The question is often pondered, how many women were at Jesus’ tomb that first Easter morning. The short answer is, “probably more than you think.”
It’s a question that arises around Easter each year and occasionally when the conversation turns to women in Christianity.
The most common answer I’ve heard is three, namely, Mary Magdalene who is mentioned in every gospel account, Mary the mother of Joses and James the less, and one more, variously remembered as either Salome or Joanna.
A limited harmony of the gospel narratives provides enough evidence to conclude there was a bare minimum of five women at the tomb the morning of the resurrection, all come to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. There were likely closer to ten, possibly more.
This brief study (expanded from my journal) does not negate Mary Magdalene’s one-to-one encounter with Jesus in which she wrongly supposed him to be the gardener. It supplements it.
Before Easter
Arriving at the possibility of ten or more women at the tomb requires us to jettison much of what we have absorbed over the years, but it does not require us to reject any of the biblical text. In fact, it requires us to pay more attention to it.
Luke records a couple of significant bits of information providing context to how many women followers of Jesus might have been in Jerusalem for Passover, who were witnesses both to his crucifixion and his burial.
Early in Jesus ministry, while he was yet in Galilee, Luke provides the names of several women who financially supported the ministry of Jesus and the disciples: Mary Magdalene, Joanna—wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward—,and Susanna (8:2). He further says there were “many” (πολλαί) who supported him “from their possessions.” The use of feminine words indicates the narrative is talking throughout about women supporters of Jesus’ ministry.
Luke’s use of “many” (πολλαί) in Luke and Acts, when used as a loose estimate of a number of people, is never used as a substitute for “a few.” A sampling of at least a dozen uses in Luke and in Acts finds “large crowds” (5:15), a large crowd at Levi’s (5:29), the disciples and a “large crowd” (7:11), “many demons” (8:30), many invited to a banquet (14:16). Luke also says “many have undertaken” to write the life of Jesus (1:1), that many would rejoice at his birth (1:14), and that his life would cause the rise and fall of many in Israel (2:34). He references Old Testament narratives of “many widows” (4:25) and many with leprosy (4:27). In Acts, we see many healed (8:7), large numbers believing in Jesus (4:4, 6:7, 9:42, 11:21, 14:41), and many Corinthians believing (18:8).
This selection demonstrates when Luke uses “many” he means “a lot.” Regarding people, it is a non-numerated, larger group or crowd, not a huddle.
From the Passover crowd to the burial
As the pilgrim throng entered Jerusalem for the Passover, Matthew’s gospel states “a very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road.” Then, Matthew describes crowds going ahead of Jesus, while those who followed shouted the praise of the Triumphal Entry. The crowds accompanying Jesus were big enough and loud enough that “the whole city was in an uproar” (21:8–10).
After Jesus was betrayed, arrested, tried, and flogged, as he was carrying his cross to the place of crucifixion, Luke notes a “large crowd of people” followed him, then specifies “including women who were mourning and lamenting him” (23:27). After Jesus gave up his spirit, one of his disciples, Joseph of Arimathea, asked for the body for burial. Obtaining permission, he placed Jesus’ body in a new tomb (23:50–53).
Significantly, Luke says these women followed Joseph to the tomb. They both saw where Jesus’ body was laid and how it was placed. That is, they were in close enough physical proximity to know all the specifics about the burial of Jesus Christ.
Luke reports those watching the events were “the women who came from Galilee” (23:55). Remember, there were “many” women who supported his Galilean ministry, many of whom would have been in Jerusalem for the Passover. Mark also writes of women watching the crucifixion from a distance (15:40, 41), naming Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and Joses, and Salome. He makes clear these women ministered to Jesus in Galilee, then says, “Many other women had come up with him to Jerusalem.”
It is no stretch to envision “many” of these same women rejoicing at the Triumphal Entry, then weeping and lamenting on the Via Dolorosa, following Joseph to his new tomb, preparing spices and perfumes to anoint Jesus’ body on Sunday morning, then observing a Sabbath rest (Luke 23:54).
