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35-39: And when the day was now far spent, His disciples came to Him and said, “This is an isolated place 1 and it is already very late.
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PARALLELS IN OTHER GOSPELS: Matthew 14:15-18; Luke 9:12-14; John 6:5-9.
DEFINITIONS
The hour is very late: The time is the normal time for the evening meal and fits in with the temporal sequence of v. 47 (evening) and v. 48 (the fourth watch of the night, i.e. between 3 and 6 o’clock in the morning).
Send them away (Greek: apolyson, “You send away!”): The stark use of the imperative here gives a peremptory character to the disciples in contrast with Jesus’ compassion for the multitude.
You give them something to eat: The use of the emphatic hymeis (literally “you yourselves”) by Jesus stresses that the disciples should be active in feeding the people in contrast to their own desire simply to send the multitude away for food. Mark again draws a subtle contrast between the compassionate Jesus and the insensitive disciples.
Denarii: An ancient Roman coin made of silver. It was originally equal to 10 asses (singular as, a bronze or copper Roman coin), hence its name, although its value and silver content decreased through the Roman Empire’s existence. The denarius was struck from approximately 211 B.C. to 270 A.D.
http://www.abu.nb.ca/Courses/NTIntro/LifeJ/Images/denarius3.jpg
A denarius with the portrait of Tiberius Caesar (42 BC-37 AD, reign: 14-37 AD) on the obverse with the maxim “TI[BERIVS] CAESAR DIVI AVG[VSTI] F[ILIVS] AVGVSTVS” (Caesar Augustus Tiberius, son of the Divine Augustus), with Livia, mother of Tiberius and wife of Augustus as Pax, with the inscription ‘[VS]’ on the reverse.
At that time, the ordinary minimum daily wage of a day-laborer and the common soldier was one denarius (as per the custom of giving a silver coin as daily wage). The figure of two hundred denarii (two-thirds of a year’s wages!) stresses the size of the crowd and the seeming impossibility to provide food for them.
Under the Augustan currency values (in use from 27 B.C. to 301 A.D.), the denarius’ value was equivalent to two quinarii, four sestertii, eight dupondii, sixteen asses, and sixty-four quadrantes.
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DEFINITIONS, continued
Loaves: In the Middle East bread is considered the staple, with other articles of food being merely accessory; accordingly, “bread” in ancient idiom stands for food in general.
Bread in ancient times was usually made of wheat; however barley, which was commonly used as animal fodder, is also made into bread by extremely poor people or the average peasantry in times of famine or drought due to its cheapness (and its lower quality and taste), as it only cost half as much as wheat in antiquity. In fact, John 6:9 identifies the five loaves as being made of barley.
The grains were thoroughly sifted and cleaned at first, then reducing it to “meal” or “flour” by rubbing, pounding, or grinding. The flour was then ordinarily mixed simply with water, kneaded in a wooden basin or kneading-trough, with a lump of leavened dough from yesterday’s baking, preserved for the purpose, was broken up and mixed with the day’s “batch,” and the whole was then set aside and left standing until it was thoroughly leavened.
After this, the dough is then baked using either three methods: heated stones, in which stones were laid together and a fire was lighted upon them, with cinders being raked off when the stones were heated well enough, and the cakes laid on the stones and covered with ashes; baking pans, in which the dough was heated over a heated convex iron plate, or griddle in lieu of the heated sand or stones; or ovens, which either took the form of Bowl-ovens (a large clay bowl placed inverted upon small stones and then heated with a type of fuel consisting of dried dung heaped over and around it, with the bread being baked upon the stones and covered by the bowl); jar-ovens (A large earthenware jar that is heated by fuel of grass, stubble, dry twigs or thorns and the like, which are placed within the jar for firing); or pit-ovens (a type of oven formed partly in the ground and partly built up of clay and plastered throughout, narrowing toward the top).
The loaves mentioned here (ordinary, leavened loaves) would have been round and flat, measuring an inch thick and eight inches across (2 1/2 cm x 20 cm), which were usually broken by hand.
Fish: Fish was presumably enormously popular in the coastal regions (such as in the Sea of Galilee/Jordan River area; the story happens somewhere around this region) where it could be consumed fresh – or fresher, at least – were also preserved and packed off for the interior.
Galileans fished only three finned creatures out of the Sea of Galilee on a commercial scale: sardines, musht (aka St. Peter’s fish) and barbels. Preserved (salted) sardines probably constituted the “two fish” mentioned in the Gospels, as sardines were plentiful in the lake, cheap, packed well when preserved, and is the smallest of the three species.
COMMENTARIES
1.) From the Haydock Commentary:
Loaves: In the Middle East bread is considered the staple, with other articles of food being merely accessory; accordingly, “bread” in ancient idiom stands for food in general.
