![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Keith-Long-Bart-Ehrman-Contributor.png\" "\\"Keith")
<\/span><\/p>\nWritten by Keith Long, MDiv<\/a><\/p>\n Author | Pastor | BE Contributor<\/p>\n Verified! See our editorial guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n Verified! See our guidelines<\/a><\/p>\n \nDate written: March 16th, 2022<\/p>\n Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. – Dr. Bart D. Ehrman<\/p>\n The story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection<\/a> is over two hundred decades old. Millions of people have heard, been inspired, or intrigued by this Biblical tale\u2014or rather, tales<\/strong><\/em>. Christians have long since celebrated Jesus overcoming the finality of death as the greatest story ever told. <\/p>\n But did you know that the story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection is told in multiple ways? In this article we will explore the story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection as told by the four Gospel writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and how their stories are similar, different, and why.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to be equipped with a theological degree to know the answers about Jesus\u2019 resurrection, but let\u2019s say you find yourself in a Christian sanctuary on Easter morning and the preacher calls on you to give the biblical details of Jesus\u2019 resurrection<\/a>. Would you know where to look?<\/p>\n Fear not substitute preacher! Jesus\u2019 resurrection appears in all four<\/em> of the Gospels<\/strong> of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John\u2014only it is not the same exact story.<\/p>\n Anyone giving critical thought and attention to the gospel accounts of the resurrection side-by-side should be able to spot the similarities between the accounts.<\/p>\n The core of the resurrection story is generally the same. If you combined all the core details together, the Easter story would go something like this:<\/p>\n On the first day of the week at sunrise, Mary Magdalene, possibly accompanied by other followers of Jesus, arrived at his tomb. Only Jesus was not there! One or possibly two angelic beings greeted them announcing Jesus had arisen from the dead.<\/p>\n Filled with fear and joy, Mary was instructed to tell the remaining disciples of the good news of Jesus\u2019 resurrection. In the days that followed, Jesus himself made appearances to his disciples. The gospels record that the disciples were able to speak with the resurrected Jesus, eat with him, and touch him before he ultimately ascended to heaven, leaving his disciples to spread the good news.<\/p>\n Universal agreement about Christian foundational beliefs are few and far between, but both fundamental and progressive scholars alike have little doubt that Matthew and Luke borrowed from the Gospel of Mark which accounts for many of the similarities<\/strong> in the first three gospels, although Matthew and Luke\u2019s resurrection accounts are much longer and add new details to their narratives. <\/p>\n While the Gospel of John contains a lot of stories not found in the Synoptics, its resurrection narrative sticks more or less to the core narrative – that the tomb was found empty<\/a>, that he appeared to his disciples, and so on. There are some notable differences in the gospel accounts, however.<\/p>\n What varies in both subtle and not-so-subtle ways are the secondary details. Here is a summary of some of the resurrection differences and contradictions to be mindful of in a side-by-side comparison of each Gospel\u2019s account of Jesus\u2019 resurrection and its immediate aftermath:<\/p>\n Matthew 28<\/a>:<\/p>\n First to the tomb: Mary Magdalene and \u201cthe other Mary\u201d<\/p>\n Secondary Details Unique to Matthew\u2019s Gospel: <\/p>\n Mark 16:1-8<\/a>:<\/p>\n First to the tomb: Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, Salome<\/p>\n Secondary Details Unique to Mark\u2019s Gospel:<\/p>\n Luke 24<\/a>:<\/p>\n First to the tomb: Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Joanna, \u201cother women,\u201d Peter<\/p>\n Secondary Details Unique to Luke\u2019s Gospel:<\/p>\n John 20<\/a>:<\/p>\n First to the tomb: Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, the disciple Jesus loved<\/p>\n Secondary Details Unique to John\u2019s Gospel:<\/p>\n *The number of angels varies between the resurrection stories. Matthew and Mark name one angel at the scene, Luke and John name two angels. <\/em><\/p>\n As for the additions and subtractions to Mark\u2019s storytelling, why is there an expanding and contracting on the core details? Perhaps Mark\u2019s cliffhanger in chapter sixteen made for great theater for him but left the other writers wanting a few more stones unturned. <\/p>\n The reasons for the differences, however, likely go much deeper than creative license<\/strong>. By the time the other Gospels were being written, Christian doctrine formation was in its infancy as questions about Jesus\u2019 resurrection ran rampant. The early church wondered about what seeing Jesus alive meant about his life, his death, and how his followers ought to think and act on Jesus\u2019 teaching. The Gospel writers perpetuate the answers to these questions about Jesus in their resurrection accounts of him, leading readers to wonder not only about the nature of the resurrection, but the nature of Jesus himself\u2014a question Bart expertly answers in his book How Jesus Became God<\/a>. <\/p>\n NOW AVAILABLE!<\/p>\n Dr. Bart D. Ehrman recently debated leading Christian apologist, Dr. Mike Licona, on the topic of the resurrection. Dr. Licona argued his case for the historical resurrection of Jesus while Bart argued against it.<\/p>\n __CONFIG_colors_palette__{“active_palette”:0,”config”:{“colors”:{“62516”:{“name”:”Main Accent”,”parent”:-1}},”gradients”:[]},”palettes”:[{“name”:”Default Palette”,”value”:{“colors”:{“62516”:{“val”:”rgb(255, 133, 34)”,”hsl”:{“h”:26,”s”:0.99,”l”:0.5667}}},”gradients”:[]}}]}__CONFIG_colors_palette__ <\/span> GET REPLAY<\/strong><\/span><\/span> <\/a> Whatever the case, Matthew and Luke communicate all sorts of secondary details that are just not there in Mark\u2019s storytelling. And then there\u2019s the resurrection story according to John\u2019s gospel\u2014a narrative loaded with core and secondary details that none of the other Gospel writers mention. Was Mark trying to be coy or did the other writers get access to some \u201cQ\u201d source information<\/a> or did they hear other stories that Mark didn\u2019t? Were not all Gospel writers privy to the same divine inspiration and oral tradition? If Mark got the story right, there would be no need to make any modifications\u2014but this is most certainly not the case. <\/p>\n The differences abound, leading readers down one rabbit hole after another in search of the truth about Jesus. Stick with the quest long enough and the details about what happened become secondary to the core question of who wrote these ancient narratives to begin with. Who were these Gospel writers, anyway?