Chapter LXXVIII.—Of the Question Whether There is Any Contradiction Between
Matthew and Mark on the One Hand, and John on the Other, in So Far as the Former State
that After Two Days Was to Be the Feast of the Passover, and Afterwards Tells Us that He
Was in Bethany, While the Latter Gives a Parallel Narrative of What Took Place at Bethany,
But Mentions that It Was Six Days Before the Passover.
152. Matthew continues thus: “And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these
sayings, He said unto His disciples, Ye know that after two days will be the feast of the pas-
sover, and the Son of man shall be betrayed to be crucified.”1198 This is attested in like
manner by the other two,—namely, Mark and Luke,—and that, too, with a thorough harmony
on the subject of the order of narration.1199 They do not, however, introduce the sentence
as one spoken by the Lord Himself. They make no statement to that effect. At the same time,
Mark, speaking in his own person, does tell us that “after two days was the feast of the pas-
sover and of unleavened bread.” And Luke likewise gives this as his own affirmation: “Now
the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the passover;” that is to say, it “drew
nigh” in this sense, that it was to take place after two days’ space, as the other two are more
apparently at one in expressing it. John, on the other hand, has mentioned in three several
places the nearness of this same feast-day. In the two earlier instances the intimation is made
when he is engaged in recording certain matters of another tenor. But on the third occasion
his narrative appears clearly to deal with those very times, in connection with which the
other three evangelists also notice the subject,—that is to say, the times when the Lord’s
passion was actually imminent.1200
153. But to those who look into the matter without sufficient care, there may seem to
be a contradiction involved in the fact that Matthew and Mark, after stating that the passover
was to be after two days, have at once informed us how Jesus was in Bethany on that occasion,
171
on which the account of the precious ointment comes before us; whereas John, when he is
about to give us the same narrative concerning the ointment, begins by telling us that Jesus
came to Bethany six days before the passover.1201 Now, the question is, how the passover
could be spoken of by those two evangelists as about to be celebrated two days after, seeing
that we find them, immediately after they have made this statement, in company with John,
giving us an account of the scene with the ointment in Bethany; while in that connection
the last-named writer informs us, that the feast of the passover was to take place six days
1198 Matt. xxvi. 1, 2. [It cannot be determined with certainty how much time is to be included in the phrase
“after two days.” Moreover, the difficulty in regard to the time of the Last Supper affects this question, to some
extent at least.—R.]
1199 Mark xiv. 1; Luke xxii. 1.
1200 John xi. 55, xii. 1, xiii. 1.
1201 John xii. 1.
Of the Question Whether There is Any Contradiction Between Matthew and Mark on the One Hand, and John on the Other, in So Far as the Former State that After Two Days Was to Be the Feast of the Passover, and Afterwards Tells Us that He Was in Bethany, While the Latter Gives a Parallel Narrative of What Took Place at Bethany, But Mentions that It Was Six Days Before the Passover.
389
Of the Question Whether There is Any Contradiction Between Matthew and Mark…