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LUKE 23:47 — KING JAMES VERSION 0
Luke 23:46Luke 23:48
“Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.”
The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, surely this was a righteous man — the centurion's response is Luke's distinctive: praised God (edoxazen ton theon) rather than Mark's surely this was the Son of God. Surely this was a righteous man (dikaios): the Roman soldier's legal verdict — innocent, righteous. The military witness becomes the fourth human being to declare Jesus' innocence in this chapter (Pilate three times, Herod, Barabbas exchange, criminal on cross, centurion).

Church Fathers on Luke 23:47

When after uttering that voice He immediately gave up the ghost, those who were present greatly marveled. For those who hung upon the cross were generally tortured by a prolonged death. Hence it is said, Now when the centurion saw, &c.

Augustine · 4th century

The words of our Lord seem now to be fulfilled, wherein He said, When I shall be lifted up I will draw all men to me. For when lifted upon the cross He drew to Him the thief and the centurion, besides some of the Jews also, of whom it follows, And all the people that came together smote their breasts.

Theophylact · 11th century

By their smiting their breasts as if betokening a penitential sorrow, two things may be understood; either that they bewailed Him unjustly slain whose life they loved, or that remembering that they had demanded His death, they trembled to see Him in death still farther glorified. But we may observe, that the Gentiles fearing God glorify Him with works of public confession; the Jews only striking their breasts returned silent home

Bede · 8th century
Read all 7 entries in the readerCatena Aurea · St. Thomas Aquinas, tr. J. H. Newman · public domain
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