2. It would be worthy of your diligence to
set the phrases of the Gospel side by side, and compare together those
of Matthew and those of Mark, for these two alone are found in
concurrence in this passage. The wording of Matthew is “of
that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my
Father only.”
Matt. xxiv.
36. R.V. in this
passage inserts “Neither the Son,” on the authority
of א, B. D.
Plainly St. Basil knew no such difference of reading. On
the general view taken by the Fathers on the self-limitation of
the Saviour, cf. C. Gore’s Bampton Lectures
(vi. p. 163, and notes 48 and 49, p. 267). That of Mark
runs, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father.”
Mark xiii.
32. What is noticeable in these
passages is this; that Matthew says nothing about the ignorance
of the Son, and seems to agree with Mark as to sense in saying
“but my Father only.” Now I understand the word
“only” to have been used in contradistinction to the
angels, but that the Son is not included with His own servants in
ignorance.