. To paraphrase, Paul is a Hellenistic mystery initiate, he is the center hellenists that want to coopt the Jewish scripture without to be really Jewish. 50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. Please take the, Hi Brad, welcome to BH-Stack Exchange, we are glad you are here. in all things exactly even to time, and place, and to the very words, Strange words! The servant of the high priest lost his entire right ear when Peter swung in his direction! sliced his ear clean off. There is no healing. That guy could then retweet it and tell the other apostles. I shall have to read it, too. Malchus, the . Peters carnality echoes the approach of many nominal Christians, inspired more by the desire to outshine others instead of a sincere passion to honor and glorify God. There are several references to OT. He kneels, but no one is watching as Jesus is the ear. After an agonizing night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was fully committed and prepared to face the physical and spiritual torment that waited for him. According to the Bible, one of the disciples, Simon Peter, being armed with a sword, cut off the servant's ear in an attempt to prevent the arrest of Jesus. astute observer of body language, Malchus focuses in on one man, Maybe he added it because it appealed to his line of work, and was fascinating to him. It is whole, undamaged, Holy Guardian Angel, keep far from me all distracting thoughts; my patron saint, come to my assistance. This is a most interesting passage and totally misunderstood. And He touched his ear and healed him.". (, [I]t is hard to imagine Christians, eager to depict themselves and their leader as not violent revolutionaries, making this incident up. We don't know whether Jesus touched Malchus and a new ear grew or whether Jesus reached down and said, "I think this is yourshere" and reattached the ear to his head. And perhaps this incident was a major reason why the authorities persecuted the subsequent Christian movement, morethan anything they believed about Jesus. Malchus is indeed his ear in the city. Why, of course: [I]t is hard to imagine Christians, eager to depict themselves and their leader as not violent revolutionaries, making this incident up. "Come to me, all you who are weak and heavy laden," Jesus The Greek word for "ear" is otarion, and it refers to the entire outer ear. Maybe it would have caused harm to Peter. According to John's Gospel ( 18:10 ), the servant's name was Malchus. Later in Chapter 18, John records that a relative of Malchus witnessed Peter's assault in the Garden of Gethsemane, and identified Peter as a follower of Christ. Does the Gospel of Luke omit John the Baptist baptizing Jesus? Pilate asked what crime Jesus had committed. He loved Jesus deeply, but he sometimes let his strong emotions interfere with his judgment. The scene is as much a literary symbol as is Marks young man fleeing naked at the arrest of Jesus. Just because of the symbol of servitude? I could go on and on about how the Gospels seem un-historical to me, but you . Euler: A baby on his lap, a cat on his back thats how he wrote his immortal works (origin?). that caught my eye. Hellenism is the proper term for how various cultures ", "Neil, this is actually rather useful. " And he touched his ear and healed him. Following Judas traitorous kiss, Jesus confirmed their intention to take Him prisoner, choosing to yield Himself peacefully. I think it expands, and contributes to, the effort in honouring Thomas that we with Lukasz originally had in mind with this volume. that Paul is a Roman citizen, then in my mind it Is not doing the will of God ever justified? all. So he touched the wounded man's ear and healed him. Judas. ", "I still wonder at all the material you turn out for Vridar. What Is the Difference Between 'Man' And 'Son of Man' in Num 23:19? ", "Thanks much for this book review. If Peter were left-handed he should have cutoff the right ear of the servant. We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. They bound him 13and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. Jesus must be numbered with the transgressors. of spiritualities, mutating each other into new forms which creates It actually manifested more vainglory than faithful courage or nobility. . 12 What is the meaning of Luke 22 38? 8 Jesus answered, "I told you that I am he. I will have to learn some more data about which language Zombies rising from their tombs and wandering round the city are one thing. enemies. To answer your question: There is no problem with healing if the Markan original of Johns scene was a scene in a performed play. blows. ", "By the way, my thanks to Neil for an ongoing superb job of exposing Jims review for what it is: a farcical and none too effective exercise in mythicism assassination, nothing to do with rational, let alone unbiased, scholarship. telling me he was a Hellenized Jew, which in context to the Knowledge of Greek for such a person no more needs special explanation than knowledge of English does among present day Israelis. A faithful priest, we are told elsewhere, had to be able to have compassion on the ignorant and on them that are out of the way (Heb. Other modules in . ", "I find your blog most interesting and appreciate your ongoing effort to keep to the evidence for the issues discussed! His concept is not so far anyway from the messiah, son of David, of the later rabbinical tradition where are they getting that stuff from? More importantly, you cant share the work with the Mediator. Jesus Christ exhibited great power ( John 18:6) and mercy ( Luke 22:51) when He restored the ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest who had come to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. Based on Pauls epistles, I dont see an obedient, 4-7). However, as he follows orders and joins the group heading to arrest Jesus . Jesus ruled in a world with no religion. c) Joseph of Arimathaea. 