[Pastor Ralph]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

[charisbarak]

One difference I found was that in Luke, Peter got up & ran to the tomb finding the strips of linen, while John said that he & Peter started for the tomb & that he outran Peter & entered first.

Eyewitness testimony differs because the frame of reference for each person is different. Some things will be more important to one, whereas other things are important to another. It's like looking at something that has happened & looking from different angles, some closer, some farther away.

They have different angles, but the main story is the same throughout--the truth is there. God uses these very special people with all their differences to give life & flesh to the entire account.

[Tabatha]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

As I was reading the scriptures what I saw was each personality saw things in their concept just as when a person will preach or prophesy the ones hearing it will hear it different just as each person in the gospels approached the tomb they saw how Jesus wanted them to see it.

Also in Matthew and Mark there was only one Angel In Luke and John there were two.

In Matthew the women go to just check out the tomb In Mark and Luke they brought anointing oil.

In Matthew and Mark Jesus is wrapped in a large linen shroud In John and Luke Jesus is wrapped instrips of linen.

In Matthew and Mark the resurrection appearances are in Galilee, in Luke the records are in the vicinity of Jersalem
In John Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene also in Mark after she reports to the disciples the women tell no one. I

I saw in the over all scope of thing they were telling the same but each on had a litle bit more that they saw they enhanced what was happening. When we get excited sometimes we tell a story and leave a little out some one else comes along and expresses more to the event that they saw Through out the gospels the whole account was given just by different ones.

[revmrf]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

Ralph has covered the differences pretty thoroughly. As in all eye witness accountings what is verbalized or recorded by each often has differences - some minor and some major, depending on one's point of view - from each other. What catches the eye and mind of one may not even had been noticed or thought about by the other. Furthermore, if all accounts line up verbatim in every detail, the accounting may become suspect. My question, then, is: If the writers of the synoptics had a Q document as reference, might it not have been Mark's rendering? or at least might not Mark's gospel be the closest to Q? And, would this mean that Mark's is the most accurate?

[lamountain]

I have notcied the differences in 1. the women, Matthew, and Mark mentions both Marys. Luke mentions both Marys as well as other women and john only mentions 1 Mary. The number of Angels present differs from 1 to 2. Each writer gives more detail then the other.
When I look at the differences between the witnessses I look at as if a person would an auto accident. The person or persons involved as well as the witnesses will tell the same story but in a different way, some with more details some with less and some might see it from a different point of view, but the end result is the same.
The credibility is the fact that each person has exactly the same story to tell, even with the differences the similarities outway it. They each have the same message. Jesus never changes in the accounts. His love and compassion is still evident.

[PATJOE]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

1)In Matthew, Mark & Luke, Mary Magdalene and other women go to the tomb. In John she goes alone; 2)In Matthew, Jesus appears to the women before they tell the disciples. In John, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene alone, after she reported to the disciples; 3) In Matthew and Mark, only one angel appears at the tomb. In Luke and John, two angels appear. In Mark, the women told no one what they had seen as they were frightened. In Matthew, Luke & John, they report the empty tomb to the disciples and they were not believed. These differences in eyewitness testimony are not out of the ordinary, as rarely do eye witnesses observe identical situations. Had they observed identical situations, it would have been less credible and would appear to be collusion. These differences support the human individual observations and adds to the credibility of the witnesses.

[Stan]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

I see only the one's already mentioned, the number of women, the number of angles, where the angles were, the cloth,wrappings, and who first saw Jesus, were they allowed to touch Him?.

In any story that is told later by differant people their will be variations of the same story because people remember things in differant ways and with differant powers of detail.

They all remember the same major event the time and place and the fact that Christ had risen and that in it's self is te most important.

[JustJeff]

If you have ever had to interview witnesses to determine a situation you would have understanding about differences in the resurrection accounts. Some wrote of two angels, others, one. There was one women at the tomb. No! there were two! That's not right. There were three. Mary saw Jesus at once when she went to the tomb. Or was it later? Which Mary?
This is how it goes when different people see same situation and in the final account, it is what they all agree upon. That the thing did happen. This, in the end is what it is all about. Jesus rose on the third day. He's alive! On this they all agree.

[masika]

It is always not easy to get different people to tell on one event they have witnessed to say in same version. There will be some differences. In this case of the resurrection of Jesus it is told in different version but the fact still remains the same that Really Jesus Christ rose from the grave and He His alive.

[sis. dee]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

I notice the difference in location, Matt. and Mark states Jesus resurrection apperarance in Galilee while Luke records Jerusalem. - Every eyewitness will pick up eye details in a difference veiw. - That Jesus resurrection did happen and that He rosed again.

[A-M]

I just wanted to add that the differences do add to credibility. I used to think the opposite.

God deals with each of us in an individual way. Although we all need forgiveness of sins and new life in Him, the desires of our heart and needs are far different. I love the way, Jesus appeared to Mary. It gives me goosebumps just to think of it. She needed that. It was Peter, the one who had let Jesus down so badly that rushed to the tomb. He needed to see with His own eyes. He who is forgiven much loves much. Jesus went specifically to Thomas to show him His wounds. Thomas needed that. I'm sure it turned his life around.

