* It would be truer to say that the pariah dois have de: from the former.
Id be truer to say that the panah dois have de^ene- 1 the sheep-dogs thau that the latter have developed
ANIMALS
ANIMALS
G5
Here the word is not confined to ' beasts of prey ' ; it stands for the whole l<ingdoni of wild animals. There is a similar use of the word in a saving of our Lord as given by Justin Martyr ; ' Be not anxious as to what ye shall oat or what ye shall put on : are ye not much better than tlie liirds and the beastsV (1 Aiiul. 15). These considerations sup))ort the conclusion that St. .Mark's addition does not imply physical danger, but is rather intended to suggest that our Lord was alone with Nature.
Two beasts of prey mentioned by name in the Gospels are the fox {aXunr-qi) and the wolf (\vkos). The fox, which has at least a hole to live in, is contrasted with the homeless Son of Man (Mt 8^", Lk 9^8). In Lk 13»^ our Lord speaks of Herod as ' that fox.' The cunning and perhaps the cowardice of the animal are the basis of the comparison. ' The name,' saj's O. Holtzmann, ' iimst have been given to Herod because he was inimical, yet, not daring to make any open attack, timidly prowled about until he found an opportunity to murder in secret' (Life of Jesus, p. 364).
The wolf is mentioned only in connexion with or in contrast to sheep. The wolf is the chief enemy against which the shepherd has to guard his flock. ' A single wolf,' says Tristram, ' is far more destructive than a whole pack of jackals ' (Nat. Hist. p. 153). Eastern shepherds employ dogs (if they employ them at all) not to help in herding the sheep, but to ward off wolves. In contrast to the hireling, the Good Shepherd faces the wolf even at the risk of his life (Jn 10'=). False prophets are wolves in sheep's clothing (Mt 7'*). The contrast between outward profession and inward cliaracter could not' be more vividly expressed. The same antitliesis is used by our Lord to portray the contrast between the Church and the world, between the patient non-resistance of the one and the brutal violence of the other. The disciples are sent forth as sheep (Lk. as lambs) into the midst of wolves (Mt 10'«, Lk 10^).
2. The general term for wild birds is ra Trereii/d, ' the birds,' often ra ireTeiva tou ovfjanoO, ' the birds of heaven.' They are mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount : ' Consider the birds : they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns' (Mt 6-*; in the parallel passage, Lk 12^, the reading is KdpaKas, 'ravens,' which, however, are themselves called ireTcivd at the end of the verse). Dean Stanley says , that the birds most in evidence round the Sea of Galilee are partridges and pigeons. Finches and bulbuls are also aljundant, accord- ing to Thomson. For the doctrine of providence involved in this and similar sayings of our Lord, we must refer our readers to g'iv. Like the foxes, the birds are contrasted with the Son of Man ; they have nests, while He Iiath not where to lay His head (Mt 8*, Lk 9^8). The birds appear in the parable of the Sower, where tliey pick up the seed that falls by the wayside (Mt l'3^ Mk 4-', Lk 8"). No doubt the lields round the lake, with the birds busy upon them, could be seen from the place where Jesus stood to teach the people. Prob- ably the parable was spoken early in the year. The parable of the Mustard Seed also introduces the birds, which come and lodge in the branches of the full-grown tree (Mt 13=-, Mk 4-^ Lk 13'"). Here the imagery seems to be drawn from Dn 4''-' ■-', where the kingdom of Nebuchadrezzar is likened to a tree ' upon whose branches the birds of the heavens had their habitations.' Daniel interprets the tree to represent the greatness of Nebuchadrezzar's dominion, which is to reach to the end of the earth. The description in the parable carries with it the same implication with regard to the kingdom of heaven. There is one other reference to ' the birds ' in Lk 12=* ' How much better are ye than the birds ! '
The following particular wild birds are men- tioned in the Gospels: — dove (pigeon), eagle, raven, sparrow, turtle-dove. VOL. 1. — 5
In all four Gospels the dove appears as the symbol of the Holy Ghost .it cmu' T-unl's llapli^m In Mt SiHhe vision of the ll.il,\ i;ii.i-i .!, ., ,i,liiiu in the form of a dove (licrd ^ ■ . ; i . nn-. in have been granted to all prorni ,ii ili,. {'..iptisiii. In Mk 11" and Lk 3== the vision is ap|)areutly addressed more especially to Jesus Himself. In Jn 1'= it is a sign given to John the Baptist. In the story of the Creation, a metaphor from liird-life is employed to describe the Spirit of God fluttering (KVm 'brooding') over the waters (Gn P). The same Spirit rests on the Saviour with whom begins God's new creation. But the mention of the dove naturally carries us back to the sti.i y of the Flood (Gn 8"). For Jesus the dove wii h oin , .l.^f after the Flood is the emblem of the Siiiiil [.\. I',. Bruce in Expositor's Greek Tcsttuiinit, on Mt 3i«). The Holy Ghost in the form of a ilove typilies the hope of the gospel, peace between man and God. In cleansing the Temple - court our Lord came upon them that sold doves for sacritice. It is to these dove-sellers that the words in Jn 2'" are addressed, ' Take these things hence.' The cattle can be driven out : the doves must be carried out. This detail, which is perfectly natural, is recorded only in John, who con.sequently mentions 'doves' twice (Jn 2"- ■"), while Matthew .-md Mark have only one reference each (Mt 2I'=, Mk ll"").