Here is something I wrote on another list when the resurrected-saints percope was discussed in 2007:
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| Originally Posted by Vorkosigan In addition to what Don asks, I'd love to know if (1) there are any texts of Matt that don't have it... |
I don't know of any manuscripts missing the entire resurrected-saints pericope, but there is is some evidence that the phrase "after his resurrection" was added later. This point was discussed by Jason Filley on the Errancy list:
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| William L. Petersen, in Helmut Koester's "Ancient Christian Gospels: Their History and Development (or via: amazon.co.uk)." Trinity Press International, London: 1990, pp425,426. Chapter on Tatian's 'Diatessaron.' "Supporting this conclusion [that the Diatessaron preserved an earlier reading than Matthew's gospel -JF] is another apparent Diatessaronic reading in the same passage. It is an omission, and therefore one must be careful in arguing from it, for the argument is e silentio. But in this case, the omission is an active omission, that is, it changes the meaning of the text. Therefore, it elicits greater credence than a passive omission, that is, one which does not alter the meaning of the text. In numerous Diatessaronic witnesses, both East (Ephrem, twice in his Commentary, and in three of his hymns; twice in the Commentary of Ishocdad; and twice in the hymns of Romanos) and West (twice in the Pepysian Harmony; The Heliand), the resurrection and appearance of the risen "dead" occur simultaneously with Jesus' death on the cross. In other words, the Diatessaron omitted the canonical "after his resurrection," which--most bizarrely--delays the appearance of those resurrected for three days! Rather, according to the Diatessaron, the "dead" were raised and revealed there and then as one more sign of the gravity of Jesus' death. The reading of the Pepysian Harmony gives some idea of the scene, according to Tatian: "And with that, the veil that hung in the temple before the high altar burst in two pieces, the earth quaked, and the stones burst, and the dead men arose out of their graves. And so said the centurion..." In the canonical account, the delay of the appearance of those resurrected for three days defeats the whole purpose of having them raised when Jesus dies on the cross; but the delay does bring the canonical account into line with Pauline theology, which proclaims Jesus the 'first fruits' of the resurrection (I Cor. 15:20). According to Pauline theology, one cannot have the 'saints' arising before Jesus himself has risen. It would appear the the Diatessaron preserves a more primitive version of the text at this point than does the canonical text, which has been revised to bring it into conformity with Pauline theology." |
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| Originally Posted by Vorkosigan ...and (2) what the midrashic source for it is. It stinks of interpolation. |
Matthew's source may be Daniel 12:1-2. Both speak of a resurrection of the "many."
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| Daniel: "At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. Matthew: 51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. |
