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Ps. xxvii. 12: Deut. xix. 15. ich. xxvii. 40.

XXXV. 11. so
Acts vi. 13.

John ii. 19.

the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end. 59 Now the chief priests, [and elders,] and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; 60 d but found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 and said, This [fellow] said, h 1 I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days. 62 And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 63 But Jesus held his peace. 1 see Lev. v. 1. And the high priest answered and said unto him, adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God. 64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, mf Here

comitted by many ancient authorities.

Isa.i7

ch. xxvii. 12,

14.

1 Sam. xiv.

I24, 28.
cxvi. 27:
1.51. Rom.
Thess. iv.

m Dan. vii. 13.
xxiv. 30:
xxv 31. John

mf Here

xiv. 10.

16. Rev. i. 7.

d read, but found none, even though many false witnesses came. e not expressed in the original. Better, This man, as in ch. xxvii. 47. render, Henceforth.

f

in which both Annas and Caiaphas lived.
This is evident from a comparison of the
narratives of Peter's denial: see below.
The circumstance of a fire being lighted
and the servants sitting round it, men-
tioned by the other three Evangelists, is
here omitted.
59. false witness]
"As they thought, evidence, but in reality,
false witness," Euthymius. But is this
quite implied? Is it not the intention of
the Evangelist to represent that they
sought false witness, not that they would
not take true if they could get it, but that
they knew it was not to be had?

This hearing is altogether omitted in
Luke, and only the indignities following
related, vv. 63-65. 60.] found they
none, i. e. sufficient for the purpose, or
perhaps, consistent with itself. See note
on Mark ver. 56.
61. See ch. xxvii.
40: the false witness consisted in giving
that sense to His words, which it appears
by ch. xxvii. 63 they knew they did not
bear. There is perhaps a trace, in the
different reports of Matt. and Mark, of the
discrepancy between the witnesses. There
is considerable difference between the words
attributed to Him here, and there.

The instance likewise of his zeal for the
honour of the temple, which had so lately
occurred might tend to perplex the evi-
dence produced to the contrary.

62.]

Better rendered, Dost thou not answer what it is which these testify against thee? i. e. wilt thou give no explanation

of the words alleged to have been used by thee? Our Lord was silent; for in answering He must have opened to them the meaning of these his words, which was not the work of this His hour, nor fitting for that audience. 63.] See Levit. v. 1.

I adjure thee, I put thee under an oath,' the form of which follows. The junction of the Son of God with the Christ must not be pressed beyond the meaning which Caiaphas probably assigned to it-viz. the title given to the Messiah from the purport of the prophecies respecting Him. It is however a very different thing when our Lord by His answer affirms this, and invests the words with their fullest meaning and dignity. 64.] By Thou hast said, more may perhaps be implied than by St. Mark's I am" that is a simple assertion this may refer to the convictions and admissions of Caiaphas (see John xi. 49). But this is somewhat doubtful. The expression is only used here and in ver. 25: and there does not appear to be any reference in it, as said to Judas, to any previous admission of his. nevertheless i. e. 'there shall be a sign of the truth of what I say, over and above this confession of Mine.' Henceforth-the glorification

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of Christ is by Himself said to begin with his betrayal, see John xiii. 31: from this time-from the accomplishment of this trial now proceeding. In what follows, the whole process of the triumph of the Lord Jesus even till its end is contained.

n Ps. cx. 1.

Acts vii. 55.

37: xix. 1.

n

after shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. 02 Kings xviii. 65 0 Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy. They answered and said, ' He is Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him [8 with the palms of their hands], 68 saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?

p Lev. xxiv. 16. 66 What think ye?

q Isa. 1.6: iii. guilty of death. 67

3. ch. xxvii. 30.

r ver. 34.

69 Now Peter sat without in h the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. 71 And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This [ifellow] was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. 73 And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee. 74 Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him], Before the

not necessarily implied in the word; see note.
h render, the hall.

i better, This man: see on ver. 61.
k literally, maketh thee manifest.

