2. The aim of any prophetic discourse Jesus might deliver at this crisis, like that of all true prophecy, would be ethical ; not to foretell, like a soothsayer, but to forewarn and forearm the representatives of a new faith, so that they might not lose their heads or their hearts in an evil perplexing time—not to gratify curiosity but to fortify against coming trial.
288
. - 3A oe dwithxy TOU αἰωνος;
and aor. ῥ άν. . sub. Mk. µή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ.
xiii. 5.
4 αι, a ~ 4. Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς 6 ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, “ * Βλέπετε, 5. πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί
Lk. xxi. 8. wou, λέγοντες, ᾿Εγώ εἶμι ὁ Χριστός: καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσι.
Acts xiii. 40.
3. Prophetic utterance with such an aim would not need to be exact in state- ments as to dates and details, but only to be true as to the sequence and general character of events. From all we know of Hebrew prophecy it was to be ex- pected that the prophesying of Jesus would possess only this latter kind of truth, instead of being like a “ history of events before they cometo pass’”’. The version of the evangelic apocalypse that least resembles the description of pro- phecy now quoted from Butler’s Analogy (part ii., chap. vii.) will come nearest to the original utterance. This considera- tion tells in favour of Mt. and Mk.
4. All prophetic or apocalyptic utter- ances have much in common; phraseo- logy and imagery tending to become stereotyped. The prophetic literature of the O. T. had indeed provided a vocabulary, which by the Christian era had become normative for all speech concerning the future. Hence Jewish, Jewish-Christian, and Pauline utterances of this kind would in many particulars resemble one another, and it might be difficult to decide by mere internal evi- dence from what circle any particular utterance emanated. But it is not pro- bable that the evangelists would introduce into a professed report of a discourse by Jesus a current apocalypse of known Jewish origin unless they had reason to believe that Jesus had adopted it, or en- dorsed its forecast of the future (vide Weizsacker, Untersuchungen tuber die Evang. Gesch., pp. 126, 551).
5. As we have seen reason to believe that in previous reports of our Lord’s Discourses (¢.g., of the Sermon on the Mount and of the Mission Discourse, chap. x.) grouping of kindred material irrespective of historical occasion has taken place, so we cannot be surprised if traces of a similar procedure present themselves here. The remark applies especially to the latter part of the chapter, vv. 37-51, which contain logia given by Lk. in other connections (chaps. xii. and xvii.).
Vv. 1-3. Introduction (cf. Mk. xiii. 1-4; Lk. xxi. 5-7).—Ver. 1. ἐξελθὼν, going out from the temple, within whose precincts the foregoing anti-Pharisaic manifesto had been spoken. The position
1 Cor. viii.9; x. 12. Gal.v.15. Heb. xii. 25; with μὴ and fat. ind. Col. ii.8. Heb. iii. τα.
assigned to ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ before the verb, ἐπορ. in the best MSS., suggests connection with ἐξελθὼν. Some, however (Weiss, Schanz, etc.), insist that the words must be taken with ἐπορ. to give to the latter a definite sense. In reality they go along with both, the full meaning being: going out from the temple. He was going away from it, when, etc.— ἐπορεύετο: the imperfect, indicating an action in progress when something else happened. ‘There is an emphasis on the idea of the verb. He was going away, like one who did not mean to return. Hence the action of the disciples next τεροτίεά.---ἐπιδεῖξαι: they came to their Master, going before in a deeply pre- occupied mood, and tried to change the gloomy current of His thoughts by in- viting Him to look back at the sacred structure ; innocent, woman-like but vain attempt.—ras οἰκοδομὰς: the whole group of buildings belonging to the holy house; magnificent, splendid, as described by Josephus (B. J., v., 5, 6), appearing to one approaching from a distance like a snow mountain (ὄρει χιόνος πλήρει) topped with golden pinnacles, which for forty years, in his Napoleonic passion for architecture, Herod the Great had been building to the glory of God and of himself.—Ver. 2. ὁ δὲ ἀποκ., but, adversatively. He answered, in a mood entirely different from theirs.—ov βλέπετε; do you not see all these things ? = you ask me to look at them, let me ask you in turn to take a good look at {πεπι.-- ταῦτα : these things, not buildings, implying indifference to the splendours admired by the disciples. --οὺ μὴ ἀφεθῃῇ, etc.: mot an exact description ex eventu, but a strong state- ment of coming destruction (by fire) in prophetically coloured language (Micah iii. 12; Jer. xxvi. 18). So Holtz., H.C.— Ver. 3. An interval of silence would naturally follow so stern a speech. This verse accordingly shows us Jesus with His disciples now on the other side of the Kidron, and sitting on the slope of Olivet, with face turned towards Jerusalem ; Master and disciples sitting apart, and thinking their own thoughts. Satisfied that the Master means what He has said, and not daring to dispute His prophetic insight, they accept the