Harmonization of the Resurrection Accounts

[simspt]

For the truth of the story is not at all affected by the fact that the Evangelists relate the words and deeds of the Lord in a different order,[23] and express his sayings not literally but differently, while preserving (their) sense.[24] For, as St. Augustine says, “It is quite probable that each Evangelist believed it to have been his duty to recount what he had to in that order in which it pleased God to suggest it to his memory in those things at least in which the order, whether it be this or that, detracts in nothing from the truth and authority of the Gospel. But why the Holy Spirit, who apportions individually to each one as He wills,[25] and who therefore undoubtedly also governed and ruled the minds of the holy (writers) in recalling what they were to write because of the pre-eminent authority which the books were to enjoy, permitted one to compile his narrative in this way, and another in that, anyone with pious diligence may seek the reason and with divine aid will be able to find it.”[26]

X. Unless the exegete pays attention to all these things which pertain to the origin and composition of the Gospels and makes proper use of all the laudable achievements of recent research, he will not fulfil his task of probing into what the sacred writers intended and what they really said. From the results of the new investigations it is apparent that the doctrine and the life of Jesus were not simply reported for the sole purpose of being remembered, but were “preached” so as to offer the Church a basis of faith and of morals. The interpreter (then), by tirelessly scrutinizing the testimony of the Evangelists, will be able to illustrate more profoundly the perennial theological value of the Gospels and bring out clearly how necessary and important the Church’s interpretation is.

 

[Pete_Holter]

The link below should be extremely helpful in understanding the Gospels and the fact that lack of perfect harmonization does not damage the historicitiy of the Church tradition that the Gospels are a product of.

catholic-resources.org/ChurchDocs/PBC_HistTruthFitzmyer.htm

I briefly interacted with Fitzmyer’s commentary here and following.

I recommend reading the PBC document by itself as it was posted earlier by Bookcat. I think the best way to understand what the document is saying about the order of the narratives is to refer to the one that the document itself quotes from on this point. Augustine elaborates on the issue of chronology here in his Gospel harmony mentioned earlier, providing us with this summary statement:

“For this reason, therefore, when the order of times is not apparent, we ought not to feel it a matter of any consequence what order any of them may have adopted in relating the events. But wherever the order is apparent, if the evangelist then presents anything which seems to be inconsistent with his own statements, or with those of another, we must certainly take the passage into consideration, and endeavour to clear up the difficulty.”

Everyone have a blessed night!

If everything that the Roman Catholic Church taught were true…