38—49.
43. Σχίσμα οὖν ἐν τῷ ὄχλω ἐγένετο δι αὐτόν.
769
44. τινὲς δὲ ἤθελον
ἐξ αὐτῶν Ῥπιάσαι αὐτὸν, GAN’ οὐδεὶς Ἱἐπέβαλεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν τὰς Χεῖρας. p ver. 30.
45. Ἴλθον οὖν οἱ ὑπηρέται πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισαίους - καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνοι, “'Διατί οὐκ "ἠγάγετε αὐτόν;
q Gen. xxii. 12. 6. τ xviii. 28. ο Jer.xlvi.7.
᾿Απεκρίθησαν οἱ ὑπηρέται, “OdddmoTe οὕτως ἐλάλησεν ἄνθρωπος,
ὡς οὗτος ὁ ἄνθρωπος.”
47. ᾽Απεκρίθησαν οὖν αὐτοῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι,
“Mi kat ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε; 48. µή τις ἐκ τῶν " ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν s ver. 26; iii.
~ ή eis αὐτὸν, ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων;
already hinted in the ἄλλοι δὲ intro- ducing a contrary opinion to that already expressed.] They knew that Jesus was a Galilean, and this clashed with their idea that the Christ was to be born of the seed of David and in Bethlehem; an idea founded on Micah v. 2; 18. xi. 1; Jer. xxiii. 5. Bethlehem is here called the κώμη ὅπον ἦν Δαβίδ [or Δανείδ, which gives the same pronunciation], because there David spent his youth; 1 Sam. xvi. I, 4, etc.—Vv. 43, 44. Σχίσμα . . « χεῖρς. On this verse Calvin has the following pertinent re- mark: ‘‘quaecunque dissidia emergunt quum praedicatur Evangelium, eorum causa et semen prius in hominibus late- bant; sed tunc demum quasi ex somno expergefacti se movere incipiunt, qualiter vapores aliunde quam a sole procreantur, quamvis nonnisi exoriente sole emer- gant”. To this divided state of opinion He owed His immunity on this occasion.
Vv. 45-52. Anger of the Sanhedrim on receiving the report of their officers.— Ver. 45. ἦλθον οὖν . . . αὐτόν. It now appears that the οὐδεὶς of the preceding clause applies even to the officers sent by the Sanhedrim. They returned empty- handed πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισ- aiovs, that is, as the single article shows, to the Sanhedrim, or at any rate to these parties acting together and officially. What follows indicates rather that they were met as a court. They [ἐκεῖνοι regularly refers to the more remote noun; but here, although in the order of the sentence the. ὑπηρέται are more remote, they are nearer in the writer’s mind, and he uses ἐκεῖνοι of the priests and Pharisees] at once demand the reason of the failure, Διατί οὐκ ἠγάγετε αὐτόν; ““Why have ye not brought Him?” Apparently they were sitting in expecta- tion of immediately questioning. Him. —Ver. 46. The servants frankly reply: οὐδέποτε . . . ἄνθρωπος. The testi- mony is notable, because the officers of a court are apt to be entirely
49. ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ
mechanical and leave all responsibility for their actions with their superiors. Also it is remarkable that the same result should have found place with them all; for in view of the divided state of public feeling, probably five or six at least would be sent.—Ver. 47. But their apology only rouses the in- dignation of those who had sent them, μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε; Are ye also, of whom better things might have been expected, deluded ?—py τις... Φαρισαίων; What right have sub. ordinates to have a mind of their own? Wait till some of the constituted autho- rities or of the recognised leaders of religious opinion give you the cue. Here the secret of their hostility is out. Jesus appealed to the people and did not depend for recognition on the influential classes. Power was slipping through their βηρεις.- ἀλλ ὁ ὄχλος . . . εἶσι. ‘But this mob [these masses] that knows not the law are cursed.”’ This Pharisaic scorn of the mob [or ‘‘am-haarets,” which is here represented by ὄχλος] appears in Rabbinic literature. Dr, Taylor [Sayings of the fewish Fathers, p- 44] quotes Hillel as saying: ‘‘ Ne boor is a sin-fearer; nor is the vulgar pious’’. Το the Am-haarets are opposed the disciples of the learned in the law; and Schoettgen defines the Am-haarets as ‘“‘omnes ΠΠ qui studio sacrarum literarum operam non dederunt”. The designation, therefore, 6 py γινώσκων τὸν νόµον, was usual. That it was prompted here by the popular recogni- tion as Messiah of one who came out of Galilee, in apparent contradiction of the law and of the opinion of the Pharisees, is also probable. People so ignorant as thus to blunder ἐπικατάρατοί εἶσι.--- Ver. 50. To this strong expression one of their own number (and therefore to their great surprise), Nicodemus, the same person who had visited Jesus under cover of night, takes exception and makes a protest. [Tisch. deletes