Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 1:22

ἐξεπλήσσοντο. They began to be amazed, or they continued to be amazed. Amazement was a common result of Christ’s teaching and acts (Mark 5:20; Mark 6:2; Mark 6:6; Mark 7:37; Mark 10:26; Mark 11:18). What amazed people in His teaching was its authoritative tone. Jewish teachers quoted Scripture, or tradition, or the sayings of some famous Rabbi, as the authority for what they taught; “It is written,” or “It has been said.” Jesus taught as One who needed no such justification, and He sometimes corrected, not only traditions, but even the accepted expositions of the Law; But I say unto you (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 5:28; Matthew 5:32; Matthew 5:34; Matthew 5:39; Matthew 5:44). Hort, Judaistic Christianity, p. 33.

ἦν γὰρ διδάσκων. See on Mark 1:6. The periphrastic tense covers more than the previous imperf.; ἐδίδασκεν refers to His teaching on this occasion, ἦν διδ. to the general tone of His teaching; His way was to teach. Cf. Mark 2:6; Mark 2:18.

ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων. Adverbial, stating the manner of the action, viz. “authoritatively.” We may treat the participle as used substantively and expand, “He taught as one who has authority teaches”; but the words are intelligible without such expansion, as in ὡς οὐκ� (1 Corinthians 9:26; cf. 1 Corinthians 7:25; 1 Peter 2:16). Burton, § 446. Ἐξουσία is legitimate power derived from a source which is competent to confer it. The source of Christ’s ἐξουσία was His Father (Matthew 28:18; Luke 22:29; John 3:35; John 13:3; John 17:2), and from the outset stress is laid on it.

οἱ γραμματεῖς. Those who were learned in τὰ γράμματα, the professional exponents of Scripture. For the history of the term see Deissmann, Bible Studies, p. 110; cf. 1Es 8:3; 2Ma 6:18. The scribes in 1Ma 5:42, and perhaps in Mark 7:12, are a different class of officials. In N.T., “the Scribes,” Sopherim, are the professors of exegesis, and most of them were Pharisees or held similar views. They are the Clerical party.

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Cambridge Greek Testament Commentary

Mark 1:22

Old Testament

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