“frequently in Luke and John = since, or
when.—éxk Ἠπαιδιόθεν, ἐκ redundant, similar to ἀπὸ µακρόθεν (ν. 6).—Ver. 22. et τι δύνῃ, if Thou canst do any- thing (A, and R. Vv.), or better, if any- how Thou canst help. The father speaks under the impression that the case, as he has just described it, is one of peculiar difficulty ; therefore while the leper said
α7---20. ΕΥΑΓΓΕΛΙΟΝ
βοήθησον ἡμῖν, σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς. 23. Ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν
> - nw αὐτῷ, "Τό, et δύνασαι motedoat,!
πάντα δυνατὰ τῷ πιστεύοντι.' 24. Kal? εὐθέως κράξας 6 πατὴρ τοῦ παιδίου, μετὰ δακρύων ὃ ἔλεγε, «Πιστεύω, Κύριε," βοήθει µου τῇ ἀπιστία. 25. Ιδὼν δὲ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς 32 η ry η OTL ἐπισυντρέχει ὄχλος, ἐπετίμησε τῷ πνεύματι TO ἀκαθάρτῳ, λέγων X ο Ὀ +? Y αὐτῷ, “TS πνεῦμα τὸ ἄλαλον καὶ Kwhédv,” ἐγώ σοι ἐπιτάσσω,ὸ ἔξελθε ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ µηκέτι εἰσέλθῃς eis αὐτόν. 26. Καὶ κράξαν, καὶ πολλὰ σπαράξαν αὐτόν, ἐξῆλθε: καὶ ἐγένετο ὡσεὶ νεκρός, ὥστε > Pos,
403
πολλοὺς Ἰ λέγειν ὅτι ἀπέθανεν.
27. 6 δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς κρατήσας αὐτὸν
er 8 2) 7 \ D της χειρος, ΌΏγειρεν αυτον ᾽ και ἀνέστη.
28. Καὶ εἰσελθόντα αὐτὸν ὃ εἰς οἶκον, of μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ἐπηρώτων
ϱ a aA αὐτὸν Kat’ ἰδίαν,, “"Ὅτι ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἠδυνήθημεν ἐκβαλεῖν αὐτό ;*
290. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, '' Τοῦτο τὸ γένος ἐν οὐδενὶ δύναται ἐξελθεῖν,
3 ‘ > Αα ΔΝ , 5» 10 εἰ μὴ ἐν προσευχῇ καὶ νηστείᾳ.
1 e. ὄννη without πιστενσαι (a gloss) in BDA (CL δυνασαι without πισ.).
2 Omit και BLA. 4 Omit Κνριε RBCDL.
3 Omit pera Sax. SBCLA (Tisch., W.H.).
5 το πνευμα after κωφον, and σοι after επιτασσω in SBCLA 33. 6 SSBCDL have κραξας, σπαραξας, and omit αντον.
7 tous πολ. in SABLA 33.
8 της χειρος αυτον in RBDLA,
ὃ εισελθοντος αυτου in $$BCDLA, also κατ ιδιαν before επηρωτων. 10 ΝΔ Β omit και νηστεια, which comes from Mt. (T.R.).
“if Thou wilt,” he says “if Thou canst”. With reference to the form δύνῃ, Phryn. says that it is right after ἐὰν, but that at the beginning of a sentence δύνασαι must be used (p. 359).—Ver. 23. τὸ εἰ δύνῃ, nominative absolute: as to the ‘if Thou canst”.—dmavra δυν., all, in antithesis to the tt of the father.—-Ver. 24. κράξας: eager, fear-stricken cry ; making the most of his little faith, to ensure the benefit, and adding-a prayer for increase of faith (βοήθει, etc.) with the idea that it would help to make the cure complete. The father’s love at least was above suspicion. Meyer and Weiss render “' help me even if unbelieving,” arguing that the other, more cOmmon rendering is at variance with the meaning of βοήθησον in ver. 22.
Vv. 25-20. The cure.—émiovvrpéxer (ἄπ. λεγ.) indicates that the crowd was constantly increasing, so becoming a new crowd (ὄχλος without art.) ; natural in the circumstances. Jesus seeing this proceeds to cure without further delay. The spirit is now described as unclean and, with re- ference to the boy’s symptoms, both dumb and ἀεαί[.- -μηκέτι εἰσέλθῃς, enter not again. This was the essential point ina case of intermittent possession. The spirit
went out at the end of each attack, but re- turned again.—Ver. 26 describes a final fit, apparently worse than the preceding. It was evidently an aggravated type of epilepsy, fit following on fit and pro- ducing utter exhaustion. Mark’s ela- borate description seems to embody the recollections of one on whom the case had made a great impression.—Ver. 28. ets οἶκον: into a house, when or whose not indicated, the one point of interest to the evangelist is that Jesus is now alone with His disciples.—6r1, recitative, here as in ver. 11, introduces a suggested question: we were not able to cast it out—why ?—Ver. 29. τοῦτο τὸ yévos, etc.: This is one of the texts which very soon became misunderstood, the ascetic addition, καὶ νηστείᾳ, being at once a proof and a cause of misunderstanding. The traditional idea has been that Jesus here prescribes a certain discipline by which the exorcist could gain power to cope successfully with the most obstinate cases of possession, a course of prayer and fasting. This idea continues to dominate the mind even when the ascetic addition to the text has come to be regarded as doubtful; witness this