Resurrection Appearance at TABGHA

Thank you, William,
for taking a great interest.
Note the correction of my reading of the book of Ronald Knox's 'Gospel Story'.
The volume is actually two books in parallel, continuous narrative on the left page, the explanation on the right page.
The work of Knox was astonishing, from the complete Bible translation to the revealing workings of his studies.
Eastertide good wishes.
Donald

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William J . . .
To: Donald
Sent: Sun, 18 April, 2010 7:44:26
Subject: Re: [Blog] TABGHA

Dear Donald,

You have laid out a veritable feast to celebrate this special day, and I feel like a guest invited to a banquet by the shore of the lake [Tabgha, the stone you brought back for me]. The 'telling' Knox translation ("You can tell that I love you") and commentary, the Vulgate and Greek (into which I peer to discern the words used!), and the sheer delight of the Today's Good News (which is a new website for me and a real discovery!). This is the CLIMAX of my Easter journey. I can now rest on the shoreline and gaze out across the water in the release of this moment.

Thank you .

With my love in Our Risen Lord,

William

18 April [3rd Sunday of Easter]
Jn 21:15-17

Knox ‘The Gospel Story’ p.422 (left hand page continuous, right hand page Italic explanation) JOHN 21.15-17 Jesus appears to five Apostles, Tabgha Feed My Lambs, Feed My Sheep And when they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, 'Simon, son of John, do you care for me more than these others?' 'Yes, Lord,' he told him, 'you know well that I love you.' And he said to him, 'Feed my lambs.' And again, a second time, he asked him, 'Simon, son of John, do you care for me?' 'Yes, Lord,' he told him, 'you know well that I love you.' He said to him, Tend my shearlings.' Then he asked him a third question, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was deeply moved when he was asked a third time, 'Do you love me?' and said to him, 'Lord, you know all things; you can tell that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep. Believe me when I tell you this; as a young man, you would gird yourself and walk where you had the will to go, but when you have grown old, you shall stretch out your hands, and another shall gird you, and lead you where you go, not of your own will.' (Italic print opposite page explanation) . . .p.425 A shepherd must love his sheep (p. 214); but love of the neighbour will soon grow cold unless it is based on the love of God (p. 318). Peter's love for the Lord must be strong, and deep, and courageous. Three times in the one night his devotion to his Master had been found wanting (p. 382); he now makes amends by a threefold declaration at affection. The first two times, Jesus uses the word agapao ('do you care for me'); it is an act of the will, supernatural love (p. 92). Peter, in his humility, does not lay claim to such exalted love; the word he uses, phileo (‘l love you'), is the natural affection of the heart. He no longer boasts of the superiority of his devotion, as he did at the Last Supper (p. 352); he knows now how weak and unreliable man is without divine help. When Jesus uses the word phileo for his third question, Peter is distressed almost to tears; he makes no attempt to vindicate his profession of love, he appeals only to the divine knowledge of the Master. To this new, humble, contrite Peter, Jesus can safely confide his sheep. He now promises his vicar on earth that he will not only live his life; he will die his death. This is the final seal of divine approval. Ronald Knox Commentary p.271 Peter as Shepherd In verses 15-I7, the distinction between two Greek verbs has been marked by a distinction between "care for" and "love" in the rendering given. But it is very doubtful whether any distinction is intended, either in the Greek or in the Latin. Nor is it by any means certain which of the two verbs is the stronger or the more intimate. The probability is that our Lord used the same word, and St Peter answered him in the same word, three times over, but John (or his Greek amanuensis) introduced a second word in the Greek from a natural (though mistaken) desire to avoid monotony. I t is conceivable, too, that our Lord used the same word three times over for "sheep". Over this, the manuscripts give a wide range of variants; probably the original text had three different words, (i) little lambs, (ii) little sheep, (iii) sheep. The classification thus becomes progressive, and it is even possible to suggest that the use of the word "tend" instead of " feed" in the second category only was intentional-the yearlings being more apt to stray than either the mothers or the new-born lambs.

