The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 122

thunder to rouse unbelieven, and t.o bring whioh Jx.,ars his name, and he beoe.me them to repentance a.nd a. holy life. It wl\8 Bishop of Jerusalem. 'l'haddmne, ce.lled also no donbt on account of this zea.l that James Lebbmus e.nd Juda.a; whence St. Jerome fell eo early a vi<-tim to the wrath of Herod. de•cribes him as '' trionimus,'' i.e. he.ving A different lot WIIS that which fell to St. three names. Judas would be his proper John. Spared to a. ripe old age, he influenced name. Lebbmus and TLl11ddmus have e. the early Church by his writings and his kind of etymological affinity, the root of teaching. His Gospel begins as with the Lebbmus being " heart," e.nd of Thaddmus, voice of thunder, "In the beginning wa.s "breast." These n11mes a.re probably re- the Word, and the Word was with God, and corded to distinguish him from Judas the the Word wa.s God." Beza. and others, fol- traitor. Sim.on the Cane.a.nite. The word in- lowed by Dr. Morison, ha.ve thought that the Greek, according to the best authorities, this distinctive na.me was given by our id, both here e.nd in St. Matthew (x. 4). Lord to the two brothers on account of some Kavavai'os, from e. Chaldean or Syriao word.~ deep-toned peculiarity of voice, which wa.s Kanean, or Kanenieh. The Greek equiva- of much serrice to them in impressing the lent is Z11;\.am\s, which we find preserved in message of the Gospel of the kingdom upon St. Luke (vi 15). It is possible, however, their hea.i-ers. that Simon me.y he.ve been born in Ce.na of Vere. 18, 19.-Andrew is next mentioned Galilee. St. Jerome se.ys the.the was called· after these eminent apostles, as the first a Cit.nanlB&Il or Zealot, by a double reference ca.lled. The word is from the Greek, and to the ple.ce of his birth e.nd to his zee.l. means "ma.nly." Bartholomew, tha.t is, J'uda.e Isoariot. Iacariot. The most probable :Ba.r-tolma.i, the son of Tolma.y. This is e. derive.tion is from the Hebrew lsh-Kerioth . patronymic, and not e. proper name. It has " a man of Kerioth," a city of the tribe of been with good reason supposed that he is Juda.h. St. John (vi. 7) describes him a& identica.l with Natha.na.el, of whom we first the son of Simon. If it be asked why our read in John i. ¼6, as having been found Lord should have chosen Jude.a Iscariot, the by Philip and brought to Christ. In e.nswer is that he obose him, although he the three synoptic Gospels we find Philip knew that he would betray him, because it. il.Ild Bartholomew enumerated together in was his will that he should be betrayed by the lista of the apostles ; and certainly the one the.t had been "his own familiar friend,". mode in which Nathanael is mentioned in and the.t had "ea.ten bread with him." Bengel John :n:i. 2 would seem to show that he se.ys well here that " there is an election of was e.n apostle. His birthplace, too, Cana graoe from which men may fall." How far of Galilee, would point to the same conclu- our Lord knew from the first the results of tiion. If this be so, then the na.me N athana.el, his choice of Judas belongs to the profound, the " gift of God," would bea.r the same unfathomable mystery of the union of the relation to Bartholomew that Simon does to Godhead e.nd the manhood in his sacred :Ba.r-jona. l!e.tthew. In St. Matthew's own Person. We me.y notice genere.lly, with re- list of the apostles (L 3) the epithet "the gard to this choice by our Lord of his publican " is added to his name, and he apostles, the germ of the principle of sending ple.ces him.self e.fter Thomas. This marks them forth by two e.nd two. Here are Peter the humility of the apostle, that he does and Andrew, James e.nd John, Philip e.nd not IICl'llple to place on record what he we.a Bartholomew, and so on. Then, again, our before he wa.s called. The word Matthew, Lord chose three pairs of brothers, Peter a contraction of Mattathias, means the "gift and Andrew, James and John, James the of Jehovah," according to Gesenius, which Less and Jude, the.t he might teach us how in Greek would be "Theodore." Thoma.a. powerful e.n infl.uenoe is brotherly love. We 1Eusebius says that his real ne.mewasJudas. may a.lso observe that Christ, in selecting hi5 Ii is possible that Thomas may have been apostles, chose some of his kinsmen accord- a surname. The word is Hebrew, meaning ing to the flesh. When he took upon him a twin, e.nd it is so rendered in Greek in our flesh, he recognized those who were near John tl 16. J'amea the son of Alphan1a, to him by nature, e.nd he would unite them or Clopa.s (not Cleophas); ce.lled" the Less," yet more closely by grace to his Divine either because he we.a junior in age, or nature. Three of the apostles took the rather in his ca.11, to James the Great, the lead, namely, Peter and Ja.mes and John, brother of John. This Ja.mes, the son of who were admitted to be witnesses of his Alph111ns, is ce.lled the brother of our Lord. tmnsfiguration, of one of his greatcsL St. Jerome says that his father Alphreus, miracles, and of his passion. or Clopas, married Mary, a sister of the Vera. 20, 21.-The last clause of ver. 19, blessed Virgin Mary, which would make And they went into e.n houe, should form. Lim the cousin of our Lord. This view is the opening sentence of e. new paragraph,. confirmed by Bishop Pearson (Art. iii. on end should therefore become the first clauss tht Creed). Be was tbe writer of the Epistle of ver. 20, as in the Revised Version. Accord- OH, Ill, 1-35.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. l\lARK. 119