The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 231

the SRNed wounds on his skull, his soul was cross:" Jndroi clamnnt, 'Crueifigol' Christu ■ translnted to Paradise. A tradition tl'ace- olrttu!lt, 'Iguosce 1' l\lagna illornm iniquitns, able to the fourth e.entury hns identifie,l this sed mnjor tuo., 0 Domino. pietns I" And •pnt with the building known as the Church they p1uted his rniment, and oast lots. The of the Holy Sepulchre. St.. Cyril of Jeru• rough soldiers wore trenting the l\Inster as Fnlem alludes to the spot repeatedly. In al~oody drad, !'nd were disposing of his the time of Ensebius there was no <loubt as rn1mcnt, of winch they had stripped him to the site. Tue Bordeaux Pilgrim (A.D. 333) before fastening him to the cross. He wns writes thus: "On the left side (of the hanging t.here nnked, exposed to sun and orig-inn] Churllh of the Holy Sepulchre) is wind. rart of this raiment wns torn the hillock (monticulus) Golgotha, where asunder, po.rt they drew lots for to see who the Lord was crucified. Thence about a was to wear it. 'l'he garments of tho cruci- stone-throw distance is the crypt where his fied became the property of the soldiers who ho<ly was deposil.ed." Re,'ent researc,h con- carried ont the sentence. Every croes was firms this \'ery ancient tradition, an,l scholars gno.rdcd by a gunrd of four soldiers. The ore generally now agreeing that the evidence coat, for which they co.st lots, was, St. John in support of the traditiunal site is strong tells us, without eenm. "Chrysostom," who and seemingly conclusive. And the malo- mo.y have written from personal knowledge, fe.ctors, one on the right hand, and the other thinks that the detail is ndded to show "the on the left. St. John adds, "e.ud Jesus in poorness of the Lord's garments, and that tlie midst," as holding the position of pre- in dress, as in all other things, he followed eminence in that scene of uttermost sbnme. a simple fashion." Even iu suffering Christ appears as a King. Ver. 35.-And the people stood beholding, W c,tcott thus comments on the next detail A hush seems to have fallen over the seem,. recorded by St. John (:xix. 19), where the The crowd of by-standers were awed as they accurate rendering is, "And Pile.te wrote a e.t first silently gn.zed on the dying form of ti:le also." This title (see further, ver. 38) the great Teacher. What memories must was drawn up by Pilate, who ea.used it to be have surged up in the hearts of many of the pieced on the cross. The words, "wrote a gazers-memories of bis pare.blcs, his mighty title also," perhaps imply that the placing mire.oles, his words oflove; memories of the of the Lord in the mid.st was done by raising of Lazarus, and of the day of po.I ms I Pilate's direction. Such a silent awe-struck contemplation was Ver. 84.-Then said J'esus, Father, forgive dangerous, the rulers felt, so they hastened them ; for they know not what they do. to commence their mockery-" to clear," as These words nre missing in some of the Stier remarks, "the stifling air, and deafen oldest a1JthoritiPe. They are found, how- the voice which was stirring even in them- cnr, in the majority of the most ancient selves." "Look now," they would cry," nt manuscripts aud iu the most trustworthy the end of the Man who said be could do, and of the old l"ersions, and are undoubtedly pretendPd to do, such stl'e.nge, unhear<l-of genuine. T!iese first of the seven '!l"ords things I" 'fhoy seem soon to have in- from the cross seem, from tlieir position duced many to join in their mocking cries in the record, to have been spoken very and gestures, e.ud so to break the awful early in the awful scene, probably while silence. the nails were being driven into the he.ads Ver. 36.-And the soldiers also mooked end feet. Different from other holy dying him, ooming to him, and offering him men, he had no need to say, "Forgive vinegar. Three times in the Crucifixion me." Then, as always, thinking of others, scene we find o. mention of this vinc•go.r, or he utters this prayer, uttering it, too, a.a the sour wine of the country, the common Stier well observes, with the same con- drink of the soldiers and others, being sciousness which had been formerly ex- offered to the Sufferer. (1) l\le.tt. xxvii. 34. pres!!ed, "Father, I know tlie.t thou hearet!t This was e\'i<lently a draught prepared with me always." "His intercession has this for narcotics and stupefying drugs, no doubt its ground, though in meekness it is not ex- by some of those compassionate women pressed: • Father, I will that thou forgive a<ldressed by him on his way to the cross tliem. " In the same eublime consciousness as "daughters of Jerusalem," a common wlw he was, he speaks shortly after to the work of mercy e.t thRt time, and one appa- penitent tbief hanging by hie side. Tl:e3e rently permitted by the guo.rde. This, St. words of th" crucitied Jt:sus were beard by Matthew tells us, " he tasted of," no doubt the poor sufferer close to Lim; tLey-with in courteous recognition of the kindly other things he bad noticed in the One purpose of the a.et, but be refused to do crucified in the midst-moved him to tho.t more lhan tHete of it. He would not clull pit.eone prayer which we.e answered at once the scnije of po.in, or clou,l the clearness of so quickly and so royally. St. Bernard bis communion with his Father in that lo.sf c.oma:ienu thne on tliie first word from the awful hour. (2) The. secoud, mentinneQ cm. xxm. 1-56.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 211