Bread in ancient times was usually made of wheat; however barley, which was commonly used as animal fodder, is also made into bread by extremely poor people or the average peasantry in times of famine or drought due to its cheapness (and its lower quality and taste), as it only cost half as much as wheat in antiquity. In fact, John 6:9 identifies the five loaves as being made of barley.
The grains were thoroughly sifted and cleaned at first, then reducing it to “meal” or “flour” by rubbing, pounding, or grinding. The flour was then ordinarily mixed simply with water, kneaded in a wooden basin or kneading-trough, with a lump of leavened dough from yesterday’s baking, preserved for the purpose, was broken up and mixed with the day’s “batch,” and the whole was then set aside and left standing until it was thoroughly leavened.
After this, the dough is then baked using either three methods: heated stones, in which stones were laid together and a fire was lighted upon them, with cinders being raked off when the stones were heated well enough, and the cakes laid on the stones and covered with ashes; baking pans, in which the dough was heated over a heated convex iron plate, or griddle in lieu of the heated sand or stones; or ovens, which either took the form of Bowl-ovens (a large clay bowl placed inverted upon small stones and then heated with a type of fuel consisting of dried dung heaped over and around it, with the bread being baked upon the stones and covered by the bowl); jar-ovens (A large earthenware jar that is heated by fuel of grass, stubble, dry twigs or thorns and the like, which are placed within the jar for firing); or pit-ovens (a type of oven formed partly in the ground and partly built up of clay and plastered throughout, narrowing toward the top).
The loaves mentioned here (ordinary, leavened loaves) would have been round and flat, measuring an inch thick and eight inches across (2 1/2 cm x 20 cm), which were usually broken by hand.
Fish: Fish was presumably enormously popular in the coastal regions (such as in the Sea of Galilee/Jordan River area; the story happens somewhere around this region) where it could be consumed fresh – or fresher, at least – were also preserved and packed off for the interior.
Galileans fished only three finned creatures out of the Sea of Galilee on a commercial scale: sardines, musht (aka St. Peter’s fish) and barbels. Preserved (salted) sardines probably constituted the “two fish” mentioned in the Gospels, as sardines were plentiful in the lake, cheap, packed well when preserved, and is the smallest of the three species.
COMMENTARIES
1.) From the Haydock Commentary:
2.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
3.) Commentary by Prudentius (A Hymn on the Trinity):
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And they all ate and were satisfied…
DEFINITIONS
As if for a symposium (Greek: symposia symposia): This is commonly translated as ‘sit down (or recline) in groups’ in most English Bibles. The duplication conveys a distributive sense (i.e., all reclining in banquet-style). The usage of ‘symposium’ here would evoke for Mark’s (mostly) Greco-Roman audience the image of a formal dinner party, which was often the setting for significant teaching (Plato’s and Xenophon’s works, both entitled Symposium comes to mind).
Green grass: John (6:4) times this feeding near Passover, which would be in the spring when the grass is green after the winter rain. There is also a possible allusion to Psalm 23 [22]:2 here, where the shepherd (the Lord) makes the psalmist lie down in ‘green pastures’.
’Plot by plot’ (Greek: prasiai prasiai): The word prasiai literally means ‘garden plots’ or ‘garden beds’ (the word itself came from prasia, “a bed of leeks”) where various plants are grown. From where Jesus and the disciples stood, the now-reclining multitude may have looked like little rows of herbs or flowers due to their multicolored clothing and the grassy plain below. There are examples in rabbinic literature where students studying the Torah are arranged like ‘garden-beds’.
There are suggestions that these repetitive words are actually Hebraisms (the phrase also appears in the Septuagint). Alternatively, in context, the account is presented in the language of a storyteller, with strong oral rhythms and plenty of rhyme; thus the repeated noun may have also been used for the sake of rhythm.
Hundreds and fifties: This may echo Exodus 18:25 (cf. Num. 31:14), where Israel is divided in groups of a thousand, five hundred, one hundred, and ten under their respective leaders. These same texts were taken as a model for the eschatological groupings of the Qumranic community, and specifically in 1QSa (The Rule of the Congregation) 1:25-2:22 it is seen as a blueprint for the messianic banquet:
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He looked up to heaven, blessed: We are not told what prayer Jesus said while blessing the loaves, but it may have been similar to the blessings over meals recited in Judaism:
[His] disciples: Most MSS (Ì45 A D W Θ Ë1,13 Ï lat sy) have autou (‘his’) after tois mathētais, (‘the disciples’), but several excellent witnesses (א B L Δ 33 579 892 1241 1424 2427 pc) lack the pronoun. This kind of variant is often a predictable expansion of the text; further, that many important mss lack the pronoun gives support for the shorter reading. For these reasons, the pronoun is considered to be secondary. Nestle-Aland 27 puts autou in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
The loaves (tous artous): Many good MSS (Ì45 א D W Θ Ë1,13 28 565 700 2542 lat sa) lack the phrase. On the other hand, just as weighty MSS (A B L 33 2427 Ï) have the words. Although a decision is not easy, the most satisfactory explanation seems to be that scribes were more prone to delete than to add the words here. They may have been puzzled as to why “the bread” should be mentioned without a corresponding mention of “fish.”
