The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

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The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #1

Post by Miles »

.

Just came across this interesting comparison of the gospel accounts of the Resurrection and thought I'd share. O:) <--- Mr. nice guy


Image
source

Anyone care to take a shot at explaining the variations in the accounts?


HOLD ON: just as I was about to post the chart above I came across another interesting comparison:


Image
source [note: a far better image can be accessed at the source]

What do you think? Valid or not, and why.

.

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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #2

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Easter challenges ,...yay!





**FORWARD: WHICH CAME FIRST: A Word on Sequencing.
Many critiques are rather liberal with the word "first"; it should be noted that this expression is rarely employed in the description of the resurrection events and even when it is, is not necessarily used in an absolute sense. It is not possible to give a definitive answer as to which events happened FIRST although an appraisal of all four gospels can provide a probable sequence of events. It's reported Jesus appeared on multiple occassions over a period of over a month to many different individuals and none of the accounts explicitly state nothing happened PRIOR (or FOLLOWING) or state the date and time of events, thus questions as to which event came "first" are largely redundant.

JW



Source: https://www.merriam-webster.com/diction ... tradiction
Image




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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #3

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Miles wrote: Fri Oct 28, 2022 4:04 pmAnyone care to take a shot at explaining the variations in the accounts?
Sure, I'll have a go....




#What time did the women visit the tomb?

Matthew: "as it began to dawn" (28:1)Mark: "very early in the morning . . . at the rising of the sun" (16:2, KJV); "when the sun had risen" (NRSV); "just after sunrise" (NIV)
Luke: "very early in the morning" (24:1, KJV) "at early dawn" (NRSV)
John: "when it was yet dark" (20:1)#ANSWER: Harmonizing the narratives: All the women set out just before the dawn and arrived as the sun rose


#ANSWER: Evidently, they set out just before the dawn and arrived as the sun rose.
<< WAS IT DARK WHEN THE WOMEN ARRIVED AT THE TOMB?
http://www.getphpbb.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... rum=jw#395




#Who were the women that visited the tomb?

Image

Matthew: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (28:1)
Mark: Mary Magdalene, the mother of James, and Salome (16:1)
Luke: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women (24:10)
John: Mary Magdalene (20:1)

#ANSWER: All of the above


# What was their purpose of the trip?

Matthew: to see the tomb (28:1)
Mark: had already seen the tomb (15:47), brought spices (16:1)
Luke: had already seen the tomb (23:55), brought spices (24:1)
John: the body had already been spiced before they arrived (19:39,40)

#ANSWER: All of the above

#Was the tomb open when the women arrived?

Image

ANSWER : Yes, evidently the stone had already been rolled away by the time the women arrived. All FOUR (including Matthew) gospel accounts report the stone moved by the time the women arrived. While Matthew alone reports the accompanying "earthquake" like the others he attributes the moving of the stone to angelic activity. Matthew does not state the women witnessed this event.

CONTRARY TO THE OTHER GOSPEL ACCOUNTS DID MATTHEWS GOSPEL REPORT THAT THE STONE HAD NOT BEEN ROLLED AWAY?

ANSWER: No. Matthew 28:2 reads "And look! a great earthquake had taken place, for Jehovah’s angel had descended from heaven and had come and rolled away the stone, and he was sitting on it".


Image

#Who was at the tomb when the women first arrived?
Matthew: One angel (28:2-7)
Mark: One young man (16:5)
Luke: Two men (24:4)
John: Two angels (20:12)

#ANSWER: Depends on who "they" are and what time is being referred to - there was a lot of coming and going that morning [/color]


# Where were these messengers (angels) situated?

Matthew: Angel sitting on the stone (28:2)
Mark: Young man sitting inside, on the right (16:5)
Luke: Two men standing inside (24:4)
John: Two angels sitting on each end of the bed (20:12)

#ANSWER: Depends on who "they" are and what time is being referred to - there was a lot of coming and going that morning Angels are not immobile; where they were depends on what moment of the day it was; and who was witnessing the event [/color]

What did the messenger(s) say?

* Matthew: "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead: and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you." (28:5-7)
* Mark: "Be not afrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you." (16:6-7)
* Luke: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again." (24:5-7)
* John: "Woman, why weepest thou?" (20:13)

#ANSWER: During the course of events ALL OF THE ABOVE


# What did the women DO [when they found an empty tomb]?

Mark 16:8 - The women were amazed and afraid, so they kept quiet
Matthew 28:6-8 - The women ran away with [fear and] great joy
Luke 24:9-12 - The women left the tomb and told the disciples
John 20:1-2 - Mary told the disciples that the body had been stolen

#ANSWER: All of the above The women* were initially instructed to tell ONLY the disciples so they did not stop on the way and explain what they had seen. Mark's reference to their telling noone may well refer to "noone" outside of those authorized to know, namely , the 11 Apostles. The believers as a group following Jesus instruction NOT to publicize his resurrection to "non-Christians" until a later date.

