one, oipe<r$t ktX,
*
the heaven
Nathanael is only one of those who are to see
ascending
and
descending,"
etc.
angels
opened and the
The authority with which Jesus was
&pb\r dpV Xyu ujuy*
accustomed to speak has been, noted above (Introd., p. ex).
His authoritative manner of speech is indicated sometimes in
the Synoptists by the mere addition of ta'yw trot or \Ayta fyuv,
u ii 24, Lk. 5** 6s7 7 M ioia * M 8 -* etc., Mt, 5" i6JS
e.g. Mk.
48
ai
33 s8 etc. This is often found in the expanded form n/*i)v
\4yia vptv (30 times in Mt., 13 in Mk,, and 6 in Lk., who also
translates Jdn by vait dXitfim or iif d^frtas).
Jn. always gives
W 13** for
**y*> vfdv (25 times ; cf. 4
it in the form o^V
formula
In
the
is
usually
associated
Xtyta vftiy simply).
Jn.
It
with sayings not given by the Synoptists; but cf. 3* i3 1B M
is clear from the Gospels that this was a characteristic usus
loque ndi of the Lord (Himself the Amen, Rev. 3 14 ; cf. Isa, 6s 18),
who never rested His sayings on the authority of other masters,
as the Rabbinical habit was, but spoke as One possessed of
the secrets of life.
Why the &pyv is doubled in the Johannine reports cannot
be confidently explained. There are instances in the other
Gospels of Jesus repeating at the beginning of a sentence
the name of the person addressed, for greater emphasis, e.g.
Martha, Martha (Lk. 10*1), Simon^ Simon (Lk. 22*1), /oir
Eloi (Mk. I5 M); but this does not provide an exact parallel.
It would appear that apxpr was for Him a form of solemn
attestation (see also on 4* 1) ; and it may be that the solemnity
was emphasised by Him sometimes by doubling the /it[v. He
s1
forbade oaths (cf. 4 ), but where people wished to be emphatic
to
&ay Yea, yea, vm viu (Mt. s3*), and this
them
He allowed
61
See Lk. 7 s*
for
as equivalent to
is Verify, verify 1
Hence> in Mt. 5 817 , Jesus recommends as a form of
afjurjp.
solemn affirmation ajjtqv &pr}vt which we find from the report of
'

'

<W

1
" The Talmud Sanhtd. 36* discusses
Allen, in Matthew 5" writes
whether Yes and No are oathSj and decides that they are oaths ii
:

repeated twice/'

AND NATHANAEL

PHILIP

67

T01I5 AyvAous tou 6eov draff aupoiras nai

tof Yior tqv avOp&irov,

rbv ouparor avtcpyora xai

ttaTafibivovT&s

lirl

Jn. to have been frequently adopted by Himself.

The duplication of Afojv impressed the disciple, who remembered it, the

Synoptic record having lost this characteristic feature.

In Jn. (as in the Synoptic Gospels, where Aey*> tyuv only
or &fAV}v X-tym vp.lv is found) aftyv fyrpr A.eya> u/mv, while special
emphasis is laid on the words which follow, always carries a
reference to what has gone before
either a reply to an observation (e.g. 3 3 6*- 3S 5 18 S 13* cf. Mk. io*", Mt, 26 s*), or an
explanation and expansion of something that has already been
said (e.g. i fil 5 ** 35 io1 ' i 2 M 13^20.21 l6 ao. as I4
c
k
13* Mt. 2613). Even 8M goes back to 8**, 647 to 6", 5** to 5"
although the connexion is not so obvious* But it is important
to observe that
Jn. the prelude a^ty Apty Xeyw Ifur never
introduces a new saying unrelated to what precedes (see on
io1). In like manner in the O.T. we find
ty-fa prefacing
a responsive agreement to something that has been already
6
said (1 Kings i 3*, Neh. 5 1 *, Jer.
); or in its doubled form,
d/*qv d/ujy, as concluding a sort of liturgical response (Num. 5**,
Judith 13 s0, Ps. 41"). But in the O.T. we do not find dpjr
used at the beginning of a sentence, to strengthen what is to

51

follow.

THE CALL OF

I. 51,]

The phrase an &pm (for which see on 13 19)

by ArA and the Syriac vss., but

o^ro-0*

kBLW latt.j etc., and must be rejected.

is

prefixed to

is

omitted by

It has been added by

a misunderstanding of the meaning of the
words which follow (cf, Mt. z6 M).
The vision which is
described is not one which was to be revealed henceforth, i.e.
from the time of speaking; it was for the future, perhaps the

scribes because of

distant future.
oi|r<r0e.
$TrrafjLat (but not opav in the pre 3, or perf, tenses)
always used in Jn, (3 s*
i6 lfl, 1 Jn. 3*) of the vision of
heavenly or spiritual realities, as distinct from a seeing with
the eyes of the body. The same usage is common in the rest
of the N.T.j but there are exceptions (e.g. Acts ae so2*). For
7
the difference in usage between fcrrofiat and Btvpeiv, see on

is

a"*,

and

Abbott (Diat* 1307, 1597 f.),

rbv oupavlv Aveay&ra ktX.
can hardly doubt
words here are taken from the story of Jacobus vision

cf,

<tye<70e

that some
at Bethel, viz.

We

Mpa^

ivrxiptyfiary v rfj yg, fc

^ K&faXr}

afjuKytlrtt

U rov ovpavov, koi ot ayytXot tov PeoD avifiaivov ko\ Kartpaivov eV avTTS, 6 & Kupioy iwtunqpLKTO iir avnjs K<tl t&r*ir ktA*
(Gen. 28"' 1S). It is, however, remarkable that no Christian
writer before Augustine seems to have noticed that Jn, x 61

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

68

ST.

JOHN

[I.

51,

in part, a quotation (see, for the patristic interpretations

of the passage, Additional Note, p. 70 f.). The promise to
Nathanael, as an ''Israelite indeed/' that he (with others)
shall see angelic visions, is couched in terms which recall
the vision of Jacob, the father of his race, of whom Nathanael
That the vision of Bethel
is
no unworthy descendant.
was seen by Jacob before he received the new and pregnant
name of Israel does not constitute a difficulty, for we are
not concerned with the details of Jacob's vision. The evangelist's report does not indicate that he thought of it as fulfilled
in Nathanael. The words ascribed to Jesus have to do with
Jacob's vision only in so far as they suggest to Nathanael that
he was not the first Israelite to have visions of heaven and the

is,

angels*

What is to be the occasion of the vision promised to Nathanael

The direction in which an answer must
his companions ?
be sought is indicated by the use, for the first time, in the Gospel
and

the Son of Man." We

of the strange designation of Jesus as
have already seen (Introd., p, cxxvii) that the title "the Son of
Man," applied by Jesus to Himself, most frequently appears in
eschatological passages, which have reference to His final and
glorious Advent, after which His indestructible kingdom is to
be fully established (cf. Dan, 7 13). The vision of this Advent
seems to be what is promised to Nathanael and his believing
companions, Nathanael is represented as acknowledging
that Jesus is " the Son of God, the King of Israel " (v. 49),
i.e, that He is the Messiah as looked for under the aspect of
King, the " political " Messiah (see on v, 34) of Israel's hope.
But there was a higher conception than this, a more spiritual
and it was to this (as
picture than that of an earthly prince
suggested by the words of Dan 7 13 ) that Jesus pointed His
It
followers, when He spoke of Himself as the Son of Man.
was a greater thing to see Him as the Son of Man than as the
King of Israel. The vision which would be the condemnation
of the high priest who presumed to condemn Jesus, viz. o^eo-Ot
'

'

Tor vtov tov av&pwirov in BiW KafryfiMvar tt/S 5vra/tus kl ipj(pfj.trov

fitra tGt vttj>t\wv tow olpavov (Mk I48S), would be the reward of
disciples who faithfully accepted Him as the Messiah.
The parallel to this passage in the Synoptists is the promise
which followed upon the confession of Peter and the rest.
Peter's confession^ like that of Nathanael, was <ru et 6 Xpttn-oV,
and in making it he was the spokesman of the others. And the
promise which follows is the counterpart of the promise to
Nathanael, viz, " The Son of Man shall come in the glory of
His Father with His angels. .
Verily I say unto you, There
be some of them that stand here which shall in no wise taste of
:

I. 51.]

THE CALL OF PHILIP AND NATHANAEL

69

they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom "

cf. Mk. S38 9 \ Lk. Q*' =*).
The parallelism with
remarkable, and the difficulty of expteining both
Jn.
passages (for they are left unexplained by the evangelists)
shows that, alike in the Synoptists and in Jn,, they embody a
genuine reminiscence or tradition. 1 See on 6* for Jn.'s version
of Peter's confession.
There is in Jn. a third confession of faith, which should be
placed beside that of Nathanael and that of Peter, viz. that of
Martha (n*), who says <rv 3 6 Xpurros, 6 vibs toO 0eri, 6 eh iw
Kotrpov Ip^ojucro?,
No reply of Jesus is recorded until we
reach v, 40, when He says, with apparent reference to her
previous confession, " Said I not unto thee, that if thou helievedst, thou shouldest see the glory of God ? "
That is,
again, as in the case of Nathanael Vision is the reward of
Faith the vision of the Divine glory, as exhibited in the power
over death which Jesus had (see note on 11**),
The attempts which have been made to trace a detailed
correspondence between what is said about Jacob's vision
at Bethel and the vision promised to Nathanael are quite
unsuccessful.
Nathanael t it must be bome in mind, is here
typified by Jacob or Israel as " the man who sees/'
It is,
therefore, impossible to take Jacob as the type of Christ or the
Son of Man; and this rules out several modern interpretations,
E*g. to take (see Meyer) the angels ascending and descending
as typical of the continuous intercourse between God and Christ,
the Father and the Son (see on 5" 6 B7>, presupposes that Jacob at
Bethel typifies Christ, not to mention that the idea of the intercourse between the Father and the Son being carried on by the
ministry of angels is quite foreign to the Gospels,
Burney * points out that the Hebrew \z, which is rendered
at Gen. 2S1* fa' avTfj* by the LXX, and by the English versions
" on it," sc< on the ladder, might also be rendered li on him,"
death,

(Mt.

till

16**i*1 is

*;

on Jacob. He cites a Midrash where this interpretation is

proposed, and where it is said of the angels at Bethel that they
were ascending on high and looking at Jacob's *fc<iv (which
was in heaven), and then descending and finding his sleeping
body, Burney suggests that the heavenly thc&v of Israel was
the Son of Man, and that Gen. 28 1* is quoted here by Jn. from
the Hebrew, \2 being rendered '* on Him/' i.e, the heavenly
Ideal of Israel. If the heavens were opened, Nathanael would
S.

1
Both Justin {Apol. i. 6} and Irenaeus {Dem. iq) apeak of angels
as following and attending the Son.
Cf. J. A. Robinson, St. Tren&us
and the Apostolic Preaching, pp. 27 ft".
* Aramaic Origin, etc., p. 116;
cf. for Rabbinical speculations
about the angels and Jacob's ladder, Abbott, DiaU 2998 (xiii.).

70

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST*

JOHN

I.

[L 5L

ascending and descending upon

the Son of Man," But, as we have said, Jn. certainly does
not intend Jacob at Bethel to be taken as the type of the Son of
Man, and so this interesting interpretation does not help us.

then see the angels of

God

71

God standing above, is shown the way to heaven, which some

take and others fall from. " This," said Jacob, " is the gate of
heaven," and the gate is provided by Christ, Tertullian never
mentions Jn. 1 s1
It may be added that Cyprian quotes neither
.

Gem28 ls norJn. iM

Irenseus (Dem. 45) says that Jacob's ladder signifies

the Cross, tl for thereby they that believe on Him go up to the
heavens," adding that " all such visions point to the Son of
(e)

Additional Note on the Promise to Nathanael

I. 01. No commentator before Augustine suggests any
connexion between Gen, 28 13 and Jn, i 61 . When the proneness
of the early exegetes to seek (XT, Ustimonia is remembered,
A few passages may be cited to illustrate
this is remarkable.
the various interpretations that were placed on both texts.
(a) Philo, as one would expect, has much to say about
Jacob's vision at Bethel (de somn. i, 22). Between heaven and
earth, he says, there is the air, the abode of incorporeal souls,
immortal citizens* The purest of the beings who pass to and
fro are angels, who report the Father's orders to His children,
and their needs to Him. Here ( 23) is an image of man's soul,
of which the foundation, as it were, is earthly (aWijfris), but the
head is heavenly (yarn). And the Aifyot of God move incessantly up and down, ascending that they may draw the
soul heavenwards, condescending that they may impart life
from above. This, despite some verbal similarities, has no
bearing on the exegesis of Jn. i G1
() Origen (;. Celsum, vi. 21) recalls the Platonist doctrine,
favoured by Celsus, that souls can make their way to and from
the earth through the planets, and speaks with approval of
Philo's exposition of Gen. 281 * which has been cited above.
He says that Gen. 2& ia either refers to the Platonic view or to
*'
something greater/' but he does not explain what this is.
51
several times.
In Horn, in Luc
(/) Origen quotes Jn, i
xxiil (Lommatzsch, v. 17S) he quotes it to show that visions of
.

angels are seen only by those to whom special grace is given;

and similarly in de Orat. 11 (Lommatzsch, xvii. 128) he says
that the angels ascending and descending are visible only to
eyes iUuminated by the light of knowledge (yrfiro). In another
place (c. Celsufn t 1 48) he interprets the phrase iw oftpavov
avtipyora of the opening of the heavens at the Baptism of Christ,
forgetting that Jn, represents the Baptism as prior to the call
of Nathanael. In none of these passages is it suggested that
Gen. a8 ia had occurred to him as a parallel.
(d) Tertullian refers twice to Jacob's ladder. Just as some
men behave badly in time of persecution, and others well, so in
Jacob's dream some mount to higher places, others go down to
lower (de Fuga $ 1)
More interesting is his comment in another
place (*. Marcion. iii. 24): By the vision of Jacob's ladder, with
,

ADDITIONAL NOTE

01.]

God, speaking with men and being with men,"

He does not
anywhere,
(f) Justin (Tryph. 58, 86) quotes in full the story of Jacob
at Bethel.
He urges that it was not God the Father who
stood above the ladder (Gen. 281*), but the Angel of His
presence; and he finds the type of Christ, not in the ladder,
but in the stone which Jacob had used for a pillow, and which
he anointed (Gen. 28 ie). He does not allude to Jn. r51 ,
is) Chrysostom (in loc) regards the ministry of angels in
Gethsemane (Lk. 22**) and the Resurrection (Jn, 20") as a
fulfilment of Jn. i B1 , an inadequate explanation.
In an obscure
passage (in C&L ii. 5), he refers to Gen, aS 13 as a sign of the
Divine Sonship of Christ, but he does not associate it with
quote Jn,

Jn,

i B1

i 61 .

(h)

Epp.

Jerome alludes to Jacob's ladder several times

(e.g.

118. 7, 123. is, and Tract, de Ps. cxix.).

It
represents, he says, the Christian life, the Lord standing above
98. 3,

holding out His hand to help those going up, and casting
down the careless. Like Justin, he takes the stone of Jacob as
a type of Christ the cornerstone; but he does not quote Jn, i*1
in this context.

(0 Augustine is the first exegete to find in Jn. r51 an allusion

to Gen. 28 18 ,
He, too, regards Jacob's stone as a type of
Christ \ and he suggests that the confession of Nathanael that
Jesus is the Christ was like the anointing of the stone by Jacob
(Gen. 23 13). The " angels, ascending and descending,"
typify the preachers of the Gospel. Augustine, however, introduces two ideas not altogether consistent with each other.
First the angels " ascend and descend upon the Son of Man,"
because He is at once above and below, in heaven and on earth,
" Filius enim hominis sursum in capite nostra, quod est ipse
Salvator; et Filius hominis deorsum in corpore suo, quod est
Ecclesia."
Secondly, he explains that the Ladder is a type of
Christ, who said, "I am the Way"- and it is notable that
Augustine is the first Christian writer to suggest this thought
(c. Faustum, xiL 26).
He refers again to the association
between Gen, aS1 * and Jn, 1 s1 in de Civ. Dei, xvi. 39, and in
Serm. cxxiii. 3, 4; but he does not elsewhere speak of Jacob's

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

72

II. I,
Jtal

Kni

<ry 17/tcV?

5 1* V pfalP

t$ TpCrQ

'Iflffou

fiat*

ST.

JOHN

[L 51-11.

ydfios eycpcro er Ktxva -njs roAiAata;,

2.

eieAiJ&fl

Sc ai 6 'fyroifc al 01

ladder as typifying Christ. Augustine does not seem to be

clear as to the correspondence between the details of Jacob's
vision and the promise to Nathanael; and, in fact, the correspondence cannot be set out precisely. But his general idea
has left its mark on modern exegesis.

The Firsi Sign

H.
us, is

ike Marriage at

1* Cana of Galilee, to which

named twice again in Jn. (4**

Cana

(II.

i-ii)

the narrative now brings

21 2), but nowhere else in

the N/I\ It is mentioned by Josephus {Vita, % 16) jcu/tq ttJs

roAiXaia? tj trpotrayopcberat Kva, and 15 not to be Confounded
with another Cana in Ccelo-Syria. Its exact situation is not
certain.
The traditional site is Kefr Kenna 7 %\ miles N.E, of
Nazareth; but *Ain K&n&> a little nearer Nazareth, and Khirbei
K&ndy 8 miles N. of Nazareth, have also been suggested*
Tjj TJplp^ ttJ TptTHSo &ALAW, but B and /am. 13 have
rjj

TpirQ ijptpy*

Jesus reached Cana on the third day after the call of Philip
and Nathanael (r43), when a start was made from the neighbourhood of Bethabara for Galilee. This is a journey that would
occupy two days (i*), and no incident is recorded of the last
day of travel
t

il

THE MARRIAGE AT CANA

i-a.]

73

from the neighbouring

(see 2 ia).

village, Nazareth, or from Capernaum

Perhaps itwas the wedding of a relative, which would

account for Jesus being invited to attend.

Joseph is not mentioned, and it is probable that he was dead
at this time.

a Sahidic apocryphal fragment edited by Forbes Robinis said to be the sister of the bridegroom's
parents.
The fragment (which seems to be part of a sermon on the
Marriage at Cana) adds that the parents told Mary that the
wine was failing, and asked her to use her influence with
Jesus,
who replied to her " in a kindly voice, Woman, what wilt thou
"
with me ? (see on v. 4 below). According to this account, the
waterpots were prepared that the guests might wash defers the
meal (see on v. 6).
The Monarchian Preface to the Gospel (see Introd., p. lvii)
begins: " Hie est Tohannes euangelista unus ex discipulis dei,
qui uirgo electus a deo est, quern de nuptiis uolentem nubere
uocauit deus, etc." This legend that the bridegroom was
John the son of Zebedee (whose mother Salome was sister of
Mary) had much currency in later times. That Jesus had
dissuaded John from marriage is told in the second-century
Gnostic Acts of fohn ( 113).
1 1

son, 1

Mary

2. pafcrratIn all the Gospels the followers of Jesus are

so described, the title sometimes indicating members of the
apostolic Twelve or all of them, sometimes being used in a
wider sense. Thus in Mk. 2 1* , Mt. 8 ai f Lk. 6 1*, Jn, 6 W- w w
-

has been pointed out (on i 19) that we have in the first
section of the Gospel (i 1* to 2 U ) a record of six or (more probably) of seven eventful days at the beginning of the public
ministry of Jesus. Which of these days was the Sabbath ?
Most probably it was the day of the call of Andrew and John,
who " abode with Him that day " (1**). There was no travel-

not restricted to the Twelve.

At first the followers of Jesus were called ot ftaQqrat aflrov,
thus distinguishing them from the disciples of other Rabbis
(cf. on i 36); but as time went on they began to
be described
absolutely as 01 ^taffy. " th* disciples" being a Christian
phrase which no one would mistake. The earlier description

ling such as there was on the days of the journey from Bethany
to Cana.
If this be so, we reach an interesting coincidence, for
then the day of the Marriage at Cana would be the fourth day
of the week; and a Talmudical direction ordained that the
marriage of a virgin should be on the fourth day, 1 or our
Wednesday, Marriage feasts in Palestine were, and are,
generally held in the afternoon or evening.
f\ pfi-ntp toG 'It).
Jn. never gives her name (cf* s u 6 4a iq 2*),
just as he does not mention the name of John the son of Zebedee
or that of James his brother, Mary, who had apparently some
special interest in the wedding (a 3 6), had come over to Cana

is

It

So Lightfoot, Hot. Hebr.

rhyme which
of all/*

so80,

found in Mk., as

the

is natural, much oftener than the later, and

same habit of phrase is found in Jn. a
Thus ol pafrrjral ovrow stands for the general body of the

"M

w M

13 2* 1617 - M ig 1 - **. 20aa

used in a wider sense at
2 i7. it 4 2 6W u. aEld perhaps 3 aa
At 4 e * 2T 9 2 it is not clear
which or how many of ol ^a0i?rat afroO were present, and the
same is true of the present verse.
The later phrase, ot fia$7fratf used absolutely, is only applied
once in Jn. to the collected Twelve (13s followed consequentially by i3 aa).
It often stands for the disciples already mentioned^
apostles in 6 8 -*

and perhaps

21*.

12*-

The phrase

lfl

is

e.g.

so too there is an old English

t in loc.
declares that for weddings Wednesday " is the best day

pLa$tfrat is

aoM

(two), at**" (seven), so

1*-

(ten).

At 4. and

Coptic Apocryphal Gospels, p, 164

Ci Turner, J,T.S. M April 1935, P- 236.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

74

paApral avratj

ei*

^^

toy yapov*

3.

ST.

JOHN

[H. 2-8.

koX ioTepTtrarros otvov

Aiy

ij

a. 11,

perhaps zo1*),

'

one that is sent "; cf. so21

There is nothing to indicate that
.

ot fiaBrjTal avroE in this

verse is meant to include all the new disciples, five in number,
that have been named in the preceding chapter, Jesus asked
Philip (i 48) to accompany Him to Galilee, and Nathanael was
himself of Cana, These two may be assumed to have been
present.
Perhaps, also, John the son of Zebedee, whom we
have identified with the unnamed disciple of i 87 , was there;
for there are hints that the narrative goes back to an eyewitness (see on v. 6). But there is nothing to suggest that the
brothers Andrew arid Peter were present. And the absence
of any mention of this incident in Mk,, which is based on
Peter's reminiscences, would be natural if Peter was not a witness of it.
In any case, as Jesus had not yet declared Himself for what
He was, and as the u disciples " had been attracted only during
the previous week, it is not likely that they were invited to the
wedding in their capacity as His disciples. They were probably
present as friends of the bride and bridegroom. Nothing in the
narrative supports the suggestion of some commentators that
they were unexpected guests, and that the failure of the wine
was due to this sudden addition to the wedding party.
kX^0i] is perhaps to be rendered " there had been bidden,"
as if it were a pluperfect.
a
%
3. For forrep^o-ams oivw (e* ABLWA) is found in tt* a bjf
paraphrase,
otvav
J
ofros
ovk ttj(ovt on o-uv<T*\.etr$Ti
a Western
For otro* oCk exoucrLl at the end of the verse,
ydpav, etm
* has accordingly substituted oTvos ovk rrtv.
Wine was always provided on occasions of rejoicing (cf.
Gen. 1418); and there was a Jewish saying, "Without wine
there is no joy " (Pesaekitn, 109s). That there should not be
enough for the guests would be deemed unfortunate ; and Mary,
.

pqrt}p row

*I

vJ

o Iijcrov* Tt ipoi

in like manner, oi padtyrtu

indicates only the disciples present on. the occasion, whose
number is not specified, ot ftaBr^Tai is used in the widest sense
at 2o w , as including all the eye-witnesses of Jesus' works.
It is plain from a comparison of these passages that not
only does Jn. follow the earlier rather than the later phrase
when speaking of the Twelve, but that papqrai is often used
by him when the Twelve are not in the picture.
Jn. tells nothing of the selection of the Twelve, although
fl7 M 71
he has ol StiSa as a distinctive description of them (6 *
1*).
iirotrrokat
the
Twelve,
the
title
to
He never gives
so**; cf. 6
1
the word dvucrroXo? only occurring 13 * in its general sense of

n7.

THE MARRIAGE AT CANA

n. 3-4J

'

"poe

^K OW oU

o-o^

itai

ywtu;

tyovvtv.

outtw iJk

17

&pa

n
4. icoi

\eya

afotf

5. Acye*

juoil

who

is represented as having some kind of authority in

the
house, or at any rate as sufficiently intimate to give orders to the
servants (v. 5), calls the attention of Jesus to the deficiency.
That she should tell Him of this, rather than the host or the
"governor of the feast/' suggests at least that she had un-

bounded trust in His resourcefulness. But probably something

more is meant Jesus had now for the first time gathered
disciples round Him, and Mary may well have thought that the
time had come for Him to show Himself for what she knew

Him to be.

Xlya, . .
Tp&s oWf,
The more usual constr. \eya aurj}
occurs in the next line. The constr. -rrpv? nva after Acycw is
not found in Mk., Mt,, the Apocalypse, or the Johannine
Epistles, but it is often found in Jn (3* 4"- *& 6s 7* 8 31
) as
well as in Lk.
4. ti pol Kdl itol; is a phrase, translated from the Hebrew,
occurring several times in the Greek Bible, and always suggestive of diversity of opinion or interest. Thus in Judg, ri 1 *
Jephthahsays rttyoX k*\ o-oi'; in hostile challenge to the King
of the Ammonites.
David (2 Sam. 1610) says r iftol ko.1 iplv ;
to the sons of Zeruiah, meaning that he does not agree with
their advice.
The Woman of Sarepta (1 Kings 17") reproaches
Elijah with the same phrase.
Elisha uses it in declining to help
King Jehoram (2 Kings 3"). Neco, King of Egypt, says to
*

Josiah, ' ipoi kol a-ot; meaning, "

should we fight ?
s1
I am not nrarching against^w " (3 Chron,
35 ). And in Mk. $7
the man with the unclean spirit says the same thing to Jesus,
u
do you concern yourself with me ? Let me alone "
M Mt. S*5).
(cf, Mk. i

Why

Why

The phrase does not always imply

reproach, but

it

suggests

Here it seems to be a gentle suggestion of misund er standing

1 shall see to that; it will be better that you should leave it to
me." This is the view of Irenseus: " Dominus repellens ems
it .
11

intempestivam festinationem, dixit, etc." (H&r. iii. 17, 7).

yuW, as a vocative, does not convey any idea of rebuke
or reproach, as is clear from the tender ytW, Z8* v ifc ffou of
ig* a
It was thus that Augustus addressed Cleopatra (Dio, li,
12, 5) and Ulysses addressed Penelope (Odyssey, 19, $55)* But,
neverthelesSj that Jesus should call His mother yvvai, and not
^Tjrep, as would be natural, indicates that the time is past for
the exercise of any maternal authority on her part,
othru tjn ^ pa pou means primarily, in this context, that
.

the

moment had

not

come

for Jesus to intervene; that

He was

J6

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[IX 4-6,

w
&v Aeyjj vpXv irovqom**
6^ fltrav
turnip aflrou toU Sulkovois O
'IovSatW KCipcrau,
Se IkmZ XiBwat vSpfai Kara tv KwBapurpav
Xupovam avi ^r/>t^ras Svo ^ Tpe. 7. Xfy avroU o lijtrous

conscious of the failure of the wine, and did not need to be

reminded of it. At the proper moment, He would act, if
necessary.
The evangelist, however, means something more by the
record of this saying of Jesus, He places similar words in
His mouth more than once, fi juu/jq? b tfi&s oforo* vapeomv
{vtirkijpwTat) (t*' *) means that the time had not come for the
18
public manifestation of Himself as Messiah. At 12 Jesus says
ikrfkvQcv y &pa ha
that the hour of His Death has come
ir
Bqm-00 A wo* toS av&punrov (cf. 12 ); and, again, Ilarep,
1
1
i\ipu>$w y &pa (17 ; cf. 13 ). Jn in his own person speaks
similarly of the appointed hour of the manifestation and death
10
of Jesus, e.g. o&ro> iXrfXv&a % 5pa avrou (7** cf. 8 ).
Twice in Mt.'s account of the Passion, similar phrases are
:

ls

used, viz- o Katpo pov bffve *ort (Mt a6 ) and ^yyucw q 5pa
(Mt. a^ 45 , Mk. 1441); and Jesus frequently in the Synoptic
narrative predicts death as the conclusion of His public
ministry. But the Fourth Gospel is written from beginning
to end sub specie mternitatis\ the predestined end is foreseen
from the beginning. (See on 31* for Jn/s use of fia.) It is as
11
inevitable as is the hour of a woman's travail (16 ). Bearing this in mind, it is probable that Jn. meant his readers

"

to understand by the words " Mine hour is not yet come

spoken at the Marriage Feast at Cana, that the moment had not
yet come for the public manifestation by Jesus of Himself
as Messiah, the first sign of this Epiphany being the miracle
of the water turned into wine.
6* Mary did not take amiss the words of Jesus, ^ She has
been assured that He is aware of all the facts, and that is enough
for her.
So she bids the servants to execute promptly any
order that He gives, for she feels certain that He will intervene,
when the time has come. She is represented in the story as
expectant of some " sign " that will show Jesus for what He is.
In Jn., the aorist imperative often occurs, as
irotVjouTe.
"more authoritative than the pres. imper., which may denote
oxtX-^tot^
Cf, W. 7, 8 ytfiitrwrt
.
continuous action." 1
3* 12
and also 2"* * 4"- * 610 ?**
if* *f si*
Jn. often uses Be to introduce a new
6* a*v Se Itcct ktX.
40
there were six waterpots, etc," Cf, 6 10 18
point: "
"
containing two or three firkins
XupoGffixL Av& fLTfn]T(fe ktX.
apiece." dwdoes not occur again in Jn.; cf. Rev, 4*. For
*

$n

New

Ttjii&tLTt tcl? vSpux? vSaro;,

iw

Abbott, Dial 3437.

THE MARRIAGE AT CANA

IL6-B,]

Xiyti

avrots

77

koa iyi/xt&av a-vrhs es avw.

Avrky<raT vvv kol

this classical use of ^wpftv (see

ptTpyp-as Tptcrj(tAtWe*

<f>ptre

on 8 s7)

tm

cf.

S.

dp\tTptKktvfo,

koI

ot Si

Chron. 4B xwpov&av

fiBpim.
It was customary to have large water-jars of stone
in or near the room where a feast was being held, in order
that water might be available for the ceremonial washing of
hands prescribed before and after meals. The water was
carried from the jars in pitchers or basins, and was poured over
3
the fingers, so that it ran down to the wrist (cf. Mk. 7 ) and it
was a special duty of one's servant to see to this (cf. 2 Kings
'*
who poured water on the
3 , where Elisha is described as he
" firkin " or bath
hands of Elijah," *>, as his servant).
(utrpt|nfc ; cf. 2 Chron. 4*) was about 8 \ gallons, so that
the huge water-pots of the narrative (quite distinct from wine
smaller sized
vessels) contained about so gallons each,
s8
tthpCa was used for carrying water from a well (cf, 4 ),
;

M
The Fourth
kotcI rbv Ka0apio-fi^ ^ 'lou&awK (cf. 3 )
Gospel was written for Greek, not for Jewish, readers ; and so,
as at many other points, an explanatory note of this kind is
added (cf. v. 13). The Jewish customs as to ceremonial
washings were common to Galilee, as to the rest of Palestine
"
and no special emphasis should be laid here on the term Jews
1
GalilEeans.
See
above
on
*,
from
i
and
cf.
distinguished
as
+

'

'

7.

"up

u? &IW,

to the

brim "

(cf,

Mt,

27** for cms

a,

" down to the bottom "). This is mentioned to show that no

room was left for adding anything to the water in the jars.
a AirX^ffaTe vvv ktX., Draw out now, and bear to the
governor of the feast." The apjpTpucAcm is called the ijyovp^v&s
m Ecclus. 32 1 It was customary for one of the principal
.

guests to preside as arbiter bibendi (Horace, Od. ii, 7) or

trvprorrlapxas, and it is this person who is indicated here by
apxtrpiKkwoSi a word which elsewhere means a butler who
arranged the triclinium^ or three couches, each for three, at
the table.
avrMja-arc vvv has been generally taken to mean that the
servants were bidden to draw water from the great jars and
convey it in pitchers to the ruler of the feast. Westcott argues
that dvrAiJo-aTe vw means rather "draw out now from the
11
we/I, whence water had previously been taken to fill the jars
* *
up to the brim " ; and that no miracle was wrought upon the
water in the jars, but only upon water freshly drawn from the
It is true that
well in response to the command of Jesus*
fortes is naturally used of drawing water from a well (cf.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

78

ieVgv,

ai ou*

jJSei irvtfvr

ST,

JOHN

[IX 8-9.

cotcv, ol S Siaiforoi ^Sfitrup ot TjrA.7jit&T

But the difficulties of this

a 1* Isa. is 3).
1
interpretation are considerable
(1) If Westcott's view be taken, the act (v. 7) of filling
the large jars with water was quite otiose and has nothing to do
with the story. There was no reason to mention the waterpots at all, if the miracle consisted in the conversion to wine of
water freshly drawn from the well in pitchers 1 and brought
direct to the &pxiTpCt<;\wos.
(2) nvrXttv can quite properly be used of drawing or
pouring a liquid from a large vessel into a smaller one ; and in
its compounds c$avr\etvt ttaravrXelv it means "to pour out,"
u to pour over." The drawing from the large hydria in the
story would have been done by ladles (kuo^oc)- 8
7
4 and Gen. 24s3 Ex.

(3) That avrXav could be used of drawing wine appears

from a passage in the comic poet Pherecrates (see D.C.G. ii.
815); and that a hydria was sometimes used to hold wine can
be shown from Pollux, Onomasticon x. 74,
itfuj *YBpiav
7

8avctav flrevrejpwv 1} ^tccya, vxft ov fiovoy vSaros dAAa koi atvav

$Lv eli) ayytiov 7j iSpwi.
This last quotation shows that the
dpXirpiKXivas would have had no reason for being surprised at
wine being brought from the waterpots.
Jn, clearly means his readers to believe that what was
served to the ruler of the feast was drawn from the water-jars;
and that it was then served as a beverage. Had it been brought
by the attendants for the purpose of pouring it on the hands

of the ap-^LTptuXtvo^ it would have been brought in a different

kind of vessel, and he would not have proceeded to taste it.
We must further notice that Jn, does not say that either
the ruler of the feast, or the wedding guests generally, found
anything miraculous in the wine that was served at the end.
It was the disciples only who are said to have " believed u in
iC
Jesus, in consequence of this
sign."
See Introd., p, clxxxii.
9* 6s Si lycucrdTo 6 &px iTP> KT^ the aorist being used like

pluperfect:

Cf

"when

the ruler of the feast

had

tasted, etc,"

10

7
tA Shop
.

oltfov ytytvriptvav.
The words have been generally
understood to imply that all the water in the six waterpots,
amounting to about 120 gallons {see on v. 6), had been turned
into wine.
Jn. may have meant this ; but if so, the new supply

See Abbott, Dial 2281-2.

Dr, L C. Purser refers me to illustrations of hydria and cyatki
in Daremberg and Sagtio's Diction, des antiq., Figs- 3921-3926, 23333239 and also to the passages next cited.
*
a

11.9,]

THE MARRIAGE AT CANA

79

would have been a large over-provision for the needs of the

guests at the end of the feast, when they had already consumed
what had been provided by the host. In the story of Bel and
the Dragon, six firkins, or 50 gallons of wine, offered daily to
the idol are regarded as sufficient for 70 priests with their
wives and families.
hundred and twenty gallons would be
so unnecessarily large a supply that the residue of the twelve
baskets left after the Feeding of the Five Thousand (613) does
not furnish any analogy. Here there would have been a
prodigality, not indeed inconceivable in the case of One whom
the narrator describes as the Agent of creation (i 3), but without
parallel in the record of the other *' signs " of Christ.
The difficulty arising from the quantity of wine that would
have been left over perhaps affects modern readers more than
it would have affected contemporaries.
Wine might be abused,
and drunkenness was always blameworthy; but the idea that
it is wrong to use wine in moderation, like any other gift of
God, would have been foreign to primitive Christianity or to
Judaism. 1 The modern notion that " wine " in the N.T. means
unfennented, non-intoxicating wine is without foundation. 3
Indeed, it was just because Jesus did not condemn the use of
1 *,
wine that He was reproached as a " winebibber " (Mt.
Lk. 7 M ) by those who wished to disparage Him, Unlike John
the Baptist, Jesus was not an ascetic.
It must, however, be observed that Jn. does not say explicitly that the entire contents of the water-jars were turned
" The water which had become wine " was that
into wine.
which was served to the ruler of the feast, and Jn, says nothing
of any other. Nor is it clear that he means us to understand
that the servants had noticed any change in the beverage which
they served. They knew that they had taken it from the
waterpots (or from one of them) ; that is all.
To change one pitcher of water into wine is no less " supernatural " than to change 120 gallons; and we do not escape
difficulty by refusing to exaggerate the story as it stands,
Jn,
certainly implies that some objective change took place in the
water served for drinking purposes (cf, 4**). To reduce the
powers of Christ to human standards was no part of his design.
It has been thought, indeed, by some that a suggestion made by
Jesus that the water had become wine may have wrought so
powerfully on the minds of those present that they were convinced that it was even so. The belief of the apx tTP^K ^iVOi
that he had been drinking wine, when he had only been drinking

1 There is a reference to the Marriage at Cana in a characteristic

discussion of drunkenness by Clem. Alex, {P&d. ii. 2, 184 P),
* Cf. Unfermtnted Wine, by H, E. Ryte and others (1917)-

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

8o

to vamp, tfxovet tov vvfufftoy 6 dp^vrpiKXtvo^j

lias ai'OpojTos wp&ror rbv nakbv otvov T#ty<rtr

rhv iXda-a-M*

tru TenjpiflKas

top koAok otvov

JOHN

ST,

[IL 0-10,

IO. ko1 Aeyet

ical

ttus

oraf

apri

ttwrtp

itrotT^tretf

&PXW

o *Ivfvovs Iv

<ntjp.iwv

^.e&utr&Caa'iv

ifpavipuxrev ttjv ft6av avrov,

u.

avTov.

Tavrxpf

water, may have been an illusion due to the magnetic and compelling force of the words of Jesus.
But we cannot tell pre*
cisely what happened, and must be content here with the
endeavour to discover what Jn. meant his readers to believe.
The indirect manner in which the statement of the miracle
" When the ruler of the feast
is made should be observed.
had tasted the water that had become wine, J> The story is not
told for the first time.
It is recorded as if the facts were well
known. The apxfrputkuw* on tasting the beverage served
to him, not knowing anything of its source, says, "It is very
good, even better than that which was served first," It is this
observation of the ruler of the feast that is emphasised by the
narrator, rather than the extraordinary character of the " sign "
which he records.
Another feature of this story is that it does not lead tip to
any great saying of Jesus or to any discourse like that which Jn.
appends to the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Nor does the
evangelist draw any moral from it.
He notes it as the first
of the " signs " of Jesus by which He exhibited His glory
(v. u), but he says no more.
In short, the way in which the
story is told goes far to support the view that it is a genuine
reminiscence, or tradition, of an actual occurrence, although
it is impossible now to discern exactly what took place.
See
Additional Note p. 81, and cf. Introd., p. clxxxii.
IO. t&p Mmru. The rec. text, with sTANri, prefixes -tot^

but om,

ADDITIONAL NOTE ON MIRACLE AT CANA

H. 1L]

11. TftiSTijr

&TrQut\v*v

Kava

8l

ToXi^ata; Ktu

t>}?

koi crrurrcwav *ts aftrov ol pLa&qral

ApxV

t"

We

ffijjieW*

have

now

passed from the "witness" of the Baptist to the "witness"

of the works of Jesus (see on i 7 ). The Miracle of Cana was
the first of the " signs " which Jesus wrought during His
earthly ministry.
By them, according to Jn,, "He made
manifest His glory " (see on i M). They were not merely
wonders or prodigies (rc/wra), but " signs " by which men

He was the Christ

Him." (For the phrase irumuw
The highest faith is that which can
might learn that

(so*1)
*fe

and

*
'

believe

see

afl-nS^

on

on
13
.)

believe without a sign

(2o M) > but signs have a useful function as bearing their
witness to the glory of Jesus. This aspect of His signs is
asserted by Jesus Himself (5 s8). When the tidings reached
the disciples that Lazarus was dead, He said that it was
well, for the miracle of his recovery would be all the greater
(n 15). He rebuked the multitudes, because they followed
Him for what they might get, and not because of His signs
And the same aspect of miracles
(6**)
Cf- 1 o88 1411 .
appears in the Synoptists (Mk, a 10, Mt, 11, etc.). 1 See on
.

4andioM
The t( disciples " who
,

are here said to have " believed on

consequence of what they saw at Cana, or rather
whose new faith was thus confirmed, were, as yet, few in
number, Philip and Nathanael and John being among them

Him "asa
(see

on v.

2),

K*BLTbW.

The (Jpx iY>eAiv09 speaks of a common practice at feasts as he

viz. that when men's palates had become dull by
drinkingcum inebriatifuerint (vg.), " when men be dronke,"

Additional Note on the Miracle at Cana

knew them;

as Tyndale and Cranmer translate inferior wine was served.

Schlatter quotes a Rabbinical tradition as to the wine drunk
on the occasion of a boy's circumcision: the father says to the
guests as he offers it, " Drink from this good wine; from this
I will give you to drink also at his wedding."
In the present
case, the surprise of the ruler of the feast was due, not to good
wine being served, but to its being served last* It was kept

Some

have supposed that this incident forewas intended by the evangelist to indicate) the
replacement of the inferior dispensation by the superior, the
Law by the Gospel* Such a view of Jn.'s literary method has
been discussed in the Introduction (p. Ixxxv) but it may be
pointed out that the arguments assembled to prove that this
particular narrative is an invention of the evangelist, designed
to teach spiritual truth in an allegorical way, seem, peculiarly

shadowed

exegetes
(or

ctpn (cf. s 17 1 * and i Jn. a9 for this phrase).

adj, KaXtSj, see further on io11 .
tcaAo? is used of
wine, as here, in a fourth-century papyrus quoted by Moulton-

weak,

Milligan, s.v.
This suggests that the wine
tok koXAp otW TtOi)ffi^
placed on the table, as is our modern custom.

from 1 to 10 which could not be given a mystical interpretation;

and the idea that 6 represents the 6 days of creation, which

&>i?

For the

was

(1)

Six,

number

it

is

said, is

and so there are

See further

VOL* L

s.v.

significant

6 waterpots.

the

number

But there

" Miracles " in D.B.

iii.

is

388.

perfect

no number

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

82

ST.

JOHN

[H. XL

the best that Origen * can do with the waterpots, is not very
convincing,
Origen also suggests that the *' two or three firkins " in
each waterpot of purification intimate that the Jews are
purified by the word of Scripture, receiving sometimes (< two
firkins," i.e. the, psychical and spiritual sense of the Bible, and
sometimes u three firkins," *.*. the psychical, spiritual, and
corporeal senses. That is, he thinks that on occasion the
literal or corporeal sense is not edifying, although it generally
is (see Introd., p. lxxxv).
But Origen does not say that he
abandons the literal or historical sense of Jn, a 1 "11 , and it is
probable that he did not mean this, while he found allegorical
meanings in some details of the story, 3 In the same way,
Gregory of Nyssa is not to be taken as questioning the historicity
of the narrative when he says that
the Jewish waterpots
which were filled with the water of heresy, He filled with
genuine wine, changing its nature by the power of His faith." a
That an incident can be treated by a commentator in an
allegorical manner does not prove that he regards it as unhistorical, and still less that the narrator had invented it to
serve a spiritual purpose.
For example, there must be few preachers who have not
drawn out lessons of a spiritual sort from the incident of the
wine that was served at the end of the wedding feast being the
best.
It is a law of nature, and therefore a law of God, that
the best comes last, being that for which all that goes before
has prepared. So it is, to take the illustration suggested by the
story, in a happy marriage.
The best wine of life comes last.
The fruits of autumn are richer than the flowers of spring. So
perhaps it will be in the next life

IL

is

'

'

".

The

the best

last of life for

is

yet to be.

which the

first

was made,"

Such reflexions are legitimate* But there is nothing to

show that they were in the mind of the evangelist, or that the
story of the Marriage at Cana was invented to teach them.
(2) A modern attempt to explain the story of the Sign
at Cana as merely a parable of edification is that of E, A,
Abbott.* He finds the germ of the story in the account of
Melchizedek given by Philo, as bringing forth " wine instead
of water " (Leg. Alleg, hi. 26); and he explains that *' the six
1

De

print, iv. i- 12.

s Hippolytus {Ref- v.
3) reports that the Naassenes allegorised the
water turned into wine, but he gives no details.
* Oral, in Meletium*
* S.v.
Gospels " in E.B., 1796, iSao,

INTERLUDE AT CAPERNAUM

11-13.]
r2*

McTa tqvtq

jcarqSq

cis

Ktvpap^aavfi avrbs

ko.1

tJ

fLTjrrjp

waterpots represent the inferior dispensation of the weekdays,

.e. the Law, preparing the way for the perfect dispensation of
the Sabbath, i.e. the Gospel, of which the wedding feast at
Cana is a type." He adds a Philonic quotation about the
number 6 " being composed of 2X3, having the odd as male
and the even as female, whence originate those things which
are according to the fixed laws of nature.
.
What the
number 6 generated, that the number 7 exhibited in full perfection " (de septen. 6),
.

Moffatt * favours yet a third Philonic explanation of the

6, suggesting that the six iBpfat correspond to Phito's
principle that six is the " most productive " (yowpwrwr?) of

number

numbers (decal, 30),

These are desperate expedients of exegesis, and if Jn, really
had any such notions in his mind when he said there were six
waterpots prepared for the use of the wedding guests, he wrote
more obscurely than is his wont. The truth is that mention
of this unusually large number of ufyuu is more reasonably to
be referred to the observation of an eye-witness, who happened
to remember the circumstance, than to elaborate symbolism of
the narrative.
(3) The case for treatment of the whole story as due to a
t
misunderstanding of some figurative saying can be put more
plausibly,
Wendt a puts it thus: " It is quite possible that an

utterance which the apostle originally made in a figurative

sense Jesus turned the water of legal purification into the
wine of marriage joy was afterwards interpreted by the circle
of Johannine disciples as recording an actual conversion of such
water of purification into wine for a marriage," This is not
to say that Jn. did not mean to narrate the incident as historical
it is to say, on the contrary, that he was mistaken in doing
so,
and that the story, in all its intimate detail, has been built up
from vague hearsay. Quite different is such a theory from
that which would regard the narrative as invented in order to
teach that the wine of the Gospel, which Jesus provides, is better
than the unsatisfying water of the Law; but it has its own

difficulties.

See Introd.,

p* clxxxii.

Interlude at Capernaum

{v.

12)

This phrase does not occur in the

7- n
Synoptists, but appears 4 times in Jn. {cf.
19^), and
always connotes strict chronological sequence, as distinct from
13. jitT&

tolJto.

* l

Introd. to

N.T.

p, 524.

* St.

John's Gospel, p, 241,

"

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

84

ST.

JOHN

[IL 12.

ZL

18,]

ADDITIONAL NOTE ON BRETHREN OF JESUS

Their names were James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude

(some of the commonest names in Palestine), and they had
sisters (Mt, 13s6 , Mk. 6 a).
James, *' the Lord's brother,"
became a believer after the Resurrection of Jesus (Acts i u);
St. Paul reports that the Risen Lord appeared to him (1 Cor
7
15 ) ; and he was the first bishop of Jerusalem (see Acts
12" 15 13). Grandsons of Jude (who probably also confessed
Christ afterwards, Acts i 14) were leaders of the Church in
the time of Domitian (Eus, HM, iii. 19, 20, 33).
The ancient problem as to the
brethren of the Lord "
cannot be fully discussed here. (1) The theory known as the
Hieronymian^ because it was started by Jerome, is that they
were the sons of Alphasus, who is identified with Clopas, and
Mary, who is regarded as the Virgin's sister (but see on 19^
as to both these equations). Thus they were maternal cousins
of Jesus, and were loosely called His " brethren." This would
involve the identification of " James the Lord's brother
with James the son of Alphaeus, who was one of the Twelve.
But the Lord's brethren remained incredulous throughout His
public ministry, and could not therefore have been numbered
among the Twelve (see on 7*). That James the Lord's brother
u apostle " at Gal, i u is nothing to the point, for
is called an
the circle of " apostles " was much larger than the circle of the
Twelve. Further, despite the vague use of &SeA<os in a few
passages in the LXX, where a cousin is addressed or indicated
9
aa
4
{cf. 2 Sam, so , 1 Chron. 23 ai , Tobit *f*
), we cannot equate
&S<A.0& and avc^ufc or give any reason for the evangelists' use of
the word " brethren " when '* cousins " would have been more
literally exact.
(2) The Helvidian theory, against which
Jerome's polemic was addressed, is that these " brethren " were
sons of Joseph and Mary, born later than Jesus, and appeal is
made by its advocates to the phrasing of Mt. i 3* as indicating
that Mary did not remain a virgin. But it is difficult to understand how the doctrine of the Virginity of Mary could have
grown up early in the second century if her four acknowledged
sons were prominent Christians, and one of them bishop of
Jerusalem. (3) The most probable, as it is the most ancient,
view is that expounded by Epiphanius^ viz. that the '* brethren
of the Lord ** were sons of Joseph by a former wife. Thus
they were really the stepsons of Mary, and might naturally
be called the t( brothers " of Jesus j the fact, too, that Mary
shared their home would be accounted for. Hegesippus
C/?.i5ajcf. Eus.JI.E* iii. 11, iv. 22) stated that Clopas (Jn.19*6)
was a brother of Joseph, a view which Epiphanius adopted.
It thus appears that we have to distinguish three groups of
persons bearing the same names, viz,
in v. 31).

uroAAas ^tpat.

the vaguer perb, ravra (see Introd., p, cviil). /uri tqvt is

read here in the fourth century Pap, Oxy. 847 and also in

1 24*

with 0/jf* ^.

aWpTj

ei*

Ka+apmod^

(this is the best attested spelling).

Capernaum, Cana being on higher

47
ground: Jn. uses the same phrase again (4 ) for the journey
from Cana to Capernaum. The distance by road is about
zo miles. To assume that the party walked by way of Nazareth
(which is in a different direction), and that this journey to
1
Capernaum is to be identified with that mentioned ML 4 *,
Jesus

"went down"

to

lacks evidence.

Bum

(more properly,
Capernaum is to be located at Tell
Telhufn) ; or, less probably, at Khan Minyeh?- These places
are about 3 miles apart, both on the N. shore of the Sea of
Galilee.

Nothing is told about this short visit to Capernaum, so that

mention of it has no allegorical significance, V. 12 is merely
an historical note.
brethren " of Jesus
It will be noticed that the mother and
were with Him now, on the return of the wedding guests from
Cana; but thenceforth they do not travel about with Him,
His public mission has begun.
t
They stayed at Capernaum not many days" (ofl iroXXta
'

'

^pa$), the note of time being characteristic (see Introd., p. cii)

of the Fourth Gospel,
After ASduK BLT^W, with Pap, Oxy. 847, omit aSroS, but
ins, KANrA, and most vss. vtab eff* I q% with some cursives
and the Coptic Q, omit kcu ot fiaO^ral uutov,

Additional Note on the Brethren of Jssus

The mother and '* brethren " of Jesus accompanied Him

The u brethren " are always (except in Jn,

on

this journey*

sf

-)

mentioned in the Gospels in connexion with Mary (cf*

12* , Lk. 8U and Mk. 6 a Mt. is56); and it is not
,

Mk. 3 s1 Mt.

s7
unlikely that she shared their home until (see 19 ) she was
entrusted to the care of her nephew, John the son of Zebedee.
The evangelists consistently represent them as incredulous of
the claims of Jesus (see reff, above), and as regarding Him as
s1
out of His mind (Mk. 3 , for " His friends " here are appar" His mother and His brethren "
with
ently to be identified
1

Cf

i 269.

Rax, Tent and Testament, pp. 285

&.,

and Sauday, D.C.G.,

8$

'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

86

ST.

pX

JOHN

12-I8ffi

i.
James the son of Zebedee, James the son of Alphaeus;
Simon Peter, Simon Zelotes Judas the son of another James,
also called Thaddaeus, and Judas Iscariot, were all of the
Twelve (Mt. io^ Mk. 3M S Lk. 6l4f ')
;

ii. James called the Just, the first bishop of Jerusalem,

Simon, Judas, and Joseph, the Lord's brethren, were sons of
Joseph by his first wife {Mk. 6s Mt. 1365),
hi. James the Little (6 ju*joos), of whom we know nothing
more, and Joses were sons of Clopas and another Mary (Mk.
M
s
They had another brother,
1540 Mt. 27 *; see on Jn. I9 ).
Symeon, who was second bishop of Jerusalem, and was appointed to that office, according to Hegesippus, because he was
the Lord's " cousin " (Eus. If,, iii. n, iv. 22). This phrase
is used because Clopas was brother of Joseph, the foster father
of Jesus.
Hence it would seem that James, Joses, and Symeon in
Group iii. were first cousins of James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas
,

in

Group

ii.

The Cleansing of the Temple (w. 13-22)

18 ST. This incident is placed in the traditional text of Jn. at
*
the beginning of the ministry of Jesus (a 18 17 ), while the
1* -1
Synoptists place it at the end (Mk.
^ Mt. ai 13 1S , Lk.
19^' *), Before examining this discrepancy, we must review
the differences between the Synoptic and Johannine narratives,
and also come to some conclusion as to the significance of the
action of Jesus on this occasion.

'

The Synoptic tradition is based on Mk.; Mt. and Lk.

having no details that are not in Mk. ? and omitting some of his.
It is convenient, then, to begin by comparing Jn. with Mk.
and
2
it appears at once that Jn. (as often elsewhere ) knows Mfc/s
narrative, which he amplifies and alters in some details.
;

Both

evangelists tell of the upsetting of the tables of the

moneychangers. Jn. omits, as do Mt, and Lk., a point preserved by Mk., viz. that Jesus forbade the carrying of goods or
implements through the Temple courts, a practice probably due
to the desire to make a short cut between the city and the
Mount of Olives (Mk, 1*). Jn. alone states that sheep and
oxen were being sold in the precincts (to Up6v) the sale of
pigeons only being mentioned by Mk. Jn. adds that Jesus

treatment of this problem, see especially Lightfootj

J. B. Mayor, Ep, of St Jtmtes, fntrod,, c. 1
s.v* " Brethren 01 the Lord,"
Dom Chapman
defends the Hieronymian view in J.T.S., April 1906.
1

For

full

Galalians, pp. 252-291

and C. Harris, D.CG.,
*

CI

Introd., p. xcvii.

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

XL 13 ft]

87

used a whip to drive out the beasts, while he ordered their

owners to take the pigeons away, with the rebuke, " Make not
my Father's house a house of business," The rebuke in Mk.
U different, being made up of quotations from Isa. $6 7 and
11
My house shall be called a house ofprayer for all the
Jer. 7
nations, but you have made it a den of thieves"
That is to
say, Mk. represents Jesus as denouncing the dishonesty of the
traffic which was carried on within the Temple precincts; while
from Jn. it would seem as if the traffic itself, apart from its
honesty or dishonesty, were condemned. The Scripture which
the burning zeal of Jesus recalls to Jn. is Ps. 69; and he notes
that the Jews asked for a sign of His authority, to which Jesus
replied by saying, " Destroy this temple, and I will raise it
up in three days "enigmatical words which (according to
Jn.) the Jews misinterpreted,
None of this is in Mk., who
'

'

adds, however, that the chief priests and scribes began to seek
the death of Jesus, fearing Him and being alarmed at the effect
of His words upon the people,
Whatwas the meaning of the action of Jesus in u cleansing "
the Temple ? It does not seem to have been suggested by any
special incident.
According to all the accounts, it was quite
spontaneous.
Perhaps the best answer is that the action of Jesus was a
protest against the whole sacrificial system of the Temple, 1
The killing of beasts, which was a continual feature of Jewish
worship, was a disgusting and useless practice. The court of
slaughter must have been like a shambles, especially at Passover
time.
And Jesus, by His bold action, directed public attention
not only to the impropriety of buying and selling cattle in the
sacred precincts, with the accompanying roguery which made
the Temple a den of thieves, but also to the futility of animal
sacrifices*
He had declared Himself against Jewish Sabbatarianism,
He now attacks the Temple system. This it was
which set the temple officials against Him. The cry, " Thou
that destroyest the temple," disclosed the cause of their bitter
enmity.
There is, indeed, no hint that Jesus interfered directly with
the work of the priests. 3 He quoted a prophetic passage
(Hos. 6 ) which deprecated the offering of animal victims
(Mt. 9 13 i2 7), but not on this occasion. Not is He said to have
prevented any animal from being led to sacrifice. What He
interfered with was a market, not held in the court where the
altars were, but in the outer Court of the Gentiles.
Yet some
fl

So Oesterley

in D.C.G.,

ii.

7E2

cf.

Caldecott, J.T.S., July 1923

p. 38*,
*

So Burkitt, J.T.S., July 1924,

p.

387

f.

88

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

such market was necessary,

if

animal

ST,

JOHN

sacrifices

[O. 13ff

were to go on.

It was inevitable that oxen and sheep and pigeons should be

available for purchase, in or near the precincts of the Temple,
by the pilgrims who came up to worship at the great feasts, and
If this practice were stopped,
particularly at the Passover.

the whole system of sacrificial worship would disappear. It

may therefore have been the purpose of Jesus, by His action of
" cleansing the Temple," to aim a blow at the Temple system
in general (cf. 4 31), But if so, it was not immediately perceived to be His purpose by His own disciples, who continued
to attend the Temple worship after His Passion and Resurrection (Acts s1* 3X ; cf. S 7),
Whether this be the true explanation of the drastic action
of Jesus, or whether we should attach a lesser significance to it
by supposing that His purpose was merely to rebuke those who
profaned the Temple courts by chaffering and bargaining, it is
not possible to decide with certainty. We pass on to consider
whether it is more probable that the incident occurred at the
beginning or at the end of His ministry. Mk, (followed by
Mt. and Lk.) places it at the end; Jn. seems to place it at the
beginning* Which is more likely ?
It is true that Mk. only tells of one visit of Jesus to Jerusalem ; and so, if he mentioned the Cleansing of the Temple at
allj he had to put it at the end of the ministry.
Not is the
Marcan dating of events in the last week always to be accepted
as accurate. As to the date of the Day of the Crucifixion, .g. t
Jn, is to be preferred to Mk, (see Introd., p. cvi). So that
it is not to be taken for granted that, in a matter of this sort,
Mk, must be right and Jn. wrong. But if we reflect how deep
must have been the indignation aroused by such an act as that
recorded in Jn. a 15, how the vested interests of the cattle-dealers
must have been affected by it, how little disposed men are to
yield to opposition which will bring them financial loss, we shall
find it hard to believe that Jesus was a comparatively unknown
person in Jerusalem when He " cleansed " the Temple. The
one moment at which such an action could have been carried
through without instant retaliation was, apparently, the moment
after His triumphal entry, when even the Pharisees began to
despair of diverting the crowds from following Him (i 2 1*)
On
psychological grounds, the incident is hardly credible, if it is
to he put at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, At that
time the Temple officials would have made short work of any
one who attempted to stop the business of the Temple courts
.

by violence.
Our conclusion accordingly

is that there is some mistake

(which cannot now be explained) in that account of the Cleansing

II.

13-14.]

Km

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

tw

cyyuf yjv to iraa^n

13.
Kvfta 6 Itjtrovs,
1 4. jcai cvptv iv

'lovauww, koi

S9

&vzfirj els *lepffcro-

t$ fcpu tows TruAovvrag

/Zoa? koX

of the Temple which places it immediately after the miracle of

Canaj as the traditional text of Jn, places it. 1 Some expositors
have postulated two cleansings, one at the beginning, the other
at the close of Jesus' ministry; but, apart from the fact that
this duplication of similar incidents is improbable, we find it
difficult to suppose that this particular incident, or anything
like it, could have happened at so early a stage in the ministry
of Jesus as is suggested by the traditional order of the chapters
in the Fourth Gospel.*
3
13, {YYita tjv t4 irdffxa iw \ov/&auav.
cyyv$ is used again
6* 7 a 11 of the approach of a feast; elsewhere in the Gospel
it Is used of proximity in space, not time.
to ircwT^a tSv *i<SatW.
Jn. is accustomed to describe
the Passover festivals which he mentions as " of the Jews "
1 4
(cf. s 6 ii 65), and he speaks in the same way of the Feast of
Tabernacles (7*). The Synoptists never speak thus, Westcott
suggested that the qualifying phrase " of the Jews " implies the
existence at the time of writing of a recognised Christian Passover, from which Jn. wishes to distinguish those which he
records.
But this explanation will not cover the language of
a
It is
7 , for there was no Christian Feast of Tabernacles,
simpler to say that Jn. is writing for Greek readers, and that
the qualifying clause is explanatory for them (cf. v, 6 and 1940).
Paul was proud of being a Jew ? but he speaks nevertheless
of 'JouSofor/toe (Gal, i 13) as something quite foreign to his
present religious convictions ; and so there is nothing in the
addition ** of the Jews" inconsistent with the nationality of
John the son of Zebedee, even if we were to suppose that he
wrote these words with his own hand, at the end of a long
Christian life, lived for the most part out of Palestine, during
which he had dissociated himself from his Jewish past,
&.v4^r\ eis 'UpocniXufia.
avafSatvetv is the verb regularly
used of " going up " to Jerusalem for the feasts (5 1 7* 1 1* 12^.
In this context it does not connote the idea of ascending from
lower to higher ground (as in v. 12), but of journeying to the
metropolis,
14, 15. The Up6r7 or sacred precinct, must be distinguished from the Ws, or Temple itself Here, the Up6v is the
Outer Court, or Court of the Gentiles, where the animals needed
for sacrifice or offering were bought.
To those coming from a
1

See IntrotL, p. xxx.

See Dmmmond (Character and Authorship,
U.2\S. Juljri9i).
1

etc., p.

61)

and Cadoux

90

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[II.

14, 15.

Trpoftara teal ircpiorfpas unl tqvs K*p}iaTt<TT&<; Kotfij/teWs, 1 5. koi

Tratvjo-as <ffpay\Xiov in ayoiriuw vavrofi i$if3a\.v Ik tow ttpot), rd re

tw

TrpafJaTa ko! rov? j36ast koX

rpaWat Ayerpf^cy, 16.

icai rets

koAAv/Jmtiw i$^ttv ra xspfinra

*cat

tws ris TOpcarcpas TrwAowrtr

distance, as well as to Jews of Jerusalem, it was a convenience

to be able to buy on the spot the oxen or sheep or pigeons
(Lev, 5* i5 14 M 17 s, etc.) that were required for sacrifice or for
So, too, the trade of the moneyofferings of purification.
changers was a necessary one, because Roman money could
not be paid into the Temple treasury. The capitation tax or
" atonement money " of half a shekel (see Ex. 30 18 , Neb. io* a,
Mt, I7 M) had to be tendered in the orthodox coinage.
-

ictpfia. signifies a small coin, and hence we have KtpjutTior^f

" a moneychanger." So too, koAAv/Jos, KoXXupLtrn^ with
Lightfoot quotes 1 a Talmudic rule:
like meanings (v. 15).
**
It is necessary that every one should have half a shekel to
pay for himself. Therefore, when he comes to the exchange
to change a shekel for two half-shekels he is obliged to allow
him some gain, which is called pl^p or iraXAv/few." That is,
the KoXkvfios was the discount charged by the moneychanger
for exchanging a shekel into two half-shekels.
For ri rfpjumL (BLTW 33, with Pap. Cbcy. 847) the
rec, has t6 iccp/ta with MANA0, apparently treating it as a
collective noun; " He poured out the coin (petuniam) of the
moneychangers."
For dv4rpe^tp (BWQj with Pap. Oxy. 847) the rec. has
dvicrrpc^cv with ALNA, K fam. 13 having Korivrpt^ (from
Mk. 11 1*). dviurrpitfutv is not used in the N.T. in the sense of
11
1*
upsetting "; for Avarprocip, cf. 2 Tim. 2
Tp&it^a. is classical for a moneychanger's table, and we
have ity rpairdflY nrnTpcimv " to upset the table " in Demos-

thenes (403* 7).

For the redundant ^kjSuXXclv Jk, see on d37 .
ff^otrta means "a bunch of rushes," while <rxwov is a
" cord "; and some nave thought that the scourge or whip
used by Jesus was made from the rushes used for bedding for
the cattle. It may have been so, but ^pa^A^oy in a-xpiviw
The
is adequately translated by "a whip of small cords,"
whip is not mentioned by the Synoptists, and the detail is
suggestive of the recollections of an eye-witness.
irttiras

iSlpaXev

T<t

Te irpipftro

Hal to&$

fbfaf.

It

would seem that the whip was used on the owners of the
W^ra? **fia\ey
cattle as well as on the sheep and oxen,
in the Synoptist accounts (Mt. 21"; cf.
^Hor, Hebr., ii. 275.

Mk.

16
,

Lk. io45)

H.

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

15-17.]

<Tffer

Apart ravra cvTtv&tv t

tfxiropfov,

1 7.

91

rov Uarpos /aou ot^ov

avrov Sri -yvypafifUyav i<rriv

pAf iroiEtTc tov oIkov

lfnv^iT$^<rQ.v ol fjut$7}TaX

certainly applies to the men; the Synoptists do not mention the

driving out of the cattle,
Jerome (in Mt. 21 16) says that the cattle-dealers did not
resist Jesus: " a certain fiery and starry light shone from His
eyes and the majesty of Godhead gleamed in His face. *
16. The doves or pigeons could not be driven out as the
cattle were; but the order to those who sold them is peremptory Sparc raCra IvreuQty, ** take them hence." For the
aor. imper. apart, see on v. 5.
The reason given for this action is different from that given
by the Synoptists. They represent Jesus as indignant at the
dishonesty of the traffic pursued in the Temple " Ye have made
it a den of thieves."
According to Jn , Jesus seems to object
to the traffic in itself, honest or dishonest, as secular business
that ought not to be transacted in a sacred place: ** Make not
my Father's house a house of merchandise " (but see above,
at p, 87). The remarkable phrase "my Father" not l( out
Father " is not found in Mk., but it occurs 4 times in Lk.,
16 times in Mt., and 27 times in Jn.
have thus the
authority of Mt and Lk,, as well as that of Jn., for regarding
it as a phrase which Jesus used habitually.
It indicates a
peculiar relationship between Him and God, the Father of all,
which is not shared by the sons of men (cf. Jn. 2017),
6 qlkos toO Daipos jiou is the earthly Temple.
So the Lord
is represented by Lk. (2**) as saying, "Wist ye not that
I must be in my Father's house ? " (w tow to5 narpds pav).
But ij oucta J Tlarpa? p.ov (14 s), ** the Dwelling Place of
my Father," in which are many mansions, is the heavenly
temple, the Eternal and Changeless Home of the Eternal.
The Temple is often described in the O.T. as " the house of
God/' and Jesus so described it {Mk. a M , Mt. 12 4 , Lk. 6 4),
It was to make an unmistakable claim for Himself to substitute
for this familiar expression the words "the house of
Father."
Here is an express assertion that He was Messiah, the Son of
God, as Nathanael had already perceived Him to be (i 4>).
Cf. 5".
'

'

We

My

who were present (see on 2*).

the action of Jesus in purifying the Temple courts
an illustration of that burning zeal of which the Psalmist had
sung, " The zeal of thy house hath consumed me " (Ps, 69s).
No Psalm is so frequently quoted in the N.T. as this. The rest
of v. 9, "The reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen
1
See James, Apocryphal AT.J\, p 8,
17. ot pa0f|Tat afrou, sc,

They saw in

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

92

ST.

JOHN

[II.

17-10.

1 8. dTWfpt^ffav ofii^oi
*0 EtjXos tou oTkou (tou Kara^dyerai *
TouBawi al tfcrav aw$ Tf cttj^Ioi' SkWs rifiiv, on raura n-out;
toutov,
19* aTTKpL$vf 'Lpraife nal (Tire avrocs AvVare tok rao^
20* etvav olv ol TquSclhm,
al iv Tpurlv ^tipais cyepw aflraj'.

8
applied by Paul to the Christ (Rom. is ). Jn.
"
They hated me without a
represents Jesus as citing v. 4,
25
cause," as fulfilled in His own experience (15 ), and as saying,
14
of
v.
ai. 1
It appears,
I thirst/' on the Cross in fulfilment
then, that Ps, 69 was regarded as prophetic of Messiah, and the
disciples, as they watched Jesus, seem to have regarded His
1 *5
Cleansing of the Temple as a Messianic action (cf, Mai. 3 )*

upon

me"

is

foresee that the fiery energy which He displays will wear

last, and they substitute for the past tense of the
u hath consumed me " (m-re^ayo*), the future
Psalmist,

They

Him

out at

KaTCKjxiyrraL)

The

(t

will consume me,"

text here has raTv^aye,
The true text of the

rec.

but the

LXX

Kara^aytroL

give

(following the Hebrew), but B reads KaTa^ycrau

tQ
Other citations from Ps, 69 are found, Acts i (v. 25), Rom.

be

KaTitf>a.yt

Cf.alsoMt.a? 3*- 48
The Synoptists always have yeypam-ai for

xi*-u(w.2*,ai).
the
gsi,

as

uncials

at Ps. 6910 seems to

O.T.

Jn.

& IO M j 3 i*

18.

The Jews

His

disciples did.

(see

from
and at

citations

prefers yeyptx^fov itrriv (as here

but see S17 and critical note there).

on r 11 5 10) did not view the action of Jesus

They wished to know by what authority

He had taken upon Himself the role of a reformer (cf. Mk. n 3*,
Mt. 21*3 Lk. 20s). If He had authority, what " sign " could
He perform in proof of it ? It has always been true of un,

educated people that " except they see signs and wonders,
they will not believe " (4*)* And even the educated Pharisees
and scribes asked Jesus for " signs," although^ probably, they
asked because they did not think that He could gratify their
See on v. 1 1 for the value of the
request (cf. Mk. 8U Mt. T6 1).
witness of such signs,
His
Jesus gave no sign such as the crowds asked for.
words (see on v. 19) did not provide anything more than a fresh
assertion of His power. This is quite consistent with the
u signs " for Herod
Synoptic reports of His refusal to work
12**).
(Mt,
the
scribes
and
Pharisees
or
for
(Lk. 23*)
,

\uWrc

We

must

distinguish this
saying of Jesus from the interpretation which the evangelist
puts upon it in v. si. That it is an authentic saying is plain
from the fact that, perhaps in a distorted form, it was made a
topic of accusation against Jesus at His trial before the high
19.

thf

rou-rw ktX.

vo.bv

Cf. Introd,, p, civ*

IL

19.]

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

s1

Mk. is w

93

(Mk, 14 Mt. 26
cf.
Acts 6"). That by the
which would be destroyed Jesus was understood to mean
Herod's Temple is certain from the retort of the Jews (see on
But the precise form of words is uncertain, nor were the
v, 20).
witnesses at the trial agreed about this.
According to Mk,, the
priest

vaos

witnesses falsely reported the saying in the form, ** / will

destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days (Sti rpuav
ftfifpw) I will build another made without hands " (Mk. i4GB)This is softened down by Mt, according to whom the witnesses
alleged that Jesus said, " I can destroy the temple of God and
build it in three days " (Mt. 26* 1). According to Jn. in the
present passage, Jesus only said that if the Jews destroyed the
Temple, in three days He would raise it up. It is a question
whether any of these reports precisely reproduces the words of
Jesus at the Cleansing of the Temple, On another occasion
He is reported by the Synoptists (Mk, 13^ Mt. 24*, Lk, 21*)
to have predicted the downfall of the Temple, and this is undoubtedly authentic. But it is not probable that He should
have declared that He would rebuild it or raise it up again. 1
rebuilding of the Temple would mean the restoration of the old
Jewish system of ritual and sacrifice, and we know that this
was not the purpose of Jesus (see above, pp. 87, 88). He told the
Samaritan woman that He did not accept the principle which
she attributed to Him, that Jerusalem was the special place
where men ought to worship (4 M ai). The worship of the
future was to be of a spiritual sort, and not to be confined to
any one centre. To the vision of the seer of the Apocalypse,
there was no temple in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21"). That
Jesus should have said that He would rebuild the Temple at
Jerusalem if it were destroyed, is not credible. The Temple
was, indeed, the chief obstacle to the acceptance of His gospel
by the Jews.
But the Mar can version of His words, or rather the Marcan
version of the witnesses' report of His words (Mk. 14^), has no
such improbability. It lays stress on the contrast between the
temple made with hands and the temple made without hands
s*.
48
Heb. 911), between the temple built by Herod,
(cf. Acts t
1
which was the centre of Jewish worship, and the " spiritual
house " of Christian believers, which was to offer up " spiritual
s
cf 3 Cor. 6 W), That Jesus foresaw the
sacrifices " (1 Pet. 2
passing of the Temple, and its replacement by a less exclusive
and less formal worship is certain, however we try to explain
His prescience*
Next, we observe that it is common to all the reports of this

Notwithstanding a suggestion in Enoch xc. 28 that Messiah was

Temple (based on Hag". 2"-),

to reconstruct the

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

94

ST.

JOHN

pL

10.

n.

saying of His that He asserted that the replacement of the old

1
by the new would be " in three days." Salmon suggested
that Jesus may have had in His thoughts the words of the
prophet about reconstruction after apparent destruction
" After two days will He revive us: on the third day He will
The
raise us up, and we shall live before Him " (Hos. 6*).
Synoptists, however, tell again and again that Jesus predicted
Ll
on the
that His Death would be followed by His Resurrection
s8
s1
s1 Lk. o*3
1
8*
Mt.
Mk.
17 ;
16
(Mk.
Mt.
;
third day"
,
,
9 ,
M
M
M
1*,
It is more
cf. also Mt. 27 ).
Mk, io , Mt, 20 Lk. i8
s1
natural to bring the ''three days" of Mk. 14 Mt. 26 ,
U
presuppose
than
to
into connexion with these passages
Jn, 2
a reminiscence of Hos. 6a a prophetic text which, it is curious
to note, is never quoted of the Resurrection in the Apostolic
;

age. 2

We

conclude, then, that Jesus at the Cleansing of the

Temple declared (1) that the Temple, the pride and glory of
Jerusalem, would be destroyed at no distant date, and that the
Temple worship would pass away; (2) that He would Himself
replace it by a spiritual temple; and (3) that the transition from
the old order to the new would occupy no more than " three
days." His hearers were at once indignant and incredulous,
for they understood His words as a threat, and that the rebuilding of which He spoke was a literal rebuilding with stones and
mortar.

The

16) states explicitly that the

spiritual temple then being built up was the company of Christian believers " I will tell you concerning the temple how these
wretched ones [i.e. the Jews] being led astray set their hope

Epistle of Barnabas

on the building, and not on their God that made them, as if it

were the house of God/* He quotes Isa. 49 17 and Enoch bcxxix.
56 as predictive of the destruction of the Temple, and proceeds,
ct
Let us inquire whether there be any temple of God." He
concludes that there is, quoting words of Enoch (xci. ij),
" When the week is being accomplished, the temple of God shall

be built gloriously," He goes on, " Before we believed in

God, the abode of our heart was corrupt and weak, a temple
truly built by hands " ; but the temple of the Lord is now built

"having received the remission of sins and

having set our hope on the Name, we became new, being
created again from the beginning, wherefore God truly dwelleth
gloriously, for

This is a spiritual temple

in our habitation within us*
The allusion to lt the temple made with
built for the Lord,'*
hands " is reminiscent of Mk. 14^, and the whole passage shows
.

Httman Element
Tertullian

(at?.

in the Gospels, p, 218.

Jwdaos 13) and Cyprian [Test,

ii.

'

25) bath cite

it.

THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE

lfr-80.]

Ttawcpajcovra

95

erartv otKoftoprfj&q o vao? o5tos,

teal

a&jw;

Tpttrlr $pepa.t$ tytptZs

21,.

ckcu'o? $ ZXeyep

jmu

-jr^pl

$v

<ri>

raw vaov

that the antithesis between the Jewish temple of stone and the
Christian temple of faithful hearts was familiar to the subApostolic age. We have it again in Justin {Tryph* &6), who
says that Jesus made His disciples to be "a house of prayer
and worship " (oTkos ev^s K0^ irpoa'KWTJQ'tuis). The idea
probably goes back to sayings of Jesus such as Mk, r4M and
the present passage, although it is not suggested here that
Barnabas knew the Fourth Gospel.
" In three days I will raise it up," The Agent of the
revival is to be Jesus Himself. This suggests at once that it
was not to His own bodily Resurrection that Jesus referred
here.
For by the N,T. writers God the Father is always
designated as the Agent of Christ's Resurrection (Acts 2 s* 3 18
10
40
9D
24 11
B
U
2 Cor
Gal
4 I0 13 RoHli 4 8 IO ? x Cor fi
Eph. i 20, i Thess, i 10, Heb. 13 s0 1 Pet, i ai). Jesus is not
represented as raising Himself. Hence we have a confirmation of the conclusion already reached, that it was not the
resuscitation of the Body of Jesus from the tomb that was in
His thought here, but rather the passing of the old (and material)
temple and the beginning of the new (and spiritual) temple of
Christian believers* See on v. 21, and note the passive yytpOy
at v. 2 2 \ but cf also 1 ols .
30. Jn. relates several conversations of Jesus, cast in somewhat similar form to this. That is, there is first a difficult saying
of His, It is misunderstood and its spiritual significance is not
discerned, a too material interpretation being given to it by His
hearers, Then either He Himself, or the evangelist, adds an
explanatory statement* Cf., for instances of this, 3* 411, M
_

^K

6U WL
-

See Introd,, p,

cxi.

