The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 413

drngged Into tl1e rneh or the vocirerating in the north-western qno.rter of the city, not crowd, the eynoptio Dflrmlive beoomee fe.r fnr from the gate of Dtlmascns; and endles~ fn11er In detail. Tho torriblo tragedy in- diecnesions have prevo.iled with respect to oludoe the disrobing. Tho bleeding form the line of the second city wall, which o.t la once more clothed with his own gar- that time mnet either have included or ments (Mntt. i:xvil. 81 : Mark xv. 20). excluded the site of the Church of the Holy U is not necoeeary to suppose a. eocond Sepulchre. The identification of tho site eoourging (eee ver. 1). 'l'he oircumeto.nce of Golgotha is rendered difficult from the mentioned (Luke xxiii. 26 and pnrallel pe.e- eagerness with which theories have been sngce) of Simon of Cyrcne mode to benr his euste.ined. (1) Ferguson's I theory is that cross nfter him, ehowe ho,v Jesue in hie Constantine's" Church of the ReEJUrrection " hume.n naturo hod suffered already. A is to be found in the •dome of the rock' second scourging (if we judge by all we can in the temple enclosure I He urges that the gather of such a.n infliction) would have tro.dition wo.s moved thence to the "Church been followed by immediate death, and of the Holy Sepulchre" in the eleventh would thns hnve sno.tcbed from them the century, when Fatimite kaliphs drove the realization of their inhnmo.n purpose. The Chrietie.ns away, and persecuted the pilgrims statement tbe.t, bee.ring his cross for himself, to snch an extent ns to produce the reaction he went forth, shows the.t they tried to of the Crneades. (2) The ecclesiastical force him thus in hie agony to endure thie theory is that the tomb and e.11 the awful e.dditionnl humiliation, nnd, from his physi- and blessed aesocie.tious are to be reckoned cal exho.ustion, were compelled to make use for somewhere within the buildings or ruins of the expedient described by the synoptists. of the present church. The difficnlties a.re Mark (xv. 22) introduces another most sug- great: for, instead of being "without the gestive word, </)lpouaw ab-rbv, litere.lly, "they gate," or "nigh the city," it is situated in ce.rry him" from the pince where they com- the heart of the present city, and it is very pelled (Ayyap,uouow) Simon to te.ke up his difficult to imagine or trace any line of wall cross, and at leo.st be hints, if lie does not which could have run in such e. way as to express,~the terrible fact that they bad, by exclude the supposed eite of the tomb from their fell crnelty of all kinds, e.t length ex- the city. (3) A modern theory (see 'Survey hnusted e.11 the hume.n physical strength of of Palestine') finds the t.omb in the imme- the Sufferer. John's language, though nt diate vicinity of Jeremiah's grotto, to the first sight discrepnnt with Luke's, ree.lly ex- north of the Damascus gate. Thie site hae plains it. Luke o.lso describes the wailing good claims, from the probability (a) that of the daughters of Jeruse.lem, nnd the sub- it was the place of public execution ; (I,) that lime self-forgetfulness with which Jesus the second wall of the city did correspond turned their thoughts from his agony to with the present wall ; (c) that there are themselves and t!Jeir children. Me.tthew reasons to think that it was built over and and Mork both relnte another scene, which concealed from view until comparatively seems as if one gleo.m of pity he.d crossed recent years. Warren and Conder give o. some heart-" They offered him wine, mixed drawing of the tomb and its arrangement, with no.rcotic gall," to stupefy hie senses, 1 See Ferguson's a.rt. "Jel'UBalem," in nnd lull his physical agony. He did not put it by " with suicidal hand:" bnt, as Smith's 'Diet. of the Bible.' Williams Keblesang- (' Holy City') ple.ces much dependence on • Thou wilt feel all, that thou mayst pity all; the se.nctity of the tradition. See ' Survey of And rather wouldst thou wrestle with Western Palestine: Jerusalem,' Warren and Conder, pp. 319, etc., 429, etc., 380, etc., for strong pain a recent and most important EJUggeetiou; 'fhnn overcloud thy soul, • Pictorial Pe.lestine,' i. 14, etc., for e. descrip- So cleo.r in agony, tion of'the present Church of the Holy Sepul- Or lose one glimpse of henven before the chre. Dr. Robinson, 'Bibi. Researches,' ii. time." 14-80, shows that the walls of the city e.t the (' Christio.n Yenr.') time of Christ were so ordered e.a to include Ke went forth to a ple.oc called the plaoe of within the city the traditione.l site. Ca.spuri a skull, which is called in the Hebrew, Gol- (loc. cit., 229, eto., 304) strongly sustains the gotha. "He went forth" from the Prmtorium traditional site, and believes, in opposition ulong the Viil Doloroso., wheresoever it was, to Robinson, that the second wall of the city beyond the citJ wall (Heb. xiii.12, e\c,.," He did pass south and eaat of the church. Dr. suffered without the gate"). Moses bad for- Hitchooak, Lange, Sche.Jf, and Stanley sup- bidden (Lev. xxiv.14; Numb. xv. 35) oapital pose it to be the hill Goath (Jer. mi. 39), punishment within the ce.mp (of. l Kings on the eastem aide of the sheep-gate. The ui. 13 ; Acts vii. 58). 'l'ho traditional site line of the wall is at the present moment of the pince is fo1• within the present walls receiving fresh investigation.  426 THE GOSPEL AOOORDING TO S'l', JOHN. [cu. nx. 1-42.