A Gospel Contradiction of the Resurrection?

Posted on February 22, 2020June 28, 2023 by K.B. Vogelman

A Gospel Contradiction of the Resurrection?

A contradiction is cited by critics and skeptics between the Matthew and John Gospel Resurrection accounts of Jesus of Nazareth as proof the Gospels lack integrity.^[1] At first glance, a contradiction indeed appears to exist, but is there really one?

Matthew named two women present at the tomb during the angelic incident, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. Mark and Luke together also identify Joanna, Mary the mother of James, Salome and “other women” of Galilee also at the empty tomb, at least 6 women. Mary Magdalene and the other women hurried to tell the Disciples of their experience.

Matthew reports “they” were interrupted with a resurrection appearance by Jesus seemingly suggesting this incident is the first resurrection encounter. John 20:12-16 details the lone Mary Magdalene Resurrection encounter with Jesus at the tomb strongly suggesting this is the first resurrection encounter. How can both be correct?

Greek text words of kai idou begins the sentence of Matthew 28:9. The true meaning of the Greek words provide important clues as part of the literary assessment.

A conjunction, kai is interpreted the same in almost all English Bible translations. Appearing over 9000 times in the New Testament Greek texts, about 98% translate kai as “and.”^[2]

Second is idou, appearing about 200 times in the New Testament Greek texts where over 90% of 32 translations use English words of exclamation that do not denote a specific point of occurrence, such as “Behold,” “Look,” “Suddenly,” or “lo.” Barely more than just 6% use a word that indicates a specific point in time, such as “here” or “now.”^[3]

Using the most common English translations of kai idou in Matthew 28:9, the verse would begin with something like, “And look” or “And behold.” Bottom line: the timing of this encounter with the resurrected Jesus is not specific.

^{MT 28:9} “Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.” _NRSV

Flipping over to John 20:12-16, at least some of the women, including Mary Magdalene, ran to the location of two Disciples, Peter and John. Luke reported that all the Disciples and others were told details of the incident at the tomb, but he doesn’t specifically say when.

Peter and John were followed back to the tomb by Mary Magdalene. John’s account says he and Peter ran back to the tomb followed by Mary. Luke reports that only Peter ran back to see the empty tomb.

Keep in mind, John’s account is an eyewitness statement; Luke’s account is from the perspective of an investigative reporter. Had all the Disciples been present at the location where Mary made her exclamation, logic dictates all would have gone to see the empty tomb with Peter and John. No other Disciples are said to be at the empty tomb.

John’s account does not indicate if the other women of Galilee were with Mary Magdalene when she returned to the tomb – there is no mention of them. Not surprising since these women had already been there and it was a traumatizing experience.

Mary waited as the two Disciples inspected the empty tomb; saw the burial clothes; and marveled at what they had witnessed. Peter and John then returned to the city leaving Mary Magdalene behind, weeping. Time required for this second interlude at the tomb is subjective although it is more than just minutes.

Then it happened, according to John, the resurrected Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene alone. Afterwards, “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,

^{JN 20:18} ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.” _NRSV

An actual eyewitness statement is always of great value. Luke quoted Cleopas’ statement, “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

John’s Gospel is corroborated by the statement of Cleopas on key details: women reported their experience at the tomb; the tomb was empty; and only “some” went to verify the empty tomb. Most significantly, no one had encountered the resurrected Jesus.

Along the way home, Cleopas and his partner were unwittingly joined along the way by the resurrected Jesus. The pair invited the stranger to join them for supper when they arrived home.

Walking 7 miles to Emmaus probably took less than 2 hours. Working backward by factoring in additional time to bake bread, prepare and serve supper places the timeline they left Jerusalem in early afternoon. The timeline allows for many other events to happen before they returned to Jerusalem that evening.

Pieces of the puzzle are now coming together. Much of the remaining day remained when the other Disciples could have been informed by the women. Whether Mary Magdalene was with the women of Galilee in the Matthew encounter is not clear; however, based on the preceding Matthew verses, it appears she was there.

A secondary translation disparity is revealed, too, that may play into the timeline. Was Mary Magdalene allowed to “touch” Jesus when he appeared to her?