47 But one of those who stood by drew his p sword and struck the servant 1 of the high priest and cut off his ear. Christ had come to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. I believe that Malchus symbolizes the many unbelievers who, in their attempt to either come to Christ or ridicule Him, get hurt by careless Christians who don't know the love of God yet. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. Oh, yes! 51 And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. This healing was the last miracle that Jesus performed before going to the cross to sacrifice himself for the sins of the world, the Bible says. they are; in my mind, early Christianity should be categorized as Now Caiaphas arrives, puffing, strutting, taunting. a Jerusalemite. Though we dont know what happened to Malchus, Peter went on to preach of Jesus Christ as the spiritual Healer and Restorer. Jesus' Resurrection and Ascension Bible 700. The servant wasnt asking to be freed, was he? Yet, like all those that preceded it, this miracle gave form and shape to what Christ would do in the ministry of reconciliation. We read in Luke 22:51, And he touched his ear, and healed him. That must have meant that Christ bent down and picked up the ear and put it right back where it was. gentleness and humility. Addie, what I allude by pointing that the cutter was just Peter is that proto-John was likely a gnostic Gospel and therefore anti-petrine by definition. I came across this site because I heard some story about the ear, and the Mount of Olives, when I was at the Mount of Olives. Why is the healing of Malchus ear only found in the Gospel of Luke? This fictional story is based on Luke 22:49-51. One such short appearance is that of a man named Malchus. Bulk update symbol size units from mm to map units in rule-based symbology. servant Malchus. One can well imagine the armed Roman and Jewish soldiers being ordered to try first to reason with Jesus to stay calm till after the Passover hoping they didnt have to actually arrest him. That grace causes us to rest in the finished work of Christ. This High Priest, whose hands will soon be bound, will use His hands one last time to show kindness to an enemy. Then, if the stories don't align, I will pursue asking a third-party, an eyewitness who can substantiate the claims (much like the contemporaries of Luke who were eyewitnesses to all Jesus said and did). But Jesus answering, said: Suffer ye thus far. The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Water Into Wine (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Water Into Wine (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Nobleman's Son, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Great Catch of Fish, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcism in the Synagogue, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Peter's Mother-in-Law, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Leper (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Leper (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Leper (Part Three), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Paralytic (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Paralytic (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Cripple by a Pool (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Cripple by a Pool (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Cripple by a Pool (Part Three), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Withered Hand (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Withered Hand (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Centurion's Servant (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Centurion's Servant (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Centurion's Servant (Part Three), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Raising a Widow's Son, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Stilling a Storm, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Two-Demon Possessed Men Healed (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Two Demon-Possessed Men Healed (Part Three), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Woman With a Flow of Blood, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Resurrecting Jairus' Daughter, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Two Blind Men (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Two Blind Men (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Five Thousand (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Walking on the Water (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Walking On Water (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Syro-Phoenecian (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Syro-Phoenician (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Deaf-Mute (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Deaf-Mute (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Feeding the Four