These words must have sunk deep into the heart of one at least in that company. [4996] A few days later, and the beloved disciple tells us of this Ministry of His Love at the Last Supper, [4997] and ever afterwards, in his writings or in his life, does he seem to bear them about with him, and to re-echo them. Ever since also have they remained the foundation-truth, on which the Church has been built: the subject of her preaching, and the object of her experience. [4998] __________________________________________________________________
[4940] This is the exact rendering.
[4941] St. Luke.
[4942] Dean Plumptre needlessly supposes him to have been a member of the Great Sanhedrin, and even identifies him with Lazarus of Bethany.
[4943] St. Mark.
[4944] This is well pointed out by Canon Cook on St. Mark x. 19.
[4945] St. Matt. xix. 16.
[4946] Pesiqta, ed. Buber, p. 161 a, last lines.
[4947] To really remove exegetical difficulties, the reading should be further altered to n st t gathn as Wünsche suggests, who regards our present reading es stn gaths as a mistake of the translator in rendering the neuter of the Aramaic original by the masculine. We need scarcely say, the suggestion, however ingenious, is not supported. And then, what of the conversation in the other Gospels, where we could scarcely expect a variation of the saying from the more easy to the more difficult? On the application to God of the term the Good One,' see an interesting notice in the Jud Liter. Blatt, for Sept. 20, 1882, p. 152.
[4948] Ber. 5 a, about middle; Ab Zar. 19 b.
[4949] Lev. xix. 18.
[4950] St. Luke x. 29.
[4951] In St. Matt. xix. 20, these words should be struck out as spurious.
[4952] The words take up the cross,' in the textus receptus of St. Mark x. 21, are spurious - the gloss of a clumsy interpolator.
[4953] The word is only used in St. Matt. xvi. 3, of the lowering sky.
[4954] Many sayings might here be quoted. It was worse than all the plagues of Egypt put together (Babha B. 116 a); than all other miseries (Betsah 32 b); the worst affliction that could befall a man (Shem. R. 31).
[4955] See a story of boastfulness in that respect in Wünsche, ad loc. To make a merit of giving up riches for Christ is, surely, the Satanic caricature of the meaning of His teaching.
[4956] Arach. viii.4.
[4957] Kethub. 50 a.
[4958] St. Mark x. 23.
[4959] The words in St. Mark x. 24, for them that trust in riches,' are most likely a spurious gloss.
[4960] Ber. 55 b, last line; comp. also Babha Mets. 38 b.
[4961] St. Matt. xix. 29; St. Mark x. 26, 30; St. Luke xviii. 29, 30.
[4962] St. Matt. xix. 28.
[4963] St. Matthew and St. Mark.
[4964] St. Mark.
[4965] Of course, the expression twelve thrones' (St. Matt. xix. 28) must not be pressed to utmost literality, or it might be asked whether St. Paul or St. Matthias occupied the place of Judas. On the other hand, neither must it be frittered away, as if the regeneration' referred only to the Christian dispensation, and to spiritual relations under it.
[4966] Sanh. 97 b.
[4967] As for example Is. xxxiv. 4; li. 6; lxv. 17
[4968] Book of Enoch xci. 16, 17; 4 Esd. vii. 28.
[4969] Targum Onkelos on Deut. xxxii. 12; Targ. Jon. on Habak. iii. 2; Ber, R. 12. ed. Warsh. p. 24 b, near end; Pirké de R. Eliez 51.
[4970] This subject will be further treated in the sequel.
[4971] St. Luke xxii. 30.
[4972] Acts iii. 21; Rom. viii. 19-21; 2 Pet. iii. 13; Rev. xxi. 1.
[4973] 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3; Rev. xx. 4; xxi. 14.
[4974] Comp. also Acts xxvi. 7.
[4975] See in Book V.
[4976] St. Matt. xx. 17-19.