Cross, death, side, and burial (John 19:7–39)
he was God; for what the Jews said was also impossible, so that from this too their inconsistency and falsehood are shown. Therefore also as a light idolater Pilate, seized without discernment, was afraid.
Even if you are a ruler, yet finding no fault against me you could not condemn me, unless I willingly by the Father’s good pleasure led myself to suffer.
For in that very feast they killed him.
The evangelist marked the hour because of the resurrection that happened on the third day. The fine scribe, instead of the gamma letter which signifies the third, wrote the marked sign which the Alexandrians call Gabex, which shows the sixth, having much likeness to each other. And through the scribal error the disagreement happened; for instead of third hour he wrote sixth.
Through being crucified in the midst of two robbers the Scripture was fulfilled that says “and he was numbered with the lawless” (Isaiah 53:12). These are a type of the two peoples who are condemned through their sins—or that those who cling to Christ ought to crucify themselves as dying to the former way of life, yet living in newness according to the gospel.
Not finding what to say against him Pilate wrote this, so that he too might not be thought a robber. He publicly proclaimed him king and that the Jews killed their king, writing to mock the Jews. This is “the handwriting” which the sentence against Adam nailed to the cross, which the devil holding led all human beings into death as none wholly doing what seems good to God—and dying for us on the wood he freed us.
The Jews’ impiety reached its end, and he willingly endured the death according to the flesh and bowed the head because the flesh’s tones were dissolving.
He bowed the head; for it was not nailed, and then he expired; for he was Lord of all, though custom has first expiring and then bowing the head. The Jews’ impiety reached its end, and he willingly endured the death according to the flesh and bowed the head because the flesh’s tones had been dissolved. The end shows the separation of the soul from the body.
They pretend to honor the day and ask a favor so that the men may die more quickly. They ask so that another Scripture may again be fulfilled that says a bone of him will not be crushed.
One of the soldiers, disbelieving whether he had died, pierced his side.
The blood shows redemption and the water sanctification. Through water the church is born again and through blood and flesh she is fed.
The evangelist confirms that he himself is the Christ proclaimed beforehand through the Scriptures; for the deeds came out in agreement with what was said about him. Bone is understood as the taut and unbreakable of the mystical word. And since the sheep bore the image of the Lamb of God, one is fed the head of Christ by taking the things about his theology, the feet by being taught the things about his incarnate economy, and the inwards the hidden doctrines; for each of the doctrines about Christ has a hidden and mystical word. Since therefore bone is understood as the taut of the mystery, those who fittingly and harmoniously hold the mystery about Christ—a bone of him will not be crushed. When he comes to judge, then they will see him and mourn.
Those who feared to approach Jesus openly now, with Jews watching, ask for the body. This one was not of the Twelve but of the seventy, and as the Jews’ rage was quenched he approached without fear. And so raw were the Jews that not even the locals endured to bury his body, but the one from
Greek
