صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

50 know not the law, are accursed." Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of 51 them,) "Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear 52 him, and know what he doeth?" They answered and said unto him, "Art thou also of Galilee? Search and see, that a prophet is not to arise from Galilee."

53

Сн.

VIII.

*[Then every man went to his own house but Jesus went to the mount of Olives. And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came to him ; 3 and he sat down and taught them. And the scribes and the Pharisees bring to him a woman taken in adultery: and when 4 they had set her in the midst, they say unto him, “ Teach

ert, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be 6 stoned what then sayest thou?" Now they said this, trying him; that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they continued asking him, he raised himself up, and said unto them, "Let him that is without sin among 8 you, first cast a stone at her." And he again stooped 9 down, and wrote on the ground. But they, having heard

this, and being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, having begun at the elder, to the last and Jesus 10 was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. Now when Jesus raised himself up, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? 11 hath no man condemned thee?" And she said, "No man, Sir." And Jesus said unto her, "Neither do I condemn thee go, and sin no more."]

12

Then Jesus spake again unto them, saying, "I am the

* This paragraph concerning the woman taken in adultery is wanting in the Alexandrian (see Woide's Preface), Vatican, Ephrem, and other manuscripts of great authority, and in the oldest copies of the Syriac version; and is not cited by Origen, Chrysostom, and other ancient ecclesiastical writers. It is found in the Cambridge manuscript, though with some variations from the received text. See Griesbach, who keeps it in his text; but with great hesitation,

+ Master, N.

light of the world: he who followeth me, shall by no means walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." 13 The Pharisees therefore said unto him, "Thou bearest 14 witness of thyself; thy witness is not true." Jesus an

swered and said unto them, "Though I bear witness of myself, yet my witness is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go*; but ye know not whence I 15 come, and whither I go. Ye judge according to the 16 flesh: I judge no one. And yet if I judge, my judgement is true: because I am not alone, but I and the Fa17 ther who sent me. It is written in your law also, that 18 the witness of two men is true. I bear witness of myself; 19 and the Father who sent me beareth witness of me." They said therefore unto him, "Where is thy Father?" Jesus answered, "Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye would have known my Father also." 20 Jesus spake these words in the treasury, as he was teaching in the temple: and yet none laid hands on him; for his hour was not yet come.

21

66

Then Jesus said unto them again, "I shall depart, and ye will seek me, and will die in your sin: whither I de22 part, ye cannot come." Then the Jews said, "Will he

kill himself? because he saith, Whither I depart, ye 23 cannot come."" And he said unto them, "Ye are from beneath; I am from abovet: ye are of this world; I am 24 not of this world. I therefore said unto you, that ye will die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he ‡,

q. d. I know from whom my authority is derived, and to whom I am accountable. See ch. iii. 13; xiii. 1, 3.

† So Wakefield, and the public version. Newcome renders the words " Ye are of those beneath; I am of those above ;" and in his note comments upon the clause, as expressive of a local residence in heaven, antecedent to his existence on earth. But as the first clause is to be understood figuratively, so must the latter. See ver. 44. So eh. xvii. 16, our Lord says of his disciples, “ they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world:" not in allusion to any local residence, but to their temper and character, as different from that of the world.

that I am he.] "The Christ. See Mark xiii. 6; Luke xxi. 8, compared with Matth. xxiv. 5; Acts xiii. 25. But to translate that I am the Christ,' would be to represent our Lord as using to the incredulous Jews explicit, instead of covert, language on the subject of his Messiahship." Newcome.

25 ye will die in your sins." Then they said unto him,

"Who art thou?" [And] Jesus said unto them, "Even 26 what I told you at first. I have many things to say con

cerning you, and to condemn: but he who sent me, is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have 27 heard from him." They understood not that he spake to 28 them of the Father. Then Jesus said unto them, " When

ye have lifted up the Son of man, then ye will know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but speak these 29 things as my Father hath taught me. And he who sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone; because I always do those things which please him."

30

As he spake these words, many believed in him. Then 31 Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “If ye 32 continue in my word, then ye are truly my disciples: and

ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you $3 free." Some answered him, "We are Abraham's off

spring, and were never slaves to any man: how sayest 34 thou, Ye shall become free?" Jesus answered them,

"Verily verily I say unto you, Whosoever committeth 35 sin is the slave of sin. And the slave abideth not in the 36 house for ever: but the son abideth for ever. If the Son 37 therefore shall make you free, ye will be free indeed. I

know that ye are Abraham's offspring: yet ye seek to kill 38 me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak

that which I have seen with [my] Father: and ye do 39 that which ye have seen with [your] father." They answered and said unto him, "Abraham is our father." Jesus saith unto them, "If ye were Abraham's children, 40 ye would do the works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that have spoken to you the truth, which I have heard from God: Abraham did not act 41 thus. Ye do the works of your father." Then they said

