point to their transformation in that hope, of which St. Peter is the special representative, and the preacher in the Church.
And presently, as they two came into the boat, [1 I cannot see (with Meyer) any variation in the narrative in St. John vi. 21. The expression, 'they were willing to take him into the ship,' certainly does not imply that, after, the incident of Peter's failure, He did not actually enter the boat.] the wind ceased, and immediately the ship was at the land. But 'they that were in the boat', apparently in contradistinction to the disciples, [2 Weiss (p. 373) assures us that this view is 'impossible;' but on no better ground than that no others than ten disciples are mentioned in St. Matt. xiv. 22, as if it had been necessary to mention the embarkation of the boatmen.] though the latter must have stood around in sympathetic reverence, 'worshipped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.' The first full public confession this of the fact, and made not by the disciples, but by others. With the disciples it would have meant something far deeper. But as from the lips of these men it seems, like the echo of what had passed between them on that memorable passage across the Lake. They also must have mingled in the conversation, as the boat had pushed off from the shore on the previous evening, when they spake of the miracle of the feeding, and then of the popular attempt to proclaim Him Messianic King, of which they knew not yet the final issue, since they had been 'constrained to get into the boat,' while the Master remained behind. They would speak of all that He was and had done, and how the very devils had proclaimed Him to be the 'Son of God,' on that other shore, close by where the miracle of feeding had taken place. Perhaps, having been somewhat driven out of their course, they may have passed close to the very spot, and, as they pointed to it recalled the incident. And this designation of'Son of God,' with the worship which followed, would come much more readily, because with much more superficial meaning, to the boatmen than to the disciples. But in them, also, the thought was striking deep root; and presently, by the Mount of Transfiguration, would it be spoken in the name of all by Peter, not as demon- nor as man-taught, but as taught of Christ's Father Who is in Heaven. Yet another question suggests itself. The events of the night are not recorded by St. Luke, perhaps because they did not come within his general view-plan of that Life; perhaps from reverence, because neither he, nor his teacher St. Paul, were within that inner circle, with which the events of that night were
connected rather in the way of reproof than otherwise. At any rate, even negative criticism cannot legitimately draw any adverse inference from it, in view of its record not only by two of the Synoptists, but in the Fourth Gospel. St. Mark also does not mention the incident concerning St. Peter; and this we can readily understand from his connection with that Apostle. Of the two eyewitnesses, St. John and St. Matthew, the former also is silent on that incident. On any view of the authorship of the Fourth Gospel, it could not have been from ignorance, either of its occurrence, or else of its record by St. Matthew. Was it among those 'many other things which Jesus did,' which were not written by him, since their complete chronicle would have rendered a Gospel-sketch impossible? Or did it lie outside that special conception of his Gospel, which as regards its details, determined the insertion or else the omission of certain incidents? Or was there some reason for this omission connected with the special relation of John to Peter? And, lastly, why was St. Matthew in this instance more detailed than the others, and alone told it with such circumstantiality? Was it that it had made such deep impression on his own mind; had he somehow any personal connection with it; or did he feel, as if this bidding of Peter to come to Christ out of the ship and on the water had some close inner analogy with his own call to leave the custom-house and follow Christ? Such, and other suggestions which may arise can only be put in the form of questions. Their answer awaits the morning and the other shore.