Jesus appeared at the tomb alone to Mary Magdalene, according to John. Understandably excited, Mary Magdalene wanted to hug Jesus, but his response was don’t haptou or haptomai me.^[4] Again, the Greek word’s meaning is a very important detail where translation nuances can make a big difference.

Greek texts of the New Testament have at least 32 various instances of haptomai with 28 instances appearing in the four Gospels. All instances are translated in the NET version as a form of “touch.” The King James Bible translates haptomai in John 20:17 as “touch me not.”

John 20:17 is translated much differently in most other Gospel versions. Greek word haptomai is translated in only about 28% of instances as “touch” or “touched.” The remainder of translations use English words implying that touching has already occurred, such as “hold” and “cling.”^[5]

Translated in the manner of the NET and King James Bible, Jesus told Mary Magdalene not to “touch” him because he had not yet ascended to “My Father.”

^{JN 20:17} “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” _KJV

Matthew’s account says the “women” wrapped their arms around his feet and worshiped Jesus. The circumstances are completely different between John and Matthew: one vs. many; not touched vs. touched.

Question: did Mary Magdalene touch Jesus? If Mary was not allowed to “touch” Jesus in John’s account because he had not yet ascended to his “Father,” it then corroborates the incident described in Matthew’s account as occurring later in the day, after Jesus had presented himself to God.

Is there really a Gospel Resurrection conflict or were they two different incidents described by the Gospels of Matthew and John?

Updated May 3, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Cline, Austin. “Jesus: Contradictions in Resurrection and Ascension.” Learn Religions. 2019. <https://www.learnreligions.com/jesus-resurrection-and-ascension-contradictions-250145> Lowder, Jeffery Jay. “The Historicity of Jesus’ Resurrection The Debate between Christians and Skeptics.” TheSecularWeb. Chapter 4. 1995. <https://infidels.org/library/modern/jeff_lowder/jesus_resurrection/chap4.html> Seidensticker, Bob. “Contradictions in the Resurrection Account.” Patheos.com. 2012. <https://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossexamined/2012/04/contradictions-in-the-resurrection-account-2> Heuvel, Curt van den. “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ.” 2Think.org. 1997. <http://www.2think.org/hundredsheep/bible/ressur.shtml> Agard, Margaret. In His Footsteps. “The Tomb Is Only Empty Because Christ is Risen.” image. 2013. <https://inhisfootsteps.com/wp-content/uploads/jesus_christ_empty_tomb_goshen_utah.jpeg>
[2] “kai.” Netbible.org. Matthew 28:9. kai <2532>. 2020. Matthew 28:9. Footnote 1. NetBible.org. 2020. “kai.” BibleHub.com. Strong’s Greek 2532. 2011. “kai <2532>.” NetBible.org. 2020. ;
[3] “idou.” NetBible.org. 2020. <http://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=2400> Matthew 28:9, Footnote 1. NetBible.org. 2020. <http://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Mat&chapter=28&verse=9#> “2400. idou.” Bi-bleHub.com. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/greek/2400.htm> “idou.” BibleHub.com. Strong’s Greek 2400. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/parallel/matthew/28-9.htm> Matthew 28:9. Bi-bleHub.com. Interlinear. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/interlinear/matthew/28-9.htm> Matthew 28:9. BibleHub.com. Lexicon. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/lexicon/matthew/28-9.htm> Matthew 28:9. BibleHub.com. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/matthew/28-9.htm> Matthew 28:9. NetBi-ble.org. 2020. <http://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Mat&chapter=28&verse=9>
[4] “haptomai.” NetBble.net. 2020. <http://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=680> “ἁψάμενος.” Bi-bleHub.com. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/greek/apsamenos_680.htm> “ἅπτου.” BibleHub.com. 2020. <https://biblehub.com/greek/haptou_680.htm> John 20:l7. BibleHub.com. Parallel. <https://biblehub.com/john/20-17.htm> John 20:17. NetBible.org. <http://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Joh&chapter=20&verse=17>
[5] “haptomai.” NetBble.net. n.d. <http://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=680> “ἁψάμενος.” John 20:17. BibleHub.com. n.d. interlinear. <https://biblehub.com/interlinear/john/20-17.htm> John 20:17. BibleHub.com. n.d. lexicon. <https://biblehub.com/lexicon/john/20-17.htm> “G0680.” Lexicon Concordance. n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/greek/0680.html>

Passover and the Gospels – Are They In Sync?

