The Pulpit Commentary — John — Volume 2 — Section 463

twelve. But Thoma■, one of the tweln (a new life, the new and hitherto unrevealed term of de!rignntion for the first group of the order of being, if be could aplrltnally see the apotdl<'•. and one which was not renounced, realiz11.tion of all the mystery of lovo i u the Rltbough two of them were absent. The Resnrrootion, then all that he WBB doubting number ••twelve" hMI. 11. symbolio and would flash forth at oneo from ita hiding- historic VBlue from its relation to the twelve place. Perhaps, if ho he.tl been present tri1-, and we find (Acts i.) that the eleven with the rest, he would have aocepted it; were anxioUB to fill np the V&ORnt plROe left but how ORD he " believe through their by J ude.s), oalled Didymu (Greek for "twin," word"? Tho extent of his doubt is further repee.t.ed here from ob. xi. 16, not simply to seen in this: he did not MY, "If I see the imply that Thomas was best known by his print of the nails, . . . I will believe:" Greek namo, but the.t there Wl\S a blending but, " Exoept I see, . . . I will by no in him of intense love and a feRr which be.d means believe." The first me.nifestation of torment, e. l?re&t ambition e.nd yet exposure our Lord seemed to correspond with the tint lo moods of despondency, a desire to treat portion of the Saviour's high-priestly prayer, the whole me.nitestation of Christ as com- viz. that he might himself be glorified; the plete, to believe that the worde of the Lord second manifestation of the do.y corre- were all sublimely true,-ooupled with a sponded with the prayer for the disciples; i?hastly doubt that all was e. delusion, a and now the third manifestation is to meet fe.culty of constructive faith e.nd speculation, the difficulties of the third e.nd more of transcendental intuition side by side numerous class, who must ge.ther all their with an intense desire for sensible manifes- conviction from the evidence of others. This tation, a greater belief in the Master the.n in subtle relation between parts of the Gospel the disciples, but no unwillingneae to accept !!hows how profound is the principle of ita that whioh wu sufficiently established). construction. • Thomas wu not with them when ;rea111 oame. Ver. 26.-And after eight days-i.e. after We can never know why he wa.s abBeDt. He the Passover week was over, during which was given to moody fear, &Dd ahni.nk into the disciples were pondering the new revela- aolitude; od doubtless in many ways and tions of the Easter Day, and becoming more words, u well u those recorded, had implied able to understand the meaning of a spiritual the wreck of his hopes. Separated from the presence - to understand what the real fellowship of kindred spirits, he augmented "touching" of the risen Lord meant-again his gloolll; he wu fast tending to unbelief. hill disoiples were within the so.me or a The state of his mind throughout the Pass- similar abode referred to in ver. 19. Some over week may have been one reason why have urged that this manifestation occurred the apostles delayed their return to Galilee. in Galilee, whither the disciples had been They mo.y have come frequently to him with directed to jouruey to receive the most con- their sublime announcement, not once nor vincing proofli of his power nnd presenoe. twice only. There is no evidence of this at all, and the Ver. 25.-The other disciples therefore said form of expression corresponds so closely mtto him, We have seen the Lord. Mary, with the description of the conditions of the Cleopas, Peter, John, had all tried to animate first meeting, that we cannot accept the sug- his drooping spirit. Jlut he said unto them, gestion of Olshausen and others. Some B:l:oept I &hall 11ee inbishauds(as I presume ha.ve urged that this is the beginning of you have) the print of the. nailll, and (yet the celebration of the Resurrection-day- more than you have doue--touch u well as the sanctification of the first day of the see) put my :finger into the print 1 of the week. Such a conclusion cannot be posi- nails, and put my hand into bis Bide, I. will tively asserted. "Eight days" having fully by no meaDII believe-not merely in the elapsed might bring them to tho even- Resnrrectiun, ~hich you attest, but in the ing of the second day of the second grand reality I was fain to admit so recently, week. The expression, "seven days," is the supposed fa.et that he came from the unquestionably used for a week in the Old Father, that lie is tile Way to the Father, Te~te.ment, though Luke (ix. 28) seems to tliat he is in the Father, that he is all he use the expres~ioo, "about eight do.ye," for said he was. If Tliomas could gni.sp the a well-known division of time, probably " from sabbath to sabl.Ja.th ; " and from the 1 Lacbmann, Tischendorf (8th edit.), Jewish way of reckoning the beginning of Tregelles (in margin), on the authority of a day on the sunset of the preceding day, we A, I, Italic, Vulga.te, Syriac, and Origen, read might reckon that, from the middle of the ,,-/,1ro11 instead of ..-{nro,. K actua.lly reads first Sunday to the evening of the second, •lr .-b, ](.ElplDI airroii. Tregelles, Weeteott the period would include parts of eight 111.nd Hort, Alford, and the Bevisen read days. There is nothing, therefore, to prevent .-{mop, with T.R., Godet, etc. The alteration the calculation of parts of eight days from either way is equa.lly probal,le. the. great events of Eaater Day aa a whole on. u:. 1-31.) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. JOHN. 477