Issue 1 Jan 2011
ISSUE ONE JAN 2011
Who Was The Second Disciple?
THE ROAD TO EMMAUS The Complete Story
The
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M AGA Z I N E 1
“WRITE IT DOWN. MAKE IT PLAIN, SO THAT OTHERS CAN READ IT AND RUN WITH IT”
HAB 2:2
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CONTENTS
• Luke Chapter 24 The main passage
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• Were there eleven disciples waiting in Jerusalem ?
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• Who said ‘the Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon’ ?
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• Who is Cleopas ?
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• Mark 16 ?
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• Short conclusion
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www.readandrun.co.uk Artwork: The front cover is a repaint by our resident artist (who is the resident everything else) Michael Storey. The original is: Jesus and the two disciples On the Road to Emmaus, by Duccio, 1308-1311, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena. The two paintings on P 2 and 7 are by Michael. The remaining paintings are by Caravaggio.
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A message from the publisher
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elcome to the first edition of the ‘Read & Run’ magazine. The function of this magazine will be to present the complex subject of the Return of Christ in a simple yet meaningful outline. The subject of our first edition opens our eyes to how far we can go in determining all the events of this future chapter in human history. How much information is there in the bible? How much more detail is still awaiting discovery? The answer is an amazing amount of detail remains waiting to be unearthed. The angel Gabriel told Daniel ‘the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end’. At some point the ‘words’ would be unsealed, clearly demonstrating that the material was there, waiting for us. For our first issue we have chosen a relatively simple and non contentious subject to demonstrate how it is possible to provide answers for bible questions. Who was the second disciple on the road to Emmaus? Four basic scriptures reveal who this disciple was. In turn the outcome provides extra encouragement for us today. Virtually every single question concerning the Return of Christ can also be answered in this way. Read & Run, (our name comes from Habakkuk 2:2) makes the scripture clear so you in turn can ‘run with it’ to others. In future additions of our magazine we will take full advantage of this new, versatile digital media to fully explain this topic in ways you had never thought possible.
Michael Storey Read & Run
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Who Was The Second Disciple On The Road To Emmaus?
the return of Christ and the simple answer is there is so much information given in the bible. Gathering all the relevant verses together to give us the full menu is what it is really about. In almost every case the bible clearly explains and expands on its own subjects, so much so that I very rarely need to back up a point with explanations from ‘scholars’ and commentators. The bible is more than adequate.
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nravelling mysteries from the bible can be hard work. Usually a serious study is accompanied by mounting excitement as the Spirit guides you down a new path. The reward that follows a satisfying result justifies the effort and because of the concentrated focus together with the elation that comes as the ‘reward’; the result ends up being embedded deeper in the memory. The following article is in hindsight a relatively simple bible study that by example demonstrates how much information is ‘concealed’ within the bible. I am often asked how we can know so much detail concerning
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This ‘sweeping statement’ habit of mine often results in queries since I do not quote the ‘experts’. One such statement I made said that Peter was the second disciple with Cleopas on the road to Emmaus. The following article includes a full selection of comments and research notes to back up the conclusion. In all cases of our hundreds of pages on the Read and Run web site every single detail is fully backed up by whatever means are necessary to ensure that what we say is correct. Most people do not realise the many years of full time work has gone into establishing some of the basic facts in our articles on the Return of Christ. In all ‘puzzles’, as the pieces are filled in, the remainder of the project becomes
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simpler and quicker to finish as the full picture emerges. Naming the second disciple on the road to Emmaus is not a difficult exercise from a biblical perspective. Working out the objective God has in mind in keeping his name hidden opens up an interesting collection of positive reflections.
all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. 30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures? 33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, 34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. 35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. Luke 24:13
Here is the original passage from Luke 24: And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus… 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. 16 But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. 17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 18 And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? 19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: 20 And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. 22 Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. 24 And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. 25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: 26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? 27 And beginning at Moses and
On the surface the second disciple’s identity accompanying Cleopas may seem a non issue. By and large no one asks who it is and virtually no one ventures to propose a name. There are several clues leading to a positive identification, a surprising one, which can be made. To ‘go down that road’ there are two issues. • ‘The eleven’: are the eleven disciples present when the two from Emmaus knock on the door. • Who is it exactly that says, “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon”? These two points fully explored tell us all that we need to know.
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Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb of Christ. The appearance on the ‘same day’ technically means that this is before sunset since all biblical days begin and end at sunset. At the time of the year the Passover occurs in Jerusalem, in the springtime, this will be approximately between six o’clock and six thirty. (The biblical calendar can shift to accommodate the lunar and solar differences). Many commentaries and (so called) scholars say the appearance would have been late at night, closer to midnight. Knowing the earlier time setting helps us have a more accurate picture of the situation.
