St Luke Chapter XXIV : Verses 13-24
Contents
- Luke xxiv. Verses 13-24. Douay-Rheims (Challoner) text & Latin text (Vulgate)
- Douay-Rheims 1582 text
- Annotations based on the Great Commentary of Cornelius A Lapide
Luke xxiv. Verses 13-24.
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| Jesus himself also drawing near, went with them. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum. |
Et ecce duo ex illis ibant ipsa die in castellum, quod erat in spatio stadiorum sexaginta ab Jerusalem, nomine Emmaus.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
Et ipsi loquebantur ad invicem de his omnibus quæ acciderant.
15 And it came to pass, that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also drawing near, went with them.
Et factum est, dum fabularentur, et secum quærerent : et ipse Jesus appropinquans ibat cum illis :
16 But their eyes were held, that they should not know him.
oculi autem illorum tenebantur ne eum agnoscerent.
17 And he said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad?
Et ait ad illos : Qui sunt hi sermones, quos confertis ad invicem ambulantes, et estis tristes?
18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him: Art thou only a stranger to Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days?
Et respondens unus, cui nomen Cleophas, dixit ei : Tu solus peregrinus es in Jerusalem, et non cognovisti quæ facta sunt in illa his diebus?
19 To whom he said: What things? And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people;
Quibus ille dixit : Quæ? Et dixerunt : De Jesu Nazareno, qui fuit vir propheta, potens in opere et sermone coram Deo et omni populo :
20 And how our chief priests and princes delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him.
et quomodo eum tradiderunt summi sacerdotes et principes nostri in damnationem mortis, et crucifixerunt eum :
21 But we hoped, that it was he that should have redeemed Israel: and now besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done.
nos autem sperabamus quia ipse esset redempturus Israel : et nunc super haec omnia, tertia dies est hodie quod hæc facta sunt.
22 Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us, who before it was light, were at the sepulchre,
Sed et mulieres quædam ex nostris terruerunt nos, quae ante lucem fuerunt ad monumentum,
23 And not finding his body, came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive.
et non invento corpore ejus, venerunt, dicentes se etiam visionem angelorum vidisse, qui dicunt eum vivere.
24 And some of our people went to the sepulchre, and found it so as the women had said, but him they found not.
Et abierunt quidam ex nostris ad monumentum : et ita invenerunt sicut mulieres dixerunt, ipsum vero non invenerunt.
Douay-Rheims : 1582 text
13. And behold, two of them went the ſame day into a towne which was the ſpace of ſixtie furlongs from Hieruſalem, named Emmaus.
14. And they talked betwixt themſelues of al thoſe things that had chanced.15. And it came to paſſe, while they talked and reaſoned with themſelues, IESVS alſo himſelf approching went with them.16. But their eyes were held that they might not know him.17. And he ſaid to them: What theſe communications that you conferre one with another walking, and are ſad?18. And one whoſe name was Cleophas, answering, ſaid to him: Art thou only a ſtranger in Hieruſalem, and haſt not knowen the things that haue been done in it, these daies?19. To whom he ſaid: What things? And they ſaid, concerning IESVS of Nazareth, who was a man a Prophet, mightie in worke and word before God and al the People.20. And how our cheefe Prieſts and Princes deliuered him into condemnation of death, and crucified him.21. But we hoped that it was he that ſhould redeeme Iſrael: and now beſides al this, to day is the third day ſince theſe things were done.22. But certaine women alſo of ours, made vs afraid: who before it was light, were at the monument,23. and not finding his body, came, ſaying that they ſaw a viſion alſo of Angels, who say that he is aliue.24. And certaine men of ours went to the monument: and they found it ſo as the woman ſaid, but him they found not.
Annotations
13. And behold, two of them went, the same day, to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. These two are generally considered to be the same as those mentioned by S. Mark xvi.12, but Euthymius is of a different opinion, and argues that the Apostles believed these (see verse 34), whereas S. Mark, xvi.13, expressly states that those spoken of by him, “went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.” But I answer that most of them believed, although some, as Thomas, doubted.