Posted on February 24, 2019June 12, 2023 by K.B. Vogelman

Passover and the Gospels – Are They In Sync?

Final days of Jesus of Nazareth took place during the annual Passover observance in Jerusalem surrounded by his trial, execution and Resurrection. Interwoven throughout the Gospels are 21 references to the Passover by name and 6 references to either “the feast” or “the festival.” The question arises whether the Gospel accounts are consistent with Jewish legal requirements – not everyone agrees.^[1]

Moses had defied Pharaoh some 1500 years earlier in Egypt ending with the 10^th plague, death of the firstborn.^[2] Hebrews were spared when the angel of death passed over their homes bearing the blood of the sacrificial lambs over their doorposts.

God declared His act of salvation was to be observed annually by the Hebrews to “sacrifice the Passover to the LORD your God “in the place where the LORD chooses to establish His name.”^[3] Strict requirements appear in the books of the Law of Moses – Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.^[4]

Passover began at twilight of Nissan 14 just after the Pascal Lamb had been sacrificed that afternoon. This evening meal marked the beginning of Nissan 15 when the Feast of Unleavened Bread was to be eaten.^[5] A key distinction, Jewish days begin at twilight just after sunset while Western societies begin the new day at midnight.^[6]

Most Western societies would consider this evening meal to be the dinner event for the day of Nissan 14 while the first meal of the next day would be breakfast. The Law of Moses, however, considered the evening Feast of Unleavened Bread to be the very first meal of Nissan 15.

Roasted lamb from the Pascal sacrifice became the main course.^[9] The meal was literally a feast intended to feed 10 to 20 people, a festive and joyous occasion to celebrate God’s deliverance from bondage – freedom.^[10] Any leftovers by midnight were to be promptly burned that night.

Sunrise brought the initial daylight hours of the first day of Passover, Nissan 15, along with the daily necessities still to come. People were busy with required and traditional activities including meals and more sacrifices.

Jewish Talmudic law defined the sacrifices for each day including the meal plan for the first day of Passover. An entire tractate in the Babylonia Talmud entitled Chagigah is devoted to addressing the various expectations and requirements.^[11] Two Chagigah sacrifices were associated with the Passover.^[12]

First was the optional Chagigah sacrifice that could be offered on Nissan 14 as an optional festal offering intended to supplement the Paschal sacrifice ensuring there would be enough meat to feed a large Passover company.^[13] It was “in all respects equal to the paschal sacrifice itself” expected to provide for “the duty of enjoying the festival.”^[14]

If this optional festal sacrifice was to be offered, it was to occur before the Pascal sacrifice so that there was no interruption between it and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.^[15] Like the Paschal lamb, it had to be consumed by midnight with any leftovers to be burned.

By tradition, the second Chagigah sacrifice was traditionally offered on Nissan 15, the first day of Passover, coming to be called exactly that, the Chagigah. It was to be offered under different circumstances than the first with a different purpose and rules. As an obligatory, private “peace offering,” it was to be offered by an individual at the Temple with the assistance of a Priest who became a beneficiary to it.^[16]

A portion of the sacrifice was to be given to God, a portion to the Priest as a tithe for his own meal, and the remaining portion of meat was to be taken home by the offerer for his own Chagigah meal.^[17] For this reason, a priest had a vested personal interest to assist in the sacrifice.

Meat from this second Chagigah sacrifice was to be prepared during the afternoon of the first day of Passover and served before evening as the main course.^[18] It was to be consumed over the course of two days and one night – the first and second days of Passover, Nissan 15 and 16, and the night in between.