The ‘Eleven’ And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together. Were there eleven disciples gathered together? We can answer that from John’s account. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. 24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. John 20:19 Verse 19 starts by stating this appearance of Christ was on the same day as the other events during the Sunday that began with
What about Thomas? Point: But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. Thomas is categorically not present until eight days later at another appearance of Christ. Judas Iscariot of course is not present either. That leaves the maximum number of disciples possible that were there as ten at this point.
Paul has a different count again. Contradiction? Paul also takes a count, which differs again, of this same event. And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. 1 Cor 15:4
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Here Paul says all twelve saw Christ that evening. What are we to make of this? One account says there are eleven, one says twelve and yet the fact remains only ten would
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was even by then classical Greek (Thrace by Menander; Paul was highly educated). In verse 52 ‘the last trump’ was also a well known military expression. (To keep this article more compact I have placed all the relevant research notes and references separately).
be the maximum number possible. Are there contradictions (mistakes) in the bible or is there an orderly way out of this impasse? The answer lies in the use of idioms. Both Luke and Paul use idioms frequently. When speaking of the apostles (the senior disciples), they are referred to as the ‘eleven’ or as the ‘twelve’ by Paul; an equivalent to how we would use the term ‘the board of directors’. All of the board members may be present, some may be absent but the term ‘the board’ would allow for the minimum number at least to qualify as such for meetings. In Luke 24, the author abounds with idioms, seven at least in this chapter. (See notes) In 1 Corinthians 15 alone, Paul uses idioms (or classical quotes) at least three times. In verse 23 ‘in his own order’ derives from a military expression. In verse 33 ‘evil communications corrupts good manners’ is a quote from what
Idioms are common phrases or terms whose meanings are not literal, but are figurative and only known through their common uses.
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Both Robertson and Jamieson/ Fausset/ Brown point to the ‘eleven’ or ‘twelve’ being an idiom.
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“The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon” ? Who Said “The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon” ? And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread. Luke 24:33
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stage of the passage is what happened on the road to Emmaus, which is how it ends. It would be very abrupt to interject another major concept into the narrative without further detail.
ard as you try, it is very difficult to say with any certainty who is doing the talking. The King James would indicate from the punctuation that it is the two from Emmaus that rose in haste and travelled as fast as they could back to Jerusalem, burst in on the other disciples and exclaimed the ‘Lord has risen and appeared to Peter and we (almost) had dinner with him. Or does it? Is it the other way round? If the two burst in and in effect were immediately interrupted by the others with their news, it would be a very clumsy sentence to then go on with ‘And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread’. The news and details of what transpired with Peter would be the beginning and end of the conversation and only later as an afterthought would the further details of the Emmaus two (‘junior’ disciples it is thought) be recounted. The subject at this
More modern translations are not game to state point blank that it is the ‘eleven’ who say this. That is simply because the original Greek does not say it is the ‘eleven’. In virtually every case in the whole bible any scripture that is not obviously clear is explained by additional information from some other direction. Usually more than one verse can be found to verify and substantiate the correct facts and details. In this case it comes from the book of Mark chapter 16. ‘Who is doing the talking’ is made very clear in verse 13. Now when Jesus was risen early the first
Idioms: Luke 24:1 At early dawn (ὀρθρου βαθεος [orthrou batheos]). Genitive of time. Literally, at deep dawn. The adjective βαθυς [bathus] (deep) was often used of time. This very idiom occurs in Aristophanes, Plato, et cetera. Luke 24:4 While they were perplexed thereabout (ἐν τῳ ἀπορεισθαι αὐτας περι τουτου [en tōi aporeisthai autas peri toutou]). Luke’s common Hebraistic idiom. Luke 24:15 While they communed and questioned together (ἐν τῳ ὁμιλειν αὐτους και συνζητειν [en tōi homilein autous kai sunzētein]). Same idiom as in verse 14. Luke 24:21 Now the third day (τριτην ταυτην ἡμεραν ἀγει [tritēn tautēn hēmeran agei]). A difficult idiom for the English. Luke 24:30 When he had sat down (ἐν τῳ κατακλιθηναι αὐτον [en tōi kataklithēnai auton]). Luke’s common idiom as in verses 4 and 15. Luke 24:33 That very hour (αὐτῃ τῃ ὡρᾳ [autēi tēi hōrāi]). Locative case and common Lukan idiom, at the hour itself. They could not wait. 1 Co 15:5 To the twelve (τοις δωδεκα [tois dōdeka]). The
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Perhaps we should place ourselves in their position. After witnessing such a gruesome and grisly spectacle as a crucifixion, to the disciples Jesus was now nothing more than a bloody, mutilated, disfigured corpse. Beaten, flayed, nailed and speared, Jesus was as dead as it is possible to be. This fact was indelibly imprinted, seared into their minds. Anything different to this would defy everything they had painfully witnessed firsthand. Nothing will change that fact, as Thomas said, ‘Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe’. We would be no different.
