Matthew 28:2
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:2 is the second verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse is part of the resurrection
narrative. Mary Magdalene
and "the other Mary" are approaching Jesus
' tomb after the crucification when an angel and an earthquake occur.
The original Koine Greek
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
The modern World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:2
Scholars accept that this verse is a reworking of Mark 16
:5. In Mark it is implied that the "young man" is an angel or something similar, this verse makes this explicit. The verse strives to make the events as dramatic as possible. Beginning with "behold" shows that something important is about to follow. It also adds a earthquake and a dramatic descent from heaven. Beare sees this as a haggadic expansion upon Mark, and argues that no source beyond Mark is needed to explain where this passage originates.
There are many parallels in this verse to earlier events in Matthew. "Angles of the lord" play an important role in the infancy narrative, appearing at Matthew 1:20
, 1:24
, 2:13
and 2:19
. That an angel appears again at the end of the story links it back to the opening chapters. "Coming down from heaven" parallels the wording of of Matthew 3:16
, the climax of the baptism scene. An earthquake had also earlier occurred at Matthew 27:51, marking the moment of Jesus' death. Jesus predicts earthquakes as a sign of the end times at Matthew 24:7, and earthquakes are also a common occurrence in Revelation
. Davies and Allison thus see the earthquake in this verse also having eschatological significance. Since an earthquake marked Jesus' death, Gundry feels that this one is marking the exact moment of the resurrection.
The earthquake in this verse removes the stone from outside the tomb. Matthew is the only gospel that describes how the stone gets moved. At Mark 16
:3 the women had worried about how they were to move the stone to anoint the body. In Matthew there was no need to enter the tomb, and in his version this is not mentioned as a concern of the women. Why the stone is moved is not directly answered. Gundry feels that as the earthquake marks the moment of the resurrection, the moving of the stone was to allow Jesus' to exit the tomb, though he might have exited invisibly as no one is reported to have observed him at this time. Peter Chrysologus
and John Chrysostom
strongly disagreed with this view, arguing that Jesus had no need for the door to be open to leave. Rather they, and many modern scholars, believes that the stone was rolled away so that the women and other witnesses could see that the tomb was now empty, to provide concrete evidence for the resurrection.
The verse is unclear on whether the women introduced in the previous verse are present for these events, or only come upon the tomb later. Davies and Allison feel that since the women were just introduced, it is implied that they are a eye witness to these events. Though other commentators disagree. In the apocryphal Gospel of Peter
the events are further elaborated upon and there are witnesses to the resurrection itself.
The angel sits upon the stone outside of the tomb. This conflicts with the other gospels which have the angel, or angels, inside the tomb. Those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible have proposed a number of explanations to account for this. St. Augustine
suggested that there could be two sets of angels. One outside the tomb and two inside the tomb. The women first talk to the angel outside, and then the angel inside. Only Matthew mentions the first conversation, while the other gospels only mention the second. Alternatively Augustine writes that by inside the tomb Mark and the other writers are referring to being inside an outer tomb enclosure, such as a wall around the area. Thus the same angels can be described as being both inside the tomb, and sitting on a stone outside it.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. This verse is part of the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
narrative. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
and "the other Mary" are approaching Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
' tomb after the crucification when an angel and an earthquake occur.
The original Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- και ιδου σεισμος εγενετο μεγας αγγελος γαρ κυριου καταβας εξ
- ουρανου και προσελθων απεκυλισεν τον λιθον και εκαθητο επανω αυτου
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from
- heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
The modern World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from
- the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:2
Scholars accept that this verse is a reworking of Mark 16
Mark 16
Mark 16 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It begins with the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — there they encounter a man dressed in white who announces the Resurrection of Jesus.Verse 8 ends...
:5. In Mark it is implied that the "young man" is an angel or something similar, this verse makes this explicit. The verse strives to make the events as dramatic as possible. Beginning with "behold" shows that something important is about to follow. It also adds a earthquake and a dramatic descent from heaven. Beare sees this as a haggadic expansion upon Mark, and argues that no source beyond Mark is needed to explain where this passage originates.