ἦν θεός· ὃ γὰρ εἶπον οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ἀδύνατον ἦν ὡς καὶ ἐκ τούτου δειχθῆναι αὐτῶν τὸ ἀσύστατον καὶ ψευδές. διὸ καὶ ὡς εἰδωλολάτρης κοῦφος ὁ Πιλᾶτος συναρπαγεὶς ἀδιακρίτως ἐφοβήθη. 594 {3Jο 19, 11}3Κἂν ἄρχων ᾖ, ἀλλ' οὖν μὴ εὑρίσκων κατ' ἐμοῦ πταῖσμα, οὐκ ἠδύνω μου καταψηφίσασθαι, εἰ μὴ ἑκὼν ἐγὼ εὐδοκίᾳ πατρὸς ἤγαγον ἐμαυτὸν εἰς τὸ παθεῖν. 595 {3Jο 19, 14}3Ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ τῇ ἑορτῇ ἀπέκτειναν αὐτόν. 596 {3Jο 19, 14}3Τὴν ὥραν ἐπεσημήνατο ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς διὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τὴν ἐν τῇ τρίτῃ γεγονυῖαν ἡμέρᾳ. ὁ καλλιγράφος ἀντὶ τοῦ γάμμα στοιχείου, ὅπερ σημαίνει τὸ τρίτην, ἔγραψε τὸ ἐπίσημον, ὃ καλοῦσιν οἱ Ἀλεξανδρεῖς Γαβέξ, ὃ δηλοῖ τὴν ἕκτην, πολλὴν ἔχοντα πρὸς ἑαυτὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα. καὶ διὰ τοῦ γραφικοῦ σφάλματος γέγονεν ἡ διαφωνία· ἀντὶ γὰρ τρίτης ὥρας ἕκτην ἔγραψεν. 597 {3Jο 19, 18}3∆ιὰ τοῦ σταυρωθῆναι ἐν μέσῳ δύο λῃστῶν ἐπληρώθη ἡ γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα «καὶ μετὰ ἀνόμων ἐλογίσθη». τύπος εἰσὶν οὗτοι τῶν δύο λαῶν τῶν ὄντων κατακρίτων διὰ τὰς αὐτῶν ἁμαρτίας ἢ ὅτι οἱ Χριστῷ κολλώμενοι ὀφείλουσι σταυροῦν ἑαυτοὺς ὡσανεὶ ἀποθνῄσκοντες τῇ πρώτῃ διαγωγῇ, ζῶντες δὲ ἐν καινότητι κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. 598 {3Jο 19, 19}3Μὴ εὑρὼν τί εἴπῃ κατ' αὐτοῦ ὁ Πιλᾶτος ἔγραψε τοῦτο, ἵνα μὴ νομισθῇ καὶ αὐτὸς εἶναι λῃστής. βασιλέα αὐτὸν δημοσίᾳ ἀνηγόρευσε καὶ ὅτι οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι τὸν βασιλέα αὐτῶν ἀνεῖλον, διασύρων Ἰουδαίους ἔγραψεν. τοῦτό ἐστι «τὸ χειρόγραφον», ὃ προσήλωσε τῷ σταυρῷ ἡ κατὰ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἀπόφασις, ὅπερ ὁ διάβολος κατέχων πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἀπέφερεν εἰς θάνατον ὡς μηδενὸς ποιοῦντος ὁλοσχερῶς τὸ τῷ θεῷ δοκοῦν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ ξύλῳ ἀποθανὼν ἠλευθέρωσεν ἡμᾶς. 599 {3Jο 19, 30}3Εἰς πέρας ἔφθασεν ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δυσσέβεια καὶ ἑκὼν ὑπέμεινε τὸν κατὰ σάρκα θάνατον καὶ ἔκλινε τὴν κεφαλὴν διὰ τὸ ἐκλύεσθαι τοὺς τῆς σαρκὸς τόνους. 600 {3Jο 19, 30}3Τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔκλινεν· αὕτη γὰρ οὐ προσήλωτο καὶ τότε ἐξέπνευσεν· καὶ γὰρ τοῦ παντὸς ἦν κύριος, καίπερ τοῦ ἔθους ἔχοντος πρῶτον ἐκπνεῖν καὶ τότε τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνειν. εἰς πέρας ἔφθασεν ἡ τῶν Ἰουδαίων δυσσέβεια καὶ ἑκὼν ὑπέμεινε τὸν κατὰ σάρκα θάνατον καὶ ἔκλινεν τὴν κεφαλὴν διὰ τὸ ἐκλελύσθαι τοὺς τῆς σαρκὸς τόνους. ἡ τελευτὴ δηλοῖ τὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος τῆς ® ψυχῆς χωρισμόν. 601 {3Jο 19, 31 36}3Προσποιοῦνται τιμᾶν τὴν ἡμέραν καὶ αἰτοῦσι χάριν, ὥστε ταχύτερον ἀποθανεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους. αἰτοῦσιν, ἵνα πληρωθῇ πάλιν ἄλλη γραφὴ ἡ λέγουσα ὀστοῦν οὐ συντριβήσεται αὐτοῦ. 602 {3Jο 19, 34}3Ἀπιστῶν τις τῶν στρατιωτῶν, εἰ ἀπέθανεν, ἔνυξεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πλευράν. 603 {3Jο 19, 34}3Τὸ αἷμα δηλοῖ τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸν ἁγιασμόν. δι' ὕδατος ἡ ἐκκλησία ® ἀναγεννᾶται καὶ δι' αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς τρέφεται. 604 {3Jο 19, 36 37}3Πιστοῦται ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ διὰ τῶν γραφῶν προαναφωνηθείς· συνῳδὰ γὰρ τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ λεχθεῖσιν ἐξέβη τὰ πράγματα. ὀστοῦν νοεῖται τὸ εὔτονον καὶ ἄθραυστον τοῦ μυστικοῦ λόγου. ἐπειδὴ δὲ εἰκόνα ἔφερε τὸ πρόβατον τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τρέφεταί τις τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὰ περὶ τῆς θεολογίας αὐτοῦ ἐκλαμβάνων, τοὺς δὲ πόδας διδασκόμενος τὰ περὶ τῆς ἐνσάρκου αὐτοῦ οἰκονομίας, τὰ δὲ ἐντόσθια τὰ ἀπόκρυφα δόγματα· ἕκαστον γὰρ τῶν περὶ Χριστοῦ δογμάτων ἀπόκρυφον ἔχει καὶ μυστικὸν λόγον. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὀστοῦν νοεῖται τὸ εὔτονον τοῦ μυστηρίου, οἱ ἁρμοδίως καὶ συμφώνως κατέχον τες τὸ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ μυστήριον, ὀστοῦν οὐ συντριβήσεται αὐτοῦ. ὅτε ἔρχεται κρῖναι, τότε ὄψονται αὐτὸν ® καὶ θρηνήσουσιν. 605 {3Jο 19, 38 39}3Οἱ δεδιότες φανερῶς πλησιάσαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ νῦν ὁρώντων Ἰουδαίων αἰτοῦσι τὸ σῶμα. οὗτος οὐ τῶν ιβʹ ἦν, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἑβδομήκοντα καὶ ὡς σβεσθέντος τοῦ θυμοῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀδεῶς προσῄει. οὕτω δὲ ὠμοὶ ἦσαν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ὅτι οὔτε θάψαι αὐτοῦ τὸ σῶμα ἠνέσχοντο οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀπὸ ®