The meaning of the word, or at least part of the meaning, is suggested by vo\v\oyia in the latter part of the verse. What our Lord condemns is clearly verbosity, the unthinking use of many words, and perhaps also the formal, careless use of expressions which are in themselves appropriate. The reference to Gentile errors in this respect is well illustrated by the cry of the priests of Baal on Carmel (IK 18'*), and the shout of the Ephesian mob, kept up for more than an hour (Ac 19-''*). Additional illustrations are supplied by Hindu practice (Ward, cited by Rosenmiiller, Das alte unci iieue Morgenland, v. 38 f.) and Tibetan Buddhism (Rhys David, Buddhism, 209 f.). For an Egyptian condemnation of the practice see ExpT iv. 537. That the later Jews were liable to wordiness in prayer might be inferred from the Lord's warn- ings, and is put beyond doubt by a number of pas- sages in the Talmud. It is noted with approval {Bcrakh. 326) that the righteous of an earlier age used to devote three hours a day to prayer and six hours to waiting, an hour before and an hour after each hour of prayer. R. Meir (of 2nd cent, a.d.) is reported to have said that a man ought to utter a hundred benedictions in a day (Menahoth, 4Sb). R. Shimeon ben Nathanael, one of the disciples of R. Jochanan ben Zakai, warned his hearers against formalism : ' When thou prayest, make not thy prayer an ordinance, but an entreaty before God ' {'Abdth, ii. 17, ed. Taylor). The threefold repeti- tion of the ' Eighteen Blessings,' a custom the germ of which may have begun to develop in our Lord's day, was of itself calculated to encourage formal repetition. Some of the Rabbis recognized the peril and tried to check the tendency. An instance of verbosity which elicited a rebuke from a Rabbi is given in Berakh. 336, ' O God, great, mighty.
500
KEPOSE
REPROACH
awful, glorious, strong, terrible,' etc. Vain repeti- tions are still in favour in the East, in Islam and its sects (Robinson Lees, Village Life in Palestine^, pp. 48, 51 f. ; John P. Brown, Dervishes, p. 57).
Literature. — Besides the authorities cited above, see Wet- stein and Zahn on Mt 6'' ; Bischoff, Jesus und die liabbinen,
1905, p. 71. W. Taylor Smith.
REPOSE. — 1. It seems superfluous to labour {e.g. as Liddon, Bampton Lecture, p. 20 ; Edersheim, Lf i. 599 f.) the point that Jesus needed repose, bodily rest, relaxation, as witnessing to His real human nature. This feature of His experience, along with others, appears as a quite simple and natural thing in the picture of the Prophet of Nazareth as presented by the primitive Evan- gelical tradition. The Synoptics repeatedly speak of the crowds that gathered about Jesus in the course of His work. The brief story is full of movement, press, and popular excitement. With- drawal from time to time for rest and prayer was simply imperative. Mark conspicuously calls at- tention (as in 6^^ SeOre . . . k. avawavaaade oKlyov) to the various occasions when Jesus sought escape and relief from the crush. The Fourth Gospel, too, for all its peculiar portrayal of Jesus, accords M'ith the Synoptics in this description of His ministry : see especially the mention of popular excitement in Jerusalem and elsewhere in chs. 6. 7 and 10. Nor must we overlook in another con- nexion the homely picture of Jesus resting, tired out with His journey, given in Jn 4^. This in a way matches the memorable picture found in the threefold Synoptic narrative, in which the Master beats a speedy retreat after one busy and exhaust- ing day, and sleeps like a child through the storm (Mk 4^^'^8 II). At the same time it is to be noted that undoubtedly Jesus sought by such with- drawals from public life not only repose and relief, but also opportunities for the special instruction of the Twelve. As particular instances of this, Mk 3^^ and 7^"*'' may be cited (see Bruce, art. 'Jesus,' § 11, in EBi, vol. ii.).
2. Repose of spirit as a trait in the character of Jesus abundantly appears in the Gospels. If in doing the works of Him that sent Him (Jn 9^) He often seems ' ohne Rast,' He is always in manner and spirit ' ohne Hast.' Suppliants for His help in liealing tlie sick are often frantic in their appeals ; He in responding ever displays composure and deliberation. Contrast, e.g., the entreaties of Jairus (Mk 5'-^'-) and the calmness of the whole attitude of Jesus (v.^^) ; the quiet response, ' I will come and heal him' (Mt 8''), and the hurried, eager request of the Roman captain on behalf of his servant. These are typical instances. John pre- sents the same feature in the description of our Lord's behaviour on hearing of the sickness of Lazarus (ch. 11). The paroxysm of grief which shakes Him when He comes to His friend's grave (vv. 33-38) only throws into relief the normal com- posui-e which recovers itself in v."*"-. Such, too, is the relation of Gethsemane's agony to the calm dignity wliich shows itself through all the rest of the Via Dolorosa. It is also a characteristic of the teaching of Jesus that there is an entire absence of the impatience, fuss, and strain which so often characterize the schemes of social and religious work launched by His well-meaning followers. With all tlie zeal and diligence that His sayings lay stress on. He ahvays speaks witli the accent of one who can afford to wait. It is not a mere matter of chance that serenity sits on the face of the Lord, as He is represented in the unbroken tradition of Christian art.