The Seal on the Tomb

JohnDB · Nov 20, 2023

Ok
Matthew 27:64 & to the end of the chapter describes what Pilate said and why to the Chief Priests and Pharisees.

The tomb had a set of guards of some kind (Roman or Temple) and a seal of some sort.
Now I know that people envision a completely flat wall with a big circle stone in front. That would be a mistake as the place was seismically active and thus flat out would never be done....the covering stone WOULD fall away from the opening to lay flat.

So imagine an inset in the side of a rock hill where a small cave was cut into the stone and a large stone (cut out of the same rock) is in a track of the rock at the top and bottom with maybe three feet (1 meter) of total movement possible to the left or right that would seal the tomb. The opening and the rolling stone door would both be short. Like 3 to possibly 4 feet tall maximum.

The stone that rolls fits tight....not a lot of extra room here for wiggling out off track. But the track gives a great place to wedge a beam of some sort and fulcrum to roll the stone.

So....

All that to ask....
Whose Guards and whose seal? Mind you that the Chief Priest had two seals. One was a Temple seal of a menorah (referencing Judas Maccabeus miracle) and the other was on his head and was a rectangle of gold that was about two finger widths wide that wrapped around his forehead to his "ears to hear" that said "Pure/Holy to The God"

JohnDB · Nov 20, 2023

NIV: Matthew 27:
65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (NIV)

Here is the scriptures that discuss in part what I was saying....
And depending upon the translation it can be taken various ways. So the translators did....the key verse here is 65....look at how many ways they translate it. And this is only 3 of the many English translations....there are many more. But I put the 3 most commonly used ones except for the NASB which is also one of the more commonly used bibles.

KJV
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

ESV
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard[j] of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

JohnDB · Nov 21, 2023

Anyone got anything?

Jay Ross · Nov 21, 2023

Why was the stone over the entrance of the tomb rolled away?

It was rolled away to reveal that even though the Temple Priests had secured the tomb so that no one could physically exit the Tomb if they had been resurrected, but Jesus ' resurrection was not just a physical resurrection it was also a spiritual resurrection such that he could pass through the stone that surrounded the tomb just as He had entered the room where the disciples where gathered after the resurrection and been told that he had arisen.

When the Angel descended from heaven, there was great turmoil among the people present at the tomb guarding it, and they saw that the tomb was empty after the Angel had rolled the stone away. The guard at the tomb then left and went to the Temple to report what had happened and that the tomb was now empty.

Shalom

quietthinker · Nov 22, 2023