Since neither Matthew 14:21 or Luke 9:17 explicitly mention the bread, a desire for harmonization may have motivated the copyists as well. On the other hand, D and W are prone to longer, explanatory readings. Since they both lack the words here, it is likely that their archetypes also lacked the words. But given Mark’s pleonastic style, the good witnesses with “the bread,” and a reasonable explanation for the omission, “the bread” is most likely part of the original text of Mark.
Taking…looked up…blessed…broke…kept giving: These verbs are the same ones used for the actions of Jesus over the bread during the Last Supper (14:22), which also (either coincidentally or not) happens around the season of Passover.
[His] disciples: Most MSS (Ì45 A D W Θ Ë1,13 Ï lat sy) have autou (‘his’) after tois mathētais, (‘the disciples’), but several excellent witnesses (א B L Δ 33 579 892 1241 1424 2427 pc) lack the pronoun. This kind of variant is often a predictable expansion of the text; further, that many important mss lack the pronoun gives support for the shorter reading. For these reasons, the pronoun is considered to be secondary. Nestle-Aland 27 puts autou in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
The loaves (tous artous): Many good MSS (Ì45 א D W Θ Ë1,13 28 565 700 2542 lat sa) lack the phrase. On the other hand, just as weighty MSS (A B L 33 2427 Ï) have the words. Although a decision is not easy, the most satisfactory explanation seems to be that scribes were more prone to delete than to add the words here. They may have been puzzled as to why “the bread” should be mentioned without a corresponding mention of “fish.”
Since neither Matthew 14:21 or Luke 9:17 explicitly mention the bread, a desire for harmonization may have motivated the copyists as well. On the other hand, D and W are prone to longer, explanatory readings. Since they both lack the words here, it is likely that their archetypes also lacked the words. But given Mark’s pleonastic style, the good witnesses with “the bread,” and a reasonable explanation for the omission, “the bread” is most likely part of the original text of Mark.
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DEFINITIONS, continued
He looked up to heaven, blessed (Greek: Anablepsas eis ton ouranon, eulogēsen): “Looking up to heaven” is a gesture of prayer. While we are not told what prayer Jesus said while blessing the loaves, but it may have been similar to the blessings over meals recited in Judaism (Berachot 6:1):
Broke the loaves: The Jewish head of family would break a loaf, eat a piece, and then pass the bread on to others.
Taking…looked up…blessed…broke…kept giving: These verbs (the so-called ‘Eucharistic verbs’) are the same ones used for the actions of Jesus over the bread during the Last Supper (14:22), which interestingly, also happens around the season of Passover.
[His] disciples: Most MSS (Ì45 A, D, W, Θ, Ë1, 13 Ï Latin [lat] Syriac [sy]) have autou (‘his’) after tois mathētais, (‘the disciples’), but several excellent witnesses (א, **(“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus”), L, Δ, Minuscules 33, 579, 892, 1241, 1424, 2427 pc) lack the pronoun. This kind of variant is often a predictable expansion of the text; further, that many important mss lack the pronoun gives support for the shorter reading. For these reasons, the pronoun is considered to be secondary. Nestle-Aland 27 puts autou in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
Were satisfied (Echortasthēsan): This suggests an extravagance of food that allowed the people to eat as much as they wanted. There could be a subtle allusion here to the manna (Ex. 16:13-21; cf. Deut. 8:10 where being satisfied is an aspect of life in the promised land). Mark now does a contrast between a macabre banquet by Herod Antipas for the select elite with Jesus’ compassionate banquet for the common man, with the two banquet scenes becoming embodiments of the contrast between the followers of Jesus and the powerful ones, a contrast which will conclude the journey to Jerusalem (10:35-45).
Mark does not elaborate more on the hows of the miracle itself; also, in contrast to other less dramatic miracles, there is no reaction of wonder or amazement by the crowd. Perhaps he means us they were unaware of the food’s origin and simply took it for granted. What matters for Mark is rather the disciples’ responses, or rather their failure to respond in the right manner (v. 52; 8:17-21).
http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/deadsea.scrolls.exhibit/full-images/basket.gif
A 1st-century BC-1st century AD palm-leaf basket from Qumran.