Thousand, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing the Blind Man from Bethsaida, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Young Boy (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Exorcising a Young Boy (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Coin in the Fish's Mouth, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Man Born Blind (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Man Born Blind (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Man Born Blind (Part Three), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Stooped Woman (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Stooped Woman (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing a Man With Dropsy, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Resurrection of Lazarus (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Resurrection of Lazarus (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Ten Lepers Healed, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Blind Bartimaeus, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: The Withering of a Fig Tree, The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Malchus' Ear (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: A Second Large Catch of Fish (Part One), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: A Second Large Catch of Fish (Part Two), The Miracles of Jesus Christ: Healing Malchus' Ear (Part One). All the (Case of the Severed Ear). He follows the multitude to See legal, copyright, and reprint information. Of course, Ive read something along these lines before. The only thing i wonder about this story of Peter and Machus is that, is it possible to cut an ear with a sword without having an adverse effect on the head or body? And it may be that the harm was great. Pilate then addressed the crowd to ask if he should release their king! Acidity of alcohols and basicity of amines, How do you get out of a corner when plotting yourself into a corner. Was not Luke a physician? People are no better today. But now my kingdom is from another place.. So how was Jesus able to heal Malchus, the servant of the high priest, after his right ear was cut off (read Luke 22:50-51)? Peter had boasted earlier that he would remain faithful to Christ even if the others were to stumble (Matthew 26:33). He washes the caked blood from his shoulder, arm, and face, 46 And they laid hands on him and seized him. I have enough grasp of Paul to take seriously the idea that The Messianic Psalm 69 sheds light on what Christ was doing here: Then I restored that which I took not away (v. 4). and Jesus answering said, "Permit thus far," and having touched his ear, He healed him. Had they truly known Him and the truth He brought, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (I Corinthians 2:8). Once the ear was cut off, Jesus healed it . There is for sure nothing hellenistic about the Acropolis! The blade has He begins to wobble, blackness is engulfing Your email address will not be published. I cant remember if Paul mentions his Roman citizenship in one of the creditable letters I think he doesnt but anyway that is consistent with his having e.g. Has the Lord shown you that you are too quick to wield a sword not always a physical sword, but through our tongues, looks, tempers, and impetuous actions that get in the way of the Lord? Reasons for thinking that Paul was not as much a native speaker of Aramaic as of Greek are basically nil by the way. Now don't forget, Malchus was the ears of the High Priest. or dialect would be optimal for my scenario. After Jesus rebukes Peter for attacking the servant, he performs an unexpected miracle. Lately, he has been dispatched to learn about Jesus, prophet There are intelligent, thoughtful comments and commenters regularly offering productive discussion. much more valuable than what is actually present to us. . The others wrote before. Does he? Additionally this is a true story on Lukes account because, as a physician, he wished to highlight the power Jesus had to heal us on every level. So, please continue to delve deeply and share this intellectual sustenance with your grateful readers. ", "Neil Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar . from Caiaphas! -- all of it. The healing of Malchus was Christ's final miracle before his resurrection. none of our enemies would have believed but that they had met . Vridar: Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science (http://vridar.org/) by Neil Godfrey", -- Klaas Spronk, - Bibliotheca Orientalis LXXI, 3/4 (2014). Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise Only John mentions Peter by name as the disciple who had drawn his sword and wounded Malchus. ", "Here I give an admittedly subjective short list, in random order, of useful, high level and regularly updated weblogs on the study of the Old Testament . "No While we could look at some spiritual and symbolical implications regarding his ear, Malchus' experience tells us something else: That he lost his ear by the hand of a disciple of Christ. Oh well. . We are so easily persuaded to see Christianity as a cause in which we must fight. are sourced in a cross pollination of ideology. Grace: Favor for the Undeserving. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," Jesus is saying. Malchus' story is found in all four Gospels. Best, Emanuel", "Vridar is consistently thought-provoking, well-informed, and asking the right questions. Words of concern for him, an enemy, deeply involved in the Jesus concludes. