Julian Period, 4740. Vulgar Æra, 27. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the Jerusalem. maining there for a few weeks returned again to Jerusalem, The most formidable objection to the supposition that the After the passover, in which Christ conversed with Nicodemus, we read, John iii. 22. that Christ remained in Judea, and baptized, that is, his disciples who were with him baptized, (John iv. 2.) Now, as his disciples were not at that time with him, (for Andrew, Peter, James, and John, were not yet called) he must first have collected disciples before he baptized-and as he continued there till he had baptized more disciples than John, it is not improbable that our Lord stayed in Judea for at least one month. To this it may be answered, that there were many who followed Christ, and many, though they had seen his miracles, who forsook him; whose names are not mentioned. The sacred narratives leave out so many events, and sometimes glance so slightly at many of the most important, that it is not at all improbable our Lord may have been followed from Jerusalem by many; who professed themselves his disciples for a time, and baptized in his name, yet who left him as others had done, because he did not fulfil the expectations they had previously formed of the Messiah. Their notions were so contradictory, that we may very naturally suppose they were satisfied with the miraculous proofs he gave that he was more than a prophet: but they were discontented with the continued subjection of their country to the Romans, and the poverty and lowliness of our Lord himself. It is not necessary therefore to suppose that his twelve apostles, or any of them attended him. Many who had seen, or had been assured of the miracle of the driving the buyers and sellers from the temple, might have followed him. The first intelligence of the open evident revival of miracles would have attracted the inhabitants of the surrounding districts in such numbers, that those who were baptized by Christ's disciples would soon exceed those who were baptized by John: and as the jealousy of the Jews would be soon excited, more especially as our Lord had now begun to be the object of public attention, there is no reasonable cause why a month should be the period of his residence in Judea: seven or ten days would be amply sufficient. The tour from Judea, through Samaria to Galilee, Archbishop Newcome supposes must have occupied at least seven days. The distance from Judea to Samaria is about sixty miles, from thence to Cana fifty more. It appears, from John iv. Jolian Pe- pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first, Jerusalem. · riod, 4740. Vulgar Era, 40 and 43. that our Lord remained at Samaria two days; seven 27. days, therefore, will be sufficient to allow for this journey. At Cana, Archbishop Newcome supposes, our Lord remained four days at least: to allow time for the nobleman of Capernaum (which was about thirty-five miles distant,) to hear of our Lord's miracles, and to send the message to him respecting his son, the answer returned, &c. Four days, we may well suppose, would be occupied in the transactions related in John iv. 46. to the end. The Archbishop allows eight days for the teaching in the synagogues, mentioned Luke iv. 15. and four for the sojourning at Nazareth, Luke iv. 16. His arguments on these points are satisfactory. Three weeks are allowed by this divine as the time of our Lord's remaining at Capernaum, Matt. iv. 13. because it is said, "He dwelt there." But it seems to have escaped his attention, that the expression in the original, rarqknoev eis Kansρvas, does not uniformly mean, he took up his constant residence. The word karokέw sometimes denotes, to remain in a place for a short time, to reside as a guest. It appears probable that our Lord might have been invited to Capernaum, to the house of the nobleman whose son he had cured. We learn, in Matt. viii. 20. that Christ had not where to lay his head, that is, he had no habitation which he could call his own. We are informed that he dwelt at Capernaum: but the word, in the original, does not imply that he continued there for so long a period as three weeks. It is more probable that the house of the nobleman, who is supposed to have been Herod's steward, served but as a temporary resi dence; from whence he might conveniently visit other parts of Galilee. When we remember the diligence with which our Lord attended to the immediate design of his mission, it seems more likely that he staid at Capernaum three or four days; after which he proceeded on his tour through Galilee, from whence when he returned he might again go back to Capernaum. This plan would fully justify the expression of the evangelist, that "he dwelt there." In addition to the three weeks allotted by Archbishop Newcome for our Saviour's residence at Capernaum, a period of one month is assigned to his tour through Galilee. This, however, is quite uncertain. Mark i. 38, 39. describes the same tour through Galilee, and relates the return of our Lord to Capernaum after some days, Mark ii. 1. di μɛvan indefinite expression, which may possibly signify a month, but may with greater propriety be supposed to denote a a much less time. The circuit of Galilee may be considered seventy miles in extent; if we allow ten miles a day, the tour round Galilee, till the return to Capernaum, when Matthew was called, and our Lord left Galilee for Jerusalem, will be fourteen days The whole time, therefore, between the conversation with Nicodemus, and the event we have been considering, may be easily comprised within the compass of seven weeks, and the feast at which the miracle at the pool of Bethesda was wrought might have been, and most probably was, not the Passover, but the Pentecost. Pilkington places this cure at the pool of Bethesda, or BethChesda, immediately after the temptation, (Evang. History, note to sect. 57.) supposing as the event took place in Judea, it was in the first visit there. But he has produced no authority for his supposition, which may be considered as merely arbitrary. Julian Pe- after the troubling of the water, stepped in, was made Jerusalem. riod, 4740. whole of whatsoever disease he had ". Vulgar Era, 27. 