John 18:15

ἠκολούθει. Was following; the descriptive imperfect. Some good authorities (א3 C) insert ὁ before ἄλλος, but the balance is decidedly against it. There is no very strong reason for rejecting the almost universal opinion that this ἄλλος μαθητής is S. John himself. It agrees with his habitual reserve about himself (John 1:40; John 13:23-25; John 19:26; John 20:2-8; John 21:20-24); with his being often found with S. Peter (Luke 22:8; Acts 3:1; Acts 4:13; Acts 8:14); and with his knowledge of the high-priest’s servant’s name (John 18:10). Yet the opinion is not a certainty; the facts just mentioned would fit his brother S. James almost equally well; and the fact of S. John’s elsewhere designating himself as the μαθητὴς ὂν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς is slightly against the opinion. But on the other hand that designation would have no point here; the unnamed disciple is not receiving any mark of favour from Jesus. See Introduction, p. xxxiv.

γνωστὸς τ. ἀρχ. Comp. Luke 2:44; Luke 23:49. The nature of the acquaintance is not explained: in connexion with it we may remember the tradition that S. John himself wore the high-priestly badge in later life; p. xvii. Τῷ�. is probably Caiaphas (John 18:13; John 18:24): deposed high-priests were thus designated sometimes (Luke 3:2; Acts 4:6), but never by S. John. Possibly Annas lived in his son-in-law’s official residence; but if not, there is nothing improbable in his conducting a preliminary examination there. The αὐλή (John 10:1; John 10:16) is the court or open space in the centre or in front of the house (Luke 22:55): ἔξω (John 18:16) agrees better with an interior court.