^{John 18;28} “Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover.”_(NRSV)

Things get interesting as it relates to the Gospels’ accounts describing the final hours in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, especially John 18:28.^[19] After the “Last Supper,” the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Jesus was arrested and put on trial that night. During the trial, Jesus was taken by the Jewish leadership to Pilate at the Praetorium where the priests refused to enter.^[20]

Two actions are mentioned that are a cause of contention, the first being “eat the Passover.” Anyone not familiar with the two Passover Chagigah meals might easily conclude John referred to the Feast of Unleavened Bread rather than the obligatory second Chigigiah meal. Second is “so they would not be defiled.”

Entering the Praetorium was one of those things that could place a priest in a state of defilement.^[21] Although John does not explain the reason for the defilement, one possibility was due to the Jewish legal concept known as “abortus” – touching a dead body or home that once contained a dead body (the presumption of a Gentile’s home).^[22]

After sunset, a ritualistic purification bath by the priest would have absolved this type of defilement; however in this case, after sunset was too late. Meat from the Chagigah sacrifice offered was to be offered, prepared and cooked that same day before evening.^[23]

As a consequence, a priest who was “defiled” could not offer any sacrifice that day meaning he would not receive his lawful portion of the Chagigah sacrificial meat for his own meal.^[24] For a priest whose personal financial support came directly from his duties performed at the Temple, it was a major incentive not to be in a state of defilement on the first day of Passover.

Evening began the second day of Passover, Nissan 16, with the traditional ritual of a barley reaping in preparation for the Wave Sheaf also known as the Omar offering. It was required to be offered on the second day of Passover to celebrate the Feast of First Fruits of the harvest.

Are the Gospel references to the Passover during the final days in the life of Jesus of Nazareth in agreement with Jewish Law defined in the Old Testament, the Tenakh, and the Talmud?

Updated February 6, 2022.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Wells, Steve. <u>The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible</u>. 2017. “423. When was Jesus crucified? <http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/passover_meal.html> “101 Bible Contradictions.” Islamic Awareness. n.d. Contradiction #69. <https://www.islamawareness.net/Christianity/bible_contra_101.html>
[2] Exodus 8-12. Roth, Don. “What year was the first Passover?” Biblical Calendar Proof. 2019. <http://www.biblicalcalendarproof.com/Timeline/PassoverDate>
[3] Deuteronomy 16. NASB.
[4] Exodus 12; Leviticus 23; Numbers 9; Deuteronomy 16. <http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/The%20Temple%20by%20Alfred%20Edersheim.pdf>
[5] Exodus 12; Leviticus 23; Numbers 9; Deuteronomy 16. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. 1826-1889. “The Roasting of the Lamb.” pp 66 – 67, 71-72. <http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/The%20Temple%20by%20Alfred%20Edersheim.pdf>
[6] Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. p 71.
[7] Deuteronomy 16. Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. “The Roasting of the Lamb.” p 75.
[8] Gill. John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible. John; chapters 18-19 commentary. <https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/john-18.html> Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. pp 70-71, 76, 79, 81-82. Josephus, Flavius. Wars of the Jews. Trans. and commentary William Whitson. The Complete Works of Josephus.1850. Book VI, Chapter IX.3. <https://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false> Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 1883. p 1324. <http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20Books/The%20Life%20and%20Times%20of%20Jesus%20the%20Messiah.pdf>
[9] Talmud Bavli. Sefaria. Trans. William Davidson. n.d. <https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Talmud>
[10] Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. “The Three Things.” pp 70-71.
[11] Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. p 1324.
[12] The Babylonian Talmud. Rodkinson. Tract Pesachim, Book 3, Chapter VI. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/t03/psc09.htm> Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. pp 1324. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. pp 70-71. Gill. John Gill’s Exposition of the Whole Bible. John chapters 18 & 19 commentary.
[13] The Babylonian Talmud. Rodkinson. Tract Pesachim, Book 3, Chapter V. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. p 79.
[14] Leviticus 3. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. p 1383-85. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. p 70. Streane, A. W, ed. A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud. 1891. Chagigah 7b, Gemara. Pages 35 – 36. <http://www.archive.org/stream/translationoftre00streuoft/translationoftre00streuoft_djvu.txt>
[15] Leviticus 7. Streane. A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud. Glossary: “Chagigah.” pp 147-148. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. pp 41, 82.
[16] Edersheim. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. p 1382. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. p 70. The Babylonian Talmud. Rodkinson. Book 3. Tract Pesachim Chapters VI, VIII, IX.
[17] Matthew 26-27; Mark 14-15; Luke 22-2 3; John 18-19. Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. p 1384.
[18] NASB.
[19] Numbers 9. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. p. 83. Soncino Babylonian Talmud. “Introduction to Seder Tohoroth.” #2. <https://israelect.com/Come-and-Hear/talmud/tohoroth.html > “Priest.” Jewish Encyclopedia.
[20] Leviticus 22. Edersheim. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. pp 1383-1385.
[21] Edersheim. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. p 1382. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. p 70. The Babylonian Talmud. Rodkinson. Book 3. Tract Pesachim. Chapters VI, VIII, IX.
[22] Leviticus 22; Numbers 9, 19. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. “The First Day of the Feast” pp 82-83, 85, 130-131, “Appendix.” pp 130-131. “Priest.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/12358-priest > Streane. A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud. Glossary: “Chagigah.” p 148.

