lation of God to humanity rather than to Christ himself, is ex- plained by what follows—“ my Father and your Father.”
My brethren. The word brethren, applied to the disciples, occurs before (vii. 3, 5, 10), but not the phrase my brethren, which follows from my Father and your Father. Compare Matt. xxviii. 10.
l ascend (dvaGaivw). The present tense is used, not in the sense of the near future, but implying that He had already en- tered upon that new stage of being which the actual ascension formally inaugurated. The resurrection was really the begin- sing of the ascension.
18. Came and told (épxera: ayyéAnouca). Lit., cometh tell- ing.
19-23. Compare Mark xvi. 14-18; Luke xxiv. 36-49. 19. Assembled. Omit.
21. Hath sent (a7écradxev). Note the distinction between this verb and that applied to the sending of the disciples (aéu- mw). See oni. 6.
22. Breathed on them (évedioncev). Only here in the New Testament. The act was symbolic, after the manner of the Hebrew prophets. Compare Ezek. xxxvii. 5.
The Holy Ghost. The article is wanting. The gift be- stowed was not that of the personal Holy Spirit, but rather an earnest of that gift; an effuscon of the Spirit.
23. Remit (apfre). Only here in this Gospel in connection with sims. Often in the Synoptists (Matt. vi. 12; ix.5; Mark ii. 5; Luke v. 28, etc.).
25. Print (rumov). See on 1 Pet. v. 3.
Put—thrust (dw). The same verb in both cases. Hence better, as Rev., put for thrust.
| will not (ov 47). Double negative: in nowise.
26. Then came Jesus. There is no connecting particle, then, and the verb is in the present tense. The abrupt Jesus cometh is more graphic.
27. Be not (u%) yivov). Lit., become not. Thomas was in a fair way to become unbelieving, through his doubt of the resur- rection.
Faithless—believing (dmsctos—muotds). There is a corre- spondence of the words here, to which, perhaps, the nearest ap- proach in English is unbelieving, believing.
29. Thomas. Omit.
31. Are written (yéyparra). Have been or stand written. The perfect tense. John’s intent was to write a gospel rather than a biography.