Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-05-20
&eadiuq fur the Sabbath.
CONDUCTED BY
REV. ROBERT LATHAM.
CHRIST AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.

lGIL v > III 1LltA Liza
[orisinal.l
CHRIST AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is impor-
tant, from the fact that without 1.-THE atone
ment made by his death is incomplete. In
addition to its Importance it is a subject of
thrilling interest. twill be taken for grant
ed that Jesus Christ actually died on the
cross. So far as is remembered, this state
ment has never been questioned, by either
Jew or Gentle. The Jews deny that he
rose again from the dead, but the historical
evidence for his resurrection is as strong as
is that for his cr%ucifixion. The two facts are
inseparably connected. TO deny the one is
virtually to deny the other. Assuming that
Christ died, and was buried, and rose from
the dead, a number of interesting questions
spring up in connection with his resurrec-
ton and his subsequent history, prior to his
ascension.
1st. Who were the first to learn that the
Saviour had risen? All four Of the evan
gelists state that the first individuals who
discovered that the Saviour was no longer
in the tomb were ONE Matthew states
that "Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
came to see the sepulchre," and learned that
he was not in it. Mark mentions Mary
Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James
and Salome.'' Luke states that the first
visitors to the empty tomb of the Saviour
were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the
mother of James, and others with Them"
John mentions only Mary Magdalene. 1t
is a remarkable fact that no two of the evan
gelists agree in every particular in stating
the women who first visited the tomb.
Matthew mentions only the two Marys.
Mark adds Salome. Luke does not mention
Salome, but adds Joanna and other women,
that were with them, while John mentions
only Mary Magdalene. They all mention
Mary Magdalene, al d when others are men,
toned, her name is always first.
There is really III discrepancy between
the statements of the evangelists. Matthew
does not say that only the two Marys were
there, and Mark does notsay that there were
no others besides those he mentions, and
John does not say that only Mary Magda-
len went to the tomb. Luke's statement is
the most comprehensive, but how many
were included in those mentioned as the
other women, cannot be ascertained. We
know that the first persons who visited the
tomb of our Saviour after his resurrection
we're Mary Magdalene Mary, the mother of
James; Salome, the mother of John; joan
ma, the wife of Chusa, and other women,
but how many others we do not know.
There is something very remarkable in the
fact that John mentions no one except Mary
Magdalene, and the other three evangelists
all mention her name first. Out of Mary
Magdalene our Saviour cast seven devils,
and during the life of our Saviour we find
her administering to his bodily comforts.
She and Mary, the mother of Joses, went
with Joseph and Nicodemus to the sepul-
chre, and they alone, so far as we know, ex
cept Joseph and Nicodemus, beheld where
he was laid. Evidently Mary Magdalene
was the leader Of the band of women who
visited the tomb on the morning after the
resurrection. This is one reason why John
only mentions her, and why the other evan
gelists mention her name first.
End. The next inquiry which is suggested
by reading the history of the resurrection OF
our Saviour, as contained in the gospels, is
at what hour did the women reach the tomb.
Matthew states that it was when cit began
to dawn" Mark saysit was Every early in
the morning" Luke says it was Every ear
ly in the morning" and John says it twas
yet dark" So far, it is evident that the
evangelists, without using the very same
language, express the very same fact,
and that fact is that the women reached
the tomb between the first dawn of day and
the rising of the sur Apparently, Mark
seems to contradict this. He states that it
was at the rising of the sun This is only
an apparent contradiction of what he said
when he states that it was livery early in the
morning" The sun begins to rise at mid
night, and visibly to rise when the first
streak of light is seen in the heavens. The
women were evidently at the tomb before
the sun was to be seen. This fixes, not def
nitely but with som degree of accuracy, the
time that our Saviour rose. 1t was some
time after shutdown which closed the Sab
bath and began the first day of the week
and sunrise of the first day of the week.
According to our mode of naming the
days of the week, our Saviour died about
three o'clock on Friday. The Jewish day
began and ended with the setting of the
sun. Such being the case our Saviour was
under the power of death some three hours
during Friday. This, in law, was one day.
He remained in the state of the dead allday
Saturday, which was the Jewish Sabbath.
This made two days. He rose from the
dead about three o'clock in the morning.
This made three days that he was dead.
Evidently he rose before the women left the
city to go to the tomb. At the moment of
his resurrection an earthquake occurred.
This rolled away the great stone from the
grave and it shook the dead out of the
graves which were opened when our Saw
Jour died. The Roman guard which stood
around the tomb became as dead men, and
we may suppose fled to the city to report
the fact to the officer in command.
After shutdown on the Jewish Sabbath,
which answers to our Saturday, the women
of Gallilee, led by Mary Magdalene, went
out into the city and bought sweet spices
with which to anoint the body of Jesus.
We may we'll suppose that after the spices
were bought and prepared, these noble wo-
men spent the remainder of the night in
great mental anxiety. Probably they spent
the night in sleeplcss solicitude. When it
was yet dark, before the first streak of light
flashed across the heavens on that memora-
BILE morning, there was a great earthquake.
1t is probable that this earthquake occurred