756
ri 18.
ἀκούσας παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ μαθὼν, ἔρχεται πρός µε" 46. " οὐχ
svii.2o Ἰχ.ὅτι τὸν πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν' εἶ μὴ "ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὗτος
16. ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα.
tx Οοτ.χ.».ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
47. ἁμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, 6 πιστεύων εἰς ἐμὲ, 48. ἐγώ cit 6 ἄρτος τῆς ζωῆς.
40. οἱ
πατέρες ὑμῶν ἔφαγον τὸ μάννα ἐν τῇ ἐρήμω, καὶ ἀπέθανον"
ea 4 cel A u vv. 26, 51.50. οὗτός ἐστιν 6 ἄρτος 6 ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβαίνων, ἵνα τις "ἐξ
αὐτοῦ pdyy καὶ μὴ ἀποθάνῃ.
Vv Vili. 16, 17.
51. ἐγώ εἰμι ὅ ἄρτος 6 Lav, 6 ἐκ τοῦ
Mt. x. 18, οὐρανοῦ καταβάς: ἐάν τις dyn ἐκ τοῦτο τοῦ ἄρτου, ζήσεται ] εἰς
Acts iii. . δα 24. τὸν αἰῶνα.
ς
Kat ὁ
ἄρτος ᾿ δὲ ὃν ἐγὼ δώσω, ἡ σάρξ µου ἐστὶν, ἣν
1 Here and in v. 58 ζησει is read in SDL 33.
children shall all be taught of God,” ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, and what this being taught of God means He more fully explains in the words was οὖν . . . μαθὼν, ‘every one who has heard from the Father and has learned comes to me”. Both the hearing and the learning refer to an inward spiritual process. The outward teaching of Scrip- ture and of Christ Himself was enjoyed by all the people He was addressing ; but they did not come to Him. It is therefore an inward and individual illu- mination by the special operation of God that enables men to come to Christ. Whether these verses teach “irresistible grace’? may be doubted. That they teach the doctrine which Augustine asserted against Pelagius, viz., that power to use grace must itself be given by God, is undeniable. That is affirmed in the statement that no one can come to Christ unless the Father draw him. But whether it is also true that every one whom God teaches comes is not here stated; the καὶ μαθὼν introduces a doubtful element. [ Wetstein quotes from Polybius διαφέρει τὸ μαθεῖν τοῦ µόνον ἀκοῦσαι.]---Ψετ. 46. Lest His hearers should suppose that in Messianic times direct know- ledge of God was to be communicated, He adds, οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν, it is not by direct vision men are to learn of God. One alone has direct perception of the Father, 6 ὢν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, He whose origin is Divine ; not 6 ἀπεσταλ- µένος παρὰ Θεοῦ, a designation which belonged to all prophets, but He whose Being is directly derived from God. Similarly, in vii. 29, we find Jesus saying ἐγὼ οἶδα αὐτόν ὅτι wap’ αὐτοῦ εἰμί καὶ ἐκεϊῖνός µε ἀπέστειλεν, where the source of the mission and the source of the being are separately mentioned. To' refer this exclusive vision of the Father
to any earthly experience seems out of the question. No one who was not more than man could thus separate him- self from all men. See i. 18. Having thus explained that they could not believe in Him without having first been taught of God, He returns (ver. 47) to the affir- mation of ver. 40, ἀμὴν .. . ζωῆς. Their unbelief does not alter the fact, nor weaken His assurance of the fact. This consciousness of Messiahship was so identified with His spiritual experience and existence that nothing could shake it. But now He adds a significant con- firmation of His claim.—Vv. 49, 50. οἱ πατέρες . . . μὴ ἀποθάνῃ, ‘ Your fathers ate the manna in the desert and died: this is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die”. In other words: The manna which was given to your fathers to main- tain them in physical, earthly life, could not assert its power against death, and maintain them continually in life. Your fathers died physically. The bread which comes down from heaven does not give physical life; it is not sent for that purpose, but the life which it is given to maintain, it maintains in continuance and precludes death. Taken in connec- tion with the context, the words inter- pret themselves. Godet however says: 6 Jesus, both here and elsewhere, certainly denies even physical death in the case of the believer. Cf. viii. στ. That which properly constitutes death, in what we call by this name, is the total cessation of moral and physical existence. Now this fact does not take place in the case of the believer at the moment when his friends see him die.” This seems to misrepresent the fact of death for the sake of misrepresenting the present pas- sage.—Ver. 51. In ver. 51 Jesus adds two fresh terms in explanation of the living bread, which, however, through