CRUCIFIXION VICTIMS WERE USUALLY THROWN INTO A COMMON GRAVE FOR CRIMINALS AND WERE NOT TO BE MOURNED PUBLICLY AFTER THEIR DEATH; HAD THE ROMANS HAD THEIR WAY, THE CORPSES WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BURIED AT ALL. BUT EXCEPTIONS SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MADE AT TIMES IF FAMILY OR POWERFUL PATRONS INTERCEDED FOR THE BODY. BURYING THE DEAD WAS A CRUCIAL AND PIOUS DUTY IN JUDAISM, AND AN IMPORTANT ACT OF LOVE; BEING UNBURIED WAS TOO HORRIBLE TO BE PERMITTED EVEN FOR CRIMINALS. TO ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK BEFORE SUNDOWN AND THE ADVENT OF THE SABBATH, JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA HAS TO HURRY. IF THIS MEASURE OF NICODEMUS'S MIXTURE IS ONE OF WEIGHT, IT IS AS MUCH AS SEVENTY--FIVE OF OUR POUNDS (ROMAN POUNDS WERE LIGHTER); IF IT IS A MEASURE OF VOLUME IDENTIFIED WITH THE OLD TESTAMENT LOG., IT MAY BE LESS THAN SEVENTY FLUID OUNCES. IN EITHER CASE IT IS A LAVISH EXPRESSION OF OF DEVOTION FOR BELOVED TEACHERS ARE OCCASIONALLY REPORTED ( A GENTILE CONVERT ALLEGEDLY BURNED EIGHTY POUNDS OF SPICES AT THE FUNERAL OF GAMALIEL I, PAUL'S TEACHER), SO THE NUMBERS NEED NOT BE DOUBTED. MYRRH WAS USED FOR EMBALMING THE DEAD, AND ALOES FOR PERFUME. IN 19:40 JOHN MENTIONS THE JEWISH CUSTOM; JEWISH PEOPLE DID NOT BURN DEAD HEROES, AS GREEKS AND ROMANS DID, OR MUTILATE THEM FOR EMBALMING, AS EGYPTIANS DID. BODIES WERE WRAPPED IN SHROUDS, SOMETIMES EXPENSIVE ONES, ESPECIALLY PREPARED FOR BURIALS. JEWISH SOURCES ARE EMPHATIC THAT NONE OF THESE ACTIONS MAY BE UNDERTAKEN UNLESS THE PERSON IS CLEARLY DEAD; THUS THOSE BURYING JESUS HAVE NO DOUBT THAT HE IS DEAD. HERE STRIPS OF LINEN RATHER THAN A FULL SHROUD ARE USED, PERHAPS BECAUSE OF THE IMMINENT APPROACH OF THE SABBATH AT SUNDOWN. WHITE LINEN GARMENTS WERE WORN BY JEWISH PRIESTS, BY SOME OTHER ANCIENTS PRIESTS (DEVOTEES OF ISIS)) AND BY ANGELS IN JEWISH TRADITIONS (e.g., 2 MACC 11:8 ); THEY WERE ALSO WRAPPINGS FOR THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD. ON THE LOCALE,cf." NEAR THE CITY" VERSE 20: ACCORDING TO JEWISH CUSTOM, BURIALS HAD TO BE OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS ( ONE MAY COMPARE THE OUT-RAGE OF PIOUS JEWS OVER ANTIPAS'S BUILDING TIBERIAS ON A GRAVEYARD). TO BE BURIED IN A TOMB WAS NOT YET USED AND WAS NO DOUBT A SPECIAL HONOR AND WOULD MAKE THE TOMB DIFFICULT TO CONFUSE WITH OTHERS IN THE COMMUNITY. THE SABBATH (OR IN THIS CASE, THE COMING OF PASSOVER---18:28) INTERRUPTED ALL OTHER ACTIVITIES, JOSEPH AND NICODEMUS DID NOT NEED TO "LAY" JESUS THERE VERY CAREFULLY; THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN ONLY A PRELIMINARY BURIAL EVEN HAD THE SABBATH NOT APPROACHED, TO BE COMPLETED A YEAR LATER, AFTER THE FLESH HAD ROTTED OFF THE BONES. SOME HAVE DOUBTED THE EMPTY TOMB STORY SIMPLY BECAUSE PAUL DOES NOT MENTION IT (ALTHOUGH HE PRESUPPOSES IT ; 1 COR. (15:3-4), BUT THE DISCIPLES COULD NOT HAVE CREDIBLY PROCLAIMED THE RESURRECTION IN JERUSALEM IF JESUS' BODY WERE STILL IN THE TOMB. ALTHOUGH ANCIENT LAWS OF EVIDENCE DIFFERED FROM MODERN ONES (THEY DEPENDED HEAVILY ON PROBABILITY), ANCIENTS, LIKE MODERNS, WOULD HAVE AT LEAST CHECK THE TOMB AND WOULD NOT HAVE STAKED THEIR LIVES ON A REPORT WITHOUT INVESTIGATING THE TOMB! GIVEN HOW READILY HOLY SITES WERE VENERATED, BELIEVERS IN THE RESURRECTION THEMSELVES WOULD HAVE CHECKED THE TOMB. THE MODERN CRITICAL SCHOLARS WHO