PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
A Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels — Volume 2
James Hastings · 1,290,716 words · 1269 reading sections
Section 301
2. The general character of Jewish music in the tiiue of Christ is wholly a matter of inference. There were no theoretical writers, as among the Greeks ; of their instruments sculpture portrays the silver trumpet alone ; and, notation not having been invented, specimens of their music contem- poraneously committed to w…
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The essential point in the application is not any seeming rapidity of growth ; rather it is the strik- ing contrast between the initial insignificance and the amply beneficent result. Jesus, the spokesman of the coming Kingdom, was derided in His teach- ing, persecuted in His Person, doomed to violence and degradation …
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MYSTERY MYSTERY 213 man ' (He 2**). He ' endured the cross, despising shame' (12-). Literature. — Birdwood in Bible Educator, ii. 151 ; an ex- hausti\ e article by Hanburj-, ' The Botanical Origin and Country of Myrrh' in the Pharmaceutical Journal, 19th Apr. 1873. J. Cromarty Smith. MYSTERY {/uLvarripcoi' from i…
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i. Mk 4" seems to be earlier in form than its 2)arallels ; for the context shows that the thing given or withheld is not certain elements of the gospel, conceived as /j.v(jT7jpLa and therefoi'e uttered only in j^arables (understood as enigmas ; cf. Mt 13^*, Jn 16^") — the sense conveyed by the use of the plural in the …
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breitung des Chr. 1902, Bk. n. ch. v. B. W. Bacox. MYTH.— Neither the word uddoi nor the concep- tion of a mytli occurs in any of the Gospels. Out- side of tlie Gospels the Mord appears in the NT several times (in plur. /^D6io:) in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Ti P 4^ 2 Ti 4^ Tit 1"), and once in 2 Pet. (l^% In all these…
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The myths alleged to have grown about the career of Jesus as a wonder-worker are prefaced by parallel accounts of a temptation and a con- quest of the power of evil. The prince Siddhartha was temjited by the spirit of evil, who urged him to abandon his foolish and futile purpose of living a simple and abstemious life, …
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Furthermore, when these parallels are closely scrutinized, the first aspect of plausibility given to the mythical theory by them vanishes. The parallels are in most cases far-fetched. In .some instances the resemblances are striking indeed. But a relation of derivation of one from the other or from a common source seem…
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Literature.— Hastings' DB iii. 477 ; Stanley, SP 357 ; Thom- son, Land and Book, 445 ; Tristram, Land of Israel, 127 ; Buhl, GAP 217; Gu6rin, Galilee, i. 115 f.; Neubauer, Geog. du Talm. 188; Sanday, Sacred Sites of the Gospels, 24, 101; Baedeker-^ Socin, Pal. 346 ; Murray, Ha'ndbook for S. and P. 349. A. W. Cooke. NA…
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5. Corresponding to the foregoing use of Svofjia as expressive of the revealed character of God, is tiie constant employment of the word, not only in the Gospels, but throughout the whole of the NT, to denote the character, dignity, authority, and even the very Personality of Jesus Christ. This is tlie use made of it b…
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The view has been taken that this use of the name of Christ for the working of miracles was nothing more than the emjiloyment of a theurgic formula, which finds its analogue in the invoca- tions and incantations of ancient magic (so esp. Conybeare, JQR viii, ix). We may be sure that in so far as such a use of His name …
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Literature. — The Lexx. of Grimm-Thayer and Cremer, s.v. ovofj.a; Hastings' DB, art. 'Name'; PRE^, art. 'Name'; Bohmer, Das biblische ' Im tiamen ' (1898) ; Conybeare, ' Chris- tian Demonolog-y ' in JQR viii, ix ; Scholten, Das Tauffonnel ; Deissmann, Bibelstiidien, 181 ff.; ExpT vi. [1895] 247, 395, xi. [1899] 3, XV. …
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3. Christ. — This name (Xpiaros, 'anointed,' the exact equivalent in Greek of the word ' Messiah ' r;*?=) holds a very important place among the titles of our Lord. The word is variously applied in the OT. It is used of the high priest, who is called ' the anointed priest ' {i, hfi\,; o xp'^'^o; [""P^C ["2"]), or more…
