John 20:8

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John 20:8
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Disciples-visit-tomb.jpg
William Hole's 1908 image of the Beloved Disciple joining Peter in the tomb.
Book Gospel of John
Christian Bible part New Testament

John 20:8 is the eighth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Peter and the Beloved Disciple are examining Jesus's empty tomb. Peter has been inside the tomb since John 20:6, while the Beloved Disciple had been examining it from outside. In this verse the Beloved Disciple enters the tomb.

Chapters and verses of the Bible

The Bible is a compilation of many shorter books written at different times by a variety of authors, and later assembled into the biblical canon. Since the early 13th century, most copies and editions of the Bible present all but the shortest of these books with divisions into chapters, generally a page or so in length. Since the mid-16th century editors have further subdivided each chapter into verses - each consisting of a few short lines or sentences. Sometimes a sentence spans more than one verse, as in the case of Ephesians 2:8–9, and sometimes there is more than one sentence in a single verse, as in the case of Genesis 1:2.

John 20 is the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. It relates the story of Jesus' resurrection. It relates how Mary Magdalene went to the tomb of Jesus and found it empty. Jesus appears to her and speaks of his resurrection and dispatches Mary to tell the news to the disciples. Jesus then appears to his disciples. The chapter is seemingly the conclusion to the Gospel of John, but it is followed by the somewhat tangential John 21, causing some biblical scholars to suggest that John 20 was the original conclusion of the Gospel, and John 21 was a later addition. The events related in John 20 are described somewhat differently in Matthew 28, Mark 16, and Luke 24.

Gospel of John Books of the New Testament

The Gospel of John is the fourth of the canonical gospels. The work is anonymous, although it identifies an unnamed "disciple whom Jesus loved" as the source of its traditions. It is closely related in style and content to the three Johannine epistles, and most scholars treat the four books, along with the Book of Revelation, as a single corpus of Johannine literature, albeit not from the same author.

Contents

Content

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

King James Version version of the Bible

The King James Version (KJV), also known as the King James Bible (KJB) or simply the Authorized Version (AV), is an English translation of the Christian Bible for the Church of England, begun in 1604 and completed as well as published in 1611 under the sponsorship of James VI and I. The books of the King James Version include the 39 books of the Old Testament, an intertestamental section containing 14 books of the Apocrypha, and the 27 books of the New Testament. The translation is noted for its "majesty of style", and has been described as one of the most important books in English culture and a driving force in the shaping of the English-speaking world.

Then went in also that
other disciple, which
came first to the sepulchre,
and he saw, and believed.

The English Standard Version translates the passage as:

English Standard Version translation of the Bible

The English Standard Version (ESV) is an English translation of the Bible published in 2001 by Crossway. It is a revision of the Revised Standard Version that employs an "essentially literal" translation philosophy.

Then the other disciple,
who had reached the tomb first,
also went in,
and he saw and believed

Analysis

The central debate over this verse is what exactly the Beloved Disciple believed. The earlier verses mention only Jesus' grave clothes as being in the tomb. The debate is whether the Beloved Disciple could have come to believe in the resurrection based on such minimal evidence. If he did suddenly understand what had happened, why did he not share this understanding with Peter, or with Mary Magdalene who is also believed to be present? Why, after this revelation, does the Beloved Disciple simply leave to go home in John 20:10? A long line of scholars including Saint Augustine have thus argued that the Beloved Disciple simply came to believe Mary Magdalene's story that the body was gone. [1]

Mary Magdalene Follower of Jesus

Mary Magdalene, sometimes called simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine, was a Jewish woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. She is mentioned by name twelve times in the canonical gospels, more than most of the apostles. Mary's epithet Magdalene most likely means that she came from the town of Magdala, a fishing town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.

John 20:10 is the tenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have just finished examining the empty tomb of Jesus and in this verse return home.

Augustine of Hippo early Christian theologian and philosopher

Saint Augustine of Hippo was a Roman African, early Christian theologian and philosopher from Numidia whose writings influenced the development of Western Christianity and Western philosophy. He was the bishop of Hippo Regius in North Africa and is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers in Western Christianity for his writings in the Patristic Period. Among his most important works are The City of God, De doctrina Christiana, and Confessions.

The majority of scholars believe that this passage indicates the Beloved Disciple became aware of the resurrection albeit with limited understanding. Calvin said, "it is a poor exposition which some people give of these words, that John believed what he heard Mary say namely, that Christ's body had been carried away; there is no passage in which the word 'believe' carries this meaning, especially when it is used simply and on its own". [2] Leonard argues that the fact that the grave clothes were left carefully in place clearly indicated that the body had not been stolen, and instead showed that Jesus had been resurrected. [3] Bultmann believes that Peter had already realized what had happened, and in this passage the Beloved Disciple merely joins Peter in this understanding. Bruce disagrees, arguing the scripture implies that Peter remained ignorant. Luke 24:12 has Peter leaving the scene "wondering what had happened". Most scholars who read the verse as indicating that the Beloved Disciple understood the resurrection believe that he was the first person to reach this understanding. [4]

Schnackenberg takes a third approach. He argues that this passage does intend to report that Beloved Disciple understood the resurrection, but that the verse was a later addition to the text. This theory would explain why the verse does not mesh well with the rest of the narrative. The realization of the Beloved Disciple, despite its seeming importance, is not again mentioned in the narrative. [5]

John 20:9 further complicates this debate by stating that they remained ignorant, without clearly explaining who they are.

