Vv. 60-71. The crisis in Galilee.— Ver. 60. Πολλοὶ οὖν . . . ἀκούειν; many of His disciples [i.c., of the larger and more loosely attached circle of His fol- lowers, as distinct from the Twelve, ver.
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55-64.
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67] having heard the foregoing utterances, said Σκληρός ἐστιν οὗτος 6 λόγος. Σκλη- pés is rather “hard to receive” than ‘hard to understand”. Abraham found the command to cast out Hagar σκληρός, Gen. xxi. 11. Euripides opposes oxAnp’ ἀληθῆ, distasteful, uncompromising truths to μαλθακὰ ψευδή, flattering falsehoods (Frag., 75, Wetstein). The λόγος τε- ferred to was especially, ver. 58, οὗτος ἐστιν 6 ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς as is proved by vv. 61, 62. But this must be taken together with His state- ment in ver. 51, that He would give His flesh, and the development of this idea in vv. 53, 54, τίς δύναται αὐτοῦ ἀκούειν ; ‘““who can listen {ο Him?”—Ver. 61. This apparently was said out of the hearing of Jesus, for ver. 61 says εἰδὼς δὲ ὁ “Ingots ἐν ἑανυτῷ, “ Jesus knowing in Himself,” that is, perceiving that they were murmuring, He intuitively under- stood what it was they were stumbling at, and said τοῦτο ὑμᾶς . . . πρότερον: “Does this saying stumble you? If then ye see the Son of Man ascending where He was before ——’” What are we to supply? Either, Will you not be much more scandalised? Or, Will you not then be convinced? According to the former, the sense would be: If now you say, how can this Man give us His flesh to eat? much more will you then say so when His flesh wholly disappears. But the second interpretation gives the better sense: You will find it easier to believe I came down from heaven, when you see me returning thither. Cf, iii. 13; xiii. 3. You will then recognise also in what sense I said that you must eat my flesh. τὸ wvetpa ἐστι τὸ ζωοποιοῦν, ἡ σὰρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν. It was there- {οτε the spirit animating the flesh in His giving of it which profited; not the ex- ternal sacrifice of His body, but the spirit which prompted it was efficacious. The acceptance of God’s judgment of