Lu.xxii. 63. Mar. xiv.65. Mt. xxvi.67. Lu.xxii. 64. 61 And said- MATT. XXVI. part of ver. 61. 63. 63 -And the High Priest answered and said unto himMARK XIV. ver. 55. part of ver. 57. 60, 61, and ver. 62, 63, 64. 55 And the Chief Priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. 57 And there arose certain 60 And the High Priest-saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 61 But he held his peace 62 And Jesus said and ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on 64 Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye?— SECTION IV. Twelve at Night-Christ is struck, and insulted by the MATT. xxvi. 67, 68. MARK xiv. 65. LUKE xxii. 63-65. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? Mt. xxvi.68. Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee? (a) See Fagius on Chald. Paraph. Deut. xiii. in the Critici Sacri, and on Deut. xviii. 15. vol. ii. p. 87, and 123. (b) Maimonides Præf. in Misnam. p.3. ed. Surenhusii ap Wilson. (c) See on the subject of this note, Wilson's Method of explaining the New Testament, first and second chapters. (d) See Archdeacon Blomfield's Dissertation on the Knowledge of a Redeemer before the Advent, p. 115; and Wilson ut supra. 5 This section is arranged in its present order on the plan of Pilkington. "St. Matthew, in recording the accounts of the sufferings of our Lord, has omitted to mention that the soldiers and servants blindfolded him: yet he relates the indignity which immediately followed that insult, "Prophesy unto us who is he that smote thee." These words, according to Markland, have an immediate reference to the preceding action. When Christ was blindfolded, they ask him in derision, and according to the custom of a well known game, if he can now tell by his prophetic spirit who it was that struck him. There is a burlesque sarcasm in the word πрopýrεvσov, which signifies to prophesy, or to guess, or tell. Another sarcasm is implied in the word Xpist, both being intended as sneers at Jesus being accounted. Jerusalem. Lu.xxii. 65. And many other things blasphemously spake they Jerusalem. against him. SECTION V. Mt.xxvi.69. Mar. xiv.66. Peter's first Denial of Christ, at the Fire, in the Hall of the High Priest'. MATT. XXVI. 66—70. MARK XIV. 66-68. LUKE Xxii. 56-57. JOHN Xviii 17, 18. and 25-27. Now Peter sat without in the palace: And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the High Priest: Jo. xviii.17. (the damsel that kept the door) unto Peter, Mar.xiv.67. And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked Lu. xxii. 56. earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him. Jo. xviii.17. Art thou not one of this man's disciples? He saith, I am not. Mar.xiv.67. And she said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth, La. xxii. 57. And he denied him, Mt.xxvi.70. before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest. a prophet; which could not have been so strongly expressed if 7 Archbishop Newcome has placed the three denials of St. I cannot account for Archbishop Newcome's silence, in his notes to the Harmony, respecting Pilkington's order of the denials of Peter. He frequently refers to Pilkington. Mar.xiv.68. I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. 25. They said therefore unto him, Art not thou also one of 26. One of the servants of the High Priest, being his kins- 27. Peter then denied again. Mar.xiv.68. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew; An objection to the words of this passage has been raised, The Jewish doctors distinguish the cock crowing into the first, second, and third. The first was called, -the second, ww-when he repeats it. The third, www-when he does it the third time, as in Mark xiii. 35–12. Luke xii. 38. This custom was observed also by Heathen nations. According to St. John xiii. 38. St. Luke xxii. 34. and St. Matthew xxvi. 34. Our Saviour predicts the cock shall not crow; that is, shall not have finished his crowing, before thou deny me thrice. Lightfoot (c) reconciles the words of these three evangelists with those of St. Mark, by suggesting, that as the hour approached when the event was to take place, our Saviour specifies more particularly the time, and says, Mark xiv. 72. "Verily I say unto thee, that this day, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice." Pilkington supposes, that the words, the cock shall not crow before thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me, should be taken literally, signifying that the cock should not crow at all before thou shalt thrice deny me; and he concludes, there is a double signification attached to these separate predictions, and a double accomplishment of them. He argues, according to Jerusalem. MATT. XXVI. part of ver. 69, 70. 