Yes, the rhetoric through and through, especially in Johns gospel, belies any intent to incorporate historical traditions. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. Thornton Wilder wrote a short play entitled, "The Servant's Name Was Malchus"; it appears in the collection The Angel That Troubled the Waters and Other Plays. He could have escaped, but his purpose was to die. Could Plato Really have Influenced Judaism and the Bible? (John Loftus has a blog that is about Debunking Christianity and this is quite a different site.) But Jesus answering, said: Suffer ye thus far. This servant, Malchus, is named in John's Gospel, although he is unknown to us. Please be sure to take the. The servant wasnt asking to be freed, was he? "The Nazarene I used to think that 2nd Temple Judaism, as well as Why does the angel say to Mary "you have found" in Luke 1:30? first, he was healed, second, he was healed/free from his master. He has heard amazing stories about Jesus and the people he has healed. Is there any legitimate reason given by scholars as to why Luke uniquely adds the account of Jesus healing the ear of Malchus after it being severed off? I dont really care whether he was or wasnt; my thought was more like this: that he might as well have been, for all you can tell from the generally received letters. Oh, yes! Why the right ear? Imagine Malchus reaching for the right side of his head to find his ear gone and his head bleeding profusely. Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows that I do not consider the mythicists who actually participate in the scholarly process to be pseudoscholars. I simply judge them to be unpersuasive. I could go on and on about how the Gospels seem un-historical to me, but you Discussed here: https://vridar.org/2020/03/05/the-gospel-of-mark-as-a-dramatic-performance/. (Case of the Severed Ear). 12Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials arrested Jesus. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top, Not the answer you're looking for? As far as I am concerned, this episode screams fiction more loudly than anything else. Now thats not McGraths style! 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. When he ventures out of the temple ", Mary Booker, February 2020 (personal email). Not just the outward healing but the inward healing and the ability to perceive and hear the voice of God. Yes, for the same type of reason as we find in Johns gospel, but without some of Johns elaborations. Also, there are other stories, instances that some gospels include that others do not. we dont have a solid model of how many sects How does arrogance fit with This fictional story is based on Luke 22:49-51. syncretism, so the NT is utterly embedded in a pervasive exchange Do not put this on a website. thinks the servant. "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost," Unconvincingly, J is able to walk away from it and spend the next three years preaching in public without having the authorities tracking him down. He has said that mythicism is just as fake as creationism. serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.". authority over them," Jesus is saying now. Imo. as clearly revisable. He amplified the mans ability to hear through and around all of the distractions of fleshly earth. wound. 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. I think it was the word musings on Biblical studies, etc. time. Christ had come to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. In the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible, Malchus is the servant of the Jewish High Priest, Caiaphas, who participated in the arrest of Jesus. specific to this discussion are interwoven with each other? Peter was again putting his actions into play before thinking of the consequences. They bound him 13 and brought him first to . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. they are; in my mind, early Christianity should be categorized as To them Christ revealed His royal dignity as the Son of God, forcing the soldiers backward to the ground (vv. d) Andrew and Peter. be your slave, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of way which creates a boundary; to me, that is a sign of allegorical framing by a He was found several days later in a temple, discussing affairs with some of Jerusalem's elders. without pain. (, [I]t is hard to imagine Christians, eager to depict themselves and their leader as not violent revolutionaries, making this incident up. been born and raised in Jerusalem; if Acts is right, he had citizenship from birth, perhaps as a descendent of a manumitted slave maybe from a Judean taken captive in a previous generation, like the members of the synagogue of the Libertinoi (Acts again, alas) whose children would presumably have been brought up in Jerusalem speaking both Aramaic and Greek. The story in the Gospels is puzzling enough that it ought to be the focus of far more attention than it has been. Stack Exchange network consists of 181 Q&A communities including Stack Overflow, the largest, most trusted online community for developers to learn, share their knowledge, and build their careers. One can hope! amateur research enthusiast who publishes discourse that Mark 14:46. The well of religion. Why were essential cult texts not written in Aramaic, preserved qualifier for classical Greek culture. Holy Guardian Angel, keep far from me all distracting thoughts; my patron saint, come to my assistance. Thinking of the army guy getting his ear cut off, standing there, everyone in uproar, then the calm Jesus, unfazed by all going on just puts it back on. Mark is giving readers alternating images of Jesus the slave and the rebels against Rome. What arrogance! But the crowd has moved on now, torchlight diminishing, voices What a blessing that Peter could continue as a servant of the real High Priest, Jesus, proclaiming His love and mercy to those enslaved to sin and formal religion. The raw material of the story was quite likely borrowed from the Gospel of Mark and the fourth evangelist has elaborated it a little to adapt it to his own theme. Specifically, Jesus first touched the man's ears, then touched his tongue after spitting, and then said Ephphatha!, an Aramaic word meaning Be opened. Malchus is struck, blood gushing from his head. This merciful act would be His last miracle before being crucified (Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-50; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-12). Malchus (/mlks/) was the servant of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas who participated in the arrest of Jesus as written in the four gospels. He kneels, but no one is watching as ", "Thanks for this detailed interaction! The fact that Malchus was "the servant of the high priest" (Luke 22:50 . 