Jesus Arrested: Ear of a soldier or slave cut off?
- Paul Baker
Alternate:
The ear of a soldier was cut off when Jesus was arrested
Current:
The ear of a slave was cut off when Jesus was arrested
Malchus
Everyone knows the story of the arrest of Jesus.
Judas led the crowd to where Jesus spent his last night, in the garden of Gethsemane, and identified him with a kiss. A fight broke out, during which the ear of a man named Malchus was cut off. Jesus then healed the ear before he was led away. This was just after the last supper, and these events led to the crucifixion of Jesus.
The problem is many remember the Bible saying it was the ear of a Roman Soldier which was cut off, and not that of a servant, or slave, as is seen today.
Romans
It's not even certain that the Romans were involved in the arrest of Jesus at all. They are mentioned only in the Gospel of John; all the others say it was a crowd made up of Temple Guards and their servants from the church.
The common idea it was the Roman soldiers who arrested Jesus has been portrayed several times in movies and stage plays. It's one of those things that seems logical when not considered too deeply, however there's a pretty glaring reason it was unlikely to have been a Roman soldier who was attacked as described for the simple reason that the Romans would have then turned out in force against Jesus and everyone there since they would not have tolerated such an attack.
The Gospel Of John names the person who cuts off Malcus's ear as Simon Peter, and it's in the Gospel of Luke that the ear was healed by Jesus.
The kiss of Judas is well-known as the act seen as the betrayal of Jesus. What isn't so well-known is the controversy that Judas, being a disciple, also had a gospel.
There are some well-known Mandela Effects which relate to the Bible, including the lion and the lamb, money is the root of all evil, the number of the beast and the number of wise men, for example, which always causes controversy because the Bible is the best selling book in the world.