III. PART THE THIRD. OF CHRIST'S ACTS AND DISCOURSES, ESPECIALLY IN GALILEE. (Matth. iv. 12; xviii. 35; Mark i. 14; ix. 50; § 1. JESUS BEGINS TO TEACH. (Matth. iv. 12-17; Mark i. 14, 15; Luke iv. 14, 15.) Ver. 12. Had we not been instructed by the communications of St John the Evangelist, concerning the mass of events which occurred between the public appearance of Jesus and the captivity of the Baptist (comp. John iii. 24), we should feel induced to conclude from Matth. iv. 12 and Mark i. 14 that the imprisonment of St John was closely connected, as regards time, with the temptation of Jesus. This fact is corroborative of the view already taken (Introduction, § 7), namely, that a chronological order or arrangement of the isolated events is inadmissible in this portion of the Gospel-history, inasmuch as it can be proved here, although only incidentally,' by a comparison with St. John, that there is no connection between the things which are brought together. For, even if St Luke here makes no mention of St John (comp. nevertheless Luke iii. 19, 20), yet, he begins his narrative (iv. 15) with the usual proposition: 'Inooûç šòídɑoxev év 1 Concerning the circumstance that no inferences may be drawn from this against St Matthew as a writer, comp. Sieffert on the passage above mentioned, p. 72. ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν, δοξαζόμενος ὑπὸ πάντων, “Jesus taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all," whereby this section becomes deprived of its chronological character. Similar general formulas are used by St Matthew, iv. 23, who thereby abandons, in like manner, à priori, all exact chronological arrangement of isolated events. Whatever can be admitted with any degree of probability, from the communications made by the first writers of the Gospel into the earliest history of the public ministry of Jesus, can be determined with precision only by the Gospel of St John. And vague as are the allusions as to time, equally vague are they as to place, especially in St Matthew. In the very beginning of this section (iv. 12), this Evangelist, indeed, lays the scene in Galilee, and even in Capernaum; yet, if we were individually to conclude from this, that St Matthew was unacquainted with Christ's actions out of Galilee previous to his last journey to Jerusalem, this conclusion would not be sufficiently well founded, because it cannot possibly be proved where the individual occurrences spoken of by St Matthew did take place, since this Evangelist, from a complete want of a chronological and local interest, has arranged all his statements from a certain general point of view. Hence, if it is even probable that St Matthew, as a native of Galilee, relates occurrences which have an especial reference to Galilee, yet, his communications frequently assume so general a character (comp. from ix. 35 forward; x. 1; xi. 1, 2-7; xii. 1, 9; xv. 22), that the narrative may refer to incidents which occurred in Judea as well as to those of Galilee. Ver. 13. After having indicated in a few great traits that our Redeemer chose Galilee as the main sphere for his ministry, St Matthew records the fact that it was not Nazareth, the place of abode of the parents of Jesus, which became the centre point of his activity, but that it was Capernaum. (Kamigvao, more cor rectly Καφαρναούμ => 199 “Kephar-naum," vicus conso lationis, "the town of consolation." It was situated near the sea of Genesareth [whence the expression Tagadaλassía, "near by the sea," comp. John vi. 17], in the confines of the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtali, in the neighbourhood of Bethsaida, not far from the junction of the river Jordan with the sea.) The motive 1 For further information on this subject, compare my programmes concerning the authenticity of St Matthew. for leaving Nazareth is here passed over in silence; but according to Luke iv. 16-30, it was the unbelief of the Nazarenes which induced our Lord to withdraw his blessed influence from those ungrateful people. Parallel passages to this narrative of St Luke we find first noticed in Matthew xiii. 54 sqq. and Mark vi. 1 sqq., and the very history of the healings which St Luke connects with the occurrence in Nazareth, Mark i. 21 transfers to the very beginning. Hence, although it appears to us highly probable that St Luke has introduced the position of the event in Nazareth in a more correct chronological order, yet, have we preferred to defer the explanation of that passage until we should come to Matth. xiii. 54 sqq. A deviation from our principle, to follow St Matthew in this portion of the Gospel-history, we could have thought justifiable only whenever we should have discovered a sound basis for the certainly untenable view: that Luke iv. 16 sqq. must be understood as referring to a by far earlier and Matthew xiii. 54 sqq. to a second and much later advent of Jesus to Nazareth. Ver. 14-16. The Evangelist St Matthew sees nothing accidental in the choice of this very locality, but on the contrary, he sees in it the fulfilment of a prophecy of Isaiah (ix. 1, 2). The passage quoted contains the prophecy, that the light of the Messiah would reveal itself in the most brilliant manner in the most despised localities of Palestine. (Similar to the foregoing is Micah v. 1). Besides, St Matthew quotes this passage in an abbreviated form, and only renders prominent the names of the tribes of Naphthali and Zebulon as well as the surrounding country of the sea of Genesareth, which last mentioned country experienced most the blessing