We do not understand God's workings but maybe the four different accounts are needed too. Suddenly a Scripture verse will jump out of us and it will be just what we need. God is talking to us individually.

Maybe, even the fact that there are differences makes us look into Scripture even more and really accept the resurrection otherwise we just might skim over it as a well known story.

[Lisa Rupert]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?
There are always differences when we ask a group of people that have all witnessed one thing to tell us in detail what they have seen. They all had simularities and they were also different accounts on the very same event. But we can be sure they all agreed that there was a resurrection. They may not all be sure of the location, but we know that the resurrection did occur. I don't know if these differences added to their credibility but it sure painted a interesting picture and I am sure with each witnesses account of the events we can puzzle together a complete picture.If Mary Magdeline and the others that were with her would have written their own account of the events surrounding visitation of the tomb I am sure we would have a more complete picture, because the disciples are giving a 2nd hand account of the events surrounding the tomb visit.

[June]

One says that He met the women, another says He appeared to Mary Magdalene first.
One says that they saw a young man in white while another says they saw two men beside them.
In another, Joseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus, whom brought the spices to wrap Jesus in, rather than the women.
In Matthew it says there was a violent earthquake, but no mention of it in others.
Humans see and hear different elements of importance. These differences were all seen by the human eyes and were relevant so God and the Holy Spirit allowed them to be recorded. Second Peter 1:21 says that men spoke from God through the Holy Spirit, so they recorded what they were capable of. It also says that God's message is infallible and inerrant. It is all God breathed and correct, just seen by different humans. We all see different things of importance (or so we think) in different situations. The main thing of importance is that Jesus Arose. He Is ALIVE!!!!!

[Craig]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

\There are differences between the number of women and who they were that went to the tomb. There are differences in who and where Jesus appears to the women. There is a difference in the number of angels present at the tomb. There are differences in the funeral clothes Jesus was entombed in. There were differences in the places of Jesus' appearances. There are differences in the purpose the women went to the tomb.

Eyewitness accounts vary in some details. I think each gospel writer wrote as he remembered the event in greater or lesser detail than the others. The minor differences in their resurrection accounts adds to the credibility of the witnesses in that they appear not to have plotted together to write a prefab account. Their accounts are as they preceived the events to be. As the Holy Spirit led each of them to record their account of the resurrection.

[PCHRIS]

Yes, there are quite a few differences which have been documented by Pastor Ralph and fellow studiers.
But they all come to the same conclusion, JESUS is ALIVE, He is RISEN and that's all we need.

Yes, we can listen to all the theologians out there spinning out their theories BUT the crux of it all...
Jesus is alive.

As others have used the analogy of eyewitnesses at a car accident or bank robbery you always have different accounts of what happened but with that you can still get a complete picture sifting through the evidence and coming up with the final conclusion.

And I think someone else said this but if all the eyewitnesses came up with the same story I think it would have been taken less credible

[Helen Williams]

I think we can get so caught up in all the differences that we forget the facts about what really happen. We all can all look at the same movie at the same or different time and might come differ in some of the events, especially when retelling the movie. One true fact is that there were witness of Jesus' resurrection.

Back to the movie, the fact of the story is the bank did get rob. The fact is there were witinesses to Jesus' death and the tomb was empty. He did rise rise from the dead!

[Child of God]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

There are several minor differences concering the resurrection of Christ.
In one book we read only Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb, another book read women at the tomb.
Also the number of angels seems to be in question, as well as what the woman/ women were doing at the tomb.
The cloth in which Jesus was wrapped was also different depending on which book you were reading.

I think these differences can be summed up by saying that different people explain things differently..
For instance, have you ever wittnessed an automobile acident ?
When the police arrive and begen to ask questions not all accounts will be exactly the same...pretty close but with minor differences, because we are all different we explain things differently.

The point is Jesus was resurrected from the dead and He Lives.

[plethra]

Q1. What differences do you find between the various resurrection accounts? How do you account for differences in eyewitness testimony? How might these differences add to the credibility of the witnesses?

the difference in the # of women and which women were at the tomb, the # of angels, The type of grave clothes.
Any time two or more people witness the same thing at the same time, there is going to be differences in what they see. Human nature is that way. I may notice the color of pants and not pay any attention at all to the shirt. Someone else may see the color of pants a different color than I do etc. The fact that there are differences tells you that they did not get together and rehearse what they saw.

[Ann K]

The number of angels, different women who went to the tomb, description of cloths found in the tomb, the rolling away of the stone, etc. Everyone sees a particular occurence in different ways (not major changes). These differences add to the credibility of the witnesses in that each observer's 'state ofmind' was in various stages of belief, acceptance, grief ,etc. and thus, perceived happenings in minor different ways. Does this not happen in our own individual lives??

[Jewell]

Differences include the number of women, the number of angels, why the women visited the tomb, where Jesus was seen, and the actual grave clothing.

Eyewitness accounts usually vary in detail because we each perceive things differently - what is most striking or important to each person is emphasized or remembered in more detail. With minor difference in small details, but similar main points, it reinforces the authenticity.