Twelve baskets (kophinos, a loanword from Latin cophinus): The satirist Juvenal mocks the kophinos (a large basket used for carrying things), saying that wicker baskets were characteristics of poor Jews in Rome (Satires 3:14; 6:542). The wording might merely indicate the quantity of the leftovers rather than refer to actual receptacles used, but 8:19 suggests that they actually had twelve baskets there; perhaps they were kept in the boat (as containers for the catch?)
The number twelve in the Bible is reminiscent of the twelve sons of Jacob, and by extension the twelves tribes of Israel. The first feeding here symbolizes Jesus’ sharing of bread and sustenance among the Jewish people.
He looked up to heaven, blessed (Greek: Anablepsas eis ton ouranon, eulogēsen): “Looking up to heaven” is a gesture of prayer. While we are not told what prayer Jesus said while blessing the loaves, but it may have been similar to the blessings over meals recited in Judaism (Berachot 6:1):
In biblical thought a blessing does not make an object holy; rather, it is a form of praise for God, which acknowledges the object as already being sanctified by Him and praises God for setting it aside for human use.
Broke the loaves: The Jewish head of family would break a loaf, eat a piece, and then pass the bread on to others.
Taking…looked up…blessed…broke…kept giving: These verbs (the so-called ‘Eucharistic verbs’) are the same ones used for the actions of Jesus over the bread during the Last Supper (14:22), which interestingly, also happens around the season of Passover.
[His] disciples: Most MSS (Ì45 A, D, W, Θ, Ë1, 13 Ï Latin [lat] Syriac [sy]) have autou (‘his’) after tois mathētais, (‘the disciples’), but several excellent witnesses (א, **(“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus”), L, Δ, Minuscules 33, 579, 892, 1241, 1424, 2427 pc) lack the pronoun. This kind of variant is often a predictable expansion of the text; further, that many important mss lack the pronoun gives support for the shorter reading. For these reasons, the pronoun is considered to be secondary. Nestle-Aland 27 puts autou in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
Were satisfied (Echortasthēsan): This suggests an extravagance of food that allowed the people to eat as much as they wanted. There could be a subtle allusion here to the manna (Ex. 16:13-21; cf. Deut. 8:10 where being satisfied is an aspect of life in the promised land). Mark now does a contrast between a macabre banquet by Herod Antipas for the select elite with Jesus’ compassionate banquet for the common man, with the two banquet scenes becoming embodiments of the contrast between the followers of Jesus and the powerful ones, a contrast which will conclude the journey to Jerusalem (10:35-45).
Mark does not elaborate more on the hows of the miracle itself; also, in contrast to other less dramatic miracles, there is no reaction of wonder or amazement by the crowd. Perhaps he means us they were unaware of the food’s origin and simply took it for granted. What matters for Mark is rather the disciples’ responses, or rather their failure to respond in the right manner (v. 52; 8:17-21).
http://www.ibiblio.org/expo/deadsea.scrolls.exhibit/full-images/basket.gif
A 1st-century BC-1st century AD palm-leaf basket from Qumran.
Twelve baskets (kophinos, a loanword from Latin cophinus): The satirist Juvenal mocks the kophinos (a large basket used for carrying things), saying that wicker baskets were characteristics of poor Jews in Rome (Satires 3:14; 6:542). The wording might merely indicate the quantity of the leftovers rather than refer to actual receptacles used, but 8:19 suggests that they actually had twelve baskets there; perhaps they were kept in the boat (as containers for the catch?)
The number twelve in the Bible is reminiscent of the twelve sons of Jacob, and by extension the twelves tribes of Israel. The first feeding here symbolizes Jesus’ sharing of bread and sustenance among the Jewish people.
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patrick457
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DEFINITIONS, continued
[The loaves] (tous artous): Many good MSS (Ì45 א, D, W, Θ, Ë1, 13, 28, 565, 700, 2542, Latin [lat], Sahidic [sa]) lack the phrase. On the other hand, just as weighty MSS (A, **(“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus”), L, 33, 2427 Ï) have the words. Although a decision is not easy, the most satisfactory explanation seems to be that scribes were more prone to delete than to add the words here. They may have been puzzled as to why “the bread” should be mentioned without a corresponding mention of “fish.”
Since neither Matthew 14:21 or Luke 9:17 explicitly mention the bread, a desire for harmonization may have motivated the copyists as well. On the other hand, D and W are prone to longer, explanatory readings. Since they both lack the words here, it is likely that their archetypes also lacked the words. But given Mark’s pleonastic style, the good witnesses with “the bread,” and a reasonable explanation for the omission, “the bread” is most likely part of the original text of Mark.