"within three days," not "after three

iv TpiffU' tijjl^khs,

days," the preposition perhaps being significant. 1

SretTtH ktX.
Abbott {fiiat. 2021-4)
%.%
words to the original building of the Temple
in the time of Ezra.
If, with the LXX, we omit the words " of
Cyrus the king " at Ezra 5 13 and assume
Babylon " after
that
Cyrus king of Persia " (Ezra i 1) is intended, we may take
the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, i,e. 559 b,c>, for the year in
which the edict to build the Temple was issued. But according
to Josephus {Anit, xi. i, i), it was completed in 513 B.C., t e

To-tTprfKQiT{X

would

ftal

refer these

' (

forty-six years after;

and

so

it is

stated in the chronology of

Eusebius. This is a summary of Abbott's argument, which

seems, however, to depend on too many subsidiary hypotheses
1

Cf,

Abbott, Ditt. 3331.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

g6

ST.

JOHN

[H. 00-81.

Heracleon refers the words to Solomon's

Temple, 1 which Origen refutes, but gives no satisfactory explanation of his own. It seems more likely, as has generally
been held by modem editors, that Herod's building is the
to be satisfactory.

subject of the allusion in this verse.

-MfffffpdtitOKra koX $ Etwik otpcoSo|i^ftrj ktX. The aor. oitto$Qfty(h)
does not imply that the building was completed, as may be
seen from a parallel sentence in Ezra 5 1* (appositely cited by
Alford) describing the building of Ezra's Temple, diro totc
la? tqv vvv wKoSoprj&i] ml qvk *t*Xt#; : it only implies that
building operations had been in progress for forty-six years.
In fact, Herod's Temple was not completed until 64 a.d., in
the time of Herod Agnppa.
According to JosephuSj Herod the Great began to repair
and rebuild the Temple in the eighteenth year of his reign
This would give either 27 a.d.
(Antt. xv, xi. i), i.e. 20-19 B c
2
or 28 a.d. as the year of the Passover indicated in these verses.
The year of the Crucifixion is not certain, but it was probably
29 a.d, or 30 a.d. It is not possible to draw exact chronological
inferences from the " forty and six years " of this verse, but the
phrase agrees well enough with the probable date, as gathered
from other considerations. It is difficult to account for the
attribution of so definite a statement of time to the Jewish
objectors if it did not embody a reminiscence of fact. As to
the fact itself, the Jews must have been well informed.
As at other points in the Gospel (v. 6 5* 2i u)j some critics
have supposed that the number mentioned here is to be interpreted in an esoteric fashion, after the methods of Gematria.
The name 'A&a/t has 46 as its numerical equivalent, and thus
the occult reference * in " forty-six years hath this Temple been
in building " would be to some contrast between the first and
second Adam. It is unnecessary to dwell upon such extravagances,* Hardly less fanciful is it to suppose, as Loisy does,
that the forty-six years refer to the actual age of Jesus at the
time, He being taken for a man forty-nine years old (8*1), near
the end of His ministry,
SI. {Ktfros & EXeycr ktX., "but He was speaking about the
temple of His body." cctrais emphatic, " but He, on the
contrary . . ." See on 1 8 19",
For Jn.'s habit of commenting on sayings of Jesus, cf,
This comment seems to convey that by the
Introd., p. xxxiv.
-

n.

ai-aa.]

suggested in ps.-Cyprian, de mont* Sina,

This

Cf. Ititro&p p.

is

bnviL

etc., 4,

the cleansing of the temple

97

TOW (TW/MirOf ttflrOV.

2 2, OTC t&V ^ipQ^ *K VtKf^JV, iflVljtr6vf<r<lV <>i
f/n&ip-aX avrov on tovto ZXtytv, koX iirttrrtwray t ypwjfy *al ry
Aoytj) ov etirtv A *Iij<rous.

words " Destroy this temple," Jesus meant '* Destroy this body
of mine." But this is hardly possible (see on v. 19).
Had He
meant that, He would have spoken with less ambiguity. He
plainly meant Herod's Temple, and was so understood. Christian believers are, indeed, spoken of as the " Temple of God "
18
(3 Cor. 6 ), but not Christ Himself.
He was " greater than

Temple " (Mt. iae). But the comment is much condensed,

and may mean only that the temple of His body " of which
Jesus spoke was the *' spiritual house *' of Christian believers
(r Pet, 2*), who are collectively the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 1 2**)
the u three days " carrying an allusion to the interval between
the Death and Resurrection of Jesus, which marked, as it seems
the

'

'

to the evangelist looking back, the watershed between Judaism

Christianity,
toD fftiuaTos auToG.
Jn. is not fond of the word a-wpa (see
clxxi) ; he always uses it of a dead body, not of a living one
5.

and

jiaOirnu (see on v* 3) in v. J 7 recalls

remembered at the time, i.e. they thought
of Ps. 69* when they saw the burning zeal of their Master; in
this verse it recalls what they thought after His Resurrection
of the meaning of His words recorded in v. 19. So, again, in
1
1 a * Jn, tells that it was not until after Jesus was glorified that

29.

iprt)(Tih\<Ta.v

what the

ol

disciples

the disciples understood the forward reference of Zech. q*: 1

cf. Lk. 34* and Jn. 13" 14"
iTrlvrtwray t yp&+if.
if ypa<ff seems to refer in Jn. to a
definite passage of Scripture,* as it does throughout die N\I\,
rather than to the O.T. generally (which would be at ypa^at).
w- OT the actual passage is quoted;
At Jn- io3* i$u (if*) 19 s*at Jn, 7 aB * 4a (which see) the reference is not quite certain;
while here and at 20* no clue is given to the passage to which
allusion is made.
But as it is plain from Acts 2 s1 13** that
Ps. I6 1*, u Neither wilt thou suffer thy Holy One to see
corruption/' was cited by Peter and Paul alike as predictive
of the Resurrection of Christ, we may conclude that this is
the verse in the evangelist's mind when he says that the
disciples after the Resurrection "believed the Scripture."

So also ps.-Cyprian, de ntontibHs Stna ef Sion, 4.

Turner [D.B. 1. 405&) gives 27 a.d. # and von Soden (E.B. 804)
gives 2& A.D,
1

Ircnseua lays

Stood until after

down the
its

principle that no prophecy is fully underfulfilment : vatra -ybp rpo^Teta wp& rijs ixftdtrtbii

nfaiyfuL iart {Htst. iv. 26).

a

Abbott, Diat. 1722 a-l, argues, but uno&nvtncingly, that $

means here " the general tenor of the

VOL. I. J

Scriptures."

yfiatf^

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

98

23, *Os Si

ijv

ToXXoi fTTHTTCUmiV

&

hroUt-

24,

fo

TOW

Cif

TO

ST*

JOHN

[TL 32-23.

'lepotrokvfiOK cv tc3 n-atr^a o' Ttf ioprp,

aUTOV, $0>pOVVT'i UTOU T OTJ/ittd

SvOftUt

avrfc Si 'l^croOs

ov*c

tixv

aww

IL 33-JJX
avrov
pytrrf

1.]

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

$$

ytvtoa-Kciv irarraf, 2$, ai ort ov xpuay

&X* V ^va * /"^rvT*pt tov avdptinrav afro? yap tyivwo-Ktv ?i yv iv r$ av$pwrw.

avrots Sl& to
is a favourite verb with Jn,, occurring 23 times;
also 1 Jn, 3 17 .
It only occurs twice in the Apocalypse
1S
(ii
It may be used either of bodily
), and never in Paul.
8 * 14
vision (so
) or of mental contemplation (124* 1417), but

ftcupciK

Ps. 16 10 was the

referred,
na! tu \oy(p Sf
Ira

" /

j,

"proof text" to which the Apostolic age

ttirtv 4

flu aawnir

it* it

hj.,

" and

the saying which Jesus

<J

with

(pv.

23-25)

S3. lv toTs 'kpoffoXtJ^ois. This is the true reading here,

although rec. text with a few minuscules omits tm% in accordHe has the article with
ance with Jn/s usual practice.
a
'leptxroXvpa (see on i u for this form) 3 times only, viz. 2** jj
w (see on ioM). No other N.T. writer has this usage, but it
C(
Perhaps ra *Ieooo-oAvjta means
the
appears 2 Mace, 11 s 12
precincts of Jerusalem " in these exceptional passages.
ai
If the traditional order of the verses 2 13-3 be correct, then
Nothing has
the statement of v. 23 is not easy to interpret.
been said hitherto of *' signs " at Jerusalem, and yet both here
"
and at 3* they are mentioned as notorious. The only " sign
that has been mentioned is the " sign " at Cana of Galilee.
There would be no difficulty if we could assume that w. 2 18-3*1
n
belong to the last week in the ministry of Jesus. The " signs
wrought
at
Jerusalem
or
in
its
would then be those which were
neighbourhood on His last visit, "the signs which He was
doing " (fawu). The Raising of Lazarus is given by Jn.
special prominence among these (is 1*), and there was also the
Blasting of the Fig Tree (Mk, 11 14), as well as others not

described in detail (12 37 cf. 7 31).

But, as the text stands, we must suppose that Jn. refers here
to " signs" at Jerusalem wrought at the beginning of the
ministry of Jesus, which he does not describe (cf- 3* 446).
iTtltnwirmt, including
not only inhabitants of
-troXXot
Jerusalem^ but some from among those who had come up to the
feast from the country parts.
For the phrase ^rriareuo-ar tis to aVopa, see on i u
Although these people had been attracted to Jesus because of
the " signs " that they saw, their belief was neither stable nor
adequate. A similar thing happened in Galilee, yKokavfai avr$
0^X05 woXifs, 6Vt cQctapaw ra o-ip/tcia & lirott (6 a) ) the same
;

phrase that

we have here.

connotes

intelligent

The English word

attention.

which most nearly represents tfefuodV, as used by Jn,, is "to

notice," Here and at 6 a 7 3 it indicates the notice which the
observers took of the lt signs " of Jesus, See for the difference
between fawpw and tmro/iat on i 61 , and cf. 16 18 .

ANWrA

Sojourn at Jerusalem

always

Tt

avrfp

the rec. having

cf.

34, 6* oGk iTrwFT\ttv atirbv afrrotf, " He was not trusting

Himself to them." The kind of faith that is generated by
*
signs " is not very stable ; cf 4^ and 6 14 u
*

'

t(

because He knew all

men." See i48 5** for other instances of this penetrating insight
into men's characters (ynwo-iettv being used in both cases),
and 6M - W 1311 (where 0A1 is used in the same way; see on
26
i
above). Another illustration of the same faculty of insight
is found in 41* tt
Cf. Mt. 9*, Jn. 21",
aArds ydp iylvwnuv t fy iy t$ dripriiru, " He knew what
was in man,"* avtiponra? being used generic-ally (cf. 7*1). This,
to be sure, is a Divine attribute, and is so represented in the
O.T., e.g. Jer. 17 10 20", where Yahweh is said to "search the
heart and try the reins."
But it is also, in its measure, a
prerogative of human genius; and (with the possible exception
of r48) it is not clear that Jn. means us to understand that the
insight of Jesus into men's motives and characters was different
in kind from that exhibited by other great masters of mankind.
Bti to

a&rAr

yLvwvKtiv

iF&vTa* t

The Discourse with Nicodemus

(III.

UX 1,

1-15)

Nicodemus appears three times in the Fourth Gospel

s8
(see on 7** 19 ), but is not mentioned by any other evangelist,
unless we may equate him with the dp^v of Lk. iS 18 (see
below on v. 3). The attempt to identify him with Joseph of
Arimathsea has no plausibility (see on 19 ) and the suggestion
that he is a fictitious character invented by Jn. to serve a literary
purpose is arbitrary and improbable (see Introd., p. lxxxiiif,),
N*KdSi7f405 is a Greek name borrowed by the Jews, and appears
in Josephus {Anii. xiv. iii. 2) as that of an ambassador from
Aristobulus to Pompey. In the Talmud {Taanith, 20. 1)
mention is made of one Bunai, commonly called Nicodemus
ben Gorion, and it is possible (but there is no evidence) that he
was the Nicodemus of Jn. He lived until the destruction of
s

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

IOO
Ill

apxw

I,

*Hr

rfcr

St ef^pwTros tK

"Iou&iiW

2.

ST,

t* fopum/vi/,

JOHN

[IH. 1-3.

NtoS^jtios avojitx avrw,

o5tk ^K9tv *po* avrov

vvkto<s tad

ttmv

Jerusalem, which would accord very well with the idea that
18
young ruler " of Lk. 18 in his mind, although in
Jn. has the
that case ytpw of v. 4 must not be taken to indicate that the
person in question was really " old " at the time of speaking.
All that can be said with certainty of the Nicodemus of the text
the Sanhedrim
is that he was a Pharisee, and a member of
9
He seems to have
(fB) t and apparently a wealthy man (iq* ).
s0
been constitutionally cautious and timid (see on 7 ).
1 "" would suggest that the
of
Some points in the narrative
3
incident here recorded did not happen (as the traditional text
First, at
gives it) at the beginning of the ministry of Jesu3.
v. a, mention is made of <nnuZa. at Jerusalem which had
attracted the attention of Nicodemus ; but we have already
noted on a w that no OTtftetw in that city has yet been recorded.
On the other hand, the " signs " which had been wrought at
Jerusalem during the weeks before the end had excited much
That Nicodemus should have come secretly during
curiosity.
would have been natural, for the hostility of the
period
the later
Sanhedrim to Jesus had already been aroused (7**) ; but that
there should have been any danger in conversing with the
new Teacher in the early days of His ministry does not
appear. Again, at v. 14 (where see note), Jesus predicts His
Passion; but if this prediction be placed in the early days of His
ministry,we are in conflict with the Synoptists,who place the first
announcement of His Death after the Confession of Peter. No
doubt, Jn. is often in disagreement with the earlier Gospels,
but upon a point so significant as this we should expect his
* l

record to agree with theirs.

However, there is not sufficient evidence to justify us in
transposing the text here; and we leave the story of Nicodemus
in its traditional position, although with a suspicion that the
original author of the Gospel did not intend it to come so
early.

opopa oAt$, see on 1*.

have oWc,
tw 'I^ctdot (N), NABLT b
This was the feature of the visit
offros i|X6t v vpte o^r vukt^s.
of Nicodemus which attracted attention: he came by nighU
He was impressed by what he had heard, and he
Cf. 750 to38
gradually became a disciple; cf. ia.
The form into which the conversation is thrown is similar

For the constr.

2. For the rec.

NuuS&i]|ios

W0

to that in

c, 41

There

See Introd.,

* See, for

is
p.

a mysterious saying of Jesus

xxx,

a fuller discussion, Iutrod., p, cxL

(3'

10

),

m.

QS.]

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

IOI

avr yafifiti^ otSapLCv on euro eoS !Aif\u0as AiSacneaXov' oi&eh

yap^ StWrat ravTO. to a-rjpt7a Troiclv 4 <rv ttgicU, ihv
y.y 6 <os
fier ourow.
3. &7rtxpt8j} 'I^traus koX elirev avrw *A;iqv &pqr Xiym

which the interlocutor expresses astonishment {3* 4"* 1E

)t
whereupon the saying is repeated (3"- 4- **), but still in a form
difficult to understand
That, in both cases, there was an
at

actual conversation

is highly probable; but the report, as we

have it, cannot in either case be taken to represent the ipsissima
verba.
Nothing is said in c, 3 of any one being present at the
interview between Jesus and Nicodemus; but, on the other
hand, there is nothing to exclude the presence of a disciple,
and hence the account of the interview may be based, in part,

on his recollections
Kftl tirev auT^ >P0ci.
See on i
Nicodemus was ready
to address Jesus as Rabbi, because he recognised in Him a
divinely sent SiSd^aXos. This was not to recognise Him
as
Messiah; but Nicodemus and others of his class (note the
"
s1
plural oJSa^xev,
we all know/' as at 9 and Mk. 12 14), 1 like
the blind man of a83, were convinced by the signs which
Jesus
did that He had come did fleoG (cf. 13 s I6 3*). That " signs "
are a mark of Divine assistance and favour was a universal
belief in the first century; and Jn. repeatedly tells that this
aspect of His signs was asserted by Jesus Himself (see on 2 11

above, and cf, Introd., p. xcii). The declaration of Nicodemus

that no one could do the miracles which Jesus did, l&
6
tf
6*4* pel-* afiroG, however foreign to modern habits of thought,
expressed the general belief of Judaism. That Jesus went about
doing good and healing, on 6 0*fc %v jut auroG, is the declaration ascribed to Peter in Acts io 38
The cn^ia to which
Nicodemus referred were those mentioned a 28 as having inspired faith at Jerusalem*
See note in lac
3. For the phrase dTCKptdv) 'lv)<rofc *a\ cTttck, see on i 60
AAN read 6 'I?**, but BI/PW omit : see on i M, For

tl

Verily, verily," see on i ai

Jesus answers the thought of
.

Nicodemus* rather than his

to accept Him as a prophet
and a forerunner of the Messianic kingdom; but he misunderstood the true nature of that kingdom. It was a spiritual
kingdom, "not of this world," as it is described in the only
other place in Jn, where it is mentioned (18 s8), It did not
words.

Nicodemus was prepared

come " with observation " (Lk,

17 *- ), a nd no appreciation
of signs or miracles would bring a man any nearer the understanding of it.
new faculty of spiritual vision must be
acquired before it can be seen. The answer of Jesus is startling

1 Cf.

also the use of offa^o- Id 20 1*

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

102
eav

trot,

*oB.

ti*

firif

ym^^J

va>dey,

Xcyu vpos avrw A

4.

ofl

ST.

S^varat t&ttv
Hfis

Niico&jjtos

JOHN

tvjv

[III-

fiaatXciw tou

Suva-rat

AvSpuwot

decisive : djV d^v (see on iw) Wy* *rat (the saying is of

general application, but it is personally addressed to Nicodemus),

HI. 3-S.]

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

ytviijOrjvai ytptav <Sv;

p.tf

ovpvroi fe rqr koiXulv

ievrtpov eureX&tw nal yewij^JjpaL;

5.

rifc

103

fiyrpos a&rou

aTTEKptBr) ^Irprovs *Ap.Tjv

Rev, i8 T " to see mourning,"

<Lp.}p'

and

Heb.

l&v

distresses," EccL 9 "to see (that is, to enjoy) life," 1

doubt, a distinction may be drawn linguistically between "see-

(t^ ti*

Yem]6f}

ftpudfy,

ofi

StSratat iSctv tJ]m pcuriXciair tou 8eou.

1
the Johannine counterpart of Mk. io * fy$y
Slfqrot rip (JaviXtiav tov &wv w? gratoYop, ov
s
17
It is
efc afeip (cf. the parallels Mt. 18 , Lk. 1S ).
immeand
Lk,
comes
to be observed that this saying in Mk,
diately before the colloquy with the rich young^ man, whom
Lk, describes as a " ruler," and it is not impossible that this
11
ruler" is to be identified with Nicodemus (see on v. i).1
In any case, " the kingdom of God" or " the kingdom of
heaven " is a main topic in the teaching of Jesus as reported
by the Synoptists ; and it is noteworthy that in this passage
(the only passage where Jn, reproduces the phrase in full) the
saying which introduces it is terse and epigrammatic, quite in

This saying

\tytii vfitvt

05 ear

is

/xij

W eMMg

the Synoptic manner. That we have here a genuine saying

15
of Jesus is certain, given in another shape at Mk, io . It is
repeated in an altered form at v. 5 (cf. v. 7), and reason is given
in the note there for regarding the form in v. 3 as the more
For the repetitions in Jn., see further
original of the two*

on 3 1*,

1 1*),

Mace, 13* "to see

No

ing the kingdom of God " and " entering into the kingdom
J
of God, ' which is the phrase used in v. 5. Thus in Hermas,
Sim* ix. i5j the wicked and foolish women see the kingdom
while they do not enter it. But no such distinction can be
drawn here; v. 5 restates v, 3, but it is not in contrast with
" Seeing the kingdom of God " in Jn/s phraseology is
it.
"entering into it"; it is identical with the "seeing'* of
" life " in v. 36, where see note. 3

\4y&

For this constr. of Ayiv, see on 2*.

represented as challenging the idea of rebirth.
From one point of view this is easy to understand. He was
probably familiar with the Jewish description of a proselyte as
" one newly born " (see Introd., p. cbriii). But for Jews a
4-^

irp&s

Nicodemus

otAk A N*

is

Gentile was an alien, outside the sheltering providence of

Yahweh, Certainly, he must begin his spiritual life anew, if
he would be one of the chosen people. But it was incredible
that any such spiritual revolution should be demanded of an

orthodox Jew.

in the Synoptists (generally) and always in the

*
from
other passages (3 31 19 11 * *) where it occurs in Jn, f means
17 3^
". This is its
above," de$uper\ so also in James i
meaning here, the point being not that spiritual birth is a
To be
repetition, but that it is being born into a higher life.
begotten avW?cv means to be begotten from heaven, * of the
avwiki't

'

Spirit.'

No doubt, to render Svwfcv by denuo, " anew," " again,"

as at Gal. 4", gives a tolerable sense* and this rendering may be
defended by Greek usage outside the NT. Wetstein quotes
Artemidorus, Onirocr* i. 13, where a man dreams that he is
being born, which portends that his wife is to have a son like
himself: oiJ yap &v*o$w ovr<te oofac yfwwx&ai.
So Josephus,
Antt. L xviil. 3, ^iAiW V<o#v mMccrtu Trp&s *fcw, '* he made
But desuper suits the context in the
friends with him again."
present passage better than denuo,
*'
To see the
ou Surtrrai IBete tS)v paaiXtiap tov 0cou.
kingdom of God is to participate in it, to have experience
of it, as at Lk. g w . For this use of iS*tv, cf. Acts 2 s7 " to see
corruption/ Lk, 2 M and Jn. 861 "to see death (cf. Ps. 89**,

Yet this is not the objection which Nicodemus is represented as urging. The words placed in his mouth rather
suggest that he took the metaphor of a new birth to mean
" How can a man be born again,
literally a physical rebirth.
when he is old ? " (as may have been his own case, but see on
w. 1, 3). " Can he enter a second time into his mother's
womb ? " This would have been a stupid misunderstanding
of what Jesus had said, but yet it is to this misunderstanding
that the reply of Jesus is directed. It is not a fleshly rebirth
that is in question, but a spiritual rebirth, which is a different
thing.

Nicodemus says &evrepovt where Jesus had said &vu6e.v, thus

mistakenly understanding by avw&w, denvo rather than desuper
see on v. 3 above.
This is a favourite turn of phrase in
ttus &riyaTai *rk. ;
\

Jn.

5** 6" 1*.

Cf.
9
4 must be omitted before

'Itjoo&b, as in v. 3.
See on i w
nearly all the Latin versions have renatus
(/ alone has natus) t which may point to a Western reading
fl.

For

yem^

This view is taken by Bacon, Fourth Gospel, pp. 383, 520.

See Abbott, Diat, 3573.

1 Cf.

also

Dalman, Words cf Jesus, Eng. Tr,, 108.

<U bapU 12 : " nisi natus ex aqua quia

* Cf. Tertullian,

habet nitun/'

erit,

mm

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

104

ST.

[EX

JOHN

5*

$&zto* koX Uve6pa.T0% ov ovvarat

*t*rX6w ds t^v jftmXctur rov 0ov. 6. to ycyamjjUvov in r?s
\{y<* voi, lav itf tvs ytwijfrfi

HI.

THE DISCOURSE WITH NlCODEMUS

5,]

Spirit

" and does not mention the water.

Justin (Apol, i 61) by which

esretra Syoyrai vi$>
follows
:

But probably the Latin rendering is of the

nature of an interpretation (with a reminiscence of ym^tfij
avtn&cv in v. 3), the verb m^yeiWu occurring in N,T. only at
Svaycvrrteij.

i Pet. i

Another Western variant l is ryv ftao-iXtw t&v ovpavw for

the rec. t^v /W. tov 6*ov which is supported by KABLN WTA,
(** 511 e m support iw ovpavSiv, which is also read in Justin
(Apol i. 61), Hippolytus (Ref. viiL 10), Irenseus (i^.xxxiii.,
t

Tertullian
ed. Harvey), and ps .-Cyprian de Rebapiismaie 3.
has in regnum caelorum (de Bapt. 13); but in another place
Origen's witness is alike
in regnum dei {de Anima 39).
uncertain, his Latin translation giving both caelorum {Horn.
xiv. in Lucam y and Comm. in Rom. iL 7) and dei (Horn. v.
in Exod.). Perhaps, as Hort says, the Western reading was
suggested by the greater frequency of the phrase crrpxr0ai fe
rijv fiao'tXttnv rStv ovpavwv in Mt*
The seal of the baptismal waters is thrice mentioned by
Hennas (Sim. ix. 15, 16) as a pre-requisite to entering the
kingdom of God; and in 2 Gem. 6 (before 140 a.d.) we have

" if we keep not our baptism pure and undented, with what
confidence shall we enter into the kingdom of God ? " It is
possible that here we have reminiscences of the language of
See Introd., p. lxxvi.

v, 5-

reference in the word USaTo* is clearly to Christian

But, so far as Nicodemus was
(see Introd., p. clxiv).
concerned, this would have been an irrelevant reference; the
argument being darkened by the presence of tJSarQS *aX before
Jesus explains that Nicodemus must be "beflW/KH-os*
gotten from above " before he can enter the kingdom of God,

The

baptism

that

i.e*

spiritual

change must pass upon him, which

described in v. 6 as being

" begotten of the

Spirit."

is

The

have been inserted in v. 8 by N abe etc. (see

note in foe), although thev form no part of the true text and it
has been suggested that, in like manner, in the verse before us
3
There is, however, no
they are only an interpretative gloss.

words

iSSaros a**

MS. evidence for their omission here (although the Sinai Syriac
4t
betransposes the order of words and testifies to a reading
gotten of Spirit and of water "), nor is there extant any patristic
4(
being begotten of the
citation of the verse which speaks of
1

Many examples

P 33*

of this are given

by Ezra Abbot. Fourth

Gospel,

See Kirsopp Lake, Influence of Textual Criticism on Exegesis of

N.T. (1904), p. i&, and Wendt's St. John's Gospel, p. 120,

105

The passage from

his argument is as
tvda t&Swp m, ftat rpovov

Lake supports
vjpjbiv

.
ov tad ijjucw avrol ^tfywiffty/to', ara^nwrai, .
*Tir(v *Av pq &vaytwH$ijTf, ov p/ tto-iXBifn eis
ovpmftv,
Justb is quoting loosely (after his
t^v flatrMav
s
manner), and it is, not certain whether it is Jn. 3 or Jn, 3*
suggest
that
nothing
to
But there is
that he has in his mind.
the reading before him was lav py tis vevnjflji * K DW^aros ktX.

foaytyrrja-ttiX,

kqX yap o Xprro$

tw

Indeed, in another place (Tryph* 138) he has the phrase tou

avo.yvvv}Q{vTQS vw* avrov St* iSSaros ttal iritrrtus mm. v)u>v.
conclude that the words vbaros m( cannot be extruded
from the text of Jn., but that they are not to be regarded as
representing precisely the saying of Jesus. They are due to a
restatement by Jn, of the original saying of v. 3, and are a gloss,
added to bring the saying of Jesus into harmony with the belief

We

and practice of a

1
later generation.

We

have seen (on i *) that those

l&y ji^ tis y*vnflj[ kt\.
who believe on the name of Christ are described as " begotten
of God,'* Ik 6mv yeytwrfpwQt, and the ^ references given in
the note show that this is a characteristic Johannine phrase.
ycytvnj/io'os 4k rov
It is necessary to interpret the words
TTvev/Aoros

them

(w.

5, 6, 8)

and to understand
begotten of the Spirit."
and the phrases " begotten of God" and
in similar fashion,

man who "

as describing the

" God is

Spirit " <4 M),

is

begotten of the Spirit " mean the same thing. At 1 Jn. 3*

we have 7ras q yey^vy^^vos k tqv Btov Apjxprtav oif irott, ort
oTT^jjAa avrov hf a^Jrto /iw, but a few verses later (1 Jn. 3**) it
is said of those who keep God's commandments yipAnnpci/
TllC ** SCCd Of
OTl jttO'ft iv ^/4tV, K TOV WVlVp.tt.TQ*l Oil {/JAW |S*UK(r
God" is the " Spirit," whereof believers are made partakers
t(

That is to say, the words Ik tou

spiritual begetting.
ItoupiTQS in this verse point to the Spirit as the Begetter of

by a

believers*
To translate

"

bom

is of the Spirit as the

of the Spirit " suggests that the image

female parent of the spiritual child,

whereas Johannine usage (and O.T. usage also, as we have

seen on i 13) shows that the image is that of the Spirit as the
3
Begetter.
It has been pointed out already (on i^ ) that the
Latin rendering naius must not be taken as excluding the

meaning

begotten.

In Semitic languages the Spirit, Ruh > is feminine; e.g. the

Old Syriac of 14" runs, " The Spirit, the Paraclete, she shall
teach you all things." Thus the phrase "begotten of the
Spirit, which we have found reason for accepting as Johannine,
1

Ci

Introd., p. cbev.

I06

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

trapicof trap
*crrtv*

7.

p/q

hmv

JOHN

{HI. 5-8.

*ax to yeycwqfLGrov e rov irvfvfia.ro?

Oav(ajrQ<;

to srycfyxa oirou

ST.

J?cA.t

on
xjt^

wtvfid

Aft fym? ycy^fliji'ttt avwOfv.

ngv (^awqi' aurov aKotfccs, aAA' ovk

ctirdr G-&1
lea*

would be inconsistent with the Aramaic origin of the Fourth

Gospel. If, as Burney held, Jn, were originally written in
Aramaic,

then the original behind t yeytwyj^ivov e toB

UvwfjMT&i must have meant "torn of the Spirit,"
But this
does not harmonise with i 13 or 1 Jn. 3*.
6- After otfp! i<rnv, 161 Syr. cur* and some O.L, texts
add the explanatory gloss on
r^% o-apKos ty&vy&Tj. After

Tr^C^ia iorir,

a similar group with Syr.

sin.

add

ori in rov

mtu-

Flesh and Spirit are distinct, and must not be confused.

are contrasted with each other in 6**, where the property
of "quickening " is ascribed to spirit^ while flesh has no such
quality, where eternal life is in question.
Both are constituent
elements of man's nature, and so of the nature of Christ (Mk,
M
14^, 1 Pet, 3 4*), They represent the two different orders of
being, the lower and the higher, with which man is in touch.
Flesh can only beget flesh, while spirit only can beget spirit.
t4
?. pd\ Qaup&njs ktX.
Marvel not that I said to thee,
You must be begotten from above." The aphorism is repeated
in the original form (v. 3), which we have shown reason for supposing to have been amplified in v. 5. fyfc includes all men,
and not Nicodemus only; observe that it is not qjua?, for Jesus
Himself did not need re-birth. Otitis natural birth it could be
said to yap iv aflrjj ycmjflb' I* mcvparo* iirriv ayiov (Mt. i*),
28
13
jri) 6auutfffj) : cf.
flav/iofriv in Jn. generally
s , t Jn. 3
indicates unintelligent wonder.
Ul Aps . . See on 31 * {cf, 2* 4") for the thought of the
Divine necessity involved in Jn, 's use of Set.
8. 4k toO imrfiuiTos. K a b eff*
Syr. sin. and Syr, cur, give
i* tov v&qtos jcot rov iFvwfLQTiH, an expansion of the true text

They

from v.

5.

t& irpeOpa

fcirou

W\

wkg?, tuil

r\r tytv^v

atnv

Akoucls.

may

be translated either "wind" or "Spirit."

It is true that elsewhere in the N.T. nvnyta never has its
4
primitive meaning ' wind " (except in the quotation of Ps. 1044
in Heb, i 7 ; cf 2 Esd S*3); but this meaning is often found in
the LXX, e.g. Gen, 81, 1 Kings iS 4* 19^ 2 Kings 3" Isa. 5 a
nPa. 148* Ecclus. 43 X7 , Wisd, 5 2S .
The verb wtw occurs 5 times elsewhere in the NT. and is
always applied to the blowing of the wind (cf, 6"). In the
it is found 5 times with the same application^ there always
being in the context some allusion to the Divine action, Cf,
levevfta

LXX

HL

a]

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

I07

Bar. 6*1 to o afob teal grrriyia iv irotcnj x*<W w, and esp.

Ps. 147 1* irvJff*t tA irycSpa ftwrou koX pu^trerat uSara.
tfratirf is properly articulate speech, but is often equivalent
" the Voice of God " is a common
to " sound," In the
form of expression, and ^uj is often used of thunder as God's
Voice in nature (Ex. o* 8 t 1 Sam. 7 w f Ps. 18 etc). It is twice
used of the sound of wind, in Ps, 29s (of a tempest, as the Voice
of Yahweh) and 1 Kings 19" fowif aupas AtTrrifa lt the still
small voice " which Elijah heard)* In Jn, it is always used of
a Divine or heavenly voice (except io5 where the "voice " of
strangers is contrasted with the" voice "of the Good Shepherd).
There is no etymological objection to translating " The
wind blows where it will, and thou nearest its sound "; but we
may equally well translate " The Spirit breathes where He will,
and thou nearest His Voice.'* There is a like ambiguity in
Eccles. Ii B , ir ols qvk ivnv ytvwffKwv tis 1} 6S05 tov frrcvpa-ros,
where the " way " which is unknown by man may be the " way
of the Spirit " or the " way of the wind." To the Hebrew
mind the wind, invisible yet powerful, represented in nature
the action of the Divine Spirit, as is indicated in Gen. i a and
often in the O.T.; and so in some places the precise rendering
of irvtvtut may be doubtful. That, however, it never stands
(<
for
wind " in the N.T, elsewhere is a weighty consideration
for the translator of the verse before us. <wvjJ may mean, as we
have seen, " the sound " of wind; but it is also to be remembered that the ^nj from heaven of Rev, 14^ was the Voice of
the Spirit. The %x* from heaven on the Day of Pentecost
was said to be like a " rushing mighty wind " (Acts 2 s).
The context, however, seems to remove all ambiguity in the
present passage.
DVei^ta at the beginning of the verse must
refer to the same subject as irra/iaro* at its close, and in
w. 5, 6. The argument is that, as the Divine Spirit operates as
He will, and you cannot tell whence or whither (ov* otSas
voBcy ipx^Tat at irav virdyti), so it is with every one begotten
of the Spirit. That which is begotten of the Spirit shares
in the quality of spirit (v. 6).
Thus Christ, who was pre-

LXX

eminently

ytvrqticis *k Trvcu/iaros

(Mt. J 2^, said of Himself,

words identical with those of this verse, v/uU ov* otSart

1
7j-o0ey IpxpfMi, if vov wrdyu
(8 *; cf. o ).
So it is in his
measure of every child of God who is begotten of the Spirit
in

ffl

(cf, i 1 *).
Not only do the laws of physical generation not
govern spiritual generation (for natural law does not always
hold in the spiritual world), but you cannot standardise or
reduce to law the manifestations of spiritual life. It is the
teaching of Jn. (S 3S), just as clearly as of Paul, that " where the

Spirit of the

Lord is, there is liberty "

(2 Cor. 3").

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

IOS

otSac vo&v

epvmu

*""

k toB otcvuattc.

9.

**^

JOHN

ST.

inrdyct' oto>s i<rrlv

airtttpi&T}

NucooNtyios

fffi?

*rai

[EH. 8-10.

ravra

aura*

IltLtt

yevra-fla*;

d^v

The rendering of wtvfua as Spirit rather than wind is

supported by the Latin versions, 1 which have " spiritus ubi uult
spirat "; and it is noteworthy that the earliest patristic allusion
Ignatius
to the passage, viz. Ign. Pkilad. *j } is decisive for it
u Even though certain persons desired to deceive me
says:
after the flesh (wiri <rdpKa) yet the Spirit (to wvvp.a) is not
deceived, being from God, oT&cv y&p ir6$iv fyxerai Kai ^v
wr^ytt" the last phrase being an exact quotation from the
verse before us. 8 Other early authorities for the same view are
Origen (Fragm. in loc, ed, Brooke, ii. 252), and the author of
the third-century treatise de rebaptismate^ 15, 18, It is not
until we reach the later Fathers that the interpretation " the
wind blows where it lists " makes its appearance.

tV $m\v

afrrou

i6 .
Jn., see on 7
dxouets.
The construction of

For the use of uirdyctr in

When

Akovw

in

governs the ace, as here (cf.

5" S**, etc.), it means merely " to perceive by hearing "; but
when it takes the gen. it generally means <( to hearken to/'
M 6 s0 9s1 io3 lfl M 18") .
t\t. to hear and appreciate (cf. i*7
In the present passage " thou hearest His voice" does not
connote obedience to the Spirit's teaching. See on r* for the
Jn.

remarkable.

is

it

COELStr.

ukovW

'

Trkpd rtvas.

,
SifpanxL TftuTti yv4o$cu;
Here is no repetition of
the former question (v, 4). Nicodemus is puzzled by the
teaching of w. 6-8 about the spiritual birth and the freedom
and unexpectedness of the spiritual life in one who has been
u begotten of the Spirit."
10- &tN 69 read 6 'Iij<$, but om, 6 ABLAW\
4 SiSdo-rtoXos toG *l(rpa^X.
Both articles are significant
1 So, too, the early Armenian version
see J,T,S. r 1934, p,
;
1
words following 5iriyt in Ignatius are *al tA. Kpvrrb

The

**

Art thou the authorised

{or>

the well-known) teacher of the

He might have been expected

iuu TouTo od yivtitTKm ;
to recognise, when he was told It, the doctrine of the various
manifestations of the Spirit in man's life.
1
IX- For the introductory AuV Apf\v7 see on i* .
With this verse v, 32 is closely parallel : mpatcw ml vJKQwrtVj
We
rovro fiaprupei' rat rfyv jiapTVpiav avrov oftSeis Aa^/?arci>
should expect kmtw rather than ko in the second member of the
See on i 10 .
sentence in both cases, but Jn, never uses mitm.
88
60
1*
$ offiape* XftXaufUh Cf. S I* 16
The verb kaXttv is used with special frequency in Jn, It
occurs nearly 60 times in the Gospel j and 30 times it is placed
in the mouth of Jesus in the first person singular, the only
Synoptic instance of this latter use being Lk. 24", The general
distinction between Xvyw and kaXttv, viz. that A<Wv relates
to the substance of what is said, while XaXftv has to do
with the fact and the manner of utterance, holds good to a
But in Jn.
certain extent in Jn,, as it does in classical Greek.
the two verbs cannot always be distinguished in their usage
and meaning, any more than "say" and "speak" can
always be distinguished in English. Here S ol&afuv AjiAmJ^fr
should be rendered " we speak of what we know," the words
spoken not being given; but then Tavra ra pi^uara tA*Xjjir*v
s
(8 *) means,* He spoke these words*'' viz. the very words that
have just been cited (cf, I6 25 i/- u, etc.)* See, in particular,
io 1410 ia48 i618 j in which passages the verb AoAetv is used
43
exactly as A^yeiv might be cf S
If there is any special tinge of meaning in \a\eiv as compared with Xtyeiv in Jn,, it is that AoXcur suggests^ frankness
assigns it to Christ 33 times in the
or openness of speech, Jn,
first person, whereas it is never thus used by the Synoptists,
except at Lk, 24** after the Resurrection " (Abbott, Diat.
1

fl

'

SeeoniS20

2251^),

\iyx&*

The plural forms otSajtitv, XoXoijjxtv,

The verse is introduced by the solemn

ia

109

IsraelofGod?"

337.

and Schmiedel {E,B. 1S30) argues that Ignatius is dependent, not on

Philo (de Prof. 37}
Jn., bat on a Philonic interpretation of Gen. i6 B
comments on the story of Hagax thus : " Conviction (6 i\eyx*)
speaking to the soul, says to her v6&v ip^y jto! toC irvpttip " But this
is

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

6 yeycirnqpivvs

cT-r-cf

JO* &TrtKpi$Tj TiproGs Kal tun-cr avrw 5u

ict/i^v
II,
et o StScuTicaXos tqv *I<rpa^X tctu ravta ov yivthcrKct* ;

Suratrat

ttt 10-1L]

not so verbally like the Ignatius passage as In. 3" is, and there
no similarity -whatever in thought between Ignatius and Philo

here.
1 Charles {Rwetation,
p, cad.) observes that this distinction is not
observed in the Apocalypse. Cf. Blass, Grant., p, 103, and Abbott,
Dint, 16E4*
The usage of dno^eir in Acts 9' 32* seems to be the
reverse, viz., with $a>r%r it means "to hear the articulate words,"
hut with if>UFT}St to hear a sound only.

arrest attention.
and so is
the plural of
represented by Jn, as spoken by Jesus,
majesty is not ascribed to Jesus anywhere, and in v, ia He
etc.,

afiyv a^i}^,

Now

ftn-or.
Abbott {Diat. 2428) suggests
that the plurals here associate the Father's witness with that of
the Son (cf. 5 3a - **) ; but this would be foreign to the context.
Further, v. 32, S <opa*c koX 17*0 w*p, tovto puaprvptt is clearly
a repetition of what is said in this verse.
The plurals QtSapev are, therefore, explained (cf. 4**) by

employs the singular

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

IO

Trpf

ypw

ftaprvpiav

some exegetes

otf

Xanfidvert,

JOHN

ST.

12. tl

[IIL I1-1&

ri hriytta

vulv

ctrrov

Godet, Westcott) as associating His disciples

with Jesus in the testimony with which He confronts Nicodermis.
"We," i.e. my disciples and I, "speak of what we
know." But this is markedly unlike the authoritative tone
of the rest of the discourse. Nor is there any other instance of
the disciples' testimony being mentioned in the same breath as
His own testimony. They bore witness, indeed, because they
had been with Him from the beginning (is 27 ), but He did not
reiy on this while He was in the flesh.
Even if we adopt the
reading qpae for fy* at g (where see note), we do not get a true
parallel to & lupdKaptv p.aprvpovfAtv of the present verse.
The similarity of the language used here to that which Jn.,
in other passages, uses to associate his own witness with
that of his fellow-disciples is very close: e.g, & a.Kjf K oa.^xv &
tm^paKafi^i/
o i$caxrdp.*8a *
dirnyy^Wop^v vpxv (l Jn, i'-;
cf. I Jn. 41*), or ffltatrdpetia ttjv 8oov auro9 (i 14), or the use of
a - 14 5iG.1a.ao_
orS aju*v in 1 Jn.
Artdj having regard to
3
(#.#.

4,

way

which commentary and free narrative are intermingled in this chapter (see on v, 16), we seem to be driven to
the

in

the conclusion that in v.

Jn,

is

not reproducing the actual

words of Jesus so much as the profound conviction of the

Apostolic age that the Church's teaching rested on the testi-

mony

of eye-witnesses (cf* 1 Jn. 4"). He has turned the

singular I6ptuta (see v. 32) into the plural iupoKapcv (v. n),
just as in v, 5 he has added i$ 6ft<; to the original saying of
the Lord about the need of spiritual birth.
jtal -iV pnpTupiav -t^w od XapPcfrcTc.
This is repeated
(v, 33), and is a frequent theme in the Fourth Gospel.
Cf
12.

The

contrast

appears again,
the

word

Greek

Cor.

between t&
15*, 2

Cor.

l-n-tycia
1

and rd

firoupdna

3" James

Phil, 2'*

1
3 *;

appearing in these passages only in the

The thought of this verse is like Wisd. 9W 173

eViyio*

Bible,

"Hardly do we divine the things that are on earth, and the

things that are close at hand we find with labour but the things
that are in the heavens who ever yet traced out .
.
except
thou gavest wisdom and sentest thy Holy Spirit from on high ? "
The C7rtya or '* earthly things " as to which Jesus has
already spoken include the doctrine of the kingdom of God,
which was to be set up on earthy and accordingly of the New
Birth which Nicodemus found it difficult to accept. Such
matters are wonderful in the telling, although taiycu all the
time, in contradistinction to the deep secrets of the Divine
;

UL

12-18.]

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMTJS

ouSuv avafttflvjKW th rhv ovpavov

el p.if

6 ck rov ovpavov

III
jcora/frif,

nature and purpose (hrovpdvta) t of which no one could tell

except " He that cometh from heaven " (v 32),
nwTtiWrc. So ABL. TrmrewiffTt is read by TA&W fam,
+

13, etc.
13. D&Sel?

foafMpriitcr

thv

cts

oupv^

The argument

ktX.

that none can speak with authority of ra brovpdvias except

one who has been ev adpavy, and has come down from thence.
And of no one can this be said but the " Son of
(see Introd.j p. cxxx), for no man has ever ascended thither.
To
'
the question of PrOV. 34 Tl 5 ^"jSifl <fe tqv Ovpavov Kat KaTfjfti/j
il
the suggested answer is
God alone " (cf. Deut, 30** and the
reference thereto in Rom io6).
So too in Bar, tf* t '* Who
hath ascended to heaven and taken her (j Wisdom), and
brought her down from the clouds?" the answer is
one '
There is a Talmudic saying which taught this explicitly
Abbahu said : If a man says to thee, I ascend to heaven, he
will not prove it," x i.e. the thing is impossible.
This was the
is

Man"

"No

'

' (

accepted Jewish doctrine.

On the other hand, the Jewish apocalypses have legends of
saints being transported to heaven that they might be informed
of spiritual truth, e.g. Enoch (Enoch Ixx. i f etc.), Abraham (in
the Testament of Abraham), Isaiah {Ascension of Isaiah, 7),
But of such legends the Fourth Gospel has no trace.
etc. 3
*
No one has ascended into heaven, save He who descended
from heaven, viz. the Son of Man,"
There is no reference to the Ascension of Christ in this
passage (cf, 6ea 2o17), which merely states that no man has
gone up into heaven to learn heavenly secrets. It is only the
Son of Man who came down from heaven, which is His home,
who can speak of it and of ra hrovpdvta. with the authority of
knowledge. 3
The phrase icwra/fatvur Ik tov ovpavov is used again of
w - , but in that
Christ's coming in the flesh at 6**' w *
1
N,T.
else
in
the
In
1
Thess.
sense nowhere
4 * ar. i$ ovpavov
3
is used of the Advent of Christ in glory, and in i* above of
aarajfltuWy
the Descent of the Spirit at the Baptism of Jesus.
The phrase
is also used Eph. 4* of the Descent into Hades,
here, however, undoubtedly refers to the Descent of Christ to
'

Quoted by ScMrer from Jer Taanith, ii. 1

See my article, " Assumption and Ascension/ E.R.E.
.

A curious passage in Iienasus

Ii 151.

speaks of the Word

of Goi being in the habit of ascending and descending for the welfare
of men (" ab initio -assuetus Yerbum Dei ascenders et descendero "),
with allusion to Ex, 37 B

{Htzr. iv. xii. 4)

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

112

o Ytos tou avQp&TTov,

14. Knl

*&$*

ST.

JOHN

ltfui3<njs v^ctKTcr

[III.

13-14.

rhv otfuv

HL

right hand,

where
earth in His Incarnation, and the use of the title " the Son of
Man " in this context has no Synoptic parallel (see Introd.,
p. cxxx).
It may be added that the pre-existence of the Son of Man
in heaven is a tenet of the Book of Enoch? " That Son of Man
was named in the presence of the Lord of Spirits and His name
before the Head of days. And before the sun and the signs
were created, before the stars of the heaven were made, His
name was named before the Lord of Spirits " (xlviii. a, 3), See

on6
So BLT*W 33, but the clause o Ctv
added by ANTA, with the Lat, and some
If the clause were part of the
Diaiessarori).

6 olis tou Arfpri.

iv rig ovpavu is

Syi.*vss. (not
original text,

It
it is not easy to account for its omission.
does not contain any doctrine different from that of the Prologue as to the pre-existence of the Son; cf. o ttv s iw koAttw
tov irarpfc (i u).
Nor does it add anything to the argument,
which is complete in itself, if the verse ends with 6 via* tov
drtfpciffou.
Indeed, it makes the argument more difficult to
follow. The point is that the Incarnate Son of Man is the
only person on earth who can speak with authority of heavenly
things, and that because He has come down from heaven itself.
If we retain 6 &v h* t avpavti we must interpret the phrase of
the timeless existence of the Son in the heavenly places, while
But this thought suggests later
yet He is manifested on earth.
developments of Christology. The clause is probably an
interpretative gloss, added at an early period, possibly in the

second century. 1
It may be doubted whether w. 13-15 really belong to the
discourse of Jesus to Nicodemus, or whether they should not
jather be taken as part of the commentary which Jn, subjoins
If the latter alternative be accepted, the
(see on v. 16 below).
report of the discourse ends quite naturally with the question
the Son of Man " is never used in the
of v* 12- But the title
Gospels in narrative, or in evangelistic comment, being found
3
This consideraonly in the report of words of Jesus Himself*
tion is conclusive for taking the comment of Jn, as beginning
with v. 16, and not with v. 13.
'

14. KflGws MuC<rij&

Jtyfrtrer -rbv vrfnr ktX,

i^ow means " to lift up," either literally or figuratively,

when it is equivalent to "exalt." In Acts a 38 (17} Sf&a. tov
s1
tywvw rjj Bft
(tqvtov 6 0*os
foou vij/<n$Ls) and Acts 5
*

a&rdv) it is
1

used of the exaltation by

See Hortj Select Readings, in

loc.

God

of Jesus to His

Cf, lutrod*, p.

cxxiL

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

14,]

it

is

"3

Cf, Phil, a9 and Isa. 5a 1 *,

i.e. of the Ascension,
said of the Servant of Yahweh v^wtfija-erai rax

is not used thus in the Fourth Gospel, where

always applied to the " lifting up " of Jesus on the Cross,
u
and is always found in connexion with the title Son of Man "

But the word

it is

8
(see Introd., p. cxxxii). Jesus said to the incredulous Jews (S* )
yvm&ctr&t
art
^f<AoT]Te
eytu
Sretv
tov vlqv tov avBpanrav t tot*
/**!
<(

When ye

have lifted up the Son of Man, then ye shall

This " lifting up " is to be the act of the Jews,
not of God (as in Acts 2 s3 5 ai), and it is therefore clear
that it does not refer to the Ascension, but to the Crucifixion.
Again in I2 3a we have iav vtymBSt K rijs yf)s, Trarras cAjcwtw Trpos
iptLvTW) on which Jn.'s comment is, "this He said, signifying by what death He should die," And that the people
understood the word thus appears from their rejoinder (12^);
while they knew that the Christ " abides for ever/' they were
,f
puzzled by the saying that the
Son of Man was to be lifted
up*" If vijrti>8fjvat were to be understood merely as *' exaltation " (as the Ascension was) they would have had no difficulty
in admitting 8 v^wOijvai rov vlhv tov av&pw/rw (see note in loc).
In the present passage, there can in like manner be no
reference to the Ascension of Jesus, as in that case the type of
the brazen serpent would not be applicable. In the story in
1
Num. 21"-, Moses set his brazen serpent '* upon the standard/
shall

know, etc*"

'

LXX

otj^clou, so that
as the
turns it, toTiycrer atrov
those who had been bitten by the poisonous serpents might
look upon it and live. As the story is explained in Wisd. 16 s 7
"he that
the brazen serpent was a trpf3okov <rw7>pia$
turned towards it was not saved because of that which was
beheld, but because of thee, the Saviour of all (to* iravrtbv
ffiiHTjpa)."
The word iipovv is not used anywhere in the
il
lifting up" the serpent and exposing
of the act of Moses in
it to the gaze of the people, nor is the word used anywhere in
the N.T. outside Jn. of the "lifting up " of Jesus on the Cross,
But this is undoubtedly the parallel which is drawn in the words
Those who looked in faith upon the brazen
of Jesus in 3 14
serpent uplifted before them were delivered from death by
poison ; those who look in faith upon the Crucified, lifted up on
the Cross, shall be delivered from the death of sin.
The early Greek interpreters are quite unanimous about
this.
Thus Barnabas ( 12) says that Moses made a brazen
serpent, the tutos of Jesus, that he set it up conspicuously
(tiOvjo-lv iV&o&us), and hade any man that had been bitten
41
come to the serpent which is placed on the tree (Ittc tov (vkw
hnKtlpevw) and let him hope in faith that the serpent being

Or,

LXX

VOL* i,8

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

TI4

ST.

JOHN

[IH- 14.

himself dead can yet make him alive (avrds t>v v-wpa^ SiWtqi
This is but
&DowQuj<r*t) r and straightway he shall be saved,"
an elaboration of the idea in Jn. 3 14, going beyond what is there
said, for Barnabas emphasises the point that the brazen serpent
b a type of Jesus, while all that is said in Jn, 3 14 is that as the
*
lifted up."
lifted up," so must the Son of Man be
first was
Origen {Exhort, ad martyr. 50, arguing that death by
'

martyrdom may be

called fywrts), and Cyprian (Test, ii, 20)

apply Jn. 314 to the Crucifixion of Jesus; cf. Justin, Tryph* 04,
Claudius Apollinaris (about 171 A.rj.) writes of Jesus as fycrfcfc
rt tftpdiw fiovottipiDTos,

where

vtyovv evidently

means

to

lift

up

1
(Routh, Rsliq. Sacr.^ i. 161). See
cf. Ps. 22*
19 19
below,
also the passage from Artemidorus quoted on si
for the connexion between the ideas of ityo* and of crucifixion.
have then here a prediction placed in the mouth of
Jesus, not only of His death, but of the manner of that death.
The Synoptists represent Jesus as more than once foretelling
His death by violence (Mk. S 31 g 31 io33 and parallels), but only
But
in Mt. 2019 is death by crucifixion specified; cf, Lk, 24',
by the use of the word vigour (cf. also S29 and is 33) Jn. consistently represents Jesus as predicting that He would be
crucified, which would carry with it the prediction that He
would suffer at the hands of the Roman authorities, and not by

on the Cross;

We

the Jews (cf.Jn.iS*1 - 62),

1
It is not consistent with the Synoptic tradition (cf. Mk. 8* ,
Mt. 16 Lk. p 83) to represent Jesus as foretelling His Passion
should expect not to find any
so early in His Ministry.
indication of this until after the Confession of Peter (6 W - *).
And if w 11-15 are intended by the evangelist to be taken as
words of Jesus, rather than as reflexions of his own (see on
v. 13), then it is probable that they are recorded here out of then*
historical context.
See on v, 1 above.
It has been suggested, however (e.g. by Westcott and E, A.
Abbott) that we must see a deeper significance in the word
Abbott holds 1 that the
{rirovv as placed in the lips of Jesus.
Aramaic word which is rendered by v^ovv was
and that

We

has the double meaning (1) to exalt, (2) to crucify.

But Burkitt has shown that this cannot be accepted because
" such as the Ascension
*|pt could not be used of a "lifting up
this actually

was, 3 In short, (a) Jn. clearly states his own view of what
Jesus meant by the words which he ascribes to Him here;
(b) all the early Greek exegetes agree with him; (c) if we try
to get back to the Aramaic word lying behind fyov^ we cannot
d*ik will fit vfow
find one which has this special ambiguity.
1

Diat, 2998

(xxiiijtf,

/.r.S., July 1919, p. 337.

HL

THE DISCOURSE WITH NICODEMUS

14*15,]

ipyptpy ourtos

rjj

v^wftptu

Set

tot Ylov toO &v6ptwrov>

"5

1 5,

tva iras

in the sense of
exalt," but not in that of " crucify."
fit iij/ow in the sense of "crucify," but not in that of

We

t\pt
*'

will

exalt"

cannot therefore accept Westcott's view that "the lifting

up includes death and the victory over death." There does not
seem to be any hint of this in any of the passages in which
iifrovv

occurs in Jn.

2i w give little help as

to the significance of the brazen serpent, being perplexed by
the inconsistency of the story with the general prohibition of
all images in the religion of Israel.
Indeed, Hezekiah found
it necessary to destroy "the brazen serpent that Moses had
made " (2 Kings 18 4) because it had led to idolatrous practices.
Philo (Legg> AIL ii. 19) allegorises the narrative after his
manner. As the poisonous serpents signify the pleasure
(ffiovy) which is dangerous to the soul, so the brazen serpent
signifies temperance (a-u^/wrum?) ; then the man who sees
psychically the beauty of u-wftpoov^ ttal Sti Jr&u tov $ov

The Jewish commentators on Num.

Jesus, however, explicitly takes this story as a type of His

Cross, which must have fulfilment : S, " it is necessary *' that
so " the Son of Man shall be lifted up," as Jn, reports His words
here.
Something has already been said (see note on a4) of
what may be called the Predestinarian Doctrine of Jn. j see
also Introd., p, clii, where Jn.'s use of the phrase " that it might

be

fulfilled
is examined.
similar Divine necessity is
indicated several times elsewhere in this Gospel by the word
Set.
The evangelist uses it> when writing in his own person, of
the inevitableness of the Resurrection of Christ. But he also
ascribes the employment of this way of speech to Jesus Himself.
" I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day "
(a4) ; " Other sheep I must bring " (ioia) ; and again at 12 s* the
people charge Jesus with saying, as here, S vif/vBfivat toy
vlov tov av6fiwTrov.
Cf. also 330 , There is nothing peculiar
to the Fourth Gospel in this. 1 The Synoptists and Paul alike
share the belief that it is not Fate but Providence that rules
the world, that God foreknows each event because He has
predetermined it, and that therefore it must come to pass. To
reconcile this profound doctrine with human free will was the
problem of a later age.
See note on 1 a 8 *
15. Before exfl the rec. text interpolates pq dmStajrat dXV
'

See a discussion of the predesthiarian teaching of Jn, in West-

cott, Epistles of St, John, p 91.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

Il6
(from

v,

1 6)

ST.

JOHN

[HI. IB-

COMMENT ON PRECEDING DISCOURSE

16.]

with ArA, but the woTds are omitted here by

KBLT bW wfarn.

Ovtus yap

16,

constr.

See on v. 16.
.
,
, ,.*
t.
The connexion between faith and eternal life runs through
Tturrcvovrts
the Gospel, the purpose of its composition being tva
31
Cf 6*7 o vurrevw eX et
C*njv ?x^ T ^ ? ovo/uiTt afiroi) (20 ).
M 6 n-urretW cU tov wot *x** fr a ' w- wnere
f<n^v atwiov and 3
,

'

The Evangelist* $ comment on

see note.

-j.

always associated in Jn. witn *j

" sin " or " iire "), the expression
with
or
Mk,
Mt.
in
(huwt, as
?
times in
(am aXmfws occurring 17 times in the Gospel and 6
1 Jn. (in the

kov^w,

roy

wtrre rbv Ylbv rov

cuifruit

form %

is

lm 4 auimo* in

26
Jn. i* a ).

{*} *"* as
ia B and there-

,
the portion of the righteous is mentioned Dan,
Solomon (111. 16)
after the expression is found in the Psalter of
and in Enoch> It occurs frequently in the Synoptists and
death
Paul, and always in the sense of the future lfo after
many
(but 'see on 12^. This significance it has also in Jn.
meaning.
times; e.g. in the present passage this is the primary
11
But for Jn., and for him
Cf. esp, 12", and see note on 4
uhj
Tim. 6 l
cf. 1
(although
writers
N.T.
alone among
311
believer
of
the
5
(3
nwvtas may be a present possession
6 1 Jn. 5 1 *), which continues and abides after the shock of
" means more than *'to
death (6s4). " To have eternal life
the duration
live for ever " ; the stress is not so much upon
is to share
eternal
life
have
To
its
quality.
of the life as upon
M
unfettered by
in the life of God (5 ) and of Christ (r*), which is
knowledge
the conditions of time. And so it is defined as the

3
without
of God and of Christ (1 f ) , for true knowledge cannot be13
See
n
a
)*
rbv
vtbv
(*
6
lyw
5
Thus
Z**W
J
"F
affinity.
%x
Introd n p. clx.
1 See Dalman, Words of Jesus, Eng. Tr.
p. 157, for illustrations
from the later Jewish literature.
-

the preceding Discourse

(vv. 16-21, 31-36)

1Q. This " comfortable word " is described in the Anglican

Liturgy as one of those which " our Saviour Christ saith."
But it would seem that Jn, does not mean to place w. 16-2
in the mouth of Jesus ; these verses are rather reflexions and
comments by the evangelist on the words which he has already
ascribed to Jesus in His discourse with Nicodemus. The
dialogue framework is dropped; past tenses, eStuKw, d7rrraAcr,
IXyXvQw, are used, as would be natural if the writer is meditating on the great events of the past
the word fiovoyi^
which occurs twice, w. 16, r8, is not elsewhere placed on the
lips of Jesus, while it is thoroughly Johannine (see i 14 * M and
Indeed v. 16 is repeated almost verbatim 1 Jn* 4':
1 Jn. 4 ).
;

fl

iv Tovrip <{>avtpw&7}

adj.

Tfydin}<rtv

117

i, etc.

The rec has eis aS-rdr after mor-cHip (a common

1B
editors have
in Jn. ; see on t ) with KIM ; but recent
constr.
generally followed BT^W in reading Iv irfri. Yet the
read
that
if
we
so
in
Jn.,
appears
tttW & tiw wr
in an absolute sense (see on V
afrrft moTcvw must be taken
with the R. , " Whosotranslate,
must
and
we
for this usage),
;
(Cf. for the
eternal
life."
ever believeth may in Him have
u
is
in Christ
constr. r1 .) The thought of the believer being
But
Pauline.
well
as
5*)
as
i
Jn,
thoroughly Johannine (if,
we prefer the reading tb avrw, which has good MS. support.

The

m.

i}

Aydirrf tot) 0<oS 4v

fjfttv,

on

toy fiovoytv^ AirttmxXKtv 6 0co$ *h rov Kotrfiay

to? viov avrov

fyj&toptv BC

tvtt

OLVTQV.

The passage w. 16-21

which

is

is

quite in Jn/s style

introduced by

when he

is

as

auros ydp

qutu*%

ydp

.,

making a comment;
s

.
.
yap 'Iijiraus , * ,
(2 ) } ol yap pxrihjrai (4 ),
20
.
(S )i * 7*P nwnqp (5 ), ovroi yip tJS .
(6^), ^JSei ydp . . .
W r^11), ofcru yap ?v
8
,
(6
.
(so*),
ft* ), aU&rw yap ffittrav .
Furtherj it is to be observed that wcttc does not occur again

cf.

13

and that the constr. gv$

Sum with indicative,
although classical, does not appear elsewhere in the N.T, (see
Abbott, DiaL 2203, 2697). No new theme is introduced at
v. 16, but the teaching of the discourse with Nicodemus is
recapitulated, the opening sentence being a summary of the
" Gospel according to St. John,"
It is the constant teaching of Jn. that in the order of redemption God's Love precedes the movement of man's soul to
him.
We love because He first loved us *' (1 Jn. 4lfl ; cf,
1
1 Jn. 4 *).
Cf. " Ye did not choose me, but I chose you "
1
See Rom, 5 s . In this verse the Love of
(iS w) and also 13 *.
God is represented as prior to the faith of man. Indeed, God
in Jn.,

'

'

is

Love

Jn,

(1

The verb

),

is generally used by the Synoptists for

the love which man has for man or for God (Mk, 12 30); and
Jn* in like manner uses it of the love of man for his fellows
3
12 17
2
i 4.ai*za 2I igj or for
(13 * is
), or for Jesus (S*
10
It is used once in the Synoptists for the love of
(1 Jn, 4 ).
Jesus for man (Mk. io 81 ), and this is frequent in Jn, (n B
I31 * w M I4ai 15** ia ai7 a"), &ytjurd<o is never used in the

ayenrdw

q^

"

'

'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

IS

Sum,

fxovayevvi

fayy

fra iras 6

ST.

JOHN

nurriwv eh a-Mr py

[HI. 16-17.

AiroXxfrat

&>X

iffi

rov Yiof *U tov

if. ot yap &rrt<JTtt\V o eos

aUoviov*

Love of God for man, although this central

behind many of the parables; but Jn. employs it thus,
10
1
M
not only here but at 14" I7 * 1 J"- 3 4 (cf. Rom. 5% Eph.
Synoptists of the

fact is

1
The mutual love of God and Christ is implicit
z*, 2 Thess. 2 *).
11 7
7*,
in the Synoptists (cf, 6 vtis pov dycunprk, Mk. x o , Mt. 3" 1
az
describe
it,
e.g.
aytnrdta
to
using
in
Lk, 3 ), but Jn. is explicit
M 10" 15 i7M w -, an d I4*i. See, further, Additional
3
Note on 21 15 on AyanSv and ^iXttv.
Here the Love of God for man is an all-embracing love
It was
GeAs tov *&nuir (for Kotrpos see on i).
j\y&Trf\<riv
-

in.

COMMENT ON PRECEDING DISCOURSE

17,]

JI9

have &rwT\A of God sending His Son, e.g. Mk. 9*,

1
Mt. ioM 15 24 Lk, 443 g48 10 *, It may be added that Wfuru
which generally has a7ro<rr<AXw.
LXX,
infrequent
in
the
is
There is a fine passage in the Ep to Diognztus ( 7) about
1
God "sending" His Son, in which both verbs are used.
vipvm
and
of
usage
Westcott attempts to distinguish Jn.'s
ai
aTTwreUw (see his Additional Note on ao ), and so does
meanings that
the
reverses
who
Abbott {Dial. rj*$d-g),
Westcott proposes. No distinction can safely be drawn.
For farotrriXXtD in Jn. in similar contexts to the present
86 * &*' w
7* 8" i<**
(i\*. of God sending His Son), cf. 3* s
*. 10. .
si
For ire^irw cf<
x j^ 4
TI4fl jj6.16.fti. as. 25
.m -as, > ao ^38, a. 44 i, ts. 88 gia, is. as. ao ^i I2**-- 13*
,

jj

fl

manifested by His giving

"His

only begotten

Son"

(for

" His Beloved Son," 6 vlos b &yair*}T6s

1
17
is perhaps reminiscent of Gen. 22 *,
language
The
{Mt, 3 ).
toS
<rav
vUv
where it was said to Abraham qvk I0uW tov
ayoff^roBj the simple B<o*fl' conveying the sense of a complete
M
* giving up "
cf Rom. S .

povoytrfc see

on

14

),

So W*BWj but fe^CALT* add

rir uttr t*k |hwoy^I-

avrov

after vl&v*

This was the motive of the Gift, that

6 mcrr. ktX,
might have eternal life (see on v. 15) through faith in
ia
For the phrase wio-raW *fc avrvv, see on i

lv<t irds

all

men

Christ.

contrasted again with "to

have eternal life " at io*8 (cf. 17 1 *), It is the word used for
losing " one's soul and it refers here to a man's final destiny
K pStpa airakttrat iv ytervrj). Hence &nj auowos in
(cf. Mt. IO
this verse must be interpreted of the future (see on 3") rather
than of the present, although it includes this*
The repetition of the phrase Iva ttos 6 TritrreiW b airrov txf)
(viz. the addition
Ctarir ulwLQi' from v, 1 5, with a slight change
after avrav of py 7rdX^nw iAAtt), is a feature of Johannine
style, 1
Jn. frequently repeats phrases or themes of special
import, often with slight verbal changes, as if they were a
s
u - 1S
*> B1
s
2S M 6*6M - 8** 10 *
Cf., e.g., 3 refrain.
4 -

"To

perish"

(d*roAAuwii) Is

17.

dW<TTW

by God
and to

is

flc&s

t4p

a conception

uUk

ktX,

The " sending " of Jesus

common

to the Synoptists, to Paul,

used, jna and affooreAXu,

Two verbs are

Jn.
the former being more frequent in Jn,, and the latter in
the Synoptists, no distinction of meaning between them being
1
only (Rom.
traceable (cf. I7 1S and 20* ). Paul has
8
13
8 s); Lk. has ir^urm once (Lk. 2o ), but the parallels Mk, 12 ,
w
always
Synoptists
the
Elsewhere
dTrocrreAAxu,
Mt. ai have
1
Cf. Introd,, p. cxvL
_

w^

t&v

ut(S^

The

tiBLTWfam.

rec. text

This usage of o
is

adds

avrov,

with ATA, but om.

1.

vios absolutely,

as contrasted with 5 vwnjp,

common to all the evangelists^ and by all of them is attributed

to Jesus

when speaking of Himself.

and Jn. 5" 6* 8 14" 17 1

See Mk,

13**,

Mt*

OT
,

besides Jn, 3* 1 Jn, a

Lk. io ,
M
He uses
4 , where the evangelist thus describes Jesus,
15*,
Cor.
first
time.
Cf,
1
point
for
the
this
at
absolutely,
tiios
aa

This verse is in close connexion with v. 16. The Divine

purpose in redemption embraces all humanity. It is not
confined to Jews only, or to elect nations or individuals, but
embraces the whole world. This Divine intention may be
thwarted by man's abuse of his free will, but none the less it
__

11
directed to all mankind (cf. 1 Tim. 2*, Tit. 2 ).
a
But in the current Jewish eschatology Messiah was to
come as the Judge of mankind, and so Jesus taught, both
W
1
according to the Synoptists (Mt. as* '") and to Jn. cf. Jn. 5 ,
"
execute
judgment,
to
authority
given
the
Son
where we have
because He is the Son of man," the context showing that the
OT
Last Judgment is indicated. So, again, in 9 we have ^ cU
being
reference
^k$ov
the
tovtw
Kptpu eyu) efc tov Ko&pov
t
indeed to a present rather than a future judging, but still the
coming of Jesus being represented as eis Kptpa, as issuing in
judgment. See further on 8".
How, then, is this to be reconciled with the universal
purpose of love in the mission of Christ ? Jn. is quick to
supply the answer. The purpose of this mission in the mind
of God was that every one who believed in Christ should have
Christ, as the Son of Man, is to be the Judge of
eternal life.
mankind; he does not question that, and later on he says it
37
But His primary office is that of Saviour,
explicitly
).
is

(s

a.

Introd., p. lxsvi.

'

Ibid. p. clvL

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

120

KQfffMiV

iS. 6

JOHN

ST,

[IIL 17-18,

Kpwv) tov laxr/iov, dAA" tva <rta&j) 6 tcovftos 01 aurou.

** avrbv ov Kp*veTu** o /) vurrevtav tJ&ij goe/nraif

tea.

n-urntW

was to jot* that He was sent. That some should reject

no part of the Father's will; but if they do reject Him,
they bring judgment on themselves. And so Jn. declares
and

it

Him

ofi

is

yap farivrvXtv o 0eos tov vlov

eis

rbv

notrpov

tva Kptvjj

rov

This is repeated i z47 ,

where Jesus is represented as saying ov yap tj\8ov fva Kpivta
tva. craicrb), not tva Kpivta
tqv Kfttritof, a\\* Tva cut tqi> Koap&v.
(as Jewish- Apocalyptic believe d) t expresses the final cause of
8
the mission of the Son of Man. Cf. Zech. o o /Ja<rtXus trov
KO(fftovt

AW*

tva

<0g

tpXtrai <roi StValo?

6 noo-jot &* utou.

Kftt ffid(H>V.

For the universality of this redemptive purpose, see 44a

It was one of the
6 wrijp tov Koo-pov, and the note there.
last prayers of Jesus that the world should come to recognise
at last that God loved it, and that therefore He had sent His

Son(i7 38).
occurs only 6 times in Jn., trcunjpia once
twice (44a , where see note, and i Jn, 414),
it generally represents pp\ which primarily
In the
means " enlargement " and hence " deliverance," njnc" being,
at last, almost equivalent to *' victory," and often used in the
O.T, of the final Messianic Deliverance, In the N.T. o-uov
sometimes stands for deliverance from bodily sickness, or
ia and cf. Mk $ 6 W io53 etc.); frequently it
healing (see
s7
carries with it the idea of rescue from physical death (e.g. 12 ,
30
spiritual
thought
is
of
3*
and
in
other
passages
the
Mk.
15 );
deliverance {e.g. S 34 io 12*7 , Mk. io M i3 13 ), t\e. of the transition
from death to life, conceived of either as present or as future
(in an eschatological reference), wrought by the life-giving
power of Christ, and applied to the individual soul by an act of
faith.
This, the deepest meaning of tnur^pfa, is constantly
present to the mind of Jn. See on 442 for trurijp.
18. To the thought of Jn,, fruiy aZtfvios begins in the
present, and is not only a hope of the future (see on 3^ above);
so. also the icpuris, or the inevitable distinction between man
and man, determined by the use or abuse of his free will, begins
in the present life.
Here for Jn. is the supreme test of the human spirit,
whether the man *' believes in " Christ or does not believe.
A ituntuw *!s aMv ofi Kpiycrai, or, as it is expressed later on, th
KpLtxtv ova Ip^erai, dAAa pLtTafttfirjKfv In tqv Bavdrov ets ttjv 0)77^
24
The believer has eternal life in Christ; he has passed
(5 ).
into life.
There is no uncertainty as to the final judgment for
owdfj,

ffl

(4

),

and

tndfctr

tftunj/j

LXX

fl

him.

in. 18-19,]

COMMENT ON PRECEDING DISCOURSE

121

or* p/q ?r<7rccrrein:iv eis to ovopa n>v fiovoyevovs Ylov tov <&v.
ig. avTTj Bi iorw % ftpuri% fln to cw i\yjkv&tv tvs t6f KOayiav ical

But there is also the man who is not willing to come to

Christ that he may have life (5*), i.e. not willing to
believe."
Of him Jn, says 6 p&\ mimtiw *(Sn rficpiTat, " he has been
judged already " by his unfaith, the present judgment being
anticipatory of the future. This is, indeed, the judgment
which will declare itself at the Last Day (iz48). But that the
judgment will be manifested at the Last Day is not inconsistent
with its having been already determined in the present life by
the unbelief and blindness and disobedience of the man. So
"
it is said of the prince of evil that he " has been judged
u
(i6 ), although the exhibition of this tremendous judgment
* (

is

not yet.

The rec. text

NBWjf^/om. Be.

has 6

with

Bk pxj *"""" *""*

ALTTA0

but

The two sentences 6 irurrriW

and 6
flrnrrflW are co-ordinate and complementary; and it is quite
in the Johannine manner to place them side by side without any
.

adversative or connecting particle.

with a pres, part, over 20 times.
Jn, uses
because he has not believed/ 3 a
St* p$\ TreTTurreujcev
.,
continuing movement of unbelief being indicated by the pft,
Abbott {Dial, 2187) compares with 6
lrterretfcuv .
tense.
of this verse, the passage 1 Jn, 5 M
or* /mj vcTMrreuKtp .
.
"In the latter or* ov
. or* oh -irtirtQTcvKcv *
6
fl-wTctW
states the fact objectively ; in the former Art
states it
subjectively^ as the judgment pronounced by the Judge,"
ort jlm} is a very unusual construction (see Diat. 2695), and
demands some such explanation here. 1
For the phrase iriflr*u*iv s to Avo^ta, see on 1 1B .
For poKOY^Sr s^^ on i 1*. It is possible that the repetition
of the adjective here is intended to mark, not only the greatness
of the Father's love {as in v. 16), but also the uniqueness of
1
Jesus as a Saviour, There is no other (cf. Acts 4 *}
The form of the sentence, intro19. affrt) 8 Itrnr ^ KpLov'
ducing an explanation, is thoroughly Johannine; cf. 1 Jn. iB
tt
ijii. 11
-phis 5 t}j e judgmg/ se. not the sentence of judgment (Kjoipi), but the way in which the judgment is accomplished.
It is no arbitrary sentence, but the working out of
a moral law.
The root of unbelief in Christ is the refusal
to turn to His Light, because the man's conduct will not bear
scrutiny* Jn. traces unbelief to moral causes.
*
The Light came into the world " so he has already in the

'

The uncial fragment T w has the unique reading flrtofl^

which indicates that the scribe

felt

the

difficulty.

reritrrVKers

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

122

JOHN

ST.

[HI. 19-21.

pnXXov to ckotos tj to ^><us* fy yap avrw

wovnjpa to ipya.
20- iras yap 6 avAa -npaxra&v futm ro i^fa koi
ouk Ip^cToi ffpa? to ^ais, tva /A17 ^fyx^W
*Pyft ^^ov* 21. o de

ITX 21,

r^k a\r[&fiav ip\TOA srpos to ^0)5, iva ^apepcud^ avrcS ra

Tpya Sti hr @t(jl fOTiv etpyao'/itj'a.

Prologue described the Advent of Christ (i4 *** *); " and men
loved the darkness rather than the Light, for evil were their
works " (see on 1 9). The comparison of wickedness to darkness and of virtue to light is, of course, found elsewhere, e.g.
Philo, Quaesi. in Gen. ii. 22, and Test, of XII. Patr. Naph. ii.
jo, " neither while ye are in darkness can ye do the works of
light."
So Job says of the wicked that they " are of them
y

that rebel against the light " (Job 24 13), The image occurs
with special frequency in Jn,, e.g. S ia la 86 w 1 Jn. i 8 s 8 9 * u ;
that Jesus is
s tov mo-pav (8ia) is one of his central
thoughts.
With jjp ydp ai-wv iro^pi t& pyct cf, 7 7 s where Jesus is
represented as saying that the k&t/ujs hated Him, or* rk tpya
The same phrase appears in 1 Jn. 3 1* of
Truvrjpa. etrrtv*
the deeds of Cain, Jn. always takes the darkest view of the
world apart from Christ ; cf. o Koo/tos oXos *v ?*$ uwrfptp
18
KetTat (1 Jn. 5 ).
Cf. also Col. i ai , 2 Tim. 4", for tA Spya t*L
*

'

tt?5

31. "O avmBtv ip%pfiva% iirdv<n Trdvraiv itrtiv" ooifck ttJs

*k
TTS eirro' *rcu ck ttjs y^s AaAet, 6 e tou ovpavoS cpvojucvos

is a universal saying, not to be confined to those who are

already believers in Christ. As Christ Himself said: wfis 6

This

&v Ik it}? a\i}&zias aKQVft /aou tt}s <jtwn}? (18 s7 ). Jn, states that
every honest doer of the truth comes into the light, and (as
Christ is the Light) he therefore approaches Christ \ he does
so "that his works may be made manifest" (cf, 9*).
See
on 8s*.
0V1 lv 0c$ Amp cLpyoffjui^wt*
5n may mean " because " or
16
that."
The latter rendering seems preferable. The honest
man (" in whom is no guile," i 47) comes to the light that it
may be made plain that his deeds have been done *v &*$
a remarkable expression for which there is no exact parallel;
cf. kottkocos hr Kvpitp (Rom. i6ls).
See Ps. i^o 88 * M for the
prayer of the righteous man, who does not shrink from the
closest scrutiny of his life.

irovTjpd.

