Why are there Discrepancies in the Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection?
Easter is almost upon us, and Christian congregations around the world will soon be hearing one of the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection. Focusing on a single Gospel at a time can sometimes obscure the fact that the accounts differ in certain details. For example, how many women went to the tomb? Were there angels present, and if so, one or two? At what point did the women encounter Jesus? How many disciples ran to the tomb? These variations have led some to question the reliability of the narratives. Yet, as we will see, such minor inconsistencies are exactly what we would expect from genuine eyewitness testimony recorded some years after the event.
Most scholars agree that the entire New Testament was written within the first century, with the Gospels composed between roughly AD 60 and 100. Mark’s Gospel is widely considered the earliest, and some even suggest it may have been written as early as AD 40. Since Jesus was almost certainly in his thirties when he died and rose again, this timeline places the writing of the Gospels well within the living memory of many eyewitnesses.
It’s also important to remember that the ancient world relied far more on oral tradition than on written texts. Oral transmission aimed to preserve the core message faithfully, without necessarily emphasising every subsidiary detail. Naturally, the specific details remembered and recorded would vary depending on the eyewitness. For instance, John’s Gospel notes that “the other disciple” (likely John) outran Peter and reached the tomb first; a detail that could only have come from Peter or John themselves. Their recollections would inevitably differ from those of Mary Magdalene, whose experience was entirely different. Perspective and memory easily account for the perceived inconsistencies.
My teenage son and I recently witnessed a multi-car road traffic accident from the vantage point of an elevated footpath. It unfolded in a matter of seconds, involving at least six vehicles travelling in both directions. Thankfully, no one was seriously injured. Five minutes later, I asked my son to describe what he had seen, and we quickly realised that neither of us could confidently recall the exact sequence of events. Now, several weeks on, I’m not even certain how many cars were involved.
What we can both remember, however, are the core details: there was a multi‑vehicle accident near Suncorp Stadium, no one was badly hurt, and it was caused by a woman driving recklessly with a child in the car. I have no intention of turning this incident into an oral tradition however, if I were to do so, I’m confident that we could preserve the key facts for decades, if not for generations.
All four Gospels agree on the core details. It was the first day of the week when a group of women who followed Jesus went to the tomb early in the morning. When they arrived, they found it empty. Most importantly, every Gospel affirms that Jesus rose bodily from the dead. The variations in the surrounding details simply reflect the differing perspectives and memories of the eyewitnesses who reported these events.
It’s easy to get caught up in the finer details, but the heart of Easter is wonderfully simple: Jesus rose from the dead and now reigns forever. He is risen! Jesus is alive and you can know him today.