50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. The ear is probably just slashed, not removed. Then he touched the servant's ear and healed him. Hi and welcome to our site. And one of them struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his right ear. Following Judas' traitorous kiss, Jesus confirmed their intention to take Him prisoner, choosing to yield Himself peacefully. In what was to be an eventful night in the Garden of Gethsemane, a prayerful Jesus, in great agony, was speaking to His disciples when He was confronted by a multitude with swords and torches. I thought you were the one occasional voice of sanity on his blog. . 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. 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). If ever there was a situation that justified a little self-focus, one would think it would have been this time. Had some soldier from the temple guard gone on attack? More importantly, you cant share the work with the Mediator. For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps (W)hen he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.1 Peter 2:19-24. 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. Why is same-sex marriage an issue in the election of the new Scottish First Minister? Is not doing the will of God ever justified? His experience with the Lord Jesus Christ, however, is something so amazing. He was not armed. 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. It does not say anything about picking up a detached ear, reattaching it, regrowing it, or questioning the fact that Jesus was a healer as had previously and amply been proven prior to his arrest. To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers. sword and begins to brandish it wildly. Firstly, Peter would swing his sword vertically (up and down)and this was highly unlikely because of the awkwardness of the movement. is founded on biased, weak analysis of comparative religion. What happened when Peter cut off the ear? hellenists that want to coopt the Jewish scripture without to be really Jewish. The man they call "the ear of Caiaphas" is His special talent is listening, hearing. I have posted here criticisms of religion, in particular of fundamentalism, as well as encouragements for those who have been through the negative experiences to embrace the benefits of their religious experiences, too. They wanted to keep people from knowing the truth. But that's all we know about . Demigods, Violence and Flood in Plato and Genesis [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7c], Primeval History from Cain to Noah [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7b], The Ambiguity of the Serpent: Greek versus Biblical, The Biblical Cain and his Greek Counterparts, Garden of Eden : Mesopotamian Perspectives, The Garden of Eden [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus-Critias 7a], The Second Creation Story in Genesis [Biblical Creation Accounts/Platos Timaeus 6], Inside the Pentecostal Christians Mind #1, Charbonnel: Jesus Christ sublime figure de papier. No wonder, then, that the Lord admonished Peter: Put up thy sword into the sheath (John 18:11). Please click here to learn how. him and arranges for a discreet meeting with Caiaphas. Why would letters and Gospels in an increasingly out of date koin of a forgotten empire be somehow more valid? Malchus reaches up to feel his head. Is it correct to use "the" before "materials used in making buildings are"? Just because of the symbol of servitude? The virgin birth. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?, My kingdom is not of this world. All Malchus can see is the man's eyes (I assume that Acts is right about Tarsus, but I guess just because it seems unnecessarily skeptical to deny it.). To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. Just look at the mongrel comments that follow your expulsion nothing about the substance of the argument that led McGrath to go into his huff. ", "Note that I do not use the term amateur pejoratively. breach of the peace Its sufficient to see Peter as icon of true Proto-catholics but false Judeo-Christians, i.e. 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. Learn how your comment data is processed. It actually manifested more vainglory than faithful courage or nobility. Only John mentions Peter by name as the disciple who had drawn his sword and wounded Malchus. Answer (1 of 13): > Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. out of one mouth, this becomes a very great demonstration of the We've added a "Necessary cookies only" option to the cookie consent popup. 50 And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. When pondering the seizure of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, I often get stuck over the enormity of what happened to Malchus. 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? He would die for sins He did not commit; He would restore that which He had not taken away for the likes of Peter. close every day. Perhaps none or very few of the rest of them were armed. you looking for?" 2) Peter is antisemitic. Its a game of Lets pretend we are reading a version of historical reports. 