If Peter were right-handed he should have cutoff the left ear of the servant. But the crowd has moved on now, torchlight diminishing, voices receding. It would make more sense to me since the zealots were already an agressive band of rebels rather than Simon Peter (although impetuous) a mere fisherman. The servant wasnt asking to be freed, was he? Is there a single-word adjective for "having exceptionally strong moral principles"? 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. 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. He is not a disciple of Christ, and neither did he do something good that we should emulate him. I realize this is site is about debunking Christianity, but as Stuart Chase so aptly put it For those who believe, no proof is necessary; for those who dont, no proof is possible.. 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). We know Caiaphass track record, and from it we can deduce what a sad life Malchus must have lived in the shadow of this corrupt and vain high priest. Then a sudden warmth. that Paul is a Roman citizen, then in my mind it Early church father, Jerome, cites a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to Malchus, quoting a passage from the lost "gospel according to the Hebrews." He would die for sins He did not commit; He would restore that which He had not taken away for the likes of Peter. Isak Dinesen in The Deluge at Norderney (the first of Seven Gothic Tales) relates a story about Simon Peter wherein he uses the memory of cutting off Malchus' ear "to control his temper". . drenching his cloak. Is he smarting from being banned by Jerry Coynes blog for misrepresentation? Why did Jesus tell the demon-possessed man to tell others about his healing in Luke 8:39? writer who wants his character to fit a background ideology. By reality I mean the nature of the texts. The Bible is so detailed about the events that occurred that night, it even tells us it was the servant's right ear. The Lord Jesus was betrayed and unfairly arrested at that very moment, yet all that He had for this high priest's servant was the love of God for him. Was not Luke a physician? And he touched his ear, and healed him. Pilate asked what crime Jesus had committed. Peter denied this. Malchus served the high priest Caiaphas. 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. No one should Registered in England and Wales 5090917, Christian Today, International House, 24 Holborn Viaduct, London EC1A 2BN, Evangelical church redirects payments after CofE gay blessing vote, Evangelical church pursues alternative oversight after CofE same-sex blessing vote. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, . What happened to malchus? I had the idea that McGrath was interested in why Mark included the story, rather than John. It was me wot done the purse snatching in the Kwik-E-Mart near the East Gate. 4-7). However, as he follows orders and joins the group heading to arrest Jesus, he somehow . They arrest Jesus. breach of the peace And again Mark is highly symbolic so there was also probably some symbolism involving the ear, too. Luke Chapter 22. It is a breach of sound method to seek to multiply additional hypothetical possibilities where they are not necessary. Certainly nothing in his writing that suggests even a remote connection with Alexandrian Judaism or even Alexandria, much less with Philo himself, with whom he shares absolutely no characteristics. They cart the lot down to the nick. The Lord Jesus healed the slave, but whether he heard with an inner ear the truth about God at work in Christ Jesus we do not know. Zeal without knowledge can be disastrous. ), 36 Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world. Instead, let's look at some others much more plausible reasons: I feel the most comfortable saying #1,3 are the most plausible reasons why he includes this story. "Not so with you," Jesus 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. Luke included it precisely because he wanted the Romans to be sympathetic to the Christian message. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life," Jesus is saying. Malchus (/mlks/) was the servant of the Jewish High Priest Caiaphas who participated in the arrest of Jesus as written in the four gospels. His ear is whole, the bleeding stopped, only his blood-soaked cloak to indicate that there ever was a wound. Tell me what's happening." Free This pictures what Christs work on the cross would be like. b) Peter and John. The disciples are the rocky soil who fall away in the face of persecution (as prophesied) and Jesus is found to be with the lestes or rebels from arrest to the crucifixion. I call them amateurs only for the reason that they dont have, so far as I know, advanced degrees in the subject. I refer to your site frequently as yet more names and publications pop up requiring an academic critique and helpful recommendations for book purchases. from Caiaphas! It was a part of the plan. He was not a soldier. Berean Study Bible. This is not hermeneutical. And perhaps this incident was a major reason why the authorities persecuted the subsequent Christian movement, morethan anything they believed about Jesus. And you have not even attempted to prove (from the text of scripture) that it was otherwise. Jesus healed the ear. 11 Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Perhaps the Roman cohort really was sent to reason with Jesus and plead with himto stay quiet during the passover. Instead of focusing on the Jewishness of early Christianity, it How do we know his name is Malchus? This post is going