27. The site of this town has not been identified beyond doubt. But the village Amwas, fifteen miles northwest by west from Jerusalem, has been supposed to be the place. Its distance is almost too great for the disciples to have travelled in the time specified, and it is farther off than the sixty furlongs which is given as its distance from Jerusalem in Luke 24:13. But the distance is given in several of the old manuscripts as 160 furlongs instead of sixty; especially is it so stated in the old Sinaitic manuscript. This fact, with the similarity of name, and the statement by Jerome that it was at this place, formerly called Nicopolis, leads to the general impression that the site of Emmaus is to be found at Amwas.
28. Jesus suddenly appears to the apostles asthey are gathered in a room, Thomas being absent, and again eight days afterward when Thomas was present. This is according to John 20:19–29. Luke only mentions the one appearance in the room, Luke 24:36–48; also in Mark only one appearance in the room as they sat at meat or together, Mark 16:14; but this appearance is omitted in Matthew.
The apostles and perhaps many others go into Galilee, Matt. 28:16, 17; Mark makes no statement, nor does Luke, in reference to the going into Galilee. John 21:1–23 gives the meeting of Jesus at the Sea of Tiberias.
After this he meets the apostles and over 500 brethren at once; is “seen of James,” and finally “of all the apostles,” having led them out to Bethany, where his ascension took place, 1 Cor. 15:6, 7; Luke 24:49–53.
CHAPTER VI.
THE BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
1. Immediately after the departure of our Saviour the disciples recovered all their faith and courage and returned to Jerusalem from Bethany.
The first act of the apostles was to restore their number to twelve, made eleven by the apostasy of Judas. Two nominations were made of men who, like themselves, had been companions of the Saviour from the baptism of John to the ascension (Acts 1:21). The men nominated were Joseph, called Barsabas, and Matthias; the latter was chosen by lot.
2. The appointment, or selection, by lot was considered sacred among the ancients; and was performed, as to the mode of the lot, by casting into some vessel a number of little tablets, pebbles, or strips of leather or papyrus, upon which were inscribed the names or some distinguishing marks. The vessel was then shaken, and that name, or its representative, which first fell upon the floor determined the choice.In the time of Homer the lot was cast into a helmet and shaken.[179] In Prov. 16:33 the same idea of casting the lot into a vessel is intended, with the addition that the result is guided by the Lord, for the English word “lap” in the passagejust quoted in the Hebrew signifies “the opening,” i. e., of the urn or vessel into which the lot was cast.
The use of lots is mentioned frequently in the Old Testament; at first over the scapegoat, as described in Lev. 16:8; then in the division of the holy land, Num. 34:13, and, with supernatural results, at the detection of Achan, Josh. 7:14, 18, and Jonah 1:7; also in the division of the priests into their orders, 1 Chron. 24:1–5.