776
A A > ἤκουσα tap αὐτοῦ, ταῦτα λέγω εἰς τὸν κόσμον.”
ὅτι τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῖς ἔλεγεν.
x iii. 14
VIIl.
27. Οὐκ ἔγνωσαν 28. Εἶπεν οὖν αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς,
““Orav " ὑψώσητε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τότε γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγώ
εἰμι: καὶ ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ ποιῶ οὐδὲν, ἀλλὰ καθὼς ἐδίδαξέ µε ὁ πατήρ
µου, ταῦτα λαλῶ.
΄ ς ‘ 9 3 a y 2 ὰ er ~ » y Exod. xv. με μµονον ο πατηρ, οτι εγω τ αρεστ αυτῳ ποιω πάντοτε.
26. Gen. xvi. 6. Acts Vi. 2. στι. πας a XV. 9, IO. b 2 Mac. i. 27. Rom. vi. 18.
“co?
altogether that which in my words I represent myself as being”. To this Meyer and Moulton (see his note on Winer) object that τὴν ἀρχὴν only means ‘‘omnino” ‘ prorsus”’ when the sentence is negative. Elsner, however, admitting that the use is rare, gives several examples where it is used “' sine addita negativa’”. The words, then, may be taken as meaning ‘“‘I am nothing else than what I am saying to you: I am a Voice; my Person is my teach- ing ”’.—Ver. 26. πολλὰ ἔχω . . . “many things have I to speak and to judge about you,” some of which are uttered in the latter part of this chapter.—aAX’ ὁ πέµψας .. . But—however hard for you to receive—these things are what are given me to say by Him that sent me, and therefore 1 must speak them; and not to you only but to the world eis τὸν kéopov.—Ver. 27. His hearers did not identify ‘‘ Him that sent me” with “the Father’: Οὐκ ἔγνωσαν ... ἔλεγεν.---Ψετ. 28. Therefore (οὖν) Jesus said to ἴπεπι, Ὅταν . . . eipt, ‘when ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then shall ye know thatIlam He”. ὑψώσητε has the double reference of elevation on the cross and elevation to the Messianic throne, cf. iii. 14. The people were thus to elevate Him and then they would recognise Him, Acts ii. 37, etc. ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι “that I am He,” z.2., “‘the Son of Man”. What follows is not dependent on ὅτι (against Meyer, Holtzmann, Westcott); the καὶ am’ ἐμαυτοῦ begins a new statement, as the present, ποιῶ, shows. The sequence of thought is: ye shall know that I am Messiah: and indeed I now act as such, for of myself I do nothing, but as my Father has taught me, so I speak. This is the present proof that He was Messiah.—Ver, 29. καὶ ὁ πέµψας . . . πάντοτε. His fidelity to the purpose of the Father that sent Him secured His perpetual presence
29. καὶ 6 πέµψας µε, pet ἐμοῦ ἐστιν: οὐκ ἀφῆκέ
30.
Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος πολλοὶ * ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτόν.
31. Ἔλεγε οὖν 6 ‘Ingots πρὸς τοὺς πεπιστευκότας αὐτῷ Ἰουδαίους, Edy ὑμεῖς " µείνητε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῷ ἐμῷ, ἀληθῶς µαθηταί µου ἐστέ: 32. καὶ γνώσεσθε τὴν ἀλήθειαν, καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ” ἐλευθερώσει pas.”
with Him. By His entire self-abnega- tion and freedom from self-will He gave room to the Spirit of the Father. Or, as Westcott supposes, the ὅτι clause may give the evidence or sign of the pre- ceding rather than its cause; and the meaning may be that the result of the Father’s presence is seen in the perfect correspondence of the conduct of the Son with the will of the Father.—Ver. 30. ταῦτα . . . αὐτόν. “As He spake these things many believed on Him,” not only believed what He said, but accepted Him as the Messenger of God. The statement closes one paragraph and prepares for the next, in which it is shown what this faith amounted to (Holtzmann).
Vv. 31-59. Discussion batween Fesus and the Fews regarding their paternity. —Ver. 31. To those who have just been described as believing on Him Jesus went on to say, Ἐὰν ὑμεῖς . . . ὑμᾶς. “If you ”—wtpets emphasised in distinc- tion from those who had not believed— ‘‘abide in my word ”’—not content with making this first step towards faith and obedience—“ then ’—but not till then— ‘are ye really my disciples.”—Ver. 32. καὶ γνώσεσθε . . . ὑμᾶς. By abiding in Christ’s word, making it the rule of their life and accepting Him as their Guide and Teacher, they would come to that knowledge of the truth which only ex- perimental testing of it can bring; and the truth regarding their relation to Him and to God would turn all- service and all life into liberty. Freedom, a con- dition of absolute liberty from all out- ward constraint, is only attained when man attains fellowship with God (who is absolutely free) in the truth: when that prompts man to action which prompts God. ([Cf. the striking parallel in Epictetus, iv. 7. εἰς ἐμὲ οὐδεὶς ἐξουσίαν ἔχει ' ἠλευθέρωμαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἔγνωκα αὐτοῦ τὰς ἐντολὰς, οὐκέτι οὐδεὶς SovAa-