Review of the Paraphrase of the New Testament, John
On the GOSPEL according to St IOHN.
Chap. I. ver. 14.
[The glory cc as of the onelyonly, &c.]
foreign.NOte cc. For the ſignification of the particle [foreign, as] S. Chryſoſtome's note is worth reciting, foreign, ſaith he, foreign, It is not a note of ſimilitude or compariſon, but of confirmation and unqueſtionable definition; as if, ſaith he, the Euangeliſt had ſaid, we ſaw his glory, ſuch as became, and was fit for the onelyonly begotten, and true natural ſonne of God, the king of all. To the ſame purpoſe ſaith Adrian, in his foreign to the Scripture, p. 9. foreign, The Scripture uſeth [foreign] two wayes; 1. By way of compariſon: And 2. Of confirmation: and as an inſtance of the latter he gives foreign, Truely God is good to Iſrael, Pſal. 73.1. and this text, where ſaith he, 'tis uſed foreign, the glory of the true onelyonly begotten ſonne.
Chap. II. ver. 21.
[He that doth the truth.]
A ſincere upright perſon.
Chap. IV. ver. 6.
[Now Jacobs well was there, Jeſus therefore being wearied with his journey ſate a thus *By.on the well.]
In this place was the well which Jacob once digged, on which occaſion Jeſus being weary of travaile ſate down cloſe by it on the ground.—
Note a.foreign. The word foreign thus] is by Theophylact interpreted foreign, ſimply, after any manner, not on a ſeate, without any proviſion made for ſitting upon the ground. And if ſo,foreign then foreign muſt be not [on] but by, or neer, the well, as foreign Gen. 16.7. is at, or by the ſpring of water.
Chap. V. ver. 4.
[*Deſcended in foreign Went down into the poole.]
Deſcended by ſome ſteps on the brink of the poole, and by that advantage, and by ſome inſtrument for that purpoſe, ſtirred up the lower, and groſſer parts of the water.
Note a. In the end, Adde, In this variety we can but reſolve what the context makes moſt probable, and that is, to adhere to our ordinary reading without admitting either of thoſe changes, which thoſe venerable copies, ſo contrary one to the other, ſuggeſt to us. For as to the former, the troubling of the water being taken notice of, both v. 4. and v. 7. as the onelyonly thing that gave or rather excited (for a very ſhort time) the medicinal virtue in the water, there was no need of the miraculous interpoſition of one of Gods holy Angels, to effect that; any ordinary man, ſent down for that purpoſe, was ſufficient thus to move or trouble the water. As for the bathing of an Angel at a certain time, there is no probable account to be given of that, nor can it have any ſpecial energie, to the making of the waters medicinal, for the bare troubling the waters did that, v. 4.7. As for the latter, which leaves out the whole fourth verſe, the remainder of the context utterly reſiſts that, being all built on that relation of the medicinal nature of the poole, and the circumſtances of it, which are given us in that verſe. The context then remaining intire, as it doth in our ordinary copies, the onelyonly objection I diſcern to offer it ſelf againſt the way of interpreting it, of a medicinable virtue, naturally ariſing from the freſh warm blood of the entrails of the ſacrifices that were waſh'd there, is, that the cure was limited to one, to him that firſt ſtepp'd in, and this man had been there long in vain, becauſe another ſtill ſtepp'd in before him; which may be thought unreconcileable with that opinion of the medicinable virtue of the blood, in that poole, which would as probably miniſter to the cure of more, as of one. To this I anſwer, that it is very probable, there might be cauſes of this (more than one) ariſing from ſome circumſtances of the place, &c. which being not taken notice of in the text, cannot with any certainty be aſſigned by us, at this diſtance, and yet this very poſſibility that there were ſuch, be ſufficient to avoid the force of that objection. For inſtance, the place that contained theſe medicinal waters, might be of no larger capacity, than to hold one at once (and the ſteps down to it ſomewhat proportionable) and that on purpoſe deſigned, in order to curing diſeaſes, to which it was moſt likely to contribute, if the virtue that came from the entrailes, were kept within ſo narrow a compaſs, as when a medicinal bath is to be provided by infuſion of herbes, &c. 'tis ordinary to uſe a veſſel of no greater capacity, than will ſuffice one patient at once, that the infuſion of the drugs may be the ſtronger, and ſo more medicinal. And then conſidering how apt thoſe groſſer parts are, when ſtirred up, to ſink again, and ſome ſpace being allowed to the officer, that moves the water, to aſcend before the patient can deſcend, it followes regularly, that the cure ſhould be thus limited to one patient at one moving of the water, and if *T…m. 5. p. 585.40.S. Chryſoſtome judge aright, in one year; foreign, ſaith he, one onelyonly in a year (at this foreign, ſeaſon, or Paſchal feſtival, when the great multitude of ſacrifices were newly waſh'd there) was cured by that water. All this is here very fitly ſuppoſeable, non obſtante either the mention of the poole, which may be deemed to ſignifie a place of a greater capacity, or the five porches, v. 2. For the five porches, thoſe being parts of Betheſda, the houſe of mercy, or hoſpital, as hath been ſhew'd, there might be uſes of them for the ſick, and diſeaſed perſons, which lay there, v. 3. without imagining them to be ſo many entrances to this poole. And then for the foreign, though by rendring it in Latine, piſcina, and poole in Engliſh, it may ſeem to be of a larger capacity, yet being, we know, by the antients uſed vulgarly for the font in the Church, and that expreſſely from the uſe of it in this place, it need not be ſuppoſed here to have been of any ſuch large capacity. And then this being thus premiſed, and ſuppoſed, all that is here ſaid, is very conſonant. 1. That after the moving of the water, it ſhould be medicinal onelyonly to one at once; and 2. That he onelyonly that could make moſt haſte, and ſo come firſt, was likely to receive benefit by it, and ſo this lame man miſs of it, becauſe he could never get to be foremoſt: other waies there are alſo ſuppoſeable, to remove all force of this objection, and ſecure the probability of this conjecture; But becauſe I propoſe it onelyonly as ſuch, I ſhall not farther inſiſt on them.