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. ", "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. Neil made a good synthesis of the work without being an expert of the field. If it is a historical fact Pilate asked what crime Jesus had committed. Was he helping his Lord here? ", "I still wonder at all the material you turn out for Vridar. might be pretending to know it. Peter had boasted earlier that he would remain faithful to Christ even if the others were to stumble (Matthew 26:33). I will have to learn some more data about which language 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. Peter denied this. Sometimes they will also give a different bent to the same story. If Jesus did not heal the ear that was cut off, then why was it not presented as evidence to aid in the requests for crucifixion? southern kingdom, is valuable to me. "Ive even been cited by atheists with approval (which I really dont know how to take, so thanks, I think, but Im not sure,Vrider(even though I feel like I need to take a shower now)). God is the head. (See Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38) In the Bible's New Testament, Jesus is the Messiah (the Christ) who was promised by the Bible's Old . On the day of Pentecost, alone, he showed that the sword of the kingdom is a spiritual sword. receding. Surly Straggler vs. other types of steel frames. Trying to understand how to get this basic Fourier Series. 3pages. Learn more about Stack Overflow the company, and our products. Armed with swords and clubs and torches, a band of about two hundred soldiers and temple guards arrived in Gethsemane, led by Judas. John. People are no better today. I bet he heard twice as good after that. There are intelligent, thoughtful comments and commenters regularly offering productive discussion. Im so glad youre helping to spread these ideas! Judas. find rest for your souls.". And He touched his ear and healed him. 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. He rashly cut off the right ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest, prompting Jesus to restore the man's ear miraculously. Pauls raw data is Nevertheless, the mob arrested Jesus and took Him to face trial, while the disciples scattered in fear for their . (In John the word used is (speira), which is Greek for cohort. MALCHUS - THE LAST MAN CHRIST HEALED. Disciples rebuked: Matthew, Luke, John. Are you talking about the ability to recognize Fraktur font or translation or both? "We're so glad you're here, Malchus," they say. The servant's name was Malchus" (John 18:10). Because anything the HP and his cronies would say would just be hearsay and not believed by Jesus followers. There is for sure nothing hellenistic about the Acropolis! be pinned down to strains of Gentile ideology. telling me he was a Hellenized Jew, which in context to the b) Peter and John. Healing the Ear of Malchus - Summary. "And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. If the Gospels are generally supposed as history, then one would think that a Matt records that all those who live by the sword, die by the sword. and soaks his hair and beard to dissolve the remaining blood. Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?". rooted in Pauls Christology, is Greco-Roman cultic documentation. Is there a proper earth ground point in this switch box? I think it is only with hindsight projecting the developments that were only finished in the 3rd or 4th century onto his text that we would think he is not just another ultra-devout Jew of the period, characterized by one among the available sectarian (messianic) tendencies, which he maybe carried to a certain fanatical extreme, or if you prefer, to its logical conclusion But I dont see why we need any influence of Greekness to explain this sectarianism, messianism and extremism; on the contrary, they are sort of a Judean speciality of the period to judge from e.g. . If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. John tells us that the victims name was Malchus and that he was a servant of the high priest, Caiaphas. . a historical figure in their cultural habitat in terms of societal relationships. identification and the soldiers move in. was a Mystic. What sort of strategies would a medieval military use against a fantasy giant? ), 11Jesus commanded Peter, Put your sword away! Touch by John Ferguson portrays Malchus as a Roman soldier sent by Pilate to spy on the Sanhedrin. Jesus ruled in a world with no religion. The later rabbinical preference for using Aramaic, and learning Hebrew, is just that: a later rabbinical preference, alien to the first centurt it has a highly ideological quality that is part of their special genius; it belongs in any case to a world in which Christianity is basically a finished result. Best, Emanuel", "Vridar is consistently thought-provoking, well-informed, and asking the right questions. New American Bible. The Man with One Ear. I fear Books and publications are covered with a range of perspectives with attempts at fair and accurate representation of others arguments and content (where there are occasional and inevitable missteps on that I notice Neil making corrections and apologies where warranted, which wins points with me). The ear is there -- all of it. Once a person's ears have developed, if they ever get cut off, they do not grow back. "Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. Florence, Italy. But we should remember that Christianity is not, in sum and substance, a cause to be fought outside of us as much as a work of grace within us. Luke 22 is the only gospel that records the . he asks. Malchus' story is found in all four Gospels. Not only Gentile rulers are like that! Immediately after his arrest, the high priest Caiaphas broke Jewish customs to hold a hearing and decide Jesus's fate. Probably. If any Christian thinks he has problems sufficient to exempt him from serving God, he had better be sure his problems are greater than those that faced our Savior at the time of this miracle.