Women and the resurrection
Christ's female followers play a major role in the resurrection story. Either by herself or with one or more other women, Mary Magdalene went to the "tomb" of Jesus and discovered it empty. She is the first to announce that Jesus has been raised. Considering that the first century was no heyday of women, it's surprising that one or more of them had such a prominent part.
In fact they had no such role. Paul, the earliest christian writer, mentioned all those who allegedly saw the resurrected christ. He didn't include any women among them. The story of Mary Magdalene and the tomb was pure invention. Presumably it was conjured up sometime after Paul's letters, which don't mention it, and the first gospel, which does. Scholars maintain that discovery of the "empty tomb" on the third day isn't historical. It's just one of many inventions to fulfill prophecy. Likewise, the "tomb" never existed. As Crossan and Ehrman have noted, Jesus most likely wasn't buried, but ended up as vulture or dog food. The "tomb" was invented to hide this embarrassing truth. But why make up women going to it?
The gospel writers had no choice simply because the male disciples weren't available. Right after the arrest of Jesus, they fled. Not all of them necessarily went back to Galilee but all probably left Jerusalem. Only the women followers remained to witness the fate of christ. The body of their "messiah" was ravaged. Soon, however, Cephas (Peter) and a few others had visions of Jesus. Convinced he had been exalted, they were fired with enthusiasm and determined to convert the world. At least two disciples, Cephas and James, returned to Jerusalem (where Paul eventually met them). They reconnected with the women followers and told them about their fantastic experience and its implication. In light of what they had witnessed, the women probably refused to believe it. How could Jesus have come back to life if he had been ripped apart by dogs? But Cephas and others were convinced they had seen Jesus, alive and in a new, heavenly body. Their view overshadowed the truth. Knowing that women had to be the ones who saw the empty tomb--since the male disciples had fled--the gospel writers portrayed Mary Magdalene as the first to discover and announce the resurrection of Jesus. In two other gospel versions, Joanna and others accompanied Mary to the "tomb." Inconsistent and patently fake, these stories conceal the awful truth.
In fact they had no such role. Paul, the earliest christian writer, mentioned all those who allegedly saw the resurrected christ. He didn't include any women among them. The story of Mary Magdalene and the tomb was pure invention. Presumably it was conjured up sometime after Paul's letters, which don't mention it, and the first gospel, which does. Scholars maintain that discovery of the "empty tomb" on the third day isn't historical. It's just one of many inventions to fulfill prophecy. Likewise, the "tomb" never existed. As Crossan and Ehrman have noted, Jesus most likely wasn't buried, but ended up as vulture or dog food. The "tomb" was invented to hide this embarrassing truth. But why make up women going to it?
The gospel writers had no choice simply because the male disciples weren't available. Right after the arrest of Jesus, they fled. Not all of them necessarily went back to Galilee but all probably left Jerusalem. Only the women followers remained to witness the fate of christ. The body of their "messiah" was ravaged. Soon, however, Cephas (Peter) and a few others had visions of Jesus. Convinced he had been exalted, they were fired with enthusiasm and determined to convert the world. At least two disciples, Cephas and James, returned to Jerusalem (where Paul eventually met them). They reconnected with the women followers and told them about their fantastic experience and its implication. In light of what they had witnessed, the women probably refused to believe it. How could Jesus have come back to life if he had been ripped apart by dogs? But Cephas and others were convinced they had seen Jesus, alive and in a new, heavenly body. Their view overshadowed the truth. Knowing that women had to be the ones who saw the empty tomb--since the male disciples had fled--the gospel writers portrayed Mary Magdalene as the first to discover and announce the resurrection of Jesus. In two other gospel versions, Joanna and others accompanied Mary to the "tomb." Inconsistent and patently fake, these stories conceal the awful truth.
posted by starman at 7:26 AM
4 Comments:
Muslims have a similar belief. They believe that their prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, but then came back to earth. He is said to have later died of an illness in the presence of his wife Aisha.
I heard somebody emailed my reconstruction of events to Ehrman, but there hasn't been a response.
There's a problem with this thesis. In his letters, Paul didn't mention any women witnesses to the resurrection, which suggests the idea didn't originate with Cephas, whom he knew, but came later. In HOW JESUS BECAME GOD, Ehrman suggests prominent women in the early church made up the story of Mary Magdalene going to the tomb and seeing it empty.
I doubt women made up the story since they had too little influence then. Maybe Cephas made it up as I suggested but didn't tell Paul since he didn't want to appear to be a mythmaker. But he told others in the Jewish communities he preached to, perhaps(?) so "Mark" learned of it, and included it in his gospel.
Post a Comment
<< Home