Are there contradictions in the resurrection accounts?

If the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth from the dead is the almost important and foundational truth of the Christian faith, how come the New Testament accounts of the resurrection and Jesus' appearances are so contradictory? That is a relatively widespread response in atheist/atoning circles, and I think amongst Muslim critics of the Christian faith. I think this 1, in a blog raising objections to Christian faith, is a good example:

How many days did Jesus teach after his resurrection? Nearly Christians know that "He appeared to them over a period of forty days" (Acts i:3). Merely the supposed writer of that book wrote elsewhere that he ascended into sky the aforementioned 24-hour interval as the resurrection (Luke 24:51).

When Jesus died, did an earthquake open the graves of many people, who walked around Jerusalem and were seen past many? Only Matthew reports this remarkable event. It's hard to imagine whatsoever reliable version of the story omitting this zombie apocalypse.

The dissimilar accounts of the resurrection are full of contradictions like this. They can't even agree on whether Jesus was crucified on the twenty-four hour period before Passover (John) or the 24-hour interval afterwards (the other gospels)…[a list of other contradictions]

Many Christians cite the resurrection equally the most important historical claim that the Bible makes. If the resurrection is truthful, they contend, the gospel bulletin must be taken seriously. I'll concur with that. But how reliable is an account riddled with these contradictions?

It might be argued that, for Christians, the Easter Octave that nosotros are in is a time for celebrating the truth of the resurrection, and not a fourth dimension for nit-picking. But information technology seems that in that location are certainly questions out there, and there might be questions 'in here' too! In my experience, Bible-reading Christians have more questions than we ofttimes allow for! One of the last comments on the weblog says:

The best mode to lose faith in the Bible is to actually read the book, viewing all the absurdities, atrocities and contradictions. No wonder many Christians have not, or that non-believers show greater knowledge of it.

But actually reading the Biblesimpliciter is non enough—at least, if we read information technology in the style we would read a car maintenance transmission, or a mod novel, or a newspaper report—which is how many of the people in the weblog discussion appear to be doing.  David Cavanagh, of the Salvation Army in Italy, comments online:

Some "bourgeois" or "traditional" Christians believe that Scripture is inspired and therefore must be historically (and, in some cases, scientifically) "authentic" or "true".

Some "liberal" or "revisionist" Christians, recognising that there is much in Scripture which is difficult to foursquare with "history" and "science", argue that the Bible cannot be the definitive guide to Christian faith and life.

Both fail to recognise that they are imposing anachronistic and conflicting criteria of historiographical and scientific "accuracy" and "truth" onto ancient texts which function according to different dynamics

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book…Jesus did many other things too. If every one of them were written downwards, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. (John 20.thirty, 21.25).

I cannot brand my mind up whether this has been written with a sense of excitement at the publishing possibilities, or with a weary sigh at the effort of writing! But the point is that in whatever of the gospels, and even in them all put together, nosotros do not have a full account of Jesus' ministry, nor a mention of all the people that he engaged with. Hence it is perfectly possible for Luke to record Paul recalling words of Jesus that we exercise not have in the gospels (Acts xx.35), and that the naming of individuals relates to their importance in the early Christian community (co-ordinate to the argument of Richard Bauckham). Notice, for example, that John xx.1 but mentions Mary Magdalene, merely that her report to the disciples in the next poetry says 'We do not know where they have taken him', making it articulate that, whilst she alone is mentioned, she is not alone.

Thirdly, we demand to recognise that the gospel writers are less concerned with chronology than nosotros are, and are content to rearrange elements of their stories in club to make a theological bespeak or tell u.s.a. what they think the significance is of an activity or teaching of Jesus. The well-nigh glaring case is Matthew's 'Sermon on the Mountain', which wasn't a sermon and didn't happen on a mountain, but it is something that we find everywhere. Surely Luke'due south 'Journeying to Jerusalem' motif from Luke ix.51 onwards is not in that location to tell u.s. exactly when Jesus taught what, just to show (particularly to his Gentile readers) the central importance of Jerusalem to Jesus' ministry.

