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Khalfan
Guest
Matthew 27:52 The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
What happened to them after? Where did they go?
What happened to them after? Where did they go?
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Ah. What happened to them was that they were FINALLY able to go to heaven–after Jesus rose. You see, until Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead, both the righteous and the wicked died. . .the wicked went to hell, but the righteous had not been saved through Christ and could not enter into heaven yet. They couldn’t go to hell, because they WERE righteous, so they existed (souls) in a place (some call it the Limbo of the Fathers) until Christ’s sacrifice freed them to finally enter heaven.
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Khalfan
Guest
What was raised, their body or the soul or both?
On what basis they were accounted as righteous or wicked?
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Tantum_ergo
Guest
Their souls.
They were judged as righteous or wicked as always one is judged righteous or wicked by God–either righteous --following the will of God, or wicked --not following the will of God. That hasn’t ‘changed’ with the coming of Christ, you know. God is eternal and unchanging.
They were judged as righteous or wicked as always one is judged righteous or wicked by God–either righteous --following the will of God, or wicked --not following the will of God. That hasn’t ‘changed’ with the coming of Christ, you know. God is eternal and unchanging.
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cecilia97
Guest
I’ve always wondered about this too. The passage as quoted above says their “bodies” were raised. What happened to their bodies afterwards?
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kage_ar
Guest
We don’t know - maybe they were assumend into Heaven, maybe they lived some more and died later, maybe they died that day…
One of those great mysteries!
One of those great mysteries!
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Khalfan
Guest
But the verse says, their body was raised, the tombs were broken. If it was the souls that rose, the tombs doesn’t need to be broken, since souls cannot be stoped by chain or wall.
How many were they? From your earlier answer, I suppose, all the righteous people since the beginning of the world, were raisen. If all they were raisen in their body and soul as it said in the verse, how the whole earth could contain them?
Weren’t having faith in the God, repenting from the sins they did and following the will of God enough to enter heaven? Why they had to wait till the cross event?
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Khalfan
Guest
How could such a great event, went on to be a mystery, not reported or recorded by anyone? All the righteous man since the beginning of the world were supposed to have raisen that day. That was supposed to cause each and every man in the world to be a Christian, since all they might have seen their ancsestors rose from dead becasue of cross event. But that wasn’t the case, Jews and all other pagan relegions existed even after and exist till date.
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ncgolf
Guest
From the The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ From the Meditations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. The Sorrowful (Dolorous) Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ are the visions of Anne Catherine Emmerich concerning the horrific sufferings Jesus Christ. These include the trial, scourging, crucifixtion, burial and what happened after Jesus’s death… the last one addresses your post. I include only some excerpts that directly address your post.
“The priests were endeavouring to continue the sacrifices, when suddenly an unexpected and most appalling pause ensued; terror and astonishment were depicted on each countenance; all was thrown into confusion; not a sound was heard; the sacrifices ceased; there was a general rush to the gates of the Temple; everyone endeavoured to fly as quickly as possible. And well might they fly, well might they fear and tremble; for in the midst of the multitude there suddenly appeared persons who had been dead and buried for many years! These persons looked at them sternly, and reproved them most severely for the crime they had committed that day, in bringing about the death of ‘the just man,’ and calling down his blood upon their heads.”
A little later this passage, “Whilst these things were going on in the Temple, the confusion and panic were not less in Jerusalem. Dead persons were walking about, and many walls and buildings had been shaken by the earthquake, and parts of them fallen down. The superstition of Pilate rendered him even more accessible to fear; he was perfectly paralysed and speechless with terror; his palace was shaken to the very foundation, and the earth quaked beneath his feet. The Zacharias here referred to was the father of John the Baptist, who was tortured and afterwards put to death by Herod, because he would not betray John into the hands of the tyrant. He was buried by his friends within the precincts of the Temple. He ran wildly from room to room, and the dead constantly stood before him, reproaching him with the unjust sentence he had passed upon Jesus.”
In the streets of Jerusalem, “More than a hundred persons who had died at different epochs re-entered the bodies they had occupied when on earth, made their appearance in different parts of Jerusalem, and filled the inhabitants with inexpressible consternation. Those souls which had been released by Jesus from Limbo uncovered their faces and wandered to and fro in the streets, and although their bodies were the same as those which they had animated when on earth, yet these bodies did not appear to touch the ground as they walked. They entered the houses of their descendants, proclaimed the innocence of Jesus, and reproved those who had taken
part in his death most severely. I saw them passing through the principal streets; they were generally in couples, and appeared to me to glide through the airs without moving their feet. The countenances of some were pale; others of a yellow tint; their beards were long, and their voices sounded strange and sepulchral. Their grave-clothes were such as it was customary to use at the period of their decease. When they reached the place where
sentence of death was proclaimed on Jesus before the procession started for Calvary, they paused for a moment, and exclaimed in a loud voice: ‘Glory be to Jesus for ever and ever, and destruction to his enemies!’ Towards four o’clock all the dead returned to their graves. The sacrifices in the Temple had been so interrupted, and the confusion caused by the different prodigies was so great, that very few persons ate the Paschal lamb on that evening”
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Charlie_Zeaiter
Guest
This is an interesting thread. I think Khalfan is right in that something this great shouldn’t be a mystery.
