AD 33 by Colin Duriez

Author:Colin Duriez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The History Press
Published: 2016-12-23T05:00:00+00:00

SUNDAY , 5 APRIL (16 NISAN)

According to the New Testament Gospels, the first resurrection appearances took place very early on the Sunday morning of 5 April. We must picture the women who had witnessed Jesus’ hasty burial making their way back to the tomb to anoint his body in the customary manner. Such a picture would try to reconcile the various Gospel accounts. Some scholars see the narratives as too contradictory to make this a worthwhile exercise; others see variations as inevitable in relatively independent accounts of events (even where a core of shared material is used). The anointing would usually be done immediately after death but of course the Sabbath, and with it the Passover, had intervened. They may have come in two groups, having arranged to meet up at the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the wife of Cleopas made their way from the place in which they were staying in Jerusalem, perhaps John’s house. Salome may have joined them. From another direction Joanna and an unnamed woman (possibly a disciple called Suzannah) may have set out from the Hasmodean palace near the temple mount, where Joanna was part of Herod’s household. Putting together the various New Testament accounts we get an idea of the possible sequence.

As the two Marys and Salome approached the burial area they may have felt earth tremors. This was relatively unremarkable, as such things were common close to the rift valley in which the River Jordan flowed. What was more pressing for them was the fact that they suddenly realised that they would not be able to roll away the heavy stone in front of the tomb. As they approached, however, they noticed that the tomb had already been opened. Mary Magdalene, assuming the body had been taken, ran off to inform Peter and John, the two disciples who had remained in Jerusalem, leaving the two older women at the spot. At this point they were joined by Joanna and her companion. They decided to enter the tomb to see what might have happened. There, we are told, they were surprised to see two young men whose white robes were dazzlingly bright. (This is a normal depiction of angelic beings, or divine messengers in Scripture; they look like men, wearing the usual clothes of the period, not airy beings with wings.) One of the men told them that Jesus had risen, as he said he would. They were to inform the disciples, and Peter, that he was going before them to Galilee. At this the four women fled from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples. A great deal of running went on in those early hours, as a result of the extraordinary events which were, presumably, almost too much for the mind to grasp.

Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene had found Peter and John in the city, and blurted out, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Immediately the two men started running to the tomb, with Mary following behind.

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