*It seems that Mary Magdalene dashed off to get Peter and John after seeing the tomb empty, leaving her companions at the tombside.
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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #4

Post by JehovahsWitness »

WHO SAW WHAT "FIRST"?
NOTE: There is little or no reference to sequence in many of the resurrection narratives , any suggestion that they are therefore contradictory* is a "strawman" argument, best suited to those that have not actually read the references provided (further detail please see the FORWARD at the top of the post)
* as per the definition above


When Mary returned from the tomb, did she know Jesus had been resurrected?

ANSWER: Initially, no. Mary left the group as soon as they found an empty tomb and only returned later with Peter and John. Staying behind after those two had inspected the empty tomb she encounters Jesus alone.

* Matthew: NO (Mat 28:7-8) Note: Mary is not mentioned specifically as still being in the group of women WHEN they are addressed by the angels.
* Mark: NO (16:10,11) NOTE: It is generally accepted that neither conclusions were in Marks original text. Even taking the words into account, however Mk 16:10 says nothing of WHAT Mary initally reported. or WHEN the Apostles heard from her that Jesus had been ressurected (see above)
* Luke: No : (24:6-9,23) NOTE that Luke 24:8,9 is clearly summarizing the outcome of all the events since in verse nine he says the women reported {quote} "to the eleven and to all the rest {unquote}. At no point the intitial comings and goings were all the woment with ALL the Apostles AND all the rest of the disciples. Luke is summarizing the net outcome of all the reports from all the women named in verse 10 since by the end of the morning Mary could add her encouter to those of the other women.
* John: No : John 20:2 shows that intially Mary only reported to Peter and John, and was not aware of the resurrection until her second visit to the tomb with those two (see above).

# What did Peter and John see when they visited the tomb?

ANSWER: The linen strips that had been used to wrap the body (including the head)

Image

LUKE 24:12 : But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, and stooping forward, he saw only the linen cloths.

JOHN 20: 6b , 7: ..the linen cloths lying there. 7 The cloth that had been on his head was not lying with the other cloth bands but was rolled up in a place by itself. 8
Image

There is no discrepency: the headpiece would also have been made out of linen so "linen strips / cloth bands" covers everything they saw. John by refering to "the other cloths" gives a de facto acknowledgement that the headband was also cloth. He simply adds the interesting detail of how the stripsof clothh were arranged.

# Where and when did Jesus first appear?

Matthew 28:8-9 - first** appears near his tomb
Mark 16:14-15 - appears to Mary Magdalena but it's not clear where
Luke 24:13-15 - first** appears near Emmaus, several miles from Jerusalem
John 20:13-14 - first** appears at his tomb
[*] Matthew does not use the term "near" the scripture only indicates somewhere between the tombsite and where the disciples were located]

#ANSWER: Probably appeared first** to the women (excluding Mary Magdalene) somehere between the tomb site and where the Apostles Peter and John were at the time, some time on Sunday morning.
Please note that none of the accounts explicitly state exact times and none of the individual accounts state that this was his "first"** appearance or that Jesus had not appeared to anyone previously (see note ** See above



When did Mary "first" see Jesus?

* Matthew: Before she returned to the disciples (28:9) - no mention of Mary
* Mark: Before she returned to the disciples (16:9,10) - does not sequence event in relation to any other.
* John: After she returned to the disciples (20:2,14) At John 20:2 Mary does NOT report that she has seen Jesus only {quote} "They have taken away the Lord out of the memorial tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.{unquote} clearly at that point she had not seen Jesus. Verse 14 therefore is obviously a LATER visit.

Image


# How did Jesus first** behave?
Matthew 28:9 - Jesus lets Mary Magdalene and another Mary hold his feet
Mark 16:14-15 - Jesus commissions the eleven to preach the gospel
John 20:17 - Jesus forbids Mary to touch him because he hasn’t ascended to heaven yet, but a week later he lets Thomas touch him anyway

#ANSWER: Possibly either "the Women" (excuding Mary) or Mary Magdalene by herself saw Jesus first**. The commission recorded in Mark was likely given that given Galilee (where he initially instructed his disciples to go) so it is extremely unlikely this is the first thing he did.