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From these various instances the conclusion appears to be, that Jesus discouraged the appli- cation to Himself of the title ' Christ ' in every case in which it was likely to be misunderstood or to lead the people, with their narrow views as to wiiat the Messiah should be, to form inadequate conceptions of the nature a…
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Closely connected with the title ' Son of David ' are those of 'King of Israel' and 'King of the Jews.' Jesus is spoken of as ' King of the Jews ' by the Magi (Mt 2^, cf. Lk P^- ^S), and the first recorded instance of His being addressed as ' King of Israel ' is the confession of Nathanael, ' Thou art the Son of God, t…
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222 NAMES AND TITLES OF CHRIST N^AMES AND TITLES OF CHEIST Peter's boat after the second stilling of the storm on the lake (Mt 14^^). Again, as already noted, Peter confessed 'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.' To these may be added the testimony at the cross by the centurion and others (Mt 27^^), ' Tru…
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From all this it is evident that while the title ' Son of God,' which had come to be associated with essentially theocratic ideas, as of the election of Israel by the adojition of grace as sons of God, and of the Messiah as King of Israel, and was there- fore open to misunderstanding and misconstruc- tion, was seldom u…
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With regard to the question as to the sense in which Jesus used the title ' Son of Man,' the answer is suggested by the connexion in which at various times He so des^cribed Himself. It may be briefly stated in this way : God manifesting Him- self to mau in a foim which man as man can understand. Comimring the passages …
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In the Fourth Gospel the name ' Son of Man ' is used in connexion with the pre-existence of Christ: ' No man hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven ' (3^^, cf. 6^'^). As Son of Man He is Mediator between Heaven and Earth (Jn P^). Judgment is committed to the…
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XAPHTALI NAPHTALI 225 away the sin of the world.' See also artt. Offices OF Christ and Prince. LiTERATUKE.— Ciudeii's Concordance (sixth ed. unabridged), Preface; Creiner, Bib.-Theol. Lex. s.vv. Xpkttoj, Kupios, Aoyo;, fj.ovoy!vy,;, ulo; ; Thayer, Lex. jVT. s.vv. xyio;, 'EuuMvovik, 'ly.ireu;, Xpio-To^, KCpio;, Asyo…
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Naphtali will thus be seen to have, in virtue of its lands of varying altitude and deep depression, a greater variety of climate, scenery, and possible variety of production than any other tribe of Israel. To it more than to any other could be applied the words of promise uttered ere the Land was yet entered — ' a land…
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and fishing did not afford employment, they en- gaged in trades, as in dyeing at Magdala, weaving at Arbela, and pottery manufacture at Kefr Han- anyah. Though despised by the people of Jerusalem, Naphtali was itself becoming a centre of learning, and, even before the Christian era, had given birth to one in the direct…
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LiTERATiRE. — Geikie, Holy Land and the Bible ; G. M. Mackie, Bible Manners and Customs ; Trench, Sotes on the Parabks (Parable of the Pounds). MOEISON BrYCE. NARD (Heb. j^i, from Skr. mdadurtha, probably tlirough Persian ; Gr. vdpSos, Arab, sumbul-i-hindi [ = Indian spike]). — The chief ingredient in the costly ungue…
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228 NATHAN AEL NATHANAEL commonly known. The Scriptures to which he specially refers would he Gn 17' 49'", Dt WK NathanaeFs question, ' Can any good thing ? ' etc., does not imply that Nazaretli had a bad reputation, but that the insignilicant village, so close to his own home, was not a likely birthplace for the M…
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' Believest thou ? ' implies something of surprise at the rapidity of Nathanael's conviction (contrast Mk 6''); but 'thou believest' is perhaps right. Christ approves of his faith and of its basis ; and He forthwith promises him an ampler basis, and therefore the prospect of a loftier faith. This wider basis of ' great…