SO. Jn. proceeds to explain the psychology of this shrinking

of the world from Christ the Light,
wfis yap 4 ^aCXo -irpchrow ktX., " for every one who practises base things hates the Light/
Both in this passage and
at 5 s9 (the only two places where Jn. has the adj. ^avXos or
the verb fl-pooro-civ), we have ifavXn irpda'u'ttv but dyctfla (r^v
Trpaaxrw does not cany with it the
aAiq&uaVj V. 21) muay#
idea of anything accomplished, or abiding as the result of
action, whereas woum is to make as well as to do\ and perhaps some such difference is intended by Jn., although in
Rom. 7 16 - lfl the verbs cannot be distinguished.
The base liver does not come to the Light, lest his works be
reproved. We have i\cyx*lv again S*8 i6a cf. Eph, 5 1* ra Si
vdvra \rfi(6pva viro tov <pturos ^avcpovrcu.
should expect fuqmtt for Ira jii/j, but jttjjror* never occurs
in Jn,, who employs the constr, Iva
18 times, Burney points
out l that Xva. /*7 corresponds exactly with the Aramaic win.
1

We

91. tt* omits

from

a 8k irotSw to

ra

because of the
20 and v. 21 (as read in its
Ipya,

hotnoiotehuion ra tpya avroE v.

exemplar, instead of avrou t frya).
4 Si

mur

t$\v dX^ticiap
1

(cf. 1

Jn,

1*)

?pxetcu vpfc to $&$.

jiratttaic Origin, etc., p, 100,

123

ym

Tfydirtjcav ol JLv&pwwQt

jrotiov

COMMENT CONTINUED

31,]

The evangelists commentary continued (w. 31-36)

81-38 Reasons have been given in the Introduction (p, xxiii)
for taking these verses in sequence to w. 16-21, w. 32-30
having been displaced from their original position.

The argument of this paragraph is as follows He that is

of the earth can testify only to earthly things (v, 31 ; cf. v. 12).
Christ, who is from heaven, in testifying of heavenly things,
testifies to that which He has seen and heard, but His witness
is not accepted (v. 32; cf. v. 11).
Nevertheless, he who does
accept it, agrees that Jesus was the promised Messenger of
God (v. 33 j cf. v. 17). He speaks the message of God, and
thereby shows that He was sent by God (v, 34). He speaks this
message in its completeness, for the Spirit is not granted to
Him in part only (v. 34); He is the Beloved Son (v, 35; cf,
;

v, 16).

31* k*D/<zm.i abeff* and Syr. cur. om. the second ItrdLwa
vdrrvv ^otiV at the end of the verse; but ins, K CABLT*AW.
Jn, is fond of repeating phiases> with a slight verbal change

on v.

(see

16).

A cipuOef ^px^Ei'os, i.e. Christ, avvBtv has its usual Johannme significance of desuper^ "from above" (but see on 3 s);
cf. tyb fr
dpi (8 33) and 1 Cor. if*.
iirdyta iriirrwr low.
This is expressed by Paul in the same

tw oW

way
d
t

6 &v eVt
wi>

Ik

fi

Jn. 4

tw (Rom. o

Tf}s yv\s

<

XaXei.

Eph. i 21 ).
There is a similar thought in

cf.

avrol ft tov ttatrpov turi" 81a towto 4k tou (cmr^tau XaXova-tv,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

124

iravrav iorlv*

lira.v&
real

32. 8 twpaitcv

real

t^v fmpTvpLav uvtov ouSets Xn^dvtt.

ftaprvplav itrtfrpdyurtv otl o

ST.

JOHN

[III,

31-33.

T)Kowrcvt rovro p,aprvpti

33* o X.af3*hv avrou t^v

oXffiyfi tariv.

34, Sv

yap

See on 3 ia .

.
Ik tijs yfjs <rctv.
Jn, is inclined to the constr. thai k
as indicating origin and affinity; cf. S 88 and passim. The
constr. yeyevpijff&u Ik has already been discussed (3s and i 1 *).
For XctXet, see on 3 11
>

32.

read ml S iupam, but BDLT

om. k*L In
words of v. it are repeated, the evangelist taking

ArA

this verse the

them up and amplifying them,

s*,

and

is

cf. i *).

constant teaching
of Jn. that Jesus proclaimed what He bad " heard " from the
Father (3 40 15" J cf. 124*). Jesus is the " Faithful Witness/'
according to the Apocalypse (Rev, i B). Cf. Introd., p xcii.
koI t4|i* p.opTuptar afl-pou qGci XapJ3<vei.
This is reproduced from v. ii where see note. In the traditional order
of the text, this sentence would be inconsistent with v. 26,
which tells of the crowds that nocked to hear Jesus but it is
plain that John the Baptist is not the speaker here (see Introd,,

so$ to p7Jp.aja tov ov AaXtf* ou yap Ijc pLcrpov t8ti)(rt,v

to Hvtvpa.,
35. b TlaTTjp ayttir^. tov Ytov, teal iravrcL StStaxtv it/ t$

thing in another way, viz, God has testified of His Son, and so
he who does not believe this testimony makes God a liar
Lightfoot {Hor. Hebt, in loc.) quotes the Rabbinical maxim
that " the seal of God is truth."
84. hv fartmt\*v 6 MsSee, on this Divine mission of the
Son, the note on v, 17 above. He whom God has sent speaks

God's words; cf. 8 M and 17 s ri p-qpjxra a SWas /ao*.

In Jn, ffipn never occurs in the singular ; we always have
li
"
ra pypara (no art, at 6**), and in Jn, they are always
the
47
words of God (cf 8 ) or of Christ Himself. In contradistinction
to this, ra piftULTci never occurs in the Apocalypse, while we have
instead ot Xoyot, used for Divine words or sayings (cf. Introd.,
In Jn,, koyvs is always in the singular, except io1* 14s4
p. lxvi).
.

p. xxiii),

Jn, hastens in v. 33 to correct the rhetorical ovSV, just

as he corrects i"by i 13 ; cf. alsoS 16 18 iz4"-.
For the position of ouSa't in the sentence, see on i ie .
88, A Xa^ur avrou tSJp pxpruptai' ktX., i.e. who has accepted
as convincing the witness of Christ about eternal life and
God's love j cf. w. 3^15, upon which all this is commentary,
vtyayileiv here and at 6^ (where see note) is the equivalent
of " to attest," the metaphor of sealing being a common one.
He who accepts the witness of Jesus thereby attests that Jesus
speaks the words of God as His accredited Messenger, and
in this attestation virtually testifies to his belief that God is
true (6 0os iXqOfe fow).
So at 8 M it is urged that God,
who sent Jesus, is true (6 iri^as p-e dA-q&Js frr-riv), and that
Jesus speaks what He has heard from God, the implied conclusion being that the hearers of Jesus may believe in Him and
The argument of 1 Jn, 510 puts the same
trust what He says*
-

on io1*).

rh. f^p-ctra tolt fleoG

XaXct,

jtf,

message, of God Himself ;

fragments of that message. Cf.
full

It is the

^jcaurep, touto |LapTupct,

125

<rT(Aey o

(see

one of the few passages in Jn. where

opav in the perf. tense is used of spiritual vision (see also 8 s8 147
This

S lupoKtv*

COMMENT CONTINUED

88-35.]

dW-

the only difference being that *coff/tos carries the idea of the
moral condition of the world (see on 1*), while yrj is the
Cf. 2 Esd, 4": "Qui super
physical "earth" simply,
terrain inhabitant quae sunt super terram intellegere solummodo possuntj et qui super caelos quae super altitudinem

caelorum."

UX

qG

Y&p

i*.

p.^rpou

Christ speaks the sayings, the

He does not merely proclaim
1

s
,

BiSwa ik to nvcuua,

and see on 311 for XaAetv.

for [God ] does not give
*

'

the Spirit [to Him] by measure/' but in its fulness.

a
The rec, with
DrA, adds o $*6* after Si'San, but
om. BC*LTb
33; it supplies, however, the correct interpretation of the words.
Origen rightly understands '* God"
to be the subject of SiqWcvj although some have supposed
" Christ " to be the subject and the meaning to be that Christ
gives the Spirit in its fulness to those who believe in Him: but
this latter interpretation destroys the argument of the passage,
and introduces a thesis which is very questionable. Christ
gives the Spirit to His own (cf. 7 W 15"), but could it be said
that He gives it ovx i< p-trpov ? Only of One could it be said
that the Spirit was given in its fulness.
The Talmudical
saying that ' the Spirit of God did not dwell upon the prophets,
nisi mensura quadam" x is true, whether it be an original
Jewish saying, or one which owes its form to Christian influence,
"
p-irpw is, apparently^ equivalent to perptp) '* by measure ;
perpov is not found again in the Greek Bible,
but the constr.

AC

'

nor has any parallel been produced from Greek literature.*

God the Father gives the Spirit in its fulness, and not by
measure," to Christ, because He is His Beloved Son, as v, 35
'

explains.
35. 6

TTn-rf|p

dyonnj tok uiqV

It is characteristic

of Jn. to

Vajikra, R. xv., quoted by Wetetein.

1 See Abbott, Diat,
Purser compares Soph.
2324, 2714. Dr, L,
Phil. 563 4k j8fat, violently, and EL 279
Mhav, treacherously.

126

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[HL

35-36.

Trurrevaiv <fe top Yiov )( frfF auiviov" o Si

Xp* avrov. 3<>1
mt0v tw Yiu ou*e 5ifrerat funyv, AAA 17 6/1717 tow eov /iwi r*

HL 88,

God

the Father

and

Christ (see on 3 1 * above). In. 5* we find o yap TraiTjp ifuXtl rav

in a context similar to that of the present passage but it
does not seem probable that, in describing the inmost mystery
of the Divine Love, Jn. would have ventured to differentiate
As to the alleged distinction
between ifriXew and ayairav*
between them, see on 21 17
For the absolute use of 6 uufs in Jn. f see on 3 17 above,
So in 13s (where see note)
ir4rra S^uttey iv t xl P*1 a-uTou.
** a favourite
iravra 2oWcv aiTu h jrarqp fte ras X"P a5
thought in Jn,, that the Father has given all things to the
M , to have life in Himself
Incarnate Son
e.g. judgment 5
11
s glory
M
His command17 s4 * His Name ij
5 , authority 17
ments 12 4* {cf 14 s1 174), and even His disciples 6 s7 (where see
note).
The parallel in the Synoptists is Tr&vra ftw iraptSoflij
wo toC irarpos /xou (Lk. lo32 , Mt, ii*7) ; and there can be little
hesitation in accepting the saying that " the Father gave all
(t
What
things " to His Son as a genuine saying of Jesus,
"
grace is in the Pauline Epistles, giving is in the Fourth Gospel
(Abbott, Dtat. 2742).
s7,
*).
36. h iri^reyW ets tSv vlbv <x<4, V&P ai&vtov (see on 6
15
sentence
above,
where
see
almost
the
same
We have had
3 ,
The present participles irarrtvw . .
note, and cf. also 6*7
6.wafi&v are noteworthy, as indicating continuous belief or
li
eternal life,"
single Credo does not gain
disobedience.
nor for a single act of disobedience or faithlessness does '* the
wrath of God " necessarily " abide " on a sinner. It is the
temper and trend of the life that count with God.
t(
It is, strictly,
to be
direiWw does not occur again in Jn,
(t
to allow oneself to be
disobedient," as opposed to miBapnt,
persuaded "; but rather implies a rebellious mind than a series
of disobedient acts. Sometimes it expresses unbelief rather
than disobedience, as at Acts 14*. In the present passage there
is a variant dvurrSiv for dbrciftdp found in a few cursives, and
((
European " and " Italian " O.L.
the Vulgate, following the
But the African OX*
versions, has accordingly incredulus*
follows the better reading dira0v, understanding by it disobedience rather than unbelief. That this is the meaning is
confirmed by the remarkable parallel in Eph, ^\ ?/>^ertu ^
vtov,

Mera tumta

22.

ZjXQev

T^trowff kcu ol pa&rp-al

*hm8nttnv y^vt *" *! SitTpijUtv pAt

and
use the verb dyanw of the mutual love of

SECOND WITNESS OF JOHN BAPTIST

&.]

this

avrov wij

" eternal

life

altitvws ltrrtv3

avrfiv

tcai.

127

avtov th

Ifin.itTtfca'.

23.

rr/v
tjv

" is God's commandment (^ ivroXy

iz50) \ so that "to believe" is "to

obey."
Sketch t,^^
Cf, V, 3, oif ftvvarai t5*?v ripr f3au-t\*a,v tov
also 8* 1 *", where " seeing " death is equivalent to
" tasting " death. The rebel (direitfwv) will not "see" life,
because he cannot appreciate or assimilate it. Cf, G5*, and esp.
ia
I Jn. 5
, o ii7} cjfcav tov vlav totj Stov tt}v ^prrjv ovtc x ct *
Apyfj tou OcdG is not mentioned again in Jn., although
1J
often in Paul (Rom, i 1*, Eph. 5* \ and cf. Rev. 19" etc,).
It is
a thoroughly Hebraic conception, the phrase being common
and John the Baptist spoke of '* the wrath to
in the
come " (Mt 37 T Lk. ^) The expression does not appear in the
Synoptic reports of the words of Jesus, and He may never have
used it, preferring to dweE on the fatherly love of God rather
than on His hatred of sin. The phrase 17 6pyy tov Qtav has
(H3k

Q&ni,

and

LXX;

nothing in common with Greek philosophy or religion, but it

has its roots in that conception of God as essentially a moral
Being, to whom therefore sin is hateful, which is behind all the
teaching of Christ,
plm is the pres. tense, not the future (^tevcT), as some
Latin authorities take it to be. Not only in the world to come,
but in this world, the '* wrath of God " abides upon him who is
continuously rebellious, in wiE and deed, against the heavenly
vision.

flpyij toij

It is

&ow

fn-1

roi* vtov: Trjs d7r*i0eis.

not always possible to distinguish the two shades of

drerfcfc
To l( believe " is to have il eternal life,"

meaning in

The second witness of John

the Baptist (w. 22-30)

fl. perd toC, the phrase with which Jn. is accustomed

to introduce new chapters to his story (see Introd., p. cviii).
After the ministry of Jesus in Jerusalem at the Passover and
the interview with Mcodemus (z Z2S') He moved with the
disciples whom He had gathered round Him (see on 2 s) into
the country districts of Judaea, els Tty 'Iou&atay yr\v (the only
occurrence in the N.T. of this descriptive phrase; cf Mk. i 6),
t

and He stayed there with them, baptizing. Probably the

locality was somewhere near the fords in the neighbourhood of
Jericho.
Siarpi)Setv

see

on

nM

).

occurs

The

in

NT
.

else whe re

imperfect tenses

only

hitrpifitv

Act s (bu t

in
,

ifitiimlev

imply that Jesus and His disciples made a stay of some duration
in the district.
Here, and at 3 s* 41 , it is said that Jesus baptized
people; but the editor's correction at 4a states that Jesus did

128
dJ

teat

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

Iwofjjs ^aTrrt^ur *y

ttoAAo 5 r

***'*

JOHN

ST.

[HI. 32-23.

At^wf eyyus tov ^aXft/i,

*&' urnpeyAwre

jcat

ifftntTt&VTQ' 24.

5rt

virtu

ijy

<

1
1

Sir

'

C W. Wilson in Smith's D.B.\ s.v

See E.B;

s.v.

" John the Baptist."

" Aenon."

I2p

vSaTa

yap

not baptize in person, that being the work of His disciples.

This is the only ascription in the N,T, of a ministry of baptism
to Jesus, whether in person or with the aid of others (see on 4*).
But there is no historical improbability about it. He had
Himself submitted to baptism at the hands of John, thus (at
the least) giving the seal of His approval to the ministry which
John was exercising. His first disciples were taken from
among the disciples of John. There is no question, at this
stage, of Christian baptism, t\e, of baptism as a sacramental
rite.
That was only to be instituted after His Resurrection
(Mt. a8 M); cf, 7 30
The baptism of John was symbolic of a
cleansing of the soul (cf. 3 s5 below), and making a fresh start
(t
in the spiritual life.
Repent ye " was an early message of
u
Jesus (Mk. i ), as it was the chief message of John Baptist.
See further on 4*.
$3. For the constr, fy .

*l. fiairriliuv, where we would

expect ifja,irnv (as in the preceding verse), see on i 38
vttpayiyvopat does not occur again in Jn.
John also was carrying on his ministry of baptism in the
same neighbourhood, viz. at Aenon.
AUv *yv&s toB Ia* ^- These places cannot be identified
with certainty. There is a Salim to the
of Shechem, and
a village called *Ainun to the N.E,; but (1) there is no water
at 'Aimin, and Aiiw was a place of rfioTa voXAdj (2) 'Ainun
is 7 miles from Salim, and this could hardly be described
1*
as " near " (cf.
19 s0 ") and (3) it is not likely that John
the baptist was labouring among the Samaritans (cf* 4*).
The site assigned by Eusebhis and Jerome (and shown to
the pilgrim Aetheria in the fourth century) is probably the
true site, vie, in the Jordan valley about 7J miles south of
" Aenon near to Salim " is
Beisan, the ancient Scythopolis.
marked at this point on the mosaic map of Madeba. There is
still here "a remarkable group of seven springs, all lying
within a radius of a quarter of a mile, which answers well to
the description uSa-m iroWd.* 1
It is on the W, bank of the
Jordan, and this is confirmed by v, 26, Cheyne would read
" Jerusalem " for ** Salim," and finds Aenon in J Ain Karim,
which is near Jerusalem on the W. side. a But this is merely
guess-work.
Those who find allegory in Jn.'s place-names, interpret
"Aenon near to Salim" as indicating "fountains near to

SECOND WITNESS OF JOHN BAPTIST

IH. 23-36.]

peace," the Baptist preparing for the higher purification by

Christ the King of peace (Melchi-zedek). 1
34. This verse is a parenthetical comment of Jn. (seelntrod.,
p. xxxiv), which indicates the time at which the events happened
which he records (see p. cii). The Synoptists tell nothing of
this ministry of Jesus in Judaea, and Jn. is careful to remark
that it was exercised in the earlier days of His public activity,
before John the Baptist had been imprisoned. It is quite in
his manner to assume that his readers know of the arrest of

John and
on 5 s*.

his

martyrdom

(cf.

Introd.,

p.

xciv).

See also

All that has been mentioned in the Fourth Gospel up to this

point seems to be precedent to the wonderful ministry in Galilee
(Mk* i 14-6*), which culminated in the choice of the Twelve
(Mk* 313) and their subsequent mission (Mk. 67), Indeed Mk,
"
expressly says that all this was " after John was delivered up
(Mk. 1"). When, therefore, Jn. speaks of the ** disciples"
who were with Jesus in this early ministry in Judaea, we cannot
assume that the " Twelve " are indicated, the presumption
That episodes like
being the other way (see on 2 s above)
those in c. 3 and the beginning of c. 4 are not recorded by Mk.
may be due to the fact that Peter, upon whose reminiscences
Mk, has largely based his narrative, was not present; while
their appearance in the Fourth Gospel is explicable, if the
authority behind it was one of the disciples who witnessed the
ministry in Judaea and Samaria, He may have been John the
son of Zebedee,
" So there arose a questioning
25, 36. lyirm ofiv ktX.
on the part of {Ik) John's disciples with Jews about purifying/'
sc. about the purificatory baptisms which Jesus, as well as
John, was encouraging.* The turn of the sentence (Ik) shows
that it was the Baptist's disciples who began the dispute; they
were puzzled that Jesus, to whom John had pointed as One
far superior to himself, should carry on a ministry, outwardly
similar to John's, and thus divert disciples from their own
master } who was pre-eminently "the Baptist." Naturally,
they would cross-examine the Jews who flocked to Jesus'
ministry of baptism, and would ask them what was its special

virtue.

Finally, they came to John with their complaint, addressing

him as their Rabbi (see on i 38) " He who was with thee on the
:

So Abbott, E>B>, 1796.

* Abbott (DiaL x. iii. 332) thinks that the dispute
reference to the association of fasting with baptism.

VOL.

must have had

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

130

ST.

JOHN

[TIL 26-29.

*6. at
IohIvou ptra louSatW ffepl KaSapurfttm.
>*fro <)B
toy *Iamvrpr koX etffar avr$ "Pa/30< os
wtpav toO 'iopSdwm, < pxpfrprvptiKas, fee oBtob /kirrt icat
ttwtw ZpxQvrat wpos ardv. 27. 6.irwpi&f} *Iomrys km tfww Ou
SwaTOi aK&pcmro? Xa/*0arr o&Ser ov fiif g ScSopcrar avr^ *k tov
28. avToi tywfr /wk pjaprvptiTt ri eTirov Ouk /u y^ 6
ofyravoij.

iw

ftaOrfrSxv

$A0w

Xpurros,
*X**v

>

irpos

tV

a\V

*Ke

'AffetrraX^o'os dpi
^\a* rov wfufttov, 6
6

vvfufytjv wp*j>(os itrrtv*

fyTrpotr&tv

&

29. "O
IittjjkJis

other side of the Jordan (sc. at Bethany or Bethabara; cf. i"),

20
33
to whom thou hast borne witness (i ), behold (see on i ), He
43 is baptizing and all
e
cf.
)
(oW, perhaps implying hostility;
are corning to Him." They were jealous and angry that what
they counted their master's prerogative should be invaded.
Mti|0%s does not occur again in the Gospels^ but we find
the word in 1 Tim, 6 4 , suggesting meticulous dispute rather

than legitimate and profitable inquiry.

The rec. reading 'IouBmW (x*fam. 13, the Latin vss., and
Syr. cu.) seems preferable to 'louSauw (NABLNWrA), which
If the dispute were only with an
the R,V. has adopted.

we should expect louSatou rtvo^1

have had the word KaflapHrjjrfs, of ritual or ceremonial

individual Jew,

We

purification, at a6 above.
For the construction, see on i .
27, 38. dirtKp. "lu. Koi tlirer.
John's reply to his disciples' outburst of jealousy was to

"A

man can receive

remind them of a great principle of life:
nothing, except it have been given him from heaven, " As Paul
" (1 Cor.
says, "What hast thou, that thou didst not receive ?
The same principle is enunciated, in different forms,
As to John's baptism, it became a puzzle to the
Jews whether it was " from heaven or of men " (Mk. ii*);

4*).

11
Jn. 6** 19

John would certainly have claimed that his commission to

baptize was " from heaven," but he could not go beyond its
I(
Ye yourselves," he answers, " are my witnesses
limitations.

M
that I said I am not the Christ (i * "), but that / am sent
16
sc.
{Uetnw,
Jesus, whom you know that I
before (i )
acclaimed as the Christ)/'
After XapfUrcii', L/tf*B* 13 add axj> lain
This is the only refer99, 6 cxv iV *tijwMf twp^tos itniv*
ence in Jn. to the representation of Christ as the Church's
Bridegroom, which has its origin in the mystic phraseology of
1
the O.T. (see on i *). Yahweh is described as the jealous
1
s7
(Ex,
34**, Dent. 31 *, Ps, 73 ), or as betrothed
Israel
husband of

Him

Bentley suggested that perb. 'IovffoW was a corruption of perk tfo

'Itftqu, a violent and unnecessary emendation, although Loisy seems to
view it with favour.
1

HI

jcai Attovtiw

oS*

SECOND WITNESS OF JOHN BAPTIST

99-90.]

avrov, )(a.p yatptt ia

^ X^V* 4

iffy

TrarX-qpiarau

131

^><0vqv to*J WfwfttQV,

rifly

30. i/teivav Set

iM/nj

avdvttrt cjuc Si

iXarrovaBau
to Israel (Hos. a 15),

Maker

is

(Isa, 54*).

and we have the

thy husband

Yahweh

The Rabbis held

that

explicit statement,

of hosts

is

*'

Thy

Name

His

"

Moses was the paranymph

or " friend of the bridegroom," In the N.T. Christ is represented as the Bridegroom, and the Church, the spiritual Israel,
as the Bride,
The image appears in Paul (Eph 5" and 2 Cor.
ii a ; in the latter passage, Paul regarding himself as the
paranymph), and also in the Apocalypse, where the New
Jerusalem descends from heaven as a bride adorned for her
husband, the Lamb (Rev. 19 7 21 s). This doctrine, according
to the Synoptists, goes back to the teaching of Jesus Himself,
The parables of the Marriage Feast and of the Ten Virgins
(ML 22 1 25 1) imply as much; and, above all, there is the reply
of Jesus to the question why His disciples did not practise
fasting, while the disciples of John the Baptist did
Can the
sons of the bridechamber fast, while the Bridegroom is with
them? ,J (Mk. 2 1*). In this saying Jesus claims to be the
mystical Bridegroom Himself, and thus answers those who
would put Him on a level with John the Baptist,
The answer of John in the present passage is similar. His
disciples complain because his work is being invaded by Jesus
but he reminds them that while Jesus is the wp^Cas, who
naturally has the Bride for His own, he, John, is only 6 4>C\o?
tqS wp.$(ov, the Bridegroom's friend, the paranymph) whose
office it was to bring the Bride and the Bridegroom together.
That being done, his task is accomplished.
The skoshben^ or irapavvjjufno^ was a well-recognised personage in Judaea (not in Galilee, and there is no mention of
him in the account of the marriage at Cana), He stands
cf, 12**), and rejoices when he hears
expectant (o ctrryKws
the voice of the bridegroom in converse with his bride (for
8
q tftuiyj) toS yvp$iovt cf. Jer. 7** 16*, Rev. iS* ).
again
d
es
not
occur
in
xapoxatpci
Jn., but is found Isa.
66:<V J Thess. 3*. It is not necessarily a Hebraism; cf. Plato,
SyptpOS. 195 B, ^ei/ywv ^vyg "> yrjj*^ XP* ^ tyh irttrVfau, Cf, for the same phrase, 15"^
tpM is a favourite possessive pronoun with Jn., occurring
40 times, as against one appearance in the Apocalypse (Rev. 2 80).
t

'

'

Cf. Introd., p. lxvi.

30. Utlvov Scl wi&rav ktX.

Again

(see

on 3 14) we have &^

it has to be,"
The herald's task is over when He who has
been proclaimed is come. It was divinely ordered that John
*'

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

132
IV.

I.

*Os q&v eyvui b Kvpto?

ST.

JOHN

[ill.

on ijKowrtiur 01 $apur<uot

30, IV*

IV. 1-3,]

1.

JESUS LEAVES JUDAEA FOU GALILEE

ttAfuya? /*oAjt1s *<>( K ai

oti Itjiravs

the Baptist's ministry should recede into the background,

while that of Jesus drew
ail men " (v. 26) more and more.
" He must increase, while I must decrease," is the final
The least in
message of the Baptist. So Jesus had said,
11
the kingdom of heaven is greater than he " (Mt.
).

ftnmfa

m
yj

ladnp

2.

KtuToeyt

33

'IijfroiJs

* (

the central thought of the Christian profession; but now the

predicate means more than " Master,
for it expresses the
doctrine of the Incarnation. Perhaps we may say
that the
passage from the lower to the higher sense begins with the
citation of Ps. no' by the Master Himself (Mk. 12 *),
Thus the use by Jn. of the form of narrative in which the
central figure is designated as "Jesus" (save in the
exceptional passages cited) rather than as " the Lord," illustrates
well the primitive characteristics which the Fourth
Gospel
3

'

'

'

Jesus leaves Jvdeea for Galilee by

way of Samaria

(IV* 1-4)

read by ABCLTbW, but the

with a b c eff* I Syr, cur,) is
A l^ow.
It is plain that the text has been tampered with.
The verse is clumsily expressed and seems to have been rewritten, b ktj/hos having probably been inserted in the later
draft to remove any ambiguity as to the subject of the sentence.
It has been pointed out (on i*8) that His disciples were
accustomed to address Jesus either as Rabbi (Teacher) or as
Mart (Lord). And in His absence, according to the Synoptists.
they used both terms, either saying &Si<r*aA.QS (as Jesus bade
them do, Mk. 1414) or 6 Kvpto? (Mk. 11 s), an appellation

IV.

1.

4 Krfpios,

This

is

Western reading (nD fam.

1,

which He approved (Mk. 518)

In Jn. Martha says b aiSdo-Kakos
(ii*8); Mary Magdalene says 6 *w/>ios (20s **), and so do the
.

disciples (20 26 21 7 ).
In direct narrative,

when the evangelists are using their

not reporting the words of others, a distinction
must be made. In Lk. (7 1* 101 r i r2 4a if 22*1), " the Lord "
So in the Marcan Appendix
is often used by the evangelist.
(I618 * *") we have " the Lord " twice* This also is the usage

own words and

of the Gospel of Peter,

But Mk, (followed by Mt,) never
writes "the Lord," but always " Jesus." The primitive
,J
" Jesus
narratives, that is, took the form " Jesus said , , ,,
."
did .
The form *' the Lord said " is later*
Now in the direct narrative of the Fourth Gospel we find
t(
(f
the Lord " as in Lk., with five
Jesus " as in Mk., and not
tt
exceptions which are instructive. In 41 6M
6 Kvptos is
,
the true reading; but these verses are all explanatory glosses,
not from the hand of Jn*, but written after the first draft of the
story had been completed*
In 20 s0 zi ia , where we have o jeupuw
we are in the middle of the post-Resurrection narrative, and it
is not unnatural that special reverence should be exhibited in
writing of Him who had risen.
Soon after the Resurrection, the title began to imply that
larger and deeper meaning of nvpios as the representative of
ntfp which is frequent in Paul and is found in the Acts (2 s6 911).
That " Jesus is Lord " (1 Cor. 12 s ; cf. Phil* 2 11) has become
.

exhibits.

Probably some time had elapsed since Jesus had begun His
in Judaea (cf. fc^^fc,
3 **) ; and it is possible
that Hts departure was subsequent to John's imprisonment
M
(7- 3 )'
T he Pharise es (see on i ) had begun to take notice
of Him, being perhaps even more suspicious of Him than they
had been of John (i M), because they had heard that (Sn
recttantis) "Jesus is making more disciples than
John":
and so He moved to another place (cf. 1 10s8 ). At this stage
7
He was anxious to avoid open collision with the Pharisees, It
will be noticed that we have the " making of disciples "
and
"baptizing" associated closely thus early, long before the
charge is said to have been given to the apostles /todyrricrarc
ministry

flazrriipms avrovs (Mt. 28 18).

art. is omitted before 'irovs nXELorat pay.
iroiel. contrary to the general usage of Jn,, who prefers to write
6 l^crow (see on i).
have the same omission at 4" 6 M
and for the same reason as here, viz. that Sti introduces the,
*

The

We

words which were actually spoken

oblique, but that of vn recitantis.
2. If this verse is part

the construction

is

not

of the original draft of the Gospel,

a parenthetical comment or correction by

Jn., and is quite

manner (see on 2^). He wishes to prevent his readers
from making any mistake; the Pharisees had heard that Jesus
was baptizing disciples in large numbers, but Jn. pauses to
explain that the report which reached them was inaccurate
it is

in his

in so far as it suggested that Jesus baptised in person.

And it
be that this correction of ifidwrfav in M (where see note)
3
is well founded.

may

But

probable that the verse 4* is not from the hand of

at a revision of the text, because of the
idea that it would detract from the dignity of Jesus to perform
the ministry of baptism, which even Paul was accustomed
as a
it is

Jn., 1 but

was added

See Intra!.,

p. xxxiii.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

134
ko\

*wt}\Qw iraAiF

ets tijv

TaXtXaiav,

JOHN

ST.

[TV. 2-6,

4. *ESct Sc aflrov Sttpxttr&at

But rigs Sajuapi'a-j.

raw j(wptou S

*<Wtv

IV. 5-6.1

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN "WOMAN

TflB Iarcu/J.

out* 'It/<fous KCKOsrtaftare

cirrus hrt tjj vvjy^'

f

'IaKu/i

Iwcr^

t< tnai aii-oS'

6.

^ S ^k*i

Tnrjfl?

of Ascalon).

wpa

'Askar

fyr ars

is

mj*

7*

13$

* ?i}$ oSoiirop/ns inaOi^fro

*PXerat

yw^

^* tt^S Sa^ta-

situated about five furlongs

N.E. of

Jacob's Well. 1

There aie slight indications, too, that

rule to leave to others.
jcai-roiye does not
the style of the verse is not Johannine.
occur elsewhere in the N.T., and Jn. is apt to use KaC where
11
Again, *Iij<rofc is not
another would use jhmtm (see on i ).
preceded by the def. article, as is the general usage of Jn.
31

For oi pafaytai outoG, see on a**

).
&^kcp -iV 'lou&mai', " He forsook Judsea." cufrV ^
an unusual word to use of leaving a place but cf. 16^.
T>/am. 13 with Latin texts read ryv 'Imfiafov ytfv (cf. 3^).
(see

on

3.

He departed again
mftn> els tV raXiAatai',
into Galilee," the first ministry in Galilee having been already
M
should not have exdescribed (i 48-* 13); see on 3
pected the aor. dmj\0eK, as the journey is not yet completed r
and the Samaritan episode comes next. But it is quite good
'

tea!

AirijXSck

'

We

Greek, *U meaning "towards." " He left again for Galilee,"

is the exact rendering.
tW is a favourite word with Jn., as with16Mk.40 It7 is used
io
18 33 - **
of going back to a place, as it is here, 4** 6
a CDLT b
*->
but
ins.
B
AB*rA
omit
fam.
i9
a<^.
13 with the O.L. and Old Syriac vss.
'*
He had to go through Samaria,"
4, eS Bf o&t&v kt\., sc.
Josephus mentions
unless He wished to make a detour.
{AntL xx. 6. 1) that it was the habit of the Galileans going
to Jerusalem to pass through Samaria, this being the direct
But apparently Jesus did not start
route (cf. Lk. 9"***).
from Jerusalem, but from Jericho (cf. 3 M) and the road that
He took was probably the north-western road from thence
to Ai and Bethel, where He would strike the great northern
road used by caravans,
Sei does not stand here for any Divine necessity, although
14
Jn. often uses it thus (see on 2* 3 ).

n
W

WW,

Discourse at the well with the Samaritan

woman

(pv.

5-26)

Mt

" Near

to the plot of ground (xvptw, cf.

0- lux*?26 M) that Jacob gave to Joseph," Le* to the E> of Shechem
(Gen. 33^ 48 aa), the modern Nabl&s. Some have thought
that Sychar and Shechem are identical, but they have been
Sychar is probably to be
distinguished since Eusebius,
identified with the village Askar (y having displaced K, a
linguistic change which is also observable in the Arabic form
y

E. A. Abbott finds Sychar in the root natf, ''drunkeni.e. it is an opprobrious name for Shechem (cf. Isa, 28 1)
this, he suggests, is suitable to the moral of the dialogue, which
has to do with drinking, 3 But there is no need to find such
subtle and obscure allegory in a place-name,
6. HKDmaK^.
The verb is used again by Jn, only at
v. $&.
tiSoimipia appears elsewhere in the N.T. only at
ness " ;

Cor, ii 2*.

"He

20
litattgETo,
was seated"; cf,
2012
Ka&'fopoi in
the N.T. is always used in a duraiive sense.
T* has the unique
variant htdQtauv,
Lt
fru? may mean
just as He was," sc without waiting to
select a place deliberately; but more probably it refers to
KKomaKut$ e* rijs oSonro/uas, " tired with His journey, He was
seated by the well." Cf. 1 Kings 2 7 for a somewhat similar
use of ovtuk. ovtuk is omitted here in some cursives and in
Latin, Syriac, and Coptic vss.
For juKomamfe, see on i 14 for Jn.'s emphasis on the true
humanity of Jesus. He saw nothing in speaking of Jesus as
'*
tired " which was inconsistent with His oneness with Him
of whom the prophet wrote, " The Everlasting God, the Lord,
fainteth not, neither is weary " (Isa. 4038).
.

"Jacob's Well" a is at a fork in the northern road to

Samaria; one branch, the ancient caravan road, going N,E. to
Scythopolis, the other going W. by Nabhls and thence N. to
Engannim, The well is about 100 feet deep, and at the bottom
the water collects, probably by infiltration. The double title
mjyv (v. 6) and <f>pcap (w, 11, 13) is thus explicable. Why
any one should have taken pains to sink a deep pit, when there
is abundance of water both at Nablus and 'Askar, we cannot
tell
any more than we can explain why a woman should come
half a mile from *Askar to draw water which she could have
got in the village. But, at any rate, the well is there, and
probably has been there since the days of Jacob. In the
absence of knowledge of the exact position of the woman's
;

1
See, for a full discussion of the
Holy Lajid ch, 18.

site,

G. A. Smith, Hist* G$&gr* of

E.B. t iSoi.

For

difficulties in

of Sychar

the

ment April iqjOj p. 131.

t

way of

was " Jacob's Well,"

accepting the tradition that the well

PaL Exptor. Fund Quarterly StaU-

cf.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

136

pas tbrA'fJcrai

ST.

\iyti afirg 6 *hj<TQvs Acs

u8u>pi.

JOHN

^tot ttciv,

[rV. 6-8.
3*

ol

yap

9.

\cyei ovv

avrw ^ ywii

Tretv atTEis yvvaticos

%ajjLapeirat^.

house, it would be idle to speculate as to the motive which drew

her to this, which was even then a sacred well, rather than to the
*Ain at 'Askar.
" It was about the sixth hour," that is, about noon (see
on i. 39), the natural time to rest while the sun was at its height.
The account given by Josephus of Moses resting by a well in
Ka0ri?eis ri
Midian (Ex. 2 U ) provides a, striking parallel
riros ^piwos eft rov KOTTOU jrqi ttjs TuAanrupias 7ipip.it fiwiyifiptas
As in the Gospel
oftnp ov woppta t?}? TroXtu? {Anil, n. xi. i).
story, Moses was sitting by the well at midday, weary with
his journey j when the women came to draw water for their
flocks.
No doubt> the usual time for this was in the evening,
but there is no improbability in water being drawn sometimes
at noon, as Josephus represents it, and as Jn, says that the
:

woman came to do.

7. " A woman of Samaria "
In

later days

March
For
&fc

commemorated

AitXcli', the regular

2 s - * above.

word

for

drawing water from a

on

fioi

nfr.

So k*B*C*DLj the

common Greek
,

ZapapLa?: cf. i M).

as St. Photina, on

ttjs

20.

well, see

she was

(*k

constr.j

cf,

TrpoavjvsyKav ifufuiytLV koi

rec.

Xen. Cyrop.
TrietK,

and

Ll

8. ol yip tia&i]ToX afirou ktX.,

For
into the city (se. Sychar, w, 5, 39) to

has mv.
vir.

This

1, t< Se

is

Kup^>

see v. $3.

His disciples had gone

buy food." Had they

been with Him, they would have been the natural persons
to draw water for their Master, and He would not have had
need to ask of a stranger. Probably they carried with them
an avrAtflua, or skin-bucket, as part of their travelling equipment, in which water could be drawn. The woman notices
that Jesus has no avrfofyta (v. ii)>
We do not know which of His disciples were with Jesus
on this journey (see on 2*), or how many there were. See
further on v. 18.
Syr. sin. places this clause in its chronological order after
a rearrangement of the text made for the sake of
clearness j 1 but the use of parenthesis is quite in Jn/s style

TnjYQ (v. 6),

(see, e.g., 2*).

Tpo$<ta, victuals,

That the

only here in

pi,

number.

Samaritan town
shows that the barrier between Jew and Samaritan was not
impassable. The rule as to food seems to have varied from
disciples should

buy

See Introd.,

victuals in a

p. xxvii.

WOMAN

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

IV, 8-9.]

17

^afcapctri? Uto?

Sn/,capTiSos

oikrvps ;

(rv *Iou Stubs

tuj'

37

va,p iftov

oh ykp crw)(p5ivTa.t *lov&atot

10, aireKptB?} 'Itjcrovs xal itirtv aurjj

Et

^fScif trjv

Swpeay

time to time. One Rabbinical precept is, " Let no man eat
the bread of the Cuthseans, for he that eateth their bread is as
he that eateth swine's flesh " (M. Skebhiith^ viii. io), and
Samaritan wine was forbidden to a Jew. But, on the other
hand, " the victuals of the Cuthaeans are permitted if not
mixed with wine or vinegar " (Jerus, Ah. Zar, v. 4), and their
unleavened bread was allowed (Bab. Kidd, 76a). 1 There was
continuous traffic of Jews through Samaria from Galilee to
Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to Galilee and it is unlikely,
except at moments of intense theological excitement, that a
hungry traveller would have scrupled to buy bread in a
Samaritan village, or that a Samaritan villager would have
scrupled to sell it.

9>

riws

w 'louSatos

for

Siv

ktX.

The Samaritan woman

affects

her words are ironical that a Jew should

ask her for water. There was nothing strange in asking a
woman for water, as it was women who generally drew it from
the wells; cf. Gen. 241*. However bitter the feeling between
Jew and Samaritan, we cannot suppose that a draught of cold
water in the noontide heat would be likely to be refused by
either to other.
It was counted the mark of a wicked man
" not to have given water to the weary to drink " (Job* 2a7)
and the precept of kindness was universal : "If thine enemy be
thirsty, give him water to drink " (Prov, 25 s1),
Yet the woman
makes her little gibe half-jest, half-earnest recalling to Jesus
the old feud between Jews and Samaritans.
She recognised
Jesus as a Jew, perhaps by His dress or perhaps by His manner
of speech (cf. Mt. 2673). The narrative does not say explicitly
that she granted the request of Jesus, Ad* pot tiw, but the
reader is intended to understand that she did so.
The explanatory comment ou yip o-u^piirai 'lou&cuoi
Zap.apetTais, "for Jews do not treat familiarly with Samaritans," is omitted by N*D a b e t but it must be retained with
K8rABCLT bWN, <rvyxpwT&<u does not occur again in N.T.,
but it appears in Ignat, Magn> 3, ip.lv Bk irphrtt py wyxpau-dai
rjj jjXtKia tot) tTriffiron-QVj
it becomes you not to presume upon
the youth of your bishop," to treat him with undue familiarity.
If vvvxRwr* 1 is translated " have dealings with," Q-utuntur+
the comment would not be accurate; for although Jews and
Samaritans were intolerant of each other (cf. Lk, 9**, Jn. S4*),
of necessity there was much business intercourse. As v. 8
1
See, for these Tahnudical references, D.C.G., s.v. " Samaria*"
surprise

'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

138

ST,

Ady pot

JOHN

[IV* 9-10,

IV. I0-U.]

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

WOMAN

139

yJTqa-aS

o$T fivrkiyuL tysi? tea* to $piap i<rrlv fia&v' iro&tv a$v

fyw to v&op
to {up j 12, uM <tv uctt&v *T toC TTOTpOS
7ra,Tpb? TjpMV
n/uiy 'lOKCuft
laKlfi/?, Off
OC IBmkW
i&uutw ijfUV
nulv

Jews could trade with Samaritans, as indeed they

could do with heathen <cf. Neb, 13")The comment is not that of the Samaritan woman, but of

wisdom to drink " (Ecclus. 15 s ), Zechariah's vision of hope

is that " living waters shall go out from Jerusalem " (Zech,
8

T&V VPtOV)

KtLl

Aryan*

TIS f^Tili

(roi

rciv, <rv

far

indicates,

quite in his manner (cf Introd., p. xxxiv).

For the constr., see on i w
" If thou knewest the gift of God ";
ci fi&s t*|p Sp. ktX.,
19
Swpei, a free gift, occurs in the Gospels adverbially
cf. 8
(Mt, toa), and is always used in the Acts and Epistles of a divine
*
living water " mentioned in the
gift
It refers here to the
next sentence, i.e. to the gift of the Holy Spirit {which hpi&

the evangelist, and

10. dir*Kp.

is

Jtctl fcr.

always indicates in the Acts)

Some commentators have

and have interpreted it of the gift which God

gave of His Son ? and the revelation of salvation through Him.
The woman had taken Kim for
ti krnv \4yuv im.
a Jew. But He was no ordinary Jew, and if she bad understood who He was, she would have been the suppliant (<rfl 4v
vfrqffa? aunik, "It is you who would have asked Hint)) and
He would have granted her request (cf. Mt. 7^; He would

lfl
referred to 3

have given her "living water/*

This saying was paradoxical in
c&uKcy &v crot flSup l$v
its form, like the saying with which the attention of Nicodemus was arrested (3 s). The woman did not understand it
But Jesus
(v, 11), nor could she have been expected to do so.
is here following the method by which He was accustomed
to convey instruction to simple people who were willing to
learn; and the discourse which follows may be particularly
compared with 6 Mt . The plan of these instructions, for which
there are Synoptic parallels, has been discussed in the Introt

duction, p. cxi,

" Living water " is water issuing from a spring

tffiup gup.
or fountain, unlike the water in Jacob's Well, which was due to
percolation and rainfall, 1 being collected in a kind of cistern
This was good water, but had not
or pit (to <pp*ap} v. 12).
the virtues of " running " or "living" water, such as was
always preferred, especially for purposes of purification (Gen.
261 *, Lev, i4B Num. 19").
Water was full of symbolism to Eastern thought, and in
the O.T. it is often symbolic of the Divine Wisdom which is
the source of life. Thus *' the law of the wise " is mjyvi frofc
,

(Prov. 1314 cf. Prov. 1427). The Son of Sirach declares that
l
with bread
he that possesses the law shall obtain wisdom
shall
she
him,
and
give
him
water of
feed
of understanding
;

'

SeeiXCG,

it 40a.

14

Esek. 4j\ Joel 3 18), i.e. that in the glorious future the
blessings of the Law shall be extended far and wide. The
promise of Isaiah (12 s) is " with joy shall ye draw water out of
the wells of salvation/' a passage specially parallel to the
declaration of Christ here,
If thou hadst known who it is that speaketh to thee, thou
cf*

wouldest have asked Him, and He would have given thee living
water." To appreciate the depth of this saying, it must be
remembered that, according to the O.T., it is Yahweh Himself
who is the Fountain of living waters (Ps. 36*, Jer. 2 19 zy 13 ; cf.
Cant. 4 15, where the mystic Bride is described as <j*pi<xp uST p$
ttivTos),
So also in the Apocalypse, the river of the Water of
Life proceeds from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Uev.
22 1 cf. Rev. 7 17). Thus the statement of Jesus to the Woman
of Samaria that, had He been asked, He would have given
her living water, implies His claim to be One with the Lord of
the O.T. prophets, who is atone the Source and Spring of the
living waters which refresh the soul and assuage the spiritual
thirst of men.
See further on v. 14,
Note that Jesus does not call Himself the Living Water,
although He calls Himself the Living Bread (6S1). It is from
Him that the Living Water proceeds, for this is the symbol of
the Spirit which He was to send (y 39).
There is no exact parallel in Philo to this doctrine of the
Living Water which flows from the Word, although the similar
idea expounded by St. Paul (1 Cor. 10*) of the mystical meaning
of the Rock in the Desert from which water flowed forth for the
refreshment of Israel is found in Leg. Alleg. ii. 21 17
yfy>
aKpoTopos TTvrpa, % wo^ta rov Qtov ivrtv, yjv &Kpnv kqX TrpwtVTTjv
mfuv avb rwv cavrov oWapcup, i ij? irwrf{ci tAg 0tAo0cau? ^uyav.
In the Messianic forecast of Isa. 3s 7 one of the promised
blessings was efe ryy SufftifTav yijv v-qyff rSaros, and at v, 26
below (where see note) Jesus is represented as declaring that
He was Messiah. See on 9 1 for a quotation of this Messianic
passage by Justin Martyr,
U. ictfpie. She is impressed by the Speaker, and so
addresses Him now (ct vv^ 15-19) in terms of respect (see on
i 38).
How could He provide spring water, or water of any
kind, without a bucket (avrXyfjui ; cf, v. 8) P
For $pi*p and its depth, see on v. 6. The broken constr.
10
OVT
K<d is found only once again in NT., at
3 Jn.
;

140
rh

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ipcW

ahr^

tf *r<rf fnir

fr ty*" tt^'

l trlol

JOHN

[tV.

aOrmr K a\ r*

14.

^pxra

&* S

4r </V Ac uni uSuoi o*

c^

yvv^T b"t ins. n-ACDLTWa

would provide
could not be from the well, that Jesus
Even Jacob
get
it
?
He
could
Whence then
living water.
Was
this well.
from
household
his
and
himself
for
got water
water
the
draw
to
had
who
Jacob,
the Speaker greater than
from the well like any one else ?
See 6* and cf. the
mpfe AjiAr
t
.ft *fl lufrr
" Art thou greater than
sbnSar question put by thejews (8**),
our father Abraham?"
j Mwmt
descent
((
Our father Jacob." The Samaritans claimed
(Josephus,
Manasseh
and
Ephraim
through
Joseph,
from

omits

15

IS

It

Wp;

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

IV. 14.]

aiTW, qv

Sfflo-di

avrtj)

14.

tf n

ST.

iiL 25- 3^

*+"

nowhere else in the Greek Bible.

fofrjia is a word occurring
<*
usage of which Wetstein gives
a
cattle,"
t4 OpJuTara means
s
many instances; etymologically, it might include also Jacob
him.
fed
by
were
who
all
retainers,
servants or
that He does
13 14. Jesus explains to the puzzled woman
drink of it will
Those
who
water.
spring
ordinary
of
speak
not
the Living Water satisfies eternally (ofi ri

aeam but
fctfm -h Tiv olAra
thirst

discourse

cf.

s5
).

The

parallels

between

this

and that of 6s61 have been exhibited in the Introduc-

tion, p. cxi.

14 "It shall become in him a fountain of water springing

God as the
up unto eternal life." In v. 10 the thought is of
thought that the
Eternal Fountain; but it was also a Hebrew
himself,
man who has assimilated the Divine Wisdom becomes of life
streams of the water
as it were, a fountain from which
11
"Thou sbalt be
proceed. Thus the promise of Isa, 58 is,
bcnoettgen
not.
fail
waters
like a spring of water, whose
(t
Quando homo
quotes an apposite saying from the Talmud:
tanquam fons aquis uiuis
se convertit ad dominum suum,
generis homines
impletur, et fluenta eius egrediuntur ad omnis
And similarly Wetstein quotes from
tribus."

ad omnes
Tanckuma.i. 17. 1
Simeon films Jochai

et

R.
didicit legem?
ems tanquam brnae

"Unde Abrahamus
dixit;

bini renes

promanavit.
lagenae aquarum factae sunt, ex quibus lex
See on 7 ffi below.
.
The passage in Ecclus. s4- about the Divine Wisdom

Biuret

14I

aXAA to v&*p

o owerta

ffSaros dXta/ifrov its totty

alwvioy.

ffe

irrjyij

WOMAN

tov

avavtx,

presents some parallels to these thoughts. The stream of the

waters of Wisdom comes originally from God: " Her thoughts
"
are rilled from the sea, and her counsels from the great deep
may
be
wisdom
it
in
increasing
wise
man
Of the
(v. 29).
"
stream became a river, and my river hecame a sea
said T **
in the
(v. 31); these waters of Wisdom lose themselves at last
same eternal Ocean whence they sprang. Cf. Ps. 36* nap*
The water of life is, as Jesus says here, iniy^
vol -irrpw &i^s.
uBoitos dXXofili'ou cU SV aluvLov, leaping forth to eternal life.

My

C,

Wesley puts it all in familiar words

"Thou of lite the Fountain

art,

Freely let me take of Thee

Spring Thou up within my heart,
Rise to ail eternity,"

Field comP are * Pausan.

t& +p**P*fe ftro
lv rtf fy*f*h So** &
n^ppt'x^
ftriy
*<ttl S V rp

/iff

ytvrjviTai lv airra

The verb SAAo/uu does not seem to be applied elsewhere

But water in this passage is symbolic of
to the action of water.
381
is
the Spirit (cf. y -); and " XAo/uu or c^aXXopat in
applied to the action of a * spirit of God,' forcing its way or
1
It may be,
falling violently on Samson, Saul, and David."
that
aWo^vov is
suggested,
Abbott
has
E,
A.
therefore, as
used here with special reference to the action of the Holy Spirit,
vehement like that of rushing waters. If that be so, cfa wtjv
alwnav expresses the purpose of this spiritual torrent of grace

LXX

with a view to eternal life."

There seems to be a reminiscence of this passage in Ignatius,
Rom. 7 vhwp & w Kat XaXovvi lv /*ot, where Lightfoot
supposes the MS. reading to be a corruption of vSup Se &v ml
aWaptvov. It is possible that there is also a trace of it in
Justin (Tryph, 69). Commenting on Isa. 35* he says: trqy^
dv/?Wev (*.*. has gushed forth)
.
vSuto* i^n-os -rra/ja Otov
Cf. also Tryph. 114, and see on f.
ovtos b Xpta-TQ*.
Verses 10 and 14 are quoted explicitly in Pisfis Sophia,c>T4i>
In one important particular, at least, the promise of Jesus
about the Living Water transcends what is said about the
" They that drink
Water of Wisdom by the Son of Sirach.
s1
the
me shall yet be thirsty" are the words of Ecclus. 24
sage
knew.
Hebrew
insatiable,
so
far
as
the
spiritual thirst is
But Jesus said; " Whosoever shall drink of the water that I
To him who has
shall give him shall never thirst " (cf, 6P).
appropriated the revelation of God in Christ, there is no sense of
'

it is

imperfection in the Divine

insufficient.
1

dissatisfaction with it as
always quickening, always
Judg. 14^" 15 1*, 1 Sam. io t6".
gift,

The Living Water

Abbott, DiaL 2315

cf.

no

is

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

142
1 5.

Xcyei Trpos avrov

17

yvvy Kvpw, So*

ST.

fitu

JOHN

[IT, 14-16.

tovto to vSwp, ira

/aij

ITT,

16-18.]

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

WOMAN

143

X.8t evfttSe,
17, drnKptfoj y ywr) at direr
Aty nvrfi Tiycrovs KaXtis ctircs ort 'AvSpa ovtt
2yu* 18* n"&T yap avSpas epx*5* KCL * ^^
^X ets ^K hrrtv <rov
IG- Xfy aur q ywij Kvptc, 0cupu
Avyp* tovto dX7}6h tipTjKos,

tov avSpa <rav

Qvk

ttal

tyvt av$p*i,

flowing in correspondence with human need. As Bengel puts

(t
it:
ubi sitis occurrit, hominis non aquae defectus est." The
promise of Jesus is that those who '* thirst after righteousness
s
shall be filled " (xppTatr&ytrQvra^ Mt.
),
k toG dSarog ou ^yi)

We cannot in any case assume that more

than a fragment of the conversation has been preserved, and
much that was said is, no doubt, omitted in the narrative of

RDT b WN,

Jn. (see

With

Sct<i> aurw cf. o apros ov cytb Solera)

with the Lat. and Syr. vss, generally,
insert cyu> before the second Sue; but om, ABCLrA.
This is a common phrase in the
eLs rbv alwa, " for ever."
and occurs elsewhere in the NT\; but it is especially
26 ia M
frequent in Jn. (6 51 M S 35 fia io38
138 14" 1 Jn. 2",

of 6W .

LXX

a Jn. 2).

The phrase

Ju^v aufriov first appears in 4 Mace, 15 s ,

where a mother prefers to the temporal safety of her sons rip
xtxra 8tov
*
Tf)v {runaway efc ahxivtov un)v
twrcfitiav
It
appears again in Jn. 4s6 6 M iz 25 Rom. s 21 1 Tim, i lfl , and
Jude a and in each case the reference is to the future life, the
life after death (see note on 3").
For the constr., see on 2". For *upj
15. Xtyei irpis
*

el?

sM^

cf. v. 11.
tfitatp.
Cf. 6 s* Sqs ^/ifr Tor aprov tovtov.
did not understand Jesus' words about the Water
which assuages thirst for ever; and her reply is a puzzled
t(
Give me this water, that I may not be thirsty, and
request:
need not come hither continually to draw from the well." She
speaks half in irony; for she does not believe in any
v&ut&z such as Jesus had incomprehensibly spoken of as being
" in " the recipient of His gift*
The rec. text has >xu/uu with
;
but K*B
support SiepxujiaL.
As Field points out, ^upx^fiat may have
arisen from a mistake in transcribing MHicepxwM^i
but in
any case the prep. Su does not add special force to the verb
here (cf. Lk. a 15).
Ira p$\ &ii|ru ktX.
For
with the pres, subj., cf. 6M , 1 Jn, i a

00s pot touto ri

The woman

m^

ACDWTA

18. The exact bearing of the words of Jesus, " Go, call
thy husband, and come hither," is not easy to determine. Perhaps the woman was going off, after her last retort, and Jesus
bade her come back again with her " husband/ as He wished
to carry on His ministry at Sychar (v. 39),
He had observed
her intelligence, and He knew her need. Another interpretation of the words is that Jesus wished, by mentioning her
" husband," to recall her to a sense of her sad condition, that
thus the way might be opened for a fuller presentation to her
1

of His message.

on v. 18).
For the verb fivdyar,
^tfmfiroir, see on 2*.
17,

ita!

So

elire^

see

on 167

wMDLNrA,

and for the

but

BCW

add avry.
The woman, by

aor. imper.

Syr. sin.

and

Syr, cur,

this time, feels that she is in the presence of

t
I have no
she cannot lie, and she confesses,
husband." Jesus gently shows her that He knows all about
" You had five husbands, and he
that, and about her past.
whom thou hast now is not thy husband," Jn, frequently lays
stress on the power which Jesus had of reading men's hearts
48
s
M). If the report of His words here is precise, He
(cf. i , 2 **
showed more than natural insight, and this the evangelist
But (see on v. 18) we have to
evidently means to suggest.
remember that the record of this conversation probably depends
on the subsequent report of the woman (v. 27), and in regard
to some details she may have confused what her own guilty
conscience told her with what Jesus saw in her face. On the
other hand, to have had five husbands in succession would be
an unusual experience, and the woman may have been notorious
But there is no hint in the
for the number of her marriages.
narrative that Jesus had heard of her before, although there is
nothing to exclude this possibility.
It is remarkable that Heracleon (accord18, ireWe &iptis.
av&oas, a reading unknown elsewhere.
ing to Origen) read
Origen^ himself, finds allegory in the number Jive, and says
that it refers to the fact that the Samaritans only recognised
1
as canonical the five books of Moses.
For dXi)0ti K has akijQfc.
Upon the words Witi ydp drapo? tr\s ktX, has been
built a theory that the narrative of the Samaritan woman at
the well is an allegory from beginning to end, and that the
woman is a symbol of the Samaritan people* It is recorded
Mt ) that the King of Assyria brought colonists from
(2 Kings i7
Babylon, Cuthah, Awa, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and planted
them in Samaria; and that each set of colonists brought with
them the cult of their former national deities, who were wor-

One

to

whom

Comm.

in Jn. (ed, Brooke),

ii,

271,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

144

ST,

JOHN

[IV. 18.

shipped side by side with Yahweh. Here then are the ^vg
qt
husbands ,J of the Samaritan woman, while the husband who
was " not a husband tJ stands for the spurious cult of Yahweh,
which to the Jews was little better than heathenism.* But this
ingenious interpretation will not bear analysis. It appears
from the narrative in 2 Kings 17 30 31 that not five, but seven,
strange deities were introduced into Samaria from Assyria. 8
Further, these were not the objects of worship in succession,
but simultaneously, so that the supposed analogy to the successive husbands of the Samaritan woman breaks down. Again,
the allegory would imply that the heathen deities had been the
legitimate gods of Samaria, while Yahweh whom she came to
worship was not a true " husband " at all, and that therefore
Samaria's relation to Yahweh was that of an illegitimate and
shameful sort, shame equally resting on her and Him who was
not her ** husband." No Christian writer of the first century,
or of any century, would have ventured to construct an allegory
so blasphemous when its implications are examined.
This
fancy may safely be rejected.
he whom thou hast is not
Another suggestion is that
thy husband " alludes to Simon Magus, who had a great
'

' *

9-11
influence in Samaria (Acts 8
),
But the simplest interpretation is the best. The narrative
is a genuine reminiscence of an incident that actually happened,
recorded many years after the event, and probably so far as
the words of the conversation are concerned with much
freedom. That Jesus expressed Himself so tersely and even
enigmatically, to an ignorant woman, as the deep saying of
v. 14 would suggest, without explaining what He said more
On the other hand, the vividness and
fully, is improbable.
simplicity of the story have the note of actuality. The narrative brings out clearly the main features of the interview between Jesus and the woman, and it is easy to follow the general
lines of their conversation.
When the woman got back to her friends (v. 29) she reported in eager haste what her experience had been, and told
thein what Jesus had said to her. She may have exaggerated
or confused words here and there, but that the incident became
known to any one was probably due to her own talk about it,
+

Jesus seems to have been alone with her (v, 27), but this is not
If we could suppose that one of the disciples remained
certain.
with his Master at the well, while the others went into Sychar
to make their purchases (which would a priori be probable),
then we should be able to refer the report of the conversation
1

So PEeiderer, Primitive Christianity,

Nevertheless, Josephus {Antt, ix. 14.

iv. 30.
3)

counts them &s jive.

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

IV. 10-20.]
ort

irpo^njs

Kunjwar*

20. oi Trarepes 17/iw iv

et <rv t

t$

Xiyerc Sri iv 'JepotroXvfiOis

jeat I'/xct?

WOMAN

145

optt Toury Trpotre*

itrrlv

6 tojtos ottou

to the disciple's recollection, as well as to the woman's account

of it. And that the disciple who remained with his Master is
not mentioned by the evangelist would not surprise us if he
were John the son of Zebedee, who is kept so much out of sight
in the Fourth Gospel, while at the same time his reminiscences
are behind large parts of it.
But this only can be affirmed with
certainty, that the woman told the story to her fellow-villagers,
and with such emphasis that many of them " believed on"
Jesus, so that He (and no doubt His disciples) stayed at Sychar
for two days (v. 40)*
All the disciples who were present (see
on v, 8) must have become thoroughly familiar with her report.
10. For KiJpiE, see v, ir, and for the shades of meaning of
Oeupctr see on 2 M
,

" Sir, I perceive/' sc. from what you

have said, "that you are a prophet" (cf. g 17 , Lk, 7", "a
prophet "not " the prophet "),
prophet was one who had
special powers of insight, as well as of foresightCf. Lk. 7 M ,
where the Pharisee objects that if Jesus were really a prophet
He would have known that the woman with the cruse of oimV
ment was a sinner. The Samaritan woman was astonished at
the knowledge of her personal history which Jesus displayed,
and, by her reply, she virtually confesses that it is with her
even as He had said,
30, The woman diverts the conversation to another subject,
and proceeds to raise a theological difficulty, either to evade the
personal issue, or because she was honestly anxious to learn
what a prophet with such wonderful insight wouid say about
the standing controversy between Jews and Samaritans.
Probably both motives affected her.
" Our fathers worshipped in this
ol iraWpes ^paur ktV,
mountain/ i.e. Mount Geruim, at the foot of which Jacob's
2a
Well is situated. Abraham (Gen. 12 7) and Jacob (Gen,
)
had set up altars at Shechem; and the Samaritan Pentateuch
at Deut. 2/ recorded the setting up of an altar in Mount
Gerizim (the true reading being Mount Ebal) cf. also Deut
M 2 7 xa . After the Return from the Babylonian Captivity,
the Jews and Samaritans parted company, and a temple was
erected on Mount Gerizim about 400 b.c.
It was destroyed
by John Hyrcanus about 129 b.c. but the odium theologimm
icJpte,

feupu

ktX,,

grew more bitter thereafter, and in the first century the hatred
between Jew and Samaritan was ready to break out at any
moment.
*'
*tal tifiELs XyeTe ktX,,
and you {i.e. the Jews) say that
VOL.

I,

10

146

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

TTpoa-tivvtw

px** *W

JOHN

ST.

[IV. 20-31.

2t, \4ytt avrj o Iyf<rcvs TIumv4 jioc, yvmt, cfri

tw o/w* rovr<y oftre ^k IepotfoAufiaw fl/KHrKvnj-

StZ

3*

Samaritans recognised no later Scriptures (as they deemed

Thus such passages as 2 Chron. 6 s 7ia, Ps. 7s 88, to
which Jews appealed as justifying their claim for Jerusalem
as the appointed religious centre, were not recognised as
authoritative by Samaritans.
For r ottos as indicating the
Temple, see ii48
1
illustrates this passage by the following from
J. Lightfoot
1
Bereshiih Rabba, % 32
R. Jochanan going to Jerusalem
to pray, passed by^ Mount Gerizim. A certain Samaritan,
seeing him, asked him, Whither goest thou ? '
'I am/ saith
t
he going to Jerusalem to pray.' To whom the Samaritan,
*
Were it not better for thee to pray in this holy mountain than
in that cursed house ? " Cf. Lk, a** and jn> S 4*.
The verb vpanvnlv is used absolutely here and at 12*;
it may be followed either by a dative, 4 U M o 39 (as always in
Mk, and Paul), or by an accusative, 4 s2 aa (as in Lk. 246a). It is
noteworthy that in the Apocalypse, where it occurs 25 times,
there is the same variety of construction as in Jn, Cf. Rev. 5"
for the same absolute use as here. 2 The word always stands
hi Jn. for divine worship, while elsewhere it sometimes signifies
no more than respect (cf. Mt. iS33 and perhaps Mt. 8a).
31, -n-Lcrrcul (jloi, yiW, is read by xBC*LW; the tcc. has
them).

'

'

'

yw(u, irurrcwrav

/*o*

(ADNTA).

vtaTvi pot, a unique phrase in the Greek Bible, calls

attention to the fact that what follows is deliberately said the
more usual &p.rpr 4/njv does not occur in this chapter (see on
i ).
In a monastic Rule formerly ascribed to St. Benedict
it was laid down that no stronger form of asseveration than
this is to be used : " iuramentum aliud nemo proferat, nisi
Crede mikiy sicut in euangeliis legimus dominum Samaritanae
:

affirmasse, aut Cerfc nut

yvpai.; see on 2*.

PXeTai ^pj
1

Hotib Hebr.

Sane*"*

"an hour

ill.

is

coming ":

so

v.

23,

85, **

^79.

Abbott {Dial. ibtffL.) distinguishes rparicupefr with dat. as a

Jewish constr. meaning " to prostrate oneself," from tjmw*. followed by
ace. as a Greek constr. indicating a more spiritual form oj
worship."
,J

But this is ttot really involved,

*From the document called Ordo
ail

crre t<5

Arc <&* v

in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship, " A t<Sttos

s
is " the place (Deut. 12 ) which the Lord your God shall choose
*
to put His Name there " (cf. Deut i6 a 26*), but the name
of the place is not given in the Books of the Law, and the

quatiier (Migne, P.L. bevi, 938),

eighth-century supplement to the Benedictine Rule.

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

IV. 2I-&3.]

Uarpt.

vp*U

22,

wfmmawn

M w

i6
That the phrase occurs
by Abbott {Diat. 2625).
*

WOMAN

5 vvk otSare,

147

rjfitU Trpov-

7 times exactly is noted

It is not % /**, for the thought of the inevitableness of

the
predestined hour (see on 2*} is not present here; cf. Lk. 17 s13
,

outc

"not

Gerizim and not

(only) in Jerusalem,"
These ancient rivalries will disappear
when the spirituality of true religion is fully realised. The
prophets had already taken this wide view. " Men shall
worship Yahweh, every one from his place/' was the vision of
Zephaniah (2 11): *' in every place incense is offered unto my
Name, and a pure offering," was Malachi's forecast (i 11).
The words ascribed to Jesus here are in entire harmony with
His saying about the destruction of the Temple, and its replacement by the spiritual temple of believers (see on 2 1*) Cf
.

Acts? 48 !; 34

offre

.,

(only)

in

25

"The

Father/' not as contrasted with " the Son" (see

as
The Samaritan woman had
3 ), but as the Father of all men.
referred to " our father Jacob," and " our fathers (who)
worshipped* in GeriEim (w, ia, 20); but pride of ancestry
is to be replaced by the thought of the universal Fatherhood
of God, when questions pertaining to worship are being
answered,
o iraTiJp is a very frequent designation of God in Jn.
but
it nearly always occurs in connexion with the thought
of the
Sonship of Christ, Here, however, it is rather " the Universal
Father "; perhaps we may compare S 27 i6 2af- (see on 6 27).
Sfi, This verse is an assertion of the superiority of the Jewish
religion to the Samaritan, not based on any difference as to the
place of worship, but rather on the difference as to their knowledge of the Object of worship, " Ye," i.e> the Samaritans,
" worship that which ye know not " (cf. yv /* v* eW in
v. 32),
They accepted Vahweh for the true God, indeed, but
they knew little about Him. Bv refusing to recognise the
writings of the prophets and psalmists they had shut themselves
off from all revelation of God except that which was contained
in the Law. The Athenian inscription 'Ay^o 0p quoted in
Acts 17 s3 provides no parallel to the ignorance of the Samaritans.
The Samaritans knew, as the Athenians professedly did not
know, the Name of the God to whom they erected their altar
on Mount Gerizim; but their ignorance was an ignorance of
His character and purposes.
" We/' on the other hand, i.e. the Jews, " worship that
which we know " (but cf. 7 M) the same God as the God of the
Samaritans, but known to Jews as He was not known to
1

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

148

Kwdvfiiv & ol^afjxvt $ri

17

JOHN

ST,

vwrqpia. 4k t*ov *lovhaltar

[IV, 32^-34.

etrrtv'

aXXa

23,

Samaritans; cf. Ps, 14 7"* m J- The Jews were the chosen

people, whose Is the adoption and the glory and the covenants,
and the giving of the law, and the service (of God), and the
promises " (Rom. 9*), Paul's enumeration of their preroga-

DISCOURSE WITH SAMARITAN

IV. 35.]
ep^crou

pa

WOMAN

I49

Kai vvv trrtv t ore 01 AXriBivot irpQtTKuvYjrui irpwiewij-

atnxnv T<u ffarpt v wtvfMTt Kai aAifltfttf." *<u yap o Uarifp toiovTQV9 >JT* TQV% TTpQWKWQVVTaS OVTQV' 2$.' HveUj&m O CO?, KOI TOUS

'

tives is not more emphatic than the calm statement,

We
worship that which we know." The woman of Samaria is
not permitted to suppose that the Speaker believes the Samaritan religion to be as good as the Jewish, although He tells her
that in the future their poor rivalries as to their respective
sanctuaries will be disregarded as of no consequence. He
gives the reason why the Jewish religion is, and must be,
*

'

superior

a-wrr/pia in rStv 'IoufiniW

), was the central thought of Jewish national expectation

Lk. i 80, 71 * 7i i Acts i3 M 4?). It was to come from the tribe
of Judah, Ik T$r 'lou&alw, as distinct from the other tribes;
cf. Gen. 49 10 (a passage which Samaritans accepted as canonical,
although they do not seem to have taken it as Messianic),
26
Isa. 59 (quoted Rom.
Later Judaism held firmly to
).
this conviction of Jewish prerogative.
Cf. Test, of XII, Patr+ t
Dan. v. ioj
There shall arise unto you from the tribe of
[Judah and] Levi the salvation of Yahweh "; see also Gad
viii. 1 j Naph. viiL 2).
See further for o-ojttJp, a-mrripia, on 4".
Here the point is that the Messianic deliverance was to be
aa M
rQtv 'louStuW.
For the constr. that in
cf* i M 7
io 16
and for u the Jews " in the Fourth Gospel, see on i 1*.
The force of Jjjicls must he observed: " We worship that
which we know.' J Jesus, here, definitely associates Himself
with the Jews He is a Jew. Their God is His God. Nowhere
in the Gospels is there another passage so emphatic as this, in
its assertion of the common nationality of Jesus and the Jews
who rejected Him; cf. Mt. 15**. Here He associates Himself
with Jews in a common worship. The plural oiSo^er in 3 11
(see note) is not a true parallel to this.
See on 15 s5 ,
In this verse are expressed the worthiness of Jewish worship
and the supreme privilege of the Jewish race; but in v. 23 we
have on the other hand the simplicity of the ideal worship of

(cf.

* (

God and the catholicity of true religion. Both aspects are

included in the Fourth Gospel. The evangelist is not forgetful
of the debt which Christianity owes to Judaism, while he views
Christianity sub specie mternitatis as for all men and for all time.
33, 34. The repetition of rgis irporKwaurra? seems to have
misled scribes and translators, so that there are a good many
2

CI, however.

8**.

'

'

the words of Jesus

But probably the words
and now is " are appended to ** an hour is coming," to
obviate any misunderstanding.
Jesus has told the Samaritan

14

(see

17

on

variants, but none calling for special notice.

Syr. cur.
exhibits extraordinary confusion here, for in it v. 24 runs as
follows
For God is a Spirit, and those that worship Him
in spirit, and to worship for them it behoves, even those that
in spirit and in truth worship Him." x
33w ?px*Tni fipo, repeated from v. 21 (where see note), the
theme of that verse, which has been temporarily abandoned
in v. 22, being resumed.
It is a question whether ko.1 wv larl^
both here and at s 25 , should not be treated as an editorial

comment on

cgtw,

"the salvation/' the Messianic deliverance

ffumrpio,

minor

woman that the

old rivalries as to sanctuary are passing away,

in the future " the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth/' But that is not confined to the
future; it may be equally asserted of the present, that true
worshippers worship thus. See on $ 2S .
For the word ahtjOtvos, " genuine," see on 1** Here ol
" the genuine wordXi]$irol irpacrKWT|TaL is equivalent to
at whatever altar they worship, they worship *V
shippers "
irreripaTi Kai AXi^lo,
The Trrcfyta is the highest in man, for it associates him with
God who is Spirit* In so far as a man walks wa-ra wri/in, does
he realise the dignity of his being (cf. Rom. Se ). To worship
iv irvcrfpan is, then, to worship in harmony with the Divine
Spirit, and so to worship in truth (cf. 16 13 to Trvefyia -ri}s
This is a general statement, and we must not
a&qtfuaf).
bring in here thoughts which are peculiar to Christian doctrine,
because of that fuller revelation of God which was granted in
the Incarnation, Indeed, Philo has a passage precisely
parallel: yrnjmot [Otpmntaij Be turlv at ijtv)$i tytkqv icac f*,6w<}v
OvtrCav ^cpoiwip, AAtjfemv, s. " Genuine religious services are
"
those of a soul offering the plain and only sacrifice, viz, truth
Cf* Ps. 14s 1*.
{$uod< det.pot. insid, 7).
koI y&p only occurs again in Jn. at 4*; it seems to mean
11
for indeed " (but cf. Abbott, Dial. 2167).
6 i-an/jp, the Universal Father; see on v, ai,
ft
seeks." It is not only that the true worshippers
tiynty
accepted
are
of God, but that He seeks for such. The approach

and that

1 See Burldtt, Evangetion da Mepkarreski, ai. 219* and cf. Readel

Harris, Cod. Btzts, p. 246, who would trace the error to the Western
colametry of D.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ISO

TrpQa-KWQvvraz
avTify if yvvrj

iff

trvf.vfia.Ti

OXBa Srt

teal

ST.

JOHN

[IV. 24^35,

SXrjBsiq. Scl Trpou-KWiiv,

M *<r<rtas ^p^crcu,

25*

Xeya

6 Xcyo^cpoc XpiOTos" orar

of man to God is not initiated by man; the first movement of

love is on the side of God. This is the constant teaching of
1
M 15**, It is a phase of that
Jn.; cf. 1 Jn. 4 10, and Jn. 3 * 6
doctrine of pre-destination which underlies the Fourth Gospel;
see note on 31*
The gift of the Spirit is a necessary preliminary to spiritual worship,
24. irpcujia & fcttg.
The spirituality of God was an essential
tenet of Judaism (cf. 1 Kings 8", Isa. 31*), although all its
implications were not recognised. It was a tenet common to
Jews and Samaritans, but it is here for the first time put into
three words, and its bearing on the nature of worship drawn out.
The similar phrases 6 0*os ^us ltrrhrr 0eoe aydirrj icrriv {1 Jn.
i 4s), show that we must render * God is Spirit," not " God is
a spirit." It is the Essential Being, rather than the Personality,
of God which is in question.
The consequence of this, as regards worship, is repeated
from v 23, For true worship there must be affinity between
the Worshipped and the worshipper,
iv wwS^an tai &i]0ELa.
K* has the aberrant reading br
(

weujiaTt \?70tLa? (from 14")*

For the repetition of the phrase "worship in spirit and
in truth " from v. 23, see on 3 1* above.
Such refrains or
repetitions are a special feature of Johannine style,
25, Little is

known about

the Messianic doctrine of the

Samaritans j but that they cherished Messianic hopes, although
less clearly than the Jews did, is known from other sources.
Josephus {Antt. xvm. iv, 1) tells of a rising in Samaria, quelled
by Pilate, which was evidently due to a kind of fanaticism,
similar to that of Simon Magus in the same district (Acts S 8)
who gave himself out to be ** some great one." 1 The Samaritan woman thought of Messiah as a prophet, like the prophet
foretold in Deut, 181* (cf. v. 29 below).
TTus was common
to Jew and Samaritan, that Messiah was to be a Revealer of

new

truths about

God and man

&mv

*X6y| fretro*,

AraYyiXci

16 18) V"| AiraKra.

Thus in the Similitudes of Enoch
(xlvi 3) there is a description of the Son of Man
who reveals
all the treasures of that which is hidden, because the God of
(cf.

THE

IT, 25-67.]
2X00

ckc(Vo$,

dvayycXc?

DISCIPLES
vjfuv

WONDER

foraira.