day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. 10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. 13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. 14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. Mark 16:9
Next in the Mark account the two from Emmaus entered the room all excited and told them they had seen Christ; ‘He was alive’. The result: the disciples, the ‘eleven’ still would not believe them. “Neither believed they them”. This clears beyond a doubt who said: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon. If the ‘eleven’ had said ‘indeed’ ‘as a fact the Lord is risen’ the unbelief would not exist. It had to be the two who arrived from Emmaus. Since Peter emphatically has seen Christ and as a result firmly, enthusiastically, ‘indeed’ beyond all doubt believes Christ has risen, it follows that he could not been one of the nonbelieving ‘eleven’.
‘ neither believed they them’ During the morning Mary Magdalene saw, spoke to and then recognised the risen Christ who gave her instruction to tell the other (mere male) disciples that He was indeed very much ‘alive’ again. Even earlier in the day the angels had instructed the women to tell the disciples to meet Him in Galilee. None of the ‘eleven’ obeyed the instruction or believed what Mary told them. At this point all ‘senior’ disciples still remained firmly in denial. Some of them, despite having been to the grave and seeing with their own eyes the burial garments neatly placed intact, still could not bring themselves to treat this as anything more than a case of a missing body. Mysterious yes, but nothing more.
The context of the conversation is ‘Peter has seen Him, ask him yourself’. The spokesman was Cleopas and his
technical name. Only ten were present, for Judas was dead and Thomas was absent. Robertson, A. (1997). Word Pictures in the New Testament. 1 Cor 15:5 seen of Cephas (Peter) the twelve—The round number for “the Eleven” (Lu 24:33, 36). “The Twelve” was their ordinary appellation, even when their number was not full. However, very possibly Matthias was present (Ac 1:22, 23). Some of the oldest manuscripts and versions read, “the Eleven”: but the best on the whole, “the Twelve.” Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., Fausset, A. R., Brown, D., & Brown, D. (1997). A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments I Corinthians 15:23 Order (ταγματι [tagmati]). Old military term from τασσω [tassō], to arrange, here only in N.T. Each in his own division, troop, rank. I Corinthians 15:33 Be not deceived (μη πλανασθε [mē planāsthe]). Do not be led astray (πλαναω [planaō]) by such a false philosophy of life. Evil company (ὁμιλιαι κακαι [homiliai kakai]). Evil companionships. Old word, ὁμιλια [homilia], from ὁμιλος
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companion walking in with him must have been none other than Peter himself.
young or an older person. It would not make sense for Christ to be appear significantly younger. Later on, all failed to recognise Christ even at a second encounter at Galilee when Christ was on the beach. This indicates a pronounced change in appearance taking them a little while to get used to.
We can conclude at this point that ‘the eleven’ (or twelve) is an idiom therefore does not necessarily place Peter ‘in the room for fear of the Jews’. In fact there were only nine disciples present since Thomas, Peter and Judas were absent. The book of Mark clarifies precisely who it was that said Christ had arisen and appeared to Peter.
Cleopas being an older man himself would have been the natural choice to engage another older person in conversation on the road.
The question now is why does scripture not name Peter and why does Cleopas take the senior position as foremost speaker? Add to this the question of what the whole point of the episode being given to us in this manner serves?
