Mark 2:15

γίνεται ([290][291][292] 33) rather than ἐγένετο ([293][294][295][296][297][298]).

[290] 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.

[291] 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.

[292] 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.

[293] 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.
[294] Codex Ephraemi. 5th cent. A palimpsest: the original writing has been partially rubbed out, and the works of Ephraem the Syrian have been written over it; but a great deal of the original writing has been recovered; of Mark we have Mark 1:17 to Mark 6:31; Mark 8:5 to Mark 12:29; Mark 13:19 to Mark 16:20. In the National Library at Paris.

[295] 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.

[296] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mark 3:35 to Mark 6:20.

[297] 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.
[298] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mark 16:18-20 is in a later hand.

15. γίνεται κατακεῖσθαι. See crit. note. Reclining at meals was usual. Of the six words used in the Gospels to denote this posture (ἀνακεῖσθαι, ἀνακλίνειν, ἀναπίπτειν, κατακεῖσθαι, κατακλίνειν, συνανακεῖσθαι), Mk uses all but κατακλίνειν, Mt. all but κατακεῖσθαι and κατακλίνειν, Lk. all six, while Jn uses only ἀνακεῖσθαι and ἀναπίπτειν. This is in accordance with the fulness of Lk.’s vocabulary and the sparseness of John’s. For these six words, Vulg. has only three, accumbere, discumbere, and recumbere, and it uses them almost promiscuously. All three are employed to translate both ἀνακεῖσθαι and ἀνακλίνειν.

ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ αὐτοῦ. In Levi’s house, as Lk. expressly states; Peter’s house would not hold a large reception. In Mt., αὐτοῦ is omitted. If Levi = Matthew, and Matthew is the authority for this part of the First Gospel, αὐτοῦ would be unnecessary.

πολλοὶ τελῶναι καὶ ἁμαρτωλοί. The combination is here in all three; cf. Matthew 11:19; Matthew 21:31; Luke 7:34; Luke 15:1; Luke 18:11. It is paralleled in Lucian (Necyom. 11); μοιχοὶ καὶ πορνοβόσκοι καὶ τελῶναι καὶ κόλακες καὶ συκοφάνται, καὶ τοιοῦτος ὅμιλος τῶν πάντα κυκώντων ἐν τῷ βίῳ. Cf. Aristoph. Equit. 248; Theoph. Charac. 6. Theocritus in answer to the question, which are the worst of wild beasts, says, “On the mountains bears and lions, in cities publicans and pettifoggers.” The word is derived from τέλη (Matthew 17:25; Romans 13:7) and ὠνέομαι, and therefore in etymology τελῶναι = publicani, the wealthy persons, commonly equites, who bought or farmed the taxes or Government revenues. But in usage τελῶναι = portitores, who collected the taxes. This usage is invariable in N.T. and freq. elsewhere. Taxes were usually collected for the Emperor, and for a Jew to undertake such work for a heathen conqueror was the deepest disgrace; all such were excommunicated. But this was not Levi’s case; he would be disliked for being a tax-collector, but at Capernaum tolls were collected, not for Rome, but for the tetrarch. Rome allowed the Herods some powers of taxation.

τῷ Ἰησοῦ. So always in N.T. In LXX., Ἰησοῖ is sometimes found. Levi had invited his colleagues and acquaintances to meet the Master; it was his first missionary act. After the call of Simon and Andrew Christ is entertained at their humble house (Mark 1:29-31); and after the call of the well-to-do toll-collector He is entertained at his spacious house.

ἦσαν γὰρ πολλοί. Sc. οἱ μαθηταί. Like other teachers of repute, Jesus had hearers who followed Him in His movements. His “mighty works” attracted numbers, many of whom were retained by the “authority” of His teaching. It was the number of His adherents that roused the jealousy of the hierarchy, and the character of His teaching made them bitterly hostile. It is making the πολλοί tautological to refer it to τελῶναι κ. ἁμαρτωλοί.

καὶ ἠκολούθουν αὐτῷ. If the καί before ἰδόντες is genuine (see crit. note) these words are best taken with what follows. W.H., A.V., R.V. omit καί and connect κ. ἠκολ. αὐτῷ with ἦσαν γὰρ πολλοί. There is, however, more point in saying that Christ had hostile followers as well as friendly ones, than in saying that friendly people followed Him.