Many believe the claim made by Bart Ehrman, a New Testament scholar and critic, that the differences in the accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus within the four gospels are irreconcilable. But the truth is that each gospel records different events that complement each other and do not contradict them.
The Gospel accounts
Matthew 28:1-10
[1] After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. [2] There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. [3] His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. [4] The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. [5] The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. [6] He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
[7] Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” [8] So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. [9] Suddenly, Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshipped him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Mark 16:1-12
[1] When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. [2] Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb [3] and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?” [4] But when they looked up, they saw that the huge stone had been rolled away. [5] As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. [6] “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
[7] But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ” [8] Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. [9] When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. [10] She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. [11] When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. [12] Afterward, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.
Luke 24:1–12 and 24:22–24
[1] On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. [2] They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, [3] but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. [5] In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? [6] He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: [7] ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” [8] Then they remembered his words. [9] When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.
[10] It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. [11] But they did not believe the women because their words seemed to them like nonsense. [12] Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
[22] In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning [23] but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. [24] Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”
John 20:1-18
[1] Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. [2] So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” [3] So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. [4] Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. [5] He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
[6] Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, [7] as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. [8] Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. [9] (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) [10] Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
[11] Now Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb [12] and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. [13] They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” [14] At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus.
[15] He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). [17] Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” [18] Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
The Argument:
Bart Ehrman, argues that the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection contain contradictions. Here are some of his main points:
- The women at the tomb: The Gospels disagree on the number of women who went to the tomb, what time they arrived, and who they encountered there. Mark mentions only the women fleeing in fear without telling anyone (Mark 16:8), while other Gospels depict them telling the disciples (Matthew 28:8–10, Luke 24:9–10).
- The empty tomb: While all Gospels agree the tomb was empty, they differ on details like the position of the stone and the presence of angels.
- Post-resurrection appearances: The Gospels vary in the number of appearances of Jesus, who saw him, and where these encounters happened.
Now that you’ve read the texts for yourself, let’s examine them closely side-by-side. Below is one possible scenario that combines all the accounts in the four gospels into one coherent story:
Firstly:
The women who were followers of Jesus left early on Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. (Matt. 28:1) (Mark 16:1) (Luke 24:1) (Luke 24:22) (John 20:1)
NOTE: Some women were mentioned by name and others weren’t. None of the gospels reported specifically that “only” one of them went to the tomb of Jesus.
Secondly:
The tombstone was rolled aside (Matt 28:2) (Mark 16:4) (Luke 24:2) (John 20:1). An angel rolled it away from the entrance and the guards stationed at the tomb were so freaked out they fainted (Matt 28:2-4). The opened tomb was seen by several of Jesus’ disciples and followers, who personally saw that His body was no longer in the tomb.
NOTE: Some were mentioned by name (Matt 28:1) (Mark 16:5) (Luke 24:10) (Luke 24:24) (John 20:5-7), and some were referred to as “the women” or “the other women” (Luke 24:3, 10, 23).
Thirdly:
Mary Magdalene believed someone had stolen Jesus’ body and ran and told the disciple Simon Peter (Cephas) first (John 20:2), and the disciple John was with him (John 20:2). They were not with the other disciples at this time. They ran to the tomb to see for themselves (John 20:3–4).
NOTE: Luke 24:12 didn’t mention John, but it didn’t specify that “only” Peter went. The men didn’t report seeing any angels or women. The women had probably all left by then (see point 4 below). They reported seeing only the grave clothes of Jesus left behind where he had been laid down (John 20:5-8) (Luke 24:12). Then they went back to where they were staying. (John 20:10). In the meantime, Mary must have left to follow them back to the tomb, because this time she seemed to be alone with the angels and Jesus. (John 20:11)
Fourthly:
After Mary had run to Peter’s house, the rest of the women saw angels and entered the tomb.
NOTE: Some women said they saw an angel outside the tomb (Matt 28:2), some said they saw angels inside the tomb (Mark 16:5) (John 20:12), and some said they saw angels without specifying where (Matt. 28:5) (Luke 24:4) (Luke 24:23). Surely, one cannot assume the angels were standing fixed to one spot without moving.
Also NOTE: Some reported seeing one angel (Matt. 28:5) (Mark 16:5), others reported seeing two angels (Luke 24:4) (Luke 24:23) (John 20:12), and Luke recorded that they saw angels without specifying how many, but plural (Luke 24:23). None reported seeing ONLY one…
Fifthly:
The angels asked the women to go and tell the disciples what they saw (Mark 16:7). They didn’t speak to anyone else along the way (Mark 16:8). But on the way back, they were met by Jesus Himself (Matt. 28:9). After a short conversation, the women carried on and delivered the message to the disciples (Luke 24:9).
Sixthly:
Mary’s experience at the tomb differed from others. She must have gone back to the tomb after calling Peter (and John) because this time she was alone with the angels and Jesus (John 20:11). She still believed someone had stolen Jesus’ body (John 20:13). She was weeping outside (John 20:11).
NOTE: She didn’t report having the other women with her at this time. Mary entered the tomb and found two angels inside, sitting where Jesus had been laid down. She turned away from the angels and saw someone standing behind her (John 20:14).
Also NOTE: Mary didn’t say how far away this person was from her. She didn’t say that she’d stopped crying by then. It turned out to be Jesus standing there (John 20:14–17). She says she didn’t recognise him at first (possibly her eyes were full of tears) and assumed it was the person tending the garden (which was mentioned previously in John 19:41) around the tomb (John 20:15). She didn’t say why she didn’t recognise him. She only recognised Him only when He called her by her name (John 20:16); it was His voice that she recognised. Mary went and told those who had been with Him, who were mourning, that she had seen Jesus (John 20:18) (Mark 16:10).
Lastly:
Jesus started appearing to His other followers after Mary and the other women (Mark 16:12) (John 20:19) (1 Cor 15:5-7).
Conclusion
Just the fact that this one possible scenario shows no contradictions is enough to assert that the four different accounts of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ can be harmonised and thus continue to hold authority as an accurately recorded historical event.
You can find more articles dealing with the alleged contradictions in the Bible at the link below:
