Quod Dominus apparuit pluribus discipulis in monte Galilaeae
The Lord Appears to the Brethren
The text recounts the Lord's appearance to over five hundred brothers and catalogs the twelve resurrection appearances, noting which are recorded in Scripture and which are not.
The Lord appeared again to more than five hundred brothers at once, as the Apostle says; but in what place or when, it is not written.✦ But the gracious Lord stood among them, preaching and speaking about the kingdom of God, and filled them with great joy. So you have twelve appearances of the Lord after the resurrection up to the ascension, not counting the two that are to be spoken of next in connection with the ascension, and so there were fourteen in all. You should know, however, that in the Gospel not ten appearances are written of, except for these ten. For how he appeared to his mother is not written anywhere; but it is piously believed in this way. How he appeared to Joseph is told in the Gospel of Nicodemus. How he also appeared to James is written by the Apostle to the Corinthians, and blessed Jerome also relates it.✦ About this appearance also, and about the five hundred brothers, the blessed Apostle wrote in the same place.✦
Meditations on the Unwritten Visits
The author reflects on unrecorded post-resurrection visits, especially to Christ's mother, Joseph, and James, and imagines the reverence shown her by the holy fathers.
But of Alice — what is written? They are in the Gospel. You can also meditate on many things. For it is most likely that the kindest Lord often visited his mother and the disciples, and Mary Magdalene, the beloved woman disciple, strengthening and gladdening them, who had been so deeply grieved and crushed because of his suffering. And it also seems to be what blessed Augustine was thinking, saying about the time after the resurrection: 'Not everything,' he says, 'was written down; his conversation with them was frequent.' And perhaps the holy fathers themselves, especially Abraham and David, to whom the promise of the Son of God was made in a special way, came with him to see that most excellent daughter of the Lord's mother, who found grace for all of them and bore the Redeemer. O how joyfully they looked at her, and bowing down they reverenced her, and with every blessing they could they filled her, though they were not seen by her!
The Fire of Divine Love
The text emphasizes Christ's humble, loving choice to remain with his disciples for forty days after the resurrection, and calls the reader to respond to such fierce love with burning devotion, before turning to the Ascension.
You can also consider in this the kindness, love, and humility of the Lord (as is his custom), of which we have often made mention, and which shine forth in all his deeds; for even after he had gloriously conquered and risen, he chose to journey on for forty days, in order to confirm and strengthen his disciples. For after so many courses of years, after so many labors and afflictions, after such a shameful and bitter death, the Victorious One could worthily have returned to his glory and, at his command, strengthened and comforted the apostles through his angels. But his love would not allow this; he chose to remain among them in person, appearing to them through forty — [times] — in many convincing ways, and speaking to them about the kingdom of God.✦ He did this for them, and for us as well; but we don't take notice. He loved you fiercely — and is not loved in return — since before such and so great a fire we ought not merely to be warmed, but to burn.✦ Now let us come to the Ascension.
Read the original Latin
iterum autem apparuit Dominus * plus quam quingentis fratribus simul, ut dicit Apostolus; sed quo loco aut quando, non est scriptum. Sed stans benignus Dorainus inter eos, praedicans et loquens de regno Dei, magna eos jucunditate replevit. Habes ergo duodecim apparitiones Domini post resurrectionem usque ad ascensionem, absque duabus cum ascensione proxime dicendis, et sicfuerunt quatuordecim. Scire tamen debes, quod in Evangcho non sunt scriptee nisi docem. Nam quomodo apparuit matri, non est scriptum in aliquo loco; sed sic pie creditur. Quomodo antem apparuit Joseph, dicitur in Evaugelio Nicodemi. Quomodo eiiam Jacobo, scripsit Apostoliis ad Corinthios, et etiara refert beatus Hieronymus. De ista etiam de quingentis fratribus scripsit beatus Apostolus ibidem.
Alice vero scripti? sunt in Evangelio. Potes eliam mcditari de pluribus. Nam verisimile est, quod benignissimus Dominus saepe matrem et discipulos visitabat, et Magdalenam dilectam discipulam, confortans et cxhilarans eos, qui sic vehementer de sua passiono fuerant contristati et conterriti. Quod etiam beatus Augustinus sentire videtur, dicens de tempore post resurrectionem: " Non omnia, inquit, scripta sunt; crebra erat ejus cum eis conversatio. Et etiara forte ipsi sancti palres, maxime Abraham et David, ad quos specialiter facta fuit promissio de Filio Dei, veniebant cum eo ad videndum illam suam excellontissimam fiham matrem Domiui, quae pro eis omnibus gratiam invenit, etgenuitRedemptorem. Oquam laetanter eam respiciebant, et reverenler se incUnabant eidem, et omni qua poterant benedictione replebant, quamvis non viderentur ab ea! Potes etiam considerare in hoc benignitatem, charitatem et humihtatem Domini, more solito, de quibus saepe fecimus mentionem^ et in omnibus factis ejus relucent; quod etiam postquam gloriose vicerat et resurrexerat, peregrinari adhuc voluit per quadraginta dies, ut suos discipulos confirmaret, etroboraret.
Digne namque post tot annorum curricula, post tot labores et afflictiones, post tam ignominiosam et acerbam mortem, poterat triumphator ad suam gloriam remeare, et per suos angelos confirmare, et confortare apostolos pro suo nutu: sed quia hoc non patiebatur charitas sua, personaUter voluit conversari cum eis *, a^^parens eis per quadraginta clies in multis argumentis, et loquens de regno Dei. Pro eis fecit hoc el pro nobis; sed non advertimus. Dilexit te vehementer, et non diUgitur, cum ad talem ac tantum ignem, non solum calefieri, sed ardere debeamus. Nunc ad ascensionem veniamus
Scripture echoes
- ↩1Cor.15.6 — After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.
- ↩1Cor.15.7 — Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
- ↩1Cor.15.6 — After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.
- ↩Acts.1.3 — To these he also presented himself alive after his suffering, by many proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days, and speaking about the kingdom of God.
- ↩Luke.24.32 — They said to one another, "Was not our heart burning within us while he spoke to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?"
Meditationes Vitae Christi (Pseudo-Bonaventure), Castilian court context companion
A scene a day, for life
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