In Luke vi, 1 we have the above-noted phrase, aafi- ficiTOi' otvTipi'nrpwToi', rendered in the A. V. " The sec- ond Sabbath after the first." It is over-hasty, after a few MSS., to blot out the second word as not genuine, though even Jleyer does so. AVho could have inserted it? And is not the omission of a word which nobody understood easily accounted for in the few instances in which it takes place? To strike out a word simply as strange is too uncritical to be borne. The various older interpretations are collected in Wolf, Cur. i, 019 sq. ; Kus, Harm. Ecang. p. 639 sq. ; Paulus, Comm. ii, 32 sq. It is usually regarded as the first Sabbath after the second Easter-day (comp. Lev. xxiii, 15, and the Sept.), since from this day to the Passover seven Sab- baths were reckoned (Lev. I. c), and these may well have been distinguished by their numbers — the first, second, third, etc., after the second Easter-day (Scali- ger, De Emend. Temp. p. 557 ; Casaub. Exercit. Aniihar. p. 272; Bauer, op. cit. ii, 154). Olshausen's objections to this view do not seem to be forcible. His own ex- planation (fiillowing Beza and Paulus), the first Sab- bath of two during a feast, is not plausible. A peculiar name would hardly be given to this; and, even if given, would be of no importance to the evangelist. jMore- over, in such a case the phrase would be inappropriate at best. Credner's view [Beitr. z. Eirtl. ins N, T, i, 357) is rightly answered by De Wette, On Liike, 1. c. The objections made by Paulus and otliers to our interpreta- tion have been well answered by Liibkert (in the Stu- dien ii. Krit. 1835, iii, 664 sq.). Yet he takes no notice of P. Ewald's suggestion (in the Nen. Icrit. Jotim. d. Theol. ii, 480) that the phrase may easily be an abridged Hebrew expression for the second Sabbath after the second Paschal day; in which, however, the proof that such a phrase was in use in the age of Jesus is wanting. Hitzig understands it to mean the 15th of Nisan, which, according to Lev. xxiii, 11, was considered as a Sab- bath, following the 14th, which had always been a Sab- bath. This, however, is unsupported. Wieseler gives {Chronol. Sgnap. p. 231 sq.) an interpretation intimately connected with liis whole system, that it is the first Sabbath in the second year of the seven years, reckoned from one sabbatical year to another; i. e. the first Sab- bath of Nisan. Here it is assumed that a technical term was appropriated to the first Sabbath of every year in such a scries of years; which is the less proba- ble, as the civil year, with wliich the sabbatical year is connected (comp. Wieseler, p. 204 sq.). began in autumn. Add to this that no mode of reckoning in practical life by Sabbath years has been proved from Joseph us {Ant. xiv, 10, 5 and G), nor from the Mishna. In fine, the effort of Redslob to refer this phrase to the second Sab- bath after the second Easter-day by the force of the word SevTEpo-rrpwrov {I/all. Lit.-Z. 1847; Int. Bl. No. 70) seems to be a mistake. See Skcond-first Sabbath. IX.— N
Of equal regard witli the Sabbath, as a day of entire rest, was the first Paschal daj' and the last (Lev. xxiii, 39), while the great day of reconciliation was a Sabbath of Sabbaths (xvi, 31; xxiii, 32). Accordingly, some would understand the words in John xix, 31 (j/j/ fieya- Xjj i) I'li-upa tKtii'ov Tou (Tal3j3c(Tov, rendered in the A. V. ^'J'or tliut Sabbath day was a high day") of the first Paschal day. But a proper weekly Sabbath seems certainly to be meant, in harmony with the entire re- lation of John; e. g. with xxi, 1. It is called a g7eat or high day because the first Paschal day fell upon it (see Carpzov, App. p. 384; Bleek, Beitr. z. Evungdim- Krilik, p. 31 sq.).
The Sabbath is kept by the modern Jews as a great festival with every demonstration of jiiy, taking the idea from Isa. xviii, 13, 14: "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call tlie Sabbath a d( light, the hu]y of the Lord, honorable . . . then shalt thou delight thy- self in the Lord, and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth," etc. The Sabbath is held from evening to evening (Lev. xxiii, 32), but they be- gin it half an hour before sunset on Friday, and prolong it till half an hour after sunset on Saturday, for the benefit of the souls of the damned, who, they believe, are allowed on that day suspension of their sufferings. On Friday afternoon they prepare all the food, etc., that may be wanted, and lay out their best clothes to wear in honor of "Queen Sabbath." Some opulent Jews keep magnificent dresses to be worn on the Sabbath alone. As soon as the Sabbath commences, the mistress of the house lights the Sabbath lamp, which is filled with pure olive-oil, and has from four to seven wicks, and lays on the table the Sabbath bread, shaped like a twisted yjlait, made of the finest wheaten fiour, and sprinkled with poppy seeds. They go to the syna- gogue, and after their devotions wish each other "a good Sabbath." At supper, the master of the house re- peats the commemoration of the Sabbath out of Gen. ii, " Thus the heavens were finished," etc. ; thanks God for the Sabbath, blesses the wine, and passes it round. They rise later than usual on the Sabbath morning; and at the synagogue they use some additional devo- tions, with a commemoration of the dead. Tliey think it right to eat at least three meals on the Sabbath, be- cause the word " to-day" relating to the Sabbath is re- peated three times in Exod. xvi, 25. So convinced are they that one way of honoring the Sabbath is by great feasting that they sometimes fast the preceding day to enable them to eat the more at the Sabbath meals (Buxtorf, Sgn. Jud, c. 15). There is a Jewish maxim, that he is greatly to be commended who honors the Sabbath exceedingly in his body, in his dress, and in eating and drinking. Such are the principal features of the carnal views of the Sabbath from which the early fathers wished to wean the Jewish converts. A full account of the sabbatical ceremonies observed at pres- ent by the Jews maj' be found in Buxtorf's Syuagoga Judaica, and in Picard's Religious Ceremonies.