Part 12 (2/2)

JESUS AT CAPERNAUM

Beset by an idea, gradually beco more and more imperious and exclusive, Jesus proceeds henceforth with a kind of fatal ienius and the extraordinary circumstances in which he lived Hitherto he had only cohts to a few persons secretly attracted to hiht after by the public He was about thirty years of age[1] The little group of hearers who had accompanied him to John the Baptist had, doubtless, increased, and perhaps some disciples of John had attached themselves to him[2] It ith this first nucleus of a church that he boldly announced, on his return into Galilee, the ”good tidings of the kingdo, and it was he, Jesus, as that ”Son of Man” whom Daniel had beheld in his vision as the divine herald of the last and supreme revelation

[Footnote 1: Luke iii 23; Gospel of the Ebionites, in Epiph, _Adv

Haer_, xxx 13]

[Footnote 2: John i 37, and following]

We must remember, that in the Jewish ideas, which were averse to art and y, the simple form of man had a superiority over that of _Cherubs_, and of the fantastic aniination of the people, since it had been subjected to the influence of assyria, had ranged around the Divine Majesty Already in Ezekiel,[1] the Being seated on the supreme throne, far above the reat revealer of prophetic visions, had the figure of a man In the book of Daniel, in the midst of the vision of the ereat judg ”like unto a Son of Man,” advances toward the Ancient of days, who confers on hiovern it for eternity[2] _Son of Man_, in the Sees, especially in the Aramean dialects, is a sie of Daniel struck the mind; the words, _Son of Man_, became, at least in certain schools,[3] one of the titles of the Messiah, regarded as judge of the world, and as king of the new era about to be inaugurated[4] The application which Jesus made of it to himself was therefore the proclamation of his Messiahshi+p, and the affirure as judge, clothed with the full pohich had been delegated to him by the Ancient of days[5]

[Footnote 1: Chap i 5, 26, and following]

[Footnote 2: Daniel vii 13, 14; comp viii 15, x 16]

[Footnote 3: In John xii 34, the Jews do not appear to be aware of theof this word]

[Footnote 4: Book of Enoch, xlvi 1-3, xlviii 2, 3, lxii 9, 14, lxx

1 (division of Dilmann); Matt x 23, xiii 41, xvi 27, 28, xix 28, xxiv 27, 30, 37, 39, 44, xxv 31, xxvi 64; Mark xiii 26, xiv 62; Luke xii 40, xvii 24, 26, 30, xxi 27, 36, xxii 69; _Acts_ vii 55

But the e is John v 27, compared with _Rev_ i 13, xiv 14 The expression ”Son of woman,” for the Messiah, occurs once in the book of Enoch, lxii 5]

[Footnote 5: John v 22, 27]

The success of the teaching of the new prophet was this tiroup of men and women, all characterized by the same spirit of juvenile frankness and simple innocence, adhered to him, and said, ”Thou art the Messiah” As the Messiah was to be the son of David, they naturally conceded him this title, which was synonyiven to hiht cause hi well known The name which he preferred himself was that of ”Son of Man,” an apparently humble title, but one which connected itself directly with the Messianic hopes This was the title by which he designated himself,[1] and he used ”The Son of Man” as synonymous with the pronoun ”I,” which he avoided But he was never thus addressed, doubtless because the name in question would be fully applicable to him only on the day of his future appearance

[Footnote 1: This title occurs eighty-three times in the Gospels, and always in the discourses of Jesus]

His centre of action, at this epoch of his life, was the little town of Capernaum, situated on the shore of the lake of Gennesareth The nae,” seenate a sreat towns built according to the Roman method, like Tiberias[1]

That nae of his writings,[2] takes it for the na e situated near it Like Nazareth, Capernaum had no history, and had in no way participated in the profane movement favored by the Herods Jesus was much attached to this town, and made it a second home[3] Soon after his return, he attempted to commence his work at Nazareth, but without success[4] He could not perfor to the sie which existed there about his family, not an important one, injured his authority too ard as the son of David, one whose brother, sister, and brother-in-law they saw every day, and it is rely opposed to him, and plainly refused to believe in his mission[6] The Nazarenes,him from a steep rock[7] Jesus aptly rereat men, and applied to himself the proverb, ”No one is a prophet in his own country”

[Footnote 1: It is true that Tell-Houenerally identified with Capernaum, contains the remains of so doubtful, these monuments may be of the second or third century after Christ]

[Footnote 2: _BJ_, III x 8]

[Footnote 3: Matt ix 1; Mark ii 1]

[Footnote 4: Matt xiii 54, and following; Mark vi 1, and following; Luke iv 16, and following, 23-24; John iv 44]

[Footnote 5: Mark vi 5; cf Matt xii 58; Luke iv 23]

[Footnote 6: Matt xiii 57; Mark vi 4; John vii 3, and following]