The Woman at the Tomb Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Woman at the Tomb - Essay Example The faith in Jesus’ resurrection plays a central feature in the Christian tradition. In such case, there is the need to investigate the origin and meaning of the belief in Jesus’ resurrection. The oldest text in the New Testament that says something about the resurrection can be found in the first letter of Paul to the Christian community in Corinth that was written around the year 56 C.E. The passage reminds the Corinthians of the proclamation of Paul regarding the resurrection of Jesus. Such reminder by Paul also indicates how early the resurrection belief was. The text starts with â€Å"I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received† (1 Cor. 15:3). This indicates that what follows is not purely Paul’s composition. Paul quoted a very old creedal statement. There are many theories behind regarding how Paul might have received this basic Christian proclamation. Some scholars say that he received the main formula at Damascus when he w ent there upon being converted to Christianity about 36 C.E. Others would state that Paul got all or some of this material from his first visit to the Christian community of Jerusalem in 39 C.E. The formula from which Paul quotes contains two important elements about the resurrection: he was raised and he appeared (Loewe 101). ... The author of the gospel supplies his audience various indications of time. Furthermore the names of the women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome were mentioned. When the women arrived in the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in white. The young man made a three-part speech. Firstly, he addressed the women’s feelings. Secondly, he explains why the tomb is empty. According to him, Jesus had been raised. Thirdly, the young man gave the women a job to do that is, to tell the male disciples that Jesus will see them in Galilee. Mark also established what transpired between the young man and the three women placing its emphasis on the reaction of the women to the young man. For Mark, the women’s response to the good news of the resurrection was a disappointment. Overcome with fear, the women run away and did not tell anyone what they experienced. Matthew followed Mark in this narrative of the empty tomb. Salome was taken out of the picture leaving Mary Magd alene and â€Å"the other Mary.† For Matthew the reason of the women in was simply to see the tomb. Another major change in the version of Matthew is the dramatic scene were the opening of the stone of the tomb coincided with an earthquake. In contrast with the earlier account of Mark, the author of Matthew describes the reaction of the women to the resurrection on a positive note. The women left the tomb with fear and great joy then ran to tell the other disciples. Luke’s version of the empty tomb bonds with Mark regarding the purpose of the women in visiting the tomb that is to anoint Jesus with spices. The number of women increases: Joanna replaces Salome and there were other unnamed women as well. The young man in Matthew’s edition turns into an angel and eventually