Luke 24:13-16

The Historical Introduction. ᾿Ιδού, behold, prepares us for something unexpected. One of the two disciples was called Cleopas (Luke 24:18). This name is an abbreviation of Cleopatros, and not, like Κλῶπας (John 19:25), the reproduction of the Hebrew name חלפי, which Luke always translates by ᾿Αλφαῖος (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). This name, of Greek origin, leads to the supposition that this disciple was a proselyte come to the feast. As to the other, it has been thought (Theophylact, Lange) that it was Luke himself first, because he is not named; and next, because of the peculiarly dramatic character of the narrative following (comp. especially Luke 24:32). Luke 1:2 proves nothing against this view. For the author distinguishes himself in this passage, not from witnesses absolutely, but from those who were witnesses from the beginning; and this contact for a moment did not give him the right to rank himself among the authors of the Gospel tradition. Jesus, by manifesting Himself to these two men, accomplished for the first time what He had announced to the Greeks, who asked to speak with Him in the temple: “ If I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me ” (John 12:32-33).

Emmaus is not, as was held by Eusebius and Jerome, Ammaus (later Nicopolis), the modern Anwas, situated to the S.E. of Lydda; for this town lies 180 furlongs from Jerusalem, more than double the distance mentioned by Luke, and such a distance is incompatible with our account (Luke 24:23). Caspari (p. 207) has been led to the conviction previously expressed by Sepp, that this place is no other than the village Ammaus mentioned by Josephus (Bell. Jude 1:7; Jude 1:7.6. 6), which Titus assigned to 800 veterans of his army to found a colony. This place, situated E.S.E. from Jerusalem, is called even at the present day Kolonieh, and is distant exactly 60 furlongs from Jerusalem. In Succa 4.5, the Talmud says that there, at Maûza (with the article: Hama Maûza), they go to gather the green boughs for the feast of Tabernacles; elsewhere it is said that “Maûza is Kolonieh.”

The reasoning, συζητεῖν (Luke 24:15), bore, according to Luke 24:21, on the force of the promises of Jesus. The ἐκρατοῦντο, were holden (Luke 24:16), is explained by the concurrence of two factors: the incredulity of the disciples regarding the bodily resurrection of Jesus (comp. Luke 24:25), and a mysterious change which had been wrought on the person of our Lord (comp. Mark 16:12: ἐν ἑτέρᾳ μορφῇ, and John 20:15, supposing Him to be the gardener...).