[6174] Deut. xxi. 23; comp. Jos. War iv. 5. 2.
[6175] rtesan, they asked,' St. John xix. 31.
[6176] Comp. Friedlieb, Archæol. d. Leidensgesch. pp.163-168; but especially Nebe, u. s. ii. pp. 394, 395.
[6177] Ex. xii. 46; Numb. ix. 12.
[6178] Ps. xxxiv. 20.
[6179] Zech. xii. 10
[6180] Sukk. 52 a.
[6181] Rev. i. 7.
[6182] St. John xx. 27.
[6183] So, with various modifications, which need not here be detailed, first, Dr. Gruner (Comment. Antiq. Med. de Jesu Christ Morte, Hal. 1805), who, however, regarded Jesus as not quite dead when the lance pierced the heart, and, of late, Dr. Stroud (The Physical Cause of the Death of Christ, 1871), and many interpreters (see Nebe, u.s. pp. 400, 401).
[6184] But certainly not through a separation of the serum and the cruor, which is the mark of beginning putrefaction.
[6185] The fullest and most satisfactory physical explanation is that given by the Rev. S. Haughton, M.D., and reprinted in the Speaker's Commentary on 1 John, pp. 349, 350. It demonstrates, that this phenomenon would take place, but only if a person who was also being crucified died of rupture of the heart.
[6186] Ps. lxix. 20.
[6187] Ps. xvi. 10.
[6188] 1 John v. 6.
[6189] St. Matthew.
[6190] This seems implied in the expression eschmon (A.V. honourable'), St. Mark xv. 43.
[6191] St. Luke.
[6192] Taken in connection with St. Luke xxiii. 51, this is probably the meaning of bouleuts. Otherwise we would have regarded him rather as a member of the Council of Priests' (Beth Din shel Kohanim, Kethub. i. 5) which met in what anciently was called the Lishkath Bulvatin (Chamber of Councillors) in the Temple (Jer. Yoma 38 c; Yoma 8 b). The Greek work itself has passed into Rabbinic language as Bulyutos, and in other modifications of the word.
[6193] St. John.
[6194] tolmsas.
[6195] At the same time I feel, that this might have been represented by the Jews as not quite importing what it really was - as rather an act of pietas towards the Rabbi of Nazareth than of homage to the Messiahship of Jesus.
[6196] The mra paraskeus in connection with the Sabbath' (St. Luke xxiii. 54) shows, that the former expression refers to the preparation' for the Sabbath, or the Friday.
[6197] See the proof in Wetstein, ad loc.
[6198] St. Mark.
[6199] The Arimathæa of Joseph is probably the modern Er-Ram, two hours north of Jerusalem, on a conical hill, somewhat east of the road that leads from Jerusalem to Nablus (Jos. Ant. viii. 12. 3) - the Armathaim of the LXX. The objection of Keim (which it would take too long to discuss in a note) are of no force (comp. his Jesu von Naz. iii. p. 516). It is one of the undesigned evidences of the accuracy of St. Luke, that he described it as belonging to Judæa. For, whereas Ramah in Mount Ephraim originally belonged to Samaria, it was afterwards seprated from the latter and joined to the province of Judæa (comp. 1 Macc. x. 38; xi. 28, 34).
[6200] Meyer regards the s statement of St. Matthew to the effect (xxvii. 60) as inconsistent with the notice in St. John xix. 42. I really cannot see any inconsistency, nor does his omission of the fact that the tomb was Joseph's seem to me fatal. The narrative of St. John is concentrated on the burying rather than its accessories. Professor Westcott thinks that St. John xix. 41, implies that the sepulcher in which the Lord was laid was not chosen as His final resting-place.' But of this also I do not perceive evidence.
[6201] St. Luke.
[6202] See Book IV. ch. xxi.
[6203] St. John vii. 50.
[6204] St. Luke.
[6205] St. Luke.
[6206] St. John computes it at about 100 litras. As in all likelihood this would refer to Roman pounds, of about twelve ounces each, the amount is large, but not such as to warran any reasonable objection. a servant could easily carry it, and it is not said that it was all used in the burying. If it were possible to find any similar use of the expression (ltras), one might be tempted to regard the litras as indicating not the weight, but a coin. In that sense the word litra is used, sometimes as = 100 denars, in which case 100 litras would be = about 250 l., but more frequently as = 4 drachms, in which case 100 litras would be=about 12l. (comp. Herzfeld. Handelsgesch. p. 181). But the linguistic difficulty seems very great, while any posible objection to the weight of the spices is really inconsiderable. For the kind of spices used in the burying, see Book IV. ch. xxi. (as the burying of Lazarus). In later times there was a regular rubric and prayers with Kabbalistic symbolism (see Perles, Leichenfeierlichk. p. 11, Note 12). No doubt, the wounds in theSacred Body of our Lord had been washed from their gore.