Luke 17:16
17:16 He 1 fell with his face to the ground 2 at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. 3 (Now 4 he was a Samaritan.) 5
Luke 22:44
22:44 And in his anguish 6 he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.] 7
1 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn Grk “he fell on his face” (an idiom for complete prostration).
3 sn And thanked him. This action recognized God’s healing work through Jesus.
4 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the introduction of a parenthetical comment.
5 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. The comment that the man was a Samaritan means that to most Jews of Jesus’ day he would have been despised as a half-breed and a heretic. The note adds a touch of irony to the account (v. 18).
6 tn Grk “And being in anguish.”
7 tc Several important Greek mss (Ì75 א1 A B N T W 579 1071*) along with diverse and widespread versional witnesses lack 22:43-44. In addition, the verses are placed after Matt 26:39 by Ë13. Floating texts typically suggest both spuriousness and early scribal impulses to regard the verses as historically authentic. These verses are included in א*,2 D L Θ Ψ 0171 Ë1 Ï lat Ju Ir Hipp Eus. However, a number of mss mark the text with an asterisk or obelisk, indicating the scribe’s assessment of the verses as inauthentic. At the same time, these verses generally fit Luke’s style. Arguments can be given on both sides about whether scribes would tend to include or omit such comments about Jesus’ humanity and an angel’s help. But even if the verses are not literarily authentic, they are probably historically authentic. This is due to the fact that this text was well known in several different locales from a very early period. Since there are no synoptic parallels to this account and since there is no obvious reason for adding these words here, it is very likely that such verses recount a part of the actual suffering of our Lord. Nevertheless, because of the serious doubts as to these verses’ authenticity, they have been put in brackets. For an important discussion of this problem, see B. D. Ehrman and M. A. Plunkett, “The Angel and the Agony: The Textual Problem of Luke 22:43-44,” CBQ 45 (1983): 401-16.
sn Angelic aid is noted elsewhere in the gospels: Matt 4:11 = Mark 1:13.