Maybe the earthquake that shook at the time of the crucifixion caused panic and confusion and the story became lost or blurred.
Thank you, ncgolf; That was an interesting reply, but I wonder if we have any other explanations that don’t involve supernatural visions.
Maybe this thread should be in the Apologetics forums for some responses.
Maybe the earthquake that shook at the time of the crucifixion caused panic and confusion and the story became lost or blurred.
Thank you, ncgolf; That was an interesting reply, but I wonder if we have any other explanations that don’t involve supernatural visions.
Maybe this thread should be in the Apologetics forums for some responses.
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dolphinlove
Guest
They all walked to India and died a peaceful death 
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paarsurrey
Guest
Hi
That was just metaphorical, it was not the real dead who were raised, so later they died a natural death.
Dead might have meant the most spoiled persons who would have improved with the teachings of Jesus. This is not a small thing.
Another interpretation is that with his herbal medical knowledge and his prayer, the neardead persons whom the doctors/physicians would have declared not curable had been cured by Jesus.This is a very miraculous thing on its merit.
This is what I believe, others may differ with me but with rational and reasonable arguments.
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paarsurrey
Guest
Hi
The PromisedMessiah 1835-1908 (in the position of ** Second Coming of Jesus **) has explained the verse Matthew 27:52 in his book “Jesus in India”:
alislam.org/library/books/jesus-in-india/ch1.html
Among the testimonies which have reached us through the gospels, is the statement set out below from the gospel of Matthew: ‘And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his (viz. Jesus’) resurrection and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.'20 There is not the slightest doubt that the story mentioned in the gospel, namely, that after the resurrection of Jesus the saints came out of the graves and appeared alive to many, is not based on historical fact; for, if it had been so, the Judgment Day would have been enacted in this very world, and that which had been kept secret as a test of faith and sincerity would have been made manifest to all; faith would not have been faith, and, in the sight of every believer and denier, the nature of the next world would have become an evident and a patent fact, just as the existence of the moon, the sun, and the alternation of day and night is an evident fact. In that case, faith would not have been a valued and a valuable thing such as could have merited any kind of reward.
If the people and past prophets of Israel whose number is millions, had really been brought to life at the time of the Crucifixion and had come to the city alive, and if this miracle – that hundreds of prophets, and many hundred thousand of saints, were all brought to life at the same time – was really shown in proof of the truth and divinity of Jesus, the Jews had an excellent opportunity to inquire of the prophets brought back to life, and of the other saints, as well as their own deceased ancestors, whether Jesus who claimed to be God was really God or whether he had only lied. They probably did not lose this opportunity. They must have inquired about Jesus, for they were very keen to inquire from the dead if they could be restored to life. When, therefore, hundreds of thousands of the dead were restored to life, and came to the city, and thousands of them repaired to each quarter thereof, how could the Jews let go an opportunity like this? They must have inquired, not from one or two, but from thousands; and when the dead entered their respective houses there must have been great excitement in every house, for many hundred thousand of them had been restored to the world.
In every house there must have been great talk, and everybody must have been questioning the dead as to whether they knew that the man who called himself Jesus, the Messiah, was really God. But, because the Jews did not believe in Jesus, as could be expected, nor did their hearts soften, rather did they become confirmed in their hard-heartedness, it appears probably that the dead did not speak a favourable word for him. They must have given without hesitation the reply that this man was making a false claim to Godhood, and was uttering a lie against God. That was why the Jews did not desist from mischief, in spite of hundreds of thousands of prophets and apostles being restored to life. Having ‘killed’ Jesus, they attempted to kill others.
How can one believe that hundreds of thousands of saints who, from the time of Adam up to the time of John the Baptist, had been lying in their graves in that blessed earth, should all be brought back to life? – that they should all come to the city to preach, and everyone of them should stand up and bear witness before thousands of people that Jesus, the Messiah, was really the Son of God – no, God Himself; that only he should be worshipped; that the people should renounce their former beliefs; otherwise, they would go to hell, which these saints had themselves witnessed! and yet notwithstanding such excellent evidence and such eye-witness accounts which proceeded from the mouths of hundreds of thousands of dead saints the Jews should not desist from their denial! I personally am not prepared to believe this.
