15 19 John bare witness of him and cried, saying, "This is he of whom I said*, He who cometh after met, is before me, for he is my principal.'"‡ And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem, to ask him, "Who 20 art thou?" and he confessed, and denied not, but con21 fessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Art thou Elijah?" and he saith, "I am not." "Art thou the§ prophet?" and he answered, The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by it, was nothing made. In it was life, and the life was the light of men. shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. and without it And the light "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness to bear witness of the light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light which came into the world, and enlighteneth every man. "It (divine Wisdom) was in the world, and the world was made by it, and the world knew it not. It came to its own land, and its own people received it not. But as many as received it, to them it gave power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on its name. Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. "And Wisdom became man and dwelt among us, and we beheld its glory, the glory as of the well-beloved of the Father, full of grace and truth. "John bare witness of him, saying, This is he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for he was greater than me (I)." This sense of the passage is approved by Dr. Lardner, Dr. Priestley, Mr. Wakefield, and others. It is supposed to be countenanced by Solomon's description, Prov. viii. by the custom of the Chaldee paraphrasts in using the word of God for God himself. See Isa. xlv. 12; xlviii. 13; Gen. i. 27; iii. 8. Lindsey's Seq. p. 380; and by the use of the word Ayos by Philo and other philosophers in or near the apostolic age, to personify the wisdom and the power of God. Λόγος εσιν είκων Θε8, δὲ ὁ συμπας ὁ κόσμος εδημιεργείτο, Phil. Jud. p. 823. ed. Lut. See Wakefield's notes on John i. and his Enquiry into Early Opinions, p. 102, &c. *This is he of whom I said.] "This was he of whom I spake," N." He who cometh after me in point of time, goeth before me, taketh precedency of me as the more honourable," Newcome. "For he is my principal. The great object of my ministry, to prepare whose way I have been sent forth,” Cappe, ibid. p, 13, The word ≈ęwros is used in the sense of a chief or principal. Mark vi. 21; Luke xix. 47; 1 Tim. i. 15, 16. Compare Matt. iii. 11; Mark i. 8; Luke iii, 16. "He that cometh after me is mightier than I." The common version of this clause, which Abp. Newcome adopts, is, "for he was before me," that is, as usually interpreted, he existed before me. N. m. goeth, N. t. The connection requires that the fifteenth verse should be placed between the eighteenth and nineteenth. See Bowyer's Conjectures, and Wakefield in loc, § a prophet? N. 22 "No." Then they said unto him, "Who art thou? that we may give an answer to those who sent us. Wha 23 sayest thou of thyself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying in the desert, Make straight the way of the 24 Lord' as said the prophet Isaiah." 25 had been sent were of the Pharisees. him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" 26 John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water: 29 Now those who Then they asked but there standeth one amidst you, whom ye know not; 27 even he who cometh after me*; the latchet of whose san28 dal I am not worthy to unloose." These things passed in Bethany + beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John beholdeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, See, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the 30 sin of the world. This is he of whom I said, 'After me cometh a man, who is before me; for he is my princi31 pal§.' And I knew him not: but I therefore came bap 66 tizing with water, that he might be made manifest to 32 Israel." John also bare witness, saying, "I saw the spi rit coming down from heaven as a dove; and it abode 33 upon him. And I knew him not then: but he who sent me to baptize with water had said unto me, 'Upon whom thou shalt see the spirit coming down and abiding, this is 34 he who baptizeth with the holy spirit.' And I saw, and bare witness that this is the Son of God." 35 On the next day, John was again standing, and two 36 of his disciples: and he looked on Jesus who was walk37 ing, and saith, "Behold the Lamb of God." And the 38 two disciples heard him speak, and followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?" And they said unto him, "Rabbi, (which signifieth, being interpreted, Teach 66 He it is who coming after me is preferred before me, R. T. N. m. goeth, N. t. § "he was before me," N. See v. 15 39 er *) where dwellest thou?" He saith unto them, "Come and see." They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: (now it was about the tenth 40 hour.) One of the two that heard John speak, and fol41 lowed Jesus, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother. He meeteth with his own brother Simon first of any, and saith to him, "We have found the Messiah:" (which 42 is, being interpreted, the Christt.) And Andrew brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looked on him, and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonah: thou shalt be called Cephas" (which being interpreted, is, a rock.) 43 The day following, Jesus purposed to go into Galilee; and meeteth with Philip, and saith unto him, 44" Follow me." Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city 45 of Andrew and Peter. Philip meeteth with Nathanael, and saith unto him, "We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets also, wrote, Jesus of 46 Nazareth, the son of Joseph." Then Nathanael said unto him, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth ?" 47 Philip saith unto him, Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, "Behold an 48 Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me ?" Jesus answered and said unto him, "Before Philip called thee, when 49 thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee." Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbit, thou art the Son 50 of God; thou art the king of Israel." Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree,' believest thou? thou shalt see 51 greater things than these." Then Jesus saith unto him, Verily verily I say unto you, [Hereafter] ye shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of man." CH. II. AND the third day there was a marriage-feast in Cana * Master, N. † Or, the anointed. Master, or, My master, N. 2 of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And Jesus and his disciples also were invited to the marriage3 feast. And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus 4 saith unto him, "They have no wine." Jesus saith unto her, "Woman, what have I to do with thee* ? mine 5 hour is not yet come." His mother saith to his servants, 6 "Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it." Now six wa ter-pots of stone were placed there, according to the manner of cleansing among the Jews, containing two or 7 three baths+ apiece. Jesus saith unto them, "Fill the water-pots with water." And they filled them to the 8 brim. Then he saith unto them, "Draw out now, and bear to the governor of the feast." And they bare it. 9 And when the governor of the feast had tasted the water 66 which was made wine, and knew not whence it was; (but the servants who drew the water knew;) the go10 vernor of the feast calleth the bridegroom, and saith unto him, Every man at first setteth on good wine; and when men have drunk largely, then that which is worse: 11 but thou hast kept the good wine until now." This beginning of miracles Jesus made in Cana of Galilee, and manifested his glory: and his disciples believed in him. 12 13 After this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they remained there not many days. Now the passover of the Jews was near; and Jesus 14 went up to Jerusalem; and found in the temple those who sold cattle, and sheep, and doves, and the money15 changers sitting: and, when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the cattle; and poured out the money of the *Or, what hast thou to do with me? The LXX use the word in the original for the bath, which contained about seven gallons; and for the seah, which contained one third of the bath. 2 Chron. iv. 5; 1 Kings xviii. 32. The Syrian metretes, according to bishop Cumberland, contained seven pints and one eighth. N. 16 exchangers, and overturned their tables; and said to those who sold doves, "Take these things hence; make not 17 my Father's house an house of merchandise."" And his disciples remembered that it was written, "A zeal for thine house consumeth me." 18 "What sign Then the Jews spake and said unto him, showest thou unto us, since thou doest these things?" 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, "Destroy this tem20 ple, and in three days I will raise it up." Then the Jews said, "Forty and six years hath this temple been in building; and wilt thou raise it up in three days?" 21 But he spake concerning the temple of his body. When 22 therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this [unto them]: and they believed the scripture, and the words which Jesus had spoken. 23 Now, when he was in Jerusalem at the feast of the passover, many believed on his name, when they beheld 24 the miracles which he did. But Jesus did not trust him25 self to them, because he knew all of them: and because he needed not that any should testify of man: for he himself knew what was in man. CH. III. Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Ni2 codemus, a ruler of the Jews: this man came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, "Rabbi*, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles which thou doest, unless God be with 3 him." Jesus answered and said unto him, “Verily ve rily I say unto thee, Unless a man be born again, he can. 4 not see the kingdom of God." Nicodemus saith unto him, "How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be 5 born?" Jesus answered, "Verily verily I say unto thee, Unless a man be born of water, and of the spirit, he can * Master, or, My master, N. |