More conservative criticism, while recognizing the secondary character of Mk 1 1="-^, and perhaps admitting the fundamental identity of the sym- bolic cursing with the parable whose lesson is so obviously the same, may still demand more evi- dence before it surrenders the possibility that our Second Evangelist retains a substantially trust- worthy tradition of the actual site and occasion of the utterance.
i. Thcfig-trcc of Xathanacl (Jn 1^). Symbolism admittedly enters to so large a degi-ee into the narrative of the Fourth Gospel (cf. e.g. Jn 9' 12**). that it is not surprising if the more radical .school of interpreters, looking upon it as the uniform pro- duct of an allegorizing fancy, should find in the unexplained reference of .Tii 1^' the suggestion of an allegorical sense, the hg-tree having the sym- bolic meaning of religious instruction applied in the Talmud, or even playing the part of the sacred Bo-tree (Ficus rehgiosa) in Buddhist legend. The fact that commentators from Schoettgen and Lightfoot (Hor. Heb. ad loc.) downwards have inferred that Nathanael was ' aut orans, aut legens, ant meditans, aut aliquid religiosum praestans ' is proof that this mental association is natural ; but it cannot be truly said that the Evangelist alle- gorizes. The words ' when thou wast under the fig-tree ' are obscure, not because we fail to apply the key, but because the Evangelist has left some- thing lacking. He utters an enigma, but gives no other clue than the recognition by Nathanael of Je.sus' supernatural knowledge. He wishes the reader to guess that Jesus had here proved Him- self the KapSioTfi'uiiTTTjs \6yos (cf. Wis l"'*), as in the case of the Samaritan Woman later (4"""- ^) ; but he either does not trouble himself, or was unable, to relate the facts.
Cheyne indeed (Encj/c. Bibl. s.v. 'Nathanael') considers the usual explanation ' hardly adequate. If it simply means, " when thou hadst retired under the shade of the fig-tree for meditation or prayer," we ask why the Evangelist did not express the Waster's meaning more distinctly (contrast Jn 4'8).' His answer is a conjectural emendation of the Hebrew (!) in a supposititious .source of the Gospel, JSOfiO njiSl ' when thou wast making supplication,* for rtjxnn nn^ nijiNi 'when thou wast under the fi^-tree.' But conjecture of this sort discredits itself. To every reader it is manifest th.it an element of the narrative is intentionally or unintentinnnl]\' suppresse<i. If it be granted that ' the Fourth Gospel is a cniuposite work,' it is not unreasonable to suppose its compiler to have left untranscrihed that portion of his source which would have ex- plained the allusion to the fig-tree, just as he has omitted in his storv of the feeding of the multitude (di**") Jesus' motive for the miracle (logical lacvtue of this character form indeed a distinc- tive feature of this Gospel],
If the traditional view be maintained, the Evan- gelist's reserve will be accounted for as reflecting the enigmatic nature of the actual dialogue, which, so far as bystanders were able to perceive, had no further explanation.
I.iTRRATirBB,— Besides the works referred to in the art. the
• : Trench, Miracles' "/•, p. 413ff. ;Liddon, ; Oodct and Weslcott,
xii. 28.
B. W. Bacon.
FIRE
FIRST AND LAST
595
FIRE (ttCp except in Mk 14'"' = Lk 22=" where (pQs occurs) is referred to in the Gospels much more t'requentl}' iu a figurati\e tlian in a literal senso.
1. The allusions to /itnril fire are the following, (ffl) Those concerned with the domestic use of tire for heating and cooking. In the better houses in Palestine the rooms were warmed by charcoal fires in portable braziers ; in poorer houses the wood or other fuel was burned in a liollow in the earthen floor. The lire into which tlie epileptic boy fell (Mt 17'* = Mk 9--') would be of tlie latter descrip- tion. Tlie lire of coals kindled for warmth in the middle of the cdiirl cif tlir lii-li prji-,fs house (Mk 145^=Lk -J-J--'---', .III is'-i, :,u.l ili:i( .■iiiployed for cookiii-oii tlii-slHDcdi ihr l,;ik.' .,t (;;ii;icc(Jn2I»), wouhl lie charcoal lives .,n llir -nmud. (6) Fire from heaven {lightning, or sonietlung of the same kind, natural or miraculous) ^^■as a frequent form of Divine judgment in OT. One instance of this (the destruction of Sodom) is recalled in Lk 17-", and another (in the life of Elijah) ijrompted the feeling and suggested the question of James and JohninLk9«.
2, Thefgtirativc references to lire arp of v,^rious kinds. Since wood which was \\(.>it]ili-;s for any other purpose was used as fui.'l, liic bi-raiue an emblem of the judgment await mi; sj.iritiuil un- fruitfulness (Mt 3"'=Lk 3», Mt 7"', Jn io"j. A similar idea was suggested by the burning of other worthless things, such as chaff (Mt 3'- = Lk S") and tares (Mt 13'»- •">• ^-). The ' furnace of fire,' which is part of the natural imagery of the parable of the Tares, becomes, in the parable of the Drag-net, a standing expression for the destiny of the wicked (Mt 13™). Similarly we have 'eternal' (RV) or 'everlasting' (AV) fire (Mt 18' 20-"), 'unquench- able' fire (Mt 3'2=Lk 3", Mk 9«- J»), and (RVm) 'the Gehenna of fire' (RV 'the hell of fire,' AV
Mt
' hell fire ') in Mt last of these exjircssioi text as the otlMi Umi meaning. From llir < of Hinnom the namr '. been appropriated in .lew i-li lliou'jiil t of the final punishment (■! I In' « i.k.M burning and corruijtioii, in wliiili Imil spirit would be tortured. In tin' p.i^ mentioned our Lord must be nmlin -tcio jjopular religious language of His tim may have been in a less literal and nm sense than usual. To the gi-onp of sa 9^'-«is attached another (Mk »^''), in ■ the emblem of the self-discipline in tli which the destruction of Gehenna : world is to be avoided. The <h-«trn fire made the phrase ' I will ,-( n.l lire form of prophetic Divine threaleniiej this phrase is taken nji hy (lni-l (I.I pressing, in one' aspeet, the n-nll nf