We have already on several occasions referred to the attitude which the
writer of the fourth Gospel assumes towards the Jews. Apart from the
fact that he places Christianity generally in strong antagonism to
Judaism, as light to darkness, truth to a lie, and presents the doctrine
of a hypostatic Trinity in the most developed form to be found in the
New Testament, in striking contrast to the three Synoptics, and in
contradiction to Hebrew Monotheism, he writes at all times as one who
not only is not a Jew himself, but has nothing to do with their laws and
customs. He speaks everywhere of the feasts "of the Jews," "the passover
of the Jews," "the manner of the purifying of the Jews," "the Jews'
feast of tabernacles," "as the manner of the Jews is to bury," "the
Jews' preparation day," and so on.(2) The Law of Moses is spoken of as
"your law," "their law," as of a people with which the writer was not
connected.(3) Moreover, the Jews are represented as continually in
virulent opposition to Jesus, and seeking to kill him; and the word
"Jew" is the unfailing indication of the enemies of the truth, and the
persecutors of the Christ.(4) The Jews are not once spoken of as the
favoured people of God, but they are denounced as "children of
the devil," who is "the father of lies and a murderer from the
beginning."(5) The author makes Caiaphas and the chief
1 Most critics agree that the characteristics of the fourth
Gospel render the supposition that it was the work of an old
man untenable.
{415}
priests and Pharisees speak of the Jewish people not as [------], but as
[------], the term employed by the Jews to designate the Gentiles.(1) We
need scarcely point out that the Jesus of the fourth Gospel is no longer
of the race of David, but the Son of God. The expectation of the Jews
that the Messiah should be of the seed of David is entirely set aside,
and the genealogies of the first and third Synoptics tracing his descent
are not only ignored, but the whole idea absolutely excluded.
Then the writer calls Annas the high priest, although at the same time
Caiaphas is represented as holding that office.(2) The expression which
he uses is: "Caiaphas being the high priest that year"[------]. This
statement, made more than once, indicates the belief that the office
was merely annual, which is erroneous. Josephus states with regard to
Caiaphas, that he was high priest for ten years from A.D. 25--36.(3)
Ewald and others argue that the expression "that year" refers to the
year in which the
{416}
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