Adult men (andres): All evangelists agree that the 5000 fed were adult men (andres). Matthew adds the phrase “not counting women and children,” thereby implying that the number of people fed were even greater. However, some have understood Matthew’s phrase to mean “and there were no women and children,” and suggest that the accounts actually present an all-male gathering, with the women and children having been left at home.
[The loaves] (tous artous): Many good MSS (Ì45 א, D, W, Θ, Ë1, 13, 28, 565, 700, 2542, Latin [lat], Sahidic [sa]) lack the phrase. On the other hand, just as weighty MSS (A, **(“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Vaticanus”), L, 33, 2427 Ï) have the words. Although a decision is not easy, the most satisfactory explanation seems to be that scribes were more prone to delete than to add the words here. They may have been puzzled as to why “the bread” should be mentioned without a corresponding mention of “fish.”
Since neither Matthew 14:21 or Luke 9:17 explicitly mention the bread, a desire for harmonization may have motivated the copyists as well. On the other hand, D and W are prone to longer, explanatory readings. Since they both lack the words here, it is likely that their archetypes also lacked the words. But given Mark’s pleonastic style, the good witnesses with “the bread,” and a reasonable explanation for the omission, “the bread” is most likely part of the original text of Mark.
Adult men (andres): All evangelists agree that the 5000 fed were adult men (andres). Matthew adds the phrase “not counting women and children,” thereby implying that the number of people fed were even greater. However, some have understood Matthew’s phrase to mean “and there were no women and children,” and suggest that the accounts actually present an all-male gathering, with the women and children having been left at home.
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COMMENTARIES
1.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
II.3):
1.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
2.) Commentary by Origen (Commentary on Matthew
II.3):
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http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/9826/gnb375gr6.jpg
Around the fourth watch of the night He came to them walking on the sea…
PARALLELS IN OTHER GOSPELS: Matthew 14:22-25; John 6:14-21.
DEFINITIONS
Compelled (anagkazein): The Greek word has the overtone of ‘forced’, ‘drove to’ or ‘urged’. There is no indication from the text of why Jesus sends His disciples packing in a hurry, but see John 6:14-15 for a possible reason.
Bethsaida: The geographical references here are confusing. Throughout this section, Jesus has been on the west side of the lake (6:1, 32), perhaps somewhere in the hill country north of Capharnaum and west of Bethsaida. Bethsaida (Julias) is at the northeast corner of the Sea of Galilee where the Jordan comes into the lake, yet in 6:53 the voyage seems to terminate at Gennesaret, eight miles southwest of Bethsaida Julias and four miles south of Capharnaum.
A solution has been proposed by postulating a second settlement also named Bethsaida on the west side of the Jordan inflow (the ‘two Bethsaidas’ theory), which may better fit the description of the locale in John 1:44; 12:21 and the linking of Bethsaida with Chorazin and Capharnaum in Matthew 11:20-24, whereas the better-known Bethsaida Julias, on the east side, was in Philip’s tetrarchy (and as an essentially pagan city, would have been less likely to have been the hometown of three of Jesus’ disciples). However, this solution is now rejected by some due to what is perceived to be a lack of literary and archeological evidence for it.
Another (and probably a more better) explanation is that Mark images the feeding of the 5000 as happening in a place on the northwestern shore not too far from Capharnaum (such as the traditional site at Tabgha) and on the same side of the Jordan inflow (which would make the pursuit of the crowds in v. 33 easier to imagine), with the disciples going eastward toward Bethsaida Julias, but beaten back by a northeast wind southeast in the direction of Gennesaret, where Jesus and company finally ended.
After bidding them farewell: This is usually assumed to be a restatement of Jesus dismissing the crowd, but the phrase would be something of an anticlimax and the plural ‘them’ (autous) would most naturally refer back to the disciples, who were the object of the preceding sentence. Mark mentions Jesus’ farewell to the disciples so as to prepare for the astonishment of them finding Him nevertheless beside them on the lake sometime later.
Mountain: cf. Mark 1:35-38. In John 6:15 Jesus withdrew to evade any involvement in the false messianic hopes of the multitude.
Evening: The feeding of the multitude began during late afternoon. Since then considerable time have elapsed in the organization of the crowd, the feeding, the clearing up, and the dismissal, so it may actually represent a time well into the night. This is confirmed by the later mention of the time as already being “the fourth watch of the night” (early dawn) and by the fact that a rowing boat is not likely to have taken ten hours or more to cross the northern part of the sea of Galilee, strong winds notwithstanding, if ‘evening’ is interpreted here in the sense of ‘dusk’.
