Near Jerusa- bered they that these things were written of him, John xii. 16. and that they had done these things unto him “. lem. pute them to magic (g). Your fathers bore witness to his blameless life, and to the union in his person of many of the characteristics of your expected Messiah. Whenever your promised Shiloh shall appear, he must manifest himself in the same manner as Jesus of Nazareth has already done; he must appear in the second temple, and accomplish in his own person all the predictions of your ancient prophets. That this prophecy of Zechariah related to the King Messiah, you are presented with proofs, not from the writings of the Evangelists, (whom we indeed believe, like your ancient prophets, to be inspired,) but from the writings of your own Talmudists (h). For of none other can it be said, out of all the rulers or conquerors of Jerusalem, from the building of the second temple after the Babylonian captivity, to its overthrow by Titus; of none other can it be said, that he entered into the holy city, riding upon an ass, amidst the acclamations of the multitude, and the hosannas of the children. 40 If the theological student will refer to the original of Zech. ix. 9, he will observe that the expected King of Israel is called ympy. As the word yw is a passive participle, Grotius would render it salvatus, and expresses his surprise that this should have escaped the attention of the commentators. Drusius, his contemporary, who was a much more learned man, has anticipated this remark, and replied to it. He also observes, that the word yw is used as an epithet; but his rule of interpretation, as applied to this form of speaking, is, that where a passive participle is thus taken, it implies action (i). Sebastian Schmidt renders the words, justus, et servatus ille; and in the margin of our authorized translation, "saving himself." (g) See the Toldoth Jesu, in Wagenseil's Tela Ignea. (h) R. S. quoted -Impos אי אפשר לפותרו אלא על מלך המשיח,by Munster, in the Critici Sacri sibile est ut interpreteris de alio quam de Messiah. So Clarius-and Grotius quotes also Abenezra and Rabbi Saadia Gaon, as referring this passage to the Messiah. Eidem Messiæ qui asino vectus est et humilem se exhibuit, singularem in ipsa humilitate magnificentiam tribuunt. Sohar Numer. fol. 83. col. 332. ubi mystice commentantur ad verba Deut. xxii. 10. Non arabis cum bove, et asino simul. cui insidens Rex ,דזמין מלכא משיהא למשלט עליה Ille est asinus Messias dominaturus est. Et hoc quod scriptum est Zachar. ix. 9. Pauper et insidens asino. Huc pertinet illud R. Josephi in Sanhedrim, fol. 98. 2. Veniet Messias, et ego dignus habebor, qui sub umbra stercoris asini ejus sedeam, &c. &c.-Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. ii. p. 543. Brescith Rabba ad Genes. xlii. 2. apud Raymundum Martini, part iii. distinct. iii. 16. 1. won gba xiɔwɔ Quando Messias Hierosolymam veniet ad redimendum לירושלים להושיע ישראל Israelitas tunc ligat asinum suum, eique insidet, et Hierosolymam venit, y ut semet ipsum in humilitate gerat, q. d. Zach. ix. 9. pauper et insidens asino. See Schoetgen, Horæ Hebraicæ, vol. ii. p. 59. De Messiah, lib. ii. continens loca veteris testamenti quæ Judæi antiquiores potissimum de Messiah interpretati sunt. Schoetgen, vol. ii. p. 64. Schir Naschirim rabba, fol. 7. 3. ad verba Cantic. 1. Sohar. Levit. fol. 28. col. 112. Schoetgen, vol. ii. p. 219. Dr. Gill's references to the Talmudical writers on the application of this passage to our Lord, are-T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 98. and 99. 1. fol. 66. 2. and 85. 3. Midrash Koheleth, fol. 63. 2. Bereshith Rabba, Zohar. in Genes. fol. 127. 3. and in Num. fol. 83. 4. and in Deut. fol. 117. 1. and 118. 3. Raza Mehimna in Zohar. in Lev. fol. 38. 3. and in Num. fol. 97. 2. Sarchi in Isa. xxvi. 6. Baal Haturiin in Exod. fol. 88. 2. mia Jeshua, fol. 15. 4. Modern Testimonies. (i) Vide Drusius' and Grotius' Annotations in Zech. Matt. xxi. 6. And the disciples Luke xix. 22. that were sent went their way, Matt. xxi. 6. and did as Jesus commanded them, Mark xi. 4. and found the colt Luke xix. 32. even as he had said unto them, Mark xi. 4. Luke xix. 33. Mark xi. 5. tied by the door without, in a place where two And as they were loosing the colt, certain of them that stood there, Luke xix. 33. the owners thereof, Mark xi. 5. said unto them, What do ye, loosing the colt? Luke xix. 34. The Lord hath need of him : Mark xi. 6. Mark xi. 7. Matt. xxi. 7. even as Jesus had commanded: and they let them And they brought the ass and the colt Luke xix. 35. to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon; Mark xi. 7. John xii. 17. John xii. 18. and he sat upon him. The people therefore that was with him when he called Lazarus out of his grave, and raised him from the dead, bare record. For this cause the people also met him : for that they heard that he had done this miracle. MATT. xxi. part of ver. 1, 2, 3. 