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* St. Paul, too, puts 'louiKioi on the same secular footing as ""EtWxvi' ; cf. the phrase xcti 'lov^cctoi? xai "K^Xy.^iv xect t^ IxxXrtriet rci btoi (1 Co 10:i2). is translated in AV as if it were idvtj ; but KV corrects it from ' all people ' to ' all the people.' 1. lovSaioi, eOvos, £0vt]. — In so far as the Jews c…
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When Herod the Great died, his i^olicy of getting material benefit for the nation at tlie cost of its religious ideals was continued by the priests, who exercised the highest civil as well as religious functions. They constituted the majority of the Sanhedrin, which, as tlie supreme court of appeal, professedly represe…
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XATIOXALITY ^'ATI0XAL1TY 231 Jew will be so far from his native land, or so much fear a hostile ruler, as not to fear the Law j more than him ' {c. Apiou. ii. 38). I If it was by the hands of the priest,s, in the name of national indej^endence, that the Lord was be- trayed to the -nations," so the chief antagonism …
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But with all this tenderness for the obligations of Jewish religion as ties, He resented them as bonds. His perfect allegiance to the truth and grace of God ( Jn l'"i made even.- lesser loyalty stand in su]x)rdination. He withdrew Himself more and more from the passion of nationality as emliodied in the religious pedan…
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A. Norman Rowland. NATURALNESS.— Few terms are more fruitful of fallacious thought than the group including ' nature,' ' natural,' ' naturalness.' In modern nsage they are very frequent, and the range of varied meanings which they cover is wide. Thus we speak of natural instinct, natural conduct, natural re- ligion, n…
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It is quite in keei)ing with this view of the facts, that the Lortl Jesus never hesitated to appeal to the natural instinct of men on questions of conscience. E.g. ' Doth not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his ass . . ,. ? And ought not this woman to have been loosed from this bond . . . ? (Lk 13'*'-, c…
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4. Christ's theory of Providence in the natural order. — (1) The first characteristic in the attitude of Jesus towards the facts and arrangements of the organic world is a certain beautiful calmness and sercnifi/. The facts which so deeplj- disturb us in our view of nature — suffering, the prejing of one animal on anot…
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cause He always attributed to the direct activity of the Father. ' Your heavenly Father feedeth them. . . . Shall he not much more clothe you . . . ? ' ' Not one of them falleth to the ground without your Father . . .' 'My Fatiier worketh hitherto.' In this sense of the immediacy of the Divine activity we find one of t…
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(3) He teaches us to see more them tee sec, for the natural became in His hands a translucent veil through which the spiritual povu^ed its light and inspiration into the hearts of men. Here art once more became handmaid to religion ; and the beauty of nature became a vehicle for the higher beauty of holiness and truth …
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It seems clear fi'om the NT data that the term ' Nazarene ' was an early designation applied to Jesus and His disciples generally. It thus was the Jewish (Oriental) equivalent of the speciticallj- Gentile term • Christian.' ' Nazarene ' was not the title given by the Christians of Palestine to them- selves, but by othe…
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II Possibly 'Ebionites' (Heb. D'fvnx = ' poor men') was a more general term, and may have been given by Jewish-Chris- tians to themselves. See art. Ebionism. LiTERATiRE. — The artt. ' Nazareth,' ' Nazarene ' in Hastings' DB, the EBl, and JE ; ' Nazareth ' (by Guthe) in PRE'^ and in Hamburger'? HE ; the Connn. on Mt 2-…
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The precise form of the word and its si,!,'^iiification are alike uncertain. In two passages (Mt 4i'*, Lk 4"') the oldest MSS read NaJo6/!a, and are followed by all recent editors. Elsewhere in the Synoptic Gospels WH print Nalxpir, with the exception of Mt 2111 (iixZap'J), Tischendorf reads tlxZa-p-'U consistently in …
