The burial of Jesus refers to the burial or entombment of the body of Jesus after his crucifixion before the eve of the sabbath. This event is described in the New Testament. According to the canonical gospel narratives, he was placed in a tomb by a councillor of the Sanhedrin named Joseph of Arimathea; according to Acts , he was laid in a tomb by "the council as a whole". In art, it is often called the Entombment of Christ.
Biblical accounts
The earliest reference to a burial of Jesus is in a letter of Paul. Writing to the Corinthians around the year AD 54,Watson E. Mills, Acts and Pauline Writings, Mercer University Press 1997, page 175. he refers to the account he had received of the death and resurrection of Jesus ("and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures").
The four canonical gospels, likely written between 66 and 95, conclude with an extended narrative of Jesus's arrest, trial, crucifixion, entombment, and resurrection.Powell, Mark A. Introducing the New Testament. Baker Academic, 2009. They narrate how, on the evening of the Crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body; after Pilate granted his request, he wrapped it in a linen cloth and laid it in a tomb. According to , "they" laid Jesus in a tomb. Some scholars assume that the antecedent of "they" was "their rulers" (Acts 13:27), leading to a belief that he was laid in a tomb by "the council as a whole". This assumption is doubted by others because "they" also fulfilled everything written and took him down from the tree (Acts 13:29).
Modern scholarship emphasizes contrasting the gospel accounts, and finds the Mark portrayal more probable.Maurice Casey, Jesus of Nazareth: An Independent Historian's Account of His Life and Teaching (Continuum, 2010) page 449.
Gospel of Mark In the Gospel of Mark (the earliest of the canonical gospels), written around the years 66 and 72, Joseph of Arimathea is a member of the Sanhedrin, which had condemned Jesus, who wishes to ensure that the corpse is buried in accordance with Jewish Law, according to which dead bodies could not be left exposed overnight. He puts the body in a new shroud and lays it in a tomb carved into the rock.Douglas R. A. Hare, Mark (Westminster John Knox Press, 1996) page 220. The Jewish historian Josephus, writing later in the century, described how the Jews regarded this law as so important that even the bodies of crucified criminals would be taken down and buried before sunset.James F. McGrath, "Burial of Jesus. II. Christianity. B. Modern Europe and America" in The Encyclopedia of the Bible and Its Reception. Vol.4, ed. by Dale C. Allison Jr., Volker Leppin, Choon-Leong Seow, Hermann Spieckermann, Barry Dov Walfish, and Eric Ziolkowski, (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2012), p. 923 In this account, Joseph does only the bare minimum to observe the Law, wrapping the body in a cloth, with no mention of washing (Taharah) or anointing it. This may explain why Mark mentions an event prior to the crucifixion in which a woman pours perfume over Jesus.() Jesus is thereby prepared for burial even before his actual death.McGrath, 2012, p.937
Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew was written around the years 80 to 85, using the Gospel of Mark as a source. In this account Joseph of Arimathea is not referenced as a member of the Sanhedrin, but a wealthy disciple of Jesus.Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew (Liturgical Press, 1991) page 406.Donald Senior, The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (Liturgical Press, 1990) page 151. Many interpreters have read this as a subtle orientation by the author towards wealthy supporters, while others believe this is a fulfillment of prophecy from Isaiah 53:9: "And they made his grave with the wicked, And with the rich his tomb; Although he had done no violence, Neither was any deceit in his mouth." This version suggests a more honourable burial: Joseph wraps the body in a clean shroud and places it in his own tomb, and the word used is soma (body) rather than ptoma (corpse).Donald Senior, The Passion of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew (Liturgical Press, 1990) page 151-2. The author adds that the priests and the Pharisees "made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard."
Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Mark is also a source for the account given in the Gospel of Luke, written around the year 80–90. As in the Markan version, Joseph is described as a member of the Sanhedrin,N. T. Wright, Luke For Everyone (Westminster John Knox Press), page 286. but as not having agreed with the Sanhedrin's decision regarding Jesus; he is said to have been "waiting for the kingdom of God" rather than a disciple of Jesus.
Gospel of John The Gospel of John, the last of the gospels, was written around the years 90 to 95, and it depicts Joseph as a disciple who gives Jesus an honourable burial. John says that Joseph was assisted in the burial process by Nicodemus, who brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes and included these spices in the burial cloth according to Jewish customs.
