9 ~ , , οἵτινες ἐν τῇ στάσει φόνον πεποιήκεισαν. 4 “~ - Όχλος ἠρέατο αἰτεῖσθαι, καθὼς dei? ἐποίει αὐτοῖς.
447
8. καὶ ἀναβοήσας} 6 9. ὁ δὲ Πιλάτος
ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς, λέγων, “'Θέλετε ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν τὸν βασιλέα τῶν
Ιουδαίων ; CY ς aS αὐτὸν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς.
1Ο. ᾿Εγίνωσκε yap ὅτι διὰ φθόνον παραδεδώκεισαν II. ot δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς ἀνέσεισαν τὸν ὄχλον, ἵνα
μᾶλλον τὸν Βαραββᾶν ἀπολύσῃ αὐτοῖς: 12. 6 δὲ Πιλάτος ἀποκριθεὶς
πάλιν εἶπεν “ αὐτοῖς, “Ti οὖν θέλετε > ποιήσω ὃν ὃ λέγετε βασιλέα Ἰ
- 3 ΄ 2 τῶν Ιουδαίων ;
1 αναβας in NBD sah. cop. (Tisch., W.H.).
13. Ot δὲ πάλιν ἔκραξαν, “Σταύρωσον αὐτόν.
Σαει wanting in Ν ΒΔ sah. cop. (Tisch. and W.H. omit).
3 B omits οι αρχ. (W.H. in brackets).
4 For αποκ. παλ. ειπεν NBC have παλ. amok. ελεγεν.
> @eXere, found in D, is omitted in BCA 33. Vide below.
6 B omits ov (W.H. in brackets). 7 τον before Bao. in ABCA.
of the restless desire of many for in- dependence, and in connection with that guilty of murder (@évov), at least some of them (οἵτινες), Barabbas included.— τῇ στάσει: the article refers back to στασιαστῶνζξ{1ε insurrection implied in there being insurrectionists. Mk. therefore does not refer to the insurrec- tion as known to his readers. Perhaps he knew nothing about it himself, nor do we.—Ver. 8. avaBas, etc.: Mk. assigns the initiative to the people. So Lk. ; Mt. and John to Pilate. The difference is not important to the course of the history. The custom existing, this incident was bound to come about some- how. Nor does it greatly affect the question as to the attitude of Pilate. In ‘either case he was simply feeling his way. ‘The custom gave him a chance of feeling the popular pulse, a most im- portant point for a ruler of his oppor- tunist type.—KaQas, here=that which. —Ver.g. θέλετε, etc.: Pilate makes the tentative suggestion that the favoured person should be Jesus; whom he de- signates “King of the Jews,” to see how the people would take a title which the Sanhedrists regarded as a mortal offence.—Ver. 1Ο. ἐγίνωσκεν, it gradually ‘dawned upon him. Pilate would see the animus of the Sanhedrists in their many accusations (ver. 3), from which it would appear that Christ’s real offence was His great influence with the people. Hence the attempt to play off the one party against the other: the people ‘against the priests.—Ver. 11. ἀνέσεισαν, ‘the aorist implies that the priests stirred
Tisch. retains, W.H. omit.
up the people with success, to the effect that their request to Pilate was in favour of Barabbas. One may wonder how they so easily gained their purpose. But Barabbas, as described by Mk., repre- sented a popular passion, which was stronger than any sympathy they might have for so unworldly a character as Jesus—the passion for political liberty. The priests would know how to play on that feeling. What unprincipled charac- ters they were! They accuse Jesus to Pilate of political ambition, and they re- commend Barabbas to the people for the samereason. But a ‘“ holy ” end sancti- fies the means ! On the contrast between Jesus and Barabbas vide Klostermann. —Ver. 12. It is presupposed that the people have intimated their preference for Barabbas perhaps by the cry: not Jesus, but Barabbas. Hence Pilate pro- ceeds to ask: ‘‘ what, then, am I to do with Him whom ye call (λέγετε) the King of the Jews?” That whom ye call was very astute. It ought to bring out the real feeling of the people, as from the next verse we learn that it did.— Ver. 13. πάλιν: they had intimated their will already by a popular shout = Barabbas, not Jesus ; now they intimate their feeling about Jesus by a second shout with the unmistakable ring of re- probation in it: Cruciry Him! That is what Pilate’s ὅν λέγετε has brought out. It has been taken as an insult. The sense is the saine if, with B, we omit dy. Pilate’s question then =what then shall I do, tell me, to the King of the Jews? The sting lies in the