Atyu a$r$

26*

151
A *I^ff<ws

"Eyci ttfUf 6 XaAtov <rot t

27.

may

Kat

hr\ tqvtid rfXBav 01 fJM&rjrai avrov, koI e&n'/iafov Srt

be more,
I know,
she says it wistfully,
is comingj when He comes, [He will declare
all things to us."
Her words are almost a query; they invite a further declaration on the part of Jesus, which He gives
'

not

'

'

" that Messiah

forthwith.

Messiah is here without the article, and the title may have
been used as a kind of proper name. At r*1 (where see note)
it has the article, and there as here is explained by Jn. for
his Greek readers (cf* I s8). 5 Xeydjieww is not "which is
interpreted *' (o iarty pScpin]vcvapvovt r*1), but is equivalent
to "which is commonly called," Xptorfe being used like a
proper name by the time that the Fourth Gospel was written.
See, for a similar usage, 1 i ie and cf, 5 s
.

" I who
26. Jesus declares Himself.
talking to you
(kakfiw) am He."
So, to the blind man whose sight had been
restored, He said 6 XaXw /rA &av cxciVos i&riv (9 s7).
The
usage of the phrase 4y& eljii in Jn, has been discussed in the
Introduction, p. exx; and it is probable that this is one of the
cases where, although the predicate is not expressed, it is implied
in the context; " I that talk to you
the Christ." See on

am

am

v. 10.

Nevertheless, the phrase fyfi efyu uvrvt 6 AaXur is placed

in the mouth of Yahweh at Isa, 52 s , and it may be that Jn. here
intends iytb i/u to indicate the style of Deity, as at other points
(see Introd*, p, exxi).
Cf, esp. 8W
rip, A XaX&? <roi, then, if not an assertion of the
Speaker's Divinity, is at any rate an assertion of His Messiah.

jW

That it should have been made so early in His public

ship.
ministry is not in accordance with what we should gather from
the Synoptists. Perhaps Jn. has antedated this momentous
declaration; or perhaps it was actually made on this occasion
f
although unheard or unnoticed by Peter, who may not have
been present with Jesus on His journey through Samaria
(see on v. 8 above).

'

hath chosen Him,"

K c L/<m. 13 have otto/up.
The Samaritan woman had already confessed that Jesus
was " a prophet " (v. 19); but now she begins to wonder if He

The

spirits

otSn.

1 Cf.

Justin,

A poh

i.

53, for

& vague statement of Samaritan doctrine

as to Messiah, similar to Jewish

disciples

wonder

(p,

37)

ktV, " upon this came His disciples," i.e,

at this point in the story, errl Jr(p is not used elsewhere in
the N.T. in this sense, but the reading is well attested, only
37.

irtX

Totrru

K*D having hr tov.

belief.

0ai?ji.aQ',

'

began to wonder

*'

or

'

kept wondering."

THE GOSFEL ACCORDING TO

152
fjxta

ST,

JOHN

ywaiKos ikaXtC ovSth p4woi tkcr T* (qr*U

ij

[IT- 87-80.
r XoAc ts per

153

31. *Ef t<3 ^tcrav Tjpwrtov avrov ol pa&ijTai Aeyavres "Pa$/?e

32. h Se ttwcv aurot? *Eya) ^Spukrev jf<* ^ayV rjv v^tts ovk
oSSa-rc
33, cXfyop b&v al pjxihjraX vpvs AAAijAous Mi} t ffvcyKfV
<^(ye,

avrijs;
17 ywTj icai AnnJA&v d* tvjv
AeOr* uSer* avOpancov 8s efa-A'
30* iyjMkiy ck
jwk fftLym. cmnipria' juJtt ar& nrriv 6 X/hot&s ;
t^s toXcok kcu iJp^opto wpas avrdc.

2&

DISCOURSE WITH THE DISCIPLES

IT, 30-33.]

*A^KV

efat

tV

%&pb& a&njs

roA.iv, xaX Xf/ti rats &v&piairois 49,

This

is

the true reading

(ABCDW0)

as against the rea

t&avfia&av.

To talk with a woman in a public place was not consonant

with the grave dignity of a Rabbi; Lightfoot quotes the
Rabbinical precept,
Let no one talk with a woman in the
x
street, no, not with his own wife,"
Yet the disciples had learnt by this time that Jesus had good
reason for what He did, and they did not venture to expostulate.
They did not ask the woman Tt Li]s; "What do you
want ? " nor did they ask Jesus Ti XoKeis jt afrnjs; " Why
are you talking with her?" That they did not ask these
questions, which they were tempted to ask, is the reminiscence
of some one who was of the company* For pA/ru, see on 1 a41
'

'

The men of Sychar were

Messianic hopes.

so

much impressed

by what the woman told them that they left the village and
" were coming " (fox ** ) to Him, The impft. tense is used
as indicating that they were on their way while the conversation between Jesus and His disciples which follows was being
carried on.

The

lij\ftov, which is rejected by

have it, and it would be quite in
The omission of oftv by a scribe after iBjk&w
jn,'s style.
would be a natural slip, eiuAeoNOY passing into ehA6on,
The redundant 4jj\0ov Ik occurs again 84fl H to88 1 In,
a"; andcf,i8 M

text has qvh after

reCp

ABLrA.

But

kNW

Discourse wiih the Disciples (w. 31-38)

t$ fibETold Uubaud. xpfr^), " * n

e meanwhile,"
before the Samaritan villagers arrived. There is no exact
parallel to this use of perajfu in the Greek Bible; but cf.
Acts 13" and Lk. 8 1
t(
jjptfruy afrfr ktX.,
the disciples begged Him, saying,
Rabbi, eat." For ol pa&rp-ai used absolutely of the disciples
who were present, see on 2 s For ipwrav, " to beseech," cf, w,
31. iv

st.

The Samaritan woman

toils

for friends about Jesus

{w. 28-30)
38,

The woman was so much impressed

that she went off

to tell her friends in Sycbar.

She left her waterpot, or fiSpU,
which was a large, heavy vessel (cf. 2*), behind her, as she
intended to return speedily. Probably it had not yet been

as she had been engrossed with the conversation (cf. v. 7),

and it was useless to carry it backwards and forwards.
89* During the heat of the day, the men of the village were
not working in the fields, and so she found them readily. In
her excitement, she uses the exaggerated language of an unCome and see a man who told me all
educated woman,

w. 8, 31) were apprehensive

He should be overcome by hunger and fatigue (cf. v, 6),

* c

u-dirra

&

So KBC*

Syr. sin. Syr cur., as against iravra 00-a

(see

on

oSris itrrw 6 Xptrrtfs;

Cf- Mt. ia u
v* 25).

"

,l

Is this, perhaps, the Christ ?

6 *&? Aaveffl; and
p^n oCnfc

mv

M
Jn. 8 (for the form of sentence) /njri Awojcww lavrov,

The

put tentatively, with just a shade of hope that

the answer may turn out to be in the affirmative.
But cf,
iS^and 2i G , where pxjrt introduces a question to which it is
assumed that the answer will be 4t No."
30, We have seen above (v, 25) that the Samaritans had
question

is

lest

i*8 for

32. Jesus
spiritual

and fifwts are both emphatic.

pp&ris occurs again 6 27, ffi , in the same sense as the more
correct form ffpwfiu (see v t 34), viz. that of the thing eaten, not
of the act of eating (as in 1 Cor. &*). The only other occurrence
of fipwvi? in the Gospels is in
G w w, where it means
ly&

ML

"rust."

of the rec. text (cf v. 39).

jrijTi

disciples (see

" Rabbi " as a title of address*

had been fatigued, but He was sustained by
support of which the disciples did not know (v. 34).

See on

filled,

things that ever I did."

The

40, 47.

Hot. Hebr.,

iii.

287.

83, The conversation pursues the course usual in Jn/s

narrative. Jesus utters a profound saying (v. 32).
It is

misunderstood and

Then He

(v. S3)>

its

spiritual

meaning is not discerned

and explains it to some

enlarges the saying

extent. 1
cf.

Here the puzzled disciples say to each other {irpAs dXX^Xous;

16 17), " Did some one perhaps bring Him something to

eat

"

See In trod.,

p. rati, as to this

metiiod ol discourses

154

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

a.vT& <ayv;

tohJc t
p4

ST.

JOHN

[IV* 33-34.

34. Xcyei avroTs o 'Iijowfa *Epav /SpS/ia itmv iva

raw vifjuj/avro* /* K4i rcXtuitTUi a.irov to tpyov,

$\7}pLa

fycynv

tis

afrry taytfir;

For

constr., see

on 47

and

cf.

v. 29 for the form of the sentence,

34. mvfyw is read by

BCDLNT^W

the rec. text has

;
with wArA, Yet qroupnu may be due to assimilation
of tense with TcXetdju which follows,
Jesus answers the disciples by reminding them that it was
in the fulfilment of His mission that He had His strength and
His joy. He bad been tired and, no doubt, hungry; but the
joy of perceiving the receptiveness of the Samaritan woman and
the eager welcome which the villagers gave Him was sufficient
to renew His vigour of body as well as of spirit.
To do God's will is the supreme obligation of man at every
moment of life, and to it is attached the supreme reward (Mk,
3**, Mt. 7 21 , Jn, 7 17 9 s1 sand jursrim).
The condition "Thy
will be done " (Mt
610) governs all Christian prayer, as it
governed the prayer of Christ (Lk. 22 4a ,Mt. 264a) at Gethsemane.
Christ's
meat " was to do the will of God, the metaphor
being similar to that suggested by " Man doth not live by
bread alone, but by every word of God " (Deut. 8s), which was
the Scripture thought that supported Him in His Temptation
(Mt. 44 Lk. 44); cf. Job 33", Ps. iiQ lca
It was in Him that
the words of the Psalm,
Lo, I come to do thy will, O God,"
received their complete fulfilment (Ps. 407 B , Heb. to7).
pAp ppaifiri &ttlp tvo, irot^cru ktX* : Iva has no telic force
here (cf. 6** 158 i7 3 ),
meat is to do, etc."
Wetstein
quotes a good parallel from Thucyd, i. 70 /up* ioprty SXKo rt
Troift,

'

'

'

'

"My

4fytifr8n.t

rh ra Slavra

fy

irpa<u.

found in Jn. only in this verse; see above (v. 32)

on /?pkrt5. The thought is one which appears many times
in Jn.; e.g. " I seek not mine own will, but the will of Him
that sent me " (5 s0), and "lam come down from heaven not
to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent me " (608)
1
3
cf, 14* and Acts 13*
-to6 ir|wfrcirrfc pa.
For the conception of Jesus as " sent "
by God, see on 3 17 ,
koI T^Xctumi afroC t& ?pyok, "and to accomplish His
* To do God's
work."
will " is, in a measure, within the reach
of any man, but "to accomplish His work," to perform it
pp>pa

is

perfectly and completely, was possible only for the Son of Man.
This perfection of achievement bore witness to the uniqueness

of His mission " The works that the Father hath given me to
accomplish bear witness that the Father hath sent me " {5*).
So at the close of His ministry He could say, "I have accom:

IV. 34-35.]

DISCOURSE WITH THE DISCIPLES

155

art "Ert Terpdjnprt? etmv ko! o dcpur/jof

fyf-ffc Aeyerc
35"
ip^trat j ESai X*y<i fyur, drdpaT* roil? 6<^$oXfiovs vpJnv kcu, $mriurdf

plished the work which Thou hast given me to do" (174);

and from the Cross came the word TcrcXcirrat (19 30).
35. The illustration of the harvest used by Jesus to unfold
to the disciples the significance of the incident just narrated
brings Jn. into line with the Synoptists, who repeatedly tell of
His parables of the seed.
He was the Great Sower (cf> Mk. 41w-)j
the seed just
now sown in the heart of the Samaritan woman was springing
up already. The harvest of souls at Sychar followed forthwith
upon the sowing, contrary to the natural order in which he who
wishes to reap must have patience and wait. Natural law does
not always prevail in the spiritual world. The spiritual harvest
was ready to be reaped with joy (v, 35), so that Sower and reaper

^d

might rejoice together (v, 36). But the reaping would not be
It was the apostles who were to reap at a later date
for Him,
the harvest which originally sprang from the seed that He had
sown in Samaria.
So ttABCDLNT , as against the rec* rtrpdTCTprf^Yfkos.
Terpd/tip'os does not occur again in the Greek Bible,
fiijrov,
although Tcrpajuiyvov (used as a substantive) is read by A at
The meaning "four months long" is not
Judg, 19* 2047
doubtful, and the words mpd^vos ivriv kcu A 6epnrjios cpx*Tai
mean " the harvest comes in four months' time." But
we cannot interpret this as indicating that the harvest of the
fields of Sychar would not be ready for four months from the
date of the interview of the woman of Samaria with Jesus, for
that would involve the scene being laid in January or early in
February. That was the rainy season, and there would have
been no difficulty in getting water to drink, such as is sugThe words ofix fif X^yere, " Do you
gested (w. 6 7).
not say ? " which introduce the sentence, suggest that it was a
11

proverbial phrase.
from
J. Lightfoot {Hot. Hebr. 7 in loc.) quotes a passage
a Rabbinical writer, showing that the agricultural year was
divided into six periods of two months each, viz. seed-time,
winter, spring, harvest, summer, and the season of extreme
heat, so that the interval between sowing and harvest would be
reckoned roughly as four months, although actually it might
be a little longer. Thus Jesus here reminds His disciples of a
rural saying, " Harvest does not come for four months," and
then he points to the contrast with the spiritual harvest already
ripe for gathering in the hearts of the Samaritan villagers!
although the seed had been sown only that day.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

56

The words of this

form a

line of

JOHN

ST,

[IT. 36.

proverbial saying, with a trifling change,

iambic verse

IV* 315-30.]

an allegory rather than as an historical reminiscence, freely

edited.
But this would be at variance with the general lines
on which the Gospel is written. The disciples elsewhere (see
on i 89) address Jesus in Aramaic, and doubtless He spoke in
the same language to them. That Jn. should represent them
as familiar with a Greek proverb in verse is incredible* Further,
not only is this proverb unknown in Greek literature, but it
would be hard for it to have currency among Greeks. There
is no evidence that the Greeks had a sixfold division of the
agricultural year as the Hebrews had; and if they did not
adopt this division, four months would not be as likely an
interval to be contemplated as normal between seed-time and
harvest as five or even six months.
Again, h-i precedes Terpa/^p'os brnv ktA. in

and has

NABCNTbWA,

be retained, although it is omitted by TyLfam. 13

But 3ri spoils the iambic senartus and yet it must
Syr* cur.
be reckoned with ; for the saying which Jesus quotes as familiar
to the disciples is,
There are yet four months (sc. from the
time of sowing), and then comes the harvest. 1
We conclude, therefore, that the rhythm of o Qepurtth*
Spxerat is an accident, and that we are to regard the whole
phrase as the Greek rendering of an Aramaic agricultural
proverb. See 51* for another accidental Greek verse.
to

* l

'

With
BtpHTfias

iSoA

the paratactic

if"*'.

$<

is

proverb of v,

35*.

unusual in Jn., occurring again only

See Introd., p. ex.

4 deploy fuofdr XajifhiPEL.
Cf. the more general saying,
true of all labour and not only of that in the fields, S&05 y&p 6
ipyarx}* toB jautQcm avrmi (Lk. to7); and also 2 Tim. 2*.
Here
the reaper reaps in spiritual fields, and his reward is that he
gathers fruit unto life eternal* (For this phrase, see on 414 ,)
The reaping is itself the reward, because of the joy which it
SJ
brings; the "fruit
which is gathered is that of the spiritual
harvest, the outlook being not that only of the present life,
but of that which is to come.
Jn. does not use the word jxt<r#o? again, but of Kapirfs he
has^much (i5 at ) to say. The apostles were chosen (i$ 19) Iva
VfJLtlS {nrayTJT KaX KOpTTQV jdpTfTCi KOI O KCt/HTOS fy&V fUlty.
JuSt
as Paul speaks of his converts as Kapwfc (Rom. i la), so here

r*rpi/u,i;ras

forty

illiterate

LXX

See Westoott, St. John, L iTg.

Vocabulary of Greek Testament, p. 314.
Abbott (IHat. 2616-^) attaches a spiritual significance to Tn/s
mention of our Lord's " lilting up " His eyes.
*
1

Jesus does not s&y that the material harvest of the fields of
Sychar was springing up immediately after it had been sown;
the harvest of which He speaks is expressly contrasted with
the harvest that takes months to grow and ripen. The allusion
is to the spiritual receptiveness of the Samaritan woman, the
measure of faith which she has already exhibited (v. 29), and
the eagerness with which her friends and neighbours were
even now coming to inquire of Jesus for themselves. These
were the fields for the spiritual harvest, which was patent not
to the eye of faith only, but to the bodily eyes of the disciples,
for these people were hastening to meet them even at the
moment of speaking.
TJ&tf may be taken either with what precedes, or with what
follows.
But the word " already " seems to go more impressively with what has just been said than with the saying
of v. 36,
Nothing^ then, can be certainly inferred as to the time of
year from this verse. The fields may have, literally, been ready
for the reapers, and if so, it was the harvest season. That, in
itself, would bring home to the disciples the meaning of the
Lord's words about the spiritual harvest but it is clear that
b
it is the spiritual harvest which is primarily referred to in v.
35 ,
while it is the natural harvest which is the subject of the
SO, The terse, pithy aphorisms of w. 35-37 recall the
sayings of Jesus recorded
the Synoptists, by their form no
less than by the use of the illustration of sowing and reaping.

*r*

in i6
19* (i2 u is a
quotation), Jn. generally has ZB
iSou here and at r6 aa is almost equivalent to
(see on i 88).
" but "; it introduces a contrast with what has gone before.
hrapare tous aiftQaXfiovs is an expressive phrase, suggesting
careful and deliberate gaze, which we have both in O-T. (Gen.
13 2 Sam. i8M j 1 Chron. 21 1*, Ezek. i8B) and in N.T, (Lk. i6 2a
i8 , Mt. 17 s). See on 6s (cf, ir*1 17 1), where, as here, the
phrase is followed by the verb de&o-Ait, which in the N.T.
(see on i ) is always used of seeing with the bodily eyes,*
*

disciples could see for themselves that the fields (cf. Lk.
use of xwpa) were whitening for the harvest already.

2 1*1 for this

kcu o
Par. 18 1*

constr,

8
2px<h Miliigan compares the

Wv

*57

to* X^P ** OTt ^uKat stxriv irpas Qcpurfwv 17817.

36. A 6cpW
pLW@ov Xafifidva koI crwdytt. Kapnray cfc fw^v auuwov, tva o trrrupwv

The
If Jn. represented Jesus as quoting Greek iambics, then
there would be some ground for treating the narrative of c. 4 as

DISCOURSE WITH THE DISCIPLES

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

IJ8

bpON yplffQ koX o

ST,

JOHN

[TV, 86-37.

37* hf yhp ravrtp o Xoyo? itrrw AXiq&ivbs

QtpUjiiv,

the "fruit" which the disciples were to gather e

was the harvest of souls in Samaria.1

KADrA
BCLNT^W.

and

most

vss.

have

rat

fuip>

after lva r

but om.

'

kBO^LNT^WA.
yip

TOrfrrw

i"),

ktX.,

'*

Herein

is

the saying true

(dXTjGtvds,

for

One soweth) and another reapeth."

Another
can be found.

proverb is cited here, for which many parallels

Wetstein quotes XAot fikv <nrctpov<nv, 3X\ol S* Apyo-ovrat*
That the sower should not have the joy of reaping is regarded
in the O.T. as a sad thing (Job 31*), and is spoken of as a
punishment for sin (Deut. 28 s0, Mic, 61*). Yet this often
happens, not through sin but through the unselfishness of the
sower or the inevitable conditions of his work. So here, Jesus
was the Sower, but He permitted His disciples to reap. And
the labourer in the field of the spirit must be ready to acknowu One sows, another reaps," may be a condition of
ledge that
" Sic uos, nan uobis * J is his Master's
his highest usefulness,
challenge.

But more was involved here, and a greater paradox than is

suggested by the reaper being a different person from the sower.
That a man should reap where he had not sown is, indeed,
ordinarily a matter for peculiar thankfulness on his part (Deut,
611 Josh, 2413)

but this privilege is the natural prerogative of

;
,
the lord of the fields, who sends his servants to sow, but takes
the harvest for himself (Mt. 25 s8). Yet Jesus, who was here
1

The

mcvpa

similarity between this passage and GaL 6" A tnrttpuv eh r&

4k rod rve6fiarM Oepimt Jv^f nttbrtow, is <nily verbal, although

remarkable ; ci Rom.

6**,

f<rrlv

tnrttptijv

159

38* eyi dhrwrtiAn

koI oAAos 6 Otpifav.

of the harvest, had Himself done the sowing, while

servants to gather the fruits.
Hence drives means more than &bj&fc here. The proverb is not only accurate, if cynical, in regard to the physical
harvest; but the highest illustration of its truth is seen in the

the

Lord

He permitted His

iv

on oAXos

DISCOURSE WITH THE DISCIPLES

auw

Iw A oirtCpttv ktX,, "so that the sower may rejoice

This is quite contrary to the
together with the reaper."
natural order. In nature the rule is that men sow in tears, if
they are afterwards to reap in joy (Ps. ia6G> B ), The labour of
the sower is heavy, and it precedes by a long interval (cf. v. 35)
But the prophet
the joy of the reapers at harvest-time (Isa. o*)
had sung of the wonderful days of Messiah, when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him
6
that soweth the seed " (Amos 9" ; cf. Lev, a6 ), so fertile should
the land be. Something like this had happened at Sychar. The
Sower was rejoicing along with the reapers , who were already
gathering fruit unto life eternal. See on 1 15
a
x
A110C is found again in N.T, only at 20* ai and Acts 2 j
and it is infrequent in the LXX,
a
37. The rec. text has
before iX^Bwo^ but om.
which see on

IV, 87-38.]

spiritual region,
Cf, Abbott, Diat. i ]2 ji.
38- This is to repeat what has already
t

been

said,

but puts

/who

sent
into plainer language.
bf& is emphatic; it was
you to reap in a field which you had not sown.
If we confine the words lyh dirftmtXa fijios kt\. to the
incident just narrated, the verse yields a quite intelligible sense*
The disciples had not " laboured " in Sychar; the seed was
it

there by Jesus Himself, and in some measure by the

Samaritan woman. Primarily, Jesus and the woman were the
cttAot into whose labours the disciples had entered, not to speak
of every prophet and pious teacher of the past who had prepared
the way in Samaria for the message of Christ.
The verb aran-cXXco' is frequent in Jn. (see on 3ir); but
it is only used once again by Jn. of Jesus sending forth' His
disciples, viz. at i7 ie nor does Jn, use the title lixooroXos of
them (cf. 13"). But iyb dv&TctAa tytfic at once suggests a
mission such as those recorded Mk. 3 14 6? although Jn. has
not described anything of the kind; and it might be thought
that these words placed by Jn, in the mouth of Jesus here have
reference to a former sending forth of the Twelve, such as
the Synoptists report, rather than to any mission confined to the
But the
disciples (see on v. 8) who were with Jesus at Sychar,
missions of the Twelve and of the Seventy were of men who
were sent to sow rather than to reap> nor could they be fitly
described by the words, " I sent you to reap where you had
not laboured." Nor can we be sure that the missions of Mk.
U 6T had been initiated before this Samaritan journey took
3

sown

place (see

on 61).

words of this verse, which

might fitly be applied to the later work of the apostles {e.g.
Acts 8^- "'')i are carelessly applied here by Jn, to an early
incident in Jesus' ministry. But the fact is thatthe words
" others have laboured and you have entered into their labours "
will fit every period of the Church's life, as they would fit every
era of scientific discovery. That, however, does not supply any
ground for refusing credence to the statement that they, or
Pfleiderer 1 suggests that the

PrimiHv* ChrisHamiy, Eng,

Tr., iv. 33<

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

l6o

ST.

JOHN

[IV. 38-41.

39- *E* & Tijs ttoAcu? iKetvrjs n-oAAoi lirurrnKniv ets avrov tcSv
Sta tov Aoyor rijs yuwujcis papropovinfi oti Eftr^ pot
n-amx & tjrofyffa.
40. us oft' ^X0ov Trpos outov a ^afiapetrat,

Sa^apftTw

$p&wv ainw p-etvai

Trap" auroTs" *a2

sroAAw TrXetW fcrtorratrav

&&

^w

t&v Xayov

fe Suo Jjptpa<s.
ouroii,

41,

ml

42. Ttf tc ywatKi

words like them (for Jn. writes freely), were addressed by Jesus
to His disciples at Sychar, as conveying a lesson which it was
good for them to learn.

The faith of the Samaritan

villagers (vv,

39~4 2)

39. The Samaritan villagers who, on another occasion,

rejected Jesus and His disciples had not heard Him teach;
their objection to His presence was not personal, but rested on
the fact that, as a Jew, He was going to Jerusalem to keep a
feast (Lk. 9 5a).
The people of Sychar, on the other hand, were

won by His words

(v. 42),

The phrase is a favourite

ei? oMv.
45 12").
The
with Jn., occurring six times (cf. 7 s1 S 10 io
aorist seems to indicate a definite, but not necessarily lasting,
movement of faith evoked by special words or deeds of Jesus.
u
For the con&tr, mcrrvfrir cife two, see on i .
The first believers at Samaria were won, not by visible
1
4
miracles or signs (cf. 2** 71 io4a ri * 12 *), but by the woman's
iroXXol

irLorcu<r<iy

report of what Jesus had said to her. Many more believed

because of His sayings which they themselves had heard
s0
But v, 39 illustrates the normal way in which
(v. 42 ; cf. 8 ).
men are drawn to Christ in the first instance ; cf. His prayer
for those who were to be led to Him through the apostles'
teaching tpwrto , * . vrtpX twv irurrtxiovwv Suit rov Xoyov avrw
:

(17^.
For Utra of the

ffecpf

rec. text the better

reading

(BC # L)

is 3,

as

at v, 29.
40. fc ofo

on

He

For Jn.'s frequent use of oBk, see

4jX0oi> ktX.
s
11 2i*)
likes the introductory &s 6vv (cf. 11 iS* ao
>

which is not found in the Synoptists.

The Samaritans who had been impressed by the woman's
story desired to listen themselves to the teaching of Jesus, and
For Jn, J s habit
at their request he lodged in Sychar two days.
of recording dates, or intervals of time, see Introd., p. cii. He
repeats in v, 43 that the stay of Jesus in this village was for
two days only, t&s 6vi> %ppas (cf. 11 6)*
41. ttoXXu irXcLOut liruTTEUfrar . . ., "many more believed
Cf. rouro avrov XaXovvros woWol
because of His word."
30
hrlaTcutrav eU avrdv (8 ).

IV* 41-S,]

FAITH OF THE SAMARITAN VILLAGERS

tXtyov ort 0eri

&&

mpr AaAtav tntmvoficv' omtoI yip

ttjv

iGl
6xvf~

Koaftvs koI oESajLtev art oSnfc itrriv AAifflfts 6 2<0Tqp tov K&iTfLov.

N fam. 13 add els a&rw after hrttrrtva-av (as at 8 s0), but

om, the greater uncials, irumvar is here used in an absolute
sense,
to believe," as often in Jn, See on i 7
42. &Kr\Koapv,
The gloss trap* avrov is added by ttfam* 13.
(

'

After K^juioo, the rec. text, with

but, again, this explanatory gloss

and must be

ADLNr, inserts Xpicmfc^

b
is not found in KBC*T W
J

rejected,

XaXict,
"way of speech," "maimer of talking," occurs
again in N.T. only at Mt. a673 and S*8 (where see note).
owofri BiA TJp *V \akidv ktX., "No longer do we believe
because of thy speaking, for we have heard and know, etc.*'
u no longer " in
ovkctl always means
Jn. (cf. 6** ir54 141** *>
15W i610 * 17 11 si*), The initial stages of belief may be
brought about by the report of others (see on v, 39), but the
belief which is complete and assured depends on personal
contact and association with Christ (see on i 3* and cf. Lk. 24 s8 ,
-

" Handle me and see ").

That the Samaritan villagers

rose to the conception of Jesus

tl
the Saviour of the world," is not
as not only Messiah, but as
probable. This great title reflects the conviction of a later
moment in Christian history, and of a more fully instructed
faith.
Jn. in writing the story of Jesus at Sychar tells it in
his own phraseology, as will become apparent if the history of
the terms " saviour," " salvation," is recalled.
In O.T theology, Yahweh is the Author of salvation (see
on 3"), and to Him it is always ascribed. He is repeatedly
s
T
a
called JTB^o, owifr (Ps, 24 6s , Isa, ia 3 Bar, 4=*, 3 Mace.
1B

" Saviour " of

or of

individual Israelites.
e.g. of the
judges (Judg. 3*), just as in Egypt the Ptolemies, and in Greece
Brasidas and Philip of Macedon, were so designated. But in
the O.T., Messiah is never called jpfciD or <rwr^p, the nearest
7

),

the

o-wrijp is also

used in the

Israel

LXX of human deliverers,

approach to such a description being Zech. o9 b fia*Tt\*{*i trov

To O.T, Judaism, Messiah was but
epxcrai Sucatos jeai miifw.
the instrument of the true <r*mjp, Yahweh, who is described
(Ps. 28) as vn-epflunrWTifc rwv vwrqptwv tov xpttrrav avtov.
In the later literature, there are faint traces of the conception

of Messiah as Saviour; e*g. it is said of the Son of Man in

Enoch xlviii. 7, " The righteous are saved in his name, and he is
the avenger of their life "; cf, L 3. The Messianic deliverance was pre-eminently the " salvation of Israel " for which
pious Hebrews looked (see on v. 22 above); but that in the
first century Messiah was given the title ewnjp is not proven.
VOL. I. IE

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

162

ST,

JOHN

[IV. 43.

In the Synoptists, <wnfr> occurs only twice, Lk. i ir (where it

11
a-wnjp os *<m
is applied to God, as in the O.T.), and Lk. a
X/moto iriJpto*, "a Saviour (not the Saviour) who is Christ the
B1
Lord." Cf. Acts 13** and Acts s px>rys K(" o-wi^p, which
of Heb. 2 10
The first unambiguous instance of the application of the
20 trutrrjpa
Kvptw
.
. .
title in its full sense to our Lord is Phil, 3
11 M
See also 2 Tim. 1 Tit. 1* 3, 2 Pet, i 2
*lv <rvw Xpwrrd*.
suggests o op^yA t5

*roM-itf)tas

Epn. 5**, r Tim. i

The evidence shows that <njp, as a title, began to be applied
to Christ as readily as to God the Father, as soon as the Gospel
message of redemption was understood and appropriated.
The title has its roots in the O.T., and there is no need of the
hypothesis that it is imported into the N.T. from the pagan
mysteries or from the Emperor cults,* But that it was recognised as a Messianic title before Christ came is unproved and

s"-

"; and

cf.

Joel

2 sa curat

so far as Jews were

the prophets; cf.

&s Av hrtKaX&tffiTai to SvofMt avpiav

<rnt&rjtrtra.i

(quoted Acts a 31 Rom. 1013), God is called rhv irdViw trwrnjpa

(Wisd, 167 ); cf. 1 Tim 41** trwrijp ir&vrtitv avSpdnwov* But the
magnificent title 6 o-tur^p tou K&Q-pov is found in the Greek Bible
14
It is one of the
only in the verse before us, and at 1 Jn. 4
4
distinctive phrases of the Johannine writings; cf. 12 ' and
mission
declared
Christ's
is
of
where
the
purpose
3",
especially
See note on 317 , and for kqvjuk
to be tva tna&ji 6 Kotrpos Bt avrov*
,

on r
has been suggested by G. Vos * that a parallel for o uwftp
8
tov kuVjuov may be seen in 2 Esd. 13* , where it is said of Messiah
is doubtful if creatura is
yuam.
But
it
liberaHt creaturam
It

11
and further the
equivalent to "the universe of creation,
influence.
Christian
affected
may
be
by
passage
nearer parallel is Philo's 6 vwtjp tov min-os {quod detts
imm. 34), which he applies to God. The passage presents some
superficial resemblance to the story of the Samaritan woman
Philo has quoted Num. 20"'-, where the Israelites
at the well.
seek permission to pass through Edom, promising not to drink
water from the wells, or, if they did, to pay for it. To be able
to pass by the attractions of earth befits the heavenly soul;
such is Philo's reflexion, and he adds that it is folly to drink
from cisterns contrived by the distrustfulness of man, when the
Saviour of the Universe has opened to us His heavenly treasury

1
The title is often bestowed on the Emperors, and especially on
Hadrian, in inscriptions. See Deissmann, Light from the East, p> 369.

D.C.G.,

li.

573.

Mcra SI rat Stfo qpcpas t^^ev ixttdev

avrw yap *Iij<toijs ifutftnip tv Srt *rpo^ s

43.

44-

TtfiTjv

owe fa**

45- ore

w
oh> %K$cv

es

163
fe

ryv Taktknfcv.

fr

t#

IBZq irarpffii

t^v VoXikaxav, JSefdrro

aMv

(cf. Deut. 28"), in comparison with which all

the wells in the
world are not worth looking at. This suggests Jn, 4**, but
then the tmryp in the Philo passage is not the Logos, but
God
Himself. The resemblance between Philo's language and
J

not sufficient to indicate any literary connexion.

may, however, be noted as a curious point that a reference
in Jn. 4 to Num. 20"'*, is actually traced by Ephraim Syrus.
In a baptismal hymn {Epiphany Hymns vii, 7) he has: ** To
y
the sons of Lot Moses said, Give us water for money, let
us
only pass by through your border.' They refused the
way
and the temporal water. Lo the living water freely given
and the path that leads to Eden"
Jn.

s is

It

'

improbable.

The universality of salvation (at any rate

concerned) had already been declared by

RECEPTION IN GALILEE

IT- 43-44.]

Departure from Syehar and reception in Galilee {w.

43-45)
48. Tfts Siio Vjfjrfpa*, sc. the two days mentioned in v, 40.
After IkclOck the rec, text, with ANrA, adds farijMcv
from v, 3, but the addition is not found in nBCDT^W, and is
unnecessary. & substitutes <u d.irijA0cr for ixuBm
Jesus had left Judsea because of the attention with which the
Pharisees were suspiciously regarding His work there (v.
1)
and was moving into Galilee (v. 3). The teaching at Syehar
was only an episode of His journey (w. 4-42), and the narrative
is

now

resumed.

&

r^v

44. irpo+^njs
7$ $1$ irarpiSi
ota fy*^
The writer
does not saythat Jesus quoted this familiar proverb 1 when
He was passing from Samaria into Galilee. The verse is an
editorial comment, illustrative of the context, and only notes
that Jesus quoted the saying either then or on some other
occasion.
The aor. Ipaprvpriw seems to be used like an
English pluperfect; cf. the similar aorists farfqcw and yXOov in
v, 45,

"He

had done," "thev had come"; cf. also ftmum

For the verb as applied to explicit sayings of Jesus

at 5 1*.
cf.

13 11 .

The saying is placed in the mouth of Jesus in the Synoptic

narratives, at Mk. 6 1 , Mt. 13", in the form ofa l<r
vpaQfat
Srtfwz *lp% br t$ irarpiSi abrwt and in Lk. 31 as ovSeis Trpwjn}'
4
rip S*kto5 iiTTtv A' tq warplhU avTtnk
In these passages the
of Jesus is Nazareth, where He was teaching and
where His friends and kinsfolk were amazed that " the carirarpts

1 Its

equivalent Is found in Plutarch, Pliny, and Seneca

*
s.v. " Proverbs," D.C.G., ii.
445.

D, Smith,

'

see

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

164

ST.

JOHN

[IV, 44.

penter, die Son of Mary," should exhibit such wisdom as His

words revealed.
As Jn. applies the proverb, the circumstances were wholly
Jesus had left Jud^a, where
different from those at Nazareth*
the Pharisees were beginning to watch Him with suspicion
1
Samaria into Galilee. What does
(4 **), and was moving via
having "no honour in His own
His
here
by
mean
the writer

country '*
(1) If

Alternative explanations have been offered.

refers to the departure of Jesus from Judaea,

U
4

because His mission was not sufficiently welcomed there, then

by His vaTpk Jn. must mean Jerusalem or Jud^a, Origen
{in Joann. p. 268, and Fragm. injoann. 4") adopts this view.
He says that Jerusalem was the Trarpk of all the prophets,

n
and of Jesus as well. Thus i cfa to, ISul %\B*v *su oE SSwt
avrw ov vapiXapw would provide a parallel for the present
But {a) Jesus had made many disciples in Jerusalem
verse.
already (2 s3), and it was His success that had aroused the
9

1
suspicion of the Pharisees (4 ). And (#) Jn. knew quite well
"
which implies that His home or
Galilee,"
was
of
that Jesus
41 M
It is unlikely that Jn.
Trap's was there (see r46 and f - ),
should allude to Jerusalem as Christ's mrpk, more particularly
as there are good reasons for holding that he was familiar with
Mk.,1 who applies the word to Nazareth.
1
precedes
(2) Some commentators apply 4* , not to what
but to what follows. Jesus had been attracting much notice in
Judsea; it was His habit to withdraw Himself, at least in the
1

s8

early stages of His xninistry, from a hostile environment (7 10 ),

and to seek retirement. He wished, then (so it is urged), to
go from Judsea to some place where He might escape unwelcome attention, and He knew from former experience that His
old friends in Galilee would not be likely to make too much
of Him. According to this view, the citation of the proverb
here is a suggestion of the writer that Jesus deliberately chose
to go into a territory where He expected that His mission would

not arouse public interest. This is highly improbable; and,

besides, Jesus was, in fact, cordially received by the people of
Galilee (v. 45), and the miracle of the healing of the nobleman's
son is recorded immediately (w. 46 ff.).
The verse, then, is a gloss the applicability of which to the
context is not immediately clear. Perhaps it has been misplaced, but there is no evidence for this. Jn, is prone to insert
explanatory reflexions or glosses in the body of his narrative,
which are not always convincing to modern readers; and this
gloss seems to be Johannine. pnpTvp&v and tScos are favourite
words with Jn. ; he is apt to introduce his explanations with
1

IntrocL, p. xcvi,

Cf. Introd., p.

xxxiv.

IV, 44-46.]

HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN'S SON

ot TaAcAaiex, v&vtq. ccapaKOTCf ooxt iwotijtrev iv

lapTfl*

ml

avroi yap ^X$ov tfr

165

*ItpotroXvpms v rp

ttjv %QpTYJv,

(cf. esp. 5 13 o yap 'lytrovs iipviTv } where, as here, the aor.

stands for the pluperfect). T^mf, indeed, is not in Jn.'s vocabulary T and instead of it he always uses b6a when he would
speak of the honour paid by one man to another (see on i 14)
but the proverb as quoted by Mk, has aripos (although ripy
only occurs in the Synoptists in the sense of "price"; cf.
It is remarkable that the true text of the verse
27 s *).
before us gives o*t&? Y*P 'hj S ktX, (ABCDWTA0) without o,
while Jn.'s use is to prefix the def, article to the name *I^crovs
(as the rec, text does here); see on i 39 .
We conclude that v. 44 is a gloss, introduced by Jn. or by
some later editor from Mk. 6* ? suggested by the mention of
Galilee, but not apposite in this place.
45. 3t is the true reading, but K*D have is.
For 3<ra (NABCLNW), a is read by the rec with
K*DTb rA* See, for a similar variant 3 w. 29, 39.

yap

Mt

<St*

o5y

Galilee/ *
(see

on

5[X.0iv

ovr

ktX.,

"When,

then,

not connoting causation

He had come

into

but sequence only

i*3).

The Galileans, among whom He came, had

"signs" at Jerusalem at the feast (z aa 3*), kcu

seen His
*5to! yip

<Es Tty fopr^P, sc. **for (note the introduction of the

explanation by yap) they also had come for the feast " (the
aor, vjXQovj as well as the preceding cirwqtrcp, being used with
a pluperfect sense). The Samaritans did not go up to Jerusalem for the feasts, and so Jesus and His activities there were
not known to them; but the Galilseans were orthodox and
went up regularly.
The words of Jesus alone, without
" signs," were sufficient to convince the villagers of Sychar of
jj/kfov

His claims,
airoi Yip jjXfoy fe

tV iopnfir.

ep^co-flat is

naturally used of

coming up to the feast, when the standpoint of the writer

M i2 ia); but when the scene is in Galilee,
is Jerusalem {e.g. n
as here, and mention is made of worshippers " going up " to
the feast, we should expect dvafialvuv (as at T8),
In this
sentence of explanation the writer seems to be recalling what
he had noticed at Jerusalem, viz, that the Galilaeans came up
for the Passover mentioned in c. 2.

Healing of the nobleman*s son (w. 46-54)

46, Despite the differences between the story of the healing
of the centurion's servant (Mt. #*, Lk. ? flff ') and Jn.'s story

l66

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST*

JOHN

[IV* 46.

of the healing of the nobleman's son, the two narratives probably recall the same incident. The differences are obvious.
In Jn. the anxious inquirer is /frurcXucd?; in Mt,, Lk., he is
In Jn. the patient is sick of a fever j in Mt, he
*KaT6vrapx<K.
is TrapakvTtKQs.
In Mt., Lk,, Jesus is asked only to speak the
word of healing, but He offers to go down to the man's house.
In Jn. He is asked to go down, but he only says that the boy
will recover (v. 50); nor does Jesus express surprise at the
man's faith, as He does in Mt,, Lk. In Mt. ? Lk., the patient
is the servant (Mt. has iraXs, Lk. has both irw and SorfAcrc),
while in Jn. he is the man's son (ulds, muStar). Further, it
has been argued that the strong faith of the centurion in Mt. ?
Lk., " becomes intelligible, without ceasing to be admirable,
when we reflect that he was evidently aware of the miracle
formerly wrought for another inhabitant of the same city, an
eminent person, one of the court which his own sword
5
protected/ *
It has also been supposed that while the centurion of Mt.,
Lk,, was a Gentile (Mt. 8 W), the nobleman of Jn, was probably
a Jew; but of this latter conjecture there is no evidence. There
is

no hint

in Jn. as to the nationality or religious belief of the

Yet the stories are not so dissimilar that they could not
have been confused. Irenseus actually treats them as one and
4<
Filium centurionis absens verbo curavit dicens,
the same:
Vade, filius tuus vivit," are his words (liar. ii. 22. 3), In both
cases the patient's home was at Capernaum, and in both cases
it is suggested (although not expressly stated by Jn,) that he was
healed from a distance; that is, that the healings were " telepathic " in modern phrase. The only other instance of this in
the Gospels is the case of the Syrophcenidan woman's daughter
(Mk. 7***, Mt. 15 s8). The faith of the nobleman, as indicated in v. 50, " the man believed the word which Jesus spake
to him," was very strong, and he cannot be placed, in this
respect, on a lower level than the centurion of Mt., Lk.
It is
probable that one of the most obvious discrepancies in the two
narratives, *' servant " and " son," is due to the ambiguity of
the word imw, which may mean either.
That Jn, uses s
in v. 51 (and there alone in the Gospel), although he has uldc
in w. 46, 47, 50, 53, may be significant in this connexion, 3
Chadwick, Expositor, iv. v. 443 f, so Westcott, in toe.
There Is a miracle story in the Babylonian Talmud (Ber. 346)
which looks like another version of this. When a son of Gamaliel
was sick, the father sent messengers to Rabbi Chanina bea Dosa to
ask for his intercessions. He prayed, and then said, " Go, for the
fever has now left him." They marked the time* and going back found
1

HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN'S SON

IV. 46-17.]

l6>

46. *R\8tv oEr ttoXlv en rrpt K<tya t^s rAt\tutts, oVov iwotTjvty
Kat tjv tis fia&tXyiQs oZ o uiog ijcrdcWi iv Ka^aoto v&wp vtvov,

oJtot dxatfrraf

vaovfi' 47.

avrov

?w

vl6v JjptXhev y&p

See, for the

'I^croiis

ffKtt

din>fhrfa-Kiu>t

rifc

48.

'lau&uav ck t^v

etirev

"miraculous" element in the

p. clxxix.
4j\0ep a&v kt\.

on

an

ovv a 'I^o-ovt

story,

Introd.,

ovv expresses sequence, not causation (see

was not because the Galilseans welcomed Him that

m&Lf, a favourite word with Jn,
Jesus moved on to Cana.
(see on 4s), reminds the reader that He had been there
i*

It

).

before.

Kara

Jirou imly\vtv tA

Shvp

ofcop*

An explanatory note

reminding the reader of the narrative of a 1*'.

-julI
So ABCTA0W; DLNT* have fy
fy.
Pa<rL\Lfc6?, i.e. one of the courtiers of Herod, tetrarch of
Galilee
D has ptunXurxAs, regulus which would convey the
erroneous idea that this courtier was a petty king. Some have
identified him with Chuza, Herod's steward (Lk. 8 3), or with
Manaen (Acts 13 1 ); but this is only guess-work. The man was
eager to invoke any help that might cure his son, quite inde-

&

pendently of his religious principles or position.

or* recitantis is followed by the
47* aKaiftras Sti .
actual words which reached the anxious father, viz. "Jesus is
coming from Judaea into Galilee "; hence, in accordance with
Jn/s practice, h is omitted before It^toCv (see on 4 1).
The man left his son for a time, in his
dirij\0er wp&s tLur6v*
eagerness to secure the aid of a healer.
After $jpdra the rec. has aww, but ora, kBCDL/FW.
See on a 13 for " going down " from Cana to
itoToPfj.
*

Capernaum.
iaa&at occurs in Jn. only once again
idxn\Tai outou t. u.
except
in
a
quotation
where it is used metaphorically
(5
Presumably the " signs " which had impressed the
(is** ).
people at Jerusalem (z 33 ) were works of healing, but Jn. does
not say so explicitly. He assumes that his readers will know
why it was that a man whose son was sick should seek Jesus,
sc, because of His reputation as a healer,
tjjjueXW Airodtn^rKciir, incipiebat mori.
The phrase is used
sa
of the impending death of Jesus; but in
at ii 51 12 33 i8
the present passage there is no suggestion in iJ/ieAXev of the
inevitability or predestined certainty of the boy's death; it
expresses futurity only, "was going to die-"
ttaX

13

),
3

that in that hour the boy

had been

cured.

See Trench, Miracles*

68

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST,

JOHN

ahrov 'Eav fix] cnj/ifta Kat rifwra. tSip*, oh /jltj Trtcrrevcnyra

49. kiytt -irpos a&ritv o fiatriXiKQS Kupie, KaTafirjQi irpiv ajroOavttv
to trat&iov fxov.
50. XtytL avrtji a It/o-qvS Hopwav' 6 uio$ <rou jj.

irrpos

48. gTitcv 6 'I. irpds

at v. 49> see on 2 s .

aMv.

For the constr. of Xcywv here and

The answer of Jesus was neither " Yes " nor " No." It
almost conveys a feeling of disappointment that the working
The Samaritan
of " signs" should be expected of Him.
villagers had accepted Him because of His words alone, without
any signs

iirurrcwrtv

pcucro.

51

av&pwjros tu Aoyqp ov iTirw avnj 6 'Iqtrofa, aal iwo0! SovAot vir/jvTTprar avnji

*5^? ^* o.vrov KarafiatvovTQG

\tyavrts Srt 6 wats avrov

My

"

right.

169

jj.

52. hrv&ero oSr t^v eSpay Trap' avrwk

child," the father says in his anguish;

little

cf.

Mk. 9s* wvmjp tqv iraiSiov,

50 The answer of Jesus tests the father severely, "Go
thy way thy son lives," When the father had left the boy, he
t

was

death {v. 47); but the only assurance that

Jesus gave was that the boy was still living. See Introd.,
at the point of

p. clxxx.

41 * 4S

).
(4
collocation

0^10. mu T^pa-rft does not occur again in

The
1*
208
Jn., but it is frequent in the Greek Bible (Ex, *}\ Isa. 8
12
& 7 s8
Dan. 4 a 9 6OT Mt. 24" Mk. i 3 aa Acts s 1** M 4* 5
12
10
t^os,
2 Cor, 12 , 2 Thess. 2*, Heb. a*),
143 15**, Rom. is
,

HEALING OF THE NOBLEMAN'S SON

XV.4IMI1.]

[IV.

Before faiareva-w the

(AC NT A), but om.

For the constr, f cf. 5*7 ; and note that

X4y,
believed without any corroboration of Jesus' words.

*rriVrtt/iT*i' Tfi

" a prodigy," never occurs in the N.T. except in conjunction

with cn/fiwjv. No doubt a o-ij/itiov need not be miraculous, but
the Jews, like all the peoples of early ages, were more ready
*'
supernatural'*
to see the Divine power in what seemed to be
(t
not
likely that they
order; and it is
natural
than in the
would have distinguished sharply a <nj/iov from a rcpus. Jn.
is specially prone to use the word (^/hw when speaking of the
11
** works" of Jesus {see Introd,, p. clxxvi, and also on a
where the relation between faith and " signs " in the Fourth
Gospel is considered).
This might be interrogative: "Will
ou pi) TTKmti0T|Te.
you not believe without signs ? '* But more probably it is
categorical: " You will not believe, etc." That the Jews
" seek signs " (1 Cor. i 23) was as true at Cana as in

rec, inserts ro.1

KBDW.
man
zow

the

See

Jerusalem. The plural marnJoT/T* may indicate that the

words, although addressed to an individual, include in their
reference a whole class of people to which the nobleman
belonged*
For this mode of address, see on i 38
49. wFpw, " Sir,"
The man perceives that his request has not
Kaidfirfiu
been definitely refused, despite what Jesus had said to him
and to the bystanders as to the imperfection of a faith based on

The impft, marks the continuous progress

of the man's journey, and not any sudden movement of departure*
Cf* Mt, 241 , Lk 2 3 7* IQ 4* 24*, for ilTQpCVt.TO.
By some commentators a difficulty has been found in the
statement of v, 52, that the anxious father did not reach home
until the next day, although Jesus' words of assurance had
been addressed to him at 1 p.m. (see on v. 52). But even if
we are to apply such strict tests of time and circumstance to
the Joharmine stories t there is no special difficulty here* It is
20 miles or more, the way being rough and hilly, from Cana to
Presumably the /JflurtXtxds had a retinue with
Capernaum.
him, and it would take some time to get them together for the
journey. Even if an immediate start had been made in the
midday heat, it would not have been easy to reach Capernaum
the same evening. If we are to speculate about such a matter
it seems probable that the father got home early the next
morning, for his anxiety would have prevented him resting at
night on the way. If he left Cana at 3 pjn. and got home at
2 a.m. next morning, all the time conditions of the story would
be satisfied.
61. Lfl^rno-av.
So KBCDLN0W; the rec. has ^npt/.

"

Cf.

'

signs."
In like manner, Martha and Mary
TpU- diroSapELf ?A v. p.
(ii 31 -*2) thought that for Jesus to rescue their sick brother
t
Duplex imbecillitas
from death, He must be by his bedside.
rogantis, quasi Dominus necesse haberet adesse, nee posset
aeque resuscitate mortem. At qui etiam ante quam descendit
parens, vitae restitutus est filius eius " (Bengel).
fam. 13 have vUv for mttSiav. But not
ri ircu&LW fiou.
only is Trtit&tov the word in the best texts; it is obviously

kql ^TTDpeJero.

ai - 3

After

i2 u

afirfi

the rec. adds

mu

dhnjyyctAup

(D have

TjyyeiAav);

om, BLN,
6
it

is

v,

49-

This is the only appearance of wetcs in Jn., and

ttois.
replaced (wrongly) by vlos in
fam, 13. See on

For

DL

afrraii

(kABCW),

ori after Xeyovrts

the rec, has

o-mi

(with

DL&),

as if

were 3 recitantis introducing the actual

words of the servants.

170
hr

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST,

JOHN

f IV.

fiS-54

KoptyoTtpav ttrjfjEV- ttwav ovv avry SVi TfyBk &p*v ^oftijv

avrov b vvptro^.
53. lyvto ovv 6 wartjp on CKCiyg ry wpp iv
*0 i/ids <rou fl' k1 cvurrEwev avrac a* afci'a
77 euTEr <tvT< o 'Iiprous
mrroS 0A17.
54* Touro 8c iraXw hivrtpov (ryjfttiov iirofyo-ev a 'LotpC^
(Atio)? Ik 1^9 'TotiWas s r^r raAtAatW

VX

Iff*]

THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

The Feeding of ike Five Thousand

jj

171

(VI. 1-13)

atftiJKCV

53, ^rfuflcTo.
This is the best attested reading. Fam. 13
give the more usual form ijrvv$dver<h
Trvv&dvopai does not
occur again in Jn.
tV dpav Trap* aft?. So
the rec, has wop'
ivtw rqr aipav ; B Omit3 rap' aurmv, and has ttjv upa? txttvyv.
iwji Koplrfrtpw Ioxcp, "in which he got better," the aor,
marking a definite change in his condition. Kajjuj/ortpov is not
found again in the
or JST.T., but the phrase myi^fc ? e lSj
" you are doing finely," occurs in Arrian, Epict. m\ 10. x an
13,
apposite passage cited by Wetstein. Kop^vrcpov hrx& is good,
idiomatic Greek, and does not read like a translation from the

kACDNW;

LXX

Aramaic.

Cf, Introd,, p. Ixvii,

So BCLNW; the rec. has

Kirov (NAD).
3n {reeitantis) introduces the actual words of the servants.
The spelling ly$l% (AB*CDW) must be preferred to the
rec. x&k (cf. Acts 7" Heb. if).
cTtfiip q3p.

Apaf

sc. about the seventh hour, the ace. being

than the dat. of v. 53 ; see Ex, 9 1* tq.vt7jv rrjy
upav avptav, "to-morrow about this hour" (cf. Rev. 3* naiav
5pap).
The seventh hour was 1 p.m. (see on 1 s9). The point
may be, however, that it was common belief that the seventh
hour of fever was the critical hour, Clement of Alexandria
{Strom, vi. 16) thought that the seventh day of any disease
ifih&ivrir,

less definite

marked

the

crisis.

" the fever ". The word occurs again in

T
8 16 Mk. i 31 Lk. 4* Acts 28s
"
BS, Utiv^ rg 5pa,
that very hour," the dat. fixing the hour
definitely.
The rec. text prefixes iv, but *BC omit. In this
was the o^ptiov, that the fever left the boy at the exact time
that Jesus said, " Thy son lives."
iiwmvtnv, " believed," the verb being used absolutely, to
express complete faith (see on i T),
nai tJ dEkui afirov SKt\,
Cf. Acts 18s
64. ir6\tv SeuTfpo^.
This tautologous phrase occurs again
2I 1*; cf. TrdXtv Ik ScuTtpQv, Mt. 26 48 Acts 1015
The sentence points back to the miracle at Cana, which
Jn. says was the first of the " signs " of Jesus; and it calls
attention to the fact that the healing of the nobleman's son
was, like the earlier sign, wrought after Jesus had left Judsea
A irupeTds,

only at

Mt

for Galilee.

Tllff. The

incident of the Feeding of the Five Thousand

is the only one in the public ministry of Jesus before the last
visit to Jerusalem which is found in all four Gospels; Mk,, Mt.,
and Jn. (but not Luke) adding an account of the Storm on the
Lake. The Synoptists (Mk. 6* 1 *; Mt. 14"^ Lk. wt >) agree
9
in placing the miraculous feeding after the return of the Twelve
from their mission, and after the beheading of John the Baptist.

The labours which

the apostles had undertaken made a period

of rest desirable (Mk. 6 ai) and also it was but prudent to go
into retirement for a time, as Herod's suspicions had been
aroused, and he was desirous of seeing Jesus (Lk, s). The
9
setting of the miracle in Jn. is not inconsistent with these somewhat vague indications of the period in the ministry of Jesus
;

which it was wrought.

Reasons have been given already for the conclusion (see
Introd., j>. xvii) that cc. 5 and 6 have been transposed, so that
at

in the original draft of Jn.> c. 6 followed directly after c. 4.

At the end of c. 4 Jesus and His disciples are at Cana, and we
now find them crossing the Sea of Galilee to its north-eastern
side.
They probably followed the road familiar to them (2 1*),
and went down from Cana to Capernaum, where they had their
heavy 1 fishing-boat (to ttXoiqv, Mk, 6 M). Mk. (followed by
Mt.) says that the place to which they went by boat was " a
desert place," as Jesus wished to retire for a time from public
view, but that the crowd followed them by road, evidently being
able to observe the course the boat was taking, and arrived
before them (Mk. 6 s3 33). Jn. rather Implies that Jesus and
His disciples arrived first (6s). Lk. (9 10) gives the name of the
place as Bethsaida, by which he must mean Bethsaida Julias
(et Tell) at the extreme north end of the lake, on the eastern
side, for no other Bethsaida is known. 2
These data are all
fairly consistent with each other, if we suppose that the place
was the little plain on the north-eastern shore (about a mile
south of Bethsaida Julias) which is now called el-Batihah.
This was grazing ground, and there would be abundance of
grass there at the Passover season (cf. 6 4, w, Mk. 6 3e). 8
hill
3
This plain is about 4 miles by boat
(6 ) rises up behind it.
from Tell
(the most probable site of Capernaum; see on
-

Hum

1
1

As it held thirteen persona, it must have been a large boat.

The supposition that there was another Bethsaida on the western

shore lacks evidence, and is improbable. Cf. I2 ai

8 It is said that
grass is found there at all seasons (W. M. Christie,
D.CG. ii. 58g) ; cf Rix {Tent and Testament, pp. 265 ff.) for the geographical problem.
.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

172
I.

Mera ravra

ST,

JOHN

amJAtfev o lijtroSs v4pav Ttj*

FaXiXaiixs rfjs Tj/fcpictSos.

2.

^JtoXou^ei Si

[VL

1-2.

BaXao-tnyi

ri}s

avry o^Aos

iroXife,

on

THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

Via-4.]
*ts

to opo?

'Iijo-ovs,

icctt

Se iyyvs to irdo ^al

,

ff

Ikl ind&yjro fitra

iopr^

iw

tw /tadif ruv

"IouSntiov.

5,

ourou.

iirdpas

173
4.

vpr

ovv tois

and Lk. 911 however, record that Jesus began the day on this
occasion by healing the sick. This is not mentioned by Mk.
On the other hand, Mk, 6** (followed by Lk. 9", but not by
Mt ) says that the earlier part of the day was spent in teaching
the people but neither for this nor for works of healing is there
room in the Johannine narrative (see below on v. 5). Jn.
seems to know the Marcan story (see on v. 7), but he corrects
,

and perhaps 9 miles from It by following the path along

the western shore and crossing the fords of Jordan where it
flows into the lake from the north. It was the latter route that
a

18

),

See further 6 15 '*

followed Jesus,
phrase,
see
Introd., p. cviiL
this
For
1. jirrA yaura.
dakatrvn. r^s TaXikaia^ is the name given in Mt. and
tj
"
Mk. to the lake called in the O.T, the ,( Sea of Chinnereth
1
11
XC/unj
rewyrraptT
in
Lk,
(Num. 34 , etc,)- It is called 9
5 ,
and ^ QaXao-ira rljs Tt^eptnSos in Jn. 2i x , Tiberias was a
town on the western shore, founded a.d. 22 by Herod Antlpas,
and named after Tiberius, which shows that the designation
11
the Sea of Tiberias " could hardly have been current during
our Lord's ministry. 1 Accordingly the double designation
found here, rifs ftiAno-oTjs Tiffs TaktXata? tt}f Ti^eptaSos, shows
((
the Sea of Galilee/
the use of the contemporary name
followed by the explanatory gloss " that is, of Tiberias," added
to identify the lake for Greek readers at the end of the first
If we ascribe ttjs 6a\a.a-iry^ tiJs raAiAm'qs to the
century
aged apostle, John the son of Zebedee, when telling his
reminiscences, the addition t^s T^fcputSoe would naturally be
made by the evangelist, whom we call Jn. Cf. v. 23 for the
town of Tiberias.
So ttBDLNW. But the rec. mi rjxoMSu
2. 4jko\qu0 U,
(ATA) is quite in Jn/s manner, who often uses na( for Se
(see below, v. 21).
11
great crowd was following Him " (cf. Mt. I413,
qu j
aa
Le*
not
only
did
they
follow
Him
now,
when
and see Mk. 6 ),
He wished to be in retirement, but they had been following
Him about before He crossed the lake; qvoAoufci is the
impft. of continued action. Their reason was " because they
were noticing the signs that He was doing on the sick."
ifeupow (BDLN) is the better reading, as preserving the
idea that they had been continually observing His powers of
38
healing (for Oewptur in a like context, cf. a ), but btri have
haS d0>pQVVTf*.
i&fKUY*
As Jn. represents the matter, it was previous works of
healing that had attracted the attention of the crowds; e.g.,
presumably, the cure of the nobleman's son, which has just
been narrated (44eff0* Cf. also the works of healing narrated
1
1
Mt. 14 14
in Mk. ! 2 3 &> but not described by Jn.
1 Josephus {B.J. iii- 3> 5) has rfc rpA* TtpeptiSa \Lfix^t, which Niese
notes as having been altered in inferior MSS, to Tij3eptdJ.
the crowds took

who

Lk

it

as he proceeds.

See Introd.,

p. xcvii.

M " Jesus went up to the hill,"

i,e. the hill rising out of the little plain by the shore.
Mk.
(6**), followed by Mt., mentions the hill after his narrative
29
of the miracle; but
(15 ), in telling what preceded the
parallel miracle of the Feeding of the Four Thousand, says,
as Jn. does here, avaf3as *fc to $po$ iKa&Tjro lxci
Perhaps Jn,
has borrowed here from Mt., but this is unlikely, 1
It was the habit of Jesus to sit when He taught, as the
S. dri]X6tEK Sc cis t4 opos

*lij

Mt

Mk. 41 a* 6, Mt. 26**, Lk. 4s0

go up to the hills, whether for
teaching (Mt. 5 1 24 s ) or for prayer (Mk. 6*, Lk, 6 ia 9 s8),
The verb kvip^^ox occurs again in N.T. only at Gal, i 1 *
and K*D give dirijXOtv here.
This narrative represents Jesus and His disciples as having
Rabbis were accustomed to do
2
3
and He was wont
5 [Jn.] S )
;

(cf,

to

arrived at the eastern side of the lake before the crowd, who
according to Mk* (6 M) had arrived there first. According to
Mk. 6W, Lk. 910, the disciples who were with Jesus were the
"apostles"; and this is implied in Jn/s narrative, though
not explicitly stated, for the twelve baskets of fragments of
v 13 indicate that the number of disciples present was twelve.
t

See on

a
.

has been pointed out a that, although t& vAu^a. is

read hereby all MSS, and vss,, yet there are patristic comments
on the verse which suggest that some early writers did not
treat " the feast " of 6* as a Passover, and that therefore the
texts before them did not include the words to rx a at &**&
point* Thus Irensus {H&r. n. xxii. 3) is silent as to this
Passover, although it would have been apposite to his argument to use it. 3 If to irdxrxa. were omitted here, it would be
natural to identify the feast of this verse with the Feast of
4, It

1 See Introd^ p. xtvi.

Streeter, The Four Gospels, p. ^13, hazards
the guess that the words ico^is ti? ri 6pot ixAff-ip-G iicei originally stood
in the text of Mk.
* Most explicitly by Hort, Select Readings, p. 77.
* See Introd., p. xviii.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

174

(Xp&aXfiov^ o

Xrjvovs at tfecurapevos

on

ST.

JOHN

["vX 4-5.

itqAtjs oy^Aos ipyerat

wpas

VX<5-6.]
aural/,

\yu

afroi;

Tabernacles noted in

Having regard

to the importance
described as pre-

of the (rnvfvoTnjytn3 it might properly be

eminently Jj iopT^i r&v 'louSatw (see on 7 a ). But it would
be precarious to omit words so fully attested as to irdtrxa *
and on the hypothesis, which has been adopted in this Commentary, that c. 5 comes after c. 6 (see Introd., p. xviii), all is
clear.
The Passover mentioned here as t( near " is the feast

whose celebration

narrated in 5 1 ; t\e, it was the second

Passover of the public ministry of Jesus (that mentioned in 2 13
being the first), and was probably the Passover of the year
28 A.D.
For the phrase " feast of the Jews" see on a ia ; and cf.
is

6.

THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

TTpos teiXiirirtiv

tqvto

Uo$ev ayoptW/tev

&*yw

te

n-et/mwK

tLpravs

aftroV

Iva.

avr&s yap

175

tfrdyiwur

gn

ri

It is to be observed that in the narratives of the

Feeding of
the Four Thousand (Mk. 84 Mt, 15 33), although not in the
parallel narratives of the Feeding of the Five
Thousand, the
disciples put this question (w66cr) to Jesus,
The question is
the same as that which Moses puts to Yahweh (Num.
13
,

7rQ0zv

Zovvat TravTt

tw Aa<

),

and the misgivings

of Moses, when he reflects that he had 600,000 footmen
to feed, are expressed in terms not unlike those which
Philip
fun, jcpeo

uses here, irav to

Apteeavt nvTOtf

etyos

(Num.

Another (XT.

Tovrtp;

rfc daArfroqg owax^tjcrnm avrofe

n 33

ttal

).

parallel

may

be found in 2 Kings 4 *, where

servant exclaims at the impossibility of feeding a
hundred men with twenty barley loaves and ears of corn " in
his sack " (tiKwrt aprons KpiQwmn koX iraXdOas, i.e,
cakes).
The
narrative relates that Elisha said, Ao* tiS \ a < teal lo-Qt&rtotrav
declaring that Yahweh had told him there would be enough
and to spare. And so it was: tyayov ko! KarAtnw. This is a
story which bears a likeness to the Feedings cf the Multitudes
in the Gospels, in detail much more striking than the
story of
the miraculous increase of meal and oil by Elijah's intervene
tion (1 Kingsi? 1 *).
See Introd., p. ctsxxi.
However, in Jn.'s narrative the question (irfQcv) is a question
put by Jesus Himself to Philip, Philip was of Bethsatda
(i 44), and presumably he knew the neighbourhood
he was
;
thus the natural person of whom to ask where bread could be
bought. This is one of those reminiscences which suggest the
testimony of an eye-witness. The Synoptists, in their accounts
of the wonderful Feedings of the Multitudes, do not name
individual disciples; but Jn. names both Philip and Andrew
and their figures emerge from his narrative as those of real
persons, each with his own characteristics.
See below on
^

4af

Elisha's

It has been suggested that this note about the approaching

Passover was introduced into the narrative to explain the large
concourse of persons who were present on the occasion of the
miracle, and who are supposed to have been thronging the
roads on the way to Jerusalem for the observance of the feast.
But the north-eastern comer of the lake is hardly a point at
which we should expect to find thousands of such travellers.
Jn. is fond of introducing notes of time into his narrative (see
p. di), and he has similar notes about approaching festivals at
3 ia ^a ll x
iyyifs is a favourite word with him, both in relation
to time and to distance.
3
5* irrfpas oft- to&s ^^aX^oils 6 hj.
For this phrase, see on
4* where, as here, it is followed by the verb fcacrflai. It is
used again of Jesus at 17 1 cf. also ir41 and Lk. 6 W. For
t

0ca<r#ai see

on i u

fyXos, ** apparently the o^Xos irok\k of v. 2 (see on

followed Jesus and His disciples round the head
of the lake.
But, no doubt, once it was known where He was,
iroXtte

9
1 a ),

who had

people would flock to the place from the neighbouring villages

to see and hear Him.
According to the Synoptists (see on
v, 2), the crowd came upon Jesus early in the morning, and
the .day was spent teaching or healing their sick. Then,
towards evening, the disciples suggest that the people should
be sent away that they might buy food for themselves, Jn,
tells nothing of teaching or healing on this occasion, and he
represents Jesus as having foreseen, as soon as the crowd began
to gather, the difficulty that would arise about food. When He
saw the great multitude coming, He asked Philip, " Whence
are we to buy loaves ? "
Bnrtdtt
(En. da Mepharreshi, ii,
tradition is against omitting r6 vd<rx<t-

313) shows that the Syriac

v. 8.

Xiy*i irpds +X.

For dyopcfcTQ^ev

For

this constr., see

on

2s

(wABDNW),

the rec. has ayopdmfur.

ktX.
We have seen already
(cf.
is apt to comment on the words
of Jesus and offer explanations of them. The comment at
this point is probably due to a misunderstanding (as
at 2 ai )
Jn. thinks it necessary to explain why Jesus asked Philip where
bread could be bought, because he hesitates to represent Him
as asking a question which would suggest His ignorance
of
the answer.
But the true humanity of Jesus is not realised,
if it is assumed that He never asked questions about
the simple
matters of every day.

aMv

to5to
eXivei' Tttip&lwv
Introd,, p. xxxiv) that Jn,

8.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

176

JOHN

ST.

[VI- 6-8.

6 *tXur?ros Auutwrtwr fypapuuv

AttySij.
8. Aeyet
aprot owe apxovatv avrois, tva tKaffro? fiptyty
ut tfe e
pofirfrviv avrov, 'AvSpeas 6 d5e\^o* St/uupns Iltrpffu,
t/icAAo' -iroutv.

7.

wjrttpi6jj avr<j>

iw

THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

VI. 8-0-]
9,

"lScm? TratSaptOf &5e Ss ^xei

7r

^re

.prov<s

Kpi&tvovs

TfJ
kqX

S1J0

but Jn. has it again at 124 13 s "; cf, i8 17 - a5

For the
constr. cU Ik followed by a gen. plur., see on i 40
For the designation of Andrew as " Simon Peter's brother,"
His first impulse of discipleship was to find Peter
see on i 40
and bring him to Jesus (r41 ). He appears here as a resourceful
person who tries to find a practical answer to the question put
&);

On His way to
Jn. does not write thus of Jesus elsewhere.
84
tomb of Lazarus, Jesus asks where it is (n ). When He
saw the fishing-boat on the lake. He asked them if they had
caught any fish (21*, where, however, He may be represented
It U by a like
as knowing that nothing had been caught).
mistaken idea of reverence that the later Synoptists often omit
questions which Mk, represents Jesus as asking, e.g. : "Who
45
omitted by Mt.).
touched my garments?" (Mk. 5" Lk* S
"Seest thou aught? " addressed to the blind man who was
" How long time
heated by stages, is found only in Mk, 8**.
" asked of the epileptic boy's
is it since this hath come to him ?

the

father

(Mk, 9 s1),

is

omitted by Mt. and Lk.

question, "Where can bread be bought?"

asked by Jesus of a disciple who was familiaT with the locality,
needs not to be explained or explained away,
-MLpafctv does not occur again in Jn., hut that by itself does
not prove the verse to be a later gloss, although it raises the
question if it may not have been added after Jn. had completed his work.
There IS no
7. BtanocrLCi* SrfvapLui' aproi q&k dpKoftrtv ktX.
mention of the " two hundred pennyworth " in Mt. or Lk,,

The simple

but Mk. 6K makes the disciples say kyopaatapw S^apiW

It is probable that Jn. is recalling the
StoKoo-iW aprous;
phraseology of Mk. at this point, although it is possible that
two distinct traditions, that which came through Peter and
that which came through John the son of Zebedee, have independently preserved the same remark made by disciples. Jn,
several times betrays a knowledge of the Marcan narrative,
which he corrects where necessary. 1
A denarius was the ordinary day's wage of a labourer
2
Even if the disciples had as much as two
(cf. Mt* 20 ).
hundred denarii in their common purse (13**), which is
improbable, Philip points out that they would not purchase
enough bread to feed five thousand people, nor would
it be easy to rind so much bread in the vicinity without
.

notice.
is a reminiscence of the phrase tva ckdqtq? Pp^X"
in a passage quoted below (v. n) from the second-

There

XtT|

century Acts of John,,

is

This description of an apostle

8, *ts 4k twv fjta(h|Tw auroO.
1
not found in the Synoptists (except at Mk, 13 , without
1

Sec Introd., p. xcvii.

to Philip by Jesus, although be does not think that he has been

'
successful in gathering a sufficient supply of food. In is* 23
Philip and Andrew are again associated in somewhat similar
fashion, Philip not knowing what to do until he has consulted
Andrew. These notices in Jn. supply the only indications of
Andrew's character that we have, and it is interesting to observe
their consistency with each other.
The only distinctive
mention of Andrew in the Synoptists is at Mk. 1,3* where he
appears as associated with the inner circle of the Twelve
Peter, James, and John.
second-century notice of Andrew and Philip shows that
they were held to be among the leaders of the Twelve. When
Papias collected traditions from the elders of his day, he used

What did Andrew and what did Peter say ?

ask them,
Or what did Philip ? Or what Thomas or James or John or
Matthew ? " (Eus, B,M. iiu 39. 4), placing them respectively
first and third of the apostles whom he names.
In the Muratorian Fragment on the Canon, Andrew is
*

to

'

specially associated with the writing of the Fourth Gospel:

u eadem nocte revelatum Andreae ex apostolis utj recognoscentibus cunctis > Johannes suo nomine cuncta describeret ' ;
and it is possible that his intimacy with John the son of
Zebedee was handed down by tradition, although it cannot be
held that he lived until the Gospel was published (see Introd.,
p. Ivi).
9. In the Synoptists the five loaves and two fishes are the
In Jn ,
provision which the disciples had for their own use.
Andrew reports that a lad was present who had this food with
him, possibly having brought it from a neighbouring village,
for Jesus and the Twelve.
TOiBrfpior.
There is no mention of this lad in the SynopThe word TraiSaptov does not occur elsewhere
tists; see above.
in the N.T., but it is frequent in the LXX; and it must be
noted that it is the word used of Elisha's servant (2 Kings
s8 43
4 * ) in the passage immediately preceding the story of
Elisha's multiplication of the loaves (see above on v. 5),
t

The rec. has jnuSopioy h (ArA); kBDLNW ran, fv.

The Synoptists sometimes use eU or ik, as a kind of indefinite
vol,

1,

12

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

178
oifrapta,*

iXXJa ravra rt itrrtv

ST.

e toctovtous;

II^craTe tovs 6v$punrov$ ajxHrctretv.

avfareirav afiv ol 3.vpc? tqv
roinp.

JOHN

[71*0-10.

10. Tjrn

'ItjctoOs

%v Sc yppr&i woXvs iv r
&pi$pov s irevTaxurxiktoi*

VL

10-11.]

II.

Vuifttv ofo rois aprons o

THE FEEDING OF THE FIVE THOUSAND

179

lucres koI evxapurryms 5icSkv tow

sloping hillside (as here) or on a couch (as at the

Last
Supper, 13" ai *). Mk. uses Svamrmv as well as AnueA/wtv
in his parallel narrative; Mt. has orucAtWv only,
and Lk.
1

s
or tt (cf. Mt. S 10 26 *); but this is not the style
s4
4*
of Jn. (cf., however,
19 )It is only Jn, who tells that the loaves were of
KpiOcraus.
Bailey bread, being cheaper than wheaten, was the
barley,
common food of the poor; cf. Judg. 7 13 and Ezek. 131 *. Reference has already been made to pTau? ftpiQiwus in the
Elisha story {2 Kings 44a).
The Synoptists say Svtf tyS^n; and Mt, and
%6o 6^idpia.
Mk. in the parallel narrative of the Feeding of the Four Thou-

blessing them, caused

sand say o\iya

host.

article, for Tts

E^ftJSia.

e 10 18 in the
tyaptov (only found here and at 2i
" cooked
originally
meant
which
dim.
of
Bible)
is
a
Greek
fyov
food," and thence came to be used of any relish taken with
1
food; e.g. in Pap. Fay, 119* * t yarttria, Fcp&Xqe trip-fas
1
Thus
ttyapuij the otf/apta were delicacies for a birthday feast.
6$dpta in the present passage stands for dried or pickled fish.
The curing of fish was an important industry on the shores
of the Sea of Galilee, and is alluded to as such by Strabo.*
Neither in Jn. nor in the Synoptic narrative is there any mention
of lighting a fire and cooking fish on the occasion of the miracle
and it is not to be supposed that the meal was of raw, fresh fish

The word

"

See, however, on zi 10
6
10, TroiTJcr*" (for the aor. imper., see on a ) to&s drGprfirau?
The R,V. distinguishes
o&v at cL^Spe*,
Amireocu *
*

and bread.

Wvxtw

so the
from avSp "make the people sit down
men sat down," suggesting that the women (or children), if
But no such discrimination is
present, remained standing.
indicated in the Synoptic accounts, and it would, in the circumstances, be improbable, despite the Oriental subordination
of women: hrtraitv airots AvatiXt$y)vat TrdvTas is Mk's statement, avrjp is an infrequent word in Jn., occurring again
only I 18 w and 41** 17, a (of a husband); and it may be that
its introduction here is due to a reminiscence of Mk/s
?rn-acr^t\toi avhpts, to which Mt. afterwards added the gloss
XpipU yvmttiwv *o-i wat&twvt as he did also in the parallel nar1
8
rative of the Feeding of the Four Thousand (Mt. I4* is *).
Jn. returns to the word &v6punroi at v. 14.
dwMmrrKF is "to lie back" or " recline," whether on the
dvfl/Mirrous

About 100

xvi. c. 2, 45,

p. 454,

the

who

A.iK;,

adds, "

Roman world."

The

by

Milligan, Vvcab.
G- A. Smith, Hist, Geogr. oj Holy Land,
pickled fish of Galilee were known throughout

cited

quoted

by

KaraicXivtLv*

" there was much grass"-green grass, Mk.

spring-time, after the rainy season, just before
the Passover (v. 4), Jn. does not mention the
greenness of
toe gprass, nor does he say anything about the people
being
distributed into groups or companies.