---

Begetting these things in mind, is information technology notwithstanding possible to believe that the different accounts (not merely in the gospels, but also in Acts, and Paul'southward account in one Cor 15) are derived from a consistent series of actual events, rather than being 'legendary'? If in that location are irreconcilable differences, then I think we demand to take the claiming to a higher place seriously—only every bit I have demonstrated in relation to the 'most difficult contradiction in the New Testament', the two accounts of Judas' death in Matt 27.3–8 and Acts 1.18, supposed contradictions are often (under conscientious scrutiny) not what they appear to be.

There is a skilful endeavour to set out the underlying events (a amend term than 'harmonise') on this Bible questions website, based on the piece of work of Gary Habermas and Michael Licona:

• Jesus is cached, equally several women watch (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42).
• The tomb is sealed and a baby-sit is fix (Matthew 27:62-66).
• At least 3 women, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the female parent of James, and Salome, prepare spices to go to the tomb (Matthew 28:i; Marker xvi:1).
• An angel descends from heaven, rolls the rock away, and sits on it. There is an convulsion, and the guards faint (Matthew 28:two-4).
• The women arrive at the tomb and notice it empty. Mary Magdalene leaves the other women there and runs to tell the disciples (John 20:1-two).
• The women still at the tomb run into two angels who tell them that Jesus is risen and who instruct them to tell the disciples to get to Galilee (Matthew 28:five-7; Mark 16:ii-8; Luke 24:1-8).
• The women exit to bring the news to the disciples (Matthew 28:8).
• The guards, having roused themselves, report the empty tomb to the authorities, who bribe the guards to say the body was stolen (Matthew 28:11-15).
• Mary the mother of James and the other women, on their way to discover the disciples, come across Jesus (Matthew 28:9-10).
• The women relate what they have seen and heard to the disciples (Luke 24:ix-11).
• Peter and John run to the tomb, run into that it is empty, and detect the grave wearing apparel (Luke 24:12; John 20:ii-10).
• Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb. She sees the angels, and then she sees Jesus (John 20:eleven-18).
• After the same twenty-four hour period, Jesus appears to Peter (Luke 24:34; ane Corinthians 15:five).
• Yet on the same day, Jesus appears to Cleopas and another disciple on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:xiii-32).
• That evening, the ii disciples report the event to the 11 in Jerusalem (Luke 24:32-35).
• Jesus appears to ten disciples—Thomas is missing (Luke 24:36-43; John xx:nineteen-25).
• Jesus appears to all eleven disciples—Thomas included (John 20:26-31).
• Jesus appears to seven disciples past the Sea of Galilee (John 21:one-25).
• Jesus appears to almost 500 disciples in Galilee (i Corinthians xv:6).
• Jesus appears to his half-blood brother James (ane Corinthians fifteen:seven).
• Jesus commissions his disciples (Matthew 28:16-twenty).
• Jesus teaches his disciples the Scriptures and promises to send the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:44-49; Acts ane:iv-5).
• Jesus ascends into heaven (Luke 24:fifty-53; Acts 1:6-12).

This matches the similar outline given past the late Michael Green inThe Empty Cantankerous of Jesus (kickoff ed, p 122); a similar one on the fundamentalist website Answers in Genesis has a squeamish animated graphic map of Jerusalem, though unfortunately it uses the mod (rather than aboriginal) outline of the metropolis, and assumes 'Gordon's Calvary' and the Garden Tomb as the historic site, rather than the more probable site at present marked by the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Merely points made about distances and journeying times still stand up. (Encounter other variations here and, less convincingly, here.)

---

Out of this, there are some important and interesting things to notation. The first (ironically) is the very marked diverseness between the accounts. In most of the earlier episodes of the gospel narratives, nosotros are able to distinguish between the 'Synoptics' (Matthew, Mark and Luke) who accept a broadly similar approach (most often based on the narrative framework of Marker, which Matthew and Luke never agree against) and the quite different view of John. Within that, nosotros note the 'double tradition' of Matthew and Luke, which has led to the belief in a lost written source 'Q' that they both drew on (though its being is disputed). But in the resurrection narratives, all these groupings and relationships seem to disappear. This is the point in the story where, despite understanding on the central facts (which we will return to), each gospel writer appears to have both a distinct business concern in communication and a distinct prepare of sources. For example, Matthew locates Jesus' Great Commission to take the good news to the Gentiles in Galilee—what an apt setting—to signify the change from the before instruction in Matt fifteen.24 just to become to the 'lost sheep of the Firm of State of israel'. Just Luke continues his focus on Jerusalem, and doesn't make reference to Galilee appearances, whilst John includes both, though with a characteristically Jerusalem bending, which would fit the author of the gospel being the Jerusalemite 'honey disciple.'

