Empty Tomb - Agreements and Differences in The Gospels

Agreements and Differences in The Gospels

All four gospels agree in their emphasis upon the event taking place on the first day of the week and that those who found the tomb empty were women, all give prominence to "Mary" and attention to the stone that had closed the tomb. They do not appear to agree on the time at which the women visited the tomb, the number and identity of the women, the purpose of their visit, the nature and appearance of the messenger(s), whether angelic or human, their message to the women and the response of the women to the visitor in the tomb.

The account of (John 19:39-42) tells of the intervention of influential followers of Jesus, such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who take Jesus' body down from the cross and lay him in a tomb. The account is marked by a sense of urgency in doing this before the coming festival of the Sabbath, during which rest would be observed and no work could occur. It was necessary to use a tomb already prepared; the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

According to the Gospel of Matthew, the Jews, knowing of Jesus' claim of resurrection placed a Jewish guard to guard the tomb of Jesus (Matthew 27:62-66).