Matthew 16:14

Reply of disciples : the general effect being: opinions of the people, favourable but crude, without religious definiteness and depth, with no promise of future outcome. Ἰωάν., Ἠλίαν., Ἱερεμ. Historic characters, recent or more ancient, redivivi that the utmost possible: unable to rise to the idea of a wholly new departure, or a greater than any character in past history; conservatism natural to the common mind. All three personages whose return might be expected; the Baptist to continue his work cut short by Herod, Elijah to prepare the way and day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5), Jeremiah to bring back the ark, etc., which (2 Maccab. Matthew 2:1-12) he had hid in a cave. Jeremiah is classed with the other well-known prophets (ἢ ἕνα τ. π.), and the supporters of that hypothesis are called ἕτεροι, as if to distinguish them not merely numerically (ἄλλοι) but generically: a lower type who did not connect Jesus with Messiah in any way, even as forerunner, but simply thought of Him as one in whom the old prophetic charism had been revived.