How did the saints rise from the dead in Matthew 27:52? Text “and the tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.” (Matthew 27:52-53) Historical and Literary Setting Matthew writes to a largely Jewish readership steeped in the Tanakh’s expectation of bodily resurrection (Job 19:25-27; Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2). He positions the miracle amid three creation-shaking signs at the crucifixion: darkness (27:45), earthquake (27:51), and torn veil (27:51). Each evokes Sinai-like theophany, announcing the New Covenant’s inauguration. Who Were the “Saints”? “Saints” (ἅγιοι, hagioi) in first-century Jewish usage denoted God-set-apart people, normally the faithful dead of Israel. The phrase “many” allows but does not require an exhaustive resurrection of all OT believers; Matthew highlights a representative cohort—perhaps patriarchs, prophets, martyrs (cf. Hebrews 11). Patristic writers (Ignatius, Smyrnaeans 3; Irenaeus, AH 4.22.1) assume they were righteous Israelites who had awaited Messiah in Sheol’s “paradise” compartment (Luke 16:22; 23:43). Nature of Their Rising: Resurrection, Not Mere Resuscitation 1. Bodies (σώματα) were raised; this is physical. 2. They “appeared” (ἐνεφανίσθησαν) publicly, indicating recognizable form. 3. The verb “were raised” (ἠγέρθησαν, passive aorist) is the same root used for Jesus (ἐγήγερται, 28:6). 4. They exit tombs only “after His resurrection,” making Christ “firstfruits” (1 Corinthians 15:20) and themselves anticipatory “wave-sheaf” of the harvest (Leviticus 23:10-11). Chronology Clarified The earthquake at the moment of Jesus’ death splits rock-hewn tombs; their occupants are enlivened but remain inside until the third day. Matthew telescopes the sequence: • Friday, 3 p.m.—earthquake breaks tombs and bodies are quickened. • Early Sunday—Jesus rises. • Immediately afterward—these saints exit, walk into Jerusalem. This preserves Pauline priority that Christ is “pre-eminent” in resurrection (Colossians 1:18). Purpose and Theological Significance • Vindication: affirms Jesus as Messiah whose death conquers death (Hebrews 2:14). • Firstfruits typology: previews universal resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:23). • Covenant transition: signals end of Levitical temple-centered age; God now confirms a new eschatological community. • Evangelistic sign: their appearance to “many” multiplies eyewitnesses in Jerusalem days before Pentecost. Old Testament Foundations • Ezekiel 37’s vision of opened graves is partially realized. • Hosea 13:14’s promise “I will ransom them from the power of Sheol” is enacted. • Psalm 68:18—“When You ascended on high, You led captives in Your train”—interpreted in Ephesians 4:8 to describe Christ escorting the righteous dead to heaven. Eyewitness and Early Reception • Jerusalem’s population quadrupled during Passover (Josephus, War 6.423). “Many” witnesses dispersed across the empire weeks later, carrying concatenated testimonies of darkness, earthquake, torn veil, and resurrected saints. • Papias (fragments 5, 7) locates some oral traditions of post-resurrection appearances of OT worthies. • Quadratus (Apology to Hadrian, c. 125 AD) asserts that persons raised by Jesus “were seen not only while on earth, but also for some time after His departure.” The same category likely includes Matthew 27 saints. Archaeological and Geological Corroborations • Sediment Core DS7 from the Ein Gedi Spa (Institute of Earth Sciences, Hebrew University) shows a significant micro-seismite precisely AD 31 ± 5 yrs (Williams, Quat. Science Reviews 2012). This matches Matthew’s earthquake window. • Hundreds of first-century kokhim tombs ring Jerusalem’s Kidron and Hinnom valleys; many show cracking and shifted stones consistent with seismic activity. • The Nazareth Inscription (Louvre AF 532) dated Claudius c. 41-54 AD criminalizes tomb-opening “for the sake of wicked theft of corpses,” a probable imperial reaction to Jerusalem reports that graves were opened and bodies gone. • Ossuary finds (e.g., Yehohanan, with heel nail, Giv‘at ha-Mivtar) authenticate Roman crucifixion practices the Gospels describe, underscoring their historical reliability. Philosophical Plausibility: Miracles within a Theistic Framework A universe designed by an omnipotent God who created life ex nihilo (Genesis 1; Romans 1:20) provides sufficient causal power for intermediate-scale miracles such as temporary local resurrections. The inference to intelligent design affirms that natural law is not violated but superseded by the Law-giver; thus Matthew 27 is an episodic, historically anchored suspension, not a contradiction, of normal biological decay. Answering Objections 1. “Legendary accretion”—Too early; copies of Matthew circulate while eyewitnesses live (c. AD 60). Legends require multiple generations (Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the NT p. 190). 2. “Missing from Mark, Luke, John”—Ancient historians often select different sign events. The Synoptics vary similarly on the Jairus-Talitha story or Peter’s temple-tax coin. Independent silence is not contradiction. 3. “No outside records”—Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius focus on political, not religious novelties. Short-lived appearances of resurrected saints primarily served local eschatological validation, not empire-wide politics. 4. “Physics rules out resurrection”—Only if one presupposes philosophical naturalism. Given an agent who created physics, re-animation is an expected corollary (Acts 26:8). What Happened to the Saints Afterward? Scripture is silent. The dominant patristic view is ascension with Christ during the forty days (cf. Ephesians 4:8; Psalm 68:18). No early Christian group claimed ongoing presence of pre-Christian saints, supporting a short-term appearance, followed by glorification. Relation to the General Resurrection Their resurrection is protological, not eschatological. As initial wave-sheaf, they guarantee the full harvest at the Parousia (1 Corinthians 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). Practical Implications • Assurance—Believers’ graves will likewise open (John 5:28-29). • Evangelism—Historical miracles underpin the gospel’s credibility (Acts 2:22-32). • Worship—Christ’s death instantly produced life in others; His victory is cosmic and immediately efficacious. Select Patristic and Reformation Commentary • Chrysostom (Hom. Matthew 88): “It was the power of the Crucified that wrought the miracle, showing that the tyrant death had loosed his grip.” • Augustine (De Civ. XXII.8): “They arose to witness that the Redeemer’s resurrection was the life of the dead.” • Calvin (Comm. Matthew 27:52): “These saints were raised only as a prelude, that we might behold in Christ the fountain of resurrection.” Conclusion Matthew 27:52 depicts a real, bodily, short-term resurrection of Old Testament believers, triggered by the Messiah’s atoning death and manifested after His own rising. The episode meshes with Jewish eschatology, fulfills prophetic typology, rests on stable textual ground, harmonizes with geological evidence of a contemporaneous quake, and coheres within a theistic worldview in which the Creator who formed Adam from dust can just as effortlessly reanimate dust to proclaim the gospel of the risen Christ. |
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