μαθηταὶ τῷ dxhw.}
219
47. Καὶ ἔφαγον πάντες, καὶ ἐχορτάσθησαν:
καὶ ἦραν 3 τὸ περισσεῦον τῶν κλασμάτων. ἑπτὰ "σπυρίδας πλήρεις. BCR are
Mk. viii. 8,
38. ot δὲ ἐσθίοντες ἦσαν τετρακισχίλιοι ἄνδρες, χωρὶς γυναικῶν καὶ 20. Acts
παιδίων.
ix. 45.
30. Καὶ ἀπολύσας τοὺς ὄχλους ἐνέβη Eis τὸ πλοῖον, καὶ ἦλθεν eis
τὰ ὅρια Μαγδαλά.ὃ
XVI. 1. Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι πειρά- ἵοντες ἐπηρώτησαν “ αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
1 τοις οχλοις In NBL al.
2 npav after κλασµατων in BD.
5 Μαγαδαν in NBD, adopted in Tisch., W.H., etc., and doubtless the true reading. Μαγδαλα is 2 known substituted for an unknown.
4 επηρωτων in δν (Tisch. and W.H. marg.).
defines σπυρίς: τὸ τῶν πυρῶν ἄγγος = wheat-basket; perhaps connected with σπείρω, suggesting a basket made of rope-net; probably larger than κόφινος, for longer journeys (Grotius). Or does the different kind of basket point to different nationality; Gentiles? Hilary contends for Gentile recipients of the second blessing, with whom Westcott (Characteristics of Gospel Miracles, p. 13) agrees.—Ver. 39. Μαγαδάν: the true reading, place wholly unknown, whence probably the variants.
CHAPTER XVI. SIGN SEEKERS: CAESAREA ΡΗΙΙΙΡΡΙ. Again a dramati- cally impressive juxtaposition of events. First an ominous encounter with ill- affected men professedly in quest of a sign, then in a place of retreat a first announcement in startlingly plain terms of an approaching tragic crisis.
Vv. 1-12. Demand for a sign (Mk. viii, 11-21).—Ver. 1. προσελθόντες: one of Mt.’s oft-recurring descriptive words.—ap. καὶ Σαδδ.: a new com- bination, with sinister purpose, of classes of the community not accustomed to act together; wide apart, indeed, in social position and religious tendency, but made allies pro tem. by common dislike to the movement identified with Jesus. Already scribes by themselves had asked a sign (xii. 38). Now they are joined by a party representing the priestly and governing classes among whom the ‘“* Sadducees”’ were to be found (Well- hausen, Die Pharisder und die Sadducaer). Mk. mentions only the Pharisees (ver. 11), but he makes Jesus refer to the leaven of Herod in the subsequent con- versation with the disciples, whence might legitimately be inferred the Epes of representatives of that eaven. These Mt. calls ‘‘ Sadducees,”’
probably the better-known name, and practically identical with the Herod leaven. The ‘Herodians” were, I imagine, people for whom Herod the Great was a hero, a kind of Messiah, all the Messiah they cared for or believed in, one who could help worldly-minded Israelites to be proud of their country (vide Grotius on Mt. xvi. 6). It was among Sadducees that such ἍΆετο- worshippers were likely to be found.— ἐπηρώτησαν: here like the simple verb (xv. 23) =requested, with infinitive, ἐπιδεῖξαι, completing the object of desire.—onpetov ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ : before a 38) only a sign. Now a sign from caven. What might that be? Chrys. (Hom. liii.) suggests: to stop the course of the sun, to bridle the moon, to pro- duce thunder, or to change the air, or something of that sort. These sugges- tions will do as well as any. Probably the interrogators had no definite idea what they wanted, beyond desiring to embarrass or nonplus Christ.
Vv. 2-4. Reply of Fesus.—Vv. 2 and 3, though not in B and bracketed by W. H., may be regarded as part of the text. Somewhat similar is Lk. xii. 54-56. On some occasion Jesus must have con- trasted the shrewd observation of His contemporaries in the natural sphere with their spiritual obtuseness.—Ver 2. εὐδία, fine weather | (εὖ, Διός genitive of Zevs).—wuppafe yap 6 ὁ.: that the sign = a ruddy sky in the evening (πυῤῥίζειν in Lev. xiii. 19, 24).—Ver. 3. yeupov, a storm to-day; sign the same, a ruddy sky in the morning. —orvyvalwy, late but expressive = triste coelum. No special meteorological skillindicatedthereby,only the average power of observation based on experience, which is common to man. kind. Lightfoot credits the Jews with