Who is Cleopas (Cleophas)? Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas and Mary Magdalene. John 19:25
Cleopas (Cleophas)
And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses beheld where he was laid. Mark 15:47
Cleopas, on further investigation is shown to be the father of at least two of the disciples. Comparing three scriptures determines he is a senior figure and by familial protocol would be in a natural position to lead in conversation, especially towards a stranger on the road where convention would take precedence. It probably is worth considering that Christ appears as a much older man in His resurrected form. Mary Magdalene failed to recognise Him thinking He was the gardener. That occupation would more naturally fall to a less than able bodied labourer, alternatively a
From these two verses we can surmise that Mary the wife of Cleophas and Mary the Mother of Joses are one and the same. The next verse adds James as a second son. Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children. Math 27:56
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ecognising Christ was not just a matter of His appearance. Only when the inflection of His voice or an ingrained habit triggered
[homilos] (a crowd, gang, bunch). Only here in N.T. Good manners (ἠθη [ēthē]). Old word (kin to ἐθος [ethos]) custom, usage, morals. Good morals here. This line of poetry (iambic) occurs in Menander. It may be a current proverb. Paul could have gotten it from either source. Robertson. A. 1 Cor. 15:52 where “the last trump” is a military allusion, familiar to Greek readers, and has no connection with the series in Rev. 8:6 to 11:15 Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: Trump Mark 16: 9. Now when he had risen. The remainder of the chapter is not found in the Vatican or Siniatic Greek MSS., but is found in the Alexandrian. These are the three oldest and most reliable MSS. Some hold these verses to be a later addition, but as they are found in all the most ancient versions they must have been a part of Mark’s Gospel when the first century ended. Schaff, Plumptre, Olshausen, Lochman and others regard them genuine, while other critics consider them doubtful. A circumstance in their favor
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Thomas has carried the stigma of being a hard hearted cynic. Was he the only one?
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their memory did the connection click. Proof positive were the marks from the nails and spear. Other than Mary Magdalene recognition failed to take place as a matter of course. Peter only ‘came to his senses’ after clear evidence. All the other disciples had to be shown the scars of crucifixion before they were convinced.
are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 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. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. Luke 24:36 Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. John 20:29
Christ was making a point by saying that those that would follow in the future without the benefit of having the ‘proof’ the disciples had all experienced, are ‘blessed’ if they ‘believe’.
All of them were equally guilty of not believing without a ‘sign’ and were ‘upbraided’ for it.
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. 38 And he said unto them, Why
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. Mark 16:14
is that the Vatican MS. has a vacant space for them. It seems probable that in an early copy, therefore, they were omitted for some cause by a copyist who left space for them, but did not afterwards fill it, and that the Siniatic MS. was made from the mutilated copy. It is clear that verse 8 was not designed to conclude Mark’s narrative. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. This appearance is described more fully in John 20:11-17 ... The evidence for patristic use of the Long Ending is spread over a broad area: Justin (in Rome), Irenaeus (in Gaul [France]), Eusebius (in Caesarea [in Israel], Vincentius (in North Africa), and Tatian and Aphraates (in Syria). Against this, the ancient Greek evidence for non-inclusion is confined to Egypt (and Caesarea, but this is because the library at Caesarea included Egyptian manuscripts). The implication of this is that copies of Mark containing the Long Ending were in use at all these locations. And the blank column in Vaticanus suggests that the Long Ending was known in Egypt too.
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Encouragement For Us: All The Disciples Were Failures
O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Luke 24:25
Understanding the total failure that all the disciples now exemplify, even after more than three years personally serving and witnessing Christ’s miracles should help with the nagging doubts that beset ourselves from time to time. They were not perfect, neither are we, yet Christ is willing to persevere with our weaknesses and work with less than perfect examples.
The scripture cannot be broken. John 10:35 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. 2 Tim 3:16 Beyond this if any doubts linger regarding the factuality of the bible then Christ points out ‘we are as fools’.
The validity of Mark 16:13
God has His bible under control.
Some doubt the inclusion of some verses in Mark 16. There are enough documents from the very early years of Christianity that demonstrate the veracity of this passage of scripture. Whatever the arguments as to who wrote what and when, it was very much an accepted part of the bible from within the times when the original disciples passed the baton to the second generation of Church leaders. They would have known if it was part of the intended ‘original’ or not. Either the bible is, as Christ made clear, completely (uncompromisingly) credible or we are left with nothing more than trying to grasp at the wind with our fingers.
Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God. Mark 12:24 See notes on Mark 16.
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he common denominator amongst scholars and commentators is that ‘we shall never know what was said to Peter’. It is presumed that the second disciple’s identity is unknown. Our lesson is to read our bibles more carefully. Just as we do have a full record of the meeting between Christ and Peter, we have a vast amount of specific information on the second coming of Christ. Just as the established Church of the day missed Christ’s first coming, He warns us very firmly not to make the same mistakes the next time.
Cleopas: “He is very probably the same person as Clopas, whose wife Mary appears among the women at the cross in John 19:25. Clopas is a very rare Semitic form of the Greek name Cleopas, so rare that we can be certain this is the Clopas who, according to Hegesippus, was the brother of Jesus’ father Joseph and the father of Simon, who [according to Eusebius] succeeded his cousin James as leader of the Jerusalem church. Cleopas/Clopas was doubtless one of those relatives of Jesus who played a prominent role in the Palestinian Jewish Christian movement. The story Luke tells would have been essentially the story Cleopas himself told about his encounter with the risen Jesus.”
A BRIEF CONCLUSION
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