HAVE SUGGESTED THAT THE ORIGINAL DISCIPLES MEANT ONLY THAT THAT THEY HAD A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. (MERE BELIEF IN GHOSTS), BUT DID NOT CLAIM THAT JESUS ROSE BODILY. READ THEIR OWN MODERN CULTURE INTO THE NEW TESTAMENT: "RESURRECTION" AND NOTHING ELSE, AND NO ONE WOULD HAVE PERSECUTED THE DISCIPLES FOR CLAIMING THAT THEY HAD HAD MERELY A SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE. MERE BELIEF IN GHOSTS AND APPARITIONS WERE WIDESPREAD AND WOULD NOT HAVE GOTTEN THEM INTO TROUBLE WITH ANYONE. THE NEAREST OF KIN WOULD REMAIN AT HOME MOURNING FOR SEVEN DAYS; MARY MAGDALENE, WHO WOULD HAVE GRIEVED AS MUCH AS THE FAMILY, MIGHT HAVE REMAINED INSIDE HAD IT NOT BEEN NECESSARY TO COMPLETE THE WORK LEFT UNFINISHED DUE TO THE SABBATH (19:42). BUT JEWISH MOURNERS AS WELL AS PAGANS WERE OFTEN KNOWN TO VISIT TOMBS WITHIN THREE DAYS AFTER BURIAL. THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK BEGAN AT SUNDOWN ON WHAT WE WOULD CALL SATURDAY NIGHT, SO THE SABBATH HAD ENDED HOURS BEFORE SHE APPROACHES THE TOMB; THAT MARY WOULD APPROACH THE TOMB BEFORE DAYLIGHT DEMONSTRATES HER EAGER DEVOTION TO JESUS. DISK-- SHAPED STONES WERE OFTEN ROLLED IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE OF TOMBS AND WERE SO HEAVY THAT THEY FREQUENTLY REQUIRED SEVERAL MEN TO ROLL THEM AWAY. THAT THE AUTHORITIES WOULD HAVE MOVED EVEN THE BODY---PERHAPS TO A CRIMINAL'S GRAVE ---IS TROUBLESOME NEWS. ANCIENT JEWISH MEN DID NOT ACCEPT WOMEN AS RELIABLE WITNESSES FOR MOST LEGAL PURPOSES (THEIR WITNESS WAS LIMITED, BUT LESS SO, IN ROMAN COURTS), AND THIS CULTURAL TENDENCY MAY FURTHER MOVE JOHN AND PETER TO LOOK FOR THEMSELVES. COMPARISON OF CHARACTERS WAS IMPORTANT IN ANCIENT WRITING AND A STANDARD RHETORICAL TECHNIQUE. THAT THE BELOVED DISCIPLE ( ON THE TRADITIONAL VIEW TAKEN IN THIS COMMENTARY, JOHN, BUT PERHAPS ALSO MEANT TO REPRESENT DISCIPLES IN GENERAL THROUGH HIS ANONYMITY) IS FASTER THAN PETER FITS SOME OTHER COMPARISONS IN THE GOSPEL 13:23-24; 21:7). DEPICTIONS OF PHYSICAL PROWESS WERE PART OF NARRATIVES EXTOLLING CHARACTERS e.g., JOSEPHUS OUT SWIMS MOST OTHERS IN LIFE SO COMPARISON MAY BE IN VIEW HERE. SHOWING THAT A NORMAL DISCIPLE IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE FAMOUS PETER. HAD ROBBERS TOLEN THE BODY (A RARE PRACTICE) THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN IT IN ITS WRAPPINGS; HD THEY LEFT THE WRAPPINGS, THEY WOULD HAVE LEFT THEM IN DISARRAY. WHO EVER LEFT THEM, LEFT THEM THERE NEATLY. THE FACE CLOTH SEPARATE FROM THE LINEN IS NOT MERELY "FOLDED UP," COULD BE AN INDICATION OF NEATNESS, OR THAT IT WAS STILL ROLLED THE WAY IT HAD BEEN WHEN IT WAS WRAPPED AROUND JESUS HEAD--THAT HIS BODY HAD RISEN OUT OF THE WRAPPINGS AND CLOTH. THE SKEPTIC'S PROPOSAL THAT JESUS HAD ONLY SWOONED AND THEN RECOVERED WOULD NOT EXPLAIN HOW HE COULD HAVE LOSSED THE STRIPS TIED AROUND HIM OR ESCAPED A SEALED TOMB, BUT IT ALSO IGNORES THE NATURE OF CRUCIFIXION: JOSEPHUS HAD THREE OF HIS FRIENDS TAKEN DOWN ALIVE FROM A CROSS., BUT TWO OF THEM DIED DESPITE MEDICAL ATTENTION BECAUSE THEIR BODIES HAD BEEN SO WEAKENED FROM THE CRUCIFIXION. THIS DISCIPLES FAITH MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO PARALLELS WITH JOHN 11 OR TO THE WAY THE CLOTHS WERE LAID (20:6-7); JOHN IMPLIES THAT THEY WOULD HAVE ALREADY BELIEVED IT FROM SCRIPTURE HAD THEY UNDERSTOOD.
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