He saw: Since Jesus is apparently still on the mountain or at least on land, the descriptiong of His ‘sight’ may suggest a manifestation of His preternatural power and prepares for the following action. Alternatively, in a less miraculous explanation, the pre-dawn light may have allowed Jesus to see the boat faintly off into the distance.
In the middle of the sea: John (6:19) mentions that they were twenty-five or thirty stadia (about 5 or 6 kilometers or 3 and a half miles; a stadion is equivalent to 177.6 meters or 583 feet) from shore.
Struggling (nixomenous, literally ‘tortured’) at rowing: The disciples’ situation is not presented as one of danger (in contrast with 4:37-38), but rather of inability to make progress, together with the extreme physical effort and discomfort of rowing a heavy boat against a very strong wind while waves beat the boat off.
Wind: Directly around the lake, the climate is semi-tropical with warm, moist air (in contrast to the cool, dry air coming from the surrounding hills). The large difference in height between surrounding land and the sea causes large temperature and pressure changes. This results in strong winds dropping to the sea, funneling through the hills. Since the lake is shallow (just 200 feet at its greatest depth) it could be whipped up by wind more rapidly than deep water, where energy is more readily absorbed.
During 1973–1976, a research was performed around the Sea of Galilee, aimed at examining the wind regime in the area. One of the conclusions were:
Late at night, a wind flow develops from the land towards the lake, which combines with the katabatic winds that blow along the steep slopes surrounding the Kinneret.
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DEFINITIONS, continued
The fourth watch of the night (tetartēn phylakēn tēs nyktos): Mark follows the Greco-Roman custom of dividing the night into four watches (as opposed to the Jewish custom of three watches) in his Gospel. The time is somewhere around 3 to 6 o’clock in the morning.
http://www.egrc.net/images/Israel_Summer_2004/Buth/7-5GalileeSunsetBig.jpg
The Sea of Galilee at sunset.
He wanted to pass by them: This statement is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Septuagint when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them.
COMMENTARIES
1.) From the Haydock Commentary:
The fourth watch of the night (tetartēn phylakēn tēs nyktos): Mark follows the Greco-Roman custom of dividing the night into four watches (as opposed to the Jewish custom of three watches) in his Gospel. The time is somewhere around 3 to 6 o’clock in the morning.
http://www.egrc.net/images/Israel_Summer_2004/Buth/7-5GalileeSunsetBig.jpg
The Sea of Galilee at sunset.
He wanted to pass by them: This statement is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Septuagint when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them.
COMMENTARIES
1.) From the Haydock Commentary:
2.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
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I’d hate to repeat this question, but: Does anyone have any suggestions for this thread? Should I add something more or is this enough as it is? 
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Angelos
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IMPO, your project is excellent this way. I enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work 
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patrick457
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Thank you very much!IMPO, your project is excellent this way. I enjoy reading your posts. Keep up the good work
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patrick457
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http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/500/964458walkingonwateros3.jpg
Take courage! I am; do not fear!
PARALLELS IN OTHER GOSPELS: Matthew 14:26-33; John 6:20-21.
DEFINITIONS
Ghost (Phantasma): Obviously the disciples are not thinking of Jesus’ disembodied spirit, having no reason to suppose Him dead; there is as yet no recognition.
I am (Ego eimi): Effort has been made here to render the original Greek (which is translated as “It is I” in many English Bibles) in a literal manner, which is also used as the Divine revelational formula in the Old Testament (Ex. 3:14; Is. 41:4, 43:10-11). In Mark it will also be used by false claimants to the name of Jesus (13:6) and by Jesus Himself (14:62).
However, one should be cautious not to read a Divine revelational formula in every instance of Ego eimi; for example, a declaration of divinity does not seem to be appropriate at this point in the narrative where Mark’s focus is on the initial failure to recognize Jesus and His consequent self-identification.
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http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/500/964458walkingonwateros3.jpg
Take courage! I am; do not fear!
PARALLELS IN OTHER GOSPELS: Matthew 14:26-33; John 6:20-21.
DEFINITIONS
Ghost (Phantasma): Obviously the disciples are not thinking of Jesus’ disembodied spirit, having no reason to suppose Him dead; there is as yet no recognition.
I am (Ego eimi): Effort has been made here to render the original Greek (which is translated as “It is I” in many English Bibles) in a literal manner, which is also used as the Divine revelational formula in the Old Testament (Ex. 3:14; Is. 41:4, 43:10-11). In Mark it will also be used by false claimants to the name of Jesus (13:6) and by Jesus Himself (14:62). Mark may be thus implying the hidden identity of Jesus as Son of God.