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NAZIRITE (Heb. naztr), in AV spelled ' Nazar- ite,' means etymologicallj' 'one sejmrated,' a re- ligious devotee. The historical references are in Judges (IS'^*''- the case of Samson) and Am 2i^- ^'^ ; the ' law of the Nazirice ' is found in Nu 6. A com- parison of these passages reveals the fact that there was conside…
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■Thus there never was, or will be, or could be, a time when things which are equal to the same thing could be ?(«equal to one another. Nor can we imagine a time, or a world, in which cruelty would be other than odious, and lying other than con- temptible. If cruelty and deceit were seated on the throne of the universe,…
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JN^ECESSITY :s ECi^SSlTY 239 self exclude the doctrine of Theological Deter- minism as taught by Calvin. The advocates of this view can appeal plausibly to a considerable number of NT passages. Thus there are texts which teach that the general course of events is predetermined from eternity (Kph 1-* S'l, 2 Ti 1^, T…
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6. The necessary fulfilment of prophecy. — According to the ordinary view, it is the nature of the future event that determines the nature of the prophecy. But often in the Gospels it is the nature of the prophecy that is regarded as deter- mining the nature of the future event. This con- ception is specially characte…
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LiTERATiRE. — See under Free Will, and add W. James, 'Necessary Truths' in Principles of Psychology, ii. 617 ff. ; Boutroux, La contingcnce des lois de la nature, ; J. Edwards, Freedom of the Will; Momerie, Personality ; Martineau, Study 0/ Religion, bk. iii. ch. 2; Lotze, Microcoxmus, i. 144 ff. ; Sturt, Personal Idea…
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blessed to give than to receive (Ac 20*^). To ask to our feasts only those who can invite us in return is no manifestation of love — is but a bid for earthly recompense. To obtain God's blessing we must invite tiie poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, who can give nought in return (Lk 14^^"^^). The presupposition of …
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and wrong right. Charity is the gi-eatest virtue of all, so that the want of it makes every other virtue worthless (1 Co 13). To summarize the doctrine, the revelation of the new relationship between God and man, and the new law which rests thereon, make of love the highest principle in life, and make the love of God …
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Literature. — R. Flint, Christ'a Kingdom upon Earth, 245 ; H. S. Holland, God's City, 206 ; W. C. E. Newbolt, Coxmsels of Faith and Practice, 1G9. A. E. RoSS. NEW BIRTH.— See Regeneration. NEW COMMANDMENT.— The definition of the Ciiristian law of love as a ' new commandment ' is peculiar to the Johannine writings (Jn…
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XEW TESTAMEXT XEW TESTAMENT 243 As indicated above, the definition of the Chris- tian ethic as a 'new coniniandment' is in one resi>ect inadequate, and even involves a self- contradiction. The true originality of the moral demand of Jesus consisted in its breaking away from the idea of outward requirement. The Law i…
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(6) Illustrations of this developing consciousne.ss are seen in two matters arising from constant use of the lxx)ks. (i.) The descriptive titles. Barnabas, Ejh iv., is the first to use the formula 'as it is WTitten ' in quoting words taken from the N.T. [ = Mt 221-']. In Justin M., Ap. i. 66, the term ' Gospels ' is fi…
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are told elsewhere. It is altogether probable that some men of the upper classes and of the Pharisees would be attracted by the personality and teaching of Jesus, and that they would seek with \arying degrees of caution to know more of Him. To a certain extent the Synoptics conflrm this (cf. Lk 7^6 83 19=). We may add …
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(b) Night had its peculiar dangers and annoy- ances (cf. Ps 91^). Travellers might be delayed through stress of circumstances till after nightfall, and even till midnight (Lk IP), and such journeys were not witliout danger ; 'if any man walk in the night, he stumbleth ' (Jn 1 P", cf . Job 5'^). A modern traveller has s…
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after Trin.). In the neighbourhood of the Lake, night was the only time of solitude. ' Save in the recorded hours of our Lord's praying, the history of Galilee has no intervals of silence and loneliness ; the noise of a close and busy life is always audible ; and to every crisis in the Gospels and iii Josephus we see…
