us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so, as the women had said; but himself they did not see.'

Thus did they describe to the stranger who journeyed with them, with the utmost openness, faithfully their troubled and excited frame of mind, their great sorrow and their great hopes; although at first His question about what things they conversed seems almost to have offended them, as they took it for granted that everywhere at present there could be only one topic of discourse, namely, what had happened to Jesus, and that at the least every one must know of it. From this open expression of their state of mind towards Him, it was evident how deep an impression this stranger, unconsciously on their part, had already made upon them. Now therefore He could approach nearer to them, and show them that He knew more of Christ than they. "O ye without understanding, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!' Thus did He chide them, and continued, 'Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and— so, or thereby-enter into His glory?' And beginning from Moses and from all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things which were written concerning Himself-especially concerning His sufferings, and His entrance into glory by death.

In this manner He introduces them to the knowledge of the divine purpose in reference to the sufferings of Christ, as the Old Testament had prophetically declared it. Meanwhile they had approached near to the village, which was the termination of the journey of the two disciples; and He made as though He would have gone farther. But they recognised the superiority of this man; they felt the breathing of the high-priestly spirit in His presence; they anticipated that still some new discovery would be imparted to them in His company. They therefore besought Him urgently, saying, 'Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.'

This was true of their frame of mind, as well as of the decline of the day. The old world declined and set for them, while they listened to the words of the stranger concerning the holy path of death by which Christ must enter into His glory (see vol. v. 75). He knew their need, and went in with them. When they sat down to meat, He was in their eyes, all in silence, the head of the table. He it was who must dispense the bread in their

midst. And as He took it, and gave thanks, and brake and gave it to them, their eyes were opened, and they knew Him. So stood He there before them, the well-known Lord and Master, the same as before, and yet in a new light. But a moment only did He thus stand before them: He then vanished out of their sight.

In these discoveries of the Risen One Himself, they must first be made acquainted with the spirit-like character, the spiritual beauty and freedom of the new life, and with this obtain insight into the nature of His abode and spiritual glory, in the invisible, heavenly world.

And they said one to another, 'Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us by the way, and opened to us the Scriptures?' And they rose up, and returned in the same hour to Jerusalem, and found the eleven assembled together, and those that were-connected-with them.

The company at Jerusalem received them with the intelligence, 'The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon!' They could reply to the great Easter announcement of the apostolical assembly with a similar one. They told them what things had happened on the way, and how He was known of them in the breaking of bread.

This was the grand Easter antiphony in facts, between the. Hebrew and the Hellenic witnesses of the resurrection (comp. vol. v. p. 76).

It is worthy of remark in this narrative, how Luke not only expressly mentions the appearance of the Risen One to Peter, but how he represents him also as the disciple who previously, on the first report of the women, ran to the grave of Jesus, whilst the great majority of the Church as yet gave no credit to their statements. It may also be noted, that he gives to the Easter salutation of the Church at Jerusalem precedence to the Easter salutation of the two Hellenic disciples.1

1 It is hardly worth while to mention the efforts of the Saxon Anonyme to show that the two Emmaus pilgrims were Clopas the husband of Mary, mother of James, and James his son, however facetiously he has attempted to connect the designation axv@panol, ver. 17, with the vow of fasting which, according to tradition, James had made in reference to the resurrection of the Lord. For that Clopas is not identical with Cleopas, and James is one of the eleven, has been previously shown. In passing, it may be remarked, that the Anonyme, by this hypothesis, has controverted his own supposition.

Now, however, when the assembly was complete, and so to speak both parts of the discipleship of Jesus, the Hellenic as well as the Hebrew, were represented, the Lord Himself appeared in the midst of them, while the two disciples were telling of what had befallen them. He Himself, Jesus, stood in the midst of them, and said, 'Peace be unto you!' But they were terrified and full of fear, and supposed that they saw a spirit. And He said unto them, 'Why are ye so troubled? and why do doubting thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have.' And while He thus spake, He showed them His hands and His feet. And as they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, He said unto them, 'Have ye here any meat?' And they gave Him a piece of broiled fish, and of an honey-comb. And He took it, and did eat before them.

