- Max Whitaker, in Is Jesus Athene or Odysseus? Investigating the Unrecognisability and Metamorphosis of Jesus in his Post-Resurrection Appearances (2019), writes: The road to Emmaus story has strong parallels with the entertaining of both heroes and gods: on the one hand Odysseus being welcomed by Eumaeus, and on the other hand Hermes and Zeus being welcomed by Baucis and Philemon. In both of these cases, there is a test of loyalty, and the hero or god appears in a disguised and humble form. All of these similarities with Jesus’ appearance will be examined below. Like these characters, Jesus also appears and is not immediately recognisable. Whether this unrecognisability is due to a shift in Jesus’ appearance, or a shift in the disciples’ perception, the result is the same: they do not recognise Jesus for who he is. (p. 174)
- Dennis R. MacDonald finds parallels between Luke 14 (the banquet invitations) and the story of Eumaeus. (See Mythologizing Jesus: From Jewish Teacher to Epic Hero (2015), chapter 10. MacDonald also remarks on the Emmaus road incident, and he believes the name Cleopas (which, as he notes, is “exceedingly rare”) is an allusion to Eurycleia, both names being based on kleos, ‘renown’. (p. 132) Another scholar who makes a connection between Luke and Eumaeus is John Taylor in “Recognition Scenes in the Odyssey and the Gospels”, a paper included in The Bible and Hellenism: Greek Influence on Jewish and Early Christian Literature (2014). In addition to the Emmaus road story, he also connects Eumaeus thematically with Luke 2 (and with John 1:10-11).
- Dennis MacDonald has written extensively on the gospels and Homer, particularly on wordplay regarding character names. Finally, Luke dropped lexical clues that point to the ending of the epic. Several villages in Palestine were named Emmaus, but no archaeological site precisely corresponds to his description of the village “sixty stadia from Jerusalem.” Eumaeus, of course, is the name of Odysseus’ servant who earlier had recognized him by his scar. The name Cleopas is exceedingly rare, and appears nowhere else in the NT. As we have seen, the name Eurycleia is a compound of εὐρύ, “far and wide,” and κλέος, “renown.” Cleopas trades on the same word for renown and means “all-fame.” Surely it is no accident that “Far-flung-fame” (Eurycleia) and “All-Fame” (Cleopas) both recognized the identities of their lords. John’s Radical Rewriting of Luke-Acts, Dennis R. MacDonald
- Some parallels:
- THE DEATH OF EUTYCHUS In the Odyssey 10-12 Compared to Acts 20 Odysseus and followers sail from Troy to Achaea Acts: Paul leaves Achaea and goes to Troy (Troas) Odyssey: The story is told from the perspective of “We” Acts: The story is told from the perspective of “We”. Odyssey: After a trip they have a meal Acts: After a trip they have a meal Odyssey: Discusses light level inside Acts: Discusses light level in a room Odyssey: A deep sleep Acts: A deep sleep Odyssey: There is a sudden change to third person narration perspective Acts: Sudden change to third person narration perspective Odyssey: Elpenor, a young man lying on a roof Acts: Eutychus, a young man in a high room window Odyssey: Elpenor falls down to the ground Acts: Eutychus falls to the ground Odyssey: Elpenor dies and his soul goes to Hades Acts: Eutychus dies Odyssey: They wait to bury Elpenor until dawn next day Acts: Delay in dealing with Eutychus’ body until dawn the next day Odyssey: Associates retrieve Elpenor’s body Acts: Associates revive Eutychus
Connections between the Odyssey’s Eumaeus and the ‘road to Emmaus’ recognition story?
by
Tags:
Leave a Reply