Therefore, if hundreds of thousands of saints and prophets and apostles, etc., who were dead, had really come to life and had come to the city to give evidence, they must undoubtedly have given unfavourable evidence; they could never have borne witness to the divinity of Jesus. This seems to be the reason why the Jews, having listened to the evidence of the dead, became confirmed in their unbelief. Jesus wanted to get them to believe in his divinity, but they, as a result of this evidence, denied that he was even a prophet.
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Thanks
The PromisedMessiah 1835-1908 (in the position of ** Second Coming of Jesus **) has explained the verse Matthew 27:52 in his book “Jesus in India”:
alislam.org/library/books/jesus-in-india/ch1.html
Among the testimonies which have reached us through the gospels, is the statement set out below from the gospel of Matthew: ‘And the graves were opened, and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his (viz. Jesus’) resurrection and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.'20 There is not the slightest doubt that the story mentioned in the gospel, namely, that after the resurrection of Jesus the saints came out of the graves and appeared alive to many, is not based on historical fact; for, if it had been so, the Judgment Day would have been enacted in this very world, and that which had been kept secret as a test of faith and sincerity would have been made manifest to all; faith would not have been faith, and, in the sight of every believer and denier, the nature of the next world would have become an evident and a patent fact, just as the existence of the moon, the sun, and the alternation of day and night is an evident fact. In that case, faith would not have been a valued and a valuable thing such as could have merited any kind of reward.
If the people and past prophets of Israel whose number is millions, had really been brought to life at the time of the Crucifixion and had come to the city alive, and if this miracle – that hundreds of prophets, and many hundred thousand of saints, were all brought to life at the same time – was really shown in proof of the truth and divinity of Jesus, the Jews had an excellent opportunity to inquire of the prophets brought back to life, and of the other saints, as well as their own deceased ancestors, whether Jesus who claimed to be God was really God or whether he had only lied. They probably did not lose this opportunity. They must have inquired about Jesus, for they were very keen to inquire from the dead if they could be restored to life. When, therefore, hundreds of thousands of the dead were restored to life, and came to the city, and thousands of them repaired to each quarter thereof, how could the Jews let go an opportunity like this? They must have inquired, not from one or two, but from thousands; and when the dead entered their respective houses there must have been great excitement in every house, for many hundred thousand of them had been restored to the world.
In every house there must have been great talk, and everybody must have been questioning the dead as to whether they knew that the man who called himself Jesus, the Messiah, was really God. But, because the Jews did not believe in Jesus, as could be expected, nor did their hearts soften, rather did they become confirmed in their hard-heartedness, it appears probably that the dead did not speak a favourable word for him. They must have given without hesitation the reply that this man was making a false claim to Godhood, and was uttering a lie against God. That was why the Jews did not desist from mischief, in spite of hundreds of thousands of prophets and apostles being restored to life. Having ‘killed’ Jesus, they attempted to kill others.
How can one believe that hundreds of thousands of saints who, from the time of Adam up to the time of John the Baptist, had been lying in their graves in that blessed earth, should all be brought back to life? – that they should all come to the city to preach, and everyone of them should stand up and bear witness before thousands of people that Jesus, the Messiah, was really the Son of God – no, God Himself; that only he should be worshipped; that the people should renounce their former beliefs; otherwise, they would go to hell, which these saints had themselves witnessed! and yet notwithstanding such excellent evidence and such eye-witness accounts which proceeded from the mouths of hundreds of thousands of dead saints the Jews should not desist from their denial! I personally am not prepared to believe this.
Therefore, if hundreds of thousands of saints and prophets and apostles, etc., who were dead, had really come to life and had come to the city to give evidence, they must undoubtedly have given unfavourable evidence; they could never have borne witness to the divinity of Jesus. This seems to be the reason why the Jews, having listened to the evidence of the dead, became confirmed in their unbelief. Jesus wanted to get them to believe in his divinity, but they, as a result of this evidence, denied that he was even a prophet.
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Genesis315
Guest
They may have been assumed. Who knows–they may be the saints we see in Heaven in the book of Revelation.
They were saved because of their faith in God and in the expected Messiah.
They were saved because of their faith in God and in the expected Messiah.
