Mark 5:13

13. [944][945][946][947][948] omit εὐθέως ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Cf. Mark 6:34; Mark 8:1; Mark 10:52; Mark 12:41. The insertion of names for the sake of clearness is freq., esp. at the beginning of lections. See also in the Gospels in our Prayer Book. On St John’s Day both “Jesus” and “Peter” are inserted in John 21:19. [949][950][951][952][953][954][955] omit ἦσαν δέ. Syr-Sin. omits κατὰ τοῦ κρημνοῦ.

[944] 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.

[945] 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.

[946] 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.

[947] 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.

[948] 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.

[949] 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.

[950] 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.

[951] 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.

[952] An asterisk denotes that the word is not found elsewhere in N.T., and such words are included in the index, even if there is no note on them in the commentary.

[953] 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.

[954] 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.

[955] 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.

13. ἐπέτρεψεν αὐτοῖς. See crit. note. He gave them leave. The distinction between permitting and commanding is not of much value for the purpose of freeing our Lord from responsibility for the entrance of the demons into the swine. The suggestion that He who was capable of surprise (Mark 4:13; Mark 4:40; Mark 6:6; Matthew 8:10; Matthew 15:28; Matthew 16:8), and of ignorance (Mark 13:32; Matthew 24:36) did not foresee the consequences of giving permission, does free Him from responsibility for the destruction of the swine. But some striking proof that the unclean spirits had left the man may have been necessary in order to assure him and the inhabitants that he had been, not merely quieted, but permanently cured. On the enormous superiority of man to brutes, Bede remarks, ob unius hominis salutem duo millia porcorum suffocantur. On the fate of the demons, Euthymius says, μελετήσαντες βλάψαι, πλεῖον ἐβλάβησαν. See Salmon, Human Element, pp. 277f.; Plummer, S. Matthew, pp. 132 f., S. Luke, pp. 228 f.

εἰσῆλθον εἰς τοὺς χοίρους. Science raises no difficulty here. Of the marvellous power of mind over matter our knowledge is increasing rapidly, and it would be rash to deny that brutes can be influenced by spirits. The plur. verb keeps the plurality of the spirits in sight.

τοῦ κρημνοῦ. “The well-known steep.” Travellers think that it can be identified. Cf. 2 Chronicles 25:12.

ὡς δισχίλιοι. Mk alone gives this estimate. Mt. omits it, as also the “200 pennyworth” (Mark 6:37) and the “300 pence” (Mark 14:5). This estimate may have come from the owners, who might exaggerate their loss. An inventor would have said 4000 or 5000, to correspond with the legion. It is not very probable that the owners were Jews, who had no right to keep these unclean animals; and the plea that they were justly punished for their disobedience cannot be pressed. The population on the [1077] side of the Lake was largely heathen.

[1077] Codex Basiliensis. 8th cent. At Basle.