Inspiration and Interpretation Part 32

John xix. 34.

[534] See Dr. Mill's _Christian Advocate's_ publication for 1844, _The Historical Character of the circ.u.mstances of our LORD's Nativity vindicated against some recent mythical interpreters_,--especially p.

402 to p. 434.

[535] Cf. Phil. iii. 7-9.

[536] Consider St. John vi. 46, and all similar places.

[537] On the words, ? d? ?? p?ste?? d??a??s??? ??t? ???e?,--Theodoret remarks:--??t? t??, pe?? d? t?? ?? p?ste?? d??a??s????, ??t?? ???e?? ??

??? ? d??a??s??? ta?ta ???e?, ???? d?? ??s???, ? t?? ???? Te??, pe??

t?? ???? ta?ta e????e? d?d?s??? ???da???? ?? d??a p???? t?? t??

p?a?t??? d?das?a??a? ?d??a?t?.--Theodoret, _Cat._, p. 374.

[538] Our E. V., following the translations since Cranmer's, here inserts the word "again,"--which is certainly not implied by the Greek.

[539] The expression is, of course, wholly dissimilar from that in Ps.

cvii. 23,--?? ?ataa????te? e?? ???a.s.sa? ?? p??????, ?. t. ?.

[540] I cannot forbear transcribing the following pa.s.sage in an elaborate apology which has recently appeared for _Essays and Reviews_:--"Among the many proposals which are floating about for Essays and Counter-essays to vindicate the Doctrines supposed to be combated in this volume, let us be allowed to suggest this one:--'The Nature of Biblical Inspiration, as tested by a careful examination of the Septuagint Version with special reference to the sanction given to it by the Apostles, and to its variations, by way of addition or omission, from the revised Text of the Canonical Scriptures.' The conclusions of such an investigation would be worth a hundred eager declarations on one side or the other, and would be absolutely decisive of the chief questions at issue." (_Edinburgh Review_, April, 1861, p. 483.).... Now I scruple not to affirm that a well-informed, and faithful student of the Scriptures would covet no better portion for himself than liberty to accept, in the most public manner possible, such a challenge as the foregoing.

[541] See the valuable exposition of the text, by Bp. Bull, in the Appendix (K),--to which I am very largely indebted.

[542] Opposed to Bp. Bull in his opinion, on this matter, seem Ainsworth, Patrick, Parker (_Biblioth. Bibl._), Cornelius a Lapide, the _Critici Sacri_, &c. I cannot but think that the truth is with the first-named Commentator.

[543] See 2 Cor. vi. 16, (quoting Lev. xxvi. 12), where see Wordsworth's note. Heb. viii. 6-13, especially ver. 10, (quoting Jer. x.x.xi. 33. Comp.

Jer. xxiv. 7: x.x.x. 22: x.x.xi. 1: x.x.xii. 38.) Compare Rom. ix. 25, 26, (also 1 St. Pet. ii. 10,) with Hos. ii. 23: i. 10. See also Ezek. xi.

20: xiv. 11: x.x.xvi. 28: x.x.xvii. 27; and Zech. viii. 8: xiii. 9. Lastly, consider Rev. xxi. 3; where "the types of the itinerant Tabernacle in the Wilderness, the figurative ritual and festal joys of the Feast of Tabernacles, celebrated in the literal Jerusalem, are consummated in the Heavenly Jerusalem." (Wordsworth.) See also Rev. vii. 15, with the annotation of the same Commentator.

[544] p???e???????? ... e?? ???st??. Gal. iii. 17.

[545] Deut. xxix. 14, 15.

[546] Acts ii. 39: Compare iii. 25.

[547] Jer. x.x.xi. 32. Consider verses 33-4 quoted in Heb. x. 16, 17. See above, note (t, [our 544]).

[548] St. John xi. 49-52.

[549] "Diligenter observandum est, ex consensu Hebraeorum, caput hoc ad regnum CHRISTI pertinere. Unde etiam Bachai dicit, hoc loco promissionem esse quod sub Rege MESSIAH omnibus qui de federe sunt, circ.u.mcisio cordis contingat, citans Joelem, ii. 28."--f.a.gius, (in the _Critici Sacri_,) on Deut. x.x.x. 11.

[550] "Apostolus dicit hoc esse verb.u.m fidei, quod ad Novum Testamentum pertinet. Quae ergo scripta sunt in libro legis hujus in figura dicta sunt, pertinentia ad Novum Testamentum."--Augustinus, in Nic. Lyra, _ad loc._

[551] Deut. x.x.x. 11-14.

[552] Rom. x. 4.

[553] Art. vii.

[554] St. John iii. 13.

[555] 1 Tim. iii. 16.

[556] The reader is invited to consider Acts ii. 24 to 31,--attending particularly to what St. Peter says in ver. 30-1. "Even without this key," (says Dr. M'Caul,) "the Rabbis interpreted Psalm xvi. of the Resurrection."

[557] See above, pp. 171-2.

[558] St. Pet. i. 11.

[559] "Though I think it clear that the Prophets did not understand the full meaning of their predictions; it is another question how far they thought they did, and in what sense they understood them."--Butler's _a.n.a.logy_, P. II. ch. vii.

[560] See Acts xxvi. 22, 23: xxviii. 23. St. John i. 46: v. 46. St. Luke xxiv. 27, &c.

[561] Prov. x.x.x. 4.

[562] e.g. "Si quis dixerit mulieri, Si adscenderis in firmamentum, aut descenderis in abyssum, eris mihi desponsata,--haec conditio frustranea est."--_Nasir_ ix. 2, apud Wetstein, (in Rom. x. 6.)

[563] "The whole pa.s.sage (Prov. x.x.x. 2-5,) may be thus paraphrased:--With my limited understanding I cannot attain the knowledge of G.o.d; _for to know G.o.d, is to know Him who is omnipresent, filling Heaven and Earth_; it is to know Him who is omnipotent, ruling over the winds and the waters, the most unstable of all elements; it is to know Him who created all things; it is to know His Name, and the name of His SON. But this knowledge can be attained only by Revelation: and he that would attain to it even from Revelation, must not pa.s.s over any one word as insignificant, for every word is purified like silver: neither must he add to Revelation, or he will be sure to go astray."--From the Appendix (pp. 46-7) to a Sermon by Dr. M'Caul, on _The Eternal Sons.h.i.+p of the Messiah_, 1838. (Interesting and precious as this paraphrase is, I humbly suspect that the words _in italics_ contain a vast deal more than the learned writer indicates.)

[564] Baruch iii. 29.

[565] St. Matth. xii. 20.

[566] Zech. ix. 11.

[567] Consider Ps. cx.x.xix. 7. Amos ix. 2, 3.

[568] St. John iii. 13.

[569] Ibid. vi. 33, 38, 51, 62.

[570] Ibid. xvi. 28.

[571] Ephes. iv. 9, 10.

[572] See above, pp. 176-7.

[573] St. Matth. viii. 17.

[574] St. Matth. ii. 23. See above, p. 149.

[575] Ibid. ii. 15.

[576] St. Matth. ii. 18.

[577] Ibid. xxi. 16.

[578] St. Luke xx. 37.

[579] St. John vii. 37, 38.