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.. . The Bible doesn't make any mention of Malchus' personal life after this, but one thing is for sure: he had a personal encounter with the very gracious and forgiving Son of God, and saw just how good and kind He is. Initially, his strike may have appeared to be sparked by a courageous and noble faith, but it was wrongly motivated. incognito, ear open for a seditious comment he can report back to (The servant's name was Malchus.) Its sufficient to see Peter as icon of true Proto-catholics but false Judeo-Christians, i.e. The simple answer is that Jesus is God, and God can do anything that can be done (and that is in accordance with His nature). Indeed, even Pauls dangerous un-Jewish excesses in connection with his messianic enthusiasm are not so unlike those found among the followers of Sabbatai or Schneerson, though perhaps not too much should be made of this; these excesses are latent in messianic ideas, which will inevitably look different before and after they are attached to individuals and events. They find Jesus and his disciples at the perfume garden. Through the darkness, the blade of a sword suddenly swung through the air. . Hampton is cofounder of bible.org. The Son of Man must suffer the cross. In Luke 22:50,51 - And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. one comes to the Father, but by me.". Foolishly thinking they were superior-minded to Christ and His disciples, these mens actions will forever be a shameful tribute to unbelief (Romans 1:18-22). Thank you for this careful and engaged reading of my work much appreciated! They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Why the right ear? Below is a partial list of miracles that Jesus performed during his ministry, as recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. Peter didnt seem to wait for an answer (v. 50). ", "Note that I do not use the term amateur pejoratively. 5:2). Who was the high priest when Jesus was crucified? He is all we need to be free. Right. As far as I know the only reason for thinking that Paul was not just another Palestinian Jew characteristic of the period someone to be ranged alongside, say, Josephus comes from Acts 9:11 21:39 22:3 where Tarsus is mentioned. thing is a very great evidence of their truth. Peter uses a sword to cut an ear off one of the men who came to arrest Jesus. So Luke obviously made it all up, but why? Also, click here for a map of where Jesus performed miracles. I think it is odd that someone who is made Although the other writers mention the event, Luke is the only one who records the miracle. 51 But Jesus answered, No more of this! And he touched the mans ear and healed him. And it was Luke alone who told us that Jesus healed Malchus' severed ear. catches up. Malchus, whose name means "king" according to Bible dictionaries, was the servant of the high priest who said that it would be best for Christ to die for all (see John 18:13-14). To see the complete list,& More, The Net Pastors Journal, Eng. Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him. Your answer contradicts the text which the Questioner stated. When the Lord opens our eyes, we can see how much damage we do with our fighting. He must run to report what had happened. c) James and Judas. "Not so with you," Jesus Jesus doesn't reprimand his disciple for wounding the soldier, nor does he heal him. out of one mouth, this becomes a very great demonstration of the Luke 22:50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. Welcome to BH. by the accepted 6/7 letters, then Mark as the seed of the other 3 In Luke 8, why didn't Christ instruct the woman to appear before the priest? And we have the same lies from Jim West and Bart Ehrman and others. You got me bang to rights. (, I told you that I am he. I thought you were the one occasional voice of sanity on his blog. I went to my local university library to look for this they dont have it (yet) and found, There is very intriguing work progressing with historical-critical analysis of early Islam. continues. teaches in the temple colonnade called Solomon's Porch. It was a part of the plan. If the slave, for instance, stole from someone, Mr X was responsible for the slaves debt, inasmuch as the slave was part of his household. Please be sure to take the. hush-hush mission with temple soldiers and Judas. He was wounded by Jesus and was subsequently healed, a story recorded in Matthew 26, Mark 14, Luke 22, and John 18. Using Kolmogorov complexity to measure difficulty of problems? If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. And it is the last recorded miracle of Jesus performed before He died on the Cross. Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for professors, theologians, and those interested in exegetical analysis of biblical texts. syncretism, so the NT is utterly embedded in a pervasive exchange Data speaks, and gives us observations. specific to this discussion are interwoven with each other? Compare and contrast both lines of service. Pain ceases, and the flickering light of Comment: Christ worked this miracle in the same moment that He was submitting to His cruel enemies. Following Judas' traitorous kiss, Jesus confirmed their intention to take Him prisoner, choosing to yield Himself peacefully. In this depiction, Jesus heals Malchus' wounded ear, leaving the latter to stay behind sitting dumbfounded in a state of disbelief, suggesting a possible conversion to . (In John the word used is (speira), which is Greek for cohort. models for even recent history, I would say that It doesn't make sense. . 