and this is clearly the sum of all that St John records to have been said by our Lord to Pilate in ch. xviii. 34, 36, 37.1
13. Tore, then) Pilate conducted himself moderately at first in the judgment of the cause. — n/Xaro?,2 Pilatus, Pilate) Non- nus shortens the middle syllable ; and passim, the Greeks sharpen3 the long vowel of the Latins in Kpfaog, Tovpxovarog A^- raroj, etc. (primus, Torqudtus, Dentatus, etc.) — ovx axoutig, Dost thou not hear ?) A separate question ;4 cf. Mark xv. 4.
14. Upbg ovfif sv pri/ia, not to one word even) i.e. as far as con cerned answering the Jews concerning the kingdom. He after wards once answered Pilate concerning another matter, John xix. 11. — uffrs davpafyiv rbv tys/uova X/ai/, so that the Procurator marvelled greatly} For no one is wont to remain silent when his life is at stake, especially after he has once begun to speak.
15. Kara de soprw, x.r.x., But at the feast, etc.) This [custom of releasing a prisoner at the Feast] accorded with the deliver ance from Egypt. — ioprqv, feast) St John calls it expressly the Passover. — t/udti, had been wont) Even political customs sub serve Divine Providence. — tva, one) i.e., one, and not more than one.
16. 'Eviffrj/Aov, notorious) A well-known robber, notorious for the gravest crime.5 And yet he was preferred to Jesus. How great contempt ! Soon after, in the ignominy of punishment, He was preferred to two other robbers. — Xfy6/j,fvov Bapa/3/36b, called Barabbas) who was much talked about. It is probable that Barabbas survived long as a monument of the history of Jesus. Barabbas signifies " son of his parent ;" he had been longed for, loved, spoiled, by his parent.
17. Aeyopivov Xprfrov, called Christ) Therefore Jesus had been already very frequently called Christ.
1 Ver. 12. ov^ev x7rix.pivxTo, answered nothing) As the accusers brought forward nothing new, the silence of Jesus was a subsequent confirmation of those things which He had already said. — Harm., p. 547.
3 Lachm. and Tisch. write it n/Xaroj. — ED.
3 i.e. They distinguish it with the acute accent. — (I. B.)
4 Although joined in the V. G. with the following words. — E. B.
5 One who was, moreover, guilty of that very crime (treason) of which Jesus was accused ; nay, even guilty of a worse crime. However, it was by the death of Him who was the Just One that those very persons, who had deserved death, are set free. — Harm., p. 550.