6, and 7. 1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethpage, unto the mount of Olives-two disciples, With respect to the reading of the Aldine MS. (k) owlwv avrovc, it is not supported by the original, which reads N ; had the reading of the first word been yw, as Grotius and Houbigant propose, and the word omitted, and the pronominal affix inserted in its place, yw, the auroùs might be admitted. In the absence of all authority from manuscripts, however, no conjectural emendation can be admitted (1). Grotius has committed a singular error in supposing that this prophecy can refer to the entrance of Zerobabel into Jerusalem; as Zerobabel had long been in the city after the return from the captivity, before the prophecy was written (m). (*) Juxta LXX. sic legimus, Χαῖρε σφόδρα, θύγατερ Σιών· κήρυσσε, θύ γατερ Ιερεσάλημ· ἰδὲ ὁ βασιλεὺς σε ἔρχεταί σοι δίκαιος και σώζων αὐτοὺς, πραύς, καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὑποζύγιον, καὶ πῶλον νέον. Gaude vehementer, filia Sion; prædica, filia Hierusalem; ecce Rex tuus veniet tibi justus et salvans ipsos, mansuetus, ascendens super subjugalem, et pullum novum. Interpres legisse videtur avròs, cum Aldina editio habeat auroúc. Porro quod hic est salvator, Hebræis est yw, alludens ad nomen Jesu-Unde locum hunc Judæi juxta historiam referunt ad Christum. Erasmus ap. Crit. Sacri, vol. vii. p. 714. (1) Newcome's Minor Prophets, in Zech. ix. 9. (m) Vide Grotius in loc., Critici Sacri, vol. v. Near Jerusalem. Near Jerusalem. 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and—and a coltloose them, and bring them 3 ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 6-went 7 And brought-and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. MARK xi. part of ver. 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7. 1 And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth 2 ye shall find a colt tied, whereon man never sat; loose him and bring him. 3 And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him— 4 And they went their way— 7 -the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him— LUKE xix. part of ver. 29, 30, 31. 33, 34, and 35. 29 he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which, at your entering, ye shall find 31 And if any man ask you— From Christ's triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, to his Apprehension Sunday, the fifth Day before the last Pass 1 The several circumstances mentioned in the sections of this chapter, which relate our Lord's conversations, when for the last time he visited Jerusalem, as well as the nature of the questions proposed, present us with a most lively portrait of the manners and opinions of the Jews at this period. Schoetgen, and the other writers, who have proposed to explain the New Testament from the Talmudical writings, have bestowed much labour on the illustration of some of the phrases, &c. adopted by the Evangelists; but, in general, the discourses and Matt. xxi. 8. a very great multitude spread their garments in Jerusalem. the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. Luke xix. 37. Matt. xxi. 9. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples, And the multitudes that went before, and that Luke xix. 37. began to rejoice, and praise God with a loud conversations of our Lord are so plain, that none can misunderstand them-so short, none can forget them-so perfect, none can add to the force of their instruction, or the eloquence of their language. To add many notes would be 64 to throw a perfume on the violet." The differences between the harmonizers of the Gospels, with respect to the contents of this and the following chapters of this arrangement, are of little importance. In general they are agreed. The principal differences in this chapter refer to the number of times in which the buyers and sellers were driven from the temple--the question whether our Lord ate the Passover the same day as the Jews-and the precise time in which the discourses in St. John were delivered. 