69 and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus 70 But he denied St. John's Gospel, that these words were primarily fulfilled by St. Peter, when he was admitted into the palace. The first denial was made to the damsel who kept the door, and had permitted him to enter. It is very natural to imagine that a clamour would be raised against Peter, upon her accusation; as the people would conclude that the damsel who kept the door, and let him in, must have good reason for her suspicion: and accordingly St. John tells us, that the servants who were warming themselves at the fire with Peter, again questioned him about this matter, and that he denied being a disciple of Christ the second time. Immediately upon, or soon after this, Malchus's kinsman recollected seeing Peter in the garden with Jesus, and charged him therewith; but Peter denied it a third time. And St. John observes, that upon this immediately the cock crew. And thus it appears how those words of our Saviour were verified, "Before the cock crow (at all) thou shalt deny me thrice." St. John having thus shewn the accomplishment of these words of our Lord, takes no notice of any other of Peter's dcmials, but of these three only, which were made at the fire, whereas the other Evangelists take notice of several denials, made after these; and so shew us the propriety of that other expression," Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice." They consider the several particular denials at the fire made at the same time, and in the same place, only as one general denial: and so St. Mark tells us, that, after Peter had denied at the fire, and was gone out into the porch, the cock crew the first time; and this appears to be the same crowing which St. John speaks of, as immediately succeeding Peter's three several denials of his Master there. The second general denial was made in the porch. This evidently appears from the accounts both of St. Matthew and St. Mark. And, from what is related, we must conclude, that the denial there was not single, but that many then charged him together (as they had done before, and as we may easily imagine they would do, in such a riotous assembly), and that he again there denied to them all. For St. Luke tells us, that a man charged him, and said, "Thou art one of them;" and be replied, and said, "Man, I am not." St. Mark, that he denied what a maid was insinuating, "that he was one of them:" and St. Matthew, that "he denied with an oath, I do not know the man," upon a maid's affirming that he was with Jesus of Nazareth. The place of the third general denial is not specified, any farther than that it was in the same room or court where Jesus was, who "turned and looked upon Peter." The time of it is said, by St. Mark, to have been a little after the second (μɛrà μipòv). St. Matthew makes use of the same expression; and St. Luke particularly mentions, that it was "about the space of one hour after." This also appears to have been a general accusation, and so must have been a general denial; for though St. Luke only mentions one man's charging Peter at this time, yet St. Matthew and St. Mark tell us, that they that stood by charged him with being a Galilean, and a disciple of Christ, and that in such a pressing manner, that " he began to curse and to swear he did not know the man." And upon this St. Mark tells us, that "the cock crew a second time:" before which Peter had Jerusalem. Mt.xxvi.71. After Midnight-Peter's second Denial of Christ, at the MATT. XXVI. 71, 72. MARK Xiv. 69. part of ver. .70. And when he was gone out into the porch, Lu. xxii.58. after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art one of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. Mt. xxvi.71. And another maid saw him, Mar. xiv.69. and began to say to them that stood by, Mt.xxvi.71. This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth; Mt. xxvi.72. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. MATT. XXVI. part of ver. 71. 71 and said unto them that were there MARK XIV. part of ver. 69, 70. 69 And a maid saw him again— 70 And he denied it again.— SECTION VII. Friday, the Day of the Crucifixion-Time about three in MATT. XXVI. 73-75. Lu.xxii.59. And about the space MARK XIV. 70-72. LUKE XXII. of one hour after, another confi denied "Christ at three several times, and in three several If it shall appear that there is nothing forced or misrepre- (a) Bava Kama, c. vii. Hal. ult. D'p*ba obwn'a pbiɔnn 1b73d p Jerusalem. |