332
b here only in N.T. (Gen. xxxv. 18).
c here in parall. and
in Heb. V1.1; αχ.
5ο. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς πάλιν κράξας φωνῇ µεγάλῃ Ὁ ἀφῆκε τὸ > πνεῦμα. 51. Καὶ ἴδού, τὸ "καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη εἰς δύο] ἀπὸ ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω" καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη, καὶ αἳ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν : 52. καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν, καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν * κεκοιµη-
2; x.20. µένων " ἁγίων ἠγέρθη;" 53. καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων, μετὰ τὴν 18, 20. 1 ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ, εἰσῆλθον eis τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν, καὶ * ἐνεφανίσθησαν
d 1 Cor. xv. Thess. iv. a 13, 15 al. πολλοῖς. e here only 4 in Gospp. f Heb. ix. 24 (pass. as here).
1 εις ὃνο after κατω in BCL (Tisch., W.H.). 2 ηγερθη is as usual the sing. to suit a neut. pl.nom. Ίγερθησαν in BDL.
phrases. The alternative is that the words were put into the mouth of Jesus by persons desirous that in this as in all other respects His experience should correspond to prophetic anticipations. But who would have the boldness to impute to Him a_ sentiment which seemed to justify the taunt : “ Let Him deliver Him if He love Him”? Brandt’s reply to this is: Jewish Christians who had not a high idea of Christ’s Person (Ε. G., p. 245). That in some Christian circles the cry of desertion was an offence appears from the rendering of ‘“‘elieli” in Evang, Petri—f δύναµίς pov ἡ 8. p. = my strength, my strength. Its omission by Luke proves the same thing.—Ver. 47. ties δὲ: not Roman soldiers, for they knew nothing about Elias; might be Hellenistic Jews who did not under- stand Hebrew or Aramaean (Grotius) ; more probably heartless persons who only affected to misunderstand. It was poor wit, and showed small capacity for turning to advantage the words spoken. How much more to the purpose to have said: Hear Him! He actually confesses that His God in whom He trusted has forsaken Him.—Ver. 48. els ἐξ αὐτῶν, one of the bystanders, not one of the τινὲς, with some human pity, acting under the impression, how got not indicated, that the sufferer was afflicted with thirst.—é§ovus, sour wine, fosca, the drink of Roman soldiers, with sponge and reed at hand, for use on such occasions.—Ver. 49. Ges: either re- dundant coalescing with ἴδωμεν = let us see (cf. chap. vii. 4), age videamus, Grotius (vide also Burton, M. T., § 161), or meaning: hold, stop, don’t give Him the drink, iet us see whether Elias will come (ἔρχεται, comes without fail) to help Him. The latter is the more probable. The λοιποὶ belong to the scoffing crew. The remainder of this
verse about the spear thrust—another, final, act of mercy, though attested by important MSS., seems to be imported from John xix. 34. It is omitted in R. V.
Vv. 50-56. Death and its accompani- ments (Mk. xv. 37-41, Lk. xxiii. 46-40). —Ver. 50. πάλιν, pointing back to the cry in ver, 46.—wvq µεγάλῃ. The Fathers found in the loud cry a proof that Jesus died voluntarily, not from physical exhaustion. Some modern writers, on the contrary, regard the cry as the utterance of one dying of a ruptured heart (Dr. Stroud on The Physical Cause of Christ’s Death ; Hanna, The Last Day of Our Lord’s Passion). Mt.’s narrative, like Mk.’s, gives the impression that the cry was inarticulate. Brandt recognises this cry as historical.—Ver. 51. καὶ ἰδοὺ, introducing solemnly a series of preter- natural accompaniments, all but the first peculiar to Μτ.-- τὸ καταπέτασµα, the veil between the holy place and the most Πο]γ.--ἐσχίσθη: this fact, the rending of the veil, is mentioned by all the Synoptists, though Lk. introduces it at an early point in the narrative. It might have happened, as a natural event, an accidental coincidence, though it is not so viewed by the evangelist. A symbolic fiction, according to Brandt. The legendary spirit took hold of this event, magnifying the miracle. In the Hebrew Gospel the rending of the veil is trans- formed into the fracture of the lintel of the temple: “ Superliminare templi in- finitae magnitudinis fractum esse atque divisum ” (Jerome, Com.).—kat ἡ γῆ, etc. : an earthquake, preceding and condition- ing the greatest marvel of all, the opening of the graves and the resurrection of many saints (vv. 52 and 53). We seem here to be in the region of Christian legend. Certainly the legendary spirit laid hold of this feature with great eager-