Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: tblake@bingvaxu.cc.binghamton.edu (Thomas Blake) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: The missing body/Empty tomb Message-ID: Date: 28 Apr 91 22:18:46 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: State University of New York at Binghamton Lines: 44 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article MVS104@psuvm.psu.edu writes: >Just a slightly related question. >About all of this "crucified and raised from the dead" discussion... >Why is it that John's rendition says that his side was pierced, but none of >the others do? Also, the side-piercing becomes a plot element later, with >Thomas, toward the end of the rendition. Why was this left out in the others >(or perhaps written into John's for the effect)? Well, let's say that the different Gospel writers had different priorities. No one of the Gospels gives a complete account of Jesus' life. For instance, we're told that Judas carried the poor box, and he stole from it, (that's why he objected to wasting the ointment on Jesus when it could have been sold and the money given to the poor), and yet I don't remember any Gospel accounts of Jesus and the Disciples collecting money for the poor, or giving money to the poor for that matter. Matthew tells of the birth of Jesus, but Mark starts out with John the Baptist. Matthew talks about wise men, Mark talks about shepherds. John neglects to tell the history of Jesus birth, but instead explains the reason. Well? Which one has the story right? Each Gospel writer seeks to tell us something different about Jesus. They don't have enough room to describe his entire life in detail, (As John says)... John 21:25 Now, there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all were written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written. ... so, each Gospel author tells us those things they knew about that *they* considered important to the Gospel they were writing. All of them considered Jesus arrest, crucifixion, death and resurrection important, but they record different details about them. If you were to detail all the activities of a group of say... 20 people over the course of 3 days, how many pages do you think it might take? Wouldn't you edit your account down to size by just noting those activities that you felt were most significant, (based upon your ideas of significance)? Tom Blake SUNY-Binghamton