Verſ. 13.
[For Jeſus had convey'd himſelf away, a multitude being in that place.]
13. For by reaſon of the great multitude that was there at that time, Jeſus had opportunity to depart from among them, without any mans taking notice of it.
Verſ. 17.
[Worketh.]
Hath done works of providence, (ſee Chryſoſtome Hom. 10. in Gen. p. 63.) preſervation, &c.
Chap. VII. ver. 14.
[Now about the midſt of the feaſt.]
Now on ſome middle day of the feaſt, on one of the eight dayes of which the feaſt conſiſted, but neither on the firſt, nor the laſt of them, v. 37.
Verſ. 21.
[Ye all *Marvel becauſe of it, for Theophylact reads foreign.marvell.]
Ibid. Note d. lin. 13. read, whereas others are called foreign &c.
Ibid. lin. 18. dele, as the Hebrews Act. 6.1. uſed the Jeruſalem paraphraſe.
Note g. read, foreign, and afterwards foreign.
Chap. VIII. Note b.foreign. To the notion of foreign for prorſus, omnino, foreign, Adde, So in Alexander Aphrodiſaeus foreign. ſpeaking of that honour, and piety, which is the end of making the ſtatue or image of any, foreign, ſaith he, foreign, A ſtatue had not at all been made without that cauſe. And after ſpeaking of chance, foreign, but ſomewhat that was utterly unexpected. And again ſpeaking of the duties of man, Without them, ſaith he, the life of man is not a life, foreign, nor indeed at all the life of men any longer; and many the like in that one book. But the other interpretation alſo [foreign, at the firſt] may well enough be born, and hath the example of the Septuagint, Gen. 13.4. and 43.18. and 20. and of *C. 30.Nemeſius foreign, having held out at the firſt, they yeelded at the end.
Chap. X. Note b.foreign. To the notion of foreign for preaching, or being heard, in the paſſive, not active ſenſe of hearing, Adde, Plato in Phaedro, foreign, I deſire to temper the brackiſh hearing with ſweet, or potable ſpeech, where foreign hearing] is uſed for the word, or ſpeech which is heard.
foreign.Chap. XIII. Note b. Read, The Hebrews had their foreign, and their foreign, or foreign, the former waſhing the whole body, &c. the other two, of the hands, or feet, of one part alone, either by immerſion, or powring on of water.
foreign.Chap. XIX. Note b. Of the reading foreign, it was about the third hour] Adde, And ſo Peter Biſhop of Alexandria reads it, adding foreign, as the accurate Copies have it, and that written with S. Johns own hand, which is ſtill preſerved in the Church of Epheſus, and is had in great Reverence by the faithfull there. But of what authority that relation is, may yet be queſtioned, and the antient Alexandrian Copy which we have oft cited by the name of the Kings MS. accords in the maine with the Printed Copies.
Chap. XXI. ver. 7.
[*Upper garment or apron. Fiſhers a coate.]
foreign.Note a. What foreign ſignifies, may thus be collected. 1 Sam. 18.4. Jonathan is ſaid to put it off, and give it to David. Where, as the Hebrew hath foreign, pallium (ſee Matt. 5. Note r.) the upper garment, ſo by Jonathans giving it to David, it appears it was of ſome value, and that agrees alſo to the upper garment, which was ſuch. Now though Suidas in one place interprets it foreign, the inner garment or ſhirt, yet it is clear by him elſewhere, that this was his notion not of foreign, but foreign, for ſo he ſets down the difference between theſe two, making foreign to ſignifie foreign, the inner garment, and foreign, the outer. So the old Greek and Latine Lexicon, foreign Inſtata ſuperaria, garments that are put over. Nonnus expreſſes this here to be caſt over them, to cover their thighs,
—foreign
foreign,
A covering to their nakedneſs, Theophylact gives a larger deſcription of it, foreign— It is a linnen garment that the Phaenician and Syrian fiſhermen gird about them, either when they are naked, or when they have other garments on, ſuch as the Painters put on the Apoſtles, over their other cloths; and this was the reaſon why Peter being naked, toyling about catching of fiſh, to cover his nakedneſs, girt this garment about him. This deſcription of his inclines to beleeve, that it was ſimply an apron, which is worn over cloths ſometimes to keep them clean, ſometimes is caſt over the naked body to hide the ſhame, as we read in the ſtory of Adam.