Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary
Mark 1:10
εὐθύς ([71][72][73][74] 33), not εὐθέως ([75][76][77][78]), is the form used in Mk. So in Mark 1:18; Mark 1:21; Mark 1:29, etc. Elsewhere in N.T. εὐθέως is more freq. ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος ([79][80][81][82] 33) rather than ἀπὸ τ. ὕδ. ([83][84][85][86][87]). εἰς αὐτόν ([88][89] rather than ἐπʼ αὐτόν ([90][91][92][93] etc.). [94][95] insert καὶ μένον after καταβαῖνον (from John 1:33).
[71] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.
[72] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.
[73] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.
[74] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.
[75] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.
[76] Codex Guelpherbytanus. 6th cent. Contains Mark 1:2-11; Mark 3:5-17; Mark 14:13-24; Mark 14:48-61; Mark 15:12-37.
[77] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.
[78] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mark 16:18-20 is in a later hand.
[79] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.
[80] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.
[81] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mark 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.
[82] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.
[83] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.
[84] Codex Guelpherbytanus. 6th cent. Contains Mark 1:2-11; Mark 3:5-17; Mark 14:13-24; Mark 14:48-61; Mark 15:12-37.
[85] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mark 3:35 to Mark 6:20.
[86] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.
[87] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mark 16:18-20 is in a later hand.
[88] Codex Vaticanus. 4th cent., but perhaps a little later than א. In the Vatican Library almost since its foundation by Pope Nicolas V., and one of its greatest treasures. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1889.
[89] Codex Bezae. 6th cent. Has a Latin translation (d) side by side with the Greek text, and the two do not quite always agree. Presented by Beza to the University Library of Cambridge in 1581. Remarkable for its frequent divergences from other texts. Contains Mark, except Mark 16:15-20, which has been added by a later hand. Photographic facsimile, 1899.
[90] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.
[91] Codex Alexandrinus. 5th cent. Brought by Cyril Lucar, Patriarch of Constantinople, from Alexandria, and afterwards presented by him to King Charles I. in 1628. In the British Museum. The whole Gospel. Photographic facsimile, 1879.
[92] Codex Regius. 8th cent. An important witness. At Paris. Contains Mark 1:1 to Mark 10:15; Mark 10:30 to Mark 15:1; Mark 15:20 to Mark 16:20, but the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9, showing that the scribe preferred it to the longer one.
[93] Codex Guelpherbytanus. 6th cent. Contains Mark 1:2-11; Mark 3:5-17; Mark 14:13-24; Mark 14:48-61; Mark 15:12-37.
[94] Codex Sinaiticus. 4th cent. Discovered by Tischendorf in 1859 at the Monastery of St Katharine on Mount Sinai. Now at St Petersburg. The whole Gospel, ending at Mark 16:8. Photographic facsimile, 1911.
[95] Codex Sangallensis. 9th or 10th cent. Contains the Gospels nearly complete, with an interlinear Latin translation. The text of Mark is specially good, agreeing often with CL. At St Gall.
10. εὐθὺς … εἶδεν. As usual, εὐθύς belongs to the finite verb rather than to the participle. This is the first occurrence of Mk’s favourite adv., which he uses 41 times (Matthew 18 times, Luke 7; John 6; Acts 10); cf. Job 5:3. Mt.’s favourite adv. is τότε, which is rare in Mk, while Lk.’s is παραχρῆμα, which Mk does not use at all.
εἶδεν σχιζομένους τοὺς οὐρανούς. Jesus saw the heavens being rent asunder. We must mark the pres. part. and also the difference between Mk’s bold expression and ἀνοίγω, which is the verb almost invariably used of the heavens being opened. So elsewhere in N.T., as in LXX. (Isaiah 64:1; Ezekiel 1:1) and Testaments of the XII. Patriarchs (Levi xviii. 6; Judah xxiv. 2, which are Messianic parallels to the Gospel narrative). In the Apocalypse of Baruch (xxi. 1) we have the heavens opened and a voice coming from on high. Mk may be thinking of Isaiah 64:1, Utinam dirumperes coelos et descenderes; but there we have ἀνοίξῃς in LXX.
The nom. to εἶδεν is certainly Ἰησοῦς (Mark 1:9). We know from John 1:32 that the Baptist saw also, but the grammatical construction and ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα show that the vision, like the voice, was sent to the Christ. It is unnecessary to ask whether, if others were there, which is doubtful (Luke 3:21), they also saw and heard, or whether Jesus and John saw and heard with eye and ear. Aperiuntur coeli, non reseratione elementorum, sed spiritualibus oculorum (Bede). What is clear is that there was no hallucination, but a real reception of the Spirit of God and of the word of God. Euthymius says that these signs were given ἵνα μάθωμεν ὅτι ἐπὶ παντὸς�, καλοῦντες αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ἄνω κατοικίαν. Theophylact adds that the Spirit descended, not because the Christ was in need of it, “but that thou mayest know that, when thou art baptized, the Spirit will come to thee.” In Hebrew poetry and in Philo the Dove is a symbol of heavenly attributes; ἐκ φύσεως μιμήματα ἔχει τ. ἁγ. πνεύματος (Euthym.). See Lagrange, S. Marc, p. 12.
εἰς αὐτόν. See crit. note. The prep. indicates that ὡς περιστεράν is not to be taken literally; non veritas sed similitudo monstratur (Jerome). Mt. and Lk. have ἐπʼ αὐτόν, possibly because εἰς αὐτόν might suggest that until then Jesus had been devoid of the Spirit.