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νῦν δὲ ἡ βασιλεία ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐντεῦθεν.'' ὁ Πιλάτος, “«Οὐκοῦν βασιλεὺς εἶ σύ; λέγεις ὅτι βασιλεύς εἰμι ἐγώ.
XVIII. 17---4ο.
37. Εἶπεν οὖν αὐτῷ t
᾽Απεκρίθη 6 ᾿Ιησοῦς, “ Σὺ 4 3 a / ‘ > ἐγὼ eis τοῦτο γεγέννηµαι, καὶ εἰς
τοῦτο ἐλήλυθα eis τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα µαρτυρήσω τῇ ἀληθεία. mas 6
ὢν ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας *dkover µου τῆς ovis.”
38. Λέγει αὐτῶ 6 Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν, πάλιν ἐξῆλθε
πρὸς τοὺς Ἰουδαίους, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς, “Ey οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν
{x. 6 ’ Πιλάτος, “Ti ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ;’ εΌαπ.ἱκ. εὑρίσκω 5 ἐν αὐτῷ. 26. h Cp. xii PENG ap BCH ” Burton, τῶν Ιουδαίων ; 216.
clause appears to define the idea of the world by an immediate reference to the representatives of it close at hand.” Westcott. Perhaps this rather limits the reference. Jesus uses ἐντεῦθεν as one who has other worlds than this in view. —Ver. 37. Pilate understands only so
far as to interrupt with Οὐκοῦν . . . ov; “So then you are a king?” On οὐκοῦν see Klotz’s Devarius, p. 173-
To which Jesus replies with the ex- plicit statement: Σὺ λέγεις . . . ἐγώ. ‘Thou sayest.” This, says Schoettgen (Mt. xxvi. 25), is “‘solennis adfirman- tium apud Judaeos formula’’; so that ὅτι must be rendered with R.V. marg. ‘because’? I am a king. Eras- mus, Westcott, Plummer, and others render, ‘“‘ Thou sayest that I am aking,” neither definitely accepting nor rejecting the title. But this interpretation seems impossible in the face of the simple σὺ λέγεις of the synoptists, Mt. xxvii. 11, Mark xv. 2, Luke xxiii. 3. We must then render, '' Thou art right, for a king Iam”. In what sense a king, He ex- plains: ἐγὼ εἰς τοῦτο γεγέννηµαι κ. T. Ae ‘‘ For this end have I been born, and for this end am I come into the world;”’ the latter expression, by being added to the former, certainly seems to suggest a prior state. Cf. i. ο. The end is expressed in ἵνα paptupyow τῇ ἀληθείᾳ, “that 1 might witness to the truth,” especially regarding God and His relation to men. The consequence is that every one who belongs to the truth (moral affinity ex- pressed by ἐκ) obeys Him, ἀκούει in a pregnant sense, cf. x. 8-16. They become His subjects, and form His kingdom, a kingdom of truth, For which Pilate has only impatient scorn: τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια:---'' Tush, what is Aletheia?” It was a kingdom which could not injure the empire. What have
39. ἔστι δὲ συνήθεια ὑμῖν,
τσ 5! ς a ινα ενα υμιν
ἀπολύσω ἐν τῷ πάσχα: βούλεσθε οὖν ὑμῖν ἀπολύσω τὸν βασιλέα 40. ᾿Εκραύγασαν οὖν πάλιν πάντες, λέγοντες, “Mi τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαραββᾶν - η ἦν δὲ 6 Βαραββᾶς λῃστής.
I to do with provinces that can yield πο tribute, and threaten no armed rebellion ?
Vv. 38-40. Pilate declares the result of his examination.—Ver. 38. Pilate waited for no reply to his question, but τοῦτο εἰπὼν, πάλιν ἐξῆηλθε. The noting of each movement of Pilate suggests the eye-witness, and brings out his vacilla- tion. ᾿Εγὼ οὐδεμίαν αἰτίαν . . . “I for my part find no fault, or ground of accusa- tionin Him.” Naturally, therefore, Pilate will acquit and dismiss Him; but no. He attempts a compromise : ἔστι δὲ συνήθεια ἡμῖν “You have a custom,” of which we have no information elsewhere ; although Josephus (Antiq., xx. 9, 3) relates that at a passover Albinus released some robbers. Analogies in other countries have been produced. This custom Pilate fancies they will allow him to follow in favour of Jesus: βούλεσθε . . . Ιουδαίων; ἀπο- λύσω, aorist subjunctive ; cf. Mt. xiii. 28, θέλεις συλλέξωμεν; Lk. ix. 54, θέλεις . εἴπωμεν; βούλεσθε καλῶμεν; βούλεσθε εἴπω, εἴο., commonly occur in Aristo- phanes and other classical writers. Ἐκραύγασαν . . . Μὴ τοῦτον, ἀλλὰ τὸν Βαραββᾶν, “'ΤΠεΥ shouted,” showing their excitement: πάλιν, previous shout- ings have not been mentioned by John, but this word reflects light on the manner in which the accusations had been made. ἦν δὲ 6 Βαραββᾶς λῃστής. Bar-Abbas, son of a father, or of a Rabbi, διδασ- κάλου vids. In Mt. xxvii. 16, Origen read *Incotv τὸν Bap., but added ‘in multis exemplaribus non continetur”’. He found a mystery in the circumstance that both prisoners were called “‘ Jesus, the Son of the Father”. Barabbas is designated λῃστής, or, as Luke (xxiii. 19) more definitely says, he had been im- prisoned for sedition in the city and for murder. John does not bring out the irony of the Jews’ choice, which freed