Monday 6 December 2010

Paralytic lowered through the roof of Peter’s House.


Pictures see
http://biblelessonsite.org/slideshow51.html
Monday, December 6
LUKE 5:17-26
(Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 85)
Mass Intro …
The Gospel groups the First Miracles.
Luke 5:17-26 has the ‘astonishing’ account of the Paralytic at Capernaum. It may be well simple to read the Luke passage very slowly as each word takes its impact. “What are you thinking in your hearts?”
The heart of Jesus, the heart of the Paralytic, the hearts of the friends, the hearts of the Pharisees, the hearts of the throng set the scene.
The word rings with the description of the “throng2.
The place is thronged by the range of people in Capernaum, not least the gathering of Pharisees from every village of Gallilee and Judea and Jerusalem.
The friends of the Paralytic open the roof of Peter’s house, the reference to Peter’s house details  the backdrop.
The Pharisees and teachers are thinking in their hearts, (the Greek dialogue of heart, διαλογίζεσθε ν τας καρδίαις, cogitatis in cordibus), in its negative sense. In some version This he said, not as being ignorant what their reasonings were, for it is before said he perceived their thoughts, but to expose the wickedness of them; in one exemplar of Beza's it is added, "evil things", as in Mat 9:4 Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said, "Why do you harbor evil thoughts? (Gill)
The heart of the Paralytic is filled glorifying God.
The heart of them all glorified God.

In these days of solitude and quiet of the snow bound in the community share in the believing and praise and glorifying God.
There is question on the astonished throng that, “We have seen incredible things today”(NAB).
‘Incredible’ is the wrong word.
Of the Paralytic and his friends Jesus calls them “When he saw their faith ….”
The throng were glorifying, praising God, not that they were incredible, unbelieving.

As we offer Holy Mass, we believe and glorify God.

Harmony of Gospels. Matt 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12, Luke 5:17-26.

“Thronged in Caprnaum. He heals a paralytic lowered through the roof of Peter’s House.”
He heals a paralytic lowered through the roof of Peter’s house.
First Miracles:- The Paralytic
Luke 5:17-26 (NAB).
v. 25:Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,
"What are you thinking in your hearts?

v. 25:He stood up immediately before them, picked up what he had been lying on, and went home, glorifying God.
v. 26:Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God, and, struck with awe, they 
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Capernaum, site of Peter's home.

Above reference  to “BEZA” begs for information.
Answer: Easton's online Bible Dictionary:
(2.) The New Testament manuscripts fall into two divisions, Uncials, written in Greek capitals, with no distinction at all between the different words, and very little even between the different lines; and Cursives, in small Greek letters, and with divisions of words and lines. The change between the two kinds of Greek writing took place about the tenth century. Only five manuscripts of the New Testament approaching to completeness are more ancient than this dividing date. The first, numbered A, is the Alexandrian manuscript. Though brought to this country by Cyril Lucar, patriarch of Constantinople, as a present to Charles I., it is believed that it was written, not in that capital, but in Alexandria; whence its title. It is now dated in the fifth century A.D. The second, known as B, is the Vatican manuscript. (see VATICANUS.) The Third, C, or the Ephraem manuscript, was so called because it was written over the writings of Ephraem, a Syrian theological author, a practice very common in the days when writing materials were scarce and dear. It is believed that it belongs to the fifth century, and perhaps a slightly earlier period of it than the manuscript A.
BEZA:
The fourth, D, or the manuscript of Beza, was so called because it belonged to the reformer Beza, who found it in the monastery of St. Irenaeus at Lyons in 1562 A.D. It is imperfect, and is dated in the sixth century.
The fifth (called Aleph) is the Sinaitic manuscript. (see SINAITICUS.)

1 comment:

Mark said...

Thanks for a very illuminating commentary.

The word translated "incredible" in the NAB and "strange" in the Missal is "paradoxa", which, I suppose, literally means "beyond/beside opinion" (hence the Missal's rendering it as "strange").

Do you think "paradoxa" might be intended to echo the two occurrences of "glorify" ("doxazo") - the "doxa" part of "paradoxa" being translatable as "glory" as well as "opinion"?

Presumably, for the witnesses of this event who are glorifying God, Christ's words and actions are "beyond glory" as well as "beyond/beside opinion".

"We have seen things surpassing glory today" seems better than "we have seen incredible things today".