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time, He would be safe. The one danger was lest the day should lie prolonged ' beyond God's appoint- ment.' So prolonged, the day would be as night, in which the traveller stumbles. With both these pa.ssages Lk 22^^ should be compared. Night stands also for the close of the day of grace in the life of Judas (Jn 13^"). …
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2. IMt 12« !! Lk IV-. The words in the two Gos- pels are identical. [D omits tlie whole passage in St. Luke]. St Matthew places side by side the two logia relating to Jonah, and then introduces the one that relates to Solomon and ' tiie queen of the south.' St. Luke transposes the latter two, ' either for chronologj^ o…
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NON-RESISTANCE See Retaliation. NUMBERS.— In this article it is above all things necessary to distinguish caref ulh' between passages in which numbers are used only in the ordinary way and those in which they are connected with some ctistom or belief, or have for any reason symbolic significance, whetiier secular or s…
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references to the 7 evil spirits (Mt 12^', Mk 16^^^, Lk 8- 11-'') ; in the question of the Sadducees about the 7 brothers (Mt 22^5 etc. ) ; and in the pas.sages alluded to in the Book of Jubilees. — (6) Seven often expressed the idea of roiu^deteness. So in 7 churches, 7 parables of the Kingdom, the 7 Beati- tudes abov…
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In the Holy Land and amongst the Arabs there are still manj- echoes of the ancient use of T as shown in the preceding para- graphs. Dalman's Bhcan contains several examples of it as a round number in popular poetry (pp. 260, 2S7, 305, 309). Mourn- ing for relatives and marriage rejoicings extend amongst the Arabs over …
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The non-canonical literature of later times supplies many additional examples. The Book of Jubilees knows of 10 tempta- tions of Abraham (19*), a thought found also in the Mishna ('Aboth V. 4), and the Test, of Joseph of 10 temptations of Joseph (ch. 2). The fondness of the Rabbis for the number receives striking illus…
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Calel) was 40 years old when sent out as one of the sjjies (Jos 14^). Hillel is said to have entered on his Rabbinic career at 40 {Si/re referred to in Jewish Encyc. art. 'Forty'), and Jochanan ben Zakai to have exchanged commerce for study at 40 {Bosh hu-shanfih, 316 : the same is affirmed of 'Akiba in tlie late writi…
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A coniparati\ely early tradition enjoined that the collectors of charity should travel in couples (Habii Bathra, Sb). When the son of Rahhan Gamaliel (the grandson of St. Paul's Gamaliel) was ill, the distressed father sent two of his disciples to R. Chanina ben Dosa to request his prayers (Berak., 'Hh). The 5 zufjoth …
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Two other passages cannot be entirely passed over, although little or nothing can be said in illustration : the reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in the baptismal formula (Mt 28'"), and tlie words ascribed to the risen Lord in the Ajtocalypse : ' I am the first, and the last, and the living one' (Rev…
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This use may have been aided bv the constant recurrence of the 12 months of the year, but it is not safe to follow Dr. A. Jeremias (Dabylonisehes iin ST, 88) in connecting the num- ber of the Apostles even indirectlv with the 12 signs of the zodiac. He does not, indeed, venture to affirm that this lav in the consciousn…
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Literature. — Art. 'Zahlen' in Winer, RWB'i; Riehm, HWB'-, and Guthe, Bibelworterbuch : artt. 'Forty' and 'Num- ber' in the Jewinh Encyc. ; art. 'Number' in Encijc. Bibl. and in Hastings' DB iii. 560'>ff. ; Konig, Stiluitik, 51-57. W. Taylor Smith. NUNC DIMITTIS (Lk 2^-^-), so called from the opening words in the Lat…
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Public-domain historical reference work (1906–1908); OCR text from Internet Archive. Historical scholarship and terminology reflect its era; OCR may contain errors. Verify quotations and current scholarly claims independently.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.