Mark 14:4

4. [3045][3046][3047][3048][3049] omit καὶ λέλοντες.

[3045] 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.

[3046] 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.

[3047] 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.

[3048] 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.

[3049] 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.

4. ἦσαν δέ τινες. By his silence as to who these were Mk again spares the Twelve. Mt. says that it was the disciples who were indignant, while Jn states that it was Judas who gave utterance to the resentment, because the loss of the costly ointment meant the loss of money which he could have stolen. In all these cases, Mary, Judas, Peter and Malchus, earlier Evangelists may have been ignorant of the names or may have suppressed them. Jn knew the names, and when he wrote there was no need for suppression. It is not often that Mk is more considerate of the Twelve than Mt. is.

πρὸς ἑαυτούς. Among themselves (R.V.) rather than “within themselves” (A.V.). There would be some exclamations or looks of disapproval. See on Mark 11:31, where Vulg. has secum; but here intra semet ipsos.

ἡ�. A very rare use of ἀπώλεια, which usually has the intrans. meaning of “perdition” (Matthew 7:13; John 17:12; etc.). Cf. ὁ οἶνος� (Mark 2:22).

γέγονεν. The destruction has taken place and the loss abides.