1
The shall ye see is to the council, the re-
presentatives of the chosen people, so soon
to be judged by Him to whom all judg-
ment is committed-the power in contrast
to his present weakness-sitting-even as
they now sat to judge Him; and the
coming in the clouds of heaven (see Dan.
vii. 37) looks onward to the awful time of
the end, when every eye shall see Him.

omitted by many ancient authorities.

65.] In Levit. xxi. 10 (see also Levit. x. 6) the High Priest is ordered not to rend his clothes; but that appears to apply only to mourning for the dead. In 1 Macc. xi. 71, and in Josephus, B. J. ii. 15. 4, we have instances of High Priests rending their clothes. On rending the clothes at hearing blasphemy, see 2 Kings xviii. 37. 66.] This was not a formal condemnation, but only a previous vote or expression of opinion. That took place in the morning, see ch. xxvii. 1, and especially

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Luke xxii. 66-71. 67.] Luke gives
these indignities, and in the same place as
here, adding, what indeed might have been
suspected that it was not the members of
the Sanhedrim, but the men who held
Jesus in custody, who inflicted them on
Him.
The word rendered buffeted
means to strike with the fist.
following verb (smote him) is, generally,
to strike a flat blow with the back of the
hand-but also, and probably here, since
another set of persons are described as do-
ing it, to strike with a staff.

The

69-75.] OUR LORD IS THRICE DENIED BY PETER. Mark xiv. 66-72. Luke xxii. 56-62. John xviii. 17, 18, 25-27. This narrative furnishes one of the clearest instances of the entire independency of the four Gospels of one another. In it, they all differ; and, supposing the denial to have taken place

cock crow,

thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out,

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1st

Sitting in the Warming him- Sitting by the Is recognized by

denial. hall without, is self in the hall be- fire is recognized the porteress on charged by a maid low,--&c. as Matt. by the maid and being introduced servant with hav- goes out into charged — replies, by the other dis

2nd

ing been with Jesus the vestibule Woman, I know ciple.
the Galilæan. I cock crows. 'I Him not."
know not what thou know not, neither

sayest.'

understand what

thou sayest.'

He has gone out

The same maid

Art not

thou also one of this man's disciples?' He saith, I am not.'

Another (but a

Is standing and

They said to him,

denial. into the porch-(possibly: but see male servant) says, warming himself. another maid sees note, next page, col.Thou also art of him. This man 1, line 26) sees him them.' Peter said, 'Art not thou also also was with Jesus again, and says, 'Man, I am not.'

3rd

of Naz.' He de- This nies with an oath, them.' 'I do not know the again.

man.'

After a little

denial. while, the stand

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man is of

He denies

As Matt.

After about an

of His disciples?' He denied, and said, 'I am not.'

One of the slaves hour, another per- of the High-priest, ers-by say, 'Surely Surely thou art sisted saying, 'Tru- his kinsman whose thou art of them; of them: for thou ly this man was ear Peter cut off, for thy dialect be-art also a Gali- with Him, for he says, Did I not trayeth thee.' He læan.' is a Galilæan.' see thee in the garPeter said, 'Man, den with Him?

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cock crew, and the cock crew, and he was yet speaking cock crew.
Peter remembered, Peter remembered, the cock crew, and
&c.-and going out &c.-and when he the Lord turned
he wept bitterly. thought thereon he and

wept.

