They fell to the ground in fear, and the two men who appeared to them asked, "Why do you look for the One who lives among the dead? He is not here; He has risen" (Luke 24:5-6). "Come, see the place where the Lord lay." The women entered the tomb and saw a young man, an angel, dressed in white, sitting on the right side. The angel reassured them, saying, "Do not be afraid. You are seeking Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified; He has risen, He is not here. This is where He was laid" (Mark 16:6). "Remember how He told you while still in Galilee that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day rise again." Then they remembered His words (Luke 24:6-8).
"Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead and will go ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him." The statements of the angel are consistent across all three of the initial Evangelists, with the only variation being the number of angels and where they appeared. Matthew and Mark mention one angel—Matthew calls him an angel, while Mark refers to him as a young man. Conversely, Luke mentions two men appearing to them. The difference in terminology (angel, young man, man) is not significant. Angels, though spirits, take on forms when they appear to humans; in this case, their dazzling appearance caused the women to bow down in awe (Luke 24:5). Thus, it is plausible that some perceived the speaking angel as a young man, while others saw him as a man; some women may have seen only one angel in this form, while others saw two.
The question of whether one or two angels appeared bears no weight in affirming the reality of Jesus' resurrection; what mattered was the message delivered by the speaking angel, and the presence of another silent angel was irrelevant to the narrative's intent. Hence, two Evangelists refer to the angel who spoke to the women, while the third Evangelist complements their account by noting another angel's presence.
Regarding the location where the angel delivered these words, a slight inconsistency arises among the Evangelists. Luke does not clarify if the angel spoke in the cave or outside of it, while Mark asserts that the speaking angel appeared inside the tomb. Matthew mentions that the angel rolled away the stone from the tomb’s entrance and sat upon it (Matt. 28:2); however, it is unclear from his narration where exactly he addressed the women. One might suggest that the phrase, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay," implies the angel spoke this statement outside the tomb, possibly from the stone. Since the stone had been rolled away before the women arrived, it stands to reason that the angel, sitting on the stone and shining like lightning, was seen by the guards who quaked in fear and fell as though dead (Matt. 28:4), while the women may have encountered him within the cave.
It is also possible to consider that an angel appeared to the women outside the cave at its entrance, announced Christ's resurrection, and invited them to enter and witness where the Lord had laid, in order to confirm His resurrection for themselves. Upon entering, they could have seen (as stated by Mark) a young man seated on the right side, and then heard the angel's voice addressing them, potentially causing Luke to say that two men appeared. Regardless, the crucial elements for the Evangelists were to affirm that the stone was rolled away, that the tomb was empty, and that the angel explained to the women the reason for its emptiness; whether one or two angels were present, or where precisely the angel spoke, was not essential for them. They were not conducting an investigation, nor were they documenting exhaustive details; their aim was to convey the vital events leading to the belief that Christ indeed rose from the dead.
Arguments Against the Resurrection of Christ Skeptics regarding Jesus Christ as the incarnate God tirelessly attempted to discredit the accounts of His resurrection provided by the Evangelists. They knew that if they could shake faith in His resurrection, they would also weaken belief in His divine nature as the God-Man, the Son of God. However, all such efforts proved fruitless, for the truth of Christ's resurrection stands firmly established, and the objections of non-believers have been thoroughly answered.
The first argument can be found in the analysis under Mt. 27:65. The second claim regarding the authenticity of Christ's resurrection posits that He did not die on the cross but was instead buried while in a faint state (lethargy). This assertion is countered by scientific and medical evidence. According to Professor A. Shiltov in his work, "Thoughts on the God-Man," the severe scourging and torture Jesus endured prior to the crucifixion, alongside complete physical depletion and suffering on the cross, would have led to life-threatening complications such as pulmonary edema. The evidence of this is visible in the blood and water flowing from His side upon piercing, the wounds in His hands and feet, and the fatal stab to His lungs by the spear—all these factors inevitably lead to death. To suggest that Jesus merely fainted is implausible; even under such a scenario, the subsequent lance thrust to His side and wounds to vital organs would have been more than adequate to ensure His immediate death.
If Christ had not perished on the cross and therefore did not resurrect, He would be no more than an ordinary man. Professor Shiltov points out that a person with wounds in their legs cannot walk until they have healed, which requires at least two weeks. Yet on the third day, Jesus not only walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus but returned the same day to present Himself to the ten apostles, indicating that He traversed a considerable distance despite suffering grave injuries. Only the God-Man with a renewed and glorified body could have accomplished such a feat. Additionally, if we entertain the notion that Jesus did not truly die, it would imply that He deceived His disciples regarding His resurrection, disappearing after a few encounters, effectively spending the rest of His life concealed from them, rendering Him a deceiver. Few dare to make this claim, save those steeped in their delusions; none are willing to label Him a deceiver, not even the atheists who deny His divinity, recognizing Him instead as a model of moral perfection.
