Investigation on the Events Concomitant to the Resurrection of Jesus

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Investigation on the Events Concomitant to the Resurrection of Jesus

Cover page of the web publication
Work Details
Author	Jean-François Lavère
Full Title	Investigation on the Events Concomitant to the Resurrection of Jesus - The Gospels Enlightened by the Contributions of Maria Valtorta
Publication	2017
Publisher	Author's web publication

Faith in the Resurrection rests on the testimony of the evangelists, the Apostles, and the Disciples. The Church, since Saint Augustine, has always affirmed that the books of Holy Scripture "firmly, faithfully, and without error teach the truth that God wished to see recorded" (Dei Verbum no. 11).

For every Christian, the Gospel obviously remains the essential foundation for any study on the Lord's life. We must believe in the information it provides us, even if its truth does not appear at first glance.

Of all the miracles of Christ, the most striking is His Resurrection. It is also the most solid foundation on which the Religion He came to establish rests. But if this foundation is overturned, then the entire edifice of the Christian Faith falls into ruin. From the origins of Christianity, "the resurrection" was the central theme of the preaching that Saint Paul addressed to the Romans: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved". The apostle affirmed to the Corinthians this certainty: "If it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. In fact, we would be false witnesses about God, since we testified against God that He raised Christ, while He would not have raised Him if the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless, you are still in your sins, and those who have died in Christ are lost. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are the most miserable of all men".

As long as the Gospel maintains the historical character testified by the four evangelists and acknowledged by the Church since its earliest centuries, it is impossible to make it say anything other than what it announces. Anyone wanting to doubt or deny the Resurrection is therefore forced to assume that the gospels are not historically reliable, especially regarding the Resurrection account. Hence, this account has been the main target of unbelievers' attacks. To that end, the simplest and most effective method is to denounce contradictions among the four evangelists. Some, in their destructive zeal, have even claimed that there is "no coherence among the four accounts, notably concerning the appearances of Jesus on the morning of the Resurrection". Certainly detractors have an easy time as it cannot be denied that the gospels indeed contain multiple points apparently difficult to reconcile... Moreover, it is a fact that attempts to refute those supposed contradictions have not always met the challenge.

To undertake any study related to the events concomitant with the Resurrection, it is essential to have a clear vision of the various gospel testimonies.

Recall of the Facts Reported by The Evangelists

John 20:1-10

Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb on Sunday at dawn. She finds the tomb open and runs to inform Peter and John, who then go there. They verify Mary Magdalene's report. They see the tomb is empty and then return "home."

John 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene, who "had stayed outside," approaches the tomb after Peter and John leave. She sees two angels. Then Jesus appears to her. She returns to inform Peter and John.

Saint John does not specify where Peter, John, or Mary Magdalene lived. It is therefore not possible to estimate the distance or duration of their journeys. Note that according to this testimony, during her two visits to the tomb, Mary Magdalene is alone, and the angels, then Jesus, appear to her only after the two apostles have left.

Luke 24:22-24

Recalling the morning's events, the disciples on the road to Emmaus report that "some women" disciples went to the tomb at dawn, did not find Jesus' body, and testified "that they had the vision of angels who declared Him alive". Companions having then gone to the place found "what the women had said was true".

This testimony of Saint Luke remains compatible with that of Saint John. For if the apostle only mentions Mary Magdalene, he does not say that she was the only one to go to the tomb that morning.

Luke 23:55 and 24:1-11

At dawn on Sunday, "the women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee" go to the tomb carrying aromatics. They find the tomb empty. "Two men in dazzling garments" tell them that the Son of Man has risen. They leave the tomb and report all this to the Eleven and all the others. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary of Alphaeus testify, and "their other companions also told the apostles". Peter runs to the tomb, "only sees the linen cloths, and leaves amazed at what had happened."

In Luke 8:2-3, Saint Luke more precisely mentions these "women who accompanied Jesus from Galilee", namely: Mary Magdalene, Joanna of Chuza, Susanna of Cana, "and many others". Here he explicitly mentions the presence of Mary Magdalene, Joanna of Chuza, Mary of Alphaeus, and "other companions" whom he does not name. The evangelist also does not specify whether the women stayed together or may have split into several groups.

Matthew 28:1-15

At dawn on Sunday, "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary" go to the tomb. A great earthquake occurs. An angel rolls away the stone and the guards "became like dead men". The angel reassures them and announces that Jesus is risen. "Leaving the tomb, they ran to bring the news." Jesus then appears to them. While they were on their way, the guards return to town to inform the members of the Sanhedrin.

Saint Matthew focuses his account on Mary Magdalene and Mary of Alphaeus. He indicates that they saw the empty tomb, that an angel spoke to them, then that Jesus appeared to them. His account seems to have somewhat different details from those of Saint John and Saint Luke—for example, the latter mention the presence of two angels, whereas Saint Matthew only mentions one…

Mark 16:1-12

At dawn on Sunday, "Mary Magdalene, Mary of Alphaeus, and Salome" go to the tomb. They find the stone rolled away and see in the tomb "a young man dressed in a white robe" who tells them that Jesus is risen. Leaving the tomb, "they fled in fear and said nothing to anyone." Jesus first appears to Mary Magdalene, who goes to inform "those who had been with him", but they "did not believe her".

The manuscripts of Saint Mark that have come down to us show several variants and scarcely provide new elements for a better understanding of the events that immediately followed the Resurrection. Note the mention of Salome (wife of Zebedee and mother of the Apostles James and John).

