Matthew 28:8
Encyclopedia
Matthew 28:8 is the eight verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. This verse is part of the resurrection
narrative. Mary Magdalene
and "the other Mary" had just encountered an angel has appeared at the empty tomb
of Jesus, and in this verse they leave to bear his message.
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 28:8
This verse is closely based on Mark 16:8, but the author of Matthew makes a number of modifications. Many scholars believe that the verses in Mark 16
after eight are a later addition. There is considerable debate over which version the author of Matthew is working from: our version, a version without the longer ending, or a version with a different ending. In Matthew the meeting with the angel is outside the tomb so Mark's "went out" is changed to "departed."
In Mark the women experience fear, trembling, and terror, unmitigated by joy. In Matthew they still experience fear, but also joy.The only place outside of parables where Matthew mentions joy is at Matthew 2:10
, in connection with the magi
, with both using the expression "great joy." Nolland posits that this is another linking between the end of the story and the beginning. Joy is also used in Luke and John to refer to the Easter events, perhaps evidence that it was an element of a lost source used by these three writers.
In Mark the fearful women flee, but in Matthew they merely run. Mark also reports that the women were so frightened that they said nothing. Matthew, and Luke, reverse this and state that the women ran and told the disciples. St. Augustine
noticed this contradiction, but reconciled it by arguing that Mark's claim is that the women nothing to the angel, not the disciples. France also agrees that Mark did not intend the women's silence to be permanent, as it would violate the command to tell the disciples. Since the original ending of Mark, if there was a different one, is now lost it is impossible to know what was meant by the line about the women's silence.
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. Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' most celebrated disciples, and the most important woman disciple in the movement of Jesus. Jesus cleansed her of "seven demons", conventionally interpreted as referring to complex illnesses...
and "the other Mary" had just encountered an angel has appeared at the empty tomb
Empty tomb
Empty tomb most often refers to the tomb of Jesus which was found to be empty by the women who were present at Jesus’ crucifixion. They had come to his tomb to anoint his body with spices...
of Jesus, and in this verse they leave to bear his message.
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:
- και απελθουσαι ταχυ απο του μνημειου μετα φοβου και
- χαρας μεγαλης εδραμον απαγγειλαι τοις μαθηταις αυτου
In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as:
- And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear
- and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.
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:
- They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and
- great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 28:8
This verse is closely based on Mark 16:8, but the author of Matthew makes a number of modifications. Many scholars believe that the verses in Mark 16
Mark 16
Mark 16 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It begins with the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome — there they encounter a man dressed in white who announces the Resurrection of Jesus.Verse 8 ends...
after eight are a later addition. There is considerable debate over which version the author of Matthew is working from: our version, a version without the longer ending, or a version with a different ending. In Matthew the meeting with the angel is outside the tomb so Mark's "went out" is changed to "departed."
In Mark the women experience fear, trembling, and terror, unmitigated by joy. In Matthew they still experience fear, but also joy.The only place outside of parables where Matthew mentions joy is at Matthew 2:10
Matthew 2:10
Matthew 2:10 is the tenth verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi, dispatched by King Herod, have been shown the location of the infant Jesus by the Star of Bethlehem...
, in connection with the magi
Biblical Magi
The Magi Greek: μάγοι, magoi), also referred to as the Wise Men, Kings, Astrologers, or Kings from the East, were a group of distinguished foreigners who were said to have visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh...
, with both using the expression "great joy." Nolland posits that this is another linking between the end of the story and the beginning. Joy is also used in Luke and John to refer to the Easter events, perhaps evidence that it was an element of a lost source used by these three writers.
In Mark the fearful women flee, but in Matthew they merely run. Mark also reports that the women were so frightened that they said nothing. Matthew, and Luke, reverse this and state that the women ran and told the disciples. St. Augustine
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
noticed this contradiction, but reconciled it by arguing that Mark's claim is that the women nothing to the angel, not the disciples. France also agrees that Mark did not intend the women's silence to be permanent, as it would violate the command to tell the disciples. Since the original ending of Mark, if there was a different one, is now lost it is impossible to know what was meant by the line about the women's silence.