It’s All About a Meal

Posted on March 6, 2017August 25, 2023 by K.B. Vogelman

It’s All About a Meal

Tradition says Jesus was crucified on Good Friday of Easter weekend. Not everyone agrees – some say that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified earlier in the week or even before the Feast of Unleavened Bread.^[1] A meal plays a big role in determining when Jesus was crucified…and it may not be the one you may think.

^{JN 18:28} Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover._(NRSV)

John says the priests were worried about becoming defiled which would then disqualify them from “eating the Passover” meal.^[2] It is easy to draw the conclusion that “to eat the Passover” refers to the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Playing this out farther, if the verse is referring to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it would mean Jesus was crucified on Nisan 14^thbefore the Feast. In this scenario John 18:28 would then indeed be a contradiction with the other Gospel accounts saying Jesus was crucified and died on the first day of Passover. A conflict could serve to invalidate the Gospels’ credibility and by extension its position that Jesus is the Son of God.^[3]

Many people may not be aware there were two other meal possibilities at the beginning of Passover called a chagigah addressed in the Talmud.^[4] It is helpful to know the Jewish day begins at sunset and the following sunrise begins the daylight portion of that same day ending at dusk.

First of the two Passover meals was optional and was a supplement to the Feast of Unleavened Bread launching the Passover after sunset. If it was necessary to feed a larger party, the optional first chagigah sacrifice was offered earlier the afternoon on Nisan 14^th in addition to the Pascal lamb sacrifice. It was to be treated the same as the Feast of Unleavened Bread where all meat was to be consumed by midnight or else any leftovers were to be burned.

A second, separate chagigah was to be offered and consumed the first day of Passover, after the Feast of Leavened Bread the previous evening. It was to be a peace offering to be offered on the first day of Passover, Nisan 15^th.^[5] The meat from the second chagigah meal was to be consumed over the course of two days and one night^[6]

Jewish Law stipulated that a portion of the Passover Nisan 15^th second chagigah sacrificial meat was to be given to the priest as a gratuity for his own chagigah Passover meal. The remaining meat was to be taken home by the offeror for his own personal chagigah meal.^[7]

Priests were held to a higher Rabbinical standard with special rules that did not apply to the general populace. Entering Pilate‘s headquarters, the Praetorium in John 18:28, was one of those things that would place the priests in a state of ritual defilement.^[8] Rabbinic ritual defilement could be absolved after sunset by means of a ritualistic purification bath.

Since the Feast of Unleavened Bread occurred after sunset, a ritually defiled priest that day could still partake of the meal that evening if he had performed a ritual purification bath. The second chagigah sacrifice occurred occurred during first day of Passover meaning a ritual purification bath later that evening would be too late.

Disqualification from performing their chagigah sacrificial duty on the first day of Passover meant the priests would not have received their lawful gratuity portion of the sacrificial meat – no meat for their chagigah meal on the first day of Passover.^[9] As such, defilement worries in John 18:28 “to be able to eat the Passover” centered on the consequences involving the second chagigah meal by the Priests.