By gathering all these gospel testimonies, we note the presence of two apostles: Peter and John, and several women: Mary Magdalene, Joanna of Chuza, Mary of Alphaeus, Salome, and "others" not named, belonging to the group of myrrhbearers. We also note that Mary Magdalene came twice to the tomb, once alone and once accompanied by the two apostles; that some witnesses saw no one near the tomb; others saw an angel; and yet others saw two… The presence of the guards at the moment of the resurrection is no longer mentioned afterward. In these accounts, the chronology of the interventions of the different persons remains confused…

The efforts of researchers to restore an absolutely coherent narrative of the deeds of each protagonist in the minutes following the Lord’s Resurrection have remained almost fruitless to this day. This impotence has given detractors of the gospels a free rein, especially since disparagement is generally more readily accepted than the Truth. At this stage, sticking strictly to the gospel data, we find that these accounts are insufficiently detailed today to allow a precise analysis of the sequence of events. But why would the evangelists have judged it necessary to write more on this topic, when over five hundred eyewitnesses could attest to the accuracy of their writings and to Jesus' Resurrection? A few years later Saint Peter testifies at Caesarea: "God raised him on the third day and granted that he be seen, not by the people generally, but by witnesses God had already chosen—us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead." Then Saint Paul, also recalling these witnesses, told the Corinthians that "most of them are still alive"."

A question then arises

Is it possible to imagine a detailed account of the events that took place at the Resurrection compatible with the gospel testimonies?

Nearly two thousand years separate us now from the day of the Resurrection. During the early years, the testimonies of the Disciples, many of whom confirmed them even to martyrdom, were more than sufficient to ensure the rapid spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire and beyond. But the elapsed centuries now seem to make these eyewitnesses less audible. As noted by the renowned biblical scholar and theologian Blessed Father G. Allegra: "Nowadays, even Catholic exegetes take the strangest and boldest liberties regarding the historicity of the Infancy Gospel and Resurrection accounts...". Then, noting how Maria Valtorta's work could clarify so many points, he advised: "I invite readers (...) to read the page dedicated to the Resurrection, to the reconstruction of the events of Easter day, and they will see how everything is harmoniously connected, precisely what so many exegetes who follow the historico-theological critical method have tried but not fully succeeded in doing. Such pages do not disturb but rejoice the faithful heart and strengthen faith!"

Following this precious advice, this is what we will now attempt… Indeed, where the Evangelists describe the facts in a few brief verses, Maria Valtorta reports them in great detail, over about twenty pages. A methodical study of such a detailed account should first allow us to demonstrate whether it is plausible or not. Then, if so, we can verify if it is compatible with all gospel testimonies and if it helps to restore their original clarity, somewhat clouded by many modern criticisms.

The facts situated in their spatiotemporal context

The first step that seems necessary is to place the facts back into their spatiotemporal context. Curiously, after consulting numerous works on the Resurrection account, I found none addressing this indispensable prerequisite. The most recent archaeological discoveries, satellite views of Jerusalem, and some details provided by Maria Valtorta allow us to draft an accurate map of the locations as they might have appeared at the beginning of the first century. Without this document, it is impossible to analyze with sufficient rigor the gestures and movements of each protagonist, as mentioned not only by Maria Valtorta but also by the Evangelists.

Conversely, once this layout is established, it becomes possible to determine to within a few tens of meters the distances of various routes allowing one to go from the Cenacle to the tomb and back.

Consequently, it is also possible to estimate with good precision the durations required to travel these different paths, whether walking or running.

Some comments on this map

The locations of the tomb (26), the Judicial Gate (23), the Jaffa Gate (27), and the Cenacle (35) are very precisely known. This is not the case for the Asmonean palace (48), and a fortiori for the palace of Chuza (47). However, archaeologists and historians agree to place these now-lost buildings near the western side of the Temple wall (10), and south of the inner wall which linked the Temple to Herod’s castle (32). The approximation (a few tens of meters) is largely sufficient for our concerns here.

Maria Valtorta’s account perfectly matches these indications. The mystic locates the palace of Chuza (47) near the residence of Herod Antipas (32), and not far from Lazarus’ palace (45), in the residential quarter of Zion. In her narrative, Maria Valtorta also mentions an inner gate unnamed but placed between the Cenacle and the Judicial Gate. This is probably the so-called "Garden Gate," located by historians between Herod’s castle and the Temple, on the now-disappeared inner wall.

Three main routes can be identified to go from the Cenacle (35) to Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb (26):

• 1/ (in blue) Remaining intra muros up to the Judicial Gate (23). This route is the longest (1150/1200 m, requiring between 10 and 17 minutes). It is the path taken by the holy Women who leave a little before sunrise and hope to reach the Judicial Gate just as it opens.

• 2/ The second route (in red), presumably the most direct, runs intra muros along Herod’s castle (32), then exits the city by the Jaffa Gate (27) (900/950 m, traveled in 8 to 14 minutes).

• 3/ Third option (in yellow), exit the city and go along the walls from outside (925/975 m, taking between 8 and 14 minutes). This path is barely longer than the previous one and may be the fastest as it is sheltered from the crowds circulating in the city. This is the path the Apostles will take to escape the crowd’s mockery during their pilgrimage back from Calvary a few days later.

