Solving the accounts’ “Easter Enigma” A Sunday Morning Adult Study—Rev. Jayson S. Galler Easter Season 2007, Grace Lutheran Church, Elgin, Texas • All diagrams and much information drawn from first-hand, on-the-scene investigation: Wenham, John. Easter Enigma: Are the Resurrection Accounts in Conflict? (Paternoster, 1992; reprinted Wipf & Stock, 2005.) ISBN: 1-59752-166-3 • The Scene

Figure 1: The City of Jerusalem and its Eastern Environs o The City of Jerusalem roughly ½-mile square, strong walls, gates at intervals. Slope to east (Kidron Valley). o Hasmonean Palace Herod and court, including steward Chuza and wife Joanna (Luke 8:1-3). o House of where Peter’s denial took place. ’s house (Acts 12:12). o John’s house possible location near Church of the Dormition (of Mary), nice neighborhood (possibly too nice even for a good fish business), ready access to house of Caiaphas (himself possible priestly), location helps accounts for people not meeting one another on various routes. o Tomb Church of the Holy Sepulchre site, easily accessed by Gennath Gate (Gate of the Garden) and Ephraim Gate. Historical evidence (versus the “Garden Tomb” a good example but speculative location, conflicting dates; see also the Lutheran Witness). Low entry, stone into the hole (like bottlestopper, versus millstone type with sloping channel), roomy, space on right partly-visible from door. o Garden of Gethsemane across Brook Kidron, orchard not ornamental. o Bethany two miles away, rise of hill place for Galilean pilgrim camps. o Galilee 50+ miles north, a 2-3 day journey on foot. 2—Solving the Gospel accounts’ “Easter Enigma” • The Players (5 women + 11 apostles + + Virgin Mary + 4 “brothers” + John Mark = 23 [+]!) o said to be Bible’s “most favored woman” after Virgin Mary, relatively brief mentions (speculation as recent as The DaVinci Code), possibly the “sinner” of Luke 7:36-50 and thus also the sister of and Lazarus in Bethany in John 12:1-8 (long tradition equating them, only in Bethany is “Magdala” not used), not necessarily a street prostitute (seven “demons” as seven spirits/sins, confer Luke 11:24-29); left home for Magdala, converted and “botched” anointing (Luke 7:36-50) and mentioned with “itinerant” women (Luke 8:1-3), welcome into home (Luke 10:38-42), brother raised (John 11:1-44), anoints Jesus (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-8), then stands at the cross, witnesses the burial, visits the tomb, is the first to see the Lord. Luke’s treatment may have been sensitive to her past and “present”. Identifying these three women as one woman is not essential to the reconstruction.

Figure 2: Genealogical Chart o “” (Mark 15:40; 16:1) = “the mother of the sons of ” (:56) = “Jesus’s mother’s sister” (John 19:25, consistent with his own self-effacing references). Zebedee’s wife, sister of Mary, Jesus’s aunt, James’s and John’s mother (Jesus and John then first cousins). o “The other Mary” or “Mary the mother of James and Joseph []” (Matthew 27:56, 61; 28:1) = “the mother of James the younger and of Joses” or “the mother of Joses” or “the mother of James” (Mark 15:40, 47; 16:1; :10) = “the wife of Clopas” (John 19:25). James the younger of the apostles with that name, son of , equivalent to “Chalphai” and Greek “Clopas” or “Cleopas”. , a second-century historian, asserts Clopas and Joseph were brothers. (Possibly puts all the family together in John’s house, interest in disciples, Salome and other Mary more stable/less impulsive, not likely to be sister of Virgin Mary.) o Virgin Mary at cross (John 19:25-27) but not directly involved in resurrection; being in John’s home may have influenced events. Note the so-called “sons” may not be hers. o John, the beloved , known to the high priest (John 18:15), took Virgin Mary home (John 19:27), roots in Capernaum but time in capital, perhaps priest (similar roots to Elizabeth who married Zachariah, Luke 1:5, 36) and fisherman supplying temple pilgrims. o Joanna mentioned only by Luke (8:1-3; 24:10), husband “steward” to (finance minister or manager of estates), permanent and senior member of court so may have lived at residence (could have lived elsewhere), likely known to and .

Solving the Gospel Accounts’ “Easter Enigma”—3 • Maundy Thursday Night (Figure 3) 1. Matthew 26:17-30; Mark 14:12-26; Luke 22:7-38; John 13:1-17:26. (Mark’s house is “conjecture”.) 2. Matthew 26:31-35; Mark 14:26-31; Luke 22:39; John 18:1. 3. Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46; John 18:1. (Conjecture that John Mark’s father owned it and that some were sleeping the night there.) 4. Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-49; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:4-11 5. Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50-52. (Direction is “conjecture” but the opposite of from where the band came and indeed may have been where they all were staying; the identification of John Mark is usual.) 6. Matthew 26:57-75; Mark 14:53-72; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:12-27 7. (All “conjecture” but plausible. The next day “the three women” with the husbands of the two and John would enter the city to follow the events there. [See Luke 23:27-31.])

