ABSTRACT
Among the Gospels’ startling divergence in their resurrection narratives, Luke 24 is clearly aimed at a more gentile community and evidences considerable awareness of Greek literature and philosophy. Three Homeric episodes offer more relevant contexts for Luke 24 than perhaps any episodes in the Bible. The Odyssey’s use of positive theoxeny, whereby a god comes in disguise to test mortals’ hospitality, as Athena in Book 3, supplies a basic rubric for much of Luke 24, with Cleopas reacting much as Telemachos. However, Hermes’ sly, disguised interactions with Prim in Iliad 24 suggest a rubric for the angels who meet the women coming to Jesus’s tomb. Lastly, the Odyssey’s thematic interest in postponed recognition scenes clearly underlies the core of Jesus’s interactions with Cleopas and the other disciples.
