Mark 12:36

36. [2816][2817][2818][2819][2820] omit γάρ. See on Mark 12:6. ὑποκάτω ([2821][2822][2823]) rather than ὑποπόδιον (from LXX. of Psalms 110:1).

[2816] 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.

[2817] 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.

[2818] 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.

[2819] 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.
[2820] Codex Athous Laurae. 8th cent. Like N and Σ, it is written in silver letters on purple vellum. Contains Mark 9:5 to Mark 16:20, and, as in L, the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9. As in Δ, the text of Mark is specially good.

[2821] 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.

[2822] 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.

[2823] Codex Athous Laurae. 8th cent. Like N and Σ, it is written in silver letters on purple vellum. Contains Mark 9:5 to Mark 16:20, and, as in L, the shorter ending is inserted between Mark 16:8 and Mark 16:9. As in Δ, the text of Mark is specially good.

36. ἐν τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ. In the power of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit. See on Mark 1:23. The fact that the Psalmist was inspired is stated with solemn fulness; and for that fact we may claim the authority of Christ. Among all the sons of men, if there be one who could give an authoritative decision as to whether a writer was inspired or not, He is that one, προφήτης ὑπάρχων (Acts 2:30). And we may perhaps claim His authority also for the belief that the Psalmist was writing of the Messiah. When we come to the question of the authorship of the Psalm, we are on different ground. We have no right to claim His authority in a matter which is not among things that are spiritually discerned, but is among those which can be decided by study and intelligence. We do not know what Christ believed about the authorship of Psalms 110. If (in the limitation of knowledge to which He submitted in becoming man) He shared the belief of those who sat on Moses’ seat, we may be sure that He had no intention of giving an authoritative decision on a question which had not been raised. “Man, who made Me a judge of such things?” So far as we can see, supernatural knowledge of the authorship of the parts of the O.T. would have hindered rather than helped His work, and it is rash to assume that He possessed it.

But it is not necessary to decide whether our Lord accepted the Davidic authorship of Psalms 110. His argument is founded on David being the speaker, and this argument “is justified if the author of the Psalm lets David appear as the spokesman” (Briggs, Psalms, II. p. 376). See Kirkpatrick on Psalms 110 in this series; Perowne, Psalms, p. 302; Sanday, Bampton Lectures, p. 419; Gore, Bamp. Lectt. p. 196; Dalman, Words, p. 285; Meyer or Weiss or Plummer on Matthew 22:43.

κάθου. This form occurs in the five quotations of this Psalm in N.T. and is freq. in LXX. See Thackeray, Gr. of the O.T. in Greek, p. 258; also Mayor on James 2:3, and cf. κάθῃ in Acts 23:3.

ὑποκάτω. So also in Mt., but Lk. agrees with LXX. and Heb. in having ὑποπόδιον. The change to ὑποκάτω avoids the tautology of ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν. See crit. note.