Maria Valtorta’s account confronted with the gospels

Illustration video capsule

The Morning of the Resurrection: Disciples' comings and goings minute by minute, according to Maria Valtorta
Load video YouTube YouTube might collect personal data. Privacy Policy ContinueDismiss	Timely analysis of the Disciples' movements on the morning of Christ’s Resurrection. The evangelists’ accounts, brief and seemingly contradictory, turn out to be perfectly compatible, complementary, and credible in light of Maria Valtorta’s detailed Resurrection narrative. Text: Jean-François Lavère - Animations: Jean-Marcel Gaudralt - Production: Emmanuel Gaudralt

Minute-by-minute account

Preparations

Matthew 27:62-66: "The next day, the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, 'Sir, we remember that this impostor said while he was still alive: "After three days I will rise again." Therefore give orders for the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, "He has risen from the dead," and the last imposture will be worse than the first.' Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you can.' So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and posting the guard."

Saint John Chrysostom states that Saint Matthew wrote his gospel first for converted Jews. This likely explains why he mentions the presence of guards at the tomb, as members of the Sanhedrin had spread the rumor that the Disciples had stolen Jesus’ body during the night. The other evangelists say nothing about this matter, which no longer concerned their audiences. A first-century apocryphon, the Gospel of Peter, also mentions the presence of guards.

According to Maria Valtorta: As soon as the Sabbath ended, the Women spent the night preparing the aromatics as customary. Very early Sunday, April 9, 30 (Julian calendar), just before sunrise, a few minutes before 5 a.m., they leave together from the Cenacle to finish what time had prevented them from completing on Friday night.

*

Mark 16:1: "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint him."

Saint Mark is the only one to provide this precision. As he addressed Gentiles in Rome or Alexandria, unfamiliar with Jewish customs, he needed to justify to them why the Women Disciples came to the tomb immediately after the Sabbath to anoint the body.

According to Maria Valtorta: Leaving while still dark, they had no choice but to travel "intra muros" until the gates opened with the dawn. "The dawn is somewhat cold. They wrap themselves in their cloaks and take large sacks where they place the jars of balm. Mary gets up and looks for her cloak, but all crowd around her to persuade her not to come." Mary Magdalene manages everything firmly and efficiently. She persuades the Virgin Mary, too exhausted, to stay at the Cenacle. Peter remains withdrawn "somewhere Hidden to weep over his sin. John stays near the threshold but says nothing. He would also like to go, but he sacrifices himself to stay near the Mother."

Eighteen minutes before the Resurrection

Maria Valtorta: The Women leave carrying a lamp. (…) Magdalene leaves last after a final kiss to the Mother who stays behind. There are five: Mary of Alphaeus, Mary Salome, mother of the apostles John and James, Mary Magdalene, Martha, and Susanna.

Matthew 28:1: "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb." - Mark 16:2: "Very early on the first day of the week, they (i.e., Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of James, and Salome) went to the tomb at sunrise." - Luke 24:1: "On the first day of the week, at dawn, the women went to the tomb, carrying the aromatics they had prepared." - John 20:1: "On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early in the morning; it was still dark."

Maria Valtorta: "Meanwhile, the Women, having left the house, walk close to the walls, shadows in the shadow. For a time they remain silent, all wrapped up and made fearful by such silence and solitude. Then, reassured by the absolute calm of the city, they gather and dare to speak."

They have a little over 700 m to cover before reaching the inner wall, which will take about ten minutes.

Maria Valtorta: “Will the gates already be open?' asks Susanna. 'Certainly. Look at the first gardener entering with his vegetables. He is going to the market,' replies Salome."

Mark 16:3: "They said to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?’"

Eight minutes before the Resurrection

Maria Valtorta: They reach the inner wall, from which they can see market gardeners entering the city through the Jaffa Gate.

Historians attest that an important market was held on the hill of Zion, near Herod’s castle, as Maria Valtorta’s account indicates here.

“Won’t they tell us anything?’ asks Susanna. ‘Who?' asks the Magdalene. ‘The soldiers at the Judicial Gate. Very few enter that way, and even fewer leave... It would raise suspicions…’ — ‘And so? They will look at us. They see five women going to the countryside. We might also be people who, after celebrating Passover, are going back to their villages."

Mary Magdalene’s companions are fearful of passing through the ill-reputed Judicial Gate. So Mary Magdalene decides: she will go ahead alone. Martha and Mary of Alphaeus go to fetch Joanna, who the day before had wished to accompany them. Meanwhile, Salome and Susanna wait outside the wall, watching the surroundings.

"Let’s do this. I will go ahead and see. You come behind with Joanna. I will stand in the middle of the road if there is danger, and you’ll see me, and we will turn back. Then she adds, addressing her fearful sister Martha: "Salome and Susanna will wait for you by the gate, outside the walls. Then you will come by the main road all together."

Seven minutes before the Resurrection

"And Mary Magdalene cuts off any other possible comment by quickly leaving with her bag of balms and her money in her bosom. She flies so fast along the path that becomes livelier with the first pink of dawn."

Under these conditions, it takes her two to three minutes to reach the Judicial Gate.

"She passes through the Judicial Gate to go faster and no one stops her… ."

Five minutes before the Resurrection

Maria Valtorta: Her four companions head toward Joanna’s palace, located about 200-220 meters to the east. "The others watch her go, then turn their backs to the road fork where they were and take another, narrow and dark, that then opens near the Xystus onto a wider and clear road where there are beautiful houses."