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patg
Guest
To put it bluntly, there is no good reason to think that this event really happened. It is mentioned nowhere else - not in another gospel, not in any other Christian writing, not in the writings of Josephus (a well-informed and meticulous Jewish historian of the time). In most cases it is invalid to conclude that an event did not happen simply because it is mentioned in only one source-after all, lots of things occur that are not recorded even once. But this story is a very special exception to the rule because it narrates what by any measure has to be the most amazing event of all time: large numbers of dead people coming to life 'and appearing to large numbers of witnesses. It is inconceivable that an event so sensational and of such magnitude would not be noticed by the historians of the day. It’s especially inconceivable that no other Christian source would mention it. The people who had left their tombs on Easter would have been hugely famous among Christians. A few lucky disciples could claim to have seen the risen Jesus, but these people were even more privileged: they had been raised from the dead *along with *Jesus. Yet their story left no trace anywhere outside these three short verses in Matthew.
It is virtually impossible to explain why Paul does not mention this event if it had actually happened. In 1 Cor 15:5-8, Paul emphasizes the reality of Jesus’ resurrection by listing those who had experienced the risen Jesus. How could he fail to mention those who had experienced their own resurrections as a result of his? Furthermore, Paul refers to the risen Jesus as “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:20). The imagery of first fruits implies that Jesus was the only one raised. (Paul writes that Jesus *is *the first fruits, not that he is *among *the first fruits.) Paul also teaches that the just will be raised only when Jesus returns to earth. If Paul knew of the event Matthew relates, the logic of his first fruits metaphor would be ruined. Paul’s train of thought shows that he did not know about the event Matthew narrates.
Unless one is committed to belief in the literal historicity of every passage in the Bible, there is no basis for taking Matt 27:51-53 to be the report of an actual event. Does this mean that Matthew was misinformed, or that he was lying? Not at all. Matthew never intended this account to be taken literally. He assumed that his audience would take it symbolically and understand its message accordingly.
It is virtually impossible to explain why Paul does not mention this event if it had actually happened. In 1 Cor 15:5-8, Paul emphasizes the reality of Jesus’ resurrection by listing those who had experienced the risen Jesus. How could he fail to mention those who had experienced their own resurrections as a result of his? Furthermore, Paul refers to the risen Jesus as “the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:20). The imagery of first fruits implies that Jesus was the only one raised. (Paul writes that Jesus *is *the first fruits, not that he is *among *the first fruits.) Paul also teaches that the just will be raised only when Jesus returns to earth. If Paul knew of the event Matthew relates, the logic of his first fruits metaphor would be ruined. Paul’s train of thought shows that he did not know about the event Matthew narrates.
Unless one is committed to belief in the literal historicity of every passage in the Bible, there is no basis for taking Matt 27:51-53 to be the report of an actual event. Does this mean that Matthew was misinformed, or that he was lying? Not at all. Matthew never intended this account to be taken literally. He assumed that his audience would take it symbolically and understand its message accordingly.
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ncgolf
Guest
Sorry I disagree. The how it happened is open to debate … there is no question that the dead could rise … it is not beyond the power of God. To dismiss it because it is not mentioned anywhere else is not sufficient to diminish Matthew’s writing. It is not beyond reasonability even though the literal meaning can be rather frightening. The form the risen dead took in Emmerich’s writing were one of bodies but not a typical human body, they were not like Jesus’s body after the Resurrection. Jesus after the Resurrection was fully human, it could touch, be touched and even eat but was not constrained by normal human limitiations.
So for one to believe that this indeed happened is not beyond what can be interpreted from Scripture and is no less an interpretation than what you describe in your post. I do not know what the Church teaches on what Matthew means from this verse so I argue from a point of view that is possible that it did occur.
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patg
Guest
And why wouldn’t the “if” it happened be open to debate as well?
The Church does not require us to believe the “if” any more than the “how”. You are free to believe what you will about this - the Church does not require us to believe any specific interpretation. I accept that it is possible, though highly improbable. What Matthew is teaching through the symbolism of this passage is what is important. I’ll try to get into that later.
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awedbyhim
Guest
Hi all ,
the greek in this passage really does say " the dead bodies" not just the soul . It also says "many " NOT “all” , so there is no problem with millions of suddenly animated dead bodies running amok lol lol great thread by the way thanks … Debbie
the greek in this passage really does say " the dead bodies" not just the soul . It also says "many " NOT “all” , so there is no problem with millions of suddenly animated dead bodies running amok lol lol great thread by the way thanks … Debbie
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ncgolf
Guest
Well the NT has another recording of the dead rising and going amongst the living. Lazarus rose from the dead and came out of the tomb. It doesnt mention whether he talked or not but he did continue to live I assume and then died again at an older age … though Scripture makes no more mention of what happended to Lazarus.
Was Lazarus’s rising symbolic or was he once dead and brought back?
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awedbyhim
Guest
Was Lazarus’s rising symbolic or was he once dead and brought back?
dead dead dead and oh by the way according to his sister , smelly !!! ( some things never change lol )
dead dead dead and oh by the way according to his sister , smelly !!! ( some things never change lol )
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