# Did Jesus let anyone touch him?
Matthew 28:9 - Jesus lets Mary Magdalene and another Mary hold his feet
Mark 16:14-15 - Jesus commissions the eleven to preach the gospel
John 20:17 - Jesus forbids Mary to touch him because he hasn’t ascended to heaven yet, but a week later he lets Thomas touch him anyway

#ANSWER: Yes. The greek expression used by John regarding Mary is literally "to cling" and is employed in the continuous tense ("stop clinging to me"), so overcome by emotion Mary was permitted to "touch" the resurrected Jesus but evidently she didn't want to let him go, which she has to. Jesus' words indicate she couldn't keep him with her, since his time on earth would be temporary. The above passages clearly show Jesus let all his disciples touch his resurrected body.

Did the women tell what happened?

Yes... EVENTUALLY. They were instructed to tell the Apostles and they would have obeyed that instruction. Mark does not say HOW LONG they kept silent about the matter, but logically it would have been on for the duration of the trip back to find the Apostles, not declaring to all assunder that Jesus had been resurrected BEFORE they got over their fear and reported the events to the proper authority (The Apostles).
  • Mark 16 verse 7 reports that the women were instructed to "... go, tell his disciples and Peter, ... 8 So when they came out they fled from the memorial tomb, for trembling and strong emotion were gripping them. And they told nobody anything, for they were in fear."
Mark gives no indication they never spoke to a man for the rest of their lives about the matter but links their "strong emotion" to their silence. No doubt they had calmed down when they got to Peter's house.
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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #5

Post by JehovahsWitness »

After the women, to whom did Jesus "first" appear?

Matthew: Eleven disciples (28:16) - there is no mention of sequence in this verse The events in Mat 28:16 take place, not in Jerusalem but in the North of the country in Galilee. Jesus was on earth for over a month and this seems to be his last (certainly not his first) appearance.
Mark: Two disciples in the country, later to eleven (Mark 16:12,14) The only mention of sequence in these verses is that the two disciples (cleopas and his companion) report to the eleven after their particular encounter.
Luke: Two disciples in Emmaus, later to eleven (24:13,36) These are the same people Mark refers to.
John: Ten disciples (Judas and Thomas were absent) (20:19, 24) There is no reference to sequence in this report.
Paul: First to Cephas (Peter), then to the twelve. (Twelve*? Judas was dead). (I Corinthians 15:5) Peter does indeed seem to be the first of the Apostles that Jesus appeared to privately.

*used as a group name


Image

Where did Jesus "first" appear to the disciples?

* Matthew: On a mountain in Galilee (60-100 miles away) (28:16-17)
* Mark: To two in the country, to eleven "as they sat at meat" (16:12,14)
* Luke: In Emmaus (about seven miles away) at evening, to the rest in a room in Jerusalem later that night. (24:31, 36)
* John: In a room, at evening (20:19)

#ANSWER: See sequencing above re: first**.

Did the disciples believe the two men (Cleopus & his companion)?

* Mark: No (Mk 16:13) Mark says the two (we can only presume it was cleopus but this is not certain) reported to "the rest". He does not make clear who "the rest" constitute.
* Luke: Yes (24:34--it is the group speaking here, not the two)

#ANSWER: As Luke reports they believe not on the word of Cleopus but because by the time they report their encounter word of Peter's has already reached "the eleven". Since Peter has more authority it seems its his report that finally convinces the central body (the eleven).

What happened at the appearance?

Matthew: Disciples worshipped, some doubted, "Go preach." (28:17-20)
Mark: Jesus reprimanded them, said "Go preach" (16:14-19)
Luke: Christ incognito, vanishing act, materialized out of thin air, reprimand, supper (24:13-51)
John: Passed through solid door, disciples happy, Jesus blesses them, no reprimand (21:19-23)

SINCE THERE WAS NO "APPEARANCE" BUT SEVERAL APPEARENCES THE ANSWER IS OBVIOUSLY, IT WOULD DEPEND ON WHICH OF THE MANY APPEARANCES ARE BEING REFERRED TO. Jesus appeared over a period of 40 days, in at least 3 towns and dozens of locations to various groups of individuals: In short the Answer is, all of the above.


# How did his disciples take the news [of Jesus resurrection]?
Matthew 28:16 - Some doubt, but most believe
Mark 16:11 [...] Everyone doubts and/or is scared¤ at first, but eventually they go along with it
Luke 24:11 - Everyone doubts [...] but eventually they go along with it
John 20:24-28 - Everyone believes but Thomas, whose doubts are eliminated when he gets physical proof

#ANSWER: All of the above. As with any major event, people reacted differently as different times. Matthew reports Jesus' appearance in Galilee (Northern Territories) nearly a month after his initial appearance to the Apostles. By this time the report of his resurrection had reached multitudes of disciples so the "some" that doubted evidently did not by this time include to the Apostles.

