Editing Wandering Jew (section)

===Biblical sources===

The origins of the legend are uncertain; perhaps one element is the story in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] of [[Cain and Abel|Cain]], who is issued with a similar punishment—to wander the Earth, scavenging and never reaping, although without the related punishment of endlessness. According to Jehoshua Gilboa, many commentators have pointed to Hosea 9:17 as a statement of the notion of the "eternal/wandering Jew".<ref name="SweeneyCotter2000">{{cite book|last1=Sweeney|first1=Marvin Alan|last2=Cotter|first2=David W. |last3=Walsh|first3=Jerome T.|author4=Franke, Chris|title=The Twelve Prophets: Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4vOwFysWpogC&pg=PA102|access-date=13 December 2011|date=October 2000|publisher=Liturgical Press|isbn=978-0-8146-5095-0|page=102}}</ref> The legend stems from Jesus' words given in [[Gospel of Matthew|Matthew]] [[s:Bible (King James)/Matthew#16:28|16:28]]:

{{blockquote|{{Lang|grc|Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰσίν τινες ὧδε ἑστῶτες, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου, ἕως ἂν ἴδωσιν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ.}}

Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the [[Son of man (Christianity)|Son of Man]] coming in his kingdom. ([[New International Version]])

Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. ([[King James Version of the Bible|King James Version]]){{efn|This verse is quoted in the German pamphlet ''Kurtze Beschreibung und Erzählung von einem Juden mit Namen Ahasverus'', 1602.}}}}

A belief that the [[disciple whom Jesus loved]] would not die was apparently popular enough in the early Christian world to be denounced in the [[Gospel of John]]:

{{blockquote|And Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple following whom Jesus loved, who had also leaned on His breast at the supper, and had said, Lord, which is he who betrayeth Thee? When, therefore, Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, and what shall he do? Jesus saith to him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou Me. Then this saying went forth among the brethren, that that disciple would not die; yet Jesus had not said to him that he would not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?|John 21:20-23, KJV}}

Another passage in the Gospel of John speaks about a guard of the high priest who slaps Jesus (John 18:19–23). Earlier, the Gospel of John talks about Simon Peter striking the ear from [[Malchus]], a servant of the high priest (John 18:10). Although this servant is probably not the same guard who struck Jesus, Malchus is nonetheless one of the many names given to the wandering Jew in later legend.<ref name="Italian popular tales">{{cite book|title=Italian Popular Tales|author=Thomas Frederick Crane|publisher=Macmillan|year=1885 |url=https://archive.org/details/italianpopulart00crangoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/italianpopulart00crangoog/page/n235 197]|access-date=2011-12-21}}</ref>