The Pulpit Commentary — Matthew — Volume 2 — Section 583

blood ie brought into the s11.notue.ry by the aoourge, suffering untold agonies, was left priest for sin, e.re burned without the e&mp. to die. Whether Jesus carried the whole Wherefore Jesus 11.lso, that he might sanctify oross or only the transom is uncertain. It the people "-ith his own blood, suffered is possible that the two were tied together without the gnte" (Heh. xiii. 11, 12). Le.nge by a rope ut one end, so e.e to form an describes the procession: "Instesd of being inverted V, and fasteued in the proper posi- led forth by lictors, the command of whom tion at tho place of execution. However Pilate, ns suh-govornor, did not enjoy, Jesus this may be, it proved too heavy a burden for is condncted to the cross by the soldiery. him to bee.r. Spent with his long vigil nnd A centurion on horsebe.ck, cnlled by Te.eitus !ack of food, his spirit afflicted by the agony • Exactor mortis,' by Seneoe. • Centurio sup- lD the garden and the unknown suft'oringe plicio prmpositus,' hesded the compe.ny. A then e.nd afterwards, his body tortured with hernlJ, going in front of the condemned, open wounds and weakened with loss of proclnimed his sentence-'' Behind him blood, he sank beneath the weight, 11.s he walked the prisoner, bearing the instrument ste.ggered wee.rieclly along the rough and of hie punishment ; a small company of hilly streets. Either from a momente.ry soldiers completed the oavale&de. oompnnction, or more probably from impa- Yer. 32.-As they oa.me out; i.e. from the tience at the slowness of the poor Su1ferer's city gate which led to the ple.ce of execu- movements, the soldiers gladly Eeized on tion. They found a man of Cyrene, Simon by Simon to relieve the Prisoner of the cross, n&me. He was, as the other synoptisls or to share its weight. e.nd thus ene.ble them mention, coming out of the country to Jeru- sooner to complete their ornel task. salem, where probably he lived. Cyrene Ver. 33.-A place called Golgothe., that is 'WB8 a district in the north of Africa, under to se.y, a ple.ce of e. sknll; quod est Oaltiarilll Roman rule, and colonized by a large number loow (Vulgate). Hence the Le.tinized ne.me of Jews ( Josephus, 'Cont. A pion.,' ii. 4; Cal vary. The word means "a skull; " bot • Ant.,' xiv. 7. 2), who had a synagogue of why the spot we.a so co.lied is e. doubtful their own at J ernsalem (Acts vi 9). Simon question. '.fhat it was the usual place of doubtless became a follower of Christ, and execution is a suggestion with no proof, and St. Mark mentions hie two sons, Alexander one would expect the designation in this e.nd Rufus, 88 well-known believers (see case to be " the place of skulls." Tre.dition Rom. xvi. 13). Probably the guards saw in (authorized by Origen) poiDted to it as the him some tokens of sympathy with Christ spot where Adam was buried, and where his and compassion for hie sufferings ; or they skull we.s found-a story that seems to need hie services simply 88 being e. foreigner, have arisen from the typical ran.son that it e.nd not likely to resent being put to e. task was congruous the.t the first Adam e.nd which a Hebrew would deem the lowest the second Ade.m should mee• in death, the degradation_ Him they compelled Urno.p,u- latter winning the victory there where the ,,-a.v, impressed) to bear his cross. The verb former showed his defeat. Most probably translated "compelled" is derived from the the ne.me was given to it as descriptive of Persian, e.nd implies the compulsory power its appearance, a bare space of rock (not a possessed by couriers of requisitioning horses hill) denuded of verdure, and bee.ring e. dis- and ce.rriages in forwarding despatches (see te.nt resemblance to a hume.n skull wanting eh. v_ 41)- The crOBB was prohe.bly the hair. The actual situation of Cavalry is ordinary Le.tin cross,cruz immiasa, of which, hotly contested by exegetcs e.nd travellers, however, the lower limb below the tre.nsom and is still far from being determined. The we.s longer than the upper; e.nd this le.tter only criterion offered by our accounts in the e.fforded e. place where conld be a.ffixed the Gospels is that it was without tlrn then walls board couiaiuing the inscription. It was of the city, not far from one o t" the ge.tcs, not e.s fall as usually represented; we e.re e.nd by the side of one of the priucipe.l roads told the.t l,ensts of prey were able to gnaw leadiug from the city to the country. A the bodies Ii ung thereon. In fact, the certain knoll on the hill Gareb towards the culprit's feet were only just raised above north-west, by which the Dame.sous roe.d the ground, being drawn op till the soles led, e.nd to which Jeremiah (xxxi. 89) refers, lay tlo.t ou the upright beam. Nails were is supposed, not vi,ry I,appily, to answer driven throngil the he.nds e.ntl feet, e.nd these requirements. If the present Church the body was supported partly by these, of the Holy Sepulchre, on the north-west of and parlly by a projecting pin of wood Jerusalem, really contains the actual Gol- ce.llcd tLe see.t. The rest for the feet, gotba and the tomb of our Lord, the course often seen in pictnr~s, was never used. A of the second we.II e.s usually drawn connot aligLt cornring was e.llowed for decency's be correct, e.s it embraces this site com 118.ke, the rest of the Lody being stripp(::d of pletoly (see the (}uardia11, August 80, clotLin::,:; e.nd thus the condemned. exposed 1893, p. 1858). Opinion, e.lwnye e.ltcring, to score~ sun, bleeding from the cruel has le.tely been inclined to endorse the  0.11. xxvn, 1-66.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTIIEW. 589