that the resurrection of these saints could not have taken place till after His own. These raised Christians must have died recently, for we gather, from what follows, that they were recognized by many in Jerusalem. Their resurrection is a pledge that all the saints now "asleep" shall rise also. "Appeared unto many,"-probably during the forty days after Christ's Resurrection, at the end of which they, probably, ascended, with Him, into glory,-for we read nothing further of them. THE CONFESSION OF THE CENTURION, AND THOSE WITH HIM. (c. xxvii. 54–56.) "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." Matthew, Mark, and Luke record this incident, with differences hereafter noticed. "The centurion," who superintended the execution. "They that were with him,"—the soldiers: only Matthew here mentions them. "They feared greatly."-Only Matthew records this. "Truly this was the Son of God."-John has, "Certainly, this was a righteous, (i.e., innocent), man." There is no contradiction here: the sense is, "Truly this man was righteous; and therefore he must have been the Son of God, for he himself asserted that he was." THE NAMES OF SOME OF CHRIST'S FEMALE RELATIVES AND FRIENDS WHO WITNESSED THE CRUCIFIXION. (c. xxvii. 55, 56.) "And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children." Matthew, and Mark, alone give these names. Luke merely says that Christ's acquaintances, and the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood afar off beholding all that happened. It has been seen that John tells us that Christ's mother,— Mary, the wife of Cleophas,-and Mary Magdalene, stood "by the cross" when Christ entrusted His mother to John's care. As Christ's mother is not named in Matthew's, or Mark's, account, it is just to suppose that John had, before the end came, conveyed his distressed charge away from the scene. Mary Magdalene,” '-so called because a native of Magdala. She was an attached follower of Christ, who had cast seven devils out of her. She is erroneously supposed by some to have been the "sinner" who anointed Christ, in the house of Simon. It would appear from Luke, indeed, that she was a woman of position and property, for we find her mentioned by him, as one of the women who accompanied Christ on His journeys, and "ministered unto Him of their substance." "Mary the mother of James and Joses."-This was Mary, the wife of Cleophas, and sister of Christ's mother. it. "James."-Mark has, "James the Less." "The mother of Zebedee's children,”—Salome, as Mark has "Zebedee's children,"-James, and John. Luke records that the crowd who had witnessed the Crucifixion now dispersed, and returned to Jerusalem. According to John The Jews procured Pilate's permission to break the legs of Christ and the thieves, as a coup de grace, so that the bodies should not remain suspended during the night, (which was strictly forbidden in the Law), and on the Sabbath. The soldiers, accordingly, broke the legs of the malefactors; but, when they came to Christ, they found Him dead already, and therefore did not break His legs. To make sure of His being dead, apparently, the centurion pierced His side, and mingled blood and water flowed forth. Thus Christ fulfilled 1. His type, the Paschal Lamb, none of whose bones were to be broken. 2. Ps. xxxiv. 20,—“ He keepeth all his bones; not one of them is broken." 3. Zech. xii. 10,-"They shall look upon me whom they have pierced," &c.,—a prophecy which will not be fulfilled in its complete sense until Israel turns to the Lord. EPITOME OF THE CHIEF INCIDENTS OF THE CRUCIFIXION. (Matters peculiar to Matthew are in Italics: in other cases, the names of all the Evangelists recording the incident are appended.) Simon of Cyrene compelled to aid in bearing the cross are following Him Golgotha reached Christ refuses the "vinegar and gall' Mark. Christ nailed to the cross The two thieves crucified Christ prays for His persecutors The Superscription, or Accusation The Soldiers sit down and watch Christ. Luke. All the Four. Matt., All. Luke, John. Luke. All. Christ's garments divided amongst the soldiers.— All. Christ mocked by the passers by Matt., Mark. egar Luke. Christ reviled by the Two Thieves Matt., Mark. Christ commends His mother to John Christ cries, "Eli! Eli"! &c. Vinegar" again offered; Christ drinks. Matt., Christ is mocked about " Elias " Matt., Mark. John. All. Commends His spirit to the Father.-Luke. gives up the ghost The Veil of the Temple rent. Matt., Mark, Luke. Matt., Mark, Luke. Matt., Mark, Luke. Matt., Mark. Earthquake,-rocks rent. Luke. John. Christ's body removed from the Cross, and placed in Joseph's new tomb. (c. xxvii. 57-61.) "When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaa, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: he went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre." The Descent from the Cross, and the interment of Christ, are related by all the Evangelists. The other three add certain particulars to Matt.'s. account : Mark says that 1. Joseph's reason for asking leave to remove the body was that "it was the preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath." 2. Joseph was "an honourable counsellor," (i.e., member of the Sanhedrin.) 3. He went in "boldly" to Pilate. 4. Pilate could not credit Christ's having died so speedily, and, accordingly, sent for the centurion, who assuring him that Christ was dead, the Governor granted Joseph's request. 5. Joseph had bought "fine linen" (wherein to swathe the body). Luke says that 1. Joseph, though "a counseller," had not voted for Christ's condemnation. 2. "Never man before was laid" in the tomb of Joseph. 3. The women from Galilee saw how the body was laid, and, returning, "prepared spices and ointments, and rested the Sabbath-day according to the commandment.” He and John omit the time, ("even"), when Joseph went to Pilate. John says that— 1. Joseph was "a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews." 2. Nicodemus accompanied Joseph, and brought myrrh and aloes, (for embalming the body). 3. The body was wound in "linen clothes, with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury." 4. The sepulchre was in a garden, "in the place where he was crucified," and no one had yet been buried in it. "When the even was come."-Christ died just about 3 P.M.,—the time when the Paschal lamb was usually slain. The "even" here mentioned then was the "first even," lasting from about 3 to 6 P.M., the hour when the Jewish Sabbath commenced. Consequently, Christ must have been laid in the sepulchre between 3 and 6 P.M. “Arimathaa,”—probably identical with Ramathaim, (or Ramah), in the tribe of Benjamim,-the birth-place of Samuel. "Begged the body of Jesus."-It was customary for the bodies of executed malefactors to be thrown into the Valley of Hinnom, and there burned, unless, as in Christ's case, the relatives, or friends, could make interest to have the corpse handed over to them for burial. "Wrapped it in a clean linen cloth," (with, as John relates, the spices brought by Nicodemus.) There was not time, before the commencement of the Sabbath, to regularly embalm the corpse; accordingly, it would seem, judging by custom, that, “(after the usual washing, and anointing), the corpse was wound in linen, and the "spices" strewed in the folds of the wrapper; that then the whole body was encased in the drugs, and a second wrapper wound round all. |