2 Ride on because of the word of truth, of righteousness, and of judgment. Enter into thine holy city, thou King of Glory. So amidst the acclamations of angels didst thou return to thy Father. So shall the spirits of the just attend thee, when thou shalt again at the end of the world go up, from the dissolution of nature, to thy Father, and our Father, to thy God, and our God. The hour was approaching when the mysterious sacrifice, reconciling the heaven and the earth, was to be offered; and Jesus, knowing that all things were to be accomplished, went on to the scene of his sufferings, amidst the homage of the people, and appealing to the rulers of Israel, by his fulfilment of the most peculiar of their prophecies, which they had applied to their expected Messiah. He entered into Jerusalem to fulfil the prophecies-to resign himself to the will of his Father-to become the victim for the sins of man-and no one action, after he entered the city, was inconsistent with the humble yet sublime character which he had assumed, as the powerful deliverer, and the passive sacrifice. That there might be no possibility of a renewal of the former scenes, when the people anxiously desired, by force, to make Him a king, He discontinued the miracles by which He had hitherto demonstrated his authority and power. Every evening He withdrew from the city to solitude, to prayer, or to converse He thus obviated the very possiwith his disciples on the Mount of Olives. sibility of suspicion (a) that he was actuated by the desire of temporal aggran dizement. (a) That is, among the Jews of his own time. But see the German critics quoted, and we may trust, refuted by Kuinoel, Comment, in lib. Hist. N. T. in Matt. xxi. and by Rosenmüller, in his Scholia on the same chapter. VOL. I. D d Jerusalem. Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of Luke xix. 38, the Lord peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, Mark xi. 10. that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest". 3 It was a law among the Jews, that if any person, even of the most inferior rank, addressed another in any well known passage from their liturgical services, the person thus accosted was bound to reply. They were particularly accustomed to apply the 118th Psalm to this purpose; the 25th verse of which was used at the feast of tabernacles. The 24th verse is an introduction to the expressions of joy, the Hosannas which the people sung-and it is not improbable, therefore, that the words of both these verses were sung on the occasion of our Lord's entrance into Jerusalem. The people dividing themselves, and, according to the custom which had prevailed among them from the very earliest ages, which was continued by the primitive Churches, and is still preserved in the services of the Church of England, repeating alternately the clauses of the passages they quoted. It is well known that the Evangelists have not been careful to relate minutely every incident which occurred, when they record a fact; and we cannot therefore argue from their silence that no other passage was sung than the Hosanna of the 25th verse. It seems more probable that the introductory verse would have been likewise added, in which case we may conclude that the rhythmical divisions would be preserved, and the burthen, or chorus, or song of triumph, with which our Lord was welcomed, might be thus arranged זה היום עשה יהוה נגילה ונשמחה בו אנא יהוה הושיעה נא אנא יהוה הצליחה נא Saying This is the day which the Lord hath made, We pray thee, O Jehovah, save us, we pray; We pray thee, O Jehovah, prosper us, we pray. A rhyming ending of this kind was likely to dwell on the memory of the devout Jews. The ending of the last line but one, however, is the term from "Save now, we beseech thee." הושיעה נא,which the word is actually derived This passage seems to have been the principal acclamation with which our Saviour was saluted; while many of the multitude added the expressions mentioned by St. Luke. The conduct of the Pharisees, in reproving the people for thus crying out their Hosannas, instead of uniting with them according to their own institutions, must be imputed to their hardness of heart, and a determination to oppose to the utmost the claims and pretensions of the prophet of Nazareth and of Galilee, for-Judæorum, et Pharisæorum fuit, his pueris respondere; idque ex instituto majorum suorum. Verum okλnpokapdía ipsorum hoc noluit permittere-Schoetgen, Hor. Heb. vol. i. p. 170. |