The Xystus was a large colonnaded square situated between the Temple and Herod Antipas’ palace, to the east of the Zion district. (Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities L 20, chap. 8, 11; Jewish War L 6, III,2; VI, 2 and VIII, 1)

Two minutes before the Resurrection

"They separate again, Salome and Susanna continue on their path while Martha and Mary of Alphaeus knock on the iron gate and show themselves when the porter opens slightly. They enter and find Joanna, who, already up and fully dressed in very dark violet that makes her look even paler, is also handling oils with her nurse and a servant. ‘You came? God bless you. But if you had not come, I would have come myself… To find comfort… because many things have remained troubled since that dreadful day. And not to feel alone, I must go to that stone and knock and say: "Master, I am poor Joanna… Do not leave me alone too."’… "

A few moments before the Resurrection

“I am leaving, Esther.” — “May God comfort you!” They leave the palace to join their companions. It is at this moment the brief and strong earthquake occurs, throwing the inhabitants of Jerusalem into panic anew, still terrified by Friday’s events. The three Women rush back and stay in the large vestibule, among the servants who cry and invoke the Lord, and they remain there fearing more shakes…"

At the moment of the Resurrection

In Joseph’s garden

"In the garden, all is silence and sparkling dew. (…) The guards must have lit a fire during the night because there is ash and glowing embers still warm on the ground, and they must have played and eaten since there are remains of food and clean little bones scattered on the ground, certainly used for some game, like our domino or children’s marble games played on a crude chessboard traced on the path. Then they left everything lying out of weariness to find more or less comfortable positions to sleep or watch."

The last star has just faded with the dawn, which identifies the time precisely as 5:10 a.m.

"In the sky now, to the east, a spreading pink expanse enlarges in the serene sky, where, moreover, there is not yet a sunbeam, comes, from unknown depths, a brilliant meteor descending, a ball of fire of unbearable splendor, followed by a gleaming tail that may only be the memory of its brilliance on our retina. It descends at full speed toward the Earth, spreading an intense, phantasmagoric, frightful-white light, so bright that the dawn’s pink is eclipsed.

The guards raise their heads, surprised, because with the light comes a powerful, harmonious, solemn rumble filling all Creation. It comes from paradisiacal depths. It is the alleluia, the angelic glory following the Spirit of Christ returning in his glorious Body. The meteor strikes the uselessly closed tomb, tears it off, throws it to the ground, petrifies the guards set as prison guards of the Master of the Universe causing, with its return to Earth, a new earthquake like that produced when the Lord’s Spirit fled the Earth. It enters into the dark tomb illuminated by its indescribable light, and, while suspended motionless in air, The Spirit re-infuses into the motionless Body under the funeral bands. (…) The guards are there, fainted… The corrupt forces of man cannot see God while the pure forces of the universe—the flowers, the herbs, the birds—admire and venerate the Mighty One passing in a halo of his own Light and in a halo of solar light."

Matthew 28:2-3: "Suddenly there was a great earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow."

In front of the entrance to Joseph’s garden

"The Magdalene, on her part, is exactly at the edge of the alley leading to Joseph of Arimathea’s garden when she is overcome by the powerful and yet harmonious rumble of this heavenly sign [...] Mary of Magdala (Magdalene) is almost touched and falls to the ground. She bends over murmuring: 'My Lord!' then stands up straight like a stalk after the wind passes and runs even faster toward the garden."

Near the inner wall, in Jerusalem

"Susanna and Salome meanwhile, having left their companions and reached the walls, are surprised by the earthquake. Frightened, they take refuge under a tree and remain there, torn between the strong desire to go to the tomb and the urge to run to Joanna."

Susanna and Salome are then about fifty meters north of Joanna’s palace and about 250 meters from the Judicial Gate.

One minute after the Resurrection

In front of the entrance to Joseph’s garden

"She (Mary Magdalene) rushes in like a hunted bird seeking its nest near the tomb hewn out of rock. But however fast she goes, she cannot be there when the celestial meteor acts as a lever and flame on the lime mortar used to reinforce the heavy stone, nor when with final crash the stone door falls with a jolt that joins the earthquake which, brief as it is, is so violent that it strikes down the guards as if dead."

Matthew 28:4: "The guards shook with fear and became like dead men."

"Mary, arriving, sees these useless jailers of the Triumphant one lying like a bunch of reaped ears. Mary Magdalene does not link the earthquake to the Resurrection. But seeing this sight, she believes it is God’s punishment on the profaners of Jesus’ tomb, and falls to her knees crying, ‘Alas! They have taken him away!’"

At this moment, Mary Magdalene does not approach the tomb, does not look inside, and so does not see an angel.

At the Cenacle

Maria Valtorta: At the same instant, Jesus appears to His Mother. "The closed window opens with a sudden flap of its heavy shutters, and with the first ray of sunshine, Jesus enters. Mary, stirred by the noise and looking up to see what wind has opened the shutters, sees her Son radiant: much, infinitely more beautiful than he was before suffering, smiling, alive, brighter than the sun, dressed in white that seems woven from light, advancing toward her. She straightens on her knees, folding her hands crosswise on her breast, and says in a sob that is both laughter and tears: ‘Lord, my God.’ She remains entranced in contemplation, her Face bathed in tears but now serene, pacified by the smile and Ecstasy..."

The gospels do not mention this encounter, but many Fathers have considered it highly probable. And Saint John Paul II somewhat validated this passage from Maria Valtorta. Quoting Sedulius, the pope considered it "legitimate to think that Mary was probably the first person to whom the risen Jesus appeared" (Audience of 21 May 1997).