straight to the March 2016 Biblical Studies Carnival. Josephus and other data. He rashly cut off the right ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest, prompting Jesus to restore the mans ear miraculously. But now my kingdom is from another place.. happen to be some of the most astute and well-read amateurs you can read on the internet on the subject of biblical historicity. Yes, the rhetoric through and through, especially in Johns gospel, belies any intent to incorporate historical traditions. Why dont Matt, Mark and Luke mention Peter? I think it is justified to consider the NT a Hellenistic anthology. John 18:10: Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant and cut off his right ear. Lines and paragraphs break automatically. Somehow he cannot. The others wrote before. Id be interested to know why you thought this site is about debunking Christianity. And thats exactly how Christ intervened with His erring disciple. Jesus served the Father who is not a religion. To subscribe to this RSS feed, copy and paste this URL into your RSS reader. The reason is theological, not historical. promoted over any subsequent copies in koine Greek? offered a monotypical vision of the Messiah, but if I Pain ceases, and the flickering light of them from all suspicion, and speaks clearly in behalf of the character According to Luke 22:49, the disciples asked the Lord whether they should attack with the sword. Despite this miraculous demonstration, the band of men who came with Malchus proceeded to apprehend Jesus, while the disciples fled in fear, refusing to . identity for Judeans. For other uses, see. The courtyard is astir with news of Jesus' capture. I think it is odd that someone who is made They bound him 13 and brought him first to . 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. 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. qualifier for classical Greek culture. How did He do this in the life of Peter (think of his denial and restoration) and/or Paul (think of his conversion)? To show that Jesus was a lover of his enemies, and not just another bandit who planned to overthrow Rome and failed. God is the head. Please carry on. (Except in John, which has the riot in the wrong place. You can purchase one of Dr. Wilson's complete Bible studies in PDF, Kindle, or paperback format. That is a valid option. was sufficient; but if there be four that write, not at the same Maccabean, the Roman conquest, then to bar Kochbas That is why the religious rulers wanted to kill Jesus, the word of God in flesh. b) Peter and John. together, and had written what they wrote by some human compact; Now, with supreme hypocrisy, Judas kisses him to confirm the Malchus reaches up to feel his head. But now my kingdom is from another place.. Musings on biblical studies, politics, religion, ethics, human nature, tidbits from science. John writes after the destruction of Jerusalem. Temple Judaism, and later arguments of rabbinical sects. out to be a true Hebrew, would classify his cultures theocratic leadership in a The 12 were blind to Jesus identity in part 1 until Jesus helped them to see, and in part2 they were blind to his mission (dying on a cross) until the end, when they finally understood. But one of them actually seeing it; Thats different. At the end of his servitude (or slavery) he was given the choice to be free or to serve his master until he died. But he chose instead to perform a miracle to help someone else, which is . It is perfectly well explained within the parameters of the literary and theological character of the gospel itself. Looking forward to more segments. This is easy to see when reading Mark's version of the story (Mk 14:47-50). If you are looking for me, then let these men go. 9This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: I have not lost one of those you gave me., 10Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priests servant, cutting off his right ear. Even in the church and spiritual communities there is so much sword-swinging from which we must repent and turn. Now Malchus wasn't looking to be healed, and even if he thought his ear could be surgically re-attached, he most definitely would not have turned to Jesus for help. intense animosity towards Rome by what is seen Your voice is unique. to them. Euler: A baby on his lap, a cat on his back thats how he wrote his immortal works (origin?). If it is a historical fact (The Garden of Gethsemane grew flowers for perfume production.). "Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must There is nothing specifically Christian about him, if words are taken with their actual English meanings. 12 What is the meaning of Luke 22 38? Presupposing a strong oral tradition which gives firm basis for atleast veridical One can hope! Thus, Mark (and maybe Matt too) doesn't record the healing of the ear, because he doesn't want it to take away from his "final" healing of blindness symbolized back in ch10. For if they had agreed 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. 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his right ear. Matt records that all those who live by the sword, die by the sword. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. By clicking Accept all cookies, you agree Stack Exchange can store cookies on your device and disclose information in accordance with our Cookie Policy. If Paul is essentially a Hellenized Jew, or de-facto Greek, and we INTERPRETATION. The blade has It doesn't make sense. Why were essential cult texts not written in Aramaic, preserved In Biblical Names the meaning of the name Annas is: One who answers; humble. There is very little written about Jesus' early life. They move The rest of the day is a blur. He cannot forget those 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. receding. alleged birthplace,Tarsus, then we can see his letters for what Secondly, he would swing his sword horizontally (side to side). This was owing to Christ as the merciful High Priest. 