On this table I would make the following remarks:-that generally,—(1) sup posing the four accounts to be entirely independent of one another,—we are not bound to require accordance, nor would there in all probability be any such accordance, in the recognitions of Peter by different persons. These may have been many on each occasion of denial, and independent narrators may have fixed on different ones among them. (2) No reader, who is not slavishly bound to the inspiration of the letter, will require that the actual words spoken by Peter should in each case be identically reported. See

looked on Peter, and Peter remembered, &c.and going out he wept bitterly.

the admirable remarks of Augustine, cited on ch. viii. 25: and remember, that the substantive fact of a denial remains the same, whether I know not what thou say. est, I know him not, or I am not, are reported to have been Peter's answer. (3) I do not see that we are obliged to limit the narrative to three sentences from Peter's mouth, each expressing a denial, and no more. On three occasions during the night he was recognized,-on three occasions he was a denier of his Lord: such a statement may well embrace reiterated expressions of recognition, and reiterated and importunate denials, on

and wept bitterly.

XXVII. 1 When the morning was

each occasion. And these remarks being taken into account, I premise that all difficulty is removed from the synopsis above given the only resulting inferences being, (a) that the narratives are genuine truthful accounts of facts underlying them all and (b) that they are, and must be, absolutely and entirely independent of one another.

:

:

For (1) the four accounts of the FIRST denial are remarkably coincident. In all four, Peter was in the outer hall, where the fire was made (see on ver. 69): a maid servant (Mt. Mk. L.),-the maid servant who kept the door (John) taxed him (in differing words in each, the comparison of which is very instructive) with being a disciple of Jesus: in all four he denies, again in differing words. I should be disposed to think this first recognition to have been but one, and the variations to be owing to the independence of the reports. (2) In the narratives of the SECOND denial of our first preliminary remark is well exemplified. The same maid (Mk. possibly but not necessarily-perhaps, only the maiden in the vestibule or porch)—another maid (Mt.), another (male) servant (Luke), the standers-by generally (John), charged him again, in differing words. It seems he had retreated from the fire as if going to depart altogether (see note, ver. 69), and so attracted the attention both of the group at the fire and of the porteress. It would appear to me that for some reason, John was not so precisely informed of the details of this as of the other denials. The "going out" (Mt. Mk.) is a superadded detail, of which the "standing and warming himself" (John) does not seem to be possessed. (3) On the THIRD occasion, the standers-by recognize him as a Galilæan (simply, Mk. [txt.], Luke: by his dialect, Mt., an interesting additional particular), and a kinsman of Malchus crowns the charge by identifying him in a way which might have proved most perilous, had not Peter immediately withdrawn. This third time again, his denials are differently reported:-but here, which is most interesting, we have in Matt.'s and Mark's "he began to curse and to swear" a very plain intimation, that he spoke not one sentence only, but a succession of vehement denials.

It will be seen, that for fair comment on the fourfold testimony, we must not commit the mistake of requiring the recognitions, and the recognizers, in each case, to have been identical in the four. Had they been thus identical, in a case of this kind, the four accounts must have sprung from a common source, or have been

corrected to one another: whereas their present varieties and coincidences are most valuable as indications of truthful independence. What I wish to impress on the minds of my readers is, that in narratives which have sprung from such truthful independent accounts, they must be prepared sometimes (as e. g. in the details of the day of the Resurrection) for discrepancies which, at our distance, we cannot satisfactorily arrange: now and then we may, as in this instance, be able to do so with something like verisimilitude :-in some cases, not at all. But whether we can thus arrange them or not, being thoroughly persuaded of the holy truthfulness of the Evangelists, and of the divine guidance under which they wrote, our faith is in no way shaken by such discrepancies. We value them rather, as testimonies to independence and are sure, that if for one moment we could be put in complete possession of all the details as they happened, each account would find its justification, and the reasons of all the variations would appear. And this I firmly believe will one day be the case. (See the narrative of Peter's denials ably treated in an article in the "Christian Observer" for Feb. 1853.) 69.1 An oriental house is usually built round a quadrangular interior court; into which there is a passage (sometimes arched) through the front part of the house, closed next the street by a heavy folding gate, with a small wicket for single persons, kept by a porter. In the text, the interior court, often paved or flagged, and open to the sky, is the hall,' where the attendants made a fire; and the passage beneath the front of the house from the street to this court, is the pro-aulion ('porch,' Mark xiv. 68), or pylon (porch,' ver. 71). The place where Jesus stood before the High Priest may have been an open room or place of audience on the ground floor, in the rear or on one side of the court; such rooms open in front, being customary." Robinson. 70.] I know

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not what thou sayest is an indirect form of denial, conveying in it absolute ignorance of the circumstances alluded to. 73.] thy speech-Wetstein gives many examples of various provincial dialects of Hebrew. The Galilæans could not pronounce properly the gutturals, and they used "t" for "s." 75.] out-viz. from the porch where the second and third denial had taken place: the motive being, as Chrysostom gives it, "that he might not be convicted by his tears."

CHAP. XXVII. 1, 2.] JESUS IS LED

come, a all the chief priests and elders of the people took a Ps. ii. 2. counsel against Jesus to put him to death: 2 and when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered bch xxl is him to Pontius Pilate the governor.

5

And he cast down the pieces of

Acts iii. 13.

15.

3 c Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw ech. xxvi. 14, that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed [m the] innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged 42 Sam. xvii. himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in. 8 Wherefore that field was called, The field e Acts i. 19. of blood, unto this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which

m omit.

e

23. see Acts

i. 18.

n better, the sacred treasury (Corbanan, see Mark vii. 11).

AWAY TO PILATE. Mark xiv. 1. Luke xxii. 66 (who probably combines with this morning meeting of the Sanhedrim some things that took place at their early assembly), xxiii. 1. John xviii. 28. The object of this taking counsel, was so as (so literally) to put him to death,- i. e. to condemn Him formally to death, and devise the best means for the accomplishment of the sentence. 2.] Pontius Pilate the governor, see note on Luke iii. 1 ;-and on the reason of their taking Him to Pilate, on John xviii. 31. Pilate ordinarily resided at Cæsarea; but during the feast, in Jerusalem.

3-10.] REMORSE AND SUICIDE OF JUDAS. Peculiar to Matthew. This incident does not throw much light on the motives of Judas. One thing we learn for certain that our Lord's being condemned, which he inferred from His being handed over to the Roman governor, worked in him remorse, and that suicide was the consequence. Whether this condemnation was expected by him or not, does not here appear; nor have we any means of ascertaining, except from the former sayings of our Lord respecting him. I cannot (see note on ch. xxvi. 14) believe that his intent was other than sordid gain, to be achieved by the darkest treachery. suppose that the condemnation took him by surprise, seems to me to be inconsistent with the spirit of his own confession, ver. 4. There I have betrayed the innocent blood expresses his act his ac

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complished purpose. The bitter feeling in him now is expressed by I have sinned, of which he is vividly and dreadfully conscious, now that the result has been attained. Observe it was the thirty pieces of silver which he brought back-clearly the price of the Lord's betrayal,-not earnest-money merely;-for by this time, nay when he delivered his Prisoner at the house of Annas, he would have in that case received the rest. 5.] in the temple-i. e. in the holy place, where the priests only might enter. We must conceive him as speaking to them without, and throwing the money into the temple. hanged (or strangled) himself] On the account given Acts i. 18, see note on that place. Another account of the end of Judas was current, which I have cited there. 6.] They said this probably by analogy from Deut. xxiii. 18. the price (given for shedding) of blood; the wages of a murderer. 7. the potter's field] the field of some wellknown potter-purchased at so small a price probably from having been rendered useless for tillage by excavations for clay : see note on Acts i. 19. strangers] not Gentiles, but stranger Jews who came up to the feasts. 8.] The field of blood

-Aceldama. See Acts i. 19.

unto

this day] This expression shews that a considerable time had elapsed since the event, before St. Matthew's Gospel was published.

9.] The citation is not from Jeremiah (see ref.), and is probably quoted from memory and unprecisely; we have

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