X^tos

iroXriff,

saysit being

11. eXiifrp

oSv tq4s

amyous.

them

to

Jesus took the loaves, and

be distributed, thus acting as

It is remarkable, and probably significant, that

Jn., alone
of the evangelists, does not say that the loaves were broken by
Jesus, as well as blessed.
In all the narratives descriptive of
the Feedings of the Multitudes, except this,
we have fyrovs
efcWr or Ka.TK\afrtv Toi? &prov* or the like.
t
Jn, never uses the
verb kXow or KuraKkdu.
Now, in all the accounts of the
institution of the Lord's Supper, that Jesus * brake the
Bread "
is explicitly mentioned,
only one loaf being
used.
The rite itself is called in Acts 2 ^ jEXduro rov aprov
(cf. Acts 20*, and perhaps Acts 27**), so
essential a feature was
the breaking of the one loaf deemed to be.
Thus, in this
particular, the Johannine narrative of the Feeding of the Five
Thousand is less suggestive of the action of Jesus at the Last
Supper than are the Synoptic narratives of the same miracle.
By the omission of apron? ixXaa-w Jn. has deviated from the
Synoptic tradition in a fashion which suggests that he did not
regard the miraculous meal, which he describes, as anticipatory
of the sacrament with which he was familiar, although he does
not tell of its institution. The discourse which follows (cf.
esp. w, 52-56) cannot be interpreted without including
a
sacramental reference; but it would seem, nevertheless, that
Jn. wishes to avoid suggesting that the miraculous feeding
was a sacramental meal.
It is just possible, although unlikely, that
Jn. omits all
mention of the breaking of the bread, not because he did not
regard the meal as sacramental, but because he lays stress on
the circumstance (193*) that the Body of Christ was not broken

&W<r

on the Cross.
We must also note

'

that Jn, omits the words, dvafiktya*

before the blessing of the loaves, which are
common to all three Synoptists. This "lifting up of the
tyQs " was a very ancient feature of the Eucharistic rite, and
fe

tov

<*<jpav6v

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

iSq

we cannot be

how

sure

far

back

it

goes

ST*
(cf.

JOHN

n"

17 1 ,

[VL

11*

and

see

on 4*)In another detail, /#r contra^ Jn,'s narrative of the Feeding

of the Five Thousand suggests the Last Supper more clearly
than the Synoptists do. In Jn,, it is Jesus Himself who distributes the loaves to the multitudes, SiiEujcEr $ AraK^p&ow,
just as He distributed the Bread to His disciples on the eve of
His Passion (cf. also 21") but in the Synoptists, it is the Twelve
who, acting under His direction, bring the loaves round, which
probably was what actually took place Jn. s StcBt* ttcv however,
need not be taken as excluding the assistance of the Twelve
j

'

in the distribution, although this is not explicitly mentioned.

Qui facit per alium y facit per se.
The rec. text inserts after SiiSwKcv the words rot* ^o^rats,
c
0! Si pM&vjrat (so K DrA@), but this is a harmonising gloss
introduced from Mt. 141 *. The intercalated words are not

found

*ABLNW or in most vss.

must now examine the word

in

We

parallels

*fixaP l !" i ffa* " having

used in the Synoptic
Lk, 9); but Mk. (a 8 ) and Mt.
li

tlXaytiv is the verb

given thanks."

(Mk. 6*\ Mt, 141*,

e^P

36
in a similar context in their narratives
10
1
(iS ) have
of the Feeding of the Four Thousand, In the accounts of the
19
institution of the Lord's Supper, Lk, (22 ) and Paul (1 Cor.
ii 24) use m^o^"" of the Blessing of the Bread, while Mt,
as
27
it of the Blessing of the
C26 ), Mk, (i4 ), and Lk. (22") use
Cup, the Cup being called by Paul to irorrqpiQv rr)s thXaytas
ie
In these passages it is not possible
8 wkoyovjAcr (1 Cor, io ).

to distinguish in

'

meaning between vu^apurr^v and

tlXoytiv, 1

although tvxapKrrdv and tvxapvrrta soon came to be used in

a special sense in connexion with the Holy Communion (cf.
Ignat. Phtlad. 4 rnravoa.o-a.Te afiv ju <uxaP t(7TtVf an^ see Justin,
Apol. i. 66, and Irem Htzr iv. 18. 5).
But the verb mkoyeiv is never used in Jn. (except once in
4
a quotation, 12 13); and he uses tuxapurrtiv elsewhere (n *,
is
reference
sacramental
Uarcp uxttpt(jT<u voi) where no
In this general sense, "giving of thanks," cvxapumtv
possible.
(Judith 8s6 ,
occurs a few times in the later books of the
s1
a Mace. 12 ) and in Philo, as well as frequently in the N.T,,
u
e.g. Lk. 17" i8 , and very often in Paul.
* blessing"
It may be that the "giving of thanks" or
.

LXX

the evangelists mention in their narratives of the

miraculous Feedings of the Multitudes was the grace before
meat which the Lord used, and which was the usual habit of
"
1
grace
piety before a meal (cf. Deut. B *). The form of Jewish
<
our
which has come down to us is, Blessed art thou, O Lord

which

all

'

'

1 Ci.

Swete, J.T.S., Jan. 1902, p. 163,

VL

11-1&]

THE FEEDING OF THE

avaKCifio'otf, Sjuoiws mtt

iyirXTja-$fftj-nvr

Acyci

travra KAacjuara,

iic

row

tea jtq

t5k

THOUSAND

iSl

wrov rfitkov.
12. ws Se
avrov ZtwayaytTC Ta Trtpitrcfti-

Aifrapttay

p,a]&ifTa.i<;

FIVE

tLTroA.-qrcu.

13.

trvv^yayov ovyt kou

God, king of the world, who bringeth forth bread from the
earth." But if this is the allusion in tvxaP"TT 11^ or eiAoyTuas
in the evangelical narratives of the Miraculous Feedings, it is
curious that no such phrase occurs in connexion with the other
meals described in the Gospels at which Jesus presided or was
the principal Guest (Lk. 24 s* is sacramental). Jn. does not
hint that "a blessing" was asked or pronounced at the
Marriage Feast in Cana (2 1), or at the supper in Bethany (12 s),
or at the meal by the lake-side (21^). Cf. Mk. 14 s , Lk. 5 s* s7 .
7
In Acts 27 s5 it is said, indeed, of Paul Xafi&v &ptw evxapitmja-tv
rep Osy ivwmoy Travrwv ko.1 k\ql<tcls TJpfuro itr&ietv
but it IS not
clear that this was an ordinary meal preceded by a u grace/'
Knowling and Blass regard it as a sacramental celebration.
Whatever be the reason, it would seem that the evangelical
traditions handed down the incident of Jesus " blessing " the
loaves at the Miraculous Feedings as an incident of special
significance.
The similarity to this verse of Jn. zi t Xapfidvct
roy apTov ml h&wriv aurois ko.1 to vtir&piov fyiolws, brings out the
more clearly the omission of any such word as iuxa/jwrrift?
or evAoyijffas in the latter passage.
The stress that was laid in early times on the blessing of the
loaves, in connexion with their multiplication, is apparent in a
legend preserved in the second-century Acts of John (g 93):
**
If at any time He were bidden by one of the Pharisees and
went to the bidding, we accompanied Him; and before each
was set one Loaf by him that had bidden us. He also receiving
one loaf. And, blessing His own loaf, He would divide it
among us; and from that little each was filled ( toB ftpax*<*
^Kacrros IxapTdfrro
see v. 7 above), and our own loaves were
saved whole, so that they who bade Him were amazed." The
act of blessing is a preliminary condition of the miracle, according to this writer. See on 6 23 below.
&n>F TJGeXov*
All the evangelists agree in the statement
that the multitudes "were filled," i.e. that they had a sub~
stanrM meal, and not merely a scrap of food; but Jn. is even
more explicit, saying that of the fish as well as of the loaves
they had as much as they wished for.
13. KirX4jcr6if*ar.
The Synoptists have xoprda$iqu-av as
Jn. has at v. 26. The phrase p*ra to ^j.ir\f]<r0^vox used of the
Eucharist in the Didache (x, 1) probably comes from this
passage.
tA Tnpuro-nlawTa rcXtfffjiaTa.
Mk, (6 4B) has the curious

82

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

cytjjLurav

KpiBtvwv

wttoetai
Sl

Kixfiwov?

KXaa-fiaTwv

ST,

JOHN

twf iwtc

[YL 1&-1&
apenav

JESUS ACCLAIMED AS MESSIANIC KING

VI. 13-15,]

183

tu>v

iiripi&trtvtrav toTs fitfipwKoo-iv.

on p.i\Xoto-ty pyt&ua.t kox &piraay axiToy

wtx&pqvw wdkiy tfc to opoi au^v paves*

15. *Iij<rofc ofo yj-ois

expression ttXaa-fnara SciSe Kv^lvatv 7r\ifpwfmra 9 but Mt, (14 s0) has

v K\atrp,&Tti}vt and Lk* (9 17) has to itept<r<r&Jiray

avroU KKuATftArmv, Jn, uses Trtpi&trtutw only here and in v, 13
(he has irtpurffov at 1010); and it has been suggested that he
is here dependent either on Lk. or Mt., rather than Mk.
But he was quite capable of correcting Mk.'s TrAijpwjuaTn,
just as Lk. and Mt. have done, and the verb Trcpta-trtvttv is the
natural one to use. Jn. uses the word irkTJpwtta only of the
" fulness " of Christ (i ie)> andavoids it in all other contexts, perhaps because of its misleading employment in Gnostic systems*
icXrftrfLa is a word used in the
N.T, only in the Gospel
accounts of the miraculous feedings. It is rare in LXX, but
we find Kkda-fXMTijk 3ipTwv in Ezek, 13" and K\aa-p.art aptov in
Judg, 195 (A text)* It is used of the Bread of the Eucharist in

jrorqa-uurtv jfourxXca,

Iva

to irepurcrevor

the Didache (ix. 3).

Lightfoot 1 recalls a Jewish custom at meals of leaving
something over for those who served : this was called HMB,
peak. This possibly is behind the incident recorded here. The
apostles had each his travelling-basket or k6<jhvo$ (cf. Judg.
6 18 ), and having ministered to the people they went round and
collected what was left over.
Juvenal mentions the ko^ivo?
u quorum cophinus
as a basket characteristic of Jews:
foenurnque supellex " (Sat. iii, 14), All four evangelists have
the word kd^ivos, while in the parallel narrative of the Feeding
of the Four Thousand the word is vwvpts or xnfrvpts, which
was a hamper large enough to hold a man (Acts g*5).
It is Jn. alone who tells that it was at the bidding of Jesus
that the fragments were gathered up, and he alone adds a
reason, viz. Iva
-n A-rni>^Tai,
This is one of those comments upon his narrative to which Jn. is so prone (see p. xxxiv),
and no doubt it gives an excellent sense at this point. But the
Synoptists know nothing of this, and the Jewish custom of
leaving a peak or morsel at the end of a meal for the servers
provides a sufficient explanation of the matter.
There is no suggestion that the bread, miraculously provided, was like the manna of ancient days, which could not be
kept over from one day to another (Ex. 16 1*) and the objection
of the people recorded at v. 31 shows that they did not consider
the supply of bread that they had witnessed as at all comparable
with the manna from heaven which their fathers had enjoyed.
13. SdSeica.
This suggests that all the original apostles

were present.
1

Hot* Hebr, t

in,

30s.

Ik. v WtTc Sipruv ktX,

Mk, (6**) speaks of fragments of
the fishes being gathered up along with the fragments of the
loaves, but Jn. (as also Mt., Lk.) speaks only of the fragments
of bread.
peppvK&riK. The verb does not occur again in the N.T.

Jesus acclaimed as the Messianic Xing (w.

14. 6 Trpo4njn]$ A

tpx^pos eU tw

14, 15)

The people had

KQ<rpcY*

already been attracted because of the "signs" of healing

which Jesus did (v. 2); now this greater " sign ** led them to
think of him as
the prophet that cometh into the world,"
The woman of Samaria had heen convinced that He was
" a prophet " (4lft), as the blind man whom He healed said of
Him afterwards (917)> but the miracle of the loaves and
fishes inclined the eye-witnesses to go further, and to identify Jesus with the prophet of popular belief whom Israel
expected (see on 1 s1) as the fulfilment of the prophecy of Deut.
" They began to say " (ftcyw), " This is truly the
iS*5 ,
prophet that is coming into the world" (see on n"). Cf,
v.31.
dXrtOus is a favourite adverb with Jn.; cf. oWs itmv aXift&s
'

a-po^rtjiTTs

>

(7

10
),

and

(nfficto^

see

not &

on
.

i47 ,
,

mjp.ua,

reference being to the particular

described.

The rec, with ALNTA,

clearness, but

om,

"

ins.

is the true reading, the

sign " which has just been

6 lyovvt after tnjptiov, for

kBDW,

Jn, generally writes 6 *hjcravs (see on i*9), but we have

(without the art.) followed by o3^ as here, several
38
times; cf.
184 19 s3
yrofls on jjieXXouu^ cpx c *0<" KT^'
The excited people, having
concluded that Jesus was the prophet of their expectation,
began to plot how they might seize Him (apndUw) and
make Him king, that is, the Messianic king. The Jerusalem
Hosanna ** and
crowds had the same idea when they cried
greeted Him as " King of Israel " on His entry to the city
13
Indeed, it was made part of the charge against Him,
(1
).
that He had claimed to be " King of the Jews " (iS 38 '')- But
He would not accept the title in the sense in which they understood it.
He was not a political revolutionary. And so
16,

'lt|ffoGs

'

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

184
1 6.
14

He

Off oi

^ul

$yivf.TQs

ST,

JOHN

v. 3),

15-16.

avrov &rl

rifV

from which

He

Kariflifprav ot fAa&rjrai

-withdrew again to the hill" (see

[VL

had corae down to feed the people.

Mk. and Mt, tell nothing of the

Him again.
The storm on

16.

&Ka may

indicate

aou and Mt. 14"' ^J,

started,

the lake (aw. 16-21)

any time in the

The sun

late afternoon (cf.

had
became dark (o-kc, v. 1 7) while they were on
Mk. 6** notes that Jesus met them " about the fourth

and

set after the disciples

it

the lake.
watch of the night,"
.

Kai^p-qtrai',

*.*, about 3 a.m,

''they descended/* sc, from the slopes of the

hill.

16 ffr The incident is described with vividness. It was late

in the evening when the boat started on the return journey to
Capernaum (v. 17; see on v. 1), The wind had risen, and the
lake was stormy.
Mk. does not say that the destination of the
boat was Capernaum, although that is what we should have
expected: his words are fyd,yKGff*v roite pa0qras
irpoaytir
.
.

been

Turner

tt5

THE STORM ON THE LAKE

16-17.]

1$$

ttjoos Bij&ratBav (Mk. 6**), and he goes on to tell

by the storm, they landed ultimately at Gennesaret,
a little to the south of Capernaum. That is to say,

tS mr^pav

that, driven

fanatical excitement of the

crowds, or of their being so much impressed by the miracle
as to think of Jesus as Messiah; * the only hint the Synoptists
give of this being supplied by Lk., who follows up the narrative
of the Feeding by the story of the various answers to the
question, " Who do the multitudes say that I am ? *' (Lk* 9 1*)
which Mk. and Mt. put in another context.
Indeed, Mk. and Mt. give as the reason of Jesus' retirement
to the hill, that it was to pray, which is perhaps here suggested
by ft&vos. That was His habit, and such a motive for His
retirement is not inconsistent with His other motive, viz* to be
freed from the embarrassing attentions of the crowds.
Mk, and
Mt, tell that He dismissed the crowds (Mk. 6**, Mt. 142*), while
Jn. suggests rather that He escaped from them.
Probably
He tried to disperse them, but some, more obstinate and excited
than the rest, would not leave. It is these latter who come
before us in v. 22 as having remained until the next morning.
Again, Jn. does not mention that the return of the disciples
was ordered by Jesus, as Mk, and Mt. do; but it is evident
that they would not have left Him had they not been told to do
so.
He may have wished to remove them from the atmosphere
of political excitement which had been generated. Apparently
Jesus had not told His disciples exactly where and when they

would meet

VL

may have

{J.T.S., Jan. 1925, p. 148) suggests that it

this incident which attracted the attention of Herod (cf.

Mk. 6"J.

which

is

according to Mk., they made for Bethsaida in the first instance;

whether because they wished to take Jesus on board there, or
to land one of the party (it was the home of some of them; see
on i41), or because they wished to keep under the lee of the
land, in view of the impending storm, we cannot tell. In any
case the storm caught them, and when they had rowed 25 or
30 furlongs, that is, about 3 or 4 miles, they see Jesus
ireptfraTQvvTa hrl t^s ^oXauoT/s, and corning near the boat.
Now by this time, having rowed nearly 4 miles, they must
have been close to the western shore of the lake, and so Jn.
says: tv&iws tq irXoiay iyivero Ivl 1-75 yrfi cfc %v Wijyoy,
If we had only Jn.'s account of this incident, we should have
no reason to suppose that he intended to record any (< miracle.*'
1
The phrase
rfa BaXdtnrrr? (v. 19) is used by Jn. again at si *
where it undoubtedly means " by the sea shore "; and it is
probable that he means here that when the boat got into the
shallow water near the western shore, the disciples saw Jesus
in the uncertain light walking by the lake, and were frightened,
not being sure what they saw. Jn. does not say, as Mk. does,
that Jesus was received into the boat; he only says that they
were desirous to have Him with them, when they found that the
voyage was already over (v. 31). Nor does Jn. say anything
about a miraculous stilling of the storm (cf, Mk. 6*1) * Nor does
he say (as Mk. 64*, Mt. 14^) that the disciples thought they
had seen a phantasm (tftdvraajxa). So far from it being true
that we always find in Jn. an enhancement of the miraculous,
in this particular case, while the story as narrated by Mk.
(followed by Mt.) is miraculous, in Jn. there is no miracle
whatever. Nor does Jn, call the incident a " sign/' as he is
accustomed to speak of the miracles which he records (cf.
In short, this story, as told by Jn., is exactly the
v. 14).
kind of story that we might expect from John the son of
Zebedee, a fisherman with experience of the lake in all its

moods, well accustomed to its sudden storms, and knowing

the distance from one point to another (v. 19}, See Introd.,
p. cbcxvi.
17. jApaKTs efc itXolop. The same phrase occurs for embarkbefore vXqidv,
insert
ing 21 3 and 1 Mace* 15 37 ,
which no doubt gives the sense, it being probably their own
boat that they took for their return voyage; but KBLA
omit to.

ADTOW

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

86

ST.

JOHN [YL

17-19.

VL

19-29.]

JESUS

IS

FOUND AT CAPERNAUM

BaXdamjt koX yyus rov

6 Be \eyti auTots *EytS <te/tt,

ci "Kaxfrapvaavji.

Sfwpovfftv rov hjvovv Trtpnrarovvra eVt rjs

a{pTOuv

tt\o(ov ytro/ievovj

*l o*icma 1JS17 tytyovw koX qZtt& eAiyXuflet Trpos

6
Ii^rovsv 1 8- ^ t 0aAa<rcra dv^tou /Kyo&ou sryifovTOfi
SwystpfTO.
1 9* cXqXajcorcf ofo J>s oTaStouc tfiKOcrc TrtiTt ^ TptaKOt^ra

fax "* " they were going," the impft, being used for an
incompleted action.

cycY^^ n ^ rea d KdT*kaf$cv Se aurous 17

o-Korta,
"but darkness overtook them" (cf. iz 86 and i*,
where see note). This, again, gives the sense, but we follow
with the rec. text, although Karikafitv avrovs jj
a-Koria is a thoroughly Johannine phrase.
ovk is read for ouu by ATA, but ownn is better attested
(kBDLNW) and gives the better sense. Jesus had " not
yet " come to them. They had expected to meet Him at
Bethsaida Julias (see on 6" above), or at some other point,
but their course had been embarrassed by the storm. They
were probably keeping close to the shore on the look out for
Him, before the storm broke.
18. The sea was rising because of the squall.
We have the
same expression % BaXaxnra, . . . i&p/tCpcra, Jonah i 18
For

icai

o-koTia

tJSk]

ABLrANEW

19. ^XfjAarutrcs.
Cf. fSaxravtfcojievovz v ru iXavvtiv (Mk. 6**).
iXauvftv occurs again in N.T. only at Lk. 8", Jas. 1, 2 Pet. 2 17 .
3
They had rowed about 25 or 30 a Lades, i.e. t as a stade was

600

feet,

nearly 4 miles, and therefore, as has been

shown above

they were close to the western shore. Mk. says they

were cf jwu -rijs foXao-o^s (Mk, 6A7) t which need not mean
more than that the water was all round them, Mt. adds to
Mk.'s sentence, according to the text of B (although the other
uncials do not confirm this), oraStov* n-oAXUs ( has uearotfc)
Atra ttjs yifi Amgc, which seems to be a gloss derived from
the narrative of Jn,, but intended, after the manner of Mt., to
emphasise the miraculousness of the story.
In some texts of Mt. 14^ we have
rrjv $a\a#<rav for the
^
^
t% Qakatrays of Mk. 6 4S and jn. 619 The latter does not
necessarily mean more than "by the sea shore "
to read
l*rl rqv BaXatrvav would indicate beyond question
that Jesus
literally " walked on the sea."
Job says of the Creator that He
*' walks
upon the high places of the sea," mpunmw
iir'
(v. 16),

teat <j>of$r}$T]trav.

20.

I87

^opr$*.
21. tJ^eAop oZv Xafittv airov (ts to
tv&lws iyevtro to srAotbv Art 17J5 yfjs cts v fnri}yov-

fJLTf

ffAotoy,

K<tZ

iyybs rau irXoiov ywoptt'oy, jv, " getting near the boat/' a
use of yCyiropni for tp^op-ai which we have again in v, 25 ; cf.
Acts ao 1* 2 17 25 15
ifaft'ffliivav, " they were afraid," and so Jesus says
20 iyoS eE^ii,
<f>o0tff06.
These comforting words are
reported in identical phrase in the Marcan and Johannine
narratives (cf. Mk, 6W, Mt, T4 27 , both of which prefix $apo-&n)
They probably mean simply "It is I: be not afraid," the
Marcan account suggesting that the reason of the disciples'
alarm was that they thought Jesus was a spirit (^arra^a).
Another explanation has been offered of cyw et^t, viz. that it
stands for the self-designation of Yahweh in the prophets,
KVn;K,/(<ww)i5tej cf, S56 13 1*. But this explanation is not
necessary here, 1 and such a mystical use of words would be
foreign to the style of Mk. ? although there are parallels in Jn.
21. f)0Xoi oftv \afieiv aOrbv els tS ir\. t " they were wishing
to receive Him into the boat, and straightway the boat was
at the land." qtfeAw is used here as at 7**, i6 w , the wish
not being translated into action. Here Jn. is at variance with
Mk. (651), who says, as also Mt. does (with an amplification
about Peter's going to Jesus on the water, Mt. r4 2a_aa), that
Jesus climbed into the boat. The narrative of Jn, is simpler.
It has been objected to this view that we should expect
AXXk cv@<n? ro. ttA, ktA. rather than kol eftMus, if the meaning
intended is that they did not receive Jesus into the boat,
because they found their voyage already ended. But Jn. is
prone to use Kal where iAAa or Se would be employed by
another writer (see on i 11 ).
.

For

cufi^o)?

in Jn. see

on

cSd^ow

hri OaKtvraifs (Job, g 8);

and Wisdom declares (Ecclus.

2 4J & f3*$i afiv<r&unt -n-E^ccrraT^o-a, from which passages
it
might be concluded that
walking upon the sea " is a Divine
prerogative. It is possible that some such idea may account
for the transformation of the Johannine tradition, which is void
of miracle, into the supernatural story in Mk., Mt See on v.
15 and Introd., p. clxxvi.
OmpoiW, " they notice "; see on 2 ta for flupctr.
'

'

The people

cross the lake

(vv.

andfind Jesus

at

Capernaum

22-25)

32 ff. The readings of K* in w. 2 2-24 are curiously aberrant t

and the text from ts* must be transcribed in full: t iiratipiov
6 o^Xos 5 ^cttws wtpav tiJs &o\u*F<njs vISer otl irXoidptov <ikko ovk
%v IkL d pi) <v t iiteLvo fits o epc/ff^ffa^ oi fia$i}Tal rov 'I^o-ou, teal art
ofi &vyek*f\v$t avrOis q 'Iyjuovs els to irkoiov dXXa juot'm ol /Aa&yrat
avrdv' ivf\06vTti*v qvv rliiv irAoiuv Ik Ti/ScputSos lyyits o5*rijs 5tt&u

Kai

Ztfrtiyov

apTOVj tvxapttTrvjtravTBs rov Kvptov i sal iSoktcs ort qvk tjv

1
Cf, Introd., p. cxx.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

88

ST.

JOHN

[VI, 22.

32. Tfl iwavpiov o o^Xoff 6 ccrrgjcfew wipa.v tip QaXAtwrp elSoj.

Srt irXoidpiay dAAo ouk v A* *f
&\ *tfu 5t* ou owcri)A0ei' -roes

lAa&iyrtxlf

avrov & 'I^ove

cfc

dAAa ^A&y

diri}A0or* 23*

dAAa ^6vot

to vXotov

fl-Aoiapia

&

ot ftfL&rfrai ovroS
Ttj&ptaSos yyii$ tou toitov

jua&pm av4fi7f<rav efe to TrAotov *ai iJA0ay ktA.

evidently a rewriting of the original, which has a clumsyparenthesis at v. 23.
Other variants are Efituy (rec* reading with TAW, a casus

VX, 23-26.]

JESUS

IS

FOUND AT CAPERNAUM

J89

airov ZtfrfLytw Toy aprov

ev^apKTTtjo-ttirroi tov "Kvpunt*

24, or* o&v
ctoW 6 q^Aos ort 'iijcoSs ovk t<ntv rat? oiSi ot fLa$rfral avrov,
ct^Sijcrav afoot <fc to irXotdpta teal fjXOav tit Kac^apraou/* fcrjrovirrtf
tov 'Irftrow.
25, teal tvpovrts avror irepav t$s 0aAci<rtnjs cTttov
aunp 'PajS/fcf, irdre ^Be^eyiwasj

J^et ^"Lycovs o&8* ot

This

is

pendens)ior ctBo* (ABLN) ? ND having tlfcy ; K*rA interpolate

the explanatory gloss fccfra *fe S evcffijimv oi fiaOyjTat of the rec*
text; for irXoio* (the true reading) at the end of v. 22, TA
give TrXotoptov;^ after 6\\&t the rec. text with
inserts &;
have irAota for TrXoidpia (the true reading; see exegetical
note) in v. 23; for gratias agente dominot many Latin texts
have gratias agentes domino^ as if it was the multitude that
had given thanks; and in v, 24, the rec. text with ATA has
x-Aota for irtaidpia ( e BDLNW).
22. rn&rajpiop.
See on i 1B - *, Some, perhaps the more

ArA

BW

zealous of the crowd, had remained all night on the scene of the
miracle, in the hope that they would succeed in their attempt
(v. 15) to set up Jesus as king, the more apathetic, or the more
submissive, having dispersed to their homes.
The construction of the sentence is difficult, and attempts
to make it more consecutive have led to various readings.
The
balance of authority is for tlBov (see above), but the rec.
would be more natural. The meaning is On the next day
the crowd which had stood (fen^is) on the other (<?* the
eastern) side of the lake, having seen {sc. the evening before)
that only one boat was there, and that the disciples had
embarked in their boat without Jesus, started for Capernaum
in the little boats that came from Tiberias during the nightThere had been only one boat on the beach the previous evening, which they had seen go without Jesus \ but they could not
find Jesus in the morning, and so they decided to go after Him
in the little boats that had since been driven in by the storm.
These, apparently, were sufficient for all the zealous watchers,
so that their number could not have been very large.
TrKoidptof, " little boat," is mentioned in N.T. only at
Mk. 3 d Jn. 2 1 8 (where it is the skiff or dinghy belonging to the
trXatov of si 8 ), and in this passage,
to tMujv was the big
fishing-boat. able to carry Jesus and the Twelve, which has been
mentioned already (w. 17, 19, 21); there had been no other
irXataptov on the beach the previous evening (perhaps
Jn.
means no other irXota/Hop besides the dinghy belonging to the
b-Aoiov, which had gone with it).
But several small boats

IW

fl

had been driven in from Tiberias (see for Tiberias

above) by the squall during the night, and these were

(irXoUpto)

on

v. 1

available,
23. This parenthetical verse appears to be a later gloss.
It is, indeed, necessary to the narrative, which tells that the
disappointed watchers by the Jake crossed over to Capernaum,

hitherto there has been no mention of any boats that they

could have used. But (1) the town of Tiberias (see on v. 1) is
not mentioned elsewhere in the N.T,, and had only recently
been founded. (2) More significant is the description of the
scene of the miracle toC t^ttou ottom tyayw rbv opToy cfix^ptNowhere else are the five loaves of the
cmfaajTos tou KupLou.
story called o op? in the singular, that being the way, on the
contrary, in which the Eucharistic bread is always spoken of
1*" 17
II 27).
(cf- I Cor* IQ
{3) tvj(apnmj(TavTt3^ tou xvptov suggests
that this was the central fact which would at once identify
where
the occurrence, whereas we expect an expression like
He fed the multitudes*" (4) The meaning of cvxaptvrelv has
been examined above (v. n), but here it seems to bear its
later sacramental significance, the writer giving a sacramental
turn to the miracle, which Jn, studiously avoids in his narrative.
(5) Specially noteworthy is it that D 69* a e Syr, sin,
and Syr. cur (a strong combination) omit the words euxapL(mjoTOTo? toO ttvpiov here j and several of the Latin vg. texts
avoid them by the mistaken rendering gratias agentes demtna,
"agentes" replacing "agente." (6) As we have seen above
(on 4 1), 6 Kvpun is not Johannine in narrative (except after the
Resurrection). Jn, would have used o 'Iqtrafc. Verse 23 must
be regarded as a non-Jotiannine gloss (see Introd., p, xxxiii),
24, There is no art. before *lvjtrdts contrary to the general
8
usage of Jn, (see on i* ). But the reason is the same as at
1 47
here
recitantis.
What the people actually
that
art
is
viz,
,
4
u Jesus is not there, nor His disciples,"
said to each other was,
Jesus had reached Capernaum with
2D. eupokre* o.hr&v
His disciples (cf. w. 17, 59), and the crowds found Him there
irdpav Tij* OaXdcraiis, that is, now on the western side of the
lake, the side opposite to that from which they started.

and

'

'

'

For "Rabbi," the title by which these excited followers

addressed Him, see on I s8
u When did you get here?" See on
Ts6n & Y<fyoms;
.

IpO

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[VL 05-96*

3 6. Aurettpt&rj avrot? o 'Ljeraw Ka\ ttircv 'ApApr a^iyv Aey<i> <fyuy,

ijt<iW /ac oh% $ti ciSetg cnf/x^ia, iXV on i^aycrc t t<uv apratv teat
27. ipyd&r&c

iXQfrrdv&Tjrt.

pj

TiflP

jSpSiriv ttjv

T-tpr

JESUS

27-]

fipow

vptiv

THE BREAD OF

LIFE

ji&owav ek fwip attaviov, rpr

yap 6 Harvjp hr^p&yurcr 6

TTjt>

&WTCL* rovrov

191

o Y105 tov av&puiirov

cos,
28, <Tww 6$v

axoXXu/x^^, &XAa

Jesus gives no answer to their question,

19.
them for their lack of understanding (v. 26).
v,

VL

but rebukes

87. ipy&UvQ* M*l ^V Pp^ ify dTroXXuficVi^, " work not

for the food which oerishes," as even the manna did (Ex.
id 80), but for the spiritual food which endures. The exhortas
Wherefore do ye spend
tion recalls the rebuke of Isa. 55 ,
money for that which is not bread, and your labour for that
which satisfieth not?"
Cf. Ignatius {Rorn. 7) o&x J?S juai
rpotf>$ 4>&opik, words, perhaps, suggested by the present passage.
li

Discourse / Jesus the Bread of Zife, which is given by the

Father (vv. 26-40)
88, Jn, states (v. 59) that the long discourse which folio ws,
interrupted at several points by questions, was delivered in the
synagogue at Capernaum; and it is represented as marking a
turning-point in the ministry of Jesus, many, even of His former
disciples (v. 66) r being repelled by the strange and lofty
mysticism which it teaches- There is no reason to question the
statement that a discourse about the Bread of Life followed the
Miracle of the Loaves , in correction of the failure to appreciate
its significance by some of those who had been fed.
But it
can hardly be doubted that the whole discourse, as we have it,
has been arranged by Jn. so as to bring out special (and often
repeated) teachings of Jesus about His own person, and to
illustrate the growing opposition of '* the Jews
(v. 41).
The plan of the discourse in all its parts is similar to that in
the discourses with Nicodemus and with the Samaritan woman, 1
It falls into three sections (w. 26-40, 41-510, 51^-58), but
cf.

note on

v, 51,

dpV fyV
An

and

Aircitp. erf-rots

*Jtj,

Introd,, p. clxvii.
ko\ eTirep,
See on i*\

See on

i B1 .

They had seen a trypeuw in the

and if they had interpreted it
aright, the faith which would have ensued would have been
acceptable, although not of the highest type (see on 2 n
But
)
oflx

ffiere

ovijimui *

Miraculous Feeding

(v.

14),

they were following Jesus about because of the material benefits

which they had received at His hands (on ty&ym Ik t&v ctptw,
"because you ate of those loaves "), rather than because they
discerned in Him the spiritual Deliverer of their race. They
mistook His mission, as some of them had shown already
(cf, w. 15 and 30)*
koI ixQprfaQi\T, et saiurati esiis.
See on v, ia, where Jn.
has lvar\tfo-6r}a {tv instead of the Synoptic e^o/wcW^j-aj'. But
bodily satiety does not last. They would be, perhaps were
already, hungry again.
,

See Introd,, p. cxi.

This is the only place, as Wendt points out, where the word
tq/utat is placed in the mouth of Jesus by Jn,

For pp&ns,

on 4M

ppfipa, see

but the sense

k om. ryv

fipwrtv before

not affected.
It is the abiding and permanent property
t^v pdvoumv.
of the spiritual food upon which stress is laid throughout the
rqv fitvawraVf

discourse;
els

cf.

w, 35,

50, 54^ 58.

this phrase, see

For

altfpioy.

lfy

is

on 414 and

cf. 3

the Son of Man, and He alone,

such is His uniqueness and mystery, who can give that spiritual
food which endures "unto eternal life"; cf. v. $3. See
Introd., p. cxxx.
ijup &ti<rti is the reading of the rec. text, with
;
but nD have S&qutiv vp.lv* The future is to be preferred;
14
His
cf. the parallel Sti avr<p in 4 , and eyA Buo-u in v. 51.
life " is spoken of in the present tense (v. 33 ; cf.
giving of
ioffl), but the giving of the spiritual food, which was His Flesh,
with a view to the imparting of that eternal life, was still in
the future- See further on v. 51 b .
rauTov -ydp ktX.
This is the ultimate explanation of the
power vested in the Son (cf. 317) of imparting life: " Him
did the Father seal " (see on 5), Cf. 5 s0 a yip rfy> <f>t\
. varyp
p^papTVpvfKtv -n-ept ifiov.
TQVvIqvktX., and also <F* b
For the frequency of the designation in Jn. of God as
s1
here, at the end of the sentence, A 0eg is
A Trarjjp, see on 4
added, apparently for emphasis, the reference to 6 vurijp being
6 uifa toO di^pTTQii,

It is

ABLWrA

'

'

it (cf. w. 37, 44-46, 57, 65).

s8 where it
is
fofypdyurtv occurs in Jn. elsewhere only at 3
used of an attestation by man, its usual meaning. The idea

unmistakable without

of a " sealing " by

God

only in 2 Cor-

Eph. 1" 480

rare in the N.T., occurring again

and in each of these places
;
there is an allusion, direct or implied, to the baptism of Christian
converts.
Here the aorist marks a Divine act at a particular
moment of time, and the reference seems to be to the Baptism
i

is

of Jesus and the Descent of the Spirit upon Him, which was
interpreted by the Baptist as the Divine attestation of His

mission

The

(i**

-).

But

cf.

f.

description of baptism as a seal

became common

in

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

192
wptte

ST.

JOHN
J

Iva. Ipya^fuBa. ra epya

*ot>; 29. dirtkoI cZirtv aureus Tourrf rr(i' to <pyov tot) toiJ, (W

avTQV T* ttq&jxw

KpiOt) 'It/trows

fl-nrrev77<

[VI. 87-89.

s $v aur&mtXtv

ckclvos,

30. tlirov oup

aur<3

T* oUr

Christian literature at an early date; cf. Hennas, Sim, ix* 16^

2 Clem. 8.
In the Odes of Solomon the ** sealing ,J by
God is explicitly mentioned: " On their faces I set my seal "
(Odeviii, 16; cf. alsoiv. 8).
88. ctnor 6uv irpis otk.
For the constr. here and at

and

v.

3^

see

on

(ABLNTrA)

is the true reading, not muwfitv of

13 have Trai-^rmft^v.
ti lroifi^e^; "What shall we do?"
The question is not
mere carping. They understand that they must please God, if
they are to have the food which endures unto eternal life and
they ask quite naturally, "What then are we to do ? What
does God require of us ? " (cf. Lk. 310),
frtt 4pYarf}iLE0a ret Ipya tpu fleo t t\e* the works which God
desires of men (cf. 1 Cor, 15s8)*
Cf. ra Zpya. Kvpiw (Jer.
31 LXX). The phrase in Num. S 11 i/ryalarttu to ipya
Kvpiov is no true parallel
and the tpya rav $eov of Jn. $ a
denote the works which God Himself does.
To their question, Jesus replies that works are the issue
of the life of faith, that faith In Him is the condition of doing
to, tpya tov 0<o*
89. The answer of Jesus contains, in small compass, the
gist of the Pauline teaching about faith.
Jesus will not allow the Jewish inquirers to begin by speakng
of working the works of God. They must get away from the
legalism which counted up good works as meriting from God
the recompense of eternal life. There is one Zpyov toB &*qv
which must precede all others, because it alone places the man

iroLUfiEr

the rec* text.

&N fam.

in his true relation with God, viz, faith in Christ*

The fip>pa., or spiritual food, of the Incarnate Christ Himself
was to do God's will and accomplish His work (4s1 , where see
note) j but man cannot do this without sharing in the humanity

of Christ which
(v. 51).

He

imparts to those

Here is the fip&trt* which He

who have
gives,

faith in

Him

and which endures

(v. 47).
This mystical doctrine of union
the core of the Fourth Gospel; see, for earlier
statements of it, 315, M and the notes there.
The question and its answer are like the question of the
jailor at Fhilippi and the answer of Paul and Silas rt p* htl
irotitv Tvd <rto0>? . . iriirTGvtrQv &ri rov Kvpt&v 'Ivtrovv nal
M
croftfaj (Acts i6 - ).
irwrtfirrf (KABLNTO) is the true reading; the rec. text
fe

o)^r

ahnviQv

with Christ

is

VI* 89-30.]

JESUS

Trotw* <rv <nj/rov,

THE BREAD OF LIFE

?ra tStafx^y

kqu

wiorcwrutpLiv

193
t* cpyafjj;

trot;

DW

with
has wt(TTV(F7jTtt but this does not convey the teaching
of Jn. about faith, foa wtcreuffijre points to a definite act of
faith at a particular moment (cf. 13 1*)] but this does not
suffice.

tA Ipyor twJ

Ocau

is

fra irnrreiJtjTe,

*'

you may

that

have faith continually," that you majr live the life of faith. An
act of faith in Christ at a definite crisis is a good thing, but a
better (and a harder) thing is to keep in perpetual contact with
Christ! and nothing less than this is what is needed * iwyv
ai&vLQv (see above on 3 s8 and cf* 1^).
6c &vt{<rn\k*v.
See for this frequent phrase on 3 1T
IfctLi^, i.e. God, is placed at the end of the sentence for
emphasis. See on i a for Jn,'s use of ifcnvo?.
,

30. rt oSv

irotL3 tfi mjfLCLov;

similar

demand made by

Mk

the Pharisees for a " sign from heaven " is placed in

8"
(so Mt, i6x ; cf, Mt, I2 38) as following on the Feeding of the
Four Thousand* There, as here, Jesus is represented as having
declined (and with indignation) the request. Lk* does not
tell the story of this second miraculous feeding, and he puts
the request for a sign in a different context (n lfl ; cf* also 23s).
Like the Pharisees in Mk. 8 U, the interlocutors in the
Johannine story were not convinced that by the miraculous
feeding Jesus had established His claim to be a messenger
from God. Some! at least, of those who had seen it said that
He was the expected prophet, and were for making Him a
king (w. 14, 15). But by the next day all were not so fully
persuaded. If Jesus were really a Divine messenger, they
expected something more. They were not satisfied as to the
character of the action which had been acclaimed by them as a
So, like the Jews in 2 18* who had asked
trrjfjMtov (v,
14).
ti oTflueiov fittwvcK fffuv; they now ask rtiroiett cri injjuwvs the
emphatic word here being <rvt " What sign do you show ? "
I ffiujur Kol mo-Tcifawplr m. They did not understand
what He had meant by * l believing in Him" (v. 29), for
they take up the words in the altered form ** believe thee, 1 '
They imply that if they saw a really convincing sign, something
greater than anything they had witnessed yet (w. a, 14, 26)
they would believe Him, that is, believe His words (cf. 8*1)!
But this is not what Jesus claimed of them. To believe His
words would be, no doubt, the beginning of discipleship, and
of faith in His Person (see on v. 29); but it would not be enough

ti ipydlji;
They think that Jesus has been referring to
manna, and they ask Him to provide it (see Introd., p. cxi),
*pyd$ refers back to w. 28, 29.

vol.

1.

13

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

194

ST*

JOHN

[TTL 31-89.

31, ol iraTtpis yfjJw rh pawn tifnyw ** rjj ty*?/^, *a&Ss larur

32. <fcrK
ytypafi^Uvov *Aprov lit toO oftpapri Juicer afroi? ^ayeu.

appreciate the significance of this allusion to the

manna, it must be borne in mind that there was a general
belief, more or less explicit, that Messiah when He came would
outdo Moses, the great national hero of Israel, in the wonders
which he would accomplish. Thus there was a Rabbinical

To

81.

" The former redeemer caused manna to descend for

them; in like manner shall our latter redeemer cause manna
There shall be a handful of
to come down, as it is written,
1
Accordingly the questioners
corn in the earth (Ps, 72")."
of Jesus are here represented as telling Him that something
more wonderful than the miracle of the loaves was expected
of one who claimed to be the Messiah (cf. w. 14, 27). We
have here a reminiscence of an objection to Jesus which is
historical
The key to the understanding of the whole situation is an acquaintance with the national expectation of the
But this knowledge is not obtruded upon us
greater Moses,
by the evangelist- It is tacitly assumed* In fact, the meaning
is unintelligible, except to one who is brought up among the
ideas of his time, or to one who, like a modern critic, has made
saying:

'

' l

them his

special study."

As Chrysostom notes, this correoi ira-rlpEs jjuur ktX,

sponds to the reference made by the Samaritan woman to " our
ia
see Introd., p. cxi, for the schematism
father Jacob " (4
;

of the present discourse).

w
T
21^ Deut.
provision of the manna (Ex, i6 , Num.
18
ao
counted
the
Jews as the
by
8 , Wisd. i6 , 2 Esd. i ) was
greatest achievement of Moses* Josephus says of the manna
Stiov tjv to /fywjua KaX irapd&oov {Anil. III. U 6)*
Tim is the usual form of citation
Kftflws ioTiv ytypappivav.

The

17

in Jn. (see on a ).
u
&prtiv k to3 ofiparoC ZSwicey aB-rois 4ayeiK (from Ex* i6
Their appeal is:
freely quoted; but cf. Ps* 78s*, Neb. 9^.
**

What Moses gave us was bread/r<w heaven can you do the

? "
The loaves with which the multitudes had been
;

same

ovpwov t but the ordinary barley loaves

(v. g) with which all were familiar,
32. Jesus corrects a twofold misapprehension on the part
of His questioners. First, it was not Moses who was the
giver of the manna, but God, whose instrument he was; and,
'*
bread from
secondly, the manna, while it was in a sense
fed were not e*

rati

*Midrash KoheUih,

p.

73,

quoted by Lightfoot, Hor. H*br. t

ft loc.
1

J.

B. Lightfrot, Biblical Essays, p. 152

cf. p.

25.

YL

JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE

83-33,]

195

ouf ouroTf 6 Iijcrovs *A/itjv a-fiTjv Aeya> v/iiv, ot MuriJoTps jSwfftv vpXv
rbv S.prov
tov QvpavoV) oXX' o Ha-njp fiov dC&Hnriv vfttv tof aprov
k tov ovpavov tov o\yj9ipov' 33. o yap pros tow tov i<rrtv 6

&

Korafialviuv c tov ovpavov k<u

(!>?)&

SuSou?

tu

Kovftio*

34. etnov

heaven," was not the true Bread of God. This momentous

saying is introduced by the solemn dfi^r Apfyr (see on 1").
The objectors had not named Moses, but Jesus knew what
was in their minds, and that they were disparaging Him in
comparison with Moses.
ISttiup (BDLW) is the true reading, rather than StBtoKev of
the rec. text (xATrA).
torical date in the past.

The

aor, points to

definite his-

il

ou Morftrijs thtoKtv Cjiir Till' aprQv itc. t. ou,,

Moses did not
give you that (top) bread from heaven " what had been given
to their fathers might be spoken of as given to them who
were the heirs and descendants of the ancient race that came
out of Egypt, The manna of old was in a true sense the gift of
God; that is not questioned in the reply of Jesus: what He
questions is that it was given by Moses.
AXX* 4 TraT^p
pou.
For this significant phrase, see
;

on

2 lfl

&{u<r^

fljrik

"Gives," not "gave,"

The Divine

gift

now

to be revealed is continuously offered,

il
t&v Siprov Ik toij ofipavotj r&v dX^divor,
the genuine Bread
from heaven " ; see on 1* for aXytitvos, and note its use in the
dialogue with the Samaritan woman at 428 . It seems to be
implied, although not directly expressed yet, that the genuine

heavenly Bread must be such as will nourish the heavenly

life, the life of " the kingdom of heaven."
88. 6 yhp apTos toG fcoG. 1
All bread is the gift of God
(Mt 6 11), but the Bread which can be described as peculiarly
o {[pros tov &cav is not only such as " com.es down from
heaven," for that was said of the manna (*arq&uw, Nurn,
1 1*) * but such as coming down imparts life and not merely
bodily nourishment, Chrysostom notes that the manna
supplied Tporfry but not &t>ij.
But the first characteristic of
+

the Bread of God is that it brings life (see on v. 27). And the
second is that it is offered to all men, and not only to a particular
nation; tuty &t$oJs, *' giving life " (in the present tense, that
is, continually giving life) t$ K&rfiu.
See on i 2 * for koV^os,
which is one of the master words of Jn.; and also on v. 51
below. Cf, i4
.

<my o Ko/rafiaivw 4k. tou oftparou, i.e. "the

Bread of God is that which is ever descending [not He who
1 The phrase occurs Ignatius, ad Rom. vii.
cf w 51,534 yip 5pr.

t, 6c,

1<}6

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST,

JOHN

[VI, 33-34.

descends] from heaven." It is not until v. 35 that Jesus

says that He is the Bread of Life. This expression, " who
came down from heaven," or *' which comes down from
heaven/' is repeated seven times in this discourse (w. 33, 38,
It was
41, 42, 50, 51, 58), recurring like a solemn refrain.
afterwards incorporated in the Nicene Creed* See on 31*
above*
84, The idea that the manna typified heavenly bread for
the soul often appears in the Jewish commentaries. Wetstein
quotes several passages in illustration, e.g. " sectio haec de

manna

est una ex praestantibus sectionibus legis quae non

solum res gestas historice narrant, sed et typum continent uitae
ac felicitatis hominis ultimas et aefernae" l Again, the
comment in Bereshith R. lxxxii, 9 on the good man of Prov. 1 z z
4t
saturabitur pane saeculi futuri,"
is
The same conception of heavenly bread for the soul is

frequent in Philo. Wisdom offers ovpavto? Tpotfrj by means

of Adyoi and fidy^tara {de opif. murtdi, 56). The duos Aoyos
divides equally among all men the heavenly food of the soul
which Moses calls manna {Quis rer, dtv. k&r* % 39), So in
an earlier passage (g 15) Philo speaks of the man who contemplates to fidarv&i roy StZ^v \6yov% Tip otpdvtoy fax*}* $&<>& *a/tokos
Again, the 6 dot \6yai are the manna, the
3jf>@apTov rpo$yv.
heavenly food, which nourishes men (de congr. erud. gr. % 30),
What nourishes the soul is p^/xa feov koX kayos Qtlos, from
which flow all kinds of wisdom (de prof. 25). Cf. also the
question and answer in Zegg. &U. iii- 59 hpZ& t$% fax?/* *po>frty
ota ivrt Xoyos 0ou o-we^i/s*
See further on v. $$.
More familiar than any of these passages is 1 Cor, ioa,
where Paul, allegorising the story of the manna, describes it as
" spiritual food."
fip&fut trvVft&TLK6v t
The questioners who are represented by Jn. as arguing
about the manna were probably acquainted with this idea of it
as a type of heavenly food for the soul. So when Jesus says
that the true Bread of God is that which comes down from
heaven and gives life, they do not cavil at such a thought.
Indeed, they welcome it. This was what they were waiting
for,
Moses had given manna. The Messiah was to give a
Give
greater gift (see above on v. 31). So their answer is,
us evermore this bread*" Here, again, Jn* faithfully reproduces
the theological temper and expectation of the times which he
The Jews would not have stumbled at the idea of
describes.
spiritual food, of heavenly bread, as typified by the manna, and
Jn* does not represent them as finding any fault with it. Their
objection comes later (v. 41, where see note).
1 Wetstein gives the reference "Isaacus Atama in Akodas Jizhac"

VI. 84r-85.]

JESUS

THE BREAD OF LIFE

otv wpb* avrov Kvptc, irdvroTc So* fotv top aprav tovtqv.

uMv.

direr ofo irp&s

See on

The

constr.

is

197
35. tlmp

the same at v, 28,

a 8,

They now address Jesus by this title of respect

on i M and cf, 411 u for its use by the woman of Samaria,
Ku'pic.

see

who

says Sos

jiot (4**),
s6 *

just as the inquirers here say Sos

-ntilv.

See above on 6
mlKTw* &Ss folvt "give us always" (t-* occurs again
in Jn. 7* 8 s9 n*2 13* iS=w). They asked that they might be
guaranteed a perpetual supply of the heavenly bread. More
modest is the form of the petition for bread, earthly or heavenly,
prescribed in Mt 611 rhv dprov fow rbv imawrtar Sfo
folv
<rrftipQy.
It is only for to-day s supply that Jesus teaches men
1

to ask.
rhy 5.pjw tgGtdk, " this bread/' superior to the manna, of
which Jesus had spoken.
35. At this point Jesus passes on to an explicit announcement of His personal claims, and the pronouns " I " and " Me "
occur frequently, w, 37-71, As we have seen, His hearers
were prepared for the idea of heavenly bread, but they were
quite unprepared for such a mystical saying as "/am the
Bread of Life," or for the tremendous claim which it involved.
A pronouncement of this sort did not carry conviction to them;
for they were looking for a
sign " comparable to the provision
of the manna, but even more wonderful, as would befit the
dignity of the Deliverer who was to be greater than Moses.
'

etirtK

criTofe

lij.

The

rec.

(with

AA) adds

&*,

while

KDr and fam* 1$ add oSv after *.W. But there is no copula
in BLTW, and this is in agreement with Jn.'s partiality to
asyndeton construction,
iyd ctfu 6 tyro* -rijs <flfjs.
For the great Similitudes of the
Fourth Gospel, of which this is the first, and for the significance of the opening phrase iy& *lju, see Introd*, p. cxviii.
It has been thought bv some critics that this majestic
sentence (repeated v. 48) is directly due, as regards its substance,
although not as regards its form, to the influence of Philo.
In several passages to which reference has been made already
(see on v* 34), Philo says that the manna typified heavenly
food. _ This, as we have seen, is not peculiar to Philo; but the
Rabbinical writings do not seem to provide a parallel to the
comparison of manna to the $cto$ Aoyos, which Philo has
more than once. That Jn.'s phraseology, here as elsewhere,
may have been affected by his acquaintance with the terms of
the Philonic philosophy is not impossible.
There is, indeed,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ip8

ST.

[VX

JOHN

86,

of credence in Jn/s report that Jesus taught

Himself the Bread of Life, such teaching being
not only congruous with the Synoptic representation of His
words at the institution of the Eucharist (Mk. 14*8 Mt. 26^
Lk. as 1 *), but being specially apposite in the context in which
Jn, has placed it (see above cm v. 26 f.)_ But, for all that,
when reporting the claim of Jesus to be the Bread of Life^
Jn. may have had in his mind Philo's words about the 8*&
Aoyos as the heavenly nourishment of the soul (Quts rer. dtv.
h&r. % 15). Jn s conception of the Logos as a Person, Himself
God Incarnate, is so widely different from Philo's conception

nothing
that

difficult

He was

of the \6ym as representing Divine forces, and the A*>yo*r as the

Divine Reason, that similarities of language between the
two writers do not establish dependence of thought, or any
1
borrowing of ideas from Philo on the part of Jn,
The " Bread of Life " means primarily, the Bread which
gives life, as we see from v, 33* But for this phrase is substituted in v. 51 o n/rris 6 t&vt the "living Bread/ $\#. the
Bread that has life in itself. This second, larger meaning is
virtually involved in the first, for life can only proceed from
life, omnB vittum ex ut'nv; and so that which gives life must
1

VL
o&

TTttvdtrg,

fify

dAX

361

JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE

85-87.]

ctfrov

Ktu o iritrrcvwv

V}uy

on

*h

I99

ov py Sit^Jtm n-uHrorc.
ov irt<rmJer*.
3 7, USv o

i/ik

rai itapajcaTc

teal

88
contained in Mt.
8*we vpo? / , , . yi
This is the Mattha^an counterpart of the
utterance before us in this verse,
He that cometh to me shall
never hunger " ; the desire of the soul will be satisfied,
ou fiJj Tretvdur^,
irttvay does not occur again in Jn.
nal 6 maTEifuv efe iy.4s " he who believes on me " (see on
ia
above). This is the Spyor tov &tov spoken of
y. 29 and on i

germ

it is all

dwnraucru

vfta.*.

'

'

in v, 29.
q* fiTf Si+ftret.

promise
os

ff

&v

ftiwra

is

irro
1*,

(4

So KAB*DW; the rec, has S^i}cnj. The

the same as that given to the woman of Samaria
ck tov %$ara$ ou ey*> (Suhtw q.vt$, ov prf Su/^o-a s tov
where see the note and esp. the quotation from

Ecclus, 24 n ;

lfi
cf. Rev. ? ).
See on i w
36, The rec. text, with

iriAiroTE.

(it

BDLWra,

adds fie after iup&KtiTt,

Syr. cu. and Syr. sin.
It is probable
ought to be omitted. The words * I said to you that
and do not^ believe " then clearly refer back to v. 26,

but om.
that

nA

a b

e q,

" Tree of

ye saw
where Jesus had said, " Ye seek me not because ye saw signs,
but because ye ate of the loaves, etc." Seeing is not always
believing (cf. 9 s7),
The kind of faith that is generated by the
seeing of signs is not the highest (see on 2 11), but it is not
without its value (cf. 14 11). The best kind of all has the benediction, " Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have

life

believed'* (20s*);

be " living." See on I5 26

There is the same double sense

itself

the
in the similar phrase
water of life" (Rev. at* 22 1), sc. the water which gives life,
and is therefore " living water " (see on 41*). Cf. the ex13
pressions the " Light of life " in 8 , where see the note; the
life " (Gen. 3* Rev. 2', etc.); and the " Word of
" (1 Jn, i 1), t.e. the Word who gives life, Cf. v. 68.
" Coming" and l( believing " are
ipxJjMi'DB wp&s lyd kt\.
put side by side here and at -j*7 ' aB . The '* coming " is the
*' believing "
initial act of the soul in its approach to Jesus ; the
As
is the continuous resting in His fellowship (see on v, 39).
Jn. has much about "believing," so he has much about
i(
coming," and reports many sayings of Jesus about its bene41
Inquirers " come " to Jesus (3 s5 430 10 ); all candid
diction.
s1
Nathanael
(r16),
the
Light
e,g.
come
truthful
souls
to
and
(3 );
88
or the two disciples whose call is the first recorded by Jn. (i ).

The

first

s);

reward of " coming "

is vision^

ipx*vfc

"

K<

oty*<rfl*

40
the second (and ultimate) reward is life (5 ). All are
17
welcome, i&v ns i^, tpx&rfo ^rpo* p-t (7 ). He who comes
s7
To approach God a man must come
will not be cast out (6 ).
to Jesus, uiSels cpxerat irpo? tov iraripa. ti pif 81 Ifiov (14 )*
This is the Only Way, And yet, free as is this approach, no one
can come to Jesus, except the Father draw him (6**- *^). This
teaching is fuller than that of the Synoptic Gospels, but in

(I

1 Cf.

Introd.j

pj>. xcili, each

cf. h Trtvrcvwv fjjtt foyv alutvtov (v. 47).

the other hand, if twp&Kari
is the true reading, we
must suppose that Jesus is represented as alluding to some
saying of His which has not been recorded by Jn. This is not
impossible; see, for other instances, io*6 11 10.
37. The questioners of Jesus did not believe or accept
Him, but that rejection of theirs does not alter the Divine
purpose, which is that ail who will shall have eternal life.
Upon this Jesus rests, despite incredulity on the part of some
who heard Him, " AH that the Father gives to me shall come
tome": that is enough, for He came to do the Father's will,
and the Father knows best as to those whom He gives. For
the predestinarian doctrine of the Fourth Gospel, see on 2* 314.
For the thought that His disciples are " given" to the
Son by the Father, cf w. 39, 65, and io39 i^-*-* 12 - M 18*,
See note on 3 s6
mv, St, zS[ men. This collective use of the neut. sing, is not
unknown in classical Greek. Jn, has it several times (17 s - K,
1 Jn. 5*, as well as at v. 39 and here), and always of the sum of

On

2O0

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

JOHN

ST.

[VI- 87-89.

HdTV}p ITpOS Cfti ijfft, Kol TOV Ip^pptWOV WpQ /*< OV /Oj
ixfivXw |fui3 3S. or* Kara^t/j^KO awo tov ovpavou o^x *^ ft Trotfi to
fckqfia to jaoV dAAa to 0f\i)jua to3 Tre/A^VTOs >
39. tovto Sff
ccttcf to BtKiffjm tov irifufrayTos ji* Tray a ScScimccv /*ot j,^ d-jroAflrai

StS&HTiF flOt O

VL

JESUS THE BREAD OF LIFE

8fr-40.]

t AVTOVf &a\(l avaomjira avro

Tjf iu-jfo/n^

rfptpq.*

mr

20I
40* tqSto

yap

to B&TjfMi tqv Harpos jtwv, tva was o Bctapuiv rhv Ylor kcu
irvrrtvw efe avrov l^jy fajjv atwvtoy, ko.1 ^vao-T^trca a{rrov fya> iv t$

those who have been " begotten of God " and * 4 given " by
the Father to the Son. The ideal for those who believe in
Christ is tva vravrts tv Sxrw (17 s1), 41 that they all may be arte"
and it is possible that this great conception may be behind the
use of irav for irdn- here and in 1 2 ,

See on 3 17 .

6 wai-qp.

tot

Ttp6v

IpxpiLtvov

See for

this

phrase

on

v.

35

t. ip%. irpoN:

p ou

"

not cast out ";

casting out " indicated
is from the kingdom of God, hereafter as well as here; in v,
39,
the reference is to the Last Judgment, and this is implied here
ai
also.
Cf. ia , where the judgment on Satan is iK$kij&qo-*Ttu
e, the same phrase as here (cf. i? 12); and see for eJc/SoAJuiv in
simitar contexts Mt. 8 ia 22" 25 s0 .
K*D om, ?w as redundant, but it is well supported
(KABLW), and the combination infidXktiv u or itc occurs
again z** 9*t. ia ft ; cf.
ai 86, Mk. 13 s , Lk. 201*, etc.
ov ptf expresses a very strong negation, " I will surely not
cast out," This constr. occurs elsewhere in words of Jesus,
Mk. 14s5, and Jn. i8 Uj oh py *w, it being generally taken as
interrogative in the latter passage, where see note,
88. naTaf3^0Tfita iiri tow oupavov.
So
fatn* 13;
but KUTaftipTiKa 4k rov otpavov is read by KDrA, and may
be right. The phrase Karafialvtw k tov clpavov is found
again (of Christ) at 31* 6**' 41 * 4*-* -*1 w ; see also Rev. 3 ia
io* 13 13 i6 a 18 1 201 - * 2i a u and Jn. i 32 whereas *aW?atW
aw oupavoS only occurs at i Thess. 4ia of the Second Advent.
In any case the meaning is the same, for it is an excess of
refinement to distinguish in Jn. between the force of airo and
litotes for

'

I shall

p?|

ic|3<i\u

welcome/

eu,

I shall

The "

Mt

ABLTW

See on i 44
afy t to"* to flAt^a tA IpAv

of ,

ktX.
This is said also at
ou ?p" to OtXrjfia. to e/ioV (L\Aa to B&ufpa. tov Tre^aiTOS /*c.
See notes on 4 s4 and 5*.

s*,

The argument

is:
"Every one whom the Father gives to
me, and I will not reject him (v. 37), because (on)
I came from heaven to do my Father's will (v. 38), and His
will is that none should perish of those whom He has given
" (v 39)3&. After tou -n^pr-aT6*s pic, the rec. adds ttot/ws (from
v. 40), but om, iroToo* *ABCW.

me comes

to

insert iv before rg lvyfirf\ %ilp<x, but

has a&rov rg kt^vrn-

om,

BCLT

For the broken construction of the sentence, a casus pendens

(nay o kt\.) followed by a pronoun, see on i 1 *. This is frequent

inja
SlSuxfr

refers to n*v 6 IRmo-iv pot of v, 37.

That
is the will of the Father, and
they are all therefore in the safe keeping of Christ* This is
irav &

|u.

above,

t*ADN
(cf. V. 54).

\ioi

none of them should perish finally

repeated in somewhat similar words at io28- *$ and there is a

close parallel at Mt. 18 14 ovk itrrtv fcXqpa 2ftirpa<r$cv tou irarpo^
vfj&v . - . Tva Airakyrai tv t&v puicpSjv tovtwv.
Cf. also J7 11
(ifi ), where the exception of Judas is mentioned.
drarr^tru aflri rfi l<rx^rv) ^i/pcu 4 * Hie finis est, ultra quern
periculum nullum ; (Bengel). This great assurance is repeated
four times, in w, 39, 40, 44, $4, and recurs with the majesty of
a solemn refrain (see on 3" and on 15 11). The expression 17
*q-X&tt) rjptpa, is found in Jn* only.
In 7 s7 it is used of the last
day of the Feast of Tabernacles; but at n*4 12*8 it refers, as
it does in this chapter, to the Day of Judgment.1
For the
Christ, the Son of God, as the Agent of the Resurrection, see
on 5 31 It is He that will quicken the dead at last. Cf,
j Cor. i5 aa .
Here it is only the resurrection of the righteous that is in
view, whereas at s 28 a general resurrection of the dead is spoken
of as brought about by the Voice of the Son of God.
40, ATA have to ir4fjnJ*apTO^ fit (from v. 39) for r iraTpfe
pou, which is read by fetBCDLTNW.
There is, again, as
vv. 39, 54, a variant for iv rg la%, %., iv being om, by
fl

'

BCTPAW, although found in rADLN.

touto ydo ktX., "This, too, is my Father's

will";

v,

40

amplifies and repeats with emphasis what has been already

said in v, 39, The rec. has toSto $4.
For ** my Father," cf, v. 32, and see on 2 1*,
ct
iras 6 fctipup toV uloV,
who beholdeth the Son," sc> not
with the bodily eyes, but with the eye of faith perceives Him
for What He is. Cf, 12^0 $tvp&v ipX Btwpti tov tr4fufravrd p*.
See on 2*' for Jn.'s use of 0tu^ and on 3 17 for o vl6$
used absolutely. It is the Father J s will that "he who beholdeth the Son and believeth on Him should have eternal
life"; cf. 3 W'* and the notes thereon. This o^ auuwof
1

Cf. Introd., pp.

dx

clxn.

202

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[Ttt.

TL

40-43.

41. *Ey&yyuor o$p ot 'louSatot ircpi avrov on eftrep *Eyi c/u 6

o KOTaj&s i* tov ovpavou, 43, /oil &eyw Ot^ ovro$ ecrrir

BREAD FROM HEAVEN

43-44.]

Iiprovs h uios

n-aw vvy

oyj-ros

Ay

6.vaorf\(T<* afiriy *yoJ

raise

form

kt\.,

**

/,

its

even

Him up

at the Last Day," This

at v. 54,
Cf. Introd., p. clxvii.

is emphatic) will
repeated in another

(iym
is

The second part of the Discourse {w. 41-510)

new stage in the argument is reached at v. 41, but

not suggested that new interlocutors have appeared on the
scene. The questioners are called (here and at v. 52) qi
'IouBtww, and it has been thought by some that they were
officials of the synagogue at Capernaum, where Jn. represents
the conversation as taking place (v. 59), or emissaries of the
Sanhedrim^ who had been sent to inquire into the discourses
and the acts of Jesus (cf. Mk. 7 1), But the context shows that
Jn. thinks of them as Galileans (cf. w. 24, 42). They were
not ot 'iouBoEot in the sense that they were inhabitants of
Judaea, but they were " Jews " by religious conviction and by
race in the larger sense of (1 Israelite," It was " Jews " like
41.

it is

them who were the chief opponents of

Jesus, and Jn. nearly

always uses the term as connoting a certain hostility to Jesus
and unbelief in His claims. See above on i 1*. Hostility,
however, is not yet suggested. For this section of the Discourse,
see Introd., pp. cxi, clxvii.
^yyuLok, * they were murmuring," $c. in critical mood,
as at w, 43, 61 (cf. Ex. i67f, )j neither at 7** nor here does
yayyvfaw carry any implication of open hostility. The word
does not occur in Mk.> but is found Mt. 2011 , Lk. 5 W.
The difficulty of the questioners was caused by the claims
involved in 4y6 etju I dpros 6 Karafihs 4k to oipavov (cf.
v*' 33* 3Si*
The idea of heavenly bread might have been
accepted (see above on v. 34) ; but these words of Jesus seemed
to imply that He was not like ordinary men in the manner of
His birth, in that He had " come down from heaven" (see
(

OB3 1*).

No

iXBtiv wpos /t*

possession continues after

can be drawn between Ik tou odparou here

(also w. 51, $&) and faro toB o&pavov in v. 38, where see note.
42* k<h cXeyop ktX,, "And they were saying. Is not this
person (oflro*, perhaps with a slight suggestion of disparagement, as at v* 5 2 7 15) Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father
and mother we know ? " It is plain (see on v. 41) that Jn*
distinction

conceives of the speakers as natives of Galilee,

and acquainted

ofSa/xei'

*E* tov ofyarri

ml cWouroi^M^
begins in the present world, but
death,

0$ ^/itts

IwffT^j>t
Srt,

tw

iraripa

MTfl/S^a;

yoyyufcre per aWyXw.

& Uar^p 6 -trlpjfyoA pt

prj

203

43.

ttat

rvpt

pyrtpa

dmnpt^ Iqpofc

44,

ofifoif Bvvarttt

eXtcvtrp afaov,

dyw

with the household at Nazareth, The Synoptists (Mk. 6*

Mt, 13, Lk. 4^) mention a similar criticism (the words in
Lk. are ou\t vl6$ itmv Tu<r^ ofrxwj) as having been passed
on Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth at an earlier point
in His ministry.
The criticism was probably made more
than once, and it is natural in the context where Jn. places it.
But it is possible that he has taken the episode out of its historicai
setting; as in 4** (where see note) he has introduced the
proverb
about a prophet being without honour in his own country,
which the Synoptists place in sequence to the criticism, " Is
not this the son of Mary ? Is not this the son of Joseph ? "
As at i (where see note), Jn. does not stay to comment
on the mistake which is involved in the question, tq Is not this
Joseph's son ? ,r It is unnecessary for him to explain to
Christian readers that this was not so. There is nothing in the
form of the question to suggest that Joseph was alive, and the
probability is that he had died before the public ministry
of
Jesus began (see on 2 1).
s mv Xlyu rr\. For vwt the rec. text (with KADLrAN)
has ow, but vvv is read by BCTW, and has a special force,
"How does he say now that, etc.," sc. to us who have known
him from a child, ovros is inserted again after X4yi by
xATA, but is redundant. 3, reciiantis, the words following
being a citation.
in tou oupovou icoTa^pijKa, the order of the words being
changed, Ik tov ovpavov being placed first for emphasis.
This was the incredible thing, that it was from heaven He
claimed to have come down.
43, Jesus does not answer the objection as to His parentage
being known. As at 3 s, He proceeds to point out a fundamental misunderstanding on the part of His interlocutors.
They must be " taught of God " before they can accept His
heavenly origin.

For the construction AirEKpHq 'l^mus *al dm?, see on

The rea adds ovv after
P with aADNWTA, but
om. BCLT, So, too, the rec. prefixes the def. art. 6 before
Itjotws with ADNW0, but om. BLT.
See on i w above.
1**1
They will not reach a true
YY*J *T* F r flX^k"^
understanding by whispering to each other. They must seek
enlightenment from God.
i

<W

THE GOSFEL ACCORDING TO

2G4

draonfcw avrbv b?
row TrpotfttjraK Kal

Ttf

ST.

JOHN [VX

44-45.

irapa toO Uor/iof

Itry&rQ yp*p$45* &"** yeypa/i/wW hr

irdms BtSaKTol Geou* fras 4 atouVas

Uartpa.

M,

'

Son as sent " by the Father.

AkAh] *Mv. ikw&ctv is used in the LXX of Jer, 31 8
of the Divine attraction: " With lovingkindness have I drawn
It is used of the attractive power of Christ Crucified
thee."
'

of the

'

10
s2
occurring elsewhere in the N\T. only at Jn. 18 (of
in Jn. 12
drawing a sword), Jn* 2i u (of dragging a net ashore), and
Acts 16 1* (of dragging Paul and Silas to the magistrates). It
seems generally to connote a certain resistance on the part of
" drawn," and this may be
that which is "dragged" or
4
involved in its use in the present verse (but cf. Cant, i ).
K&V& &vaerc^tr aftifo ir if iuy^r^ v^pqi. This IS the
consummation of that spiritual progress which begins by a
See on v. 39 for this great assurance,
certain Divine constraint.
four times repeated in this passage.
"
45. In confirmation of the doctrine that God "draws
of
the
Scriptures
the
authority
appeals
to
Him,
Jesus
men to
accepted by His hearers.
car lit ytypa^ivov (for this formula of citation, see on 2")
lv tois Trpo+VJTais, t'.e* presumably in the collection of pro40
phetical books regarded as a single whole (cf. Acts 7" 13
,

fl -

Lk. iS u
Kal

d/iip-

p$

tpx TtLt TP*

20S
46* ov\

*/**<

Trttirce

toG before flew, but

om.

BtSaKTol

OeoS*

ABCDW.

The rec. text inserts

The quotation is freely

&v vaph tov tov oEro* cwpaxw tov

opqp X&ytii fyuv, 6 irumiW ^ {w^f alui-ior,
6

made from Isa, S4 ls and does not agree precisely with

either the Hebrew or the LXX.
Literally, the Hebrew gives,
,

" And

LXX

all thy sons shall be taught of Yahweh, J * which the

turns by kqX 0ijffo> . . . ffavras Toiis viavs <rov SiSguctous

Beov,

To be

SiScucTot 6e6v is

to be "

drawn " by God; we have

feoBl&aKTot at i Thess. 4s (cf. 1 Cor, 2 13 , Phil, 3", for the

idea), and Barnabas (xxi. 6) has the precept yivarfc 0jSiSaK T oi t

Cf*

ttos.

ray,

W.

37,

kBCDLNTW,
S-

39.

ArA add

dKouu-as irapd tow irarpfa*

The same
40
I5 lfi_
g ee fQr the constri on !
not jmaOtiK.
It is not sufficient for a

our.

but

om,

phrase occurs again

man to have heard

he must also Iearn> which is a voluntary act.
Predestination, in the Johannine doctrine, does not exclude
free will or personal responsibility.
But every one who has
heard the Divine voice, and has learnt its teachings, " comes "
to Christ.
See on v. 37 for cpxctcu -n-po^ fyi.
46. This " hearing " of God's voice is, however, not by way
of immediate personal communication \ it is not li seeing the
Father." Only One has "seen" God (i 1*), although it is
true, in another sense, that he who has " seen " Jesus has
God's voice;

"seen

the

Father"

(14*).

kBCDLNW

3"

t4p TraWpft ^ripaiclv tis.

So
; the rec.
has t*s cti/joxo', k #
have rhv B*6v for tov vartpa, a reminiscence of i 19, where see note. Cf- 5 s7
t jii] 6 fiv irapcL tou 0eov, j^. not only
who has been
sent by God (see on 3 17), as Tropd fcov means (i e , 9"- ), but
oujt

He

He whose

origin

note), irap' ovtov

<rov

i&jk&oy (17 s).

is

from God;

et^tt

(7

s9
),

cf.

wapa mrpo?

(i

14
,

where see

ffapi toC 7raTpo<s i^ijXOov (l6 a? irapa

)>

iwfi&Ktv rov imr^pa.

The \6yos was ?rpo? Tot* Otav
see S36 for the things which He has seen napa t$ trarpi
Ba
(cf. also 3 ).
See on 147 .
For the repetition (oS T o) of the subject of the sentence, in
the interests of emphasis, cf. i a 7 1* i^, and see io 25
47. &pl\v Ajiirp ktX.
See on i ei . This opening phrase
introduces a saying which is the keynote of the Fourth Gospel,
6 moTEiW (used absolutely as at v. 36) e^et \td\v ol&vw
s1
(cf. 20
and see on 3 1*),
After 6 irt*rr^W'the rec. adds eh cpJ, with
(from
such passages as 3"* *"); but
om, ih ipL Jn/s
chIto^

1
(i );

24**)*

&wri

47.

puaBiav

rail

Uarfpa &apaKv tw>

cEtrovrai

This is repeated v. 65 ovfots Swwrai IA^v

Tpos pe &r
$ Befiofifrov *vt$ t toC war-pot. Here is a
fundamental doctrine of the Fourth Gospel, viz. that the
approach of the soul to God or Christ is not initiated by the
man himself, but by a movement of Divine grace. We have
had it adumbrated at 4s3 , where it is said that the Universal
Father seeks His genuine worshippers (see note in loe>) ; and
39
the hard saying of is (where see note) that the Jews could not
believe, because Isaiah's words about the blinding of their
eyes by God must have fulfilment, is an explicit statement of
(See Introd.,
the darker side of the doctrine of predestination.
Here is the counterpart of v. 37, " All (vav) that the
p, cliif,).
no one
Father gives me shall come tome"; in v. 44 we have
" (cf. 3s7).
(ovfiu'f) can come except the Father draw him
We might have expected that here Jesus wouldiahave been
represented as saying " My Father" (see on i ), for the
question at issue is that of His uniquely Divine origin; but in
Jn. we find 6 vvn/p more frequently than 6 vai^p ftov on the
lips of Jesus. (See on 3" for the similar 6 vi6s r used absolutely.)
See also on 3 17 for the conception
A iro-riip 6 ir^ii+tts fie.
iJiKuoii

BREAD FROM HEAVEN

45-47.]

TTC.

ACDrAN

kBLTW

206

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[VX. 47-60.

tlfii J apro? 7775 unpff,

49, ot irartjpcf vpwv ttftayov 4v 177
to fiavva teat dire&avfil'* 50* qtjto ftcv
ajrros a At to5
iirotfarp.
ovpapov KaTbfiatvwv, tya Tts Jf afrov 0ayi; at
51. tyi

481 fyw
Ipriiitp

use of ffwrftW, without specifying the object of the sr&ms,

has been noted on i 7 .
The sequence of argument is clear. No one has " seen "
the Father but Christ (v. 46) ; but It suffices to believe In Christ,
for such a believer has eternal life (v. 47).
As He said later,
" He who has seen me has seen the Father " (14s).

THE FLESH OF CHRIST

VI. 50-61V]
*t/*t

o dpros b $ov 5

tw dprmtf

{iftra cfc

207

5 avpavov Kara/fas' idv TVS

toy aVava.

<f>&YQ ck

tovtov

for airoOvrfa-KCLv in the present tense, Ps, 8a7, Deut. 17',

But
this is unnecessary, and faraBirQ is too well attested to be set
aside for the variant aTroQtrfvKj}.
61*. The first half of this verse repeats what has been said
already in v. 50, but in an even more emphatic form. The second
half of the verse, as we shall see, introduces a new conception.
y*5 ttpi SpTos A XJavj "the Living Bread," which as
itself alive can impart life (see on v, 3s above).
6 #avt " the
Living One," is the claim of Jesus for Himself in Rev. i 17 ; so
here b 3pTos h 5w is the Bread which is always instinct with
Life, which continues to live from age to age.
See on 41* for
the phrase "living watei"; and cf. the expressions "living
oracles" (Acts j 5*), "living sacrifice" (Rom. 12 1), "living

48. yrf GLfii 5prcK5 t^s S^s (cf. v. 35), That is, the
believer in Christ has eternal life, because He is the spiritual
Bread which gives life. Notice the repetition of the main
theme, not always in exactly the same words (w. 35, 41, 48, 51) ;
see on 3M ,
49, The argument in w. 49-51 is as follows: The manna
which nourished the bodily life of the Israelites in the desert,
did not secure them from physical death at last (see on v, 58),
In this it was like ordinary bread, although divinely given.
The Bread of Life, which Jesus offers in His own Person, has
not to do with the nourishment of the bodily life, nor does it
secure those who believe in Him from the death of the body.
But it is the appropriate and divinely given nourishment of
man's spirit, and he who continually feeds on itthat is, he
who continually keeps in spiritual touch with Jesus is secure
against spiritual death; he shall live for ever, having assimilated the true Bread of Life,
01 irar^pes tipGiV kt\.
They had said ot Tra/repffS 4/iHy ktA,
(v* 31), and this is the reply.
Jesus does not say " our fathers,"
but "your fathers"; cf. 'A^paayx b irarJjp vpSw (8**), See,
however, for the phrase " your law," on 8 17 ; and cf. v. 58

God does (cf. Rev. 4 10* 15', and Deut.

