Christ plainly claims supremacy over the moral nature of man, over human conscience and human destiny — a supremacy extending through all time, and without limitation. His association with or subordination to the Father is not referred to as limiting, but rather as justifying His OAvn claim (Mt 16^', Jn 5'«-2'?). On His own sole word He reverses human standards of judgment (Mt 5^"^" 19^", Lk 6'^""'^^). He expands, modifies, or abolishes by His own ' I say unto you,' laws or institutions which were admittedly Divine in their origin (Mt 5. 193-9 . cf. 728. 29) Yet at the same time He refuses to enter into competition with temi)oral rulers, or to give decisions, as even a prophet might have done, on human matters of dispute (Jn 6'', Lk 2213. i-t), jjis supremacy is too great and too com- prehensive for Him to involve Himself in such con- troversies, ■\\liicli men Avill learn to settle when they have learned the greater lesson. His words. He asserts, are more lasting than heaven and earth (Mt 24^^). He proclaims Himself King and Judge of the Kingdom which He is founding. The mem- bers of it are His servants, and responsible to Him alone (Mt 24. 25, Mk IS^^'^', Lk 1235-^8). But His supremacy extends beyond the limits of His own Kingdom. He claims to be the final Judge of all the nations, to allot the eternal ]ninishment or re- ward of every individual soul (INIt 16-' 253'-'*'' ; cf. Mk 13-'"- -^ Lk 2127- 36). And this universal dominion over both matter and spirit is expressed finally in the tremendous closing verses of Mt., 'All authority hath been given (iSdOr), the aorist of an eternal fact) unto me in heaven and in earth.' It is indeed in this Gospel that the claim of Christ to be King and Judge of all men is stated in the most detailed and vivid manner. But there is no inconsistency with the other Gospels. A similar claim is implied in all ; cf. est). Lk W^-^'.
In the Acts, Christ is preached by the Apostles as ' Lord ' (2^^), as ' prince (dpx-nyi's) of life ' (3'^), as universal Judge of men (lO"*- 17^'). St. Paul from the moment of his c<mversion speaks of Jesus as his absolute Master, whose 'slave' he is (Ro 1'), whose ' marks ' he bears branded upon his body
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SURPRISE
(Gal 6^''). The descriptions of the nature and office of Christ in the Epistles of the First Imprisonment state and justify this supremacy in the most start- ling and comprehensive manner. ' In the name of Jesus ' all creation must bow ; all creation must confess His Lordship (Ph 2^"- "). All things have been created through Him and unto Him : creation not only starts from Him, but converges in Him (Col P""^^). Christ is the ' head of all principality and power' (2^"). All things are 'in subjection under his feet ' (Eph pi- 22).
This supremacy of Christ is again the most char- acteristic feature of the teaching of the Epistle to the Hebrews. Everywhere the eye of the believer is directed to Him (2^ 31 4" 8^ 122-3 i3S.20)_ His figure dominates the whole of man's life ; and the writer plainly implies that this sujireraacy is essen- tial and indefeasible.
The same teaching appears in a more pictorial form in the changing scenery of the Apocalypse. Christ receives the homage of all creation (Rev 5®"^*), He is associated with God the Father in the possession of 'the kingdom of the world' (IP^), He Himself is ' King of kings and Lord of lords ' (19ii-i«).
Christian worship, Christian art, Christian suffer- ings are full of the same testimony. Christ is worshipped personally as Lord and God. He is portrayed as universal ruler, bearing the insignia of empire over all the thoughts and needs and works of men. The martyrs incurred the reproach of disloyalty to temporal rulers, nay, even of being enemies to human society, by their unswerving allegiance to Christ as supreme over all human laws and customs. Polycarp, confronted with death, confesses Him as 'Saviour and King.' The narrative of his martyrdom contrasts the brief authority of Jewish and Roman officials with ' the reign of the eternal King, Jesus Christ ' (Letter of the Smyrnceans, 21).
The Christ of the Gospels, the Christ of Chris- tian experience, must be sujireme or nothing at all. The idea of a limited or temporary supremacy is self-contradictory. The Christian conscience, how- ever laggard the will, cannot but confess the justice of the Master's question : ' Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say ? ' (Lk 6^"). See also artt. Authority of Christ, Divinity of Christ, King, Lord.
Literature. — Liddon, Divinity of our Lord (Bampton Lec- tures, 1866) ; Gore, Incarnation of the Son of God (do. 1891) ; Seeley, Ecce Homo, 1866 ; Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 1883 ; P^re Didon, Jisus Christ, 1891 ; Sanday, art. ' Jesus Christ ' in Hastings' DB ; Westcott, Christus Con- summator, 1887 ; Ellicott, Christus Comprobator, 1891 ; Stubbs, Christus Imperator, 1894. A. R. WhITHAM.
SURPRISE. — The word has an objective as well as a subjective reference : it means both ' the act of taking unawares ' and ' the emotion caused by anything sudden.' The emotion is closely akin to ivonder, ' the state of mind produced by something new, unexpected, or extraordinary'; but sudden emergence is its distinctive characteristic. It may enter in as an element in disapjjointment, when hopes are defeated, purposes miscarry, or efforts are frustrated suddenly. When the nature of an object is inexplicable, unintelligible, when the occurrence of an event is unexpected, uncalculated, surprise is felt. It necessarily implies limitation of knowledge, an incapacity of the subject know- ing to completely possess and command in thought the object known. In the objective reference, some instances of surprise, or at least the attempt to surprise, are found in the Gospels. The enemies of Jesus tried to ' catch Him in talk ' (Mk 12'^ Lk IP'') by the questions they put to Him. They ' watched Him whether He would heal on the Sabbath day, that they might find an accusation