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LUKE 2:17 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Luke 2:16Luke 2:18
“And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.”
When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child — the shepherds immediately become witnesses and proclaimers: they spread the word (diegnorisante, made known, spread abroad) about what they had heard. The chain of testimony — angel to shepherds to community — is the Gospel's first missionary movement. The shepherds who are among the least prestigious members of the community become the first evangelists of the incarnation.

Church Fathers on Luke 2:17

The shepherds were filled with astonishment at the things that they saw and heard, and so they left their sheepfolds, and set out by night to Bethlehem, seeking for the light of the Savior; and therefore it is said, They spoke one to another, &c.

GREEK EX ·

As men who were truly watching, they said not, Let us see (the child; but) the word which has come to pass, i.e. the Word which was from the beginning, let us see how it has been made flesh for us, since this very Word is the Lord. For it follows, Which the Lord has made, and has shown to us; i.e. Let us see how the Lord has made Himself, and has shown His flesh to us.

Bede · 8th century

How remarkably Scripture weighs the import of each word. For when we behold the flesh of the Lord, we behold the Word, which is the Son. Let not this seem to you a slight example of faith, because of the humble character of the shepherds. For simplicity is sought for, not pride. It follows, And they came in haste. For no one indolently seeks after Christ.

Ambrose · 4th century
Read all 18 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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Luke 2:17 — Community Reflections | HolyStudy