The assertion that Jesus did not die is so baseless that even D. Strauss disputes it. He argues that someone emerging from the tomb in a half-alive state, in need of medical treatment and care, could not impart upon His disciples the impression of triumph over death and the grave that would fuel their subsequent actions. Such a mere appearance would likely cause them despair rather than transformation into faithful enthusiasts. It is thus clear Jesus Christ did, in fact, die.
D. Strauss and his contemporaries contend that the disciples could become powerful proclaimers of the Gospel only through a strong belief in the reality of His resurrection, yet they argue that this belief arose not from the resurrection itself, but rather from the mindsets of the apostles, who desired to see their Master alive and thus mistook their aspirations for actual appearances of Christ. However, we should first heed experts' insights about visions or ghosts. Professor Shiltov asserts that it is psychologically impossible for the apostles, who were so despondent following His death, to have seen His spirit, for during extreme hopelessness, a person lacks the capacity for hallucination. Visionary experiences require a heightened sensitivity of the nervous system, which is rare among people; furthermore, it is improbable for multiple individuals to simultaneously observe the same apparition. The apostles, being simple men with robust nerves, could not admit to the possibility of such collective hallucinations.
In discussing the notion of "doubles," Shiltov states that a vision of a double is contingent on the presence of the person whose likeness appears; thus, if it is claimed the apostles saw not the true Christ but a double, one must concede that Christ Himself was present during this phenomenon. Concerning telepathy, such occurrences typically manifest only to individuals in moments of jeopardy or witnessing the death of a close acquaintance, remaining invisible to bystanders. Therefore, according to Professor Shiltov, science cannot accept that the ghost of Jesus appeared to the apostles. Furthermore, since a ghost has no corporeal form, it cannot engage in speech or partake in food, but the Lord, appearing to the apostles, showed them His hands, feet, and side (and they touched them), spoke to them, and shared food with them—concrete proof that He was indeed the risen Christ.
This argument is so compelling that further evidence seems unnecessary. Nonetheless, Strauss builds his refutations against the resurrection miracle upon the premise that the apostles mistook a spirit for a genuine appearance, and so to address the misconceptions held by Strauss and his intellectually blinded followers, I must elaborate on their indefensibility. The apostles recognized Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, envisioned as a glorious king conquering nations and reigning eternally, making His death seem improbable in their eyes. Thus, when He foretold His suffering and death, these concepts appeared perplexing. They interpreted His words as metaphorical expressions he often used. Even when Jesus explained His resurrection, it remained a mystery to them; when He instructed the three apostles not to disclose what they had witnessed until after His resurrection, they questioned each other about what "rise from the dead" could mean, having witnessed Him raising Jairus's daughter and the widow's son.
When Jesus made final preparations for His journey to Jerusalem, He laid out what would transpire—His condemnation, crucifixion, and rising on the third day (Matt. 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 18:31-33)—yet the apostles grasped none of it, for it was hidden from them (Luke 18:34). The thought of the Messiah's death seemed to them impossible; Peter’s attempt to dissuade Jesus from such talk shows his attempt to express, "You are the Messiah who shall reign forever, you cannot die; why distress yourself with such notions?"
When Judas betrayed Him, bringing soldiers to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, the apostles could hardly believe their Messiah might suffer. Seeking to shield Him from harm, they questioned, "Lord, should we not strike?" Peter, acting rashly, struck the high priest’s servant with his sword. Their faith in Christ’s divine mission was weak; they thought He, who raised the dead, required their protection and that He, who preached against violence, would make an exception for Himself. Jesus instructed them to cease their defensive actions, and once He was apprehended and led away, all of the disciples fled (Matt. 26:56; Mk. 14:50). This flight was likely spurred not only by fear of the Pharisees but also by doubt about whether Jesus was truly Messiah. If they later witnessed His crucifixion, they possibly observed it only from afar, remaining hidden within the crowd while John stood by the cross.
When Jesus' body was taken from the cross and buried, their despair grew and soon turned into disappointment. Apart from John, they made no inquiries regarding where He had been laid, nor did they join the myrrh-bearing women in grieving for Him. They could do nothing but sob. Such was their emotional state after losing their Master: fear of retribution, despondency, confusion, doubt, and despair—not anticipation for Christ’s resurrection, of which they were wholly unaware.
THEOSIS