Matthew 28:13
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:13 is the thirteenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse is part of the resurrection
narrative. In this verse the guards of the tomb, after being present for an angel hearkening the resurrection, told what to say by the priests of Jerusalem after being bribed.
The original Koine Greek
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
The modern World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:13
This verse links back to Matthew 27:64
. In that verse the priests raised the idea of the disciples stealing the body as a reason for putting the guards in place. Thus, according the Matthew, the priests are making use of the deception that they themselves had warned of. It is notable that the priests make no attempt to deny that the body has been removed, it is accepted by all involved that the tomb is empty.
Keener has a number of problems with the priests' story. Stealing a body was considered deeply impious and a capital offence, and the disciples had taken no action to prevent the crucifixion itself. Why then would anyone believe they would take such risks to steal the body, especially when it was guarded by a Roman force? Also unbelievable was that anyone would sleep through the disciples rolling away the massive stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. And if the guards were asleep, how then did they know who it was who'd robbed the tomb? While tombs were robbed in this era to get at the valuables inside, any guards present were usually killed or wounded. A guard claiming to have simply slept through the event was unlikely to be believed. Moreover, sleeping on duty was itself a serious offence in the Roman military. The standard punishment was a severe beating, and if the soldier survived they were expelled from the army and permanently exiled from country and family. Losing a dead body in your care was also an offence that could bring court martial and execution. Even if the bribe to Pilate was successful, questions would be asked as to how the guards avoided punishment from these events.
The poorness of the cover story is one that has long been noted. Fourth century commentator John Chrysostom
saw this as further evidence of the incompetence of the priests, and their discombobulation at the news of the resurrection. Jones notes that the excuse given is simply a suggestion by the priests to the soldiers, and that the soldiers with their better understanding of their duties would likely have made up a more credible excuse.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. This verse is part of the resurrection
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
narrative. In this verse the guards of the tomb, after being present for an angel hearkening the resurrection, told what to say by the priests of Jerusalem after being bribed.
The original Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- 13: λεγοντες ειπατε οτι οι μαθηται αυτου νυκτος
- ελθοντες εκλεψαν αυτον ημων κοιμωμενων
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- 13: Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night,
- and stole him away while we slept.
The modern World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- 13: saying, “Say that his disciples came by night,
- and stole him away while we slept.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:13
This verse links back to Matthew 27:64
Matthew 27:64
Matthew 27:64 is the sixty-fourth verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse occurs after the crucifixion and entombment of Jesus...
. In that verse the priests raised the idea of the disciples stealing the body as a reason for putting the guards in place. Thus, according the Matthew, the priests are making use of the deception that they themselves had warned of. It is notable that the priests make no attempt to deny that the body has been removed, it is accepted by all involved that the tomb is empty.
Keener has a number of problems with the priests' story. Stealing a body was considered deeply impious and a capital offence, and the disciples had taken no action to prevent the crucifixion itself. Why then would anyone believe they would take such risks to steal the body, especially when it was guarded by a Roman force? Also unbelievable was that anyone would sleep through the disciples rolling away the massive stone that covered the entrance to the tomb. And if the guards were asleep, how then did they know who it was who'd robbed the tomb? While tombs were robbed in this era to get at the valuables inside, any guards present were usually killed or wounded. A guard claiming to have simply slept through the event was unlikely to be believed. Moreover, sleeping on duty was itself a serious offence in the Roman military. The standard punishment was a severe beating, and if the soldier survived they were expelled from the army and permanently exiled from country and family. Losing a dead body in your care was also an offence that could bring court martial and execution. Even if the bribe to Pilate was successful, questions would be asked as to how the guards avoided punishment from these events.
The poorness of the cover story is one that has long been noted. Fourth century commentator John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom
John Chrysostom , Archbishop of Constantinople, was an important Early Church Father. He is known for his eloquence in preaching and public speaking, his denunciation of abuse of authority by both ecclesiastical and political leaders, the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, and his ascetic...
saw this as further evidence of the incompetence of the priests, and their discombobulation at the news of the resurrection. Jones notes that the excuse given is simply a suggestion by the priests to the soldiers, and that the soldiers with their better understanding of their duties would likely have made up a more credible excuse.