5 And a certain man was there which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. (a) Vide Marsh's Michaelis, vol. iii. notes, p. 60. Benson, p. 253. (b) Chronology of Christ's life, p. 245. 248, 249. 32 The authenticity of this passage has been much disputed among divines; some having considered it as an interpolation, which was inserted from the marginal notes, illustrative of the popular superstition. Doddridge, from Jerome, supposes the pool to be partly mineral, and used for general bathing, and that it was endued with a miraculous power some time before the ministry of Christ; and that after this miracle, or after the rejection, or the passion of Christ, its virtue ceased.—Lightfoot remarks: to these waters flowing from Siloam, as a type of the Messiah, it might please God to give this miraculous virtue some time before "He that was sent appeared," (John ix. 7.) that this pool was first laid by Solomon, Josephus de Bel. lib. 5. cap. 13. compared with Nehemiah iii. and at first called Solomon's Pool, or now Bethesda, or the place of mercy, from its beneficial virtue. He adds, that the fountain Gihon, 1 Kings i. 33. is also named Siloam, Chald. Paraph. ad loc. Thus R. Solomon and D. Kimchi, Gihon is Siloam. The spring divided into two streams, fed at some distance two pools of water, the lower pool, to the west of Jerusalem, called the Pool of Siloam, John ix. 7. Neh. iii. 15. and formed by Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxii. 30; and the upper pool, named the Pool of Solomon, or the Old Pool, Isa. xxii. 11. to the south-east, which is this Pool of Bethesda. Solomon was anointed king at Gihon, (1 Kings i. 45.) and the waters of Siloam were held in such estimation among the Jews, that the prophets made them a type of the kingdom of David and of Christ, (Isa. xii. 3. and viii. 6.) which is thus explained by the Targum, or Chaldee Paraphrase," The kingdom of David that rules them quietly." The whole of this transaction was typical of Christ. He is the true Bethesda, or house of mercy, the fountain (foretold by Zech. xiii. 1.) open to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness, unto which all the poor, the blind, the impotent, are invited to come, to receive health, and strength, and life eternal. Bishop Marsh, however, is of opinion (Introd. to N. T. vol. ii. p. 732, note 118.) that the fourth verse is spurious, "from its being omitted in the Codex Beza and the Codex Vaticanus, which are the two most ancient MSS. now extant. It is likewise omitted in the Codex Ephrem (which is inferior in age to the Codex Beza,) but written in the margin as a scholion; it is written in more modern MSS. in the text, but marked with an asterisk, or obelus, as suspicious; and in MSS. still more modern it is written without any mark, which gives us, (he concludes,) the various gradations by which it has acquired its place in our present text, and a certain proof that the verse was originally nothing more than a marginal scholion, and of course spurious." Verse four is likewise omitted in the Camb. MS. Copt. and is marked with an asterisk, or appears only in the margin of five, or six, of the Paris MSS. Bat in every other MS. and in all the versions, and Greek Scholiasts Clemens, Alexandrinus, Jerome, and St. Augustin, its authenticity is established.-See Elsley in loc. and Mr. Penn's work on the Mosaical Geology, the last, in which the subject is discussed. riod, 4740. VulgarÆra, 27. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been Jerusalem. 7 The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no 9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath. 10 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath-day; it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus which had made him whole. SECTION XIV. Christ vindicates the Miracle, and asserts the dignity of his Office. JOHN V. 16. to the end. 16 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath-day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work ". 34 33 This was contrary to the letter of the law, Jer. xvii. 21, 22. and extremely so to the traditions: for, according to them, he that carrieth any thing on the sabbath, in his right hand or left, or in his bosom, or upon his shoulder, he is guilty. Talmud. in Lab. per 10. In this the man's faith was tried, for in taking up his bed he risked death or scourging. Our Saviour here assumes the power of a prophet, who, the Jews held, had a right to infringe the rest of the sabbath; justifying it from Joshua surrounding Jericho seven successive days with the ark. Grotius, Whitby, in loc. 34 In this verse our Saviour fully declares to the Jews his Messiahship. Schoetgen considers the verse to be a continuation of a conversation which the evangelist has omitted. The subject is the sabbath. The words of our Lord, as the Jews Jalian Pe- 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, In a proriod, 4740. because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also gress. Vulgar Æra, that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. 27. 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all perfectly understood, contain an assertion of his high office, in |