of the bodily presence of our Lord, beholding at the same time the greater number of his wondrous acts. (The expression idòs Jaλáoons = the sea," no doubt implies the western shore of the sea of Genesareth, which is here called," sea," just as Tigav Toũ 'Iogôávov ,"beyond the Jordan," implies the eastern shore of the same inland sea. Hence, both expressions comprise its entire circumference; and according to the Gospel-history, our Redeemer visited, as is well known, both sides or shores of the sea of Genesareth). Of the dwellers in these northern frontier provinces in particular, it may be said, that they dwelt in spiritual darkness, partly, because they lived very far from Jeru = the way of salem and the temple, which was the centre point of the Theocracy, in which places the true knowledge of God, in so far as it existed among the people, was concentrated, and partly also on account of the frequent contact into which they came with their pagan neighbours, which inevitably led to impure admixtures in their religion. But it so happened that these very dwellers of Galilee, who were considered by the strict Jews as semi-pagans, were best suited to receive the new doctrine of the kingdom of God, since they were freed from their stupid bigotry in consequence of their intercourse with the members of the neighbouring countries, and because their state of debasement clearly demonstrated the necessity of a redemption. Thus, then, as the sinner (i.e. as the repenting one) is nearer to the kingdom of God than the righteous man (Matth. ix. 13), in like manner our Lord revealed himself to the poor Galileans sooner than to the other dwellers in Palestine. (Concerning the contrast of exóros, "darkness," and pus, "light," comp. the context with John i. Exia Javárov, "shadow of death," according to the Hebrew ♫ is generally used as synonymous with u, “darkness.” The Septuagint have derived it from, “shadow,” and "death." 3, 4. is used as synonymous צַלְמָוֶת Ver. 17. After this notice concerning the locality, St Matthew gives briefly the contents of the sermon of Jesus. He confines himself to the same characteristic features which he states in iii. 2 when speaking of the sermon of St John the Baptist. These features were repentance, and its motive the approach of the kingdom of God. The sermon of St John naturally includes, in the first place, the annunciation of the Redeemer; yet, the notice given in Mark i. 15 must not certainly be overlooked, according to which the právo, "repentance," is immediately connected with ioris, "faith," and, indeed, not only the common iors, which formed the basis even of the Old Testament, 1 Schleiermacher (Festpr. ii. p. 93,) beautifully says: "Whenever Christ exhorts to repentance, he always does it with the word of power, which never fails of producing its effect. This word which commands repentance, which, in fact, creates the new spiritual world, inasmuch as every individual obtains existence in it only through repentance, is quite as powerful and efficacious as that commanding word, which called into existence the external world by which we are surrounded." Christ's sermon of repentance, therefore, is of a quite different character from that of St John; the former was accompanied by the Spirit which creates repentance-it is a gospel in itself; but the latter, like the Old Testa but, on the contrary, the morsúSIV év T súαyyshíw, "the faith, or believing in the glad tidings." (Concerning iris, comp. on Mat. viii. 10; ix. 2; xiii. 58; xvii. 21). But in the say, “glad εὐαγγέλιον, tidings," there is expressed the Baoiλsía rãv oùgavõv, "the kingdom of heaven," in its real presence, and this, too, as represented in the living personality of the Messiah who had been foretold by the prophets, and who had been so long expected. Hence, that in him was fulfilled all that had been promised and longed for, and that his new element of life (faith) only required a faithful reception, was announced by Jesus himself. The passageixargos λngwa," the time is fulfilled," Mark i. 15, clearly points πεπλήρωται, (as does Gal. iv. 4) to a firmly based ordinance in its development, and to an internal legitimation of the same. The entrance of the Redeemer into the manhood, together with his public appearance among the people, were necessary termini agreeably to the divine arrangement or ordination. § 2. JESUS CHOOSES DISCIPLES. (Matth. iv. 18-22; Mark i. 16—20.) The calling of the two pair of brothers, Peter and Andrew, and at a subsequent period James and John (concerning whom compare the context with Matth. x. 1 sqq.), is here as little accounted for as it is completely represented. John (chap. i.) affords the certainty, that these disciples became known to Christ immediately after his baptism; and, hence, that they are here only adopted among the more intimate companions of our Redeemer. St Matthew and St Mark, who here follows him, wishes for the present briefly to intimate something concerning the calling of the apostles, in order to be able to proceed to that which he considered as being of the utmost importance, viz. the discourses of Jesus. (Concerning the passage, Toińow iμãç àλiεîç ȧv@gú, "I will make you fishers of men," comp. on Luke v. 10, wherein the idea is met with in a more determinate or explanatory connection.-'Aupißnorgov, "a fishing net," or "drag," from app Bánh, "to throw around, to cast," is spoken of in the New Testament only in this place. It signifies a large double net, ment in general, demands without giving; for, even repentance is a gift of God. |