Chapter 288 of 404

Jesus’ Burial

The presence of women also offers a transition to the next part of Jesus’ story. The Gospels note that the women were watching the burial (Mk 15:47); although many tombs existed in the Judean hills, these women must return by themselves early Sunday morning to the same site. Against Crossan,³¹² this does not make good sense as simply Christian apologetic to cover up the women’s ignorance of the site; burial practices from this period suggest that people kept track of bodies, and immediately after claims of resurrection appearances, others (both followers and critics) would have checked the tomb (see our next chapter). But this observation does underline the care that was taken to locate the right site, albeit initially for later expressions of mourning.

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