St John Chapter vii : Verses 41-53
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| Nicodemus. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
42 Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was?
43 So there arose a dissension among the people because of him.
44 And some of them would have apprehended him: but no man laid hands on him.
45 The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees. And they said to them: Why have you not brought him?
46 The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man.
47 The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced?
48 Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees?
49 But this multitude, that knoweth not the law, are accursed.
50 Nicodemus said to them, (he that came to him by night, who was one of them:)
51 Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth?
52 They answered, and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? Search the scriptures, and see, that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not.
53 And every man returned to his own house.
41 ἄλλοι ἔλεγον· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ χριστός· ⸂οἱ δὲ⸃ ἔλεγον· Μὴ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ὁ χριστὸς ἔρχεται;
41 Alii dicebant : Hic est Christus. Quidam autem dicebant : Numquid a Galilaea venit Christus?
42 ⸀οὐχ ἡ γραφὴ εἶπεν ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος Δαυὶδ, καὶ ἀπὸ Βηθλέεμ τῆς κώμης ὅπου ἦν Δαυὶδ, ⸂ἔρχεται ὁ χριστός⸃;
42 nonne Scriptura dicit : Quia ex semine David, et de Bethlehem castello, ubi erat David, venit Christus?
43 σχίσμα οὖν ⸂ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὄχλῳ⸃ δι’ αὐτόν.
43 Dissensio itaque facta est in turba propter eum.
44 τινὲς δὲ ἤθελον ἐξ αὐτῶν πιάσαι αὐτόν, ἀλλ’ οὐδεὶς ⸀ἐπέβαλεν ἐπ’ αὐτὸν τὰς χεῖρας.
44 Quidam autem ex ipsis volebant apprehendere eum : sed nemo misit super eum manus.
45 Ἦλθον οὖν οἱ ὑπηρέται πρὸς τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ Φαρισαίους, καὶ εἶπον αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνοι· Διὰ τί οὐκ ἠγάγετε αὐτόν;
45 Venerunt ergo ministri ad pontifices et pharisaeos. Et dixerunt eis illi : Quare non adduxistis illum?
46 ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ ὑπηρέται· Οὐδέποτε ⸂ἐλάλησεν οὕτως⸃ ⸀ἄνθρωπος.
46 Responderunt ministri : Numquam sic locutus est homo, sicut hic homo.
47 ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν αὐτοῖς οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· Μὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς πεπλάνησθε;
47 Responderunt ergo eis pharisaei : Numquid et vos seducti estis?
48 μή τις ἐκ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἐπίστευσεν εἰς αὐτὸν ἢ ἐκ τῶν Φαρισαίων;
48 numquid ex principibus aliquis credidit in eum, aut ex pharisaeis?
49 ἀλλὰ ὁ ὄχλος οὗτος ὁ μὴ γινώσκων τὸν νόμον ⸀ἐπάρατοί εἰσιν.
49 sed turba haec, quae non novit legem, maledicti sunt.
50 λέγει Νικόδημος πρὸς αὐτούς, ὁ ⸀ἐλθὼν πρὸς αὐτὸν ⸀πρότερον, εἷς ὢν ἐξ αὐτῶν·
50 Dixit Nicodemus ad eos, ille qui venit ad eum nocte, qui unus erat ex ipsis :
51 Μὴ ὁ νόμος ἡμῶν κρίνει τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐὰν μὴ ἀκούσῃ ⸂πρῶτον παρ’ αὐτοῦ⸃ καὶ γνῷ τί ποιεῖ;
51 Numquid lex nostra judicat hominem, nisi prius audierit ab ipso, et cognoverit quid faciat?
52 ἀπεκρίθησαν καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· Μὴ καὶ σὺ ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας εἶ; ἐραύνησον καὶ ἴδε ὅτι ⸂ἐκ τῆς Γαλιλαίας προφήτης⸃ οὐκ ⸀ἐγείρεται.
52 Responderunt, et dixerunt ei : Numquid et tu Galilaeus es? scrutare Scripturas, et vide quia a Galilaea propheta non surgit.
53 καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἕκαστος εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ
53 Et reversi sunt unusquisque in domum suam.
Annotations
42. Doth not the scripture say: That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem the town where David was? As Micah foretold. But Jesus is not the Christ as having been conceived and brought up at Nazareth. But He was born at Bethlehem, and since they had seen so many evident signs of His Messiahship, they were bound to inquire more carefully into this point which seemed to be wanting. And had they done so, they would have understood the truth, and would have known that His being a Galilean was no objection to His being the Christ; but the people from indolence, and the Scribes from envy of Him, would not investigate the matter, and were both accordingly inexcusable.
43. So there arose a dissension &c. So there was a division among the people because of Him. Some accusing Him of being an innovator, others excusing Him, and lauding Him as a Prophet.
44. And some of them would have apprehended him: i.e., some of the multitude, not of the rulers, who were all of one mind not to acknowledge Him. But the officers who were sent for the purpose wished to apprehend Him.
but no man laid hands on him.. For Christ withheld them by His power of spirit, and the majesty of His countenance, much more by His Divine Power. And, moreover, the hour for His suffering had not yet come. So Cyril.