Two minutes after the Resurrection

"Mary Magdalene is truly sorrowful, weeping like a little girl who comes, sure to find her father whom she seeks, and instead finds the house empty. Then she rises and runs to find Peter and John. Since she only thinks of warning the two, she forgets to meet her companions and does not stop on the way…"

Deeply troubled, she runs back toward the Cenacle, forgetting her companions…

Recovered from their emotion, Susanna and Salome decide to go to the tomb as agreed by passing through the Judicial Gate. "But love triumphs over fear and they go to the tomb."

Running, Mary Magdalene will reach the Judicial Gate in two minutes, while it will take a little over three minutes for her companions.

Four minutes after the Resurrection

Mary Magdalene runs through the Judicial Gate and heads straight toward the Cenacle, "swift as a gazelle; she retraces the path already traveled, passes through the Judicial Gate…"

Five minutes after the Resurrection

Susanna and Salome reach the Judicial Gate and, not seeing Mary Magdalene, who just passed through, continue tremblingly on to the tomb.

Six minutes after the Resurrection

Still running, Mary Magdalene passes through the Garden Gate and speeds towards the Cenacle "and flies over the streets which are somewhat lively…"

Eight minutes after the Resurrection

Arriving at the tomb, Susanna and Salome discover the guards still fainted, the tomb open and luminous. They dare not approach further.

"They enter the garden still frightened and see the guards fainted… they see a great light coming from the open tomb. This increases their dread and completes it when, holding hands to encourage each other, they step onto the threshold and see in the dark burial chamber a luminous and very beautiful creature, smiling gently, greeting them from the place where it stands: leaning to the right of the anointing stone whose grayness disappears before such incandescent splendor. They fall to their knees, stunned and amazed. But the angel speaks gently: ‘Do not be afraid of me. I am the angel of divine Sorrow. I have come to rejoice at its end. There is no more pain of Christ, no humiliation for Him in death. Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified whom you seek, is risen. He is no longer here! The place where you laid Him is empty. Rejoice with me. Go. Tell Peter and the Disciples that He is risen and that He goes before you into Galilee. You will see Him there for a little while yet, as He said.’"

Matthew 28:5-7: "The angel said to the women: ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him.’"

Mark 16:4-7: "Looking up, they see that the stone, which was very large, has been rolled away. Entering the tomb, they see, seated at the right, a young man dressed in white. They are frightened, but he tells them: ‘Do not be afraid! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified? He is risen; He is not here. Here is the place where He lay. Now go, tell His disciples and Peter: "He goes before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He told you."’"

Luke 24:2-3: "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They went in but did not find the Lord Jesus’ body."

"The Women fall on their faces to the ground and when they raise them, they flee as if pursued by punishment. They are terrified and whisper, ‘We will die! We have seen the angel of the Lord!’ They calm down somewhat in the countryside and consult: What to do? If they say what they saw, they won’t be believed. If they also say to come from there, they can be accused by the Jews of having killed the guards. No, they can say nothing to friends nor enemies… Fearful, rendered mute, they return by another way to the house."

Matthew 28:8: "They left quickly from the tomb, filled with both fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples."

Mark 16:8: "They went out and fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered. They said nothing to anyone because they were afraid."

Thus Susanna and Mary Salome seem to decide to return by the countryside, going along the outer wall, perhaps to avoid being seen. They have just under 1000 meters to cover, which will take them between 14 and 15 minutes to get back to the Cenacle.

Ten minutes after the Resurrection

The guards come out of their stupor. They decide to alert the Temple. It takes them about ten minutes to get there.

Twelve minutes after the Resurrection

Mary Magdalene arrives out of breath at the Cenacle. "She falls against the gate of the hospitable house, knocks and shakes it furiously. The mistress opens. ‘Where are John and Peter?’ asks a panting Mary Magdalene. ‘There,’ and the Woman points to the Cenacle. Mary Magdalene enters, and as soon as she is inside, before the two astonished men, she whispers out of pity for the Mother and more anguished than if she had shouted: ‘They have taken the Lord from the tomb! Who knows where they put Him!’ For the first time, she staggers and falters, clutching whatever she can to avoid falling. ‘But how? What are you saying?’ they ask. She, panting, replies: ‘I went ahead… to buy off the guards… so they would let us do it. They are there like dead men… The tomb is open, the stone on the ground… Who? Who could have done this? Oh! Come! Let’s run…’

John 20:2: "She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have put him.’"

Thirteen minutes after the Resurrection

Peter and John immediately set off running. "Mary follows them for a few steps and then goes back. She grabs the house mistress, shakes her violently in her foresightful love and breathes in her face: 'Beware of letting someone go to her (and she points to Virgin Mary’s room door). Remember, I am the mistress. Obey and be silent.’ Then she leaves the terrified woman and rejoins the Apostles who walk quickly toward the tomb…"

Twenty minutes after the Resurrection

The guards are now at the Temple where they give the alarm and report.

Twenty-two minutes after the Resurrection

John, followed by Peter, arrives at the tomb.

Running, John has covered the distance from the Cenacle in under ten minutes. Peter joins him after a few seconds.

John 20:3-4: "So Peter went out with the other disciple to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first."

Twenty-three minutes after the Resurrection

Peter and John find the tomb empty. "John, faster, arrives first at the tomb. The guards and the angel are no longer there. John kneels, fearful and sad, on the open threshold, to venerate and gather some clue from the things he sees. But he only sees the cloths gathered on the ground that were placed over the Shroud. ‘He is really not here, Simon! Mary saw it well. Come in, look.’ Peter, breathless from the long run, enters the tomb. On the way, he had said, ‘I will not dare approach that place.’ But now he only thinks about finding where the Master might be. He calls him too, as if he could be hidden in some dark corner.