You ask, who were these two? I answer, one was Cleopas, but that it is uncertain about the other. S. Ambrose thinks he was called Amaon, because he was a native of Emmaus. Origen calls him Simeon. S. Epiphanius considers him to be the Nathanael mentioned by S. John i. 45. Very many again think that it was S. Luke himself, but it seems from the introduction to this Gospel that S. Luke had never seen Christ in the flesh, and that he was converted after the death of the Lord.
two of them, i.e. of the disciples, went probably on some matter of business, and also for the purpose of diverting their thoughts from the sad subject of their Master’s passion.
sixty furlongs, στάδιους i.e., 125 paces, the eighth part of a Roman mile.
named Emmaus. Emmaus was a village in the time of Christ, according to S. Jerome the birthplace of Cleopas; who seems now to have gone thither for some family reason. In the Hebrew the name may mean, according to its spelling, “fear” or “ardour.” Each meaning is here very appropriate, for these two disciples were of a timorous disposition, but when the love of Christ was kindled in their hearts, their fear gave place to burning zeal. Others take ἐμμαὺς as equivalent to עס מאום am maus, “a people rejected,” and explain that the two disciples, because of their doubtings and distrust, were drawing nigh unto rejection, but were recalled by Christ and sent back to the chosen Apostles in Jerusalem.
Some say that this Emmaus, after the capture of Jerusalem by the Romans, was enlarged and called Nicopolis, of which Sozomen writes, “Before the village, where the roads meet, when Christ made as though He would have gone further, is a healing spring, in which not only men, but also animals suffering from manifold diseases, seek relief. For they say that Christ came thither with the disciples, and washed His feet therein, from which time its waters have possessed healing power.” He adds something similar about a tree near Hermopolis, the leaves, fruit, and bark of which cure many diseases, because it bent in adoration as Christ passed on his flight into Egypt.
Many are of opinion that there were two places known by the name of Emmaus, one, the city afterwards called Nicopolis, about 140 stadia from Jerusalem, the other the village mentioned in the text.
14. And they talked together of all these things which had happened, i.e. they were talking of the sufferings, the death, and the burial of their Master, grieving that so great a prophet had suffered so unworthily, and sorrowing because they would see Him no more; for they evidently despaired of his resurrection and of the redemption of Israel.
15. And it came to pass, that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also drawing near, went with them.. Jesus teaches here that He is present with those who speak concerning Him. Let us then speak of Jesus, and He will be present with us also, and take part in our communings: not indeed now in bodily form, but spiritually, by the grace of His Holy Spirit, by which He inspires our hearts. For this much He Himself has promised, saying, “For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.,” S. Matt. xviii. 20. They therefore that speak of good have Jesus in their midst. They who speak of evil, Satan. Of this there can be no doubt.
16. But their eyes were held, that they should not know him. You will ask, How was this effected?
1. Dionysius the Carthusian replies, and S. Augustine (lib. xxii. chap. 9 De Civit.) favours his opinion, that they were struck with blindness like the men of Sodom, Gen. xix.11 But this can hardly be true, for they saw Christ, and conversed with Him, although they knew Him not.
2. Cajetan thinks that their eyes were held because their minds were so preoccupied, and taken up with the events which had come to pass. But the words of S. Mark xix.12., “He appeared in another form” are against this view.
3. S. Augustine (Epist. 59, Qusœt. viii.) is of opinion that some change had come over the countenance of Christ, as at the transfiguration. But this does not accord with the dignity of his glorified body, which is changeless and everlasting. Later on, Augustine (de Consens. Evang. iii. chap. 25) changed his opinion and says that the eyes of the disciples were clouded over by Satan, or a darkness of some kind cast upon them, so that they might not recognise Christ. But, like as He appeared to the Magdalen in the form of a gardener, so he appeared to the two disciples in another form. The circumstances of His appearance were in accordance with His will and uninfluenced by the action of Satan.
