Eastern Belief in Spirits
Matthew 14:26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.


The belief is quite general in the East that there exists a class of beings whom they call "Jins," both male and female, good and bad, which hold an intermediate position between angels and men, were created before the latter, are made of fire, or perhaps of gas, and are capable of assuming a variety of forms, or of becoming invisible at pleasure. They eat, drink, and marry — sometimes human beings — as well as die, though they live several centuries. Many events are accounted for in the East by the agency of the Jins; so that they do not exist in stories alone, but are recognized as active agents in human affairs,

(Van Lennep.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

WEB: When the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It's a ghost!" and they cried out for fear.




Christ Walking on the Sea
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