<\/p>\n The root cause for the differences is likely due to the fact that none of the writers were eyewitnesses to the resurrection. They were Greek authors writing about stories they heard passed onto them in the longest game of \u201ctelephone\u201d ever played. And whoever told these stories about Jesus did so after the resurrection sightings\u2014whether spiritual visions or physical encounters\u2014and were not written down until at least four decades had passed <\/strong>since Jesus was crucified. That is a lot of time between actual events taking place and the recording of them! <\/p>\n Even in this day and age of technological superiority and journalistic integrity, I would suspect a good deal of information would get missed or misconstrued if someone set out to write a detailed account of something that happened forty to seventy years prior, especially without having been an eyewitness personally. The time between Mark\u2019s gospel and the others also increases the likelihood that the authors of the more recent Gospels utilized different sources to create their accounts of Jesus. I can\u2019t even gather the exact story details gleaned from my children from a one-hour time span! The odds that each author would therefore hear and conclude the exact same things over decades of storytelling about Jesus are slim to none. <\/p>\n When you combine all these probabilities with the theory that each author wrote to address the needs of different audiences as scholars like Bart Ehrman advise, then it is easier to understand why so many secondary details conflict between the resurrection narratives. The important thing is to recognize they\u2019re different and to accept the variety with curiosity instead of fear or denial as Dr. Craig Keener describes.<\/a> <\/p>\n It is my opinion that the resurrection details differ because the storytellers intended to tell their own versions of what happened. Be it because Matthew wanted to persuade a Jewish audience of the divinity of Jesus as Bart posits here<\/a> or how Greek authors like Mark and Luke sought to mythically elevate Jesus from humble teacher to epic hero as this book<\/a> demonstrates, or that John\u2019s gospel account of Jesus\u2019 resurrection was above-all meant to be interpreted as spiritual and a metaphysical event as this book<\/a> teaches, Jesus\u2019 resurrection remains eternally captivating regardless of the rationale for its significance.<\/p>\n From investigative journalists like Lee Strobel making a compelling case for the benefits of these differences to this skeptical blogger<\/a>\u2019s equally compelling argument against them, the truth of the resurrection of Jesus continues to evolve. For the serious seeker, no one is better than Bart to guide you into the deepest depths of resurrection research. His books Jesus, Interrupted<\/a>, The Gospels Before Jesus<\/a>, and How Jesus Became God<\/a> are equipped to inspire, stretch, and inform the most inquisitive minds on the subject, as well as many of his other books and articles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" how does the Resurrection Story Change in the Gospels? Written by Keith Long, MDiv Author | Pastor | BE Contributor Verified! See our editorial guidelines Verified! See our guidelines Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. – Dr. Bart D. Ehrman The story […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4542,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","tve_updated_post":" Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman<\/p><\/div> The story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection<\/a> is over two hundred decades old. Millions of people have heard, been inspired, or intrigued by this Biblical tale\u2014or rather, tales<\/strong><\/em>. Christians have long since celebrated Jesus overcoming the finality of death as the greatest story ever told. <\/p> But did you know that the story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection is told in multiple ways? In this article we will explore the story of Jesus\u2019 resurrection as told by the four Gospel writers of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and how their stories are similar, different, and why.<\/p><\/div> You don\u2019t have to be equipped with a theological degree to know the answers about Jesus\u2019 resurrection, but let\u2019s say you find yourself in a Christian sanctuary on Easter morning and the preacher calls on you to give the biblical details of Jesus\u2019 resurrection<\/a>. Would you know where to look?<\/p> Fear not substitute preacher! Jesus\u2019 resurrection appears in all four<\/em> of the Gospels<\/strong> of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John\u2014only it is not the same exact story.<\/p><\/div> Anyone giving critical thought and attention to the gospel accounts of the resurrection side-by-side should be able to spot the similarities between the accounts.<\/p> The core of the resurrection story is generally the same. If you combined all the core details together, the Easter story would go something like this:<\/p><\/div>![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/How-does-the-resurrection-story-change-in-the-gospels.png\" "\\"How")
<\/span><\/p>\nHow many gospels mention the resurrection?<\/h2>\n
On what essential points about the resurrection do all the gospels agree?<\/h2>\n
On what points about the resurrection do the gospels Disagree?<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
Why do the Gospels differ on the resurrection?<\/h2>\n
![\"Jesus](\"https:\/\/www.bartehrman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Resurrection-1280-\u00d7-960-px-for-TC-Course.png\" "\\"Jesus")
<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\nWere the Gospel writers eyewitnesses to Jesus\u2019 resurrection?<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
how does the Resurrection Story Change in the Gospels?<\/h1><\/div>
<\/span><\/div>How many gospels mention the resurrection?<\/h2><\/div>
On what essential points about the resurrection do all the gospels agree?<\/h2><\/div>