* The word seen in both clauses is used figuratively; q. d. My doctrine is conformable to the instructions which I have received from God; your conduct is such as may be expected from the children of the devil. See Newcome's note. "Which ye have heard from your father," is the reading of some manuscripts of good authority.

to him, "We are not born of fornication: we have one 42 Father, even God." Jesus said unto them, "If God were

your Father, ye would love me: for I came forth from God*, and come unto you t; for I came not of my43 self, but He sent me. Why do ye not understand my 44 discourse? because ye cannot hearken to my word. Ye are of your father the devil ; and the desires of your father are disposed to do. He was a slayer of men ye from the beginning, and continued not in the truth; because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the 45 father of liarsff. And because I speak the truth, ye be46 lieve me not||. Which of you convicteth me of falsehood¶? 47 If I speak the truth, why do ye not believe me? he that is of God, hearkeneth to God's words: ye therefore hearken not, because ye are not of God."

48

The Jews answered and said unto him, "Say we not well, that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a demon¶¶ ?" 49 Jesus answered, "I have not a demon: but I honour my 50 Father, and ye dishonour me. But I seek not mine own 51 glory there is one who seeketh it, and judgeth. Verily

verily I say unto you, If a man keep my words, he shall 52 never see death." The Jews therefore said unto him, "Now we know that thou hast a demon. Abraham is dead, and the prophets also: yet thou sayest,

53 keep my words, he shall never taste of death.'

If a man
Art thou

* Came forth from God, explained in the latter clause, "he sent me," as his messenger and the revealer of his will to mankind. See ch. i. 6.

+ Or, I came forth, and am coming from God.

The devil; the principle of moral evil personified. Wicked men are his children, and resemble him. This symbolical person is here represented as uniformly wicked: he is a manslayer, or murderer, as vice leads to misery and ruin. He is the father of liars, as being the supposed source of evil, and tempter to all wickedness. See Essays by the Rev. J. Simpson, p. 143.

+ Gr. of him, or of it.

I speak the truth, but ye do not believe me. Wakefield; upon the authority of ancient versions.

of sin? N. See Campbell.

q. d. an impious liar, and a lunatic. See Pearce in loc

greater than our father Abraham, that is dead? and the prophets are dead also: whom makest thou thyself?" 54 Jesus answered, "If I glorify myself, my glory is no

:

thing it is my Father who glorifieth me; of whom ye 55 say, that he is your God*: and yet ye know him not; but I know him and if I should say, 'I know him not,' I should speak falsely, like you: but I know him, and 56 keep his words. Your Father Abraham earnestly desired

that he might see my day: and he saw it†, and was glad." 57 The Jews therefore said unto him, "Thou art not yet 58 fifty years old; and hast thou seen Abraham?" Jesus

said unto them, "Verily verily I say unto you, Before 59 Abraham was born, I am hett." Then they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus concealed himself, and went out of the temple]].

CH. IX. And as he passed by, he saw a man that had been 2 blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, "Master, who sinned, this man, or his parents, 3 that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents: but that the works of God

*Or, he is our God. MSS.

ti. e. he foresaw it. See ch. xii. 41. Our Lord did not say that he had seen Abraham, but that Abraham had seen, that is, had foreseen, his day; or that the Messiah should descend from him. See Bishop Pearce. The Jews upon this, as upon some other occasions, scem absurdly to have misunderstood, or wilfully to have misrepresented, his meaning. See ch. x. 33. Our Lord, disdaining to notice or to rectify this misapprehension, proceeds to justify his own expression, by declaring, that he was designated to his office before Abraham was born, ver. 58: this designation, therefore, might have been revealed to the patriarch.

+ Or, “Iwas he." See Grotius, Bishop Pearce, Campbell, and Newcome; who renders the clause, “Before Abraham was born, I am :" explaining it, as many others do, as an assertion of the pre-existence of Christ, and even of his divinity, in allusion to Exod. iii. 14, though the texts are quite dissimilar, excepting in the English translation. The expression ɛyw ɛtμ is uniformly used in the sense of "I am he," or "I am the Christ:" it occurs twice in this discourse, ver. 24, 28. It must, therefore, in all reason be taken in the same sense here, especially as this signification best suits the connexion. See the note on ver. 57. Mr. Wakefield says, "the peculiar use of the present tense in the usage of scriptural expressions, is to imply determination and certainty: as if he had said, My mission was settled and certain before the birth of Abraham." Compare Matt. xvii. 11. See Wakefield's Note on the text.

The received text adds, "going through the midst of them, and so passed by."

« السابقةمتابعة »