Jesus’ female disciples on resurrection morning
Having established the group of women disciples attending to the last hours of Jesus was likely not small, we will now address the question of how many women were at Jesus’ tomb.
The bare minimum was five. I think the evidences suggests it was at least 8–10, possibly more.
First, it is important to remember the women who went to the tomb of Jesus on the first Easter were his disciples. There were not fangirls, hangers-on, or wives of the real disciples—men. They were both disciples and witnesses, the first evangels of the risen Christ.
Second, when we harmonize the “women at the tomb” parts of the Easter narrative from all four gospels, we find four named women. The language pushes the number to a minimum of five (probably more), while the context suggests more than five. From the gospels:
Matthew 28: Mary Magdalene, the other Mary (aka mother of Joses)
Mark 16: Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James (and Joses), Salome
Luke 24: Mary Magdalene, Mary mother of James, Joanna, other women (plural)
John 20: Mary Magdalene (though others are implied when she reports back “we don’t know where they’ve put him”)
Luke’s use of the plural after naming three women, indicates a minimum of five. Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, Salome, and Joanna are the four named.
Further textual clues from Luke lend credence to the probability this was a larger group than five. The narrative between 23:55 and 24:10 alternates between the phrase “the women” and the plural pronoun “they,” both units of speech referring to this same group of women: the “many” from Galilee.
“The women…followed and observed”
“They returned and prepared”
“They rested on the Sabbath”
“Very early…they came to the tomb”
“They found the stone rolled away”
“They went in”
“The women were terrified” (note also the angel’s reference to Galilee)
“They remembered his words”
“They reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest”
The others “did not believe the women”
The narrative cannot be broken up to suggest everyone went home or slept in. Given the immediacy of the Sabbath day, they didn’t try to leave Jerusalem, precisely as the text indicates.
Disciples on the [Easter] road to Emmaus
“That same day,” Luke informs us (24:13), two disciples were returning home to Emmaus after having been in Jerusalem for the Passover. One was Cleopas, the other unnamed. In this well-known passage, the two disciples were discussing the current events, when Jesus appeared out of the ether and began walking with them. He prevented them from recognizing him—possibly indicating they were close disciples who knew Jesus by sight—then proceeded to join the conversation.
The part relevant to this writing begins with the two informing Jesus: “[I]t’s the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women from our group astounded us. They arrived early at the tomb, and when they didn’t find his body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they didn’t see him” (24:21–24, emphasis added). Cleopas and his friend, disciples themselves, identify the women disciples, part of the company along with the Apostles, as the ones who discovered the empty tomb. While the two do not ascribe a number, it’s clear they are talking about the same group of women who were in the earlier narrative concerning “the women.”
The description given by the Emmaus disciples is personal enough to conclude they were part of the initial group to be informed: “they astounded us” and “some of those who were with us” hints at presence. Luke 24:9 says the women returned from the tomb and “reported these things to the Eleven, and to all the rest.” No clue is given as to the total number of assembled disciples, but it seems to have been a larger group than most believe. When Jesus revealed himself, these two immediately returned to Jerusalem, found the Eleven and those with them” (24:33). This was a group, including the women witnesses, with whom they were familiar.
And the women were first
I leave to the reader to draw out deeper theological implications and ecclesiastical applications radiating from this narrative, but one thing is sure: on the dawn of the first Easter, it was a group of women disciples who went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. They could not find a corpse, and thus were informed by angels that Jesus had risen from the dead. It was this group of Galilean evangelistas who first bore witness to the risen Christ, getting a pre-Pentecost jump-start on “your daughters will prophesy” (Joel 2:28–32; Acts 2:17–21). The women were gospel heralds before the Gospels themselves were written, their proclamation being incorporated into the Gospels later on.
Wondering about women’s roles in the Kingdom? This brief survey is not intended to address that in full, but it seems pretty obvious one role of women in the Kingdom is to bear witness to the resurrection power of God whether men in the Kingdom believe them or not.
fides quaerens intellectum
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