The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
All Commentaries on John 18:19 Go To John 18
Augustine of Hippo
AD 430
There is a difficulty here not to be passed over: if He did not speak openly even to His disciples, but only promised that He would do so at some time, how was it that He spoke openly to the world? He spoke more openly to His disciples afterwards, when they had withdrawn from the crowd; for He then explained His parables, the meaning of which He concealed from the others. When He says then, I spoke openly to the world, He must be understood to mean, w within the hearing of many. So in one sense He spoke openly,i.e. in that many heard Him; in another sense not openly, i.e. in that they did not understand Him. His speaking apart with His disciples was not speaking in secret; for how could He speak in secret before the multitude, especially when that small number of His disciples wereto make known what He said to a much larger? .
For what they had beard and not understood was not of such a kind, as that they could justly turn it against Him. And as often as they tried by questioning to find outsome charge against Him, He so replied as to blunt all their stratagems, and refute their calumnies.
