Annotations Upon the New Testament, John · Chapter 19
CHAP. XIX.
Vers. 1. ANd scourged him] It was established by the Romane Lawes, that he which was crucified should be first beaten with rods.Ierome.
Videte ejus miseriam & quam ridiculum sit in ipso crimen regni affectari. Vide infra 14. Grotius.Vers. 5. Behold the man] That is, if there be any mercy yet in you looke on him, set him free.
Castellionovo vocabulo foreign lapidipavium vertit. Melius famae suae consuluere, qui Graecum vocabulum retinuerunt, quippe usu Latinum factum Cheitomaeus. Gabbatha] Sic nominatur illud pavimentum quod esset elevatum. à verbo Hebraeo gabah quod significat elevari. Piscat. Erat in loco sublimi, ut solent esse tribunalia, ut judex à circumfusa multitudine videri & audiri possit. Cornel à Lap.Vers. 13. In a place that is called the pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.] Within the Court of the Temple in a house called the Paved Chamber, because of the curious cut stones it was paved with. See Piscator.
In Hebrew] That is Syriacke, that is the speech of the Jews. Grotius Vox est ejus linguae quae Christi tempore vernacula erat in Iudaea quae ideo Ebraica dicitur.
Vers. 14. About the sixt houre] Then began his hanging on the Crosse say some, Mark. 15.25. saith, And it was the the third houre, and they crucified him, & so Mat. & Luke Cornel à Lap. allegeth seven interpretations for the reconciling of these places, but approves of this best: Christ is said to be crucified the third houre, because at that houre Pilate publikely assented to the Jewes crying crucifie him, that he might avoyd the tumult of the people, whence he commanded him to be whipt, as fitting him for the Crosse; (for the guiltie persons that were to die were wont first to be whipt) yet hoping by his cruel whipping to appease the Jewes,Luke 23.14. Matth. 27.24, 25. but when he saw them continuing in their clamour against Iesus, at the sixth houre fitting on the tribunall, he delivered a judiciary and formall sentence against him that hee should be crucified. Luke and Matthew seeme to favour this exposition. The best copies & Johns owne autograph *Policarpi & Ignatij Epistolae à Reverendissimo Episcopo Vsserio editae p. 74.75. Vide plura ibid.(which the Authour of the Constantinopolitane Chronicle saith, was kept in the Church of the Ephesians to his time) have foreign hora quasi tertia, about the third houre. Nonnus in his paraphrase on this place also so renders it.
Vers. 17. And he bearing his Crosse] Although this was the custome among the Romans, that malefactors should carry their Crosse to the place of punishment, Lipsius l. 2. de cruce c. 3. So that without doubt the two theeves Christs companions bore their Crosses, yet Christ should have been spared. For since onelyonly lustie theeves were wont to be crucified, they were able to carry such a burthen, but Christ being cruelly whipt and hardly used otherwaies, sunke under the burthen. Brugensis.
In Hebrew Golgotha,] the Hebrew is Gulgoleth, wherefore the word is rather Syriack;Id est, Cranium seu Calvaria; sic dicta à rotunditate & volubilitate, nam galgal volvere sig. Piscat. Neque enim Gabbatha Hebraicum est aut Golgotha, sed planè Syriacum. Quid igitur? Lingua Syriaca appellatur à S. Iohanne Evangelista Lingua Hebraica, quòd eâ tunc temporis Hebraei in Iudaea Commorantes uterentur tanquam vernacula. Valeriani De Flavigny. Receptissimum est, Linguam Syriaeam Iudaeis Hierosolymitanis, dum Christus in terris, in usu etiam vulgo fuisse, adeoque ipsi Christo. Seldeni Uxor Ebraica. l. 3. c. 23. this is often in the New Testament called the Hebrew tongue, because it was the vulgar tongue of the Jewes that were Hebrewes. Acts 22.2. See 13. v.
Vers. 20. Wrote a title and put it on the Crosse] Writ faults over head to shew the equity of their proceeding. Euseb. hist. l. 5. c. 1.
Vers. 22. What I hav… written, I have written] I will not alter it; and if man say quod scripsi scripsi, num Deus quenquam scribis & delet? August. Doth God write any in his booke and blot him out againe?
Vers. 25. Now there stood by the Crosse of Iesus, his mother, and his mothers sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.] Her standing declared her constancy and trust in God; we have the Virgin full of grace, Mary Cleophas the married full of cares, Magdalene the penitent, all neede to look on Christ crucified.
Vers. 26. His mother and the Disciple standing by] Stantem lego, flentem non lego, saith Ambrose of Christs mother, I reade of her standing, but not of her weeping.
Woman behold thy Son] Hee calls her woman and not Mother, not as unwilling to owne her for his Mother, but either as fearing that such an owning her might have created her further trouble, or as shewing that being ready to dye and returne to his Father in heaven, he was above earthly relations, and knew none after the flesh, no not his owne Mother.
Vers. 27. From that houre that Disciple tooke her unto his owne home] Ioseph belike was now dead.Vide Piscat.
Vers. 28. Our Saviour knowing that all things were now accomplished] Our Saviour was not yet dead or buried.
Some answer that all things necessary for our Redemption were accomplished, because Christ had borne the wrath of his Father, but rather it may bee answered, that all other things which were to goe before the death of our Saviour were accomplished, so that nothing remained but this tasting of Vineger.
I thirst] Bleeding breeds thirsting, then was fulfilled that Psal. 21.6. in Christ.
Vers. 29. Put it upon Hysop] Matthew and Marke say upon a Reede, Mat. 27.48. Marke 15.36.
The Hysop stalke was put into a reede or hollow Cane,Vide Piscat. & de Dieu in loc. or else in those countries the Hysop did arise to that bignes that the stalk therof might wel be called a Cane or Reede, as the tree of Mustardseed with the Jewes is farre greater and taller than it is with us.
Vers. 30. Finished] That is, the Prophesies of him saith Augustine, and Chrysostom saith his Pilgrimage and the wrath of God: now the Jewish Law and Sacrifice was at an end. Iansenius.
Gave up the Ghost] Emisit non amisit. Ambrose.
Crurifragium five crurifrangium ut crux ipsa servorum peculiare quasi supplicium fuerat. Drusius. Vide Grotium & Brugensem.Vers. 31. That their leggs might be broken]
Vers. 34. Pierced his side] Their malice dyed not with his death. The Syriack Paraphrase saith,Vide Bezam, & Fulleri miscel. Sac. l. 5. c. 1. p. 14. Junias, Piscat. Beza, Mr. Perkins. Tacto pericardio ín quo est aqua & sanguis circum. Grotius. He pierced his Ribbe, that is, the fift ribbe, where the pericardium lay; forthwith came there out bloud and water] It is very likely that the very Pericardium was pierced, a filme or skin like unto a purse, wherein is contained cleare water to coole the heate of the heart. Aqua quae diluat, sanguis que redimat. Ambrose on Luke. The bloud signifying the perfect expiation of the sinnes of his Church, and the water the daily washing and purging of it from the remainders of her corruption.
Vers. 36. A bone of him shall not be broken] Christ would have none of his bones broken or taken off from the communion of his naturall body, to note the indissoluble union which was to be betwixt him and his members.Dr. Reynolds.
Many thinke (saith Grotius) that he hath respect here to the Law concerning the Pascall Lambe, but hee rather conceives that that place Psalme 34.21. is aimed at, where Gods speciall care for a godly man is described.Vide Brugensem.