By this manifestation of Christ, the fear of His disciples, under the influence of which they supposed that they saw in Him a mere spectre, was overcome and removed. He gave them three signs, which in definite gradation should prove to them more and more distinctly the reality of His corporeal existence. First, He showed them His hands and His feet; and, without doubt, His object in this was to assure them, by the scars of His wounds, of His resurrection. Then He invited them to handle Him, in order to convince themselves that He had flesh and bones. And finally, He even partook of food before their eyes. Thus His corporeal life stood manifest before them. The new form of life was in substance one with the old: this was shown by the limbs, the marks of the wounds. It appeared as a definite, firm organization: this was shown by the body being formed of bones and flesh. It appeared as possessing earthly faculties and powers this was made manifest by His partaking of earthly food.

The Greek, like the Gentile generally, being accustomed to conceive of the departed as spectral shadows-which in a like sense cannot be said of the Jews-there was a special necessity that the Hellenic Evangelist should place the corporeal character of the new life of Christ in as strong a light as he had already done with reference to its spirituality.

He had, however, in meeting this requirement, a distinct

perception also, that the wonderful spirituality of Christ's new form of life did not in the very least contradict the fact of His perfected corporeal existence,-that, on the contrary, in the unity of this contrast, the glory and heavenly beauty of the Lord's body was manifested.1 For the spiritual body is the beautified body, and thus also the body of Christ perfectly endowed with spiritual power, the perfected image of human glory.

6

On this first appearance of the Lord in the midst of the apostles, He directed their attention to the harmony subsisting between His passage through death to the resurrection life, and the prophetic intimations of the Old Testament regarding His coming. These are the words,' He said—that is, the realization of the words-which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you (while He yet lived among them, which thus was now no longer the case); for all things must be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and Psalms, concerning Me."2

These words of the Lord, from the history of His first salutation to the company of the apostles, were the most important for the Hellenic Evangelist, although Christ on that occasion made other highly important communications to them (vid. John xx. 19-23). His great object was the exhibition of the glory of the cross of Christ, in the light of the divine purpose. Whilst, however, he thus irradiated the New Testament obscurity of Christ's cross by the divine word in the Old Testament, he at the same time illuminated the darkness of the Old Testament by the light of the New. In the spirit of Paul, he produced the proof, that the Old Testament, in its innermost kernel, is nothing else than one great prophecy of the life of Christ.

These instructions regarding the harmony of His life with the prophecies of the Old Testament were still further continued by Christ throughout the forty days, in which He likewise showed them what, according to the Scriptures, must still be fulfilled. Then opened He their understanding, that they might under

1 Compare the section on the Corporeity of the Risen Saviour, vol. v. p. 126.

2 Ritschl wishes, along with Marcion, to omit vers. 44-46; in which they are joined by others also; see p. 126.

3 Regarding the pause between the following and the previous communication, comp. vol. v. p. 65.

stand the Scriptures; and He said unto them, 'Thus it is written, and thus it behoved that Christ should suffer, and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'

Thus, not only His sufferings were traced back by Christ to the divine announcements of the Old Testament, the written Old Testament record, but also the preaching of repentance and remission of sins in His name, the preaching of the Gospel among all nations.

How important must it have been for the Hellenic Pauline Evangelist, to preserve such an intimation of Christ regarding the spread of the Gospel of grace among the Gentile nations, coupled with a distinct appeal to the testimony of the Old Testament!

He then mentions, with all brevity, the further dispositions made by Christ in the period of the forty days.' He notices the renewed calling of the disciples, in the words of Christ, And ye are witnesses of these things;' the renewed promise of the sending of the Comforter, 'And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you;' finally, His injunction, 'But tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.'

Although, however, the Evangelist passes rapidly over the history of the forty days, he cannot refrain from communicating to us their august termination in a distinct pictorial form. He carries us in spirit to Jerusalem. Jesus led His disciples out once more—as in days of old-across the Mount of Olives to Bethany-to a place where Bethany already lay before their eyes. Here He stood still, and lifted up His hands and blessed them-announcing His departure. And while He blessed them, He parted from them-spirit-like; and this parting passed into an upward soaring-He ascended into heaven.

So solemn, and yet so level to our apprehension, was His return to the Father, and so rich was it in love and blessing. As a living representation of the eternal victory over sin and death, and of eternal blessing for His Church, He soared aloft

'This brevity also explains how Luke has omitted the institution of baptism, without giving ground for the conclusion which the Anonyme draws from this circumstance.

2 See vol. v. p. 149.