3240, Ecclus. 181). tifira cls tw aldva is repeated v. 58; the
phrase is used of the righteous man, Wisd. 5 1*,
There is perhaps an echo of this thought in Barnabas^ % it,
Barnabas is speaking of the trees by the river of Ezek. 47'- la ,
and he adds os Sv ^aytf * afoiait ^TjtrtTtu ets rov alum. But

below.

see Introd., p. bead.

4v

tjj

ifrf\p.u

t&

order rb pA.wa fr
Kdl AirfWoH,

So

pdwa.

BCDTW, but NALTA have the

ipypup as in v. 31.

rjj

of physical death;
refers to spiritual death.
See v. 58,
sc.

in v.

50

(as

v. 48, is

For

dTroflch'fl

has

aTTQ^v^rK-g,

which Abbott {Dial. 2530)

regards as having as good claim to consideration as the true

reading. He would translate
that a man may eat of
,
,
it, and so be no longer under sentence
of death" comparing,

"

For U toutou tow ap-row (BCrALTW), has Ik tov fyov

but this is inconsistent with the sense of the passage.
The Living Bread is Jesus Himself,
l&v tis +<tyg kt^-j " ^ ^y Q nt sat of this Bread, he shall
ciprou,

live for ever," se, as

The

BCTTA) has Aprmi for t^jaet (DLW ^).

a similar variant at w. 57, 58 cf s 25 141*-

rec. (with

is

Tke third part of the Discourse : Jesus will give the Bread
which is His Flesh for the life of the world {vv Si b~59)
t

6X The MSS, vary as to the order of the words in the

second part of the verse, but the meaning remains unaltered.
have the text which we print, while K
support
.

man may

eat of it and so
not die, *.*, die spiritually. It is spiritual food for the perM.
petual nourishment of the spiritual life, Cf. S n

Here the

cf. v. 42).

twt Tts ktX., sc. in order that

6 lie tou odpayou jtatapd?.

See on v. 33 above.
aorist participle points to the crisis of the Incarnation.

drotiorg

which has been menthe Bread which comes down from heaven

had been said at v. 33

phrase " Living Bread " here.

There

.50, q&t6$ iiniv kt\.j sc. this Bread,

tioned in

(1 Pet. i*), and " living stone " (1 Pet. a 4), which do
not, however, present more than verbal resemblances to the

hope "

BCDLTW

kqX 6 apTO^
*<rrtv t

tit

less

qv

iytii Bcuo*u

awkward

vrrip ttjs tqv noo/lou

construction.

The

l^s

rec. text

vap /*au
has got rid
7}

of the awkwardness by reading al apros Sc &v ^yui StStrai ^

tr&p{ fjunf itrriVf fjv iyia Swo-u wrfcp rijs tow noa-pav ^^9, the
insertion of Ijy iy& StScr making all clear.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDIXG TO

208
Kal
KOfTium

ST.

JOHN

b
[VI. 61 .

o &fyro$ Bfe Sv yu ScicrtiJ 17 trdpi /tov 4<rriv w*p t$$ tou

52. *^fia.\ovro ofo nyjos AAAirjAovs 01 *ImwSaoi A.eyorr

ftfik,

A new idea is introduced at this point. 1

Hitherto Jesus has

spoken of the Bread of Life as coining down from heaven, and
of Himself as that Living Bread, giving life to all who feed
upon it and appropriate it. Now He goes on to speak of this
Bread as His Flesh, and of the feeding upon Him as eating
The transition from the
His Flesh and drinking His Blood.
one way of speaking to the other is marked by a change in the
tense of the " giving." The Father gives the heavenly bread
But now Jesus says,
(v. 32) ; it gives life to the world (v. 33).
" The Bread which I shall give {Swo-w) is my Flesh, etc." (but
Moreover, up to this point (except at v. 27),
see on v, 27).
Jesus has spoken of Himself, as the Bread of Life, coming
down from heaven, given by the Father. Now, He speaks of
the Bread which He Himself will give for the life of the world,
namely His Flesh, Difficult as the Jews had found the thought
(v. 41) that Jesus was Himself the heavenly bread, divinely
given, for which they had asked (v, 34), they find much greater
difficulty in the new and strange suggestion that Jesus was to
give them His Flesh to eat (v. 52)* And, according to the
Gospel as we have it, Jesus then proceeds to develop and
a
enlarge this conception (w. 53~5*).
5*, " and,
constr,
.
ktX,
For
the
,
A
tfpros
tcoi
B
further," cf. 8 U is 97, 1 Jn, i . It introduces a new point,

hitherto unmentioned,
(l
which /will give," iyu being emphatic,
5e iyh Stj,
^ mtp jiorf <m^ " is my Flesh." That Christ came " in
7
the flesh " (cf. i , 1 Jn. 4*, a Jn, ) is the central fact of the
Gospel of the Incarnation; that is, He who came down from
heaven (v. 50) assumed man's nature. The gift that is promised is, then, that of His perfect humanity.

This will be given fiirep tt|s to5 m&vjlqu uijs, " on behalf
of the world's life." See for the force of forty and its preThat Christ's
valence in Jn., on i 30 ; and for kwt/uw, on 1*
gift of " His Flesh " is on behalf of the world's life is a saying
the Lamb of God who takes
closely related in meaning to i*,
away the sin of the world " cf also 3 17 44a 1 Jn, 3" But the
true parallel is 1 Cor, n** rovro fiov i<mv to o'&fia to vwep
' *

As has been pointed out (Introd., p. clxix), the Syriac

give here: " The bread which I will give is my Body,

f}fi.iv.

vss.

for the life of the

1

world " a rendering also found in the

;

OX, m,

Cf, Introd., p. cbcvii.

For the sacramental bearing of

of the Eucharist, c. vi.

w.

51-5 B, see Waterland, Doctrine

VL

THE FLESH OF CHRIST

BlMSS.]

Uu$

Ovvarat, ofrros

avroK a
YtoS tov

fffuv

Sovi/cu ripr tropica

LprotS? *Ajnpr ojatjv Acyai vp.iv, lav

&y&ptinrov

teat

wwjtc avrov ro

^ayttv;

/t-17

ffxiyrjTt

209
53.

tlirer

i&v

ryv trdpKa toC

afyta, ovtt e^tre farjv iv iavrois,

" hie panis quem ego dabo pro huius mundi uita corpus

meum

eat."

The Jewish interlocutors had murmured (v.

had been reached; but now they begin

62.

41) before
to dispute
with each other (paxco&u does not occur again in the Gospels)
as to the meaning and trustworthiness of the words of Jesus
They were not of one mind (cf. 7 12 ' * 91* ro u) ; some probably
discerning that a spiritual meaning lay behind this mention
this point

>

Flesh " of Jesus.

BiWttu kt\,; The question is like that of 3*- (where
see note).
For ofo-os, " this person," see on v, 42 above.
of the

'

fl

irias

BT

(with most vss.) insert auroG, to elucidate

In any case, the meaning
**
is,
can this person give us his flesh to eat?" Their
difficulty was a real one, even if they (or some of them) recognised that the <rdp represented the whole humanity of Jesus,
on which they were to " feed"; for that one human being
could impart his nature to another, even spiritually, would be

After o-apKtt
the sense; but

om. KCDLrA,

How

hard to understand.
53. The answer of Jesus repeats (see on 3s) what He has
said already, but in even more difficult terms*
For while in
v, 51 He spoke only of His Flesh, He now goes on to couple
the drinking of His Blood with the eating of His Flesh,
Such
an expression as "to drink blood" would be especially
startling to a Jew, for whom the blood of animals was iabu^
and was expressly forbidden to be used as food (Gen. g*,
Deut, 1 a"). The prohibition was based on the doctrine that
il
the blood is the life " (Deut. 12**), i>. that the blood was
the seat of the
soul " or spas, the vital principle.
The phrase vmtv to al]ua does not occur again in the N.T,
It should be noted, further, that the use of this expression,
as distinct from Jiayeiv t^v tropica, indicates that the Flesh and
Blood have been separated, and thus it suggests death, even
more definitely than ^ayety t^v tr&pxa does.
See on i*1
dftfjK dp^p htX.
For 4<yt)T, D (supported by a) has Xdftvjrc See on v. $6.
(

'

The form of expression is

i^l v trdpua too utoG toG drfptfirov.
changed from ^ <rdp /iov of v. 51, after a fashion frequent in
the Johannine discourses.
But no new idea is introduced by
the change, for " the Son of Man " has already (v, 27) been
mentioned as the future giver of the heavenly food. For this
title,

see Introd., p. exxx.

VOL.

I.

14

2IO

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

W"

oSit

iir

fo "*-

!x
" eating and drinking "

is life,

ST.

JOHN fvT

53-64.

mvstical
The issue of
both here and hereafter, as has

A
been said already (v. 5*)at"*"**
o irtCTTciW fy" M

1**1
before <v; 47)
J
the juxtaposition of these
affirmations indicates that there is an intimate connexion
between the " faith " which is in continual contact with Christ,
and that eating and drinking of His Flesh and Bloodthe
assimilation or appropriation of His humanitywhich is the
31
Here the
theme of w. 5i*-58. See on 3 and cf. 20

tittle

THE FLESH OF CHRIST

VI. 64^56,]

54. a Tpwytw pav rijv trdpita koi ttohmv pou to atpn jfj^w fami)?
alwviw, Kayo) avaxrri)a-tn ainbv tjJ ecrjpiTij Tjjtipa.
5$* y yap <rap
/wu dXtj&Tji itrrtv fipuwts, koi to elpA ftov dAijtfiJs i<mv irans,
5 6. o rpwyay p.av tv}V irapKa Kttt irtvt&v p.ov to ayjM iv ftol tiivu
infants, in order that being thus nourished
His flesh (wro pjaatiov T175 trap*; avrou), * i

accustomed to eat and drink the

rov \6yov toB 0cov),

irivttv

doctrine is stated negatively, and in an even more startling

fashion: " If ye do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and
drink His Blood, ye have no life in yourselves." This is the

way to attain to Life,

The Flesh and the Blood are

only

the full Life; their comthe communication of eternal life. It is possible

that Jn.'s insistence on the flesh and blood of Christ has some
connexion with his purpose of refuting Docetic doctrines which
w
denied the reality of both (see on i ).
v. 54),
(from
**"w
After tufa adds
54 ft The sequence of thought is simple. He who feeds
on Christ has life, here and hereafter (v. 54), inasmuch as he
thus appropriates the life of Christ (v. 56), which is the life of
God (v, 57) hence he who feeds on Christ will live for ever
{w. 54,
.
The fourfold repetition of o rpuryiav
(v, 58).
* s thoroughly Johannhie in its cadences.
$$)
56, Sir
The verb Tpwyav challenges attention. In ordinary Greek,
but no instance has
it is used of men eating fruit or vegetables,
been produced of its use for the eating of flesh (Abbott, DiaU
1710A). It seems to connote eating of delicacies, or eating
with enjoyment; and in the only place in the NT- outside Jn.
s8
in which it is found, viz. Mt. 2 4 , where the careless ones
before the Flood are described as rpwyavr** *al b-cWtcc, this
suggestion is perhaps involved. Besides the present passage,
we have it again at 131* (where see note) as a quotation from
being altered by Jn. to rpwywv.
Ps, 41*, r0iW of the
That is, Jn, always uses this verb of " eating " at the Last
Supper or the Eucharist (for this is undoubtedly indicated in

munication

is

Bread of immortality

LXX

51-58 here), although Mk. and Mt. have hr&Uw in their

w
26*** *).
The
narratives of the Last Supper (Mk. 14**- , Mt.
Synoptists use the verb totiUtv 34 times in all, but it never
appears in Jn.
rptxryw is used of spiritual feeding in a remarkable sentence
of Irenaeus (H&r* iv. xxxviii. i) which seems to be reminiscent
He is speaking of Christ, o dpros
of the present passage.
6 rtXtujy rov iraTpos, and of His gradual revelation of Himself.
First, He offered Himself to us as milk is offered to

from the breast of

we might become
Word of God {rpwyttv <u

and contain within ourselves the

which is the

{rov t$s i^avaatas d/irar),

Spirit of the Father."

The language of Ignatius {Rom. 7), in like manner, reproduces words of this chapter: dprov &tov &t\mt
itrrtv <rap rov
Xpiarov . . . Kat irofta. &i\<n to atpa avrov.
So Justin {ApoI< i.
66) says that the eucharistic elements are lijffoO koI a-aptta. koi
071a,
See Introd., p. dxviii.
54* 4 Tpvytov pou -rf\v aipMci. Kftl tuVwk |iau t atpa (the whole
phrase is repeated verbatim in v. 56) seems to mean, " he who
continually feeds with enjoyment upon my Flesh and continually drinks my Blood," or "he who is in the habit of
feeding, etc*," for the present participles must be given their
force.
See above on v. 39.
Egti f,w?]p

awvLov

211

fev^Ti] 4p4p?i

(st.

which

is

in the present), *tdyu Avatrr^tru clut&k tjj

the promise of life in the future.

The

twofold assurance is repeated from v. 40, the difference

being that while there it is for him who has spiritual vision of
Christ and believes in Him, here it is given to the man who
" eats His Flesh and drinks His Blood," See above on v. 53.
For the refrain tcAyot Avairn^rta ourov tjj iff^ctTj yfLtpfy see on

and cf, Introd,, p, clxvii.

The rec. text inserts fr before *xarp, but cm. kBD@.
See on v. 39,
65. dAijftfa.
So K C BCLTW, but *DrA read dAiftife.

v. 39,

for my
^ yAp mSp| jiou (cf* V* 51) dXt]0^s ioriv pp&krtSj
is true meat/' sc. it is really to be eaten, and it nourishes as meat ought to do.
For /Spwtris of the thing eaten, see
* 4

Flesh

on 4s1

pw ktX., " and my Blood is true drink." The

a comment on, and corroboration of, the assurance of

nal t& aTp4

verse

is

56. 4 rp^Y^ . . . t4 aTpa is repeated from v, 54, the reason

for that promise being now given.
The man who spiritually
feeds on Christ " abides in Him } " and so he has the assurance
of eternal life.
pfrttp is a favourite word with Jn*, and he uses it much
more frequently than the Synoptists do. They have not the

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

212

ST,

[VL 56-57-

JOHN

57, tcaQias airitrr&kar /*c h &v IIot^jo K^yi u> Bii

5 S* oi/tos
Ilarepo, ko! 6 TptSywv /* KcUtuw Sfrct S* /.

K^yS) hf avru,

iw

hmv

THE FLESH OF CHRIST

VL57-]

213

again 13". j Jn. 2* 4", of the comparison between

the life
of the Incarnate Christ and that of believers. It is not
ieo0&s
ovru9, for the comparison or parallelism
.
.
can never be
exact or complete; it is koB^

m, " As Christ # . so
(m a sense) even those who are His," See on 17 1*
itfiv icavqp is a phrase unique in the N.T, but cf. 6 irarrip
^
.

to abide in Christ/' 01 " in God " which is thoroughly

This phrase is used in
characteristic of Johatuiine doctrine.
13 1B
e M
but in
a general mystical sense in 1 Jn. z*> * 3 4
;
4and
at
only
here
found
15 7, both
the Fourth Gospel it is
passages having reference to the Eucharist (see on 15*), the
"
purpose of which is that " we may dwell in Him, and He in us
"
"
other,
and
the
involves
abiding
In Jn. the one
(cf. 15*)*

phrase

t(

'

s4

s
to this thought reference is made several times (15 , 1 Jn. 3
38
w
U
*
on
cf. i4 , and see
;
s ).
4
The external token of a man's " abiding " in Christ, is that
he keeps His commandments (1 Jn. 3**) ; and, as to love God
and to love man arc the great commandments, he that abides in
1
1
More generally, he that abides
love abides in God (1 Jn. 4 *).
in Christ ought to walk after His example (1 Jn. 2*); in other
s
words, he " bears fruit " (15 ). Of one who has perfectly
" he sinneth not " (1 Jn. 3*).
"
said
is
abiding,"
it
realised this

Such an one has the secret of efficacious prayer (15 ), He has

s7
(6 ), and naturally will have confidence at the Great
7

life

Parousia

(1 Jn. a

M).

adds after
10

a-Cr^

apirp

ko0u

Aiyw

fv*

v/up,

h Traryp, Kayw r T<p irctrpt

vtov
ptf XdfirjTE to era/m rov

/*oi

&v

d.fArp/
(cf. 14 ).
a^r<?tdu Qrvbp&irov ws top dprov ttJ? t*Btfs <rf* ^X* 4V V
With D's subThis interpolation a is supported by aff %
stitution Of Aa/Ji/T< to ow/ia for ^lay^re ryy oupna {v. 53),
compare its substitution of Ad/S^r* for tfrdyrjT* in v. S3has brmAice (cf* so* 1, I Jn. 4s);
57. For dTr&rre*\K,
the aor. marks a definite moment, viz. that of the Incarnation,
1T
For the ** sending " of Jesus by the Father, see on 3 .

a favourite conjunction with Jn, The constr.

which we find here, cannot always be intern
preted in the same way* Thus at 15 17** and 2o we must
render, " As the Father loved (or sent) me, so I loved (or send)
itdyw plainly
yon." On the other hand, at 17 s1 Kaflits
stands for " As Thou, Father, art in me, and I in Thee." In
the present verse, the sequence of thought requires the latter
As the Living Father hath sent me, and
interpretation, viz.
" he that
I live because of the Father," then it follows that
1
eateth me shall live because of me." See further on io *.
The form of the principal sentence Kcrf&s &Tr&trrsik&
It appears
pc .
kui 6 TpdSyw ktX. must also be observed.
jcoSgS?

kclO&s

is
.

icdydj

'

See IntrocL, p, cbcxiv*

Chase traces
p. 21),

it

to Syriac influence {Syro-Latin Text of the Gospels,

ei

is

fX

title

fr

**vtQ (5 aft, where see note),

found both in O.T. and N.T.,

Acts i4 W j

e.g.

"The

living

Deut.

2 Cor, 6 ltt -

The meaning of

'

passage

this

God "

w Mt i6"
'

'

then, as follows: As the

of Life, has sent Christ on earth, and
is,

Father, who is the Fount

as Christ's life is derived from and dependent on the
Divine
Life, so the believer who " eats " Christ, that is,
who is in
continual communion with Him, assimilates His life and
thus
lives in dependence on Him,
S& rov rarp^ would mean that
the Father was the Agent; but BlA rhv var^m
signifies that He
is the spring and source of the Life of the
Son,
Sid with the accusative

*f

*i

or

(z)

thanks

vpfis fiAvov* l$v iOfrw,"

to.

"

may mean
.

wish

either (1)

for the sake

For

(1) Wetstein quotes &C

to live for your sakes," sc to

do you favours (Dio Cassius, lxxvti. iii. 2); and Abbott (ZHat,
3705) adds several examples from Epictetus, e.g. S(tMk Sib. r&

w,

i(

escape for the sake of the children 1J (Epict. iv. i.

163).
This use of Bid will not suit the context here. That the Life

of Christ was Sia y m-ripa, " for the Father's sake,"

sc. to
do His Will, is true (cf. 4 s4), but the argument requires the
conception that the Life of Christ is derived from and
due to
the Life of God. (3) For this sense of kd, Abbott
CDiat
3297*) quotes Plutarch, Vtt. Alex. 81 Alexander said he
owed hfe to his father, but good life to Aristotle St* faww
pbr t&v, Bih rctirov &k tca\&s ,, This is a close
parallel
to the use of Std in the present passage.
Christ lives, Sta tw
waTcpa t " thanks to the Father," as sharing the Father's Life: l

believers live 81* ctwov, " thanks to Him." The meaning,

then, of iKelvo<s tfim %C ip.4 is, practically, the
same as
that of the related passage 1 Jn. 4* rov vlvv abrw tqv /^ovaycri?

and

&w&rra\Kev a O^os eh iw Kwrpov, Iva q<r<ap,*Y St utrrov, where

Sta takes the genitive.
See on 15 s .
Godet's comment brings out the general sense excellently;
((
As the infinite life of nature can only be appropriated by
man so far as it is concentrated in a fruit or a morsel of bread;
so the divine life is only put within our reach so far as it is
incarnate in the Son of Man. It is thus that He is to us all the
J At ^**
Christ's " food " is the doing the Father's Will,
Here the
thought is rather that the Son " feeds " on the Father's Life, assimilat-

ing and sharing

it.

214

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

gpros o ix tov atpavov na-Tafias, <w

ST,

fcatfoi?

JOHN
&ayor

[VI. 57-68.

wo-Tcpcs ital

But as we have to appropriate and assimilate

Life,
bread to obtain life through it; so also must we incorporate
the Person of the Son of Man by an inward act of faith, which
By thus feeding on
is the way of spiritual manducation.
Him who lived by God, we live by God Himself and henceforth

THE FLESH OF CHRIST

VI. 58-09.]
airi&ctvQy

rpwyw

tovtov tov Sprov

Qqtrtt cts

rov

21S
al&vtx*

59.

Tavra

Bread of

actually live as Jesus does."

mil &

Tp&yw

|jlc

metaphor of eating

" even

.,

so,

he who eateth me,"

(t

the feeding on
is the essential thing,
For Tp6yn>v} D has kaftffavwv; cf. v. 56.
For {rivet (KBC^LTN), the rec has ftjo-e with

it is

The

Flesh and Blood " is dropped;

Himself, the communion with His Person,
Christ's

TA

jt&Kefros

{ijirei

Si

The

Ipd.

life

promised here

is

that

m^ aiwtos which begins in the present; the parallel saying

of 141* on tyw & koI vpa? frprarfe, has special reference to

85 and cf. Introd.,

See on
p. cbri.
the future.
,
58. This verse contains a summary of the whole discourse,
and so it goes back to the saying about the heavenly Bread
(v, 33), ending with what was said in v. 51, that he who feeds
on it shall live for ever. Jn.'s report of the words of Jesus

often passes without pause into his own comments (see on 3"%
and it has been suggested (Abbott, Dint. 1957) that v, 5S was
intended to be the evangelist's short statement of what has
gone before. But if so, toSto. dvev in v. 59 is clumsy.
can hardly separate v, 58 from what precedes, despite some
slight changes in the form of expression, which are duly noted
below- As has already been said {p. cxyi), Jn. is prone to
vary words and the order of words when reiterating something

We

already recorded.
offras iimv kt\,, repeated from v, 50, except that here
the aor, participle Karafia<s is used (as in v. 51) of the descent
from heaven of the mystical Bread, For the rec. *k tou ofiparau

(tfDLNWrA), BCT have c ofyiowv, and this may be

but on the six previous occurrences of the phrase

right;

"descending from heaven" (w. 33, 38, 41, 42, 50, 51), tou
vvpavav is the best- supported reading.
au ita&ta l+ayw ktX., repeated, with slight variations,
from v. 49. The sentence is a good example of Jn/s partiality
for the constr. called anacoluthon.
For oi Kofcfc, cf. 14s7 1 Jn. 3 1*; the only other occurrence
B
in the N.T. being 2 Cor. 8
and Syr, sin. adds
The
rec.
with
oi iraWpes,
,

DAN

vp&v

(from

v,

49);

om.

kBCLTW,

The

refers to the patriarchs.

from v. 49.

that

(cf.v, 51).

occurs again, in the words of Christ, at 7 2 *, where it

It also is found Acts 13 s *, Rom. 9*
ii 28 158 , Heb. i 1 , 2 Pet. 3*, and is used quite vaguely of
the Israelites of the olden time. Here it is limited by the
context to the generation of the Exodus from Egypt. But no
distinction is to be drawn between al TraWpts ^iv of v.
49
and oi irarlpcs of v, 58 (cf, e,g. t Acts 13 32 and Acts 26 s).
Some minor uncials add to pdwa after 0* Trartpts &f*.wvt
T-aripes

expression

<A

k<Ti
dirVGcuw,
Lightfoot {Hot* Hebr., on 6 >B) cites a
Jewish saying, ** The generation in the wilderness have no
part in the world to come," and if this were pre-Christian in
date (which is uncertain) it would suggest that *ai &wi$tww
should be interpreted of spiritual death. But we have already
seen (v. 49) that the argument requires it to indicate the death
of the body, from which even the manna could not save those

who ate it.

A Tpuywv toutop tAp dprov frfrrci efe rhv aiwa.
This is
repeated from v. 51, with the substitution of b rpifyur with
the ace* for Ifo tw ^y# with Ik and the gen.
l^mt. So kBCNW; the rec* has frprerai, Cf, v. 51.
50, For the site of Capernaum, see on 2 12
The synagogue
at Capernaum (built by the centurion, Lk, 7*) was the place
where Jesus gave His first public instruction (Mk. i 21 ; cf*
Lk. 4s11*), 1 That it was His habit to teach in country synagogues is clear; cf. Mk. I s* 3 1 , Mt, 4s* 9** 12s 13M; and see
30
Jn. iS , the only other place where the word (rvvay^yrj occurs
injru
iv owaywyif, ** in synagogue," as we say " in church."
prefixes the article r$ before ovv., but incorrecdy; cf. 1S*
also adds o-afl3a, and this may possibly be a gloss which has
tradition behind it.
Sabbath synagogue services were those at
which instruction was usually given, although there were
services on Mondays and Thursdays as well.
On the other
hand, the narrative represents a crowd as following Jesus across
the lake, which would involve more travelling than was regarded as right on the Sabbath day.
.

D
D

Recent excavations at Tell-Hum have disclosed the remains of a

large building which

its

discoverers identify with this synagogue.

216

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

[VI. 60-62,

/wtftpw airrov etnw SxA-ifpof

SwaTO* avrav axovtw ; 6 1* <iSai5 Se a
yoyyvQowlv Trtpt tovtov at fia$^jTaX avrov, *rv

60. IloXXoi o$v aKowravTtt re rav

eoriy o Aoyos o&tos"
*Iij<ravs er eaural or*

a^rois TotJro v/idt

AvBpwrov

avtifialvovTO. oitohj

Tty

<riw<5fflAt*6 ;

62. cav ouf 0c<i>p^re rov Yidv rou

are perplexed by the words of Jesus (w. 60-65)

Tiiff disciples

THE DISCIPLES PERPLEXED

VI. 63.]

only
the Twelve , but those who were of the outer circle of His
disciples (cf v, 66 and see ona 8 ); some of the Twelve may well
have been among those who found the teaching of Jesus
.

k twv jiafltiTw

auraO, including IlOt

difficult
ffV>)p<4s is

not used again by Jn,

It

means harsh or hard

to accept (not difficult to understand^ cf. Gen. ai 11 and Jude u).

A Xiyos oto$
is the true order of words, as
against ofao? 4 A. of the rec, text ().

(BCDLNW)

AjuhW; "Who can hear it? " sc. huVA

appreciation. See on 38 for mcoiW with a genitive in Jn,
What was the harsh or strange saying to which the
questioners referred ? The whole of the discourse from v. 51
onward might be described as wAqpifc, and exception had
tis Siivarat aurou

already been taken to the early part of it: " How can this man
But the statement which
give us His flesh to eat ? " (v. 52).
seems to be challenged particularly at this point is v- 58, <( This
is the Bread which descended from heaven; he that eats of it
which Jesus applied to Himself, for the
shall live for ever "
answer in v. 62 has special reference to it. What would they
say if they saw Him ascending} Flesh cannot give eternal
;

but spirit can do so.

For Aoyos used of a saying of Jesus,

life,

61. EL&fc %i 6

*lTjffou5 iv

out$.

on a M
See on 2^ for the insight
see

of Jesus into men's thoughts.

For yoyyulwaw, see onv, 41 above, where the murmurers

were " the Jews "; here they include some of the disciples of
Jesus.
touto

maefiaufici? (FKov&oXiEti i " Does this offend ^ou?"

Aty occurs in Jn* again only at i61> but it is a common
Synoptic word.
62. l&v o5i fleupiJTc ktX.
The passage is an aposiopesisj
t(
the apodosis being omitted.
If then you should see the
Son of Man (see on i cl ) ascending where He was before (will
you be offended?)."
should expect ri ofiv lav Icupjgrc
ktX, and the omission of t* is awkward. But the meaning is
hardly doubtful. Jesus does not imply that those addressed
would certainly see the Ascension, but that it was a possibility.
According to Lk., the Eleven were witnesses of the Ascension

We

63. to wri/ia eortv rh

(Lk. 24s1, Acts i 8), and they were among those to whom Jesus
was here speaking in reply to doubts (see on v. 60). Bpv
(see on 2 23) is used here of bodily vision; and avapaCt'uv is

used again of the Ascension 2017

t& irpdTBDOK,

60. ttoWoi

fy to npartpov

217

Gal. 4

**

before "

is

(cf. 3 13,

Eph, 4 lfl, Acts 2*1).

rare in the

N.T

but

8
cf. q
*

and

flirou fy t iTpfSrepov.
The Personality of the Lord remained
unchanged through His Incarnation and subsequent Ascension,
Here is suggested the pre-existence of the " Son of Man," as
before at s u> where see note.
The meaning of w, 62, 63 is best brought out if we take
them in connexion with v, 5S (cf, v. 51), which had seemed to
the hearers of Jesus to be hard of acceptance.
He had said
two things (i) that He was the Bread which came down from
heaven, and (2) that the man who ate of it should live for ever.
There are two distinct points of difficulty, and they are taken
;

separately.
(1) That One moving among men in the flesh had descended
from heaven seemed incredible, but is it not still less credible

that

He

should ascend

happened

to heaven ?
Yet the former had
(in the Incarnation); the latter will happen at the

Ascension,
see

and some of those

present might be there to

it,

There is a real difficulty in believing that the eating

bread " or " flesh " (v. 52) can give life for ever (v. 58).
"The flesh profiteth nothing." Flesh cannot transcend its
(2)

of

(1

own

limitations.
But to those who feed on the Flesh of the
Son of Man, He will impart eternal life (v. 57), for although
He " became flesh " (i 14), His origin and essential being is
spiritualj and it is the characteristic of spirit to give life
t
:

hrnv to wo7T(kow.

This is the promise to all future

believers (see on 7 s9).
The words which He had spoken to
them, and to which they took exception, are Spirit and Life:
these are the key words of His teaching about Himself and His
m/cvfid

salvation.

Some commentators,

e.g. Meyer of a former generation,

{Diat. 22iib) } take &va$a>ivu.v in this verse as
referring to the Death of Jesus, as the beginning of His passage
from the earthly to the heavenly sphere. But the usage of
the verb in the N.T, is decisive against this. It never refers to
the Crucifixion, but to the Ascension, and it provides a notable
illustration of Jn.'s manner of writing, that here and at 2017 he
introduces an allusion to the Ascension of Christ, whilst he
does not state explicitly that it took place.

and Abbott

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

21 8

(fovirowvVy

nvtvpa ivriv

icai

s-urrcv'owtr.

pBei

fay i<rrtv.
yap c aptffr

[VI. 63-64.
vpZv

Kal

the

rk

p^ara

&

cyui XeXdkrjKa.

See for gumraita' as

63- to irccu^d IffTW t& t<uom>iouy.
21
applied to the work of Christ, 5 ; and note 1 Cor, 15**,
The contrast between flesh and spirit has already been
s8
before us in f, where see the note; cf. also Mk. 14 , 1 Pet.
ie

4*.

^ ir&p outt u^Xel oASfr, "flesh avails nothing." For tt^eXcfr,

1
There is no contradiction with what has been said
cf. ia *.
before (v. 51), for Jesus does not say " my flesh " here. In
every case is it true that flesh, without spirit, cannot quicken
tn eternal life

ffipmt iyh taXdXipa. So KBCDLNW, as against

XoXS of the rec. text. The " words " in question are the
p^jfitna (never in
words of the preceding discourse. For
s4
the sing, in Jn.), see on 3 . The jHj/Awra of Christ are words of
God (847 if) r and as such belong to the sphere of spiritual
realities, for God is Spirit (4**), and of essential being, that is,
of true life. They are spirit and they are life.
M
For \u\eiv, see on 3"; and cf. 8
64, But although His words were words of life, they were
ctnr It
life only to those who believed, and so Jesus adds dXV
vumvzw is used absolutely, as at
611&K tiks ot ofi irumdouiriir.
tA

w. 36, 47 (see on i7).

Jn, is prone to comment on savings or actions of Jesus that
might not be easy for a reader to understand,* and here he
adds ji&ei ydp kt\, (cf* 3 lfl), to emphasise the point that Jesus
had not been speaking great words of mystery (w. 62, 63)
realising that

some among His hearers could not

without
appropriate them,
*PX% occurs in the N,T. only
tJSei yip dpxfjs *
{e.g> Isa.
here and at 16*, although it is found in the
40*1 41", where it means " from the beginning of things ");
but we have seen on v. 38 that Sard and c* are not always
He uses * fyxfc a3 equivalent to Air
distinguishable in Jn,
U
7 *
37
1 Jn. 3
3 (but
dpxfc (K reads Saf &pxrjs) t which occurs 15
1 in the same sense as here, viz. "from the time
cf. x Jn. i )

LXX

when Jesus first drew disciples round Him," From the moment
when He began to observe their characters, He distinguished
unerringly those who were faithful from those who were not
(see a 24).

p.

That Jn. means

his readers to

understand that from

* For patristic comments on this passage, see Gore, Dissertations,

303 i
* Cf. Introd,, p.

xxxiv.

VI- 64-60.]

64. AA* zUiiv e$ vpAv^ rtves ot oi

irurreuon-es
* 'Jijtrows vs t*v 01

trap ovk wc^eXet oufcV

JOHN

ST,

THE DISCIPLES PERFLEXED

eoTt^ o irapahtxxrwv avrav.

65,

k2

219

freyw Aii TOvro

ttprjKa

of his call, Judas was known by Jesus to be the

betray Him is not certain. If that be his
meaning, the passage provides a remarkable instance of Jn/s
19
doctrine of predestination (see on 2*, and especially on 13 ),
must
suppose
that
far
we
so
But we need not press * dpxfc
that Jesus chose Judas as one of the Twelve, being conscious
at the time that he would be a traitor ] that would make the
choice difficult to explain, in connexion with the true humanity
of Christ, If the knowledge that Judas was untrustworthy
came as soon as Jesus had studied him at close quarters, then
In any case, Jn, takes
ii apxfc k adequately interpreted*
care, both here and in c. 13, to repudiate the idea that the

moment

man who would

treachery of Judas took Jesus by surprise,

Abbott notes {Diat. 2510)

Tts tenr * iropaBtfffttv afrrtSv,
that 6 Trapa^ow (D has 6 irapaStfous) is the only instance in
Jn, of a future participle with the article.

The meaning of TrapaSi&Wt

is

often misunderstood, as

Abbott {Paradosis passim) has shown at length. It means

" to deliver up," but not necessarily " to betray." Thus it is
M > ic-11 ),
used of the Jews giving up Jesus to Pilate (i8
and also
crucified
to
be
(19),
up
Jesus
giving
Pilate
of
and
80
ct
giving up " His spirit, i.e. dying, on the cross (19 ).
of Jesus
In none of these passages is treachery connoted or implied
and thus in the passages where TrapaSiSd is applied to the
71 12 4 13*- u ai iB 2 * ai*) we are not entitled
action of Judas (6
t[
r-poStSdvat (a verb not found in the
betray."
it
to render
18
calls Judas TrpoSdr^, as he unGospels, although Lk, 6
" to
doubtedly was) is " to betray," but
P oSt5oW is simply
not
conveying
any
sugword
colourless
deliver up," and is a
gestion of blame.
Jn, does not record any early predictions by Jesus that
He would be " delivered up " to the Jews, as the Synoptists
33
do (cf. Mk. 931 io ). In Jn. Jesus Himself does not use the
-

word

irapa6tSdvi until 13
65, *<o* IXtyc^ Jn. occasionally uses eA*y/ of the utter21 aa
18 6*-" 8- i2
), and the force of
5
ances of Jesus (2 Here reference is made
the impft. tense must not be missed.
to the saying of v. 44, a cardinal doctrine in Jn. (cf. v. 37 and
17
in the first instance from
3 ), viz. that the impulse to faith comes
God; there were some who did not believe (v. 64), and one
who would be a traitor among them, but this did not surprise
" He was saying " (all the while) that it was a fundaJesus.
mental principle that God must " draw " a man to Christ.
See Abbott {Diat, 2467), who, however, holds that in all cases
.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

220

Sn

vpXv

JOHN [VL

ST.

ovdcls hvvarat cAfcfr np6s ju< iav /mj

row Harpcfe,
66, *Ek tovtov iroXXol

fl

66-66,

StSc^ttvov aural fo

iw jxa07pw airou aTrqAflok

es

VL 66-68.] DEFECTION OF MANY

DISCIPLES

221

KOU QVKfTL /T* O.VTQV ffe/JHTT^TOUf.

6?, UlTW 0&V 6 'irfCHiVS ToU
Sut*a Mijf icol 0/is Q*\*rc vrrdyew; 68* AmKpi&i] afrnj Si/t>v

ra r&rai
d-rjjXfor els tA 6-171(701, a phrase used again i8 B
They withdrew or retreated from association with Jesus. For & ra
oinW in a figurative sense, cf* Ps* 441**
t(
odftfri ffcCT adTou TKpierrdTooi'j
they walked no more with
phrase
which
vividly
Him," a
suggests the itinerant character
of His ministry, Cf. 7 1 n M ; and for the larger sense of
ffcpiwoTftv, see on 8 ia
.

a saying preceded by %X.eyev is mysterious and not understood

by the hearers. This can hardly be sustained; see, e.g.^ 6 8
Bid touto eTpTjito.
This was the reason why He had given
the warning of v. 44 (where see the note). He wished to
anticipate criticism based on the non-success of His teaching
with some people. For 8i tovto, see on 5 16
i*. tou TrenptSsThe rec. adds pw, but om. kBC*DLTW
(see on v. 44).
.

The defection of many disciples : the steadfastness of the

Twelve> as indicated in ike Confession of Peter (vv. 66-71)
Verses 66-71 form the conclusion of Part I. of the Gospel,
^
Hitherto the mission of Jesus has been accepted by many
** 6a
disciples, and has appeared to be full of hope (2 s3 4 1 *
).
But He had not trusted Himself to all these adherents, for

"He

in man" (z 26).
When the reach and
of His doctrine begin to be realised, there is a falling
away of disciples. Only the Twelve remain (and even of these
one will be unfaithful). Here, at the end of c. 6, is the note of
failure, suggested for the first time at v, 26.
Henceforth the
record is to be of a growing hate, culminating in rejection

knew what was

difficulty

(see

on ia 38 "). 1

U tou'tou,

" thereupon." The great defection began at

and its immediate cause was the nature of the
teaching which had been given. Cf. ro1 *. ix tovtw in a causal
_

66-

this point,

sense

is

common in the

papyri.

added after k tqvtov by nD and fam. 13, but is

unnecessary and is_om* by BCLTNW. toytoyttoMoi might
easily become toytoyttoaAoi, and thus ovv would get into the
ovv is

text (see Tischendorf, in loc).

voXXol tw jia&rfTui' auTou,
insert Ik before rfiv paO.,
but om. kCDLW, Cf. v, 60 and see on i* 6 T1 12 4
t&v |ia$i]Ttfi refers to the outer circle of disciples (see on
a
fi ),
which would include the Twelve, although none of the
Twelve failed Jesus at this point.
tradition ascribed to
Hippolytus says that Mark and Luke were among the " seventy
disciples who were scattered by the offence of the words of
Christ," Jn. 6s8 being quoted loosely a

BT

1 Cf. Introd.,
p, xxxiii.
SeeMoultonj-Milligan,
See Moult on- Milligan Vocab. ofN.T., s.v. fr,
> Ftagm. on The Seventy Apostl
ties.

This is the first time that

rots Sri&cKa,
the Twelve " are mentioned by Jn. (cf. v. 13). He introduces this familiar designation without having given any
account of their being set apart by Jesus, as the Synoptists
do (Mk, 3 U). So, too, he brings in Pilate (I8 39) and Mary
Magdalene (19 s5), without explaining who they were. This
is a feature of his way of writing:
he assumes, on the part
of his readers, an acquaintance with the story of Christ's
ministry (cf. p. xciv).
Jn, mentions " the Twelve " by this collective designation
only 4 times (cf, w. 70, 71, and 20**), and in every case there is
a suggestion of desertion or unbelief in the context.
67*

cfircir

**

}Li\

ml

Witts

The form of the

6Ati

uirdl-ycir;

question, firj
expected. Cf. 7*'-

hm

**

Would you

also go

away?"

suggests that a
M o* 18"' M ; and see 21*, negative
answer is
the only
other place in the Gospel where an interrogation beginning
with ftq is put into the mouth of Jesus.
fa&yeiv, "to go away," is a favourite word with Jn,
It is
applied to the disciples here and at i5 w . See on 7** and i6T
68. The Confession of Peter here recorded is not to be
distinguished from the similar confession narrated by the
Synoptists (Mk. S 87 '-, Mt, i6 18f-, Lk. o1**-), although the
The crisis in the Lord's public ministry
details are different.
which called it forth took place, according to Lk, as well as
according to Jn,, some time after the Feeding of the Five
Thousand (Mk., followed by Mt., places it a little later, after
the Feeding of the Four Thousand), Jn. says that the place
was Capernaum, while Mk, and Mt, give C^esarea Philippi,
30 miles to the north; Lk. does not give any indication of place.
In all the Synoptists, the Confession of Peter was followed by
the first prediction by Jesus of His Passion, There is no
indication of this in Jn., who does not assign to any particular
crisis the first announcement by Jesus that He was to suffer.
Cf. J 18 * 14 6" 8 M i2^. I3 8i ; and see introd., p exxxi,
But in Jn., as in the Synoptists, the faithfulness of the
apostles, for whom Peter was spokesman, as contrasted with

.,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

222

ST.

JOHN

[VX

68-69,

TLtrpo* Kvptt, srpos rtra direAnjQ-Q/A* $a ; pyptLTa ftaqv auavtov *)pir

-ireirt<TTVK(LU<W koX iyv&Kautv on trv ef o *AyiO* ToS
fin.
ical ljjueis
nunc TreiriffTevKaptv
69. JMi

eou.

the defection or incredulity of many in the outer circle of the

Lord's followers* is brought out clearly,
Xipw nfrpog. This is the only place in Jn. where Peter
the rest, although
is represented as speaking on behalf of
he appears later as foremost to question or to intervene

by which

i#--atf).

(cf.

rrpte

At an

direXeuafyefot ;

rfra

me "

" Depart from

Peter had
but that was only a hasty
earlier stage,

(Lk. 5s),
question /nj ml vpsh Q&ctc. mrdyttv;
is answered by another question.
(i) "Thou
Peter's Confession is twofold in Jn.'s version,
hast words of eternal life"; this is the acceptance of Jesus as
" Thou art the Holy One of God"; that is the
Prophet.
(2)
recognition of Him as the Priest of humanity,
The immediate reference is
jHjpaTa twTJs aWiou *x El S'
*'
Thou hast wards (not
to v. 63J and the teaching of v. 58,
said,

word of

humility.

The

11
i.e. words which give eternal life,
the words) of eternal life,
or the knowledge of it ; see on v. 35 for the phrase "the
Bread of Life." For pfrmTa, see on v. 63; and cf. Acts 5

Tvra Ta

3"; and

p-rjfxara

cf.

w*

al^vtmt see on
This is a favourite expression of Jn.,
accustomed phraseology Peter's con-

jnirjf

tt)s

27, 40.

Tavnjs,

puts into his own

fession of trust in Jesus,
69. k*\ f\peU (emphatic; we, at

who

iremtrrtuKajMi'

different

at

icui

lyvAmaptv

Jn, 4

lft

^/icfr

ktX,

For

leastj

0*17

the chosen Twelve)

The order of verbs

is

tyytja-av

kol Trrmo-rtvxaptv

down

' l

a.TTKpl$Tf

*jo.

ifrKt&ifMjv ;

Kflt

aurots 6 'Iiprovs

cf vfJL&v

eTs

StajSoXos

Ovk

223

eyro vjjms tops

itrrtv,

71.

Acycv

Sta$efca

Se

rov

he, or others, reached this supreme conviction he

does not stay to record.
A fi-yios to5 fleoO.
This is, undoubtedly, the true reading
(KBC*DLW). The rec, (with N) has 6 Xpurro?, b w; roS
&tov tov tarro5, which is the reading of Mt. 16 1*, and has

naturally crept into the text here, by assimilation.

Cf- also
the confession of Martha, eyii ttcvutteukil ort trv el o Xpiorot,
UWS TOV $tOV (il 31).
o ay*os tov $cov is the designation of Jesus by the unclean
spirit of Mk, i 8 * Lk. 4s4
It is not a Johannine phrase, but
may be taken here to mean Him whom God consecrated as the
Christ (cf.
Cf Acts 3 W 4 s7 * *7UB
6 varqp fyWcr, iqB8)faov is used of a Nazirite at Judg. 13' 1617
and cf, <Eytos
Kvptov of Aaron at Ps. 106 1*.
See 17 11 irdttp ayie>
The commendation of Peter in response to his Confession,
which is recorded by Mt. 1617, has no place in the other Gospels,
and it does not appear here. But perhaps a reminiscence
of it has already been recorded at i 4a , where see note.
70. Peter had spoken for the rest of the apostles as well
" He
as for himself, and Jesus understands this to be so.
answered them," amKpCOrj avroU (D om. afrrafc). After afrrofc,
have 6 lijomfe, but om. TA.
ovk lyt*> fiends jctX., u Was it not I (eyw being emphatic)
who chose you, the Twelve ? " (for ot Sa>8cica, see on v. 67).
Cf. Lk. 61 * Kkfaftwo<i S.TT OMTtxtv SySe<, and also Jn. 13 s8
and i$ ia qvx 5/At? /it lc\atr$c dAA iylb ii^Xtfdfttjv &p,Ss.
The Twelve, the leaders of the new Israel, chosen to be the
intimate companions of Jesus, were deliberately selected by
Him from a larger number of disciples and followers. See
,

'

'

KBCDNLW0

iyvvitaftw

cf.

But, while Jn, does not lay

koX tTritTTev&tLv.
formulae as to the relative precedence of faith and
knowledge in regard to the things of the spirit, his teaching is
nearer the credo ui inteltigam of the saints than the intelligo
believed M
ut credam of the philosophers. The apostles had
"
"
was.
knew
who
He
So, at
therefore
they
in Jesus, and
M
s7
any rate, Jn. makes Peter say. See on 3 , and cf. 11 ^
Cf. the Confession of Na.tha.nael, <rv ** 6 vtos ro
tru *r.
The Confession of Peter does not really transcend
6cov (149).
either this or the announcement of Andrew tipn/JKajxtv rov
Mnnrw (i*1). The Synoptic presentation of a gradual development of spiritual insight on the part of the followers of
Jesus, in accordance with which it was only after a time and
not all at once that they recognised Him as the Christ, has no
1
His purpose in writing the Gospel is
place in Jn.'s narrative.
is the Christ (2081), and the stages
that
Jesus
to convince men
8

17

DEFECTION OF MANY DISCIPLES

VI. 68-70.]

Cf, Introd,, p.

on v,

64,

Peter had spoken for the Twelve, and Judas did not dissociate himself from the great Confession of v. 69.
None of
the others suspected that he was less trustworthy than they.
But Jesus, although he does not reveal who the traitor is, warns
them that they are not all of one mind. " Of you," even of
you whom I chose, tl one is a devil."
Ll
accuser " (the word is applied to Hainan,
&i4J3qKos is an
the Jews* enemy, in Esth, 7* S 1), but is used by Jn, always for
Satan or one inspired by Satan (S w 13 s , 1 Jn. 3 s 10). At 13 s
Jn. says that o Sta/?aAos put the idea of treachery into the heart
of Judas, and at 13*" that " Satan entered into him." One
thus inspired is, himself, a u devil." Here the process of
moral deterioration had only begun, but Jesus detected its
-

224

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

Iovoav

3St/*a)V0S *Icncapiroir

ST.

JOHN

[VI. 70-71-

oSros yap f^ieXXcy irapa^t^opat a,$rov3

beginnings.
He observed that Judas was " giving place to the
devil " (Eph. 4 s7).
See on 12*.
Some have found here a reminiscence of the rebuke to
Peter, " Get thee behind me, Satan "(Mk. 8 s*), which followed
quicldy upon his confession of faith, the idea being that
the designation of Peter as Satan in the earlier record
is
here transferred to Judas, against whom Jn. had a
special animus (see on 12*).
But this lacks both evidence

and

probability.
71. IXtycp 8^ ktX,,

"but He was speaking of

quite classical use of tXtyt.

See on

.,"

above.
'lorf&ap Zifnuvos 'fffKapitfrau,
NrA Support *l<r)(apL^frifv of
the rec. text, but K'BCLW give the genitive, "Iscariot"
being the appellation of Simon, the father of Judas. For
IvKapitoTov, * and fam, 13 give the interpretative reading
dn*o Kapwarov (see also 12* 13 s- M i4aa in D).
Judas was the
son of Simon, who was a man of Kerioth, rrtnjj e*bj? and thus
?

both Judas (see 124

called

"

Iscariot."

rj*)

and

Kerioth

v. 6$

oJros y*p BfteXXcp irapooiSkaL <un6v,

Cf. 12* 6 /aeAAciw avrov

may

express simple futurity only fa*7),

or it may connote intention (6* 14**) but it may also carry
with it tie idea of predestined inevitableness, the thought
of which is often present to Jn. (see on 2* 3 14). It would be
quite in Jn/s manner to describe Judas as he who was destined
to deliver Jesus up to His enemies,
Cf. Mt. 17** p&kct q
utos tou &ir$pwTTQv 7ro/ja5t3oo'^at, where fitXku certainly connotes
infviiableness.
For other instances of p&Xew in Jn,, cf, 7 s5 *
TI ai T3 m jgaa^ tne exact sna de of meaning being not always
pJXXetv

'

certain.

tuv SriS*. After cfr, nCTtaNW ins. &v, but om.

The Synoptists apply the phrase "one of the
Twelve " to Judas only, and to him only in connexion with
the Betrayal. But Jn. applies it also to Thomas (20 2*), the
description always indicating surprise that one so favoured
T

BC*DL,

See lightfoot. Biblical Essays, p. 143 Cliase, Syro-Latin Text cf

Gospels, p. 102
and the art, rr Judas Iscariot " in D.C.G,
;

the

I.

Meri ravra ty

ioprij t<uv

lou$atW, xai

aviftrj

22$
o 'Iqwoife

*Itpoao\vfixu

as to be of the chosen companions of Jesus should be either

incredulous or unfaithful (see on v, 67 above).
It has been pointed out on i 40 that Jn. prefers the form cU
Ik to els only when followed by a gen* plur., whereas the
Synoptists generally omit &. Westcott suggests that e in
the present passage marks u the unity of the body to which
the unfaithful member belonged." But this is too subtle an
inference from what is only a habit of style; cf. efe r&r fia%iw
avroO (Jn. 124).

A. Wright {Synopsis f p. 31) suggests that h fTs T&v &iW,

applied to Judas (Mk. 14^), means "the chief of the Twelve/'
and compares -rg /ii T S>v trapffdruv (Mk. i6 a). It is difficult to
believe that 6 Is could be written for 6 ^/h** ; or that an
evangelist writing many years after the event, when the name
of Judas had been held up to opprobrium for a generation,
should call him " the chief of the Twelve," without adding any
qualifying words.
See, for the precedence of Judas, on 13,

hezron (in Judah) at Josh, is 36, or may be Kerioth in Moab

{Jer. 48") ; but in any case it was not in Galilee, so that Judas
was the only one of the Twelve who was not a Galilean* This
explanation of the surname "Iscariot" is suggested in Jn.
only, there being no hint of it in the Synoptists. 1
*neX\er (KBCLNW) is to be preferred to the rec. fttcAW,
impaStSavtLt*

V.
th

JESUS GOES UP TO JERUSALEM

Simon (cf. 13 *) were

the place called Kerioth-

his father

may be

VI. 71, V. L]

PART

(V.

II.

VTL-XII.)

Jesus gees up to Jerusalem for the Passover (V.

1)

The

conclusion of Part I. 1 tells of the continued

faithfulness of the Twelve (6*7 *) and it can hardly be doubted
that they went up to Jerusalem for the Passover as well as
Jesus on this occasion. Hence, behind the story of the cure
of the impotent man (5 a **) there may have been the original
testimony of some who were present. And inasmuch as
in the Fourth Gospel ^eti rauTa is the phrase which seems to
mark the beginning of a new set of reminiscences dictated by
John the son of Zebedee to the future evangelist, 3 it is quite
possible that the witness of John is behind cc. 5 and 7 1* _B*
J
allowing for evangelical commentary and expansion in jM-m
iopT^j tw 'lautaiuVj i.e. the Passover, which has already
been mentioned in 6* as near at hand. This was probably the
Passover of the year 2S. 4
kCLA read ij eopnj, but the article is rightly omitted
by ABDNW.
Its insertion is readily explained by the

V-

1.

For the position

Introd. r p,

VOL*

I.

cviii,

15

of c* 5 in the text, cf Introd. pp. xvii, xxx.

* Introd,, p. cxvi
* See Introd*, p.
,

eiii.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

226
2,

*E<n-w Si hf rot* *UpovokupMS

ttrl tj|

ST*

JOHN

[V. 1-2.

vpofiaTutjj KaXvpftiftp*,

If $ lopnj were the true reading, the reference

ought to be to the Feast of Tabernacles, which was pre-eminOne minor uncial (A) for tv
ently the feast of the Jews.
"ImfSatW reads iw Alvfuav, rightly identifying the feast as that
of " unleavened bread," i.e. the Passover*
For lie expression " a feast of the Jews/' see on a

preceding fy.

kcu

d^pn

The Passover was a

and so Jesus went up (we/fr?, the regular

6 *It|ctous ets *UpocriXujwi.

feast of obligation,
word for going up to the metropolis ; cf, s 1B) ; but, as it seems,
went up privately and unaccompanied by His disciples.
15
There had been danger of popular enthusiasm (6 ), which,
trouble.
would
have
caused
So
if exhibited at Jerusalem,

He

appears that He went up without making it known who

was; even the man whom He healed did not know Has
name (v, 13)* His disciples, i.e, the Twelve, may have gone
up to the feast, as would become pious men, but they do not
seem to nave been in attendance upon Jesus.
6 'lil<rous. So KCA0W, but ABDLr om. 5, See on i
it

He

For the form

*lpaa-6\vpa., see

Healing of the impotent

on

man

i 19 *

at the Pool of Bethesda

ipv. 2-9)

The present tense (instead

hmv Si lv Tofe *lpoiro\tf|uta(s.
1
of ?r, as at 4") has been taken, e.g. by Bengel, as proof
destruction
before
the
of
written
Gospel
was
Fourth
the
that
Jerusalem; but this would be a precarious inference, even if it
were not ruled out on other grounds. An old man looking
back on the city as he knew it, might naturally say **is,"
The Sinai
especially if he had in mind a pool or spring.
Syriac changes " is " to " was," and so does Nonnus,
KoXufij^Opa (from KoXujxjSa^ 7" dive) is a pool deep enough
to swim in \ it occurs again in N.T. only at 9 7 of the Pool of
word.
Siloam, but is a
The text of this verse is uncertain. ByOwSd (which may
mean "house of mercy") is the rec. reading, following
" Syrian" authorities (e,g, ACA); Bij&racSa is read by
and also by Tertullian, an unusual and strong combination, but this spelling may be due to some confusion with
Bethsaida of Galilee; ByOfatti. has the support of kLD, and is

LXX

BW

THE IMPOTENT MAN AT BETHESDA

V.9.]

iirtXtyofdvrj

*Eftptturrl

Bij0a0<f,

ttcftc

probably original, Bethzatha was the

city, north of the Temple*

trrons

name

j(ov<ra,

227
3,

cm

of part of the

the best attested reading (BCANW),

ct
by the sheep gate "
irpofiariKyj requiring a
substantive to be supplied.
In Neh. 31 iz M mention is made
of the building of if wvXvj tj irpo^ariK^ which is believed to
have been north-east of the Temple, and close to the present
St, Stephen's Gate, by which flocks from the country enter
Jerusalem.
C
have the aberrant reading h> r vpofjarwjj which
some Latin vss. perversely render in inferiorem partem. The
Western reading ^pofiariK^ KoXvpftyBpa, "a sheep pool/' is
supported by * 61, Eusebius, and others.
It appears, then, that hrl r irpofiartKfi xokvufB-rjOpa must
be adopted. But it has been suggested l that behind xpojGaTi*iJ
lies the Aramaic Kjuqrtne, which means a b&th\ and then the
iwt

Tj}

-irpopaTiKij

is

would mean that the pool was

or " by the sheep market/' the adj,

and

it

ADL

original text would have been, "There is a pool at the Bath,

which is called in Hebrew Bethzatha (House of the Olive ?)."
The situation of this pool is as uncertain as its exact name*
There are twin pools north of the Temple area, near the fortress
of Antonia, which Schick identified with the KtAvpflvjBpa of the
text, but it is doubtful if these existed before the destruction of
the Temple* Others have identified the " Pool of Bethzatha "
with the " Pool of Siloam " (o7)
but they seem to be specially
distinguished by the evangelist.
Many writers are inclined
to find the Pool of Bethzatha in the Virgin's Well, anciently
called Gihon, t& "the Gusher," which is periodically subject
to a bubbling of its waters caused by a natural spring. This is
south of the Temple, in the Valley of Kidron, and we believe
i
it to be the most probable site of
Bethzatha/'
tfiriXeyopfrT} 'EppalVrl BtjG&6<,
'Efipala-Tt occurs only in
;

rfj

w 201* and Rev* 11

9
Hebrew of the O/T,, but

1616 ; it signifies not the

the Aramaic in common
use.
See on i 38 for instances of Jn/s habit of giving
the Hebrew name of a person or place, along with a Greek
equivalent.
Here and at ig18 * 1T he describes the place first
in Greek, and then adds its Aramaic designation: he is not
interpreting the Aramaic name (see on 4 s5).
For q em\tyafi.4vi}t N*D fam. 1 have to heyo/itvov.
irlrrc (Tracts *xotwa
These would have been cloisters or
arched spaces round the pool similar to those which are
Jn. 5 a 19"classical

Torrey, Harvard Theol. Revieva, Oct. 1923, p. 334, who presses

the force of &m* as representing an Aramaic original, and holds that
the Gospel must have been composed before Jerusalem had been
destroyed.
*

Cf.

See G. A, Smith, Jerusalem, ii, 5G6, and lightfoot, Biblical Essays,

cf. also D,C.G., s.v. " Bcthesda."
;

p. 170

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

228

ravraK KOriK&TQ t\iJ0qs

iw

ifftferouVron.',

ST*

JOHN

[V.

n^Aar, xuA&f,

3-4

faffp&v,

found in India near tanks. Schick claimed that such were

to be seen at the twin pools which he discovered; but this has
not been generally admitted. 1 Those who interpret the narrative symbolically, find the Five Books of Moses in the " five
porches," We have already considered this method of interpreting Jn. a While symbolic meanings may easily be read into
the narrative once written, there is no probability that it was
originally constructed in so artificial a fashion.
3. The picture of the sick people lying under the covered
arcades (it would have been too cold at the Passover season
to lie out in the open air) waiting for the bubbling up of the
intermittent spring, which was supposed to have healing pro-

most natural and

perties, is

vivid,

V. 4-ft]

THE IMPOTENT MAN AT BETHESDA

229

S, Jjv Tib ayOptvjro*: cjru rpwxovra rat 6ktw trfj iytav iv

atrBtvaa, airov* 6. tqvtoy ZSwv a 'I^croSs nxraKcfpcror,
Ktu yvois

rn

in

angels heal the diseases of the soul." It is a marginal

gloss
which crept into some Western and Syrian texts, the chief
uncials which contain it being ALrA.
Linguistic evidence also marks the verse as not original.
Thus the words UUx^^h K [vipTVS (here only in N.T) Kark

^u'

Rom. , Num. ?"),

(of going into the
6 17), ra/ia^ (here only in the N.T.), jurixtyuu, and
votrqpjL (here only in N.T,) are non-Johannine,
The healing virtues of the intermittent spring were explained by the Jewish doctrine of the ministry of angels,
and
the explanation first found a place in the margin and,
later
B
in the text. Cf. Rev, i6 for " the angel of the waters," i.e the
angel who was believed to preside over the mysterious
powers
of water,
Ktupov

(cf.

water;

cf.

v tutoi, j. in

kclWkcito.

The

the oroat or arches,

verb does not appear again in Jn.

rec. text inserts iroXv after

irXfjflos,

but om.

The

BCDLW.

tu^XOp, xk"Pj fripw, *' blind, bait, withered," (ypot were

those who had atrophied limbs (cf. Mt. i2 lfl , Lk. 6s). The
Western text (D a S) adds TrapakvrtK^v, but this is only a
gloss explanatory of w>tuv; om. fe*A*BC*LW.
After frjpitiVj TTapaXuTucSiV) the rec, adds lie^t^ofLivutv riji> tov
This, again, is a Western (and Syrian) ampli58aTos mvytriv.

by A*BC*L, although supported by

was suggested by the mention in v. 7 of the

fication; it is omitted

DWrA

syrr.

It

disturbance of the healing waters*

4. Verse 4, like the words e^S^o/wW*
.
nviprw, is
no part of the original text of Jn., but is a later gloss. The best
attested text of the gloss is thus given by Hort: <Lyyt\jos Si
.

(v.

y&p)

Kvptov

(tcara

Katpoy}

KoX.v/AJ3i}6p$ Kftl iTapdv<rTQ {v,

ififias [jnfTct Tijy

Kartflatvtv

irdpatnrf) to

\.ov*to)

(p t

rapa^ypf tov vSo-Tos] Syiifi lyivtro

or

tjj

ovv wpSrroi

tffiwp"

oitp (p, *) Bijttot*

ofiy (v, 8ijirar<) KttTei^ro vQfrrjpjm.

The verse is wholly omitted by BC*DW33, the Old

Syriac, the early Coptic versions (including Q), and the true
In the Latin MSS in which it is
text of the Latin Vulgate.
found, it appears in three distinct forms, the diversity of which
provides an additional argument against its genuineness.
The earliest patristic authority for it is Tertullian {de bapi. 5),
the earliest Greek writer who shows knowledge of it being
Chrysostom ; his comment on the passage is : *
angel came
down and troubled the water, and endued it with healing power,
that the Jews might learn that much more could the Lord of
*

Cf.

An

Saaday, Sacred Sites of the Gospels, p.

s Introd,, p, lxxxvii.

55.

G. The constr. Tpv&wvro. koX Inxb ln\ c%w appears

_
again
in v. 6 ttqXvv -xpovQv ixi* Cf. also 8 W 9 s1
for an ace. of
the length of time, governed by tx*\

n"

at

is om. by Bri, but ins. tfACDLW;

afi?
om. by ArA, but ins, nBC*DLW.
The man had been infirm for thirty-eight years; it is not
said that he had been waiting all that time by the
pool
That his paralysis had lasted thirty-eight years is mentioned
to show that it was no temporary ailment from which
he was
suffering, just as it is told of the woman in Lk.
11 that
she
13
had been infirm eighteen years, or of the lame man whom
Peter cured that
he was more than forty years old " (Acts 4 as),
There is no more reason for finding an esoteric significance
in the number 38 than in the numbers 18 or 40,
Or, again,

afte^r

before 6kt6

cmt^cv^

is

'

'

in Acts o^jfineas, whom Peter cured of paralysis, is described

as i irwv oktoj Kora.Keifi.tvQv hrl Kpo^arrov. These eight years
are not supposed to be significant as regards their number;

and there

is no more reason for supposing the thirty-eight

years of the text to symbolise anything.
Those who seek for hidden meanings in the Johannine
numbers point here to the thirty-eight years of wandering
mentioned in Deut. K But if Jn. had wished to indicate
that the years of the paralytic's infirmity were like the years
of
Israel in the wilderness, it would have been more natural
for
him to have said forty, not thirty-eight; for it was forty years
before the Promised Land was reached, Cf. a 30, 2i n and see

Inrrod., p, lxxxvii,
6. Jesus came, unknown by sight to the sick who were
assembled at the pool, K al yyoOs frri iro\u* JJSrj xpvw *
Xf(j

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

230

wo\vv ijBif xporw tya,

^-*yet-

a"T

ST,

JOHN

*^ vytiys ytvitrQai;

[V. 6,

7- w**Kp0v}

and when He knew that the man had been infirm

for a long
It is neither stated nor implied that
time/' He addressed him.
this knowledge of the man's sad condition was supernatural.
It may have been the common talk of the crowd at the Pool,
See on a** for the insight of Jesus into the character of men, and
'*

cf,

4*
e&is &n*fi ytvMaL;
be well ? " There

like to

sc. t
is

as

say, "Would you

to press the force of 0tXetv,

we would

no need

Jesus meant that the man's own conscious effort of will

must co-operate in the work of healing. That may be true
in such cases, but 0*X* here only conveys the simple question,
" Would you like to be healed ? "
We do not know why Jesus chose this man out from the
crowd of sufferers at the pool. Perhaps attention was specially
directed to his pathetic case by the onlookers. There is no
suggestion that the man had any faith, nor did he display
gratitude for his healing. He must have known that to point
out Jesus as the agent of his cure (v. 15) would bring his bene-

as

if

factor into danger.

Abbott {Diet* x. iii. 268 f.) suggests that we must take the
He did
act of Jesus in connexion with His own comment.
not select die object of His pity by arbitrary caprice, but " the
Son can do nothing Himself, except what He sees the Father
doing " (see on v. 19 below). He " saw " this particular act
of healing performed by the Father in heaven, and therefore

appointed to be performed by the Son on earth. But not only

is such an explanation too subtle ; it really explains nothing,
for why should this particular sick man have been selected
by the Father any more than by the Son ?
The healing is perhaps, but not certainly, regarded by Jn.
as supernatural (see j"), although he does not call it a " sign."
But u is not represented as having any relation to the faith
of the man that was cured. In this it is like the Synoptic
story of the healing of a paralytic (Mk, 2, Mt. 9, Lk. 5), where
it is the faith of those who brought the man to Jesus rather

man

himself that is commended. It is

faith of the
tinlike the Synoptic story, in that the cure in the Johannine
narrative does not seem to have impressed the onlookers

than the

There is nothing here corresponding to " they were

all amazed and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this
fashion" (Mk. a 13). In Jn.'s story, everything turns on the
fact that it was on the Sabbath that the man was cured, and
it was this, and not the wonder of the healing, that attracted
attention.
See Introd., p. clxxviii.
at

all.

THE IMPOTENT MAN AT BETHESDA

V. 7-8.]

23

a &Tqr b &cr&w&v Kvpte, w&pwwov avu c^ta, Xva Srav rapa^By tA v$u>p
fi th t^k KaXviAfiTij&paV hf $ Sk tpxofxai tyw 5AXos np& ipov
<r
* a
twrapctAvH.
*
8. Aeytt atrip 6 'iijo'ffDs Eype Spov top k
array
H

fifoy

cfrGptHror otitt txu KT ^The sick man explains

not his will that is deficient, but that he is unable,
because of his infirmity, to get quickly enough down to the
water when it becomes "troubled," because he has no one to
assist him.
(The paralytic of Mk. 3 8 was helped by four

7.

that

wJpie,

it is

friends to get access to Jesus.)

&rav xapaxBfj tA tfBup ktX,

Apparently the popular belief

when the water began to bubble at a particular spot,

the person who first bathed at that point received relief, but
that the spring did not benefit more than one.
He who came
was

that,

second had to wait for cure until another overflow.

Ira

0<Xfl

jm s

t$\v

j&AAew, "to cast/'

would be impossible for

Ko\uu,p*jflpcu\

implies rapidity of movement, which

an invalid without assistance.

SokABC*DLW@:

the rec. has frJAXp.

" But while I (iyw being
emphatic) am coming, another steps down before me."
8, fyeipt <Jpof ktX.
Jesus ignores the belief of the sick
man about the healing waters of the pool, to which He makes
no reference. Nor does He, as in the case of the Synoptic
paralytic, give him a word of spiritual consolation (Mk, 2*)
before He heals him. Nothing is said to the man, except the
sharp command, iyv.pt 3ipov tov Kpa^arrov <?w mi jrcpiirara,
" Get up, take your pallet and walk. " The words are almost,
identical with those of Mk. 2 11 , but there the evangelistic
comment is that they were effectively spoken in order to show
the wondering bystanders that He who spoke them had really
the spiritual authority to forgive sins.
Here is nothing similar.
As has been said (v. 6), there is no clear proof that Jn. regarded
the healing of the man at Bethesda as miraculous, nor need
we do so. The patient obeyed a sudden, authoritative order
to stand up and walk, and when he tried he found that he
could do it. That may be the whole of the matter. However,
no disciple is expressly said to have been present on the occasion;
and the story, which may have come to the evangelist at second
or third hand, is told in barest outline.
^ycipE (tfABCDW) is to be preferred to the rec. eyeymt,
KpaftaTTQ* (grabatus)} a pallet or mattress, such as was
used by the poor, is said to be a late word of Macedonian origin,
and is not approved by Phrynichus. It occurs in the N.T.
again only in Mk. 2 a " ia 6W, Acts 5 15 a83, and always stands for
the bed of a sick person.
0dXt]
iv

Se

pxM;<"

^ytf

ktA.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

232

iywm

ml TrepurareL 9. ii cvBita*
riv KpdfJajTav arov koI vcpiEsfftrcc

crow

Tig

T0qxi7reup6^i XiififtaTov &rriv,

So in Lk. s M

irepiinfiTet.

vnttye

iw

JOHN

[V- 8-10.

ryifc o foQpmroe,

ml ?pw

*cat

outf

If rrr ff Spat rov

Mk. 2 U, Mt.

9",

we have

oZkot crou.

JEWS OBJECT TO SABBATH HEALINGS

Hpdparrav,

n.

ku

i).

That the cure was not merely for the moment is shown
by the man's walking away, as is also indicated in the Synoptic
story.

The language of Jn.

5** *

11
closely resembles that of Mk. a -

Introd,, p, xcvii.
8* fftfppa, Iv Jtnvv]
the story for Jn., as also at

-rij

^jUp^t,

This

is

the point of

9" where Jesus healed the blind

man. The healing on the Sabbath was the beginning of His
controversies at Jerusalem; this was the first occasion on
which He had openly violated the law at the metropolis;
but cf Mk. a a3-3* for His earlier claim in Galilee to be Lord
of the Sabbath, which had already attracted the attention of
the Pharisees,

Sabbath healings, and Jesus replies by

God1s working {w* 10-19)

the analogy of

1
This is the designation
10. For ol 'lou&cuoi, see on i *.
throughout the Gospel of the leading opponents of Jesus, i,e.
the strict Pharisees, as distinct from the simple folk whether in
town or country (&x^$)' Cf. w. 13, 15, 16.
t$ TE6tpaitu^np. itpainvtiv is found only here in Jn., while
Cf. v. 13 below.
it is common in the Synoptists.
.

rttpPaTo? forty,

Kttl

Trot^a-as

pt vyaj, &K1V09
12, 7}fnim}<ra.v

*Apov koX vtpnraTCL ; 13. o

'IiycroCs livtvtrtv o^Xov <Eiyos iv
trot

oOk

egraw

trot

Spcu t? Kp&fiaTTW,

The

rec. text omits ts %i before ATrepift| with D; but

the words,
giving b BL
For a,vKpl&v\, tt*W have arnKptvaro; but see on v. 17,

11.

AB

ABCTA.

om,

C*LWN

ins.

iroii'iiTtis

use of

fie

vyiij,

tKiv6$

etirey ktX.

fxoi

on

For

this

emphatic

i B,

The man's excuse was

reasonable.
He who had cured him, by giving him power
to get up and walk, had bidden him carry away his bed; surely
it was pardonable to obey His command ?
The excuse was
accepted, and the man was not blamed by the Jews
they
go on to ask who it was that dared to give such an order,
httv<K in Jn,,

see

distinct.
Jn, may have availed
himself of the words of the earlier evangelist to describe a
somewhat similar scene at which he was not present, and of
which he could not give the exact report of an eye-witness. See

object to

ovrow "O

Kpa.fia.Tr6v <rou ko.1 ireptiroT*t r

intentionally, he is punished by cutting off (i.e. death)

and stoning " {Skabb, 6a quoted by Lightfoot, Her. Hebr.).
After KpdpoTTOK, *tC*DLNW add <rov (as at w. S o). but

12. After

although the stories are quite

The Jews

8s 5c wJrtKpl&q

iw

adrov Tts mr 6 3y&punro$ 6 dmov

Si fafefc ovk ffiti T hrrtv o yap

on

*Apov

233

lS

npicird-m.
In the parallel, Mk. 2 , we have faeptfij
In both
ral &0iis pov tpf KpdftarTTav crjk&cy tfiTrpoaSrv TtaVTiav.
cases eftBcu* or eu&fc carries the sense of immediate consecuThe word is not common
tiveness (Lk. s 35 has Trapaxpj}/,ia).
18s7 19**), and he always uses it thus,
in Jn. (621 i3 wwhereas it is often used in Mk. only as a conjunctive (see
atari

V- 10-18.]

pot, tljrev

but at

ST,

The

19
bearing of burdens on the Sabbath was forbidden (Neh, 13 ,
21
The Rabbinical law was, " If any one carries anyJer. i? ).
thing from a public place to a private house on the Sabbath

^priTTiffap,

the rec. with

ACLWTA,

ins. ovv

om,

BD,
^

tl's itjTtv

this to

you

A avtipcmros & tlinfr

"

ct

Who

is

the fellow that said

The Jews
do not take any notice of the fact that the man said he
had been healed; they complain only of the breach of the
Sabbath law involved, not in the healing but in the order to
carry the bed. As Grotius says " Quaenmt non quod mirentur, sed quod calumnietur."
But from 7 s3 it is apparent that
the real gravamen of the charge made in this case by the Jews
was that a work of healing had been done on the Sabbath,
although they prefer here to put forward the technical point
about carrying the bed home.
See on 9 1*, where the Sabbath was broken in a different
way.
The rec. text has tqv Kpd^arrov <rou after Spo?, but om.
kBC*I*. The words have come in from v. n,
13. The man that had been healed did not know who his
?

cErSpurros is

used contemptuously.

benefactor was. Jesus was not yet a familiar figure to all and
sundry at Jerusalem.
He had gone up to the Passover,

unaccompanied by His band of disciples (see on v. 2)

which would have marked Him out as a Rabbi, This must
also have made it easier for Him to slip away unnoticed in the
privately,

crowd.

For iofafe, see on 447

iiinunv oxXoir Srros
{cf. 4** for this

D has do-foiw.

" He (had) turned aside

use of the aor,), a crowd being in the place."
ir Tfi -nJma,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

234

14.

T<g T&rcp*

ycvipm.

Mtro Tavra

15* &irij\.6w

ical

[V. 18-14,

'hjtrov? hr rt

tfipuritu afiroF

avBpunros

JOHN

ST.

tow

el^ey

Upy

*at

ftfoto.

14. ^eri toutoj i>. subsequently, not immediately afterwards. See Introd., p. cviii.
Apparently, Jesus sought
cupuTKct oAtop 6 'hpou? fr t$ p$out the man, as He sought for the blind man whom He cured
s6
48
It has been conjectured
later occasion (9 ; cf. i ).
that the man had gone to the Temple to offer thanks for
The ttp6vt or
his recovery, but there is no evidence for this.
sacred precinct, was a common place of resort; and Jesus,
finding him there, gave him a word of grave counsel.
28
tB (a favourite word with Jn,; see on i ) ftyi^s y6ywar
11
cannot
pyKTL
Aprfpraw,
see
For
kt\.
]dfxrfpTiu'E
[8
finjK^Tt
tell what the man's sin had been, but quite possibly it had been
the immediate occasion of his loss of health if so, it had been
terribly punished by an infirmity continuing for thirty-eight
There was a prevalent belief that sickness was always
years.
30
due to sin (cf. Ps. 38* 107 17 , 1 Cor.
!), and a Talmudic saying asserts that "the sick ariseth not from his sickness until
But the moral of the Book of Job is
his sins be forgiven*"
that sickness is not always to be regarded as punishment for sin,
and this seems to have been suggested by Jesus, when the case
s
In the
of the man bom blind was put to Him (see on 9 )
absence of knowledge as to the antecedents of the impotent
man of the text, " Sin no more, lest a worse thing befall thee "
is not susceptible of complete explanation.
lt
jam noli peccare, ne quid
Cyprian {Test. iii. 27) quotes
tibi deterius fiat," to illustrate the danger of sin after baptism,
by which a man has been "made whole" a characteristic

on a

We

comment*
1 has called attention to the curious
J. H. Moulton
the Greek words here fall naturally into anapaests:
fiytijs

yeyavas*

ftfrjuffi

tolerable, if not perfect, couplet.

accident,
1

fact that

is,

ot course,

Cf, 4 W .

Cambridge Biblical Essays (ed. H. B. Swete), p. 483.

