Established 1970

Stories of the resurrection of Jesus differ. They differ on whether it was one (John 20:1-8), two (Matthew 28:1), three (Mark 16:1) or more (Luke 24:10) women who went to Jesus' tomb. One gospel says that Mary Magdalene found the tomb open (John 20:1) and two other gospels say that the tomb was open when the women arrived there (Luke 24:2, Mark 16:1-4), but Matthew 28:1-6 has the women witnessing the tomb being opened by an angel. This contradicts both Luke and John, for in their accounts the woman or women were perplexed at the open and empty tomb. (Luke 24:4, John 20:2).

The gospels differ on whether the women (or woman) saw a man (Mark 16:5), the angel of the Lord (Matthew 28:2), two men (Luke 24:4-5), or two angels (John 20:12). Matthew says that the angel was outside the tomb (Matthew 28:2-6), but Mark, Luke and John say that they (he) were (was) first seen inside the tomb. (Mark 16:5-6, Luke 24:3-5, John 20:11-12).

In Matthew, Mark 16:9 and John, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene (Matthew 28:1-10, John 20:1-17), but while Mark 16:9-11 implies that Mary Magdalene was alone when Jesus saw her, and John has her without a companion (John 20:10-13), Matthew says that Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" together. (Matthew 28:9). John says that Mary Magdalene told Peter of the empty tomb before she saw Jesus (John 20:1-2), but Matthew says that Jesus met the two Marys when they were going back to tell the disciples. (Matthew 28:5-10). There is no suggestion in Matthew's account that the women had any trouble in recognising Jesus (Matthew 28:8-9), but in John's version Mary Magdalene did not recognise him at first. (John 20:14-16).

But whatever the differences between Matthew and John (and Mark 16:9-11) on Jesus' appearance to Mary Magdalene, Luke is at variance with them all, for he excludes this appearance. Luke says that she and other women saw two young men at the tomb who told them that Jesus had risen, but neither they, nor some of Jesus' followers, who went to the tomb, saw Jesus then. (Luke 24:4-24). The first part of Luke's account is something like the account in Mark 16:1-8, but though both mention Galilee, Luke 24:6 says it's the place where Jesus predicted his resurrection, while Mark 16:7 (and Matthew 28:10) say it's the place where Jesus was to appear.

Mark 16:8 says that the women said nothing, but other accounts, including Mark 16:9-11, make much of the reports of the women. (Matthew 28:10, 16, Luke 24:8-12, 22-34, John 20:18).

In two accounts Jesus orders the disciples to stay in Jerusalem until they received power from on high (Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4), but in Matthew and Mark, Jesus directs them to Galilee (Matthew 28:10, Mark 16:7), with Matthew 28:16 specifying that it was to a mountain there, John also records an appearance of Jesus in the Galilee area, but this was on the shore of Lake Tiberas, and it caught the disciples by surprise. (John 21:1-8). The most curious thing about this account, however, is that it shows several of the disciples back at their ordinary work after the supposed resurrection. (John 21:1-8, compare Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11).

One appearance seems to be common to several accounts, but again the details vary. Paul lists an appearance to "the twelve". (1 Corinthians 15:5). Luke 24:33-43 and Mark 16:14 describe an appearance to the eleven remaining disciples (without Judas) on the evening following the resurrection, but in John's account of that evening, another disciple, Thomas, was missing. (John 20:19-25). Matthew's account would seem to exclude this appearance entirely. (Matthew 28:9-12, 16-17).

There is another basic difference between Matthew and several of the other accounts. Luke and Acts stress the conviction of the disciples about the resurrection (Luke 24:33-45, Acts 1:3-4, 14) and John's story of doubting Thomas shows that even he was convinced. (John 20:24-29). But Matthew says that while the disciples saw Jesus, some of them doubted. (Matthew 28:17).

Finally, there is a major textual problem with part of Mark. Mark 16:9-19, which contains the actual resurrection appearance of Jesus, is not part of the original document and is missing from several of the most ancient of the surviving manuscripts. Without it, Mark, generally reckoned to be the most ancient of the gospels, ends with an empty tomb, but without any actual resurrection appearance of Jesus. It also loses Mark 16:17-18, used as a proof text by faith healers and snake handlers.