Not all the priestly circle were parties to it however. Some,
who perhaps had been among the secret disciples of Jesus before His
death, were not afraid to openly ally themselves with the Church, when,
through the evidence of the Lord's resurrection, they had become
thoroughly converted. We read that but a few months later "a great
company of the priests were obedient to the faith."[1369]

CHRIST WALKS AND TALKS WITH TWO OF THE DISCIPLES.[1370]

During the afternoon of that same Sunday, two disciples, not of the
apostles, left the little band of believers in Jerusalem and set out for
Emmaus, a village between seven and eight miles from the city. There
could be but one topic of conversation between them, and on this they
communed as they walked, citing incidents in the Lord's life, dwelling
particularly upon the fact of His death through which their hopes of a
Messianic reign had been so sadly blighted, and marveling deeply over
the incomprehensible testimony of the women concerning His reappearance
as a living Soul. As they went, engrossed in sorrowful and profound
discourse, another Wayfarer joined them; it was the Lord Jesus, "but
their eyes were holden that they should not know him." In courteous
interest, He asked: "What manner of communications are these that ye
have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?" One of the disciples,
Cleopas by name, replied with surprize tinged with commiseration for the
Stranger's seeming ignorance: "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem,
and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these
days?" Intent on drawing from the men a full statement of the matter by
which they were so plainly agitated, the unrecognized Christ asked,
"What things?" They could not be reticent. "Concerning Jesus of
Nazareth" they explained, "which was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people: and how the chief priests and our rulers
delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him." In
sorrowful mood they went on to tell how they had trusted that the now
crucified Jesus would have proved to be the Messiah sent to redeem
Israel; but alas! this was the third day since He had been slain. Then,
with brightening countenances, yet still perplexed, they told of certain
women of their company who had astonished them that morning by saying
that they had visited the sepulchre early and had discovered that the
Lord's body was not there, but, "that they had also seen