The darkness at this early hour is still strong inside the tomb, lit only by the small opening of the door which casts a shadow on John and Mary Magdalene… And Peter struggles to see and must use his hands to understand... He touches, trembling, the anointing table and finds it empty...

‘He is not here, John! He is not here! … Oh! Come in too! I have cried so much I can hardly see in this little light.’ John stands and enters. And as he does, Peter discovers the folded shroud placed in a corner, carefully rolled separately. ‘They really took Him. The guards, it was not for us, but to do this… And we let it happen. By walking away, we allowed it…’

‘Oh! Where have they put Him?’ — ‘Peter, Peter! Now…the end is truly here!’"

John 20:5-10: "He bent over and saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, as well as the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside; he saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead). Then the disciples went back to their homes."

Luke 24:12: "But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves, and went home, amazed at what had happened."

At the same moment Susanna and Salome return to the Cenacle. They dare not speak of what they have just experienced. "They come in and take refuge in the Cenacle. They do not even ask to see Mary… and there they think what they saw is a deception by the Devil. Humble as they are, they judge ‘it is impossible that it was granted to see God’s messenger. It is Satan who wanted to frighten them away.’ They weep and pray like little girls afraid of a nightmare..."

Twenty-four minutes after the Resurrection

At Joanna’s palace

Gradually reassured by the return of calm, Mary of Alphaeus, Martha, and Joanna finally decide to join their companions. They leave the palace and head for the Judicial Gate. "The third group, that of Joanna, Mary of Alphaeus, and Martha, since nothing new was happening, decided to go where their companions probably waited for them. They go out into the streets where now frightened people comment on the new earthquake and attach it to Friday’s events, and they also see things that don’t exist. ‘Better that they all be scared! Maybe the guards will be too and will not object,’ says Mary of Alphaeus. And they go quickly toward the walls. But while they go, Peter and John, followed by Mary Magdalene, have already arrived at the garden."

They will be able to pass through the Judicial Gate in four to five minutes and be at the tomb three minutes later.

At the tomb

"The two disciples come out devastated. 'Come on, woman. You will tell the Mother…' — 'I’m not leaving. I stay here… Someone will come… Oh, I’m not coming… Here there is still something of Him.' She was right, the Mother… Breathing the air where He was is the only relief we have left.’ — 'The only relief… Now you see yourself it was folly to hope…' says Peter. Mary does not even reply. She collapses on the ground just near the door and weeps while the others slowly leave.

Then she raises her head and looks inside and, through her tears, she sees two Angels sitting at the head and feet of the anointing stone. Poor Mary is so stunned in her fiercest battle between the dying hope and a faith that refuses to die that she looks at them stupefied, not even astonished. She now has nothing left but tears, the brave woman who resisted everything as a heroine.

‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ asks one of the two luminous children, who look like very beautiful adolescents. ‘Because they took away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ Mary is not afraid to speak to them; she doesn’t ask: ‘Who are you?’ Nothing. Nothing surprises her anymore. Everything that could surprise a creature she has already suffered. Now she is only a broken thing crying without strength or restraint.

The angelic child looks at his companion and smiles, and the other too. And in a flash of angelic joy, they both look outside, towards the garden full of flowers with millions of blooms opened by the first sun on the lush apple trees. Mary turns to see what they look at and sees a very beautiful Man, and I don’t know how she does not recognize Him immediately.

A Man who looks at her with pity and asks: ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?’ True, this is a Jesus dimmed by his pity for a creature overwhelmed by too many emotions and whom an unexpected joy could kill, but I really wonder how she cannot recognize him. And Mary, amidst her sobs: ‘They took my Lord Jesus! I came to anoint Him awaiting His Resurrection… I gathered all my courage and hope, and my faith, around my love… and now I no longer find Him… I even wrapped my love around my faith, hope, and courage to defend them from men… But all is useless! Men took my Love and with Him robbed me of everything… Oh my Lord, if you took Him, tell me where you put Him, and I will take Him… I will tell no one… it will be a secret between you and me. Look: I am Theophilus’s daughter, Lazarus’s sister, but I kneel before you to plead as a slave. Do you want me to buy His Body? I will. As much gold and gems as He weighs, I can give. But give Him back. I won’t denounce You. Do you want to strike me? Do it. Even to the blood if you want. If you hate Him, punish me for it. But give Him back. Oh! Do not impoverish me of this misery, O my Lord! Have pity for a poor Woman! … For me, you do not want it? For His [[Virgin Mary|Mother], then. Tell me! Tell me where my Lord Jesus is. I am strong. I will take Him in my arms and carry Him like a child to a safe place. Lord… Lord… you see… for three days we have been struck by God’s wrath because of what was done to the Son of God… Do not add Desecration to the Crime…’’

‘Mary!’ Jesus beams calling her. He reveals himself in his triumphant splendor. ‘Rabbouni!’ Mary’s cry is truly ‘the great cry’ that closes the cycle of death. With the first, the darkness of hatred enveloped the Victim in the funeral bands; with the second, the lights of love increased His splendor.

And Mary rises at the cry that fills the garden, runs to Jesus’ feet, and wants to kiss them. Jesus pushes her aside, barely touching her forehead with the tip of his fingers: ‘Do not touch me! I have not yet ascended to my Father with this garment. Go find my brothers and friends and tell them I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. And then I will come to them.’ And Jesus vanishes, absorbed by an unbearable light."

