469
a crown, a kingdom, or an army, and therefore only fit to be ridiculed. — The Jew scoffed at His claim to be called the Messiah. The Gentile scoffed at His claim to be regarded as a King. The cross and the apparent weakness were, as usual, the stumbling- stone in both cases.
88. — [A superscription,,. Greek.., Latin.,, Hebrew.] All careful read- ers of the Bible must have observed that the superscription placed over our Lord's head on the cross is variously given by the Gospel-writers. Each one reports it in a manner slightly different from the other three. This apparent discrepancy has given rise to various explanations.
In order to solve the difficulty, we must remember that the superscription was written in three different languages. Greek was the language best known in the world at the time when our Iiord was cnicined, and there was a Greek superscription for the benefit of strangers from foreign parts. — Latin was the language of the Romans, and there was a Latin superscription, because the sentence on our Lord was passed by a Latin judge, and executed by Latin soldiers. — Hebrew was the language of the Jews, and there was a superscription in the Hebrew tongue, or in some dialect of the Hebrew, because Jesus was crucified as a Jew, that all Jews might see it. — But for anything we know, the superscription in each language may have slightly varied from the superscription in other languages. Matthew may have re- corded it as it was in Hebrew, — ^Mark as it was in Latin, — Luke as it was in Greek ; — and John, writing many years after the others, may have given the general substance of the other three.
This solution of the difficulty appears reasonable, and prefer- able to any other.
[The King of the Jews.] Let it be observed, that our Lord was cnicified at last as a Ring. He came to set up a spiritual kingdom, and as a King He died.