I say, therefore, that they did not know the Lord, because although the body of Christ is unchanged, yet because it was glorified and united to the divine Word it possessed the power both of withdrawing itself from view, and also of affecting the sight of beholders either by appearing in a different form, by changing the medium as mirrors do, and even by a direct change of vision. For this is what S. Luke says, “their eyes were held,” by Jesus, just as if they had been covered by a veil so that they were unable to exercise their functions. Hence immediately that Jesus willed, they recognised Him.
It is much more easy to account for the fact that the disciples did not recognise the voice of Christ, for many without any difficulty so change the sound of their voices as to appear other than they are. S. Thomas, Suarez, and others.
There are several reasons why Christ appeared in another form to these disciples.
1. Because Christ and the angels when they appear to men make themselves like those to whom they appear. The two disciples were journeying: Christ therefore appeared to them as a wayfarer. They were in doubt concerning Him: therefore He made as if He were a stranger. So S. Augustine (de Consens. Evang. iii. 25) and S. Gregory (hom. 23 in Evang.) say, “The Lord did that outwardly in the eyes of the body which was done by themselves inwardly in the eyes of the mind. For they themselves inwardly both loved and doubted, but to them the Lord was present outwardly, although He did not reveal himself. To them, therefore, as they talked of Him He exhibited His presence, but as they doubted of Him He concealed the appearance which they knew. He indeed conversed with them, upbraided them with their hardness of heart, expounded the mysteries of holy Scripture which referred to Himself, yet because in their hearts He was a stranger to their faith, He made as though He would have gone further.”
2. Lest, if He at once manifested himself to the disciples they might be overcome by the novelty and newness of His resurrection, and imagine that they saw not Christ but a phantom, and therefore might remain doubtful whether He had risen from the dead. But now since He had conversed with them for some time, and then made Himself known, they could no longer doubt that He had risen from the dead.
3. “That the disciples might lay bare their sorrows and be cured of their doubt.” Theophylact. For if He had at once said that He was Christ, they would not have dared to confess that they had been doubtful of the resurrection.
4. That from the circumstances of His appearance He might teach us that we are pilgrims and strangers, seeking an heavenly country, which we should be ever longing for, and strive our utmost to obtain. Wherefore S. Francis, who happened on a certain occasion to be spending his Easter in a monastery, where there were none of whom he could ask charity, mindful of our Lord’s appearance to the two disciples in the form of a stranger on that very day, asked alms of the brothers themselves; and when he had received their alms, in a burst of sacred eloquence, he reminded them with all humility, that on their way through the desert of this world as strangers and pilgrims, like the true Israel they should in all lowliness of mind continue to celebrate the Passover of the Lord, i.e. their passage from this world to the Father; and he went on to inform them that it is the pilgrim’s rule to seek shelter under the roof of others, to thirst for their own country; and peacefully journey thereunto. (Chronicle of the order of S. Francis).
17. And he said to them: What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad? σκυθρωποὶ, “sullen” in the sense of downcast. Christ knew whence their sadness arose, but asks them the cause, in order that He might remove it: “As I followed I heard you speak of some one who was slain at Jerusalem; tell me therefore who he was, and how, and for what reason he was put to death.”
18. And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him: Art thou only a stranger to Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days? This Cleopas was the brother of S. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin, the father of S. James the less, and S. Jude, and the grandfather of S. James the greater and S. John, who were the sons of Salome, the daughter of Cleopas.
Helecas, Bishop of Cæsarea, tells us on the authority of S. Jerome, that “Cleopas, or Alphæus, was the brother of S. Joseph, and one of the seventy disciples, and that he was slain by the Jews in the castle of Emmaus because of Christ.” He was therefore a martyr. Hence, in the Roman Martyrology, the 25th of September is put down as the birthday of Blessed Cleopas, the disciple of Christ, who they say was slain by the Jews for confessing the faith in the very house in which he had entertained the Lord. See also Dorotheus (Lives of the Patriarchs).
