MICHAELS By Water and Blood 155
the surprise to the end. The effect is to equate the two, ascribing to blood
the quality of water in the quenching of thirst. The fact that the only refer-
ences to Jesus' blood in the entire Gospel are in 6.53-56 and 19.34 makes
it tempting to read the one in light of the other. At the same time, given the
Gospel's interest in 'purification' (KccSapiGMOs, 2.6; 3.25), a possibility
exists that it too is affected—even transformed—by the startling equation
of 'blood and water' at the crucifixion. Blood, after all, is as much a
cleansing or purifying agent as water in the Jewish sacrificial tradition. Is
John implying that by being baptized in water a person is cleansed from
sin by Jesus' blood? By itself, Jn 19.34 remains uninterpreted and ambigu-
ous. All that can be said for certain is that spirit or breath (v. 30), blood,
and water (v. 34) all represent the life of Jesus poured out in death.
John 19.34 does not stand alone in the Gospel tradition. A variant read-
ing in Matthew has a strong claim to being part of Matthew's original text,
and even if not original demonstrates that the spear thrust was remembered
and handed down in more than one early account of Jesus' crucifixion. At
the end of Mt. 27.49, two of the earliest and most important ancient manu-
scripts (N and B) and several other ancient witnesses (including C, L, F~,
and some Vulgate manuscripts) add the words, 'And another, taking a
spear, pierced his side, and water and blood (uScop KCCI cupa) came out.'
The longer reading is generally dismissed as a later harmonization to
John,^13 but its differences from John suggest otherwise. First, Jesus is still
alive when his side is pierced, not already dead as in John (n. 12; see Mt.
27.50). Secondly, the word order is different: not 'blood and water', but
'water and blood', accenting the latter. Thirdly, the mention of 'blood'
comes appropriately in Matthew, where the term refers consistently to the
guilt of those who 'poured out' (exxuvvopevov) the blood of the prophets
and righteous of the past (23.35; cf. 26.28) and are now responsible for
Jesus' death (27.4, 6, 8, 24, 25). Only in the longer reading do we see
a literal outpouring of Jesus' blood. Finally, the longer reading is well
integrated into Matthew's narrative: the one throwing the spear is not aRoman soldier as in John, but an anonymous bystander (xi ves 5e TCOV EKS!
EOTriKOTcov, v. 47) among those who thought Jesus was calling Elijah.
'One' (els) from this number ran and got a sponge (Aafkov axoyyov),
soaked it in sour wine and put it on a stick to quench Jesus' thirst (v. 48).non, but also general agreement that it is by no means 'normal' (see R.E. Brown, The
Gospel According to John xiii-xxi [AB, 29A; Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1970], pp.
946-47).
- See Metzger, Textual Commentary, p. 71.