15, sal tlirev Tots 'tau&aioif ktX

etircv is read by XCL, but
av$yy<t\w by ABrN and a.Tnqyy*t\tv (which means the same
thing, " reported )T ; see on 16 2*) by D.
The man went off and reported to the Jews who it was that
had healed him, as soon as he had identified Him. But there
is no reason to suppose that this was due to ingratitude,
or
that he meant to betray his benefactor.
He had good reason

to fear that severe punishment would follow his technical

breach of the Sabbath, despite his excuses (v. n), and he may
have desired to propitiate the ecclesiastical authorities, without
meaning that any harm should come to Jesus. They were
entitled to know all that he could tell them about a breach of the
Sabbath. His action may have been like that of the Jews
who reported the raising of Lazarus to the Pharisees, without
any malevolent intention (1 4*). Yet, in any event, his conduct
stands in contrast with that of the blind man who was healed
later

s3 -38

on

16.

began

)*
(9
Bid touto 4St>Kor ktX., " And for this cause the Jews
to persecute Jesus, because, etc."
The force of the

ml

imperfects, cSuukw, errotet, ittfrow (v. 18), must not be overlooked* This was the first open declaration of hostility to
Jesus by the Pharisees of Jerusalem, and its immediate cause
was His first open violation of the Sabbatical law. eSiWoK,
"they began to persecute Him "; 3n Tafrra IttoUi lv rafipdTu,

" because

He

began to do these things on the Sabbath,*'

is assigned for the first
exhibition of enmity to Him in Galilee.
li
1
out tovto,
for this cause/ referring to what follows (not, as
more commonly, to what precedes, e.g. 6 s5), is a favourite opening
phrase with Jn, Cf. v. 18 8*7 io17 iz 1*- 1 Jn. 3 1 , and Isa. 34*
5iti. touto nod cSctcm rrp yvjv on fyfi&pTotrav 01 Karoixovm^ avr^r.
After to? 'h|i/ the rec. with ArA inserts al iyrovv avrov
faroKTwat (from v. 18), but om. here KBCDLW,
17. dirKpii*aTo (i aor, mid.) is found in Jn. only here and at
v. 10; &7TKpi$v} occurring more than 50 times.
Abbott 1 points
out that while airatfuBy is the colourless " answered," djrtjrpWro
carries the sense of " made public and formal answer J to a
charge or accusation that has been made: " He made His
Cf,

Mk.

fl

where a similar cause

d^opiwc,

This

Ir}trov<i ivrtv 6 Troitjera* avrov vywj*

16. xa\ Eta tovto e&iwicoy 01
Toufla&M toy Itjq-qvv, oti ravra in-out hr o~af3j3dry*
17. 6 32

*Iov8cuo ort

LXX

Sw id* ia 86
For Td, * has the variant

235

2ki*v*w (D* have the simple hftvtrtv) does not appear again
(Judg. i8 2 Kings
in the N.T., but it is found in the
1
3 ^^la^ ^ Mace. 3**), being s variant for tajcAfrctv at Judg. 4 *,
Ifffowo- here expresses that Jesus had quietly moved awayj
cf.

JEWS OBJECT TO SABBATH HEALINGS

V, 15-17.]

a mere

defence," in reply to the prosecution or persecution of the

Jews (c&Wop, v, 16), Cf, ovSkv Air^KpivoTo (Mk. 14* 1 , Mt, 27 ia ,
Lk. 23*). See also 12** 13 s8 1S3*.
\Diat. 2537J

see,

for illastrationa

from the papyri, Moulton-

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

236

ST*

JOHN

fantcpivaro avTOts *0 Ilnnjp jtov eaw aprt ipyaferat,

tfiyfi*

[V. 17cpyafcofiai.

The defence of His technical breach of the Sabbath which

Jn. here ascribes to Jesus is different from most of the sayings
on the subject of which the Synoptists teD. Thus in Mk, 3*,
Lk, 6*, Jesus confounds His critics by the simple question, " Is
" when they objected
it lawful on the Sabbath to do good ?
hand. In Mt. i2 u ,
with
the
withered
man
cure
of
the
to His
Lk. 13 1*, He puts the case that no one will scruple to pull a
sheep out of a pit or to water his cattle on the Sabbath (cf.
9
In Mk. 2 s6,
similar principle).
I *, where appeal is made to a
i2 B j He appeals to O.T, precedent to show that
Lk. 6a
s
necessity may override strict law, and in Mt. 12 He appeals
s
to the saying that God prefers mercy to sacrifice (Hos. 6 ),
i2*> Lk- 6B , He lays down the principle
But in Mk. a 28,
x
This printhat " the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath "
,

Mt

Mt

ciple contains in germ the argument which Jn. puts forward

here, in a different form*
A iraW|p pou lus pti Ipy&lerat, K&yu tpydtopau Here IS
claimed by Jesus the same freedom with regard to the Sabbath
that belongs to God Himself, God instituted the Sabbath for
man, but the law of its observance does not bind Him who
gave the law.
Philo points out that God, the Author of nature, does not
(<
Having ceased from the creation of
observe the Sabbath:
mortal creatures on the seventh day, He begins with other more
For God never ceases making
divine beings (Sumnruo-cuv).
(iravfTai yap ouSerrare itoujv 6 0*os), but as it is the property of
fire to burn and of snow to chill, so it is the property of God
And,
to make (outws kw. Start tq irowtV) " {Leg. AIL I. 2, 3).
&cos &u n-aucrat (/,<r. i. 7)* a
again, Uoi&v
Justin Martyr quotes a saying from the old man to whom
he owed his conversion, to the effect that the heavenly bodies
do not keep the Sabbath, Spar* art ra (rroiYctd ouk apytl ouSi
ffojSjSaT^" {Tryph. 23) ; and the same idea is expressed in the
Odes of Solomom " He rested from His works; and created
things run in their courses and do their works, and they know
not how to stand or be idle " (Ode xvi, 13).
Such thoughts were prevalent in Jewish circles, and it is
to the idea that God Himself does not share the Sabbath rest
of man, that appeal is made in this saying which Jn. ascribes
Thus Origen rightly says that Jesus shows in Jn.
to Jesus.
17 that God does not rest on earthly Sabbaths from His pro5
vidential ordering of the world, the true Sabbath of God being
i Cf. Ijatrad., p.
1

Cf. also

Cl.

V, 17-18.]

the future rest when He shall be all in alL 1 And the Syriac
commentator Isno'dadj who wrote in the ninth century, but
whose interpretations preserve much older material, in like
manner represents Christ as saying here: " Do I allow the
circuit of the sun .
the flowing of the rivers
.
the birth
and growth of men together and the energies of all living
beings about everything ? These are things which are accomplished by means of angels, according to His will, and these
things are done in the feasts and on the Sabbaths and at every
hour." 2
Thus the ancient interpretation of 6 wnqp pw Zu? Spn
ipydtrai is clear.
The words express the idea (obvious when
it is expressed) that God does not keep the Sabbath Zws djwt,
that is, hiiherto (see 2 10 i6 Mj 1 Jn, a 8).
God's working has
not been intermitted since the Creation. He works, goes on
working uninterruptedly, until now. The rest of God is for
the future, as Origen points out.
u And I also work/* st, in the same way.
k&y&> fyydlofiaL,
That is, Jesus claims not only that He may call God b irarnjp /tw
lt
my Father/' in a unique sense; see on a 1*), but that His
(
relation to the Sabbath law is not different from that of God
Himself. This is the Johannine form of the Synoptic saying.,
"The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath/' expressed in
mystical and uncompromising fashion.
18. This declaration provoked the Jews to indignation.
Sid tduto (see on v. 16) ofo (om. btD, but ins, ABCL) u&hW
The phrase " sought to kill
il^Tour aArta ot 'louSalot AiroKTEtwu.
Him" is repeated 7 l- w- 2S 8 87 * 40
o }iAvw Tkver tA aAfiftmov*
For X.vcw in the sense of
" break/ 3 (< set at naught," as in Mt. 5 lfl, cf. 7** io86 MoultonMilligan's Vocab. (p. 384) cites from papyri of the third century
B.C* tav 8 Tt5 TOvrmv ft Awjt, KarapaTQS rrw, and also Xueiv Ta
ir4v$rf
"to break the period of mourning," t'.e. to go out of
.

813 P.

mourning.

That Jesus was setting Sabbatical rules at naught was the

primary cause of the Jews' hostility to Him; but it was a much
graver offence that He claimed to have Divine prerogatives.
This they treated as blasphemy (cf. S w io3*, Mk. 2*, Mt. a6 w).
It need not be doubted that the breaches of the Sabbath
which Jesus countenanced provoked the first suspicions of His
1

vi. t&, p.

237

1 8* Stot roSro ow /jtaAAop ifcip-wv avrbv 01 'IouBauot cnroKTctpai* 5r*

a& ftovov Vivtv To traj3f3aTovt SXXk kol Uaripa tSiov cXeycv tw qp,
itrov iavrov 7TOWV T^l ft3,

cxkv.
ALeac Strom,

JESUS ACCUSED OF BLASPHEMY

Origen, in Num. Horn, xxiii. 4 (Lommatzsch, x, 2S2).

Harm Semiiie& No. v. p. 234 (ed. M, D Gibson).
t

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

21%

Afrvcpivaro i&v 6

19,

tov Uarcpa

h-oiotVtci*

^ijffoois

ko\

& yhp Iv fcctpps

ST.

JOHN

[V* 18-19,

ZXtytv avrots *Ap.vpt afify

flrotg,

&

Trout

BurMtt, Gospel History and Transmission, p. 239.

See Abbott* Diat. 3516.

RELATION OF THE SON TO THE FATHER

yap

so. 6

Ilftr^p tfttXtl tov

YIqv

teal

239

irdvra. SttKiratrtv avrti

This mystical doctrine that the Son cannot do anything

except what He sees the Father doing has verbal amnity with
the teaching of Fhilo. He speaks of the irpeff/ftfraros vids,
or trptDToyovos, as one
who imitated the ways of the Father
and, seeing His archetypal patterns, formed certain species "
{fXLttvtifLCVQS t&5 tov irarpos 6oWs, srpos 7rapa.$iyp.a.TO. apxeruira

ravra k<u a Yios bftotbx

opponents at Jerusalem (as in Galilee, Mk, 3 s), and that the

incident of the healing of the impotent man on the Sabbath
is historical.
Jn. is here true to fact, but he is not interested
so much in Jewish Sabbatical doctrines as in the Divine Personality of Jesus, 1 and so he dwells at great length on the
doctrine of Jesus as the Son of God which is implied in His
claim to be Lord of the Sabbath.
irdbTtpa TSiw JFXeyei*, " He was calling God His own Father,"
in a special sense, as indeed the words 6 mmjp pov of v. 17
implied.
Cf. Rom. 8 aa b ZSiot vtis.
Tffof Javrdr Ttowv t$ 0e$This -was the form in which His
Jewish enemies denned the meaning of His words (cf. io 88 197),
and there is a sense in which their complaint might be justified.
But the actual phrase ros 0tQ is not part of the claim of Jesus
for Himself (see on 14^ a tra.Tqp pu&v pov m), and Paul's
phrase is ?<ra 0e$, which refers to the attributes rather than to
the person of Christ (see Lightfoot on Phil. 2*).
It is not
taught anywhere by Jn. that Christ is s 0p, for that would
seem to divide the Godhead (cf, tfeos ?v b \6yos, 1*).
19. For dircKptKaro, see on v. 17.
i^fy &pd\v Xtyu fljur see on i B1 .
For 6 vi&s used absolutely, see on 3 17
ov SumTCU 6 ul&s itoiLk btf outqlj ofliWv.
Cf* o SuVajiai ly&
irotcZv air
ejttaurou o&8*v (v. 30), and See 7** 8 s*
I4lfl . So
Moses had said (Num. 16^), and it is true of every man that
"h& can do nothing of himself," but only what God empowers
him to do. Here, however, the thought is deeper. It is that
the relation between the Father and the Son is so intimate,
that even the Son of God can do " nothing of Himself."
His
works are the works of the Father (cf, v. 17) who sent Him (see
on 317), He has iov<ria (see on io1*), but it is always a delegated authority. It is a moral impossibility that He should
do anything " of Himself," to pf ti pX&nf rbv wrfpa mnoum,
" unless He be seeing the Father doing something." Thus the
Incarnate Son is represented as continually seeing on earth
what the Father is doing in heaven, and as Himself doing the
same thing, 3 The action of the Father and the Son is, so to
say, coextensive] cf. 1410
IhAvos TroLfi ktX., " for what He, the Father, does
& yap
(see on i e for iKavas in Jn), the Son does likewise."
* Cf.

V. 19-00.]

* (

CKSMiV fikanov epoptfrav eiStj, dff confus* ling. 14)*

Ignatius {Magn, 7) has the words &nre/> ovv o tcvpta? &vtM
tov miTpo^ ovBev hroiytrev, f}v&p,evos
(cf. Jn, To 80),
o&r* Si"
iavrov afire &ia
6.iro<rr6\.inv which appear to be a reminiscence
of Johannine texts such as the present passage and 8 s8

tw

Discourse on the relation of the Son to the Father

ipv. 20-29)
20, Vv. 30-29 form a section by themselves. They deal
with the secrets of the Divine Life, and unfold in some degree
the relation of the Son to the Father, thus providing an explanation of, or commentary on, the mystic words of v. 17,
My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," and of v. 19, "The
Son can do nothing of Himself." As at other points in the
Gospel (see on 3,fl), it is impracticable to distinguish precisely
the evangelist's own commentary from the words which he
ascribes to Jesus,
The formula " Verily, verily, I say unto
you," which precedes vv. 19, 24, 25, always introduces words of
Jesus Himself, and this must be the intention here. And w.
28, 29, seem also to be placed in His mouth.
But the use of
oWep yap at the beginning of v. 21 and again at v. 26 (Smtp
does not appear again in Jn,) suggests that w. 21-23
vv.
26, 27, may be comments of the evangelist on the sayings of
Jesus introduced by apty fytijv in w. 19, 24, 25. This is like
1
It will be observed
Jn.'s use of ydp elsewhere (see on 3 *), 1
that the third person is employed throughout in w, 21-23,
We do not return to the first person until v. 30, where
26, 27.
the opening words are the words of v. 19.
It is possible that the sayings of w. 24, 25 and 28, 29 belong
to some discourse different from that which was addressed to
the Jewish cavillers about work on the Sabbath day; but the
argument of this section (w. 20-29) is quite consecutive (see
'

'

^d

on

v. 38).

D reads ayatrS. from 3 (where

+i\e? t&*> ul6v.
" The Father loves the Son/ and so exhibits
the things which He Himself does." <f>i\ttv expresses
L
d, Abbott, Dirt. 2066b.

6 yip

TTirrJfp

see note).

to

Him

ffi

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

240

ST.

JOHN

[V. 20-21,

& afoot worn, koX pttlovn tgvtwv S avra epyoj Tva vfteU
HarTjp iye^pet tovs rejcpous Ka\
21
t'itnrcp yap 6
&avp,a qre,
,

TlaT7jp

3.

the intimacy of friendship; it is here equivalent

17
to uyairav (see on 3 aB and 21 ), and expresses the mystery of
the Divine Love, of the Father for the Son. This is so complete and unreserved that all the Father's works are displayed,
as they are being wrought, to the Son. No reference is made
to any limitation of the Incarnate Son's knowledge of the
future^ such as is indicated in Mk. 13 s2 ; the statement is that
the Son has complete cognizance of all that the Father does

more than

in the present.
kkl fietoi/a Tovrur Scifci aAr$ Zpya, " and greater works than
these {sc, healing miracles silch as the cure of the impotent man,
which had disquieted the Jews so much) shall He show Him."
In the following verses, these " greater works " are specified,
viz. that of raising the dead, and that of judging mankind.
a
as His ^pya,
The miracles of Christ are described in
and Jfn. applies this description to them frequently (5 s8 7 s ai
he doeS to the w0rks f GqA (4W 6 !
1o35, S3. 3S I41* lS 24)
8
4
9 17 ; cf. Ps. 95 ). For God there is no distinction in kind

ML n

fl

between "natural" and "supernatural" works. And the

works of Christ are actually the works of God: 6 vaiTip iv ipnl
pjev&v irotct t j-pya avrov (l410)See on 7* 1
i(
Xya d|icls Oau^d^T^
you, incredulous
fy*v is emphatic,
.

Jews," The healing miracles did not so much arouse their

wonder, as their jealous indignation (there is no hint that
the cure of the impotent man caused any wonder); but the
" greater works " of raising the dead, and of judgment, could
not

fail to

make them

Such astonishment may pass

marvel.

into faith (cf. Acts 413).

it
is
promised
to the faithful disciple that, in
Later on,
the power of Christ s Risen Life, he too should do ." greater
things " than those which had attended the Lord's public
into admiration,

and thence

ministry: /u^ora tovtw iranpru. But this is not in contemplation here.

See note on 14",
31. The first of the " greater works " specified is that of
n power of Christ, in raising the dead. The
the '* quickening
power of death and life is a Divine prerogative (Wisd. I6 13),
11
Yahweh kills and makes alive " (Deut. 32 3ft, 1 Sam. 2*
Ooi/arai

koI

^taoyoveiy

Kings

5'

Savartoa-at.

Kat

fcttunroifyrat)

Several times in the daily prayer of the Jews, the Shemoneh

srek t which in substance goes back to a period before the
first century, 1 is God invoked as One who
quickens the dead."
'

'

1
ii.

Cl

p. 85.

Schurer, Jewish People in the

Time

of Christ,

Eng. Tr., Div. n,

THE SON AS JUDGE

V, 21-24.]

TtfiL&v

AAAo

ovSafa,

Kpivtt

3T(MT<S TtpJtHTt TOV

rdv Yidv ov

Tt/t^t

Tor

ttpltrtv

tt/j*

Y*W

KQ$WS

Hi

vatrav Si&AttGv ru Yt$,

TOV UaTtpO-i
6 /i^

TtyitWT*

rbv trij/^avra auroV.

tla/ripa,

24- A/ajv

Cf. 0*o tov ^iiiOTTOto&nTos roue vKpa6s (Rom. 41T), and also Rom,
811 o iytipatg K vKp&v Xptoroj' *hq<rQVy IpxtTrQi-ffwu koI to, 6V7TGI
So here we have 6 im-T^p iytlpzi Ss vtKpo&s nal
mtifLnra. vpunf.
IfaoTcoiti^ iy*tpw being used of God's " raising " of the dead,
as it is at Mk. 12 s*.
This Divine prerogative also appertains to the Son: ovtus
Paul has the same doctrine of
koI 4 otts ofis flAeL fcuoTTQui,
Christ, as Trvevp.<i {uonroiofo (1 Cor. 15*6 ; cf. 1 Cor. 15 s3),

revivifying the dead.

faxHroicur is not used here in a spiritual
sense only (as at 6 s* j cf. Eph. 2 B), although that is included in
its meaning
the significance of the verse as specifying one of
Christ's *' greater works " is that He is declared to be one who
has power over the death of the body, so that it is His to
;

* quicken "

whom He

will.

He

is

the Resurrection as well

as the Life (n 36).

His will is final as to
0S5 6 An.
" quickened," just as there is no appeal

who

are

to

from God's

be
will

(Rom, o18).
greater works " of Christ is
22, 23. The second of the
that of Judgment) a prerogative which has been already implied in ovs fo'Aet of the preceding verse, for all judgment or
separation between the evil and the good is a selective processJudgment is the prerogative of God (cf. Deut. 1"), for to
be perfectly administered it demands omniscience. But this
tremendous office has been " given " (see on 3 s5) by the Father
A irarSjp Kpipet ouBtf, d\\A tS]v jcpimf ircUrav
to the Son.
B^Bwkcc rffl ut&. The doctrine of the Son of Man as the final
Judge of mankind has been already examined (see Introd,,
17
pp. cxxvii, clvi ; cf. 3 ). Here is added the Divine reason
for this delegation of judgment to the Son by the Father.
'

'

It 1S T^a mfrTflS Tift&ffi -riv uioV Pta0a>s n^ucri tok iraT^pfiU

The Jews were dishonouring Jesus (cf. 84*) in accusing Him

of blasphemy (v. 18), but worship is His due, for the honour
due to the Father is His. With the thought that they who
dishonour Him dishonour the Father, cf. 15 s3 , 1 Jn. 2^ and
Lk. io18 .
x\y&v is found in Jn. again at 8** 12**, and is generally used
by him of the honour due to Christ or to His Father,
17

see on 3 .
24. In w. 24, 25, the thought is of spiritual life and death,
the believer in Christ possessing already eternal life, and the
top irfptrarTa wt6v*,

vol,

16

1.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

242

ST.

JOHN

[V. 24^26.

Acyw ipZv on 6 tov Xoyov /aou djcmW koX 7rt(rr<iW r

pt ^xe* &*W ouaww, wu fc uptvur ovk lp^<rot dAAA
rov Bavarov w ttjf &i}i>. 25. djiflp djtijF Xcyw
fjberafitftTiKtv
A/up ort Zpxtrai wpa kcu vw kttif #re ot v**f ol dKaiKroiwiv rij?
frftyv

vciptf/iivTi

words of eternal life being proclaimed in the ears of the spirituIn w,_ 28, 29, the
ally dead, that they too may hear and live.
reference is to the future life, the voice of Christ being a voice
of power at the Last Judgment, even as it is now* See on
v. 28.

d|u.V

two

dfiV

see

distinct assertions,

Here this formula introduces

on i*1
both surprising in their majestic claims
.

of power, in yy. 24 and 25 respectively.

"he that hears my word "
6 rbv Xttyop fiou &koiW
43
an accusative, see on 3s),
followed
by
faovav
and for
(cf. S
;
u and believes Him that sent me*"
Kal mrretW tS WjA+am f*e,
To hear with the outward ear is not enough; the inward
There must be the belief in Christ
response is essential.
1
(3 *, where see note), which is the same thing as belief in
sending " of
the word of Him who sent Him (12 4*), For the
the Son by the Father, see on 3".
The obedient believer has eternal life,
<?X tV atrfviw.
See on 3 1*, and cf* 1 Jn. 51*.
as a present possession.
.

'

'

KpUFtV 00 K

KO-l L<J

Kplverat,

The

tp)fTLl.

believer

Cf. 3** O TnUTtfaty *k OVTOif OV

that has

" comes not to judgment";

None the less, the prayer of

already been determined.1
humility will always be p&i <r\#)js cis Kptuw pxra tov oovXov trov
(Ps. 143 s).

&X\& p,eTcip^t)Kcv ck roG Oawfawi <ts Tfjv ui^p* Some Latin

versions try to escape the force of the pft. tense by the renderings transit^ transiett and Nonnus in his paraphrase has
but this is through misunderstanding, Jn.
Uer<LL Ik BavmoCo
u passed from death into
is quite clear that the believer has
Cf o^Sa/x^ Sn
life," into the eternal life which begins here.
14
ficTafHtfrqitafiev k tov davdrov k tt}v (f&fyf (i Jn, 3 ), the reason
for such assurance being added, on, dymrfyLtr rous aSA^ous.
Even those who do not believe,
36. ol rcKpol dKoJaotKT^ ktX*
who are spiritually dead, are not beyond the range of Christ's
words. They, too, may hear and live. This is one of those
extraordinary assurances which must be introduced by the
solemn adjuration d/tigv d/ujy. It is, as it were, a corollary or
sequel to v. 24 \ see on i 51
Of the quickening of the physically dead at the Last Judgment, it is said in v. 28 tyx*r*t tfpa, but of the spiritually dead
in the present, px*T<u Spa Kal vuv iuriVj as at 4M, where see
1
See Introd., p. elx.
;

THE SON THE LIFEGIVER

V- 36-27,]
tfxavvjs

tov Ylov to5 <oi3 Ka\

yap q Ua-n/p
ir cavr^i.

e^*t

fyitvjv

cv

ot cUoiJo-avTes $quxrwrlv.

eaur& owtos

real

27, #ai ava-tav c&iwct aural

tu

243
26, wcrcrep

Yt*3 tStoKty

Kpia-tv TroteTi',

j|ahji/

c;gci?

oti

Yws

note. To treat kgu km*' &mv as an editorial interpolation here

is to misunderstand the sequence of thought in w. 24-29.
1
ot vacpot here are the spiritually dead, as at Eph. 2 1 a
5 *.
'* They shall
hear {cf, difovwv in v. 24) the voice of the Son of
-

It is not only His sheep who may hear His voice

(io w), but those also who have not yet learnt to follow.
Note
that itiovttv with the gen, carries the meaning of " hearing
with appreciation "; see on 3s
rot} ulou toO fori : see on i* 1 .
It is only in Jn. that this title
is putinto the month of Jesus (to8* ji 4); while he often employs it when writing in his own person.
B has dxoiWi<ni', but
read aKovtxtoo-tv, the rec, having
d>couVovrne.
Also the rec, itfvovTai {APA) must give place to

God,"

LW

Htfouow

(nBDLW).

ydp 6 ira-riFjp ki\. Verses 26, 27, repeat (from w,

Father has given to the Son (a) the quickening
power and {If) the authority of judge, which are prerogatives
of Deity,
Verse 26 deals with the power of life. To Hebrew thought,
no less than to Greek, God is the Living One : " With thee is
,(
the fountain of life " (Ps, 36*). Thus the Father
has life in
Himself," and so He gave " to the Son to have life in Himself,"
lv tavrif being emphatic,
(For 3xnrcp t see on v. 20 above,)
To " have lite in Himself " involves the power to give out life,
or to quicken.
This " giving " has been interpreted of the mystical communication of life sub specie aternitatis by the Father to the
Son in His pre-incamate state ; and the statement would then
point to the Logos doctrine of the Prologue (cf. esp. 1*, "In
Him was Life, and the note in loci). This is possible (see
on 17 s*); but the thought of the Father "giving" to the
Incarnate Son is frequent in Jn, (see on 3 s5 above). It is better
to interpret IBuikp as in the other passages in the Gospel, where
it is applied to the Father's gifts to Christ as manifested in the
"
flesh (see on 17*),
Christ is, in any case, (t the Living One
18
(Rev* i ); but the significance of #Wct- here is the same as
"
that suggested by the words, " I live because of the Father
power
of
life
Him,
the
is delegated to
as is
(6).
The Divine
Divine prerogative of judgment, which Jn, sets forth in v. 2 7,
27. The rec,, supported by DrA and some OX, texts,
has ko before icpiW; but om. K eABLW.
IfpiKFiav ZSukei' out$: see v. 22,
The l$owria is that of
26*

tJtnrep

21, 22) that the

244

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

&y0/HO7rov ftrriv*

28.

fttf

Bavfia^ere

ST.

toutd,

JOHN

art

[V. 87-28.

tp^trai tupa n<

A BODILY RESURRECTION

V, 38-39.]

24S

]j

The Father "gave to Him authority

j; ; cf. also Mt. 28 *
to pass judgment, because He is the Son of Man," l to whom,
as we have seen, 2 the tremendous office of Judge is assigned in
Jewish apocalyptic.
It has been suggested that the absence of the article before
uifc dFOptSiTOu here is significant, and that we should render
" because He is a son of man," the meaning being that the
office of the Judge of men is committed to Christ because He
is Man, an affinity of nature between Judge and him who is
judged being essential for just judgment. But the title " Son
of Man " occurs repeatedly in Jn. (see on i fil), and several times
in connexion with the thought of Him as Judge. It would be
strange if in the present passage, where His office as Judge
is emphasised, another explanation of the phrase should be
necessary.
The absence of the article before vtos w&pwrov is not to be
Official titles have a tendency to become anarthrous,
pressed.
and this has happened here, although elsewhere in Jn. we have
6 utos tov avQpwrov.
If we are right in regarding w. 20-29
as, in part, a commentary by the evangelist on what Jesus
actually said to the Jews, then it is the less surprising to find
uioc tov avfipuMrovt which never occurs
utos a.v0pitmnv instead of
in narrative.
The latter is a designation of Himself used by
Jesus in all four Gospels, but is not employed by the evangelists
when referring to Him.
28- pt| 6aupdt,cTE toGto {cf. v. 20),
This is not to be connected with the statement " because He ii the Son of Man,"
as Chrysostom suggested, and as is implied in the Pesh* Syriac
and in A, It has been stated that the Father has given to the
Son the power of life and authority to pass judgment (w. 26, 27),
in reference more particularly to the spiritual life of men in
this present world (w. 24, 25).
But what is still more wonderful
(here is indicated the mind of the first century), these powers
of quickening and of judgment extend to the physical awakening
of the dead and their judgment in the body at the Last Assize.
The argument is : The Son is to do greater works than works of
healing, in order that the observers may marvel (as apparently
they had not done when the impotent man was cured, v, 20);
these greater works include the power of awakening the spiritually dead, and of being the Agent of judgment in this life, as to
belief and unbelief (w, 34, 25).
This, indeed, is marvellous,
1

fl

1 This is tlie true construction, as supported by Syr. cur the 0,L

+J
Oiigen, and Paul of Samosata see on v. 28 for ChrysostonVs rendering.
;

See v. 22, and Introd.,

p. cxxvii.

but the greater marvel is what will happen at

the Last Day
when the dead in the tombs shall be quickened by the
voice of
the Son of God, and final judgment shall be
pronounced

Hrm on good and

bv
J

evil.

Such a doctrine, no doubt, has its roots in Jewish eschatoJogy

but the Fourth Gospel cannot be understood
unless it be
realised that Jn. has not abandoned this,
while he lays his
emphasis on the spiritual conceptions of eternal life
and judgment in the present, which were taught by Jesus (see
Introd
Verses 28, 29, have been thought to be " materialistic,"
p. clxi).
but they cannot be torn from the text as an
interpolation or
later addition ; 1 they are an integral part
of the argument.
7
With
ia
GaujidteTE, cf,
3 aTld x j n 3
Sfp^eroi flpa ; see on v. 25 and on 4**
With drcoiJcroutrti> t% * urij s afrrou, cf.
4ui#fi uewUn
^

miKTO ot iv rots ^ficfo* mrX, This is a plain

statement
of a general bodily resurrection, both of
good and bad, such
as is suggested in Apoc. of Baruch
50, 51, 2 Esd. f**.
Tn
Jt W
exP Kcitl7 asserted
Mt. 25*0, Acts 24*

%
2 Cor. 5^; and it is frequently implied in the Synoptic
reports
of the words of Jesus (e.g. Mt. . io
Lk. 11*2), That
5
Uinst is the Agent of this Resurrection, so far as the
righteous
are concerned at any rate, has appeared G*K

alive
is

both

m this world and at the

He "makes

Day

the consistent teaching of Jn.

(KLANW

of Judgment

such

and d^owo* (ADP).

word dPdVrotfis is used by ^Eschylus (Eum.
648)
up from the grave, that is, of resurrection."
in the
it is infrequent, and occurs
with this meaning at
2 Mace. ? 14 12" only (cf. Ps, 66**). The Synoptists have
it
33),

29. The
of
rising

UX

in the narrative of the questioning Sadducees

(Mk la 1**Mt. 22^-, Lk. 20^); and, besides, Lk. has the phrase
"the'
resurrection of the just" (i ).
have
4
in JJn.

again at

We

34-

.Wo

,
There are the two resurrections one of life, the other
of
judgment. For the former, cf. 2 Mace. ?u ^1
^p W(7Tams
y
s Cwqv ovk Ivraw The two are mentioned together Dan. i2 B
.
For tA fauk* irpfarcs (rrpatrvoms D) see on 80
?
3
1

*Wendt

w,

(Gospel according to St John, pp. 131 fi.) argues

that
28, 39l cannot belong to
original form of the discoural

Ae

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

246

*0. Ctf

5tWt

iyw

*v A*

ST.

JOHN

>wto5 **B&*

[V, 29-31.

THE SELF-WITNESS OF JESUS

V. 31.]

mtos A*o>

irtpt

ipavTov, $ paprvpta

to the Pharisees

He

but the life once

Life and judgment begin in this world,
judgment being already
secured continues eternally, the future
death, for a judgment
anticipated. The evil-doer is to rise after
been fully exhibited
which, although predetermined, has not yet
1**-.
on
See
or revealed*
3

from the
SO The discourse returns to the first person,
" I can do nothing of myself," returning
thought,
the
third;
W
ovdw).
Iftmrw
to v. 10, where see note (cf. 8 &r
never
iua*rh is used by Jesus of Himself 16 tunes in Jn.,
Lk.
Mt.
8*,
only
occurs
f*\
it
where
in the Svnoptists,
(see
d*rf *piv, i* "as I hear from the Father

mm

itatoi

authority to judge is delegated to

are righteous because they
judgments
Him {v, 27) and His
^ Jtpfa* ^ *A >"*;
reflect the judgments of God Himself.
a of God, the Righteous Judge) is repeated 8"
Itniv (cf. Ps. ?
There * no self"
in the form $ icpfira 4 *4 <Ub|M ftm*t4 6 Aim TMp6^
od
judgments,
foTfi
these
of
passing
in the
this last phrase,
but rather <ri GAtiu* rofi irf|4"fa f*. Fr
4**.
Cf. especially the notes
see 638 *** *, where it recurs, and
I

10)

The

judge."
;

God's will be done, in every decision of

only in the Son of Man Himself.
realised
perfectly
was
every man,
the precept of Rabbi Gamaliel may apply to
His will as if
imperfectly it may be obeyed:

Thus
life

to* seek that

But
however
it

"Do

were thy

The

will,

rec*

that

He may do thy will as if it were His wiH,

adds mrpo* after tou vipfarris jk (ct "J, but

KABDLNW

^ proclamation
SL The argument in w, 3*-37 1S &**
depend, as
by Jesus of His own claims and authority dad not
om.

individual testimony.
the Pharisees naturally urged, upon His
He
bore to Himself was
which
witness
the
if
that
admits
He
'
If I
sufficient.
not
be
would
man,
it
merely that of one
it need
bear witness of myself, my witness is not true, *.*.
speak
not be taken as true, for (of course) a single witness may
that, apart from
truth even in his own case. But He urges
the Baptist
the "witness " to Him which was given by John
* Aboth * 4, quoted by Westcott, in toe.
.

hmv 4X^V

when they made

does not rely

inquiry

(v,

32. 3Xkoe Ivrlr

33 ) t

upon which

34), there is the " witness " of Another

greater immeasurably than John (w.
The witness "
32, u)<
of the
works
which He did is really the "witness of
Uod (v. 36), without whom they could not have been done
and
whose Name and by whose authority they were done
The
argument in 8 1*"" is different. He does, indeed, appeal
there,
as He does here, to the fact that the " witness "
of the Father
corroborates His own, and that therefore the
requisite " two
witnesses 'are present in His case
17
(8 ) ; but He goes on to
claim that His consciousness of Divine origin
(v. 14) and the
intimacy of His union with the Father justify
Him in the
assertion, paradoxical as it might seem
to His opponents, that
His self-witness must be true, iy^
$ paprvpfo *tpi iwvrov
is the claim and the style of Deity
1
(8 *).
re > towever, He is re re sented only as

saying that His

P
individual witness is confirmed by the witness
of God.
(v.

claims provided by God

/esus appeals to the witness to His
His own works
(v,
Baptist
the
33)1
by
tov?%* t 37),
(v. 36), and by the O.T. (^ 39)-

on v

pov ovk

247

_^

This challenges comparison with 8 1*, where

the sentence is
verbally repeated, with the omission of ovk : " If I
bear witness
of myself,

my witness

*> true."

The Jewish maxims as to evidence were rigidly and pedantic-

observed in the subtle disputations of the

Rabbinical
One was that two witnesses at least were always
necessary for the establishment of any matter of fact
{Deut, iq w).
ally

schools.

To

this

maxim

Jesus quotes

it

allusion is made 2 Cor, 13*, 1 Tim 5"' and

as a rule at Mt. 18 1*. Another, not less weighty

was that a man's evidence about himself was suspect

Wetstem quotes the Mishna {Ketuboth ii.
9), "homo non
rule

dignus de se ipso," That, indeed, is a common

of law everywhere cf. Demosthenes, 2 contra Stepk. a
%
fxaprvpew y&p 01 vofiot ovk 2wnv cl&tqv iavr^H.
Now when Jesus
enunciated lofty claims for Himself and for His
mission, He
was challenged to substantiate them, and all arguments
conducted with the Rabbis had perforce to fall in with
their
doctrine as to what constituted valid evidence. The
arguments
here (w, 31-39) and at & 1 *- seem to a modern reader
pedantic
and unattractive in form, precisely because they reproduce
modes of thought and speech which are foreign to our Western
culture.
They are not like the arguments of Greek disputants
but their Rabbinical flavour is an indication that they
have been
faithfully reported by one who was himself
a Jew, and to whom
Jewish scholasticism was not strange or unfamiliar. In arguing
with the Rabbis, Jesus did not shrink from
arguing on their
est fide

maxim

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

248

mpi

paprvp&v

tpov.

*rpl

ftaprvpti

ipav

pfLapTvpr}KW r$

[V. 31-34.

ST. JOttrf

V. 34-36.]

ivrw q paprvpn fy

koX qTSo or* aXrj&vjs

33. vfitU farwrdXicaTt
34, *y

&\rt$up

&

ov

'Iiwip,

Trpos

Trtipi

xat

7T/)os

refused to do this, He could not have

principles,
gained a hearing at Jerusalem at all. See Introd., p. lxxxii.
18
39. oXXos i< 6 paprvpvv irepl ipou (cf, 8 ). To interpret
done,
e.g.,
by Chrysostom,
as
is
SXXos of John the Baptist,
{Epist.
makes havoc of the argument which follows. Cyprian
Blass 1 cites, in
Ixvi, 2) rightly interprets aXXos of the Father,

such a use of oXXos, ^schylus, SuppL 330, kk

Zeis XXos; and Abbott (ZHrf. 2791) quotes a

illustration of
Sijo

passage from Epictetus

ally described as

(iii.

Another

where God is reverentiwho g" ards n^ 1113 lives

13. 13-14)*

(oXXps),

Cf. 14".

" There
present participle paprvpw should be noted ;_
witness
this
rne,"
concerning
witness
bearing
who
is
is Another
being continuous and a present reality at the time of speaking,
whereas the witness of John the Baptist is spoken of in the
past tense (w. 34, 35). According to the arrangement of the
1
Gospel text which is followed in this commentary (see on 6 ),
Jesus
ministry
of
in
the
point
at
the
was
dead
John the Baptist

The

which has now been reached (cf. v. 35).

For otSo (N ABLNWi), K*D and Syr. sin, have
interpretation which
a, reading due to the mistaken
ft

3Was as
jcai

referring to

otfca

John the

0Tt AXtj&^s

otw

oESotc,

treats

Baptist.
Jj

jiapTupia

ktX.,

" and

I know

No one
that the witness which He witnesseth of me is true."
Sri
could know this as the Speaker knew it; cf. y> oXSa
trap aurov ttpt (7^*
The reference to God the Father as His witness is an
s8
illustration of the saying 6 iranrjp /wi&iw pov Ivrt (14 ), and
" he
helps to explain it, Philo lays down the principle that
of
to
him
superior
so^is
does
in
so
far
as
he
who bears witness,
whom witness is borne," paprvpuv, imp vtrov papTvp^t^ KpH-rrcuv
cttrlv tov iKpapTvpovpLcmv (de sacr. Abe/is ei Caini 28).
33. fifwi* dweordXKaTe irpis 'Iwdniv, " Ye sent to John"
10
tjj
(cf. i ), and Ms witness was trustworthy, koi jte|uiapTdpT]Key
7
AXqfcifi, as was the purpose of his mission (i ), a purpose which
7
was also that of the mission of Jesus Himself (1S* ).
34. But, true as was the witness of the Baptist, ft is not
that upon which Jesus relies, !y is in contrast with vpxis of

aww

the preceding* lyh Be ou lrapA dpOpcfrrou -rfy pap-mpta-v XajApivw,

14
but the witness which / accept is not from man." For rip*
fiapTvpiav XafifStLvttv, of accepting testimony as adequate, cf.
1 Grammar
cf N*T. t p. I So.

BAPTIST'S WITNESS

pnprvptav Xap^dvto^ aAXa ravra Xiyta

av&pwirav ttjv

and had He

THE

Ai,
3"*
tj

wpav

iy t<

^wri avrav,

aa
M

36.

cm vptU

y<ti

249

amB^r*.

35, frctyos

Sf \to rffv paprrvptav /aw

.
See 1 Jn. 5 ci ttjv paprvplav
paprvpta. tqv Otav pxifyav eoTtv.

iw avOpwmv

ku.pfidyop.tt>,

dXXi, "nevertheless"; although He did not rely upon the

witness of John, He referred to it because it was of it that the
Pharisees had made inquiry (i ls), and He would remind them
this.
ToflTa Xty&, " I say these things," i.e. about the
Baptist's testimony, fra ujhis <tu(H}te, " in order that you (who
made inquiry) may be saved." It was the final cause of the
mission of Jesus, Iva o-tt$jj 6 noo-pos (see on 17 for trwfru').
3
35. *k<Ts (much used by Jn. to mark out the subject of a
s
sentence; see on i ) tJk (the use of the past tense shows that
the ministry of John Baptist was over; see on v. 32) 6 Xrixros
u the Lamp
4 Kai6ptvo$ itftt tfraivbtVj
that burns and shines, 11
The Baptist, as Jn. has said (1*), was not the Light ( <^is),

of

but he was a lamp whose shining illuminated the darkness,

" Non Lux iste, sed Iucerna/' as the Latin hymn has it, Cf.
ol Xv^at Kaiop^vot (Lk. 12 s5), and especially 2 Pet, i 18
, where
prophecy is compared to XiS^os <t>a&tav iv nvxpypy tottm, ?s ot
ypepa Siavjwp- When the Light comes^ the lamp is no longer
needed.
A lamp not only burns as it gives light, but it burns owoyt
and so it was with the Baptist, who decreased as His Master
increased; but this is not necessarily implied here.
David is called the \vxym of Israel (2 Sam. 21 17); but the
sentence 777-01/icura Xv^ov tw xpifrrw pov (Ps. 132 17) came to
be applied by the Fathers to John "the Baptist, the metaphor
of John as the Lamp being widely adopted. It is said in
Ecclus. 48 1 that the word of Elijah was like a burning torch,
un XcfytTras wohto ; and, if there were any evidence that Elijah
was compared traditionally to a Lamp, we might suppose
that the description in the text of John, the new Elijah, as
Avxpo? carried an allusion to this.
But Ecclus, 48 1 does not

provide sufficient foundation for such a theory.

LW

KABDrAN but
wpav iy t^ ^b>rl JtoS, ** Vou were
pleased to rejoice for a time in his light," words which remind
the Jews of how popular John Baptist had been (Mk. i 6
,
Mt. 3s 11 7 2i Sfl ; and cf, Jn. i 19), and of the fickleness of those
who had been attracted to him, lake moths to a lighted candle
dyaXXiao/taL occurs again 8W.
36, But Jesus does not rest His claims on the witness of
the Baptist (cf. V. 34). iyh 8 !xu -r^v paprvpiav ^{\u (this
fljiets

have

S ^fleXiiCTQTe dyaXXiaGfirai (so

dyaXXia<r0JJrai)

irpij

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

250

ST,

JOHN

[V. 36-37,

rov luavou* to yap tpya, a Zihtattiv jaoi 6 Uarfy) tva tcXcuuctcij aura,
aura ra *pya A itcucij, papTvptl vtpt ip.ov on 6 llanjp / a7rc<rTaXxv.
orc
wlfupax p* Ilcmjrp, tKetvos fitpaprvpyKcv vepi c/iav.
37. jccu

ABW

the true reading, petfov of

being due to misunderstanding) too 'Iwdvou, "but I (fyu being emphatic) have
witness greater than that of John "; cf, w. 32, 37, 1 Jn. <>,
The works which He did were witness that His mission was
is

from God,
For this conception of the tpya of Jesus as His " witness,"
see io*8 and cf Mt 1 4 Lk, 7 M where He bade John's disciples
report His works of healing to their master as sufficient proof
of His Messiahship. Faith which is generated by the witness
of such '* works " is not faith in its highest form {cf. io38 1411
and see a 251), but to reject their witness is sinful (15**). Cf*
.

also 3*.

They are
For the ipya of the Son, see on v. 20 above,
described here as ' * the works which the Father has given me
And at 17 4 Jesus is represented
(see on 3^) to accomplish."
as dairning that He had accomplished them^ the words used
being almost the same as in this verse, to tpyor TeActwcra?
For o^Sukck (BLrNW) the rec, with ADA has Suw.
Xva nXewic Cf. 4**.
auTi tA cpya & itolw fiapTupct irtpt iiLou. The repetition of

With

io a

afoa tA tyya is conversational.

Cf., for similar words,
1411 . The thing which is established by these tpyo, is that
Jesus had been " sent " by the Father, 3n 6 tot^p p dirloraXKep*
This is His claim throughout. See on 3 17 for this conception
43
both in Jn. and in the Synoptists; and cf.
We cannot distinguish between
37, 6 Wpjfa* fie ira-nffp.
vepLint here and cwtootcAAw in the preceding verse ;
see

rec,

nuw

BtBLW must be
p4u.appr)Ktv

has the support of ANTA, but teitcos of

preferred ; see on i e for oeuro? in Jn.
irepi

tyofi.

Cf, 8

1*;

and

2SI

ffwWTjv ovtov muTrore atc/jKoart ovre <ISos adrov e<i>pa*taT*, 38* Kat
rov Xoyov awoiS owe Ix 61"*
fy" F J^tecoira, &"* Zv awrioTttXtv l*e tvos,

Divine revelation

is

own

the Father's

witness, although in-

visible to the world."

The key

to

w.

37, $&, is

found in

Jn. 5s *

** avri} tavtv

jricrreutiiv
aapTVpta tou $ov, on
The believer
eis tov vlov tov 6.qv l\ r)r ftaprvpiav iv iavriji.
has an internal witness, which is in reality the witness of
God.
are not to think of voices from heaven or visible
epiphanies as indicated by the fjmpTvpia of the Father ; such
are recorded by the Synoptists at the Baptism and the TransIt is the confident assurance of
figuration {cf, also Jn. 1 a 28).
the believer which is here in question.
out* $<i^V a&Tou mfrroTE diurjKdaTc, "you have never heard

p.p.aprvp7}Kv ircpt tou vtow avrou.

We

much

See on 3s
for Akovkv with the ace, in Jn , who uses this constr. as
equivalent to a mere perception by hearing, without definite
appreciation of what is said. What is stated is that the Jews
could not have heard the voice of God with the outward ear.
For TTtoTTOTH, and its use in the N.T. ? see on i u .
oltte effios afari AuprfiuiTi, "nor have you seen His form."
So i w &*ov oiSc l&paitw irwore, and 1 Jn. 4"; cf. 6**. This
was admitted by Jew and Greek alike, Peniel, the place of
dho? 0*w (Gen,
Jacob's wrestling, is called indeed in the
30
32 ), the reason given being tSov yap &cov Tpoo-twrov Trpos
But no Jew regarded that as an ordinary
vpwrwrov.
experience, or one that he might expect to be repeated in his
own case. Man cannot see with bodily eyes the *&>* of
God; and so God cannot appear as a witness to give legal

His voice/

less

heard

it

with intelligence.
t

LXX

17

on 3
The

THE FATHER'S WITNESS TO JESUS

V- 37-3B.]

see v. 32.

We

have

already had the indirect witness of the Father to the Son,

through the Zpya which the Son did (v. 36), but the Father's
witness is also direct, and this is indicated, although the argument is abbreviated to the point of obscurity, in w, 37, 38,
The reasoning is as follows
" The Father, who sent me, has borne witness of me.
True, He is not a visible witness: you cannot see God's form
or hear His voice with the outward ear. But to those who
accept Jesus, the message from God that He is His Son abides
continually in the believers heart The consciousness of a

evidence.

From wre <fmarqv to i^poKort is a kind of parenthesis,

interpolated to avoid misunderstanding. Then follows the
description of the true fiaprvpta of the Father.
kcu (as
^ivorm.
38. ical t&? \6yQv afirou ok ?x* rtf
in v. 40 km ov Oikm) stands for and yett as often in Jn, (see
note on i la). The sequence of thought is : The Father has
borne witness of me, and yet you have not His word abiding in
you, you have not appropriated this Divine word of revelation.
The \oyo? of God is used sometimes by Jn. to signify the
message or revelation or command which God has given. Thus
in io3* there is allusion to the Xoyos of God which came to men
.
ye are
of the olden time with the revelation" Ye are gods
sons of the Most High " (Ps. 82*). Such a word of God, when
To the young men
it comes to a faithful heart, abides there.
whom Jn. commends, he writes, 6 X6yas rov fcov iv itpXv jmVc t

& ^w

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

252
TOVTta

(1

fyt$

a 14).

Jn,

ofi

m&rcvtTt.

39*

And, again, of

6 Aoyos airoi] ovk

sinless,

tpa.wa.rt

ST.

JOHN

who

u/xets

THE WITNESS OF SCRIPTURE

V. 39-OL]

So, in 17*,

<rov TryjpT]Kav.

Cf. 15 8 .

if

ipaw*T

is

imperative*

Jesus

different at 8 s1 ,

where Jesus speaks of the

faithful disciples as " abiding in His word " (iav p.*tvyfr* *v ru
\ayy t$ c/ujj). Here He speaks of the word of the Father
abiding in them, which is really the Father's "witness."
But, in fact, the two expressions ** abiding in His word "
and " His word abiding in us " imply each other in Jn,
Similarly (see on 6"), to "abide in Christ" implies that He
" abides in us " (cf- also 15*- *), The two go together,
is

5ti &v dir&rrciXci' ^Ketras toutu up*is

ofi

iriv-rcueTc,

He whom He sent Him you do not believe."

'*

For the

because
constr.,

a asus pendens reinforced by a pronoun, see on i 13

The
order of pronouns, tovtu v/uisj is emphatic*
The failure to appropriate the Father's witness, the fact that

viz.

the Aoyos of the Father, which surely came to them revealing

Jesus as His Son, did not " abide " in them, is traced to the
lack of faith, just as in 1 Jn, 5 10 6 p\ TrwrrnW to! <?j> tytvarqv

is

not exhorting the Jews here;

He is arguing with them, and rebuking them for their stubborn

Him. Their fault is
was a Rabbinical saying

rejection of

The metaphor

253

SoKUTt b/ ai/rtiU oi$f atwvwv e^tii'' *** IkCvoI drtv at pjiprvpowrai

7Fpt iflOV* 4O. W OV 0t\tT tk&CtV IrpOS
fA tva fcwifv yijt*,

claim to be

hr rjpHv (i Jn. I 10).

JeSUS Says of His faithful apostles, tqv Xoyov

38-^39.

on

tos ypatfias,

self-deceivers

mv

[V.

It

ofi

0&<t<

that

ik$tiv

"he who

vpfe
has acquired

the words of the Law has acquired eternal life " 1 and
it
is this kind of superstition to which the words "
Ye search
the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life,"
refer,
gwf) ulwiog here means "the future life," as often
in Jn* (see on 3 15), and the word Bon*? is significant
In
1 *-* 1
categorical sentences 8qkw in Jn. (see 5"
i3 M 16* 2015)
a
always indicates a mistaken or inaccurate opinion
ujwts
SoiwtTE means "you think, wrongly.' 7
It is not possible to treat ipawZr* as an imperative,
and
do justice to these considerations. Why should the Jews be
bidden to search the Scriptures because they held a wrong
opinion about their sanctity ? The reading of them in the
formal manner of the Rabbis did not carry with it the possession
of eternal life. Their true sanctity lay in their pointing onward
to the Christ,
intlfai (these very Scriptures, which you misuse) Lm.v a\ papTupoGcrai irepl ipou, which the Jews did not

o 0<os vttpi Tov vtov avrov.

appreciate.

This Xnyv; of the Father in men's hearts is His sure witness,

although it cannot be used for the conviction of unbelievers.
80. The rec. text has ipvmrtt but NB*N have IpaumTt,
which is the better form.
oi yptuftali in the plural, stands for the collected books of the
O.T, Canon (so Mt 21", Lk. 24"); but elsewhere in Jn. we
find always % yp^v with reference to a particular passage

The verb ipawav is found again in Jn. only at 7 W (where

see note), and is not used elsewhere in the N.T. of searching
the Scriptures (in Acts 17 11 the word used is avatcptvav); but

The argument, then, is, " You search the Scriptures because
of your mistaken belief that this close scrutiny of words and
syllables in the sacred books assures you of the life to
come.
There you are wrong. The true value of the Scriptures is
that they bear witness of me.
And you are doubly wrong, for
you will not come to me in person, when the opportunity is
given." s
40, ou ftAeye ik&w irpis j. This is the tragedy of the
rejection of Messiah by the Messianic race; cf. Mt. 2$**
t with
the same sombre conclusion, ofo ^foA^-*.
The use of *<u
(cf v, 38), meaning "and yet," before ov 0fAe is a feature

we have

of Jn.'s

(see

on

a 81).

in Ps, 119* p.aKaptot ol e^epaw&yrrc

futprvpia, aijroS.

has been much debated whether Ipauv&re in this passage

is to be taken as an imperative, or as a present indicative,
Origen (c* Celsum, v. 16) and Tertullian (de Prescript. 8)
take it as imperative, so that the familiar exhortation " Search
the Scriptures " goes back at any rate to the end of the second
century. This is the rendering of the older English versions,
as also of the Latin Vulgate, and (apparently) of Irengeus
{Hmr* iv. 10. 1).
But, despite this early tradition, it is
preferable to follow the R,V. in translating " Ye search the
Scriptures, for in them, etc," for the argument seems to halt

style.

See on

i 10 .

It

Explanation of the unbelief of the Jews {w. 41-47)

41. Verses 41-47 are an exposure of the source of the Jews'
unbelief,
It is this, that they do not love God, and so they
1

quoted by Schoettgen, I p. 356.

(n M J is a question, " What do you think ? "
9 Abbott points out that
ipavrare or ^epavpSre does not occur
elsewhere in the Greek Bible as an imperative, the aoriat being generally
used when there is a command cf. 7" {Diat 24391).
s

Aboth,

ii.

8,

H BoKfT bfuv;

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

254

41. Aoar jrapa avdjObHrui' ov

art rj)p ^yaTnjv toD

eov

oiie

t.X tT

ST,

Xafifi&vtflf
***

JOHN

[V< 41-42.

42. AXAa cyvouca v/ias

43- fy** *Aij\ip0a v

caurots.

Him who came in God's Name, They are

concerned rather with the approval of their fellows, than with
God's approval, Nevertheless, Jesus says that He will not
accuse them to God. Moses will be their accuser: he wrote
of Messiah, and the Jews did not appreciate what he wrote.
It is not to be expected, if they reject the written teaching of
Moses, that they should accept the verbal teaching of Jesus.
His words of rebuke do
8of a^ irapA dvGptf v ofi Xauptfrw.
not spring from any wounded pride because they did not
accept His claims. Their approval is of no weight with Him
a
W
(8 ; cf. the similar repudiation made by Paul, 1 Thess, 2 ).
That the honour (Sofa) which is bestowed by men on their
fellows is not to be greatly prized is not a peculiarly Johannine
doctrine (5** 7 18 12 4*), but appears in ML 6 1, a and elsewhere,
Cf. " The good inclination receiveth not glory or dishonour
from men" {Test, of XII. Patriarchs, Benj, vi, 4)- For Sdfr,
do not appreciate

see

on

14
.

42. d\X4 eyvwKa fifiSs, "but I have known you," sc. with
the knowledge that comes from personal experience \ cf. a 9*,
t(
that you
Btl t^\v 6,ydwt\v toG fleou ouic %x Tt ^ v fewrois,
" the love
Paul
In
God
in
yourselves,"
love
of
have not the
of God " always means the love which God has for man, and
" the love of Christ " is the love which Christ has for man.
But the usage in Jn. is not so uniform.
38
aya,Trv) is used I3
15 1 * of the love of man for man; in
jjjB. 10
for man; and in 15 10 17 s6 of the
Christ
f the love of
love of God for Christ- In the First Epistle, in like manner,
in 31 4s * M * 1( the thought is of the love of God for man; in
u 3 1T 41* 5* we
18
3 it is the love of Christ for man; but in a*must interpret t} ayamf tou $eov or the like phrase as signifying
1*
the love which man has for God, See on ai
see> then, that the meaning of 17 ayairrj S Qtov in the
present passage must be determined from the context, and
we conclude that it must mean the love which men have for
God, No doubt, as Abbott argues {Diat> 2040), the phrase
in v* 38 tov Xoyov avrov owe &x*r* w tyiv pevavra, suggests that
as Xoyos there is the X6yas that proceeds from God, so dyairq
here should mean the love that flows out from God, But it
could hardly be imputed for reproach to the Jews that God
did not love them* The point of the reproach is that they did
not love W, and so were not in spiritual sympathy with One
who came kv tu ivoftari tov irarpas. And, as we have seen,
this sense of t} dyairij toC dcov, sc, the love of man for Godj

We

ROOT OF JEWS' UNBELIEF

V. 42-43.]

ovojuiTi tow TLarpas

hr Tip

Mfiart r$

iSiy,

pm,

k<li

25S

q& Aa/tjSayer* /** ear aXAor c\0fl

44. irSs StW<r# vfieU

iKtivov X-QfufrtvBz.

although

it is not found again in the Fourth Gospel (but see

on a i 16 for the uses of the verb dy<ntdo}) may be amply justified
by the language of 1 Jn.
t

48, iy$j 4X^\u6& lv rfl AwSpari. tou irorp<Ss pou*

Jesus is
represented by Jn. as speaking of the " Name " of His Father
7 times (the number 7 probably having no significance; see
Introd., p. Ixxxix).
The " Name" of the Father was given to
the Incarnate Son (17"- Ia); "in the Name of His Father "
He came (s43) and performed the " works " which were His
witness (10s*), This
He il manifested " (if), and
" made known " (17 28) to His disciples.
prayed the Father
to " glorify " His Name (12^.

"Name"

He

To primitive Hebrew thought the name had an intimate

and mysterious connexion with him whose name it was and
;

behind the widely spread practice of reciting the

names of foes for magical purposes. The name was the exthis idea lies

pression of the personality. Thus '* the Name of Yahweh"

came to signify the revelation of the Being of God, exhibiting
itself in Power and Providence, 1 and it is frequently used thus
in the
(cf, Ps. so1, Prov, 18 10).
This usage is carried
into the N.T, (Lk. r** ; and see notes on i ia 17 11).
Thus *' I am come in the Name of my Father " does not
only mean " I am come as His representative, having been
sent by Him," although it includes this (see s8 S 4 *); but it
7
conveys the idea that the Incarnate Son reveals the Father in
aa
His character and power. Cf, I4
ki otf XofiptivET^ fie, "but you do not receive me/' not
being used as an adversative conjunction, where we would
expect dXXa or Wtoi (see on i 10). The Fourth Gospel is truly
described as in one aspect "the Gospel of the Rejection":
cf. i 11 3 11 ia S7
idiv oXXos X0ij kt\., " if another shall come in his own
name, him you will receive," Abbott (Dial. 2677) calls
attention to the use of oAAos rather than frcpo*: ** if another
come (professing to be of the same kind as myself), etc." Cf.
2 Cor. 11* dXXov l^croiV.
Such a pseudo-Christ would appear
only "in his own name," *.*, not representing or revealing
the name and the nature of God, as Jesus did,
Schmiedel 3 finds here (so too Hilgenfeld and Ffleiderer)
an allusion to the rising of Barcochba about 134 a,d., which led
to the extinction of the Jewish State.
On this hypothesis, the
Fourth Gospel (for there is no sign that this verse is an inter1 Cf- KautESck in D.B., extra
* E.B. 2551.
p. 641.

OX

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

256

ST.

JOHN

[V. 43-44.

tV

jTHTTtiWi, B*lav irapk AXXrjkm' Xn/AjSarovrts, mi t^v 8qhf

Sox^e 5ri *ya> kt^jrapa tov povov 0u ou ijr"Te ;
45>

But the
polation) would be later in date than Barcochba.
words are quite general in their reference, and are comparable
with Mk. jf 22 (cf.
24s M): " Many shall come in my
there shall arise false Christs and false prophets."
Name ,
This is one of the few passages in which Jn. reproduces sayings
of Jesus comparable with the Synoptic predictions of the last
1
things (see Introd., pp. cxxbt, clix), Bousset finds an allusion
b 'ia
to the coming of Antichrist (cf, 2 Thess. 2
), but the context
does not call for any definite reference to the success of false

Mt

V, 44r40.]

s.

t(

Mt. 23
glory of God "
in

acknowledge
recorded

in

They loved

the glory of

men more

than the

Jn.'s verdict about some who hesitated to

But the saying
their belief in Jesus (12").
Faith, Jesus seems
this verse goes deeper.
is

impossible in any vital sense for the man who

human standards. He who has
that vivid sense of the unseen, which is faith, instinctively
seeks in his conversation and conduct to win the approval
of God, in comparison with which nothing else seems to be
important.
to

say,

is

measures himself only by

ktX; vpt is emphatic: " How can such as you believe, who
think more of the honour that comes from men, than of that
which God can bestow ? " The true Jew, as Paul says, is on
the other

a 28),

that I

might

God

**

"

hand one " whose

(Rom.

praise is not of men but of God

Cf. the words of MordecaFs prayer: " I did this
not prefer the glory (&6a) of man to the glory of

upon the fact that there is no other worthy

Fount of honour, Cf. 8 H
45. For jrif Boket, WetTe always having reference in Jn. to
a mistaken opinion, see on v, 39 above.
lays stress, but

For ffurwW used absolutely, the object of faith not being

expressed, see on i T .
and
jcal irffv %6%tw rfjK irapd toD prfwu (teou ofl (ifreiTe.
(in one place) Origen omit Bcov but it is certainly part of the
true text. The archetypes would have had monoyOyoy, from

BW

which et could very readily have been dropped.

The only Bdet worth having is that which comes from " the
Only God " (cf, i 14). For the phrase o pwot fads, see 2 Kings
ipW 1* ps# S6 10 Isa. 3^* 2 Mace, 7 W 4 Mace. 2 M (and cf,
s7
a
Jude25 Rev, 15 4) the Jews were convinced
Jn. I7 Rom, 16
,

monotheists.

not upon the unity of God that Jesus here

The Antichrist Legends p. 133.

It is
1

jri|

3tl

Sokeiti

yi>

KaTTiyopi/io-u

d\iuv

irpfis

xfi^

Tra-repa.

It

would appear that some of His hearers were beginning^ to be

uneasy. He might be what He claimed to be, and if that
happened to be so, would not His accusation of them to God be
hard to rebut ? So, in answer to these thoughts, expressed or
unexpressed, He bids them be sure that His office at the Great
It has been said earlier
Assize will not be that of Prosecutor.
in the chapter (v. 27) that He will be the Judge) but upon that
4
17
no stress is laid here (cf. 1 2*7 * and see on 3 ).
Their prosecutor, or accuser, will be the person whom they
expected to be their advocate, st* Moses. Their national

lfl
s8
cf, 7 ), and
claim was that they were disciples of Moses (9
breach
of
Sabbath,
the
the
law
of
the
them
Moses had given
which by Jesus had initiated this controversy (v. 16). Surely,
Moses would defend their cause. But> on the contrary, they
;

are told: Soti^ A (tan]yopw^ hp&v, M uteres, cf? ftp fifwTs f|XTrLKare
(cf. Deut. 31").
This verse has all the marks of historicity. No one would
think of inventing a denial by Jesus of the suggestion that
He was to be the Accuser of the Jews at the Last Judgment,
But it is quite natural in the context in which it appears.

^Xmna**, " on

eis bv tiptU

whom you

have

set

your hope,"

in whom you hope, in quo uos speraiis* as the Vulgate

iK-jri&iv does not occur again in Jn., but
correctly renders.
the use here of the perfect tense to indicate that the hope
continues in the present and is not merely an emotion of the
M 1 Tim, 4 6".
past, has parallels at 1 Cor. ij a Cor, i
N,T., sc* 2 Cor, 8B ,
twice
in
the
only
The aor. ^n-ura occurs
ls
the perfect
1 Pet. i , which is remarkable, as in the
i*e.

(Esth, 13 14).

257

yoptprw vft&v irpos tov Harty*' firrtv 6 Kvnfyop&v vp&v Muttons,

46. *t yap inritrrtvert Monwrft^ lirumvtTt
<s tv 5/ult ijXTrijcftTe.

Messiahs, of whom many have appeared.

44, The cause of the Jews' unbelief is traced here to the
" All their works they
desire for popular applause and favour,
do for to be seen of men " is a judgment on the Pharisees found

MOSES WILL BE THEIR ACCUSER

LXX
LXX

1
1
never used } but always the aorist (e.g. Ps. 7 16 etc.).
(cf, Ps.
Again, the constr. ikiri^tv s two. is rare in the
H9114 'i45w , Isa, 51 6), where the prep, *W is nearly always
In the N,T., too, we generally have hrt, but tk in Acts
used.
Thus the only exact parallel in the
26* 2 Col i m, 1 Pet, 3s
Greek Bible to the phrase in this verse is s tv TjW*ajv of
1
w
2 Cor. i y a sound Greek construction,

qta-Lxa

is

Abbott (DiaL 2442-2443. 2473) traces the Johannine perfect to

influence, and says that we should have expected the aor.
or the pres, rather than the perf. at 5". But, on the contrary, the
VOL, I. 17
1

Hebrew

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

2$$

kv ipo

wpl yip

i/urn

Acclvq?

ST.

JOHN

cypa^cr.

[V, 46-47,

vm 16,

47. t Si rots ArctVau

46. *E yAp Imorefere MftDnt kt\., "if you believed Moses,

believe me," the imperfect tenses indicating a con-

you would

tinuing belief.
irepl yip JjioO *kitos lypo+ei' " for it was of me that he
wrote " (cfc iz41 ). Deut. iS 16 19 is cited as Messianic in Acts
W
3 j and it is regarded by Cyprian (Test, L 18) as the passage to
which reference is specially made here* It was one of the first
O.T\ tesiimonia to be claimed by Christians, At 3 1*, the
brazen serpent is mentioned as a type of Christ; and at S68
reference is made to Abraham's prevision of Christ's work.
Cf. Lk, 24s7, when no doubt many other types and prophecies
were explained. It is probable that Jesus adduced specific
passages in support of His statement that Moses had written
of Him, but we cannot tell what they were* Only a summary of
His argument is before us.
-

t(

but if you do
47. el $e tois CKeirOu ypdfLpatrLV kt\.,
words ? "
not believe his writings, now will you believe
There is a double contrast, between mivw and ^ow, and
between ypanpatrtv and pijji,a<rw. The argument, If you do not
believe Moses, how will you believe Christ ? would not have
appealed to a Christian of any age ; but it was addressed here
to Jews, for whom the authority of Moses was the greatest they
knew (cf. Lk* i6w), and in such a context was weighty. Here,
again, it is plain that Jn, 15 reproducing with fidelity the kind of
argument which Jesus used in Jewish controversy. Upon the
contrast between ypap^art^ "writings,*' and p*friaTa, "say-

my

ings," no special stress is laid; although these ypa^fiara were

reckoned as Itpa ypdpfiaTa (2 Tim. 315) and as entitled thereIf Jesus were no other than an
fore to special reverence.
ordinary Rabbi, it would be obvious that his authority as a
teacher would be far inferior to that of the sacred writings,
consecrated by a long tradition,
The prjitora of Jesus are mentioned again e6*- 6* 8 s0 1247***
10
7
8
14 15 17 (see on 3** above).
The constr. <t o$ as an undivided phrase, is noted by
Abbott (Dtat. 2256) as occurring again in Jn. only at io 3T
.

Further argument with the Jewish dotiots (VII. 15-24)

VII, 15. We have given above (see Introd., p. xix) the
reasons for taking w. 15-24 of c. 7 as following directly on 5".
perl

is

and the aor. would be wrong, as

See also Field, in toe.

right here

LXX often.

it is

wrong

in the

VU.

16-16.]

THEY WONDER AT HIS LEARNING

259

VII. 15. iBavfAolw o&v ol 'IovStnot Aeywrtt Ufa ovtk ypo-f-"

paT* oUW jtq pc/ia#t}ttfc; 16. awtKpC&t} ofo atirots *Iij<rotrs jeal
C
cTww H tpq SiSax^ ovk itrrw ipaj AXka. tov irtfufravTas pr 1 7. Idv
Jesus has appealed to the ypdp.fiara of Moses as establishing
His claims, and had probably (see on 5*) quoted specific
passages, commenting on them as He went along. This
amazed the Jewish leaders, who had thought that such learning
was confined to those trained in the Rabbinical schools, and
they had never heard of Jesus as a disciple of any prominent

Rabbi

oBf, " So they began

and
Mk.
ia Lk. 3* 42a
46

tfarfpctov
cf. v,

to

express wonder "

It was not SO
iicfia&TjitiJs;
that astonished them as His
knowledge of the Jewish writings, which probably included
the Rabbinical traditions that had gathered round the Old
Testament, as well as the Old Testament itself. In Isa. 29
t-jn<TT&nvo$ ypdfifiara means a man who cannot read,
fiij
an " illiterate." For dypaji/iaros in Acts 4", see Introd.,
But in the present passage, p^ p.fJM&qituK seems to
p. xxxvL
mean rather "not having been the pnApnfe of a recognised
teacher," The tradition of His scribbling upon the ground
[S 8] shows that Jesus was not illiterate in the strict sense; and
it is unlikely that this would have been suggested by the Jewish
ir&hs

much

oStos ypdppciTa

the

oIGe^

|i4)

wisdom of His words

Rabbis who had engaged an controversy with Him.

Here only does Jesus
16. *H lp$\ SiSax^i off* Ztmv i^ kt\.
<l
teaching " ; it is a significant
call His message St&txVi a

He

now

dealing with the professional StSao-^aXm.

not His own, but the Father's, is repeated
M
often (8s8 1 a** I4 10 ) ; and this has already been said in effect
1
l
at 5 s0 .
Bc&tx? occurs again in Jn, only at 18 *; cf. a Jn> K
had
objection
that
He
The answer of Jesus to the Jews'
never learnt from a recognised Rabbi is remarkable. He does
not say (which might seem to us the natural answer) that
He needed no Master, Indeed, Mk, reports that it was a
feature of His teaching to the multitudes that it was given
" with authority, and not as the scribes " (Mk. 1 s2), i.e. that He
appealed in His popular teaching to no Rabbinical precedents;

word, as

is

That His teaching

is

and the Synoptic discourses sufficiently illustrate this. But in

U "** we have the report of a long-drawn-out argucc. 5 and 7
ment with the Rabbis, and it is conducted throughout (see on
s1
If Jesus had said, in
schools.
5 ) in the style of the Jewish

"
reply to their implied question "Whose disciple are you?
His
own
spoke
of
He
that He was no man's disciple, but that
authority, they would at once have told Him that He was an

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

2CO
n?

ST*

JOHN

[VH

16-18,

avrou wouiv, yvwrtrai vtpt rfc StBirjfifo Tronpov

Jytfl <Jtt* ejumrrou AoAa>,
18 d0* iavrqtj XaAwv
r^y SofttF r^v iStav fijrei*
Se ^/jritiv ttjv Boay tot) TrtfiypavTQ? avrav,
BeXjj to &iKjffta

rat?

ix.

ro

iorrtv

But, exactly as at 5 s1 , He follows

does not claim to be self-taught^
which would only have aroused contemptuous indignation;
but He claims that His teacher was the Father who had sent
Him, as He had said so often before (cf. especially s 86 " 88).
17- Idv Ti$ 0Aj] t4 OAtjfia auTou iroceir kt\ +j "If any man
set his will (Ofosr is expressive of deliberate purpose) to do
His will, he shall know of the doctrine, etc." The Synoptic
form of this saying is to the effect that it is only the man who
does God's will who can enter into the kingdom of heaven
(Mt. 7 M ). That right conduct is a necessary preliminary to
accurate belief about Divine things, and conversely that the
cause of unbelief is often a moral cause, are propositions which
are repeated frequently in Jn> They are specially pressed in
this controversy with the Jewish leaders*
Jesus had claimed
that He sought, not His own will, but to BiX^a rov ic^avm
/" (530); and He goes on to suggest that it is just because this
could not be said of the Rabbis that they had failed to accept
His Divine mission. It is their moral nature that is at fault
M 4a). Cf. for similar teaching 8ai - *** 14 21 ; it is all summed
<5 ;
up in the tremendous assertion, " Every one that is of the truth
heareth my voice " (18*7). Cf. Ps. 25
TroTfipop eV tou fleou &mr fj iy& jtr\.
The classical constr,
TTorepov
.

occurs only here in the N.T. Trortpov is

^
found again in the Greek Bible only in the Book of Job (cf.,

impostor and adventurer.

their line of thought.

t.g. f

Job

He

ia
7 ),

Ac 0<ov is the reading of ND, but BLTW have i* too teou,

which is the regular Johannine form (1 Jn. 41 * * * * T).
That Jesus did not ** speak from Himself" is repeated 13 4*
14 10 and it is also said of the Spirit, " He shall not speak from
Himself " (16 13). Jesus, again and again, repudiates the idea
that He does or says anything apart from the Father (cf. 5 s0
'

see S 28). The repeated disclaimer of originality for

is foreign to modern habits of thought.
But
originality, or departure from precedent, or the idea that there
is any merit in being self-taught, were all equally distasteful
to Jewish scholasticism.

7^

and

His Reaching

18. 6 d4>* cauTou \a\vv tV fi<5fai> tty IhLav ijtcI ktX.

He
returns to what He has said at 541 (where see note), and He
repeats it again 8 50- M
The contrast is between the teacher who
represents himself as the fount of knowledge, and him who
speaks as a herald and ambassador of a superior from whom
.

THE CROWD SAY HE

Til- 18-flO.]
ouros

dXijtfijf

tttoKtV

VfJitV

coTiv

ttai

AStxia iv aurcp ovk e<rrtv.

TOP VQfiQV ; KoX GUCCIS 1$

fiyrT< hroKTeivai

20. awtKpidt} o

MAD

IS

VfitJiV

261
19.

oil

Mwwfjs

TQV VO/AOV.
Acu/aqwop i^ca'

TTOttt

o^s

Tt fi*

n* <

The former seeks his own honour (for

means "honour" here, see on x 14); the latter is only
concerned to proclaim the truth that he has received, and in
proclaiming it he seeks to bring honour to him from whom he

he has what he has.

Sofa

received it. The former, therefore, may be under suspicion

of false teaching j but the latter has no self-interest to further,
&UT05

AXi^s

fcrnr.

There

is

no

"unrighteousness,"
by Paul with

dBtjria,

in him, such as is several times contrasted

" truth " (Rom. s\ 1 Cor. 13s , 2 Thess. 2").

For the emphatic use of qStos, cf. 6W .

The special form of d&Kta with which Jesus had been
charged was that of Sabbath-breaking (5 1*- :8), and He now
brings the discussion back to this, by making a direct attack
on His Jewish critics. They blamed Him for a technical
breach of the Sabbath, but it was their own practice to condone
such breaches in special circumstances (v. 23), His argument
from v* 19 to v. 24 is ad kominem.

w.

Ps. 40* provides a parallel for the sequence of thought,

17-19, which perhaps is fortuitous:

Kid rov vo/aov

In

Ps.

40s tqv vopov

ffOto

iv

/tflr^l rfjs

Kaphlat

fxov.

in the second line corresponds, after

poetry, to to Ot\rjp.a u-ov in the first line.

<rov

Hebrew
The argument, implied but not
the fashion of

explicitly stated, of w. 17-1&

that if a man does not will to do God's will, he has not God's
law in his heart, and does not keep it.
have S<W<v)
19, ov MwU<rfjs cWr (so BD;
Moses gave the Law in all its bearings for
tylv rbv vtyov;
a Jew (see on i 10) ? but here the reference is specially to the
Mosaic law of the Sabbath (v. 23). Jesus turns their appeal
s*.
to the authority of Moses against themselves, as at 5
38 - 40
see on i 10)
;
ital (k<u being used for uw*, as at s
1
24 preferring to
5
ia
Mk.
Lk.
14
,
oA&els ii upuv (cf* 16 I7
2
ia and see on i 40
)
omit
in similar constructions; cf. 13 * 2i
No one, He urges, keeps the Mosaic law
irotei to^ v6)uyr*
of the Sabbath with minute scrupulosity in all circumstances,
is

nLTTANW

and He goes on
ti

fie

jT]TLTt

to

mention an admitted exception

See on 5 M where

dTTOKTew-ai;

(y. 23).
it

has been

recorded, ittfrovv <ivrov at 'IwBatoL airoKTttvai.

The crowd had been listening
20, dTTeKptei) A SxXos ttrX.
with eagerness to the controversial discussion between Jesus

"

262

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

&roKTirai }

ST.

lvoitj<Ta teal iravTCi

21, aTTZKpi&Tf Ivjfrovs kcu

BavyA^trt 22* oik tovto.

and

(pi louSaioi, v.

?jtcl

the Rabbis

to disclaim the idea that there

JOHN
tfortv

[VIL SO-flL

avrow *Er ipyuv

MwaJerijs 8&uikcv u/uv

and they interrupt now

was any thought of killing
It was not the " people," but
15) j

Him. This is a lifelike touch.

the " Jews," who had begun the plot; the people knew nothing
of it,
ScujitWv ?xe "**
same thing was said of John the
1
Baptist j as an explanation of his asceticism (Mt.
*); and
later on, Jn* records that the Jewish leaders, or some of them,
accused Jesus of being possessed with a demon (S48 - ** 10s0 ; cf.
Mk, 3 aa), But here it is the people who say (t Thou hast a
demon," meaning not to impute moral blame but mental
infirmity.
It is a well-known sign of insanity to believe that
" Who seeks to kill
other people are in league against one.
you P " It is only your disordered imagination which makes
you suspect it (cf. Mk, 3 s1 ). See Introd., p, cbcxvit.
21. Jesus does not answer the insulting suggestion that
He is out of His mind. He goes back to His statement that
no Jew keeps the Sabbatical law after a fashion which admits
of no exception.
tv epyo^ (Troiijo-a ical irdn^s Gau^^e-re.
This has generally
been interpreted as meaning, "I did one miracle, and you
all marvel."
But such a pronouncement is not in harmony
with the context, Nothing has been said throughout 5 1 "*7 or
16 -24
to indicate that the observers, whether the simple folk or
7
the Jewish leaders, had seen anything extraordinary in the cure
of the impotent man, or had expressed any wonder. Indeed,
ao suggests that
* greater
works " would be necessary, if
5
their wonder was to be aroused.
Nor, again, would an appeal
made by Jesus at this point to the miraculous nature of what
He had done be apposite to the argument which He is developing.
That argument has to do with one point only, sc. His
alleged breach of the Sabbath ; and it would be no answer to
the charge of breaking the Sabbath to tell His critics that what
He had done had been miraculous, and to remind them that
they had been astonished.
We have seen above (5s0) that Jn. frequently speaks of the
wonderful works of Jesus as His tpyn.; but there is no instance
of a specific miracle being referred to as ipyov in the singular
(as arjfttiov is used, 4s4), unless io 32 be regarded as an excep-

T^

sroAXa KoXi spy*1 ?Sa vpxv , .