However, one should be cautious not to read a Divine revelational formula in every instance of Ego eimi; for example, it is noted that a declaration of divinity does not seem to be appropriate at this point in the narrative where Mark’s focus is on the initial failure to recognize Jesus and His consequent self-identification.
The wind stopped: This not only serves as the confirmation of the power of Jesus but also evokes the power of God over the forces of destruction and chaos (Ps. 89:10-11) and the rescue of seafarers (Ps. 107:29; Jonah 1:14). In contrast to 4:35-41 Jesus does not give any direct command to the sea; His simple presence in the boat is enough to calm the waves.
They were [utterly] astonished: Amazement, fear or astonishment on the part of the people in general has been a recurrent feature in Mark (1:22, 27; 2:12; 5:15, 20, 42), and one which serves the positive purpose of highlighting the unique authority of Jesus. However, the astonishment of the disciples in this instance is taken by Mark as an indication of their lack of understanding and the “hardening of their hearts.” By this time the disciples should have got beyond the stage of instinctive astonishment to one of understanding of who Jesus is. In particular it seems that it is the loaves who should have caused them to see things in a new light, though it is not immediately clear why among many other remarkable acts of power the feeding miracles should be singled out (though it has been suggested that the two miracles are linked by their relation to the two main miracles of the Exodus, namely the parting of the Red Sea and the provision of manna, in keeping with the Exodus motifs present in these portions of the narrative; having seen Jesus ‘reenact’ the latter, they should not have been surprised at Him emulating the former).
This is the beginning of Mark’s ‘polemic’ against the disciples’ failure to grasp the significance of Jesus’ person and ministry, and to assimilate adequately the new perspectives of the kingdom of God which have been specifically revealed to them (4:11-12). Both the terms used in 6:52 will recur as the theme develops in the rest of the gospel. The charge of failing to ‘understand’ (syniēmi), which in 4:12 was the mark of ‘those outside’ in sharp distinction to the disciples, will be repeated twice against them in 8:17 and 21, and in the former of those verses it will be linked again with the accusation of “hardening their heart” (kardia pepōrōmenē). This phrase had been used previously of the condition of those who opposed Jesus’ ministry and plotted to kill Him (3:5-6); now the disciples are falling into the same condition and prevents them from comprehending Jesus’ self-revelation through signs.
Their heart was hardened: Heart (kardia) is in the singular, suggesting a collective response. Hardness of heart suggests an imperviousness to God’s revelation (cf. Exodus 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 34, 35; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8). In the New Testament under the influence of Isaiah 6:9-10 the motif is often used to describe the rejection of Jesus (John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27; 2 Corinthians 3:14-15; Ephesians 4:18).
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patrick457
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COMMENTARIES
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The Sea of Galilee at sunrise.
1.) From the Haydock Commentary:
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The Sea of Galilee at sunrise.
1.) From the Haydock Commentary:
2.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
3.) A Hymn by Prudentius (Hymn 5):
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juliamajor
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The Sea is representative of primordial Chaos that existed at the beginning of the world.Jesus" walking on the water shows his mastery over nature and chaos- and his Godhood . Just as His Father has put things in order in the beginning of the world, Jesus does then and now if we but look and depend on him and have no doubt.
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patrick457
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Thanks for the insight!The Sea is representative of primordial Chaos that existed at the beginning of the world.Jesus" walking on the water shows his mastery over nature and chaos- and his Godhood . Just as His Father has put things in order in the beginning of the world, Jesus does then and now if we but look and depend on him and have no doubt.
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patrick457
Guest
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/2074/96203414ax9.jpg
PARALLELS IN OTHER GOSPELS: Matthew 14:34-36.
DEFINITIONS
Gennesaret: The name originally referred to a town alloted to the tribe of Naphtali, called “Kinnereth” (Joshua 19:35), sometimes in the plural form “Kinneroth” (Joshua 11:2). This city stood on the northwestern shore of the lake to which it gave its name (i.e. the Sea of Galilee, aka Sea of Gennesaret). In later times the name gradually changed to Genezareth, Genezar and Gennesaret (Luke 5:1).
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The Plain of Gennesaret as it is today.
The Gennesaret mentioned here is more properly the Plain of Gennesaret, crescent-shaped plain on the northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, approximately one mile wide from east to west and about five miles from north to south, fertile and well-watered from the hills that surround its western side. The plain is bordered on the south by the town of Magdala and on the north by the site of the ancient town (of which no trace survives).