It is also possible that the verse is an error. Brown reports that the Codex Bezae has the passage reading that "he saw and did not believe", which seems logically more in keeping with the rest of the chapter. [6]

Another issue is what this passage reveals about the architecture of Jesus's tomb. It seems to show that two grown men could enter with ease (unless the first exited before the second entered). This is somewhat unusual as tombs in this period were generally quite small. Passages such as John 20:11 also seem to describe a smaller tomb.

Related Research Articles

Mark 16 the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark

Mark 16 is the final chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It begins with the discovery of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome. There they encounter a young man dressed in white who announces the Resurrection of Jesus. The two oldest manuscripts of Mark 16 then conclude with verse 8, which ends with the women fleeing from the empty tomb, and saying "nothing to anyone, because they were too frightened."

John 20:17 Jesus response to Mary Magdalene

John 20:17 is the 17th verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. It contains Jesus' response to Mary Magdalene right after he confronts her just outside his tomb after his resurrection. According to the longer ending of Mark's Gospel Mary Magdalene is the first person to whom Jesus shows himself alive after his resurrection.

John 20:15

John 20:15 is the 15th verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It occurs when Mary Magdalene has returned to Jesus' tomb and found it empty. She does not know that Jesus has returned and they begin conversing without her realizing his identity.

John 20:18 is the eighteenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. It occurs after Jesus' resurrection and appearance to Mary Magdalene. In the previous verse Jesus has given Mary a message to deliver to his disciples, this verse describes how she delivers it:

John 20:14

John 20:14 is the fourteenth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. In this verse, Mary Magdalene has just finished speaking to the angels she found in Jesus's empty tomb. She then turns and sees the resurrected Jesus, but fails to recognize him. In the Gospel of John, this is the first moment anyone sees Jesus after his resurrection.

John 20:12

John 20:12 is the twelfth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. Mary Magdalene is peering into the empty tomb of Jesus and sees two angels.

John 20:11

John 20:11 is the eleventh verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible.

John 20:9 is the ninth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have been examining Jesus' empty tomb and the arrangement of the grave clothes. John 20:8 states that the Beloved Disciple looked in the tomb and believed, though there is conflict on what exactly he believed. John 20:9 seems to modify this statement but its exact meaning is also unclear.

John 20:7

John 20:7 is the seventh verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. In this verse, Peter is standing in Jesus's empty tomb. The Beloved Disciple and perhaps Mary Magdalene are outside. This verse describes the arrangement of the grave clothes they see.

John 20:16

John 20:16 is the sixteenth verse in the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible. The verse describes the moment that Mary Magdalene realizes that Jesus has returned from the dead, when she recognizes his voice calling her name

John 20:5 is the fifth verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the Bible. The Beloved Disciple and Peter have traveled to the tomb of Jesus to investigate Mary Magdalene's report that the body of Jesus had disappeared. In this verse the Beloved Disciple arrives at the tomb and while he looks in he does not enter it.

John 20:2 is the second verse of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Mary Magdalene has just discovered that the tomb of Jesus has been opened. In this verse she seeks out and tells this news to Peter and the "disciple whom Jesus loved".

John 20:3–4

John 20:3–4 are the third and fourth verses of the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament. Peter and the Beloved Disciple have been informed by Mary Magdalene that Jesus' tomb has been opened and in these verses they depart for the tomb.

Disciple whom Jesus loved phrase found in the Gospel of John (21:20 etc.), traditionally identified with John the Evangelist and John the Apostle

The phrase "the disciple whom Jesus loved" or, in John 20:2, the disciple beloved of Jesus is used six times in the Gospel of John, but in no other New Testament accounts of Jesus. John 21:24 states that the Gospel of John is based on the written testimony of this disciple.

Matthew 28:8 is the eight verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" had just encountered an angel has appeared at the empty tomb of Jesus, and in this verse they leave to bear his message.

Matthew 28:10

Matthew 28:10 is the tenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the resurrection narrative. Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" are leaving the empty tomb of Jesus after encountering an angel, and in this verse they encounter the risen Jesus.

Myrrhbearers

In Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly involved in the burial or who discovered the empty tomb following the resurrection of Jesus. The term traditionally refers to the women with myrrh who came to the tomb of Christ early in the morning to find it empty. In Western Christianity, the two women at the tomb, Three Marys or other variants are the terms normally used. Also included are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who took the body of Jesus down from the cross, embalmed it with myrrh and aloes, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in a new tomb..

References

  1. ↑ Brown, Raymond E. "The Gospel According to John: XIII-XI" The Anchor Bible Series Volume 29A. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.
  2. ↑ John Calvin John - The Crossway Classic Commentaries. Alister McGrath J.I Packer: Crossway Books, 1994
  3. ↑ Leonard, W. "St. John." A Catholic Commentary on the Bible. D.B. Orchard ed. New York: Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1953.
  4. ↑ Bruce, F.F. The Gospel According to John. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1983.
  5. ↑ Schnackenberg, Rudolf . The Gospel According to St. John: Volume III. Crossroad, 1990.
  6. ↑ Brown, Raymond E. "The Gospel According to John: XIII-XI" The Anchor Bible Series Volume 29A. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1970.
Preceded by
John 20:7 		Gospel of John
Chapter 20 		Succeeded by
John 20:9
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