Mark 16

Chap. XVI. Ver. 9—20. Jesus, upon his resurrection, ap- Alexandrian MSS.; seven of them, at least, in the Codex Beza; in the old Syriac, the Arabic, the Vulgate, and the old Italic, and other ancient versions, and in the Commentaries of Theophylact. They are quoted by Ambrose, Augustin, and Leo, styled the Great; and verse 19 in particular, is so cited by Ireneus in the second century, as ple ap to believe they were all in his copy. See Horne’s Introduction, 4th edition, vol. iv. p. 254, &c. CONCLUDING REMARKS ON Mark, the writer of the preceding Gospel, was doubtless born of Jewish parents, of the tribe of Levi, and the line of the priesthood. He was sister’s son to Peter, and by some is thought to have been one of the 70 disciples; while others suppose, that he was converted by Peter’s ministry; but, ais hy there is no other reason for this, than because he calls him i¢ son.—Mark was constantly with Peter; he accompanied his apostolical progress, and preached the Gospel in Italy.

and at Rome; where, at the request of the Christians of those parts, he composed and wrote his Gospel. By Peter he was sent into Egypt, there to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation. Eusebius says, that so great was the success of his ministry, that he was instrumental in converting multitudes of men and women. The vigilant enemy of the souls THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. (LUKE, to whom this Gospel has been uniformly attributed from the earliest ages of the Christian Church, is generally allowed to have been “ the beloved physician” mentioned by St. Paul; ((Colossians 4:14).;) and as he was the companion of that Apostle, in all his labours and sufferings, for many years, ((Acts 16:12). xx. 1—6; xxvii.

1, 2; xxviii. 13-16. 2 ‘Ti. iv. 11. Phil. 24.) and wrote “the Acts of the Apostles,” which conclude with a brief account of St. Paul’s imprisonment at Rome, we may be assured thathe had the Apostle’s sanction to what he did; and probably this Gospel was written some time before that event, about A. D. 63 or 64, as is generally supposed. He would appear, from (Colossians 4:10-11), and his intimate acquaintance with the Greek language, as well as from his Greek ee to have been of Gentile extraction; and ac- Ver. 18. They shall take up serpents, &c.—[It is fully asserted here, that the Apostles of our Lord should not lose their life by poison, and there is neither record nor tradition to disprove it.

But it is worthy of remark, that Mohammed, who styled himself the apostle of God, lost his life by poison; and, had he been a true prophet, or a true apostle of God, he would not have fallen into the snare.]—Bagster. THE GOSPEL OF ST. MARK. of men would not allow his success to be uninterrupted; accordingly, when at Alexandria, the multitudes being assembled for their idolatrous solemnities, broke in upon him during his engagements in the service of God’s house, and binding his hands and feet with cords, dragged him through the streets until his flesh was dreadfully, lacerated and his blood gushed out: nature sunk * under such tortures, and he soon became a sacrifice to the rage of an infuriated and persecuting populace.

_ Tradition states, that Mark was of a middle size and. stature, his nose long, his eyebrows turning back, his oie graceful and amiable, his head bald, his — long and gray, his gait quick, and the constitution of his body strong and cording to Eusebius and others, he was a native of Antioch. But, from the Hebraisms occurring in his writings, and especially from his accurate knowledge of the Jewish rites, ceremonies, and customs, it is highly probable that he was a Jewish proselyte, and afterwards converted to Christianity. ‘Though he may not have been, as some have affirmed. one of the seventy disciples, and an eye-witness of our Saviour’s miracles, yet bis intercourse with the Apostles, and those who were eye-witnesses of the works, and ear-witnesses of the words of Christ, renders him an unexceptionable witness, if considered merely as a historian; and the early and unanimous reception of his Gospel, = divinely inspired, is sufficient to satisfy every reasonable person.]—Bag.

Notes on the verses

Chap. XVI. Ver 1–8. And when the sabbath was past—That is, soon after six on the Saturday evening —Mary Magdalene, &c.—‘These verses are parallel with the first eight of the last chapter of Matthew. ‘ Ver. 2. And very early.—|{ West supposes, that the women made two different visits to the sepulchre; and in consequence of that, two distinct reports to the disciples;—that Mary Magdalene, with the other Mary and Salome, set out not only early, but very early io the morning, before the time appointed to meet Joanna and the other women there. | ((Luke 24:10).) This interpretation, which is adopted by several eminent writers, is very probable, and reconciles the apparent discrepancy in the Evangelists.

|}—Bagster. Ver. 5. A young man sitting.—(This appears to have been a different angel from that mentioned by St, Matthew. The latter sat in the porch of the tomb, and had assumed a terrible appearance to overawe the guard; ((Matthew 28:1).;) but this appeared ds a young man, within the sepulchre, in the tnner apartment. ‘The two angels cos of by St. John (Chap. xx. 11.) appeared some time after these; but whether they were the same or different cannot be ascertained; neither can it be affirmed that the angels which manifested them. selves to the second party of women, recorded by St. Luke, (ch. xxiv. 4.) were the same or different. |—Bagster. Ver. 7. And Peter, &c.—Particularly tell Peter, “lest he be swallowed up with over much sorrow.”

‘Thus the Lord raises up the bowed down. Ver. 9–20. Now when Jesus was risen, &c.—These twelve verses are wanting in many MSS., and in the canons of es, but they are in the