New tomb; empty cloths; resurrection hour (John 19:41–20:9)

Arimathea, a stranger. And if he had been with others, some of the unbelievers were going to say that it was not Jesus’ body that rose but another’s. He was laid in a new tomb because of the strangeness of the run back from death into life and the novelty devised against corruption. It was arranged that the place be near, so that the story about theft might also be shown false.

Though Matthew said the resurrection happened in deep evening, and John early while it was still dark, they do not disagree about the time of the resurrection, but ran together into the same time of hours; for one moves from the end and the other from the beginning into the very middle of the night.

Christ rose while the stone still lay and the seals. And the tomb is opened toward faith in the signs that happened. Unclear is the time of the resurrection as also that of the second coming.

What those trying to show them disagreeing want, I do not find; for if about the resurrection they had not brought out the same judgment, or had not said the same day on which the resurrection happened to occur, or had not all alike reported the women first come for honor of the dead, they would have some pardon for this absurd and foolish censure; but if in the things aforesaid they showed much agreement—alike announcing the resurrection, saying the day is the same, the women alike come—what ever does their exactness about the hours want? I at least do not understand, and yet I think nothing else so tends to establish the truth of what was said as that those who showed much agreement in the most crucial things are found disagreeing in some very small things and in what it was likely that being human they would err, showing the exchange of words by brief hours; for if wanting to lie they had chosen an agreeing judgment about this, nothing would have hindered. Having once chosen to lie about this, keeping much and exact agreement in all, it lay before them to lie and each by himself would fulfill his own aim. Necessity surely was that they vary a little, many things being what forced them to suffer these things.

And if Luke says that the disciples disbelieved those about Joanna, nothing contrary; for they had not yet gone away to the tomb and did not believe as it happened, as going to bear witness as eyewitnesses to the resurrection. Or they disbelieved those about Joanna as having heard from the two men, but were persuaded by Mary saying that they took the body.

This is not contrary to Luke also that Peter alone went away to the tomb; for when after seeing the linen cloths he went away, later those about Joanna came saying that the Lord rose, and Peter alone ran again to the tomb hoping perhaps himself also to see some vision.

This was a mark of the resurrection; for if enemies stole it, they would not have left the garments for profit, and if they were friends they would not have endured to insult the body naked; for if the disciples had seized it, they fled because of the guarding soldiers and Jews and would not have stood stripping the body and setting the cloths apart and the napkin apart. And it shows that a body that has passed into incorruption has no further need of garments. They did not see him risen, but from the gathering of the garments they conceive the resurrection and believe this, holy Scripture crying it. When the angel appeared, the guards fled terrified and therefore those around Peter came to the tomb without fear.

They understood and believed the word of the resurrection which earlier they did not know. Before the experience the disciples did not know the word about resurrection.