Comparison The comparison below is based on the New International Version. Paul Mark Matthew Luke John Acts | Joseph and Pilate Joseph of Arimathea, a Council member who awaited God's kingdom, asked Pilate for Jesus' body on the evening before Sabbath. Pilate was surprised, and asked the centurion if Jesus died already. After the centurion's confirmation, Pilate gave Jesus' body to Joseph. Matthew 27:57–58 Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for Jesus' body in the evening. Pilate ordered it to be given to him. Luke 23:50–52 Joseph of Arimathea, a Council member and good man who awaited God's kingdom and had not consented to the Council's decision,It's not clear whether 'the Council' (τῇ βουλῇ) refers to the Sanhedrin (τὸ συνέδριον, Luke 22:66), but it's likely. asked Pilate for Jesus' body. [Pilate's response is not mentioned] John 19:38 Later (after Jesus' death), Joseph of Arimathea, a secret (because he feared the Jewish leaders) disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate gave permission and Joseph took the body. Acts 13:29 "When they had carried out everything that was written about him, they took him down from the tree..." Burial 1 Corinthians 15:4 "He was buried" Mark 15:46–47 Joseph bought linen, took down the body, and wrapped it. Joseph put it in a tomb cut out of the rock and rolled a stone against the entrance. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw the entombment. Matthew 27:59–61 Joseph took Jesus' body and wrapped it in linen. Joseph placed the body in his own new tomb that he had cut out, rolled a stone in front of it and left. Mary Magdalene and the other MaryGoing by Matthew 27:56, this was Mary, the mother of James and Joseph. were sitting opposite the tomb. Luke 23:53–56 Joseph took the body down, wrapped it in linen. He put it in an unused tomb cut in the rock. It was just before Sabbath. The women from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the entombment. They went home and made spices and perfumes. They rested on Sabbath to obey the commandment. John 19:39–42 Nicodemus brought a myrrh/aloes mixture of about 75 pounds. Nicodemus and Joseph wrapped Jesus' body, with the spices, in strips of linen. At a garden, near where Jesus was crucified, was an unused new tomb. As the tomb was nearby and it was Preparation Day, they laid Jesus there. Acts 13:29 "... and laid him in a tomb." High priests and Pilate Matthew 27:62–66 The next day, after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate: 'That deceiver [Jesus] said he would rise again after 3 days, so guard the tomb for 3 days to prevent his disciples from stealing the body, and then claim he has been raised from the dead.' Pilate: 'You may arrange a guard.' The chief priests and the Pharisees sealed the tomb and posted guards. Mary(s) Mark 16:1–2 After Sabbath, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices to anoint Jesus body, and they went to the tomb on the first day of the week. Matthew 28:1 After Sabbath on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb [no indication why]. Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, the women from Galilee took the spices to the tomb. John 20:1 Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on the first day of the week [no indication why].
In non-canonical literature The apocryphal manuscript known as the Gospel of Peter states that the Jews handed over the body of Jesus to Joseph, who later washes him then buries him in a place called "Joseph's Garden".
Historicity
Scholars differ on the historicity of the burial story, and the question if Jesus received a decent burial. Points of contention are if Jesus's body was taken off the cross before sunset, or left on the cross to decay; if his body was taken off the cross and buried specifically by Joseph of Arimathea, or by the Sanhedrin or a group of Jews in general; and if he was entombed, and if so, what kind of tomb, or if he was buried in a common grave.
An argument in favor of a decent burial before sunset is the Jewish custom, based on the Torah, that the body of an executed person should not remain on the tree where the corpse was hung for public display, but be buried before sunrise. This is based on , but also attested in the Temple Scroll of the Essenes, and in Josephus' Jewish War 4.5.2§317, describing the burial of crucified Jewish insurgents before sunset. Reference is also made to the Digesta, a Roman Law Code from the 6th century AD, which contains material from the 2nd century AD stating that "the bodies of those who have been punished are only buried when this has been requested and permission granted." Burial of people who were executed by crucifixion is also attested by archaeological finds such as from Jehohanan, a body with a nail in the heel which could not be removed. Archeologist Jodi Magness states that the Gospel accounts reflect Jewish burials.
Martin Hengel argued that Jesus was buried in disgrace as an executed criminal who died a shameful death, a view which is "now widely accepted and has become entrenched in scholarly literature." John Dominic Crossan argued that Jesus' followers did not know what happened to the body. According to Crossan, Joseph of Arimathea is "a total Markan creation in name, in place, and in function", arguing that Jesus's followers inferred from Deut. 21:22-23 that Jesus was buried by a group of law-abiding Jews, as described in Acts 13:29. This story was adapted by Mark, turning the group of Jews into a specific person. What really happened may be deduced from customary Roman practice, which was to leave the body on the stake, denying an honorable or family burial, famously stating that "the dogs were waiting."
British New Testament scholar Maurice Casey also notes that "Jewish criminals were supposed to receive a shameful and dishonourable burial", quoting Josephus:
Casey argues that Jesus was indeed buried by Joseph of Arimathea, but in a tomb for criminals owned by the Sanhedrin. He therefore rejects the empty tomb narrative as legendary.