John 20:1

Contradictions (4)

Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.

• When did the women (or woman) arrive at the sepulchre?

  John 20:1 has Mary Magdalene arrive at the tomb 'early, when it was yet dark' — before sunrise. Matthew 28:1 has the women come 'as it began to dawn.'

  Critical scholarship: Leans toward reconciliation.

  Chronology

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  The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.

• When did the women discover that Jesus's body was missing?

  Luke 24:2-4 and John 20:1-2 have the women (or Mary Magdalene) discover the body is missing *before* they encounter any angelic figure — they enter, find the body gone, and only then do the angels appear (Luke) or Mary runs to tell Peter (John). Matthew 28:5-6 and Mark 16:5-6 have the women see the angel/young man *first*, and only learn from him that the body is gone.

  Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.

  Chronology

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  The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.

• Matt 28:1 — “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb” / Mark 16:1 — “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome” / Luke 24:10 — “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. The other women with them” / John 20:1 — “Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb”

  How many women came to the sepulchre?

  John 20:1 says one — Mary Magdalene. Matthew 28:1 says two — Mary Magdalene and 'the other Mary.'

  Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.

  Numbers

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  • Read as a real contradiction: Thomas Paine (d. 1809)

    The tension: Paine reads Luke as naming several women at the tomb where John names Mary Magdalene alone.

  • Read as reconcilable: John W. Haley (d. 1927), Albert Barnes (d. 1870)

    Harmonization: Barnes reads each evangelist as naming only some of the women present, none denying that others were there.

• Was the tomb opened or closed when the women arrived?

  Luke 24:2, Mark 16:3-4, and John 20:1 all describe the women arriving to find the stone already rolled away from the entrance. Matthew 28:2 has the women still on their way when an angel descends from heaven and rolls the stone back in their presence — meaning the tomb was still sealed when they got there.

  Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.

  Parallel accounts (distinct sources)

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  The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.

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