THE ASCENT: FROM TFIE RIVER JORDAN TO THE MOUNT OF TRANSFIGURATION
FOR THE FIRST VOLUME
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND CORRECTIONS
Page 7, note 1: i.e. the mind of the one was settled like men, that of the others unsettled as women. Page 12, note 2: 'Diety' = 'Shekhinah.' Page 35, note 3: See Zunz, Gottesd. Vortr. p. 323, note b. Page 97, note 1. This, of course, is and inference from the whole history and relation there indicated. Page 174, note la, line 7, read: 'Hath He said, and shall He not do it?' being the quotation from Numb. xxIII. 19, which is intended as an answer to the pretension. The rendering of the passage by the learned Dr. Schwab is untenable. Page 268, note 3: the quotation is taken from the unmutilated and sublime citation as given in R. Martini Pugio Fidei, ed. Carpzov. p. 782. Page 271 (k). This is the view of Beer, Leben Abr. p. 88. Page 292: for 'temptations' read 'temptation.' The ten tempatations of Abraham are referred to in Ab. P. 3, and enumerated in Ab. de R. N. 33 and Pirque de R. El. 26. Page 312h . Of course, this is the expression of a later Rabbi, but it refers toPharisaic interpretations. Page 358c. So lightfoot infers from the passage; but as the Rabbi who speaks is etymologising and almost punning, the inference should perhaps not be pressed. Page 384, note 1: In Vayy. R. 30, the expression refers to the different condition of Israel after the time described in Hos. iii. 4, or in that of Hezekiah, or at the deliverance of Mordecai. In Bemid. R. 11, the expression is connected with their ingathering of proselytes in fulfilment of Gen. xii. 2. Page 387, lines 17 and 18. On this subject, however, other opinions are also entertained. Comp. Sukk. 5 a. Page 443, as to priest guilty of open sin, the details, which I refrained from giving, are mentioned in Duschak, Jud. Kultus, p. 270. Page 444, note 3. This, of course, in regard to an unlearned priest. See discussion in Duschak, u.s. p. 255. Page 447(c). Ber. 6 b. Probably this was to many the only ground for reward, since the discourse was the Pirqa, or on the Halakah. Ib.(e)
Taan. 16 a: though the remark refers to the leader ot the devotions on fast-days, it is also applied to the preacher by Duschak, p. 285. Page 505, note 3, see correction of p. 174, note (u.s.). Page 514, note 2: in Taan. 20 a the story of the miracle is cold which gave him the name Nicodemus. Page 536(g). I refer to the thanksgiving of Nechunyah. See also the prayer put into the mouth of Moses, Ber. 32 a. And although such prayers as Ber. 16 b, 17 a, are sublime, they are, in my view, not to be compared with that of Christ in its fulness and breadth. Page 539(c). sanh. 100 b is, of course, not verbatim worded. This would be in the second sentence: 'Possibly on the morrow he will not be, and have been found caring for a world which is not his.' Page 557b, read in text: the common formula at funerals in Palestine was, 'Weep with him,' &c. Page 597, note, line 9 from bottom: for 'our' 'their' and for 'us' read 'them'. Page 620, line 4 from bottom, 'The dress of the wife,' &c, read 'The clothing,'the meaning being that in th alternative between saving the life of the ignorant and clothing the wife of the learned (if she had no clothes), th latter is of more importance. Page 622, margin, delete the second' in .
THE ASCENT: THE CAVILS OF THE PHARISEES CONCERNING PURIFICATION, AND THE TEACHING OF THE LORD CONCERNING PURITY, THE TRADITIONS CONCERNING 'HAND-WASHING' AND 'VOWS' CHAPTER XXXI.
(St. Matt. xv. 1-20; St. Mark vii. 1-23.)
As we follow the narrative, confirmatory evidence of what had preceded springs up at almost every step. It is quite in accordance with the abrupt departure of Jesus from Capernaum, and its motives, that when, so far from finding rest and privacy at Bethsaida (east of the Jordan), a greater multitude than ever had there gathered around Him, which would fain have proclaimed Him King, He resolved on immediate return to the western shore, with the view of seeking a quieter retreat, even though it were in 'the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.' [a St. Matt. xv. 21.] According to St. Mark, [b St. Mark vi. 45.] the Master had directed the disciples to make for the other Bethsaida, or 'Fisherton,' on the western shore of the Lake, [c St. John xii. 21.] Remembering how common the corresponding name is in our own country, [1 I have myself counted twelve different places in England bearing names which might be freely rendered by 'Bethsaidsa,' not to speak of the many subruns and quarters which bear a like designation, and, of course, my list is anything but complete.] and that fishing was the main industry along the shores of the Lake, we need not wonder at the existence of more than one Beth-Saida, or 'Fisherton.' [2 In Jer. Megill. (p. 70 a, line 15 from bottom) we read of a, but the locality scarcely agrees with our Beth-Saida.] Nor yet does it seem strange, that the site should be lost of what, probably, except for the fishing, was quite an unimportant place. By the testimony both of Josephus and the Rabbis, the shores of Gennesaret were thickly studded with little towns, villages, and hamlets, which have all perished without leaving a trace, while even of the largest the ruins are few and inconsiderable. We would, however, hazard a geographical conjecture. From the fact that St. Mark [d St. Mark vi. 45.] names Bethsaida, and St. John [e St. John vi. 17.] Capernaum, as the original destination of the boat, we
would infer that Bethsaida was the fishing quarter of, or rather close to, Capernaum, even as we so often find in our own country a 'Fisherton' adjacent to larger towns. With this would agree the circumstance, that no traces of
