38—44.
427
πλούσιοι ἔβαλλον πολλά: 42. καὶ ἐλθοῦσα µία χήρα πτωχὴ ἔβαλε
λεπτὰ δύο, ὅ ἐστι κοδράντης.
43. καὶ προσκαλεσάµενος τοὺς
μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ, λέγει] αὐτοῖς, ''᾽Αμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι ἡ χήρα αὕτη i) πτωχὴ πλεῖον πάντων βέβληκε τῶν βαλόντων 3 cis τὸ γαζοφυλάκιον.
44. πάντες γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ περισσεύοντος αὐτοῖς ἔβαλον ' αὕτη δὲ ἐκ τῆς
ὑστερήσεως αὐτῆς πάντα ὅσα εἶχεν ἔβαλεν, ὅλον τὸν βίον αὐτῆς.
1 ειπεν in ΔΑΒΡΙ,ΔΣ.
2 For βεβληκε, ΑΒΡΙ.ΔΣ 33 have εβαλεν, and for βαλοντων NABDLAE have
βαωλλοντων.
we have a very slight yet vivid picture of Pharisaic piety in its vanity, avarice, and hypocrisy.
Vv. 41-44. The widow’s offering (Lk. xxi. I-4). This charming story comes in with dramatic effect, after the repulsive picture of the greedy praying scribe. The reference to the widows victimised by the hypocrites may have suggested it to the evangelist’s mind, It bears the unmistakable stamp of an authentic re- miniscence, and one can imagine what comfort it would bring to the poor, who constituted the bulk of the early Gentile Church (Schanz).—Ver. 41. καθίσας: Jesus, a close and keen observer of all that went on (xi. 11), sits down at a spot convenient for noticing the people casting their contributions into the temple treasury.—yalodvAaktov (γάζα, Persian, φΦυλακή--Ξθησαυροφυλάκιον, Hesychius). Commentators are agreed in thinking that the reference is to the treasury in the court of the women, consisting of thirteen brazen trumpet-shaped τεςερ- tacles, each destined for its distinctive gifts, indicated by an inscription, so many for the temple tribute, and money gifts for sacrifice ; others for incense, wood, etc. ;. all the gifts having reference to the service carried on. The gifts were people’s offerings, generally moderate in amount: “the Peter’s pence of the Jews” (Holtzmann, H. C.).—yaAxév may be meant for money in general, copper representing all sorts (Fritzsche, Grotius, etc.); but there seems to be no good reason why we should not take it strictly as denoting contributions in copper, the ordinary, if not exclusive, money gifts (Meyer Holtzmann, H. Ο.).--πολλοὶ πλούσιοι, etc., many rich were casting in much: Jesus was near enough to see that, also to notice exactly what the widow gave. Among the rich givers might be some of the praying scribes who had imposed on widows by their show of piety, suggesting reflections on
Tisch. reads βεβληκεν τ. βαλλ., W.H. εβαλεν τ. Badd.
where wealthy givers get the money they bestow for pious purposes. That is not a matter of indifference to the Kingdom of God, whatever it may be to beneficiaries.—Ver. 42. µία χ. π., one poverty-stricken widow. With what in- tense interest Jesus would watch her movements, after His eye fell on her! How much will she give ?—\erra δύο, “two mites’; minute, of course, but two: she might have kept one of them (Bengel).—Aewrév, so called from its smallness ; smallest of brass coins—sig- nificant of deep poverty ; two given, of a willing mind.—Ver. 43. ἢ πτωχὴ, em- phatic—the poverty-stricken; manifest from her dress and wasted look.—Ver. 44.--ἔκ τῆς ὑστερήσεως, from her state of want, cf. on Lk.—torépyots, here and in Phil. iv. 11.—rdvra ὅσα : this not visible to the eye; divined by the mind, but firmly believed to be true, as appears from the repetition of the state- ment in another form.—éAov τὸν βίον, her whole means of life. For the use of βίος in this sense vide Lk. viii. 43, xv. 12, 30; similarly in classics.
Though it has nothing to do with strict exegesis, I am tempted to give here a prayer by that felicitous interpreter and devout monk, Euthymius Zigabenus, based on this beautiful Gospel story : ‘‘ May my soul become a widow casting out the devil to which it is joined and subject, and casting into the treasury of God two {εβία, the body and the mind; the one made light (λεπτυνθέντα) by temperance, the other by humility ’’.