John 21:25

ἄ (אBC1X) for ὄσα (Acts 2D). At the end omit Ἀμήν, with אABD against E. See Hermathena No. 19, 1893.

THE EPILOGUE OR APPENDIX

This Epilogue to a certain extent balances the Prologue, the main body of the Gospel in two great divisions lying in between them; but with this difference, that the Prologue is part of the original plan of the Gospel, whereas the Epilogue is not. It is evident that when the Evangelist wrote John 20:30, he had no intention of narrating any more ‘signs.’ The reason for adding this appendix can be conjectured with something like certainty: the Evangelist wished to give a full and exact account of Christ’s words respecting himself, about which there had been serious misunderstanding. In order to make the meaning of Christ’s saying as clear as possible, S. John narrates in detail the circumstances which led to its being spoken.

Twenty-five distinct marks tending to shew that chap. 21 is by S. John are pointed out in the notes and counted up by figures in square brackets, thus [1]. Besides these points it should be noticed that S. John’s characteristic οὖν occurs seven times (John 21:5-7; John 21:9; John 21:15; John 21:21; John 21:23) in 23 verses.

The whole of the chapter is peculiar to S. John’s Gospel. It falls into four parts. 1. The Manifestation to the Seven and the Miraculous Draught of Fishes (1–14). 2. The Commission to S. Peter and the Prediction as to his Death (15–19). 3. The Misunderstood Saying respecting the Evangelist (20–23). 4. Concluding Notes (24, 25).

25. If this verse is an addition by an unknown hand it appears to be almost contemporary. The wording seems to imply that it would still be possible to write a great deal: additional materials still abound. Ἐάν with the subjunctive states an objective possibility with the prospect of a decision: Winer, p. 366. Late in the second century this possibility had ceased.

οἶμαι. The word occurs in N.T. Philippians 1:17; James 1:7 only. We should expect μηδέ after it: and Origen (Philoc. xv.) has ὡς ἄρα μηδὲ κόσμον οἶμαι χωρεῖν. The first person singular is very unlike S. John. The bold hyperbole which follows, and which may be a saying of S. John’s added by one who heard it, expresses the yearnings of Christendom throughout all ages. The attempts which century after century continue to be made to write the ‘Life of Christ’ seem to prove that even the fragments that have come down to us of that ‘Life’ have been found in their many-sidedness and profundity to be practically inexhaustible. After all that the piety and learning of eighteen hundred years have accomplished, Christians remain still unsatisfied, still unconvinced that the most has been made of the very fragmentary account of about a tenth portion of the Lord’s life on earth. What would be needed to make even this tenth complete? What, therefore, to complete the whole?