make it necessary to affirm that the words of Jesus are incorrectly reported. But here Mt. is evidently dependent upon the collection of narratives by Mk. , not Jlk. upon the collection of sayings made by Matthew. Mt. and !Mk. are not two independent witnesses. We may not be able to account satisfactorily for the misunderstanding of Mk. in- this case, but his testimony could hardljy ofl'set that of Jn., unless we were obliged, which we are not, to suppose that Mk. got his informa- tion on this point directly from Peter. Even if this were so, we should have to make our choice between Peter and Jn., which, in view of all the facts, would turn out in favour of the latter.
The significance of the feeding of the multitude for the humaneness of Jesus is not less great than that of the healings. The power was His, and He used it for the good of His fellow-men in whatever way was needful for their immediate welfare, and for setting an example of helpfulness in the everj-- daj; affairs of life to His disciples in all the cen- turies to follow.
Literature.— Trench and Taylor on Miracles; Edersheini, Ly'/e and Times^ i. 6T5ff., ii. 63 ff. ; Andrews, Life of our Lord [1893 ed.], 320£f., 333£E. ; Bruce, Training of the Tu-elce, 118; Westcott, Gosp. of St. John, in loc.
C. W. RiSHELL.
FEET. — The word occurs frequently in the Gospels. Figuratively it has a wide range of meaning. It is emplojed in phrases which express worthlessness (' to be trodden under foot,' Mt 5'^), supplication ('fell at his feet,' ilk 5~ 7^), great honour or reverence (Lk V^'''^ the woman who kissed Jesus' feet; Jn 11= Mary; Mt 28' 'held him by the feet'), ignorant or blasphemous con- tempt (Mt 7" 'trample under foot'), righteous condemnation or rejection (Mt 10" '.shake dust off feet '), salvation through sacrifice (Mt 18' !! Mk 9^^ cutting off hand or foot), discipleship (Lk 8" cured demoniac sitting at Jesus' feet ; \&^ Mary), helplessness (Mt 22'^ 'bind band and foot'), com- plete triumph (Mt 22-"i|Mk 12^1lLk 20" enemies of Messianic King put under His feet), absolute safety (Mt 4''[|Lk 4" 'lest thou dash thy foot against a stone'), subjection (Mt 5^* earth the footstool of God's feet). In washing the feet of the disciples Jesus inculcates lessons of humility, mutual service, and the need of daily cleansing from sin (Jn IS^"). See artt. Basox, Foot.
Of the feet of Jesus Himself mention is made in the NT very frequently. Before His feet suppli- ants fell down (Mk o-- 7==, Lk 8^'), and also a Samaritan who returned to gi\'o thanks (Lk 17'"). At His feet sutl'erers were laid to be healed (Mt 15=°). Neglectful of the courtesies of a host, Simon the Pharisee gave Him no water to refresh His feet (Lk 7") ; but a sinful woman on the same occasion Avet His feet Avith her tears, wiped them with the hair of her head, kissed them, and anointed them with ointment (7^- "^O ; and Mary of Bethany showed her great love and gratitude in a similar fashion, wlien she lavished the contents of her alabaster cruse of precious spikenard (Jn 11" 12^; cf. Mt 26', Mk 14^) upon the feet which had brought the Lord from beyond Jordan (.Jn 10^" IF) to speak the life-giving word at her brother's grave (lljjf.) At Jesus feet the restored demoniac sat (Lk 8^), like Mary afterwards when she 'heard his word' (\(P). The two angels who guarded the .sepulchre were seen sitting ' tlie one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain' (Jn 20"=). It was His feet that the two Marys clung to when they first met Jesus on the Resurrection morning. [T'liough love prompted them to lay hold of Him, did reverence forbid them to touch more than His feet?]. AVhen Jesus in the upper room slio«ed His hands and His feet to His disciples (Lk 24="'-), it was doubtless
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to prove to them that He who now stood before them, was the same Jesus who by hands and feet had been nailed to the cross (cf. Jn 20-''- -'• -'). St. Paul says of the ascended Christ that all things are put under His feet (Eph 1-), and that beneath His feet deatli itself shall be destroyed (1 Co 15"-^<^-). And in the IJook of Revelation, when the heavenly Jesus appears to the seer of Patmos, the place of His feet has been made glorious (cf. Is 60"). Those feet which were dust-stained in the house of Simon the Pharisee, and weary by the well of Sychar (Jn 4"), and pierced with nails on the cross of Calvary, are now ' like unto Kne brass, as if they burned in a furnace' (Rev 1'^, cf. 2'").
It has been questioned whether the feet of Jesus were nailed to the cross. The doubt is based on the facts that in the Fourth Gospel Jesus men- tions only His hands and side (Jn 20="), and that sometimes in crucifixion the feet were simply tied to the cross. The nailing of the feet of Jesus would not have been disputed were it not part of an argument to prove that He did not really die on the cross. ' That the feet were usually nailed (in crucifixion), and that the case of Jesus was no exception to the general rule, may be regarded as beyond doulit' (Meyer on Mt 27^*). There is a difference of opinion as to whether the feet of Jesus were nailed to the cross separately, with two nails, or the one over the other with the same nail. In early art the feet are more fre- quently represented as separately nailed, but in later art as nailed together, the one over the other. Tradition favours the opinion that the feet were nailed separately. See art. Crucifixion.