Figure 3: Maundy Thursday Night • Good Friday at the Cross (Figure 4) 1. (Mary Magdalene was there, but from where she came the Bible doesn’t say.) 2. Matthew 27:55-56; Mark 15:40-41; Luke 23:49; John 19:25-27. (Luke may notably avoid use of the word “disciples”. According to the harmonization, Salome is the Virgin Mary’s sister, and she, like , is Jesus’s aunt. The Virgin Mary and John may have left for a time—the gap in John’s account. An un-named woman of Luke’s may be “”, a friend of Joanna’s.) 3. Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-46; Luke 23:50-54; John 20:38-42. Figure 4: Good Friday Morning and Afternoon--at the Cross

4—Solving the Gospel accounts’ “Easter Enigma” • Good Friday at the Tomb (Figure 5) 1. Luke 23:55 (Galilean women follow and see “how” body was laid in it—an inside view). (Trio of Salome, Virgin Mary, and John notably not mentioned in burial accounts, but Wenham speculates John may have helped carry king-like spices.) 2. Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47. (They just see “where” He was laid; confer John’s mention of the garden.) 3. (Bible doesn’t mention the “conference” but reasonable to assume, with Joseph and Nicodemus also involved. Short time before nightfall and start of Sabbath; body normally would be washed and anointed before being dressed. Some temporary steps were taken, with women agreeing to come back and anoint the body properly.) 4. Luke 23:56 (Galilean women go home and prepare spices and perfumes). (Susanna linked with Joanna in Luke 8:3 but conjectured where Wenham uses quotes. Their own resources of spices? May have prepared them after Sabbath.) 5. (Presumably it was too late for Mary Figure 5: Good Friday Late Afternoon--at the Tomb Magdalene to go back to Bethany.) • Holy Saturday Early Evening (Figure 6) 1. Matthew 27:62-66. (His perspective in Bethany, especially evident next morning. Guard solicitation/placement arguably violates the Sabbath. Two sets of guards?) 2. (Wenham’s conjecture, with familial motivations for the two women to want to get out there as soon as possible. Darkness would have made necessary Clopas’s accompanying them.) 3. Mark 16:1 says Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices (Mary Magdalene had anointed with her ointment earlier; Salome could have bought on behalf of all three of them). (Peter was at the house, said to be Figure 6: Saturday Early Evening his point of view that Mark recounts.)

Solving the Gospel Accounts’ “Easter Enigma”—5 • Easter Sunday—Very Early (Figure 7) 1. Matthew 28:1-4 (doesn’t say from where they came or that they stopped at John’s house but doesn’t rule those out; compare usual timing of earthquake). (Earthquake not to let body out but witnesses in; descent and resurrection two aspects of victory proclamation. Guards risk lives leaving scene and agreeing to neglect story; if asleep they wouldn’t know who stole the body. moves inside?) 2. Mark 16:2-3 (puts Salome with them; Clopas staying at John’s house [anointing women’s work?] and gate information is conjecture); Luke 24:1. 3. Mark 16:4; Luke 24:1; John 20:1-2 (John alone reports Mary’s wild conclusion and Figure 7: Sunday--Very Early Morning return before thinking of Jesus’s possibly rising and before seeing Him.) • Easter Sunday—Early Morning #1 (Figure 8) 1. (No Biblical evidence of second party of women joining the first, but certainly not ruled out. Joanna and “Susanna” had been in the tomb. revealing and hiding themselves. “Ten minutes in the garden.”) Matthew 28:5-7; Mark 16:5-7; Luke 24:3-8. 2. (Wenham presumes the women telling the disciples at John’s house, even though it isn’t on his chart; he figures Jesus’s appearance to these women came later, although it arguably could have been at this time on their way back to the city.) Matthew 28:8; Mark 16:8; Luke 24:9-11 (somewhat amalgamated?). Figure 8: Sunday--Early Morning #1

6—Solving the Gospel accounts’ “Easter Enigma” • Easter Sunday—Early Morning #2 (Figure 9) 1. John 20:3-9 (confer Luke 24:12 and plural in v.24, but compare sequence). (John may have focused on Mary Magdalene because of his personal experience hearing the news from her. Alternative routes account for coming and going without meeting.) 2. Mark 16:9; John 20:10-17. (Plural disciples can return to one singular home in John 20:10. Mary singular now versus plural earlier in report to John and Peter. May have thrown herself at Jesus’s feet. Gardener/watchman may have been thought of as potential stone remover.) 3. Mark 16:10-11; Luke 24:9-11; John 20:18. Figure 9: Sunday--Early Morning #2 • Easter Sunday—Morning (Figure 10) 1. Matthew 28:9-10 (but conjectured recipients, timing, and location). (Women’s “commission” to tell disciples “less than half fulfilled”, so at least the two mothers of the two James go. Not necessary that Mary Magdalene personally tell the nine. Various considerations of Galilee appearances after week or so.) 2. Mark 16:12; Luke 24:13-31. (Note Clopas’s knowledge of morning’s events, companion possibly St. Luke and his house, day spent at 2:00, and Word and Sacrament.) Figure 10: Sunday Morning • Easter Sunday—Afternoon (Figure 11) 1. (To Peter, Luke 24:34, 1 Corinthians 15:5.) (Silence whence they came). 2. Mark 16:13-14; Luke 24:32-49(?); John 20:19-23; 1 Corinthians 15:5. • Other appearances (details debatable): o 500+: 1 Corinthians 15:6 (Galilee?). o Eighth Day: John 20:26-29. 1 Corinthians 15:7 to James (kin). o Sea: John 21:1-23 (third collective). o Galilee: Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-19 (Jerusalem? Confer Acts 1, 13:31?). Figure 11: Easter Sunday--Afternoon