Knox Bible (‘you’ version). Joh 21:15 And when they had eaten, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of John, do you care for me more than these others? Yes, Lord, he told them, you know well that I love you. And he said to him, Feed my lambs. Joh 21:16 And again, a second time, he asked him, Simon, son of John, do you care for me? Yes, Lord, he told him, you know well that I love you. He said to him, Tend my shearlings. Joh 21:16 Then he asked him a third question, Simon, son of John, do you love me? Peter was deeply moved when he was asked a third time, Do you love me? and said to him, Lord, you know all things; you can tell that I love you. Jesus said to him, Feed my sheep.

Vulgate Joh 21:15 cum ergo prandissent dicit Simoni Petro Iesus Simon Iohannis diligis me plus his dicit ei etiam Domine tu scis quia amo te dicit ei pasce agnos meos Joh 21:16 dicit ei iterum Simon Iohannis diligis me ait illi etiam Domine tu scis quia amo te dicit ei pasce agnos meos Joh 21:17 dicit ei tertio Simon Iohannis amas me contristatus est Petrus quia dixit ei tertio amas me et dicit ei Domine tu omnia scis tu scis quia amo te dicit ei pasce oves meas.

Greek New Testament Joh 21:15 ῞Οτε οὖν ἡρίστησαν, λέγει τῷ Σίμωνι Πέτρῳ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· Σίμων ᾿Ιωνᾶ, ἀγαπᾷς με πλέον τούτων; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναί, Κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· βόσκε τὰ ἀρνία μου. Joh 21:16 λέγει αὐτῷ πάλιν δεύτερον· Σίμων ᾿Ιωνᾶ, ἀγαπᾷς με; λέγει αὐτῷ· ναί, Κύριε, σὺ οἶδας ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ· ποίμαινε τὰ πρόβατά μου. Joh 21:17 λέγει αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· Σίμων ᾿Ιωνᾶ, φιλεῖς με; ἐλυπήθη ὁ Πέτρος ὅτι εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὸ τρίτον· φιλεῖς με; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Κύριε, σὺ πάντα οἶδας, σὺ γινώσκεις ὅτι φιλῶ σε. λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς· βόσκε τὰ πρόβατά μου.

Toay's Good News There on the shore of the lake Jesus asked Peter three times, “Do you love me?” People like to connect this with Peter’s triple denial of Jesus: he was being given a chance to undo the damage, layer by layer. In addition, something else is happening in the original language, something that doesn’t appear in English. There are several words for ‘love’ in Greek. Look at two of them. ‘Philein’ means to love someone as a friend; ‘agapan’ is more intensive; it means to love someone in the distinctive way that Jesus loved: unselfishly, creatively, unconditionally, endlessly. This second kind is deeper and wider than the first, because it doesn’t depend on like-mindedness as friendship does; it can even reach out to include one's enemies. Now, Jesus first asked Peter, ‘Agapas me?’ (Do you love me with this kind of love?) Peter replies, ‘Philo se’. (I love you as a friend.) The second time the words are the same. But the third time, Jesus asks him, “Phileis me?’ And Peter answers as before, ‘Philo se’. Peter wasn’t yet able to love Jesus in that heroic way; he could love him only as the friend he had known for three years. But the third time around, Jesus steps down, as it were, to accept what Peter was able to offer at that time. Can we put it this way: all forms of love and friendship are capable of advancing gradually towards ‘agapè’, the heroic kind of love Jesus shows. (It is pronounced 'agga-pay'). How do we go along that road? By doing the best we can at the time. Peter was not able to rise to heroic love on that occasion. But he understood friendship. Friendship is the best rehearsal for agapè. It is a deep mystery in itself. “I have called you friends,” Jesus said (John 15:15). But agapè is even deeper. (Web site: goodnews.ie)