J.J. Blunt's Undesigned Scriptural Coincidences
AN ARGUMENT FOR THE VERACITY OF THE HOLY BIBLE
Introduction
Part One:
The Books of Moses
Part Two:
The Historical Scriptures
Part Three:
The Prophetical Scripture
Part Four:
The Gospels and Acts
Appendix:
The Gospels, Acts
and Josephus

X. WHEN JESUS WENT INTO A SHIP

Matth. 13:2.—“And great multitudes were gathered together unto him, so that he went into a ship (eiV to ploion), and sat.”

‘In this, and in some other places of the Evangelists,’ says bishop Middleton, ‘we have ploion with the article (the ship, not a ship); the force of which, however, is not immediately obvious. In the present instance the English version, Newcome, and Campbell, understand to ploion indefinitely; but that any ship, without reference, can be meant by this phrase, is grammatically impossible. Many philologists, indeed, have adduced this passage amongst others, to show that this article is sometimes without meaning: but this proves only that its meaning was sometimes unknown to them.

‘Mr. Wakefield observes, in his New Testament, “a particular vessel is uniformly specified. It seems to have been kept on the lake for the use of Jesus and his apostles. It probably belonged to some of the fishermen (Matt. 4:22) who, I should think, occasionally at least, continued to follow their former occupation. See John 21:3.” Thus far Mr. Wakefield, whose solution carried with it an air of strong probability: and when we look at Mark 3:9, which appears to have escaped him, this conjecture becomes absolute certainty. “And he spake to his disciples that a small vessel should wait on him,” (constantly be waiting on him, proskarterh autw) because of the multitude, lest they should throng him. Moreover, I think we may discover to whom the vessel belonged. In one Evangelist (Luke 5:3), we find a ship used by our Saviour for the very purpose here mentioned, declared expressly to be Simon’s; and afterwards, in the same Evangelist (8:22), we have the ship, to ploion, definitely, as if it were intended that the reader should understand it of the ship already spoken of. It is therefore not improbable that in the other Evangelists also, the vessel so frequently used by our Saviour was that belonging to Peter and Andrew.’ [Bishop Middleton on the Greek Article. p. 158.] Where bishop Middleton finds a philological solution, I find an undesigned coincidence. St. Matthew speaks of “the ship” (to ploion) into which Jesus went, as though referring to a well-known vessel. St. Mark tells us that he had “a small vessel to wait on him.”