Where Did Jesus Die? — Page 41
Chapter Three—The Story of the Resurrection 41 was the bystanders who, with the certainty of ignorance (‘knowing that she was dead’) laughed to scorn the dec- laration of him who really knew that ‘The maid is not dead but sleepeth. ’ He used similar language in reference to Lazarus, and it was only when he found it necessary to speak down to the comprehension of his disciples that he said ‘Lazarus is dead. ’ Should we have any hesitation in saying that this, and the cases of the lad of Zarephath, of the body thrown into Elisha’s tomb, of the young man of Nain and of Dorcas, were instances of conditions simulat- ing death, probably catalepsy? (pp. 19–20) We are now in a position to approach the question whether Jesus really died upon the cross. Taking the Gospel accounts as they stand, there is an entire absence of all the criteria which distinguished actual from apparent death. There was a hurried depositing in the sepulchre within three hours of the collapse upon the cross. There was no medical autopsy, no stethoscope test, no inquest with the evidence of those who had last to do with him. We have no account from Joseph of Arimathea who placed him in his tomb; none from Nicodemus who is said to have been with Joseph and to have supplied the usual burial spices and ointment; none from the gardener who under the cir- cumstances might have been a material witness… (p. 20) There is no statement as to when he left the tomb. He was first seen by a person unconnected with the burial, early on the third morning. Should anyone be misled by the expression, ‘burial’ into supposing that there was an internment and that consequently even if he were still