Mark 8:29

ἐπηρώτα αὐτούς ([1740][1741][1742][1743][1744][1745][1746]) rather than λέγει αὐτοῖς ([1747][1748]2[1749][1750][1751][1752]).

[1740] 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.

[1741] 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.

[1742] 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.

[1743] 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.

[1744] 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.

[1745] 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.

[1746] 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.
[1747] 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.
[1748] 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.

[1749] Codex Purpureus. 6th cent. Full text in Texts and Studies v. No. 4, 1899. Contains Mark 5:20 to Mark 7:4; Mark 7:20 to Mark 8:32; Mark 9:1 to Mark 10:43; Mark 11:7 to Mark 12:19; Mark 14:25 to Mark 15:23; Mark 15:33-42. See below on Ψ.

[1750] Codex Monacensis. 10th cent. Contains Mark 6:47 to Mark 16:20. Many verses in 14, 15, 16 are defective.

[1751] Codex Oxoniensis. 9th cent. Contains Mark, except Mark 3:35 to Mark 6:20.

[1752] Codex Petropolitanus. 9th cent. Gospels almost complete. Mark 16:18-20 is in a later hand.

29. Ὑμεῖς δέ. Here again Christ may be asking for information. But ye, who know so much of My teaching and work, who do ye say that I am? Their knowing the views of other people showed that the question had been raised in their minds; cf. Mark 4:41. He does not tell them who He is; He draws the truth from their reflexion, and He expects better things from them than from other men.

ὁ Πέτρος λέγει. Πάλιν ὁ Πέτρος, ὁ πανταχοῦ θερμός, προπηδᾷ καὶ προλαμβάνει (Euthym.). All three assign the reply to Peter, and it is in harmony with his character and position that he should answer for the Twelve—the first time in Mk that he does so. Cf. John 6:69. But there is divergence as to the wording of his reply; “Thou art the Christ” (Mk), “The Christ of God” (Lk.), “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt.). Mt.’s expansion of the reply corresponds to his expansion of Christ’s question. In each case he interprets the words used; cf. Mark 10:18-19; Mark 10:28-30; Mark 10:40; Mark 13:24. There may be something of expansion and interpretation in the famous passage, Matthew 16:17-19, which he alone records, but that the whole is invention is not probable. Mk’s omission of it is intelligible; ἵνα μὴ δόξῃ χαριζόμενος τῷ Πέτρῳ (Theoph.). It was not one of the things which Peter reproduced in his teaching. Salmon, The Human Element, p. 351. This cannot be regarded as a special revelation to Peter; Peter states the conviction of all, and Christ in the hearing of all accepts it as true. Again, we need not suppose that, until Peter made this confession, the Apostles had no idea that Jesus was the Messiah, but we are sure that from this point they know. The strange combination of the aor. ἀποκριθείς with the pres. λέγει is freq. in Mk (Mark 3:33; Mark 9:5; Mark 9:19; Mark 10:24; Mark 11:22; Mark 11:33; Mark 15:2). Matthew 25:40 and Luke 13:25 have the still stranger ἀποκριθεὶς ἐρεῖ. Both occur in LXX. Here, as in Mark 3:33, Syr-Sin. omits ἀποκριθείς.