Sta iratov aihw tpyov
At0atre ju ; ipyav in the sing, occurs again in Jn. only at 4'*
i7 4 (of the work which the Father prescribes to the Son) and
at 6^ (of the work which God desires of man).

tion:

VH.

21.]

DEFENCE OF SABBATH HEALING

263

Furthermore, stress is laid here on the singularity of the

" work " that has been " done " by Jesus. *' I did one work*"
But in the course of the preceding argument He had appealed
to the '* works," in the plural ? which bore witness to His claims
(5* where see note). There would be no point in now singling
out one ipyov only, as having excited wonder because of its
extraordinary character; and it would be surprising if that
one were singled out, of which it is not recorded that it caused
any astonishment.
Accordingly we render tv tpyw &roiV, " I did one work,"
sc of labour, and interpret it as having reference to the matter
originally in dispute, u* that He had broken the Sabbath. 1
.

The law was, v$&

Ss jrotijcrci ipyov ttj ypepq rrj jjSSo/ig^ Qavar*t>(Ex. 3I 15 35*). Jesus admits, in terms, that He has
broken this law on the particular occasion to which His critics
(I
refer,
Ipyov hrofya-a, ktA.,
I did one work," st. on the
Sabbath, i( and you are all astonished," tfau^afriv indicating
that they were puzzled, as at 37 4s7
Their astonishment was
not caused by the extraordinary nature of the cure, but by
the circumstance that Jesus had ventured to cure the man on
a Sabbath day.
We take BnMpj&l/m with %t& toutq which follows: "you are
all astonished by this."
Cf. tdavpao-ev hth rrfv Amtrrtav avrSiV
(Mk. 6*), where the reason of astonishment is indicated by &vi
with the ace., as here. Sta toutq is often used by Jn. in relation
to what follows (see on 5 ie) ; while the more common usage,
0i}(Ttiu

in accordance with which it relates to what has gone before, is

also adopted several times in the Gospel (see on q*3), although
there is no other instance in Jn. of Sia tovto coming at the end
of a sentence.
The tendency of the versions is to take Bia tovto as beginning the next sentence: "Therefore Moses, etc." But, in
that case, Sta tovto is difficult to interpret, and involves a very
tl
elliptical construction.
It would mean
For this very cause,
Moses gave you the ordinance of circumcision, knowing that
with the strict law of the Sabbath; se*
it would conflict
in order that he might teach you that the Sabbatical precepts

admit of exceptions and are not always to be enforced literally,

This would give a tolerable sense, but it strains the force of
&ia tovto too far, and introduces a very subtle reason (not
suggested elsewhere) for the rule that circumcision must always
be on the eighth day after birth, It is simpler to take irrfrng
faufuT Sio TOO as one sentence, " You are all astonished at
this act of mine/'
1
Wendt {Gospel according to
CI ipy&fafa in 5" and Uc 13^.

St.

John, p. 64 n.) takes this view.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

264

&vj( Srt Ik

rrjv ffcptTO/tiy^j

koI

iv

o\ov apOptairOr

fcpfreTf KaT* o^iv,

aAAa

tjJv

[TIL 21-28.

aW en tw

toS Muijcreais itrriv

23.
ayflpomw.

Trfptre/Afere

crn/?/?Ttp

XoAart

JOHN

ST,

tlyiij

eVofycra

24. /nj

Sucaiav Kptvtv Kpimrc.

VH.

34,

VII.

wuTtjotuv,

ircpiTfyaqp JLa^t-

er fraftfldria

VIL
yap

Kai

I.

RETREAT TO GALILEE

1.]

ravra mpinraTCi o

ju-era

ijdtXtv iv 17} *lo vBaiq. trapin-aTeu',

265
tq Ta\t\a{ar aft
autqv 01 'louSaibi

*Ivj(rovs iv

on i^row

24* jx*f KpivtTi kot* <tyvPi " do not judge by looks," i.e.
superficially, the too^ frequent weakness of the Pharisees,
which is rebuked again vjhU Kara rijv v<ipKa xptrm (8 15)
Cf.
Isa,
ov Kara rrjv Soetr Kpivct, and 2 Cor. ioT .
rn^ts occurs
4

K* omits

Sta toSto,

thus cutting the knot of the difficulty

by treating the words as a

later gloss,

does not
occur elsewhere in the Gospels; but we have TreptrefLvetv (Lk.
M 2*1). The ordinance of circumcision on the eighth day after
i
birth is re-enacted, Lev, 1 8
This is
pfl)( (n *fit tqv MuutT^us ^trrlr dXX* Ik tw iruTtfpui'.
an evangelistic comment on the words of Jesus, interpolated
AA* (see Introd., p, xxxiv).
exactly as at is 8 , o&* on , .
The covenant of circumcision went back to Abraham (Gen.
10 21*, Acts 8
For tw TrfLTipinv, see on 6W.
17
T ).
. Moiuprjs

fit&tdKei/

AfXLf T?|f TrepiTofirfi'-

Trepiro/jiJ

n*

again in the N.T* only at 11*4 and Rev,

sense of C( face."

tra^dra

Even

if

ktX.

om.

lvT

but

ins,

fc?DLT@W

(cfi S

the eighth day after the birth of the child

fell

10

)-

on a

1B
,

and then in the

dXk& t*| v 8 LJtatov KptW KpiVaTe,

but judge righteous
judgment/' t\e. be fair* The expression is used of the judgments of God, Tob. 3*, Cf, also Zech. f Kplpa SUatov piva.
l

The

constr,

tcpta-tv

classical (Plato,

btrA have

nai iv

perative

see

on

KpCvetv is

common

(Isa

u4

and

is

also

Rep. 360 E),

Kpurip
5

a ),

but

Kpu-art

(the

authoritative

BDLTNW give Kptvm.

aorist im-

This is the last word of the controversy which arose out

1 "47
of the healing of the impotent man at Bethesda, sc,
5
M
**;
and
naturally,
the
Jewish leaders were indignant. Cf. 7 1
7
.

Sabbath, the act of circumcision was performed. Lightfoot

{Hot, Hebr* in loc) cites the Rabbinical rule
Rabbi Akiba
saith, Work that may be done on the eve of the Sabbath must
may be
not be done on the Sabbath, but circumcision
done on the Sabbath.' " 1
Justin uses the argument of the text in the Dialogue with
Trypho (g 27), appealing to the injunction to circumcise on the
Sabbath.

with most syrr. latt om. W, which may be an

editorial addition.
N has al 7rejote7rar
avTWP 6 'Ii^r. ktK,
and the rec, also goes wrong with k<u irtpicrr&TtL 6 Itjir. pra.

33. el ircpiTujtV ictX, " If a man receives circumcision on a

sabbath, in order that the law of Moses (. the law relating to circumcision, Lev. 12 3) may not be broken, are you
angry with me because on a Sabbath I made the whole man
healthy ? "
somewhat similar idea appears in the Rabbinical
writings * ' Circumcision, which has to do with one member only,
breaks the Sabbath; howmuch more the whole body of aman? " a
The contrast is between the treatment of one member, and of the
whole body (j>\ov avOpmirov), If the lesser thing is permitted,
why not the greater ? The argument is comparable with that of
Mt. I2 U , Lk. i3 ls by which a technical breach of the Sabbath
is defended, but is unlike that of 5", where see the note*
Jf
For XvttV) of ,( breaking a law, see on 5 18
6 ^p Hwuff^s is a comprehensive term for the whole
Jewish law, or for a particular enactment: cf. Lk. 2 aa 24**,
Acts 155 (this passage referring to the law of circumcision),
8
kvctv is used at 5 1* of breaking the law of the
1 Cor. 9 etc,
Sabbath. The word uy*ijs goes back to $*' 14
x Shabb. foL 130.
* Joma, i. Sj, quoted by Wctatein,

ravra ktA
|i<t4 raora is the beginning of a new section of the narrative, and reasons have been given (Introd., p. xix) for placing
1 "14
in direct sequence to cc. 5, 7 1**2*.
7
After the severe rebukes which Jesus had addressed to the
Rabbis, already exasperated by the breach of the Sabbath and
His lofty claims (5 w)j it was natural that He should withdraw
from the neighbourhood of Jerusalem for a while* He had
gone up to Jerusalem for the Passover, and after that He heated
the impotent man (f). Then controversy ensued, and in
19 "47
1^ ta24
we have a summary of the main points on which
7
5
stress was laid, the discussions probably extending over some
days.
If we suppose that He left Jerusalem about the month
of May, there is time for a ministry of four or five months in
Galilee, before He returned to Jerusalem for the Feast of
Tabernacles at the end of September. Jn gives no details of
this Galilaean ministry, but there is room in these months for
many of the incidents recorded in the Synoptic Gospels as
having taken place in Galilee (see on v. 3),

'

'

Retreat to Galilee ; His brethren urge Jesus to show Himself

at Jerusalem (VII. 1-9)

VH
but

fc*C

1.

nai |i<t4

DW

Tain-a iKpicirdlTiL

ktX,

So X^BC^LrA,

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

266

AvflKTtiwu.
3,

elirov

2.

'

V &

olv 7rps

ST.

rSiV

JOHN

IouSatW

*
*TV is I? **V"^
ol tfcX^oi awou Mira0i?0t

aMv

mraye

ow^ww^yw.

Mv km

narrative of the events in Jerusalem after Jesus went

up to the Feast of Tabernacles (v. io) is1 full of movement and
attended
of local colour. Presumably (see on 5 ) the Twelve
company or
the Feast of Tabernacles, and were again in the

The

Jesus after He went up.

the itinerant
TrepuTnt, This is the natural word for
cf 6
disciples;
His
by
accompanied
Rabbi
ministry of a
(For the larger meaning of Tr(pnraTiv t see on 8 J
it*4.
u walking in Galilee," because the Jews, as has just
Jesus was
been said (; w ), were seeking His life*
^
u
For the phrase H-f\TOuv auTov ot "louBaiot iiwreLinu, see on 5
TaberFeast
of
the
This
was
kt\.
8* iwfe t *opWj
8.
See on 5 1 ,
nacles of the year 28 A.r>.
m
m
(o^am^n) was onginalLy a
Tabernacles
of
Feast
The
not at
Feast of Ingathering or a Harvest Festival, and was
" at the year's end " (Ex. 34"),
first held on a fixed date, but
The
according to the time when the harvest was gathered.
Deuteronomic Code calls it " the Feast of Tabernacles
for seven
(Deut. i6 lB), and prescribes that it is to be kept
Priest
s Code
the
assigned
in
name
days. The reason for its
u I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when
is that
" (Lev. aS48)* In
I brought them out of the land of Egypt
was
to begin on the
the same Code the annual date is fixed it
day of the seventh month (Tishri), going on for seven
,

fifteenth

September
days (Lev. 23 )* That is, it was held at the end of
s6
eighth day of
or the beginning of October. In Num. 29 an
" a solemn assembly,
observance appears, on which was to be
and we find this eighth day observed in post-exilic times
eighth
(Neh. Sw 2 Mace. xo*). Josephus, who mentions the
s4

day {Antt. in. x. 4), calls this feast opr^ <r$6Spa irapa toU
EfttfuW ayitrnwij Rol ptyurrq {AntU Viii. iv> 1), thus marking
pre-eminently,
its important place in Jewish life, it being,
For the ritual observed, see on 7
the Feast of the Jews.

and 8

For the phrase iopi$\ tup 'louSawuv, see on 2.

1*
They were
3, For the " brethren of Jesus/' see on a
venturing to
their
explain
older than He was, and this may
The discussion between
offer Him advice as to His conduct.
could only have been
reported
vv.
3-8,
which
is
them and Him,
known to one who was in intimate relations with the family;
and there could be no motive for setting it down in narrative,
ifj

if it

had not

pT<ipT|ei

actually taken place.

ineCflev,

" depart hence":

^entffoiVttr

is

RETURN TO JUDAEA SUGGESTED

vn,s,]

[VII, 1-3,

used

trov

eis ttjv

mmw'

267

*IouSatW, tra koi ol /ao&jtcu <rov Baoprja'ava'w

4. ovScis yap ti Iv Kprnrry 7roiet (cat Qqr*!

to.

tpya

litfTOS

iv

13 1 of departing from this world, and metaphorically 5 s*,

1 Jn. 3U
wit Svayt (a favourite word with Jn,; see on v. 33) eta
T$\v "louSataK, frtt Kal ol |lgl0i|tcli arou fcupirjuouaip t& ?pyu *rou A
noicisThe advice seems to have been ironical for they go
on to express doubts about His alleged '"works," saying
tt ravra iroufej " if you do such things."
The suggestion
is that the rumour of these Ipyo, was confined to Galilee, and
that if He were to establish His reputation in Judaea, it
would be desirable that His disciples there should have an
opportunity of seeing what He could do.
have already heard of many disciples in Judaea (i 23
1
4 ); indeed, it was because their number excited the jealousy
of the Pharisees that He had left Judaea on a former occasion
s
But there was little of miracle there on His last visit;
(4 ).
the cure of the impotent man is not described as a " sign," and
it had attracted attention rather because it had been wrought
on a Sabbath day, than because of its marvellousness (5"*;
and cf* 7*1 , where see note). The ** works " to which the
brethren of Jesus make reference here are those of Galilee,
perhaps the Miracle of Cana (a Um ) or the Healing of the Nobleman's Son and other sick folk (448f* 6s), or the Feeding of the
Five Thousand ("), or more probably healings wrought
3

We

between His departure from Jerusalem and His going up

again for the Feast of Tabernacles (w. 1, 14), i.e, during the
summer of the year 28, Nothing is told about them by Jn.,
but the words rk Zpya trov a trouUj " the works which you
are doing" suggest that the reference is not to anything that
He had done months before the date of the conversation, but
And, as has been suggested on v. 1,
to quite recent events.
some of the Galilaean miracles recorded by the Synoptists may
be placed at this period in the ministry as narrated by Jn,
The allusion to the patfgrai here cannot be to the Twelve,
for they had been witnesses of many of the wonderful things
that Jesus had done, and were already convinced of the truth
of His claims. Nor can the allusion be to the Galilaean disciples
who were disheartened by the difficulty of His teaching and left
Him on a former occasion (6*), for they would not be in the
way of seeing miracles wrought at Jerusalem, whither His
brethren advised Him to transfer His activities. We conclude,
then, that the fiA&frat'whom His brethren suggested He should
confirm in their allegiance by displays of His power, were those
in Judaea

and

at Jerusalem.

If,

indeed,

He was

to succeed

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

268

5, ouSi yfy)

oE

ST.

JOHN

ASeX^ot aurani fTrumvQv <k outo*.

[V1X 3-5.

6. Xeyti otfK

in the Mission for which He claimed the highest sanctions,

He must convince Jerusalem. And His brethren were right
They did not accept His claims,
in the view they took of this.
as yet at any rate (v, 5), but they understood clearly that it was
at the Holy City that they must either be proved or disproved.
So trB*DLNW, although Iva with the future
e wpTJfrowTLi'.
X* has 6wp*w<rwy and FA read
indie, is rare in Jn. (cf. 17*).

B places o-ov before

tpy*t but

om.K *D.

down by

the brethren of Jesus is

that no one who seeks public recognition can afford to
keep his deeds a secret. ouBels ydp ti iv puirr$ irot *aA friTt?
" No one does anything in secret, and
afiT&s *c TrappTfffi^ *W,
'
(at the same time) himself seeks to be in the public eye.
4.

The

sound,

principle laid

sc.

KtU is used like koCtoi (see

on

i").

BD*W

have avr6 t through misunderstanding.

wapfHj<rU (from vox pifrm) expresses primarily a complete openness and freedom of speech (cf* Mk. 8", the only place where
the word occurs in the Synoptics), and in this sense it is a
M i6- i8 M (where
favourite word with Jn.; cf. ?*** io
contrasted).
It is thus,
ck tcpwrrQ and iv Trappr}v(% are again
according to Prov. i wa that Wisdom speaks: iv nAaruiut
The word then comes to connote intrepidity
vappipriav ay.
M 3*1 417 S 14 of boldness
or courage and it is used in 1 Jn. 2
27).
(cf*
to
God
Job
in man's attitude
In this passage iv wxpw/^ &** signifies "to be boldly
in public view," as in ii**, where we have avtten vuppuviq.
What the
irtpieTrdrei h roh 'Iov&u; cf, Wisd. $\ Col. a".
brethren of Jesus suggest is that to hide Himself in Galilee is
incompatible with the claim for public recognition, as One sent
by God, which He makes for Himself*
" i/you do these things," sc. the wonderful
ti Taura irQU^
works with which rumour associated His name. The brethren
do not express definite unbelief, but they are sceptical.
fyavipwrw fftouT&r t$ k4ct|iu, " show thyself to the world/*
a>* to the great public at Jerusalem (cf* v. 7), where multitudes
would be gathered at the Feast of Tabernacles, The wider
meaning of Kw?*of (see on i ) cannot be intended, as present
For <av*pwo, see on i 01 ;
to the minds of the brethren of Jesus.

For

ttfirds

fl

and

cf.

5.

I4ia .

ouBe Y^P * iS A+ol outoS i-ntarevov

(DLW have lirurrcvaav,

plainly wrong) els ut6v. The

suggests that it is remarkable that His

which

is

form of the sentence

own

kinsfolk did not

vn.e-7.]

THE TIME NOT OPPORTUNE

269

avroTf 6 Tijcous *0 Ktxipos o tfios ovkh* tto/wotev, o Sc tempos o

mvrari iartv cro^os. 7. ov Bvvarat 6 KQ<r/io$ purity vy.ast
e/ii Sc ptrci, or* eyai pL.apmpS> wept avrov ort to c/rya aimro irovijpa

fyitrcpos

believe in Jesus, the imperfect tense indicating their general

It is
For the constr. *rtoTW d<s afro?, see on i ia
attitude.
a favourite constr. in Jn., and it implies a belief in Jesus, as
It is used thus
distinct from mere belief in His doctrine.
.

throughout this chapter (w* 31, 38, 39, 48; andef. 830), and its
use at this point means that the brethren of Jesus did not
believe in Him a s Messiah. Their incredulity, as reported by
s1
Jn., is in accordance with the Synoptic narratives (cf* Mk, 3 ,
Mt. 12" 13s7 )*
So c BLNri, but om, ovv *DW and syrr.
6. X*yeL oZv,

ofo in Jn., see on i

6 Kcupta 4 iphs outtw Tnp<(TTt^,

For

" my time is not yet come."

a word which Jn. uses only in this passage; it stands
for the moment of opportunity, the fitting occasion, rather than
t(
predestined hour " t&pa), on which the Fourth Gospel
for the
4
dwells with such insistence (see on 2 ). The fitting time had
reply
to
the suggestion, " reveal
says
in
come,
Jesus
not yet
Thyself to the world " (v. 4); and by this is meant not the
hour of His Passion, but rather the best time for that public
manifestation of Himself as Messiah, which He would make
when He went up to the Feast of Tabernacles (v, 8). Such
public declaration was made, when He did go up : cf. w. ag,
8". * etc.
33t
Their case was
6 Bi itcupA? 4 LipeVepos -nAvrori ivnv Itoljio?.
It did not matter when they went up to
different from His.
the feast; it was one of strict obligation, but the exact day on
which they would present themselves in Jerusalem was of no
consequence, provided that they attended. Any day would be
a fitting day (icaipo?) for them to arrive, for thty would not be
received with hostility, but rather with indifference.
" the world (see on v. 4)
7. oo WvaTQi 6 K<Scrp,os juctcIV fi|ids,
vpS.*
being
emphatic.
We have adopted
cannot hate you"
" the Lord's brethren " were
1
(see on 2 *) the ancient belief that
children of Joseph by his first wife, and were not numbered
among the Twelve* The language of this verse shows, at
any rate, that Jn, did not regard them as members of that
select company, for it assumes that there was no reason why
they should be regarded with disfavour by the Jews who were
hostile to Jesus, as His accredited followers would certainly be
jcoipfc is

(cf.

I5 ie).

18 ** *.
The jw/ioc which " hates "
which
describes
as lying in wickedness,
that world
Jn.

ipi %i jil:*

Jesus

is

Cf. is

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

270
eortv,

fyus dra/fyrc tU

8,

lopT7fv ravrqv,

on. o

fiirwv auros e/ietvcr v

fytos

rijv

ST.

JOHN [VH.

7-10,

coprqv* tyi ovn-w avafiatvw th rrjv

ofr irorA^pwTCU. 9. raSra S

jcaipos

tq Ta\t\afy.

TO.

10-18.]

HE GOES UP SECRETLY TO THE FEAST

tflJTOW flVTW Iv TJ *Dp*5 Ka* &-*y ov ^OlJ

yoyyvtrfnb^

TTffpi

KOI

on

13* oiStts
Arw,$Q%iuTty w aAAoi Si eXeyov Ov aXAa irXavrdr o\Xov.
^rtoc vapprjvtq. iAaXei wept auroS Sia tov 0o/3ov t&v TouSaiuv.
'

la, 'fis Se ot't^o-av 01 dScA^ioL avroG efc r^v

ioprfiv, Tore teat
1^9, ofi ^avcp$ nXAa us fo Kpwrrai. tt + of ouv 'IouStuot

12.

fv tX*yov

CtTTlV CKCLVOf

cturov v}V icokv% iv tois o^Aois* ot

2?I

auros
1

hostile

on

19).

But here the reference is only to the

Jews, as appears from the words which follow.

8n

(see

iy& paprupu

irept

outou 3tl tA pya afirou

He had

irortjpdl frrriv.

denounced the Jews recently, and had said that their

unbelief was due to moral causes (5**"**), wherefore they hated
Him, Such denunciation was a form of His " witness " to
the truth (cf. iS 87). See on 3 1*, where the phrase
fy avriw
vowjpk Ta Zpya has already appeared.
8. vpeU Anfh)T (the regular word for going up to Jerusalem; see on 2 1*) fe tV 4^, *rA add tavtw here, but
om. N^BDLTNWa tyrf* is emphatic, " Go jv up to the
feast"
ivi

hand)

"/

d*ft0airu el? ify A>pri)|p radn)^

not yet going up to this feast."

otfina

am

9.

Tafaa hi

etirJir

have awws.

aMs

p.tuw ktX.

So

kD*LNW,

But the emphatic avr6s

is

while
thoroughly

Johannine.

on

8
i ).

13. koL yvffuvftbs ir<pi adTou fy

iroXfis

iv Tots o^Xotf.

The

order of the words is uncertain, but the variants are of no

For yoyyv^fi.6^ the murmuring of a crowd,
consequence.
not necessarily hostile, see on 6*S and cf. v. 32, The plural
The reference is to the
01 S^Xot occurs only here in Jn.
different groups of people that were gathered in the city, the
GaUlsean visitors among them, KD have fr r< &x^<?i Dut tne
plural

is

probably right.

expected, the gossip of the crowds

partly hostile.
Some said dyaflcSs ^otik
This was an adjective of which He had
(cf. w. 40, 43)
deprecated the application to Himself, as really saying too
11
*He leads the
Others said irXa^ tbv
little (Mk io *).
people astray," probably with allusion to His healing on the
Sabbath day at the previous Passover season, and His claim

As might have been

was partly favourable

1S
to Divine prerogatives <5 ); cf. v. 47.
For rbv SxXok, the Leicester cursive

Jesus goes up secretly to the Feast of Tabernacles

(pit, 10-13)

^w

69 has

roii*

S\^

^*

eccentric reading which would hardly call for notice were

it not that the Vulgate, in common with the O.L. ef} has turbos.
This is one of the instances in which Jerome has been supposed
to have used Greek manuscripts no longer extant*

an

10. <fc Sc d^jfycrav ktX., " when His brethren had

gone up
to the feast," the aor, being used like a pluperfect
(cf 2*
and 4").
tot ical a$Tfis dvptj.
This was His farewell to Galilee,

as

the scene of His public ministry.

{on the Other

Dwru is read by BLTNWTA, but D Syr. cur. have owe. If

off be read, Jesus is represented as saying that He is not going
up immediately, as His brethren would have Him do. If we
read ofi*, His words would seem to convey to His hearers that
He was not going up at all to this particular feast; and in that
case He altered His plans afterwards (v. 10)
3ti
tyta Koipos (this is the true reading here, as against
S^jHipfc 6 */*os, which the rec. text reads, from v. 6 above)
om> TOrX^purai, This is a repetition of the reason given in
v. 6, with slight verbal changes, the stronger word
mAifcimu
being substituted for irdpmtv. The fitting moment had not
yet arrived for His public proclamation of His Messiahship.
The repetition of the same thought in slightly different words
is a feature of Jn.'s style.
See on 3",

BTTA

(i
not openly " (*.*. not with
^arepus AXXd s fr K|unrT&,
(f
but, as it were, in secret," or
the usual caravan of pilgrims),
There
65 is omitted by kD, but ins. BLTNW.
privately.
was nothing secret about His movements or His teaching
when He reached Jerusalem ft28 M \ and cf. 18^, but He did not
go up publicly with the other pilgrims from Galilee. We find
mention of disciples with Him at g 2 , but it is not certain that
these were the Twelve (see note in loc).
" So the Jews (t\e. the
11. ol oSv *touBaw>L ly^-nur a.Mv ktX.,
ls
hostile leaders; see on i ) were looking for Him at the feast "
awv perhaps being not merely conjunctival, but having reference to the fact that Jesus, having gone up to Jerusalem
privately, was not in public view.
'
So at 9". imvos,
irou hrtw IkcIvos; "Where is He?
tile, does not carry with it any suggestion of rudeness or hatred,
as Chrysostom supposed. It occurs very often in Jn, (see

ofi

U
Jn 5

For irap/rtjirui,
13. ouScls iifrroi irappiqffi^ ^XdtXet irepi a&Tou,
s*
20
AaXeu^
iS
ci.
16
irapprrjo-iy.
for
and
V.
7
See on
4;
38
is
repeated
The
phrase
*lauBaiw.
19 20 1 *,
Sid. rbv itftav rvv

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

272

25. *E\eyov ofo riv<$ e*

iSiSamfev.

ST.

JOHN

[VII. 13-14, 26.

iw 'Ic/hktoAv/aeitw

common

people were afraid to express any opinion in favour

of Jesus, recollecting that, on His last visit, " the Jews " had
been anxious to put Him to death (5).

Sanhedrim seek His

14.

Se

laprys

He attracts the people t but the

arrest (vv. 14, 35-36)

"When

the feast
was half over," The Feast of Tabernacles lasted for eight
days (see on v. 2), so that this note of time (see Introd,, p. cii, for
Jn.'s liking for such notes) means that it was about the fourth
day of the feast that Jesus presented Himself publicly in the
Temple, The verb f*eoW is not found again in the N.T., but
it occurs in the
LXX: cf. ueaWarys
vvktos ("Ex.
ia w .
V
Judith ia e).
flSi]

rfjs

neoi>u(jTfj5

jtr\. ?

WpTi
that
is

to tcpoV.
The Temple was on a hiU, so
the appropriate word (cf. Lk. iS1^). The art.
omitted before 'Iqcraife here by WBLT, appearine in
(but see on i*8).
Ntjitqus cis

aveflvt is

DNWrA
Kal

This

ib&amtv,

"and began

to

teach";

cf.

v. 28, fi

i8

the first notice of the public teaching of Jesus in Jerusalem, as distinct from the answers to objectors recorded in c, 3.
25. The section introduced by v. 14, and then including
vy. 2 $-36, has no reference to the Sabbatical controversy. 1 The
discussion about the breach of the Sabbath by Jesus, begun
in c, 5, and ending with 7*S_M, is not continued on this visit to
is

Jerusalem, which took place some months after the former one
(see on 7 1).
About the fourth day of the celebration of the
Feast of Tabernacles (7 1*) Jesus began to teach publicly in the
Temple, and His teaching attracted the attention of the citizens,
who began to ask themselves if He might not be the Messiah
after all, although the Jewish leaders were seeking to arrest
and- silence Him (7 as_*7). At this point, Jesus declares openly
that His mission is from God, and that in a short time He will
return to Him fr 2*"*3). His strange language about Himself
s5 - W
disconcerts the Pharisees, who say scornful words
(7
) J but
they do not arrest Him on this occasion.
Some of the Jews were impressed by the public teaching
now begun (v. 14), tlks i K ^ e r*pocroXu|iiTw, sc. the
1
See lntrod., p. xix, and on v, 1 abqve, for the dislocation of

the text.

JESUS TEACHES IN

i<rrw ov ^yjTovtnv Avottrtitfai

Ovj( o&ros

in both cases, as here, the reference being to the ecclesiastical authorities who terrorised the people; cf, 9" ia 4Z
The

Jesus teaches in the Temple:

VII. 25-27.]

THE TEMPLE

26, koI *B

Trappija-tq.

273

XoXct, na\ ovatv

tot* (5Aij0us tyvw&av ot dpxovres Sri o&rfo hrrtv

avry ktyttwrtv.
37. &)M. tovtov o"Ba/uv tr6Btv l&TtV o 8e Xpurrbs 3mv
b Xpioros;

inhabitants of Jerusalem, as distinct from the multitudes of

The term
country folk who had come up for the feast.
B (cf.
'Ifpoo-oXv^etrat is found in N.T, only here and Mk. i
aa i8 5
)4 Mace. 4
The Vulgate has ex Hieros&tymts here instead of ex
Hierosofymitanis, which the Oxford editors suggest may
be due to the use by Jerome of some Greek text now lost.
as Hieros&lymttis^
But Hierosolymitanis appears in
from which the transition is easy to Hierosolymis.
These shrewd townsmen were surprised that their religious
leaders were seeking the death of One who spoke with such
power. With tv lirroGo-ir ditoKTeti/ot, cf V* I*
For iS<, see on i 29
36. mi ISe.

dfq

see on v. 4, and for irappT|(no,

which Jesus taught, see on i8 w The
citizens were surprised that He had been allowed to teach
without interference from the rulers, nal otfoe* hutA \iyovviv*
Cf, its similar use
irort is not used elsewhere by Jn.
15 where the people are wondering about John the
in Lk. 3
So here: '* Can it be that
Xpurrtta
Baptist, pj 7tot aw* *hj
irappi](ria.

For

this

word

\a\tl, the openness with

ji-fj

Dm

*
the rulers in truth know that this is the Christ ? " ot 5px
describes generally the members of the Sanhedrim (for the
Cf. v. 48, 3* 12**
constitution of which, see below on v. 32}.

andseeLk.23ia 35 24ao
The rec ins. eXif&Sn before
'

& Xpumfc, but om. fctBDLNW,

However, the Jews dismiss as untenable the thought
which had passed through their minds that Jesus might be
u rulers " knew it. dXXd
the Messiah (cf. 4**), and that their
.
Nay, but
.,
oTBu^ev irtfov imv, "this man, we know whence
a
he is." Cf. 6* where "the Jews" said that they knew the
There was no mystery about Him now, as
of
family
Jesus.
they thought. Many people knew His home at Nazareth
(Mt. 13s5). Presumably His disciples were with Him hence+

27.

forward.

The
A Be Xptffros Bray pxiyraL, ou&cis y*,vvMi irater eWiv.
birthplace of Messiah was held to be known, sc. Bethlehem
(see on v. 42), but all else as to the time or the manner
of His Advent was believed to be hidden. Westcott quotes a
Rabbinical saying, " Three things come wholly unexpected
J
{Sanhedr. 97a). The
Messiah, a godsend, and a scorpion
"
"
appearance* z Esd.
His
of
used
revealed
will
be
phrase
vol. 1. 18
'

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

2/4

zpXqrai, oiJkh ytviaWKti ir6$ey

ST.

28,

itrrtr.

JOHN

jkjooftfi'

[VII, 37-88.
ov J* n3

tepol

StSaoKcui' a *I^a"ous jco* Xfyonv KcI/a afSarc icai offiar* jtq&V flfit' not

&jt ifiavrov

ovk

tAijAuflu,

dAA

fortr ^Aijfltvoe 6

Tripos

ju<,

ov

vjttffc

7 13", and

in Apocalypse of Baruch xxix. 3, suggests (as

Charles has pointed out) an emergence from concealment; and
with this agrees the Jewish doctrine described in Justin, Trypk*
no, '* They say that He has not yet come . . and that even
.

has come, it is not known who He is (ou ytvuw-*erat 5c

onv), but that when He has become manifest and glorious
then it shall be known who He is." At an earlier point {Tryph. 8)
4
the Jewish interlocutor says of the Christ, * If He be born
and is anywhere, He is unknown, and does not even know
Himself (Syviaara's rri retri ov$k ffuros ttm tawrov JTKorarat),
nor has He any power until Elijah having come anoints Him
and makes Him manifest to all." These passages show that
the evangelist accurately reports here the Jewish doctrine as
to the mysterious emergence of Messiah from obscurity.
So BDLTW; KA*N0 have tpxTttl Tav
JfpXTjxai.
the pres. subj. is rare in Jn (cf. 8** i6 M), although not un~
common elsewhere (e.g. Mk. 12 s5 13*, Lk. a* M ).
Kpd&tv is used only once in the Synoptists
38, Zttpa&v.
of Christ's utterances, viz. Mt, 27* , where it is applied to the
cry from the Cross.
Jn. does not so apply it, but it is used by
him three times to describe public and solemn announcements
of doctrine by Jesus (7 s7 12 44 ; cf. also i w , where it is used of the
if

He

^h

Cf. cKpavyaacV} 1 148

Baptist's proclamation)
u So then (wv, in
&tpa$er ofr iv tA lepfi Srido-Kw . , ,,
reply to the scepticism displayed by His audience) Jesus cried
aloud, as He was teaching in the temple " (cf, v. 14), There
.

ao

Mt

s5

26 ).
this teaching (cf. i8 and
This is not ironical
oiSoTf tt6$v eiju.
It was true that they knew
or interrogative, but affirmative.
and His family (v. 27), but there was more to know.

was nothing

secret

office

nd|u^

about

koi

Him

no inconsistency with 814 where see note,

IpauToG ofc \^XuQa, " and yet I have not come of
myself" km is used for kuitqi as it is in v. $0 beloitf, in
accordance with an idiom frequent in Jn, (see on i 10). The

There

is

Air'

itai

phrase

ott*

note).

Cf.

if^vrov ov* ikykvBa,

10
s 8 ia 14

is

repeated 8** (where see

but He that sent me

dXX ?<rn.K dXijlKvis A Tre'fi^os fie,
9
for &\rj&iv6s as distinct from oAijfliJs).
is genuine " (see on i
The mission of Jesus was a genuine mission; He did not come
17
to earth of Himself, but was sent by the Father (see on 3 ).
The Father was genuinely His Sender.
Despite the fact that the Jews
tv ftpcfe oflit otSciT*.
1

'

VTL28-S0.]
ovk otSarc*
AwecTTttkev.

HIS DIVINE MISSION

275

oTSa avrvv. Sit ir&p uxrrov tt/u K&eeurf? ju

30- *EijrflW cfiv aiirbv Trtcurac, teal ov5cls lirc/faXer h?

29, fytu

" knew what they worshipped " (4**), they did not know God's
character and purposes, and this scathing rebuke is addressed
to them again (&" ^). That it might be said of heathen was
not surprising (Gal, 4s, 1 Thess. 4s , 2 Thess. r*)> and the persecutions of Christians in the future were mainly to spring
from this ignorance (cf. x$ 21); but here the sting of the words
"whom ye know not," is that they were addressed toJews y the
chosen people,
39, After iy&t
add Be; but om. BLTWTA.
iyh oI6a afrfr. This is repeated verbally S56, and again
at 1 s8 in the form ly> Se <r fyvcuv,
These three words contain the unique claim of Jesus, which is pressed all through
the chapters of controversy with the Jews. But it is not more
explicit, although it is more frequently expressed, in Jn, than
inMt.
Lk, ro M
3ti irap* afi dpi, " because I am from Him/'
See on
6** for similar phrases in Jn,, which imply a community of
being between the Father and the Son (cf* i 14 and 16s7 M ),
This sentence is not dependent
kdn?pv jw i.itoTL\v t
upon on. " I know Him, because I am from Him, is the
tq
And He sent me " is the second (see on 3"),
first point.
txcivos emphasising the main subject of the sentence, as so
often in Jn. (see on i 8).
For AirArrctW (BLTNW), ND have <Erro\Kei\
30, ii^Tovv a3r atir&v mdtraij "Then (jf, in consequence of
the claims for Himself made by Jesus, w. 28, 29) they (jtf.
the Jewish leaders already indicated as His opponents, w.
This had been their purpose
1, 25) sought to arrest Him."
ever since the healing at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath day

DN

n*

'

18

(5

),

their desire being to

put

Him

to death (51* 7 1 * B=),

The

impf. fiJrouv marks in each case that the action was not completed; and so again at f* (^OtXov) and io39 (tfrfrow).
The
original offence, of breaking the Sabbath (5^ repeated 9 1*),
comes less into prominence now, because of the greater offence
of blasphemy (5 18) with which they henceforth charge Him.
jrtal*ivt to " take," is not found in the Synoptists ; Jn,
s
OT
of "arresting" Jesus
uses it again w. 32, 44, 8 * io 3*
w
w of " catching " fish.
(cf. Acts 12*, 2 Cor. ii ), and at 3i-

4t

and yet (kui

) no one laid
his hand on Him," the ecclesiastical authorities, no doubt,
fearing to arrest one who had won attention from the people
These words are repeated almost verbatim at
(cf. Mt. 21**).
Kal

oflBels

being used for

iwepukKit i*
koitoi, as

afaby i^v Xe *P a;
often in Jn. ; see on

10

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

276

*"

avrov ryv

X^P

S TroXAot

CTtorfwav

^
V.
Itr

frAcfova

trrjfiiuL

vmija-ti

avrov

fitf

[VH. 30-3L

^ <&oa

ml

a\K

/ a^ruv matrat avr6vt

Tivip 5i iJ0<Aoy

44

auray,

JOHN

aftrou.
31. *Ek tou o^Xov
eXeyov 'O Xptor<k? oto* A#tf,
oStds iTrobrjirtv; $2, "Hkotictclv oi

Offerw *XifA.iJfi
etc

ST.

ou8ctc hriflaXev

3
^e^ttt: cf, also S* lO *.

Tft^

Jn. is at pains to bring out at every point that the persecuThe

tion and death of Jesus followed a predestined course.
Jews could not hasten the hour determined in the Divine

purpose, and so the evangelist adds here, Bn off Xi|\ri0Ei f\

(Spa ddrou, the same words being added in a similar context
at 830 (cf* w. 6, 8 ; and see on 2*).
31* Ik

toO

bk

S)(X.ou

iroXXoi,

irL0TEucrav

ctf

afrttV.

Those

who l< believed on Him " (see for the phrase on 4s6) were of the
common people rather than of the upper classes (cf, w. 48, 49).
See 9 1*.
Ma\ IXeyoK kt\.,

come,

shall

Mt.

12**).

will

" and they were saying,

Jesus had

Messiah (io M).

After Xyw the

rac ins. Srt reciiantiss

otdlv

is jx^

(MBDL1*W),
For

KBDLTNW0.
vss.

but om.

KBDLW.

has /"J, but the better reading

After orj^ela the rec, has toutw, but om.

the rec.

After

SfXify

When the Christ

signs than this man did ? " (cf.
not yet told them plainly that He was

He do more

tmttt<Tw

(K*BLTNW), *D and some

have tokeL
irkiiom <n\p*ia.

Jn. does not profess to

tell

of

all

the

" signs " which Jesus wrought, but be alludes here (and at z 33)
to some which he has left undescribed.
irXcLora oi^fiELa itoltjitci;
Messiah was expected to be a
miracle worker. The prophet had declared that in His kingdom *' the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the
deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an
hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing " (Isa< 3^
A
*J.
corresponding expectation of Messianic " signs " is found in the
Synoptists as well as in Jn. Thus John the Baptist is stimulated
*'
to inquire further when he hears of " the works of the Christ
18
in
the way of
(Mt. ii'; cf, Lk, 7 ); and one of the difficulties
detecting " false Christs " is to be their power of showing
signs and wonders/' which were a note of the true Messiah
(Mk. 13"). It was because Bartimaeus recognised Jesus as
"the Son of David' that he believed He could restore his
sight (Mk. 1048),
* (

therefore a mistake to speak x of the Messianic significance of miracles as a Jonannine peculiarity; it appears also
3
in the Synoptists, although more conspicuously in Jn, (cf. a*
1
Cf. Schweitzer, Quest of the Historical Jesus, p. 345.

ORDER FOR HIS ARREST

YII. 31-32,]

QapuraZat rov o^Xou yoyyiffoPTos vipi oiroS

iwa,

277
ieal

cnrwriiAtt'

v't

1&

The evangelist is true to the historical situation when he

),
notes that the Jews expected " signs " from Messiah, as
indeed
they did from any one claiming to be a prophet (2" s 6 14 17 cf.
9 ;
3
8a
And the aim of the Fourth Gospel is to record
1 Cor. i ).
selected " signs " of Jesus with the express purpose of
Drovine:
Him to be the Christ (20s1),
SS^ot apiaaiot: see on i 2*. The Pharisees had heard
the whispered talk of the people (cf. v. 12), and they determined
to silence Jesus. Accordingly they brought the matter before
the Sanhedrim, so that measures might be taken for His arrest.
4

The Sanhedrim

high court of

(jWS/jiqv)

justice in

was the supreme council or

Jerusalem during the period of the

Roman occupation, and successive procurators left the administration of the law for the most part in its hands.
It had
no power to carry into execution a sentence of death, but it was
the uniform policy of the Roman adjnmistration to support its
authority.
Three classes of members may be distinguished:
(1) The &pxt*p*U t that is, the acting high priest, all ex-high
priests, and probably some of their sons. 1
They were the
political, as well as the ecclesiastical, aristocrats of Jerusalem;
and they occupied a position not unlike that of the Holy Synod
in Russia before the Revolution, which comprised only the
leading bishops, and had as presiding officer a highly placed
layman. Their interests were centred in the Temple, and
they had little concern for the synagogues, large part as these
played in Jewish religious life- They were of the party known
as that of u the Sadducees/' a designation occurring only
once in Mk., and not at all in Jn, (2)
second class, also
belonging to the Sadducee interest, were known as Trpcvfivrtptn
or elders: they were not priests, but were generally associated
with them in policy, both the &px it
and the TrptafiurtpM
being in opposition to (3) the third class, who were the
Pharisees or scribes or lawyers (the titles ypajU/ias and
vo/um are not found in Jn.). They were learned in the
Jewish law and in the traditions that had grown up around it,
being the party of austere and strict religious observance.
Their influence showed itself in the synagogues rather than
in the Temple, for the details of the ceremonial worship there
did not come within their province. They regarded with
apprehension the departure from traditional doctrines which

P&

It is

See Schurer, History of Jewish People, Eng. Tr, n.

i,

177

f. t

203

f.

Urns Annas and Caiaphas are both called Apxwpsts (Lk. 3*) and in
Acts 4* we have ''Afw 6 dpxtepefo xnl JEoiH^ar, although Annas was ont
;

of office at the time.

TO.

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

278

ST.

JOHN

HIS

34-Se.]

jrijjujfavTd fit.

34. irr>jff*Te

teat

virayut irpos

rbv

Tn|p{ra?.

The

rec.

kBDLTW

place the chief

text has ot #op. wi ol apX't DU*
priests first in order, which is obviously right.
Without the
consent of the apx^P^t tAe arrest of Jesus could not have
been ordered by the Sanhedrim. ol apx* KO * * &&p* are
coupled together again 7** ii47 * m (as also Mt. 2145 27"), and
the combination stands for the Sanhedrim as an organised
council or court* They now sent officers of the Sanhedrim,
or, as we might say, " Temple police " (fonjperas; cf, v. 45,
i8 a * 1% ' 1B ig 6), to make the arrest, which some of them bad been
seeking (l^raur, v. 30) to bring about.
33. clircr off? 6 'lij.
If we press the causative force of o3r,
the meaning is that Jesus said that He would be only among
them a little while longer, so that there was nothing to be
a2
gained by arresting Him,
offv, however (see on i
), is not
always to be rendered " therefore," and may be only a conjunction, " and so."

The

rec.

adds avroU

after ofo,

but

om kBDLNW,

The end of His ministry was near,

xp&vw
and He knew itj it would come in qi a little while" in fact
in about six months. The phrase fuxpov xpovw (or ^Kp6v alone)
}ikKp6v kt\*

It*

repeatedly on His lips henceforth, according to jn, (12* 13 8*

itf").
Cf. 94
The rec. has piKpov xpwov (DNrA), but nBLTW give the
order xp* p^p*
kuI tiirdvu irpte t&v vt^avrd p,c.
The words are repeated
16*.
For the phrase '* Him that sent me," frequent in Jn.,
lT
This was a saying of mystery, and the Jews could
see. on 3
not understand it.
vmiyetv is a favourite verb with Jn., and it is often used in
the Gospel of Jesus "going to God" (cf, S14 * ai i 3 . **u to departj" and so is
j^4. 6. m j5&. 10. i7j
j t meails strictly
specially appropriate of the withdrawal of Christ's visible
"
presence from among men, and His " going to the Father
or u going home." See on ig lfi 16 7 ; and cf. Mk, 14s1 o /to*
tmJs tov &.V&P&7TQV vwdyei, ko$uk ytypairrtM.
TTiis is certainly the true text, only two
84, li^ora.

is

14"

o5td5 fttUct
rqv Staunropiv

35.

<Tw

<fiv

TTopCTCff^ftt, Sri 4/iets

tw

and 69, reading {qnuv. None the less, the Vulgate

MSS.,
has quatritis, this being one of the renderings which suggest
to some that Jerome followed a type of Greek manuscript of

Jesus encouraged, and it was they who first brought His

teaching before the Sanhedrim (cf. 12 1*).
They associated
themselves with the priestly or Sadducean party in bringing
about His arrest and condemnation (183 , Mt. a/ 3), although
the chief priests appear as the principal agents.
Cf. 1119 .
ol *apLU-aioi

n*

tip! iyot

fie real ovj( epi}creTe, ical ottov

dirftrrfiXak ol dp^icpcis Ktil

279

ol lauSawt wpo* eauroitf

ofy <vp^(ro>v avrav j pi) *fc
"EXXiyWiiv jieAAe* rapEiWtfcu icat SiSao-icetv rot)*

&Mv.

vpefr ov Swcurfle

33. *T*w

opxiepELs koI ol Qapttraiot vmjpftai tva itt&trwrtv avrov.

ovv o liprous *Eri xp6vov fimpov p.t& vp&y ftp*

WORDS PERPLEX THEM

[TO. 3S-34.

which we know

With w.
and i3 as

little.

33, 34,

must be compared

at every point S

frrftHrl pe Kai ofy eGpn**-

^TN

add

/**

after (vpijam:

om, KDLWrA. " Seek and ye shall find" (Mt. f) is the

promise of Jesus; but the seeking may be so long delayed
that the promise cannot be claimed. Cf. Lk. 17" and Prov,
" Ye
So, here, the warning is of the danger of delay,
iM
shall seek me," sc, (not, as at v. 30, to kill me, but) as
the Messiah for your deliverance, " and ye shall not find," for
Jeans will not be present in the body, as He was then*
koX Sirou etj*l lyti kt\., "and where I am," w. in my
essential being, in the spiritual world, "you cannot come."
There is no contradiction between p,*& vptiv dpi of v. 33 and
bodily
this statement; for the former only asserted His visible,
presence, whereas the latter (*ipl iy<$ spoke of His spiritual
"home. This can be shared only by those who are in spiritual
31
touch with Him (ra 2ft I7 24), as the Jews were not (cf. 8 ).
could
not
Even His disciples, as He reminded them later,
follow Him to the heavenly places while they were still in the
.

body(i3M w).
-

*'
the Jews said among
SB. etirof ofo ot *iouBotoi itp&s iairrofc,
Pharisees
of v. 32.
or
leaders
themselves," i.e. the Jewish
(oSros
tfdG outos |iA\et iropcJeffflat; "Where is this person

They did not undersuggesting contempt) about to go ? "

stand what Jesus had said (w. 33, 34) in words of mystery*
71
pikk&v here only indicates simple futurity (see on 6 for Jn. s
use of this verb).
m
They speak ironically, feeling
3t* ijpiew o*x eup^ffoiieK afiro^.
is
that it will be impossible for Him to escape them.
33
omitted by D, but ins. BLTNAT. Cf. S
B"i^ttdp4v tui* 'eXX^vup ktX., " Will He go to the
iif| els
t

^U

tV

Dispersion of the Greeks ? " U- to the Jews who lived among

Greek populations. Jews who lived out of Palestine were
the term is
the SuHrTropa rov ItfjoaijX (Ps. 147*, Isa. 49*)*
7
10
1* 56", Zeph.
3 , Jer. is ,
often applied to them (cf. Isa.
faunroph
I fi * Pet lX (^here see Hort's note)^ we have

^d

etc,)1

Cf.

Worilsworth and White, Nov. Test.

above on w, 12*25*

Lot., in

lot

and

see

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

280

ST.

JOHN

[VXL 35^87,

VH.
EAAiprar;

36. ri% itrnv 6 Aoyo? ovrof 8v clircr

Zyt^otW pe

38. &
Iq<raus oi tKpaitv

\cyuv 'Ear r

Bii/r^

cpxr0M

irptfe

ju al

n-iverm

ITarrov, *A*ri^ etc, the place

of their residence being thus

here, 17 Statnropa rav 'EXX^v is u the Dispersion among the Greeks/'
koI SiSdoxfltv toO* *EXXi|vosj 4< and teach the Greeks," i*t*
the heathen Greeks themselves, among whom the Jews of the
Dispersion lived.
(See on 12 s0 for 'EAA^ct as indicating
Greek proselytes, which is not the meaning here.)
The Palestinian Jews of the stricter sort looked down on
indicated.

So

the Jews of the Dispersion and despised

all Gentiles.
There
then, something contemptuous in their suggestion that
Jesus may be contemplating a journey to foreign parts, where
He may make disciples of Hellenistic Jews or even of the Greeks
themselves.
It is an instance of the " irony " of the evangelist
(see on r**) that he does not stay to make the obvious comment
that what the Jewish critics of Jesus thought so absurd was
is,

afterwards accomplished by the

first preachers of His gospel,

which embraced both Greek and Jew*
86, Yet they are puzzled and uneasy, for they repeat His
strange saying of v. 34 again " What is this word which He
said, You shall seek me and shall not find me, and where I
am you cannot come ? "
BDLNW0 give A \fy o5t., as against o5r. b X07, of ri,
:

A special appeal to thepeople

who are divided in opinion^ to

7
the indignation of the Pharisees {vtt. 37-49)

37. Jesus seems to have continued His teaching daily, or

rate continuously, in the Temple; and on the last day
of the feast, He made a special and final appeal to His hearers
to accept His message*

any

at

eior^Kei 1 A *li)?ou$,
to sit as

Jesus, like other teachers,

was accus-

He

tomed

taught (see on 6 s); but at this point,

to emphasise the momentousness of His words, He rose and
cried out (see on 7** for cKpa|ev, and cf. Prov. 8s ^*\ "If
any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink," Cf.
Isa.

$$K

tpgArfa

irptSs

So K C BLNTW, but #*D om. J$

|,

cf 6

<.

" The last day, the great day, of the Feast " of Tabernacles
was probably the eighth day (see on 7 s), on which were special
1

See on

I** for this

form.

THE WATER OF LIFE

37-38.]

28l

teol

vumvwv tU

Ijue, tcaS^ts

iTttw ^

ypatfiiq, wortt/iot lie rijs itotXtas

observances. The ritual on each day, and probably on the

eighth day also (although this seems to be uncertain), comprised an offering of water, perhaps (when the rite was initiated) symbolising abundance of rain to ensure a good crop at
the next harvest. Rabbi Akiba says as much: " Bring the
libation of water at the Feast of Tabernacles, that the showers
may be blessed to thee. And accordingly it is said that whosoever will not come up to the Feast of Tabernacles shall have
no rain." 1 At any rate, a golden vessel was filled with water
from the Pool of Siloam, and the water was solemnly offered
by the priest, the singers chanting, "With joy shall ye draw
water out of the wells of salvation " (Isa. 12 s )*
This water ceremonial may have suggested the words of
Jesus: " If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink,"
ctvii' 4 vpa<H kt\.
17
yp^J always indicates
passage in the O.T, (see on a 33), although (cf,
Here,
v. 4 a below) the quotation may not always be exact.
the source of the quotation cannot be identified with certainty,
although, as we shall see, the idea of v. 38 is scriptural. The
fact that we cannot precisely fix the quotation makes for the
genuineness of the reminiscence here recorded, A writer
whose aim was merely to edify, and who did not endeavour
to reproduce historical incidents, would not have placed in the
mouth of Jesus a scriptural quotation which no one has ever
been able to identify exactly.
The passage has been punctuated in various ways:
" he
(1) Chrysostom confines the quotation to the words
that believeth in me," taking the rest of v. 38 as words of
1
Thus the "scripture' might be Isa. aS1 *, quoted in
Jesus,
TrufTtvwv **r" aurw ov icaTfuif^uvtfiJtrcTat^
Rom, 9** in the form
But this exegesis is a mere evasion of the difficulties.
ancient Western authorities connect irtvirto
(2) Some
with irttFTcvuv ts *p which follows, putting a stop after
tf
If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and let him
ifte ;
drink that believeth on me. As the Scripture saith, Out of
His belly shall flow rivers of living water." By this arrangement, arrow is understood of Christ, not of the believer.
The colometry of the OX. codices d and e would agree with
The Letter of the Churches of Vienne and
this punctuation,"
tov vSaro? t^s <M7S rav i^iavros ix r^t
.
,
Xy&ftS a has

3S.

jcafti)?

specific

FTjSifos

rov
1

XpKrrovj

Quoted by E.

Cf,
Cf.

which takes avrov as meaning

C

Selwyn in J.T.S., Jan. 1912*

p* 226.

A. Robinson, Passion of St. Perpetua, p. 98.

Euseb. H.E. v. 1, 22.
J_.

Christ.

VtL

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

282

ST,

JOHN

also Cyprian has 4t clamat dominus ut qui sitit ueniat et

bibat de fluminibus aquae umae quae de ehis uentre fluxcrunt." x Many Western Fathers are cited to the same effect by

So

Turner. 2

Loisy and some other modern exegetes favour

this

view.

Bumey held that this arrangement of clauses represented

the sense, the Greek Kotkia being due to a misunderstanding of
the underlying Aramaic, and a confusion of TVP " belly"
a 83)

Dan.

(cf.

with J^O

''fountain/'

He

rendered

38

v.

accordingly, "As the scripture hath said, Rivers shall flow

forth from the fountain of living waters/ 1 the allusion being
to Ezek. 47 1
C. C. Torrey a also appeals to the Aramaic,
rendering " As the Scripture hath said, Out of the midst of
her (i.e. Jerusalem) shall flow rivers of living water," the
reference being to Zech. 14s . These explanations are ingenious, but they do not disclose any exact citation from
the 0,T.
prefer the Eastern exegesis here*
(3)
Origen is
explicit in his reference of avrou to the believer in Christ
tl
yap Trtpt rov irvtvp,nTos ttpyrat j&s Sa>p w TraTtxjiStv Sikqv
iKtropevOfxtycv Ik
tot irurrtvovros , . .*
So, too, Cyril of
Jerusalem {Cat. xvi, n), Basil 6 [in Ps. 46*), and Athanasius
{Festal Letters, ix. 7, xliv.), a That Christ is the ultimate
source of living water, which represents the Spirit, is
common to all interpretations; but these writers understand
also that those who receive it from Him hand it on in their turn
to others, 7 So in the Odes of Solomon (vi.) we have Christ the
xetfiAppos B or torrent of living water spreading over the world,
while the ministers of this draught of the Spirit relieve many.
This is the Johannine doctrine of the Spirit, appearing again
in another form at 20**,
The reference of *k rift koiXiqs afirofi to the believer is in
1*"1
strict correspondence with the earlier passage
4 *, where it
.

We

Epi$t

lxxiii.

hut

THE GIFT OF THE

38-80,]

SFIRIT

283

[TTTX 38.

cf. Ixiii. 8,

avrov ptvtrovtriv vSaros wros*

39. rovro Sc
fAOTOt oB iftfXXoy XapfSavciv vl 7rrr<v(nivTes

flTrev frepl
fts

avrov*

tov Hvevoitfra

yap

said of the water which Christ gives that it will be in

the believer Trrjyff aro? aAAo/Afwu *U Cuqi/ auiviov. The
imagery of " If any man thirst, let him come unto me and
drink," goes back to Isa. 55 1 ; and similarly (as at 414) the
imagery of v, 38 goes back to Isa. $SU " Thou shalt be like
a spring of water whose waters fail not." As we have seen
on 41*, this idea appears in many places in Hebrew literaturej
although the actual words cannot be traced. He who has
drunk deep of the living waters which are the gift of Christ
becomes himself, in his turn and in humbler measure, a fountain from which the water of life flows for the refreshment
of others.
The KoiXia is regarded in the O.T. as the seat of man's
emotional nature (Prov. 20 s7). Water is often symbolic of the
Divine Law (sec on 410), and the Law is " in the heart "(Ps* 40s)
texts have it, tr fUaw
of Yahweh's servant; or, as some
The Psalm goes on; '* I have not hid thy
rijs KotXtas ft-ov.
righteousness within my heart, I have declared thy faithfulness " (Ps* 4010). So again in Prov. 18* we have: uSwp j3aSh
is

LXX

KapSip aKOpo$, Trorajtos Si avamf6vi teal iD^yi) wj/S

the O.T. conception is that the Divine Law is in the
heart (mopSia or xotXta) of one inspired by the Spirit of
Yahwehj like a fountain which cannot be repressed, but which
perpetually sends forth a stream of living water. This is the
Johannine teaching of 7 s8
The use of xotXta is in accordance with the Semitic habit
1 by mentioning some part of the
of expressing emphasis
body, e.g. "the mouth of Yahweh hath spoken it," "His
J>
is only an
arm wrought salvation." "Out of his belly
him
shall
saying
"From
flow,"
The living
of
emphatic way
1
waters to the thought of the prophets (Zech, 14*, Ezek, 47 )
here
they
place
viz,
Jerusalem
but
are
holy
;
a
from
flowed
said to flow from a holy man, viz, one who has believed in
hf

Aa-yos

Hence

',

Christ,

no difficulty in the construction, 4 mtrotW *U

a suspended subject; cf. 156 q fUvw h> tytot .
ia
wros <f>pti Kapir6v and sre on i .
We have here an
39 tqQto S^ elirsK irepi tou ttmiJ^icltos.
explanatory comment by the evangelist on the words of Jesus
which precede it see, for similar comments, Introd., p. xxxiv.
In this passage, at any rate, there can be no question of the
accuracy of the interpretation. The Living Water sym-

J.T.S., Oct, 1933. p. 66 L, andci, Jan. 1923, p. 174.

Harvard Theot. Review, Oct. 1923, p. 339,
* Comm. in loan, vol, il p. Z50 (cd. Brooke)
cf. also Horn, in
;

Warn, xvii.

4.

Basil's comment on the river of Ps, 46* is : rii tf ftp dty 6 roro^As
too 0eaD fl t6 roefyia ri &yiw $k ttjv T^ffrewj r&r efs Xpurrbv veirurrevK^raiVj
$yyw6p.evw T*ts &lou ; He tiien quotes Jn. 7 and 4 1 *.
* Ephraim also ends the first clause with Tt^rtd (Horn.
our
fi

On

and Tatian seems to have taken the same line, although

this cannot be certain.
7
Syr. sin and Syr* cur. appear also to support this interpretatioa.
a
So Origen (Selects in Deut., Lonunatzach, x. 374) speaks of that
good land flj ^el^a^/na 6 Xpurr6i, i-artfav tqis t%i tra^Uts ydjiotfi*.
Lord,

i.

41)

There

is

iyA being

See Barnes, /.T.5., July 1922, p, 421.

"

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

284

%v HvcviLOf 5rt

*Ivj<Toij5

o^TTtii

ST.

JOHN

[VIE, 39.

40* 'Et tou d^Xou oSV

l$oat7&i]*

bolises the Spirit, which believers in Christ {not only the

original disciples) were (tp.eXkw} cf. 6 T1) to receive (cf. ifi 11,
I

(1

M 4ia). As Paul has it Trdyres Si* mwfia itruri<T0r}p.v

Cor. is 13), the metaphor, of the Spirit as water, being the

Jn. 3

same

as here.

iii. 322) quotes a passage from the

Talmud, showing that even by the Jews the libation of water at
the Feast of Tabernacles (see on v. 37) was taken to symbolise

Lightfoot (Hot. Hebr.

the outpouring of the Spirit: " Why do they call it the house of
drawing ? Because thence they draw the Holy Spirit
{Beresh. Rahba^ foL 70. 1). The Jews held that the Holy
Spirit had departed after the deaths of Zechariah and Malachi,
the last of the prophets, and they looked for a future outpouring

Acts 2 17).
The various readings are mainly due to attempts at interttDTA have tr^TTt^ovreij but
have
pretation.
mrxrerfffttiTes, the words primarily referring to the reception of
the Spirit by the original group of disciples. B has $ for the
better attested ofl.
In the second clause of the verse, scribes
have defined nvcSpn by the insertion of ayto*> (LNWri), D
reading to wvtVfia ayiov iir auTm?, and B ayiov ScSoficvov,
LNTWrA have <Sro> for oft (the reading of nBD) before

Qoel

B8

cf.

BLTW

For the force of mtrrcvzw * U

aforu

yip fy

on v. 5was not yet operating

avrov, see

-aveQpa, i.e. the Spirit

or
not yet present, tlvat being used for iraptvai} as in Acts ioa
dXA" ofio et TrreO/ta aytov ctrriv 7}KOV<rafjLF,
The Ephesian
disciples could not have doubted the existence of the Holy
Spirit; it was His presence or His operation of which they were
doubtful.
See also on 6 W.
Attempts have been made to distinguish
irvefym, with
the article, from n-rcv/ui without it; the former standing for
the personal Spirit, the latter for a gift or manifestation of the
Spirit.
The distinction may hold sometimes, but here it is
hard to maintain it:
spake v?*p\ rov Tn-ct^iaro?, which
they who believed on Him were to receive: for
was not
should expect, if the proposed rule about the article
yet*"
were sound, that at its first occurrence in this verse Trvcvpn.

"He

u^a

We

M
4

should be without it. See above on 3*,

outtw yip f\v irpcGua, Stl 6 'lupous ouiru Sof&r4r|.
Here Jn.
introduces a conception^ not explicit outside the Fourth Gospel,
of the Passion of Jesus as His " glorification " (see on i 14).
It is the word used by Jesus Himself (1a 23 and by anticipation
ie
31
13 ), and Jn. uses it again in his narrative (ia ). This is the
,

VIL

DIVERSE OPINIONS ABOUT HIM

39-10.]

oKovo-avrts twp \6y<av rovroiv eXeyov

285

OStos iuriv oXifiwG a

vpotfrrfrr}^

illustration of the saying that " he that hateth his life

keep it " (see on 1 W). It is the continual paradox of the
Gospel that death is the beginning of new life. And so it was
not until Jesus had been " glorified " in death that the Spirit
came upon those who were "in Him," The seed is not
quickened except it die, and, to the thought of Paul, it was
not until His Resurrection after death that Christ became a
Quickening Spirit, Ttvevfta ^-otoSv (1 Cor. 15*). Not until
He had passed through death could His Spirit descend. Not
until the Passion was over could He say Ad^tere mevpa aytw
(ao M). Pentecost was, necessarily, after Calvary, This great
17
conception is common to Paul and Jn. (cf, io 12**) ; and it
Incarnate
Word was His
the
the
death
of
follows from it that

supreme
shall

"

Cf. 17*, and see further on 16 .

glorification."
The verb $odfao-9at is used more than once of the death
of a Christian martyr in later literature- Not only in the case
as
s1
13 ) might it be said that martyrdom was a
"
of the martyr himself; e.g. in the Canons of
glorification
Peter of Alexandria {circa 300 a.d.) we have: ovru %ri^avw

of Christ (12"*

"

rrp&TO? kot* tj(yos avrov fAAptvpiov yaSta/FfO .

The rpowaiov of a martyr,
Xpttrrov iStiidtrfh). 1
3
victory, was the place of his death.

iv

his

6v6fia.TL

sign of
1

40. That many of the multitude (ox^os) believed in Jesus

claims has been told already (v. 31).
must
^ v itouWnxs tw \6ymv toJtow ktX.
ck toG t$x^
The rec,
supply rurk (as at 16 17): "some of the crowd,' '

text

inserts

Again, the

v-oAAot

We

(from v. 31), but om. NBDLNTW.

reads tw k6yov, but kBDLN have *w

rec. text

We

are not to take w, 40-43 as referring exclusively or

particularly to the effect produced by the great pronouncement
tmc \6yuv tou'tw include the whole of the
of w, 37, 38,
teaching which Jesus had given during the feast (w. 25-38)This teaching was appreciated by some of His hearers, for
Akouuv followed by a gen. implies (see on f) an intelligent
and obedient hearing (a point which is obscured by the ace,
tot Aoyof of the rec. text).

No doubt, the climax of the teaching was

(

reached

w.

37, 38.

Out of his belly shall flow rivers

hearers of the words,
of living water," recognised that the claim involved was that
He, of whose disciples such a thing could be asserted, was
He
inspired in a peculiar degree by the Spirit of Yahweh.
must be the authorised exponent and missionary of the Law*
* E*B 4594,
1 Routh, ReL Sacr. iv. 34,

The

286

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN [VDL

40-44.

41. SXkot tktyov Qftros iortv b X.purr6s* ol 81 t\tyov M^ yap c*

Tijs ToXiWas 6 Xptaros 2px<*;
4 2 - ^X ^ yP4^t *^irW <&* **

tou <nrlpuctTQ3 AaueiS, * AirA Bi|6XetfL ttJ$ ku/aij? Jjtov ^v AaW$,

43* o-^ta-/ia ov yevero Ik t o^X<^ Si* atrov'
Spheral o Xpurrag;
ovSuf era/SaAtv frr*
44. Ttvta S 0eXov ef friw Triao-ai

aW, AW

Accordingly, some identified the speaker with " the prophet,"

(See on i n and 6 1*.)
the predestined successor of Moses,
Others went further, and said He
41. aXXot IXeyoy ktX.
s0
was the Messiah Himself (cf. w. 26, 31 and see on 1 ). The
IXcyov indicate that such was the common
<
imperfects iXcyav .
;

talk.

For
is

ot Be EXeyor

given again by

in the second clause

kDTA, and

this

may

(BLTN),
be right;

aAAot &cyw
oAAot . .

cf.

HIS

TO.

44-46.]

our

tos X**/*1*-

WORDS UNIQUE

2&?

45' *HX^rt' olv ol fanipfrai irpos rota pxps

a&ais Ikcuhh Ata ri ovk fy&ym avrw;

KOt $apura(ous, at ftimv

l,3aW

is

supported by

kDNWTA

BLT, but

give the

stronger form frn0aXe% as at v. 30.

Other differences between v, 30 and v. 44 (apart from the

omission in v. 44 of Jn.'s statement in v, 30 that the reason why
" His hour had not
the arrest of Jesus was not made was that
Some
as l&Jrow,
strong
so
come") are: (1) ijfteXoK is not
of the crowd were inclined to arrest Jesus, but they did not
(2) For
seek to make the arrest, as His Jewish opponents did.
the characteristic Johannine use of ml instead of m/rot at
(3) For t^v \tpa
v. 30, we have here the more usual AXX<.
Abbott {Diat. 3575)
of v. 30 we have t&s xcipo? at v 44*
suggests that x'*P a mav De explained as Hebraic and xp<h
" lay
as Hellenic, comparing Esth, 6* where, for the Hebrew
has bn$a\&v to* x/> a*- But &*& " *
hand on," the
-

aXXot at

9*.

The introductory
pt| ydp k tijs raXiXaiat A XplotA? pxT<u ;
yap implies a negative answer.
41, 43. " Doth the Christ come out of Galilee ? " They
were incredulous, because the Scriptures had led them to believe
that He would be " of the seed of David " (2 Sam. 7"- ",
1
x
Jer. af) t and from Bethlehem (Mic, 5 ),
Ps. 13a 11 , Isa.
1
David's village (1 Sam. 17 *); and they were surprised that
One coming from Galilee should be regarded as fulfilling these
"
It is characteristic of the " irony of St. John
conditions.
45
(see on i ) that he does not stay his narrative to make any
comment. His readers were, he was sure, well instructed in
the Christian tradition that Jesus was bom at Bethlehem, while
His home was at Nazareth in Galilee. See on v. 52
The suggestion (see on i44) that in Jn. the prepositions faro
and hi may be distinguished in usage, the former applying to
domicile and the latter to birthplace^ will not apply here.
Micah (5*) said of Bethlehem 1$ o5 pm it\tvtrtTai, but this
is changed to far* BT|0Wp (v. 42); and not only so, but the
preposition ** is applied to Galilee, where faro would be more
1
See on
.
appropriate, if the distinction could be sustained.
*
^
l
The
Mk.
people
eycVero
iv
t
were
43. avurpa offr
3x^?
divided in opinion about Him, as before (v. 12). A similar
ffvtTjUa among the "Pharisees" and "Jews" is noted again,
/tij|

LXX

subtle.

45.

The

report of the Temple police, who had been ordered

Jesus, now follows, with a notice of the protest

(v. 3a) to arrest

made by Nicodemus*

No arrest had been made, evidently because the differences

of opinion about Jesus and His claims were obvious, and it
So the police officers (imjp^Tai)
might not have been safe*
report to the Sanhedrim (irpis >$ Apx^p^ *al 4apL<rtuous) that
they had done nothing. But they (eiteiVot, i.e. the Sanhedrim)
ask why their orders were not obeyed, Bii Tt ofiic ^ydycre aMr;
a narrating
It should be observed that the section, w. 45-"5 j
the anger of the Sanhedrim at the failure to arrest Jesus does
not necessarily belong to this particular point in the narrative;
although it suits the context, it would suit other contexts equally
Seeon8ia
46. The answer

well.

"Why

did you not bring

Never did man so
speak." These official servants of the Sanhedrim had been
impressed, as the Galilsean peasants had been impressed
(Mt. 7 M M )j by the power of Jesus' teaching. It is not to
be supposed that w. 33, 34, 37> 3*> S ive more ^^J fl
ments of what He said since the order was given for His
arrest (v. 3 a); but it is noticeable that it was His iv&rds^ not
His works, that attracted attention, and it must have been
disconcerting to those who were habitual teachers of the Law,
to learn that the words of the new Teacher had. made so deep
an impression. His words were unique and without parallel,
none
as also were His works, which He said were such as
other did" (15*).

Him ?

"

is

to the question,

surprising

and unwelcome

'

'

'

44. This verse is repeated, with slight changes, from v. 30,

where see note; cf, also 8 s0
ti^s Be SJGeXoi' ktX , " some were inclined to arrest Him,"
s some of the crowd, who were divided in the view they took
of Jesus and His words (cf. v< 40, e* tov dgAav). At v. 30 it
was not the common people^ but the Jewish leaders, who sought
to lay hands on Him.
.

'

'

TIL
238

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

ST.

JOHN

INTERVENTION OF NICODEMUS

60-G3.]

289

[VII. 46-60.
52, dirCKpffrjcrav koX
Trap* avrov koi yvt} rC irotct;
clxav ain-< Mq teal &v ck tj}c TaXtXatas it; epavrtftray koX iSt or* i
t^9 raA*Xtttn* wpo^ifnjs owe lyupcrai.

dmvtTQ vpuror
46* &v*xp(&rfu-av ot inrrfpirat OvSeirort tXaXijcrev aureus flEv^/JUfl-os, us
ovrov AaXci 6 cEvtfpraros.
47. AircK/K#ifl<rav oSp avrot? ot $apterauix
*fc

ttur^y

yirucrKtiif

17

ek

twv

^apieraiioyj

Toy vapor ifrdparoL tbrtv.

50. Acyet NtKO&ij/*os

etc

vojtioe ^/xftp

oflSfirorc fX^XTfacc

(XaXri) A a^ptdtros.

aurous, 3

irpcte

&p if aur&f, 51. Mij o

After

49* iXAi o jj^Xos O^TOS 6 ftq

&0tbv 77WS arrav irpbVcpoi',

jtptW tov* 3.v6ptowov lav /tq

afrus cbGpwros,

M*DN add

offros

These additional words are omitted by

K CBLTW, but the sense remains unaltered.

47, The Pharisees, the most forward in the persecution of
Jesus, as being the most zealous in the cause of Jewish orthodoxy, reply for the rest

"

koX ji^cis TrcirXinjrfs ;

* c

Are you

07

also led astray ?

See on 6 for the form of the question,
which suggests that a negative answer is expected. Cf, v, 12
for irXavav,
46. jai( Ti? Ik rSitr dpx^KTW Mvitwrtv l$ nunSk; i( Did a
single one of the rulers believe in Him ? " the form of the
question, juf ns, implying that a negative answer was the only
possible one.
Yet, a little later, this astonishing thing had
Jxpy6vr<av ttqAAoi htltrrewrav r avrov
come to pass, J
(i2*^); but at this moment it seemed incredible.
See on
v. 32 for the &pxovTesi an(^
v 5
Ll
Ik tw Qapuraiuv;
Or a single one of the Pharisees ? "
fl
Only a select few of the Pharisees were in the Sanhedrim, but
the Pharisees generally were the most orthodox of all the
inhabitants of Jerusalem (cf i
f*).
The fanjprrai are blamed severely because they did not
do as they were told, and it is truly remarkable that they had
not arrested Jesus, Subordinate officers, the Pharisees seem
to say, have no right to judge of the expediency of an order
which they have received,
49. dXXA 6 Q)(k<OG outq? o yd\ ytvcicrietw t&p v6fi.cv vrfpo.Toi
clp. The Rabbis had a profound contempt for the unlettered
multitude, pn &y, who were not learned in the Torah,
brdpcLTo* does not occur again in the N.T.

iw

Intervention of Nicodemus (vp* 50-52)

CO. \4yst N. wpis airotis, J. to the Pharisees, For this
constr., see on 2 s.
fe fir i a&T&v, se* bebg a member of the Sanhedrim, and
see on iw

up the challenge of v. 48. For the constr.,

Most MSS. add 6 i\&w -apfe oftrir irponpor, thus identifying Nicodemus with the person described in 31 . # omits
so taking

the words; NrA insert vimotSs (from 3 s), omitting rporepor;

has vuktos t TrpwTw (the true reading at 19)*
If the story of Nicodemus could be held to belong to the
1
last week of the ministry (see on 3 ), then this passage would
be the first mention of him, and the words omitted by K* would
be, in that case, a later gloss added by an editor.
51, The expostulation of Nicodemus is characteristic of
the cautious timidity of the man. He rests his case on a
recognised principle of law3 and suggests that the procedure
intended by the Sanhedrim will be illegal; but he does not
1
That a
explicitly espouse the cause of Jesus (see on 3 ).
1
report should not be received without scrutiny (Ex. 23 ), and
1
principles
heard
(Deut.
i
are
*),
that both sides should be
implied in the Jewish legislative code.
I-ess
10s*.
With rok A^paHroK, S. " any man," cf* 2 s5,
probably it might be rendered " the man/' t\e. the man who is
accused (cf. Mt. 267S).
Field (in ioc^ pomts
ihr |iS) dKotfo"R irpuror irap' hijtou.
out that itfoiW irapd rt^os is a classical phrase for hearing a
man in his own defence; but the phrase occurs in Jn. in other
passages where this is not implied (see on r40).
For irpTOF (kBDLNW) the rec, has vportpav.
52. The members of the Sanhedrim had no sympathy with
the plea for delay which Nicodemus put forward. Was he
also a Galilean, like the GalUaean whose case he was defending ?
Let him search, and he will see that it is not from
(see v. 41),
These aristocrats of JeruGalilee that a prophet is arising.
salem had a scornful contempt for the rural Galilseans.
For iY^f* (kBDTNWO) the rec, has iyifrep. If
the reading fyrfytprat were correct, the assertion that from
Galilee no prophet has arisen would be obviously untrue.
Jonah, at any rate, was a Galilaean, for he was of Gath-hepher
1
M
And
(a Kings I4 ), which was in Galilee (Josh. 19 *).
possibly Hosea, whose prophecies were concerned with the

ML

Northern Kingdom, was also a Galilsean.

There was nothing in O.T, tradition to suggest that Galilee
was an inferior district of the Holy Land. I saiah, in particular,
had sung of the days when Zebulun and Naphtali should
1
be made glorious " beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles"
(Isa.

).

It is

not

likely, therefore, that the

saying in

ttjs

See G. A, Smith, Histor. Geogr. of Holy Land, p. 428 n. t for considerations which show that this was on the west side of Jordan.
1

VOL.

19

I.

290

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

rnktXatuf irpo^rrif ouk iytlprrai

of the sentence might suggest.

"Out of
See on i M

assertion,
v. 41).

Galilee

is

ST.

JOHN

[VIL 5.

was a proverb, as the farm

It is

a merely contemptuous

not arising a prophet"

(cf.

is not to be translated " for," but " that,"

For the verb tjtawav, see above on 5**, the only other place
where it is found in Jn. Possibly -fpauj^ow has reference here
also to a searching of the Stritu?es\ but it is more probable
that the meaning is " if you will take the trouble to look, you
will see that out of Galilee no prophet is arising."
Cf. 2 Kings
io** fpeujTjffUT* Kut iScrc, where lpvvy<ra.T is only ampliative

*n

of 7STf, as here.
[For 7 ra -8 n see the notes at the end of Vol. II,
Periccpe de Adulttra,\

END of vol.

t,

on the