The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 1 — Section 226

the remainB of 1hc vrry synagogue built by previoua clnim. To this, however, it is re- the Roman centurion, and one <'ertl\inly plied thRt John, the son of Zcbedee nnd de.ting bnck to 1.he Herodie.n e.ge. TeU-Huni, Salome, may have been his no!lr relntivc, if or "tho Mound of Hftm," is an ee.sy corrup- Snlome were the si,ter of the Virgin; nnd tion or the Oaplutr, or ville.ge of Nahum. lie, also that, up to tho time of the Ascension, and his mothor, and his brethren, and his there is no proof that the brethren believed di&oiplea. 'l'hey may have returned home to in him, but the contrary. 'l'he effect of a N e.zareth, though some 1'0Cent oommentators special mnnifesta.tion to James (1 Cor. xv.) 11ugg('st thnt Cana he.d become the home of may have led to n general admission of the his famil~· in le.te yee.1'8. Thie is oontre.- brethren, who are distinguished from, but yet dicted by the express st.a.tement of oh. i. 45, with, the eleven apostles and the mother on and the utter obliteration of the nil.me of the eve of the Ascension (Acts i. 14). (2) To CanR from the synoptic ne.rra.tive. We can- obviate the difficulties of a sentimental kind, not identify thie possible retnm to NazRret.h it was suggested by Jerome, nnd it ho.s been with the account in Luke iv. 16-20, because often assumed since, that these brothers were it assumes a previous period of activity in in reality first co1U1ins, not the children of Ce.pcrnaum, and further, beca-use the com- Salome the sister of the Virgin, but of Mary mencement of Christ's public ministry is the wife of Cleopho.s, who is supposed to be expressly made synchrc::!ous with the im- the sister of Mary the mother of J esns ( see eh. prisonment of tho Baptist (Matt. iv. 12- xx. 25, note), and further that this Clcopbe.s 15), which did uot take place till weeks or m,nths afterwards (eh. iii. 24). Conse- = Clopas = 'P71! = .Alphmus = Ohnlphni for the Arnmaic guttuml might be omitted quently, this journey to Capernaum preceded as in Alphrons. or turned into " or x in the journey to JenI88.lem and the return to Clopas, found in John's text. Jerome, how- Nazareth, of which Matthew speaks. The ever (Lightfoot), never referred to this fact that " the mother and brethren" of confirmation of his theory; but it has been J esns accompnnied him, but not " the hence conjectured thc.t Jnmes the son of sisters," snggests whnt is implied in Mark A.lphmus was identicnl with the celebrated vi 8 that the sistera were married in Naza- "Ja.mes the brother of our Lord," mentioned reth and in Mnxk iii. 21-23 tha.t they did in Acts xii. 17; xv. 13; xxi. 18; in Go.I. i. not accompany the non-believing brothers in 19; ii. 9, 12; and iii ecclesiastical history. their endeavour "to lay hold of him." The If, however, this James were the "son of fact that Joaeph is not mentioned induces .A.lphreus," then Judas (eh. xiv. 22) (not the common assumption that he wasalrendy Lcariot)-"Judns of Jnmes" (Jude 1; .Acts dead. Volumes have been written on" the i. 13)-wo.s also one of the "brethren ; " also brethren of .Jesus." The determine.tion of Joses and Simon, sons of Clcophas, were their parentage is one of the most perplexing of their number; and some have gone points in the evangelic history.' There o.re further, and made Simon the Canaanite the three hypotheses, which a.re a.like be3et with other brother. This might possibly be the difficulties. (1) The view propounded by solution of the puzzle, if the entire theory Helvidius in Rome, in the fourth century, did not brenk down under the clear distinc- and to which Jerome replied, that the tion drawn in evangelic narrative between " brothers " are brothers in the ordinary the twelve apostles and the brethren. E.g. in sense, children of Joseph and Mary. Thls this passage they a.re discriminated from snpposition is sl!Btuined by the statement of "disciples." In eh. vii 5 the "brethren" Matt. i 25 and Luke ii 7, each of which are snid not to believe on the Lord. In implies the.t the mother of our Lord had .Acts i. 14 they are mentioned in addition to other children. The sentiment of the Church the apostles. Though in Gnl. i. and ii. in favour of Mary's perpetual virginity, and James might seem from his great eminence in favour of the uniqueness of her maternity, to be classed with apostles in some wider h.e.e powerfnlly contested thie b-Upposition. !'eme, yet in Acts xv. 13; xxi 18; Gal. ii. Further, ape.rt from any aentiment, it has 12 he seems to take precedence of all the been eaid that the Lord would not ho.ve apostles, at the Council of Jerusalem, and commended the mother to the beloved dis- in presidency of the Church there. llfore- ci ple, if he had living brothers who had a over, the identification of Cleophas with AlphmllB ie very doubtful. Clopas is Are.- 1 The most exheusti ve eeea.y on the subject 1DBic, Cleophas a Greek name; and the id.en- is Bi.shop Lightfoot'e, in his 'Commentary ti1ication of his wife Mary with the sis~er of on the Epistle to GalatianB ; ' eomp. Pro- the Virgin is also very doubtful ; while to fessor W. H. Mill, in his •Observations;' ho.'l"e two sisters of the same nnme in the Alfo:rli.'e 'Prolegomena to the Epistle of e&me family is highly impro~a~lc. We James;• Archdeacon Farrar, • Early Days cannot believe, further, that so clistmguishcd of Christianity,' vol. ii.; Wieseler, in 'Stud. a man ne James the brother of our Lord und Krit.' (ltS40). could have been designated as" James the CII, II, 1-25.] 'I'llE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. R7