45. The ministers therefore came to the chief priests and the Pharisees, &c. As to the masters who had sent them.
And they said to them: Why have you not brought him? Their coming was a greater thing than to have remained with Christ, for they would thus have been spared annoyance from them, but now they became heralds of Christ, and became more bold in their bearing, says S. Chrysostom.
him, that innovator, deceiver, and false prophet. They deigned not to call Jesus by His own name.
46. The ministers answered: Never did man speak like this man. Because He was God-man, and therefore He teaches not with human but Divine grace, power efficacy and majesty. Notice here the force of Christ’s words, His authority and dignity, which astounded these officers, who, though willing, were not able to take Him, nay were obliged to love, reverence and honour Him; and to profess as much to their masters though most hostile to Christ. “Proving,” says Cyril, “how rash and weak it is to fight against Christ.” “They might certainly have excused themselves (says S. Chrysostom) “by saying we dared not take Him, lest we should rouse to sedition against ourselves the multitude who favoured Him.” For they seemed not so much to admire Him, as to blame those who had sent them to seize Him, whom they ought rather to have listened to. Why sent ye us to seize so great a teacher? We have been captivated by the power of His words, and ye, if ye had heard Him yourselves, would have been captivated also. They spake not to please their masters, but to witness to the truth. Such is the power of truth. It is therefore probable that many of them were afterwards fully converted to Christ at Pentecost. For God seems to have rewarded in this way their sincere and noble testimony to Christ. “They were laudably led astray,” says the Gloss, “in passing over to the faith from the evil of unbelief.” S. Cyril supposes that they suspected Him to be God. “How then could we take Him, who is as far above us as God is above man?”
47. The Pharisees therefore answered them: Are you also seduced? “They were Christ’s implacable enemies,” says Nonnus. “When they ought to have felt compunction, and to change their opinion,” says Chrysostom, “they accuse the officers. But in mild terms, for fear they also should at the last fail them.” But they ought to have asked what there was so wonderful in Jesus’ words. But they took care not to do that, by their blind and obstinate hatred against Him. S. Cyril enforces it thus, “We may pardon the multitude for being deceived, but how could ye, who are our officers, and infected with the same incredulity with ourselves, how could you be so quickly led astray as to believe in Him?”
48. Hath any one of the rulers believed in him, or of the Pharisees? And consequently He is not the Christ. An argument from authority, but yet a fallacy. For these rulers and Pharisees were the sworn enemies of Christ, because He reproved their sins. But yet some of the rulers secretly believed in Him, as Nicodemus. As S. Augustine wisely says, “They who knew not the law, believed on Him who had sent the law, and they who taught the law despised Him who had sent it, that the saying might be fulfilled, ‘I am come that they which see not may see, and that they which see might be made blind.’ ”
49. But this multitude, that knoweth not the law, are accursed. In passing, i.e., from Moses and the law to Jesus and the gospel. By this term the Pharisees endeavour to terrify the officers and others, and to turn them away from the faith and love of Jesus. “They are deserving” (says Theophylact) “of many curses for being unbelieving themselves, and the authors of unbelief in others.” As says S. Cyril, “Wise men by boasting become fools. For while they profess that they know the law, they accuse themselves of unbelief,” and of ignorance also, in not acknowledging Christ, who was promised by the law, and who then stood before them. (See Deut. xviii. 19)
50.- 51. Nicodemus said to them, (he that came to him by night, who was one of them:) Doth our law judge any man, unless it first hear him, and know what he doth? The law of Moses, (Deut. xiv. 14) and the law of nature,—Nicodemus accuses his colleagues of being the violators of both laws. But he does so in a quiet way, for fear of their anger. For, as S. Augustine saith, “For he hoped if they would only hear Him patiently, they would become like those officers who were sent to take Christ, but preferred to believe on Him.” And further Cyril asserts that Nicodemus said this as pricked by his conscience. Still labouring under a fatal bashfulness, and not combining boldness of speech with his zeal, he exposes not to view the faith which was inherent in him. But vesting himself in a cloke of simulation, he was a kind of secret defender of Christ. Though it is the duty of believers without fear or shame to profess the true faith, as S. Paul said, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ,” &c. (Rom. i. 16).
52. They answered, and said to him: Art thou also a Galilean? And thou, as being of the same country, dost thou favour and defend Him?
Search the scriptures, and see, that out of Galilee a prophet riseth not.. They reply insolently, as though he knew not the Scriptures. Attend to us and learn. “They insult him,” says Theophylact; “go and learn, for up to this time thou hast not learned that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.” This was not true. For Deborah was of Galilee (Judges iv. 4–6), and Anna of the tribe of Aser (Luke iv. 36), and Nahum the Elkoshite from Elkosh, a city in Galilee. And in Samaria which adjoined Galilee there were many Prophets, as Elijah, Elisha, and the hundred which Obadiah hid in a cave.
2. It is rash to assert that because, up to that time, no Prophet had arisen from Galilee, none would afterwards arise.
3. It was foolish, because Nicodemus had never said that Jesus was a Prophet, but merely that He should not be condemned without being heard: but they were so blinded by hatred, as to do many rash and foolish things contrary to reasonable judgment.
53. And every one went to his own house. “Fearing lest any one else should support Nicodemus,” says Euthymius. They therefore deferred their intention of killing Jesus, but did not revoke it. God brought about this delay, by means of Nicodemus, because the ordained hour had not come.
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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