3May believe.-I go to this trouble in order that you may take my unsupported word. It was a simple way; but John was the last of the Apostles alive when he wrote this.

That the Scripture.-As often remarked, people did not go out of their way to fulfil Scriptures; but the out of the way things they did fulfilled the Scriptures.

"A bone of him.-This was the Paschal Lamb. Our Lord was prefigured by that lamb and was a lamb Himself immolated for us.

"Whom they pierced.-The origin of this in Zachary deserves careful study. The prophet speaks in the first and third person of the same being. The Trinity is there.

S. John's modesty:

Ist. Scarcely even his own

name.

2nd. Gives his word when no one wanted it.

3rd. Quotes Scripture when he could write it himself.

38. Post hæc autem, rogavit Pilatum Joseph ab Arimathæâ, eo quòd esset discipulos JESU, occultus autem propter metum Judæorum, ut tolleret corpus JESU. Et permisit Pilatus. Venit ergò et tulit corpus JESU.

39. Venit autem et Nicodemus, qui venerat ad JESUM nocte primùm, ferens mixturam myrrhæ et aloes, quasi libras

centum.

40. Acceperunt ergò corpus JESU, et ligaverunt illud linteis cum aromatibus, sicut mos est Judæis sepelire.

The piercing:

Ist. Valuable as a proof of Christ's death.

2nd. As a fulfilment of prophecies.

3rd. As a lesson for ascetic and liturgical writers.

38. And after these things. 'Joseph of Arimathea (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but in private, for fear of the Jews) besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted him. He came, therefore, and took away the body of Jesus.

39. And Nicodemus also came; he who at first came to Jesus by night; bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound.

40. They took, therefore, "the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as it is the custom with the Jews to bury.

41. Erat autem, in loco ubi crucifixus est, hortus, et in horto monumentum novum in quo nondùm quisquam positus erat:

42. Ibì ergò, propter, parasceven Judæorum, quia juxtà erat monumentum, posuerunt JESUM.

41. And there was in the place where he was crucified a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein no man had yet been laid.

42. There, therefore, by reason of the parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

The burial of Our Lord has been faithfully described by the three synoptists, and as faithfully commented on as could be done. There are a few points in S. John's Gospel which give a new phase to our former grounds of belief.

Joseph of Arimathea was not said by the others to be a disciple of Our Lord in secret.

Nicodemus was another secret disciple whom we have observed in Chapter iii. of S. John as coming to Our Lord at night, and getting an idea of baptism.

The third peculiarity is that he brought a hundred pounds of precious ointments and gums to embalm Our Lord. One commentator quaintly remarks that this would be enough to kill Him if He were not dead, and bury Him if He were. Nicodemus was not sparing in his offering.

S. John tells us again that the new grave was in the garden, just near the place of Crucifixion.

Joseph of Arimathea.—He was afterwards driven out of the Synagogue, became a Christian, and met with many misfortunes.

The body of Jesus.-The bodies of ordinary criminals were thrown into a cloacum, or left for the food of eagles, and even asses. Jesus was rescued from this by Joseph of Arimathea; for His enemies were capable of carrying out their vengeance even so far. Of course He could arise as easily from one kind of grave as from another. Heaven took care His sacred flesh should not be further profaned.

Nicodemus. We have heard little of him since his first instructions, except that he kept his powder dry.

A hundred pound weight.-This must have been a big sack which took an ass to carry.

"The body of Jesus.-It was packed up in a linen sheet with spices enough to smother two men, and tied with bandages. This was done

through devotion. See the designs of heaven! No one could doubt His being dead and buried.

A new sepulchre.-We gave it in our commentaries on SS. Mark and

Luke, but find it necessary here again. We shall call attention to its various parts in the next chapter.

"The parasceve.-It is believed that neither Joseph nor Nicodemus had perfect faith. They gave Our Lord a temporary sepulchre, intending to bury Him better on the next Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. Our Lady seems the only one who stood the test of the DEATH.

CHAPTER XX.

Christ's resurrection, and manifestation to his disciples.

1. Unâ autem sabbati, MariaMagdalene venit manè, cùm adhuc tenebræ essent, ad monumentum, et vidit lapidem sublatum à monumento.

2. Cucurrit ergò et venit ad Simonem Petrum et ad alium discipulum quem amabat JESUS, et dicit illis; "Tulerunt Dominum de monumento, et nescimus ubi posuerunt eum."

3. Exiit ergò Petrus et ille alius discipulus, et venerunt ad

monumentum.

4. Currebant autem duo simul, et ille alius discipulus præcucurrit citiùs Petro, et venit primus ad monumentum.

5. Et, cùm se inclinâsset, vidit posita linteamina; non tamen introivit.

1. And on the 'first day of the week Mary Magdalene cometh in the morning, it being yet dark, to the sepulchre; and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre.

2. She ran, therefore, and cometh to 'Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them: "They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3. Peter, therefore, went out, and that other disciple, and they came to the sepulchre.

4. And they both did run together: and that other disciple "out-ran Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.

5. And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying; but yet he went not in.

There is a great difficulty, which every writer upon this portion of the Gospels must perceive, in reconciling the accounts of the Synoptists with that of S. John. We have read several and come to this conclusion, from a key given by the ingenuity of F. Corluy (the latest commentator on S. John). The other Evangelists relate what happened to all the women. S. John picks out Magdalen's story from the rest. She came, with the pious women, to do the honours of decent sepulture to the body of Our Lord. They all saw the stone L rolled away; but it does not appear that Magdalen saw the angel sitting on it. They all

entered the tomb at F and stood at B, to see that A where the body was laid was empty. Magdalen ran at once and told Peter and John who ran directly to the sepulchre and out-distanced Magdalen who came after them. The women and they saw angels, and Magdalen sat in the place outside, weeping. A man, whom she took to be the gardener, spoke to her and the incidents then fall into their usual order.

It is to be remarked that Magdalen and the other holy women did not believe thoroughly in the Resurrection or they would not have bought the materials for the embalming of Our Lord's body.

Our Lady knew very well, as her absence from this clearly shows. It is the tradition of the Church that Our Lord Resuscitated, appeared first to His mother. His first public appearance was to Magdalen.

The artless form of the narrative throws some light upon the dispositions of the people who figured in it. The ardour of Magdalen is seen in her being there so early, running off with her alarming news and coming back to cry. The diligence of Peter and John is seen in their setting out, and the greater agility and anxiety of John in his getting there first. His reverence or deference to Peter is evident from his not going into the tomb as soon as he reached it.

1First day. This was Sunday morning just at the dawn. Bethany, where Magdalen dwelt, was but a mile and a half from Calvary. It is probable the other women stayed at her house. Some writers are of opinion that there were two parties of women.

2The stone. The removal of the stone was not needed for Our Lord's Resurrection; but it was needed to enable the others to make sure of it. 3 Simon Peter and the other disciple.-These seem to have stopped in the same house in the neighbourhood of Calvary. The rest were very likely under the roof of that friendly man who gave the cœnaculum.

'They have taken.—Some charitably suppose she did once believe in the Resurrection but had forgotten all about it. It may be so; but her own words show she had little idea of it.

Went out. They left the house. Magdalen did not meet them in the street, on their way to the place.

"Out-ran Peter.-He was younger than Peter and more active. The figurative and ascetical interpretations of this passage are very interesting. "Stooped down.-There was a roof over the tomb which was open at the

side.