The New Testament Writers Trustworthyness Part 6

9. New Testament Writers Describe Miracles Like Other Historical Events: With Simple,Unembellished Accounts


Embellished and extravagant details are strong signs that a historical account has legendary elements. For example,theres a legendary account of Christ's resurrection that was written more than 100 years after the actual event. It is from the apocryphal forgery known as the Gospel of Peter,and it goes like this:


Early in the morning,as the Sabbath dawned,there came a large crowd from Jerusalem and the surrounding areas to see the sealed tomb. But during the night before the Lord's day dawned,as the soldiers were keeping guard two by two in every watch,there came a great sound in the sky,and they saw the heavens opened and two men decended shining with great light,and they drew near to the tomb. The stone which had been set on the door rolled away by itself and moved to one side,and the tomb was opened and both of the young men went in.

Now when these soldiers saw that,they woke up the centurion and the elders (for they also were there keeping watched). While they were yet telling the things which they had seen,they saw three men come out of the tomb,two of them sustaning the other one,and a cross following after them. The heads of the two they saw had heads that reached up to heaven,but the head of him that was lead by them went beyond heaven. And they heard a voice out of the heavens saying, "Have you preached unto them that sleep?" The answer that was heard from the cross was, "Yes!"


Wow! Now that's how I would have writen it if I were making up or embellishing the resurrection story! We see large crowds,moving stones,heads of men stretching to heaven and beyond. And we even see a walking and talking cross. How exciting! How embellished.

The New Testament accounts contain nothing like this. The gospels give matter-of-fact,almost bland descriptions of the resurrection.


Mark describes what the women saw this way:


But when they looked up,they saw that the stone,which was very large,had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb,they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side,and they were alarmed.

"Don't be alarmed,"he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go,tell his disciples and Peter,'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,just as he told you." Trembling and bewilderd,the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone,because they were afraid (Mark 6:8).


Luke's description is almost stark:


They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,but when they entered,they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this,suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lighting stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground,but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!

Remember how he told you,while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men,be crucified and on the third day be raised again." Then they remembered his words (Luke 24:2-8).


John's Gospel briefly mentions Mary Magdalene discovering the empty tomb,adds the experiences of Peter and John,and then returns to Mary outside the tomb. Again,nothing appears embellished or extravagant in this account:


Early on the first day of the week,while it was still dark,Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simmon Peter and the other disciple,the one Jesus loved,and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,and we don't know where they have put him!" So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.


To be Continued...