The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 411

moclltio11Uon of the toxt from /l,pm 6~ &.-,1 than either the Talmud or Ma.imonidcs (of. f.,,,,, of 'l'.R. to &pa. ,Iv If,, g.,,, 11,1 whioh may Mark xiii, 85; Luke xii. 88; Matt. xx. eutfer the reading of Lo.nge (" es war gegen 8, 4), and that the synoptic narrative <lie "), "it we.a going on towards the sixth reokoned by the te-rmin1J,8 a quo, which, hour "-the third honr, 9 o..m., was pe.esed, taken literally, wonld be too eBrly for the and it wns moving on to midday. Westoott, act of crucifixion, and that John's reckon- in o.n olo.borate note on John's measurement ing pointa to the terminu, ad quem, which, of time, endeavours to prove tho.t he alway, ta.ken literally, would be too late. M•ClP.llan uses the Romon system of moo.sure from thinke this "outrageous I" though Andrewee. midnight to middlly, instead of the Oriental Lewin, Ellicott, and Lange practically metl.Jod of measw·ement from sunrise to sun- adopt it. Augustine says, "At the third eet, and that he meant by the sixth hour hour (Me.rk) he WBS crucified by the tongue.~ 6 o..m., not 12 midday. But if this ie pos- of the Jews, ot the eixth hour (John) by the eible, the perplexity is rather increased than hande of the soldiers." De. Coste. suggested diminished. H is difficult to imagine that that the sixth hour was reckoned backward this stage of tb.o proceedings could ho.ve been from 8 p.m., the commencement of the pre- reached by six o'clock a.m., and that three paration, Mark, by using the a.orist, cannot hours still followed before the Lord was cru- have intended to convey that the whole cified. M•Clellan hotly espouses this inter- process of crucifix.ion, commencing with pretation, and, against Farrar, me.into.ins the scourging, inclnding the procession to that the Romans did adopt this computa- Golgotha, and the last scene of all, was in- tion, by quotations from Censorinns (' De Die oluded in the verb. (Hesychius argued this Nat.,' xxiii.), Pliny (' Nat. Hist.,' ii. 77), view at length, saying that Mark refers to .Aulus Gelliue, and Macrobiue; e.nd he re- the verdict of Pilate, and John to the nailing minds his readers that John wrote in Ephe- to the oross.) At the honr, thus indicated by sus, and proves that there was an .Asiatic a term which cannot be finally interpreted, computation of time which corresponded Pilate, trembling with rage ond impotent with the Rome.n,ll,Ild that there is abundant fury, endeavoured to fling at the head of time before 6 11.m. for all that is needed to the haughty priesthood another maddening ho.ve taken plaoe. This is the interpreta- taunt, and yet with a flash of inward con- tion of Townson (' Discourses on the Four viction which, after all, staggered him: he Gospels '), and it is espoused by Gresswell, pointed once more to the sublime Sufferer, Wieseler, Ewald, Westcott, Moulton. Godet, bleeding from his wounds and crowned however, gives strong proof, on eh. i. 39, with thorns, having every mark upon him of that the Greeks of Asia Minor were familiar their insulting cruelty and insensate hate, with the Jewish reckoning from sunrise to wearing the mock and cruel habiliments of sunset (see notes on eh. i. 89; iv. 6; xi. 9). roye.lty, and he saith 11Ilto the laws, Behold Eusebius supposed e.n alteration of the text your King! There is tlie King whom you of John, converting r'=8 into s-'=6. It is have crowned, and whose claim lies e.ltogether strange that no me.nuacripts have revealed beyond your ken. We.vering between the the faot, though the third corrector of tt• favour of Tiberius e.nd the claims of justice, and the supplement to D suggest this early remembering that Sejan.us, to whom he had solntion of the difficulty. Eusebiue we.a fol- personally owed his own appointment, he.d lowed by .Ammonius and SeveruaofAntioch. alree.dy fe.llen a victim to the jealousy of Beza, Bengel, and Alford with hesitation their common master, he yet cannot suppre~s occept this conclusion, Luthardt, Farrar, the bitter taunt involved in "Iii• d B<Un,\evr and Sohoff seem inclined to think that this 11/J,6/V I may be the explanation, unless the C:.s be Vers.15, 16.-Theyon the other hand there- used with great latitude of meaning, ond fore yelled I out, Away with him! awe.y with that whot ie really intended was that it (him) ! Cnoify. him ! The aorists, dpov was moving on to midday. The nine o'clock tTTa.vpourov, imply.the haste and impatienco hod been passed. Luthardt ie dissatisfied which they manifest to he.ve done with the with every explana.tion, not simply because conflict; and Pilate, eager to thrust another it is inconsistent with the synoptic narrative, envenomed dagger into tl.Jo heart of their but because it is incompe.tible with John's pride, and knowing that to call thi~ Mil.n own reckoning. Hengstenberg thought whom he he.d made vile in their eyes their that the di vision of the day into four "KING," e.nd to crucify One to whom such periods of three hours each is far older a title could be given would be gall e.n.<l 1 The !utter reading is preferred by R.T., 1 'EKpa.{rya..-cw again. Tregelles, R.T., Tregellee, Westcott e.nd Hort, Alford, 'l'i• Westcott e.ncl Hort, and Tisohen<lorf (8th schoudorf (8th edit.), on un.oi11l outhority edit.) givo o~v IKeivo, for the o, ~. of T.R. ancl numerou1 references to ib.e subject in e.nd Luchme.nn, on the authority of ~•, H, the F11thers, L,X.  424 THE GOSPEL .AOOORDING TO ST. JOllN. [cu. xtx. 1-42,