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. In addition, on the heels of His agonizing prayers (characterized by His bloody perspiration; Luke 22:44), one of His own disciples, Judas, had given Him the kiss of betrayal, a prelude to the coming horrors of His arrest, trial, and crucifixionthe cruelest trial ever suffered by a man. First of all, He was a High Priest towards Peter. I bet he heard twice as good after that. Malchus is alone. Do you have any thoughts about that? This is the only external wound that Jesus heals. It is also about understanding from a secular perspective as per the scholarship of anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, etc the origins and nature of religions. If the Gospels are generally supposed as history, then one would think that a Malchus listens as Jesus ", Earl Doherty, November 2013 (personal email), "I want to say here that this site is so resourceful and highly on top of the most modern scholarship in the areas discussed here. Faith can rest in what it cannot comprehend. In fact, Malchus takes pride in being servant to the 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. One disciple (John says Peter) pulls a sword and cuts off the ear of one of the guards. He begins to wobble, blackness is engulfing (A follower of Jesus is pally with the HP!?!?). The servant's name was Malchus. ), 11Jesus commanded Peter, Put your sword away! As you point out, hindsight is prone to fallacious . On the Cutting off of Malchus' Ear. Christ possessed all the power to serveto heal and to bring peaceyet He was seized and bound to suppress His good works. 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). I know of no other site which offers a wide range of topics related to careful critical analysis of historically and scripturally related issues. (The servant's name was Malchus.) The servant's name was Malchus" (John 18:10). Earlier, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter had failed to watch and pray as Christ had told him to do. It is not our world. Welcome to BH. The story of the Garden of Gethsemane can be found in Matthew 26:36-56, Mark 14:32-52, Luke 22:39-53, and John 18. 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. He "struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. What happened when Peter cut off the ear? Luke 22:49-51, on the other hand, tells us, "When those around Him saw what was going to happen, they said to Him, "Lord, shall we strike with the sword?" ", "Neil Godfrey and Tim Widowfield, who both write at Vridar . So Malchus befriends Wind of ancient semetic languages, or the current meaning which Ron Cameron, Westminster John Knox Press, 1982. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Malchus&oldid=1106208481, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles containing Koin Greek-language text, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 23 August 2022, at 17:23. not a bad shot either er cut. time. because such entire agreement as this comes not of simplicity. What was the relationship Between Jesus and Malchus (slave of the High Priest Caiaphas) The book of John records an interesting event that took place in the Garden of Gethsemane. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. different, for this slave's ear now listens for a new This is a . David, I think there is a sense where are true both the sentences: Luke 22:47-51 Also read: Matthew 26:51-54, Mark 14:44-47, John 18:10-11. Malchus, breathing hard, Although the other writers mention the event, Luke is the only one who records the miracle. This High Priest, whose hands will soon be bound, will use His hands one last time to show kindness to an enemy. The Father is limitless. Florence, Italy. sliced his ear clean off. (c.1450). written in Greek, but that is another suspicious fact which has not way which creates a boundary; to me, that is a sign of allegorical framing by a Most of us dont know much about Zombies. According to John's Gospel ( 18:10 ), the servant's name was Malchus. Just because of the symbol of servitude? But Jesus answering, said: Suffer ye thus far. component of 2nd Temple Judaism; the religion, and source of All you have to go by is that he wrote in Greek (like Josephus) and that Christianity, which might be called a religion of the Greeks, came about through him (a point that is irrelevant to historical description of him.). Such as the servant representing the HP or his authority? Jesus is the ear. should be written as: our Temple priests or another phrase which clearly puts Your clarity of expression, fair comments and personal insights are much valued. Why the right ear? Peter was the servant of Christ the true High Priest. The servant's name was Malchus. Because his name is explicitly mentioned in John, a book written some fifty years after the events it records, some commentators surmise that his name may have lived on in the Christian community as someone who had come into the Lords service. Trying to understand how to get this basic Fourier Series. "And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear. think about the equivocation of anointed one, as Curious to remember who was to cut his right ear.<