John 20:11-18: Mary Magdalene was standing outside the tomb weeping. While she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken away my Lord,’ she said, ‘and I do not know where they have put him.’ After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but did not realize it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned toward him and cried out in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said, ‘Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."’ Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ and told them that he had said these things to her.

Twenty-six minutes after the Resurrection

"Mary kisses the ground where He was and runs to the house."

She likely does not go back through the Judicial Gate but rather takes the shortest way out through the Jaffa Gate. Running, it will take her about twelve minutes, and she will nearly catch up to Peter and John near the Cenacle.

Twenty-seven minutes after the Resurrection

Peter and John pass through the Judicial Gate and head toward the Cenacle.

Twenty-eight minutes after the Resurrection

Mary of Alphaeus, Martha, and Joanna pass through the Judicial Gate. They come within less than a minute of meeting Peter and John going the opposite way!

Thirty minutes after the Resurrection

Peter and John are now at the Garden Gate, walking toward the Cenacle.

Thirty-one minutes after the Resurrection

Mary of Alphaeus, Martha, and Joanna arrive at the tomb. They see the two Angels, as they later testify. Maria Valtorta does not mention this scene.

Thirty-three minutes after the Resurrection

Mary of Alphaeus, Martha, and Joanna run back toward the Cenacle, which they will reach in eleven minutes.

Thirty-eight minutes after the Resurrection

Peter and John arrive at the Cenacle, closely followed by Mary Magdalene. "She enters like a rocket, for the gate is ajar to let the master pass who is going to the fountain; she opens the door to Mary’s room and throws herself on her Heart crying: ‘He is risen! He is risen!’ and she weeps, joyful."

Mark 16:9-11: "Risen on the morning of the first day of the week, Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. She then went to announce the news to those who had been with him, grieving and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they refused to believe it."

Forty-four minutes after the Resurrection

Mary of Alphaeus, Martha, and Joanna arrive breathless in turn at the Cenacle. "While Peter and John rush, and Salome and Susanna come in frightened and listen to her story, here come, by the street, Mary of Alphaeus with Martha and Joanna, all breathless, saying ‘We also went and saw two angels who called themselves the guardian of the Man-God and the angel of His Sorrow and who gave orders to tell the Disciples that He is risen.’"

Luke 24:4-8: "While they were perplexed, two men stood before them in dazzling clothes. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them: ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen. Remember what He told you while He was still in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”’ They then remembered His words.

“And as Peter shakes his head, they insist saying: ‘Yes. They said: "Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen as He said when He was still in Galilee. Do you not recall? He said: "The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners and be crucified, but on the third day He will rise."'’"

Luke 24:9-11: "When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them told the apostles the same things. But the reports seemed to them like nonsense and they did not believe them."

"Peter shakes his head saying: ‘Too many things happened these days! You have remained troubled.’ Magdalene raises her head from Mary's lap and says: ‘I have seen Him, I spoke to Him. He told me He is ascending to the Father and will come again. How beautiful He was!’ and she weeps like never before, now that she no longer has to torment herself to fight the doubt arising from all sides.

But Peter and John also remain very hesitant. They look at each other but their eyes say: ‘Women's imaginations!’

Susanna and Salome dare to speak as well, but the inevitable differences in details—the guards who were at first there like dead men and then not; the angels who at times are one and at times two and who did not appear to the Apostles; the two versions on Jesus’ coming here and on the fact that He goes ahead of His own into Galilee—cause doubt and even the Apostles’ persuasion to increase more and more. Mary, the happy Mother, remains silent supporting Magdalene… I do not understand the mystery of this maternal silence."

Forty-six minutes after the Resurrection

"Mary of Alphaeus says to Salome: ‘Let’s go back, just the two of us. Let’s see if we are both drunk…’ And they run outside. The others stay, quietly ridiculed by the two apostles near Mary, who is silent, absorbed in a thought that each interprets in their own way and without anyone understanding it is Ecstasy."

Walking briskly, Mary of Alphaeus and Salome can make the round trip in thirty minutes. On the way, they will notice that the city is in turmoil and that the guards are beginning to spread the version dictated by the Sanhedrin.

One hour fifteen minutes after the Resurrection

"The two older Women return: ‘It’s true! It’s true! We saw Him. Near Barnabas’ garden He said: “Peace to you. Do not fear. Go tell my brothers I am risen and in a few days they will go to Galilee. There we will still be together.” That’s what He said. Mary is right. We have to tell those in Bethany, Joseph, Nicodemus, the most faithful Disciples, the shepherds, go, act, act… Oh! He is risen!…’’ They all weep joyfully."

Matthew 28:9-10: "Then Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ They came to Him, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me.’"

Jesus having now returned from Heaven in his glory clothes, Mary of Alphaeus and Salome were able to touch Him, unlike Mary Magdalene forty minutes earlier.

“You’re crazy, women. Pain has disturbed you. The light seemed to you an angel. The wind, a voice. The sun, Christ. I don’t criticize you; I understand you but I can only believe what I saw: the open and empty tomb and the guards leaving with the vanished Body.”

“But if the guards themselves say He is risen! If the city is in turmoil and if the chief priests are furious because the guards spoke during their frantic flight! Now they want them to say something else and pay them for it. But it’s already known, and if the Jews don’t believe in the Resurrection, refuse to believe, many others do…”"

Matthew 28:11-15: "While they were going, some of the guards went into town to tell the chief priests everything that had happened. After meeting with the elders and consulting, they gave soldiers a large sum of money, saying, ‘Say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.” If this reaches the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.’ The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. This story has circulated among the Jews to this day.’'"