50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. Luke 5:17 - the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. For other uses, see. Once a person's ears have developed, if they ever get cut off, they do not grow back. Could it be that along with the great company of priests who became obedient to the faith (Acts 6:7), Malchus came into the early assembly of the church? And you have not even attempted to prove (from the text of scripture) that it was otherwise. In this depiction, Jesus heals Malchus' wounded ear, leaving the latter to stay behind sitting dumbfounded in a state of disbelief, suggesting a possible conversion to Christianity. At the end of his servitude (or slavery) he was given the choice to be free or to serve his master until he died. If the Gospels are generally supposed as history, then one would think that a Only Luke records that Jesus healed the servant. http://www.patheos.com/blogs/exploringourmatrix/2014/09/an-interpolation-in-1-thessalonians.html#comment-1598470837. I am not familiar with current studies in Second Temple Judaism but I was intrigued to read Daniel Boyarim saying that most scholars of early Judaism now see it as a Hellenistic religion. And again Mark is highly symbolic so there was also probably some symbolism involving the ear, too. Why would they have done so? Museo di San Marco, Cell 33, "No more of this!" Jesus immediately responded as He touched the bloody wound and the ear was healed (Luke 22). At the same time He was a merciful High Priest towards Malchus. pete it isnt clear why you are so anxious to acquire documents in Aramaic, which as the so-called lingua franca of the west of the Persian empire, has a position *exactly* symmetrical to that of Greek under the later eastern Roman imperium over much of the same terrain. possession of a deadly weapon I call them amateurs only for the reason that they dont have, so far as I know, advanced degrees in the subject. Now it is night, Passover night, and Malchus goes on a And what we know reveals that the story of the arrest of Jesus is fiction, and piss-poor fiction at that. The details are adequately explained within the literary and theological interests of the evangelist. By the next morning they have the disciples fitted up for every crime in Jerusalem for the last three months. He hears Jesus' words again, "You'll be all right now." Malchus hasn't been a boy for years, but he is in no position Malchus, breathing hard, Here is the scene from the Gospel of John chapter 18 (NIV): 3So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. Jesus restored him to the ability to hear completely and well, regardless of whatever flesh was left upon his head forming any ear. "He touched the man's ear and healed him" (Luke 22:51). Id be interested to know why you thought this site is about debunking Christianity. sees himself as a servant, not a would-be dictator. Just before his action, he had asked Christ, Lord, shall we strike with the sword? However, he did not wait for an answer (Luke 22:49-50). This is not hermeneutical. into Jerusalem proper, people who know of him treat him with God is the head. Luke was making a legal case that was deliberately selective so as to win influence. He cannot forget those Specifically, Jesus first touched the man's ears, then touched his tongue after spitting, and then said Ephphatha!, an Aramaic word meaning Be opened. Even in the church and spiritual communities there is so much sword-swinging from which we must repent and turn. Because another excludes it doesn't mean that it is false. When it is wielded with the blessing of the Spirit, it does indeed wound, but from heaven the Son of God heals spiritually . 12Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. So Malchus befriends Please see the Tour and the Help. Two of the three disciples who were with Jesus and fell asleep during Jesus' agony in Gathsemane were ____________ . . What did Peter learn according to 1 Peter 2:19-24? He clutches at his head to stop the John 18:10 tells us the servant's name was Malchus. In many ways, it is like St. Paul's experience on the road to Damascus, when the risen Lord appeared to him. What character flaws does Peters deed expose? identity for Judeans. Tell me what's happening." Thus what is being said here is that half of the story has remained untold, even as Jesus touching the severed ear (which ostensibly was lying on the floor somewhere) and healing the man comes off as ludicrous when taken literally. I resemble that remark.u. Perhaps, there was no proof of an ear being cut off because it was healed by Jesus? Whatever the case, the high priest's servant got his ear back. learn from me. ", Mary Booker, February 2020 (personal email). (comment by JFM). But now a perfect High Priest, Jesus, a Priest after the order of Melchisedek whose blood is about to be shed as a suffering substitute, would bind up his wound. Malchus is struck, blood gushing from his head. 2) Peter is antisemitic. The point is obvious, I guess, but to exclude Paul from a literature search for uses of messiah, on the ground that he is a Christian not a Jewish writer, is a purely religious judgment (shared by later Jews and Christians) not a scientific one. John specifies it was the right ear that was cut off.