Mark, Luke and John here refer to the Apostles who initially doubted the women's reports (evidently Thomas was not present for Jesus' the early encounter with the Apostles).

¤ [Please note: Mark 16:11 & Luke 24:11 do NOT refer to feeling "scared" although no doubt this may well have been an emotion felt by one or more of the disciples at some time or other in relation to something connected to the events].[/i]
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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #6

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Image

# Where, when, and how did [did the ascencention take place]?
Mark 16:14-19 - While he and his disciples are seated at a table in or near Jerusalem
Luke 24:50-51 - Outside, after dinner, and at Bethany and on the same day as the resurrection
Acts 1:9-12 - At least 40 days after his resurrection, at Mt. Olivet

#ANSWER: Jesus ascended to heaven was 40 days after his resurrection from Bethany (near Jerusalem) at the Mount of Olives. Luke gives no timeframe for his statement that Jesus
"But he led them out as far a Bethany" [end quote] so we don't know if he (Luke) is referring to Jesus final encounter with this disciples (in Chap 24:50-53) or another such occassion.

Luke does not say that the Bethany event was "after dinner"; his reference to "the eleven" may well have been used in as a title rather than a reference to how many people where in the room (since evidently on the occassion when Cleopas and his companion report their encounter, Thomas was not present). Mark also gives no distinct timeframe for his words (16:14-19). [It should be noted that there is considerable doubt as to whether the conclusion of Mark (16:9 - 19) were part of the original text.]
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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #7

Post by JehovahsWitness »

COMBINING THE VARIOUS ACCOUNTS: Combining all the information from the various accounts, here is what we can deduce about THE WOMEN

[*] The women start out just before dawn (Sunday morning) and got there as the sun was rising (they being all the women including Mary Magdeline)

[*] On the way the wonder how they will roll the stone away inaware that the during the night the earthh had trembled and the stone had been rolled by an angel, terrifying the guards who had fled while the angel sat on the stone watching them run.

[*] Arriving at the tomb some hours later the women find the stone rolled away and Mary, perhaps looking inside and seeing it empty immediately leaves the group running back to tell Peter and John

[*] An angel then appears to the remaining "the women" (Mary is not specifically mentioned in connection with this appearance; her absence during this event would explain why she initially reports only the missing body not angelic appearances or the ressurection message to Peter and John). The angel invites the remaining women to see inside the tomb, empty except for a second angel. The angels tell the women of the ressurection and sends them to inform the disciples.

[*] On their way to deliver this message, it is these women (EXCLUDING Mary) who meet Jesus himself(28:8 .).

[*] Meanwhile Mary reports the empty tomb to John and Peter and her conclusion that the body has been stolen. All three head back to inspect. When Mary gets back with Peter and John they inspect the tomb, empty save cor the linen that had wrapped the body. The two mdn men leave perplexed. Mary, however stays behind alone weeping.

[*] Looking again inside the tomb she sees two men (angels) who ask her why she is so distressed. Turning from them she sees a third man who she mistakes for the gardener who is in fact the resurrected Jesus.

[*]She is sent to add her report to those of the other women
Jesus is subsequenly reported as appearing to his disciples over a period of 40 days, in at least 3 towns and dozens of locations to various individuals and groups (sized up to 500 in number ) .

Image
THE MEN
[*] Instead of obeying the women and going north, the Apostles remain near Jerusalem, necessitating further appearance. He repeats his initial instruction to return north where he will further meet with them.

[*] Up north in Galilee there are several meetings over the course of a month. With a final "public" appearance of upwardd of 500 disciples. He commissions them to spead the good news.

[*] Jesus final meeting is in private back near Jerusalem (after his Galilean appearances) with only the 11 faithful Apostles present. He tells them to stay in Jerusalem until they receieve holy spirit.
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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #8

Post by JehovahsWitness »

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Re: The Harmony Of The Gospels Gone Awry

Post #9

Post by We_Are_VENOM »

Miles wrote: Fri Oct 28, 2022 4:04 pm .

Just came across this interesting comparison of the gospel accounts of the Resurrection and thought I'd share. O:) <--- Mr. nice guy

Anyone care to take a shot at explaining the variations in the accounts?


I will make light work of this alleged Gospel contradiction account abomination.