Logically, perhaps even much bigger, is why the defilement concern of John 18:28 does not refer to the crucifixion of Jesus on Nisan 14^th. Earlier in the afternoon shortly after midday of Nisan 14^th, upwards of a quarter million paschal sacrifices had to be performed at the Temple!

Offerings of the Pascal sacrifices preceding the Feast of Unleavened Bread was an all-hands-on-deck scenario where all the Priests served a vitally important role at the Temple requiring massive preparations with a packed and rigid schedule. Activities for the most popular annual Festival in all the land drew crowds of about 3 million.^[10]

With this in mind, how conceivable is a scenario where high level priests pursued their vendetta against Jesus beginning after the evening dinner of Nisan 13^th with an arrest, an inquisition and an aberrant trial overnight; Roman hearings the next morning; and ending with the crucifixion of Jesus at 9am on Nisan 14^th … at the very same time tens of thousands of pascal lamb sacrifices were being prepared to be sacrificed at the Temple hours later? It would be like NFL Super Bowl event managers taking the day off on Super Bowl Sunday to attend to personal business.

Consider, too, the Roman factor – Passover was the one Jewish festival where the potentially troublesome crowd of millions of pilgrims worried the Romans more than any other.^[11] How likely is it that Roman authorities would risk triggering a riot by crucifying Jews on the same day as their sacred paschal sacrifices at the Temple? Alternatively, the next day, the first day of Passover, Nisan 15, the crowds were dispersed by Jewish Law to their local housing accommodations to celebrate the Passover Festival with very minimal activity.

Did John’s reference to the priest’s defilement concern of missing the Passover meal actually pose a credibility issue with the other Gospels that said Jesus was crucified on the first day of Passover?

Updated July 25, 2023.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

NRSV = New Revised Standard Version translation

[1] Doig, Kenneth F. New Testament Chronology. Chapter 18. <http://nowoezone.com/NTC18.htm> Edersheim, Alfred. The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah. 1883. Book V. <http://philologos.org/__eb-lat/default.htm> “Sharing a Meal.” Pinterest.com. image. n.d. <https://www.pinterest.com/pin/785737466232633826/>
[2] Wells, Steve. The Skeptic’s Annotated Bible. 2017. “423. When was Jesus crucified?” http://skepticsannotatedbible.com/contra/passover_meal.html> “101 Bible Contradictions.” Islamic Awareness. n.d. Contradiction #69. https://www.islamawareness.net/Christianity/bible_contra_101.html>
[3] Edersheim, Alfred. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. Chapter 10. 1826 -1889. The NTSLibrary. 2016. <http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF%20BooksJewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com>
[4] Leviticus 23:7-8; Numbers 28:18. Net.Bible.org. Hebrew text, footnote #20. CR Exodus 23:14. Netbible.org. n.d. Hebrew text. “G5656.” Lexicon-Concordance. n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/search6.asp?sw=5656&sm=0&x=0&y=0 Babylonian Talmud. Rodkinson trans. Book 3, Tracts Pesachim, Chapter IV and Book 4, Tract Betzah (Yom Tob); Book 4, Tract Moed, Chapter II.. <https://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm#t03>
[5] Leviticus 3.
[6] The Babylonian Talmud. Trans. Michael L. Rodkinson. 1918. Book 3, Tract Pesachim. <http://www.sacred-texts.com/jud/talmud.htm> Streane, A. W, ed. A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud. 1891. Chagigah 7b. <http://www.archive.org/stream/translationoftre00streuoft/translationoftre00streuoft_djvu.txt>
[7] Leviticus 7:29-32. Edersheim. The Temple – Its Ministry and Services. Chapters 5 & 11. Streane. A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud. Glossary: “Chagigah.”
[8] Leviticus 22.
[9] Leviticus 22; Numbers 9. Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Book III, Chapter X. Google Books. n.d <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>
[10] Josephus, Flavius. Wars of the Jews. Book VI.. < http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>
[11] Antiquities. Book XI, Chapter IV; Book XX, Chapter V. Josephus. Wars. Book V, Chapter V.