As All Hallows’ Eve fast approaches, I have found myself mulling over one of the most curious – and some might say, ‘spookiest’ – episodes in the whole of the gospel tradition. The scene, which I have elsewhere referred to as The Puzzle of Matthew’s Mass Resurrection, occurs in the course of Matthew’s crucifixion narrative.
For most of this scene, Matthew has copied out Mark, almost word for word. Yet after the death of Jesus, Matthew inserts this shocking and curious series of events:
‘and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; and the tombs were opened,
and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs (after his resurrection) they went into the holy city, and they appeared to many.’ (27:51b-53)
This little passage raises a host of fascinating questions, and has had scholars scratching their heads for centuries. What happened, for instance, to the saints in between the crucifixion and the resurrection? Who were these ‘holy ones’ who went into the city? And how does this story fit into the wider narrative of Matthew?
In a previous post, I explored questions surrounding the historicity of this passage. I unpack the perspectives of those who have seen it as a received tradition (Dale Allison) or even possibly historical (N.T. Wright), against those who see it as an example of story-telling (James Crossley) or literary ‘special effects’ (Michael Licona).