Again, Cleopas, in the Greek Κλεόπας, is the same as “all glory,” for the Jews who were subjugated by Alexander and the Greeks, took Greek names. But in the Hebrew the name may be taken to mean “adding to or increasing the Church,” for קהלה, kehala, is an assembly or church, and פוש, pus, is to multiply. For Cleopas gave many sons and daughters to the Church of Christ.
Art thou only a stranger to Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days? Theophylact and Euthymius translate παροικεῖς ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ by “Art thou (only) a dweller in Jerusalem?” Others render it, “Art thou (only) a sojourner in Jerusalem?” The meaning is “Art thou such a stranger in Jerusalem, and so ignorant of what has been done in it to Jesus of Nazareth, as to ask who and what he was, about whom we are so sorrowfully conversing? All know the circumstances of His crucifixion and death, and can talk of nothing else. How is it that thou only art ignorant of these things?”
19. To whom he said: What things? Christ constrains them to open their grief and to confess their doubts as to His resurrection.
And they said: Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people. They acknowledge Him, says Bede, to be a great prophet, but they do not speak of Him as the Son of God, either because their faith was imperfect, or because they feared lest they might fall into the hands of the persecuting Jews. For they knew not with whom they were speaking, and therefore concealed what they believed to be true. Because they say (verse 21) that they trusted that it had been he, as being the Messiah and the Son of God, which should have redeemed Israel.
mighty in work and word before God and all the people. So should every Christian be, especially those who have devoted themselves to a religious life, or have been called to any office in the Church. What they preach they should perform, and teach first by example and then by word.
20. And how our chief priests and princes delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. They do not accuse the chief priests and the rulers, although they were persuaded of the injustice of their actions. For they feared lest this stranger might be a spy, seeking some cause of accusation against them.
21. But we hoped, that it was he that should have redeemed Israel. e.g., from the power of the Romans.
“We trusted that he had been the Messiah who would have restored the kingdom of Israel to the same, or even greater, dignity than it had possessed in the time of David and of Solomon. But now that he has been so unworthily put to death, although we do not despair, we have but little hope.”
This was their grief, the wound which their faith had received, which Christ desired to hear from them, in order to heal.
“O disciples,” says S. Augustine (serm. 140 De Temp.), “ye were hoping, therefore ye do not now hope. Behold Christ lives, but your hope within you is dead;” and again, “He was walking with them as their companion, and yet was their leader and guide.”
and now besides all this, today is the third day since these things were done. For Christ was crucified on the sixth day, and after three days rose from the dead. This is an aposiopesis, for the disciples, anxious and perplexed, knowing not what to think about Christ, as good as say, ‘Jesus when He was alive said that He would rise from the dead on the third day; but although this is the third day we know not whether He has risen or is yet to rise.” They were doubtful, balanced between hope and fear. “They speak thus,” says Theophylact, “as men in doubt, and seem to me to be very undecided in their minds, for they are not absolutely unbelieving, nor do they believe aright. For their words ‘we trusted that it had been he,’ &c., indicate incredulity, but when they make mention of the third day, they show themselves mindful of the words of Christ, ‘on the third day I shall rise again;’ ” and again, “On the whole they spake as men in perplexity and doubt.”
22. Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us, who before it was light, were at the sepulchre, (ἐξέστησαν).
23. And not finding his body, came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive.
24. And some of our people went to the sepulchre, and found it so as the women had said, but him they found not.
For what the women had told inspired them with awe rather than fear, and, says Theophylact, “overthrew their doubting and unbelief, whilst it strengthened their faith and hope in the resurrection of Christ. Their fear therefore struggled with their hope, and between the two they were undecided and in doubt.”
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SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.
The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt;
Tecum semper tutus sum:
Ad Jesum per Mariam.
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