The 2nd thing to note is the inclusion, especially in Luke and John, of important personal details. Both the business relationship of the appearance on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24 and the scene at the garden tomb in John 20 include numerous 'personal realism' details, which is what makes the stories so engaging and compelling to most readers. Aslope this, I have been struck with how little symbolism in that location is in the business relationship of John 20; for example, why does the author tape that the 'other disciple' can run faster than Peter, and reaches the tomb first, only for Peter to then barge past him—unless that is how it happened? The account appears to make nothing significant or symbolic of this detail. If the gospel writers are indeed relying on different middle-witness testimony, and then that fits well with the nature of the stories every bit we accept them, and accounts well for the diverseness of the accounts.

Thirdly, readers familiar with these stories might non have realised how well the stories fit with historical reality of the kickoff century. Only the family tombs of the relatively wealthy would have disk-like circular stones endmost the entrance which need to be rolled away (and at that place are more and more than examples of these being excavated year past twelvemonth); the entrances are ofttimes quite depression, so you would indeed demand to stoop down to see the inside (John 20.5) and the space (unlike a modern 'tomb') tin can indeed be 'entered' (Marking 16.5). But you cannot see everything from the outside, and so if at that place were heavenly beings at the head and the foot of the infinite where the body was laid (John 20.12), then you would non encounter both from the outside. And the dead were indeed wrapped with two dissimilar cloths, one wound round the body, and a split up one (thesoudarion, John 20.7) effectually the head, which would be left in two, neat, folded piles were the trunk to be miraculously removed. (I am surprised to find that very many modern readers still do not sympathise that significance of this detail, and why information technology led the 'other disciple' to 'believe' that something extraordinary had happened.) These historical details connect with other correlations, including those related to the trial, death and burial of Jesus, which indicate actual historical events as the mutual source.

---

Simply all these diverse perspectives appear to circumvolve effectually a serial of core facts, on which all the accounts seem to agree:

• That women commencement went to the tomb early on the Sunday morn;
• That the stone had been rolled away, and that the tomb was empty;
• That there were angelic beings nowadays;
• That some male disciples came to the tomb in response to the report of the women, and found the aforementioned;
• That the consistent response of all the disciples (both men and women) was a mixture of wonder, confusion, and fright;
• That Jesus himself appear to a wide range of people on different occasions;
• That the people he met consistently failed to recognise him at start, quite possibly as a consequence of their lack of expectation;
• That he was both bodily, in the sense that he could exist touched, and he ate, and nevertheless he was too transformed, in that he could announced and disappear at will;
• That later a period of fourth dimension, he was taken upward to sky.

If in that location were contradictions in these key events—or if the portrayal of the disciples was less unflattering, or the first witnesses existence women was less embarrassing—then I think we would take grounds to consider the accounts 'legendary'. Equally it is, I think the criticisms that we started with are based on false expectations, and fail to note the remarkable agreements of the very diverse accounts.

---

If y'all enjoyed this, do share it on social media, perhaps using the buttons on the left. Follow me on Twitter @psephizo.Like my page on Facebook.

---

Much of my work is done on a freelance basis. If you have valued this mail service, would you consideraltruistic £ane.20 a calendar month to support the product of this blog?

If you enjoyed this, practise share it on social media (Facebook or Twitter) using the buttons on the left. Follow me on Twitter @psephizo. Similar my page on Facebook.

Much of my work is done on a freelance basis. If you lot have valued this post, you lot tin can brand a single or echo donation through PayPal:

Comments policy: Proficient comments that appoint with the content of the post, and share in respectful contend, can add together real value. Seek first to empathize, then to exist understood. Brand the nigh charitable construal of the views of others and seek to learn from their perspectives. Don't view debate as a conflict to win; address the argument rather than tackling the person.

vumonesty.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/are-there-contradictions-in-the-resurrection-accounts/

Share this post