“Hum! The Women!…” Peter shrugs and is about to leave. Then the Mother, who always carries Magdalene in her heart weeping like a willow under a shower from her overwhelming joy and kissing her blonde hair, raises her transfigured face and says a short sentence: ‘He really is risen. I held Him in my arms and kissed His wounds.’ Then she bends over Magdalene’s hair and says: ‘Yes, joy is stronger than pain. But this is only a grain of sand compared to what your ocean of eternal joy will be. Happy are you to have given your spirit voice above reason.’

Peter no longer dares to deny… and with one of those outbursts of the old Peter, now reemerging, he says or shouts as if it depended on others that the delay happened: ‘But then, if so, we must make it known to others, to those scattered in the countryside… seek… act… Come on, move. If He really should come… let Him find us at least’ and he does not realize he is still admitting he does not fully believe in His Resurrection."

Luke 24:22-27: "In fact, some women from our group amazed us. At dawn, they went to the tomb but found no body. They came back to tell us they had even had a vision: angels who said He is alive. Some of our companions went to the tomb and found things just as the women had said; but they did not see Him. Then He said to them: ‘O foolish men! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the scriptures concerning Himself."

*

"Jesus Christ is no longer dead: He is risen. His resurrection is the guarantee of our own resurrection. His wounds are no longer bleeding; they now shine within Him and open for us access to eternal and glorious life. (…) Whoever promises us anything less promises us nothing. And whoever awaits this and already lives it feels irresistibly compelled to use all means, including technical and political ones, to incorporate into earthly society all it can receive now of the marvelous unity, fraternity, and bliss of God’s City."

Abbot Andrew the Apostle Richard, in L'Homme Nouveau of 21 November 1965

What to Conclude from this Investigation?

The contradictions or incompatibilities that some critics thought they saw in the Resurrection accounts given by The Evangelists seemed to them good reasons to deny the Gospel’s historicity. Thanks to the detailed account transmitted to us by Maria Valtorta, it seems proven that these alleged contradictions are only apparent.

===The Evangelists told the Truth!=== This is what the Church has always affirmed throughout the centuries. Regarding the events concomitant with the Resurrection, Maria Valtorta gives us an abundance of new elements that support this proclamation. A careful and scrupulous analysis of her account makes possible a detailed and timed "reconstruction" of the episodes immediately following Our Lord's Resurrection, and this prompts several comments:

1/ First, this account shows that a narrative of the facts fully compatible with the different gospel testimonies can be presented, thus clearing up their supposed contradictions or inconsistencies. The analysis of Maria Valtorta’s account proves it is at least "plausible," with no detail that could cast doubt on the Gospel’s veracity. All gospel verses naturally, harmoniously, and chronologically fit into Valtorta’s account, which fully satisfies reason and strengthens faith in the truth of the four evangelists’ testimony.

2/ The complexity of the numerous protagonists’ movements shows the impossibility for The Evangelists to report them in a few brief verses. And as I stressed at the beginning of this study, they had no reason to burden their narrative with details their readers would find useless, since many witnesses attested to the truth of these facts at the time. Maria Valtorta shows us that each evangelist freely chose to relate only the facts that seemed most significant and convincing for the audience he addressed.

3/ Maria Valtorta’s meticulous description of the events she mystically and mysteriously witnessed illustrates Jesus’ affirmation in the God at Work: "This Work also aims to illuminate points covered with darkness by a complex set of circumstances, thus forming obscure areas in the clear evangelical tableau…" In a previous booklet, I tried to show how Maria Valtorta’s text can indeed shed light on research relating to dating Jesus’ life, as is the case here for the Resurrection. Some hesitate to consider elements drawn from private revelation on the grounds that they cannot constitute "proof." Let us meditate on what Dom Guéranger wrote on this subject. Commenting on the writings of Marie d’Agréda, but his remarks can equally concern Maria Valtorta’s account: "God knows many things that we actually ignore; nothing prevents Him from revealing them if He sees fit. And if the story given to us by those to whom He wanted to manifest something contains nothing contrary to the Church’s Doctrine, one is free, without doubt, not to give assent; but one should have direct evidence to accuse the person of recklessness, especially if their holiness remains incontestable." (Dom Guéranger, M d’Agreda, Lecture no. 27)

*

Being neither a theologian nor an exegete, but merely a layman, I confront the Italian mystic's writings with the Scriptures, as the humblest Christian might, without any disdain for theologians or exegetes, but with the liberty of God’s children and in the spirit of the Church. Also, may everyone freely contest some of my interpretations or extrapolations… But always keep in mind these gentle advices of Jesus: "Do not remain with compass and ruler in hand, with the microscope and human science, do not remain with pedantic scribe-like reasoning, measuring, confronting, discussing whether John spoke and to what extent this or that is true." (EMV 464.20). And again: "Is not the thought frightened before these questions ascending to the realms of Truth, which get ever closer, and which find an answer only in a humble and faith-filled heart?" (EMV 487.6).

People who analyze the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

In-depth research on God, faith, religious Doctrine.

Place located in Jerusalem where Jesus celebrated Passover with his Apostles and instituted the Eucharist on the eve of his death (from Latin cenaculum: dining room). This place became the first Church at the request of the Virgin Mary.

Manifestation of the Holy Spirit after the Bible to a person or particular group. It is individual and relative.

Person who analyzes the historical, cultural, and literary context of Biblical texts to better understand what they meant at the time they were written and how they can be interpreted today.

Person who is neither priest nor religious.