withallyourmind.net

One way a prosecuting attorney attempts to convict the defendant is by discrediting his story by finding contradictions and discrepancies in his account of the events surrounding the crime. In like manner, many have attempted to discredit the story of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth by pointing to claimed contradictions in the four gospel accounts. All four gospels report that Mary Magdalene was one of the women who went to the tomb on the morning of the resurrection. Luke mentions Joanna, although the other gospels do not. Mark adds Salome, but she is not mentioned in the other gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all include Mary, Jesus’ mother, but John does not mention her. Couldn’t these guys get their stories straight? Is this evidence that these passages are unreliable?

Below are the four pertinent passages from each gospel:

And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles (Luke 24:8-10 ESV)

There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem. (Mark 15:40-41 ESV)

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (John 20:1-2 ESV)

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. (Matthew 28:1 ESV)

Upon closer inspection these claimed contradictions are not contradictions at all. Luke specifically states that other unnamed women were present at the tomb. Mark mentions other unnamed women present at the crucifixion. John only mentions Mary Magdalene, but uses the plural “we”, obviously implying other women present. Accounts which do not provide identical information are not necessarily contradictory. It is not as if one gospel writer claims Mary Magdalene was there, while another claims she was absent. Additionally, no one claims that there were “only two” present.

In conclusion, three of the four gospel writers make it abundantly clear that it was not their purpose to provide an exhaustive list of the women’s names who were at the tomb. There is no real contradiction present upon closer scrutiny.