The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 72

times in the Apocnlypsc, and only once beside In the New Testament. md(ur occurs ei~ht times in the Go~~!, on~c in the Ap~cnl3;i_ise (in the un_usual sense of ~aking nn ammnl), and 01J!y three time~ m nil the New i·cstamcnt beside. Ktlp1f a-o otaas occur; three times in eh. x.xi. and in Re,•. vii. 14. While certain common words lilco p.nd• vo,a, -yfr""a, never occur in any of the Johannine writingR, <f>o,T/(.,, B&(a, ,pa(,,.,, frequently occur in all three. ITIIJ"T1s, a word occurring so:ne three hundred nnd forty timeR 111 the New Testament, is absent from the Gospel, and n(arly absent from the Epistles ,mu ApocnlYJ1se, only occurring five times in all. The most striking plu·ases an,l forms of thought-imagery are common to the Gospel and .Apocalypse; e.g. the idea of the Lord !esus Chdst ns "a Lamb," in eh. i. 29 (under the form 6.p.11&s), aud in the Apoc,,lypse 1t occw'I! twenty-five times under the form l,.p,•lov. The representation of the Christ as Dridegroom of the Church (eh. iii. 29) re:,prmrs in Rev. xix. 7; xxi. 2. 'l'lio "water of life" 1s an idea that occurs twice in the Gospel and twice in the Apocalypse. Tue frequent w:e of p.<Ta TtiUT1& should be noted (eh. iii. 22; v. 1 14 • vi. l: vii. 1; xix. 38; ni.1; Rev. iv. 1; vii. l (T.R.), 9; xv. 6; xviii. 1; xix. 1 ;' xx: 3). The most remarkable idcmtity of phrase (however it may be accounted for) is in the Greek trans- lation of Zech. xii. 10, where 11{) is rendered in eh. xix. 34-37 (see note) by l(.,cl- l'T11"a." rather than ,l.11f! i11 1ea.To,pxl,a-a.11To of the LXX. The same translation, as well as the same citation, occurs again in Rev. i. 7. The other Greek translations and Justin Martyr followed the same text, but they were prepared after St. John. The only explanation is that the writers of the two passages were deeply impresscu with the piercing of the side of Jesus, its fulfilment of prophecy, aud they ti·anslatcd Zcchariah's text in the same way, and in this differed from the LXX. These peculiarities of diction, and similarities, might be greatly argumented, as may be seen in Lucke, Moses Stuart, Davidson, and Dr. Lee. '!'hey leave upon our minds a powerful impression that whosoever wrote the one book had, undoubtedly, much to do with the other also. '!'he supposed discrepancies of diction are much reduced on close examination, and the correspondences are more strikin?; thau the discrepancies. One method of refuting or e,ading the force of these similarities is to suppose that the author of the Gospel in post-apostolic times was acquainted with the Apocalypse and purposely adopted them. The necessity for such a refutation goes far towards a repudiation of the argument based upon the dissimilarity. (,-) The structure of tlie two books. So far as the style and structure are concerned, prima facu, the contrast is obvious. In the Gospel we have the simple, apparently artless, and even grammatico-structureless composition. .A winning fluency pervades it, and the reader blends without effort the events with the consequent discourses. Moreover, as some of these commence in mediis rebus, and close in the midst of a con- versation without dramatic introduction or end, an incautious reader might suspect an utter absence of plan or arrangement. .Apparently no effort is made to produce an impression upon the reader. Utterances of the Lord Jesus Christ, of transcendent importance, are not infrequently recorded without comment, and even the effect upon their first hearers is conveyed with surpassing reticence. Very few signs occur of great or vivid imagination on the part of the writer; and no bursts of eloquence, no dazzling scenes corresponding with the synoptic narratil•e of the Transuguratioa, are recorded.. No attempt is made to aggravate the tragedy of the Passion; a studied omission of certain memorable scenes, which might have been dressed in apocalyptic splendour, occurs to all stuucnts. But, on the other hanrl, the Revelation of St. John is so arranged as to form a series of connected visions, ,,·ith growing intensity of sucro-cstion, and climacteric force of grouping. After the opening vision, s~ven letters ar;~ddressed to tbe seven Churches by the living Lord. Then followd the gorgeous vision of the throne of God and of the book with the seven seals. The opening of six of these seals is followed by a prophetic symbol; 1:-ut before the seventh is opened a sub- ordinate act is introduced. The four angels who have power to injure land and _sea. are arrested by "another angel," who would secure the safety of twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes of Israel; and after this the seer beholds an innumerable company of every age, kingdom, nation, who stand before t)1e Lamb, and sing a ~cw song. Then, when the seventh t.eal is opened, fresh delay mtervcnes, for that action invoh•es the delivery of trumpet-voices by seven angels. 'fhe first four trumpet-blasts, like the effect of the qpening of tl!e first four seals, ~rodnce certain 8pccificd results.  'l'IIE GOSPIU, ACCOTIDINO TO ST. JOUN". lxxix