He Arose! But When?

Author: Dwight A. Pryor

JESUS OF NAZARETH offered up himself as a sacrifice on behalf of humanit durin!
the Festi"al of Redemption# $asso"er% He &uic'l (as placed into a borro(ed tomb
nearb because the Sabbath (as approachin!% On the third da# )od caused him to li"e
a!ain b the po(er of the Hol Spirit% This is the consistent (itness of all the Apostles%
The e"idence for the resurrection is compellin!# both in the multiplicit of (itnesses and
in the transformation of the dispirited disciples left in disarra b his shoc'in! death% A
*crucified +essiah* (as a theolo!ical contradiction in their (orld"ie(% That he arose
seems abundantl clear% ,hat is less certain is the timin!% When did Jesus actuall come
forth from the !ra"e-
.hurch tradition has lon! celebrated the resurrection at da(n on Easter mornin!% All four
!ospels indeed attest that it occurred on Sunda# the first da of the (ee'% /ut (as it at
sunrise- +atthe(0s !ospel pro"ides an interpretati"e 'e that su!!ests other(ise%
The )ree' of +atthe( 12:3 preser"es ancient Hebre( terminolo!: "Late of the Sabbath
in the dawning (lighting) toward the first day of the week." This a('(ard )ree'
construction points to the common Hebre( idiom# motza'ei Shabbat or the 0!oin! out0 of
the Sabbath 4 i%e%# the transition bet(een the end of the Sabbath and the da(nin! or
be!innin! of the ne5t da%
Remember that in the /ible a da is rec'oned from sunset to sunset 67t (as e"enin! and it
(as mornin!8% The Sabbath is 'ept from e"enin! unto e"enin! 69e" 1:::18# and thus the
first da of the (ee' actuall be!ins ;ust after sunset on (hat (e call Saturda e"enin!#
usin! a Roman frame of reference%
,hat +atthe( is su!!estin! therefore is that Jesus arose not at da(n on Sunda mornin!
but shortl after the Sabbath ended on Saturda e"enin!<
=OES TH7S +A>E SENSE in "ie( of other facts recorded in the !ospels- John 1?:3ff
is the most detailed literar account of the e"ents surroundin! the resurrection% Usin! it as
a !uide# consider the follo(in!:
John notes that it (as dar' (hen +ar +a!dalene (ent to the tomb on the first
da of the (ee' 61?:38%
7f the Sabbath ended around @:?? p%m% (h (ould +ar# in her !reat de"otion
6and accordin! to 9u'e# her desire to properl prepare the 9ord0s bod for burial8
(ait another t(el"e hours before !oin! to the nearb tomb- ,h not !o at the
first a"ailable opportunit- 7f she (as prepared to !o in the dar' of the earl
mornin! hours# ho( much more the precedin! e"enin!-
+ar reports the ne(s of an empt tomb to the Apostles# (ho in"esti!ate 61?:14
3?8% Follo(in! their departure she encounters the risen +essiah in the !arden#
(ho sends her to announce: *7 ha"e seen the 9ord<* 61?:328%
7n the ne5t "erse Jesus sho(s himself to the disciples (ho ha"e assembled in a
home% John specifies that this occurred "On the evening of that day the first day
of the week" 61?:3A8%
7f the resurrection occurred at sunrise on Sunda mornin!# as (e assume# then in
biblical rec'onin! the e"enin! later that da (ould not ha"e been Sunda but the
start of the se!ond da of the (ee'# +onda%
For Jesus to appear to his disciples on the e"enin! of the first da of the (ee'# as
John reports# he had to arise earlier on that same e"enin!<
Had he arisen at da(n and (aited more than t(el"e hours later# after sunset# to
meet (ith his disciples# it (ould ha"e been the ne5t da and not the *first da of
the (ee'%*
A more plausible e5planation surel is that soon after his encounter (ith +ar
+a!dalene# Beshua appeared to the Apostles also# and all this transpired durin!
motza'ei Shabbat% John0s record of e"ents is consistent (ith +atthe(0s Hebre(
idiom%
Jesus did arise from the !ra"e at the 0da(nin!0 of Sunda but in the Je(ish frame of
reference# not the Roman one% Thereafter# follo(in! their normal Sabbath sna!o!ue
participation# belie"ers in the +essiah (ould continue to meet from house to house on
motza'ei Shabbat 6cf% Acts 1?:CD 3 .or 3@:18% The assembled on the e"enin! of the first
da of the (ee'# rememberin! the risen 9ord%
E 1?3F The .enter for Judaic4.hristian Studies%
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