Cyril and Chrysostom refer it to the feast of Pentecost ; as do also Erasmus, Calvin, Beza, Maldonatus, and Bengel.
Keppler seems to have been the first who thought that it means the feast of Purim. He was followed by Petau, Lamy, D'Outrein, Hug, Olshausen, Wieseler, Neander, Clausen, Krabbe, Lange, Maier, Meyer.
Cocceius, followed by Kaiser, Krafft, and Eb rard, referred it to the feast of Tabernacles ; while Keppler and Petau inthnated that it may possibly have been the feast of Dedication ; but Liicke, De \Vette, and Luthardt leave the matter indeter minate.
The choice lies between the Passover and the feast of Purim. But the arguments advanced on behalf of either are scarcely conclusive. The true meaning of eopT7) is still uncertain. Those who wished it to be understood of the Passover inserted the article before &prii ; which Lachmann and Tischendorf have rightly expunged. It appears to us most probable that P2117.71Z is meant. From John iv. 35, it follows that it was then in the end of November or December ; and from vi. 4 that the Passover was approaching. Hence v. r agrees well with the feast of Purim, which was in March. Robinson's three reasons from Hengstenberg against this interpretation of eoprij are neither powerful nor conclusive. That the Jews were not required by their law to go up to Jerusalem at Purim argues nothing against Jesus's going up at that time that he might exercise his ministry in the city. When it is alleged that Purim was never celebrated on a Sabbath, the assertion is hazardous as Wieseler has shewn ; and were it even well founded, the narrative does not prove that the Sabbath on which the infirm man was healed be longed to the festival. The Sabbath may have been before or after the festival of Pnrim, as far as the account shews. It is no argument against Purim that the Passover occurred a month later ; at which Jesus would necessarily go up to Jeru salem.
We are thus inclined to believe that only three Passovers are natned during our Lord's ministry, at which he attended. The fourth, in the passage we have been considering, is more than doubtful.
If we are correct, his ministiy lasted about two years and a half. A fourth would add another year ; and that is a very common, perhaps the most prevailing, opinion on the subject.
Sir Isaac Newton and Macknight suppose that five Passovers intervened between our Lord's baptism and crucifixion. This assumption rests on no foundation. Perhaps the term &pry) in John VII.. 2 may have given rise to it ; although ofyrii is explained in that passage by ownvornyla.
It has been well remarked by Bishop Marsh, that the Gospel of John presents almost insupera ble obstacles to the opinion of those who confine Christ's ministry to one year. Yet it was com monly believed during the first three centuries that Christ's ministry lasted but a year, or a year and some months. Such was the opinion of Clemens Alexandrinus and Origen. Eusebius thought that it continued for above three years; an opinion which became general. The ancient hypothesis, which confined the time to one year, was revived by Mann and Priestley ; but New come, with more judgment, defended the common view, refuting Priestley's arguments. In inter weaving•the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, with that of John, the intervals between the Pass overs are filled up by various transactions. Were the number of these feasts determinate and pre cise, there would be a general agreement in the filling up of the times between them ; but in conse quence of the uncertainty attaching to the subject, harmonies are found materially to differ in their modes of arrangement. One thing, is evident, that the moderns in their endeavours after a chronolo gical disposition of the Gospels, adopt a far more rational course than the ancients. The latter strangely supposed that the first six chapters of Jobn's Gospel relate to a period of Christ's minis try prior to that with which the other three evan gelists begin their accounts of the miracles. Thus John alone was supposed to narrate the events be longing to the earlier part of his ministry ; while Matthew, Mark, and Luke related the transactions of the last year.