The plain was considered very beautiful, with the Rabbis calling it “paradise” and the “Garden of God”, with Josephus describing it as follows (Jewish War 3, 10):
The major trade route connecting Damascus with the port of Acco (Acre) on the Mediterranean Sea also passed through this area. Damascus preferred using the port at Acco because the route connecting them did not pass over the extreme elevation changes as did the route to the Phoenician ports of Tyre and Sidon. This route brought considerable international trade and commercial traffic along the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.
Gennesaret is the same area where other summaries of Jesus’ healing were located (1:32-34; 3:7-12); here, in contrast to Nazareth, Jesus had already some fame as a healer (‘having faith’ in Jesus is the norm here, compared to there), which explains why people recognized Him as soon as He came off the boat. People very were keen to take advantage of His presence; in fact, while Jesus is the focus of attention of the narrative, He is not the subject of the verbs. He does not go out looking for patients; it is the crowds who take the initiative.
The people recognized Him at once: Immediate and widespread recognition is a strong motif in Mark, and here Mark makes a contrast between the nameless people who recognize Jesus “immediately” with the disciples who think of Him first as a ghost. The sequence of Greek participles modifying verbs in the imperfect tense intensifies the action and underscores the enthusiasm of the crowds.
On pallets (krabattos): The same term was used in the story of the paralytic (2:1-12). The intended meaning is a sort of multipurpose mat or cot used by poor people. Krabattos is notably a slang word, in keeping with Mark’s use of street-level Greek with many colloquialisms and quirks (such as his liberal use of the perfect and imperfect tenses to relate past events in the original Greek); Matthew and Luke, meanwhile use the more formal and normative kline, ‘bed’.
Villages, cities, or countryside: The collocation of the three geographical terms covers the main settled centers of Galilean life. Galilee at the time of Jesus was heavily populated by both Jews and Gentiles and, despite some recent attempts to paint Jesus as a rural itinerant preacher, Mark stresses His impacting those places where people gather.
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patrick457
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DEFINITIONS, continued
Marketplaces (agora): The Greek term originally meant an open “place of assembly” in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history (900s–700s BCE), free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later in Greek history, the agora served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods amid colonnades.
Mark would later use this word when he speaks of the place that occasions ritual impurity for the Pharisees (7:4), and later as a locale for religious ostentation by the scribes (12:38). Ironically, it was in an agora that Jesus healed the sick.
Begged (Parakalein): The verb echoes the request of the leper (1:40), the Gerasene demoniac (5:10, 12, 17, 18), and Jairus (5:23). It literally means “call to the side of;” the sick people are, in effect, asking Jesus to be on their side, echoing the description of Jesus as the compassionate shepherd (6:34).
The edge of His cloak: see 5:28. The ‘edges’ (kraspedon) are the tassels (tzitzit) that Jews have at the corners of their garments (such as cloaks, for instance) in fulfillment of Numbers 15:38-39 and Deuteronomy 22:12. It is worth mentioning once again that in antiquity, it was believed that the dignity and power of a particular person are transferred to any article of clothing he wears; thus, a garment of a healer or a ‘holy man’ would be considered as being imbued with his power.
Saved (esozōnto): This term has the double sense of being cured from illness or affliction and being saved from suffering and restored to wholeness (i.e. salvation).
COMMENTARIES
1.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
Marketplaces (agora): The Greek term originally meant an open “place of assembly” in ancient Greek city-states. Early in Greek history (900s–700s BCE), free-born male land-owners who were citizens would gather in the agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later in Greek history, the agora served as a marketplace where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods amid colonnades.
Mark would later use this word when he speaks of the place that occasions ritual impurity for the Pharisees (7:4), and later as a locale for religious ostentation by the scribes (12:38). Ironically, it was in an agora that Jesus healed the sick.
Begged (Parakalein): The verb echoes the request of the leper (1:40), the Gerasene demoniac (5:10, 12, 17, 18), and Jairus (5:23). It literally means “call to the side of;” the sick people are, in effect, asking Jesus to be on their side, echoing the description of Jesus as the compassionate shepherd (6:34).
The edge of His cloak: see 5:28. The ‘edges’ (kraspedon) are the tassels (tzitzit) that Jews have at the corners of their garments (such as cloaks, for instance) in fulfillment of Numbers 15:38-39 and Deuteronomy 22:12. It is worth mentioning once again that in antiquity, it was believed that the dignity and power of a particular person are transferred to any article of clothing he wears; thus, a garment of a healer or a ‘holy man’ would be considered as being imbued with his power.
Saved (esozōnto): This term has the double sense of being cured from illness or affliction and being saved from suffering and restored to wholeness (i.e. salvation).
COMMENTARIES
1.) From St. Thomas Aquinas’ Catena Aurea:
2.) Commentary by St. Ambrose (Exposition on the Christian Faith, IV.5.54-55):
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