The Westcott/Hort Nine
Luke 24:36b

Text

24:35. Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

24:36. As they were saying this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace to you!

24:37. But they were startled and frightened, and supposed that they were seeing a spirit.

24:38. And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do questionings arise in your hearts?

Commentary

The "greeting of peace" in 24:36 makes the appearance of Jesus less like a frightening apparition, but in so doing it gives less justification for the disciples' fear upon seeing him (v37).

Metzger Commentary 160 notes that "the Committee was less sure concerning the origin of the words kai legei autois, eirhnh emin, which, as the regular form of Semitic greeting, might well be expected on this occasion. When the passage is compared with Jn 20:19f, the question arises, Have the two Evangelists depended upon a common tradition, or have copyists expanded Luke's account by adding the salutation from John's account?"

The majority here followed the "common tradition" possibility, which in effect involves imagining a text (or text equivalent) behind all the Gospels. It will be noticed with other disputed passages in this series that contamination from John frequently emerges as a possibility. That element thus deserves more consideration in each case than it might get if each case were the only case. The word for "peace" is not uncommon in the Gospels, but apart from the Apostolic instructions in Mark and Matthew, the only firm occurrences of "Peace be with you" as an actual greeting are in Jn 20:19, 21, and 26.

To invoke the basic directionality principle, there is no convincing reason why, if the "peace" greeting were original, any text should have omitted it, whereas its addition would always be a possibility.

Conclusion

Omit as a later emollient addition, suggested by Johannine parallels and enhancing the dignity of Jesus and of the situation, which is meant to be a solemn and not a comic one.

25 May 2006 / Contact The Project / Exit to Biblica Page