There are many parallels in this verse to earlier events in Matthew. "Angles of the lord" play an important role in the infancy narrative, appearing at Matthew 1:20
Matthew 1:20
Matthew 1:20 is the twentieth verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Previously Joseph had found Mary to be pregnant and had considered leaving her. In this verse an angel comes to him in a dream and reassures him....
, 1:24
Matthew 1:23
Matthew 1:23 is the twenty-third verse of the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Joseph has just been informed of the nature of Jesus by an angel and in this verse the author of Matthew relates this to a quote from the Old Testament....
, 2:13
Matthew 2:13
Matthew 2:13 is the thirteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi have left after paying homage to the young Jesus. In this verse an angel warns Joseph that he must flee....
and 2:19
Matthew 2:19
Matthew 2:19 is the nineteenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. King Herod has launched the Massacre of the Innocents in an attempt to kill the infant Jesus, but the Holy family having been warned have left for Egypt...
. That an angel appears again at the end of the story links it back to the opening chapters. "Coming down from heaven" parallels the wording of of Matthew 3:16
Matthew 3:16
Matthew 3:16 is the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just been baptized by John the Baptist and in this verse the Holy Spirit comes to him like a dove....
, the climax of the baptism scene. An earthquake had also earlier occurred at Matthew 27:51, marking the moment of Jesus' death. Jesus predicts earthquakes as a sign of the end times at Matthew 24:7, and earthquakes are also a common occurrence in Revelation
Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is the final book of the New Testament. The title came into usage from the first word of the book in Koine Greek: apokalupsis, meaning "unveiling" or "revelation"...
. Davies and Allison thus see the earthquake in this verse also having eschatological significance. Since an earthquake marked Jesus' death, Gundry feels that this one is marking the exact moment of the resurrection.
The earthquake in this verse removes the stone from outside the tomb. Matthew is the only gospel that describes how the stone gets moved. At Mark 16
Mark 16
Mark 16 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It begins with the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — there they encounter a man dressed in white who announces the Resurrection of Jesus.Verse 8 ends...
:3 the women had worried about how they were to move the stone to anoint the body. In Matthew there was no need to enter the tomb, and in his version this is not mentioned as a concern of the women. Why the stone is moved is not directly answered. Gundry feels that as the earthquake marks the moment of the resurrection, the moving of the stone was to allow Jesus' to exit the tomb, though he might have exited invisibly as no one is reported to have observed him at this time. Peter Chrysologus
Peter Chrysologus
Peter Chrysologus was Bishop of Ravenna from about AD 433 until his death. He is revered as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Benedict XIII in 1729.-Life:...
and John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
strongly disagreed with this view, arguing that Jesus had no need for the door to be open to leave. Rather they, and many modern scholars, believes that the stone was rolled away so that the women and other witnesses could see that the tomb was now empty, to provide concrete evidence for the resurrection.
The verse is unclear on whether the women introduced in the previous verse are present for these events, or only come upon the tomb later. Davies and Allison feel that since the women were just introduced, it is implied that they are a eye witness to these events. Though other commentators disagree. In the apocryphal Gospel of Peter
Gospel of Peter
The Gospel According to Peter , commonly called the Gospel of Peter, is one of the non-Canonical gospels which were rejected by the Church Fathers and the Catholic Church's synods of Carthage and Rome, which established the New Testament canon, as apocryphal...
the events are further elaborated upon and there are witnesses to the resurrection itself.
The angel sits upon the stone outside of the tomb. This conflicts with the other gospels which have the angel, or angels, inside the tomb. Those who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible have proposed a number of explanations to account for this. St. Augustine
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
suggested that there could be two sets of angels. One outside the tomb and two inside the tomb. The women first talk to the angel outside, and then the angel inside. Only Matthew mentions the first conversation, while the other gospels only mention the second. Alternatively Augustine writes that by inside the tomb Mark and the other writers are referring to being inside an outer tomb enclosure, such as a wall around the area. Thus the same angels can be described as being both inside the tomb, and sitting on a stone outside it.