The Pulpit Commentary — Luke — Volume 2 — Section 258

If this be assumed t<> be the fact, there (5) That uo future doubt should bo thrown will bo nothing improbable in the supposi- on the reality of the appearances of the tion that bot.h these groups of women, all Risen, he showed himself not only to solitary doubtless intimate friends belonging to the individuals, but to companies, i.e. to two, little company of the Master, but living to the eleven (repeatedly), and to above five probably some distance apart in Jerusnlem, hundred brethren nt once. And these cnme together some time on the sabbath day, manifestatious took place (a) at different and then arranged to meet early on the first houreof the day; (b) in differentlocnlities- day at the sepulchre. Probably the spices in Judaia, in Galilee, in rooms of houses, in purchased in some hnste ;"ust before the iab- the open air. bath commenced we1·e judged inadequate. Vere. 1-12.-The Resurrection. .At Uie (1) For in eh. uiii. 56 we read of a com- 6epukh1·e. pany of women, most probably including all, Ver. 1.-Now upon the first dny of the i.e. both groups, of holy women, who, after week, very early in the morning, they oame beholding the sepulchre, "returned, and unto the sepnlohre, bringing the S'lices which they ha.d prepa.red, and certa.in otaers prepared spices and ointments ; and rested with them. In the foregoing general note the sabbath day." on the Resurrection, the probability has been (2) In Mark xvi. 1 we re:i.d, " When the discussed of the holy women having been ~abbath wiu past, Mary Magdalene, and divided into two companies who separa.wly llfary the mother of James, and Salome, came to the sepulchre. St. Luke's notice here refers to the party who arrived the bought [not• had bought] sweet spices, that second at the tomb. they might come and anoint him." This Ver. 2.-And they found the stone rolled company (alluded to in Mark xvi. I) arrives away from the sopnlohre. The tomb in the first at the sepnlchre, and sees the vision which the body of the "King's Son" was of one angel (Mark xvi. 5). The other com- laid was in a garden close by the scene of the Crucifixion. It hod been recently pany (alluded to in eh. xxiv. 1) arrives not hewn out of a rock, the low ridge opposite loug after at the sepulchre, and sees the the slight ascent of Calvary. •• In front of vision of two angels (eh. x.xiv. 4). a tomb belonging to a rich family there In considering the accounts of the Resur- was generally a vestibule open to the air, rection, the following memoranda will be then a low entrance sometimes, as in this case, on the side of a rock, leading into a found suggestive:- squarn chamber of moderate dimensions, on (1) The holy women are the principal one side of which was a place for the body, actors in all the four accounts of the circum- either cut some seven feet into the rock, or stances connected with the tomb. But their lengthways, three feet deep, with a low assertions were not believed by the disciples arch over it . . . . The tomb had been lately made, and the door which closed the en- until their st.atements were confirmed by trance, the only aperture into the tomb, the Lord's personal appearance. was a. large stone" (' Speaker's Commen- (2) When St. Pe.nl (1 Cor. xv. 5-8) snms tary,' on Matt. xxvii. 60). Recent investi- np the great appearances of our Lord, the gations in J eruso.lem serve to confirm the basis of our faith, he makes no reference to o.ccm·acy of the original traditional sites. (comp. Willie.ms, • Holy City,' ii. 240; Pro- his appeara.nce to Mary Magda.Jene (John fessor Willis, • Treatise on the Holy Se- x.x. 14, etc. : Mark xvi. 9) or to the women pulchre,' etc.). We find the following passage (two Maries mentioned Matt. xxviii. 9, 10). in the Bordeaux Pilgrim (A.D. 333): "On (3) Ko e-.angeliHt describes the Resurrec- the left side ( of the odgine.l Church of the tion-no earthly being having been present. Holy Sepulchre) is the hillock Golii;otho., where the Lord was crucified. Thence St. Matthew is tLe evangelist who, in his a.bout a stone-throw distance is the crypt narrative, goes furthest back. He mentions where his body was deposited." St. Cyril 1.Le shock of the earthquake, the awful of Jerusalem D1akes several references to the presence of the angel, the benumbing terror spot. In the days of Eusebiue (first hnlf of which seized the guards who were watching. the fourth century) there was no doubt as to Most probably these sigus accompanied foe the site. Ver. 4.-And it came to paes, as they Resurrection. were much perplexed thereabout, behold, (4) The risen Lord appeared only to his two men stood by them in shining garmentL OWD. To one company of women one angel ap• OH. xxiv. 1-53.J 'l'HE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. LUKE. 269