1δ---αδ,
265
24. ᾽Αποκριθεὶς δὲ] 6 ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ''Ερωτήσω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ
λόγον ἕνα, ὃν ἐὰν εἴπητέ µοι, κἀγὼ ὑμῖν ἐρῶ ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα
ποιῶ.
ἀνθρώπων;
25. τὸ βάπτισμα 5 Ἰωάννου πόθεν ἦν; ἐδ οὐρανοῦ, ἢ ἐξ Οἱ δὲ διελογίζοντο map’? ἑαυτοῖς, λέγοντες, “'᾿Εὰν
εἴπωμεν, ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἐρεῖ ἡμῖν, Διατί οὖν οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε αὐτῷ ; μ. > ρ > ρ ημ. ’ 5 2
26. ἐὰν δὲ εἴπωμεν, ἐξ ἀνθρώπων, φοβούμεθα τὸν ὄχλον : A ο ν 9 3 ε , ”” γὰρ "ἔχουσι τὸν Ιωάννην ὡς προφήτην. τῷ ᾿Ιησοῦ εἶπον, “'Οὐκ οἴδαμεν. “Edy αὐτοῖς καὶ αὐτός, “Οὐδὲ 9 , ε ”-. 92 , > , a ~ ἐγὼ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ.
πάντες
27. Καὶ ἀποκριθέντες α vide Ch. xiv. 5.
4
28. Τί δὲ ὑμῖν δοκεῖ ;
ἄνθρωπος εἶχε τέκνα δύο, καὶ δ προσελθὼν τῷ πρώτω εἶπε, Τέκνον,
1 Some copies omit δε. 2 ro before Iwavvov in NBCZ 33.
SBCD have it.
> BL have ev (W.H. in brackets).
4 ως προφητην before εχουσι in $BCLZ 33 (so in modern editions).
5 So in ΝΟΡΙ, al.
δυο τεκνα in B (W.H. in margin).
6 και is found in BCD and other uncials but wanting in LZ. Tisch. omits and
W.H. relegate to the margin.
tives of established order and custom at epoch-making initiators. So the Judaists interrogated St. Paul as to his right to be an apostle.—ratra, vague (cf. xi, 25) and comprehensive. They have in view all the offences of which Jesus had been guilty, throughout His ministry —all well known to them—whatever He had done in the spirit of unconventional freedom which He had exhibited since His arrival in Jerusalem.—«xai τίς: the second question is but an echo of the first: the quality of the authority (ποίᾳφ) depends on its source.—ravrny, this au- thority, which you arrogate, and which so many unhappily acknowledge. It was a question as to the legitimacy of an un- deniable influence. That spiritual power accredits itself was beyond the compre- hension of these legalists.— Ver. 24. Jesus replies by an embarrassing counter- question as to the ministry of the Baptist. —)édyov ἕνα, hardly: ome question for your many (Beng.) rather: a question, or thing, one and the same (cf. for els in this sense Gen. xli. 25, 26; 1 Cor. iii. 8, xi. 5), an analogous question as we should say; one answer would do for theirs and for His.—Ver. 25. τὸ βάπτισμα τὸ ’I., the baptism as representing John’s whole ministry.—é§& ovp. ἢ ἐξ av@., from heaven or from men? The antithesis is foreign to legitimist modes of thought, which would combine the two: from heaven but through men; if not through men not from heaven. The most gigantic and baleful instance of this fetish in modern times is the notion of church
sacraments and orders depending on ordi- nation. On the same principle St. Paul was no apostle, because his orders came to him “not from men nor by man,” Gal. 1. 1.—éav εἴπωμεν, etc. The audible and formal answer of the scribes was οὐκ otdapev, in νετ. 27. All that goes be- fore from ἐὰν to προφήτην is the reasoning on which it was based, either unspoken (παρ᾽ or ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, Mt.) or spoken to each other (πρός, Mk. xi. 31); not likely to have been overheard, guessed rather from the puzzled expression on their faces.—ovx ἐπιστεύσατε: the reference here may be to John’s witness to Jesus, or it may be general = why did ye not re- ceive his message as a whole ?—Ver. 26. ἐὰν δὲ, etc.: the mode of expression here is awkward. Meyer finds in the sentence an aposiopesis=‘‘ if we say of men—we fear the people”. What they mean is: we must not say of men, because we fear, etc. (cf. Mk.).—Ver. 27. οὐδὲ ἐγὼ, etc. : Jesus was not afraid to answer their question, but He felt it was not worth while giving an answer to opportunists. Vv. 28-32. Parable of the two sons, in Mt. only, introduced by the familiar formula, τί δὲ ὑμῖν δοκεῖ (xvii. 25, xviii. 12), and having for its aim to contrast the conduct of the Pharisees towards the Baptist with that of the publicans. And as the publicans are simply used as a foil to bring out more clearly the Pharisaic character, the main subject of remark, it is highly probable that the son who represents the Pharisee was mentioned first, and the son who represents the