* See The New Testament in the Apostolic Fathert, Oxford, 1905.
706
TEARS
TEARS
books representing founders of religions ; but they receded furtlier from the earlier type of Christian written Gospel, of which the four in the Church's canon are the most perfect samples.
See also artt. Discourse, Illustrations, Originality, Parable, etc.
Literature. — As bearing on the form of Jesus' teaching and its leading terms, so far as determined by their original Aramaic character, Dalman's Die Worte Jesu is invaluable [Eng. tr. of first pa,rt='fhe Words of Jesus, Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1902], Equally fundamental for the meaning of Jesus' teaching in the Synoptics, compared also with that in the Fourth Gospel, is Wendt, Die Lehre Jesu [Eng. tr. The Teaching of Jesus, 2 vols., Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1892] ; cf. A. B. Bruce, The Kingdom of God, Edinburgh, 1890, The Parabolic Teaching of Christ, London, 1889. Perhaps the best book in English on the whole subject is Latham's Pastor Pastorum (Cambridge, 1890), which gives special attention to ' the way in which our Lord taught His disciples, both in what He did and in what He refrained from doing' and saying-. Incidental help is also afforded by the larger Lives of Christ ; while the articles on ' Knowledge ' and ' Teaching ' in Bible Dictionaries and Encyclo- paedias often contain a section on our special subject.
Vernon Bartlet. rEARS.— The only two passages in EV of the Gospels where tears are mentioned are Mk 9'^"*, where the father of the epileptic lad is said in AV to have cried out with tears, ' Loi'd, I believe , help thou mine unbelief ' [RV, however, following decidedly the best INISS, omits the words ' wit'.i tears '] ; and Lk T^'"*^, where, in Simon the Phari- see's house, the penitent harlot washed Avith her tears the Saviour's feet. If, however, we enlarge our article by references to weeping, we have several instances of sorrow calling forth those tears Avhich are its frequent, but by no means in- variable, expression. Mary of Magdala wept when on the third day after the crucifixion she found that the body of her beloved Lord was no longer in Joseph's sejDulchre ( Jn 20^^'^^). Peter wept tears of bitter shame when the sound of the cock-crowing brought home to him his sin in denying the Master on the night of betrayal (Mk 14"'^' and parallels). In each of these cases it may be useful to notice that tears were turned into joy ; for to the penitent woman Christ said, 'Go in peace'; Mary's grief was changed to adoring rapture when the risen Saviour pronounced her name ; and to Peter, by a special revelation of grace, He granted the blessedness of the man whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered. In no case was the lamenta- tion vain remorse, like that of Esau, who found no place of repentance, though he sought the blessing of his father diligently with tears (He 121^.
Most important of all are the passages where Jesus Himself is reported to have wept. They are three. ( 1 ) On the day when He rode into Jerusalem on the ass's colt, while the multitudes were rejoic- ing with shouts of Hosanna, His heart was not in tune with their mirth. Lk 19^^ says that when He was come nigh, He saw the city, and wept over it. There was good reason for His wails. [The word ^K\av(rev does not actually express tears so much as loud cries]. The sins which that city had com- mitted in killing the prophets and stoning them that were sent unto her — sins which were to cul- minate in a few days when He Himself was to be the victim of their malice — lay sore on the heart of Him who would gladly have gathered her chil- dren together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and who saw His salvation re- jected. The dishonour done to His Father and the degradation of His Father's house filled Him with a grief which not only made rivers of waters run down His eyes, but drew words of indignation from His lips. The sorrows which were about to swamp Jerusalem in a flood of woe wrung from His heart the agonizing cry, ' If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto j)eace ! but now they are hid from thine eyes' (Lk
19*-). It was not for Himself that He lamented, nor for Himself that He would allow tears to be shed by others. Even while He was ready to faint under the load of the cross that was to be His anguish and shame. He said, ' Daughters of Jeru- salem, weep not for me.' If they had tears, let them prepare to shed them now for themselves and for their children, because of the fearful tragedies that were to be enacted in their city ere a few years had passed (Lk 23^''"^'). The Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Is 53^) was in His characteristic attitude of agonizing for others when the load of their sins lay heavily upon Him that day, and He was like the prophet (Jer 9^) who wished that his head were waters and his eyes a fountain of tears, that he might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of his people.