The Greek Road to Emmaus
Document Type
Panel Presentation
Keywords
Emmaus, Luke, Plato, Colonialism, Literature, Road, Ancient Philosophy, Biblical Literature
Biography
John is interested in philosophy, religious studies, and classical studies.
Major
Humanities
Advisor for this project
Jeffrey Ruff
Abstract
Imagine two students bickering on a road, one is named and the other is unnamed. The road is a metaphor for a system of thought: the way toward meaning and understanding. They encounter their wise teacher, whom they long to be near, they eat with him in ritual, and then he disappears (but not forever). Sprinkled throughout the story are additional metaphors of fire and hearts representing concepts of knowledge and inspiration. The story moves off the road to a shared meal and the interlocutors engage in discussions about love. Classicists and philosophers may recognize this story as the beginning of Plato’s Symposium. At the same time, Biblical scholars and lay Christians may instead recognize this story as Luke’s Road to Emmaus story. Both are correct. The beginning of Plato’s Symposium mirrors the end of the Gospel of Luke with many parallel elements including identical language, plot points, and themes. Particularly important is the setting of a metaphorical “road” that in Greek can also mean “way” (ὁδός).
The Greek Road to Emmaus
Imagine two students bickering on a road, one is named and the other is unnamed. The road is a metaphor for a system of thought: the way toward meaning and understanding. They encounter their wise teacher, whom they long to be near, they eat with him in ritual, and then he disappears (but not forever). Sprinkled throughout the story are additional metaphors of fire and hearts representing concepts of knowledge and inspiration. The story moves off the road to a shared meal and the interlocutors engage in discussions about love. Classicists and philosophers may recognize this story as the beginning of Plato’s Symposium. At the same time, Biblical scholars and lay Christians may instead recognize this story as Luke’s Road to Emmaus story. Both are correct. The beginning of Plato’s Symposium mirrors the end of the Gospel of Luke with many parallel elements including identical language, plot points, and themes. Particularly important is the setting of a metaphorical “road” that in Greek can also mean “way” (ὁδός).
