Matthew 28:11
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:11 is the eleventh 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, return to report to Jerusalem.
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 28:11
In this section the guards appear a third and final time. Nolland notes that the movements of the guards and their presence at the crucifixion and resurrection parallel and contrast the women. The wording of this verse implies that the guards left the tomb at the same time as the women, and this meeting with the priests parallels the meeting of the women with Jesus. While the women and disciples head to Galilee, the guards head to Jerusalem. France sees this as part of a general association of Jerusalem with dark events and deceit that is contrasted with hope and light coming from Galilee throughout the Gospel of Matthew.
This section of Matthew has no parallel in any of the other gospels, though it is clearly based on the same source as the rest of the guard material in Matthew. Davies and Allison note that it is "transparently apologetical." France defends against this section being entirely fictional. He argues that it would be an event with both the Jewish and Roman leaders would know of, and thus could easily disprove if it were false. The guards do not come to report on the resurrection, unlike in the Gospel of Peter, but simply on the fact that the tomb is empty. All involved, including the priests take it as an accepted truth that the tomb is empty. Schweizer has more doubts about this section, wondering how the author of Matthew would be able to relate conversations between the high priests and the Romans with no sympathetic witnesses present.
As with Judas and at Matthew 27:62
it is the chief priests that serve as the main antagonists. Why the guards report to the Jewish leaders rather than to Pontius Pilate
is a question in this verse. Reporting to Pilate would be more historically accurate. The apocryphal Gospel of Peter
has a version of this scene, but there the guards to report to Pilate. While the chief priests would have had the services of their own Temple guards, the word used to refer to the soldiers in these verses is koustodia, a Latin loan word that clearly indicates their Roman origin. The priests also have to ask Pilate for the services of the guards, indicating there are some of his forces. At Matthew 27:65 Pilate tells the priests that "you have guard." This could indicate that this group of guards was temporarily placed at the command and disposal of the priests and that explains why they report to them. Schweizer notes the additional problem that the guards became unconscious at Matthew 28:4
, and he wonders how they could thus report anything.
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, return to report to Jerusalem.
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:
- πορευομενων δε αυτων ιδου τινες της κουστωδιας ελθοντες εις
- την πολιν απηγγειλαν τοις αρχιερευσιν απαντα τα γενομενα
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city,
- and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
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:
- Now while they were going, behold, some of the guards came into the
- city, and told the chief priests all the things that had happened
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:11
In this section the guards appear a third and final time. Nolland notes that the movements of the guards and their presence at the crucifixion and resurrection parallel and contrast the women. The wording of this verse implies that the guards left the tomb at the same time as the women, and this meeting with the priests parallels the meeting of the women with Jesus. While the women and disciples head to Galilee, the guards head to Jerusalem. France sees this as part of a general association of Jerusalem with dark events and deceit that is contrasted with hope and light coming from Galilee throughout the Gospel of Matthew.
This section of Matthew has no parallel in any of the other gospels, though it is clearly based on the same source as the rest of the guard material in Matthew. Davies and Allison note that it is "transparently apologetical." France defends against this section being entirely fictional. He argues that it would be an event with both the Jewish and Roman leaders would know of, and thus could easily disprove if it were false. The guards do not come to report on the resurrection, unlike in the Gospel of Peter, but simply on the fact that the tomb is empty. All involved, including the priests take it as an accepted truth that the tomb is empty. Schweizer has more doubts about this section, wondering how the author of Matthew would be able to relate conversations between the high priests and the Romans with no sympathetic witnesses present.
As with Judas and at Matthew 27:62
Matthew 27:62
Matthew 27:62 is the sixty-second 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...
it is the chief priests that serve as the main antagonists. Why the guards report to the Jewish leaders rather than to Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilate
Pontius Pilatus , known in the English-speaking world as Pontius Pilate , was the fifth Prefect of the Roman province of Judaea, from AD 26–36. He is best known as the judge at Jesus' trial and the man who authorized the crucifixion of Jesus...
is a question in this verse. Reporting to Pilate would be more historically accurate. The apocryphal Gospel of Peter
Gospel of Peter
The Gospel According to Peter , commonly called the Gospel of Peter, is one of the non-Canonical gospels which were rejected by the Church Fathers and the Catholic Church's synods of Carthage and Rome, which established the New Testament canon, as apocryphal...
has a version of this scene, but there the guards to report to Pilate. While the chief priests would have had the services of their own Temple guards, the word used to refer to the soldiers in these verses is koustodia, a Latin loan word that clearly indicates their Roman origin. The priests also have to ask Pilate for the services of the guards, indicating there are some of his forces. At Matthew 27:65 Pilate tells the priests that "you have guard." This could indicate that this group of guards was temporarily placed at the command and disposal of the priests and that explains why they report to them. Schweizer notes the additional problem that the guards became unconscious at Matthew 28:4
Matthew 28:4
Matthew 28:4 is the fourth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative...
, and he wonders how they could thus report anything.