1. Women at the tomb: The synoptics attest to multiple women being present at the tomb. John's Gospel only accounts for one woman being at the tomb, and that is because he is focusing on the particular incident of which only one woman was indeed at the tomb.

No contradiction, just a different part of the story.

Next..

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2. Guards at the tomb: Matthew mentions the fact that originally, there were guards placed at the tomb. However, no other Gospel mentions this, because their narration of the story picks up AFTER the guards had left.

No contradiction.

Next..

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3. Time of women's visit: All Gospels attest to the women's visit to the tomb was at or near dawn. John said that it was it was still dark, and at dawn, it can be said to be still dark...relatively speaking.

No contradiction.

Next..

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4. Reason for visit: The chart mentions two reasons for the women's visit to the tomb...a) to see the tomb....and b) to anoint Jesus' body. I fail to see a contradiction.

Two things can be true at the same time.

They went to see the tomb AND anoint Jesus' body.

And the chart says that Jesus' body was already anointed...but the body wasn't already anointed by the women, was it? No.

No contradiction.

Next..

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5. Stone rolled away: All Gospels affirm that the stone was rolled away when the women arrived. Matthew can go either way, depending on how you read it. We can affirm that the stone was rolled away once the women arrived at the tomb, but simply reading the others.

No contradiction...

Next...

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6. Earthquake: Syllogism test..

1. Matthew mentions earthquake.

2. No other Gospel mentions earthquake.

3. Therefore, there was no earthquake.

Non sequitur. Test failed. No contradiction.

Next...

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7. Angels/men seen at the tomb: This is a tough one, admittedly. But with some critical thinking, we can take this one to task as well.

First, keep in mind that no Gospel tells us exactly how man women went to the tomb on that morning.

This is important to note because when you have a group of people in a stressful situation, not everyone will react the same way. I will attempt to reconcile all accounts...watch this..

1. The tomb is sealed with a stone upon the entrance. Guards are placed at the stone. (Matt)

2. An angel comes down, frightens the guards (who flees), and removes the stone. (Matt)

3. The women arrives at the tomb, and notices that the stone is removed and a guard is sitting on the stone. The angel delivers the message of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus (Matt).

4. Upon seeing the stone removed, and upon hearing the angels message, Mary flees the scene to report to the disciples what she has seen and heard. (John)

5. The other women, however, stayed behind, and were prompted by the angel to go inside and see where Jesus once laid (Matt).

6. The women then go inside the tomb, where they see a man dressed in a robe, sitting. The man affirms Jesus resurrection, and the women are prompted to go tell the disciples. (Mark)

7. Some women left as they were told, but some stayed. Since the women (who stayed) weren't convinced enough with the young man, God sent reinforcements, with the appearance of two men who suddenly appeared out of NOWHERE and told the women the same thing the young man told them. (Luke)

That is when they became convinced. Then they took heed to the words of the men and left.

8. Meanwhile, remember, Mary had already left the vicinity, but she later went BACK to the tomb after she told Peter and John (who also discovered the empty tomb). John's account (20:1-18) took place AFTER everything previously mentioned. She went back to the tomb and that is where John 20:11-18 picks up.

And that is how it can all be harmonized. Still, no contradiction, but I can at least understand where this objection is coming from.

Next...

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8. Did women/woman enter the tomb: The Gospels are clear that most (if not all, besides Mary) entered the tomb at some point.

No contradiction.

Next..

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9. Did disciples visit: Luke and John affirms that some disciples visited the tomb. The others did not mention it. No contradiction.

Next...

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10. Did the disciples enter the tomb: Matthew didn't mention it. According to the chart, it points out that Mark stated that the women didn't tell anyone (so how could they tell the disciples). The answer to that is simple; they didn't tell anyone, at FIRST.

They later told the rest after being convinced by Jesus to do so (Matt 28:9-10).

See how that works?

But, what about the whether the disciples entered the tomb? The chart makes a fuss about one account stating that Peter only looked in the tomb (Luke), while John states that Peter went inside the tomb.

The devil is in the details.

The fact that Peter had to "stoop down" in order to discover the tomb empty of Jesus' body, goes to show that the layout of the tomb was more than just walking past the stone and entering the it.

So technically speaking, just by walking into the entrance (past the stone) could be said to have "entered" the tomb, without actually entering in to the direct area (or climbing in to) the entrance of the actual chamber where Jesus' body was.

No contradiction.

So, I said all of that to say this; you asked are those contradictions valid or not. I say..

Not.
Venni Vetti Vecci!!

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