The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 378

liurt. wR• thr oe{'n.sicm, when the verdict waa cnac~~ent of the L11w, but W8I a purely givru by the Be.nhrorin in full session, not ra·bb1mc observance (Delitzaoh • 'l'nlnm- in the palnoe of the high prieHt, but in the diechc Studien,' xiv. (1874); • Zeltsohrirt filr "Guith,~ or JIOl!Sibly in the " Booths of die geenmmte Luth. Theo!.'). We find it operative in Acts x. 28, nnd thua n hint H&n&n," on tlie Mount of Olivoe. Luke given not merely of the autbor·e knowledge clesrly discriminates between oT,cor -rov &px1· of the inner life of Judaism, but of his qulot ~plo>r (Dtli. 54), and the ,rwhip,ov av-r~v of recognition of tho stupendous spcctaclo of ver. 66. malicious ritunlism, and of unscrupulous &ntn.gonism to tho lloliost One, busying Ver. 28--ah. xix. 16.-(S) The R=" itself &bout attention to the latter of thnt trial, premppo,!iflg the deciswn of tM Sanhe- which was only a rabbinic legislation. But 1 drin. might eat the Passover. Hero in this pllB• Vel'I!. 28---82. - (a) [Without the Pm- sage we rome onco more face to face with torinm.] Pilat,e e:r,t,,rt,, the malign intention the pcrsisten t puzzle oc~asioned by the of th-e Je,m;, and dam& t1iem to disobey Roman divergent intimations of John o.nd the BY· late. noptists as to the day of our Lord's death. In Ver. 28.-Then they le&d J"eS11e from the Matt. xxvi. 17 and Mo.rk xiv. 12-14 this houe of Oaiaphu to the Prll!torium-to the very phrase is used for the prepo.ration of imperial palar,e of the Roman governor. The that Pascho.l supper which our Lord cele- word is used primarily for the general's tent brated with hie disciples (see Introduction, in tlie Roman camps, and for the legal resi- pp. xciii., eto.). So that we ho.ve at ii.ny dence of the chief of a province. Now, the rate a discordant verbal usage, however tho ordinary residence of the Roman governors problem bo solved. The do.y is breo.king, was at Cmsa.rc&, but e.t the time of the great which conetitntee, n.ccording to Johu (prima feasts they were in the habit of going up to facie), the 14th of Nisan, in the evening of .Jerusalem, and at • later time than this which and commencement of the 15th the (Joeephns, • Bell. Jud.,' ii H. 8; 15. 5) the Passover would be killed. According to the governor11 utilized for this purpose the for- synoptists, that Po.ssover meal wne already mer pa.lace of Herod, a gorgeous residence in over, and the first great day of the feast had the upper city. It is, however, more pro- . commenced-the day of convoco.tion, with ~ble that Pi'a.t.e occupied the pale.ce of the sabbatic functions and duties. The state- Castle of Antonia,overlooking the north-west ments e.re appo.rently in hopeless vo.riance. corner of the temple ai-ea, and having means Many emphasize, exaggerate, and decia.re in• of direct communication with it. Edersheim soluble the contradiction, repudiating either inclines to the p&lace of Herod. From the the authority of John or that of the eynop- high-priestly p&lace to the castle they led tists. Meyer a.nd Lucke give their verdict .Jesus. And it wu early. [In Matt. xiv. 25 with John, the eye-witness, as against the and Mark xiii 35 ,rpo,t is equivalent to the synoptic tradition. Strauss and Keim, who fourth watch of the night, between three also hold the invincible diecrepo.ncy, lift the and six o'clock. The breadth of the phrase Bynoptic IICCOunt to e. comparatively high would cover the period of the hurried council state of historic validity, and thereby dis- (_, Jtl.e.tt. xxvii; Mark xv.) and the Bf:Sllion credit the authenticity of the Fourth Goepel. of Pilo.tc. The RoIDllll jndgments were often We have two methods of reconciling the conducted in early morning (Seneca, • De difficulty: (1):An endeavour to show that the Ira,' iL 7)-prima. luce.] The council having synoptic narrative itself is inconsistent with in their indecent haste conveyed JesUB to the idea that the night of the PaBSion was thePnetorinm, while (and 1) the;ythemBalvee the night of the general Po.ssover. (a) That ,nm not iJLto the l'rleto;rium, • lest they the entire proceeding of the trial was incon- llhould be defiled (p,1W1.,, the solemn word sistent with the feast-day; (b) that Simon the for " profane " in Plato, Sophocles, and Cyrenian conld not bear the cross on that day; the LXX.). This defilement by entrance (c) the circumstance that that Friday evening i.uto the house of a Gentile WW! not an was the preparation of the Passover; and (d) that the reckoniage of the weeks till the Pen• • .AD :instance of the adverBO.tive force of teoost Sunday are all made to show that the ,ml. ,ynoptic narrative itself admits that the Oru- • In the translation of tbiB word the Re- cifixion took place beJ.ore the Passover meal. visers ha,ve preserved in every place whel"f' So also does the decision of the priests, that 1t occur11 the ume EngliBh word, •palace,'' they would put J eeus to death µ~ lJl"Tij fop-rij except in P.hil. i.13, where they have rightly (Matt. :uvi. 5; Mark xiv. 2). On this un- re111.lered it "pl"IBklria.D guard." The Eng- derstandiD.g the passage before us ie inter- 1.iah Version gave 11even or eight diJferent tranale.tions ( - ver. 8S; c·h. x:i.x. 9; Matt. , •AM' Tva. is the reading of T.R., but4>.>.A :s::,:vii. 27; M.a.rk xv. 6; Act.B xxiii. 35, etc.). simply ie read by e.11 the modern editor&. lltt, xvu1. 1-40.] THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO S'l', JOHN. 3!)]